Prologue Story

This wall is the thinnest among the walls of this room.

If there’s any possibility of escape, it’s only through here.

Now, I have only a tiny amount of magic left.

I have to figure something out with the remaining magic and the spells I can still use.

Written Magic is no longer an option.

Destroying iron is as difficult as its hardness suggests.

Isn’t there another way?

Instead of breaking the iron… Yeah, melting it to create a hole might work…

‘But I’m not particularly compatible with fire magic.’

What else could there be?

As I continued to think, a ridiculous idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

Then… What if I don’t melt the metal, but instead make it move so I can remove it?

‘Surprisingly, my compatibility with metal is at 9.’

…A dry laugh escaped me.

How long had it taken and how much had I agonized to create the illusion at first?

I was relatively familiar with Written Magic, so that was manageable.

But after that, how much magic did I pour into creating the Barrier Magic?

Before creating all these spells, I carefully thought about how to use magic through plenty of image training.

Even with such meticulous planning, it took a very long time to form Illusion Magic and Barrier Magic.

Now, I could use Illusion Magic and Written Magic freely.

Those were spells that matched my compatibility very well, which is why I was able to create them—I’m certain of that now.

My compatibility with Metal Magic, where iron belongs, is at 9… fairly high.

No, it’s actually very high.

It might not be as high as the 10 compatibility that combined to create Illusion Magic, Written Magic, and Barrier Magic, but Metal Magic is still a great match.

It’s enough of a condition to create a spell.

Besides, the method of manifesting this magic is quite simple.

Move the iron. That’s all.

‘Can I do it?’

I don’t know.

But…

‘Just sitting here like this…’

Yeah, how can I know when help will come?

Even I, who can see magic, felt my sense of detecting magic distort because of the overwhelming power swirling around.

Who knows when someone will break through this wall and rescue me?

So, I just need to ‘imagine’!

I succeeded in creating magic.

I learned basic magic.

I’ve become able to use magic.

So, imagination or faith isn’t even comparable to when I first started!

‘Move! Open! Before my spirit breaks… Move already…!’

It was a desperate situation.

With magic frozen and my breathing growing more labored, I started to wonder if this sealed space was almost out of oxygen.

That thought crossed my mind.

Maybe that’s why it worked.

At first, the iron didn’t budge at all, but then it slowly began to move.

As it shifted to the side, an opening started to form.

I focused all my magic on that spot.

Please…!

“A g-gap…!”

It opened!

At that moment, I let out a shout of joy.

I quickly crawled out through the hole.

Beyond the opening, I saw a marble floor.

I stepped onto the marble.

Looking up, I saw a large, transparent window forming the wall of the building.

I turned around.

I saw the iron wall I had just broken through.

Now that I looked, something blunt was protruding from it.

It looked like a handle.

Seeing that, I thought maybe the spot I broke through had been the door to the Iron Room after all, even though it had been seamlessly sealed without a trace.

I turned my head away from the broken wall and walked forward.

It felt strange.

I was sure I had been trapped in that Iron Room for a very short time.

Yet, somehow, the ordinary scene in front of me felt completely unfamiliar.

It truly overwhelmed me with emotion.

Walking through the cold, marble hallway, I headed toward the exit of this building, as I remembered.

On the way, I gently smiled as I looked at the magical plants displayed along the hall.

Eventually, I turned the corner and entered the lobby.

I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I nearly ran but stopped in my tracks.

A barricade was set up in front of the door.

I saw people gathered there, murmuring to each other.

Guards stood on either side of the barricade.

“…?”

For a moment, I wondered what was happening.

My steps slowed down until I came to a complete stop.

I looked toward them, curious about what was going on.

“Eunha!”

Someone shouted.

It was my name.

I looked in that direction and widened my eyes.

Oh my god, it was my mom!

“Eunha!”

“It really is Eunha!”

My teacher and Yumi were also standing there.

My mom immediately jumped over the barricade and ran into the building.

As I hesitated, my mom picked me up and hugged me tightly.

“Oh my god! You’re safe! Thank goodness. You’re safe!”

Mom kept muttering, “You’re safe,” over and over.

I, still dazed, finally clung tightly to her neck with teary eyes.

“Yes…!”

That’s what it was.

As soon as she heard I was in danger, my mom rushed to save me.

I was so happy about that that I held onto her, swallowing my tears.

I lied to my teachers.

I couldn’t say that I had escaped on my own.

I could never tell them that I had used magic to escape by myself.

So, I just said that I got lost wandering around alone.

Everyone believed me.

Of course, they did.

No one could imagine that I could have escaped from that sealed room by myself.

Except for one person—my mom.

“…”

Unlike my friends who rode the kindergarten bus home, I returned home holding my mom’s hand.

I felt a bit regretful that I wouldn’t get to see the gate again, but there was nothing I could do.

Once we got home, my mom sat me down and asked.

What really happened?

So I answered.

I told her everything that happened in the Iron Room, the magic I used, the fact that I created magic, and all the things I had been hiding until now.

It was the truth I would have had to tell her someday anyway.

After hearing my entire story, my mom was speechless.

“You ‘controlled’ the iron…?”

“Well, something like that…”

I trailed off in response.

Mom looked at me with a stunned expression.

