The Sky Fell

The Sky Fell

It was a spring morning before dawn. Dull thunder exploded in the sky, followed by fine threads of rain. Yawning, Rosalyn Shien got out of bed and walked to the window, where she saw the distant outline of the Black Tower Ruins appearing and vanishing through the rain and mist like an ink-wash silhouette.

She firmly shut the window, making sure the cold, damp vapor could not slip in through the cracks. Then she washed up, went downstairs, and began preparing breakfast.

The clinking of the spatula soon blended into the sound of rain, accompanied by the sizzling of eggs in the frying pan. Once she had combined fried eggs, sliced bread, bacon, and vegetables into two meals called "sandwiches," she placed one on a tray with a glass of water, then hurried up to the third floor and knocked on the door.

"Witch Sister, I brought your breakfast."

"Mm... come in..."

Once she received permission, she opened the door and went inside. The peerless Witch Sister was currently hugging a soft pillow and lying on her side, looking completely awake yet. Her beautiful silver hair was a tangled mess as well.

Without saying anything else, she gently placed the tray on the bedside table, quietly backed out, and closed the door.

This was one of the ways she had found to give something in return: participating in the manor's daily life as much as possible. It was not even one ten-thousandth of what Witch Sister had given her, but as long as she could contribute something, her heart felt a little more at peace.

And it had to be said that ever since she had received the Meditation Method from Witch Sister last summer, both her diligent cultivation and life at the manor had changed drastically.

First, last autumn, the Witch had reclaimed a plot of land in a nearby city park to grow wheat and used magic to speed its growth, which was why bread had recently appeared on the manor's menu. Near the end of winter, the Witch had set up a greenhouse in the manor and planted vegetables, completing the ingredients with lettuce. Finally, the Witch herself was responsible for hunting while Rosalyn collected bird eggs. Only then had they gathered the four essential components of a sandwich, allowing Rosalyn to taste this new dish.

Two days ago, the Witch had also announced that she had developed something called an "Electric Net," which would soon catch all the little thieves that came to steal vegetables. Rosalyn unconditionally supported everything the Witch did, but she could not help worrying about those little deer and rabbits.

Please stay far away from here... she prayed weakly.

Perhaps because life was too comfortable, the Witch's schedule was terribly irregular. She often slept until noon before getting up, completely unlike Rosalyn, who had been used to a regular routine since childhood.

Today was fairly normal, though. After eating her sandwich in the morning, she had lazed in bed for a while before coming downstairs. Though heavy drowsiness still lingered between her brows, it did nothing to diminish her charm. If anything, it gave her a different kind of languid allure.

Noticing her come downstairs, Rosalyn, who had been meditating beside the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor, immediately opened her eyes with a nervous expression.

The Witch tilted her head, a trace of confusion appearing in her eyes.

"Witch Sister, you said you were going to give me my first test today..." Seeing that she seemed to have genuinely forgotten, Rosalyn hurriedly reminded her.

In the test the Witch had promised, the only criterion was the annual increase in Mana Points. Although only half a year had passed since Rosalyn began cultivating last summer, there would still be a small test to help her better understand her own progress.

"Mm... I remember now." The Witch's expression returned to calm as she walked before Rosalyn. "Come, give me your hand."

—The testing magic could certainly be used to check one's own results, but only an external test performed personally by Ivette could prevent anyone from falsifying their score.

Rosalyn immediately grew tense, her heart rising to her throat. She did not know what result counted as passing, but she remembered clearly that the Witch had emphasized that if her performance was poor, then no matter how close their relationship became in the future, the Witch would not accept her as a disciple.

Clearly, for a reclusive powerhouse with countless legendary experiences, that could not have been an empty threat. Over the course of the other woman's centuries-long life, she must have met countless gifted youths of every kind. Compared to those old acquaintances who had long since passed away, Rosalyn was neither special nor worthy of extra pity.

Then the spell activated, and judgment began.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Once the answer should have been revealed, she slightly raised her face and cautiously observed the Witch's expression. Yet she found no joy or sorrow on her face. No emotion showed in those dark red eyes; they were so silent that it was frightening.

