Test of growth.

Listening to the melody of peace, as he walks to the road, going back to orphanage after spending time at the grass land. its just few days after his full recovery. Hanabi didn't dare to ask Mother Lilith about his sickness as despite the oddness of his fever, though he thought something like it might just in his head.

While at his hidden lair at the grass land, Hanabi reevaluates what he did as he stayed there.

He seek consultation to the Book about the journal, as he find himself unable to read it, due to writings being written in a foreign language he never know. The Book translate it for him and it confirmed Mother Lilith's hypothesis that the journal was indeed consisted of ancient type magic.

Even so, the book said that such study is the most common study of ancient magic by far. Yet it was only available to high ranking individual such as nobles making it common yet unknown to most people.

The Book has the ability to have the content of every book that exists as long as it's not destroyed, however, those that already in ruin are erased within the book. it can have everything, journals or freshly made books and no exceptions. Due to it, within technicality, because of the Book, the journal is already finished, all Hanabi needs to do is begin his quest on learning it.

back to the present, under the uncertainty of him, not knowing when he should begin learning the magic, Hanabi got distracted and loss his focus to his surroundings, he unconsciously began to walk slowly which made someone got close behind him.

"Is something bothering you?"

Hanabi slightly got surprised yet remain calm not expecting anyone.

"My apologies...... but! who are you again?" Hanabi wonders seeing a person he can't recognize and made himself really anxious.

"My name is Gluy." she answers, bit annoyed yet remain understanding.

Male and female orphans doesn't commonly interact to one another, reason why Hanabi didn't know much about her.

"I did not see you at the market earlier." she added, as she smile.

"Well market is not the only place I go around, plus the place is a lot bigger than you expect." Hanabi respond

"You brought quite few this time." as she noticed.

"well today as always, not a bountiful day in the market and I don't exactly visit often at this day as my chance being able to bring something quite complicated." Hanabi saw her holding a pouch like she bought something from the market. They proceed having a conversation while walking towards the orphanage together.

Right after dinner. After a few days of not talking a bath, his body finally demands freshness, the consequences of ignoring basic hygiene no longer allowed him to sleep easily. Having an hour before curfew he payed a quick bath to the well, to ease up his body, the feeling of cold water to his skin contrast the warm wind from the summer even at night.

"Here! take this." a person appeared out of nowhere, unexpected yet didn't much surprised Hanabi.

"you're a person who's hard to notice, if you don't know." as Hanabi wipe his eyes from being wet, trying to see the unexpected companion.

Gluy simply smirk, mildly entertained by what she have done.

"Mother Lilith orders me to give this to you." as she reach out the towel she's been holding all along.

"That's a knew one, you must be his favorite child here." Gluy jokingly added.

"I don't think so." Hanabi objects

"for what I know, she's doing this kind of thing for a reason."

"How so?" Gluy ask.

"so far I have only seen her giving others a leather to every orphans who's about to leave here, other than that and this I have never seen her doing such." Hanabi explain.

"Maybe she's about to give you a hard task or something." as gluy place herself close to the well as she's also taking a bath.

"I hope not." by what Gluy said, Hanabi felt anxious Hoping it not to happened yet does not ignore the possibilities.

"Why not?" Gluy ask.

"What do you expect a five year old could do?" Hanabi protest.

"well, first: your the most mature child here, I'm guessing you took it from Mother Lilith, but still." Gluy respond.

"uh-huh." Hanabi, annoyed and paused for a moment.

"Second: your talent in academics like reading and writing said by the sisters here are second only to Mother Lilith. Yet you're just a five year old"

After hearing it Hanabi went silent and continues to bath himself, as he pretend being unable to hear whatever she's saying.

The next day, failed to deny and to forget things that Gluy said, Hanabi spent majority of his time at at the hidden lair. While in the middle of his usual basic training, he comes in term to himself which made him decides to consult the book about, what Gluy have said.

"Book!" as Hanabi called. the Book began to glow, indication of it listening to him.

"Mother Lilith gave me a towel out of nowhere, it's pretty unusual, since as far as I remember she only do it usually when one of us orphans is about to leave the orphanage." Hanabi mutters.

The book opens at its vacant page. As its paper glow, the writings began showing up.

"way back the ancient text: the method of an individual giving someone a leather is a practice started from the family of common soldiers in ancient times. Where once a soldier is about to be sent to the war or to a mission in which, they're survival isn't assured, before they depart, family and love one, handed them leather for so many reasons.

