\u201cRonnie, that woman is dangerous. Please run away,\u201d I requested, but he shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not gonna leave you alone with someone dangerous,\u201d he replied. He wasn\u2019t just a good guy, but a brave one too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you, but don\u2019t worry\u2014I know how to defend myself. However, I can\u2019t hold out for that long, so I want you to go and tell that woman from the Ministry who was with me earlier. Can you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you can defend yourself, then you\u2019re probably better off without me…\u201d he conceded, looking at his wounded body. \u201cI\u2019ll go get that woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he started running back toward his home, I mentally added \u201ccan make decisions and act quickly under stress\u201d to the list of good things about Ronnie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd have her look at your arm!\u201d I shouted as he escaped. He raised a hand to show that he\u2019d understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Good. And now, let\u2019s deal with her,<\/em> I thought, turning around again to face Sarah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s the second time you let someone else run away. You\u2019re really kind, aren\u2019t you?\u201d She spoke with a big smile and an unfittingly cold voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She kept faking emotions so consistently that I couldn\u2019t tell what she was thinking at all. I had caught a glimpse of what seemed like a true reaction earlier, but it had only lasted a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSay, why do you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s one more thing I hate about you,\u201d she interrupted me, swinging her arm once again. This time a black fog appeared, surrounding me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everything around me went black and silent while the forest disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This must be the same spell as before, no doubt about it. She\u2019s trying to trap me in the darkness. Last time it was so scary… I could have never made it out if Jeord and Keith hadn\u2019t been with me. But this time, it\u2019s different. I <\/em>know how to get out.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I visualized my skull wand, something that I was now well used to doing. I immediately felt its weight in my hand, and I clenched my fingers around it. Then, I waved the wand and visualized the darkness disappearing. A small dot of light popped up in front of me and started sucking up all the darkness surrounding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perfect! I did it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon I was out of the darkness and back into the forest, where Sarah was standing in front of me, looking terribly annoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you really can fight my spell that easily… Well then, how about this?\u201d she taunted me, raising her arm for the third time. I knew that when she swung it back down it would make yet another dark spell come forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing how there wasn\u2019t that much distance between us, I rushed toward her and took her arm in my hand, stopping her from moving it. It was extremely thin\u2014worryingly so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cListen. I want to talk this out with you,\u201d I pleaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWh-What are you saying?\u201d she asked in disbelief. The shock on her face, for once, looked genuine, which made me feel some relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou seem to hate me for some reason, but I don\u2019t hate you. I want to know more about you, and I want to understand you. That\u2019s why I\u2019d like to talk,\u201d I explained, still holding her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her black eyes were as wide as those of a frightened child as she stared into mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook…\u201d I tried to continue, but she shook my hand off, lowered her hood over her face, and rushed into the forest as if she was trying to run away from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looks so…defenseless.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the end, we still didn\u2019t manage to talk…\u201d I sighed to myself as Sarah disappeared between the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n I, the girl they called Sarah, was aimlessly running through the forest. I didn\u2019t know where I was going, but I felt like I couldn\u2019t stop. If I did, that weird feeling in my chest would have taken over me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d always thought that Katarina Claes was a weird woman, but today I learned that she was even weirder than I\u2019d ever imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She wants to talk with me? Know me? Understand me? I\u2019ve never heard such strange things. What is wrong with her?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The calm, peaceful way she\u2019d looked at me when she said those things made them even worse. It was the first time that anyone had ever looked at me like that… Or was it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe, long ago, someone else had looked at me that way. Before my father had stopped coming back home, my mother would give me that same calm look as she caressed my head. And when my father disappeared and my mother started ignoring me, that one boy would smile kindly at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And even before that, my father…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I was taken by darkness, I had shut all those memories away to protect my heart. I lived without thinking, doing only what was ordered of me. Now, because of that cursed Claes woman, those memories had started resurfacing. It had been a very long day…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMom, I\u2019m ba\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened the door to find unfamiliar men inside my house. Scared by that sight, I looked around for my mother, before finally seeing her lying down on the floor beyond the strange intruders. One glance was enough to understand that she had no life left in her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I let out a scream that cannot be described with words, and I felt something explode inside of me. My whole body was taken over by a burst of heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, this kid\u2019s got magic! We\u2019re supposed to kill her too, but… What should we do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMagic kids can come in handy. Let\u2019s take her back with us for now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what about the body?