Continue On, Struggler. | Chapter Seven, Hang Nail.

…

Guts turned six without any fanfare. Then, with just as little trouble, a little over a year passed and he turned seven.

Days came, days went, and he went about his usual routine. Magic lessons with Roxy in the morning. Sword practice with Paul in the afternoon. The same old, same old really. Not much changed.

He had improved in both, at the very least. In fact, over that time, he had improved to the point of earning Intermediate-rank in both swordplay and magic. Though, it had been to varying degrees.

When it came to the sword, Guts was Intermediate-tier in Sword God and Water God, but Paul had only promoted him in the prior a few days ago when Guts managed to land a hit on him during sparring. The rank-up in the latter had come months beforehand after he successfully staved off and countered a full-on barrage of strikes from his father. All that, in theory, meant that he was technically equally skilled in both, but he was a little better at Water God.

Magic was another story. A similar story, but still another one entirely.

Roxy, first and foremost, specialized in attack magic. It's what she focused on in her own studies, and it's what she taught him. It came in four types, all of which a magician could specialize in: Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. Roxy could use Water magic up to a Saint-tier level, making her a Water Saint-class Magician. In comparison, Guts could probably now be considered a Fire Intermediate-class Magician. He could cast some Intermediate-level Wind spells too, but in general, he was much better with Fire spells. Everything else was still stuck at Beginner.

At first, Guts found the difference annoying and figured that there was something wrong with him, but Roxy explained that the opposite was the case. It was natural to specialize in a certain element. In fact, it was so common, magicians thought to give fancy names to both sides: "affinity schools" and "opposition schools."

According to Roxy, the most likely reason he excelled at Fire and Wind, and not Water or Earth, was because he favored the first two and disliked the others for some reason. The reason could be a number of things, she explained, but in the case of opposition schools, the most likely explanation was some sort of bad experience with the elements outside of magic.

Water was easy to explain. He'd nearly drowned a couple of times in his past life.

Earth was harder to explain, though. To the point where he eventually stopped trying to.

Setbacks aside, things in his life were going about as well as anyone expected.

…

"Hey, Rudy, do you mind if we end the lesson here today?" The question had come out of the blue.

Guts—who was attempting to cast Stone Cannon, an Intermediate-tier Earth spell—lost all concentration. That instant, the small stone that had formed at the tip of his wand fell to the ground. Limp and harmless. Landing on the ground with a dull, irritating silence. He cursed under his breath and then shot a glare at his teacher, who looked away before he could catch her eyes.

"Oops," she said. Her voice was as flat as usual, although clearly still embarrassed. "Was that my fault?"

What the hell? 'Course, it was your fault…

Guts let out a heavy sigh, then let himself fall back onto his ass. He basked in the shade of the usual tree with his eyes closed. He took a moment to collect himself, his head hot and fried as it was. The shade and silence helped him do that.

In short, he was frustrated. Not just with Roxy, but with himself. That had been his tenth consecutive failure at casting that spell.

When he felt calm enough to reopen his eyes, Guts saw that Roxy was sitting out in front of him. Legs tucked underneath her. A mixture of guilt and worry showed itself through her eyes. Again, he cursed under his breath. By far, concern was the last thing he wanted to see from his teacher.

"What job did you forget about this time?" he asked, mostly to avoid having to answer one himself.

It hadn't happened a lot, but it sure as shit happened a lot more than once over the years. At first, Guts thought her to be a hopeless scatterbrain, but after knowing her for so long, it became clear that she was the type who couldn't sit still. The type who got antsy doing nothing. The type who worked so hard to avoid that feeling, that she piled up things to do until it caught up to her in one way or another.

Knowing her, and knowing her reasoning, he could never really hold moments like this against her.

Besides, less time with her meant more time to practice his swordsmanship and he could never turn an opportunity like that down.

"Just the usual crop watering, don't worry."

…Who the hell said I was worried?

"I accepted the request a week ago, so it just slipped my mind until now." She bowed her head a little in apology. "I'll be sure to make it up to you tomorrow."

Guts hummed and waved his teacher off. She nodded, stood, and walked down the road leading to town.

Once she was out of sight, Guts got himself up and rolled his shoulders. Unexpected as it may be, he knew that he needed to spend this free time wisely.

Paul was going to put him through his paces today, Guts was sure of it. His father wanted to make sure he's really mastered all of the Beginner Sword-God techniques he's learned. That meant sparring. And sparring meant that, if he had anything to clean up, he needed to snuff those out now.

Alright then… He turned and went for the practice sword that he had left leaning against the tree behind him. Should I just start from the—

—Snap!

Guts's instincts flared. Screamed, really. Screamed that he was in danger. That he needed to run, snatch his sword up, and get ready to fight. However, before he could, he forced them into submission and chided himself for being so jumpy.

It's been seven years. And, even after all that time, he still needed to remind himself from time to time he wasn't in danger here. That he was no longer branded, and there were no dark spirits chasing after him. He was just a normal seven-year-old kid now, growing up in a village so safe and secure it'd be more likely to bore a man to death before actually killing him.

What the hell did he even have to be afraid of anyways? A bunch of dumbass kids trying to get back at him for lobbing a rock at one of their heads? One of the monsters his father talked about, but never once let get close enough to the village to matter? This was one of the safest places in the world. He didn't need to be so on edge anymore.

