With my bow in hand for the first time, my posture was sloppy and arm was tense. Caused by the tension were slight tremors as the arrow flew.  I experienced a moment of relief as it hit the target. Granted it was in the black, but it was a hit. This was a reminder that just because you learned something as a child doesn’t mean you will still know it come years later.

There were differences in how bows felt between this world verse the ones from my own. Without the ability to incorporate magic into the bow the difficulty was higher than average.

Making sure no one was around I closed my eyes and allowed my magic to flow into my bow. I felt my shadow pull my body into a more correct pose and felt the tension from earlier not exist. The arrow laid effortless on the notch, as the magic-infused itself within it. I released a sigh and let go of the bowstring and the arrow flew across the training field, just outside of the bullseye.

In every way that shot was easier, there was no tension, there was no required force, and best of all my magic integrated the bow into myself. The bow wasn’t a tool, it was part of me, and my magic allowed me to achieve that.

“Score is voided, use of magic detected.” The monotonic robotic voice sounded off in my chamber. I was wasn’t surprised by the voice as it was exactly as in my settings.

“I really dislike that setting, but it very comparable to how schools work.” The same way you couldn’t use magic, you couldn’t use external weapons or armaments. It was the school’s way of equalizing all the students and not allowing backing to decide the standings of the student. Magic isn’t something everyone has but it is something everyone can learn.

I tried to recall the second shot and recreate it without magic.

+++

When I left the room my body was covered in sweat and completely exhausted both physically and magic power. Just because we didn’t get grades for our shots using magic didn’t mean they weren’t a form of training.

Overheated I removed my shirt and slowly walked back to my room breathing out my mouth. “When was the last time I worked out to such an extent?” Beyond my body being exhausted my mind didn’t understand how it lasted so long. The same ways your eyes may be able to analyze an attack doesn’t mean it will react in time to dodge. My body could go on much longer but mentally my brain couldn’t understand why, because my previous body wasn’t fit.

“Ziph!” The voice was familiar, a harsh voice but hearing it again brought a friendly smile.

“Kys!” I turned back and returned his loud greeting. He was of average stature but this didn’t match his harsh and extremely masculine voice, but instead his above average physique.

“How you been doing man! I heard you started using a bow.” Kys was Ziph’s childhood friend.

“Yea, after all our spars growing up I knew I wasn’t meant to use a melee weapon.” I laughed along with him.

“You almost bested me a few times, but I had one hand behind my back those times.” Hearing his boastful taunt, I smiled along with him.

“Don’t think that will continue once I master the bow.”

“No matter the weapon you use, you won’t best me!”

“Why don’t we test that theory?” I suggested, an arm threw over his shoulder.

“Why not? I always have the time to beat you.”

+++

Kys and I stood on opposite ends of the open stadium.

“Normal or School rules?” I asked.

“Normal, can’t let you have any excuses when you lose.” He loosely stretched and took a sword in hand.

“Stadium start the countdown!”

“Match start, 3…2…1…Start!” Was the same robotic voice from earlier in my training chamber.

With an arrow already notched, I released the bowstring and the arrow flew towards where I predicted Kys to be.

He held the sword up in anticipation and deflected the arrow enough for him to continue his charge. My magic power was already weak from training, so I couldn’t depend on it for this challenge. I could only rely on my Birth Right for this immediate situation. The world around me slowed and allowed me the time to analyze his movements. Kys had already activated his Birth Right as well and it was related to speed. Knowing this I had few options, his skill allowed him to be a charging bull but didn’t allow much mobility.

The world returned to normal speed and I infused some of my limited magic into the arrow. It cut through the air and embedded itself into his knee. His charge slowed gave me enough time to expand the distance that had rapidly shrunk.

“Already using your magic? Thought you would try to elongate this match.”

“My magic is too low for a battle of endurance.”

He pulled the arrow out and he was quick to be charging again. I shot an arrow and was quick to release a second one. He dodged the first shot and cut the second one out of the air. Not that it even slowed him down as wind entered the stadium. I immediately jumped back and felt the wind as his sword swiped the air. With a twist of his wrist, he cut momentum and lunged the blade forward. Without much choice, I blocked using my bow and used the force to gain distance.

I pulled out an arrow and tried a shot without having any footing, he didn’t even flinch as the arrow shot wide right. Through my misstep, I lost balance and stumbled out of the way of his falling blade. The blade embedded itself in the ground as a crack was left in the stone.

