Chapter 6: The Past, A Fork in the Road

On the elevated highway in the dead of night, the shadows of speeding cars whizzed past.

In the driver's seat, Lin Yun’s brows were tightly locked. Even with him pushing the engine to its limit, sprinting at full speed, it had taken nearly 20 minutes to get from his home to the vicinity of the Wetland Park. And for him right now, every passing second was a torment.

Yet, throughout this anxious journey, he had managed to pick up some long-shelved knowledge from the chaotic thoughts in his mind and clear a few things up.

Why exactly did he become a magical girl?

This was a proposition he had once firmly engraved in his heart; it was only after 19 years that he brought it up again. He looked out the window; under the dim streetlights, some equally distant memories began to surface. And that, was a matter from 22 years ago.

In fact, he was somewhat surprised that he could still vaguely recall it; it was an evening after school.

"Can I go fight?"

On a street bathed in the setting sun, the still-youthful Lin Yun asked this of a fairy that looked like a rabbit.

The fairy, who called itself a "Sower," told him:

"How is that possible? You’re a boy! Only girls can possess the talent to become a magical girl, and this is a one-in-a-million constitution!"

"Why can't boys do it?"

"I already told you, ma-gi-cal girl, it’s a girl, a girl! So only girls can be magical girls!"

"Then I won't be a magical girl. Magical boy, magical big brother, magical superman, anything is fine—I want the power of magic too!"

As the boy shouted this with great intensity, a fierce battle was taking place among the buildings not far away.

His childhood sweetheart, An Ya, was also a magical girl, fighting against ferocious remnant beasts.

Only, unlike the many battles he had seen in the past, this time the remnant beasts were not only massive in size, but two had appeared at once; and when facing multiple high-intensity enemies, An Ya clearly showed signs of being unable to hold her own.

Without a doubt, she was at a disadvantage.

Watching An Ya struggle under the remnant beasts, having already been hit by their attacks several times, the situation was precarious. Lin Yun couldn't help but raise his voice again, shouting at the rabbit-shaped fairy: "Can't you see! An Ya is in danger! Isn't she the magical girl you chose!"

"Ugh... seriously, I’m in a tough spot too."

The rabbit-shaped fairy looked full of distress: "I’m worried about An Ya too, that’s true, but magic is a power only girls can possess. There’s no other choice besides becoming a magical girl; the things you’re talking about don't exist at all."

"Magical boy, magical big brother, magical superman—if I could, I’d want to help you, but I can't. I can only grant people the power of a magical girl..."

"Let me try!"

"Huh?"

"Let me try, to see if I can actually become a magical girl!"

"Are you crazy? I already said you have to be a girl!"

"Let me try!"

"How are you even supposed to try something like this?"

"Tell me the method to become a magical girl, and I’ll do it!"

"...I’m truly terrified by you."

Facing the boy’s stubborn and persistent attitude, plus the fact that An Ya was indeed in deep crisis in the distance, the fairy had no choice but to say helplessly: "Fine, I’ll let you give up. You asked for this, so try it."

It reached its claw into the fluff at its waist, and after a moment of fumbling, pulled out a perfectly round, crystal-clear gemstone from its fur.

This gemstone was a full quarter the size of its body, and the sight of it suddenly pulling it out looked very strange, but neither the human nor the fairy facing each other cared about such trivialities anymore.

"This thing is called a Heart Seed, the seed of a magical girl’s power."

The fairy said solemnly: "Hold it, press it to your chest, feel its existence, and use your heart to establish a connection. If it reacts, that means you have the talent to become a magical girl; otherwise, you have no hope at all."

"Heart Seed..."

Looking at the gemstone in the fairy’s claw, the boy whispered the name of the object.

How could he not know that what he was saying was unreasonable? Since the other party had said only girls could become magical girls, there must be some reason for it.

However, he had no choice now, because the situation was so urgent that as an ordinary person, if he wanted to save An Ya, he should gamble on it no matter how impossible it seemed.

Taking the gemstone-like object, Lin Yun immediately gripped it tightly in his hand and pressed it against his heart.