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOrders are to just make sure she doesn\u2019t get found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The men talked amongst themselves, but I couldn\u2019t really hear them. I kept screaming and hugging myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel so hot… Mom… Mom!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n All of a sudden, I saw a dark shadow appear in front of me and felt a sharp pain in my stomach. The last things to go through my head as I lost consciousness were the kind mother I no longer had and the red-haired boy\u2019s kind face. Why am I remembering these things all of a sudden?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tears\u2014something I thought I couldn\u2019t shed\u2014were coming down from my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My heart was throbbing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n throbbing with pain,<\/p>\n\n\n\n sadness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n longing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran even faster, overflowing with unfamiliar emotions. I kept plunging through the trees, scratching my face, hands, and feet against the branches, hoping that I would soon go back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was staring at the forest into which the woman had disappeared before realizing that I had more important things to do. Ronnie was still wounded, and I had sent him to call for Larna. I needed to tell him as soon as possible that he didn\u2019t have to rush anymore, or he\u2019d be putting a lot of undue stress on his already weakened body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though I ran back as fast as I could, by the time I\u2019d reached Ronnie I was almost back at his home. He noticed me and we just stood there for a while, staring at each other, gasping for air from all the running. That must have been a pretty funny sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHah… Hah… Th-Thank you…for going back all this way…running…\u201d I gasped as soon as I had enough breath to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuff… Huff… D-Don\u2019t worry… Haah… I wasn\u2019t even…going all in…\u201d he replied, still wheezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He ran all this way just because I asked him to, and he jumped in front of me without a second thought to save me from that snake… He\u2019s such a good guy. Oh, right!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRonnie, show me your arm!\u201d I commanded, and I took a closer look at it. The black bruise hadn\u2019t grown any bigger or darker, but it hadn\u2019t shrunk at all either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDoes it hurt?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that big of a deal, really,\u201d he answered nonchalantly, but as I touched his bruise, he clearly writhed in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What kind of spell could this be?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry this happened to you because of me…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was the one who decided to jump in front of that snake,\u201d he told me, but ultimately it had all been for my sake. And to think the poor guy had been injured enough by his father already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wondered whether Maria\u2019s Light Magic could fix his bruise\u2014Light Magic could cure wounds, but unfortunately it had failed to work that one time that Keith had been…cursed or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe I can just pull it off, like with that curse thing…<\/em> I thought, and I tried doing so, but to no avail. Okay, that didn\u2019t work… What about absorbing it like I did with the black fog? Might as well try.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I put one hand behind my back, so that Ronnie wouldn\u2019t see it, and I made my skull wand appear. With a flick of the wrist, I visualized the bruise being sucked away into nothingness, and…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWh-What\u2019s that? That black thing is, like, rising…\u201d Ronnie exclaimed, surprised by how the bruise was leaving his body and disappearing behind my back. \u201cWhat is going on?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did it! I\u2019m great!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you tell me what is going on?!\u201d he repeated his question, probably understanding that I\u2019d used magic on him. I couldn\u2019t really explain what I\u2019d done, though, since Dark Magic was involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I tried to come up with a good excuse…and failed. \u201cIt\u2019s, ummm, a trade secret. Can\u2019t talk about the details.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, right… You work at the Ministry too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully he didn\u2019t know much about magic, and just assumed that this was a normal thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, does your arm still hurt?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe pain went away along with the bruise…\u201d he replied, much to my relief. I still wanted Maria to take a look at him, but at least it seemed that the worst was behind us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t fix your other wounds though. We\u2019ll need someone else to take care of those,\u201d I explained, looking at all the other non-magical bruises he still had because of his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He shook his head. \u201cForget about those. They\u2019re my own fault.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t just forget about it! You\u2019re all battered up, and I made you run on top of that. Also, it\u2019s not<\/em> your<\/em> fault<\/em> that your father beat you up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In hindsight, his father had probably been so hard on him because Ronnie had tried to take him away from Dewey. Whether or not that was the case, Ronnie certainly wasn\u2019t to blame for his father\u2019s violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He again declined. \u201cIt is though. Anyway, you should stop worrying about me and go home. Aren\u2019t your friends waiting for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, I had no intention of giving up this time. \u201cNo. I won\u2019t go home until I\u2019ve seen your wounds treated and you and your brother having a proper discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your problem, girl?