“’Back in the days, I was an exceptionally skilled magic user. I had gotten better as I kept practicing to the best of my capabilities. Griselda wanted us to study and be the best we could be, so we gave it our all.
“My lovely wife, bless her heart, watched from the sides and supported me through my toughest times, which I’m always thankful for. However, one day, as I was practicing my magic, I grew careless and ended up hurting her. She told me I didn’t injure her too badly, and that I shouldn’t worry too much about it, but I still couldn’t help but feel guilty about what I did.
“I swore that I’d never use magic again, for fear of losing control and hurting the people I love. I knew Griselda would be mad if I dropped out of the academy, but I stuck with my guns on my choice. On the other hand, my wife, Irene, was worried about how she’d react. Irene had a point. Getting on the principal’s bad side was practically a death sentence in and of itself. Instead, I opted to suggest time off so I could clear my head and spend more time with my wife.
“I struggled to pick the right time to discuss this. Griselda asked me to come to her office. She was going to call me out for how badly I’ve been doing—at least, that was what I thought. But, to my surprise, the principal gave me an assignment instead. I was to go on an expedition to another world for research, but I’d have to be away from my wife for a while, even though she’d been in labor for quite some time.
‘Wait, how long would this take?’ I asked her, slamming my hands on the desk.
‘Don’t worry, it won’t be too long,” Griselda assured me with a wink. ‘Besides, you won’t need to use too much magic. You’ll need to be careful. Use your wits and other forms of strength.’
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‘But can’t you let someone else do it instead? I mean, why does it have to be me?’
‘You’re experienced, more so than others. You were one of my best students, but you’ve been tripping in your classes and have been out of it lately. Think of this as a make-up exam.’
‘But I need some time off for—’
‘You’ll fail if you don’t do this, and you won’t be able to graduate.’ Griselda said in a cold tone. She rested her elbows on the desk and glared at me. ‘You’re better than that. You better have a good reason for this. This is your chance to turn your life around. So, what’s it going to be?’
“I wanted to speak up and tell her my answer. I didn’t need to think about my decision. I knew the repercussions, but I made up my mind. Irene was going through labor at that time, and I needed to be by her side.
“However, when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come out of my mouth, and my mind drew a blank. I can’t remember anything else after that.”
.-.-.-.
“...the next thing I knew, I somehow ended up here, with no way out and no one to talk to.” Hugh finished his story and stared at his hands.
Benjamin sat there, speechless over what he heard. His mouth gaped as he tried to process the words in his head. The principal wrote the book he looked up years ago, but she also hid more than she’s let on.
The magician lowered his head and clenched his fists on his knees. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s nothing. You don’t have to worry about that, Benjamin.” If only I knew how she was doing now… Hugh wiped his eyes, reliving the terrible memories he tried so hard to suppress.