Solar Calendar
Day 26, Month 12, Year 1500New Night Village
At Night
"Remember, boy, miracles do exist! You just have to believe it to make it happen. Isn't that too easy?"
Nox looked at old Colder with great doubt, especially at his words that you can do anything you want just by believing in it. Wouldn't that be too crazy? Hesitantly, he replied:
"You don't believe it?" Old Colder looked at him in silence. "Well, it's a bit complicated. It's not just about believing—you also need talent for it." He let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well, there's no choice but to learn from it. Tell me, Nox, do you think you're special?"
"Considering what my eyes can see… I suppose so." But does being special really just come down to having special eyes? It's not like I can do much with what I see. They're just there.
"Hm… If what you say is true, then your eyes might indeed be very special." Old Colder stroked his chin. "This is the first time I've seen something like this. My only knowledge comes from books, but I still don't know what kind of power you have… Something related to shadows? That sounds too sinister… unlike her."
Old Colder stood up and walked toward a bookshelf filled with books.
He was the leader of the small church in town, a man over 50 years old with black hair streaked with white, dark eyes, a somewhat wrinkled face, and a large beard. He wore a long white robe that covered his entire body. In his own words, old Colder was special—after all, he was a mana user, something that no one else in this village possessed… except me. He was also the one who took in abandoned children like myself.
Looking at him, I see a father figure. I respect him greatly, but…
"I found it!"
Old Colder held an old book in his hands. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he returned to the table and slowly opened it.
"Although I didn't find any clues about your power, now is not the time to worry about that."
"I think it is…" Nox thought to himself.
"But first things first—you must learn about your origins!"
Old Colder pointed to a drawing in the book.
"The foundations of the village we know today were once glorious! In these very lands, there was once a prosperous kingdom that ruled for hundreds of years. And this is the proof of it!"
Old Colder pointed to the book beside me. I picked it up carefully.
"The cover of this book is identical to the flag carried by the ancient kingdom—a massive black scythe. This is the only clue to your possible origins."
I am an orphan. Old Colder found me in a basket. It's a bit unfortunate, since I now use that same basket for work… but something is better than nothing. I was wrapped in blankets, and the only things they found with me were my name written on a piece of paper and this book, which, by the way, is completely blank inside.
I've tried many times to figure out what the book does, but all my efforts have failed. In the end, I just left it in the corner of my room.
It wasn't until old Colder—too curious for his own good—started investigating the book. He has an air of a scholar; everyone says he spends most of his time with books. He loves history and fantasy. It wasn't until a year ago that he discovered that the book's cover was identical to the old flag of a kingdom that once existed in what is now known as New Night Village…
"The problem is that we know almost nothing about this ancient kingdom…"
Old Colder sighed to himself. He looked at the book with sadness and then closed it again.
"Shall we practice?"
"I'll try."
Nox stood up and looked at his hands.
"Remember, mana flows through your body unconsciously. What you must do is control it and use it to your advantage. You need enough concentration to make the mana flow constantly toward the point where you want it to focus. In this case, your hands."
"What old Colder says is simple. I already have this part down… the only problem is…"
When I looked at my hands again… there it was. The shadow chicken.
It always happens. Every time I try to concentrate my mana into my hands, this familiar shadow chicken appears. It stared at me just as I stared at it. Raising its beak, it spread its small wings… It looks proud for some reason.
"Well…"
Old Colder was also stunned for a moment but quickly regained his composure. He coughed, a bit embarrassed.
"Can't you do anything else? Or at least summon a different shadow?"
"No."
I shook my head. The same chicken always appears. But it doesn't really bother me. This chicken always follows me wherever I go. It's like a pet to me…
I picked up the chicken from the floor and placed it on the table.
"This is complicated…"
Old Colder examined the chicken closely.
"I suppose I still don't have the proper knowledge."
He stopped looking at the chicken and stood up. Walking to the corner of his office, he grabbed two loaves of bread and two small cups. When he returned, he placed one loaf and one cup beside me.
"Did you collect the glass bottles?" he asked while dipping his bread into his coffee.
"Yes, I gave them to Mr. Noel. Tomorrow, he'll have the new batch of products ready."
Nox replied while slowly eating the white bread.
"You work very hard, Nox. I really appreciate it. If it weren't for you, the other children would only have two meals a day."
Old Colder smiled gratefully.
The church, which is my home, is poor. There are many mouths to feed, and Miss Jenny spends most of her time taking care of the children. Old Colder is too old for that now. Since I'm grateful to them, I had to do something about it. I couldn't just sit around doing nothing…
"Has any letter arrived from the empire?"
I asked Old Colder.
"No… It's been a long time since the last letter."
Old Colder sighed to himself, a bit sad.
"I see… That's a shame."
Nox also lamented quietly. He looked at his cup of coffee and at the chicken, who was comfortably sitting on top of the book.
With a small smile, Nox continued eating his bread with his coffee.
"You're a good kid, Nox. I really enjoy spending time with you. I'll patiently wait for your letters."
Old Colder gently patted Nox's back.
"Yes."
The room was filled with a comfortable silence.