The morning sun shone brightly, directly over the fertile lands where farmers had gathered from every corner, some plowing, others harvesting.
Some of them were energetic, unconcerned by the scorching rays of the sun or the hardship of labor, working in harmony, with calm and focus.
"Hey, Wann! We need help over here!" one of the farmers called out, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Coming!" a young man replied.
He was a young man, perhaps even still a teenager, with silver hair and eyes to match. He set his hoe down on the ground, then stepped toward the man who had called him.
"There you are…" the man muttered tiredly.
"What's the problem then?" Wann asked.
"There's a rock blocking the plowing here. Please move it."
"Right away!"
After this light exchange, Wann raised both hands toward the spot where the rock was. At once, everyone nearby began to step back, as if something extraordinary was about to happen.
"Gravitia Nullios!" Wann chanted, his eyes glowing, his focus entirely on the rock.
In that moment, before everyone's eyes, the rock lifted from the ground and began to float, until Wann guided it with his will and set it down elsewhere. Yet despite the miracle, no one seemed shocked. On the contrary, it was treated as something normal among the farmers.
"Anything else?" Wann asked.
"No, nothing. You can go and finish your work… Blessed be your efforts, Wann," the man who had asked for help said.
"He's truly a miracle," one farmer whispered as he watched Wann walk away.
"This silver-haired boy is no mere miracle. He's more like an angel sent down by the gods to us common folk," another farmer murmured.
"And all of it thanks to his father…"
✦ ✦ ✦
The place grew quiet, and the sun began to set, painting the sky a beautiful shade of orange over the fields. By that time, the fields were empty, and it seemed everyone had returned to their homes.
Empty fields, with scarecrows perched upon them, crows resting on their arms, and stalks of grain dancing to the tune of the wind. Everything was calm, radiating a deep sense of peace.
"Thanks for the meal!" Wann exclaimed inside his home, sitting at the table before a bowl of soup that seemed filled with vegetables.
"Eat without talking, don't make me regret cooking this dinner," another man in the house grumbled.
He was older, dressed simply like Wann—or like any villager in this village. He stepped up to the table and sat down to eat his own soup as well.
"Wait, didn't Liza cook this soup?" Wann asked after taking the first sip.
"Of course not! Liza went to the capital—there was an announcement about opening a special academy for magic… but what matters is that I was the one who cooked this soup! Me!! Do you know what the problem here is?" the man said loudly.
"Umm… no?"
"Of course you don't, because you don't understand the laws of manhood, you fool. I'm a man in my fifties, and this is the first time in my entire life I've cooked. That means I've lost all my manhood!"
"Didn't you cook at my first birthday party?"
"That time was necessary… it doesn't count."
"Alright, Dad… but this soup is really great!" Wann said enthusiastically, his expression brightening with joy at the taste.
"Better than Liza's cooking?" the man asked, the look of disappointment slowly fading from his face.
"Of course not," Wann answered honestly as he kept eating.
"Ughhh…" the man groaned, dropping his head on the table as despair overtook him again.
I am Wann, and this is my seventeenth summer in this village—my beloved village, Reurrak. I was born here. My mother died giving birth to me, and it's been just me and my father ever since. This old man, his name is Chukk. He's the dearest person to my heart… well, of course he would be, he's my father after all.
Though life in Reurrak may seem hard, I love it deeply. I've visited the capital many times, but it never came close to the beauty of my beloved village…
This place is wonderful—kind people, delicious food, breathtaking nature, and joy beyond measure. And there are also some people I cherish deeply, like… wait, wait!
"What did you say? Why did Liza go to the capital?"
"Well, looks like you didn't know. Spending all day working in the fields makes you ignorant… Anyway, the capital has launched a new project called the Vostolia Project."
"The Vostolia Project?"
"Yes, an academy that teaches magic. The very first academy where commoners can study side by side with nobles. And it seems many famous mages will be teaching there—like Greal, Zenith, Sartos… and many other elite magicians of the kingdom."
"Why didn't anyone tell me? And why did she leave without letting me know?"
"Well, it seems she doesn't like you as much as you like her… But she wanted it to be a surprise, that's what her mother told me. And the last thing she said before leaving the village was: 'I'll show that arrogant Wann he's not the only one who can use magic.'"
"Well… am I not actually the only commoner who can use magic?"
"Liza knows some basics. She often borrowed my books. And don't forget, the last time she used magic she was already able to cast a water ball. So if she studies at that academy, it looks like she'll surpass you."
After that, a long silence spread. The faint chirping of crickets could be heard, the fading rays of the sun slipping away alongside the steam rising from the soup, which was now beginning to cool.
"I'll go!" Wann suddenly declared, this time with a look of utmost seriousness.
"Hey, wait, wait! You already know magic, so why do you want to go there?"
"You know why, Father…"
"Your hatred for nobles?"
"Of course! I'll go there and show them that they aren't the only ones who can use magic and flaunt it over poor commoners!! I'll crush their arrogance!"
"Here we go again, the same words you said when you were hit in the capital by a magic shot cast by a noble child by mistake."
"That's not all, Dad! When I fell to the ground, he laughed! I remember everything, that scene won't ever leave my memory. I fell, then he started laughing along with his friends... ugh, that makes me so angry!"
"Isn't there a stronger reason for you to go?"
"In fact, there is only one reason," muttered Wann.
