Jericho flips the card to see both sides, trying to find as much information as he can from what little is typed and illustrated on the card. It's terribly intricately designed for a kid's collectible card game.
Akko meanwhile remains close, afraid to stray too far away from him. She rocks back and forth on her heels restlessly, and her eyes warily dart between the boy and her precious card he's holding.
They had been thrust into an awkward silence, him certain it's due to the girl's distrust of him. He did manage to convince her to hand him the card again, but it seems that he needs to put more work to actually put her at ease.
He needs to at least distract her from being worried.
Breaking the ice is never something he's good at. But Akko is predictable enough that someone as socially clueless as him can know what to say to get her gears going.
"So you collect these, Akko?" he asks.
Akko stops rocking on her heels. She blinks. "Yeah", she says, and a smile begins to tug the edge of her lips. "Like, you have no idea".
Akko proceeds to tell him a story she always love to tell. It was slow at first, her being hesitant, but now she's closing into nostalgia mode and have begun filling him in on every detail of her card hunting childhood. Her eyes no longer dart away, instead they comfortably wander as she reminisce her childhood.
His plan was to distract Akko and instantly not listen to whatever rant she's got and use the valuable time to read the card in concentration, but this is easier said than done. Akko is loud. She also has a knack in taking your attention. He'd opened up a dam he could not close. He could only listen.
'Akko is very passionate about this', he just realized. Then, unseen by Akko, his temple creases as a sinking feeling of realization begins to build up inside him.
He's indeed successfully distracted Akko into a nostalgia trip, but he's also successful in giving her the wrong idea. Now she's going to think he's interested in Chariot and or her cards, while in truth it's just one. He doesn't have the heart—after seeing the smile that's always present as she tells her story—to tell her the truth.
But it doesn't matter now. It shouldn't matter. This he could handle sometime later. He prays he'll find a way to let her down easy later or in the future, or that he'll eventually like Chariot enough so there would be no need for letting downs.
Jericho Franklin Jr., suffering from success.
In any case, not all of what Akko said is straying too far from his current agenda. While most of what she's saying is the most useless and mundane details on her card-hunting childhood, sometimes she spit some helpful and related information.
Akko's now beside him, their shoulders rub, as Akko points at the card. "See? It says there's a hidden cave sitting right under this school's chapel"
The boy's eyes narrow as he brings the card closer. "Yes… that's a bloody hard read".
"And get this, every blue moon, a ghost appears somewhere deep within there".
He stares at her. "Ghost? Like, ghost, ghost? There's ghosts in this school?"
Akko parts away and quickly holds her hands up. "No, no. Not that kind of creepy ghosts". Her hands moves all over the place to illustrate her point. "This is a different kind of ghost. It's temperamental, yeah, but it's also a wise and knowledgeable ghost, a Christmas Carol kind of ghost".
He frowns. "You're kidding? Christmas Carol ghosts are terrifying!" Regardless, he returns his eyes to the card and shuts up.
Akko follows suit, returning beside him to look as well. "Yes, so, Christmas Carol ghost appears in the cave. Apparently, if it likes you it will answer all sorts of questions", Akko recites diligently. A smug and eager smile begins to show in her. She starts to move her hands to emphasize her point again. "It's wise and knows about a lot of stuff. It's said that it's knowledge of past, present, and future".
"I-I see". He doesn't. He can't visualize such a wild claim.
Nonetheless, so far there's so many similarities between what Akko said and what he got from his dreams: the chapel, the cave underneath it, the blue moon, and now, he's sort of sure, he did remember seeing a ghastly face near the end of his dream, before waking up to cold sweat.
So what does this all mean, then? The wizard is made aware long ago that he doesn't have any God-given talent or hidden gift when it comes to magic unlike those heroes he always read in books—a fact that he has to deal with bitterly. But suddenly he begins to dream of things he shouldn't possibly know. Is this truly the work of some unknown clairvoyant magic, a hidden talent inside him, or could this just be a freaky case of coincidence? Though he can't give an answer, his heart leans heavily on being rational thus the latter. Plus it would halt any potential for disappointments.
But there's a good chance that he could be wrong. Akko's claim on the ghost's abilities sounds like a far stretch and fictitious, an exaggeration, but he remembers how so many things about magic didn't make sense back when he started taking wizardry. Can that still be said now? Does it apply the same to this odd dreams he's having? Is this after all an encounter with some unknown bizarre magic that's actually relatively normal to those who knows about magic better than him? Does this mean it's possible that he's gifted with some awesome magic but one that he's not aware of?
