Saditormeteum.

Need you a reminder? This is a story about a failure. 

No matter how much he had improved, he was still a failure at the core. And as long as the shackles remained, he could never stop being such.

Failure tried his best to live up to Genius Mage. But Genius was so far away from him. He could never be matched and could never be replaced. It didn't matter how much Failure struggled and improved, the distance between them would always remain vast.

So how would you break that curse?

That was the question that a certain girl had asked herself for so long. And she had finally arrived at an answer.

***

"Fabian... he is no longer needed."

Those words resounded in the garden. In that desolate world where only the two of them existed, there was no escape from her voice.

"No longer... needed...?" Ayumu muttered absentmindedly.

He couldn't wrap his mind around what he heard. Somehow, he could tell that it wasn't a joke or anything of the sort. She meant exactly what she said.

And yet, understanding all of that, he still couldn't come to terms with it.

"Do you... Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do," Maria replied curtly. But her answer only flabbergasted Ayumu further.

"Do you... do you really understand...? T-this isn't a joke, you know? This isn't about my amnesia either—hell, amnesia doesn't even exist! The reason why I don't remember anything is because those memories never belonged to me in the first place! I'm not Fabian—I'm merely an usurper of his body... Do you even understand that?"

As Ayumu continued speaking, he became more and more emotional. He couldn't accept what was happening. Something seemed completely wrong with Maria.

"I understand. I understand all of that," Maria answered, still completely impassive.

Ayumu's entire body started shaking.

"Then how... How could you say that...? This must be a misunderstanding... He and you... There's no way you would say that about—"

"You don't know anything about me and especially about him."

Her words caused Ayumu to flinch. Did he really not understand the boy? He had spent the entire month trying to get closer to Fabian, and only at the very end did he feel like he finally had an idea.

Were all of those simply his delusions?

"Do I... Do I really not understand him?" Ayumu asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"No, I don't think you do," Maria replied confidently, "but you could give it a try. Tell me—just what kind of person Fabian was?"

Her words almost sounded like a challenge to Ayumu.  Once again, the boy felt a deep sense of wrongness in Maria's actions. But he couldn't ignore her words. It was Maria that pushed Ayumu to move beyond his failures. But it was Fabian that inspired him.

"Fabian..." he began hesitantly, "...Fabian is a genius young prodigy, who unconditionally loves magic... He loves people around him... and he is beloved by everyone in retu—"

"Wrong. Already wrong on every point."

"—!?"

Her words cruelly denied him.

Was Fabian... was Fabian really nothing like I thought? 

As that doubt appeared in his mind, he decided that he needed to know the truth.

"So if I'm wrong... then what kind of person was he?" he asked with a hint of desperation.

"What kind of person? ...Well, let's see..."

By the time Ayumu had noticed, emotion returned to Maria's voice. A bitter, almost cruel smile appeared on her face. The girl spoke as if she was hoping to crush Ayumu's world.

"Loved everyone and loved by everyone? Rubbish. You only need to look at Viktor and Dion to understand that that's not true. They certainly didn't love him, and he was no saint to answer that with love. He was a selfish kid who merely helped whoever he felt like and ignored everyone else. 'Pick your battles,' he often said. An outlook of pure personal convenience. How's that for loving everyone?"

"..."

Her words shocked him, but he continued listening quietly.

"'Unconditionally loved magic'? Sure, he did love magic. But it also caused him a lot of grief and pain. I told you already—do you think it was all smooth sailing for him? Think twice, you fool. He struggled and struggled and struggled some more. Sometimes, he would cry himself to sleep after a failure."

"..." 

Ayumu still remained silent.

"And what's that about a 'genius young prodigy'? You think he was some kind of unreachable star, gifted by the heavens themselves? Wrong. He was never like that. It was the masses that decided on that. He loved magic, worked hard and was a bit too good at it. And in order to protect their fragile egos, the crowd decided that he had to be an exception. After all, there's no shame in loosing to a genius, is there?"

A hint of anger and sadness appeared in her features as she concluded her tale.

"And those expectations... were the greatest burden to him. He was always trapped by them, struggling to live up to everyone's image of him."

Slowly, Ayumu realized that his perception of Fabian was, perhaps, twisted. 

Maybe he held Fabian to an unreasonably high standard. Maybe the boy was far from the saint that Ayumu thought he was. She didn't say anything particularly shocking, but Ayumu felt like the image he held of Fabian was being reshaped. Maria's words were like a criticism rained on everyone for not understanding the boy just a little bit better. For failing to see him for who he truly was.

Perhaps that's why he felt such a deep sense of wrongness.

"...So you're saying he was not all that impressive...?" Ayumu finally responded.