"What is it?"
"I want to go because Lisa went."
"Huh?" shouted Chukk before banging his head on the table again.
"Listen, if you cause any trouble with nobles, it won't be easy. Remember, they are nobles. Even if they wrong you, you'll still be the loser."
"I know, I know. That's why I hate nobles. Don't worry, Dad. I'll be a good boy who only follows the path of knowledge. I'll study hard, and you'll raise your head high, watching me crowned with the highest grades, and you'll say: 'Look, that's my son!' Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yes, yes, it's very wonderful," replied Chukk, staring at the ceiling with a wide smile, seemingly lost in his own dreams.
"So... should I go tomorrow?"
"Ahhh... ahem, ahem, I drifted into some dreams..."
"Wann, listen carefully... Vostolia Academy won't be like any experience you've had before... At Vostolia, you'll sleep and study side by side with a noble. People from a different class, who don't know you, and you don't know them, and both of you will hold grudges against each other. So your going to Vostolia will be like..."
"Going to a new world?" interrupted Wann suddenly.
"Damn you! Shut up and let me finish my precious speech!" shouted Chukk.
"You always say that. Every time I'm about to experience something new, you tell me I'm entering a new world. I've memorized it already."
"That's because I went through the same thing you're going through."
"Was there another Vostolia?"
"Of course not. But I used to befriend some nobles, and they gave me some books—that's how I learned magic, and how you learned it too."
"How was your friendship with the nobles?"
"Extremely bad. And that's why my advice to you is: avoid any noble in that academy."
"Of course, I'll do that... after all, I hate them too."
"Speaking of nobles and commoners, the founder of that academy is Yulard, a very powerful wizard, considered one of the Seven Elites in the world."
"And?"
"Yulard, in truth, doesn't belong to any noble bloodline. He's of entirely commoner origin."
"What? How could a commoner become one of the strongest seven wizards in the world??!!"
"That's what angered the nobles in our kingdom Tylios, and angered nobles across the whole world even, because Yulard was just a simple commoner living in the capital, collecting magic books from the nobles' trash bins. And now look at him—one of the strongest wizards in the world, and the founder of the first academy that allows commoners to study magic."
This is amazing... All of this excites me so much. It seems this world will be fun. I don't even think I'll regret going. Everything will be there—powerful wizards, and Lisa too, the girl I've loved since childhood. This will be wonderful!
Yes, I must go. I can't miss this chance. This excitement is pumping so strongly, pumping and giving me the urge to shout out loud:
"I want to go!!!" shouted Wann suddenly.
"Alright, it's still early. The entrance exams will start in three days. If you leave tomorrow, you'll arrive exactly in a day. But are you sure, Wann?"
"Yes... absolutely sure!"
✦ ✦ ✦
Wow, the sunlight is weak this time. Seems autumn has suddenly arrived. Well, this is the day I'll leave my beloved village... no, not just a village... Reurrak is my homeland.
"So, looks like you're not joking—you're really going?" said a voice I knew well, suddenly.
"Of course, do you think I would leave my bag and say this is just a prank?"
"I wish that's what was going to happen."
My father came down from the stairs, by that time I had already prepared my bag, and all that was left for me to do now was to climb onto the wagon to head to the capital.
"Let me at least open the door for you."
"Thank you, father."
We stepped outside the house, and then I caught sight of something strange. Honestly, I never expected this at all—everyone was here, all the villagers, standing near the house.
"There they are, they came to see you off."
"I don't remember this kind of fuss when Liza left… where was I when she went?"
"You were training in the forest."
"That brat, she didn't even come to see me off."
My father and I advanced forward, and at that moment everyone was cheering. I could see all their smiles, all their eyes fixed on me, as if I were a hero. My God, this feeling is amazing!
"Farewell, Wann!"
"Beware of the nobles' cruelty!"
"Damn, now there won't be anyone to help us with farming!"
"This is wonderful, you're truly loved, Wann. That's not something commoners usually get."
"I know, and I'm proud of it. Their love for me is something I cherish—it's sacred to me, if you want to put it that way."
"Wann! Wait," a voice suddenly called out as it came forward.
It was a man and a woman. I knew them well. They were Liza's parents. What could they want from me? If they asked me to look after her, that would truly be an honor.
"Please, protect Liza. She's reckless—she even left without thinking, just because she wanted to become stronger than you," her mother said.
"Yes, Liza acts rashly far too often. Her decision to leave was reckless too… so please, Wann, you're from the same village, I ask you to take care of my daughter," her father added.
"Mr. Warton, Mrs. Warton, I will guard Liza with everything I have. That's my promise."
At that moment they both hugged me, and everyone began clapping and cheering. Well, it was time for me to leave now. My father and I walked toward the wagon.
The driver was waiting for me, and it seemed I had kept him waiting too long. Well, this delay was worth it, for I had just looked like a legendary hero a moment ago.
"Wann…"
"What is it, father… it's not the time for tears, it's just one school year, and I'll be back."
"No, it's not that. I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Make me proud," my father answered with a smile I had never seen before.
At that moment my emotions surged upward, pushing the heart to urge the mind, and the mind agreed. The time had come to raise the heads of our family and topple the heads of our opposition. I would erase anyone who stood in my way. I would prove the strength of the commoners and become the shining star that would change the system.
"Vostolia, here I come!"