Prologue Story

I ended up staying up all night, writing down ideas about magic.

It was a habit from my previous life when I used to write novels.

In my previous life, I was like this. Once I started writing a novel, I always finished it.

When writing a synopsis, I didn’t stick to any specific rules.

I would create characters, build settings, and then breathe life into the story.

After that, I would think of a broad storyline.

The most enjoyable part was creating the settings.

I would jot down random settings or lines that came to mind on top of the roughly planned story, and when the right moment came, I would use them.

If not, they’d remain as background settings.

It felt similar to that time, which made it even more enjoyable.

Moreover, just imagining that I could actually create all this magic and use the auxiliary magic I’d written down excited me.

Anyone can imagine freely, right?

And isn’t this world one where you can create your own magic through imagination?

With those thoughts, I fell asleep late at night, and the next morning, half-asleep, I boarded the kindergarten bus.

Even as I was dozing off on the bus, I kept thinking about magic.

After pondering over the settings I had written down in my notebook last night, I concluded that my main focus would be on Written Magic.

Of course, my sub-magic would be Space-Time Magic!

If Space-Time Magic didn’t suit me and turned out to be too much, I planned to make Barrier Magic my sub-magic, combining it with the main magic as an additional spell.

If I could combine the power of Written Magic and Barrier Magic to create my own space, wouldn’t I be invincible in that world?

…But.

I tilted my sleepy head.

I had thought about this before, but what was this lingering feeling of something missing?

It felt like there was another magic that could unleash more of my imagination.

But soon after, I shook my head.

Well, it’s not like I need to create magic right now, and I have time until the day comes when I need to.

If I keep thinking about it, something will come to me.

My mom was worried about me, but since I was born in this world, I wanted to try everything I could.

Even if my sensitivity to magic had manifested early by chance, if it was considered a talent, then I was quite happy.

Of course, I didn’t want to stand out, so I didn’t plan to reveal it.

“We’ve arrived at kindergarten, everyone!”

I don’t know how long I had been lost in thought, but the teacher’s cheerful voice brought me back to reality.

I saw the children up front standing up, shouting, “Yes!”

Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile.

Going to kindergarten wasn’t something I particularly liked, but there was one thing I did enjoy.

It was that I got to see all the cute little kids that I loved so much!

The problem was that I was their age too, but honestly, it didn’t matter since they were cute and easy on the eyes.

It was a bit annoying when they caused trouble, but seeing them communicate their intentions with their awkward speech was just too adorable to handle.

I actually wanted to pet them all, but I was too shy to even talk to them, so I just watched from a distance.

It felt like the phrase “a picture of food I can’t eat” applied perfectly to this situation.

“Eunha, hello.”

“Hello, teacher.”

I greeted the teacher politely as I got off the bus and walked toward the classroom.

After placing my bag on the chair and sitting down, I rested my chin on my palm and thought.

It was free time until the teacher arrived, so what should I play?

I started doodling with the pencil I had in my pocket, drawing circles on the corner of my desk—one, two, three—until a flower appeared.

“Ah! You’re not supposed to doodle!”

The one scolding me was Lee Yumi, the girl who had become my desk partner after yesterday’s introduction.

Yumi had just begun sensing magic, which had marked her as a gifted child in the orb-finding game with the teacher.

I looked at her innocent eyes and nodded obediently.

Then, I erased my doodle with the eraser.

Yumi gave a satisfied nod, clearly pleased.

…So cute.

I decided to spend the rest of the day reading a picture book.

Other kids were also pulling out books or toys to play with.

As I looked around, I narrowed my eyes for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, more than half of the toys had a strange kind of magic infused in them.

They were probably meant to enhance magical sensitivity.

I could easily sense that because such items always gave off a peculiar feeling.

Then, I was struck by how amazing it was.

I mean, to actually be able to feel magic—how incredible is that?

Feeling a bit excited, I started reading.

Of course, the book was a picture book… or more precisely, a book that explained magic in an easy-to-understand way… well, it was still a picture book.

‘But why is the title “The Strong Tree”? Hm… not that it matters.’

I slowly flipped through the pages of the book.

It was a book that emphasized the importance of sensing and meditating on magic before learning the basics of magic.

It wasn’t anything new, as it covered concepts I was already familiar with from the books I had read before, but it was still quite a good read.

Before I knew it, time had flown by as I was reading the thin book.

A little later, the teacher gathered the children who had been playing.

