I’m not sure if it's the pressure on my chest, or the warmth of my arm that I noticed first. Still, both of these elements were present when I opened my eyes a moment ago.
There is a fireplace to my left, and it is burning hot. Whoever is tending to it must have been building up the heat for a while. I imagine that they are going through logs quite quickly.
I do quite appreciate the sound of an active fire. In my old world, our house had a fireplace. Some of my fondest memories involved sitting by the fire and watching my favorite shows. Or even just watching the fire burn, with the warmth on my body.
Now, just like then, a faint scent of smoke is in the air. Crackling and popping break the silence of the room. The flames, underneath other noises, give off a sound resembling a blowing wind. While this happens, the orange flames dash from side to side. The light is enough to captivate you, but not enough to singe your eyeballs.
I wish I had spent more time learning about how fire works. I have a decent idea, it is a combustion reaction, making use of the carbon abundant in the wood. But why is heat the byproduct? What is with the light? How does this reaction begin? How does it sustain itself?
If I had known I would eventually lose access to the abundant knowledge of my world, I would have learned more.
That is not the only mystery present in my mind. On my chest, there is a Seraphina sleeping. She is in a position leaning over the bed from a chair. She must have been keeping an eye on me, but fell asleep in the process.
There are other pillows on the bed, how did she fall asleep on me?
Other than her, Olivia must be here somewhere. I imagine she is the one who has been tending to the fire.
I should get moving around, it would seem that noon is approaching. I shift a pillow underneath Seraphina's head and move myself out of the way. I succeed in escaping her head without waking her up. I am truly a master ninja.
With my body freed, I slowly place my feet on the floor and try to stand myself up, but my body is still too weak, and I collapse onto the floor. I avoid making too much noise by landing on my hands, but this situation is still not the best.
Luckily, Olivia walks into the room right after I drop to the ground.
“You really shouldn’t be moving around yet!”
“I’m alright, I just need to warm up my legs.”
“You need to rest! You can warm up your legs after you’ve healed completely!”
“I at least need to leave this building for a few minutes.”
“Why?”
“I have to pee.”
“...” She blushes a bit when I mention this. I am embarrassed too. “T-then take this.”
She hands me an empty cup.
“No way,” I respond.
“S-Seraphina has been taking care of this… there is no reason that I can’t.”
I did not want to hear that Seraphina was doing that. There is no way I will be able to look her in her eyes when she wakes up.
“Well, I’m conscious now, and I am not going to make you carry my piss around in a cup. Now, I’m going to crawl to an outhouse.”
“...Fine, but I’m going to help you.”
She walks over to my side and lifts me by my shoulder. I am holding myself up for the most part, but her body weight by my side brings much-needed stability. We slowly make our way out of the room, without waking up Seraphina, then down the stairs, and outside the back exit.
After a pleasant trip to the outhouse, I take in my surroundings.
The architecture is unique, I haven't seen anything like it before. The roofs are all made of white wood, yet absent of stains. Buildings are box-shaped, with overhead protection from rain extending outward. The walls of buildings are for the most part made from the very same white wood, some black wood is added to the construction in order to add color.
The pathways are all made from stone, each cut to the exact same length. Snow packs into the cracks of the stone, adding another layer to this sea of white.
A few massive buildings tower over the rest of the environment just a few blocks away. I can tell, even from a distance, that the design of the buildings is extravagant. I imagine those buildings belong to the University of Magic.
“It’s cold, let’s get back inside.”
“Alright.”
I didn’t really notice it, but it is freezing out.
We make it up the stairs without incident, surprisingly, she can handle my weight to a certain extent. Upon entering the room, we are greeted by an awake Seraphina. I guess we actually woke her up.
As expected, I can’t look her in the eyes.
“You’re finally awake.” are the words I’m greeted with. Of course, I would get a calm and cool response from her.
“Yeah, I felt like I had slept long enough,” I respond, trying to be cool.
“3 weeks of sleeping is certainly what we would call ‘enough.’”
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Was I really out that long? It doesn’t really feel like it.
I allow Olivia to slowly lower my body back down to the bed. Both of us take this opportunity to warm our limbs up with the fire.
“Really, thank you, both of you. You have done so much for me. I don’t know how to properly express my gratitude. I don’t even know if I deserve to be treated this well… but you have taken care of me anyway.”
There is a short pause in the conversation. Seraphina, even with her silver tongue, doesn’t have anything to say at first. Or maybe she is allowing Olivia to speak up before she does.
My focus drifts from the conversation at hand toward the crackling of the fireplace momentarily. My mesmerization with fire is broken when Olivia continues.
“It is only because you had to protect us that you got hurt so badly…” Her voice strains a little when she says that, I can tell she's holding back a lot of emotions.
Hearing this makes me think of the old elf’s words from before. I hadn’t realized that harm done to me could affect others.
Like the self-centered ass I am, I was so concerned about whether I deserved to live or die, whether I deserved pain or to be happy, that I forgot to consider what is just as important. Does Olivia deserve to lose a friend? Does she deserve to watch a man she cares about go through hell? Do these two deserve to live in a world of vultures and menaces without the protection of one just like them?