In return, Maria spoke with a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"Not impressive? At the very least, no more than you are."

"...No more... than I am...?"

Ayumu's question was met with an immediate affirmation.

"Yes. Frankly, there's truly not much separating you from Fabian in terms of magical knowledge and skills. You even managed to come up with some tricks that he hadn't. If you want to call him a genius, you have to call yourself the same."

Ayumu stopped in thought. His mind quickly came up with all sorts of reasons why he disagreed with her. He had a feeling that if he let them out, all of them would be quickly shut down by Maria. But he still decided to speak.

"...I can only cast such magic because of my different origin... If I... If I wasn't from a different world, then I wouldn't be able to come up with any of that..."

"So what?"

For the uncounted time today, Maria's reply stunned Ayumu into silence.

"Being able to think differently from everyone else—to imagine something that others can't—is a part of the magical system. A deserved way to utilize what you're given. If you still want to cling to words like talent—then what is that if not talent in and of itself? Fabian was the same. His different thinking allowed him to create and use spells in a way that no one else did."

He didn't answer her. Instead, he continued mulling over her words.

"And besides, the spell you showed at the duel... Using lightning to control iron. Do you think that Dariuses could do the same? Just as there are flames that don't burn to the touch, there could be lightning that doesn't control iron. Or, I should say the opposite, there can be lightning that does control iron. I have no idea how you did that. But you must have based it on something right? That's also a showcase of your talent."

Ayumu was reminded about luminous flames...

If fire doesn't have to burn... that means that electricity doesn't need to produce a magnetic field.

A spell produced what its caster could clearly imagine. In other words, as long as something was believable enough to you, you could make it a reality.

Luminous flames proved that. They lacked the heat component of a flame, yet were understood as flames nonetheless. The same way a lightning could lack magnetism, yet still be lightning. Dariuses' roaring flash didn't need to have magnetism in the first place.

In fact, there was another serious doubt in his mind... Was Ayumu's knowledge truly enough to pull off manipulation with magnetism? He was a mere high school student, who was mediocre at his studies. If he really did rely on laws of physics, then wouldn't the calculation required to do so be incredibly complex? Was that really something he could figure out?

And if the answer was no... That meant he didn't rely on the laws of the world to cast his spell. Instead, he defined the laws that his spell followed with his own mind.

"It's... It's people who shape the world after all..." Ayumu muttered as he came to his conclusion.

He wasn't completely confident about his answer. None of what he found served as unshakable proof. But as he was now, he could finally find it in himself to believe. 

And with that, he also started doubting what he had thought about the boy previously.

Did Fabian... Did Fabian really believe that people shaped the world...? Or did he...

And just as that question started settling in his mind, Maria spoke again.

"So? Do you understand it now? Fabian is no more genius than you. As you are now, you have moved past him. Matched him in magical skill and moved beyond people's expectations. You're more confident and freer than he ever was. He was never fully liberated from his shackles..."

Maria's question made Ayumu flinch. Suddenly, a suspicion appeared in his mind.

"Are you... are you telling me that Fabian is not needed... Because I'm better than he was? That's why we don't need to bring him back?"

"Precisely that."

Maria's answer was incredibly cold. Ayumu couldn't accept that. Even if the boy wasn't as impressive as everyone believed, that was still no reason for him to be abandoned.

"So what? Does that mean all of his efforts, all of his love and passion, all of his hard work—all of it should just disappear?!"

Maria narrowed her eyes in response to Ayumu's emotional outburst.

"Yes. Why not? And if you don't want all of that to disappear—you simply need to become Fabian."

Become Fabian? Ayumu thought, What is she talking about? Does she mean that I should just recover all of his memories...? Does she think that's enough...?

It was a familiar logic. Something that Ayumu thought as well when he first got reincarnated. And now, she was the one brandishing that cruel, unforgiving idea at him.

How could he explain it to her? Was this girl truly the kind of person that could just shrug off Fabian as a collection of memories?

While Ayumu's mind ran in circles, Maria sighed as she looked at him.

"...From the look on your face, I can tell that you still don't get it. ...There is something important I have to tell you. Listen to me carefully."

Her words seemed very familiar to Ayumu. He had already gone through something similar before. 

And then she started her signature cast. A spell. Or maybe it was a prayer. An ode to the beauty of human soul. Or perhaps, a story of a certain boy.

But it was actually none of those. Truth be told, it was a confession. A memory that would be otherwise forgotten. But as a magical incantation, it would last a long time. Enough for the receiver of the confession to finally accept it.

"Deos Fatima, Deos Coria, et Deos Menid, escite oratio meus. Laes vobis triburebe, caeles canto. Simplo est requo meus."

