"My parents always told me,

'Komeharu, the Sun God watches over us all.'

Then tell me, Mom, why is darkness the only thing staring at me right now?"

Mom. Don’t go…

I SAID DON’T GO! MOM!!!

I screamed, but it was futile. My mother slipped away before my eyes, out of my grasp, engulfed by storms that not even I could withstand. Heck, I don’t even remember the details anymore. None of it matters. None of it ever matters.

"Komeharu, wake up!"

I jolted awake, breathless and disoriented, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to me like the darkness that lingered in my mind. The first sound I heard was nature's gentle hum—familiar and soothing. Then, the comforting presence of my mother, like an anchor pulling me back to reality. The scent of her cooking filled the air, rich and savory as always. My stomach rumbled; Mom always made the best dishes. It was nearly sunrise, and I knew my father would be leaving soon.

"Oh, Komeharu." I glanced at the table, my eyes widening at the sight of an entire loaf and a bowl of soup.

"Father, have you already eaten?"

"Your mother makes the best soup, Komeharu-kun. You better eat plenty."

My father, a guard at the gate, worked tirelessly for our modest life. Both my parents were honest, hard working people. After a few moments, he was gone, off to patrol the streets of our thriving city under the watchful gaze of Lord Kairu. In Eldershire, the poor had decent homes, the middle class lived sustainable lives, and the upper class were known for their integrity.

"Komeharu, we’re going to the market early today. Let's go."

I quickly finished my meal and followed my mother outside. Despite everything, life felt… good. Being poor didn’t weigh heavily on me.

The medieval town of Eldershire was just waking up, its cobblestone streets gradually filling with life. Merchants were setting up stalls, the colorful awnings of their carts flapping in the gentle morning breeze. The smell of freshly baked bread, pungent spices, and the earthy scent of vegetables drifted from the nearby fields, mingling in the crisp air.

"Good morning, Akane!"

"Oh, hello, Akane-san!"

Our neighbors greeted us warmly as we passed by. The town square, with its stone fountain merrily bubbling at its center, was the heart of the community. Timber-framed houses with thatched roofs lined the streets, their shadows cast in soft patterns by the rising sun. Above, the spire of the local church pierced the sky, a constant reminder of faith and unity.

Soldiers patrolled the streets with solemn duty, bakers opened their shops, and the townsfolk moved with purpose as the light of the sun crept higher. The horizon stretched wide, the sun watching over us all like an omnipotent sentinel.

No one seemed to talk about how beautiful the sun was, or how massive the sky actually felt—a giant, protective gaze, floating above everything.

“Ow!”

“Komeharu, don’t daze off. Come on, help me pick.”

I blinked, rubbing my head as I hurried to help my mother gather groceries. We passed a preacher setting up his post—the symbol of our faith, the Solarius, gleamed in the sunlight, dancing in the gentle rays like it was alive.

“Hello, my fellow child in faith,” the preacher greeted warmly. I gave a respectful nod and tossed a coin as an offering.

“Praise be to the Sun God and Lunaris.”

The preacher smiled, his hand raised in blessing. "May the Sun God bless us all."

As much as I usually ignored the preacher's speeches, something about this morning made me pause and listen.

“We, humans, are faithful to our Sun God, Solaris! We’ve endured the passage of time only because of their teachings! We are the obedient sheep, following the commands of the shepherd so that we may all enjoy the green fields and gentle winds!”

"Solaris," I muttered. That word alone was enough—a sign of respect and agreement with the faith. Still, the message was the same as it always was. Nothing special.

Then I noticed someone peculiar just a few steps away—a shabby-looking man, definitely not a local. His appearance screamed "beggar," but there was something off about him. The way he carried himself... was he a mage? Curiosity got the better of me, and I approached him cautiously.

"Ro benivos, child," the man greeted with a peculiar grin.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a magician, of course!”

I eyed him suspiciously. His clothes were ragged, a cheap stick in his hand, and a worn-out robe draped over his bony shoulders. He looked nothing like the mages I’d seen before—way too shabby to be anything legit. Still, he had used a Benivos spell, a mage’s greeting, so maybe he was real. My curiosity deepened.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“For only a Cuprum, I’ll bestow you with knowledge!” the man said with a smirk.

I hesitated but handed over the Cuprum coin anyway. He grinned wider, and for a moment, I regretted it.

“I shall provide you with my wisdom: when asked about ‘layers,’ remember the word ‘sevenfold.’”

Huh? What? A ripoff.

"Okay, thanks, you weirdo," I muttered, walking away, shaking my head. What a waste. Layers? Sevenfold? What did that even mean? I hurried back to my mother, muttering under my breath, “I could learn magic if I wanted to.”

Suddenly, someone slapped me—a sharp, stinging blow that left me dazed. I looked up to see an angry noble towering over me, his face twisted in disgust.

"Watch your mouth, you vulgar peasant!"

“Komeharu!” my mother cried out, rushing toward me.

