Nine months went by. I was wearing a nice brown coat with fur on the hoodie since it was snowing out. Even in the winter, Larah had still been training me, especially on some fire magic, which is equally as good as lightning.

  Funny enough, it's Larah’s second favorite magical element to use, like me. "Okay, Tenshi," she said. "Create the hottest fire you can, directing it right to the center. Then, utilize air magic to sustain the fire and ensure it remains in that area, like a tornado."

  I aimed my hand at the thick piece of stone Larah made outside the yard earlier for me to aim at. I looked back at Larah and said, "Are you sure you're not cold, master?"

  Larah nodded. "I’m sure, now, Keep your focus. We missed many lessons, and we can’t afford to miss more. Now, shoot!" Larah cast her hand to the target and waited for me to shoot.

  "Okay!" The fire was shown on the palm of my hand. I shot it and used some air magic to keep it still there, and it made a small fire plus a lightning tornado. It didn’t look so powerful and lasted very shortly still, but I still found it looking awesome. "Holy crap! I did it! I combined two spells at the same time!" I jumped up and down.

  "Nice one. You used the palms of your hand like I told you, and not your full hand. We wouldn’t want you burning your sleeve." Larah made a small chuckle, and I giggled. Larah patted my head.

  "Hey, cut that out," I said while feeling a little embarrassed.

  "Heh, sorry," Larah said as she returned her hand to her side. She looked up behind me and saw the door of the house open.

  It was Seris giving a thumbs-up, and she was back in her maid outfit. She went back inside the house, and Larah looked back down at me. "You know, this month will be a special one, and it's about you."

  "Me?" I tilted my head with confusion.

  Larah nodded and walked past me. "Follow me. We are done for the day."

  I was confused. Well, this felt a little shorter than usual. I followed Larah.

  ***

  Ten or so minutes went by, and I was seated at the dining room table, and there was a bunch of food and pastries and fruits and so on. I was seated in the last chair in the back, and Ria, Larah, Taren, and Seris were all there. "Congratulations and happy birthday, Tenshi!" the four of them said.

  "Wait, what!?" I questioned with shock.

  "It's a little celebration for you," Larah said. "You made it so far in training that I and the rest of your family had to do this. And apparently, it’s your birthday. You deserve it, Tenshi."

  I looked at Larah and the rest of them. I really made it that far in training? Well, I feel proud that I won something and didn’t act like a lazy fatass. That's some wild progress, baby! "Wow, thank you, guys so much!"

  "We missed your birthday by two years," Taren said. "So also think of this as a late birthday. I don’t really think birthdays are that necessary, but Ria felt guilty for a while, so here you go."

  "Oh, really...?" I mumbled.

  Ria got up and hugged me in my seat. "My sweet boy has turned seven," Ria said. "But don’t worry; we won’t miss your eighth birthday and tenth birthday, and fifteen birthday and eighteenth birthday, and so on."

  "Relax, sister," Seris said. "He probably didn’t even know what a birthday was, so don’t be so worried about how he feels about this."

  Ria went back to her seat. "Guess you have a point, and you better not be agreeing with Taren."

  "Oh no, of course not. Maybe the eights are unnecessary, but you definitely can’t miss every five."

  I would be confused. Fives and eights? Why those numbers specifically?

  Seris looked at me. "You didn’t know what a birthday was, right Tenshi?"

  I shook my head. "Oh, uh, no, not really. But I'm happy to finally hear what it's all about!"

  Taren gulped down his mug of beer. "Now, let's dig in!"

  A little after prayers, we all started eating.

  Man, birthdays? This really is nuts. The last time I had my birthday was when I was, what, twelve or something? In my old life, of course. But man, I forgot how good birthdays were, especially with a family. As I was stuck in my thoughts, Larah noticed me.

  "You should probably eat before it gets cold," Larah said. "You're a growing boy, after all," she would bite into a piece of meat on her plate.

  I looked up at Larah. "Oh, right." I started grabbing a fork and taking a bite out of the food on my plate. But however this party goes, I'm still happy to enjoy it with people. Hey, When Ria mentioned the times she won’t miss my birthday and when Seris said the whole eighth year doesn’t matter; could that mean birthdays aren’t an every-year thing? That really is something to think about. Well, who cares? My fatass is just gonna continue enjoying the food!

  ***

  An hour of eating and talking went by, and it was finally time for my gifts. We were still in the dining room, and I was now standing on the floor. Seris was up first. She went on one knee and had a smaller-sized bow in her hands. "Here is my gift to you, Tenshi." Seris smiled as she handed me the bow.

  "Oh, uh, a bow..." I mumbled while looking a bit disappointed.

  Seris would look worried, "What, do you not like it? If not, I can try getting you something else tomorrow if you’d like."

  I quickly changed my mild facial expression to a smile. "Wait, no, of course I do, Aunt Seris! It fits me perfectly." I aimed the bowstring at the window to pretend I liked it.

  Seris sighed with relief. "Phew, I hope you do. This was actually the first-ever bow I had when I first adventured with your mother and father. I know you want to be a mage or swordsman and all of that, but archery has its uses from a far distance. I hope there will be a time when you’ll need it, and maybe I can teach you a thing or two if you’d ever like, of course."

