A few minutes before the dark flame incident
Realm of the divine - World Room
Each world governed by the council was represented by large energy spheres
Isla had a stressed look on her face, investigating the worlds
"Muohh! This is insane."
Biting the tip of her thumb finger, she panicked.
"How will I find one soul in all this...I need an angle, I need some kind of approach. Clearly, going through one by one is not going to work!"
Still chewing on her fingernail, a world's energy some way ahead of her flickers unnatural for a split second.
But for a goddess of her caliber, it was enough for her to notice
"Hmm!?"
She promptly teleported to the world sphere and started examining the world in microscopic detail.
"I swear I could feel that dreaded sensation coming from this one..."
Then she paused and processed the possibilities
"... 5 years, with over hundreds of thousands of worlds here."
"To gamble this one without concrete proof...would that be wise or rash..."
Isla pondered for a while, then stared intently at the world.
She had decided she would make a rash decision to investigate this world
In Naki's Reincarnated World
It was sunset.
Naki sat on the veranda floor. He was with someone, a childhood friend called Maya.
"I'm sorry your training session didn't go well, Ki. I'm sure it will work out next time." With a voice as soft as a Saintpaulia, she attempted to comfort Naki, who seemed distraught.
"Yeah...I'm not so sure anymore, Maya. I thought this time...I-I mean, and yet I...I..."
"Naki..." she muttered.
"I'm just happy to hear he'll survive. I feared the worst..." Naki said, then turns to Maya
"At least I haven't taken away an instructor of your school, eh?" he said with a half-disguised grin.
Maya saw he was trying to put the incident behind him and obliged
"Yeah. I really wished you were joining me to the kingdom tomorrow, Naki," she said
"Hehe, don't worry, I may have blown my chance with Sir Zickler today, but I will master my magic even if I have to do it alone."
Then he held Maya's shoulder and leaned forward eagerly. Maya was taken by surprise.
"SO!" After realizing his imprudence, he shyfully pulled back and looked away
"So, umm...would you...wait for me then?" Naki muttered
Maya smiled and placed her hand on his. "Always and forever, Ki," she replied
Naki's face brightened, and they talked for a while longer
Then Maya waved him goodbye and left Naki's home.
He watched her until she disappeared into the distance
"(Maya's always been an ambitious person. I knew she would have no troubles getting into Listeria Magic Academy)"
"(First time we met was in the market alleys downtown, I was 6 then)"
"(It was also the first time, my magic went out of control)"
"(She was being hassled by some grunts. Choosing to play hero, I stepped in to help. But my fire magic went haywire, and the entire market almost paid for it in full)"
Naki recalled the events of how everyone stared at him with disdain after the deed
"(Luckily no one died; but it was clear I wasn't wanted then)"
"(Everyone rejected me. 'Until he masters control, we can't accept his application,' they all said)"
"(But not Maya. Maya's different, she's always been there for me, seen past the 'cursed boy' moniker)"
Naki smiled, staring at his right hand
"And it appears she always will be. If it wasn't for her, I might've given up."
"So I can't fail. Both for my soul and for her faith in me."
Naki renewed his motivation and returned to his home
2 years later...
Ampha - Downtown
Down the hill of Naki's hometown was Ampha - downtown.
A small town that specializes in smithery and craftsmanship.
A young girl just left the closest blacksmith shop to Naki's home in the hills, wearing a full velvet cloak, and a deep violet rough steel arcane staff hung on her back.
"(Finally, some useful information)"
She turned around and looked at the hill to Naki's house
"(So there you are, cursed one...)" A smile formed under the cloak, and the young girl began the journey uphill
Naki's Home, Backyard
He was now 15, growing into a fine young man.
With black wavy hair tethering in the wind as he swung a short sword in the backyard, he was practicing swordsmanship.
In one last engaging move, he unleashed a sweeping slash attack that uprooted a tiny amount of dust around him due to the force behind the swing.
Then he relaxed his stance and wiped some sweat off his forehead
"Phew...to think knights do this on a near-daily basis. Explains why they're so strong."
Then he stared at his right hand, wearing the same gloves he did 2 years ago.
"Thanks to Grandma's glove, I've managed to suppress my power all these years."
"But she did say when I turn 17, it won't work anymore, something about circles around the sigil on my hand."
