“Fight!” Thomas shouted

Dreu sprinted towards me, his stick out towards my chest, ready to stab me.

I planted my right foot ahead of me, and my left foot just behind me.

I held the bottom of my stick above my right foot with my right hand, and grasped the middle of my stick with my left hand.

I bend my knees and point my shoulder towards Dreu.

The distance between us was closing in.

*squish*

*squish*

*squish*

His every step grew louder as he came closer.

And just when he went in for the stab, I twisted my right foot towards my right, and threw my left foot around my left.

I lightly thrusted the part of my stick between my hands into Dreu’s stick.

*pow*

My counter threw off Dreu's sloppy footwork (if he even had any), and his sword stabbed the air above us.

Finally, I thrusted my stick into Dreu’s neck, ultimately ending the duel as he fell onto his bum, holding his neck in pain. 

Dreu threw his hand into the mud.

“FUCK!” 

Maybe I went too hard…

Dreu broke into a small cry.

I ran to Dreu and gave him my hand.

“Are you-”

Dreu smacked my hand

“Who the fuck are you to come in?! We don’t need you! You’re trying to steal my friends! I know it! You… you!”

What is happening?

I was clearly confused. Zane and Thomas ran over to help Dreu. Alard just watched.

“Calm down, Dreu. It was just a duel.” Thomas tried helping Dreu up, but Dreu forced himself back down.

“Come on, Drue. We wouldn’t leave you.” 

He thinks I’m stealing his friends?

“Really?” Dreu held in his tears

“Really. Cmon’. Watch Alaric eat the mud when I’m finished with him.” Thomas boasts

Uncalled for…

Thomas helped Dreu up

Jeez, Dreu is already over it. I almost forgot that these are kids… And Thomas looks like a really good friend. He must be the leader of this group.

A few minutes went by of Dreu calming down and Thomas getting ready for our duel.

Zane didn’t want to duel, but he agreed to just reffing along. 

“Ready, Alaric?” Thomas asks

I nod.

Thomas and I look at Zane.

“Oh… right. Go.” Zane timidly murmurs. 

“Cmon’, louder.” Alard demands

Alard shoves Zane out the way.

“Go!” Alard shouts

I looked at Thomas, and he looked at me.

I know he’s not going to approach me, but maybe I can lure him in. 

I bend my knees a little bit.

I plant my right foot just a little ahead of me, pointing it towards Thomas. 

My left foot beneath me, pointing towards my left.

I hold the bottom of my stick with my left hand, and just above my left hand is my right hand.

I droop the edge of my sword towards the ground, and approach Thomas.

I began approaching Thomas, who was standing completely still.

With his size, he could probably overwhelm someone my size who didn’t know how to handle the sword by just being completely aggressive. 

I’m going to lure him in to stab me. If I can make myself appear to be completely vulnerable, he might go in. If it doesn’t work, I’ll fall back and think of another move.

Luckily, I didn’t have to fall back, as when I closed the distance between us, he went in for a stab towards my chest.

I push off my back foot, and thrust the side of my stick into his stick.

He didn’t stumble or get off of balance, but the impact of the sticks colliding left his arms thrusting upwards as if he was going to go in for a vertical slash from above my head.

If I were to go in for a stab, I would’ve surely won, but in reality, he still could’ve gone in for the slash, and I would’ve sustained unnecessary damage. 

So I threw my left foot around my left and planted it into the ground next to Thomas, pushed off my right foot to thrust me away from his slash, and slashed his right forearm which led to Thomas dropping his sword and holding his forearm in slight pain. 

I felt proud for a moment, but I realized that these kids were 4-5 years old.

“Ouch… Who are you?” Thomas asks

“Um… Alaric?”

“Right…” Thomas waves off his own question and walks towards Dreu and the others.

Alard hops to me, gleefully.

“Hey! Are you trying to take my spot?”

“Uh-”

“Who cares? You embarrassed Thomas! I’m indebted! Honestly, that kid has gotten on my last nerves being so lucky all the damn time! Lucky from birth, I tell ya’. Man, you went full in-”

“Alard! Remember when I made you eat the mud?” Thomas chuckled

“No!? What’re you talking about?”

Zane laughed, and Dreu chuckled.

Alard was clearly pissed, and Thomas was just laughing his ass off.

I gaze at the sight of this group.

They gave me a feeling I never really felt before.

Is this what it’s like to have friends?

__

A year has passed, and Ceday had let me leave the house after I continued asking her.

She finally agreed one night after discussing the idea with Otis. 

I was free to hang out with Thomas and the others now more freely. 

Zane manifested his magic one day when we were testing each other to see if any of us could actually use it.

Just like the kids I saw manifesting their magic when I first witnessed magic, he was able to manipulate water from a small puddle and manipulate a tiny orb of water between his palms. 

Thomas and Dreu were the only ones congratulating him sincerely as Alard and I were jealous. 

How is he able to manifest magic at 5? I still can’t manifest magic. And water manipulation at that…

I was visibly upset.

Because this town had a higher rate in mana potential due to a nearly large portion of the children from Duniwch having uncommon mana capabilities, there's been a positive spike in the population here. However, I still didn’t manifest anything at all yet, even with a head start.

“Alaric, you alright?”

“Yeah. I have to go home. My mom said that she wants me home earlier today because she wants to introduce me to her new friends…”

Dreu tisked

“I knew you were the person to leave us for something as little as that.”

Dreu and I have grown closer together, but not by much. Sometimes I can see him glaring at me when Thomas talks to me.