  I nodded. "I like it, Aunt Seris, and I’ll cherish this gift for the rest of my life."

  Seris felt touched by what I said; she hugged me. Thankfully, the bow in my arms protected me from being suffocated by her breast. "You are such a good boy, Tenshi. You really do have your mother's kindness in you."

  Taren, in the back, felt speechless and flabbergasted, and he cleared his throat. "Seris," he said.

  Seris looked right up at him. "Oh, of course." She stood up and backed away.

  I’m not so fond of this gift, I said to myself. But I’m not gonna act greedy about it. Hope I don’t break her prize possession.

  Taren walked up and stood in front of me. I put the bow on the chair, and we both looked right at each other for a couple of seconds.

  Uh...

  Taren quickly took out his sword, and I covered my face with my arms.

  "Good reaction timing again. Second, sorry I startled you," Taren said as he grinned.

  "Really...?" I muttered with a hint of annoyance.

  "No, seriously, I apologize." Taren cleared his throat again as he held the sword in front of me.

  I looked directly at it. Wait, hang on, this is Taren's main sword.

  "Tenshin." I looked up at Taren. "You have officially become an advanced-class swordsman, just without its title. You made it so far that I am giving you your first sword. This sword was something I always kept safe, and I felt honor carrying this, and you will be too."

  I was shocked as I looked back down at the sword. "Wait, you're giving me the sword?"

  Taren nodded.

  I grabbed the handle, and for some reason, my three cowlicks stood straight up, and I felt goosebumps for some odd reason.

  Taren quickly put his sword back in his waist and took out his short sword. "But not this one yet, this one." I was frozen in shock after feeling those random goosebumps, and I shook my head to snap out of it. Taren looked down at me as he noticed how I was acting. "Is something wrong?"

  I looked back at him. "Uh, no, what were you saying?"

  "I'm just saying that this is your official sword. You're not saint-class yet, so you won’t be carrying this sword anytime soon," Taren said as he patted his main sword on his left waist. "But one day, Tenshin. Just keep trying and make me prouder. I want this sword to go down for generations to come, like your kids and their future kids and to their kids, and so on. That’s why I wanted you to be a swordsman, so just promise me you’ll at least keep the bloodline going. Once you enter saint-class, you’ll carry this sword and teach your children the way to be a swordsman. As I always say, being a mage is cool and all, but Greyat's way will always be—"

  Ria's hand chopped the back of Taren’s head.

  "Are you finished?" Ria asked as she was impatient.

  Taren would rub the back of his head, "Yeah, yeah, okay, just under one minute max, that's all." Ria backed off and crossed her arms. Taren took a deep breath and set his hand back down. "Phew. Anyway, wanna hold it?"

  I nodded. Taren gave me the short sword, and I took a close look at it. Taren was being such a troll with the other sword, I said to myself as my eyes looked up at Taren with an annoyed expression. But wait. I looked back down at the sword. isn’t this the same sword I saw in the basement a few years ago? Either way, it still looks sick and awesome! But again, sword isn’t much of me still. I quickly look back up to Taren. "Oh, uh, thank you, I guess, Father."

  "Keep the promise?" Taren winked.

  "...Uh, yeah, sure."

  "You done now, Taren?" Ria asked. "I really want to show Tenshi what I have for him now,"

  Taren looked over at Ria. "Oh right, sorry." Taren backed off. Larah chuckled in the back, and I set the sword on the chair. Ria excitedly kneeled down right in front of me, her hands right behind her.

  "Now, this probably isn’t much like the others, but I hope you’ll like it." Ria took her hands out to reveal what was behind her, and it was a book. It looked small and a little familiar. "I know you have been using my old guidebook, and I wanted to give you one that you can easily carry. So here it is; it's also a newer version, so it's not all dirty, too big, and it has much more added information here." Ria handed me the book, and I grabbed it.

  I looked through it, and I smiled more and more as I flipped through each page. "This is perfect! I can carry this whenever I want, and it has everything I ever needed!" I said with excitement.

  Ria gasped. "Really? I thought you wouldn’t like it after having the knowledge from mine and Larah’s teaching." Ria hugged me, "You're such a grateful boy."

  I hugged her back. Ria eventually backed away, and I set my new magical guidebook on the chair with the bow and sword.

  Larah came up to me and kneeled down. "I know you are expecting a gift, and I really didn’t get anything. I apologize. But I did have to give you something, and I get how that might confuse you. The thing I am giving you was meant to be given months ago." Larah reached into her pocket and retrieved a wand adorned with a stunning blue gem at its tip. "I hope you'll accept this after all your progress, even if it isn’t an actual gift. congratulations, Tenshi." She would hand me the wand.

  My mouth opened in shock. I grabbed it, and I was very happy. "Master, this is the best gift ever! And along with the others, of course. But thank you so much for this!"

  Larah would give a small smile. "I know I mentioned that it wasn’t a formal gift, you know? I likely would have given it to you regardless of this party taking place. I really wouldn’t mind seeing how you truly feel."