"Who's there?" Guts called out. He stood still a moment, waiting for any sort of response, then moved to get his sword. "Pick a fight with someone else, if that's your aim. I ain't got the time today."

By the time he turned around, no one responded. He scanned his surroundings to make sure he was actually alone. That's when he noticed movement down at the bottom of the hill.

Guts felt a spike of annoyance run through him when he saw who it was. So strong that it nearly made him throw his head back. It was Laws's daughter, Sylphiette. The steepness of the hill had made him miss her at first, but now, she was walking up it. Towards him.

"H-Hello…" That was the first thing that came out of her mouth. It was a shaky start, to say the least.

In fact, everything about her screamed shaky—not just her voice. She was struggling to look him in the eyes, her feet were in constant motion under her, and he could tell that she was wringing her hands behind her back.

Guts raised a brow at that. "You have some sort of business with me?"

Slyphiette flinched. He blinked, confused, then remembered they hadn't spoken in over a year and her discomfort made sense. They were still strangers, basically. The only thing linking them was a random encounter. So, she acted accordingly. Although, it did make him wonder why she was trying to speak to him now. So long after it happened. But then again, it's not like that mattered.

"W-What?" She fumbled with her answer. "I-I mean, not really."

Guts hummed, not at all impressed. "Then, what are you doing here?"

Sylphiette went silent. For a while. To the point where Guts wondered if he should cut his losses, save them both the trouble, and practice at home. But then, right as he was about to announce his leaving, she managed to cobble together an answer, "T-That girl you're always here with. The one with the blue hair and big hat? My papa told me a little about her. She's a magician, right? A person who can use magic spells and stuff?"

"Roxy? Yeah. Wouldn't be much of a magic tutor if she couldn't."

"'Magic… tutor…?'" The girl let the words off her tongue, confusion and curiosity leaking into every syllable. "You're learning to use magic?"

Guts nodded.

"But every time I see you, you're always swinging that sword around."

"That's because I'm learning to do both."

Her red eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Really, but isn't that hard?"

"No," Guts said, shrugging the question off. He meant it too. Compared to his past life, his current one was easy. A leisurely stroll compared to an all-out sprint. One not without its setbacks, but he wasn't going to complain. He couldn't. Doing so felt like its own insult to his past self in a way. "It just seems that way to you because you're not the one doing it."

Case in point, at some point, he moved over to the tree and started taking practice swings at it. All without realizing it. By now, the action was so ingrained that he didn't even need to think about it. He just did it. That's how easy it was.

"H-Huh?" His answer didn't seem to enlighten the girl at all, but then again, she was still just a kid.

"Don't worry about it."

"Ah, okay…"

Guts rolled his eyes. Not gonna get many answers looking at the ground like that, y'know?

The conversation died off from there.

Guts had expected the girl to get bored and leave once it did. She didn't. Instead, she sat a ways away from him. Knees drawn to her chest and face hidden behind them. Seemingly content to watch him in silence. And they were silent. For a while. A long while. 'Til the Sun started to set and stained the sky a deep orange. Not a single word was spoken.

Guts didn't mind. As far as long-eared, elven tag-a-longs went, this one was far less noisy. That automatically made her the best one he's ever had.

…

The stillness and silence persisted. Then, Guts noticed the sunset and figured it was about time to head back home.

"Um…" Sylphiette broke their strange stalemate, stopping him as he was already halfway down the hill. "B-Before you leave?" He half-turned to face her and once again found her acting all meek and sheepish. "Would you mind if I came back here tomorrow?"

"Hm? Why?"

"…"

Guts felt his brow twitch. She wouldn't even meet his gaze. "I'll be busy with my magic lessons."

"I-I'll be sure to come after!" The girl flinched at the volume of her own voice. She shrunk back, pulling herself back to her usual timidity. "Even if it's for a little while…"

He scoffed and started back down the hill. "Do whatever you want," he said, without looking back, "It's not like this is my hill or anything."

"O-Okay! I'll see you tomorrow! B-Bye, Rudy!"

…What the hell's got you so excited?

…

Guts had to admit—despite not offering much in terms of words, Sylphiette kept to hers.

Ever since that first day, the moment Roxy left, Sylphiette would appear. She'd greet him and then spend the rest of that time watching him practice. In silence.

At first, her presence didn't bother him. How could it? Most of the time, she made herself so unobtrusive that she melted into the scenery. Then, after the first week, a question ran through the forefront of his mind: what exactly was she getting out of this?

That's when her presence really started to annoy him.

"How come you keep coming here anyways?" Guts asked, a week after the question first popped into his head. He brought his practice sword over his head. "I mean, all you do is sit there." Then, he brought the sword down. "That can't be very fun, can it?"

"N-No!" As expected, Sylphiette was quick to deny his assumption. "Ah! I-I mean, I do! I have a lot of fun watching you."

"Really?" Guts snorted. He didn't buy it. Not for a moment. She seemed panicked enough to be telling the truth, but there was desperation in how she corrected herself and it gave away her true intentions with immediacy. "You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"

She was lying. It was obvious. To him, and to herself.

