The Resilient Boy

Anna hadn't run far. She had fallen in the corridor.

But everything around her was shaking.

The picture frames on the walls, the oil lamps, the Veil, the statues—everything was swaying.

"Ahhh!"

Anna cried out in pain, and everything around her floated into the air.

"Magical Outburst." Anton pressed his lips together and stopped.

As young wizards grew older, their magic gradually began to manifest. When their emotions surged, a Magical Outburst followed.

It was a wondrous sight, but it also meant that the magic inside a young wizard was starting to spiral out of control.

That loss of control would respond to the young wizard's emotions, automatically producing the effects of the corresponding Charms. It was remarkably similar to the Old Wizard's theory: Wizards as Gods.

Without learning Charms to regulate the magic inside them, young wizards might become dangerous Obscuruses, whether they deliberately suppressed their magic or let it run wild.

Obscuruses were powerful, but like Nagini, they were simply energies that had lost their own sense of self.

Of course, there were other possibilities, but none of the outcomes were good.

The effects of the Wizard's Eye potion were still ongoing. Flecks of light began appearing in the air beside Anton as countless lines and patches of color intertwined.

He was drawing the Magic Image of the Magical Outburst.

The Wizard's Eye potion was extremely difficult to brew, and its cost was exorbitant. Every second after drinking it was precious.

Gradually, Anna began to float. Through Anton's Wizard's Eye, the chaotic magic settled into a stable pattern.

It formed an exquisitely mysterious design.

The Levitation Charm, the Flight Charm, the Control Charm...

Anton had found the prototypes of countless Charms almost as soon as the magic erupted.

There was no doubt that this magical effect was incredibly powerful.

And the Magic Image he drew was even more intricate than the one produced by the Goblin's Eye Secret Art.

Just then, everything fell to the ground, and Anna crashed down with it.

Anton was about to go help her up when he saw her body twisting and changing on the floor, until at last she transformed, bit by bit, into a giant snake.

She was still a Viper, but her markings were darker, and her blackish-brown scales nearly blended into the Castle's Stone Wall.

Only her pair of deep emerald, vertical pupils shone in the dim corridor.

The snake's eyes were full of confusion as she looked around. She slithered over, raised her head high, and stared at Anton in puzzlement.

In his eyes, she saw the reflection of a snake.

The giant snake transformed rapidly, turning back into Anna. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell unconscious.

Anton caught her just in time, then looked helplessly at Pedro and the Old Wizard behind him. "Looks like I'll have to work out your Goblin's Eye Secret Art as soon as possible, then search your memories for a way to undo the Blood Curse."

"We're running out of time."

Pedro's expression was complicated. He let out a deep sigh.

Time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Every flower in the Garden outside the Castle had withered, only to bloom again under Rosier's Charms. Nagini was clearly delighted.

Rosier had spent the month searching all over for Pedro.

She felt sorry seeing how exhausted her husband was from traveling, but Rosier laughed heartily. He scooped up his daughter with one arm and wrapped the other around his wife's waist, grinning so broadly that his gums showed. "For you two, it's all worth it. I'm close to finding Pedro."

Anna curled up beside the Castle's large window, watching the scene with sorrow.

She wanted so badly to rush downstairs and tell the man, No, don't leave your wife and daughter, because you might never see them again.

But she knew she couldn't.

Pedro, with his wealth of experience, had told her that history couldn't be changed. Her recklessness would only make her mother turn into a snake for good even sooner.

She didn't know what to do. All she could do was gaze at her mother with longing, drinking in the sight of her.

Even if she could only see her a little longer.

That was the reason she was still here.

"Holy—!" At the table in the middle of the Laboratory, Anton stifled a cry of pain and rushed toward the Washroom in the corner. He began vomiting, retching so violently it seemed as though he would bring up his own insides.

A little while later, Anton came back after splashing water on his face. He grinned at Pedro. "You old Goblin, your Secret Art really packs a punch!"

He sat down again and stared at the Goblin before him. Ripples spread out, and a pair of eyes blinked within them before finally shattering.