All of this makes his head spin. He can't come up with anything smart or conclusive. He needs more time and effort.
He needs to do something. A first step. He can try by first making sure if his dreams are really special or not. He can do this by testing its accuracy.
'I should investigate this chapel, then. If it's in this school, then what's the harm of looking into it myself?'
His first step is set. The idea of now finally having a direction—after all this confusion—somewhat comforts him. His hypothesis: that he's gifted with clairvoyance.
In one swift motion, the boy whips out a pen. This is not repeated however when he tries to reach into another pocket for his notebook. He turns and whirls around trying to find just the right pocket. Akko had to step back to give space.
Akko tilts her head once his items come together. He gives her a shrug. "Let's be real, you're not going to lend me the card".
He begin writing every detail about the card and what he's heard so far. Then he pauses and taps his pen to his chin. "You know, Akko, you're also saying a lot of things that's not written in the card". This was his way of saying: 'you sound like a 4000 word essay that's missing the references'.
Then, the smuggest smile comes to Akko. She rests her hands on her hips and sticks her nose up. "Actually, everything I know about this is from the researches I did when I was little all by myself. One of them may or may not be one of those Chariot limited edition magazines I had when I was little".
The boy internally sighs. He half-heartedly writes her references in the reference table he recently made.
"In any case, even Chariot cards are good enough sources on their own", she adds. This immediately made the boy stop writing and look at her with a scoff. That scoff falls short when he's met with Akko's determined doubtless eyes.
He blinks, then it dawns on him. He waves his pencil around then points it accusingly at her. "The papiliodiya was one time. That's not enough to make it credible".
"You're just in denial", Akko laughs. "You'll see for yourself eventually. You'll see how this blue moon card is also accurate!" she smiles challengingly. The wizard can tell she's fully sure she's correct.
The boy snorts at that and returns to his writing. To her it might seem he just dismissed the challenge, but in truth, he does give it some though.
He puts the last dot with his pen. The pen doesn't leave the paper as he mulls over his thoughts. The ink begins to seep too much into the paper it threatens to make the dot more than a dot.
He turns to Akko. "The chapel. That's in the first floor, is it not?"
"I think I know the way there", she replies as she scratches the side of her head. "You're planning to go there? Want me to show the way?"
The boy hums. He then shakes his head. "You know what? I think I actually know the way". He closes his notebook and pockets it. After so long delay, the wizard finally resumes his walk with Akko following closely beside. He says, "I think I can find it myself. And I won't do it tonight". He looks towards the thick clouds haunting the night sky outside. "Not a great time for going outside".
"Oh, that's fine then", Akko says. She's that stupid smile again growing on her face. "Anyway, there's plenty more cards like these you know? I don't have them on me right now, but I can show you later".
The boy was so close to scoff and dismiss her offer. He has to suppress his instinct and roll with the girl for now and feed Akko's image of him being interested in her interests.
The wizard may not like most people he knows nor does he actively try to make others like him, but he's made it a constant personal goal to not make anyone dislike him.
Confrontation is bad, it's messy. He's not the type of person who triumphs in confrontations. He doesn't need to stop disliking people, but he just needs to look like he likes people enough to avoid any kind of trouble.
Now Akko's starting to see him in a good light. It would be stupid to throw this opportunity away and make her dislike him again.
So once again, he puts a brake on his character by initiating something. "What about that idol person of yours, Chariot?" He says the name slightly quieter, as if afraid that he's gotten the name wrong.
It took only a second for Akko's lips to start turning into a wide smile. The wizard used all his might to not frown and dryly add: 'I'm just asking, it's not like I'm interested'. Instead, he presses on. "I've always heard about how much you like her, but you never really explained who she is".
"Ah, that". Akko giggles giddily, already excited at the coming topic. "You're right. And I did always say 'Shiny Chariot is too popular for anyone not to recognize'".
Akko taps her chin with a finger. "Well, where should I even begin?" Akko goes on to tell another story she always loved to tell, even when no one even asks her to. She tells him everything, no mercy: Chariot herself, Akko's first time ever laying eyes on her, the first of her show Akko went to, and other more mundane details that the girl nonetheless still holds great memory and passion to. It was… endearing, in some way, to his surprise.
"She went to this school, you know?" Akko says at one point. Again, he had to resist a snide like 'you said that a million times to a million people already'.
Akko then looks to her feet, her voice quieting slightly. "That's why I went to this school in the first place: following her footsteps".