"I-I'm sorry. Am I annoying you?"

"…Nah, not really." Guts shrugged and took another practice swing. And he meant it too. After all, he barely even noticed she was there most of the time. 'Annoy' just felt like too strong a word for what he felt toward her. "I still don't get why you don't go and do something else, though."

"D-Do something? Like what?"

The hell you asking me for? He chided and took another swing, this time, putting more of himself into it. I'm the one who asked the question, kid.

"I don't know. Anything?" A part of him was tempted to keep from answering at all and just let the question hang in the air between them. Make her think long and hard about it. Then, he realized that probably wouldn't change much at all. He'd be proactive if she refused to be. "There's got to be a lot more interesting things for you to do than watch me train."

Sylphiette didn't respond at first, and after a few more swings of his sword, Guts realized that she wasn't planning on responding at all.

"Suit yourself," he said, regretting his previous question. He wanted to take it back, or for her to give it back herself.

People like her didn't deserve those kinds of hand-outs.

…

A day later, Sylphiette broke her silence.

"C-Can I ask you a question?"

"Hm?" Guts hummed and shot the girl a sideways glance. A silent bid for her to continue, knowing that she wouldn't otherwise. Because for whatever reason, and he had learned this about her over the past few weeks, she seemed to be under the impression that she needed his permission to breathe. That was, if he didn't do anything to indicate she could continue, she'd take his silence as an outright 'no.'

"A-A year ago, when you fought Somal and the others…" The girl's eyes shifted from left to right, before ultimately finding purchase elsewhere. "D-Did you mean what you said?"

Guts let out a sigh and released control of the stone floating at the end of his wand. It fell to the grass harmlessly, landing silently. His arm fell alongside it, in unison, as he turned to face Sylphiette fully.

Idly, as she mustered up whatever emotion she needed to continue, Guts's mind drifted over to the rock at his side. The one he had conjured and let go. Today was a rare day. At least for him, it was. Instead of practicing his swordsmanship after Roxy's lesson, he had chosen to spend it practicing magic. Why? Because during said lesson, after about a year of trying, he had finally been successful in casting an Intermediate-tier Earth spell, Stone Cannon, and he wanted to commit the process to muscle memory. The spell seemed too useful not to.

By all accounts, Stone Cannon was just the bigger, more powerful brother of Rock Bullet. A Beginner-tier Earth-spell. The Beginner-tier Earth-spell. The first one Roxy taught him. The difference between the two in his head was simple. It was the same difference as his old repeating crossbow and arm cannon. Rock Bullet took less time to use and would be good for lighter, more rapid ranged attacks. Stone Cannon needed a longer chant to cast but did a lot more damage. That made it better suited for larger, more armored enemies. "A spell that could kill just about anything," according to Roxy. Knowing all that, how the hell could he not try and get the hang of it?

"Um, Rudy…?" Sylphiette's voice jarred him back to the conversation at hand.

"If you want an answer, you've gotta be more specific," Guts said, even though he figured out what she was referring to immediately. He just hated the way she skirted around the subject. "It's not like I remember everything that comes out of my mouth."

"Y-Y'know, what you said… about not meaning to help me?"

"Of course I meant it." His words made her flinch. Or maybe it was the lack of hesitation. Either way, it was clear that wasn't what she wanted to hear—like that was going to stop him. She asked. She was going to get his honest answer. No bullshit. "Why the hell would anyone stick their neck out for you of all people?"

The girl's eyes found him then. There was hurt in them. Panic, too. "But when father and I—"

"—But nothing. I told my father the truth. You two were the ones who made up that story, not me." Guts spoke plainly. Honestly. Without any malice or anger, but he made sure to get his irritation across. If Puck was here, there was no doubt the bug would chew his ear off for being cruel. "Thanks to you and your old man, I guess. You two chose a good time to step in. Helped me get out of an argument. But, outside of that? Forget it. I don't think we have a single thing to do with each other."

Was he being cruel? Maybe, but that didn't stop what he was saying from being the truth. His truth, at the very least. And, honestly, every time she showed her face here, the same question kept coming to mind.

Why was she coming here day after day? They weren't friends. Before he threw that rock at that Somal kid, they were complete strangers. Then, a year after the fact, she shows up and acts as though she can hang around him like some sort of sad kitten. Yeah, right. The idea would've been hilarious to him if it wasn't so damn pathetic.

What the hell did the girl expect to happen? For him to welcome her with open arms? To squeeze some sort of sympathy out of him? To pity her, maybe? Why? The hell would he do that for? To him, sympathy needed to be earned. Something you got by actually trying, not just standing there and taking it. And that's exactly what she was to him. Someone so scared of everything that she made trying into some impossible feat.

Guts hated people like that. As is, she wasn't even worth feeling anything towards. Other than abject apathy.

"Nothing to say, huh?"

Honestly, the girl didn't need to say anything. Tears had already formed in the corner of her eyes. And, with how tightly her face was wound, it was clear that she was only barely holding back a full-blown sob. Good. That meant he got his point across.

"Guess I should be too surprised."

Right then was her cue to leave. To run away with her tail tucked between her legs. To go salvage whatever pride she had left, but that's not what happened.

