Chapter 13:
Sylphie's Graduation
I had an epiphany one day. If magic could cure rotting and the like, surely it could create it. I'd never heard of anything doing that here aside from natural causes, but maybe if I employed what I knew about biology? It might be too far-fetched, but I wanted to experiment.
I got some fruit, free of blemishes. I set them down on my table, and tried to do something. I cast detoxification but with small alterations, and nothing happened.
I had come into this thinking that my knowledge about biology was going to help me, but magic was completely out of the realm of science. Maybe I could apply physics or something to offensive magic, but going that route here was pointless. I did use some basic knowledge, though. So maybe it wasn't useless.
"I'm probably not going at this right." I said, as I laid my head on the tabletop. Hmm. I didn't know exactly how magic worked, so I couldn't just reverse engineer. Maybe I could try…
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the effect of the detoxification magic. If I could at least grasp that, maybe I could see if there was anything I could do. It felt like tiny threads snapping into place, soft tissue being crumpled… all sorts of strange sensations. I tried to alter the thread feeling first.
I began to shift my area of concentration. It was beginning to stop feeling the way it did, and more like the threads were poking into something. It was hard to describe. When I opened my eyes, the previously clean fruit was now littered with dots all over its surface.
This was the first change I was able to make. This was a good start. I amplified certain parts of my mana to try to replicate what I had done. I ended up with a fruit full of blemishes and what looked to be mold.
I wanted to experiment further, but not on myself. I had enough of that with the healing magic. Just as I thought about experimenting on animals, I thought to myself. Is this… really humane? I mean, sure. I would improve a little and grow more powerful in the long run. But this skill was shaping up to be something an assassin would use.
Maybe my morals were skewed after not interacting with the outside world for nearly two decades. Anyways, I decided to stop experimenting. It just didn't feel right to test this on anything living, and I would probably hesitate to use it in a real conflict too.
I might come back to it, but for now… I got out my diary. It had been several months since I had written in it, so I decided to flip through the pages. It was fun to look back on stuff that had transpired, so I had a nice time reading it. Oh, right. This tradition of mine.
K416 - Spring. Age 8: Skill log.
Swordplay - No skill, along with no Touki
Offensive Magic - Fire: Advanced; Water: Advanced; Wind: Saint; Earth: Advanced (All Incantationless)
Recovery Magic - Healing: Advanced. Detoxification: Saint. (All Incantationless)
The only thing I'd really improved over the past year was my practical use. I had managed to have a spar with Paul that lasted twelve minutes, which was some great progress compared to the first one that lasted less than a minute. That's all well and good.
I stepped outside to catch a breather.
"Haah…" I exhaled, and looked out towards the distance. The landscape was pretty as always. The skies are such a deep shade of cerulean, and… Was that red dot always there?
I noticed a dot in the sky that I probably wouldn't have caught if I really wasn't focusing on the sky. That was odd. I told my father to come outside and see it.
"Do you have any idea what that is?" I asked.
"Hm. That really doesn't look like the floating fortress… Maybe they're up to something in Roa. Who knows, kiddo." Paul said. Ah. That made sense.
"Wait… floating fortress?" I said, incredulous.
"Huh? You weren't paying attention to the bedtime stories? Does Perugius ring any bells?" He said.
"What? Those were real?" I asked.
"Of course, kiddo. Who could come up with a story as elaborate as that!" Paul said.
Well… I probably could… I think. Well, I guess I had to rethink what I knew about this world's history. The gist of what I knew was something about two human-demon wars, with one of them creating the ocean between the Central and Demon Continent. Laplace… something about the Superds… Argh, I was never any good at history.
Well, I suppose the past of this world doesn't matter. Not like I'm going to be taking any final exams anytime soon.
A year and a half passed without anything too big happening. It was now the fall of K417, and I was now nine years old.
We were all preparing for this one event. Sylphie was turning ten, tomorrow. That means it's time for her graduation. She's now finished with her studies, after nearly four years. I've taught everything I knew about magic to her, and she was near scholar levels of reading and writing.
Life was going without a hitch in sight. Sylphie's celebration was going to be on the small end, but I wanted to give her something nice. She was my closest friend, and probably the person who relied on me the most. I had an idea of what I wanted to get her, but it was going to be hard to obtain.
I wanted to get her a ring. Not an engagement ring, but just a shimmering gem for her to wear. But how was I going to get one here?
One Sunday, I was walking through the newly opened shops, and was weighing my options. Maybe I needed to set my sights lower.
My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Hey, it's you!" said the voice, enthusiastically.
I turned around to see the exotically dressed traveling merchant. She was the one I had bought Sylphie's wand from a couple of years back.
"C'mon, sweetie. You remember me, right? It's me, Meadow." She said
"Oh, it's a pleasure to see you again. How have the years been treating you, Meadow?" I asked.
"Well enough. You've certainly grown up. It's only been two years and you've changed this much?" She said, and I smiled.
"Ah, right. I wanted to know if you sold any rings?" I asked.
Meadow widened her eyes, and covered her mouth. She said, "Sweetheart, aren't you a little young to marry?"