Akko drifts to silence as a distant smile takes her face. The boy glanced sidelong, taking in the girl's rare quiet face for a good few seconds. That's when he realizes something. Spoken like this—slowly, quietly and with a soft smile instead of her usual annoying grin—makes him rethink about Akko and her unusual obsession. Usually, these kinds of thing Akko says with proud gusto or in excitement, and it gives off the impression that she was merely hyped for this idol of hers. A phase or trend—a love that'll only last a few months at best. But now, spoken like this with thought and calmness really drives home the point that this is Akko's deepest feelings. Her love for Chariot isn't some trend or phase that she'll get over in time, it's an affection that she's held on for so many years of her childhood and will continue in the future. She's held on to this idol of hers to motivate her through her days, and Akko's boundless energy and motivation is a testament that that worked.
Despite still seeing idolizing a glorified magician as odd and stupid, he's at least starting to recognize how important this Chariot person is to Akko. That must count for something, right?
What he also just realized is his current position—he's now got himself in a type of conversation he's terrible at.
'This is bad. This is really bad'the wizard thought frantically. 'She's advancing too fast! Talking about genuine feelings and love are you kidding? I'm not ready for this kind of talk yet—we barely know each other—and it usually means I'll have to tell a similar story in kind!
A bead of sweat travels down the nape of his neck as his mind scrambles for a response. The silence is starting to last too long, and it's certainly his turn to talk and make a serious reply to Akko's heartfelt story.
"I…" His dark eyes keep darting back and forth between Akko and anything else. "That's really… that was a really cool story, Akko", he says, flatly.
Akko's distant smile suddenly disappears as her lips thin and her brows furrow disappointedly. She says, "Damn, was my story really that bad?"
The boy stops and shakes his head quickly. "N-no, no, no! I really mean it! I just don't know what to say and— sorry for the generic response! I know it sounds sarcastic but I really found your story cool but… I've just zero idea how to respond!"
"Oh", she says lightly, her frown somewhat disappearing.
"Yeah". The boy warily nods. "I'm just that bad at sounding genuine, do I?"
"It's really hard to tell". Akko nods and shrugs.
The boy blinks nervously. He scratches his chin. "So, anyway, moving onwards". He walks again and looks ahead, away from Akko. "I think your story's not uncool. I think it's cool that you have something concrete and real you can look up to. I don't have any". He chuckles forcibly. It was a cheap and shady kind of chuckle you'd find with a faded expiry date. "And uh… I think having one could really shape us differently from the others, huh? " If all else fails, compliment. "Now that I think about it, you resemble good points of Chariot".
Akko perks up. "Really? Thanks".
"You're welcome".
And then, nothing. Both boy and girl went silent, the former with no clue how to follow up.
That was the lamest compliment and reaction ever.
Then, Akko stops walking. Something seems to have just registered to her, and she now looks at him with a shocked face. "Wait, you don't have someone you idolize?" then, as if already knowing his answer, Akko's face drops. She looks at him as if he just told her his family never celebrated his birthday.
Not that he'd know.
He stops as well. "Oh, stop dramatizing it". He forces a chuckle. "It's pleasant and cool, but having an idol isn't obligatory".
"Come on! Anyone?" Akko leans forward. "What a sad existence if you don't!"
"Sad existence—" The boy wheezes. But one good look at Akko made the boy flinch, his humour suddenly out the window. He's unprepared to meet Akko's genuinely sad and pitying look, alongside her leaning very close to him. The boy's eyes immediately wander to the side the same time he leans back away. He looks at her at the last moment. "I sort of think Noel Gallagher's pretty cool".
Akko's eyes immediately light up. Her worry seemed like a physical illness, and she's just cured from it. "Oh! Is he a famous wizard? Honestly I don't really follow wizards".
The boy blinks. "Yeaaah, he's a wizard". One finger scratches his cheek. "…in working the guitar".
Akko sighs. Her excitement is killed, murdered. "Oh, you're just talking about music now".
He shoves his hands into his pockets and start to walk again. He grumbles, "Well, you asked for some idol, and there you go".
Nonetheless his answer seems to be much better than nothing at all. This the wizard can tell by the growing appreciative beam Akko has. She catches up to him and says, "But hey, I didn't know much about you as well. I didn't know you like music".
This is true: he rarely ever talks about himself even among his closer friends, always preferring to make himself invisible by not standing out too much with colourful and noticeable hobbies.
