Father just laughed off the hole in the wall last night. I guess I worried too much. Lately, I’ve been curious; he recently got promoted. Maybe it’s time to visit him at work.

It was morning already, so I turned to my mother, hoping for a visit.

“Mother, can we go visit Father?”

“Why the sudden thought, dear?” she replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“I’m just… curious,” I admitted.

“Well, let’s go by his area. Your father isn’t stationed on the walls anymore; he’s training new recruits now.”

We prepared quickly and set out toward the training grounds, tucked behind the nobles’ residences.

The city buzzed around us, the working class hustling, and the market thriving. Lord Kairu, truly, you have my admiration.

We passed by the noble district. Fine houses surrounded the count’s mansion, standing proudly in the center. Since we aren’t nobility, we had to take the longer path; only nobles are allowed directly through the central grounds, a shortcut we can’t afford. The market there sparkles with luxury, but for people like us, it’s painfully expensive. Not that we mind.

“Ro benivos.”

That voice. Goosebumps crawled over my skin. Bostos-!

“Y-yes…” I stammered, bowing instinctively as I turned around. Mother followed suit, her head low.

“It’s always a pity you can’t return the greetings, isn’t it?” he said with a smirk. “Where are you headed?”

“To the training grounds, to see my father.”

“Ah, but you’re going the wrong way, aren’t you? The central grounds aren’t too far if you’d rather take a shortcut.”

“We’re fine. No need for the central path.”

“Well then, mind giving me company? We’re headed the same way, after all.”

“It’s alright, dear,” Mother murmured softly, her tone gentle but urging.

“Well, we don’t mind at all,” I replied with a careful smile.

“Master Bostos, classes are due in an hour,” reminded his butler, looking on expectantly.

“I know, I know. Let’s continue.”

The central grounds bloomed with beauty, flowers and meticulously trimmed hedges bordering paths lined with marble benches and statues.

“How’s the view, boy?” Bostos inquired, glancing over.

“It’s… breathtaking.”

“The peace we enjoy in this city, we owe it all to the Sun God and Lord Kairu,” he declared, as if rehearsed.

“Yes… indeed.”

“You’re past ten years old, aren’t you? So, why aren’t you at the common school?” he asked, his voice oddly pointed.

“We can’t afford it. And I… I lack talent in magic.”

“Oh, really?” Bostos chuckled, a knowing glint in his eye. “I only heard one reason there.”

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“Pardon?”

“You lack talent in magic.”

The words stung, slicing deeper than I’d like to admit.

“Yes, sir. You’re correct.”

Mother’s expression shifted, worry creasing her brow.

“So where exactly are we going?” I asked, feeling the tension rise.

Ahead loomed the entrance to Eldershire Academy, the grandest building in sight.

“Just indulging my curiosity. But follow me.”

“Sir Bostos, are we really allowed any further?” Mother asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“We’re only practicing, don’t be so tense. I mean me and the boy.”

I froze.

“What—why me?”

“Do you not want to give me company?”

“Well, I… I did say I wouldn’t mind…”

“Then don’t be so tense; it’s just a practice duel.”

I exhaled, nodding hesitantly as Mother waited at the gate, clearly anxious as I followed Bostos to the academy’s outdoor training grounds.

“Do you have a wand?”

“But… those are too expensi—”

“Catch.” He tossed a simple wand my way. I barely caught it—a rough-hewn stick, barely more than a branch.

“What?!” I protested, caught off-guard.

“On the count of ten, we begin.”

“But I don’t know any spells!”

“Ten…”

“Sir, Bostos! Sir butler?”

“Nine… eight… seven…”

“Please listen, I don’t really—”

“Six… five… four… three… two…”

“Please!”

“One. Begin.”

With a flick of his wand, Bostos traced a sigil in the air, its glowing lines swirling like fire.

I panicked, summoning every shred of knowledge I had, and thought of nothing but one word.

“POURING!”

I poured all the mana I could muster into the wand, directing it toward Bostos.

“Oh, my…” he muttered, quickly canceling his spell to redraw his sigil on the ground.

The seconds ticked by. I stood, drenched in sweat, my heart racing, but nothing happened.

“You actually had me for a moment there!” Bostos laughed. “Such a sudden surge of mana—I thought you might surprise me!”

My strength was waning fast.

“Well, my turn.”

Bostos dusted himself off and reset his stance, redrawing his sigil. A crowd had started to gather around us.

“Wait! I surrender—”

A sharp pang of danger sparked within me. A rock whizzed by, grazing my ear, faster than I could comprehend. Think! THINK! My mind screamed, but no options came. This was it—this was my end.

The crowd tittered as I sprawled on the ground, breaths heaving, and laughter rang out around me.

“Bwahaha! Bostos, where’d you find this runt?” jeered a noble girl.

“He’s worse than the last one,” sneered a boy.

“Utterly boring,” chimed in another.

But a flicker of memory flashed—James’s sigil. I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the dizziness, the burning nose. I just had to pour everything.

“That mana surge…” Bostos’s grin faltered.

“Bostos, cast a barrier, now!” a bystander yelled.

The air stilled as a pillar of water formed, swirling, with a fish-like shape darting through it.

“A water dragon…” Bostos murmured, a rare hint of respect creeping into his tone. “I am truly surprised…”

The dragon didn’t roar or blast; instead, it merely drenched him from head to toe like a rainstorm. I collapsed, vision dimming, as Bostos stood, soaked and laughing.

“You’re welcome,” he grinned down at me, victorious.

----------------------------------------

I woke in bed, a feverish warmth enveloping me.

“Komeharu-kun!” Mother’s voice brightened with relief. “I was so worried.”

“How… how did I get here?”

“Bostos’s butler called for a carriage and sent us home. But what did happen, dear?”

“I… don’t remember,” I muttered, barely able to piece together fragments of my memory.

I felt something unfamiliar in my hand—Bostos’s wand.

“This wand—” I tried to rise, excitement spiking. “We must—!”

“Komeharu, you need rest.” Mother’s hand guided me back. “You’re running a fever!”

“Really…?”

And I sank back, slipping into darkness once again.