The Genius Mage Was Actually a Failure.

Let's say a certain boy reincarnated into another world. And let's say that the magic system of the world completely captivated him.

What would the boy do once he ended up in that situation? No doubt he would do his best to overcome his past self. He would try to abandon his identity. Become someone different than he was before.

Eventually, he would get over his doubts. He would pile up successes, learn that his love for magic could lead him a long way, and end up hailed as a genius. Everyone would depend on him. He would become the center of attention. Some people would look at him with envy, and others—with respect.

But was that truly fairly earned? Did he actually deserve the title of a genius mage?

After all, he had experience from his past life, awareness and consciousness of a teenager since his very birth, and knowledge from everything he had read and learnt in his previous world. Whenever people told him he was a genius he would just shrug them off, aware that they didn't know how much of a failure he actually was.

He had gotten used to living with the fact that he was an impostor. His 'talent' was nothing more than a byproduct of his origin. Anyone could do what he did if they were in his circumstances.

In areas where he had to fairly compete, he struggled immensely. Despite all of the hard work he put in, so many aspects of his spellcasting were utterly mediocre.

As he struggled to be a genius mage every single day, he stopped seeing his accomplishments as anything special. Many long years blinded him to his own merits. Success was a given, failure was unacceptable. He didn't even realize just how amazing he was for being able to live up to all of the expectations that were placed on him. At the end, he could see himself as nothing more than a fake, desperately struggling to maintain his image.

But there was one person who learned of his past. One girl who believed in him not just for who he tried to be, but for who he once was. 

Meanwhile, the boy wanted to abandon his past. He wanted to become someone different. Someone better. Someone who could actually live up to everyone's expectations. 

The girl disagreed. She undoubtedly saw through all of the boy's conflicts.

And then, she made a vow.

She didn't go against his will. She let him do what he wanted. But she watched over him, keeping his secret—his true self—with her the entire time.

Waiting until he was ready. Ready to accept himself.

And it was now the time.

***

Maria had noticed it a long time ago. She had an entire month to come to terms with it. But instead of crying and mourning, she focused on what she could do. 

Just how could she convey her feelings? How could she get the boy to accept himself and move past everyone's expectations?

Her plan was risky, but she believed that the boy could pull it off. It was the only chance she had for the boy to not abandon his old self.

But even after she succeeded, he was still shackled by the image of the genius. That uncertain haze accompanied him like a curse. Luckily, this time, she had a secret trick up her sleeve. A way of opening his eyes to the truth.

A way to show him just how incredible his achievements were. So that he could see himself from the outside and appreciate what he had accomplished.

And that was exactly what happened. Even more importantly, he was able to move past the curse of the genius. Nothing else mattered.

He was a boy who loved Autumn. He saved her with his acceptance and understanding. And she wanted to do nothing more than to save him back. Her feelings didn't matter. As long as he was happy at the end, she could smile with her head held high.

That's what she sincerely believed. 

But perhaps, all geniuses were blind to themselves in their own way.

***

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

Droplets of water began falling on the ground. Unnoticeably, the rain had crept up on them. Amidst the storm, the boy challenged her.

"Get rid... of the mask...? What are you talking about? I've already done everything I wanted... I no longer have anything to hide."

She had a gentle smile on her face as she denied his claim. Her voice was soft as if she was trying to placate a child who was throwing a tantrum. But that only reaffirmed Ayumu's suspicions.

"Maybe I didn't understand anything about Fabian... Maybe I'm just an idiot who's blind to everyone' feelings... But I cannot believe that you're fine. Not in the slightest."

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise ever so slightly. But then a wistful smile appeared on her face.

"But I am fine. I'm glad you're worried about me, but, please, believe me when I say that I did everything for your sake. As long as you end up happy—I'm satisfied."

There it was again. That mask of hers that had been present since the start. Ayumu knew that something was wrong since the beginning. She had merely exchanged one mask for another, never revealing her true feelings.

"...There's no way," Ayumu started, "there's no way that you can feel nothing, knowing that Fabian is gone."

"But he isn't," Maria replied, "what you think of as Fabian is nothing more than memories. And I already said, didn't I? That as long as we are alive and you're happy, we can make as many memories as we want to. It's not about the past. It's about the future. Our future."

Yes. As long as nothing but memories was lost, it was alright. Simply having the boy's memories wouldn't make Ayumu Fabian. And in the same way, his memories not being complete didn't stop Ayumu from being who he was. That was a simple truth.

Or was it?

If you lost years—decades of your life—could you really call that yourself? Were you the same now as you were ten years ago? Maybe some people would say yes. But others would state that they had changed too much for that to be the case. 

And that depended on your own perspective. But what about how others saw you?

Could people accept you from years ago—even if that was someone they'd never met before—as the same person as you were now? Would it make any sense to ask that of them?

Ayumu thought that it was much too cruel. A relationship between people was a connection. A special bond that was formed by many experiences that were shared by both of the sides. To expect someone to treat you like usual would be the height of complacency. The same way it was complacent to ask someone who'd never met you to treat you like an old friend.

