A still childish hand laid on top of the forehead of Viran. He wished it were someone else's hand attempting to comfort him, but it was indeed his own. In a half groggy state Viran begins to rub his eyes as he looks towards the interior of the tent. It was obviously daytime with the beams of light piercing through the tent completely.

 

“Hahh.” A soulless sigh exists Viran.

 

“I gotta say, that speech earlier did some wonders-”

 

The sudden interjection forces Viran to twitch completely, and upon remembering the events that transpired the day before the boy completely ignores the Spirit completely.

 

“Heee.”

 

Viran quickly turned face down into the pillow below him and he screamed all the while flailing his feet down onto the cot below. His face burned and his feelings swelled just remembering what had happened yesterday. It was suffice to say that Viran was completely, and utterly, embarrassed. 

 

“Why did I say all of that! Speaking in front of that giant crowd like I was a selfless hero of a Noble. Everyone’s gonna make fun of me now! I’m not selfless nor am I a hero and I’m barely even a Noble!” Viran frantically yelled to himself as he screamed into the pillow again.

 

The boy’s turbulent feelings were burning and showing completely on his face.

 

“Hmph. It doesn’t matter whether you believe yourself to be or not, it depends on how others view you.”

 

Ry’s words were completely ignored by the distressed young boy as he prepared himself for the day. The day before Viran had gotten himself healed and cleaned of course but immediately after Viran went into his tent and stayed there for the rest of the night.

 

But Viran knew that staying in the tent was not possible for him. Time could only be lost, but never gained.

 

A wavering expression held on Viran’s face as he faced the closed flap. Viran shook his head vehemently, as though he was trying to shake away the anxiety and shame that had already been ingrained inside of him. Finally, with a determined look now masking his underlying emotions, Viran stepped out of the tent.

 

Standing in front of Viran was the sight of a docile and silent camp. It had already turned morning long ago, yet the camp remained in a state of silence and lethargy. Viran couldn’t blame them either, what happened yesterday could only be described as humiliating… And a tragedy.

 

Viran walked through the encampment while feeling gazes linger on his backs. To his left Viran could see Knights laying around lazily, little conversation erupted between them all. To his right there were many Knights removing dings in their armor, chips in their blades, or snapped bowstrings. But despite it all the camp was enveloped in a solemn atmosphere, Viran was unsure what to make of it all.

 

The wounded Knight before stretched his once destroyed arm in a rhythmic manner while the Knight Sava lazily poked at an already dead campfire. His eyes reeked of a despondency completely foreign to Viran, as he randomly poked the burnt logs until remnant cinders flew into the air.

 

Viran was sure then that perhaps Sava lost someone important to him.

 

Finally reaching his destination Viran peers at the large tent that was almost the same size as his own. Viran was hesitant at first, but he spurred his courage to announce himself.

 

“Sir Leonard… I… I’m here.” Viran spoke with a touch of sadness.

 

“Hrm.” Sir Leonard grunts back immediately. “Come in, we need to talk.”

 

Viran pulls the flap open as he walks in only to see a large array of books laid out on the ground. Sitting in the middle of all of these books was Sir Leonard with his legs crossed and his arms folded. His white beard had grown shaggier and longer over a period of time, and swayed as he shook his head while in thought. His eyes zig-zagged constantly across the pages in a measured manner.

 

“Hrm. Viran we need to talk, but just give me a moment.” Sir Leonard Spoke in a gruff tone.

 

After a slight nod from Viran Sir Leonard continues turning page after page of each book until finally his eyes lift up from the ground and onto Viran.

 

“I never imagined the problem in the forest would be that severe, as it is now exterminating them all is futile.” Sir Leonard started off. “So fixing the estate wall is something that won’t be completed for a long time. As for the mansion, after inspecting it thoroughly we should be able to repair it completely within a week at best. The rest of the houses in the estate, hrm, will take much longer, however.”

 

“Due to the lack of magic users within the village we’ll need to rely on pure manpower to transport the materials and actually construct the houses. As it looks now this process will take much longer, and at that time we’ll be on the very edge of winter… Asking your Father for any magic user suited for construction and the like would be folly, as well.”

 

Viran waited patiently still as he heard every word his teacher spoke. His head nodded repeatedly, but hearing this wasn’t what he had come for.

 

“...How many died yesterday?” Viran asked with a pitiful expression.

 

Sir Leonard stared forward with a regretful intonation. His own eyes were dim somewhat, compared to Viran’s.

 

“Overall we have three missing still, and ten confirmed to be dead completely. Hrm.”

 

Viran’s eyes turned downward disheartenedly, an action he has used often in the past. Viran was unsure why he was feeling this way. He never knew any of those that had died, yet he still felt sad and solemn about their deaths. A greater sadness than even when Gregory beat him like a dog before, but perhaps that was because the excruciating feeling had already disappeared from his mind.

 

He had killed before, yet he felt nothing towards it. He had been betrayed and schemed against by Nobles and Knights alike, his own bodyguards turned against their oaths and attempted to assassinate him. Yet the feelings he felt then was incomparable to how he felt now, just what was different?

 

When his still loyal bodyguards were tortured and struck down alike before Viran hadn’t thought of it, but they all had died truly for him.

 

Unknowingly Viran’s hands gripped his pants even tighter as tears began to fall in an endless stream towards the floor. His teacher merely let his student be as he let out all of these foreign feelings that plagued him; an excruciating pain that felt as though his heart was being squeezed from the inside.

