“In the year 2137, humanity conquered the speed of light. Though various constraints remained, it was finally possible to venture beyond the solar system into the broader universe.”

  — The Jupiter Archives, Footsteps of Human Civilization

  “No!!!!!!!!”

  Before he could even form a conscious thought, Kane felt something burst forth from inside him, surging through his right arm. Had he not squeezed his eyes shut tight, he would have seen a glowing white mass shoot from his arm, transform into a massive fist, and hurtle forward.

  KABOOM—

  Jessie... no...

  The moment the tip of the stick aimed at Jessie, Max instinctively tried to throw himself in front of her. But just then, a booming shout rang out.

  “No!!!!!!!!”

  The moment Max thought it sounded a bit like Kane’s voice—

  BAM—

  With a massive shockwave, something blasted out of the bushes right next to them. In the split second before he passed out, Max caught a glimpse of it: it faintly resembled the shape of a fist. The only problem was that this fist was significantly larger than he was tall.

  The milky-white fist pulverized a nearby tree and crushed the automatic rifle, Jessie, and the invisible barrier behind her.

  Crash— Bzzzt—

  Despite its terrifying momentum, the fist gently wrapped around Jessie, setting her down softly on the grass, though no one was awake to see it. Naturally, no one knew that Kane lay unconscious back in the direction the fist had come from. Aside from Joseph’s occasional twitches and the sparks flying from the shattered invisible barrier, not a single thing moved in the forest clearing.

  A short while later, Baron Panain came sprinting over, huffing and puffing at a speed unbefitting his age.

  Baron, an employee of the Magic Accident Investigation and Prevention Department, hadn't been able to go to the bathhouse lately because he’d been drowning in paperwork from the sudden major event last time. His predecessor had assured him this job was entirely boring, but Baron was starting to think otherwise. Still, he was absolutely certain he’d finally be able to soak his tired body today.

  Right at that moment, another sharp beep sounded, and the graph for Sector 12 flashed a glaring red.

  “What the...? Sector 12 again? A Class 10 again??”

  Wondering if there was some cosmic curse on his bathhouse plans, Baron hurriedly knocked on Count Minuk’s door. True to form, the Count was greedily shoving his precious cookies into his mouth.

  “What? Another Class 10 event in Sector 12? This is getting strange.”

  Waving his hand to shoo Baron out, Count Minuk quickly picked up the telephone.

  “Yes, Lord Chamberlain. I apologize, but another urgent incident has occurred. It appears there has been another Class 10 magical accident in Sector 12.”

  “Didn’t you say there was a Class 10 event in Sector 12 just a short while ago?” An icy, businesslike voice drifted through the receiver.

  “Yes, sir. As you instructed, we thoroughly analyzed that incident and prepared a report. Shall I send it to you?”

  “No, just give me the core facts. Bottom line: the event back then wasn't a measurement error or noise, correct?”

  “Yes, that is correct.”

  “Twice is no coincidence. Good. Bring an airplane to the square in front of the Sky Bridge immediately.”

  “Yes, understood. But, did something happen at the Imperial Palace last time?”

  “That is none of your concern. Duke Raja Mahdi will be accompanying you. Go straight to Sector 12, find out exactly what happened, and if you find any suspicious ten-year-old boys, bring them in without hesitation.”

  “Duke Raja Mahdi? If the Ganymede Templars are getting involved...”

  “I will give the Duke the detailed instructions.”

  Click—

  The line went dead. Forgetting all about his cookies for a moment, Count Minuk sank into deep thought.

  Not the Callisto Knights, but the Ganymede Templars? And their commander, Duke Raja Mahdi, no less? That meant this was an incident the Imperial Palace considered to be of the utmost importance.

  Could it be the season of the ‘Harvest’? It hadn't even been forty years since the last Harvest. And why would such a big shot go down to a rural backwater like Sector 12? What was this about a ten-year-old boy?

  Sorting through the question marks popping up in his head, Count Minuk stood up, grunted as he squeezed into a coat that was a size too small for him, quickly swallowed one last cookie, and walked out of his office.

  “I don’t understand, what on earth happened?”

  “Oh my, poor little Joseph...”

  Baron Panain’s house had a room with several beds prepared for the sick. It was a place where, at most, one or two patients might be lying down on any given day.

  “My... gasp... son! What... pant... happened to my... gasp... son?”

  A woman with brown hair and ordinary features burst through the door, panting heavily. She had run so fast her hair was completely disheveled.

  “There, there, Joseph’s mother...”