  I shook my head as I smiled. "Well, it's a gift to me, no matter how you think of it. Thank you so much, master."

  I hugged Larah with the wand still in my hand. Larah hugged back, and we broke the hug.

  Ria, in the back, sighed. "I think Larah has something to say to you, Tenshi," she said.

  I looked up at her as she spoke, and back at Larah. "Something to say?" I questioned.

  Larah stayed quiet and looked hesitant. "Well..." She mumbled as she felt a weight in her heart.

  I also looked worried and tilted my head. "Huh?"

  "...Two days from now... you're going to graduate. To be honest with you, you aren’t a confirmed saint-class yet, but two days from now, we start the official exam."

  I raised an eyebrow. Well, that doesn’t sound bad.

  "And, um... I’ll be heading out."

  "...tooo where?"

  Larah let out a deep breath. "I’ll be leaving this village. Maybe the region. Or even the country. I can no longer be your tutor after you graduate, but... In short... I'm going to leave the house in two days."

  I was shocked, and my heart felt like it dropped to my stomach. "...what?"

  ***

  Hours passed by, and it turned dark. My candle was lit, and a leaf fell on the palm of my hand while I was looking up at the two moons in the sky as my shutters and window were opened. It also continued snowing.

  I could only feel the heavy feeling in my heart and stomach. Larah... Leaving? I looked at the dry leaf and crushed it in my hand as broken pieces of it fell to the snowy ground outside.

  I felt like I wanted to cry, but I sniffled and wiped a small tear out of my eye. It all just comes back in my head. These thoughts, these nightmares, no matter how many years pass, every memory of my old life stays in me. This isn’t the fun isekai life I wanted. This just sucks. Now the best master I have ever had is... is leaving...

  I didn’t hate Larah; I just couldn’t believe she was leaving.

  I could still remember hearing what Camila said right to my face during our argument in my old life.

  I also remembered how my four bullies treated me in the first month of high school. They kept making fun of my birthmark and how much of a nerd I was and also drowned me in the toilet many times. They did get in trouble, but they also found me when one day I was walking out, and they kept hitting me in a private area at the point I almost died.

  I even saw a video of my high school days, and I was a laughingstock of a meme that I kept myself inside the house and barely went out anymore.

  I tried to take a deep breath to remove those memories. I really haven’t changed; I am just an immature adult. A child. In my old life, I always dreamed of being isekai’d to a fantasy world, growing a harem, and doing awesome quests, and one of those dreams actually came true, but everything still feels misplaced. It's hard to even explain it to myself. I'm still lost... I took a deep breath again. I closed the window and shutters and walked over to my bed.

  I turned around and still felt like I wanted to cry, but I continued holding it in. I have to keep trying. True, I have a fear of going outside and meeting other people other than Larah and my family. But I need to try. Two tears came out of both my eyes. But what if I can't? I said to myself as I clenched my hand on the blanket.

  ***

  It was the next day, and it was the middle of the afternoon. I was outside in the backyard because I thought a breath of fresh air and the mountain and forest view would calm me down, yet I still had that heavy feeling inside.

  I was trying to calm down, but I kept seeing things from my old life. The small pathway out of the house kept reminding me of the road out of my parent's house that I lived in.

  I started to panic and fall back to the ground, and I started seeing the stone fence become the small fence with the bushes out of the house, and a bunch of people making fun of me and waiting out the fence.

  Many of them I saw looked like dark figures. That wasn’t real, but it was just a negative imagination I had, but it felt so real. "Please, just stop, just stop." I still kept panicking, but then I heard a voice.

  "Hey, is everything all right?" Larah said, who was at the corner of the house.

  Everything I saw went back to normal. I kept my composure and just crossed my legs. "Y-Yeah, I'm doing all right..." I replied quietly, averting my gaze to Larah.

  Larah settled beside me. "All right..." She said as she sat down. Her legs crossed elegantly, and she wore a warm smile. "So, whatcha up to?" I wanted to respond, but my emotions were overwhelming, and my tears wanted to spill right out. "Come on, where's that smile? Your final exam is tomorrow, and you're on the brink of graduation."

  Why does she have to make it sound so positive? "Master, you're going to leave me..."

  Larah's smile went a little down into a small smirk. "I know…"

  I would turn my head to Larah. "Then why are you making this all sound like sunshine and rainbows? Do you even care about me?" I realized I spoke a little too harshly and looked back down. "Sorry…" I mumbled.

  "Don’t worry about it." Larah looked up to the big mountains. "And of course I do, but not everything you care about will stay forever. Many things will, but not everything, everything. Some things go, some things stay, and you can never prepare for that, and you’ll learn that more, unfortunately, and it does suck."

  I did learn; I learned that I wanted to kill myself for the past decade of being a shut-in. "But what if I don’t want that? What if I just want to chill and be happy in life?"

  Larah put her hand on my shoulder as she looked at me. "It's impossible to be happy all the time, so all you can do is be as happy as possible."