Sylphiette didn't budge an inch, save her sinking down and curling into a ball. She buried her head in between her knees. As if it would protect her from his words.

"Whatever." Guts huffed and rolled his eyes then made to leave. He wasn't going to waste any more time or energy on her. "Do me a favor tomorrow. Stay home, stay away from here, and stay away from me. Unless you really do hate yourself or something."

With those final words, he left. He never expected to see her again.

…

Sylphiette.

…

Sylphie didn't know why this was happening. She really didn't. All she wanted to do was spend some time with him.

Rudy Greyrat. She first learned of him from her father—long before they ever even met. She hadn't been old enough to get most of it then, though. Her father had been telling her mother a story, retelling it because he got it from a man he worked with: the knight who looked over the village and kept it safe from monsters, Paul Greyrat. Her father did that a lot. Told stories he got from work. Sometimes he'd be in them himself, helping the knight, other times not at all. The one thing that stayed the same was that Lord Greyrat acted like a true knight. Brave enough to face packs of monsters without fear, strong enough to slay them with ease, and charming enough to feel like a friend!

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

This time, though; the story wasn't about him or the knight. It was about the knight's son. Earlier that day, with great pride, Lord Greyrat told her father that his son—a boy who was no older than her—had already started to learn how to use a sword. Her father then asked if that wasn't too young an age to force a boy into training, but Lord Greyrat waved off those concerns. He explained that his son had shown an interest in the sword, being a knight like him, from before he knew how to walk.

That always amazed Sylphie. Her father only had good things to say about Lord Greyrat. Things that amazed her. So, a boy who tried to be just like him had to be just as amazing! He'd be just as brave and strong and charming, right?

She ended up being right. Although, not completely.

…

They first met by accident. Sylphie was on her own, heading off to the edge of the village, when she suddenly crossed paths with Somal and two of his friends.

They didn't like her very much. Almost everyone in the village didn't—that included a lot of the adults. The adults would call her 'demon' and spit at her feet whenever she passed. The kids would yell and throw things at her. She hated it. One day, she asked her parents why they would do those things and they said it was because of her hair color. Her father had blonde hair and her mother had brown hair. Her hair was green. A light green. Like a kind of demon that everyone hated, the Superd.

That still didn't make any sense to her, though. Her father was half-elf and human. Her mother was half human and half beast-race. She wasn't a Superd at all. They just told her that's how things were. That everyone would come around when they got to know her. It sounded nice, but Sylphie could tell that they didn't understand. Not really. There had to be a reason why everyone treated her like that. It couldn't all be because of the color of her hair. Maybe they all just didn't care enough to try. That could be true too.

So, when they noticed her, she knew what was going to happen. They did what everyone did. They pointed at her. Laughed. Called her names. Then, they started throwing balls of mud at her. That hurt but she could take it. It wasn't the first time, after all. But then, one of them pointed out her father's lunch. She got scared then. Everything else she'd grown used to; the names, the mocking, the pain—she could take. She couldn't take dragging her parents into her problems. The idea terrified her. More than anything.

She needed to keep the box safe. So, she clutched it to her chest and curled up into a ball. It was the best she could do to keep it safe. They could hurt her all they wanted, she had thought and shut her eyes tight. What they did to her didn't matter. She didn't matter. As long as her parents loved her, she'd be fine.

"Huh? What the hell do you think you're looking at?" Sylphie heard one of the bullies say. That was when she noticed the mud stop. The cheering too.

It was silent for a bit. Long enough for her to open her eyes and see what was going on.

"Did you not hear me or something?" It turned out that Somal had been the one speaking earlier. He wasn't looking at her anymore. Instead, he was looking off towards the hill next to them. Behind her. She followed his gaze and found a boy staring down at them. "I asked you a question!"

It was Rudy. Although, she hadn't known that at the time. She only realized when Somal pointed it out.

He stood there, looking down at them. Looking bored. With a wooden sword resting on his shoulder.

Somal and his friends kept yelling at him.

"Speak when you're spoken to!"

But none of it scared Rudy.

"You scared? Is that why you haven't said anything?"

He stood tall, unmoving.

"Yeah, I bet he's scared! I mean, look at him, he's—!"

"—Leave." Then, he spoke for the first time. He wasn't angry or scared. He just spoke. As if it was the easiest thing to do in the world.

Things got messy from there. Somal and his friends kept throwing insults at the lone boy. Then, they started throwing mud, but none of it hit him. He somehow dodged all of it! It was like he could tell where the mud was going before they even threw it. Only stepping to the side or moving his head out of the way when it was close to hitting him.

Later, when she returned home, Sylphie had to ask her mother for a good word to describe it. What she felt as she watched. Her mother told her that she was 'mesmerized.' And watching Rudy move was mesmerizing! He moved so sure-footed, so confident. And then, when Somal picked up a rock and threw it, Rudy plucked it out of the air and sent it right back between the bully's eyes without hesitation. He looked in complete control.

He looked just like a knight, she thought. Just like the one her father had told her stories about. Just like someone who was going to save her.

…

Her bullies had run away. It was the first time Sylphie had ever seen them act like that. Scared and shaky and close to crying as they ran back home to their parents.

Just like her, she thought—wanting to feel good about it but not. Now, they'd understand how they made her feel all the time. How bad it felt for someone to hurt them and not be able to do anything about it.

