1-5: Envy

Cloe’s Point of View

“Finally…”

My classes ended a few minutes ago. My teacher had already left, so I was free to do whatever I wanted. Obviously, I already had plans.

“I’m gonna go to the town again.”

“Miss. This is the fifteenth time you go without your parents permission.”

“And this is the fifteenth time I’ll tell you that you can’t reveal this.”

“As you wish.”

With that problem settled, I moved along my house trying to reach the exit without being discovered. In moments like this it’s really inconvenient having a big house.

“Hmm?”

“Yes, we can help with that. The exportation will take four days.”

“(Again talking in here?)”

The worst thing about this house is that the room my father uses for business is too close to the exit. If I were a normal girl, this would be a problem. But I'm a prodigy.

“(Sneak…)”

I visualized the formula of advanced soundproof magic and casted it on my feet. That way I reached the exit without making any noise.

I considered myself someone with talent. Even when I struggled with magic at first, now I can do most of the things an adult could do. That’s why I feel proud of my own achievements and I consider my efforts worthwhile.

“Hehe…”

Finally, I started running to the only place I would visit without telling anyone.

“I wonder what he’s gonna try now.”

Like two weeks ago I did my first approach to Thomas. At first I did it only because I was curious about how his magic was even possible, but I ended up discovering how fun it’s being with him.

Watching his practice is like watching an impossible show, so I have fun being with him after my private classes. At least with him I can forget a little about complicated things like math, magic or story.

“I found it.”

When I reached his house I looked everywhere trying to find him, but he wasn’t anywhere.

“Thomas?”

“Here!”

Suddenly, he fell from a tree and stopped midair just before touching the ground. I used mana visualization magic to see what he was doing, and apparently a large mana rope was holding him.

“Guess how I did this.”

“A mana rope?”

“...Using that spell doesn’t count.”

A little disappointed, he cut the rope and fell to the ground. I touched the mana he wasted with that, and as always, it was a lot.

Every day he becomes more and more…happy? It's like he’s enjoying his own life too much.

“How was the show?”

“People love my jokes, but I wanna try something new.”

“That’s why you were on a tree?”

“Yup, I wanna go to a roof and make my puppet dance from there.”

“That could leave a big mana trace.”

“You’re the only one who can notice it. I don’t think there’s too much magic genius in the area.”

“Hehe, I guess you’re right.”

Even when I can't imitate his magical style, I like the superiority I always feel when I remember that I can do many things he can't. For example, he can't cast any spells other than basic magic. He never explained why, but I assume he has some physical handicap. I've heard of people who can't cast fire magic because their bodies can't withstand the heat, so maybe he's like them.

“You got more money today?”

“I got a decent amount. A noble threw me a coin, so at least they know I exist.”

“Every day you are closer to your goal.”

Yup.”

“You know? I could finance your matriculation.”

“You would put some weird condition, like doing a comedy show for you every day.”

“Technically you already do that for free.”

“Still, I prefer getting the money by myself.”

“I guess it was a nice try.”

Maybe I have some selfish motives, but I actually wanted to help with that, after all, it would be a waste if he doesn’t get that possibility. Also, it would be really fun having someone like him there. Maybe he would interrupt some classes, but that would be fun too.

“Today I’m gonna practice my precision.”

“How?”

“I’m gonna stack some rocks only with my strings.”

“I guess that works for you.”

Even his ways of practicing magic are totally different from mine, that made me remember something. Maybe we’ve seen each other for a while, but only now I decided to ask a question that never left my mind.

“Why are the things you do with magic so different from the ones that other people do?”

“Well…For you, what is magic?”

“Huh? It's just magic. You use it to defend yourself or to help you do your job.”

“That’s what people think, but for me, magic is like a whole new world.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, you’ve always had access to magic.”

That was very rude of him, but also strange. He's always had access to magic, right? My questioning was interrupted when he spoke again.

“Well, before practicing, I wanna show you something.”

“What is it?”

“The prototype of my first real show.”

“But, you already did shows before.”

“I know, but I can only do jokes, I’m practicing for a real show, with real moves.”

“Well, show me.”

I wasn’t sure about what to wait for, but it probably was something interesting.

“Okay, let’s start.”

“...”

“...Huh?”

I was expecting something like a stunt, so I was surprised when Thomas suddenly started singing a song I'd never heard before in an incomprehensible language.

After the first part of the lyrics, he started moving on the place with dramatic moves. Even when he wasn’t modifying his voice, it was pretty decent.

For a second, I thought it was a common choreography, but then, he did the move that changed my life.

“Now~.”

“Huh?”

He was clearly preparing mana for something, but what? The choreography was already good.

“Here it comes.”

Suddenly, a lot of flames came out from his hands and back.”

“What the-.”

The flames moved perfectly synchronized with the song, and even their colors changed in some parts. I felt like I was watching some kind of fireworks show that I wasn’t able to stop watching until it ended.

“Oof…That was complicated…”

“...I thought you couldn’t use advanced magic.”

“And I can’t.”

“Then, what was that?”

I amplified a small flame with other components and then added minerals to change the color. I only needed to use earth magic.

“...But…”

“Hmm?”

The thing he did was basically an advanced type of fire magic, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Somehow, he replicated the process from zero.

“...That’s what you meant…”

“Yeah, it's a cool show, but maybe I'll end up discarding it. My body is not fireproof.”

Finally I understood what he was thinking. For him, magic is just a toy. He isn’t unable because he has some kind of problem or for his resources, he’s totally able, but he decides to ignore it. The idea of someone with his mana doing real magic was scary… and that made me feel…tiny.

“Well, I’m gonna start the practice.”

“...Yeah, let me see it.”

I tried to pretend that everything was okay, but I couldn’t help but grit my teeth.

I didn’t like it, but I discovered what a real prodigy is.