บท 7: Life and a Friend
Five years passed since that fateful day and I was on the prime time of my twelfth year.
I had already started training as an apprentice magician under Mr. Wizard's or Master's, as I now call him, wing. Because he said my magic power was too weak, Master told me to start training my body through exercise, cleaning and combat training.
Back when I was seven, I was too naive to understand the implications of those words and excitedly agreed to everything he said. I was already ecstatic enough to hear that I even had magic powers to begin with.
But five years of rigorous and brutal training under a merciless master made me bite back all the excitement I felt.
He was a demon!
An absolute demon magician who knows no mercy and only knows how to make his apprentice suffer!
Everyday, he only gave me ten minutes to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. He only gave two minute breaks in between trainings and he assigned the biggest and meanest soldier to teach me in combat training. Most of all, he insulted me every single time I failed to conjure magic.
I couldn't help it! I was only living as a normal human before he came along!
But, alas, I had no right to complain. Truth be told, I was improving. Maybe not in magic but physically and emotionally.
For a twelve-year-old girl, I was very fit and healthy. I already knew how to wield a sword and bow. I also knew how to clean efficiently and effectively. I became the best twelve-year-old in my generation.
Well, as a female twelve-year-old at least.
Because there was another kid the same age as me who excelled in everything, including magic. He was better at me in everything except cleaning.
His name was Lukas and he was also an apprentice magician. He trained under Lord Wimton, a quite high ranking magician. Both of them were quite snobby and arrogant but I didn't mind since Master always beat them in a magical duel.
We lived in Goras that time, a kingdom west of Ylea. Like Volair, it was a kingdom flourishing with magic, wizards and witches albeit the people here were much more agreeable and hated war.
Master grew up here, he told me.
I didn't believe him at first since his physical features were nothing like that of the Gorasians. But he ignored me and said this was where he grew up and learned magic. It's where he became the most powerful wizard of all Goras.
Currently, he worked at the Academy of Magic Arts as an Advanced Magic Course professor. He didn't act like a proper professor though which is why many of the teachers hated him. More so because he was better at magic than they ever will be and they couldn't do anything about it especially since Master was the academy headmaster's favorite person.
Naturally, as his apprentice, I went to school here. Besides my training, I learned about magic and other aspects such as alchemy and history here.
And, consequently, I made some friends.
Despite living in Goras for the five years, it was only in a history class on the first day as a middle school magic student that I made my first friend.
"Hi, there," a girl in one of my classes approached me as I was writing on my note. "You're the new girl, right? Professor Axel's apprentice?"
I nodded. "My name's Shiro. And you are?" I asked.
She beamed, her golden eyes twinkling. "I'm Paige, Paige Mae Hitherstone. Nice to meet you, Shiro. I'm an alchemy major," she said. "And I'm guessing you're a magic major."
I nodded. "Yeah, I am," I replied. "And nice to meet you, too." I smiled. "Is Master really that popular? For the last five years, I've only been known as 'Axel's apprentice' or 'Axel's duckling' or something."
She laughed and nodded. "Why, yes, he is," she answered. "After all, he's the number one magician in all the continent."
I raised a brow in question then. "What? In all the continent? I thought it was just in all of Goras."
"What?!" she laughed. "You're his apprentice. Actually, you're THE apprentice of the most powerful wizard in all of the South Continent. You should know this. Hasn't anyone ever told you this before?"
"Well, Lord Wimton told me Master was the best in all of Goras only," I said.
Paige snorted at that. "Of course he would, silly. It would hurt his pride even further if he agreed that Professor Axel is the best in all of the continent. Wimton hates his guts, after all," she said. "And besides, how did you meet him, Shiro? And convince him to make you his apprentice? I heard he declared a few years ago that he would never take in anyone as his apprentice. Ever.
"So why?"
It wasn't first time I was asked this question.
Ever since Master brought me to Goras, to the Academy of Magic Arts, and declared me as his new apprentice, I've been bombarded with questions such as this.
Why me? Who was I? How'd I, who live only as a normal human, get this powerful wizard's attention? What did I do to convince him to take me in?
It was the mystery behind me that people often avoided me for fear of the wrath of Master. Thus, I never had the chance to make a real friend for the past five years.
Before his declaration, Master specifically told me to not tell anyone the truth. He told me my current situation was special and that it was crucial nobody found out. So if anyone did ask, I would just answer them with—
"I'm actually his distant relative. He took me in when my family died by the hands of mercenaries. The only way to do that was make me his apprentice," I replied to Paige. "He's more of an adoptive uncle rather than my master." I smiled at her.
She gave me a look. "Ooh," she said. "So that's why you both have sort of the same physical features." She nodded to herself. "Mhmm, makes sense."
After she said that, the teacher finally came in and we started class.
Back then, I didn't think about how we look so similar to each other, Master and I.
But now it all seemed so weird.
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