  Someone grabbed her arm, but her eyes had already found a familiar silhouette lying on a bed in the corner.

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  “J-Joseph.”

  She rushed to her son’s side, took one look at his face, and collapsed to the floor as if her legs had given out. Fowler, the Baron’s butler, who had been standing nearby, quickly supported her.

  “Uh... uh... Baron, what... what happened to my son?”

  “...I am so sorry.” The Baron spoke, holding a glass vial filled with red liquid.

  “My... my baby’s eye... can’t you fix it?”

  “Well...” The Baron swallowed hard, a look of deep regret on his face. “It is beyond my abilities.”

  “Oh no, no... sob...”

  Unable to hold her up any longer, Fowler carefully lowered the wailing woman to the floor. Many villagers were gathered around, but no one dared to speak; they could only watch with pity.

  Slumped on the floor, she reached out a trembling hand and grabbed the hem of the Baron’s trousers.

  “Oh god... Baron... isn't there anything... anything you can do for my boy? Please...”

  “...I am sorry. If we could take him to Sector 1, they might be able to do something, but...”

  “Oh god...”

  At the mention of Sector 1, Joseph’s mother’s wails grew even louder.

  When Kane came to, he was at home. The room was dark.

  “Mom?”

  Tap tap tap. Footsteps approached from outside, the door opened, and Carol walked in.

  “Kane, are you awake?”

  “Mom, why am I here?”

  “Baron Panain brought you back. What exactly happened? Did you use magic again?”

  Kane clutched his head. He seemed to remember his friends being in danger. Friends... I couldn't see them... Joseph... Jessie...

  Once the memories started, they rushed back quickly.

  “Mom, I was in the woods near the castle, and I felt like my friends were in some kind of danger...”

  What happened next?

  “So... but... I knew Jessie was in danger.”

  Even as he said it, Kane thought to himself that his words made no sense. It felt like all his thoughts had rushed out at once, getting tangled and completely out of order. Carol gently but firmly gripped her son by the shoulders.

  “Kenny, okay, let’s take a deep breath in... and out. Slowly now.”

  Once Kane seemed to calm down a little, Carol asked her question again.

  “What do you mean you ‘knew’ Jessie was in danger? Do you mean you saw her get hurt?”

  “No, not like that... I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but I saw it in my head.”

  Carol’s expression changed strangely. “Did your head hurt by any chance?”

  “Yeah... how did you know?”

  But Carol seemed determined only to ask questions, not answer them.

  “And then? What happened next?”

  “But then I suddenly heard Jessie screaming. It looked like one of my friends and then Jessie were about to collapse, so I tried to stop it.”

  “Stop what? Did you see why your friends got hurt?”

  “No, I don’t know about that... Come to think of it, I’m not even sure if I managed to stop it... Anyway, considering my body felt totally drained of energy just like last time, I think I did use magic.” Kane added the last part in a fading whisper.

  Carol was silent. Looking into his mom’s eyes, Kane saw her dark brown pupils trembling.

  “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  “Huh?!”

  “You told me not to get caught using magic, but I think I used it without even realizing...” Kane said, his voice shrinking with guilt.

  Carol stared at her son for a moment before forcing a smile.

  “First of all... it’s not like you did it on purpose, you were just trying to save your friends. Still, it would be best if you weren’t caught.”

  “Ah, but Mom, I don’t even know what spell I used. Who knows, maybe I used a really quiet, unnoticeable one?”

  “...So, you’re saying this is where it happened?”

  The adults stared at the spot the children pointed to, their mouths hanging open, at a loss for words. A massive furrow, something anyone who had ever plowed a field would recognize, was carved right through the middle of the forest.

  The only problem was that this furrow was absurdly large. It was as deep as a young child was tall, and as wide as an adult’s height.

  “How many times did I tell you not to go into the woods behind Tersha Castle? Why on earth did you come here?!” A woman with curly hair scolded Max. The bloodstains on her apron—likely from chopping meat—made her look especially terrifying today.

  “We were just... looking for Kane.”

  “Ma’am, I’m the one who dragged Max into this. We heard Kenny was at the Baron’s house, so we tried to sneak in through the back gate of the castle, but we got lost.” Jessie spoke up, clearly not knowing what to do with herself.

  Just as Max’s mom was about to scold them further, Baron Panain smoothly cut in.

  “Max’s mother, we can hear the full story later. There is something much more pressing right now.” The Baron raised a hand, pointing to the translucent objects flanking either side of the massive furrow. They looked like pieces of a shattered wall, occasionally flickering between black and translucent while spitting out strange sparks.

