"Ulp!" I immediately covered my mouth as I felt the bile rising up my throat. I didn't want Tessia to see me in such a state. She looked at me in confusion, clearly concerned.
Without another word, I rushed towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind me. I could hear Tessia calling out to me from the other side, her voice laced with worry. But I couldn't bring myself to respond. I was too busy trying to calm my racing heart and steady my breathing.
As I leaned over the cleansing basin and retched, I couldn't help but think about the nightmare that had just flashed through my mind.
'No, no. That was just my imagination,' I thought to myself.
As I thought that, I remembered the dream I just had. The girl had said something to me about the end of the world. She mentioned something about the world ending because of the god's game. The girl in my dream also warned me about the whole of humanity dying, including me and my family.
I decided to take a deep breath and calm myself down. I knew that panicking or dwelling on the dream would only make things worse. I took a few moments to gather my thoughts and compose myself.
Then, I remembered the girl's words ringing in my ears. 'You must get stronger. Fail to do so and nothing you hold dear is safe.'
I couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency to heed her warning. What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it was some kind of premonition or warning? It was a terrifying thought, but I knew I couldn't just ignore it.
As I closed my eyes, I began to recite the incantation for the waterball spell. I focused my mana on the words, feeling the magic flow through me. When I opened my eyes, a small ball of water had formed in my palms.
I brought the ball of water to my face and washed my face with it, hoping to cleanse my mind of the troubling dream.
With the cool water dripping down my face, I took a deep breath and tried to steady my racing heart. I knew that the dream I had just experienced was just a product of my imagination, but the intensity of it had left me feeling unsettled.
As I walked back to the living room, Tessia was waiting for me with a worried expression on her face.
"Brother, are you feeling okay?" she asked, looking up at me with big, concerned eyes.
I gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I'm fine. Just had a little stomachache."
She seemed to relax at my words, and I felt a sense of relief. At least I could still protect her from my own fears.
***
Tessia had fallen asleep in my bed, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. I could hear the sound of raindrops falling outside, the sound soothing in its own way. I pulled up the blanket to cover her body, tucking it tightly around her so that she wouldn't get cold.
After making sure that Tessia was comfortably asleep, I stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. There was a small library in the house, situated just next to my room. Despite its proximity, I found myself unable to muster the courage to leave the room. If I wanted to get a new book, I would usually ask Tessia to fetch it for me. But I couldn't do that now, not while she was sleeping soundly in my bed.
I scanned the titles of the books, searching for something that might give me some insight into the girl's warning. Part of me wanted to dismiss her words as ridiculous and unbelievable, but another part couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that there might be some truth to them. I needed something to confirm or deny her claims, something that would give me clarity and direction. It was hard to dismiss her words as mere nonsense. There was something about her that seemed genuine, even though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
If my memory served me well, I recalled having a book on legends, filled with tales of legendary heroes who had existed more than a thousand years ago. It was a voluminous tome, containing five hundred pages of fascinating myths, inspiring tales of heroic deeds, and the remarkable feats of people who had made significant contributions to the world.
When I had a breakdown, I had thrown several books in a fit of rage, and that particular book about legends might have been one of them. However, I hoped that it was still on the shelf, but as I scanned through the rows of books, my heart sank as I couldn't find it anywhere. It wasn't here anymore.
Feeling disappointed, I let out a heavy sigh and stood up.
I shifted my gaze to the window, which was draped with a heavy black curtain. As I pulled the black curtain aside to get a better view of the heavy rain outside, I was suddenly reminded of laughter. However, the laughter wasn't in the present but rather from the past. I recalled a time when I was at the library and could hear my classmates playing in the school courtyard. Some were practicing their sword fighting skills by hitting a dummy with their swords.
As I was engrossed in my book, my attention was drawn towards two children who were my classmates. I looked down at them, expecting them to call me to join their game or perhaps exchange some friendly banter. However, I soon noticed that they were looking in my direction, and their smiles were not of the friendly kind. Rather, it was a mocking smile that made me feel uneasy.
I tried to brush it off, thinking that maybe they were just fooling around, but their laughter and taunting continued, and it began to feel like they were deliberately trying to make fun of me. I couldn't understand why they were behaving like this, and it made me feel isolated and alone.
I believe that was the moment when the bullying began. My classmates all started to mock me for my lack of talent with the sword and for spending so much time in the library reading books. I had hoped that by reading, I could make up for my physical shortcomings with strategic knowledge on how to win. But unfortunately, all I gained from reading those books were theoretical moves and techniques that were of no use in actual combat.
The more I tried to fit in with them, the more they pushed me away. It was a vicious cycle, and I didn't know how to break it. I wanted to show them that I was just as capable as they were, but they only saw me as weak and unworthy. The bullying got worse with each passing day, and I felt more and more isolated.
It was a difficult time for me, being constantly bullied by my classmates and even my own cousin. Marcus had always been distant from me, never showing any interest in getting to know me or being friendly. But after the bullying started, he suddenly became interested in me—but not in a positive way.
He would often punch me and leave bruises on my body. It was painful, both physically and emotionally. I felt isolated and alone, with no one to turn to for help. One time, when Marcus punched me particularly hard, I was left with a nasty bruise on my face. I remember how one of his friends, who was skilled in healing magic, came to my aid and healed the wound so that our grandfather wouldn't see it. As I lay there, writhing and groaning in pain, I could feel their eyes on me—full of mockery and disdain. It was a humiliating and degrading experience.
I couldn't bring myself to tell my grandfather about the bullying, even though it was happening almost every day. I felt ashamed and weak for not being able to stand up for myself. As a result, the bullying continued throughout my time at that school.
They would hit me, take turns punching me, and sometimes even throw fireballs in my direction. It was a constant source of fear and pain.
Every day, the same torment would occur, but everything changed when a certain day arrived.
As usual, I was swinging my sword, lost in my own thoughts, when suddenly Marcus smacked my head. I glared at him, but quickly turned my attention back to swinging my sword.
"You look pathetic, swinging your sword like that," Marcus said with a sneer.
I didn't bother to pay attention to his words, knowing that it would only be more hurtful words. But he didn't stop there, continuing to insult me.
"That's why I think you don't belong in this school. You clearly lack the necessary requirements to be here, and you're mediocre in magic too. So why don't you go back to where you belong and be a disgrace elsewhere, just like your father?"
I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore him, but then he went too far. He brought up my father, who had been disowned from our family for disobeying my grandfather.
I felt my anger boiling up inside me, and before I knew it, I had snapped.
My anger boiled over, and I lost control. My body moved on its own as I charged at him, my sword raised high above my head. I swung it down with all my might, but he deftly dodged it, laughing at my feeble attempt.
"Take that back!" I screamed at him, my voice echoing across the courtyard.
As the momentary flashback went through me, I gritted my teeth and drew the curtains, then lay back on the bed in the darkened room. The already dark room was even darker now that the rain was pouring down, but I didn't mind. In fact, I felt like it was better this way.