Tsana blinked her eyes. She cleared her throat softly to regain her composure.
"Your mana control is incredible, Sir. I can barely sense your energy. You must be a very skilled wizard?" Tsana asked.
Earlier, Tsana had let herself get carried away in surprise, it was the first time she had ever failed to detect another person's mana.
Everyone in this world was born with mana energy, and it could always be felt, unless that person was dead.
For hundreds of years of wandering across the continent, she had always been able to sense others' mana clearly, even the faintest flow of energy.
But this was the first time she failed to sense someone's mana. No wonder she had overreacted.
The man pressed his lips together, looking a bit nervous, but still replied, "Y-yes, just an ordinary wizard. I've traveled across several continents for years, and finally decided to take a rest. This is my first and last homecoming."
Inwardly, Tsana didn't believe him. 'There's no way he's just an ordinary wizard.'
Still, that wasn't her concern. Everyone had their secrets. What Tsana needed to focus on was finding traces of the Light Dragon.
Tsana nodded. "Then that means this capital city is your hometown?"
The man nodded.
Recalling his earlier words, Tsana decided to strike directly. "From what you said earlier, it seems you know quite a lot about the Light Dragon that appeared recently. I'm rather interested in researching mythical beings such as the Light Dragon. Would you mind discussing it with me?"
A faint blush spread across the man's cheeks after Tsana said that. His eyes darted nervously around. "You flatter me, Miss. I only know a little about the Light Dragon."
His voice was soft and gentle, as if he was so embarrassed that even speaking felt difficult.
Tsana wanted to press further about his knowledge of the Dragon, but suddenly she felt a breeze brush against her ear. It was Zephyr's call. She had forgotten, she needed to go to Roswell Academy for an inspection. She had spent too much time at the bar already.
She turned back to the amethyst-eyed man. "Even so, I look forward to exchanging thoughts with you."
Tsana stood and gave a slight bow. "May I know your name, Sir?"
"Eh? I-it's Cayn."
It was odd to see such a handsome, dignified man speak so nervously, yet for some reason, Tsana didn't mind at all.
Cayn didn't mention a last name, perhaps for a reason, or perhaps he simply didn't have one.
Tsana smiled and nodded, handing him a small green pill. "I have some business to attend to and can't stay long. But I do look forward to our discussion, Mr. Cayn. This is my mana pill. If you wish to talk, just crush it. I'll sense where you are through the mana link it releases and come to you immediately. If you don't wish to, then you may simply discard it."
Cayn stared at the green pill in his palm, startled. "This is…"
Tsana gave a farewell nod before turning to leave.
"Wait, Miss."
Suddenly, Tsana felt a large, warm hand wrap around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
Cayn was holding her hand.
"What are you—"
Before she could finish, Cayn stood and leaned in, sniffing at her neck. Tsana instinctively tried to pull away, but his grip prevented her. She froze, standing stiffly like a statue as Cayn sniffed her like a cat.
"I've been curious since earlier… There's a wicked scent coming from you, Miss."
Tsana froze, her mind going blank. What is he talking about? A wicked scent?
Cayn's face was so close she could see him clearly. His skin was fair and flawless, so beautiful it made Tsana feel envious. His features looked sculpted to perfection, with a straight nose and naturally red lips.
But what caught her most were his amethyst eyes. To Tsana, they looked hollow… yet within that emptiness, she saw a faint flicker, something quietly stirring.
She didn't understand why she felt that way. Was it an illusion spell?
Then, Cayn spoke again. "Have you been in pain for a long time, Miss Norton?"
His words struck her like a blade. 'What is he talking about? Does he know about my curse? That's impossible.'
Quickly, Tsana pulled herself free. "Perhaps it's just your imagination, Sir. I must go now. Farewell."
She hurried away, her steps brisk, leaving Cayn behind, his amethyst eyes still following her retreating figure.
When she was gone, a man in a black cloak emerged from the corner and approached Cayn. "Have you confirmed it, Your Majesty?"
Cayn's once shy and nervous expression vanished completely, replaced by a cold and distant look.
"Yes," he replied quietly.
Even his voice was firmer now, unlike the one he used with Tsana.
"What will you do next, Your Majesty?"
Cayn stared blankly at the green pill in his hand. "I don't know."
★★★
Tsana had walked quite far from the bar but was still in the alleyway.
She pressed a hand to her chest; her heart was pounding violently. 'What did he mean by that? Did he notice the curse?'
Panic rose in her chest. Someone being able to sense her curse, it was impossible.
Only a few could smell a curse's scent, and those few were immensely powerful.
Who exactly was that man?
It had been ages since she last met anyone capable of detecting her curse. If she remembered correctly, that was a hundred years ago.
"Master, oooiii!"
Zephyr's childish face suddenly popped up in front of her, his eyes filled with curiosity. In his right hand, he carried a small bag of candied fruit he had bought with the money Tsana gave him.
"Master, are you drunk after leaving the bar?" Zephyr asked suddenly.
"No," Tsana replied flatly, walking past him.
Zephyr followed her steps. "You look dazed, though. I called you several times, and you didn't even hear me."
"I was ignoring you on purpose."
Ignoring her cold tone, Zephyr rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So? Did you get any useful information about the Light Dragon's whereabouts?"
Tsana shook her head. "Not really. But I found someone who might give me a clue."
