Prologue Story

And then, about ten days had passed since the summer vacation began…

On August 5, 202X, In-ha and I set off on a five-day trip to a place nearby called “Island in Water World.”

Known as Waterland, it is a location that transforms an entire small island into a water-themed amusement park.

The coastline features a beach for swimming, the interior boasts a vast indoor and outdoor water park, and there’s even an amusement park with rides that primarily use water.

There are also accommodations, restaurants, and shops of significant scale.

It is a paradise of summer that kids love, and that’s exactly what “Island in Water World” was.

“How about it! Isn’t it amazing?”

I hesitated after hearing Auntie Suna’s explanation.

Mom was already excited and went to the living room to call Dad.

I was a little flustered.

Even if we went somewhere, I thought it would just be an ordinary beach or valley.

I raised my hand straight up.

“Question 1! Do we absolutely have to wear swimsuits?”

“No, no! You can just wear light clothing. But why?”

“Question 2! Is the entrance fee very expensive?”

“Well… it is, right?”

Oh no.

I had planned to invite Min-hee.

In-ha, still oblivious to the situation, just stared blankly at me.

No, I mean, think about it.

Seeing me in distress, Auntie Suna asked.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy.”

“No, it’s not that I’m not happy, it’s just that, well…”

After pondering for a moment, I decided to tell Auntie Suna about my promise with Min-hee.

Hearing what I said, In-ha seemed to realize the situation and looked up at Auntie Suna with a worried expression.

But contrary to our worries, Auntie Suna burst out laughing after hearing the whole story.

“What? That’s all? It’s fine, invite her. This time, we’re going for free. We received free passes as a gift.

The island belongs to someone we know, and there are about three tickets left. I was wondering how to use them, and this works perfectly.

Invite that friend Min-hee, and her brother too.

It would be concerning if they came without a guardian, right?”

Wow…!

We jumped up and down with bright faces.

But Auntie Suna seemed slightly troubled as there were only three tickets, so not all our friends could be invited.

Seeing her hesitation, I quickly shook my hand.

“It’s okay. Hansoo’s family has already gone.

They went overseas, you know, with Shia too.”

“Really? That’s a relief. So, what should we do with the last ticket?”

Leaving Auntie Suna’s words behind, we rushed up to our room.

We opened our phones and immediately shared the exciting news with Min-hee.

As expected, Min-hee was incredibly excited and made a big fuss.

[Really? Wow! This sounds so fun. I’ll tell my brother right away. Oh, wait, but you said there’s one more ticket left, right?

In that case, can we invite Chunho oppa too?

Whenever we go somewhere, it’s always me, my brother, and Chunho oppa going together.

Sometimes we even went with Shia’s family.]

In-ha pressed the intercom on the wall.

When we asked Auntie Suna about it, she generously approved.

[Awesome! Oppa, hey, listen, listen…!]

Min-hee excitedly ran out of her room during the video call and directly brought Senior Ji-hyun into the room.

Senior Ji-hyun, after hearing the full story, hesitated a bit and asked.

[Would it really be okay if Chunho and I also went?

I feel like we’d be imposing too much…]

We asked for permission from our parents again.

Contrary to Senior Ji-hyun’s concern, our parents readily agreed.

“Isn’t he the older friend you traveled with before with Min-hee’s family? It’s fine.

Since there was one ticket left, this worked out well.”

“While you’re at it, I’ll have you act as a guardian for the kids.”

Great.

In-ha blushed slightly, an unusual reaction, as she expressed her joy, and I also felt relieved and happy.

We went back upstairs and reconnected the video call.

On the screen, Chunho oppa had already joined.

He seemed a bit uneasy, likely because he had already heard about the situation.

I smiled gently at the three of them.

“Min-hee, I asked my mom, my uncle, and my aunt, and they said it’s fine.”

[Really? They said it’s okay?!]

“Yeah. Both Ji-hyun oppa and Chunho oppa, it’s fine.”

At that, Senior Ji-hyun let out a short sigh.

It was a sigh of relief, but it felt slightly ambiguous.

[Really? That’s a relief. Please convey my gratitude to your parents.]

[Yes! We’re going to have so much fun! I’ll make sure to bow to your parents when I meet them later!]

[Right!]

Min-hee and Chunho oppa high-fived each other, brimming with excitement.

I looked at the three of them with a smile.

As expected, if we were going to go, it was only right to go together.

The departure date was two days away.