\u201d He looked shocked. \u201cI\u2019ve already said I don\u2019t want him to have anything to do with us anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause it\u2019d weigh him down, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight. He doesn\u2019t need any of us ignorant, useless lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be so harsh with yourself. Forget about weighing him down. Dewey is proud of you, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause I look after the others? I\u2019m just doing that because nobody else would.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He really doesn\u2019t want to admit it… Getting through to him isn\u2019t going to be easy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s obvious how much you care about them…and you even took the risk to protect me, a stranger, before running for help despite how hurt you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Normally you wouldn\u2019t do that for someone you\u2019d just met a few minutes earlier.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat was just in the heat of the moment…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven so, that\u2019s not something that just anybody would do. You\u2019re a great person! You\u2019re kind and strong,\u201d I declared, pumping my fists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s right!\u201d a voice nearby called out. I looked in that direction and found Dewey, also pumping his fists, standing besides Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, Maria brought him back! Way to go!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re always looking out for the rest of us! I know you work the hardest of all, and you don\u2019t even use the money you make for yourself! You use it for our siblings, because you\u2019re so kind!\u201d Dewey told his brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long have you been listening?\u201d wondered Ronnie, half-distressed and half-embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince you said that you don\u2019t want me to have anything to do with you anymore… I didn\u2019t know you thought you\u2019d weigh me down or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronnie covered his face with his hand and let out a big sigh. Dewey had heard the part that his brother most wanted to hide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no point in hiding it since you\u2019ve already heard it… It\u2019s just as I said. You fought your way out of this misery. The rest of us would just drag you down, so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not true!\u201d Dewey interrupted his brother. He was so passionate in saying those words that his face had turned red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was the first time I ever heard Dewey yell. Despite his young age, he was always calm and collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy would you drag me down? If it weren\u2019t for you, I\u2019d never have been able to join the Ministry!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronnie, slightly taken aback by his brother\u2019s outburst, replied, \u201cI didn\u2019t do anything. You were the one who put in all the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo way you \u2018didn\u2019t do anything.\u2019 Back then, I was so intent on doing my best that I didn\u2019t even notice, but after I started working at the Ministry and I could catch my breath, I realized just how much you supported me,\u201d Dewey countered, approaching his brother and taking his hands. \u201cYou used to do part of my share of work, didn\u2019t you? How else would I be able to do a whole day\u2019s worth of work after coming back from school?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ronnie didn\u2019t answer, but the way he was blushing left little room for doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI respected you back then, and I respect you now. So don\u2019t say that you\u2019d just drag me down!\u201d Dewey shouted at his brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After standing in silence for a few moments, Ronnie finally replied. \u201cI\u2019ve always been so proud of you. We all have. You scored a job that good even though nobody ever handed you anything. That\u2019s why we wanted you to be free to enjoy the life you deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dewey started crying, but I suspected those probably weren\u2019t tears of sadness. \u201cI started studying and putting in all that effort because I wanted a better life for myself, it\u2019s true. But the only reason I kept at it was because I wanted a better life for you and all our other siblings too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDewey…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, don\u2019t run away from me like that! Let\u2019s all<\/em> leave that terrible life behind us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seemed that Dewey\u2019s words had finally reached Ronnie\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d The older brother nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria and I, deeply moved, were looking at them from the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are such good brothers,\u201d she commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d I immediately agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that Dewey and Ronnie had finally overcome their misunderstandings, we could all go back to their house. The two brothers apparently wanted to talk with all the rest of their siblings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That makes sense… Even though they know they have each other\u2019s backs, they really have to do something about those parents. They\u2019re the cause of all the problems in that family. Even if all the kids got away with Dewey\u2019s help, that deadbeat dad of theirs could come after them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria and I told Dewey to ask us for help if he needed anything, and he said that he would. It seemed that today\u2019s events had changed him for the better, teaching him that it was okay to rely on others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we reached his home, I was ready to fight their horrible father with all the strength I had in me, but I was met by a surprising scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUmm…huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dewey\u2019s dad was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all of his siblings were cleaning up the house, helped by a bunch of people I\u2019d never seen before. Since Larna was giving them orders left and right, they were probably her subordinates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMiss Larna…? What is happening?