"Maria... I..."

The entire time that gentle smile didn't disappear from her face even once. And yet, it didn't quite reach her eyes. There was nothing particularly special about them, but they were somewhat unfocused. Usually, they would always reflect the surroundings—look towards the future and see what it could bring. But now, despite Maria talking about that future, it was not at all present in her eyes.

It was as if she was already satisfied. She achieved her goal. Her job was done. Now, the only thing that her eyes reflected was the past.

And Ayumu hated that. He wanted nothing more than to share his future with her. She was the wind in his sails—the special someone who saved him and allowed him to move forward. But if the price for that was that she had to stay behind in return...

He could never accept that.

"...I'm not Fabian. Fabian is no longer here. Even if we were once the same person. Even if all that separates us are just memories... That's not nothing. I don't have the right to claim anything that belonged to only the two of you as mine. So it's fine..."

Maria's smile trembled ever so slightly. Ayumu didn't miss that faint motion.

"...You don't have to pretend. Together, we can finally see the boy off. I'm sure... I'm sure he more than deserves that."

Ayumu's words echoed in the garden. But they rebounded off her smile as if it was an impenetrable armor.

The rain intensified.

"What are you talking about...?" Maria spoke, "I already told you—I don't think that he's gone. You are him. There's no need to get all philosophical on me, you know? We can just be happy that you were able to overcome your—"

"Maria."

He stopped her with a single word.

"Your—your eyes."

In response, the girl tilted her head in puzzlement. She brought a hand to her cheek. When she looked at her finger, she realized it was damp. 

Her face was wet from the water. 

No doubt it was from the rain.

"I..." Maria spoke, "All I ever wanted... All I ever wanted was for you—"

Suddenly, her voice were cut short. By the time she noticed, Ayumu had moved closer to her. And then he embraced her.

"It's fine... You don't have to do this anymore. Fabian... he's gone. You can mourn now. And as you do—I will remain by your side."

After those words quietly resounded in the garden, the girl powerlessly fell onto the boy's chest. As if the strings of the puppeteer were finally cut.

And then...

The sorrow that followed would remain unseen. The rain was so intense that it concealed them from the observers and drowned out the mourning cries.

It was a funeral only for the two, kindly hidden away by the world.

***

Eventually, the skies cleared. And with the disappearance of the rain, a certain girl fell asleep. 

That girl was endlessly strong, but she was also gentle and kind. Her heart was powerful, yet didn't lack weakness. Beyond the layers of courage and will, she was vulnerable just like everyone else. And that's why she was so beautiful.

That's what the boy thought as he held the unconscious girl in his hands. He was the one who forced her to experience such hardship. It was for his sake that she had suffered for so long.

But he would not let that continue any longer.

For he was no longer neither a failure, nor a genius.

Today, they grieved. But someday, they would celebrate.

No matter how much time it takes, I will retrieve Fabian. I have nothing but a fraction of him right now—a fraction of the long seventeen years. Little by little, I will gather the missing pieces.

I swear. No matter what, Maria, I will return your beloved to you.

But before that, he would have to be careful. Otherwise, he would risk waking the gentle girl from her sleep. For she was so exhausted from her long, lonely journey.

The Herald of the Seasons shone with gold. As always, it was beautiful no matter the time of the year. And so was the girl in her beautiful green dress. She, who hid her golden shine with a verdant cover. She, who aspired to be the Summer so much, yet failed to realize that the green had been there this entire time. There—in her beautiful, gentle eyes.

I'm sure that Fabian would agree with me.

Soon, the Autumn would fully arrive. And with it, the Royal Academy would open its doors once more. It would be Maria and Fabian's last year at the academy. And it was quite possible, it would also be Ayumu's last chance to gather Fabian's memories that were related to the institution. 

After all, he needed a trigger to see the visions. And without those visions, he would be unable to recover Fabian.

But that was all in the future. For now, he only needed to stay still as he served as Maria's support.

The clouds cleared, and a bright golden sun illuminated the world.

And as he watched that beautiful sun, the boy reflected on himself.

Just how many geniuses out there are nothing more than failures?

And how many failures that are actually geniuses?

The world would hardly know. Because so many of them believed themselves to be the opposite. But maybe the truth was that they were neither. Just like Ayumu wasn't actually a failure. And just like Fabian wasn't actually a genius. 

And as he reached that thought, his mind came back to the old man's words.

"Old Man... I don't know what the truth is..."

Ayumu smiled confidently as he looked past the horizon.

"...But I do know what I believe in."

That's what a single boy in the corner of the world thought. He would probably never know what the right answer truly was. And neither would the rest of the world. But did that matter? As long as he confidently continued onwards on the road of passion and dreams... He was sure that he would not regret it.

And so, the curtain closed on the story of a genius mage.

A genius mage who was actually a failure. Or maybe a failure who was actually a genius.

Perhaps, none of those monikers actually mattered.

It was that realization that the boy took with him into the future.