We started preparing little by little.

When Dad came home later, he was a bit surprised to hear that our group had grown.

But he soon patted my head and said, “It’s nice to have more people to enjoy with.”

By the way, Dad mentioned he also got time off starting from two days later, over the weekend.

We decided to meet Min-hee’s family in front of our house.

Senior Ji-hyun was skilled enough to teleport multiple people anywhere in Korea with just a set of coordinates.

For reference, Senior Ji-hyun’s teleportation uses darkness.

He could even travel through In-ha’s and my shadows, so transportation wasn’t an issue.

Since we had many people and a lot of luggage, we decided to drive to Waterland.

It was an excellent choice to give the trip a family vacation vibe.

Auntie Suna’s car was equipped with many convenient magic spells.

Its interior could be transformed at will, like changing a phone theme.

Additionally, we would be taking the “Sky Road,” which is faster than the highway.

Both Auntie Suna and Uncle Jungmin held special licenses for the Sky Road.

The Sky Road… how should I put it?

It’s different from ground roads that follow preexisting paths.

When you reach the entrance, you tell an employee your destination, and they draw a straight path avoiding existing Sky Roads.

In other words, it’s an exclusive path that only the registered vehicle can use.

Since flying cars with levitation capabilities are required to use the Sky Road, drivers must be at least D-rank magicians and have a special license.

It would be my first time experiencing the Sky Road.

‘It sounds fun. I wonder if it’ll be scary?’

With excitement, we prepared for the day ahead.

Two days flew by.

On the day of the trip, we joined Min-hee’s family, chattering loudly with excitement.

Chunho oppa joined in, while Senior Ji-hyun stood in the background, politely thanking everyone.

“At that age, and already a B-rank? That’s impressive. With that kind of talent, you’d be welcome anywhere. You could even become a freelancer, like me.”

“Well, I already have a place I want to join.”

“Really?”

Even though we were chatting noisily, I listened carefully when I heard that conversation.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of my sensitivity to magic or because my body had changed due to magic, but my senses had become sharper than others recently.

Even now, while everyone was talking normally, I was the only one tuned in to that conversation.

I grew curious.

‘Wow, Senior Ji-hyun already decided where he wants to go.’

Senior Ji-hyun continued.

“I plan to become a guard at Daehyun.”

“Really? I heard many students from Daehyun end up working for its organization after graduation. It must be true.”

“That tends to be the case.”

Hearing that, I felt a bit conflicted.

Of course.

Many graduates from our school join the Daehyun Association, the school’s affiliated organization.

Surely, he’s not joining because of Eun-hee unnie…

No, that wouldn’t make sense… right?

It’s probably because Senior Ji-hyun likes the school and wants to work there.

I let out a small sigh.

‘Why do I feel strange about this?’

Eun-hee unnie really causes a lot of trouble for others…

“Did you pack your luggage? Put it in the trunk.”

“Our luggage is already stored in a Pocket Dimension item, so we’re good.”

Before departure, the atmosphere was hectic and busy with everyone running around.

Next to our parents packing, Auntie Suna lent Min-hee a protective item.

“We’re going to a crowded place, so take this with you.

If you feel threatened, just say the activation word in your heart or aloud.

The spells inside are ‘Shield,’ ‘Thunder,’ ‘Shock,’ ‘Fire,’ and ‘Teleport.’”

“Wow! Thank you so much!”

We received protective items that were identical in design—bracelets.

Although we had become capable of using some magic, it was still better to use magic items than to directly cast spells ourselves.

This was both due to limitations in mana and to avoid drawing attention from others.

“So, for the seats… 9… no, let’s make it 12. 9 might be too cramped. What theme would you like? Do you want to choose?”

“Wow! Yes!”

We cheered at Auntie Suna’s words and opened the car door to look inside.

From the outside, it seemed way too small for all of us to fit, but thanks to space-expansion magic, the interior was much larger than it appeared.

Really, three cheers for magical society!

Every time Auntie Suna pressed a button in the driver’s seat, the car’s interior changed in a flash.

We watched the transformations and then gave our opinions.

“I like the seventh one the best.”

“I like the tenth. What about you, Eun-ha?”

“Hmm… I’ll go with the third one?”

Our tastes clearly diverged here.

Min-hee liked bright and colorful things, and In-ha preferred vibrant colors.

I, on the other hand, liked slightly darker and simpler designs.

Just look at the colors I like—navy, silver, and orange.