Sylphie frowned. She thought the idea would make her feel good, but all she could think about and feel was worry. Not for herself but for Rudy. Trouble was coming his way, she just knew it. Somal and the others said they'd get back at him. That meant that they were going to tell their parents and get Rudy in trouble. She didn't like the idea at all.

Rudy didn't look worried at all. He didn't show any emotion one way or another really. He just seemed eager to get back to training. That worried her too.

Of course, once Somal and the others were gone, Sylphie approached him. Climbed up the hill to thank him but Rudy waved her off.

"Don't thank me," he said, sounding bored.

Her eyes widened then. She could tell that he didn't say that just to be humble. He said it in that way because he meant it.

"I didn't mean to help you or anything. Those were just annoying, is all."

It had been a command. He didn't want her thanks because it didn't mean a thing to him.

"Now, buzz off." It hurt to hear, even though they were strangers. He saved her and all he saw in her was an annoyance. "I've got training to get to."

Still, as she went back down the hill, Sylphie looked back up towards the boy and noticed something that she hadn't before.

Rudy wasn't looking her way anymore; he had turned back towards the tree, but it didn't seem like he was looking at that either. Those green eyes, which had seemed so focused a bit before, seemed far off now. She really didn't know how to describe it, but it reminded her of how she felt a little.

Lonely, was what she came up with. The way Rudy looked, swinging his sword up on that hill—he looked really lonely.

…

Later, Sylphie went to see Rudy with her father. Rudy might've said not to, but she still wanted to thank him properly. And after she told him about what happened, her father wanted to thank him too. So, they went.

When they got there, Rudy and his father, Lord Paul, were fighting. Not with their fists or swords but with their words. Her father wanted to come back at another time. Honestly, she did too, but then she realized what they were fighting about, so she insisted they stay. Her father listened and broke the two up. Then, she was able to say 'thank you' properly! Rudy even accepted it!

Though, they didn't speak to each other for a whole year after.

…

There was no real reason why they didn't talk. Sylphie could've if she wanted to. She had the time. Almost every day, she'd pass by the hill he liked to practice on and he was there. Right there. Swinging his sword all by himself. All she needed to do was be brave enough and talk to him.

But, time and time again, she didn't.

Rudy was already intimidating enough. But sometimes, she'd see him talking to an older girl with a big, floppy hat and an even bigger staff. Sylphie recognized her without really knowing her because of her hair. It was long, blue, and braided. She was the Migurd, the magician that came to town a few years ago—Roxy Migurdia.

They had never met, but the other villagers sang her praises.

To them, she was someone skilled and helpful. Even those who hated demons, and hated her, couldn't hate her since they didn't want to make a skilled magician mad. Because of that, Sylphie's parents liked to use the Migurd as an example for her. One to aspire to. "If you work hard and make yourself useful to those around you, like Roxy, they'll have no choice but to acknowledge you too," her father would say. Because of that, Sylphie always wanted to meet the Magician, but their paths never crossed.

Now that Sylphie knew the two spent so much time with one another, the idea of walking up and talking to either felt impossible.

…

One day, as Sylphie made her way back home, she caught Roxy leaving Rudy alone on the hill and she saw a chance. Her chance. She'd go up there and talk to him this time, even if her body wasn't as ready as her mind.

Her legs shook all the way up the hill. And she ended up so focused on Rudy that, right as she reached the hill, she stepped on a branch without realizing it. The noise spooked the boy and made his head snap back in her direction, which spooked her just as badly. Made her duck down and hide like he was some really scary monster.

"Who's there?" Rudy called out while turning back around, somehow knowing that she was there. "Pick a fight with someone else, if that's your aim. I ain't got the time today."

He didn't sound angry or scared. Annoyed about being interrupted—definitely—but still just annoyed. Realizing that made her show herself. It didn't do much to keep her body from shaking, though. Legs and all.

"H-Hello…"

…

They talked. They had an actual talk! It didn't last long—she had run out of things to talk about and ended up just watching him practice for a while—but Rudy didn't seem to hate it or anything.

Seeing that, Sylphie asked if she could come back tomorrow. She expected him to say 'no,' if she was being honest, but he didn't!

"Do what you want." Her heart started to beat really hard when he said that. "It's not like this is my hill or anything."

Rudy didn't sound excited about it, but it wasn't a 'no!' And that was enough to make her feel as light as a leaf as she thanked him and ran back home.

For a moment, Sylphie let herself believe that she made her first-ever friend. That, for the first time in her whole life, someone other than her parents wanted her around. It made her smile. Really big. All the way home. And all the way through telling her parents, who looked just as happy for her. And all the way into the next day, when she came back and Rudy didn't seem to mind her being there.

For a moment, over the next two weeks, she let herself believe things were getting better. Going to be better. But that turned out to be a mistake.

Rudy never wanted a thing to do with her. She was just too stupid to realize.

…

Sylphie had come back to that spot every day since then.

After making sure Roxy left—Sylphie didn't want to intrude on their lessons—she'd come to meet Rudy. They didn't do much. Talked a little, but most of the time, he'd train and she'd watch him.