  I would look at Larah, "But I want you to be my master forever, at least. I wanna learn more magic and keep learning magic from you..."

  Larah didn’t say much, but she stood up and went in front of me and put her hand out in front of me. "Come on, get up."

  I looked up at her hand and grabbed it as she helped me up.

  "Come over here," Larah said as she walked to the side of the house and got to the stone fence in the yard. She put her arms on top of it. I followed her and looked up at her as she kept admiring the hills and forest up ahead. "You see that over there?" Larah pointed up to a small mountain behind the forest.

  I nodded. "Yeah?"

  Larah put her hand back to her side. "All the way back, there is the Dalria kingdom, also known as the city of Sarula. It's quite far, but the city is big and beautiful. I lived for a while, and I would say it is the most beautiful city I have ever seen."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Larah then pointed to the left. "And over there is the capital of the region. The city is all beautiful over there, too, but not as much as the capital of the Dalria kingdom."

  "...Okay?" I tilted my head with confusion about why Larah was mentioning this. She went quiet for a bit.

  However, she later did speak and looked right at me. "You know, back where I was originally born, I lived in the East Hilima continent. I lived in the Demonia country. It was quite dry, and it wasn’t as beautiful as all of this. It was just a bunch of beasts and poor people there. The queen there wasn’t the best and was always greedy as well. Some places there were livable, but many were not..."

  Larah quickly shook her head. "Sorry, that's not the point. Now, back to what I was trying to say."

  "Okay."

  Larah looked ahead again. "Over in the Rosoa region, In one of the cities, there is actually a university called the Seria University of Sword and Magic, a prestigious institution renowned for its commitment to inclusivity and diversity. It is a remarkable place that warmly welcomes individuals from all backgrounds, fostering an environment of learning and growth."

  I’m still not understanding why she is talking about all of this. I mean, I'm here talking about her leaving while she is talking about her past adventures and this school. "Did you go to that school?" I asked.

  "No, I'm just saying it's really good that I think you'd fit in." Larah went on one knee, touched my shoulder once more, and looked right into my eyes. "I'm just saying I think at some point in time, you should go there. You have so much potential to be an amazing mage and maybe a little on the swordsman side. You need the swordsman title to be taught in those classes, though, but either way, you're a child that needs better training, and I’m not fit for that. I mean, if someone there trained you, you'd probably be saint-class a few months ago, so I really wasn’t the best."

  I shook my head. "That's not a true master. I want you to stay and train me more."

  "...Look, we could meet again. It would just be a while."

  "But I wanna be with you forever. I never want you to leave! I really do like you, master, please…"

  Larah was quiet and tried to think of something to say. She said, "Look, I know we will meet again, and when we do, how about this? By the next, let's say we meet seven to eight years or more from now, if you still remember me, then I’d be happy to stay with you forever and however long you’ll need. So, it depends on you. Do you think that can cover it?"

  My eyes went wide, and the heaviness from my heart slowly faded.

  Is she saying what I think she is saying? If I just wait, then I can actually be with her. I can actually have her as my... "Then... I’ll wait, master." A small smile from me showed, and Larah smiled a little more, too.

  She stood up. "Good, now how about we make the most of our kind of last day together with a bit more training? I’d say no, but I guess training with me, so it seems like what you really love."

  I nodded. "Can you teach me some more things, like some more fire magic?"

  Larah thought of it for a moment. "Hmm, all right then, why not?"

  I kept smiling as I looked at her. I gripped the wand in my right pocket. But seriously, you're nothing like the redhead I know…

  And for the whole day, she and I made the moment last with some of her training me, and I felt sad yet happy.

  ***

  It was the next day, and the time had come. It was late in the afternoon, and Ria, Seris, and I were waiting out on the porch. I was currently swinging my legs on the seat, all anxious with a heavy heart.

  We were all just waiting for Taren and Larah to come back because they went out to rent a horse. All I could do was think about my fear of going outside and Larah leaving. Damn, today is really the day. the day I go out there and also see Larah leaving…

  I could only remember when I was called many bad names and had disgusted looks in my old life every time I went out. What if...

  Ria looked to her right down at me. She was getting worried about how scared and sad I looked. She went on one knee and put her arm around me for a hug.

  "Tenshi, I promise you’ll be okay. You can do this, sweetie," She said.

  I looked at Ria as she broke the hug. If only you knew why I genuinely feel like this, but I do admit. Ria has always been comforting. I had a small smile. "Thanks, Mother."

  Ria smiled back as I responded, and a voice from the distance was heard.

  "Hey!" Taren yelled as he held on to the rein of a horse while having his red cape on, and Larah walked with him. Larah had her full outfit on and her staff behind her back. As the two made it back, the three of us walked down the steps.

  Taren was petting the nose of the horse and spoke, "This nice demi-human his wife allowed us to borrow the horse for the day. This one was a beauty that I tried to buy off of him, but I guess it was not for sale."

  "And somehow, I’m the one that spends too much on unnecessary things," Ria said with a poker face.

  Taren stopped petting the horse and looked at Ria with a fake smile. "Aha..." He then looked over at Larah with a normal facial expression. "Okay, she is all good to go. I guess I’ll leave this up to you."

