Warlock Apprentice

After Viking finished speaking, he gestured for Europa to begin her selection.

Europa didn’t fuss over her choices and decided to keep using the red bubble in her hand as her target.

With a gentle tap, Europa popped the red bubble, and the box inside fell into her palm. The box’s exterior showed signs of deliberate design, with a color scheme of red, black, and gold. Its edges bore embossed carvings of floral and beast patterns, and the craftsmanship was exquisite. Yet, since all the boxes from other bubbles had the same appearance, it seemed rather unremarkable upon first glance.

Perhaps Angel had been too lazy to design varied appearances when refining them and decided to standardize the shape? Europa mused to herself.

She scrutinized the box again. Though it was intricately made, the materials used were fairly ordinary. What puzzled her further was that she couldn’t locate any kind of emblem on the box.

She began to feel a trace of concern—had Falga deceived her?

Could this shadow box not actually be one of Angel’s creations?

But upon reconsidering, given that even members of the Research and Development Institute had been purchasing these, even if it wasn’t created by Angel, it should still be worth noting.

”Would you like to bind it here, my lady? During the first binding, you’ll automatically enter an illusion. If you wish to experience it here, we have a comfortable space prepared for you in the back.” Viking pointed to a room at one corner of the shop, explaining how some wizards excitedly opened their shadow boxes right on the spot—like the Whispering Witch, who had bound hers here just the day before. To ensure the best service, Viking had even had Snow renovate a few lounges.

Europa neither nodded nor shook her head. Instead, she turned to Falga. ”Let him bind it first.”

Viking turned to Falga. ”Are you also planning to buy a shadow box?”

Falga nodded, handed a pouch of magic crystals to Viking, and prepared to make his selection. At that moment, Loki, standing behind Falga, quietly raised his hand. ”I want to buy one too.”

Viking glanced at Loki but didn’t reject him, signaling that he could make his selection. After all, business was business—if Loki was capable of sneaking in, it was no harm to sell him one.

In the end, Falga chose a deep purple bubble, while Loki, thick-skinned, picked a black bubble.

Due to the shop’s policy, both Falga and Loki had to activate the magic patterns on-site.

Rather than heading to the lounge, they activated their shadow boxes right where they stood. As they did, the deep purple and black halos enveloped them while they respectively immersed themselves in illusionary worlds.

”The shadow boxes in our shop are different from others. During the first activation, since energy binding is required, only the user can view the contents, and sharing with others is impossible. From the second activation onward, though, it can be shared—as long as the owner agrees.” Viking explained.

Europa nodded indifferently. She personally thought such fragmented rules were a bit superfluous, but for any alchemy work, the creator’s design ruled supreme. Besides, it wasn’t particularly troublesome. Once they finished experiencing it, she could hear their impressions.

While Falga and Loki were immersed in the illusion, Europa probed Viking again, asking if the shadow box was indeed crafted by Angel.

Viking still wouldn’t give her a clear answer. ”I cannot disclose that. The creator did not wish for their identity to be revealed. My apologies.”

Although Viking didn’t provide confirmation, he hadn’t explicitly denied it either.

Europa mulled it over. Considering the long line of people outside confidently claiming the boxes were Angel’s work, if they weren’t, then she couldn’t imagine which creator would dare stir public opinion and use Angel as a stepping stone. Furthermore, Viking’s choice to remain silent and let the rumors spread subtly validated the likelihood that Angel was indeed the creator.

Having reached this conclusion, Europa chose not to inquire further and sat to wait for Falga and Loki to emerge from the illusion.

Falga perhaps understood Europa’s intent. Once inside the illusion, he didn’t linger for long and willingly exited on his own.

As the deep purple halo faded from around him, Falga slowly walked over to Europa.

”The binding is complete,” Falga said.

”What kind of story was it? What did you think?” Europa asked curiously.

Viking perked up his ears. The shadow boxes each contained distinct stories, and even he had no idea what lay within them. In fact, Viking had never personally experienced one. Moreover, of the shadow box buyers so far, only the Whispering Witch had expressed her impressions; the rest had given no feedback. He too was intrigued to know what kind of stories Angel had imbued into the boxes.

Falga hesitated for a moment before answering. ”I only bound the shadow box and viewed the opening scene. I still don’t know the full story, but it seems to be about a royal family’s internal conflicts and entangled emotions.”

”As for my feelings...I initially wasn’t very interested, but the storytelling method proved captivating, and the seamless transitions between scenes surprised me.” As Falga spoke, a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes. ”Even though I only got through part of the first scene, it’s incredibly fascinating—like a sense of observing and experiencing someone else’s life, both up-close and from afar.”

It was an utterly new experience for Falga.

”What amazed me most was a thunderstorm scene during the first scene. It was something truly unique.” Falga stammered, struggling to articulate its distinctiveness before finally offering a simple summary. ”It felt like I was truly living through it myself.”

After listening to Falga’s account, Europa nodded slightly. Although she couldn’t empathize, she could tell Falga had been thoroughly impressed. As for the thunderstorm he mentioned, she reasoned she could examine it later.

As they conversed, Loki reemerged from the illusion.

When Loki returned, he stood stiffly, staring blankly into space for a long while, saying nothing.

Curious, Falga approached and asked, ”What’s wrong?”

Only after a long pause did Loki turn to Falga, muttering softly, ”It’s so tragic...”

According to Loki, his story revolved around the survival and sorrows of a town’s ordinary residents amidst a natural disaster. The protagonist was a disabled individual confined to a wheelchair, whose life was already riddled with hardships before encountering the calamity.

With tears brimming in his eyes and speaking in halting bursts, Loki could only convey a rough outline—it seemed to be a tragedy.

Falga asked, ”What did you think?”

Still sniffling, Loki appeared dazed and replied, ”What do you mean?”

It took a while for Loki to grasp that Falga was asking about the shadow box itself. Wiping away the moisture from his eyes, Loki nodded solemnly. ”It definitely qualifies as a master’s work. Putting the story aside, within it, I discovered a secret.”

”A secret?”

Loki nodded again. Under the scrutiny of everyone present, he slowly revealed, ”I initially thought the story was merely a commonplace mortal tragedy. But examining certain details, I realized the natural disaster depicted might have been caused by extraordinary powers. I noticed numerous traces of the transcendent hidden in the narrative. It’s those traces that caught my eye...”