"Who doesn't?" He shrugs. "But I guess you're not wrong to think that. I didn't bring my collection to school for obvious reasons. They're mostly tapes as well—it's hard to find digital things back when I came from—which brings more reason not to pack it in a tight baggage. And even if I did, it'll be difficult playing them without some technology here". A finger scratches his nose. "Although, Conz had been offering to help me with that should I ever have my tapes smuggled here". He can't hide the smile as he said that.
Akko nods understandingly. "Oh that sucks. And I get you; it's hard for me to adjust to the lifestyle here as well". Then, she frowns. "But hey, I mean, we're sort of the same at that". His heart always moves weirdly when he hears her say that, which unfortunately is quite often lately. "We both like something not respectable by witches".
"Oh crumbs. Akko, you've no idea how much tapes I have to give up", the boy chuckles giddily—for once he doesn't mind showing what he feels. He says, "To the point I stop bringing it with me to witch-heavy locations entirely. Quite a shame, I could've impressed some old cats with my collection. In fact without having them around, I doubt I can find someone who shares the same interest. I can't just ask anyone I meet if they share the same hobby as I when I'm surrounded by traditional witches, see?"
"You'd get in trouble", Akko nods understandingly. But then her walk slows, until she stops completely. The boy stops and turns to her. There's a new look in her eyes, without that childish excitement that's present just seconds ago. She asks. "Ever got in trouble because of it? Ever have people dislike you because… I don't know, just liking your hobby?" Akko dresses her question like its nothing but casual curiosity, but he could tell her curiosity is serious.
The boy slows to a stop hesitantly. "No", he answers with a short shake of his head. His smile disappears quietly. "I suppose I'm lucky on that part". He's starting to see where this is going, and again, he doesn't like it.
Akko looks away. He can't read her face if she keeps doing this. "Because, the thing is…. well, someone like Chariot… not having anyone interested in her is bad enough, but having her hated is just terrible sometimes".
'Sometimes I hate being right' he sighs internally. "Yes, Hannah and Barbara could go overboard with their teasing", he eventually says. He scratches the back of his head and shrugs. "I mean, I'm their freshest victim".
Akko looks at him. "Diana as well".
"Diana isn't that bad". His reply was quick and backed with certainty. He's sure Diana didn't see him negatively after he told her he's a first-gen wizard.
Or did she? How was he so sure Diana didn't find him as ridiculous as Hannah and Barbara does?
'No, don't think like that', the boy tells himself. 'What do you gain from thinking like that?'
"She is, don't kid yourself", Akko grumbles. As she turns away from him again, she puffs her cheeks and furrows her brows. "I don't like how they always looks down on me. Especially Diana. She got everything, and I have nothing just starting out—a blank slate. But she doesn't need to be so arrogant about it, always acting like she knows everything and better than everyone. Like, what gives?"
'I mean, she probably does know about everything and is better than most of the people around, especially you and me', he thought, but do not dare say. In truth, he doesn't need the fear of Akko's backlash to stop saying what's on his mind.
Jericho disagrees with her, but that's not what he'll say. He must set aside his urge to be clever and correcting here, because that's not what Akko needs to hear right now. Akko needs a serious and thoughtful answer—she needs help. He understands how she feels, and he would be pissed if he's in her shoes and the person he's talking to doesn't take his feelings seriously and help. And for once the wizard knows what's needed to be said. Perhaps it's because he's been in her shoes more than once.
"I get what you're saying". He says after his pause. This surprised Akko. She did not expect someone to understand so quickly. Perhaps she's forgotten who she's talking to.
Suddenly, any semblance of humour is gone from him. The wizard's eyes drift elsewhere. His voice is low and peppered with delays. "It is… frustrating, at times, to compare yourself to someone better than you".
After all, no one would know better than him.
Then he looks at Akko straight in her eyes. "But don't do that. Don't compare yourself to her. You won't get anywhere being preoccupied and bitter on the people around you. I know it's hard, but you have to focus on yourself and yourself only". His voice was unusually level. The wizard seemed so… mature, so suddenly, to Akko's great surprise. For once he seems like he knows what he needed to say.
This would be no surprise if Akko knew this isn't the wizard's own words, but one he'd heard repeated to him so many times in the past. But if she caught the bitter grimace at the edge of his lips, Akko would've realized that the wizard doesn't follow what he's preaching himself.
Akko kept blinking. She stayed silent for long, trying to truly think of what she heard. Slowly, she begins to part her mouth and speak. "I… You're right. You're right!" Akko nods repeatedly. It was slow at first, but her expression begins to harden; her trademark confidence slowly returning to her. "You're right", she says again.