  Larah nodded.

  I was currently hiding behind Ria.

  Larah looked over at me and saw me hiding. "So, are you ready?" She asked.

  I wanted to respond, but I felt too scared for anything to come out.

  "Tenshi has never really been out there other than getting the view here or training with you," Ria said. "So he's just a little shy, it seems." Ria looked down at me. "Come on, Tenshi, go on."

  Larah made a small chuckle. "Don’t worry, Tenshi, if there's someone or something crazy that goes for us, I’ll keep you as my first priority to protect."

  I sighed. I don’t even care anymore; someone is gonna bring me up to the horse anyway, so may as well. I started to walk slowly in front of Ria, and I was now in front of Larah.

  Larah smiled. "You know this is my first time seeing you this afraid, and out of anything else, I don’t think you should be. Just as your father always said. Be brave."

  I was still nervous, but I responded, "You sure, sure, we can’t do it here..." I mumbled.

  Larah shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. If we did, then the whole house would probably be destroyed, so we have to go somewhere more open."

  I didn’t say anything and looked back down, and Larah just instantly grabbed me. "H-Hey!" I exclaimed as she seated me on the front of the horse.

  She would take off her ring with a brown colored stone on the top of it, and she put it on my ring finger. "Don’t worry, that ring gives you protection, so as long as you're wearing it, everything will be okay, but other than that, as I said earlier, you're safe with me." Larah tried to give me a reassuring smile.

  "You got this, Tenshi," Seris said. It still didn’t change much of my fear.

  "We will be back!" Larah shouted to the three. Larah got the horse moving, and we were nearing the exit. I felt calm as I took a deep breath, but I started seeing the people from my school who were always outside the yard of the house getting ready to punch me or other crap.

  I started to feel goosebumps and felt my heart race. Even though it was not real, it was still a vivid imagination. I backed up a little closer to Larah, and I kept squirming.

  Larah looked down at me as I squirmed. "Hey, hey, calm down. Nothing is over there. Just relax. If you keep moving, then the horse will start acting up. Calm..." Larah said in a comforting tone.

  My breathing got faster. "M-Master, no, no, go back, please!"

  Larah kept her right hand on the horse’s bridle, and she put her left arm on my waist like a seatbelt. "Come on, Tenshi. Just be brave."

  I closed my eyes as we got closer, and now we finally exited the yard of the house. I kept my eyes closed as I shivered.

  "See, nothing is here. I'm right here with you," she said with a reassuring smile.

  I hesitantly opened my eyes and checked my surroundings. It felt so different being out here, and it felt very unfamiliar.

  I looked back ahead of me. Maybe... Maybe I did overreact." I had a small smile on my face and gasped when I saw an old woman walking by, and I looked back down. I thought I felt confident being out here now, but unfortunately, I still have a lot of social problems.

  The woman walking past said, "Good afternoon."

  Shut up, shut up. Don’t talk to me.

  "Good afternoon, ma'am," Larah said back as the woman passed us.

  I looked back. ...Oh… never mind. I would look back ahead.

  Larah looked on the right side of my leg and saw my wand halfway out of my pocket. "Woop," she said as she grabbed it before it fell and held it in front of me, "I think you should hold this tight in your hands. We shouldn’t risk it falling, don’t you think?"

  I grabbed the wand, "Thank you..." I replied with a mumble.

  Another man was about to pass us, and he was on a horse himself.

  I looked back in front and saw him near us, and my hand started to tap on the saddle. Larah looked down and saw what my hand was doing.

  "Good afternoon," The old man on the horse said.

  Larah quickly looked at the man, "Oh, good afternoon," Larah said as the man went past us. Larah saw my finger stop tapping on the saddle as the man passed us.

  Larah smiled as she thought she finally realized why I was acting like this. Larah noticed There was another man about to walk past us, but before he did, Larah looked at me and put her left hand back on the bridle. "Hey, Tenshi, do you think you can do me a small favor?"

  I looked back at her. "U-Uh, a favor? Um... Okay..." I said nervously.

  "Good. I want you to repeat what I say in the next three seconds, okay?"

  What, why? "Okay..."

  Larah looked back in front as the man was getting closer. "Okay, be ready. Three... Two..." I tapped my finger on the saddle as the man was getting closer. "One..."

  "Good afternoon." Both me and Larah said.

  My face went a little red as she tricked me into saying that to the man walking past us. I closed my eyes out of nervousness.

  "Hm? Well, good afternoon, you two," the man said with a smile as he walked past us.

  "Uh?" I questioned as I opened my eyes.

  Larah looked back down at me with her warm smile. "So, is something wrong?"

  I looked up behind me at Larah and back in front of me. "Well... no..."

  Larah made a small inside chuckle. "Good, then let's do that again, okay?"

  "Okay." I made a small smile as I still looked a little embarrassed.

  "See those two carrying buckets of water? We are going to greet them too, okay? No countdown, just say it when you feel like it," Larah said as she pointed to two guys carrying buckets of water.

