The footsteps grow louder and louder, slowly closing the distance between me and whatever's approaching me.
Once the footsteps reach my right side, they stop.
For a moment, I really dispised this thick fog that didn't let me see what was it that stood next to me.
"How was school?" I heard the voice of a man, a voice I seem to have heard before.
I couldn't give him an answer as my memory was as foggy as the place I'm standing.
"You don't have to answer. I know it's been hard for you" the voice said in a tone that felt weirdly soothing to me "I'm just proud that you finally did it"
I heard him walk a couple of steps forward before stopping.
"You're not coming?" He asked, expecting me to follow.
After thinking about it for a moment, I also started walking forward.
We kept walking together in silence. If I didn't hear the extra pair of footsteps next to me, I'd think I could still be alone.
"How's that game you play... ah... what's its name...?" He started snapping his fingers, trying to remember something.
For some reason, I knew exactly what he was talking about.
"[Dragon's Roar]..." I muttered.
"That one! You told me that you've been trying to get a one hundred percent completion on that game. How's it going?"
"N-not good..." for some reason, I felt extremely uncomfortable talking with that voice, as if I was ashamed of something.
"Why is that? Is the game that hard?"
"N-not really... i-it's just... a bit strict with planning a couple of things"
"Have you tried clearing your mind and doing some other things?"
"I-I also play other games"
"I wasn't talking of games in specific. Now that you finally returned to school, how about picking a hobby outside"
For some reason, my whole body tensed when he said that. I felt as if my lungs had no air in them, like I wanted to run away from here.
I stopped walking and only looked to the ground.
"I guess that I was getting a bit ahead. I'm sorry" the voice also stopped walking. I felt its gaze on my whole body, a gaze that made me start shaking, not out of fear of what that voice would do, but about what that voice may be thinking right now.
"N-no... you're right... I was the one falling behind" I clenched my fist when I said that, I felt defeated and angry at myself.
"Who are you comparing yourself to to say that you're falling behind?"
"O-other... people..."
"Are you other people? Because you aren't, you are $%×, and you have your own pace. You shouldn't compare yourself with others"
"That's just... putting up an excuse..." I said to the voice, finally with some decisive tone.
"An excuse? Where is the excuse?"
"I don't have anything to set me back compared to others... a-and they might have set backs that I don't have, yet they still push through..."
"So are you. You're pushing through your own challenges, just like everyone else"
"My... my challenges aren't that hard..."
"They might not be. Finally returning to school after months of putting up excuses to avoid it, while some other kid in the other half of the planet is dying of hunger"
The voice stopped for a moment.
"I think that's an even bigger excuse. Instead of seeing the good side, comparing yourself to others and wanting to improve, you're comparing yourself with others and searching for excuses to close yourself"
"You are your own person, $%×. Don't ever forget that"
With that said, the voice continued walking down the dirt path. But stopped once he noticed that I wasn't following.
He didn't say anything else. He only waited for me. If I said something, I knew he'd answer me back.
But I was afraid to keep talking with that voice.
I couldn't answer him back.
So, I only kept the silence that shielded me up. I kept my mouth shut, and I walked forward, continuing along the dirt path next to him.
Now everything seemed to move slower. Every step I took seemed eternal. No matter what, I felt defeated and ashamed to be there, standing next to that voice.
I hated how this felt, I hated this moment.
If I could, I'd like to change it. To be alone and not have to worry about talking with them.
But, I hate staying like this even more. I don't want to feel embarrassed every time I'm with that voice. I want to stand next to it and feel pride in myself.
"Th-there's... there's this one girl... she approached me and became my friend"
"A girlfriend?"
"N-no! Sh-she's only a friend" I felt my cheeks burning as that voice stated to laugh "I-I don't even know why she became my friend in the first place..."
"Maybe she's similar to you. Maybe she saw you and thought that you two could become friends"
A sudden memory passed through my mind of that girl who became my first friend.
"Is she any cute?"
I remembered her long and fluffy white hair. Her sharp eyes looked like she was always angry, eyes with red pupils that didn't help her.
