The Pillars and the Sight

"Kurose and cecilia were walking on the village path."

After a while..

He cleared his throat while moved his fist slightly away from the mouth, looks at cecilia.

"C-cecilia, where do you train?, is it a secret place?."
He asked cecilia, traces of sweats appeared on his forehead.

"Y-yes, i-i like t-training b-by m-myself, i-it's a-away f-from the village."
Cecilia replied him while averting his gaze, slightly reddened cheeks.

"I-i see."

After few seconds..

"D-do you w-wanna eat honey bread?, i have an extra."

Kurose points out the honey bread bag to cecilia.

She looks at honey bread bag.

"T-thank y-you!."
Cecilia remarked.

She took the honey bread bag from kurose while averting his gaze,
took a bite of honey bread.

"I-it's d-delicious!."
Cecilia murmured, her cheeks turned reddened.

"It's delicious, right?!."
Making a clenched fist tinged with assurance as his eyes glittered, looking at her. 

"Y-y-yes!."
Slightly moved away from kurose laced with a slight shock.

"Did i startled her?, i'm an idiot!."
Kurose pondered quietly, traces of sweats on his face.

He let out a quiet breath.

"It can't be helped, i love honey bread!."
Gazing at clouds as a smile appeared on his face.

After walking for a while..

Cecilia realized..

"Oh!, w-we h-have t-to s-start r-running or
w-we would be l-late!."
Cecilia said to kurose.
she looked at him, light sweat formed on her forehead.


"O-okay!, lets r-run!."
Kurose replied.


They ran for a while..

Kurose and cecilia entered the forest through the forest gate.


After running for some time in the forest..

They stopped.

"I-is t-this the p-place?."
Kurose said while breathing heavily,
sweats all over his face. rested his hands on his knees.

"N-no, w-we h-haven't reached t-the place, it's a l-little f-far!."
Cecilia replied him. quiet breathings.
sweats on her face.
She rested her hand on a tree.

After steadying their breaths, and walking for a while..

"Cecilia, may i ask a question?."
Kurose asked her while looking at her.

"Y-yes."
Slightly reddened cheeks.

"I have been training into this forest for a long time, but i noticed that there aren't any monsters.., or anything that has an ill intent.., but i see animals quite often, do you anything about it, cecilia?."
He slightly turned his head, a finger slightly touching the lip.

She stopped, looked at him, slightly turned her head.
"What are monsters?"

"Don't you know about monsters?!."
He startled.

"A-anything that ill intents..?"
She murmured, while gazing at the sky.

After few seconds..

"Oh!, i know, you meant the creatures created by pure mana have ill intents from the birth, right?."
She thumped her fist into her palm as she looked at him.

"Y-yes, t-they are called monsters."

"I see, but in the novice grimoire, it was written, that under special circumstances, pure mana creates creatures that has ill intents from birth and travel far to search for their prey."

"I see, but why there are not any monsters here?."

"They're not necessary for training but, it should have gained me some experience against real opponents." He mused quietly.

"Lets walk for a while, we have almost reached it!."
Cecilia said to him as a smile appeared on her face.

"Reach what?."
He thought, looking at her while turning his head slightly.

After walking for a while..

"We have reached it, look, kurose!."
Cecilia said.

Kurose noticed a tall, big white tower standing in center of a ground.

"A...
his eyes widening.

"a tower?."
he remarked while placing a hand under his chin, narrowing his eyes, slightly turning his head.

"No, it's not a tower, kurose, it's a pillar."
Cecilia said while looking at him.

"A pillar?, why there is pillar in middle of nowhere?."
Kurose replied.

"It's not a simple pillar, it's a protective pillar, that protects the village from threats."

"It's one of the four pillars that is spread across the forest, surrounding the whole village."

"But, what kind of threats?, there were no mons-, i meant no creatures here right?"
Kurose questioned.

"Creatures are formed under special circumstances, but, the barrier protects us from them, until they die themselves or those who can use magic hunts them."

Cecilia points her finger at the tower.