  "Okay." I waited as we got closer. My heart pounded, and I tried to time it right and spoke,

  "Good afternoon!" Both me and Larah said.

  "Good afternoon." The two men said.

  I started to smile more.

  "Now, let's keep doing it together when we see more. You think you can do that?"

  "Mhm!" I said confidently.

  "Then just follow my lead." She looked ahead.

  Both Larah and I continued saying hello and good afternoon to everyone we saw get near us during those small few minutes. My shivering and fear were slowly leaving. Man, why was this so hard? Because of Larah making me do these simple things, I feel so free; like I feel like I can do whatever I want in life now." I took a good deep breath.

  "Someone is in a completely different mood," Larah said as she looked down at me.

  "I guess so." I laid my head on Larah’s chest. Flat as always, but I can still feel that personality.

  "You know, I wasn’t a very social person back then either. I'm sure I told you about my race not appreciating red hair ones like me. It really made me feel scared to come across other demons. Some hated me, or some even bullied me, but then after I met this one person, she taught me to be brave and taught me a bunch of magic."

  I looked a little surprised. "So you had your own master?"

  Larah went quiet and pointed in front of us. "Look, we are getting close to the spot now."

  ***

  several minutes went by, and we stopped on this completely random hill. Larah made a small stone pole with some earth magic so she could tie the horse to the pole so it wouldn’t leave. I was standing at the edge of the hill and shouted, "AHH!!!"

  My voice echoed as birds started to get startled and fly away.

  Larah walked up beside me with her staff held in her right hand. "All right, Tenshi, I want you to listen up," Larah said.

  I turned and looked directly at her. "Yeah, no problem, Master." My mood completely changed to confidence after feeling pride for facing my fears.

  Larah made a small smile and went a little serious again. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to use a very destructive lightning spell called shockwave strike. I want you to listen and look closely at how I do it."

  "Hm? Can’t I just find it in the book?"

  Larah looked at me. "Well, do you have that with you?"

  I checked my pockets, even though they were too small. I was stupid enough to make sure. "No..."

  "Yeah, as your master, it was kind of my fault anyway, but we can’t go back now, can we?"

  I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess not."

  Larah faces in front of her once again, completely looking fierce. "I want you to grab onto something. Things will get a little windy."

  I froze, looking right at her. I thought there was no way it would be that powerful.

  Larah turned her face to me and said, "Tenshi."

  I blinked two times. "Oh, right." I ran over to the tall stone to grab onto it. I gave her a thumbs up, and she looked back into the distance of her now that she knew I was safe.

  She did a little spin trick with her staff and stabbed it onto the ground in front of her, holding it with both hands. She closed her eyes and focused.

  I was observing her to make sure I caught everything and saved it in my head. The red stone on the top of Larah’s staff grew bright, and I felt a small drop of rain on me.

  More clouds would slowly start appearing in the sky, and Larah would say, "From the clouds above, I summon the boundless power that was bestowed by the lightning god Alucelia. I command the strength of nature to rise and aid me in achieving unparalleled might. I call upon the winds to guide the innocent to safety without hesitation." Larah’s iris part of her eyes went blue as she opened them. A magical circle was also summoned and seen in the clouds.

  Loud sounds of lightning were sounding everywhere in the sky around us. The rain grew stronger, and I was starting to have trouble holding on as the wind grew stronger. The horse was also off the ground but still on the pole tight. I grabbed it much tighter.

  Holy shit! I'm going to do that!? It's like I'm watching the main protagonist getting ready to finish off the antagonist! I exclaimed in my thoughts.

  Larah took her staff off the ground. "Now, come forth. Eternal thunderbolt and blast away the one before me. Shockwave strike!" Magic circles started to appear in front of Larah in the sky. Larah aimed her staff at the small tree on the ground far from us, and I closed my eyes because I thought it would be bright, but nothing was heard. The wind and lightning calmed down, and the circles were gone.

  I opened my eyes, and I was confused to see no destruction. Uh... huh? I said to myself.

  Larah took a deep breath as she set her staff beside her. She looked back to face me. "All right, did you get that?"

  I looked at her with confusion. "T-That was it!?"

  Larah chuckled lightly. "No, I just skipped the final step. Once you do the full thing, there won’t be double the damage. The final step is to release your mana into the staff. Don’t worry; once you do this, you won’t fly off the ground since it's your own magic."

  "Oh... well, that was so cool, though I think the horse should’ve gotten more protection because it almost flew off."

  Larah was taken aback. "Oh! I-It did? Guess I should’ve thought that through, or it could’ve gone bad," Larah said as she looked a little embarrassed.

  I giggled, and Larah smiled at me. She cleared her throat. "Now, your turn before you forget." Larah pointed right where she was standing earlier when she was doing the spell.

  I went silent, but I took a deep breath and took out my wand from my pocket. I felt hesitant because right after this, things were going to change. I took another deep breath and walked to where Larah was standing when she was doing the spell.

  I looked back towards Larah as she was making some small earth fortress to protect her and the horse "Master…"

  Larah finished making the small earth fortress for the horse, and she looked back at me. "Yeah?"

