Lee Ji-ah, the 11th head of Taesan, was special.
It’s impossible for the head of one of the three great families to not be special, but Lee Ji-ah shone brightly even among such exceptional individuals.
With her exceptional intellect, capable of paving her own way after learning a single thing, her immense magical capacity, and her unprecedentedly powerful unique ability, she was a prodigy from an early age.
Her astonishing talent was only the tip of the iceberg. Growing at a stormy pace, she reached the position of head at a relatively young age without any doubt or concern.
Despite her lack of experience due to her young age, Lee Ji-ah performed her duties as the head without issue, and exceeded expectations with continuous achievements.
Among the heads of the three great families of her generation, Lee Ji-ah was regarded as the best. Even the heads of Changhae and Geobhwa did not dispute that.
Since birth, Lee Ji-yeon had been inundated with her mother’s achievements as the head of the family.
Even though she didn’t want to hear it, she couldn’t avoid it.
The family members and servants around her constantly whispered about the head’s greatness and achievements. As she learned history, she inevitably saw the path Lee Ji-ah had taken.
And naturally, she began to compare herself to her.
Not only did Lee Ji-yeon compare herself to her mother, but everyone around her did too.
It was inevitable, since her mother, the previous head, was Lee Ji-ah, and she couldn’t help but be compared to her when standing beside her.
The child of a superhuman inherits certain qualities. One of the most prominent is the inheritance of unique abilities.
True to this expectation, Lee Ji-yeon was born with outstanding talents.
But she wasn’t as great as Lee Ji-ah.
‘How can I become like my mother?’
Lee Ji-yeon had long since given up. Her natural qualities were simply different.
Some might criticize this as a defeatist attitude, but having been constantly compared to Lee Ji-ah and having internalized that feeling, Lee Ji-yeon thought this way.
She was a genius, far above average, but just like how there are always levels to greatness, she knew she could never be like her mother.
It was inevitable. After all, her nature was different, so she couldn’t become like her mother. There were things beyond her control.
Even her mother had said so.
With her usual indifferent eyes, devoid of any affection, she had calmly told her that she couldn’t do it.
It was a gaze that didn’t seem to belong to a parent.
No, it was like a dull gaze, one that didn’t seem to have any preferences.
Lee Ji-yeon had never seen any emotion in Lee Ji-ah’s eyes. Even when she looked at the two husbands Lee Ji-ah had taken, her gaze was always indifferent.
Lee Ji-ah’s eyes, more chilling than the eyes of corpses raised through necromancy, were something that scared her more than anything.
Every time she faced Lee Ji-ah, she would lower her head. Her body would freeze when standing before her.
The awkward qualities that Lee Ji-yeon possessed were immediately recognized and pierced through by Lee Ji-ah’s hidden strength.
It was a difference so painful that she couldn’t even speak of it.
Lee Ji-ah’s Taesan stood tall and pierced the heavens, while Lee Ji-yeon’s Taesan was nothing more than a small hill in the neighborhood.
Taesan, like Geobhwa and Changhae, had few side effects.
But side effects did exist.
If one firmly established self-confidence and self-esteem, they would have a strong body and mind, unshaken by any crisis.
But if one doubted and belittled themselves, they would have a fragile body and mind that crumbled at the slightest disturbance.
Every moment Lee Ji-yeon compared herself to Lee Ji-ah, she belonged to the latter category.
Even after leaving the family and entering Siyoram Academy, things didn’t change. Though physically distant, the shadow of Lee Ji-ah that clung to her didn’t easily fade away.
‘...What did I just do?’
In the place where Iha-yul had just left, Lee Ji-yeon’s eyes trembled as she looked down at her coffee cup.
The coffee, which had been nearly full, was now empty. She had hastily gulped it down to calm the bitterness and warmth in her stomach.
Why did her stomach feel hot? Why did her mouth feel so thick?
Her temper had flared, and she had been talking too much.
Lee Ji-yeon recalled the memory with a dizzying head.
