Ever since Dumbledore had personally invited him to Hogwarts to study magic,
the half-month of waiting had felt especially unbearable.
However, after he'd set out in person to get an early look at the Leaky Cauldron and run into a mysterious figure in a black robe, he'd given up on the idea and shut himself away in the orphanage.
Ian shuddered at the thought of the darkness that might exist in the magical world.
His soul was that of an adult.
But a college student... How could anyone expect to handle something like that?
All he could say was that he'd learned his lesson.
[Latin successful, language proficiency +1] [Latin successful, language proficiency +1] [Roman language successful, language proficiency +1]
At his desk, Ian leafed through the books. Now and then, he furrowed his brow in thought. He kept writing the words from memory in his notebook, then softly read them aloud.
Self-study always demanded strong self-discipline.
That was something even an attribute panel couldn't change.
Every increase in proficiency meant Ian had actually learned something. Each increase could be seen as a small moment of enlightenment.
But even so, that kind of enlightenment required him to study seriously.
Of course.
When he leveled up, he really did feel something like a major moment of insight—a sudden "understanding."
Ian was studying.
Just then,
the sound of knocking came from outside the door. Ian's rhythm was interrupted, and he turned toward it. "Come in."
Click.
The door opened. The one who had knocked was Catherine. She leaned against the doorway, her eyes sparkling.
"Ian, would you like a chicken leg? The cook said there are extra ones tonight!"
She held out a chicken leg as if presenting him with a treasure.
At Catherine's feet, a white short-haired cat darted into the room. With a nimble leap, it landed on the desk and crouched there.
Catherine was startled and froze in place. Once she got a good look at the cat, she said,
"Gilly! You little pest!"
Ian swatted the cat on the bottom and picked it up from the desk. He reassured Catherine, "There, Catherine. I've already punished it."
Catherine nodded, looking at the cat with lingering irritation.
Ian smiled and comforted her.
"Gilly didn't do it on purpose, Catherine. Just relax."
"All right, Ian."
Children's tempers came and went quickly.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Catherine finally asked, "Ian, when can we go to the magic school?"
Ian smiled at the little girl.
It was true.
No one could resist the allure of magic. Still, he had to remind Catherine,
"Catherine, we agreed to keep it secret. Remember?"
Catherine immediately covered her mouth. "Ian, I..."
Ian smiled. "Of course, telling only me is fine. But if you want to study magic, you may have to wait a few more years because of your age."
"Mm-hmm! I'll eat lots and grow up quickly. Ian, let's go find Norn and the others to play!"
Faced with the little girl's hopeful gaze,
Ian shook his head with a laugh and glanced back at the language books on his desk.
Originally, he'd planned to raise his Language Mastery skill to level five and gain an extraordinary trait.
But now, after Catherine had interrupted him, he no longer felt like studying. If he forced himself to continue, he probably wouldn't be very productive.
He checked his attribute panel.
Name: Ian Prince Occupation: Bloodline Warlock Magic Power: Level 4 Skills: Language Mastery (Level 4): 500/800 Biological Dissection (Level 5): 64/1600 Free Combat (Level 3): 85/400 Psychology (Level 6): 42/3200 [Psychology Extraordinary Trait: Thought Perception] [Biological Dissection Extraordinary Trait: Butcher Instinct]
After several days of intense study, Language Mastery had reached level four. He was only three hundred proficiency points away from level five.
As for the other skills,
he hadn't gone out to tell fortunes for anyone in the past few days, so his Psychology hadn't increased. The same was true of Biological Dissection. That was why his language skill had improved so quickly.
A person's time was limited, after all.
"Let's go."
Ian set the cat down.
The white cat darted nimbly out of the room, and Ian left with Catherine.
In the yard, the children were playing football. When they saw Ian, they were all delighted. Ian wasn't much older than they were, but he often took on some of the responsibilities of a parent. He wasn't strict, yet he still took good care of them.
"Hey, Ian! Come join our team!"
"No way! Ian's finally come out to play. He should be on our team so we can win!"
The children nearly ended up fighting over him.
Ian smiled helplessly. "All right, all right. I'll be the goalkeeper!"
There were only a few days left before he left the orphanage to attend Hogwarts. He felt an indescribable reluctance to part with the people here and so many things about this place.
Night fell, with only a scattering of stars in the sky.
After washing up, Ian lay down in bed. His day had been full, but he still couldn't stop thinking about the thing he'd long been yearning for.
"When will I finally get to practice magic?"
Soon,
sleepiness swept over him.
He sank into a deep, dreamless slumber.
The clear sky was like a freshly washed sapphire, crystal clear. White clouds drifted through it like carefully sculpted cotton candy, fluffy and pure. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, scattering dappled shadows like playful sprites and adding a touch of life to the peaceful scene.
He was back again—the Limbo!
Ian spread his arms and took a deep breath, enjoying the peace of this world.
Beneath the picture-perfect sky, he saw a fairy-tale forest stretching out before him.
The trees were lush, their leaves whispering in the breeze as though sharing ancient secrets. Small animals darted between them, while butterflies and bees fluttered among the flowers. A winding stone path led deep into the forest, its end swallowed by darkness.
This time, he didn't see Ariana.
Ian had gotten used to it by now. After all, time passed at very different rates in the two worlds.
Only seven minutes had passed in the real world, while what felt like half a day had gone by in the Limbo.
Each time he entered the Limbo, several days passed there. Sometimes, the difference could even amount to a few months. There was no consistent measure to the passage of time.
To be fair, running into Ariana last time had been a coincidence.
Ian walked along the path through the grass. Strange animals occasionally darted out from the bushes, looked at him curiously, then vanished again. He followed the winding trail onward, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling in scattered patches across the ground.
After walking for an unknown length of time,
he reached a small town hidden in a valley.
The town was small, but it had a decent range of facilities. An old post office stood quietly. The sign outside a bar swayed gently in the breeze, and a church steeple pierced the sky, solemn and imposing.
Everything seemed ordinary, except that the seemingly harmonious town lacked any sign of life. Every shop was tightly shut, and all of them were empty.
It was like an eerie town from a horror movie, only without the creepy, ominous atmosphere.
"The town of the dead."
The scene reminded Ian of what Ariana had once told him: people had lived here before, but they had gradually left. Perhaps these souls had forgotten their obsessions in the Limbo, or perhaps they had fulfilled them and moved on to another, more mysterious adventure.
"You can really feel the loneliness of a place without people." Before long, Ian crossed the empty streets and arrived at the little house where Ariana lived.
"Hm? Where is she?"
The front door was shut tight. Ian walked over and peered through a window, which was closed as well. Inside was silent, just like the shops. There wasn't the slightest sound or movement.
Ian felt puzzled.
For all these years,
Ariana had never gone far from this town.
This was the first time Ian had failed to find Ariana.
He'd wanted to ask what the mark Ariana had given him last time meant! Could her disappearance have something to do with the gift she'd given him?
Ian began to feel worried.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind him, breaking the silence of the street. It was elegant and slightly cool, with the full, mature tone of a poised woman.
"Oh, heartbroken little boy. Are you waiting for that poor girl?"
Startled by the voice, Ian quickly turned around.
A woman stood right in front of him. Her eyes were like deep black gemstones, the outer corners tilted slightly upward. Thick lashes fanned over her beautifully shaped eyes.
She was an elegant, stunningly beautiful... married woman? The woman wore a full-length black robe trimmed with gold thread. Her bearing was cool and majestic.
Yet her gorgeous appearance and attire looked completely out of place in the simple little town.