I stumbled back, still reeling from the shock. What the heck? Why would he—?

“H-Hey! What’s going on here?” a guard rushed over, his voice stern.

“This child insults the efforts of the academy and the nobility. Magic isn’t something you can just play with, you worthless brat!”

Before I could respond, a chubby boy entered the scene—a noble, Bostos. He wore a simple green garment and noble clothing, nothing too shiny.

“No, no, no, dear soldier. It seems like there’s a noble who can’t control his temper and attacks a poor civilian. You’re here to protect us!” Bostos chimed in with a grin.

“Bostos… Shut up!” snapped the noble who hit me—Shinzu. His rage boiled over as he attacked Bostos, hurling a basic spell, a single-layer circle that summoned a flying rock. Fortunately, it didn’t hit.

“Oh dear, dear soldier, will you allow this brute to continue?” Bostos taunted, his voice laced with amusement.

“I-I’m afraid not,” the guard stammered. "Sir Shinzu, back off, now. This is your final warning."

Shinzu’s eyes blazed with fury, but he turned on his heel and stalked away. I stood there, stunned, unsure of what had just happened.

“Well, boy,” Bostos turned to me, “who are you?”

“Komeharu," I muttered, still dazed.

"I should probably get going now. Ro Benivos,” he said with a casual wave as he walked away. A gust of wind blew along with some leaves with a soft light-green glow.

I stared after him. Benivos—only mages could use that greeting. Who was this kid? He was my age—maybe thirteen—but already a mage?

"Pity that you can't return the greetings, farewell."

Before I could process it all, I hurried back to my mother. Too much had happened in such a short time, and I was overwhelmed. I guess it’s not that surprising for nobles to be mages. On second thought, it might be interesting to try… magic?

“Mom, I’ll be back.”

I left in a hurry to see if the man’s still there, that cheap mage. I’m just a little curious, that’s all! My breath’s outpacing me, where the hell is he?

“T-there you are!” I shouted as I saw him buy a piece of bread.

“Pardon?” He replied.

I remember him using the mage’s greetings, I’ll confirm it if I see it again.

“The mage’s greeting, benivos.”

“Yes, and?”

“How do you use it?”

“Do I look like I'm a charity?”

“I’ve got a cuprum, just one.”

“Hmm, very well.”

He took the coin and drew something on the air.

“Uhhhhh, benivos spell is a sort of message spell? Yeah, and it has three parts, the Zibenivos is the most difficult, Shibenivos is fair enough for skilled ones, and Robenivos is just a simple spell for whoever wants to use it. Why do you ask?”

“Can you show me?”

“I don’t think I’ve got that good of a memory.”

I pulled out another cuprum, it’s the last bit I have.

“Well, if you can spellcraft well, ummmm er… Benivos shouldn’t be that hard to cast in only one layer-.”

He casted Robenivos, and the earth around him seemed to be heavier.

“As a bonus, Robenivos just shows whatever element you’re good at. Nothing that special really.”

“Earlier… you said something about layers and the seventh fold.. What do you mean-?”

“Tch, I hate robbing poor kids. This is the last one to make your money worth.” He took a piece of paper out of his bag. “When we cast spells, it’s like we draw them on paper, and this paper is called a layer. Ight? More papers equals easier to draw but needs more mana, that’s all.”

“If I pay you more, will you teach me?”

“An argentous for every lesson.”

“That’s-! Very expensive!”

“Just go scoot off kid, you’re better off learning it from a school.”

“Urgh! Fine. What a greedy, shabby mage.”

I walked away feeling irritated. An argentous? How can I make that kind of money-? That’s like, an entire day of food for me, mother, and father! Tch. Should I beg? Work? Maybe mom might help…

I went back home to look for whatever money I could scrape.

“Komeharu, where have you been?”

I looked exhausted, we could barely scrape an entire argentous. I only have some Copprous, barely enough.

“Komeharu, you can tell me.”

My mother approached me with a worried look.

“Mom, is school expensive?”

“Dear, Komeharu… that’s… not really-...” Mother paused, looking as if guilty. “No. Absolutely not dear! Do you want to go to school?” She said with a forced smile, yet so gentle.

“I just want to learn magic…”

Mother grew more anxious yet with a reserved smile, she spoke.

“You’re old enough now Komeharu…. But can you wait until I talk with your father?”

I nodded, it was a tense situation. Am I demanding too much? I just helped my mother with the chores around the house. I keep on reflecting on why we’re poor. But I should be grateful to the lord here, he’s kind and generous to peasants. Plus, this is a city. We’re not really the poorest anyways… It was almost midnight, me and mom just sat at the table, not eating anything before father arrived. It’s always like this. The door opened, mom stood up to greet, but… you could hear the sound of armor. Two men were waiting at the door.

“Kid, we’re taking you with us.”

My mother exclaimed, “What has my son done?! Please, get out!”

The soldiers placed their hands on their swords, their intentions were clear. This won’t be easy…

TO BE CONTINUED.