"Kurose, look, there are imprinted chants on the tower, at every tower, special kinds of chants are imprinted to produce a barrier, that surrounds the village. the pillars were created due to incident that happened fifteen years ago."

After a few seconds..

"I-i u-understand."
Kurose answered while drooling from his mouth. his eyes squinted.

"He doesn't understand anything."
Cecilia mused quietly. traces of sweats appeared on her face."

After a few seconds..

She cleared her throat..

"Well, anyway, the last formed creatures were many years ago, for many years, the village is safe, even if creatures were formed again, they would not cause a problem."

"How so?."
Kurose asked.

"Because there is village barrier, and there are incredible mages and those who aspire to be mages in the village who could protect it."

"I didn't know anything about this. thank you for the knowledge."
Kurose said, while looking at her.
A smile appeared on his face.


"Your welcome!."
Cecilia replied as she smiled, her cheeks slightly softened.

After a realization..

"We should hurry or we'll be late!, let's run!, kurose."


"This ground was not her training ground?, and.. more running?!."
He mused quietly.

"How much distance we have covered, cecilia?."
He asked cecilia.


"We have only covered halfway, let's hurry up!."
She replied while looking at him behind her.

"I-i s-see.."
Traces of sweats appeared on his face as heard those words..

Kurose gazed at the pillar.

He noticed something, narrowing his eyes.

"Is that a crack?."
He pondered.

After a few seconds..

"I'm just imagining things probably."

He ignored the crack and followed cecilia.

After a while..

Kurose noticed.

"Please wait for a minute!, cecilia!."
He rested his body at a tree.

"Cecilia!, am i just imagining things or are we going uphill?."
Kurose asked cecilia while breathing heavily. sweats all over his body.
his posture relaxed.

"Kurose!, we are almost there!, just follow me!."
Cecilia replied.
A smile appeared on her face, traces of sweat on her face.

He stands up.

"O-okay!."


"It should worth all the running, or i'm going to have mother scold father for doing this with me!."
He contemplated.


After running for a while..

They stopped.

Kurose looks around.

"Cecilia, there are tree leaves everywhere, i'm not able to depict where is your training area?."
Kurose asked cecilia.

"We are almost there!, it's just a few steps ahead, follow me! kurose!."
Cecilia replied as she looked at kurose behind her.
She smiled.

"Fast!, run, kurose!."

He started running towards cecilia as she ran.

Clearing the leaves from in front of him.

He ran and cleared the leaves of the trees to clear his sight.

"W-wait, c-cecilia!, i-i c-cannot s-see!."
He closed his one eye for clear sight.

She ran towards cecilia!.


"Like i said, cecilia!." he cleared the leaves from his sight, "I cannot se-.", He opened his closed eye. His eyes widened.... in front of him, there was a clear sight of the whole village glittering with lights and decorations. The village was glittering as sun was on the brink of setting down. 


"He saw the whole village from the peak of the hill."

Cecilia was standing beside him.

"It's amazing and beautiful. right, kurose?."
Cecilia said.

Kurose was gazing at the village. his eyes glittering.

"Kurose?."
Cecilia looked at kurose, slightly turning her head, her hands crossed at her back.

"Kurose?."

He snapped. blinked his eyes.

"Oh! Yes!, it's beautiful!."
He replied, looking at cecilia.

"This is your training ground?."
Kurose said.

"Yes!."

"It's amazing right?."


"Well, now i understand why did you keep this place a secret from others."

"It's not the alone reason, i like to train by myself."

"Y-yes!, i completely forgot it about that, sorry!."

"Don't worry about it!."

Cecilia goes at the corner of the peak. gazes at the village. hands crossed at her back.

Kurose followed her from the back.

"Everyday, after training by myself, i gaze at this sight for some minutes, and think that how blessed i'm to gaze at this beautiful sight everyday."
Her eyes glittering.


"Well, you see, how beautiful is it, right, kurose?."
She turned slightly around, looking at kurose behind her back, her hairs fluttering from soft winds while a smile appeared on her face, as her cheeks slightly reddened.