The wizard breathes in and out, relieved of the reaction he received. He's surprised how nice it felt saying that to someone else instead of hearing it. He wonders how helpful the words he just spoken, and if she'll remember what he said in the future. He could only pray the girl could follow the advice more faithfully than himself and find it helpful.
"That's a really nice thing to say", Akko says again as she smiles.
He resumes walking, putting his back towards Akko so it'll be impossible for her to see his face. "I meant everything I said". His hand brushes his mouth before he consciously put it down. Akko's smile widens and she catches up to him.
The day after tomorrow he goes to find the chapel alone. It was easier than he anticipated. It's not because it's easily accessible or anything. In fact the chapel sits outside the school's building, under the base of the New Moon Tower, and finding that place is tricky on itself. But he easily found the way there because, somehow, he just knew which ways to take. Despite never been there before or even heard of the place till yesterday, the boy follows the school's maze-like hallways and spiralling staircase and out to the forest pathway without a single pause or doubt. His feet would take him to a turn before he could think, and then he just knew it was the right turn. It's because this hallways and paths are very familiar so suddenly.
The tower's heavy wooden doors groan and creak in protest as he pushes them open, uncomfortable in his ears. Light spills into the room inside in rays, revealing a good amount of dust. He can tell this place isn't used often. The wizard doesn't immediately continue through open doors. His body felt anchored in place. His eyes anxiously dart around the room as he takes in the details of the room.
Thick square pillars jut from the ground to support the ceiling. The room's only light comes from three tall yet narrow windows that lets the daytime sun outside shine through, and the open door. There's a statue of three women. They're beautiful to behold during a sunny day like this. They stand at the corner of the room with their unblinking eyes, like silent guardians watching over the room long after their own times.
It felt surreal to him, unsettling even, when he's struck with déjà vu seeing a place he's never been to before. The statue, the stone tables in front of it, the scratches on the pillars and the even cobblestones… they're all so familiar to him—so similar to the one in his dreams.
There are only two notable differences which also brings him comfort: one is the daytime sun, lighting the room in warm and comforting light. Otherwise, this room would've gave him enough creeps to make him stay away. He thinks of this and shudders as his eyes shift to the menacing statues in the middle, one that he realizes would transform into haunting figures in the night. And second is that this place is not abandoned. The room is quiet with only a handful around, and they're all fairies and goblins, but that's more than enough. They give him a curious but polite looks, some even tips their hats before going back to their works.
The wizard stops in front of the statues. He takes a deep breath in. He'd planned and thought so much about this room and what he's about to do when he does find it, but now being here, he's lost track of everything.
'So, to check: my dreams are accurate. This is unnerving. I've no idea how to feel about this'.
His hand nervously moves to his breast pocket. It stays hovering there, tempted to read the notes he's made in his book. But he brings his hand down when he hears light footsteps coming his way. He lifts his eyes to find one of the goblins coming up to him.
"Need something, kid?" asks the goblin. The white streaks on his thin beard and slightly grave voice tells him he's older than most goblins he knows.
"No". He hesitates. "What makes you ask that?"
"Because no one ever comes here". The goblin shrugs. "This place isn't often used these days. A miracle the headmistress hasn't renovated it or closed it off completely".
"That so?" the boy's eyes drift to the middle of the room. "Maybe its just too valuable". The goblin's brows arch. Jericho turns to the goblin again. "You know, I heard this funny piece of info that there's a—"
"Secret cave?" the goblin completes his sentence. The boy looks at him in surprise. The goblin shakes his head disapprovingly. "Yeah, yeah. I heard that one too, kid", the goblin says. "Take my word on it, worked here more than your age and I can tell you this room's just a room. Don't be like those LNN kids trying to find it".
His shoulders sag slightly, unnoticed by the goblin. "Oh". He pauses, and then his eyes widen. "Wait, LNN? They know about this secret cave?"
"Non-existent secret cave", the goblin corrects him. He crosses his arms and nods his head irritably. "Yeah they do know about it! They're always crazy following any bit of rumours about some secrets of the school. They're impressive I'll give them that, but their energy's wasted on the wrong thing! Troublemakers the lot of them". The wizard blinks in surprise at the outburst. But then the goblin scratches his chin and looks to the ground. After a breath in, his expression calms. "Though I suppose they do that because those kind of things sells. The market decides, I suppose".
The boy masks a growing grimace. It was hard hiding his guilty face. He still have inquiries for the goblin, but now it's wiser to look innocent with it.
