The Author's Will

75 | Time Limit

　　 Within the story she wrote before her first life ended, magic and supernatural powers were something Irene implemented into her plot through a meticulous and careful plan.

The people in this world, all consumed an air that contained not only oxygen or carbon dioxide, but also mana.

Every person in Laydel had an internal mana store that was capable of storing the magic they breathed within their bodies. And most commonly - once they reached some point in puberty, where their bodies would undergo changes from childlike to adolescent states - they would undergo an 'awakening,' where the mana stores within their bodies would burst and stretch into every part of their being. The colour of their souls was said to change after this process, and so would their abilities.

The size and power of these stores were variant between people, and had no links to genetics or biological inheritance. Children with extremely large and powerful mana stores, could be born from parents with weak and small stores. And the larger their internal capacity for magic, the earlier and longer their awakening process would last.

The awakening itself took on the form of a fever - but had slightly different characteristics. A person undergoing their awakening would fall into an unconscious state, whilst their body endured the febrile pain of a burst mana store leaking into every inch of their limbs. And once the process finished, they would wake up to find themselves capable of manipulating the mana in the air around them.

A large percentage of the population possessed smaller mana stores - thus rendering their use of mana ineffective even after awakening. In the case of such people, their awakenings lasted no longer than a day, passing as nothing but a small cold.

However, the off chance of a person being born with a high affinity for magic, meant their awakenings would happen earlier in childhood and take longer to end, leaving them unconscious for a time varying between four days to a week. There was also a high risk of early death, if their bodies were unable to tolerate the capacity of magic flooding their systems.

That was why in both Laydel and the rest of the world - people with a strong affinity for magic were revered throughout the empire. Currently, the person strongest in the field was none other than River Alvenicht - the current Grand Sage of the magic tower.

Though, contrary to his high reputation, not many were given the opportunity to witness the man use his powers first-hand.

But his intelligence and understanding of magicology came second to none. That was why,  he realised before anyone, there was a certain young lady among his few students, whose internal mana store radiated a light completely beyond what was known in this world.

"My Lord, please listen calmly to what I am about to say." River's voice echoed between the walls of a study lined with bookshelves. The silver-haired man seated at the desk ahead, had an imposing yet attentive presence as he listened quietly to the trusted mage's words.

"The truth is... There is a high chance that your daughter is going to awaken with the powers of the Saintess."

Rudien Cherliann froze, his crimson eyes widening ever so slightly at what was just said. He stared at River as though he were a madman for saying such a thing, but the completely serious glint in those ink-black irises indicated he was speaking the truth.

"Please allow me to explain further." Before the Duke could ask anything else, River began to elaborate.

"As you know, my strong affinity for magic has allowed me to see the colour of a person's soul. And almost one-hundred percent of the time, the colour of a child's soul is pure white. This is the case for everyone, before they awaken - their colour is always white."