Well, it wasn't too bad of a trip. I thought it would be much scarier, but I managed to do what I wanted already.

The cloaked man took me back to the pub, where I was promptly sent out the door by the barkeep. Really, so rude. Looking at the sky, it seems that I missed lunch for a while now. I was so focused on the task that any hunger faded away quite quickly, but now that I'm back out it comes back full force.

Rumble.

Ah, I'm really hungry, huh. Maybe I should eat out today. The cafeteria food is good, but having something different once in a while is good.

Humming, I walk around and look for a restaurant or tavern under the golden light of the setting sun.

===

The week after passed like a blur.

Studying, training, practicing. Time passes so fast when you're focused on something.

Theoretical classes are still hard, but I managed to stay awake a bit longer at least. Especially the History and Geography classes. I lasted a whole 30 minutes now! Cough... that sounds bad when said out loud, huh?

I kept practicing with Genesis, trying my best to memorize the sound each string made, and which note it represents. I think the Blessing is helping me with this, too. Each note I played, each string I plucked, all seemed familiar to me, like an old friend. It feels strange remembering something that you know you never experienced before. Or is it my past life coming back to me more?

Whatever it is, I hope it stays.

When I came back to Music class, Professor Norete praises me a lot and kept saying that I'm a musical savant or something like that. It was really embarrassing, you know? I even got some weird glances from other classmates. Well, me progressing this fast is a good thing, so I'll try not to complain, too much. The professor taught me about simple chords next, so that's my new goal.

As for magic, well, it's going, somewhere...

Professor Jack Mason told me to continue practicing in his class until I can cast spells without wasting any mana, only then will he teach me something new. The exercise he made me do consists of using the Move Stone spell to levitate 3 rocks above my palm for as long as possible. Since the spell requires constant channeling, I need to keep my mana flow extremely stable and at a low amount, or I risk launching the rocks instead of just letting them hover.

Overall, the success rate is rather mixed. I launched about 20 rocks of all shapes and sizes before I got a hang of it, and it's still leaking light. It seems that I still have a long way to go.

===

The Blessed class once again comes, and I keep playing the lute at the back of it, enjoying myself watching the floating mana dance happily around me. I still can't lead their dance into something more useful, but seeing motes of light ducking and twirling through the air brings me a sense of joy.

The effect of me playing chords instead of single notes is a lot more potent than I thought. Normally, mana is colorless and can't be seen by people, but the mana around me congregate and weave together into motes of light with different colors of the elements, making them look like little fireflies.

It's so beautiful, I almost cried. Well, maybe I did a little. Magic is so beautiful sometimes.

Too absorbed in my appreciation of the moving mana, I didn't see the Prince's entourage approaching before they're right in front of me.

"What a beautiful sight. Is this some sort of spell?" A soft and pleasant voice asks.

Startled, I turn to see the Prince looking at my little light show with interest. The moment I stop playing though, the little mana lights scatter back into nothing.

"Um, no... It's my Blessing."

"Really? I almost thought that you're a Light mage conjuring these, how marvelous. What does it do?"

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He's acting, I can tell. No way that the Prince, who has the Light attribute, doesn't know that the lights are not created by Light magic. I decide to humor him a little.

"Well, my Blessing seems to gather mana around me when I'm playing an instrument, so that's what makes all the lights. I hope that it's not too distracting, your Hi - err - Victus."

If he heard my little mishap, then he doesn't show it. Still, with a dazzling smile on his face, he continues to probe.

"Really, now? Your Blessing is getting more intriguing every time I see you. That lute is part of it too, right?"

I nod my head. It's not such a big secret after all.

"Can... can y-you do it again," a timid voice asks. I turn to see Genis Green looking at me sheepishly, but the anticipation in his voice can't be missed.

"Of course," I reply. Is this my first live performance? In front of the Prince, no less! I want to make this as special as I could.

I begin to strum a few chords again, trying to link them into what I think a song should be, just letting my feelings guide my hands. It's clumsy and doesn't sound like anything, but I feel there's a little charm to it. More importantly, I feel that it's mine.

