Neron had no formal education when it came to Magic.
He didn't even understand what Spells really were, or how to classify them.
He knew that they were separated into Levels based on their intensity, complexity, and how much Mana was needed to utilize them.
He also knew that a lot of individuals dedicated their entire lifetime to advance existing Spells and also develop new ones.
It was insanity to Neron, but that was how the practice of Magic was.
And he was no expert in any of that.
'All I know is… if I can concentrate on what I want, then…'
As Neron closed his eyes, he began to sense the floating balls of energy around him.
They were Mana—invisible to the normal eyes, but perceived by him.
'That's strange. Why does the Mana vanish the moment they touch the house?'
Usually, Mana would either bounce off a surface or resonate with it.
Why would it suddenly vanish?
'Let's try this out…' Neron began to feel the circulation of his own Mana.
It was sparkling white, with bluish sparks popping out at intervals.
Before long, the energy manifested on the palm of his hand, shimmering like a star in the night sky.
"Huu… it's been a while since I did this."
Using Mana wasn't particularly difficult, but Neron always felt something stirring within him anytime he tried it.
It was a fuzzy feeling he couldn't quite explain.
Ignoring the sensation within, he pressed his hand on the door, and all of s sudden felt a strange occurrence hit him.
~FSHIII!~
His Mana was absorbed by the door's surface, causing him to jerk backwards in surprise.
Never before had this happened to him.
Fortunately for Neron, though, the door began to tremble in response to the Mana it had just received.
A clicking sound echoed from within, and the door slowly creaked open.
'A-ah… so it requires Mana to open.'
A bead of sweat fell from Neron's face as he stared at the gaping entrance.
Despite all of his bravado, he was still only five years old.
'The Mana disappears when it enters inside. Is there something up with this house?' Neron thought.
He gulped and approached the eerie darkness that invited him inside.
"Mr. Duffy… I'm coming in…"
Neron took brave steps and ventured into the darkness.
The moment he did so, an odd sensation consumed his body.
"H-huh…?"
He could feel it happen subtly—very gradually—but the Mana that was leaking out of his body was being drawn away.
It wasn't just his Mana, but every Mana fragment that followed him inside.
But where was everything going?
Neron's eyes glowed, and he realized they were ascending
—going to the first floor above.
'Are they doing some kind of experiment?' Neron thought within himself.
His inner recesses tried to warn him of something much grimmer, but his five-year-old mind could not comprehend it.
Instead, he ventured even further into Mr. Duffy's house.
The first floor looked pretty mundane. It had a fireplace, chairs and tables… the usual setting for an average old man.
The furniture seemed old, though, and so did the paint that covered the walls.
Neron wondered how long Mr. Duffy had been living in this place.
'He's been around before I was even born.'
He noticed a dusty portrait on the wall. It contained the painting of an youthful man who wore a bright grin.
Underneath it was a name.
"Lewis Griffith, huh? Who's that?"
Neron didn't have time to think about it, though, as he once again felt his energy being seeped away from his body.
'I better hurry!'
Neron quickly found the stairs that led upstairs, and he rushed with all the strength he could muster.
For a kid, he was quite agile. Within seconds, he was already upstairs, right in front of a door that seemed to radiate nothing but gloom.
'Why? Why do I have this uneasy feeling?'
As Neron took one more step forward, the door creaked open and a man emerged from within it.
He had very dry wrinkly skin that resembled scales, with a very lean stature to match.
His sunken eyes existed behind his spectacles, and his flowing white beards told well of his age.
He had a walking stick in his hand, and a long black gown that covered his body.
"Heyyyy, Neron. What are you doing here?" Mr. Duffy gave a wide grin, displaying the few teeth he had remaining.
His bald head glowed as his shrinking eyes narrowed even further.
"How did you get in?"
"I am looking for my friends, Mr. Duffy. They came here. Where are they?"
Neron didn't bother greeting the old man.
Something about him seemed sinister—unlikeable. He genuinely didn't know why everyone liked him so much.