"An error. Haha, let's try again. Just a moment."

Anton rolled his neck, and the ripples spread before his eyes once more.

Pedro watched him with admiration. He couldn't imagine how resilient the boy's mind must be to keep at it like this.

Then Anton felt a scorching gaze sweep into the Depths of his Soul, slowly paging through his memories.

"Hiss..."

Half an hour later, Anton sucked in a breath and toppled off his chair.

Anna quickly jumped down from the window to help him, but Anton waved her off, got back up, and hurried into the Washroom.

"Take a break!" She watched him return, her heart aching for him. "I know I can't stop you, but you have to take care of yourself, too. Take it slowly, all right?"

Anton still had that same hearty smile. "I'm fine."

He grinned without a care in the world, his gums showing.

"I don't think you are." Pedro frowned at Anton. "Young Wizard, you're close to your limit. If you keep tormenting your mind like this, you'll break down."

Anton let out a deep breath. "All right. We'll continue tomorrow."

He walked over to the table, pulled out a sheet of Parchment and a Quill, and studied one of the Magic Images hanging on the wall. He began scribbling again, returning to his research.

"Was he always like this?" Pedro asked the Old Wizard admiringly.

The Old Wizard shrugged. "When I was still alive, he'd sometimes jot down things from my notes whenever he wiped the table or tidied up. Then he'd memorize them over and over."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Pedro shook his head. "Your disciple's better than mine."

"???"

The Old Wizard's eyes widened. He sneered. "That's because his teacher is better than mine!"

Pedro scoffed, and the Old Wizard snorted. Then the two of them started another round of insults.

As their skill improved, the two had become noticeably better at hurling insults. They'd moved beyond simple phrases like "you fool."

Anton was immersed in the world of magic and had long since grown used to their bickering. He tuned it out automatically.

Anna didn't feel like stopping them, either. She crouched beside a huge iron cage in the corner. The giant snake flicked her tongue and slithered over, bringing her head close. Anna's tiny form was reflected in the pupils set in the enormous head.

She stretched out her soft, pale hand. The snake licked her palm with her tongue. It tickled, and she wanted to laugh, but tears welled in her eyes.

Pedro came over and sighed. He patted her head. "Sometimes she tries to attack you, and sometimes she wants to be close to you. Clearly, there are brief moments when she can still remember a little."

Anna's eyes lit up. "Can I go in and hug her?"

Pedro shook his head firmly. "I don't know when she'll turn into nothing but a snake again. If you're beside her when it happens, I might not be able to save you in time."

"She's too fast. Sometimes even I might not react in time."

Anna's eyes dimmed again.

Her deep emerald eyes gazed sadly at the giant snake, and the giant snake gazed back at her.

"I think we've fallen into a trap of our own making!" Anton said, appearing beside them. His expression was serious.

"First of all, history can't be changed, right?"

Pedro nodded solemnly. "As a collector of time and memories, and an Explorer, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it's impossible. Otherwise, I would have gone back to the crucial moment when humans slaughtered the Goblins and changed all of history."

Anton nodded. "Then we can't find a way to undo the Blood Curse in this past!"

Anna stared at him in surprise.

Pedro looked thoughtful. "You mean..."

Anton sighed. "If your memories really do contain a way to undo the Blood Curse, then Nagini would never be a snake again. She wouldn't attack Anna, either. Rosier wouldn't have to freeze Anna, and by the time Anna met me, she'd be nearly fifty, not a little girl. Everything connected to those events would change."

Those ripple effects might even alter history. No one knew how many things were linked together.

"In other words, we can't change Nagini's fate in the past. We can only search those memories after we return. But by then, Nagini will have become a snake for good."

"..."

Anna tightly gripped the back of her left hand, held in front of her, and managed a strained smile. Her tears nearly spilled over. "I should have known it would turn out this way."

Pedro sighed and gently patted her shoulder.

The atmosphere fell still.

"But..."

Anton shook the sheet of Magic Image in his hand.

"I've figured out something interesting."