 

“Why… Why…”

 

Viran sputtered out in an incomprehensible way. Viran was confused about it all, why should he- why would he feel such sorrow towards people whose faces he had never gazed upon, whose names he never learned. 

 

Sir Leonard sighed softly at the sight of the babbling child in front of him, he thought that perhaps he always treated Viran older than he really was. In reality Viran was only nine years old, a young boy about to reach his adolescence that was unaware of himself much less the world. His eyes darted between the books laid out in front of him and he sighed deeply before closing each and every one.

 

Each book covered a topic very important, a topic pertaining to Viran’s very future. But now was not the right time to lecture the child in front of him over things such as these, what the boy needed now was a guide.

 

And a guide Sir Leonard will be.

 

“Hrm, it’s normal… To think that way. You all fought alongside each other. Though you may not have known their names or faces, you still fought together against a foe you would falter against were you alone.”

 

“Hrm. In my humble opinion, it is not important to wonder why you feel the way you do. Because in the end that is simply how you feel. There is little reason to become overly complex with your own feelings, making it complex will only confuse you and mystify your vision. You feel sorrow over the deaths that happened the day before, it’s as simple as that. You may believe it to be stupid or insincere to have that feeling, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel right now, the pure and raw emotion of it.”

 

Sir Leonard spoke in a calm and serene tone. His natural flair and aura always had a calming effect on those around him, his old age only made everyone’s views on him more amiable. Sir Leonard had such a popular and good standing among people, and that was all without mentioning his own personal accomplishments in magic theory.

 

“...What about magic… Aren’t there spells that could help me feel happier than I am now.”

 

Viran muttered with his fingers now flexing repeatedly before clawing at his pants once more. Sir Leonard’s eyes awe towards the unexpected answer of Viran until a disgruntled and disappointed face surfaces.

 

“Hrm. You could use magic, but it will never be real.” Sir Leonard's eyes produce a melancholic feeling as he seemingly delves deeper into his own memories. “There are many that had the same thought. Those people eventually die when the feeling no longer feels real. The more you use magic as a substitution for how you feel the weaker its effect, and by the time you’re immune to it completely you can snap at any moment.”

 

“Don’t misunderstand me Viran. There may be nothing you can do but accept how you’re feeling, and accepting for how it is- is ultimately important.”

 

Sir Leonard stands up as he stares down below at his student.

 

“To make a better world for yourself, a world where you are happier, you need to be better. Use your brain and understand it all, Viran. Hrm, what can you do to console yourself over their deaths?”

 

“I- I can get revenge for them…” Viran muttered tearfully.

 

“Hrm, I suppose you can, though that may not be the answer to everything. Although I don’t believe that will make you feel better, it’s your choice.. Now how can you avoid this situation happening again in the future?”

 

“I… I can stop fighting. It seems people only die when I go down this path I’ve chosen.”

 

Viran tearfully yelled out before shrinking back once more. The glare of Sir Leonard sharpened when Viran spoke his honest feelings, it caused a shudder to crawl down his spine.

 

“You may do that. But that’s only running away, boy. Will you truly be happy abandoning the path you fought so hard for? Hrm, you told Renault you fell in love with the blade and wanted to pursue it, and now people have died because of your decision. Wouldn’t that effectively cancel any meaning for their deaths?” Sir Leonard’s voice thundered within the tent, and Viran cowered farther down.

 

“You have already gone down this path and everyone expects you to follow through with it. You may be done with this, but those that wish to kill you aren’t. Without the strength you wish to abandon you will lose your life and more. Hrm. Everything you have created for yourself is only the means to an end for this path you have chosen.”

 

Viran’s eyes shook as tears fell. His mouth was agape and his chest heaved, snot rolled down his face. Viran’s face nodded deeply, after all it was true. It was only a moment of panic, after all, for the young boy. He still wished to follow magic and the blade until the very end.

 

He wanted this not because of some grandiose reason, but for the simple reason of enjoying it. A life of books and solitude was what he left, and abandoning the sword would only make him meet a quiet life once more. He despised the very thought.

 

“To make sure something like this never happens again, is to obtain the means to stop that from happening. But don’t believe that strength is all you need, hrm. A good head on your shoulders and experience is just as important.”

 

Viran’s hands finally released from his pants, the torn fabric had split open to reveal eight puncture wounds now in his thighs. His own fingernails bit through the fabric and into the skin, all without the boy’s knowledge.

 

Viran got to his feet, and stared directly into Sir Leonard’s eyes. The tears had stopped falling, and a tinge of resolution now touches upon the visage of sadness that Viran wore.

 

“To protect not just those close to you, but strangers you’ve only had a single chance to meet- that’s the way to avoid the terrible state you're in. Hrm, strength is what you need and I can provide. Follow me.”

 

Sir Leonard walked past Viran with a solid look on his face, and as he opened up the flap his eyes turned back towards Viran. Resolute words left him in that moment, words that Viran understood completely.

 

“Hrm, there will be many cases where you will fail Viran. But don’t give up when that happens.” Sir Leonard’s eyes became wide as his pupils shrunk heavily, the previous calming and resolute aura he had disappeared completely- replaced by the visage of a seemingly insane old man. “If you give up, more will die until eventually, you’ll be alone screaming in the underworld.”

 

Viran stood shocked as the flap fell down once more. After a few moments, his hands clenched and his face turned cold. He threw the flap up and followed his teacher through the camp.