Chapter 1: The Witch Called Enaga
EnglishVERSION
Chapter 1: The Witch Called Enaga
My name is Shimaenaga. Witch Enaga, if you're in a hurry.
I've been training under my master for ten years now.
All for one goal: becoming the strongest there is.
Let me show you a taste of what that "training" actually looks like.
The Galaxy Above the Sky
One day, we ended up somewhere past the edge of the sky itself. Beneath my feet stretched an ocean of stars, and a massive whirlpool of mana spun overhead like its own private galaxy.
"Listen up, Enaga. Match your breathing to the spin of that galaxy, then reverse the mana inside you — spin it the other way. Pierce the center with a thick beam of light while you're at it, and let the particles around you dance like stardust. Go on, give it a shot."
"...Could you pick a location for once?! Why are we in outer space?! And 'reverse the spin,' sure, no problem, except breathing alone is currently taking everything I've got! Also — is this galaxy trying to swallow me?!"
"Heh-heh, you'll be fine. I've got it held back with a little magic. Now — try it!"
And that's how I got swallowed by an infinite galaxy.
The Crystal Forest, Where Light Rains Down
Next, I got dragged to a hushed forest where every tree was carved from clear crystal. Mana particles fell from the sky like a beautiful rain.
"Look, Enaga. Reflect your own face in each drop of that rain, one by one, like a thousand tiny mirrors — and repaint the world with it. Isn't it gorgeous?"
"...Okay, yes, it's pretty, but hang on — each one of these 'raindrops' hits like it could punch through granite! I'm too busy not dying to admire my reflection, thanks!"
"Heh, your reflexes are getting rusty. Try being more graceful about it — dance with the rain. Oh, watch out, there's one coming from your left too. lol."
"Don't lol at me, you magic-obsessed weirdo!! This isn't a dance, it's a death march!! ...Ah — sorry, forget I said that, Master."
And that's how I attended an incredibly elegant death tournament.
The Cliffs at Dusk
"Alright, here's today's lesson. Enaga, I want you to make that cliff over there — the one on the far side — simply not have happened. Picture it: slice the whole thing out, space and all."
"...Um, Master? That cliff happens to be a landmark my whole village uses to find their way home."
"Don't sweat the details. I'll glue it back together with wood glue afterward. Heh-heh."
"Wood glue is NOT going to fix erasing a cliff from existence!! Stop trying to un-happen things that are NOT OKAY to un-happen! I'm going home! Lesson's over!!"
I got skewered on the spot.
"Ow — hey, Master, that hurts! Quit yanking on it!"
"Silence, child. That stubborn cowlick of yours is basically a limb at this point. If it's not standing up nice and firm, that oversized witch hat of yours has nowhere to sit."
Master, wearing an infuriatingly serious expression, was busy cinching a ribbon around the thick tuft of hair sticking straight up from the top of my head.
"That's — the ribbon's too tight! I told you, my scalp is being strangled! And who decided a cowlick should be load-bearing architecture?! That's not a law of physics anywhere except in your deranged little brain!"
"Heh-heh, there we go. Perfect balance. This ribbon, tied with my spell Hakata-katania — it won't come undone until I say so, not even in a hundred years—"
"Don't say 'a hundred years,' that's way too much commitment! Just go make me toast already!"
"...Phew. Guess even today, Master couldn't quite handle the sheer overflow of my talent."
I said it smugly, mouth still stuffed with toast.
"Oh? And here I thought you couldn't even erase one measly mountain."
"Please, that was nothing — I could've done it easy! I just happened to like the shape of that mountain today, so I let it live. Someday I'm gonna surpass you and become the strongest witch there ever was!"
"...Is that so." Master's voice went quiet. "Then make sure you eat properly, so you're ready whenever that day finally comes."
I didn't catch the weight behind those words back then. I just figured, huh, guess he's finally admitting I've got talent.
Training with Master was always brutal. Always exhausting. And still, day after day, I never gave up.
All to become the strongest... alongside my hopelessly childish Master.
I really believed this kind of training would go on forever and ever.
Right up until the day the sky turned red.
