Later that afternoon, after Reshia had left to train the kids at the chief's homestead, Raul decided it was time to explore the village. He had spent most of his time at home, training with Reshia or studying magic, but something inside him urged him to change that. So he slipped on a simple cloak and quietly headed toward the gate, hoping for a little freedom.

Faith, still busy gathering carrots in the garden was grateful for the improved soil fertility. She had tried for a long time to learn spells that improved soil fertility but had turned up empty. But now, Raul, ever the prodigy , had already picked it up and saved her the hassle.

She looked up when she noticed Raul heading out.

She paused, wiping her hands on her apron, and called out, "Where are you going, dear?"

Raul paused at the gate, trying to sound casual. "I just want to explore the village a bit. I haven't really gone out much," he said, trying to keep it light.

The truth was, in his old life, he had regretted not spending enough time outside, not hanging out with friends, not experiencing life. He didn’t want to make that same mistake here.

Faith, ever the concerned mother, raised an eyebrow. "Did you finish washing the dishes?" she asked, her voice laced with that familiar motherly concern.

Raul sighed, "Yes, Mom. I finished," he answered, trying to stay patient.

Faith looked him over, her eyes still suspicious. "Well, you better not stay out too long. I'll be mad if you’re gone too long," she warned, though her voice softened with care.

Raul nodded, already itching to be free. "I promise I won’t. I’ll be back before it gets too late." He flashed her a smile, hoping to ease her worry.

As he walked out the gate, he couldn't help but wish that Marcus had been the one to stop him. His father would’ve just nodded and sent him on his way with a “Go see the world, meet some girls.” Marcus was always easygoing, never hovering over Raul like Faith did.

But for now, Raul was just happy to be outside, the village waiting to be discovered. He didn’t know what to expect, but he was looking forward to it.

He walked down a less-traveled path, leading to the outskirts of the village where vast fields of wheat stretched endlessly. The sun beat down, and farmers were working tirelessly in the heat, their straw hats shielding them from the blazing sky. As he passed by, a few of them waved, and Raul returned the gesture with a smile, enjoying the peacefulness of the place.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

But as he approached a small hill with some trees, he noticed something unsettling.

A group of boys were gathered around a girl, who was clearly distressed. They were using water magic to splash her repeatedly, drenching her cloak. She was shivering, even under the sun’s warmth, and it was clear this had been going on for a while.

Raul’s heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he shouted, “Hey! Stop it!”

One of the boys, the largest of the group, turned with a sneer. “What’s this? You gonna do something about it?” His voice was taunting, and his posture made it clear he wasn’t taking Raul seriously.

Raul hesitated. He didn’t know any offense spells. Reshia had taught him healing spells and support magic, but not anything that could help in a fight.

What should I do? he thought, his mind racing. He wasn’t a fighter, but he could figure this out. He was a problem-solver at heart, and coding was his specialty.

His eyes flicked back to the group, and he quickly ran through his options. He thought about Chiming Winds, which created a gentle breeze around him. The problem was, it only worked on himself. It wouldn’t help against a group of bullies. But what if...

Raul quickly pulled up the source code of the spell , the Console’s interface flashing before him. He examined the code blocks, looking for the part that defined the direction of the wind.

One of the boys, noticing Raul’s focus, grinned and began to move closer, clearly planning to intimidate him. Raul knew he didn’t have much time.

Think fast!

He saw the block of code that tied the wind to himself. Without thinking further, he deleted it. These were the parameters that allowed “chimming winds” to lift up a mage into the air , and Raul half expected an error to come out of this.

It was a risk, but he had no other choice. He cast the spell in a single, quick motion, hoping it would work.

But as soon as he did, something went wrong.

The wind spiraled wildly, a force that wasn’t controlled. One of the boys rushed forward to confront him just as the spell released. Raul’s heart sank as he saw the boy’s feet leave the ground.

Then—CRACK!

Raul’s finger shot with pain, the result of the wind spell running loose, its uncontrolled force snapping his finger. The spell spun out of control, and the wind became chaotic.

"Ahhh!" Raul gritted his teeth, clutching his hand in pain. He didn’t know if the boy was okay, but he could barely focus on anything else.

[

Console Warning - Spell crashed.

Debug Functionality Activated

]

Before Raul could process the situation further, the spell was canceled midway, the wind stopping abruptly, and the boy who had been lifted fell back to the ground with a thud.

Raul winced at the pain in his finger, but he was relieved the spell had stopped before it caused more damage. The boys stood around, confused and surprised by the sudden turn of events.

Without waiting around , he took to his heels and his friend followed quickly , clearly afraid of Raul and what he was capable of.