Zephyr nodded. "That's good to hear."
"I gave him my mana pill. If he agrees to talk, he only needs to crush it."
Zephyr's eyes widened. "You gave him your mana pill? Are you serious?"
Tsana nodded.
Zephyr stared at her back in disbelief. "Master, that's—"
Tsana cut him off. "It's fine. I can make another one."
Zephyr hurried ahead, shifting into his adult form. He stood before Tsana, his brows furrowed deeply. "That's not the point! A mana pill is the heart of every wizard, and you just handed it to a stranger you barely know, all for a piece of information that might not even be true! Master, are you that desperate?"
As an adult, Zephyr was a head taller than Tsana, so she had to tilt her head slightly to look at him.
Without hesitation, Tsana replied, "Why are you so worried? Even if he intends harm, I'll survive."
Zephyr's throat tightened. His voice trembled. "Yes, I know. But… how long will you keep torturing yourself like this, Master?"
"Until I'm allowed to die."
Zephyr felt as though a blade had pierced his chest. His body trembled.
Looking at Tsana with tear-filled eyes, he clenched his fists. "I've been your contracted spirit servant for a hundred years. When our bond was formed, we shared blood from the same chalice. Since then, I've been one with you. I can always sense your life energy because of our pact. Even so, I've come to see you as my own mother."
Tsana stayed silent, watching him tremble.
Zephyr's eyes glistened as he continued, "Can you- can you imagine how terrified I feel every time your life energy fades away? Even if you come back after dying, still… feeling your life slipping away bit by bit terrifies me. I know you'll revive, I know your curse hurts you, and I know how desperate you are to find a cure to end it. But please, can't you search for it without putting yourself in danger?"
Even though Zephyr's form was that of an adult man, at that moment he looked like a helpless child crying, his body shaking. Especially since he still held the small bag of candied fruit in his trembling hand.
The sight before her touched something deep within Tsana's heart. Slowly, she raised her right hand and gently patted Zephyr's golden hair.
For anyone who might have seen them, it would have been quite a funny sight. A woman patting the head of a grown man, taller than her by a full head, who was crying like a little boy.
Tsana smiled faintly at the sound of Zephyr's soft sobs. "A mana pill is the heart of every wizard. An ordinary person who doesn't know that would follow my words and crush it if they agreed to a discussion. If that happened, my heart would be destroyed as well. Is that what you were thinking?"
Zephyr nodded weakly, sniffing his runny nose.
Tsana chuckled softly. "Just as I thought, you're still the same little baby in my eyes, Zephyr."
Zephyr pouted, looking annoyed. "Don't joke in a situation like this. It's not funny. And besides, I'm a hundred years old, I'm already an adult."
Tsana ignored his protest and explained instead, "The man I gave my mana pill to isn't an ordinary person. I've wandered across the continent for over eight hundred years, and he's the only one who has ever managed to hide his mana completely from me. Someone like that couldn't possibly be ignorant about the function of a mana pill. Giving it to him was my way of acknowledging and trusting his power. A person like that likely knows a lot about the Light Dragon. That's why he might agree to talk to me."
"But still…"
"All right, listen to me," Tsana said, cutting him off gently. "From now on, I promise you, if I die this time, it will be my last death. After that, you'll never see me die again, and I won't walk a dangerous path anymore."
Zephyr lowered his head. The curse that plagued Tsana was a curse of immortality. Not only could she not die, but it also tortured her endlessly. Every time she died, she would come back to life, and the curse would continue to torment her body without rest. Tsana had once said that death was far kinder than the pain of the curse.
"So…"
Zephyr watched as Tsana took a stick of candied apple from the small bag in his hand and held it in front of his lips.
"Eat up, my child. We have to get to Roswell Academy. In three days, our home will be full of guests."
Zephyr reverted to his childlike form and bit into the candied apple that Tsana offered. The two of them then walked side by side, with Zephyr clutching the hem of Tsana's cloak.
It was a heartwarming sight, like a mother who had just managed to comfort her crying child.
That was the simplest description of their relationship.
After living together for a hundred years, this was the first time Zephyr had truly opened his heart. He had always been terrified every time he felt Tsana's life energy disappear. When someone's life energy vanished, it meant one thing, that person was dead. And yet, the next day, Tsana would return as if nothing had happened. It had happened countless times.
Every night, Tsana would disappear without a word. Zephyr didn't know where she went, until one day, he found out. She went into the Forest of Nightmares, trying to suppress the agony of her curse. He had seen with his own eyes how she suffered there, her body twisting in unbearable pain.
That image had haunted him ever since, so much that he never wanted to remember it again.
The mark of her curse lay upon her abdomen, a symbol resembling an intricate magic circle.
For a long time, Zephyr had wondered how Tsana came to bear that curse, and for how long she had endured it.
But Tsana had never given him an answer.
★★★
"Please teach us magic!"
Just as Tsana and Zephyr stepped through the gates of Roswell Academy, two teenagers suddenly blocked their path, shouting eagerly to be taught magic.
★★★
Character Introductions:
1. Cayn – The handsome and mysterious man with neatly braided silver hair and a pair of amethyst eyes appeared nervous and shy in front of Tsana, yet was completely different around others.
2. A mysterious man in a black cloak – His identity remains unknown.