“And Written Magic…? Oh my god, since when?!”

“I thought I’d use it as a sub-magic…”

“I did wonder how you had so much magic for a five-year-old… You already created magic…? Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I don’t like drawing attention… and I didn’t want you to worry too much…”

“Oh my god, Eunha! You really─!”

Mom put her hand on her forehead and yelled.

I mumbled and shrank back.

I knew this was coming.

I expected this reaction.

Mom is great, but she worries way too much…

“Of course, you should’ve told me! And besides, if you said Written Magic is your sub, does that mean you have a main magic too…?”

“I’m not as good with it, but… Yeah. It’s Illusion Magic. I can now create illusions about the size of my palm…”

“Oh my god, that’s…!”

Mom stopped herself from screaming, supporting herself with her arms as she sank to her knees.

“You… really…”

Her voice, which had been muttering, soon turned into sobbing.

Ah… I grimaced.

This is why I couldn’t say anything—because I knew it would make her worry like this.

Mom took a few deep breaths before finally calming down, though she kept her head lowered as she asked.

“…Is there anything else? Written Magic, Illusion Magic, Metal Shaping Magic… Maybe they all suit your compatibility. Anything else?”

“I’m thinking of creating a magic that uses ‘space,’ more like a Barrier Magic…”

“That would be… incredibly difficult.”

Mom put her hand to her mouth, lost in thought, then spoke to me with serious eyes.

“It might be a magic that suits your compatibility perfectly. Space is something that requires high affinity with darkness. Of course, since it’s a rare attribute, it’s difficult… But you can’t use it yet, right?”

I flinched again at her words and avoided her gaze.

“Well… I can manage a barrier that covers my body… a little.”

“What?”

“I can… cover my arms, at least.”

“Oh my god…”

Mom’s face gradually grew paler.

I felt like a criminal as I looked up at her face.

“What are we going to do… I’ve never even heard about a talent like this, not even from Suna…”

Mom stared at the ceiling with confused eyes, biting her lip, then grabbed my shoulders.

“You understand, right? Eunha, you must not tell anyone about this. Only to people you can truly trust… You can’t tell anyone else! Unless they’re as trustworthy as Suna, don’t tell a soul! Got it?”

I had already planned to do that.

I nodded.

“Um, Mom… for the time being, Dad is fine, but can we not tell Auntie Suna…?”

“…Is it too much pressure?”

“Yeah…”

“Alright, we won’t. But…”

Mom hugged me tightly.

Her body trembled slightly as she held me close.

I already knew why.

“I’m so worried… I’m really, really worried…”

I bit my lip hard.

☆

Crash!

The figures of men collapsed one after another.

Their bodies were tightly bound by thin, vine-like plants, in an eerie state.

“Guh…! Who the hell are you…?!”

“There’s no need for you to know!”

The ones who had taken them down were a man and a woman.

The woman glared at the ‘culprits’ with a cold expression and cast a spell.

“Wind Spirit! Crystal!”

At her call, small, fairy-like figures appeared in mid-air, one with silver hair and the other with blue hair.

“Wind Spirit! Detects all the locations of the berserk rooms! Crystal! Show me their locations!”

The small fairies carried out the woman’s orders.

Moments later, they learned that the berserk rooms were the place with iron plants, a small jungle where strange magical trees lived, and a quartz cave where stone flowers bloomed.

The images of the three places appeared in a water mirror.

There were a total of seven people trapped.

Two in the quartz cave, four in the small jungle, and one in the iron room.

“There’s a child trapped alone in that iron room?!”

The woman was shocked.

The man’s cold face slightly contorted as he frowned.

“This is bad! Seonghu, freeze those bindings for now!”

The man called Seonghu complied without any objection.

The thin, tough vines binding the culprits’ bodies instantly froze solid.

The ice was as hard as metal.

“This is going to take time. For something like this, there must be a source or an object connected to the magic…”

At that moment, there was a loud crash.

The woman flinched and turned around.

Her companion was searching the culprits’ bodies.

“Remote control magic isn’t an easy spell. To cause a berserk event of this scale, they must have an item or medium connecting them to the source. These guys are D-rank magicians.”

“Oh…!”

The woman’s eyes widened at the man’s explanation.

As a result of the search, one by one, items that seemed related to the berserk events were found on the men.

Two items were discovered—small gems glowing with green and brown hues.

However, even after the discovery, the man’s brow remained furrowed.

“These aren’t the source of the magic. They’re just mediums for transmitting commands, I think.”

“That’s enough! Quartz! Wood Spirit!”

The woman nodded and summoned other spirits.

“Undo the magic through those mediums!”

The two mediums were linked to the small jungle and the cave rooms.

She immediately began breaking the magic through the discovered mediums.

Even though it was her summoned spirits doing the work, it was still her own magic power being consumed.

However, it didn’t take long to dispel the magic in both the jungle and cave rooms.

As soon as the magic on those two rooms was undone, the woman sighed in relief but flinched.

“What about the iron room?!”

“…There’s nothing. At least, these guys don’t have anything.”

The culprits had already passed out from the cold of the ice.

The woman bit her lip as she looked at the child trapped in the iron room through the mirror.

The child was remarkably calm.

No…

“What?!”