Use your heart to establish a connection.

This was the key point he remembered, so he didn't delay for a moment, throwing his whole being into it.

He closed his eyes, gradually shutting everything else out. And the rabbit fairy not far away watched the Heart Seed in his hand with a face full of worry.

A few breaths of time passed, and the Heart Seed did not change.

Approaching a minute, the Heart Seed still had no reaction.

And just as the rabbit fairy’s heartbeat gradually slowed, thinking it could confirm his failure, a change occurred.

At first, it was just a very faint light leaking from between Lin Yun’s fingers, like little stars, like fireflies. After that, it became a clear, glowing radiance, transforming into streams of pure light.

Rising from the boy’s gradually opening hands was a pure white light ball emitting a holy glow. It rotated along with the gemstone-like Heart Seed, suspended in the air, and finally merged.

In an instant, the light bloomed.

White light shot out from the surface of the Heart Seed, forming a halo that enveloped Lin Yun.

It was still not a particularly intense light, but like the bright moon in the sky, it was not dazzling, yet enough to illuminate the dark night.

"This is really... you... you brat actually succeeded? You’re really a boy?"

The unprecedented fact left the rabbit fairy on the side stunned, even speaking incoherently: "Could it be that you just look more like a boy, and you’re playing a joke on me?"

But the boy in the light ignored its trash talk, instead lifting his head, looking at the fairy before him with a firm gaze, his eyes shimmering with fire.

"What do I do next?"

—What do I do?

This sentence seemed to traverse time and space.

Because this was also a question the current Lin Yun needed to consider.

Under the night sky, in the silent and deserted Wetland Park parking lot, he threw his car in a random spot and ran toward the depths of the woods, following a small path.

In fact, the answer to what he should do was already there. His mood at this moment was so similar to that dusk 22 years ago.

Perhaps many things had changed, but many things remained; at least, this feeling of "must save the important person" was exactly the same.

With such emotions, could his Heart Flower still establish a connection with it?

Carrying a trace of doubt, he raised his hand.

—The cracked-pattern gemstone flower in his hand was already radiating a deep blue brilliance.

"...Sigh, there’s really no helping you, kid, but now I can only treat a dead horse as a living one."

In a trance, he seemed to have returned to the sunset of that day.

After briefly expressing its shock, the rabbit fairy quickly adjusted its mindset and began to instruct him step by step:

"First, after establishing the connection with the Heart Seed, you should be able to feel the magic power, which is the energy acting as the bond between you and the Heart Seed."

"Now, what you need to do is use a simple flow of magic power to activate it."

The boy nodded, closed his eyes again, and while feeling it, summarized in his heart:

Step one, grab the magic power.

"Split your magic power flow, connect your limbs and forehead to the Heart Seed respectively, and then adjust them to be in balance."

Step two, split the magic power, then balance it.

"Next is constructing the standard magic rune. Ah, if you don't know it... look at me, I’ll demonstrate for you."

Step three, construct the standard magic rune.

"Finally, think of a transformation incantation to serve as the initial activation switch. Although it’s rarely used, don't think of anything too weird. It’s better to be cute, otherwise, if the Kingdom censors it, you’ll be ordered to change it."

Step four, decide on the transformation incantation.

And with the steps complete, the next part was the time for transformation.

The boy in his memory and the middle-aged man at this moment seemed to overlap for an instant, existing here simultaneously.

But, this was ultimately a phantom.

The boy, full of hot blood and hope, carrying new power, shouted a shamefully improvised incantation to save the girl he cared about, and set off toward the battlefield in the sky.

The middle-aged man, whose blood had long since cooled, was still here, all alone.

His pace paused slightly; he shook his head, drove the distracting thoughts from his mind, and hurried forward again.

Light bloomed, and deep blue magic power erupted from his hands in an instant, sweeping through the surroundings like a turbulent current, lifting his clothes and hair.

Without unnecessary movements, and without unnecessary sound, he raised his hand and pressed the Heart Flower against his chest. Then, he coldly spat out two words:

"Transform."