Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Adam cleared the snow beside his father's grave. Then, he began shoveling, digging a new grave on the ground.

It had been two days since his mother passed away in her sleep. On the first day, he simply thought that his mother was deeply asleep.

So yesterday he went off to work like usual, thinking everything was normal. It wasn't until last night that it slowly began to dawn on him that his mother was no more.

After saving up money, he bought lamb meat from the tavern. They hadn't had meat in months, so last night was supposed to be special.

The meat stew had gone cold, and now he had no one to share it with.

Adam cried the entire night last night. When the sun rose earlier today, he began digging a grave for his mother. It took him a very long time to dig the grave. The snowfall made it very difficult.

After several hours of labor, the grave was finally ready. His face was blank as he stared into the empty grave. He had cried too much last night, and now he felt as if he didn't have any more tears left.

He went back inside the house and dragged his mother's corpse outside. He was too weak to carry it over his shoulders. Of course, he had also made sure to completely cover the corpse with cloth.

With a gentle thud, he dropped the corpse into the grave. "S-Sorry, mama… that must've hurt… right?"

He gazed at the unresponsive corpse for a long time. Unbeknownst to him, more tears had begun to roll down his eyes, making his face sting in the cold.

The boy grabbed the shovel again and began covering his mother's grave with earth and snow.

"Mama, you know what the old nana in town told me once?" He asked as he continued to cover the grave.

"She said that if two people are buried side by side, they turn into stars that are near each other. Won't that mean you and Papa will always be together?"

The grave continued to be covered as tears continued to fall.

"Aren't I a considerate son?" He asked, hoping for a response. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

"Won't you and Papa look over me from up there?" He asked again.

"You will… right?" Adam finally filled the grave and stood before it with a face deprived of any happiness in the world.

His lips curled up into a smile as tears fell down his cheeks. "Yeah… I know you will. It's a promise!"

He bawled out loud as he fell to his knees. He looked up into the sky and cried as loud as he could. He cried until his throat turned soar and his jaws started to hurt.

After what felt like forever, he found some semblance of sanity. Perhaps it was the bitter cold that was threatening to eat him alive, or perhaps it was his will to properly bid his mother farewell.

He placed his forehead on the snow and softly said, "You don't have to worry about me, Mama. I'll take care of myself just fine. I… I will also do my best to make friends so I won't be lonely. And I also promise to make lots of money so I'll never be sad again."

Adam got to his feet and cast one final glance at his mother's grave. His lips curled up into a smile, yet there was no happiness on his face.

"I will always love you, Mama. Always."

With that said, he turned around and went back inside the hut, leaving behind two figures who now stood before the graves of his parents.

The hazy silhouette gazed at black-robed Adam beside him, observing his state of mind. In many ways, this Adam seemed to be far more devastated than the Adam who had just stepped inside the hut.

"What do you say, young magus?" He asked. "Do you still wish to continue?"

Adam ignored him, intently staring at his parents' grave with overwhelming sadness. He took a deep breath and wiped his tears away.

He then turned to look at the hazy figure and flatly muttered, "Break the world if you must, but you will never break me."

He began walking toward the oak tree, taking his seat on the lowest branch. "I will endure," he proclaimed.

Unbeknownst to him, a faint smile appeared on the hazy figure's face. "Very well."

He slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing the world to rapidly change. The snow around the oak tree evaporated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

New leaves began to sprout on the tree. They grew bigger and bigger and continued to change color. From green to yellow, from yellow to orange, until finally they fell from the tree again and drifted to the ground, becoming nourishment for the earth.

The cycle continued to repeat itself until several years had passed. Then came the fortuitous encounter that allowed Adam to step on the path of magic!

…

It was the same landscape, the same sea of wheat crops, the same meandering trail that ran by it, the same oak tree, and the same thatched hut.

Except, this time there was a newcomer.

A young woman, seemingly in her early twenties, slowly limped toward the hut in the distance. Her face was deathly pale and she was sweating immensely.

She wore a baggy hooded cloak, covering her head underneath the hood. Red streaks of hair could be visible in the shadows of the hood. Apart from that, a pair of eyes that were blazing with fire could also be vaguely seen.

"Damned those bloody bandits…" she grunted, clutching at her abdomen that was gruesomely injured by a blade, leaving her cloak to be drenched in blood.

"If only I was at my full strength," she added through gritted teeth.

She continued to make her way toward the hut. It was a great gamble for her. She didn't know whom she would find inside, whether they would be hostile or not. But it was a risk she had to take.

If she stayed in Behal Town, there was a possibility that her pursuers would find her. And they were far more dangerous than the mortal bandits she just had to deal with.

With great effort, she finally managed to make it to the hut. Her breathing was extremely labored and her eyes had almost rolled backward from severe exhaustion. "Almost there…"

But before she could even reach for the door, her legs gave out and she fell to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"What the! Who goes there?!" A childish voice erupted from inside the hut, followed by the sound of footsteps.

The door slowly opened and a raven-haired young boy stepped out, tightly holding onto a shovel. Adam, who was now eight years old, vigilantly looked around the entrance of his home before his gaze finally landed on the cloaked person lying on the ground.

"Eh?"