By the time night fell, the festival was winding down.The other kids went back to their games and laughter, but I stayed off to the side,letting the excitement fade into the background. The wind had calmed, but I could still feel it,It wasn't just an accident I knew that now.
Mia had found me a later,"Thank you!" As she thanked me her entire face turned red.
I looked at her,then away,uncomfortable with the praise and blush.
"You would have been fine." I said that but I knew that wasn't true,there was no royal guard or someone to even notice.
"No really,you saved me."She shook her head.
I sighed.Leaning back against a tree.
"Well anyone would have done the same Mia so there is no need to thank me." I insisted.In this life, at least.If it was me in the past I would have definitely walked away...But that was then.Now?Now I have a different role to play,I started liking humans and even being one,such complex emotions I'm slowly developing...
Mia smiled softly,"You are different you know,different than the other kids." Well,I thought,she was literally talking to me,a 4 year old while she is 10,anyone would have found that weird.
But I glanced at her and replied,"Maybe I'm not."
She didn't ask what I meant by that,and I didn't explain.Some things are better left unsaid.
As the sky turned dark I found myself sitting alone in a hill,overlooking the orphanage.The wind was cool against my skin,comforting in a way I didn't expect.
Heartforge Academy...a prestigious magic academy which invites mages from all over the world to study there.The founder also known as Headmaster Varren is a trio elemental mage at the grandmaster stage with a Tier 9 mana body,a truly powerful existence.If you are wondering when I learned about this...of course from the book I read in the library of the orphanage.
My goal for now is to enter that academy as soon as I can.
I clenched my fists,be prepared my siblings because I am coming,I said with determination.
As the evening grew darker, Lily found me, her ever optimistic smile lighting up her face. "You okay?" she asked, sitting down beside me.
I didn't look at her. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
"About what?" she pressed.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "About what's next."
Lily leaned back on her hands, her gaze following mine."You mean the academy?"
"Yeah," I said quietly, the thought of Heartforge Academy heavy in my mind. "I can't stay here forever."
Lily nodded, her usual lighthearted demeanour taking on a rare seriousness. "I get it. I mean, this place is nice and all, but it's not enough for someone like you." She tilted her head, studying me with a strange expression. "You've always been… different, Thaddeus."
Here we go again,I'm feeling very uncomfortable every time I talk to a girl in this orphanage except of my caretaker of course,she is the best.
"Different isn't always a bad thing," she continued, her voice soft. "You saved Mia today, and everyone's talking about it. They look up to you."
I snorted, the idea of being looked up to by children somehow amusing. "I don't want to be a hero."
"I don't think you get to choose," Lily replied with a shrug. "Sometimes, people just see something in you, whether you like it or not."
"I'll leave." I said,my tone as serious as it can be."When the time is right,I'll leave this place."
Lily didn't say anything for a moment, then she sighed. "I figured as much. Just… don't forget about us when you do, okay?"
I glanced at her, surprised."I won't forget."
She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Good."
After that last word,we sat there looking at the vast sky for a while.
Eventually, Lily stood up, brushing dirt off her dress. "Come on. They'll start wondering where you are."
"I'll catch up," I replied, not really in the mood to join the others. Lily hesitated but nodded, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
As I watched her walk away, something inside me shifted. I had always known I wasn't meant to stay here, but the weight of that realisation felt heavier than ever. My time at the orphanage was running out, and I would need to prepare for the journey ahead.
But for now, I stayed where I was, watching the night sky, feeling the wind play with my hair. There was something almost peaceful in the solitude, a rare quiet that I wasn't used to. It wouldn't last. It never did.
---
2 years since that event has gone by,many things such as my mana body which advanced to tier 2 and I was practically a pupil level mage at 6 years old.According to books mages were categorized in 7 levels and the list goes as follows:
Novice Level Mage->Pupil Level Mage->Master Level Mage->GrandMaster Level Mage->Archmage Level ->Supreme Mage Level->Sage Level.
Levels aren't set only for mages but also combatants and the list goes as follows:
Warrior Level->Champion Level->Elite Level->Battle Sage Level->Warlord Level.
If I had to compare my past self to the current status I'd be a Battle Sage Level combatant.But that might be an overstatement who knows,if I ever meet one I'll confirm it.
Today was a bright day,the laughter of children filled the building and me as usual,standing in a corner reading a book.This time it was a historical book explaining the creation of the world.
It is said that this world consists of 4 Continents,one in which I'm currently living,the Elendor Continent ruled by our Human Sovereign named Lord Sylas.The Continent of Azra ruled by the Dragon Sovereign also known as Lord Shingen.
The Continent of Yama,ruled by the Demon Sovereign,Lord Shintaro.Reading that name made me gasp and my eye fly open,Shintaro was the name of my eldest brother and the one who ended my life.Snapping back to reality I kept reading,the last Continent Ria,in which the elf Sovereign reigned supreme.
What piqued my interest was that,all 4 Continents only covered half the planet and the rest of it was covered by the Dark Sea,it's origin is unknown and only the sovereigns dared to explore.After a century,they had come back and immediately created a giant wall separating the Dark Sea and the 4 Continents.
Back in my days,I had never heard of such thing as a Dark Sea and before gathering my thoughts I heard a scream.Mia disappeared again...
From the information I gathered,no men were in sight,no suspicious figures near the place at all as reported by the guards.She had simply vanished.
My instincts flared,warning me that something wasn't right.I had saved her once,but now i wasn't sure I could do it again.Still,I wasn't going to give up.
I stood at the edge of the orphanage grounds,my eyes narrowed as i was scanning the forest. Where could she have gone?
Without thinking, I reached out with my wind magic, letting the breeze carry my senses further, trying to pick up any trace of her presence and so I did.It was like i could perfectly read the wind,seeing the path created by it,I followed.
Thaddeus! Wait!" Lily called from behind me, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Not now.
I clenched my fists, the air swirling around me with mana.Mia… I'll find you.
And with that, I disappeared into the trees,my entire body fused in wind magic.