For the record, there’s a special reason why only orange is considered a bright color for me.

“Alright, let’s settle it with rock-paper-scissors!”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

The results were decided quickly.

I picked scissors, while In-ha and Min-hee picked rock.

The two winners played another round, and in the end, Min-hee emerged victorious.

“Yes! Auntie, let’s go with the seventh one!”

“Alright~.”

Once the interior theme was decided, we got into the car.

Soon after, our parents and brothers also chose their seats and joined us.

Our brothers sat in the very back, while Min-hee, In-ha, and I sat in the middle.

Mom and Dad took the seats in front of us.

Auntie Suna and Uncle Jungmin sat side-by-side in the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

“Alright, nothing’s left behind, right? Let’s go!”

The car set off.

Min-hee fiddled with the speakers and played random songs.

I slightly opened the window and gazed outside.

To access the Sky Road, we first had to go to a Sky Road point.

Each city had at least one Sky Road point.

When the car drove onto the designated point, we heard a clunking noise from below, and the car rose into the air like it was riding an elevator.

Wow, wow, wow!

The children who had never driven on a Sky Road cheered in excitement.

This world really is full of things you’ve never heard of before!

Gates are fun, but the Sky Road is amazing too!

It would be terrifying if you thought about falling, but…

There are five magicians of at least C-rank in this car.

Naturally, there was no way we’d plummet to the ground.

While I felt slightly afraid of the floating sensation, I also felt reassured.

Besides, I could use levitation magic myself.

…Though I dislike flying high because of my fear of heights.

Soon, the car reached the Sky Road control station floating high above.

The woman in charge greeted us.

“Please state your destination and show your ID, driver’s license, and Sky Road license.”

In our country, magician ranks are listed on our IDs.

After taking our IDs, the woman’s face twisted in shock and surprise.

With a trembling voice, she lowered her head.

“Kim Suna, confirmed…! I’ll create the path.”

With a soft buzzing sound, I could feel a distinct magical energy stretching forward.

Looking out the window, I saw thin, translucent barriers forming on both sides of our car.

A thick orange line shone brightly in between—the boundary marker of the Sky Road.

“Thank you for using the Sky Road. Have a great trip.”

The woman bowed deeply in farewell.

Auntie Suna immediately started the car.

The car entered the Sky Road.

I looked down through the window.

The height was breathtaking.

The feeling of rolling on wheels was entirely different from floating and flying.

My heart pounded with this first experience.

Thump, thump… thud… thud…!

Huh? Oh no. I’m really nervous.

As I watched my rapidly beating chest and trembling hands, I clenched my fists tightly.

Even though there wasn’t the slightest shaking, my fear kept growing.

Silently, I swallowed my saliva.

…Ah, right.

I have a fear of heights.

It’s something I’ve had since my previous life.

When I glanced out the window again, a dizzying sensation stabbed my chest, and I quickly shut my eyes.

The excitement and wonder I’d felt earlier had completely vanished, leaving only fear gripping my chest.

We’re not going to fall.

We won’t fall.

Even though I knew that, it was still terrifying.

I’ve always been afraid of Ferris wheels, too.

‘Ugh…’

I lowered my gaze and placed my hands on my knees, clenching my fists tightly.

What should I do after becoming a magician in the future?

For magicians, levitation magic is an extremely basic spell.

Even non-magicians can use it easily.

But I’m too scared to fly high…

I slowly calmed my trembling hands.

Looking around at everyone else, I repeated to myself that everything would be fine.

I listened to the cheerful music playing in the car and the voices of my friends beside me.

It took a few minutes, but I finally started to feel at ease.

The view outside the window began to seem more manageable.

Right, I’ll just get used to it little by little.

Even my fear of heights might get better with time and exposure to high places.

I slowly unclenched my fists.

“Hey, kid. Would you like fruit, bread, or snacks?”

“Hmm… snacks!”

While I was watching my friends with relief, I looked up at Senior Ji-hyun’s voice.

Min-hee and In-ha had already shifted their attention from the vast blue sky outside the window to the snacks being offered.

I smiled and reached out toward Senior Ji-hyun.

“What kind of snacks would you like?”

“Potato chips.”

I took the snack from Senior Ji-hyun and tore open the bag.

Crunch, crunch.

I munched on the chips and gazed out the window again.

The scenery outside felt incredibly surreal.

Right, I might as well take this opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the sky I’ve always admired.