\u201d a befuddled Dewey inquired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Dewey,\u201d she replied with a serious face, \u201cI heard that your parents couldn\u2019t find a job, so I \u2018found\u2019 one for them. The employer will provide their accommodation, and they were to start immediately, so I sent them on their way. They\u2019ll be busy<\/em> for a while, so if you want to contact them, just go through me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That all sounded wonderful…except for how it was obviously a lie. Dewey\u2019s parents forced their children to work so that they didn\u2019t have to, so I was sure that Larna was to blame for their alleged sudden change of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, despite noticing how suspicious that story sounded, Dewey didn\u2019t seem in the least bit concerned\u2014if anything, he looked relieved to find out that his parents had basically been kidnapped. That reaction told you everything you needed to know about what he thought of them, and all of his siblings also looked more relaxed than earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd…why are my siblings cleaning up?\u201d Dewey asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo they can leave,\u201d answered Larna casually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLeave…? They\u2019re leaving the house?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan\u2019t have them stay here on their own now that your parents are away \u2018working,\u2019 can we? I heard that one of your brothers is of age, but looking after this many children would be too much for him. I\u2019m having them move to an apartment managed by the Ministry, where they\u2019ll be looked after as needed,\u201d she explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those children had been living here basically on their own for their whole lives, but Larna, who wasn\u2019t going to stand for that, had immediately arranged for them to move. She really was a capable superior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut we don\u2019t have enough money to move…\u201d Ronnie had gone pale with fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, your parents are going to pay for that with their new job. And the Ministry\u2019s lodgings aren\u2019t that expensive, so part of Dewey\u2019s salary will be more than enough. I\u2019ll even find you a real new job, if you want,\u201d Larna replied, leaving the young man shocked and almost unable to accept this much kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when Dewey lowered his head and thanked Larna, his brother seemed convinced, and he did the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust leave it all to me,\u201d Larna assured them, sounding very pleased with herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, it was decided that all of Dewey\u2019s siblings would move to a proper house, and Ronnie would also get a new job. That was sure to make Dewey feel very relieved too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that discussion was over, I explained to Larna how we had run into Sarah and how she had hit Ronnie with a Dark Magic spell which I then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did she even find you?! Does she follow your smell or something? Or is it magic? Hmm. This is very interesting…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna had a point\u2014last time could have been a coincidence, but today Sarah had clearly been looking for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do I…smell that strong?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom the way you say she ran away, she probably isn\u2019t going to come back all that soon. However, keep this. For safety.\u201d She handed me something that looked like a small egg with a piece of string coming out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you\u2019re ever in trouble, pull on that string. The device will make a loud noise and another device which I have on me will notify me of it. Use that if Sarah comes at you again,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, so it\u2019s just like the key chain alarms that kids used in my old world… She must have made this with magic.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut, you know, I have to ask you,\u201d she continued, \u201cyou do have a familiar, right? Why don\u2019t you use that when you need help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that\u2019s right! I\u2019d forgotten about him! Again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pochi, my Dark Familiar, was a very good boy. He would always come to the rescue, as long as I remembered to call out to him. Unfortunately, that almost never happened, since I tended to think of him as just a pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will try to remember next time…\u201d I promised my superior, who was giving me the most dejected look ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease do… Even though I hope there will be no such next time,\u201d she replied with a deep nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was actually supposed to report all those happenings with Sarah to the Ministry, but Larna, not wanting to keep me busy on my day off once again, offered to do it instead, based on what I\u2019d told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut isn\u2019t it a day off for you too?