  “What on earth is that?”

  “It’s a magic mirror used by Patronians,” Baron Panain replied in a calm voice.

  “A magic mirror?”

  “It’s an incredibly rare item—a mirror that shows you any image you wish to see.”

  “But why is it here? And surely a mirror didn’t do that to Joseph’s eye.”

  “Indeed...”

  “What did that to Joseph’s eye,” Jessie interjected quickly, “was this long, black iron stick thing. It shot up out of the ground and suddenly whipped its head around like a snake.”

  Jessie quickly stepped forward, looking around the area. “I think it was around here somewhere...”

  Ignoring the bewildered adults, she scanned the ground but couldn't seem to find what she was looking for. Baron Panain watched her closely.

  “By your description, it sounds like you saw a gun.”

  “A gun?! What’s that?”

  Aside from the Baron, no one seemed to know what a gun was.

  “Hmm... it’s a magical artifact that throws a very tiny stone very, very hard. Because it’s a magical artifact, naturally only Patronians can use it. But funnily enough, against other Patronians who know how it works, it’s too easily blocked, so it’s rarely used... It’s that kind of weapon. However, to ordinary people, it is incredibly dangerous.”

  “Anyway! And then there was this huge noise, and when we came to, Joseph was already like that. And then... then it pointed at me.” Jessie paled slightly, clearly recalling the terrifying moment.

  Baron Panain walked over and patted her gently on the back.

  “And the next thing you knew, you were waking up at this old man’s house?”

  “Yes... but right before I passed out, I thought I heard Kenny’s voice.”

  “Huh? Kane? Out of nowhere?” A tall, handsome man standing next to Max’s mother asked.

  “That’s right, Dad. I think I heard it too. And then this really huge...” Max hesitated, looking at the adults. He didn't think they would believe him.

  His dad urged him on. “A really huge what?”

  “I saw something like a really huge fist flying at us,” Max said, looking up at his dad.

  Everyone looked utterly perplexed, but Baron Panain seemed to believe him.

  “Come to think of it, where is Kane? You kids usually travel in a pack.”

  “You’re right. His friends went through all this, and he hasn’t even shown his face.”

  “He’s just doing some attendant work, does he think he’s better than our kids now?” Max’s dad said, sounding irritated.

  “I never really liked the adults in that family anyway. Always acting so quiet, it feels like they’re looking down on us.”

  “Oh, Max’s dad, don’t say things like that. They’re just quiet people, they’re perfectly nice.”

  “Now, now, let’s calm down. Let’s piece this all together.” Baron Panain clapped his hands. “So, Joseph, Jessie, Max. The three of you set out to find Kane, stumbled upon this magic mirror, and when you tried to climb over it, some black snake-like thing appeared and attacked Joseph. It was about to attack Jessie, but then something blasted through the bushes from the other side of the clearing and protected the rest of you. Is that correct, children?”

  The kids murmured their agreement and nodded. Jessie raised her hand and shouted, “I heard Kenny’s voice, too!” but Baron Panain seemed not to hear her, as he was busy massaging his forehead and letting out a quiet sigh.

  Just then, a loud humming noise echoed from the sky, drawing everyone’s gaze upward.

  Vrrrrmm—

  Something large, metallic, and silver, shaped somewhat like a bird, was flying rapidly toward them. The villagers murmured in unease, having no idea what they were looking at.

  “An a-airplane?!” Baron Panain’s jaw dropped as he muttered faintly to himself.

  Managing to catch his words, Jessie immediately asked, “An airplane? What’s that?”

  “An airplane is like a flying magical carriage that mages use when they need to transport many people over a long distance. But even on the Sky Isle, it’s an incredibly rare item. Why on earth...?”

  With a deafening roar, the object flew past them toward Tersha Castle, slowly descending over the walls until it vanished from sight. Just before the airplane disappeared entirely, Max caught a fleeting glimpse of a peculiar crest painted on its side: a circle enclosing a scythe-like shape, with a single dot in the bottom right corner.

  “Max, let’s go home right now.” Max’s mother spoke firmly, pulling her son’s hand a bit too hard.

  “Yes, it would be best if everyone returned home for now. Fortunately, none of the other children are hurt, so please take them home and let them rest.”

  Despite his calm words, Baron Panain’s face was completely rigid. Sensing the ominous shift in the atmosphere, the villagers began to leave the scene in small groups.