He'd ask her about it a lot. About her being there at all, and if she had anything better to do than sit there and watch, which made her really sad since she couldn't say anything to correct him.

Before meeting Rudy, she spent most of her time at home. Her hair color made it hard for her to do much—much less make friends. All she really could do was play with the toys her mother made her, explore everywhere around the house, and listen to her parents' stories. Really, it wasn't much better than watching Rudy train. At least, she was spending that time with him. Someone new.

Still, that seemed to annoy him. He never got angry with her about it, but it was clear. So, she did the only thing could think of: tell him that she was having a good time.

Sylphie wasn't lying too!

Rudy was amazing to watch. They were the same age and yet, he could do so many things that she couldn't. He could swing a sword, use magic, read, write, and stand up to bullies like it was nothing. She thought about asking him if he'd teach her one or another after a while, but he always seemed so serious about it. Something she couldn't ever be. The gap between them was clear, so why even bother? That's what she thought.

That turned out to be the wrong answer.

…

A day after, Sylphie asked about Rudy's intentions the day he saved her. His answer hurt. It hurt a lot. More than if he just decided to insult and hit her. It felt like he reached into her chest, and into her heart, and squeezed the warmth from it. The warmth he gave her. He put it out like it was nothing—because it was nothing to him.

He never meant to help her. That didn't matter to him. She never mattered to him. And it hurt more to hear because she knew as much. He told her that himself, but she chose not to believe him. She made up a lie to make herself feel better and then spread it around so that everyone else believed it too, and that bothered him.

Rudy never said it, but it bothered him. Sylphie could hear it in his voice—the disgust. He spoke the same way, frowned the same way he did when Somal and his friends pointed out he was Lord Paul's son. A knight's son. He made himself clear then.

Whatever she wanted him to be, Rudy wasn't. He wasn't a knight, and he wasn't going to be the one to save her.

"Why would someone stick their neck out for you of all people?"

All because he didn't think she was worth being saved.

Knowing that hurt. It hurt a lot. It hurt a lot more when he told her to stay home. He said it, but he didn't sound like he believed she'd listen. That, even after all he said and did, he believed that she was stupid enough to try and come back. Honestly, it hurt because, if he hadn't said anything, she knew she would've.

…

Sylphie's legs didn't last long after that. She fell back and started crying. Because she was sad. Because she was mad too. Mad at herself, mostly. For being such a screw-up, and for crying over someone she'd only really known for a few weeks. Someone she wasn't even friends with. She honestly didn't know why she was getting so worked up over it ...

Well, because she wanted to be—because having him as a friend would've meant a lot to her.

She stayed there for a while, mad at herself. Then, with tears still streaming down her face, she started to get mad with someone else. With Rudy, specifically.

How could he say all those mean things?

"Because it was the truth," she'd answer almost immediately.

Couldn't he have been nicer about it?

"Why would he be nice to you? Didn't you just say the two of you weren't friends?"

But I would've listened if he—!

"No, you wouldn't have. And you know it. He might've been mean, but he was being honest too. If he hadn't, you wouldn't have left him alone."

Sylphie cried as she went in circles in her head. She didn't know what to do. How to fix things or how to make herself feel better. All she could do was think about Rudy and her tears, and how she wanted to ball them up and throw them right into his face for being a jerk.

That's when he remembered something Rudy could do. She'd watched him do it enough times to remember the process.

He'd stick his hand out in front of him.

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a burbling stream here and now."

He'd say a bunch of fancy words.

And he'd yell, "Water Ball!"

Then, a ball of water would form in his hand and he'd shoot it at something nearby.

Sylphie opened her eyes when she felt something cold run all through her arm and into the tips of her fingers. They grew wider at what she saw.

It was magic. Somehow, she was using magic.

…

Sylphie rushed home, something she regretted doing, because she was in so much of a rush she didn't think things through and came right through the front door—huffing and puffing, and making it clear that something was wrong. Which wouldn't have been so bad…

…if her mother wasn't home at the time.

She stared surprised for a bit, clearly confused, but then frowned and asked if something was wrong.

That made Sylphie think about what happened with her and Rudy. A part of her wanted to tell her mother about it, but an even louder part of her screamed not to. That it'd only cause trouble. Her mother would tell her father, then they'd both go and tell Lord Paul. If that happened, Lord Paul would get mad at Rudy and that wouldn't solve anything.

Sylphie had seen it happen before and Rudy didn't seem all too scared then. Plus, he just got done telling her that he'd prefer it to what actually happened.

No, if she was going to prove Rudy wrong, she'd have to do it herself. Nobody else could help her with it.

…

It took a week for Sylphie to get used to using magic. She practiced it in secret, away from home and away from her parents. They couldn't know—not yet anyways. Not before she proved Rudy wrong.

Two of those days were spent making sure she could cast Water Ball without messing up. Then, she spent the rest of the week figuring out how to send it flying like Rudy did.

By practicing, Sylphie learned a few things about magic. One thing was that Rudy made it look a lot easier than it actually was. He could cast spells that looked a lot more powerful than Water Ball a bunch of times, but whenever she tried to do it, she would get tired and dizzy and have to stop.

