……It was flooding in.
Countless pieces of knowledge, layer upon layer of magical foundations — a torrent of vast wisdom that filled every corner of Sarah's thoughts.
Accepting it all, she thought.
(…Incredible.)
So this was the world he saw.
She shuddered. Behind the dazzling array of magic he wielded so effortlessly — this was the trace of his relentless effort, honing himself upon a feast of such profound wisdom. And at the same time, she understood. ……So that was why he was so powerful.
Through it all, Ermes' voice reached her.
"—What do you think of when you use magic?"
Receiving his question, Sarah considered once more.
Her starting point. Her unwavering wish. ……The feelings she ought to turn into magic.
——She had loved fairy tales.
The ones that glittered and shimmered, that were just a little dark, yet whose worlds turned gentle in the end.
The ones with people who were somewhat comical — yet still lived with every ounce of their being.
That atmosphere, that beauty — she had loved them all, desperately.
How wonderful it would be to live in such a world. That was what she had thought, as a child.
And so, she had tried to create one.
She had wanted to believe — that even in this world, which had been so terribly hard for her to live in, there were surely places like the stories.
That everyone surely had something wonderful within them, and possessed the power to make it real.
That if they listened properly, if they truly tried to understand one another, then someday a wonderful place could be built. She had believed that.
……because it was the one wish she could hold close to her heart as her own — the sole wish of someone who had been forced to act as nothing more than a substitute for her mother in everything else.
That shattered.
Things had seemed to be going well — but that only held true at the very beginning. After that, everything went wrong.
She had even seen things that couldn't be helped. She had come to know that fairy tales were nothing more than fantasies, nothing but ideals ——
(…I see.)
And there, she realizes. Receiving his thoughts that flow alongside the knowledge, she awakens to the truth.
——
Therefore
,
I will aim for it
.
She has finally earned the qualification, right here and now.
She recognized the ideal. She was made to confront reality. Then —— where between those two would she set her aim? The right to decide that was now in her hands.
……Then her answer was already decided.
"I can't become anything. I'm empty."
"Alone, I can't do anything. I can't protect anything."
A voice that rang out strong. A voice that summoned cowardice — words someone had said to her…… no, words borrowed from someone else, but unmistakably her own voice. That voice ——
(…Be quiet.)
With rare, forceful words, she crushed it down. In the flood of wisdom, she spoke aloud and asked:
"…Is this alright?"
──"That's fine," his voice answered.
"Even if there's no other way, even if it's absurd. Is it permissible to aim for that?"
No one has the right to deny her that. So all that remains is to aim for it of her own will.
Therefore, he answers that it is enough.
Because — what gives it form is magic.
"…You're right."
With a tearful smile, she answers.
…She still can't have confidence in herself.
But so many people had believed in her. Such wonderful people had directed their respect toward her.
Then for now, she would take pride in that as an achievement. She would recognize it as her own asset and strength — and turn it into magic.
Steel in her resolve, she faces the flood of wisdom.
(…!)
She is nearly swallowed whole. …To think that when he creates magic, he faces something like this.
Fresh awe for him surges up once more — but she sets that aside. No, she will turn even that feeling into strength, and right now, she will do what must be done.
Sarah possesses Bloodline Magic. Because of that, she can never achieve the kind of freeform creation he does.
But conversely, she has Bloodline Magic. A form for the magic she should aim for — a prototype — already exists. Using that as a guidepost to open up new possibilities for magic — that is what she must do now. Not creation, but evolution: that is what she is capable of at this point.
Fortunately, a certain magic she possesses is extremely suited for that.
…If now is the time, then she can do it. He will carry her to places she could never have reached with her current power and talent.
As if pushing open a frontier, as if being guided, she comes to understand magic. Borrowing a trace of his Magic Power to use as a catalyst.
Kindling her feelings as fuel, she opens the door. She draws a breath, and sings.
"──Let us celebrate the future of the stars, and invite the
divine spirits
of
the
celestial palace."
She understands.
The words tell her. They show her where her magic is headed.
At the same time, she realizes—this magic is different from the others in some fundamental way.
"The planets age, the stars rust, yet the ill-starred one cannot be
loathed."
Something vast, utterly distinct from ordinary Bloodline Magic. What exactly it is remains hazy for now, but what faintly reaches her carries nothing but warmth.
……Then it must be something good. For now, she'll simply surrender herself to her feelings.
"Here lies one path of pure guidance—
the divine envoy
becomes a flower, bestowing blessings upon the children of earth and stars."
Her wish is right here. The magic takes shape to match her will. It defines the form of liberation—the fact that it can do this is precisely what makes this magic so special.
No Magic Power is required. This magic simply isn't that kind of thing. It merely exists.
……And that is precisely why it has the potential to become something truly immense.
"Gathering, wishing, the crown of light as our guide—please, into these hands
Lights
"]
It is one of the magics that heralds the beginning of stars.
Changing shape, changing form, the embodiment of a wish passed down through blood
—
—now manifests in its complete form.
A halo of light, tracing patterns far more intricate and resplendent, appears around her head.
"[Angel's hands
The heavens
— set right — a crown of flowers upon humanity's blessing — the earth overflows with deep compassion]
Her bearing is serene. Gentle, warm, yet possessed of a great presence.
The sort of sight before which everyone naturally kneels in reverence. As though offering prayers.
Having become the embodiment of such a divine messenger, she gently lowers her eyelids and clasps her hands together.
—She proclaims her own magic.
"'
Star Corolla
'—
Magic Inscription Liberation
"
For the sake of the section break, this was split into two.
Next time, *Star Corolla*. I'll update right away.