REVEAL AN UNKNOWN SECRET

"That is why it is empty!" Loer exclaimed, his eyes widening with a sudden realization.

Kane turned toward him, his brows furrowed. "Explain?"

Loer leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret. "Okay, look. Everyone knows that when a mage first discovers their magic, they use it unintentionally. It’s like a reflex. Your body remembers that moment. Once you use it, the spellbook—y'know, the one connected to the magic world—imprints that spell automatically. That’s why most spellbooks aren’t blank. It should've recorded that first spell. Maybe you never really activated it properly."

Kane raised an eyebrow. "If you're talking about when mages emit magic for the first time, I did do that. Trust me."

Loer tilted his head. "You did? Then... maybe it's a glitch."

"A glitch?" Kane said, incredulous. "On a book?"

Loer nodded confidently. "Yeah, sometimes the spellbook messes up the first imprint. We call it a 'mana glitch'."

"A mana glitch?" Kane asked, his tone thick with skepticism.

"Well, it's kinda complicated," Loer began, rubbing his chin as he thought. "It could be caused by distance between realms, mana fluxes, things like that. The book might’ve had a hard time detecting whether you used magic at all."

Kane glanced at Loer, his expression sharp. "Aren’t you human too?"

Loer smirked. "That’s why it’s called a glitch, genius."

Kane glared, muttering under his breath. "Learning quick."

Loer shrugged. "But anyway, we can go to Mister Orb. He can fix your magic book."

Kane stood up, brushing his hoodie. "Whatever you say."

The trio—Kane, Aldine, and Loer—walked down a path that led to an unusual alley between the grasslands. To Kane's surprise, the alley was bustling with life. Shops lined the narrow streets, their owners loudly marketing their wares to passersby. People flocked around, some buying in bulk, others haggling. Kane couldn’t help but feel like something was off.

The shopkeepers stared at Kane as though he was a curiosity, a science experiment walking among them. Their twisted faces, broken teeth, and sinister eyes made him uncomfortable. He tried to ignore the gazes, but suddenly, one of the store owners—a man with uneven features and a crooked jaw—grabbed Kane by the arm, yanking him toward his shop.

"Hey! What the hell? Let go!" Kane barked, struggling to free himself.

"Sir, sir! Welcome to my store!" the man said shamelessly, rubbing his hands together with a sly grin.

"You dragged me here. What do you want?" Kane asked, brushing the dust off his hoodie in annoyance.

The man looked Kane up and down. "You look new here, sir. Do you know about the shops outside this alley?"

Kane frowned. "No. Why?"

The man’s eyes sparkled with glee. "That’s good to hear, sir! They charge outrageous prices for simple products. But here, in this humble shop, I offer fair prices. Take a look at these bags, sir. High-quality leather for your precious spellbook. And if you buy now, you’ll get a free Sciro card holder. Perfect for a mage like you!"

Kane sighed, uninterested. "Look, I don’t have any money."

"That’s not a problem!" the shopkeeper insisted. "You can register here and pay later when you have the funds. No debt, no interest, just good business between us!"

Kane's patience was wearing thin. "So, a loan?"

"No, no, no, sir," the man said, shaking his head. "We are good people here. We don’t hold debts. Besides, don’t you want to know how I pulled you into my shop so quickly that even your friends couldn’t follow?"

Kane’s eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? How’d you do that?"

The man grinned, lifting the hem of his long, faded black robe to reveal a pair of dusty, worn shoes. "These shoes, sir. They’re enchanted! This is just a sample, but the real product can whisk you anywhere in the blink of an eye."

Kane looked unimpressed. "Those don’t look very appealing."

The shopkeeper chuckled. "Oh, this is just the old sample. The real ones are on the shelf!" He pointed toward the dusty shelves behind him.

"Look, I don’t have time for this," Kane said, stepping back. "I’m here looking for a man named Orb."

The shopkeeper’s face lit up. "Ah, you’re looking for someone? That’s easy! This crystal ball can locate anyone you want to find. Its power is unparalleled!"

Kane was dubious. "Really? Anyone? Show me, then. Find my mother. Ritsu Matthews."

The shopkeeper eagerly brought out the crystal ball and placed it on the counter. Kane watched as the ball glowed dimly, but nothing appeared on the surface. No image, no location. Just his own reflection staring back at him.

"That’s what I thought," Kane said, shaking his head. "You’re just another one of those lying shop owners—"

"Wait! Sir, you have to pay the advanced fee for it to work properly—"

Before the shopkeeper could finish, a familiar voice called out. "Kane! Finally, we found you."

Kane turned, sighing in relief. Aldine and Loer stood at the entrance, looking exasperated.

"About time," Kane muttered.

The shopkeeper scoffed, quickly waddling away into the back room, his robe trailing behind him like a dark cloud. Kane, Aldine, and Loer left the shop without another word.

As they walked back into the alley, Kane couldn’t help but feel uneasy. "What’s up with this place? It’s shady as hell."

"Outside the city, everything’s like this," Loer replied casually.

They stopped in front of a small house with a metal roof, and Loer pointed to the faded nameplate. "Here we are."

Kane squinted at the nameplate. "O...B?"

"The 'R' fell off over time. It’s Mister Orb’s house," Loer explained, leading the way inside.