“You’re better than this Ziph. You might as well go back to the sword if this is all you have to offer.” He was taunting me. He wasn’t wrong though, maybe I wasn’t meant to use a bow. Maybe I was being too ambitious with my ideal of being a master archer. I wouldn’t give out so easily, I couldn’t.

This rush I felt wasn’t something you could ignore. This feeling of danger, this rush of adrenaline, you couldn’t fake this, you couldn’t write what it feels to have a blade at your nose. You can’t describe the jitters as you roll out of the way of a blade by the skin of your teeth.

Kys wasn’t one to allow someone to breathe while he held the advantage and during my internal realization I had to stay completely focused using my advanced eyesight to stay on top of where the blade was coming from.

Writing a scene like this was nothing like living it, I could smell the sweat coming from us both. I could taste the iron in my mouth as he kicked me in the gut. I couldn’t feel my fingertips from the countless arrow shots.

I made another mistake as I released an arrow and while it hit its target; I fell for a feint as he slashed my eye. The pain was the worst thing I ever felt. I wanted to scream out, but I couldn’t allow myself to be so weak. I bit my tongue and with blood running down my face returned to fighting.

The ground was littered with arrows and my breathing was heavy. I couldn’t continue this much longer.

I was avoiding the idea, but as the fight dragged on, this blade constantly swinging at me caused fear, where one slip would cost me dearly.

My fighting deteriorated as the fear overwhelmed the feeling of adrenaline. My legs left wobbly as I fell with the feeling of fear elevated from the blade held to my neck.

“Pick up your bow.” He ordered his eyes red, and the feeling of wind surrounded him.

“I can’t,” I informed, my voice weak. I was weak. “I surrender,” I confirmed.

“Match completed! Winner: Kys Norho!”

Following the announcement, he lowered the blade and we were transported out of the arena. We were perfectly healed as we had technically only fought virtually. The projected were based on our current conditions but to stop students from being injured none of it was real.

That doesn’t mean the feeling wasn’t there, I still physiologically felt the sword slash my eye. I placed a hand over my left eye, the eye that was slashed, feeling for a none existent scar.

“You’re not good with a bow, man.” That same masculine voice. The same voice that pushed me in the past was pushing me again.

“I will get there.” I looked up at him, I don’t know if I looked determined then, but he nodded and walked off. I wasn’t far behind him as I silently walked back to my room. The moment the door closed behind me I took the closest thing to me and threw it against the wall. “Damn it!”

I was angry, I was furious. “Why am I never good enough!” “Did I make my characters monsters, or am I just too weak?”

Punching a pillow, I sighed “What did I expect? To be an immediate master to where I could stand at the peak? That even if I used a bow I would be allowed to avoid a blade? That if I could see the arc of the blade before it happened I could dodge it? What did I expect! Tell me! I’m not the main character! I’m not the star! Why did I think it would be so easy then!”

I walked into my kitchen and splashed water in my face. By instinct, I walked out of my dorm and into the courtyard. At the dead of night, there were very few people out there, and maybe it was habit built up, but I walked out to a tree at the edge of a cliff and looked out at the city below. ‘Exactly as I remember it.’

“Someone else came out here to relax as well?” His voice was smooth and husky. I completely forgot I wrote him to be here.

“Only place you can see such a gorgeous view,” I responded and leaned back against the tree. He walked up next to me and I found we were identical heights.

“That’s for sure.” He laughed, and a bright smile covered his face.

‘What would you do you were me?’ I thought this fictional man was a role model. I couldn’t help but wonder what he could do if he was in my shoes.

“What do you do after you a lost battle?” I asked even if I already knew the answer.

“I go back and get better. I pick back up the sword and train harder.”

“Can’t exactly do that as a bowman.” I let out a self-deprecating chuckle as I took in more the view.

“What rank are you?”

“675,”

“Why aren’t you rank 1?” He didn’t even look over at me as he asked the question, but I looked up to him as the question was asked.

“Because you are.” ‘Because I’m not the main character of this story.’

“Why should that stop you?”

I paused, “Because I’m not the star.”

“I guess people are born that way, aren’t they? Innate Birth Right, Magic, and Family some people have them and others don’t. So, guess people are simply born stars here.”

“Exactly.”

“Aim for the moon.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, guess that isn’t a big saying here. I was always told growing up, ‘Aim for the Moon because even you miss you’ll make it among the stars.’”

I was at a loss for words as I laughed a sad laugh. I needed this, needed him to tell me this. This man who didn’t even once look me in the eyes gave me more than I can explain. As he walked away in the dark silence, I knew I was looking at this world wrong. I was living wrong.