Mage Front Alliance

The Grand Heroic Hymn in G Major and all the nobility present witnessed the birth of a precious friendship.

As Lux and Sona left the grand hall arm in arm, most people spontaneously offered them a respectful gaze—no one found their "mid-ceremony" departure to be impolite. Instead, they envied the two young girls for finding kindred spirits in music.

Under Sona's guidance, Lux entered the Buweier family's inner sanctum for the first time. They left the hall, passed through the garden, walked along the corridors, and finally arrived at Sona's bedroom.

After carefully placing the ancient zither Aihua aside, Lux and Sona finally sat opposite each other on either side of the dressing table.

Two pairs of bright, spirited eyes met, as clear and azure as mirrors.

This subtle feeling, like encountering another self in the world, filled both young girls with novelty and surprise.

Undoubtedly, this was true instant rapport, a soul resonance sparked by music.

"You have a talent for magic too, don't you?" After a long moment of eye contact, Lux unbuckled her dress sword and set it aside, then took Sona's hand, initiating the conversation. "Your ancient zither—when the music began, I felt emotions flowing like the strings themselves."

"You too." Although she wasn't holding Karya, Sona's voice clearly appeared in Lux's mind. "And, I heard another voice."

"That's Karya, my... well, teacher."

Although Lux wanted to call Karya a scoundrel, after a moment's hesitation, she decided to give her teacher some face—after all, Karya had done a remarkable job this time.

"His name is Karya?" Sona blinked, a hint of reverence in her eyes. "He is truly a master of music. Aihua usually doesn't cooperate with just anyone, but today he let me hear his voice through Aihua... And if I'm not mistaken, he taught you music too?"

"My music—you could say that." Lux awkwardly gestured with her empty left hand. "He didn't teach me music theory or chords. He just numbered my fingers, called out the numbers, and I played."

"Using numbers instead of notes!" Sona seemed to become quite excited upon hearing this. "Yes, why didn't I think of that? Compared to special characters or symbols, numbers are the most direct and intuitive way to express pitch. It's a genius idea!"

Completely ignorant of music and notation, Lux clearly didn't understand what Sona was so excited about. However, she quickly shook her head, pushing thoughts of music aside for the moment. She then made an effort to adopt the most serious and earnest posture, looking into Sona's eyes again.

"We can talk about music later. The most crucial issue now is that, Sona, you are a natural mage!"

"...Perhaps?" Sona replied uncertainly. "Aihua has been with me since I was little. If what you say is true, then I suppose I am a natural mage."

"But in Demacia, magic is forbidden!" Although she had suspected it, Lux couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead upon receiving confirmation. "In Demacia, those who use magic are exiled—"

"How can that be?!" Sona could no longer maintain her gentle smile, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You mean I'll be expelled, forced to leave Demacia? But... I heard the Noxians have blockaded the coast. If I leave Demacia, I probably can't go back to Ionia—"

"So, Sona, you absolutely cannot reveal your magical talent, absolutely not!" Lux lowered her voice, gripping Sona's hand tightly. "My teacher told me that magic isn't necessarily evil. True evil lies in those who use magic with wicked intentions—I haven't figured out if he's right yet, but for now, I believe you are not a bad person."

"..."

"However, I'm not sure if I can hold on myself." Lux sounded a bit dejected. "Karya says my talent is astonishing, that I'm destined to become a great mage, but sometimes I really doubt if magic is inherently evil as he claims."

"..."

Sona remained silent. Having been mute since childhood, she was a perfect listener. Even though she could now communicate directly with Lux through telepathy, seeing how troubled the other girl seemed, she quickly slipped back into her role as the perfect listener.

"You know, Sona," Lux's tone was low, filled with dejection. "My uncle died three months ago. A curse from a Noxian mage."

"..."

"It was on that very day that I discovered my talent for magic and met my teacher." Lux had been holding these words in for a long time. "I've been trying hard to learn according to my teacher's instructions, to master the power of magic, but I'm also very scared. I'm afraid that one day I'll become like those evil mages in stories, falling into the abyss of darkness."

"You won't," Sona smiled and shook her head, reaching out to tuck a strand of Lux's golden hair that had fallen forward. Her voice was gentle as she reassured her, "You believe I'm not evil, and I believe you too!"

