A Heart's Fear

“So, you've finally come to your senses and studied for once, is that what you mean?”

I was going to lay it all out but instead I settled for his perceived answer.Maybe just this once I can restrain myself from revealing who I am.

Afterall—if word got out that I wasn’t from this world I could imagine that would land me in trouble. Even worse—they might force me to become a hero and all things considering I really would rather not to be a hero.

“Yeah, I guess you got me, I decided to take things much more seriously now on”
“Well, Leon—that is good news to hear”

He turned away and I followed him and took a seat on a bench.

“There’s still work to be done”

I began to look and copy manuscripts, and it continued until I had everything completed and over with.I found a way out of the long halls once I had finished today’s duties.

I walked my way to the emerald greenery that had its own garden that one could observe and come to think. I could hear the wind, but this wasn’t your average wind, more like a whirlwind clattering about the sky.

When I looked for myself, I saw someone who made the wind his master. And so, I walked closer and out of curiosity I had to ask the questions that burned in my mind.

“Was that magic?” I had asked.

“What else could it be?” Said the young man, who couldn’t be older than I.

“I see—then…. are you training for something in particular?”

“I plan on being the King of Cultivation, and no one is going to get in my way”

The King of Cultivation——

I remember in that book that I read it said that dragons were the one to bestow magic unto the people. Maybe I could find out more if I find a dragon and since I can read then I must be able to speak its language. I wonder what it would say.

“I think that I will be King of Cultivation instead,” for some reason I couldn't help but say this to him.

He had long wolf-cut dark hair and shining ember eyes, and it was clear that I pissed him off.

“And what's your name?” he had asked.

“Leon, Leon Brighthart”

The look on his face changed, as if the name struck fear into his very soul.

“I didn’t mean it like that—I didn't know you were a Brighthart”

“Let’s see who will reach the top and become The King of Cultivation first” His arrogance toned itself down as if the name is what he respected and not because of me by any means.

“So, what is your name?”

“Kelthazar Balhurst”

“I just don’t understand why you didn’t recognize what I did as magic”

“I haven't been sleeping right lately; I’m just a bit tired is all”

Another lie. But this lie almost felt like the truth.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again but know I don’t give up easily and I certainly don’t plan to back down from a challenge"

I wonder if Elisa knows anything about all of this. My guess is that this test will turn out to be much more difficult than even she expects it to be. Still, she didn’t mention what kind of test it is but judging from her hat it must be some sort of test regarding magical aptitude.

Not being able to use magic is that why I chose to become a scribe? Out of all the positions I wouldn’t imagine to ever become one if it was my original choice in a video game or something like that. I’ve always chosen the mage character with the most DPS (damage per second) as a class.

It made me wonder about all the other possible classes and yet I picked to be a scribe—a class which doesn’t train any offensive sort of combat just sorts through old books and papers all day long.

I still can't believe my last name carries so much weight. I wandered around the Crystal Cathedral and then I stopped a serving girl to see if she would know more than me.

“Do you know where I can find Elisa by any chance?”

Without saying another word, they nodded each their heads and urged me to follow them. I noticed just about everything here is made of shining, opulent crystal—the light certainly catches each person walking on by. The two serving girls brought me to a separate tower that was just outside of the Crystal Cathedral.

“You should wait here, there still is a test in session, and you won’t be welcome to interrupt,” said one of the serving girls before bowing their heads and leaving.

There was a bench just outside of the tower, and so I took out one of the books and began to recall details about this world. I didn’t expect the test to last so long—it must be quite intense if it manages to take so much time.

If Elisa is studying magic, she might just be my only teacher that I could find to come teach me magic—even if she is a student of magic herself. I wonder what kind of situation Elisa is in herself, I can only assume she’s from a respectable noble family as well but it seems as though her conditions are a bit different than of mine.

I can tell that she was worried about the test that she’s now having to write just by the fleeting glance she looked toward me last night once I wished her good luck, as if the doubt was visible on her face.

After looking through the book thoroughly enough I noticed that students were leaving the tower one by one. I waited patiently to see Elisa, but it wasn’t till some time had passed that I saw her face.

A face like she’d been defeated in battle—I knew it must’ve been much more taxing and challenging than even she had thought it to be. I followed behind her and caught up with her as she skulked down back to not the Crystal Cathedral but to its gardens.

“Wait up, Elisa!”

She turned her head and once she saw my face, she took to hiding that she was feeling so low.

“Leon, what are you doing here?"

“Just thought I'd come here and see how it went. That’s all”

“I thought it’d go better than it did. I was the last one to finish my test”

Her eyes darted away and then slowly turned back to look toward me.

“What you need is something to get this test off your mind”

I followed Elisa as she led back to the library once again. There was no stopping her from coming back here, even when she isn’t obligated to study. I can say it's a nice place to hang out.

“Are you planning on studying for something?”

“Actually, I want to see if my answers were right. I can’t help but feel as though I gave it my best effort but I’m not sure if I—”
“Elisa—”
“Huh?”

“No matter what happens you did the best that you could do. You must smile even when you’re sad”

“I guess you’re right. It’s the best that I could do and no matter my mark I must be proud that I gave it a chance”

A smile returned to her face.

“I guess you could say I’m tired of being lied too—both my father and my mother built a life on lies”

“I see, your life must be hard”

She was slightly caught aback and reminded herself that I wasn’t the Leon that she knew before.

“Others would disagree,” she had said.

“Who cares what they have to say anyway”

“The only magic I can do is healing magic, the lowest tier of magic isn’t even considered worthy of recognition,” she said.

“And so until I can make something out of myself I have to live here—”
“It isn’t so bad, at least we have each other—I feel as though I knew you even though we just technically met yesterday, Elisa”

“I don’t care what the world says, being able to use any sort of magic is nothing short of incredible—”

“You think so?”
“Take it from someone who in my world there’s no such thing as magic, only superstition”

“Seriously? A world where no one can use magic? It’s hard to believe such a world exists”

“Why do you want to go back so much to that world with no magic?”

“I thought why when I went back to my room at night. I gave it some thought and I prove myself, to show other people that I’m more than they think I am, I want to go back because I wasn’t the best son or the best friend that I should’ve been—and…”

“I see, so you too have things you need to fix,” said Elisa.

“I’m tired of everything being decided for me in my life—"

“Maybe there just might be a way for us both to get what we want in life”

“There might be a way and here’s how I think it might be possible—”