“Shirud, don’t worry too much. Your grandfather has Mana Accumulation Syndrome too, but he’s still alive, right? If you take your medicine well, it will be fine.”
“……”
Serena patted Shirud’s head, suppressing her own worry that leaked out in her tone.
There had been precedents in the Trifind family where those with exceptional mana sensitivity could not remove their Circle. His grandfather had exhibited the exact same symptoms.
One of the reasons for the societal backing of that condition was due to his achievements as well.
“I’m not worried, it’s just that there’s something on my mind.”
“What is it?”
Serena asked, as if urging him to speak.
He replied with a serious expression.
“Actually, there was a mana surge earlier.”
“What? Is that true? Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine. But more importantly…”
As Shirud gently pushed Serena away, he continued speaking.
“The girl I saw today touched my chest, and I felt better.”
“Really? That girl did that?”
“Yeah, it was strangely comforting. Suddenly, my heart felt fine. It’s been bothering me.”
“Is that so…?”
Serena recalled what her father had said.
Only the memory of your mother can calm the Circle inscribed on your chest…
Managing emotions was crucial for Mana Accumulation Syndrome, and each person had their own way to control their feelings.
Children in their difficult teenage years are forced to manage their emotions with mental health medication. Since Shirud was a rare case of a patient affected at such a young age, he couldn’t ignore the side effects of that medication…
“I see.”
Perhaps the answer lies with that girl.
‘Yerna… was it? I should try to set up a meeting as soon as possible.’
Clap, clap.
Hearing the clapping sound, the female secretary who was driving immediately responded.
“Yes, Lady Serena.”
“Organize my schedule and clear some time for me, as soon as possible.”
“Yes. How many hours will it take?”
“About two hours, please.”
“Understood. I will report to you as soon as we arrive.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
‘I should meet and talk again.’
——
Luke lazily sat in the car driven by Yerna.
“Yerna, where are we going this time?”
“We’re going to take an identification photo, since it seems better to get it done while we’re out.”
“Oh, I see.”
After a brief conversation, silence followed.
Yerna glanced sideways, and Luke was fidgeting with his seatbelt in the passenger seat, staring blankly ahead.
His usually sharp gaze was slightly relaxed, and his head bobbed up and down as he nodded off.
That state indicated only one fact.
“Luke, are you sleepy?”
Today had been quite eventful; he had played extensively with a child younger than him and underwent numerous tests at the hospital.
His young body could hardly bear it.
“I’m a bit tired, I guess.”
Forcing the stabilization of another’s Circle had indeed been exhausting.
He had barely even managed to recover the mana he had infused into Shirud’s heart, so his fatigue was even greater.
“Hmm, then should we head back for today? We can take the photo tomorrow.”
“No. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Really? Then you should take a short nap. It wouldn’t be good to look too exhausted.”
“Alright, I understand. Py, you too, stop flying around and sit down.”
-…
Py perched on Luke’s lap with a chirp, as if understanding.
‘Well, saying a spirit should sit down isn’t quite right.’
With that thought, Luke closed his eyes.
——-
Whoosh, the sound of an automatic door opening.
“It may sound redundant, but I still find this door quite strange every time I see it.”
A door that opens automatically when a person approaches.
Without a doorman, it essentially fails to function as a door, doesn’t it?
The very idea of making a door out of glass is peculiar as well.
‘This has a strong sense of being an exhibition.’
The entirely glass building made it feel like the structure itself was a massive exhibition space.
Thus, the people inside would naturally become the products.
Even if those inside had no such intention.
As Luke followed Yerna into the building, the photographer greeted them with a smile.
“Welcome, guests. What kind of photo are you here to take?”
“For an identification photo. One for a child.”
“I see! Please wait over there for a moment; we have some prior customers.”
“Understood.”
Yerna grumbled internally that they were waiting more than usual today as she sat down with Luke.
As soon as they sat down, Yerna asked Luke, who was staring blankly into space.
“Are you still tired, Luke?”
“Ah, I seem to be more tired than I thought. I really want to close my eyes for a bit; is that okay?”
“Of course, here, lay your head down.”
Yerna patted her knees.
Due to the horn growing from the side of her head, he couldn’t lean against her shoulder, so he had to lay down properly.
Usually, Luke would have refused, but this time he decided not to be stubborn.
‘Is it the effect of my younger body? It’s hard to endure the fatigue.’
For Luke, who had always followed a set sleeping schedule and routine, it was a strange sensation.
The feeling of being ‘impulsive’ had never existed for him before.
“…..Excuse me, Yerna.”
With that, Luke rested his head on Yerna’s knees and closed his eyes.
——
“Luke, it’s time to wake up.”
“Ugh… I understand. I’m waking up…”
Slowly opening his eyes and raising his body, Luke was still in a sleepy state.
“Luke, get it together. Are you that tired?”
-Luke, ………!
Seeing Luke in such a dazed state, Py made a squeaky noise.