The children, who had been playing on their own, gathered at the teacher’s words and sat down in their designated spots.

Lee Yumi sat next to me.

When she looked at me with those bright, innocent eyes and smiled, she was so cute that I had to stifle a groan.

The kindergarten class began normally.

Or rather, it was normal in the sense of a “kindergarten in a world of magic.”

So, for the children, it was normal, but for me, it wasn’t.

The teacher gave a brief explanation about magic—where it originated and what magic is like in this world.

It was probably information that all the children had naturally absorbed as they grew up.

The teacher explained about the magical nation that became the origin of magic, Yufelusia of the skies, Lavient of the seas, Polyzen, the hidden land of mist, and finally, the closed-off strongest nation, the Witch’s Country, Traveria.

After giving a brief explanation about spell magic, true magic, and special inheritance magic, the teacher began teaching the children how to meditate.

I listened to all of this with sparkling eyes.

“Close your eyes and sit up straight. Since none of you are familiar with meditation yet, let’s start by learning how to sit properly. Place your hands, one over the other, above your navel. Yes, like that.”

In fact, I already knew how to meditate.

Even though my mom didn’t want me to grow strong too quickly, she had still given me early education because of my eagerness.

But learning it as part of “formal education” like this felt like a new experience.

“Imagine the magic gathering in your hands. Slowly inhale and exhale, thinking about the magic flowing with your breath.”

We repeated that.

That “thought” was what was important in meditation.

I could vividly feel the magic circulating through my body.

It made me smile quietly in delight.

Meditation lasted only about 10 minutes, which was short.

Since the children were still young, they couldn’t stay still even for that short amount of time.

After that, the real lesson began.

We read stories and learned songs.

I was suddenly startled when I saw the electronic organ playing on its own.

It wasn’t because the keys moved on their own, but because of the ‘magic’ that fluctuated and changed color in sync with the movement.

It was an incredibly mesmerizing sight.

“Beautiful” was the word that came to mind.

The magic shifted colors in response to the organ’s notes, and at that moment, I realized that this lesson, too, was a form of early magic training.

Life in this world revolves around magic.

Everything you do is related to magic—even something as simple as singing.

We sang a unique children’s song from this world.

The teacher’s voice, accompanied by the magic-infused organ, carried magic with it.

Even our singing was subtly infused with magic—so slight and careful that no one really noticed.

That was probably the role of the magic-infused organ.

I quietly sang along.

Partly because I was so absorbed in the magic, but also because I was too shy to sing loudly.

On the other hand, Yumi, who sat next to me, sang loudly and was praised for singing well.

It wasn’t a bad time.

Above all, I enjoyed being surrounded by objects imbued with a strange magic.

Whenever I saw one, I tried to focus on feeling the magic inside it.

At some point, I realized that I could choose whether or not to see the colors of magic at will.

Just by blinking, the colors of magic would appear and disappear.

It felt like I was already using magic that I hadn’t even learned yet, and it thrilled me.

The colors of magic were so beautiful that I played with them whenever I could without drawing attention.

Even my breathing felt more comfortable when I was around magic.

Moving a single finger was fun.

Yes, I needed magic that could freely expand such a world.

No one plans to create magic with the intention of using it for fighting or being exploited from the beginning.

I wanted it purely out of desire.

I needed magic that could vividly express the world I envisioned.

Yes, something like a “dream.”

‘Wait… a dream?’

At that moment, my eyes opened wide.

That’s it!

I spent the rest of the day impatiently waiting for kindergarten to end.

I tapped my foot throughout the entire lesson and rushed to the bus the moment it was over.

Even though I knew the bus wouldn’t leave right away, I was still in a hurry.

While the bus was stationary, I barely managed to contain the excitement welling up in my chest.

When I got off the bus in my neighborhood, for some reason, my mom wasn’t there to pick me up.

“Oh my, I wonder what happened. Eunha, do you want the teacher to take you home?”

“No, it’s okay! I can go by myself!”

“Really?”

I nodded quickly, feeling a mix of impatience and excitement.

Running there would be much faster, and walking would only make me more anxious.

However, the teacher still seemed concerned.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes!”

“Well, it’s not far. I wish I could teleport you home, but there’s no one available who can use that type of magic right now… Eunha, I’ll use magic to mark the way, so just follow it carefully, okay?”

“Okay.”

When I nodded, the teacher conjured magic.