"It's not like that! It's for a friend." I replied, waving my arms around.
"Ah. A friend." She said, grinning. "Very well. But I regret to inform you that the only places that sell rings are in Roa. I don't carry such expensive things all the way out here. I'd get robbed by some bandits and killed." She said, adjusting her glasses.
Roa. It was a half day's ride from here, and it was where the region's lord, or my great uncle, lived. I've been meaning to visit for a long time now, but I had never gotten the chance. Buying a present would be a great excuse.
Having made up my mind, I bid my farewells to the traveling merchant. I walked straight home, as the sun was going down. I greeted Lilia, and I noticed Paul was sitting down at the dinner table. He looked troubled.
"What's wrong, father?" I asked.
He looked up at me. "The monsters are getting really feisty these days. I ought to tell Philip about this…" He said, trailing off at the end.
"Isn't Philip in Roa?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah. He's one of the reasons why I got this job in the first place. Hey, actually…" He said, brightening up. He seemed to be considering something, and then he made up his mind.
"Your mother was wondering if you would want to visit Roa with everyone. It would be in a month or two, and I have some things to attend to there anyways. What do you think?"
Ah, it was too perfect.
"I'd love to go!" I exclaimed.
Sylphie was now officially 10. That meant I had to prepare. Today was her graduation exam, after all. I couldn't slack off here. I threw on my clothes, and grabbed my wand.
Everyone except for Lilia and the toddlers were going to be attending. I was supposed to be going on ahead to prepare a safe place for the spectators, and to be there as early as possible.
It was daybreak, so I ate a quick breakfast and told my parents that I was off. Thankfully, I was going to be taking a borrowed horse. On foot, the whole journey would take me half a day. When I got there, it was nearly noon. I was on time. I began casting seats, and created a large earth fortress for protection's sake. The spell was going to be directed away from the audience, but it was better safe than sorry.
Soon after I was finished with my miniature auditorium, everyone else arrived. Sylphie was looking fidgety, and everyone else was chatting away. The audience consisted of Paul, Zenith, Laws, Sylphie's mother, and a few other people they were acquainted with.
I walked up to Sylphie. She looked away. I knew what this was. Good old stage fright, but on another level.
"Are you nervous, Phi?" I asked.
She timidly replied, "A little…" She hung her head down.
"I know you can do it. I'm here just in case, okay?" I tried to reassure her.
"O-okay… But if I can't do it just promise me that you won't laugh at me." She looked up at me, with her face filled with anxiety.
"I promise." I said, and pulled her into a hug. That was when I noticed that everyone was watching us. Paul had a grin on his face. Zenith and Sylphie's mother were smiling at each other. Laws was just chuckling.
I pulled away from the embrace, and patted her head. "You can do this, alright?" She nodded.
"Well, everyone should be seated. Please remember to stay within the fortress, as you could be hurt pretty badly if you're careless. Anyways, thank you for attending my wonderful student's graduation. She was the best pupil I could have asked for, and an amazing companion. Today, she will be attempting to cast the Saint-tier fire spell, Flash Over." I walked over to Sylphie.
I flipped to the page with the incantation, and handed it to her. I whispered in her ear, "Good luck." and I stepped back.
She timidly began to chant. "May all hear my call. Turn the land from here to the horizon into ash and cinder. Oh great spirit of hell, I call upon you to strike the earth with your wickedness, so that none who witness the sight of your hellfire shall be able to forget–Flash Over!"
Sylphie chanted with determination in her voice. Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, a flare shot from her wand, and then the land was on fire. Everything, from the bottom of the hill we were watching from, to the distant fields were burning.
"Congratulations, Sylphie. You are now a Saint-tier Fire mage." I said, pride in my voice and my eyes beginning to tear up. She had grown so much, and I was able to watch it all. Heh. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Sylphie cried out, and ran towards me.
She embraced me tightly, and said in-between sobs, "Thank…hic…you, Lumi! Thank you…So much! This means…hic…the world to me…Thank you…" She said, burying her head in my chest.
Ah, so that's what that feeling was. It was certainly, definitely, absolutely love. All sorts of different love. I wasn't sure if it was romantic love, but I knew that I loved her. And that was what mattered to me.
I silently cast a rainstorm to put out the fires, and Sylphie went to hug her parents.
Paul came over to me. "Well, kiddo. Looks like you did well." He said, pridefully. "Just what I'd expect from my daughter."
"No, it wasn't all me. Phi was an extraordinary student, through and through." I said, nodding.
"Ah, just like you to be humble. Well, whatever." He gave me a hug, and said, "You did good, kid. Be proud of yourself, alright?" I nodded in reply.
That night, we held Sylphie's birthday party. It was a great time, and she received all sorts of gifts. But, my gift would have to wait a little longer.
Little did I know how much this gift would change my life.
Author's Note:
Thanks again for reading! Sorry for breaking my schedule yesterday. I may have to slow down starting next week, since my school starts. For now, I'm extra excited for Chapter Fifteen. Stay tuned!