I should have realized long ago that a fight for yourself, is also a fight for your friends.
“I’m sorry, to both of you. It is not your fault that I nearly died, it is my own. Deep down, the prospect of death… was enticing. I had no desire to live, I had no desire to fight.
I thought that if I gave up fighting, I would naturally become a better person. I believed that fighting alone made me a worse human. What I didn’t realize at the moment, was that it is not the fighting itself that determines what you are, but what it is you fight for.”
After admitting this, I took a deep breath and considered what I would say next.
I thought I could keep running away forever. I thought this world was fine before I picked up my blade, and could be after, but this event has taught me otherwise. I don’t know if I believe what that old elf said, but I can’t pretend it isn’t a possibility.
I know what I must do.
“I have decided. I am going to learn to fight again.”
…
My first impressions of this city were correct. It is beautiful, fascinatingly so.
We are currently walking to the University of Magic. Seraphina and I are both going to enroll, it is unlikely that Olivia will be able to attend. According to what Seraphina has learned from asking around, there seems to be an entrance examination.
Seraphina will be able to pass through proficiency in the writing portion, but Olivia will not. She said that she’s alright with this, but I feel bad at the prospect of leaving her at home alone for a long period of time. She said she is fine with it, but I should think about accommodations.
Oh shit!
The bottom of the makeshift crutches I make end up sliding across a chunk of ice and I slip backward. The back of my head crashes into the stone street below me.
“Ack, are you ok!?” Olivia responds quickly and grabs my head from the back.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I can’t get hurt from something like this. It’s just… embarrassing.”
Slipping and falling like a Loony Tunes character is probably the most humiliating thing that has happened to me in a while. Not that I have any pride left to be damaged.
I got back on my crutches and began walking again. This time I pay very close attention to where I am walking.
It is only a 10-minute walk from our inn to the campus. The buildings here are by far the tallest and most extravagant in the city.
The white wood walls are covered in black markings. Each building is unique, some are stars, others are animals, and there is one with many different staffs on it.
It is the building in the middle of the campus that stands out uniquely among all others. A stone tower, cracking through the middle, glittering moss on the sides, shining brightly with white light.
The tower, contrasting the modern marvelous architecture, had a very primitive feel to it. If every other building on this campus was built for its beauty, this one was built to fit a specific need.
Despite the tower's lack of extravagance, it held a certain aura. Upon gazing at it, I am certain, this tower holds a deep, important history. As I rest my eyes upon it, I feel like I am gazing backward in time.
“A beautiful tower, is it not?”
An old human woman approaches Seraphina and I. Olivia separated from us to look around the town on her own.
“Yes, quite so,” Seraphina responds.
Seraphina was the one to answer her question, but the woman's eyes pierced my own body.
“You must be Cassius?”
“I am.”
“We have been waiting for you. Please, follow me.”
Seraphina and I did as instructed. We were led directly to the tower which we were admiring just moments before.
With a wave of her wand, the old woman opened massive doors that blocked the interior of the building. It is very rare that you find magic items in this world, aside from magic weapons at least. Yet they have a magic door.
At the base of this magic tower is a pond, undaunted by the chill of winter, it remains in its liquid state. It is warmed inside the tower, but not to a comfortable degree.
“Come, let us ascend the tower.”
Seraphina tries to help me up the stairs but is barely successful in doing so. Still, with enough time, we ascend up 15 stories.
At the top of the tower, it is warm enough to take off our winter coats. We take seats on a sofa in the entryway and wait upon whoever we are going to meet.
Unlike the exterior, the interior, at least on the top floor, is rather modern. The sofa has cushions, and the table is made of the same white wood that is in style around the city. There is art on the walls. Candles within lanterns provide light, not torches.
Above us is a chandelier. Judging by the gold plating, and master craftsmanship, it must be worth a fortune. Whoever we are meeting must be important.
*creeeeek*
The old woman exits the room we wait outside of and joins us in the entryway.
“The mistress is ready to see you now.”
The two of us get up from the sofa and move toward the doorway, but Seraphina is stopped.
“Only Cassius has been invited by the mistress.”
Seraphina frowns slightly, but then her usual poker face returns.
“Ok, I’ll see you in a bit Cassius,” Seraphina tells me.
Now alone, I walk through the doorway on my crutches and into the room.
It is a rather traditional study. The walls also serve the purpose of bookshelves, there is a desk in the middle with a lantern, quill, ink, and some paper on it. Behind the desk, is a sitting woman.
She is an elf, with the appearance of a 50-year-old woman. She wears a large robe, completely white, with purple accents around the edges.
Alongside extravagant garb and old age, she has another quality. The aura I feel from her reminds me of some people in my past. She reminds me of Ozias and the King Spider. She bears the disposition of one who holds extreme power.
While a dangerous aura surrounds her, she has a calm and kind smile on her face. I realize now that it is wrong for me to be preparing myself for a battle. Bearing strength does not make her a threat in and of itself until she takes hostile actions.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scipio. My grandfather has told me about you.”