"And… I imagine they didn't succeed in finding anything here?" he asks, trying to sound as innocent as possible. The goblin nods. Jericho continues, "Maybe they just didn't know where to find it? Maybe they don't know what they're doing".
The goblin shrugs. "I guess so? This place is built ages ago, so I don't blame anyone if they can't figure out this place. I don't think any person still alive in this school really knows about all the secrets this school has. The school's old, kid, really old, and the little who knows the secrets sometimes keeps it at so. Probably because they're dangerous secrets". The goblin winks at him. "Like a fledgling dragon in the labyrinth".
The boy visibly shudders. That was not a good memory of the start of the school. The goblin barks a laughter at his reaction.
"Or who knows, maybe they already know the secret but they intentionally stall their search in order to print more papers. Build up to the climax to build up the profits", the goblin chortles. He turns and shoves his hand on his pockets and walks away.
The wizard's eyes stick to the goblin's back. Then, he furrows his brows. "You're reading too much into this". The goblin barks out a laugh.
'Dangerous, forbidden secrets'. Now this brings him back on track. The boy lifts his gaze towards the stone cold statues.
'I wanted to consult with Professor Ursula about this new discovieries I've made, and about what I'm going to do... but what if it backfires? What if she tells me to stop because this secret under this chapel is dangerous or something forbidden? No, the better question is, am I going to stop because it is a dangerous secret?
'Mustn't think so negatively. Don't let the goblin's words get into your head, Franklin. He knows nothing, while you know something not everyone else does: you know this secret—this hidden cave—exists, and where!'
This thought gives him strength. The goblin just unintentionally confirmed that he knows more than most person should. Somehow the goblin's friendly warnings actually made the boy dangerously confident.
'Yes, I sound irrational and contradicting: did I not insist on being rational with my dreams? To not jump to conclusions like that this is the work of some divinity magic? But I've grown more unsure,more superstitious—more believing what I'm going through is specialthe more I delve deeper. Yes, have I not also just confirmed that my dreams are accurate? My dreams are special! I've completed the first step finely'.
The wizard's eyes fix to the stone women's face, meeting them in their unflinching and expressionless eyes.
'Now comes the second step—the final step to prove my hypothesis: I must see for myself if my dream does lead me to a secret so little people knows—I must find and enter that damned secret cave myself! If I successfully find this cave, then I'll know that I'm truly... gifted? Yes, gifted. What other word could I use to describe the ability to know things without being there? I could possibly be clairvoyant. And is it too far to believe that, after confirming the accuracy of my dreams so far, that its promise of a hidden cave is also accurate?'
The wizard suddenly frowns. 'But I could still fail. I'm a clairvoyant only if I did successfully find this hidden cave. If not, then my dreams are mere dreams. And all of this a coincidence.
Without himself realizing, the wizard subconsciously wishes it's the former.
The wizard brings his attention to the stone floor under him. He lightly stomps on the floor, trying to feel beneath it. It doesn't feel any different from any other floor; it doesn't feel hollow or thin. It would be impossible to tell what's under it. But in his dreams, he remembered that they would be the ones that collapse, revealing a flight of stairs. This does not happen now—the third thing different from his dream. He's not surprised, though. He has to wait till the moon is right for this room to be the exact same as the one in his dreams. It's the night of the blue moon when he'll finally find a certain answer for this mystery.
'I have to be brave', he tells himself. 'I must be brave in discovering this truth. I have to sneak out in the middle of the night, alone through the haunting hallways, past the night patrols, and through the lightless woods, and finally here. I have to be brave. It'll be worth it. Truly, if I am actually gifted… it'll be worth it. And I'm going to be so happy'. The wizard brings his hand to his mouth, covering a wide, manic grin. 'God, I'm going to be so grateful'. He's no idea what to do first after all this is done.
He knows he's getting ahead of himself, that he's being too imaginative and childish, but he honestly can't suppress this giddy excitement coursing through his veins when all the endless possibilities come into his head. He's so energetic, he suddenly feels like he can run miles without rest. It might be nervous energy. He can't tell.
He suddenly feels impatient. The night of the blue moon will be the night he'll finally know if he's a clairvoyant or not. It'll be the night where he'll know if he's part of a greater destiny.
Author's Notes: a bit late, because of things in life. In particular, I've been very busy moving from one place and into a new one half a continent away. It's a student exchange thingy, and the place I'm in is very cold and rainy. It's fun, but also very tiring. It's also 4 am and I haven't slept and I'm very tired.