“Little Star, Little Star! It’s time to get up!”
A familiar and gentle male voice echoed softly by his ear, waking the black-haired youth on the bed from his hazy slumber. He slowly opened his eyes, a trace of confusion in his gaze as he surveyed the simple yet cozy room.
Inside the room, a middle-aged man with hair streaked with grey sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes filled with care and affection.
Outside the window, a beam of brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell diagonally across the room, silently announcing that it was nearly noon.
“What’s wrong with you today? You actually slept until now. Are you feeling unwell?” the man asked in a low, resonant voice, reaching out to gently feel the boy’s forehead.
The boy seemed to finally snap out of his dreams. Looking at the man with a hint of embarrassment, he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Master Carlos! I seem to have had a very, very long dream. I might have been a bit too tired, which is why I woke up late.”
Seeing that the boy was fine, Carlos nodded in relief and stood up, asking with concern.
“Was it a nightmare? Well, it’s fine as long as you’re okay.”
“Master, in that dream I dreamed of... Huh? What did I dream of... exactly?” The boy seemed eager to say something, but he couldn't quite remember.
“If you can’t remember, then forget about it. If you’re fine, then get up quickly. You can’t fall behind on today’s practice.” Carlos clearly didn’t pay much mind to the boy’s words. He waved his hand casually and walked out of the room.
Seeing this, the boy didn't say anything more. He simply rubbed his still-heavy head before leaping lightly off the bed.
After a brief wash, he stepped outside into a world embraced by sunlight.
This was a hidden valley located in the west of the Leon Continent. Within the valley sat a dilapidated little village of indeterminate age.
There were only two people in the entire village: Carlos, who had already gone off somewhere, and the handsome black-haired youth before him.
The boy’s name was Starlight-White. He would be fifteen in another month. For as long as Starlight could remember, he had lived with his master, Carlos, in this secluded and quiet valley.
The valley was densely packed with over a hundred ancient stone houses. The residence for the master and disciple was the most spacious building located at the very center of the stone house cluster.
Starlight stepped outside and stretched his limbs to his heart’s content. After taking a deep breath of fresh air, he glanced back at the ancient stone house behind him, then turned and sped toward the depths of the valley.
He soon reached a dense forest. He moved through the woods like an agile monkey, his pace unhindered by the gnarled, twisted roots and scattered vines.
Over ten years of living here had made him familiar with almost every inch of the valley’s terrain. His goal was clear: a large tree on the back mountain.
On the way to his destination, he had to pass a strange place. According to his master, Carlos, this was a plaza for giant human rituals from the ancient era. As for what they worshipped, he had never said.
Starlight didn't care about that and never dwelled on such things. In his mind, his master was his only family, and whatever he said was essentially the definition of truth.
Perhaps because the two had lived in seclusion in this quiet valley for so long, or perhaps due to Carlos’s influence and teaching, Starlight had displayed a level of steadiness and cleverness beyond his years since childhood.
He was never as mischievous or restless as other children his age in the outside world; he was always quiet and reserved.
Before long, he arrived at the circular plaza paved with stone slabs. However, rather than a plaza, it looked more like a piece of forgotten wasteland.
Left untended for many years, lush green grass had long since grown stubbornly through the cracks in the stones, covering the entire plaza.
In the very center of the plaza stood a heavily damaged stone statue.
Although the passage of time had blurred its features, one could still vaguely identify it as a mysterious creature spreading its wings to fly. However, one of its wings was broken and incomplete, while the other had long since disappeared.
Surprisingly, despite the surrounding weeds, the area within a few meters of the statue was clean and spotless.
This was because a small tombstone stood beneath the statue. The inscription on it read “Moen-White,” who was Starlight’s mother.
Every time he passed his mother’s grave, Starlight would bow deeply and respectfully, then carefully clear away any dust or weeds. Today was no exception.
After completing this ritual, he did not linger. He continued forward, crossing a small hill. Beyond the hill was a lush forest, which was his next destination.
Many fruit trees grew in the forest. According to the current season, the fruit was just ripening, and one of Starlight’s tasks today was to gather them.
He quickly selected a tree over ten meters tall, walked up to its thick trunk, and looked up at the dense canopy above.
Through the layers of leaves, he could see bright red fruits emitting a sweet fragrance.
The tree trunk was straight and tall, making it no easy feat for an ordinary person to climb. However, Starlight simply waved his hand, and an invisible whirlwind quietly rose from the base of the tree.
Under his control, the whirlwind swayed and surged toward the fruit overhead. The ripe fruits were soon swept into it, then guided by the wind field to drift down slowly and land lightly on the ground.
Watching the fruits land one after another, Starlight untied a cloth bag from his waist and picked them up one by one. Once the bag was full, he waved his hand again, and the obedient whirlwind dissipated at his gesture as if it had never existed.
“Not bad. Today’s fruit isn't damaged either.” Starlight nodded with satisfaction after carefully inspecting his harvest.
Indeed, he was a young mage. If anyone from the outside world saw the feat he just performed, their jaws would drop. For such a young mage to easily use magic to pick fruit from over ten meters away without causing any damage required terrifyingly precise control.
After gathering the fruit, Starlight walked to a clearing on the other side of the forest. After searching for a moment, he tapped the ground lightly with his foot. Instantly, the earth bulged, and as the soil turned over, clusters of plants resembling sweet potatoes were revealed.
After organizing the tubers at his feet, Starlight picked them up with his free hand and headed back toward their home.
Once back at the residence, he began preparing lunch using various forms of magic. This included, but was not limited to, using wind blades to split firewood, fireballs to start a fire, and summoning a clear spring to wash the fruits and vegetables.
If mages from the outside world saw this, they would surely scoff at such mundane uses of power. But Starlight didn't care about any of that, because he had never left this valley, and this was one of the daily exercises Master Carlos had assigned him.
As his master, Carlos had only taught him the most basic spells so far and required him to use all these skills proficiently in his daily life.
In Carlos’s words: “You’re still too young. Building a solid foundation is the most important thing right now.”
While Starlight was busy with his daily chores, his master, Carlos, was in his own room, fully focused on researching a mysterious project.
Carlos was always tight-lipped about the specific details of this research, and Starlight never proactively asked. This had become a tacit understanding between them over the years.
Starlight was used to his master sometimes becoming so immersed in his research that he would go days without eating or sleeping, often needing a reminder just to prevent him from fainting from hunger in his room.
Although Starlight was full of curiosity about his master’s long-term research, he had only heard Carlos vaguely mention that it was a subject that transcended the current system of magic, and that the research process was long and complex.
However, not long ago, Carlos had revealed some exciting news: the research was nearing its end. Once completed, he would begin teaching Starlight other, more advanced magic. This undoubtedly made Starlight incredibly excited.
Although Starlight had read descriptions of high-tier magic in books, and as a youth, he had always yearned for techniques that could destroy the heavens and earth or burn mountains and boil seas, he never went against Carlos’s wishes, thinking that it was best to just let everything happen naturally.
Rate on N.U.