Naki carefully lifted the gloves just enough to see how the sigil looked now.
"5 of 7 of these circles have lit up...I don't have much time left," he muttered in frustration.
Then he stared at his short sword.
"Since no one would help me, I have to master the sword; that way, I can explore the kingdoms myself. Somewhere out there, there has to be someone who can help me."
Naki's hand curled into a grip as he frowned.
"I have to do something, I won't let it end like this! But..." his voice trailed.
Then,
"But I only have 2 years left. Is it even possible to succeed?" interrupted a voice - charming and refined - with a subtle layer of amusement.
He looked up ahead in shock, not a thought someone had been listening in on him.
It was the girl in velvet cloak.
"My apologies. I wasn't aware you were into the habit of talking to yourself," the girl said
Naki frowned and heightened his guard.
"And I wasn't aware you were in the habit of eavesdropping on others," he countered
"Touche," she replied with a smile and wanted to step forward
"Who are you?"
Naki's hand reached for the hilt of his sword as he asked. This made the girl stop.
"You only get one chance to answer before I draw my blade," he warned intimidatingly.
The girl stood still for moment
"Very well. Seems there's no cutting corners with this one."
The girl pulled back the cap of her cloak, revealing her deep red hair, side-swept bangs to the left.
Her right ear displayed a mystical bell earring that was swaying softly in the light breeze.
Her pupils glinted for a brief moment - like cat's eyes in the dark - as Naki's eyes met hers.
Her charm had loosened Naki's guard significantly before she could answer his question.
"My name is Habiki, and I am here to see you, cursed child."
"(She came specifically for me? Weird. But given she already overheard me talking)"
Naki pondered his options before clearing his throat.
"*clears throat* And why's that?"
She smiled softly and answered, "Simple. I would like to help him master his magic."
Naki's face was stricken with confusion, disbelief, and enormous surprise upon hearing that.
"One of my...former mentors resigned his position shortly after his encounter with you," she said, showing a picture of Zickler
"Sir Zickler..." Naki murmured
"Yes. Apparently, he said your power was unfathomably, otherworldly...devilish."
Naki frowned to the last word
"(Does he know about my sigil...my life as a devil child)"
He stared at Habiki, returning the picture to her magic cloak pocket
"(No, not likely. Otherwise I would've been hunted years ago, but then there's this girl...)"
She smiled once more, tilting her face to the left
"You seemed surprised; surely you didn't believe word of your...incident would not resound across the kingdom?"
"So, what do you want then? revenge for your mentor?" Naki asked bluntly
"Oh no, no such thing," she said, quickly waving that aside
"The failings of Zickler are inconsequential to me," she emphasized
"(Zickler? is she just being rude or...is she actually of higher standing in status?)"
Every time Habiki spoke, Naki was unsettled
This stranger was clearly messing up his composure
"(I can't trust her. Revenge would be understandable but knowing what she knows and approaching me regardless says bad news, no matter how I look at it)"
"So, do you accept to be my student?" she asked
"(I have to play my cards right, turn her away, but don't anger her. Clashing with another magician right now will not end well)" Naki calculated his next words before offering
"I'll have to decline. You're still young, so it may be naivete affecting you."
"Huh!?" the girl scowled a bit, slightly annoyed.
"My powers, it's not a joke. Sir Zickler's injuries were almost fatal."
Naki turned his back, ready to return
"Go home. I will not risk a casualty by adhering to your whims, girl."
He said, walking away.
"(Oh crap...whatever happened to not anger her. I hope she reads the room and let it go)" thought Naki
Before he could take another step, though, the girl spoke
"You've been so eager to draw your blade since we started talking."
"Hmm?" Naki paused to hear where she was going with this
"Why don't we strike a deal?" she said
"1 duel. You vs. Me. If you win, I leave. If I win, you become my student."
Naki contemplated her intentions; he wasn't sure if she was provoking him or testing him.
"(A duel against her? What is she playing at)"
Naki then turned around
"(No matter. She may a strong magician but If I act fast enough before she can cast any magic, we're done here)"
"So, what do you say, cursed child?" she asked, mixing her question with one last provocation.
Naki would not let that stand.
"...I accept," said Naki, drawing his blade as his sigil lit up beneath his gloves