Melodic and beautiful, her voice, just as always, possessed holiness that took Ayumu's breath away. In contrast to how she was just a few seconds prior, her voice became soft and gentle. Slowly, it turned back into the voice that Ayumu was so familiar with.

Just as before, warmth filled his body. But this time it was different. It wasn't a gentle, calming feeling. Instead he felt as if his heart and soul were on fire. The emotion that he felt was difficult to convey with language. It was something special, something that simple words could never explain.

And with that, his brain began rapidly working. All of the knowledge he had, every interaction he had experienced, everything he had gone through in this world—all of it swirled in his mind as he carefully listened to the girl's words.

The girl asked the Deas to hear her prayers. To bear witness to her resolution.

"Non ergo auxe deoseme. Instē, requo. Requo ut putere en lengia vio meteum vōs custebunt."

He could now see a different perspective, a different interpretation of her words than before. The dots that had been previously scattered began rapidly connecting. The full picture was coming into his view.

The girl didn't ask for selfish fulfillment of her desires. No matter how strongly she felt, she wasn't going to bend another person to her will. She merely wanted for him to succeed. If nothing else, to watch him as he walked the road of dreams. Hence, her request to Deas wasn't to help, but to bear witness to his actions and his journey.

"Elle que nītat et que speret. Elle que vivet et elle que sadit. Tribite omne auxe vestrum. Quando corpa probet roboritare et quando tempe experet axelaritare. En laborīs temporīs requere. En asperīs momentīs spirite."

This, truthful version of the cast existed only for that single person. The skies didn't turn golden and blessings didn't visit everyone in sight. Instead, the warm glow was concentrated only on Ayumu. But how was that possible? After all, the spell was dedicated to a single boy.

The girl's words were filled with kindness and determination. Entranced by the boy, the girl wanted to show him support. To tell him that if no one else—she would remember him for who he was.

But she still wished for him to do his best. She would offer as much support as she could, and help him in every way possible. It was contradictory, but that was the nature of her feelings.

"Quaseo, ellum que sadit en vio meteum fovete et custite."

This entire time the truth was right in front of his face. The answer was obvious and yet he missed it entirely.

The girl sang for the boy, who had abandoned his past and moved onto the future. For the single person who changed himself into someone else. She alone would remember his name, his kindness, and resolve. She would make sure to carry that with her and remind him if he ever needed it. No matter how much time passed and no matter what happened. 

"Nam id est volar ellus quis vivet."

For that was the will of the one who now lived.

As Maria's spell reached towards its conclusion, she opened her eyes and looked straight into the boy's eyes. What still remained was a single word—no, a call to a single person. The name of the one who the vow was dedicated to.

"Saditormeteum"

To Dreamwalker. To...

To Ayumu.

That was the name she vowed to remember.

Even if the person himself abandoned it. She alone carried it in her mind.

The Genius Mage was actually a Failure.

They were one and the same the entire time. In the seventeen years of his life Failure had never managed to accept himself as Genius Mage. But neither did he move on from him. He had been simply stuck in an endless chase.

Saditormeteum. The Dreamwalker. What the spell referred to weren't those who walked the road of dreams. It wasn't about supporting them or telling a story of their hard work.

It wasn't even an enhancement spell. Neither it was a prayer, an ode, or a tale. It was a vow taken before the Deas. A vow to remember and carry a single name with her.

Ayumu. The Dreamwalker. That was the translation of the name. 

In Japanese, Ayumu was made up of two characters. Walk and dream. Two simple characters. And if you combined them together, you could easily arrive at Dreamwalker, or Saditormeteum as it was in Spiritspeak.

It was so obvious and easy. He was shocked that he didn't spot it earlier. Or maybe he didn't spot it because him at the time could have never accepted the truth.

That's why Maria so desperately wanted to convey it to him.

She confronted him head-on and challenged his beliefs about Fabian. All so that he would learn that the genius he held in such high regard was not a genius at all. He was nothing more than a normal boy.

Her actions were all for his sake. Maria wore a mask of denial and cruelty so that she could crush Ayumu's preconceptions. In doing so, he could finally understand. And then, she returned to her usual self to tell him about her resolution and feelings. The most important thing for her weren't the memories of a boy who struggled to be a genius—it was for Ayumu to be able to accept himself. Accept himself and move beyond everything that restrained him. 

She did it all so perfectly. In a way that would leave Ayumu with no doubts. And it was through fully grasping her intent that Ayumu could finally understand...

...the source of the feeling of wrongness that had accompanied him all day.

"It's about time you finally get rid of that mask, Maria."

Ayumu's words resounded coldly in front of the great tree.

By the time anyone noticed, the rain had already begun.