4-1: Unfair

“Did I do it right?”

“Hmm…You forgot the turning peg.”

“Dang it…”

It was lunchtime. Fran and I finished eating early, so he decided to teach me how to do a more accurate mana violin in this extra time. It’s true that I don’t use musical magic, but being able to create an invisible instrument would be good for a future performance.

“I’m gonna do a sound test.”

“Be careful.”

After creating a fiddlestick I tried to make the instrument sound. Thanks to the shape it sounded a little more than that time I tried to play a song that Fran did, but the difference wasn’t enough to be heard in an open area.

“Yeah, I think the wood ones are better.”

“It sounded decent.”

“You really have good ears.”

“We could try other instruments, maybe a flute sounds good.”

“All right, teach me.”

“Well, first-.”

Just when he was about to start the explanation, something touched my back. I thought it could be Cloe, or maybe a teacher, but it wasn’t any of them.

“Hello Thomas.”

“...Leonard?”

I wasn’t expecting to see him here, I mean, we only talked one time and I didn’t give him the greatest impression. Also, my own opinion about him wasn’t the best. He doesn’t have any reason to talk with me and I don’t have any reason to talk with him.

“It’s good to see two students having fun.”

“...You’re saying it like you’re not a student.”

“Really? I guess it’s a habit.”

“...Do you need something?”

“Please go to the last classroom on the fourth floor once classes begin.”

“I can’t do that.”

“The teachers will understand it immediately once I explain everything to them. I hope you don’t ignore my proposal.”

Without any other word, he just left us. Fran quickly said the same I was thinking.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.”

“It felt…threatening…”

“Yeah.”

“You’re gonna go?”

“Skipping a class is something I can’t reject.”

“I'll lend you my notes when you get back to our room..”

“Thank you.”

Yeah, skipping the class was one of my motives, but I was also intrigued. And maybe a little scared.

“...”

“Take a seat…”

When I heard we would meet in a classroom I thought it would be something normal, but everything was organized in a way that the place looked more like an office. In front of me was Leonard behind his desk and at his side was that girl that is always with him. The way both smiled, didn’t feel like the thing you would wait for someone happy, it was the smile of someone who wants to do business.

“Well…”

I simply picked a chair and sat in front of him. He was clearly happy with that.

“So, what are we gonna talk about?”

“A lot of things. How do you feel in this academy?”

“Huh?”

“I like to start conversations with simple topics.”

He was clearly planning something, so I didn’t let down my guard while answering.

“Well, I like to have some friends, and being able to see so many people helps me to get some ideas for my performances.”

“Yeah, I heard you like that sort of thing.”

“Yeah.”

“So, do you have any complaints?”

“Well, I don’t like that people are always avoiding me. I understand I messed up during my first practice fight and when I challenged you, but I still feel sad for this.”

“Yeah, being alone is the worst.”

“...Do you have any complaints?

“Oh? Do you want to ask questions too?”

“...I’m curious.”

“...Well..”

Leonard closed his eyes for five seconds before answering my question.

“I don’t like that no one wants to fight against me.”

“Well, you are the strongest.”

“And I’m never gonna stop being it if they can’t even try to defeat me.”

“...Maybe you’re being too cruel with them.”

“...Yeah I am. But if they start to think that we’re equals, they will conform.”

“...”

At that moment I could say a lot of things, but he shaked his head and changed the topic.

“I think we can start already.”

“...Start what?”

“Tell me…For you, what is magic?”

That question surprised me, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t answer.

“It’s like a new world. I can do a lot of things thanks to magic. Having fun, giving fun, the horizons never stop, and I love that.”

“I see…Let me ask another question. Do you think magic has a limit?”

“A limit?”

It took me a while to think what I should answer, after all, I’ve never pushed that much of the limits of magic. I always try to do the things I know I can do better, but that’s all.

“I didn’t see a lot of variety if we talk about spells. But I think I’ve never seen something we could consider as a limit.”

“I see, you are that blind…”

Suddenly, Leonard handed me six papers. Every paper had twenty spells written on each side.

“What is this?”

“Those are the spells known by humanity. If we don’t count curses or familiars, only two hundred forty spells exist.”

“That’s a lot.”

“Yeah, but the most recent one is from one hundred years ago. We are stuck.”

“But, I heard about some people that created spells.”

“...That’s the worst part of all…”

“I don’t get it.”

“Tell me, how many people do you think can make new spells?”

“Hmm…One thousand?”

“Counting me, there’s only ten people registered with that skill. Why do you think things are like this?”

“Well…”

“Magic is divided by basic elements and sub categories, each spell maybe can be twisted and upgraded, but the creation of new ones isn’t possible.”

“But, why?”

“Magic is something not made for everyone. Only prodigies with a natural talent that surpass everyone can innovate, everyone else is stuck and living with the leftovers of those prodigies. And some of those prodigies only make spells that only they can use. You are an example of that.”

“...”

“I know you understand what I’m talking about. You were born with an inhuman quantity of mana, that way you can modify the shape of it without any inconveniences and create your own spells that don't obey any of the established rules. Your magic cannot be imitated because you’re an exception.”

“You-.”

“I know what I’m talking about, after all, I’m also a prodigy.”

Leonard wrote something down and gave it to me. It was an equation, but not a magic one. It was a complex equation that probably no one could solve without a calculator.

“I just did a base with random numbers and then solved it by myself.”

“Impressive...”

“I don't know why, but my understanding of mathematics surpasses everyone else's. The magic formulas follow similar bases, so I’m able to replicate mathematical concepts with my magic, that’s how I create my spells.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, but no one can imitate me. Using magic formulas requires people to understand the formula, and I’m the only one who can actually understand the math magic. This problem also applies to other prodigies. They can create magic, but they can’t grant a future for the people who have been born with average talent. Those two hundred forty spells are the only ones who can be learned by every single human. A whole life would be required to make a whole new spell, and that’s an optimistic way to think.”

After that explanation, I understood everything very quickly.

“So that’s why you made all those things.”

“Exactly, I’m searching for a way to create people that can be at the level of a prodigy. If everyone had the same opportunities, a lot of problems would be solved and others would be avoided.”

“I can understand all of that….But why are you telling me this?”

“Well…”

The girl handed us both a stack of papers. I read quietly, but Leonard read aloud.

“The student Cloe Sallow had a lot of facilities since she was little, but she was always on an average level. Suddenly, after a period of time where her health was decaying with every single day, she started showing an increase on her mana production and on her capabilities.”

“...What is this?”

“A little part of the information I got about your friend.”

“What are you trying to get at with this?”

“Easy, some years ago, I did a little theory that was quickly discarded due to a lack of evidence to support it.”

“What theory?”

“You know how screaming a spell makes it more powerful? Or how the summon of a familiar can fail depending on the opinion of the magician about the animal? Maybe the magic and the emotional state of the magician are more related than I thought.”

“...Cloe confirmed this?”

“Exactly, after more and more investigation, we reach the conclusion that her envy and desire to be better forced her own body to surpass every single limit.”

“So…”

“Yeah, this discovery could bring the future of magic I was looking for.”

He smiled like a kid after saying that, like someone who suddenly recovered hope and had good expectations for the future…But something was wrong.

“...There’s something I don’t understand…”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you call me? Cloe is the one who did that.”

“Right. I’m gonna be direct.”

His expression changed, what he was about to say wasn’t a request, it was an order.

“Please…stop talking with Cloe. Cut her from your life.”