  "...Wish me luck," I said with a smile and a deep breath.

  Larah smiled back and nodded.

  I looked back at the tree to the far distance at the bottom of the hill. I was locked in with it and aimed my wand in front of me as I looked at the blue crystal on my wand starting to have a small glow.

  Well, this is it. My final exam, the one that will have my adventure with Larah, come to an end. Man, Larah was a great teacher, and it felt like a long yet short journey with her. It's hard to even explain how it felt. I aimed the wand right at the clouds. "From the clouds above, I summon the boundless power that was bestowed by the lightning god Alucelia Sentarin!"

  The clouds got darker, and it started to rain, and the wind got much stronger, but it had no effect on me. The journey felt like the best slice-of-life isekai story ever. I found true happiness with my family and Larah by my side. I’ll still cherish my family in this world, while Larah will always hold a special place in my heart as the best master ever. The iris part of my eyes glowed blue as lightning surrounded me, looking much more intense than Larah.

  "I command the strength of nature to rise and aid me in achieving unparalleled might! I call upon the winds to guide the innocent to safety without hesitation!"

  I wish I could have more time with her or keep her here forever. However, some people and a specific someone taught me that everything is not forever, and it's natural for us to struggle and have our goodbyes. Even when that special someone is gone, it's important to embrace the joy of the moments we shared and to cherish the relationships we still have. But no matter what, I know I will reconnect with Larah one day, and I will always hold the memories we made together." A small tear came out of my eye as I smiled.

  Larah looked in surprise, seeing me do so well and possibly better than her. I didn’t expect him to be this beyond… Larah smirked. He really is impressive. Larah said to herself.

  "Now, come forth! Eternal thunderbolt, and blast away the one before me! Shockwave..." Now, Here goes! "STRIKE!!!" One spot in the clouds glowed a bright, magical circle. I swiped the wand down as I looked right at the tree, and all the memories I made with Larah showed up in my head. Best… moments… of my life...

  There were at least fifteen or so lightning bolts connected together in the middle of the circle, and it came crashing right down at the tree, making a loud noise and blowing a few trees away. Larah covered her eyes till the blast stopped, and so it did. The glow on the iris of my eye was gone.

  As it all calmed and the cloud went back to white, Larah walked out of the small earth fortress and walked towards me as everything calmed but the rain, and I fell on my back. It concerned Larah, so she ran to me to see if I was okay. "Tenshi!"

  I was laughing as soon as she got to me, and I sat up. "Master, did you see that!? That was—" I ran out of breath and laid back down, too tired I couldn't finish my sentence.

  Larah had a breath of relief. "There, there, now, let's get you up."

  ***

  A couple of minutes passed, and Larah and I were sitting inside the small earth fortress while the rain put the fire on the crater out. She made a fire and gusted me with warm wind magic so I could dry up. "You really had to one-up me, huh?"

  I looked back at her. "Huh? I did? I’m sorry, master." I looked back down.

  Larah shook her head as she said, "No, no, not like it’s bad or you embarrassed me. That was impressive." I smiled. "There, all done," Larah said. She sat back down on the ground, and so did I.

  "Thank you, master." Larah nodded and took something out of her pouch, and it was the yellow fruit. "Here, eat this. It’s called a mana fruit. It should bring your mana and stamina back to one hundred. It cost a fortune, but you deserve it."

  "Oh, thanks," I said as I grabbed it from her. I took a bite out of it, and it tasted really bitter, but I swallowed. "Bleh, that tastes terrible!"

  Larah laughed. "It does, but you should feel energized just in a bit. anyways," Larah got up from the ground and walked out of the earth fortress to see if the fire was still there down the hill, and it was. Larah looked back at me. "Well, we should get going. The fire down there is still going, so I guess we will have to get wet again in this run."

  "Oh..." Wait, I should ask her before I forget. "Hey, master, I have a question."

  Larah got back into the earth fortress so she didn’t get too wet. "Oh, Yeah, go on."

  "Do you know anything about something called light magic or just having some sort of light powers?"

  "...Light power, magic?" She questioned.

  "Yeah, do you know anything about that?"

  "...No, other than the third rank with his whole sword of light I mentioned to you, but other than that, not really."

  "Oh..." I looked down. Well, it was worth a shot.

  Larah smiled and patted my head. "You know, you really are strong, Tenshi. On the inside and outside." Larah put her hand back down and looked up to the sky as the rain started to slow down. "And one day, you could even be stronger than me."

  I looked up at Larah. "You really think so?"

  Larah nodded. She walked out of the earth fortress as the rain stopped and the sun shined. She turned around and looked right at me as she stabbed her staff into the ground. "Tenshi, you did it. You're officially a saint-class lightning mage. I'm very proud of you."

  "I kn... Thank you, master Larah." I said with a smile. I guess today… is where I say goodbye.

  ***

  Two hours went by, and we got home. Taren got the horse back to the family, and Larah packed up, and it was finally time to say goodbye.

  Taren, Ria, Seris, and I were all outside, and I was the one right in front of Larah as she stood outside the yard. I had the wand still held in my right hand, and I didn’t know what to say to her as she was about to leave.