I blinked.

It was a light green color, like a sprouting seedling.

The magic shot out in a swift motion.

I stared at it with wide eyes.

The teacher took my hand, and from my hand, the light green line extended forward.

“Just follow that green line, and once you reach home, it’ll disappear.”

I nodded and started walking, pretending to follow the green line.

As soon as I turned the corner, I began running.

Since there was no shortcut to my house, I simply followed the green line straight to our home.

It led perfectly to my front gate.

Panting, I hurriedly unlocked the gate with the key around my neck.

Because I had run, it took me a little longer to fit the key into the lock.

Once inside, I ran to the front door.

It creaked loudly as I opened it with some effort.

“Hmm? Who’s here?”

“Oh, who could it be?”

As soon as I entered the house, I was about to head straight to the room where I kept my notebook.

But the moment I heard the familiar voices, I paused.

I was curious, but there was something more important on my mind, so I quickly brushed it off, kicked off my shoes, and rushed into the house.

But then, I had to stop in my tracks again when I saw who was there.

“E-Eunha? Oh no! Is it already time to pick you up from kindergarten?”

“What are you doing? Thank goodness she found her way home safely!”

The woman, with her black hair tied in a ponytail, smiled as she approached me.

I recognized her.

…She hadn’t changed much at all.

Which made sense, since she was a transcendent being.

I hesitated for a moment as I looked up at her face.

“…Ah. Of course, Eunha wouldn’t remember me. Is she a bit shy around strangers?”

“Well, it’s only natural. The last time she saw you, she had just turned two.”

“Is that so?”

The woman, who had been wearing a slightly disappointed expression, soon looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and smiled.

My mom gave me a small, apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Eunha. Mommy met up with an old friend. This is Mommy’s friend. You know, our next-door neighbor.”

“Oh… hello.”

It was Auntie Suna.

It had been years since I last saw her, so I felt a bit dazed.

I cautiously lifted my head after bowing to greet her.

She returned my greeting with a smile as graceful as ever, saying, “Yes, hello.”

“Oh, that’s right. And this is Auntie’s daughter, Inha.”

She gestured to her daughter, who had been hidden behind the wall, to come out.

When I saw Inha step out, I widened my eyes.

She might already be able to sense magic.

It made sense because the magic circulating around her felt similar to Yumi’s.

Her magic was a pale yellow, softly glowing with a cool yet radiant aura.

It felt somewhat harmonious with her but also slightly out of place.

Now that I looked, Auntie Suna’s magic was a blue-silver color.

It suited her ice and wind magic perfectly.

“Inha, say hello.”

“Hello.”

Inha greeted me with a calm and indifferent expression.

She had a composed and quiet demeanor, unusual for a child.

But that didn’t bother me as I continued to gaze at her.

For a child, for someone the same age as me, the first thought that crossed my mind was how ‘beautiful’ she was.

I fixed my gaze on Inha, eyes wide.

I had always thought she’d grow up to be a beauty, but she was even more stunning than I had imagined.

If she looks like this now, I can’t imagine what she’ll be like when she grows up.

Her long, black hair swayed gently.

Her eyes were a deep black with hints of blue… a color opposite of her magic.

With a dazed expression, I waved my hand in response to her greeting.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak, so I just greeted her lightly, as my mom had instructed.

Apparently, they hadn’t returned to Korea permanently yet and were still in the process of wrapping things up.

They had come to take a break for a while, but they’d be fully settled in about three months.

I took advantage of the moment when my mom and Auntie Suna started chatting again to quickly head toward the small room in the corner.

I hastily pulled out my notebook and pen from where I had hidden them.

I flipped open the notebook.

On the first page, the main magic section was still blank.

I picked up the pen and, without hesitation, wrote in the empty space.

『Illusion Magic (+Phantasm) – Magic that deals with reality and dreams』

I stared at the name of the magic I had written in the main magic section for a moment, then flipped to the next page to reread the sub-magic and auxiliary magic sections.

『Main: Illusion Magic (+Phantasm)』

『Sub: Space-Time Magic (+Barrier) Written Magic』

After staring at the words for a while, I smiled contentedly.

“Perfect.”

As soon as I thought of it, I knew.

‘That’s it!’

Excitement surged through my entire body, and my heart pounded with joy.

With a bright smile, I hugged the notebook that contained my life’s plans.

It’s decided.

My main magic would be “Illusion Magic.”