I looked to the side, embarrassed to even answer that.
"I'll take that as a yes" the voice let out a soft chuckle.
"I-I also made other friends..."
"Really? How are they?"
I began talking to that voice about these two guys who were friends from before. A laid-back and carefree guy and a smart guy who was afraid of the girl that became my friend.
I told him about this group from another class and a group of seniors from the second year.
The fog stayed strong and didn't let me see anything past my own nose, but that didn't stop me from looking in the general direction of that voice, it didn't stop me from not tripping and falling despite not being able to see the path I was walking on.
...
...
Once I opened my eyes, I found myself back again in the streets of Aurum Academy city.
My arms were trembling, and my breathing became ragged.
"Your future, boy... you have no future"
The words from the wolf demi-human snapped me back into reality.
"Wha...?"
She stepped back, her expression a weary and inspecting frown. As if she was backing away from a predator.
"How is he still standing up?"
"That wasn't normal"
I heard people from the crowd do the same thing the old woman did while whispering between themselves.
"What happened?" I asked with a breathless voice.
"You burst the bubbles of my magic, and you started to expel wind from your body"
Yska told me, her wolf ears twitched as she took out a simple spell book.
"Flow of life. A tier five water spell that allows the caster to see a fragment of the future of someone through various bubbles. All your bubbles were popped, which means that only death awaits you, and there's no way for you to escape it"
"Shut up, you shitty old hag!" Fran stepped in front of me "I won't sand by while you make a fool out of my friend"
"F-Fran...?" I asked.
She didn't turn around, but she grabbed my hand.
"Princess Von Themys... I'd strongly advise you to leave that individual' side if you wa-"
"What part of 'shut up' do you not understand? Or has dementia finally caught up with you?"
Yska flinched when she heard the way Fran called her.
"Let's go, Alen. That hag isn't worth our time" she began walking away, and because she had grabbed my hand, I followed behind.
"He's someone incompatible with mana princess Franchesca Von Themys. Early rather than late, you'll find how he'll se-"
"S-stop!" Kaida interrupted Yska.
"Yeah, don't mess with our friend, hag!" Yani stood tall next to Kaida.
...
Fran didn't stop. She just kept walking while angrily muttering to herself.
"I can't believe that dusty old bitch put you through that"
I wanted to stop her. But for some reason, I felt like I had no energy to stop her.
Once we got to a bench, we both sat next to each other.
"I can't believe it" Fran kept angrily talking to herself, gripping my hand with more strength.
"How're you feeling, Alen?"
"I... I'm fine... don't worry" I breathed out.
I felt like I had no mana, I was sweating, and my hands were trembling.
Fran simply pouted and poked me in my chest.
"Don't lie to me, Alen. Now, I'll ask again and I want you to be honest with me. How are you, Alen!?"
"O-okay... I-I am a bit tired..." I tried to stop her from poking my chest, but I just couldn't.
"That's an improvement. Now, just stay with me"
She stopped poking me.
"What happened?"
"After you closed your eyes, you began to expel a strong wind from your body. A strong wind that actually blew some people away. Next thing that happened was those bubbles popping and you waking up"
Now I was the one gripping Fran's hand with strength.
"I... I emptied my mana reserves..."
Even at this point, I couldn't stop thinking of ways to improve at magic.
My mind began to race with thoughts of how expelling mana in a burst that leaves me dry could help me.
Could this be a way to easily empty my mana and reach that outer mana control state?
Was one of the many things I thought.
"I swear, that hag should pay for revealing your secrets just like that and putting you through that. You even denied her the first time, doesn't she know to take a no"
Fran's angry comments made me laugh.
"Thanks, Fran..."
"Anything for my friend. I swear, we should avoid those poor streets the next time"
I laughed once again "But that street has one of the best bakeries in Aurum Academy city"
"Don't care. I won't stand by and let you be ridiculed by anyone else"
Sitting next to Fran felt nice, as if I could be like this forever.
We both enjoyed being like this that we completely forgot that we still were holding each other's hand.