“Urie, dear, we’ll see you later,” Rivelle called as she climbed back into the carriage with Patty and Ersha. “Wave to our usual spot, alright?”

Urie stood by the gate, where children gathered in anticipation of the parade. The magic adepts overseeing the event waved him toward a position near the center of the group.

—I’m finally going to take part in the parade!

Urie had only ever watched the spectacle from the sidelines, but today, he was going to march alongside it. Every child who turned ten before the festival had the chance to join in. At the end of the parade, a ceremony was held to awaken the mana seed within each child.

The thought of being able to use magic made Urie’s heart race.

He flashed a grin toward the other children, excited to be part of the event. A few minutes later, though, he noticed something that made his ears flush slightly.

—Ah, I knew it... Maybe I should've just worn my shirt.

While many of the other children wore plain white clothing, a few stood out in their best outfits. Urie mused wryly—he felt like a bright red rose in the middle of a field of white tulips.

Maybe I should’ve worn something else?

“No,” Urie chuckled to himself, “This way, Mother won't have to strain her eyes looking for me. Hmm?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Urie spotted a girl wearing a pastel yellow dress. Her bob-cut black hair and chestnut-amber eyes caught his attention, as she appeared to be staring directly at him.

—Do I know her? Hmm... I don’t think I do.

He glanced from left to right, checking to make sure he was the one she was looking at. Sure enough, her gaze remained fixed on him.

Urie had always played with his brothers and the younger maid, Patty. He was homeschooled by his mother, so he had little interaction with other children. Who was this girl?

—Ah, maybe she’s just happy she’s not the only one not wearing white?

Urie smiled at the girl, but when she saw his grin, she quickly turned her attention back to the front of the parade.

“Oh... She must’ve been looking at someone else,” Urie murmured, feeling a bit embarrassed. As the parade began to set off, he turned his attention to the front.

A thunderous clap rang through the air from the wind adepts, amplifying the sound with magic. The rhythmic beat of drums and the melody of various instruments filled the streets.

From the entrance of Daerin to the square at the foot of Erden’s Tower, the march began. Bright banners and decorations lined the timber-framed buildings—color brought to the occasion, contrasting with the city’s usual quaintness.

Magic adepts, glowing with mana, performed waterworks and animated miniature clay dolls that danced through the air. Parents and bystanders cheered, adding to the liveliness of the event.

"Nooo!" Some children wailed, their voices filled with woe.

The “water fight” portion of the Harvest Festival had begun, one of the crowd’s favorite yearly spectacles.

—It’s even funnier up close.

Urie chuckled, watching the reactions of the other children, but then his enjoyment was cut short as a thought struck him.

“Don’t tell me...” he grimaced. The large roll of cloth carried by Ersha earlier—it had all but slipped his mind in the excitement.

At the parade’s halfway point, the children’s cries grew louder. Urie gulped, realizing they were nearing the tea house where his mother and the maids had reserved a spot.

“Nooo!” His face flushed red, matching the color of his coat.

He quickly ducked his head, hoping no one noticed him, as he saw his mother instructing Patty and Ersha to wave a large banner embroidered with his name. Fortunately, other children were crying out just as loudly, so he didn’t attract too much attention.

—Ah! Mother, that thing is too embarrassing! You didn’t have to bring that!

The cries died down as they neared the entrance to the square. Urie looked up and saw Erden’s Tower towering before him, its peak lost in the clouds.

“This is it,” Urie whispered, his heart racing. After today, he would be able to use magic, just like his older brothers. He could help Father at the wall.

Arriving at the square, Urie took a seat by the fountain with the other children. The magic adepts behind them raised their arms, preparing to begin the ceremony.

As they channeled their magic, a mesmerizing display of glowing blue, yellow, and green light filled the air. This year, Undine, the greater spirit of water, watched over the ceremony, though she was not yet visible. Minor spirits, no bigger than dolls, fluttered around the children, gathering mana from the air.

One by one, the children began to glow with the same energy as the spirits, a sign that their mana roots were awakening.

“Oooh! That child has a high affinity with the earth spirits!”

“As expected of someone from the Perid House! If the greater spirit of the earth was here, he would’ve blessed her himself!”

The crowd marveled at the bob-cut girl, whose body was surrounded by hovering dust and stones, glowing a bright yellow. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she glowed in sync with the spirits.

"Wasn’t there the little commander of the Loeth House? Can we expect a greater spirit this year?" a bystander commented.

The crowd began to murmur, looking around for the silhouette of Undine, but the ceremony continued.

Half of the children had already begun to emit steady light, yet Urie remained seated, waiting for his mana roots to form. The seconds turned into minutes, and the children around him started to finish the ceremony.

—But why!? How could this happen!?

Urie’s panic set in. Cold sweat gathered on his palms as his hopes began to fade. He focused on the motes of mana near his chest, but every attempt to pull them in only resulted in them being repelled by the red seed within him.

—Spirits! Why aren’t you coming to me...?

The tiny, ethereal beings that had surrounded the other children kept their distance from him. His mana seed pulsed with an energy that seemed to push them away, as if it were a ball of fire.

[Dear child...]

A soothing voice echoed in his mind, clearing his thoughts for a brief moment.

—Undine?

The voice was warm, intimate, and filled with compassion. Urie’s heart lifted, thinking that Undine had come to bless him personally. But when he opened his eyes, he saw his trembling hands.

—I... I can’t use magic?

His lips quivered, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. The ceremony had ended for him before it had even begun.

Undine’s voice, gentle and full of sorrow, resounded in his mind.

[My heart aches for you...]

Her words offered consolation, but it didn’t change the reality before him.