It's over... Rosalyn's heart sank to the bottom, and she nearly burst into tears.

But just then, the Witch suddenly said, "In a little while, I'll arrange a casting ring for you. This is your reward for passing the test, so you can start preparing yourself."

"A casting ring?" Rosalyn froze for a moment, then immediately said in delighted surprise, "I passed this test?"

Ivette gave a soft hum.

Although her expression remained as calm as ever, when she had just seen Rosalyn's Mana Points were "6," it felt as if the sky had fallen.

Back when she had first come into contact with the Meditation Method, she had cultivated bitterly in Abyss Base for an entire year and only gained a little over two points!

But now, Rosalyn had surpassed 6 points in just half a year. That meant 12 points in a year! Given sixty years, wouldn't she overtake her teacher on the curve? What kind of ultimate genius was this? Ivette would feel guilty if she did not take her as a disciple!

Still, their lifespans were different, so they were not exactly comparable... But no matter what, Rosalyn's talent was more than enough to crush ordinary people from Origin Star... Wait, could her talent simply be the result of people in the two worlds having different constitutions?

At that thought, Ivette felt that she had found an anchor point.

According to Rosalyn's description, the Radiant Continent had many epic myths, as well as naturally powerful super creatures such as dragons. Did that mean it was a medium-magic or high-magic world? If people from such a world were born with a higher rune density, could that produce a stronger Rune Siphon Effect?

It seemed highly possible...

A moment later, under Rosalyn's expectant gaze, Ivette brought down a ring-shaped Magic Guide Terminal from upstairs.

It was not her Furnace Ring X3, which had forty-four thousand units of remaining space, but a Sky Ring y2 she had recently scavenged from the ruins, with eighty thousand units of remaining rune capacity.

"After a while, I'll record some high-specification spells into it. When the time comes, you only need to communicate with the ring through your mind to cast them instantly," Ivette said. "That way, even when I'm not by your side, you'll have some ability to protect yourself."

"Thank you, Sister!" Although Rosalyn was thrilled, she still restrained herself and bowed respectfully.

Then she seemed to realize something and said hesitantly, "But I've only been cultivating for a short time. With my mana... can I even use magic?"

"If I say you can, then you can." Ivette pulled out a chair and sat down, her gaze gentle. "Do you want to know why?"

"Yes!" Rosalyn nodded vigorously.

"To explain that, we first need to talk about the two forms of mana. One is the Internal Mana inside your body, and the other is External Mana... The core of rune design is using Internal Mana to direct External Mana, achieving the effect of moving a thousand pounds with four ounces... As long as a Rune Array is sufficiently precise and has no flaws, nothing is impossible... Though sometimes you cannot pursue perfection too obsessively. If a Rune Array can operate normally, don't tamper with it..."

As a top-tier Rune Compiler who had researched rune design in Abyss Base for nearly three hundred years—or rather, a rune artist—this was Ivette's first time speaking so openly about her experience and understanding to someone else. Though it was merely "basic knowledge" in her eyes, she still ended up talking for several hours without noticing.

It was not until the sunlight gradually dimmed that she belatedly realized neither of them had eaten lunch.

But when she looked at Rosalyn, she found that the little blonde's eyes were sparkling. Not only did she show none of the pain or confusion of being force-fed knowledge, she was instead full of yearning and anticipation.

"You understood it?"

"I understood the beginning. As for the later parts... I just thought they were amazing..." Rosalyn scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Then how do you feel? If you find it difficult, you don't need to force yourself. There's more than just this that I can teach you."

"No, no! This knowledge is deeper than any book I've ever read. It's difficult, but I love it!" She gathered her courage. "I... can I learn this?"

"You can."

"Thank you, Sister!"

"...Also, from today onward, you don't need to call me Sister anymore." Ivette lowered her eyes.

"Huh?" Rosalyn paused, then understood. Watching the Witch's expression, she carefully tested, "...Teacher?"

Ivette gave a soft hum, nodded lightly, and looked out the window.

The rain in the manor had already stopped.