She had been angry at her mother, the head of the family, and had spoken sharply.
She added various tones to it, but when simplified, it boiled down to this.
‘This insane...’
Her head went dizzy. When she thought about it calmly, she realized how insane those words had been.
‘How dare I speak to her like that? To the woman who kills third-tier monsters with ease... how could I raise my voice and defy her?’
She couldn’t believe it. Lee Ji-yeon clenched her fists. She didn’t want to die yet...
“Did you confirm Taesan’s manifestation?”
It was at that moment. Lee Ji-yeon’s shoulder twitched as she heard Lee Ji-ah’s voice from across the table.
“...I didn’t directly observe its manifestation, but I did see her handling vitality. Also, from her attempts to sense Taesan’s manifestation, it seems like she still struggles to control it, even if she has it.”
This was the confirmation about whether Iha-yul possessed Taesan, a directive given by Lee Ji-ah after the incident in China.
“I see.”
Lee Ji-ah nodded calmly, as if she had expected that answer. Lee Ji-yeon suddenly felt a question rising in her mind, but she kept quiet.
“...It’s not absolute, so it can be avoided. With effort, it can definitely be overcome.”
Lee Ji-ah murmured as she gazed out at the road below the terrace, still full of people.
“Yes, you taught me that.”
The manifestor of Taesan deals with the earth and both life and death. They perceive changes in vitality and can sense the death that may approach.
This was a saying passed down by the previous head, meant to ease the confusion of Taesan manifestors.
“That’s true. Even in the most hopeless situations, there’s always a small possibility. But...”
Lee Ji-ah turned her gaze. Lee Ji-yeon could feel the gaze directed at her.
“It’s never easy. Even for you, or for us, overcoming it or even avoiding it might be impossible. It could be a threat so unimaginable that it’s like the sky itself collapsing.”
The surroundings had already darkened. The stars twinkled in the night sky, but they were far too few to light up the world.
For some reason, the light didn’t reach here, and Lee Ji-ah’s face was hard to see.
“Even so, can you face it, not run away, but fight, and overcome it?”
Lee Ji-ah’s dimmer eyes stared at Lee Ji-yeon.
“Can you?”
Her tone was indifferent, but to Lee Ji-yeon, it sounded like a challenge.
“Yes.”
Still, Lee Ji-yeon raised her head proudly and looked straight into Lee Ji-ah’s cold, unwavering eyes.
“I don’t want to be a fool who gives up before even trying. If I’m going to break, then so be it, but I won’t be the kind of idiot who surrenders without a fight.”
It hadn’t been long since Lee Ji-yeon and Iha-yul formed their bond.
The first time Lee Ji-yeon saw Iha-yul in person was during the first semester’s tournament.
She was shocked to see how strong he had become in less than a year of becoming a superhuman and secretly felt jealous.
At that time, Iha-yul shone like a star in the sky, someone untouchable. She might have thought of him like Lee Ji-ah, someone with no flaws.
But when they met in person, things were different.
Iha-yul shone even brighter than Lee Ji-ah, and he was as fearful as Lee Ji-yeon.
But unlike Lee Ji-yeon, he didn’t back down. Thinking of innocent people, he charged at the twin-headed dragon first and eventually brought it down.
She couldn’t feel the certainty of victory like Lee Ji-yeon, but still, he fought. He didn’t compromise, and he didn’t shy away from rationalizing or running.
Of course, when she met Iha-yul in daily life, he was a bit of an oddball, pure, and sometimes unexpectedly childish—suddenly showing up and sucking his thumb, playfully teasing and being weird—but even so, he was a good person. He wasn’t someone who should just fall and die.
Lee Ji-yeon couldn’t save everyone, but she didn’t want to ignore the crisis of a child whose situation had worsened because of her.
“...”
With her calm tone, Lee Ji-yeon answered confidently.
She was no longer slouching or avoiding eye contact, but instead, she raised her head proudly.
“...I’m better than you.”
Lee Ji-ah felt a faint smile tug at the corner of her mouth, as if she had felt the shift in the atmosphere.
