"Kol!" a voice echoes as he is nudged awake.
Kol wakes up to see a beautiful girl in front of him. As his eyes adjust to the sudden awakening, he can now clearly see that the gorgeous girl is his best friend, Nicole.
"How long are you going to keep reading that book?" Nicole asks. "You've been up here the whole day."
Kol knows he has read this book from the church ten times, but even after memorizing it, it still doesn't provide the answers he seeks.
"The Blood of Obedience," Nicole reads from the cover of the book. "I still don't understand why the sisters of this church allow you to read it."
"Well, if you had been with them as long as I have, you'd know they aren't that bad," Kol replies as he picks up the book from the table and stands from the chair he was slouching in.
"Yes, yes. Either that or they just want you to become a cleric like them," Nicole says, looking at him suspiciously.
Kol walks past Nicole toward the exit of the library.
"Why do you keep reading that anyway?" Nicole asks, almost in a demanding tone.
Kol sighs. "Like I said before, I have a lot of questions that need answers," he replies as he opens the door.
Outside the library is the ever-familiar quaint little town where both Nicole and Kol grew up. The town of Fallholt has a population of about 1,000 people, so almost everyone knows everyone. Fallholt lies between Lindow, the port town to the south, and Oakheart, the small dukedom to the north, all situated on a small island south of the Tree of Balance.
The familiar warm breeze brushes Kol's face as he looks up at the sky, admiring the clouds while his long black hair sways in the wind. The cluster of giant leaves is faintly visible from this distance, radiating light every morning.
"I'm going to miss days like this," Kol says as he looks back at Nicole, who is already watching him.
"What warm?" Nicole replies, caught staring at Kol.
"Days with you," Kol says. "Please don't tell me you thought I forgot?"
"Pfft. I knew you wouldn't forget." Nicole walks beside Kol. "By this time tomorrow, I'll be leaving for the magic academy."
"Then we better make this day a memorable one," Kol says as he grabs Nicole's hand and starts running.
Although Kol will miss Nicole, he needs to change the topic of conversation as he always does. After all, he doesn't want it; he doesn't want the curse he received from the gods since his birth.
Kol brought Nicole to a small cliffside not far from town, but far enough to be safe from monsters and prying eyes.
The sea stretches toward the horizon, the tree's leaves in the sky reaching out and eventually becoming invisible as they approach the edge. No birds or sounds from ships below, only the crashing of waves against the cliff and the warm sea breeze now and then.
"Four years is a long time, don't you think?" Kol asked Nicole as he sat at the edge of the cliff.
"Don't worry, I'm never forgetting my best friend." Nicole sits down beside Kol, her long red hair flowing, almost mirroring Kol's black hair.
"Yeah, right. You'll probably make a lot of other friends there who are nobles too," Kol says, staring into the distance, but Nicole can feel the pain in his voice.
"That will never happen. Besides, I know we're going to see each other again," she says with a smile. Kol can't help but blush as he looks at her beautiful face framed by fiery red hair. "You and I are going to be great wizards!" Nicole screams into the ocean.
Although it wasn't a sin to dream, Kol took comfort in the fact that they both shared the same aspirations. Even if Nicole, his best friend, was the daughter of the Duke of Oakheart and he was an orphan boy raised by the church, he believed in both of their dreams—well, in hers more than his.
"Besides, you told me you'll also be going up to Roselier's to be one of his students," Nicole says.
"Well, yes, but there's the issue of quality in education," Kols replies, recalling that Nicole never liked comparing poor and rich circumstances since, at the end of the day, the same outcome will be produced. "But I will still do my best!"
"That's the spirit!" Nicole smacks Kol's back hard enough to startle him, momentarily shaking off his fear of falling.
They spend the afternoon reminiscing about their past exploits and adventures throughout the town. For Kol, it's almost hard to believe that both of them are now 15 years old and have been friends since they were 10. Everyone in town and at the church always rooted for Kol, as the two looked like a perfect match. Kol, being a bookworm, and Nicole, being adventurous, are almost the perfect examples of the saying that opposites attract. Ever since they met, Kol had always secretly liked Nicole, but out of fear of rejection, he never confessed. With Nicole leaving, he thinks this is the best time to tell her rather than wait four years or find out that she has already met someone else while at the academy.
Little did he know, Nicole shared the same feelings.
"Nic, I'm not going to see you for four years, and I think you should know before you leave tomorrow," Kol says, looking at the beauty in front of him.
Nicole's face began to turn red at the thought of Kol confessing to her, but she knew he wouldn't—after all, why would Kol fall for a disobedient and ill-mannered girl like her?
"I like you, Nicole."