The second was that using magic was actually a lot of fun! Rudy was so serious whenever he used it and got so frustrated with himself whenever he didn't do something right, that it made her wonder if he even actually wanted to at all. After trying it herself though, she realized that it was still fun, even if she did mess up! Because it all felt worth it when she didn't.

The third thing she learned made her less happy; although, it was more like something she realized than something she learned. Her plan—if she didn't do something to change it—was going to fail.

Sylphie's plan going into the week was simple: walk up to Rudy and hit him in the face with a Water Ball. But then, at the end of the week, she remembered how Rudy dodged all of the mud Somal and his friends threw and she realized that her best bet would be to surprise him. And then, she realized that wouldn't be possible either. Magic took time to cast. Too much time to try and surprise him.

So, even after all that work, Sylphie found herself back at square one.

…

Sylphie spent the next week trying to use magic without saying anything. It took two days for her to piece together an answer and it had been by total accident—something she had lucked into while thinking about it day after day.

It was her tears! They were the key!

Not actually, of course. She didn't need to cry to do it, but she did need the feeling.

After two days of trying, and failing, Sylphie got so angry with herself that she started to want to cry. Like, really badly. And that made her want to cry even more.

She thought and thought, and tried and tried, but nothing would come to her. Every day, from morning to sunset, she'd hold out her hand and focus so hard her face would hurt, but still nothing. Not an answer, not a ball of water. Just nothing. That made her feel like nothing; a loser, useless, and just as much a waste of time as Rudy said she was. And that made her feel guilty.

Because she'd done so much already! She knew that, and she wanted to be proud of that. She learned to use magic. Not many kids her age could say the same! But Rudy could, and that was the only thing she could focus on. How much still separated her and him, and it made her remember that day. All that he said to her and how it made her feel, and that's when it came to her.

Before she cast Water Ball for the first time, as she sat there crying, she thought about taking those tears and throwing them right into Rudy's face. Then, when she actually did cast it, something cold crawled up her arm and into her hand.

Maybe that had something to do with it! Sylphie thought. And so, she stuck her hand out and tried to replicate the feeling.

She tried.

Then, she tried again.

And then, she tried some more.

And, finally, Sylphie closed her eyes. She sucked in a breath, took hold of every emotion making a mess inside her heart, and packed it all into a small ball of water in the palm of her hand.

She felt it. Every bit of it. The hot and the cold, from her heart and her head, churn inside her. Mix. Turn into something cool.

She pulled at it. Pushed it into her hand. And then felt it take shape.

Sylphie opened her eyes. She felt her lips raise and her heart soar. She'd done it.

She really did.

…

Sylphie was ready. So, the very next day, she went to see Rudy.

She frowned when she saw him. Two weeks had passed and nothing had changed at all. He stood where he always stood, practiced like he always practiced, and basically looked like he always looked.

Mad. It was the only thing she could think to be as she made her way up the hill. She was sad too, but she knew she needed to be mad at Rudy to get through this. Feeling anything else might lead to her chickening out, she knew as much, so she squeezed her hands into fists and kept moving.

Fortunately for her, Rudy didn't seem to notice her sneak up behind him.

Seeing that, Sylphie nodded to herself and got ready.

She raised her arm and focused.

Five days ago, back when she first figured out how to use a spell without saying anything, she needed to imagine it clearly for it to work. The tears flowed from her head into her hand. Then, she needed to focus on that image until she had a ball of water in her hand. Now, all she needed to do was build that energy up inside her and pull on it, and then….

It would appear.

She took aim, right for the back of Rudy's head, and pushed more of that energy into that ball. Then, a moment later, it did just as she imagined.

It flew. Its target stopped still right as it did as if he knew something was coming his way without ever having to see it. It was already too late, though.

Splash!

The back of Rudy's head took the Water Ball dead on, pushing it and the rest of his body forwards a little.

Fear stabbed into Sylphie right then and there. She realized what she just did. She had hit someone. Maybe even hurt them. Not just anyone 'someone' either, she had hit Rudy. She may have hurt Rudy.

This isn't good, I need to apologize before—! She stopped when she realized that Rudy was looking right at her.

His green eyes were wide. Full of confusion, but not the angry kind. Just really confused. For some reason, that scared her even more.

Oh no…

"Did you do that?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

Sylphie gulped as he took a step towards her, sword still in hand.

Panic took over her body. She raised her hand and tried to make another Water Ball, but the energy wouldn't flow like it did before. All she could think about was Rudy, who was getting closer and closer to her by the moment. Running away crossed her mind, but by the time it did, he was already close enough to reach out and grab her.

Not knowing what else to do, she did her best to sound scary, "D-Don't come a-any closer! Or I-I'll—!"

"—Or you'll do what?"

Only to have it fail immediately.

"I-I'll…"

"What? You'll hit me with another one of those puny Water Balls?" Rudy reached up with his free hand and took hold of her wrist. He pulled it so that her hand was right in front of his forehead. That's when Sylphie realized that he was smiling. Not in a friendly way, either. Not at all. He was making fun of her. She was sure of it. "Okay, do it then."

"H-Huh?"

"Hit me. Go ahead. Give it everything you have."

"But—"

"—What're you hesitating for? You already hit me with that cheap shot earlier. Now, I'm giving you permission. This should be easy for you."

