"There are no recorded texts or books made by Void Mages. Even in the past, Void Mages are considered nothing up until recently.".
These words keep coming up in Andre's mind as he thinks of his encounter with the store owner. He asked for any books related to Void Mages but he got nothing. It turns out that the store owner had also met William in the past.
"So he used to visit his store and buy some books? Buy what the hell are the books that he bought?! Surely there is something that will turn up, right?!" Andre's day is ruined. He figured that he spends his time following Clara was a waste.
"What are you thinking about? Should you be down just because you failed to find what you are looking for? To me, that's not a reason to be down. At the very least, you knew that William used to go to that store. That will give you an idea for his method." Clara cuts in.
It was necessary, she felt that he was down because of her. But in truth, Andre knows that he cannot find what he looking for in that store. "Void Mages are not that rare but the books written by one are. What a pain." He said to himself.
"Right, and there is no reason to do so."
Andre looks at Clara with a blank face. "What? I'm just saying the truth. There is indeed no reason for you to know his method. You two are both different kinds of mages in the first place. So knowing his method will not only make sense but it will also be utterly pointless." She added.
"You little- wait. You're right. Now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense."
Clara immediately agreed. It's something that blinded Andre, his pursuit of power. It made him blind to even realize the sense of what he is doing.
"I messed up big time and I was about to put the blame on someone else. I am an idiot." He said to himself.
Clara is delighted to see that Andre had seen his mistake. It is a step in the right direction, it's a part of his growth as a person and Clara can see that he is still capable of more than that.
"I suggest that you find your method. There is no fulfillment in trying to catch up to a person using the same thing that guy is using, you are just giving him something to be proud of. In the end, you are going to be on the losing side."
They both sat on a bench in the middle of a part. Andre finds it pleasant just like Clara said earlier. "Rest is also part of training, huh? Now that I think about it, ever since I have been with her I learned a few things that I was not able to see in the past. Is this a step in the right direction?"
With new thoughts flooding Andre's head, Clara is relieved that he is slowly starting to change. "Well, this is a bit of a bummer but I need to be somewhere. I just hung on for a bit longer since you seem you needed a company." She said with a smile.
Andre smiles back and appreciates her consideration for accompanying him. "Thanks, Clara, and sorry for acting like a complete douche last time."
She blushed and turned around. "Well, if you feel indebted, you can always treat me next time." She said enthusiastically. "Uhm- yeah. I guess I should consider that." Andre replied.
Clara bid farewell and left.
Andre sat there for a few more minutes before going back to his room. "Find my method. I should have done that a long time ago." He said to himself. He felt refreshed, he did not expect to find an answer to the thing that he had been looking for.
But his smile disappeared when he met Frezo in front of the Red Tower gates.
"You look like you are in high spirits. Did something good happen?" He asked coldly. Andre could only grit his teeth and nod his head. "That's what you should be doing. You are an important figure among your peers. We cannot have you being pushed around forever by that Void Mage." Frezo added as he passed by Andre.
"All of us staggered when we heard the news, to most of us, it looked like an act of declaration of war. It is something that we cannot turn a blind eye to. You should be doing the same, training hard. Because that is what your seniors will be doing from now on. We cannot let a single Void Mage threaten our standing in this world."
Those surprised Andre, for a long time he thought that he was the only one that sees William as a rival, so learning that even his seniors don't want to lose against William came to him as a shock.
"There is a limit on what a single person can do. Bare that in mind." He added as he left.
Andre looked back, at first he was angry at his senior but now that feeling is gone and only amazement remains.
"To think that even senior Frezo thinks like that about William. No- they should have felt threatened from the beginning. Some of them were there during the test and word about William during that test might have spread amongst them like wildfire."
On that day, Andre realized two things: first is that he is not the only one that sees William as a rival, and second is that he cannot walk on the same path as the person that he considers a rival.
"Where have you been, you idiot?" Volt asked Andre after meeting him on the stairs back to their room. "I just went somewhere. Why do you need to ask me where I have been every time I went somewhere? Are you my mother?" that side of Andre did not change.
"I know you went with a girl somewhere, you're just embarrassed to admit that." Volt felt embarrassed for Andre for some reason and the latter just stare at him blankly. "Did he lose his mind?"