To Carlos’s deep relief, Starlight was an exceptionally sensible child. Eventually, the boy even began meticulously taking care of their daily lives, which allowed Carlos to devote himself to his mysterious research without any worries.
Furthermore, the magical talent Starlight displayed was truly breathtaking, undoubtedly inheriting his father’s extraordinary genes. Consequently, Carlos was always extremely cautious when teaching him, fearing he might mislead this brilliant rising star.
Up to now, all training had focused on solidifying Starlight’s foundation, aiming to cultivate him into an all-around powerhouse with no weaknesses, so as not to fail the promise he made to his old friend.
...
Days passed one after another, and no further accidents occurred in the valley during the time that followed.
However, the master and disciple still spent a significant amount of time conducting a thorough inspection of the barrier surrounding the valley to ensure everything was foolproof.
On the day before Starlight’s fifteenth birthday, a sudden, dazzling flash erupted from Carlos’s house, accompanied by a violent tremor that collapsed half of the building.
Starlight, who was not far away, rushed over to check on the situation, only to hear Carlos’s excited and hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha! I finally finished! I knew I could do it! I finally... made it in time!”
Carlos leapt out from the ruins of the house, covered in dust and wood chips, but he didn't care in the slightest.
His face beamed with unprecedented excitement—a genuine smile that Starlight had never seen before.
Starlight could sense that his master had always seemed to be hiding something; even in his smiles, there was always a faint, imperceptible trace of sorrow. But at this moment, that haze seemed to have been swept away, leaving only pure joy and satisfaction.
Thinking of this, Starlight couldn't help but feel happy as well. First, he was glad his master had completed his research, and second, Carlos had once told him that after the research was finished, he would teach him more things and take him out of the valley to see the world.
For Starlight, this was undoubtedly the best gift. Swept up in the excitement, he lunged forward and crashed into Carlos’s arms.
“Congratulations, Master! Your research is finally complete, isn’t it?” Starlight asked excitedly.
Looking at the youth in his arms who was even more excited than himself, Carlos affectionately reached out to ruffle his black hair and responded softly, “That’s right, Little Star. Tonight, we’ll have a great meal to celebrate!”
“Okay! I’ll go prepare right away!”
After getting his answer, Starlight immediately let go of Carlos and happily turned to prepare for dinner.
However, Starlight didn't notice that the happy smile on Carlos’s face behind him had vanished at some point, replaced by a look of gravity and reluctance.
The ingredients for their dinner were still the remaining parts of that wild boar. To celebrate for his master, Starlight specially selected a smoked front leg and gathered plenty of fresh fruit and wild vegetables from the forest to prepare a sumptuous feast.
Carlos was exceptionally active tonight, even digging out a bottle of treasured fruit wine from the collapsed house. He said they should celebrate properly, and he downed several cups as soon as they sat at the table.
The fruit wine in the cups was sweet and crisp. Although its alcohol content wasn't high, it was extremely potent for a youth encountering alcohol for the first time. Before even two cups were finished, Starlight’s vision began to swim with gold stars.
“Ha...! Master, you’ve turned into two people!” Starlight giggled, his eyes hazy.
“Where... will we travel...? Master will stay with me forever... right?”
Starlight murmured in his stupor and eventually slumped over the stone table outside the house.
Carlos gently picked him up, carried him back to his room with light steps, and carefully covered him with a blanket.
After walking out of the room, Carlos did not return to the table to continue the celebration. His previously drunken appearance had long since vanished, replaced by an unprecedented calm and resolve.
He stood by the campfire, looking up at the pitch-black night sky as if waiting for something. At this moment, surging light and dark elements began to pour out of his body like a tide, swirling around him.
If Starlight were to see Carlos’s appearance now, he would be greatly shocked.
As the magic power surged, black and white patterns began to surface on Carlos’s body. Even one of his eyes changed to a color completely opposite the other, looking both mysterious and terrifying under the firelight.
This was a battle magic Carlos had created himself. It could activate all the magic power stored in his body at once, but it also carried massive side effects. He had almost never used it since its invention, and even Starlight, who had lived with him for over ten years, had never seen this magic.
In these ten-plus years, Carlos had almost never used his magic power. One could only imagine how terrifying the magnitude of the magic contained within him was.
At that moment, he pushed his hands toward the sky, and the barrier he had set up beforehand flickered violently.
The massive barrier that originally covered the entire valley began to slowly shrink, as if pulled by an invisible force.
The originally colorless barrier also gradually turned a thick milky white under his continuous compression, finally fixing itself around the perimeter of the small village ruins like an indestructible white wall.
Simultaneously, a blue light that seemed entirely out of place suddenly emerged from his body. It was like a winding, twisting serpent, wriggling nimbly on his hand while emitting a mysterious and profound glow.
Carlos looked down at this light that seemed to possess a spirit of its own, his eyes flashing with determination. He murmured to himself, “I hope the method you taught me is effective... after all, I’m not omnipotent.”
With a flick of his wrist, the blue light flew into Starlight’s hut like an arrow released from a bow.
It traced a profound and complex pattern over the sleeping youth and then vanished into his body, as if injecting some mysterious power into Starlight.
Having done all this, Carlos silently gazed at the weathered hut. A trace of tenderness appeared in his sharp eyes.
But that soft light was gone in an instant. Carlos no longer hesitated; he turned around, and his body instantly blended into the night, vanishing before the stone house like a ghost.
Several hours later, Starlight sat up in bed, clutching his heavy forehead. Seeing the blanket over him, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
Now that he was sober, he soon felt a parched throat. Enduring the dizziness and the nausea of a hangover, Starlight stood up by leaning on the bed frame, intending to pour himself a glass of water from the nearby table.
But he had barely taken two steps when he vaguely sensed something was wrong. He took several deep breaths, struggling to open his hazy eyes to look out the window. He saw an unusual crimson glow on the horizon, as fierce as fire.
“What... did I actually sleep until morning?”
After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, Starlight’s mind cleared slightly as he murmured to himself while looking at the red light outside the window.
But a few seconds later, he realized something was wrong. The red light outside was swaying slowly, which meant it definitely wasn't the sunrise he thought it was.
Realizing this, he rushed out of the room. As soon as he stepped onto the familiar ground, he immediately sensed the abnormality of his surroundings.
It was too quiet—so quiet it was hair-raising. There wasn't a trace of wind, not even the sound of a single insect, as if the entire world had been paused.
In this valley, such an abnormality was clearly impossible. Starlight felt his hair stand on end, and the last traces of his drunkenness vanished instantly.
“Master! Master Carlos! Where are you? What’s happening here?”
Starlight shouted several times but received no response. Carlos didn't walk out of his house yawning as usual, which made Starlight’s heart even more frantic.
A moment later, he realized that his loud shouts didn't even produce a single echo. The only change in the entire space was that red light constantly flashing on the horizon.
Starlight looked in the direction of the red light. That was the direction of the strange square he passed every day, and the direction of his mother’s grave.
Without thinking much, he immediately charged toward that sole clue. Just as he was about to reach the familiar square, his path was blocked by a milky white barrier.
Rate on N.U.