"Ughhh..."
In Liana's personal research lab.
As she stretched and let out a groan, Liana’s shirt tightened across her chest, making it feel a bit constricting. But more than that, the hours of overworking her head and eyes left her with a throbbing headache.
"Ugh, when is all this going to end..."
With a deep sigh, she scanned the papers on her desk—piles of paper documents and virtual documents floating on the hologram. Of course, the staff had already handled most of the detailed work, and all Liana had to do was review and approve, but the sheer volume of it all was overwhelming.
On top of that, she was also responsible for supervising the students during the Birth Festival and managing the street vendors, making her workload unbearable.
"Ugh, my shoulders hurt..."
She massaged her shoulders, which were tensed and knotted. After a brief moment of relief, the tightness returned, and the heavy weight pressed down again on her shoulders.
"Sigh..."
Liana sighed for what felt like the hundredth time as she picked up the papers again and glanced at the window.
Beyond the curtains, the dark sky and the sparkling lights of the festival below were visible.
The Birth Festival.
A grand event held by Siyoram at the end of the year, drawing attention from around the world...
But in reality, Liana didn’t think much of the Birth Festival.
Having gone through the festival four times during her student years, she had never really enjoyed festivals to begin with.
During the four Birth Festivals, aside from the public schedules, Liana would always seek out quiet, secluded places to play with spirits and train...
‘Is it almost time for the fireworks?’
However, even Liana, who didn’t care much for festivals, found the grand fireworks show, which colored the sky, to be quite a sight.
It wasn’t just simple fireworks or common additives; this was Siyoram’s special fireworks, created with advanced technology, special materials, and dozens of wizards working together.
Moreover, the barriers surrounding Siyoram reacted to it, making the fireworks literally engrave themselves into the sky.
During the five-day festival, fireworks are held on the first, second, fourth, and fifth nights, with a theme of the four seasons. Since today was the first day, the fireworks were likely to represent spring.
‘I hope they enjoy it...’
Liana thought of Iha-yul and couldn’t help but smile softly.
When he had said he wouldn’t be able to join her because of all the work, seeing him lower his head with a sulky expression was just too cute.
‘Still, there are other people around, so he’ll enjoy it, right? But, I wonder if he can perceive the fireworks with his sensory abilities?’
Liana swallowed the lingering regret of not being able to enjoy the festival together, unlike in the past.
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Perhaps the reason it felt different now was because the child who used to snuggle in her arms was absent.
Also, the silence in this research lab likely made her feel uncomfortable for the same reason.
"It’s okay~ the festival doesn’t end today, after all."
Though she wasn’t summoned, Liana shrugged her shoulders, sensing the concern of the spirits directed at her.
She picked up the papers to resume work.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Hm...? Come in."
Liana blinked.
Having had several visitors due to the Birth Festival, she didn’t think much of someone coming to visit, but she wondered why they were knocking when there was a communication magic tool available. Plus, there were several presences outside. Were they planning to ask something as a group?
‘Huh?’
The presences felt familiar.
As soon as Liana’s eyes widened, the door opened gently, and a white-haired head peeked in.
[Hello...]
"Hello..."
Iha-yul greeted her with an awkward smile, and just below him, Seo Yul, still smaller than Iha-yul, peeked his head in, too.
[The fireworks will be starting soon. Would you like to watch them with us...?]
"Let’s go watch them together..."
Iha-yul waved the bag he was holding in front of him. It seemed to be filled with snacks from the street vendors, as a delicious smell wafted from it.
"Is this the right place? It’s my first time here."
"You’re telling me it’s your first time at the professor’s research lab? Yeonhwa, you really don’t pay attention to your school life, do you?"
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this, you little brat?"
Along with Iha-yul, several familiar presences were heard from beyond the door.
"Ahaha...! You said we don’t have time, right? Come in first!"
Liana, blinking in surprise, chuckled lightly.
It seemed like it wouldn’t be completely silent after all.