He just wanted to get his friends and leave.
"Ohh? But they left already. They left a while back."
Neron's eyes twitched the moment he heard that.
"Are you sure about that, Mr. Duffy?"
Not only did he not want to walk all that distance back by himself, but there was something else…
"Yes. I'm quite sure. I'm currently in the process of some Magic Research. Want to join me?"
"Nah! I'll pass…" Neron's brows furrowed.
"I see. Such a shame…"
"I guess I'll be on my way back, then."
As Neron turned his back and made to descend the stairs, he suddenly froze.
'Hold on…'
There was something within him. It resonated with something that existed beyond the door.
'This feeling… Yera's Mana…?!'
He had no doubt in his mind.
He slowly turned back and stared at the old man who stood before the door, as if waiting to see Neron leave.
'Why did he lie when I can clearly sense her behind him?'
Neron didn't know how Yera now had Mana. His friends did mention something about an 'Awakening' that they would do here to see if they could become Mages.
Perhaps Yera succeeded.
But… if that was the case…
"… Why did you lie to me?" Neron asked with a clear frown on his face.
"W-what did you sa—?"
Before Mr. Duffy could conclude his words, Neron leaped from his position, the Mana in his legs propelling him forward to a supernatural degree.
~WHOOSH!~
His body sliced through the air and he soon appeared right beside the old man in no time.
"W-what are you doing, Neron? I just told you—!"
"Hey…" Neron turned to glare at the old man, his eyes burning bright with blue flickers of light.
"Stay out of my way!"
Neron then pushed the door open, barely even touching its surface thanks to the force of Mana that coursed through his hands.
~CREAK~
The door slowly paved the way for the horrors that were held beyond it.
This time, there was no darkness.
There was blood.
"A-ahhh…?"
Neron's voice could not properly form as he struggled to understand what he was seeing.
All five of his friends were on the floor, surrounded by a Magic Circle… their heads separate from their bodies.
All their blood was rising above to a ruby-red gem that seemed to be the thing that was sucking all the Mana around.
Neron's Mana was quickly being taken by this stone, but at this point he didn't notice.
Not while his friends were corpses right before his eyes.
"Y-you guys…" He whispered.
A last flicker of light came from Yera before it was swept into the stone.
At that moment, Neron could no longer sense her.
That meant she was dead.
They were all dead.
"It seemed like the Mana of that girl was what gave it away. Out of all of them, she had such a bountiful load…"
A voice came from behind Neron.
Despite hearing it, he did not look back. Perhaps he feared that if he took his face away from the emaciated corpses of his friends, they would disappear forever.
"This is surprising, though. I never expected you to be the golden goose of the group."
The voice clearly belonged to Mr. Duffy, but something about it felt different.
… Felt more malevolent.
"Even now Blood Stone is heavily draining your Mana, you can still stand upright. Your friends gave out in just a few seconds."
Mr. Duffy's hand touched Neron's shoulder, and Neron felt his entire body get paralyzed.
He crumbled to his knees and felt disconnected from every part of himself.
Completely rendered powerless, he was forced to watch the old man walk past him.
"For years now… decades… I have done this to those who stepped into this place. All those crooked criminals who desired my wealth… all the innocents who were enamored by my knowledge…"
With Mr. Duffy now right in front of Neron, the boy could see him clearly for who he was.
"… All of them ended up here, sharing the same fate." n---/))))-//(I//n
Mr. Duffy's lips spread to the far edges of his cheeks, displaying the most crooked smile imaginable.
This was no longer a human.
"And now, my dear boy, it's your turn."
Neron shivered at the thought of dying—perishing just like everyone else in this room.
His friends were gone forever now.
Perhaps it would be nice to join them. Perhaps they could play 'tag' in the afterlife.
'NO!' Neron's thoughts screamed as he glared at the grinning old man.
'I REFUSE IT!'
From the very depths of his soul, his desire sprang forth.
'I REFUSE TO DIE!'
