Everland - 3 - EN

There is something thrilling about having a secret base. Not a grand hideout like the ones you see in movies, but a sealed room where you keep your personal belongings. Sure, a bedroom serves the same purpose, but the key word here is secret.

Instead of going up, we headed to the basement. If you are wondering why our house has a basement, I did not build it — that was my father’s doing. Besides one room that served as storage, the man also had his own office down here.

We did not go to my father’s office but to the storage room. A yellow ball of light appeared from my right palm, carving through the darkness in the corridor. The floor and walls, made of stone and clay, emerged before us.

I held An’s right hand with my left. The moment my feet touched the floor, a chill spread from my soles. Huh, this corridor was as creepy as ever. At least I was used to it by now, since I had been sneaking down here almost every night.

I glanced back at her and saw An clinging to me. “Hey, are you all right?”

Huh, even this girl could act like a normal girl.

“How can you be afraid of the dark?”

“I…” She looked away.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.” I shook my head. “More important — what I’m about to give you should help you overcome that fear.”

I pulled her through the corridor. As we passed my father’s office door, An lingered a bit longer with her gaze. Then we arrived.

It was just an ordinary storage room — barrels and wooden crates, all somewhat dusty. The smell of must and dust hung in the air. In the corner of the room, I shifted one of the wooden crates with telekinesis, revealing a staircase leading further underground.

“Come on.” I went down first.

I had made the staircase about two meters deep. You have no idea how hard it was to dig this hole — I had to hide all the soil I excavated. But in the end, I realized I could just push and compact the soil inward instead of digging it out, which made it far easier and the cold down here far more intense.

We reached the bottom at last. The room measured four by three meters and stood two meters tall, every surface lined with artificial stone made from calcium, aluminum, and iron I had gathered in secret around the house and deep underground. The walls had a grayish-white color.

I extinguished the light in my right hand as the lamps overhead began to glow. An eyed them with that curious look of hers — she did this every time we came down here.

Various minerals and stones of different sizes were scattered in one corner of the room. I headed straight to the other side, where a sofa and a large round table sat.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH3DSHUOUKI]

“So, what is it?” An asked.

I did not answer right away. Instead, I climbed onto the footrest that let me lean against the round table. It was a new table, dark purple-black, made from a material that existed in this world alone.

My fingers traced the carvings on its surface. Then I turned to face An. Standing on the footrest, I was looking down at her.

“You already know most of my secrets, and these two years have made me think of you as my own sister.” I drew energy from the depths of my soul.

An looked confused by my sudden declaration. “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t deserve that.” Her expression turned sad, her eyes growing damp. “In the future, you’ll become an Arcmagus —”

“An!” The girl flinched. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded fast, struggling harder to keep tears from blurring her vision. “But I —”

“Then that’s enough. Yes, I know you’re hiding something. And no, I’m not worried about your secret. Because…”

I spread both arms wide with all the drama I could muster. Golden particles rushed together in the air behind me, forming the silhouette of a sword. Alongside them, the carvings on the table blazed in shimmering gold.

“I am the strongest!” All the particles of light burst outward and surged toward the girl.

“Endless light of hope, guide.” “Born for the good, judgement for the evil!” “The true purpose of her name!” “Sword of Selection, grant your power!”