This broken little tune is mine and mine alone, not from the memory of my past life, not from some cosmic or divine forces. A small, simple song about nothing, and yet about everything at the same time. That's how I feel, at least.

The mana around me dances even more excitedly, swirling and mixing and weaving together in a strange and magical tapestry. The beautiful sight of the little lights floating reminds me of stars that decorate the night sky.

As great as the Capital city is, there are just too many magical lanterns shining at night, so I can't really see any stars at night here. But right now, this dome of flickering light takes me back to my hometown, where I would sneak out at night sometimes just to watch the cosmos above through my grandpa's old telescope.

I miss home.

The song becomes a little slower as my mood changed, dyeing it with some of my sadness. Yet, the movements of my hands become smoother, the notes once directionless now flow like sweet honey, soft and melancholy.

As if sensing my nostalgia, the motes of lights begin to arrange themselves in familiar patterns while shrinking slightly, eventually becoming tiny little stars that settle into constellations and nebulae of swirling mana that look like rivers. Dark and Water mana mix together then spread out thinly like a mist, becoming the very night sky that I yearn for.

The whole illusion is not static either. The 'cosmic river' flows across the 'sky', while 'stars' and 'planets' move in orbit of each other. Occasionally, the passage of a 'shooting star' leaves streaks of light on the dark blue canvass, shining bright even in its brief existence. Everything is so dynamic and alive just like the sky seen from my family's manor.

It is a perfectly beautiful sight, but I can't help but feel my melancholy existing within, ruining any joy I would get from looking at it.

Unable to gaze upon such blasphemy of the night sky any longer, I ended the little song, and the illusion shattered like broken glass before evaporating into nothingness.

Placing a hand on my face, I wipe the single tear that was shed during my performance. Arg, so embarrassing! Why did I suddenly start crying in a middle of a performance like that! I wanted it to be a fun song, but it turned sad midway through...

I look at the others, finding different emotions on their faces.

Mirria and Genis are seemingly the most affected by my song, for they are crying as well. Or more like Mirria is gritting her teeth while glaring at me in a fruitless show of bravado, but her trembling lips and moistened eyes tell the truth of her feelings.

Genis is more honest, with his hands clutching at his mouth, tears streaming down his face, it doesn't take Soul Sight to know that he feels sad as well.

Victus and Geraldt have much better control of their emotions. The Prince is gazing at me with an extremely neutral look, which is a stark contrast from his previous smiling facade. His eyes are blank, like golden disks, his mouth pressed thinly together.

Geraldt, on the other hand, is openly frowning at me with his intense brown eyes. I feel that he would skin me alive if given the chance.

As for Drevor the jerk, he's openly gawking at me, his eyes wide and mouth opened like a dead fish. I would have rolled around the floor laughing if the situation is different.

Katarina, meanwhile, looks a little surprised, and a little proud, excited? She doesn't seem as affected, maybe because she sits the farthest away from me. Well, I chose to sit away from her to avoid those weird glances, so that's why the seats are so far apart.

"You, what was that?"

Turning back to the Prince, I find him asking me a question I don't have an answer to. His unfocused eyes are now sharp again.

"I'm... not sure. I just let my hands move, and that came out."

"What's the name of the song?" Genis asks, a firm conviction in his voice. I'm taken aback by how smooth that question came out, no stuttering or pauses to be heard.

"It doesn't have one. Do you want to give it a name?" I ask back, not really expecting much.

"Lonely Star." He blurts out immediately. Quickly realizing that he just named my song out of nowhere, his face flushes red as he stammered out a lame excuse. "Ah... it's not... I mean... I... I didn't... m-mean to. If... if y-you don't... then."

I can't help but burst out laughing at his miserable-looking face. He's like a kid that got caught doing something bad. I try to reassure him before he melts. I mean, he's turning deep red, like an over-ripe tomato.

"Haha. It's okay, I like it. Short and to the point."

"R-really?" He said hopefully, his embarrassment forgotten.

"Yeah. Love it." I said as I ruffles his hair.

He's kinda cute, huh? Like a little hamster.

Is this what having a little brother feels like?