They walked through the narrow hallway until they reached a small room. Sitting on a tatami mat, facing a garden of wildflowers and grass, was an elderly man with his eyes closed.

"Good afternoon, sir," Loer greeted.

The man turned his head slightly toward them, though his eyes remained shut. "Welcome, my child," he said softly.

Kane whispered to Loer, "How can he see you?"

Loer whispered back, "His eyes are shut because if he opens them, it could spell disaster for the world. But don’t worry, he can still 'see' us. It's magic."

Kane nodded, still confused but going along with it. The man, Orb, extended his hand. "How may I help you?"

Loer nudged Kane forward. "This is Kane. He’s an Earth mage, but his spellbook isn’t working right. Can you help?"

Orb nodded slowly. "Hand me your spellbook."

Kane handed over the book hesitantly, watching as Orb held it delicately. He waved his hand over it, and the pages flipped open to the center.

"Ah," Orb murmured, "the information was never filled. The book didn’t record your initial magic. It should work now."

Kane’s spellbook shimmered as new letters began to appear, but something strange caught Orb’s attention. He peered at the book, his expression thoughtful. "Your type is still unknown. You said you used a black light?"

"Yeah," Kane replied. "It was this suffocating black light that I released. It stopped everyone in my family from moving."

Orb nodded. "I see. Let’s try again. Release your magic."

Kane took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He pictured the dark light, the oppressive energy that had once surged through him. Slowly, the heavy, suffocating force returned, and the dark light began to emanate from his body.

Aldine and Loer grimaced as the light grew stronger. "Oh god, it’s too much," Aldine muttered, shielding her eyes.

Kane, straining under the pressure of the magic, gritted his teeth. "Yeah...this is it."

The dark light intensified, filling the room. The air grew thick, and the very furniture around them began to crack. Loer’s Sciro, Carass, screeched and forced its way out of its card. Reche followed suit, as did Bubble Chain, the Sciro Loer that handed to Kane. The creatures recoiled from the darkness, agitated and unnerved.

"Mister Orb, you’ve got to do something!" Loer shouted, struggling to breathe.

In an instant, Orb opened one eye—a flash of power erupted, and the dark light began to dissipate. Kane, who had been floating in mid-air, fell toward the floor. Loer darted forward, catching his head just in time.

"You okay?" Loer asked, concerned.

Kane groaned. "No. Obviously not."

Loer chuckled nervously, releasing Kane’s head.

Meanwhile, Kane’s spellbook, still lying on the table, began to change. The words around his mage type shimmered, as if responding to the surge of power that had filled the room just moments ago. Silver stars glowed softly around the text, and the once blank space where his type should have been finally started to reveal something. Slowly, the letters etched themselves across the page:

Mage: Type 1 (Hate)

Loer blinked at the book, his curiosity piqued. "What is this attribute?" he asked, his eyes flickering between the silver text and the now unconscious Kane. Aldine knelt by Kane's side, checking his pulse, while Reche hovered around the scene, cautiously observing from the distance after the terrifying display of magic.

Sir Orb, still seated on the tatami mat, sighed heavily. “It’s rare,” he replied, his voice measured and calm despite the intensity of what had just occurred. “Type 1 mages are uncommon enough, but ‘Hate’ as a core attribute… that’s something else entirely.”

Loer frowned. “What does it mean? I've never even heard of this before. Hate... it doesn't sound like anything that could be useful.”

Orb shook his head slowly. “There are many mage types, as you know. They each draw their power from different sources. For most mages, their abilities reflect something intrinsic to their nature—something familiar. For Kane, however, it seems his powers are tied to anger, and more dangerously, to hate.”

The room fell silent, the weight of Orb’s words sinking in.

Aldine stood up, brushing off her hands. “So… what does that mean for him? Is it something dangerous?”

Orb paused for a moment, then said, “It’s difficult to say. A mage with such an attribute can cause significant harm, even unintentionally. The magic Kane displayed earlier, that dark, suffocating light… it’s likely a manifestation of that hatred. He can influence the emotions of those around him, feeding off their negative energy, and perhaps even enhancing it.”

Loer’s eyes widened. “So, you're saying Kane could make people angry? Enraged even?”

“Yes. And more than that, his magic could deepen their hatred, cloud their judgment, and make them lose control,” Orb answered solemnly. "It's a power that doesn’t just affect the physical world but the mind and emotions as well. You saw what happened to your Sciros. They felt it too. Even they couldn’t handle the oppressive weight of his magic."

Loer glanced at the Sciros, who were slowly creeping back from their hiding spots, now that the suffocating atmosphere had lifted. Carass shook his head in dismay, while Reche kept a suspicious eye on Kane.

"But that’s just one side of it," Orb continued. "The danger is also to Kane himself. Such magic, if not controlled, can consume him. Hate is a powerful, self-destructive force. It can fuel his strength, yes, but if left unchecked, it can tear him apart from the inside."

Aldine frowned. "So what can we do? Is there a way to help him control it?"

Orb considered the question for a moment before speaking. “Kane will have to learn to harness his magic through discipline and restraint. He needs to understand what triggers his hatred and manage it before it consumes him entirely. If he can do that, he might be able to use his powers without harm. But... it won’t be easy.”