Prologue

“Do you… believe…

… in Magic?”

That was the question that my grandma asked me when I just turned ten.

I could still remember that time, where I sat beside the fireplace, waiting for her to tell me a story like she used to do whenever she was in the mood for it.

A story about a world where Elves sing, Fairies dance, Dragons soar the sky, and Giants roam the land.

A land filled with dangers, and mysteries, where the World Tree, Yggdrasil stood tall, and watched over all of creation.

“Grandma, what is magic?” I asked back then, and she only laughed and lightly patted my head.

“Magic is the power that lies within a person’s heart,” My Grandma, Agnes, replied with a smile. “My Great Grandfather once told me that the bigger a person’s heart is, the stronger their magic is. Back then, I didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me, but now I know it well.”

“Magic is in the heart? Is my heart big, Grandma? Can I use magic?”

“Of course, Ethan. You are my grandson. I’m sure that one day, you will also discover your own kind of Magic.”

These memories of my childhood that flashed briefly in my head put a smile on my face.

Even though I was wounded all over, and dozens of monsters surrounded me, the fear I felt earlier vanished without a trace.

“I’m sorry, but can you lend me your strength one more time?” I asked as I looked at the young lady in my arms, whose life was trickling away like the sands in an hourglass.

Blood seeped at the corner of her lips, and even then, it didn’t diminish her beauty.

Her eyes, that were as red as blood, were still clear, and it made me fall in love with her all over again.

“I’m dying, and you’re still trying to take advantage of me?” the young lady asked in a teasing tone.

“Do you want me to leave you here?” I asked back with a smile.

“You want to die?”

“Hahaha. I’m just joking.”

“That didn’t sound like a joke to me.”

Even in this helpless situation, I couldn’t help but tease her. She knew this as well, so she just played along with me even though she was hurting.

I lowered my head and kissed her soft lips.

The kiss was sweet, and yet, it tasted like blood.

When the kiss ended, I laid her down gently on the ground before standing up to face the monsters who had come to end our lives.

“The Prologue has ended,” I said as I held the wand in my hand tightly, and pointed it at the fiends who wished for me to die.

“The real story starts now.”