The wee hours of the morning…
Max laid down on the grass, staring at the clouds in the sky. His thoughts centered around the desire to end his life.
Unfortunately, he could not move even if he wanted to. "Hah…was there a need to tie me up?"
Turning his head to the left, Regard sat with his back up against a tree, munching on meat.
Regard paused his chewing before swallowing. "You can't blame me. What child attempts to kill himself more than five times in a single night. I'm tired and you need a time out."
"What kind of godfather would tie up his godson??"Max questioned.
Regard shot back. "The kind that doesn't want to see him dead."
"Just let me die, please…" Max pleaded but was met with a strange look from Regard.
"I really can't fathom what child would be willing to die so easily."
Max sighed. "Is there a reason to keep on living?... I've been disowned by my father and I'm a cripple. What is left for me?"
"…Is being a magician so important to you?... Have you thought about how Lara would feel if I let you kill yourself?" At this point, Regard's tone became somewhat serious.
"… She doesn't deserve a son like me… Because of me, she will end up suffering at the hands of my father."
"Don't blame yourself, kid. There are some things that you aren't aware of."
Seeing as he would not budge, Max resigned himself to wait for now, when the time came, he would end this pitiful existence.
"So you decided to calm down?" Regard asked.
Max snorted. "Do I have a choice?"
"No, you don't." Regard was done with his snack, so he dusted himself and moved to lay down beside Max. "I know it must be hard to find out that you can't use magic, but I can assure you… there is a better life waiting for you if only you can listen to me."
"What better life is there than being a Summoner?"
Regard thought for a bit before asking. "Do you know about the Age of Old?"
"Yes. That was when magic came into our world and Summoners began to pop up." Max casually replied.
"Oh, good one. I can see you have studied up on your world history."
Max remained apathetic. "What does it matter?"
"Well do you know that before the Age of Old, there was a different era?"
Max scoffed. "Who doesn't know?... That was an era of savagery. What is your point with asking me all this?"
Regard sat up at this point, amused by Max's response. "An era of savagery?... I believe that is a complete lie."
This caught Max by surprise. "A lie?... What do you mean?" Unknowingly, his curiosity was raised.
"What I am about to tell you is the history of this world that most people have forgotten about… Do you care to listen?"
Max remained silent but nodded in response.
"Before the Age of Old was the Immemorial era. At that time, there was no magic in Midgard, only natural energy also known as Ordena." Regard paused as he seemed to be reminiscing.
"Humans were able to use natural energy to perform incredible feats, becoming what they would call a Sage."
Max narrowed his eyes at the last word. "Sage?"
"Mn, A Sage. Beings capable of using the natural laws… That in my opinion was the peak of human civilization. Unfortunately, everything changed when the War for Supremacy began.
"The War opened up the realm passages between the worlds of Samsara, bringing with it a destruction that took several lives."
Max muttered. "Such a grand war… How did it end?"
"it ended with the advent of an entity that shook not only Midgard but the Samsara as a whole. He was known as the Samsara Sage, capable of utilizing the three main laws of the world.
"Using his power, he subjugated the other races and forced them to sign a contract that forbade them from arbitrarily entering our world through the Realm passages."
Max had a thought. "If they were forbidden from entering our world, then why do Summoners exist?"
Regard chuckled. "Good question. The contract forbade them from entering without permission, which meant that humans could still call open them if they wanted to."
Max pursed his lips as he reached a conjecture. "So magic…"
"Was a by-product of the war." Regard simply stated.
"If a Sage is so powerful, why did humanity turn away from it to become Magicians?" Max felt skeptical.
"Because the path of magic is easier than that of a Sage. Magic is a case of if you have or if you don't, but to be a Sage, one must first become a hermit and after that, the dangers that come with advancing increase with each level.
"People have always been lazy when it came to gaining power, how many do you think would be willing to go down such an arduous path?"
Max couldn't refute, he was indeed right. When faced with two choices in which one was easier than the other with a lot of benefits, very few would be willing to go down the path least taken.
As he thought, Max suddenly thought of a possibility. "Wait, you said that being a Sage isn't determined from birth but is something you work to achieve?"
Regard nodded, remaining silent as he waited for something.
"Wait, then that means…" There was a light in his eyes but it quickly died down. "I'm already a cripple with magic, it's best not to hope for a different future as a Sage."
Regard's expression sank. "I was once like you."
"How do you mean?"
"Unable to use magic, cast out as a cripple with no future."
"How did you overcome it?" Max asked.
"I didn't do it alone, your mother helped me. She made me realize that giving up without trying is never the right choice… she made me leave, in search of a different path.
"That was when I found this…" Regard trailed off as he rubbed his palm across the grass.
Max moved his neck just enough, in time to watch as it grew by about a centimeter before finally stopping.
"…You are a Sage."
Regard tilted his head. "…Of course, why do you think your guards referred to me as 'Sage Regard'?"
"…Well forgive me for not committing your title to memory, I've had a rough night." Max shot back.
Both of them remained silent before suddenly bursting out into laughter.
Max asked with a weak smile. "…if I agreed, would you help me become a Sage?"
"Maybe… why do you want to become one?"
"…I don't know if you'll understand but I've had a shitty life for as long as I can remember… I'm tired of living with the shit fate hands to me… I want to change it with my hands."
Regard nodded in appreciation. "That's a noble goal. Fine then, I am willing to teach you the Art of the Hermit. Are you okay with me becoming your teacher?"
Max answered without hesitation. "Yes."
This time, he won't sit back and take it. He made up his mind.
In his previous life, he had no one, all alone in a world where he wasn't cared for.
This time, Max had someone, his mother, she didn't deserve the heartache that would come if he took his life.
So he would fight!... And until his last breath, he definitely won't give up.
At this moment, Max's goal was clear. With fire in his eyes, he glanced at Regard. "Could you help me with the restraints?"
"Nope."
"Oh, come on…"