This kind of method kept on existing until it becomes nobles courtesy later on, common reason is to increase their moral to the eye of the public. Such practice then became a common tradition to everyone.

Long after, many organization adopted the method, like: religion, government, businesses, adventurers, mercenary assassination, empire and many more. But to them with more complex yet similar reason.

Until this day such practice isn't wavering out or dying anytime soon. As the matter of fact: all the place where humans exist such practice is being used." Hanabi reads.

Hanabi isn't sure, if he understood what he just read, even so, thanks to it he's no longer much confused as he used to.

Having releaved, Hanabi suddenly remembered something that he's also wants to consult to the Book.

"SOUL MAGIC" he mutters.

The book opens back the pages, as Hanabi already asked it before.

"SOUL MAGIC' type of an ancient and extinct magic, it is a combination of mind, body and magic that parallels to one's soul then come into physical manifestation."

Reading the first sentence making him feel slothful to continue as it does not connect to him at all. To him it sounded so simple, yet still having feeling like his missing something making him curious yet unsure.

Clearing up his mind, returning to his basic training, despite being bothered, Hanabi was content to everything.

The voiding peace at the grass land suddenly received a threat, it lies at the middle between Hanabi's lair and the barrier. A common force, a fool of creation happens to set foot inside.

Yet not exactly a threat to Hanabi since it's too far, however it reach to the Book's appraisal range, reason why the alert activated.

Out of curiosity, Hanabi actually entertained whats happening, as also his time to be around is about to end. While he's at it, out of pure nosiness he suddenly thought about something which made him asked the Book.

"Do I have the chance to defeat it?"

The book immediately respond.

"statistically speaking, you have 80% chance of winning."

Knowing his chances, his intrusive thoughts elevate over his judgement.

At the middle of the grassland, a monster who knows it's occurring fate marched to the unknown, doing it's very last thing it knows what to do, while unconsciously waiting to its inevitable end.

As it walk through the plains of the grass land, it suddenly felt an unknown and threatening presence. It faces to the direction and there it found a child overflowing with confidence dared it for a fight despite not doing anything that could provoke the monster.

The monster has a human like stature, with a height reaching more than 8 feet. It has a diabolical face and wings that resembles a bat and has a pair of arm with a claw exceeding the length more than half it's body. It has a fur that looks like a dress cloth, making it easy to misinterpret as a human from the distance.

The monster did not wait for any provocation, it prepared it's claw and made stance indicates that it's about to charge for an attack.

Hanabi confidently confronted the monster, like his life is not at stake, and launch a magic attack that hit the monster head on.

Through the smoke of the impact, the monster didn't come out immediately so he thought the victory is his. after a short while he took a deep breath and let out a huge sigh thinking its over which made him turn down his defense.

The smoke from the impact suddenly moves out of sync to it's natural flow and before Hanabi knew, the monster is already behind him. After that, the next thing he knew is that his body begins falling in to the ground chunk by chunk.

Before the monster savor it's victory, it first observed the surroundings if the person it just slayed has a companion. After a short while, the monster didn't noticed anything, after assuring it's safety the monster began to turn around to check on its supposedly prey.

It's beat up body numbing from its long existing bruises and cuts finally reached its very limit. As it turned around a magic strike from its back which hit directly it's wings decapitated one of its pair, before its body dropped into the ground.

The monster screech in with all of its remaining strength, as it crawl away as fast as it could, yet still slow as because of the strongest impact and the deep penetration of magic which made its hand barely in function. Yet it don't screech in pain, only in agony.

As its trying to get away, the human it once slay chunk by chunk appeared at the distance from where he was supposedly standing last time right behind the monster after it turn around. He slowly emerge right after he strike the monster, only this time, his wearing a cloak.

"MIRROR DOLL a magic item that clone the physical body of anything that stares at it, the person then can link it's consciousness to it making this item perfect for luring." as he walk towards the crawling monster.

"ISOLATION CLOAK allows me to be completely absent to the place where I'm at the very moment." he continued to mutters as he keeps getting closer and closer to the dying monster.

"and last, a simple magic spell which was unfortunately strong enough to take you down."

Due to too much exhaustion the monster gave up from moving, instead it face Hanabi while still being on the ground and continue to screech like it wants to fight up until the last time.

Hanabi point his palm to the monster and he began to glow as he's preparing for final blast. The monster used all of its remaining strength to screech.

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