"What can I do without you?"
Looking at the sky full of sorrow, Valiance muttered those words as memories of the past flooded his mind. He thought of his journey with Kalli—traveling across the world, encountering countless sights, meeting many people. During those travels, he had come to know more about his father, not just as a mage but as a man.
Kalli was truly kind and fiercely protective of his friends. Even as time caught up with him, he never hesitated to fight for his loved ones. But there had always been a faint sadness in his eyes—something Valiance noticed but never understood. Just what happened in the past?
How many days had passed?
He sighed, trying to shake the overwhelming negative emotions swelling inside him. Although only a few days had passed since that fateful event, it felt like an eternity. He was not used to being without Kalli's presence. Now, he found himself here, in Orith Magical Academy, trying to blend in with unfamiliar people. Though he appeared fine on the outside, he constantly thought of his father.
"I thought you were a great mage," he mumbled bitterly.
He still couldn't accept that Kalli was gone. It had all happened too fast, leaving him no time to process it. He recalled Kalli's words during one of their travels:
"A good mage must always be stable and not let emotions overwhelm reason."
At his current state, Valiance knew he wouldn't achieve much if he let his emotions consume him. But what could he do? He couldn't simply reset his mind and forget everything.
"You look miserable."
A piercing voice broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. Valiance immediately adopted a deadpan expression, glancing up to find Eira standing nearby, her face unreadable.
"Why are you here?" he asked flatly.
"I just finished reading in the library. On my way back, I saw someone sitting on a bench, looking like he was about to cry," she said.
Valiance's face turned red, his embarrassment rising like a flame. Of all people, it had to be her who saw him in this state. Clearing his throat, he replied awkwardly, "Just… don't tell anyone, okay?"
"I don't really care," Eira replied with a shrug, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of curiosity.
Valiance noticed but pretended otherwise, quickly changing the subject.
"I still can't forget what you did in Fundamentals of Magic class," Valiance said, adjusting his seat and patting the vacant space beside him. "Why would you do that?"
Eira glanced at the empty spot but didn't move. Instead, she replied coolly, "Didn't I already answer that?"
"You didn't take it seriously," he sneered. "Just give me a real answer, and I'll stop pestering you."
"No," Eira replied curtly, shaking her head. "There's nothing for me to gain."
"There is."
"What?"
Eira frowned, puzzled by his response. "What do I have to gain by answering?"
"Didn't you say last night that you wouldn't sleep before a boy?" Valiance asked, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.
"And?"
"Well, I can't sleep before a girl who might backstab me while I'm asleep."
"You…" Eira's expression darkened, and she fumed silently. Yet she couldn't deny his logic. "I'll report you for harassment," she snapped.
"Go ahead," Valiance replied nonchalantly. "We'll see who gets the last laugh."
Realizing her scare tactic had failed, Eira let out a frustrated sigh before reluctantly sitting beside him. She closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts.
Valiance smiled at her compliance. This was one of Kalli's old tactics—psychological maneuvering. When he wasn't fighting, he was using his sharp mind to deal with people, and his methods were always effective.
"I heard you last night."
"Last night?" Valiance looked at her, full of puzzlement.
"You were dreaming—talking to yourself or something like that," Eira replied softly, her eyes fixed on the setting sun. "You said something about magic being easy to master… somewhere along those lines."
I don't remember my dream, Valiance thought bitterly. However, he recalled that his old man always said those words to him, mocking talented mages who struggled to become Archmages. Kalli would often say that magic was incredibly easy to master with proper hard work and resources. Maybe that's what he had been dreaming about last night.
"Uh, well… you see…" Valiance stuttered, unsure of how to respond.
"I don't really care what you're trying to say," Eira interrupted, shaking her head as she stood up. "The fact is, it feels like you're insulting the hard work I've put in for years."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Valiance stunned. It took him a moment to process her words, but by then, Eira was already far enough that chasing after her would feel awkward—or so he told himself.
Hard work, huh? Isn't that what my old man used to preach?
It seemed Eira wasn't a naturally talented mage. From her earlier words, Valiance concluded that she must have earned her place at Orith through sheer perseverance. She didn't rely on innate gifts but instead on relentless effort.
Does that mean she's not someone with superior talent?
Then why did she confidently answer Professor Rombuss's question earlier? The thought didn't add up. It gnawed at Valiance, leaving him more curious about her than he cared to admit.
---
"Fireball spell, huh?"
Valiance muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged on the ground, staring at his palm. Closing his eyes, he began visualizing fire. He thought about its structure and mechanism, about how it worked—the way it consumed, burned, and created destruction.
"Conjure!"
A tiny ball of flame appeared at the tip of his index finger, flickering in the dim light of the private training room. Its glow reflected in his focused eyes. He thought back to the fireball spell he had conjured earlier in Fundamentals class, its destructive power still fresh in his mind.
Taking into account the processes he'd used earlier, Valiance opened his hand completely. The flame at his fingertip transferred to the surface of his palm, where it grew steadily larger. What caught his attention, however, was how its hue shifted—turning a brilliant blue.
Sweat began trickling down his forehead, the searing heat intensifying with every passing moment. The heat radiating from the growing flame caused beads of sweat to form across his body, but Valiance kept his focus. Fixing his gaze on the training dummy ahead of him, he pulled his hand back. The flame, now fully formed into a blue fireball, hovered in his palm, its energy pulsating.
Whoosh!
He hurled the fireball with all his might. The projectile streaked through the air, crackling as it flew, before striking the dummy.
Boom!
The explosion was deafening. When the smoke cleared, all that remained of the dummy was a pile of ash. Valiance's gaze fell to the ground, where he noticed a small crater forming at the impact site.
His eyes widened, however, as he watched the ground beneath the crater shimmer faintly and begin repairing itself. Within ten seconds, the floor had returned to its pristine state, as though his spell had never been cast.
The academy has self-regenerating floors? Impressive.
In truth, Valiance was in one of the private training rooms provided by Orith Academy. These rooms were specifically designed for students to test their magical abilities without risking damage to the academy's overall structure. They were also ideal for granting students privacy while practicing magic, allowing them to refine their skills without the scrutiny of others.
Valiance turned his attention back to the blue fireball in his palm. This was a superior version of the standard fireball spell, far more destructive in nature. What truly amazed him, however, was how little mana it consumed. It required only two-thirds of the mana needed for a regular fireball spell. How impressive was that?
This achievement was thanks to his old man's teachings. He could still vividly remember Kalli's words during their lessons on fire magic:
"The truth is, when people think of fire magic, they always assume it takes a huge amount of mana to make it destructive. That's a laughable mindset. By understanding the basic structure of fire and how it's formed, you can create powerful spells while using only a fraction of the mana."
Valiance chuckled to himself at the memory. Kalli had always mocked the conventional beliefs held by most mages—those who clung to flawed systems and an overreliance on so-called talent.
"Anyway," Valiance muttered, shifting his gaze to the smoldering remains of the training dummy, "what should I call this blue fire?"
He thought for a moment, then blurted out, "Blue Fireball."
The simplicity of the name made him laugh.
I'm really bad at naming things. But whatever. Blue Fireball it is. I'm too lazy to get creative with names anyway.
With that thought, Valiance began conjuring more Blue Fireballs, refining the spell with every cast. He focused on making the flame burn brighter, hotter, and more destructive. By the time his magical core was nearly drained, the room was filled with the faint warmth of residual fire energy, and his mind was brimming with ideas for improvement.