He reminds me of an edgy high school girl who’s obsessed with their crush.

Maybe he’s gay.

The thought really made me ponder.

It connected a lot of dots, but my jealousy overshadowed my curiosity as I turned my back to my group of friends and walked away as they watched me.

“See ya’, Alaric!” shouted Zane.

I clenched my fist and almost shed a tear and ran home.

__

“Oh, he’s well acquainted with the sword, and he’s very intelligent. He can read books that not many of these townsfolk can! He’s truly something special in the making.”

Ceday was boasting about me to her friends outside the bath house she usually goes to as I stood still as a rock next to her.

“He’s quite adorable. He should meet my daughter! She’s very pretty.” Ceday’s friends broke into a short laughter.

Am I doing something wrong?

I gazed at the ground.

Do I not have any mana capability? Why was I reincarnated? 

Thoughts clouded my head.

I was depressed the entire day.

The next day, I concluded that maybe Zane was just different, and I went back to my older self.

I continued playing with Thomas and the others like I did before, and the thought kind’ve just faded away.

Well, that was until…

 

__

 

A year has passed, and it started snowing.

Dunwich’s Lord had returned to his manor, and Ceday started bringing back books again.

I don’t know where she got the books, and when I asked she refused to tell me.

Something felt very off.

So off that I decided to follow her on her next market visit. 

I stalked her behind houses and crappy stalls filled with crappy food covered under a blanket roof.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I saw Ceday walking up the road to the Lord’s manor. 

Oh shit…

I had no clue what was happening, but something had to be wrong.

Why is she going to the Lord’s manor?

I trailed behind her as far as I could until two men in quilted tunics, funny looking silver helmets, and chainmail holding glaives let Ceday into the manor.

Must be the Manor’s guards. Regardless, what is she doing? 

I approached the two guards after they shut the door behind Ceday. 

The two guards looked down at me.

“What do you want?” The guard to the left of me asked.

“Hey, Arter! That’s Otis’ son!” The other guard exclaims with a wimpy voice.

“Ah, the little shit wants to know what his mommy is doing. Go away kid. Your mom is just doing business here.” Arter demands

What?

“Tell me what she’s doing in there!” 

“Listen kid-”

“Wait, Arter, we can’t have him going home with suspicions and then telling… you know… Otis about this.”

“Hank… alright…” Arter sighed. “Your mom is meeting the lord. That’s all I know.”

“This isn’t the first time she’s done this, is it? I know she’s been coming here every time she gets me books!” 

Hank looked at Arter concerned.

“Arter… we’re in deep shit…”

“I know that! Ya’ don’t gotta tell me.” 

“Kid, I told you… that’s all we know. Yes, she’s been coming here frequently. Sir Roland hasn’t told us what he’s done, but he certainly demanded us not to mention anything about this to ya’ peasants.” 

“Let me in.”

“Of course. Come in and let us get killed. Fuck off! I’ll kick your ass if you keep instigating.” Arter was pissed.

“Just go, kid. It’s best for you to mind your own business. And don’t tell anyone or else we’ll find you.” Hank threatened.

I knew that threat was a lie, but I was still intimidated to look them in the eye, and I turned around and walked away.

What they didn’t know was that I snuck around and scanned all around the manor to find any way in.

The windows were too high for me to reach, but I could climb the walls, as there were a few stones sticking out, and reach the window.

I cautiously climbed the stones, and threw myself into an open window.

I found myself in a dim hallway on a red carpet that reached into another door ahead of me. There were two large wooden slab doors to my left and right.

I heard two faint voices coming from the door ahead of me. 

I dawdled to the door, and listened closely.

I could hear footsteps approaching the door at a slow pace.

My heart skipped a beat, and I froze.

Oh shit… what do I do…

The sound of the footsteps had reached the door.

Oh shit…

The footsteps continued on, the sound dying as they grew farther away.

I open the door slightly and peek out.

It was Ceday, and she was with another man in a lavish cloak that was decorated in gold stripes, and blazoned with an owl spreading its wings out.

Is that the lord?

Ceday and the man turned a corner, and I lost sight of them. I peeked down the other side of the hall.

No one was there.

I slowly opened the door, and tippy toe towards where Ceday had turned.

I peeked around the corner, and there was only one door at the end of the hallway.

Should I go down there… I’d have nowhere to hide…

Suddenly, the door down the hallway to my left started to open. 

I instantly hurried towards the door that I was contemplating on reaching. 

“They’re back? Stop lying. They died off when King Drake was assassinated and the Gedo Kingdom found out about the research they’ve been doing.” said a voice of a man from the hallway I just left 

“I’m being honest, Luther! Reports of their sightings have been increasing!” said another voice of a man, this one more wimpier. 

“That’s just silly rumors. Relax.” Luther babbled 

“I don’t know, Luther...”

“Enough.” Luther demanded.

After the voices ceased, a door opened. 

They must’ve gone into that other hall I was just in.

I turn around and put my ear under the door.

I could barely hear anything.

Fuck it, I’ve come to far.

I slightly opened the door to hear the voices from the other side more clearly.

“Your kid is just another peasant. I admire your persistence, though, Ceday.”

“Alaric isn’t… Just do it already…”

“I don’t like your attitude. Beg for it. Your son must be dying for those books with that big brain of his you keep boasting about.”

“Please, Roland.”

“On your knees and beg for it, silly peasant. You’re lucky to be bestowed by my noble dick, let alone receive it and it’s delicious, noble seed.”

I gasped, but covered my mouth to muffle the sound. 

What?