Kurose gazed at Cecilia while she was standing in the middle of the sunlight as the sun was on the brink of setting.

His eyes softly widened, gazing at her, his mouth slightly opened.

After a few seconds.

He slightly turned his head, softly faint smiled, softly narrowing his eyes.

"Yes!, it is indeed.. beautiful!."

After a while..

Cecilia walked towards kurose..

"Shall we begin training now?."

She looks at the sun.

"The sun will set soon, we have only few minutes to train."

"Yes!, but, i have a question, cecilia."
Kurose said.

"What kind of question?."
Cecilia replied, slightly turned her head, her finger resting on her lip.

"What kind of magic are you are able to use?, cecilia."
He said.

"It's nothing special, but i'll show you!, as it can be done in a few minutes."


"Kurose, can you move a little further away?."


"Y-yes!."

He moved a little further away from her.


She closed her eyes while she quietly inhaled.


After a few seconds..

Out of nowhere, mysterious elements formed around her.


"Are they..?" he gazed at the elements, narrowing his eyes. "Wind, water, and earth elements?"


The elements started circling around her steadily, after a while.. The elements slowly circling her went in the sky and steadily started forming a shape of a tree. The earth formed the roots while Water took the shape of the tree's branches as wind represented the leaves of the tree.

Forming a Elemental Tree..

Kurose gazes at the tree.
His mouth widened, slightly reddened cheeks..

After a while..

A few seconds later.. The Elemental tree formation broke and steadily started returning to cecilia as elements circled around her while slowly disappearing into nothing.

She opened her eyes..

"This is my magic."
Cecilia said as she smiled while looking at kurose.

"It was amazing and pretty!."
He said, making clenched fists.

"It was pretty right!, it took me three years to control it!."
Cecilia remarked. her hands placed on her waist.

                                         
"To control what?, t-t-the tree?."


"No, The three elements at once."


"Oh!, that's incredible!."


"It is right!."


"I thought for a moment that she took three years to form a tree."
He mused quietly. traces of sweat on his face.

"Kurose?."

"Y-yes!."


"Now, it's your turn to show your magic!."
Cecilia asked kurose. her posture relaxed.


"Okay!, i'll show you my magic, what i have been training for one year and half."
Kurose replied as he smiled.

He looks around him.

"Huh?."

"Ehh?"

"I thought i had my sword laced on my waist."

He placed his hands on his head.

"How would i train now?!."

After a few seconds..

Cecilia laughed.

"How did you forget to bring your sword?."
Cecilia asked. a smile on her while having slightly reddened cheeks.

His posture composed.

"My father insisted me coming here to train with you, i was under the impression that he would bring me my sword by the time we would reach the forest gate, but i completed forgot because we were in a hurry." his hand placed on his back head.

"Sorry, i was the one who asked your father for us to come here to train."

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's not your fault."

"My plans have changed!, I'm going to have mother scold father for not bringing my sword in time!." He contemplated.

"Well, sun has almost settled down, should we watch over the village for a few minutes and head back?." Kurose asked cecilia as his eyes glittered.

"Sure!"

They both sat on the peak, watching over the village, shimmering with lights and decorations as sun was only a moment away from setting down.

After a minute..

He noticed something..

"Well, cecilia, your behaviour changed when we were in the forest, i-i meant the way you were talking before changed, and it made me happy... thank you!."
Kurose said while looking at cecilia as he smiles.

She stands up.

'T-t-thank y-y-you, i'm n-not u-used t-to t-talking t-to o-opposite g-gender, i-i g-get nervous when talking to m-males." Cecilia replied. her face getting flustered as she touched her fingertips touched together while averting kurose's gaze.

"S-sorry, i didn't meant it to startle you."

"N-no, d-don't w-worry a-about i-it."
Cecilia remarked as she sat again.

"O-okay."


Kurose and cecilia watched over the village for a few minutes, while averting each other gazes as their faces was reddening.


After a moment..

They returned back to the village..