"Then, promise me, Sona." Lux took a deep breath. "Promise me, if one day I truly become a damned wretch who has fallen into the abyss, an irredeemable fallen soul, please help me end my sins."

"!!!"

Lux's words left Sona stunned. She could never have imagined that Lux would make such a request!

"This is the only way I can think of. Teacher Karya isn't a bad person, but he doesn't have a physical body. So, Sona, let's learn magic together, master magic, and supervise each other—Promise me, okay?"

Sona's mind had gone blank.

On one hand, she was grateful for and cherished Lux's trust and the life she now had. On the other hand, she felt completely at a loss by Lux's request.

Supervising each other, and ending each other's sins if one fell—this was a bit too intense for a little girl who excelled at music!

Fortunately, Lux didn't get an immediate answer. She simply looked at Sona quietly, waiting for a thoughtful response.

Thus, under Lux's determined gaze, Sona fell into deep thought.

Sona thought of many things.

She thought of her time in the orphanage, of the nun who always saved an extra candy for her, of the wandering singer who first introduced her to music, of the little secrets her friends in the orphanage confided in her when they were down.

She thought of the night she fled Ionia, of the stranger uncle who carried her on horseback to the port, of the foreign soldiers who escorted her to Demacia, of her parents who truly loved her and her mischievous younger sister.

Sona couldn't speak, but she was an excellent listener. She could naturally discern truth from falsehood, pretense from sincerity in words. And in Lux's plea, she heard a resolute determination, much like that monk uncle who had carried her on horseback to the port, only to turn and disappear back into the night, as if he had prepared for everything.

Sona's thoughts were a tangled mess, like interwoven musical notes, impossible to unravel.

Yet, even so, she bravely made her choice.

Under Lux's expectant gaze, Sona pursed her lips, nodded, and then extended her little finger.

Lux blinked, then understood Sona's intention. She extended her own little finger.

Their small fingers hooked, their thumbs pressed together.

Two young girls, living in a land that forbade magic, made a vow to walk side by side.

There was no magical contract, no oath sworn to the heavens. There was only a heartfelt promise between two people who could hear each other's hearts.

Lux and Sona talked a lot, about themselves, about Karya, about Demacia.

As she picked up her dress sword again, Karya was shocked to learn that he had inexplicably gained a disciple.

"Haha, how about that? I successfully convinced Sona to study with you!" Lux's tone was smug, showing no trace of her previous hesitation and resolve. "Lux really admires you. Didn't you say you were good at music? Don't show any weakness in front of her!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Karya sensed something was off. "However, I always feel like you're hiding something from me. Taking off your dress sword so readily seems like you're trying too hard to cover something up. It seems our Crown Guard young lady has her own little secrets!"

"That's a girl's privacy!" Lux proudly lifted her chin. "Karya, you wouldn't understand. In short, Sona is my junior disciple starting today!"

"But I didn't agree to take her as a student." Karya feigned indifference. "I don't just accept anyone. Your act of accepting a disciple on my behalf doesn't count!"

"...Aren't you the one who loves being a teacher the most?" Lux was stunned. She never expected Karya to look down on Sona's magical talent. "Sona... How could Sona possibly-- No, you definitely have to take her!"

Sensing Lux's anxiety, Karya finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. Hearing Karya's malicious, unbridled laughter again, Lux realized she had been tricked by him again.

"If I wasn't willing to take her as a student, would I have put in so much effort for a crash course and taught you to play the piano?" After laughing enough, Karya directly pointed out the crux of the matter. "I don't care about your little secrets; that's between you two. But if you want to be my student, you can't slack off--"

"I'm not afraid!" Sona's voice was firm. "I'll work hard!"

"Then I'll look forward to it." Karya let out another joyful laugh. "I hope you can support each other and forge ahead on the path of magic... Alright, cherish your time of free interaction. Tomorrow morning, the lessons will officially begin!"

Karya's words suddenly made Sona a little nervous. Although she had decided to take her destiny into her own hands, for some reason, hearing Karya say that gave her an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Hmm... Master Karya is a master musician with exquisite skills. He shouldn't be a malicious person. The bad things Lux just said must be because he's usually too strict!

Yes, that's it!

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Adding an extra chapter today because I'm on the recommendation list, I'm so great!