She looked down at both of her hands to confirm the illusion. She slowly opened her palms, then clenched her fingers into tight fists. Her left arm, which had been completely ruined and bleeding only moments ago in the waking world, moved flawlessly. There was absolutely no pain. There was no blood.
Amidst that fleeting sensation of physical freedom, a sudden voice broke through the ambient sound of the crashing waves.
"Hey." A female voice greeted her casually from the left.
Rina took a sudden, defensive step backward. Her blue irises widened in genuine surprise as she witnessed the sheer perfection of a true magi standing before her.
Rina observed the mana flowing steadily inside the stranger. It was entirely stable at the highest level. Every muscle in the woman's body was enhanced by raw mana at full throttle, yet there was absolutely zero drawback. It was as if the mana and her body had truly become one.
It is perfect, Rina thought, completely frozen in awe.
The harsh coastal wind blew heavily against them both, but neither of them was affected by the violent gale, especially Rina. The woman smiled softly and started to walk slowly across the sand toward her. She reached up and gently tucked a stray strand of silver hair behind her ear.
As she moved, the bright sun reflected off the silver crown resting lightly upon her head. It was a beautiful, hollow circlet worn like a metallic headband. Pristine stars were carved deeply into the silver, spaced exactly three inches apart along its entire circumference. Her blue tinted black clothing and her flowing white robe trailed elegantly along the wind.
"They say that the mana core is a reflection of a magi," the woman spoke softly. She turned her gaze to look out at the infinite horizon of the ocean. "You have a wonderful mana core, Rina."
Taking advantage of the sudden opening, Rina snapped out of her paralyzed awe. She quickly raised her right hand.
"Formula con..."
The activation phrase never finished. Before Rina could even construct the magic, the blue geometric circle vanished in an absolute instant. It completely shattered, leaving only a fine blue dust of mana swirling harmlessly into the ocean air.
Antimagic? Rina thought, her eyes tracking the falling dust. No. She dismantled the formula completely without even looking. Not even Viktor can do that.
Rina tightly clenched her trembling fist. She forced herself to swallow the suffocating pressure and finally gathered a fraction of courage.
"Who are you?" Rina asked. Her voice cracked, betraying a rare, uncharacteristic stutter on the final word.
The bright sunshine illuminated the stranger in a breathtaking manner. The woman looked back at Rina and let out a soft, melodic laugh.
"There is no need to be hostile, Rina."
She slowly walked forward until she stood directly in front of the young girl.
"My name is Morgan. Morgan Le Fay."
Morgan Le Fay. The Grand Mage. The singular entity acknowledged by all of creation. The progenitor of raw mana. The absolute root of every formula. The undisputed pinnacle of magical existence.
Morgan gently reached out her pale hand toward Rina to offer a formal greeting.
"This is our first time meeting, right?"
She smiled warmly. Rina stood completely dumbfounded. Her analytical mind momentarily stalled, entirely unsure of how to process the sheer weight of the situation. However, her deeply ingrained survival instincts immediately took over. Refusing a handshake from the absolute pinnacle of magic was a guaranteed death sentence.
Rina slowly raised her trembling hand and grasped Morgan's pale fingers.
"Yeah," Rina muttered, her voice unusually quiet. "Yeah."
Morgan tilted her head slightly. She observed Rina's entirely stiff and terrified posture, then let out a genuine, melodic laugh. Gracefully gathering the edges of her flowing white robe, the Grand Mage sat down directly on the warm beach. She gently patted the empty sand beside her.
"Sit with me, Rina," she said softly. "You must have a lot of questions. Information is the absolute key to survival in the world of the mafia, right?"
Without saying another word, Rina slowly lowered herself onto the sand next to Morgan. The bright sun radiated a comforting heat that stood in complete contrast to the freezing dungeon waiting for her in the waking world. The two of them sat together in absolute silence. The coastal wind continued to blow across the beach, softly brushing against their skin. The rhythmic sound of the crashing ocean waves rang peacefully in their ears, while the endless, beautiful shine of the water reflected clearly in both of their eyes.
Rina slowly gathered her fractured composure.
"What is someone like the Grand Mage doing inside my subconsciousness?" Rina asked. She finally let out the lingering thought that had bothered her ever since she recognized the entity.
Morgan watched the endless water for a brief moment before finally answering.
"I have been here since the very beginning."
Rina did not blink. Her blue eyes remained completely flat.
"Then in the future, will you take over my body and wreak havoc once again?" Rina questioned bluntly.
Upon hearing that, Morgan let out a soft, genuine laugh.
"Right off the bat, eh?" Amused by Rina's direct hostility, the Grand Mage raised her left arm and opened her pale palm toward the sky. The bright blue expanse of the heavens could be seen clearly through the gaps in her fingers. "Rina. I would have done that a long time ago and simply played along if that was my true intention. Do you not agree?"
Morgan continued to look up at her own hand.
"The world is not like it used to be when I left it. Humanity has grown stronger." She slowly closed her hand, turning her fingers into a tight fist as if she were physically capturing the blazing sun itself. She lowered her gaze back to Rina. "Are you not enthralled by your own limits, Rina? You are unconsciously testing it."
Rina cast a cautious glance over at Morgan. Her deeply ingrained paranoia refused to simply let the topic drop.
"Have you ever taken my consciousness?" Rina asked.
Morgan turned her head away. She looked out at the crashing ocean waves once more, suddenly finding the endless water incredibly fascinating.
"Every Sunday midnight when it is your designated rest day I borrow your body to watch movies and use the internet while your consciousness is entirely asleep," Morgan muttered incredibly fast.
"WHAT?"
Rina was completely perplexed by the sudden, absurd confession. Her clinical, deadpan composure violently shattered into a million pieces. A sudden phantom itch crawled across every single part of her body, prompting her to furiously scratch at her own arms in pure, unfiltered horror.
"You are a parasite!" Rina shouted at the top of her lungs.
Rina slowly forced her breathing to steady. She closed her eyes for a brief second, allowing the cool coastal wind to wash over her face and calm her racing nerves.
"You do not act like the Grand Mage I constantly read and hear about," Rina stated. She opened her eyes and looked at the anomaly once again, her mafia paranoia creeping back into her voice. "Are you perhaps trying to strike a deal with me?"
"Your inner thoughts always win over your heart, Rina." Morgan gently grasped the soft fabric of her white robe and gracefully stood up from the warm sand.
Morgan turned her back to Rina, looking out at the endless water. "Every star that aligned in the sky, every single moment, every reason that led directly to our meeting... it is nothing but fate."
The Grand Mage looked over her shoulder. "If you want to become strong... no, do not worry. You will definitely become strong," she spoke, her voice suddenly carrying a profound, undeniable weight. "Always remember the absolute peacefulness of this ocean. When you do, you will finally see your own vision."
Rina was completely taken aback by the sheer, suffocating seriousness radiating from the woman who had acted so incredibly goofy only a moment ago.
"My own vision?" Rina asked softly.
Morgan did not look back. "You probably will not remember our conversation," Morgan whispered.
The bright blue sky above them slowly began to brighten, flooding with an intense, artificial glare like a dark room suddenly flipping on a switch. "But your body is waking up, Rina."
Somehow, the warmth of the sun grew unbearably harsh as the moments passed. Rina squinted her eyes against the blinding, white intensity. The serene atmosphere of the dreamscape dissolved entirely, replaced by a heavy, oppressive silence.
When Rina finally forced her eyes open, the sun was gone. The blinding glare drilling into her retinas was just a harsh light attached to a ceiling.
"Huh, where am I?" Rina asked, her voice thick with genuine confusion.