Date: August 30, 2214 (17 Years Before the Fall)
Place: Village School, Forest of Withered Stars
Kai sat alone beneath the tree, his head still ringing from the rough treatment earlier that day. His fingers were stiff from the scratches and bruises that marked his body, the remnants of the bullying he had just endured. His lunch, now ruined, lay in a crumpled pile at his feet, his pride crushed even more than the food.
The laughter of the boys echoed in his mind. The words they had thrown at him lingered like bitter smoke in the air, and the sting of their cruel actions made it impossible to push it all away.
The world seemed so quiet here, the forest heavy with its own secrets. It wasn't the quiet of peace—it was the silence of isolation. The forest had long been Kai's escape, but now it felt as though even the trees were turning their backs on him.
"Maybe I don't belong here…" he whispered to himself, staring at the dirt on his fingers, the stains of his failure and the crushing weight of his insignificance.
As the wind rustled the leaves above him, something shifted. There was a soft rustling sound—footsteps—coming closer. He looked up, expecting nothing, but instead found someone standing at the edge of his vision.
It was Saki Yamada, the same girl who had saved him from the goblins the other day. She stood in front of him, her small frame casting a shadow against the dimming light, her eyes studying him carefully. She didn't speak at first, but her presence was a quiet comfort.
Saki knelt down next to him, her gaze lingering on his scraped knees and bruised palms. "Kai," she said softly, her voice gentle, "are you okay?"
Kai felt a lump form in his throat, his heart aching. How could he be okay after all of this? After being thrown to the ground, humiliated, and left to pick up the pieces of his shattered lunch and pride?
"I'm fine," he replied, his voice hollow and unconvincing. He wanted to tell her the truth, to say that he wasn't fine—that he was hurt, that he didn't belong, but the words caught in his throat. His pride wouldn't let him admit it. Not to her.
Saki wasn't fooled. She had seen him earlier, seen the treatment he received from the other kids, and it had clearly affected her. She frowned, her expression soft but firm as she reached out, gently lifting his hands from the dirt.
"You're not fine," she said quietly, "and that's okay. But you don't have to keep pretending."
Kai bit his lip, the sharp sting of humiliation biting harder than his bruises. But still, he said nothing.
Saki didn't press him further. Instead, she reached into her small bag and pulled out a vial of clear liquid, a faint light flickering inside. It was a healing potion, and Kai could tell by the way it shimmered that it was far from ordinary. She held it out to him, her expression determined yet kind.
"I know my magic isn't very strong," Saki explained softly, "but I can at least do something. Please let me help."
Kai hesitated, feeling a lump form in his throat. His pride had been shattered, his self-worth crushed by the events of the day, but there was something in Saki's eyes that made it impossible to refuse. It wasn't pity, it wasn't judgment—it was a simple, honest desire to help.
Swallowing his pride, Kai took the vial from her and, without a word, poured the liquid onto his scraped hands. The cool touch of the healing potion spread through his skin, and though it wasn't enough to erase the deep ache in his heart, it eased the sharp sting of the cuts and bruises.
Saki watched him closely, her gaze full of understanding. "You don't have to be a master of magic to matter," she said softly, "and you don't need to have mana to be strong. Don't let them make you think otherwise."
Kai looked at her, her words sinking deep into his chest. "But I can't even do magic…" he whispered, the thought aching in his mind. "I'm nothing without it."
"You're wrong," she said, her voice firm now, as if she had to make him believe it. "Magic doesn't define who you are. What matters is what's inside you. And I think you're stronger than you know."
Kai shook his head, his mind clouded with doubt. He had never felt so weak, so small. Magic was everything here. It was the measure of a person's worth. Without it, he was nothing.
Saki reached out, brushing a few strands of hair from his face in a quiet gesture of comfort. "It's okay to not be okay sometimes," she said gently. "But you don't have to face this alone. You have people who care about you."
Her words settled over him like a blanket, soft and warm, but they didn't chase away the doubts. How could she possibly understand? How could anyone understand how it felt to be completely powerless in a world where power was everything?
Still, there was something about Saki—something in the way she treated him that made him feel… less alone. She didn't see him as a failure, didn't look at him as weak or useless. She saw him as Kai, and for a brief moment, that simple truth made all the difference.
"I don't know if I'll ever be good enough," Kai murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "But I'll try. I'll keep trying, even if it means failing over and over again."
Saki smiled, a small but genuine smile that seemed to brighten the dimming world around them. "That's all anyone can do," she said softly. "And you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you."
Kai felt something stir inside him, something he hadn't felt in a long time: hope. It wasn't much, but it was something. And for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to believe it, even if just for a moment.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice steady now. "Thank you, Saki."
She smiled again, this time more brightly, before standing up and offering him a hand. "Come on, let's get you back inside. The day's not over yet."
Kai hesitated, but then took her hand, letting her help him to his feet. As they walked together back toward the school, the world didn't seem quite as heavy as it had before. There was still uncertainty in his heart, still fear for the future, but with Saki by his side, maybe—just maybe—it wouldn't be as hard to face.
For the first time in a long time, Kai Mizushino believed that maybe, despite everything, he could still stand tall.
To be continued
[End of Chapter 10: A Moment of Healing]