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. It\u2019s basically a hobby for me,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both she and Maria looked at Ronnie\u2019s arm, and they found nothing wrong with it. The latter even fixed the rest of his wounds with her Light Magic, and Ronnie was extremely impressed and just as grateful. Along with Dewey, he was now going to help the rest of their siblings prepare to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria and I wanted to help as well, but we were told that there were already more than enough people there\u2014including those that Larna had called\u2014and that we should just head back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s still a bit early to go home though…\u201d I observed, looking at the sun still high in the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn that case…would you like to stop by my house?\u201d Maria shyly suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course! We\u2019ve come all this way after all, and I bet you want to stop by too!\u201d I agreed, and so our next stop was decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two of us, accompanied by Pochi, whom Larna had told me to call out just in case, headed toward Maria\u2019s house, this time walking on a proper paved street. The trail that Ronnie and I had been running on earlier was little more than a footpath through the forest, cleared to allow some construction work nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor Ronnie had to use that path to go to work every day… At least now Larna will introduce him to a proper job, and he won\u2019t have to worry about his other siblings as much. It\u2019s been a tough life for him, but I hope he\u2019ll be happy now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While thinking about the future of the Percy family and discussing it with Maria, we kept walking until we had almost reached her house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been so long since I last met your mother. I should have brought a present or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI failed to mention this to you, but…given the time of the day, my mother is unlikely to be at home. She will probably be at work,\u201d Maria replied, looking troubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReally? She won\u2019t be there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think so. I am sorry I did not mention this to you earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, don\u2019t worry. That\u2019s not a problem. But then, why do you want to go home?\u201d I had thought that the only reason she wanted to visit was to see her mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought that maybe…my father might be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour father…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suddenly realized that, in all the time we\u2019d known each other, I\u2019d barely ever heard Maria mention her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If he\u2019s home at this time of the day, does that mean he works nights? But wait, then why wasn\u2019t he home when I met Maria\u2019s mom?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I had a few doubts, but Maria started speaking before I could voice any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, I haven\u2019t really spoken with my father since my magic powers first appeared…\u201d she confessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was utterly surprised. She and her mother seemed to be on such good terms that I\u2019d assumed the same was true for her and her father as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWasn\u2019t that…a real long time ago?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. I was five years old at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s pretty much her whole life! She\u2019s been living with this issue for more than a decade?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince both my parents are commoners, having a baby who could use magic made them the subject of a lot of unpleasant talk,\u201d she sadly explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first time ever, I properly understood the circumstances around Maria\u2019s childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a noble, having magic powers was a normal, good thing. Those around me praised me just for being born like that. However, that didn\u2019t apply to commoners, who usually had no magic. My brother Keith, for example, was born from an escapade between a nobleman and a commoner woman…and most people probably assumed that this was the case for Maria too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first visited this town, I noticed that everyone knew where Maria\u2019s house was. I thought that it was just a really close-knit neighborhood, but maybe the truth wasn\u2019t that pleasant. Maybe Maria\u2019s family was just treated like an object of gossip, given that a magical baby being born in a town this small was a very rare occurrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd then my father stopped coming home…\u201d she continued, sadly lowering her face before quickly raising it again, this time with her eyes full of resolve. \u201cBut seeing what happened with Dewey made up my mind. I must do something about this. I told Dewey that he has to speak with his family to properly understand the situation, but I lacked the courage to do so myself. However, I will not run away from the truth anymore. I want to try to speak with my father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maria was a special person\u2014not only could she use Light Magic, but she effectively was the main character of this entire world. At the same time, she was just a girl the same age as me with all her troubles and fears. However, she was ready to face her weaknesses and move forward. This is what truly made her special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t do anything for you, but I\u2019ll be by your side,\u201d I told her, taking her hands into mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you.\u201d She smiled. \u201cWhen you are by my side, I feel like I could do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We kept walking, hand in hand, all the way to her house.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cRonnie, that woman is dangerous. Please run away,\u201d I requested, but he shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna leave you alone with someone dangerous,\u201d he replied. He wasn\u2019t just a good guy, but a brave one too. \u201cThank you, but don\u2019t worry\u2014I know how to defend myself. However, I can\u2019t hold out for that long, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3734,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions\/3734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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