The evening sky above the Valerius estate burned orange as the sun slowly dipped below the distant mountains.
Long shadows stretched across the courtyard where Julius had accidentally unleashed that strange magic earlier.
Now the place looked normal again.
The cracked stone had already been repaired by the estate mages.
The broken training dummy had been removed.
If someone walked through the courtyard now, they would never guess anything unusual had happened.
But Julius knew better.
And so did his mother.
Julius sat quietly in the manor's large library, a thick book resting on his lap.
But he wasn't really reading.
His eyes were stuck on the same sentence for several minutes.
Void…
The word kept echoing in his mind.
That dark mist.
The cold feeling that had spread through his body.
And that voice.
Awaken.
Julius clenched his small hands slightly.
That wasn't normal magic.
He had seen his sister Elara cast spells many times.
Fire.
Light.
Wind.
Even advanced elemental magic his mother sometimes demonstrated.
But what he had created…
That felt completely different.
Like the world itself rejected it.
And mom definitely noticed.
He remembered the way Vanessa had touched the cracked stone and closed her eyes.
She had been sensing the leftover mana.
Which meant she definitely felt something.
The only question was…
How much does she know?
Julius sighed quietly and closed the book.
"Troubled thoughts?"
The sudden voice made him jump slightly.
He looked up.
His mother stood at the doorway.
Vanessa Valerius stepped into the library slowly, the soft light of the lanterns reflecting in her emerald eyes.
Her white hair flowed down her back like silver.
Even after five years, Julius still sometimes forgot how powerful she was.
Not just his mother.
But one of the most feared Archmages in the kingdom.
Julius forced a small smile.
"Just reading."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Reading the same page for ten minutes?"
Julius froze.
She noticed that too…
Vanessa chuckled softly and walked over.
She sat down beside him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
But it felt heavy.
Vanessa eventually placed a hand gently on his head.
"You've been practicing mana control again."
It wasn't a question.
Julius hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
Vanessa studied him carefully.
"You're still very young," she said softly.
"Mana is powerful. But it can also be dangerous if you push yourself too hard."
Julius lowered his gaze slightly.
"I understand."
Vanessa was quiet again.
But Julius could feel it.
She was thinking deeply about something.
Then she suddenly smiled.
"Would you like to try a small test?"
Julius blinked.
"A test?"
"Yes."
Vanessa raised her hand slightly.
A small glowing crystal appeared above her palm.
It floated gently in the air.
Julius immediately recognized it.
A mana crystal.
They were commonly used to measure magical potential.
Vanessa placed it carefully in Julius' hands.
"Just release a little mana into it," she said calmly.
"Nothing complicated."
Julius stared at the crystal.
His heart began beating faster.
If that Void thing happens again…
But refusing would only make things more suspicious.
So he took a slow breath.
Just normal mana.
Like before.
He closed his eyes.
Carefully guiding the warm flow of mana through his body.
Slowly…
He released a tiny amount into the crystal.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
The crystal glowed.
Bright blue light filled the room.
Vanessa's eyes widened slightly.
That's… a lot of mana for a five-year-old.
But then something changed.
The blue light flickered.
A thin strand of dark energy appeared inside the crystal.
Vanessa's breath caught.
The darkness twisted slowly like smoke inside the glowing crystal.
For a brief moment…
The light and darkness fought each other.
Then—
CRACK
The crystal shattered into tiny fragments.
The pieces fell silently into Julius' hands.
The library went completely quiet.
Julius slowly opened his eyes.
His stomach dropped when he saw the broken crystal.
"…I'm sorry."
Vanessa didn't answer immediately.
She was staring at the fragments.
Her mind racing.
Mana corruption.
Void traces.
But that's impossible…
Those records were supposed to be myths.
Stories from ancient times.
Magic that disappeared thousands of years ago.
And yet…
She had felt it clearly in the courtyard earlier.
And now the crystal confirmed it.
Vanessa slowly looked at Julius.
Her son sat there nervously, waiting for her reaction.
To him, this was just a broken crystal.
But to her…
It was something far more terrifying.
If the Church ever discovers this…
Her heart tightened.
They would not hesitate.
They would take Julius away.
Or worse.
Julius looked at her uneasy.He knew something was wrong from his mother's silence and facial expression.
Vanessa gently closed Julius' hand around the crystal fragments.
Then she smiled warmly.
"It's alright."
Julius blinked.
"…It is?"
Vanessa nodded.
"You simply used too much mana."
She stood up calmly.
"I'll get another crystal later."
But as she walked toward the door…
Her thoughts were far darker.
I need to confirm this.
And quickly.
Because if she was right…
Then the power sleeping inside her son…
Was something the world had once nearly been destroyed by.
Far away.Beyond the borders of the kingdom.Deep within a forgotten temple buried beneath ancient ruins—
A massive stone structure suddenly trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
An ancient symbol carved into the floor began to glow faintly.
Purple.
Dark.
Alive.
For the first time in centuries…
The Primordial Void had stirred.
End of Chapter 4