The auditory terror pierced through Luke’s ears, and he frowned and replied.
“Ah, yes. Py, I’m awake. Now stop that.”
Thanks to the awakening, his mind was forced to activate, and he could think clearly.
Yerna looked at Luke, who grimaced and waved his hands in the air, in confusion, thinking that he still might not be fully awake.
“Luke. You’re even mumbling in your sleep. If you’re that sleepy, go wash your face or something.”
Though it was not sleep-talking, but merely the spirit’s wake-up call that bothered him, it didn’t seem much different, so Luke nodded appropriately.
“Right. That’s a good idea. Where’s the washroom?”
The photographer answered the question.
“Just turn around that corner over there, and it’s right there.”
“Thanks, I’ll be back soon.”
———-
Splash, splash.
“Phew….”
Luke turned off the faucet and looked at himself in the mirror.
There was indeed a cute girl reflecting back with platinum blonde hair, teal eyes, golden eyes, strange animal ears, and horns.
As he touched his face, Luke thought to himself.
‘Am I still dreaming?’
Rebirth? Possession? It doesn’t matter.
Both essentially have no significant difference.
In fact, he even wondered if all of this was just one huge dream.
Isn’t it too unreal?
No matter how much time has passed, everyone lives in a world where magic exists. Such a dream-like world…
“No, it can’t be a dream.”
Luke shook his head, dismissing that possibility.
If this were truly a dream or an illusion, it would be too intricately crafted and vast.
Dreams typically build worldviews through localized thoughts, leading to illogical events and phenomena.
The same applies to illusions, which wouldn’t make sense either.
‘To create an illusion of this scale, at least a 9 Circle is needed. Moreover, imprisoning a 10 Circle like myself in an illusion would be utterly impossible.’
A 10 Circle being is essentially on par with gods.
A mortal god that has descended upon the Material Plane.
Performing such a grand illusion over such an entity is impossible.
So then, it’s only right to consider that the girl with wide eyes looking at him is indeed real, and this is happening.
Why did it come to this?
‘It’s so frustrating that my memory isn’t accurate.’
Luke had never felt limits to his memory before.
Whenever he wished to recall something, it had always happened.
But what about now?
When he thinks of his last memories, all he gets is a jumble of meaningless scenes.
Forests and skies, enormous trees and fire… along with a presence surrounded by light and the storm of swirling mana…
The sensations he felt in those memories were all different.
Wondering why, a powerful headache accompanied the inquiry into his memory and sensations.
‘Are you really Luke Illushi?’
Now without the 10 Circle, and as a small girl who isn’t even human, he has lost all means to prove that he is Luke Illushi in this era.
He has lost everything—friends, material possessions, status, abilities, even his appearance.
Nothing remains.
And combined with the passage of 5000 years, he has become a perfect outsider in this world.
Can he still be called Luke Illushi?
Yet he proclaimed, as if it were natural.
“I am Luke Illushi.”
With that declaration, the doubts that had entangled his mind evaporated.
Am I Luke Illushi?
No need for doubt, he can just prove it.
By becoming a great mage again.
The time for pondering his identity has long passed.
Luke clenched his fists and resolutely vowed.
Let’s become a great mage again.
In doing so, no one would dare doubt that he is Luke Illushi.
-Luke, Yerna…!
Py fluttered before Luke with a serious expression.
“Oh right. Yerna will be waiting. I should hurry.”
-Luke,…?
“Py, I appreciate your concern, but I don’t have a fever, so stay off my forehead.”
——–
“……”
Luke now pointed one hand at his face and began to tremble slightly.
The meaning behind his action was clear.
“Luke, are you still embarrassed?”
Yerna smiled brightly and asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Why would you make me go through such humiliation for your own gain…!”
Luke was immensely embarrassed.
“To think that gesture meant nothing!”
Up until now, he had assumed that making a V with his fingers was an essential ritual for taking pictures.
In some forms of magic, such rituals are often necessary to avoid disputes, so he had completely misunderstood.
Yet it turned out it was just a ‘cute pose.’
“I had thought it was absolutely necessary!”
‘All this time, I had been making that hand sign in every photo, and it meant nothing?’
“Ugh….”
He thought he should not laugh, but the corners of his mouth refused to comply.
Yerna still couldn’t forget what Luke had asked of the photographer after taking the picture.
‘Um, why did you say not to do that hand gesture? Wasn’t it essential for taking a picture?’
‘This is an identification photo, so hands shouldn’t be visible. You don’t need to do that hand sign every time you take a picture.’
‘Not necessary? What does that mean? It’s not indispensable?’
‘That’s right. It’s cute, though.’
‘W-What…?’
“Puhoh.”
“Please, stop laughing!”
“Puha! Haha, sorry, I just can’t stop laughing!”
“Yerna…!”
Looking at the still chuckling Luke, Yerna thought.
‘It was cute, and the photographer laughed a lot too.’