"B-But I didn't— I-I mean—"

He clicked his tongue. "—Quit crying. This was supposed to be some sort of payback for you, right?"

Not knowing what else to do, Sylphie pushed energy into her palm. She pushed, pushed, and pushed. She pushed with all her might—just to get him off of her—but nothing was happening!

Her hand was shaking. What should she do? Try to run away? Her legs wanted that more than anything, but she couldn't do it. Not with how he was holding onto her. Try to break free? But with how strong he was—

"Stop thinking about it, idiot. Stop worrying. Just do it." The words made her eyes widen. Rudy wasn't smiling anymore either. He looked dead serious now. "That's your problem. And it's the problem with people like you. You think and you think, and when it's time to actually do something; your legs get too shaky to move." Sylphie could feel it. The energy. It was flowing again. And building. All right into her hand. With every word he said. "It's like I said, if you want to hit me, stop thinking and just—"

Rudy's head snapped back. And all of a sudden, he wasn't holding onto her anymore.

Ah, did I…?

She did. She knew she did. The boy, who was already soaking wet, seemed even more so now. She hit him with another Water Ball.

Her heart sank in her chest. She didn't mean to, but he kept saying mean things, and then, it just happened. And it didn't make her feel good at all. In fact, it made her feel awful—

"—Pft!"

Sylphie's brain came to a stop.

Rudy doubled over and his whole body started to shake. At first, she thought he might've been crying, but then she recognized the noises he was making. He was laughing. Really. It was strained and muffled, but he was laughing.

She stood there. Stunned. Not quite sure how to react other than with a single thought: Huh?!

"W-Why are you laughing?!" A part of her felt seriously betrayed. Things were all serious and she was really starting to panic, and she thought that she might've really hurt him, so why was he laughing?

Was he not taking her seriously at all?! That whole time?!

"Sorry…. It's just… Your face…! It's really hard to… take you seriously…!"

Rudy couldn't even finish his sentences; he was laughing so hard. He talked in pieces. Bit by bit. In between his own laughing.

Normally, something like this would've made her cry. Embarrassed her to no end. But, at that moment, she only wanted to do one thing: hit the boy with another Water Ball.

So, that's what she did.

That didn't stop him, so she hit him with another.

Then another. And another. And another. And another. And….

Suddenly, Sylphie felt herself fall forwards. Everything went black.

…

The sun was orange when Sylphie woke up. She blinked and stared at it through the gaps in the leaves of the tree above her, confused. Then, she suddenly flinched. Her head hurt.

What happened…? She asked, rubbing her pounding head. I was… but then… Wait, isn't this—?

"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest." Sylphie heard those words just as a hand appeared in front of her face. Slowly, as each word was said, a bright blue light flowed and gathered in its center. "I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now." And then made a ball of water. "Water Ball."

Her eyes widened, realizing, but by then, it was too late. The ball of water fell and hit her right in the face, forcing her eyes closed.

"That's payback for earlier."

Sylphie froze. She recognized that voice. It was Rudy, but wait, that meant—!

Heart racing and breath caught with a sudden panic, her eyes flew open and she nearly jumped out of her skin at what she saw.

Rudy's face had replaced the hand from earlier. He was standing over her and he didn't look very happy. Fortunately, he didn't seem all too angry either. He just seemed, and this was the only way she knew to describe him, like normal. Or, at least, what was normal for Rudy.

Oh, and he looked a lot drier than he did before.

"W-What happened?" Sylphie asked, tentatively.

"You ran out of mana and passed out," Rudy explained. "What? You telling me you didn't know that'd happen?"

Her mind thought back to how she'd get really tired during practice and, after realizing what went wrong, gave the only answer she could think of, "Oh…"

So, that's what happens if I use magic too much…. Talk about scary.

"By the way," Rudy's voice pulled her focus back to the conversation, "I couldn't help but notice that you used all that magic without saying anything. How'd you do it? Even Roxy can't pull stuff like that off and she's been learning magic for years."

"How'd I…?"

"Y'know, I've read that people like you are special—that out of all the people in the world who can use magic, only a few old geezers are able to do something like that." The boy's eyes never left hers as he spoke. "So, I gotta wonder: what exactly makes you so special?"

"I… I don't know."

It made her feel pathetic, but it was the only thing she could think to say. She honestly didn't know how she did it. And, as she was doing it, it never really crossed her mind that what she was doing was anything special. She just tried and it worked.

"You don't know, huh?" He frowned and was quiet for a bit, then nodded his head. "Okay, how about this?"

Rudy squatted down next to her. "Meet me back here tomorrow. Early."

Slyphie's eyes widened. "M-Meet you…? But you said—"

"—Yeah, yeah, I know what I said." Rudy stood up. "Look, if you don't wanna come, don't. But if you do, I'll introduce you to Roxy. Try and get her to teach you magic or something. A kid who doesn't even know what a mana out is, but knows how to use magic without saying a word? That's the sort of opportunity she lives for. She'll probably run straight to your parents once she finds out. Demand they let her teach you magic and everything."

Sylphie was speechless. She heard every word he said, loud and clear, but they still didn't feel real.

"In exchange, you teach me how to use magic like you. We got a deal?"

It was all enough to make her want to cry again.

…

Chapter End.