  "You're sure you wouldn’t like to stay for one more day?" Ria asked.

  Larah shook her head. "Thanks, I appreciate the offer, Miss Ria, but I think I stayed long enough."

  "Well, it was worth asking, but I will respect your decision."

  "Hey," Taren said. "I don’t have a problem with you or anything; just want to make that clear."

  Larah was a little taken aback. "What? No, of course not. Why would I?" Larah asked with confusion.

  "Thought it was obvious? I thought to you it looked like I didn’t want you training Tenshi so I could have the time to train him. All I was trying to do was take every free opportunity I saw to train him."

  "Oh, no, not at all. I wasn’t against you training Tenshi sword, nor even had a single thought that you wanted me gone."

  Taren smirked. "Good. Well, I hope you take care, and we’d love to have you back someday."

  "And I know Tenshi would too," Ria said.

  "Yeah..." Larah murmured. She looked down at me as I was looking down with sadness. She went on one knee. "Hey, Tenshi."

  "...Yes, master…?" I mumbled. I had my face right up at hers, but my eyes weren’t staring at hers.

  "Hey, look at me."

  I hesitantly turned my eyes to hers.

  "Don’t be so down. Just remember what I promised you," she reassured me.

  I lightly nodded. "Mhm..." I said while still looking sad.

  "And it's something you have to remember if you want to see me so bad." Larah chuckled softly.

  I nodded again. "Hey, master. I forgot to give this back to you earlier." I took off the ring from my finger and handed it to her.

  Larah was surprised and smiled and took it from me, but instead of putting it back on her finger or pocket, she placed it back on my finger.

  "Keep it. I guess this is my official gift since I technically didn’t give you anything at the party other than the wand. And I'm sorry I was clumsy most of our lessons and, at first, not the best and most respectful teacher."

  "No!" I shouted. "That's not true at all! you were and still are the best teacher ever. I really mean it when you're the only teacher, and... I just... I'm just going to miss you so much, master. You changed my life."

  Larah made a small chuckle. "Come on, you don’t have to keep calling me master. I'm just Larah now."

  I shook my head. "I’ll forever call you Master or Master Larah, Master."

  "Okay, fine then." Larah dug through her right pocket and pulled out a red eyepatch with a white X on it. "Here, I have this last gift. I remember when I was younger, I wore this because I thought I looked so cool, and I thought it made me look more powerful. But I matured from that. Here."

  Larah gave me the eye patch, and I took it. "Just don’t act like it will make you powerful, or once you stop, you’ll die with embarrassment every time that memory comes back. Hah."

  I started to tear up a little, and I hugged Larah. "Thank you, master..." Larah patted my back.

  "You're welcome, Tenshi." Larah and I broke the hug, and she stood back up with the bags on her back, making it a little hard, but she stood up strong.

  She looked back at Ria. "Thank you, Ria, for teaching me some good cooking recipes." Larah looked over at Taren. "And thank you, Taren, for telling me your awesome stories and jokes. Many sounded interesting, and it reminded me of my own." Larah looked over at Seris. "And thank you, Seris, for being someone good to hang out with."

  Seris smiled and nodded.

  "And Tenshi, I’ll forever be glad to be your master. Thank you for making our lessons fun and exciting and making me truly feel happy."

  Another tear fell out of my eye, and I wiped it. "I promise to remember what you said."

  Larah kept her smile as she looked at me. "Good... well, I'm off," she said as she looked at all of us. "Again, thank you guys for welcoming me in. All of you."

  The others but Taren also had a few tears dripping down but still had a smile.

  "Farewell, Larah," Ria said.

  "Farewell," Larah said as she waved and walked away. I watched her leave as the wind blew on her black cape for a couple of minutes.

  She did so much for me, I said to myself. And it feels like I have more to say. My hands held onto the wand and eyepatch tight. I just wanna say thank you one more time!

  Larah was already quite far, and I knew I wouldn’t make it to her, but I ran in her direction for a few seconds and stood still since she was already quite far. "Master!" I shouted.

  Larah turned her head back to me.

  "Thank you, master! For... for everything!!!"

  Larah was a little surprised but smiled and continued walking away. Whether she believes it or not, she did more for me than she thinks. She gave me the feeling of... freedom.

  Tenshi may easily forget about me and embark on his own adventures, Larah said to herself as she continued walking. But I hold on to the hope of returning to witness his growth. It doesn’t matter if he fully grasped my message; I’m grateful that my existence still meant something after all this time. Larah would smirk as a tear came down her eye. "You will grow to live a good life... Tenshi."

  I gripped the wand and eyepatch on my hand tight. Thank you, Larah. Thank you... Master. I smiled and wiped a tear off my cheek.

  ***

  A day passed, and I was currently in the guest room, aka Larah's former room. I was picking up some of her hair pieces on the pillow and sniffing it. Seriously, I’ll always remember you, master. God, this still smells like her! I looked behind me as I heard a small noise.

  It was Seris staring right at me in her maid outfit with a mild facial expression.

  Oh... Well... Shit