I am Iris. I was abandoned at an orphanage. That's why I don't know who my family is. It wouldn't be accurate to say I longed for a family. Perhaps that's why I think the other children tend to tease me. Things that look different are doomed to be judged.
Because of this, I can't say I have many fond memories. Some of them said I must be of noble blood because of my hair color. Just because my hair color is rare, many things were said about me. People saw me as so intimidating that I started to avoid them. Still, I was a popular child at the orphanage. My peers always wanted to talk to me.
Of course, not everyone was the same. Ela, like me, is also an orphan but she's like a big sister to me. She has always protected and looked out for me like a lion. If I tend to avoid people, others would avoid Ela as well. There were times when she was even more energetic and mischievous than some boys. Ela was genuine and sincere and her friendship was a wonderful thing.
It was wonderful but I still sometimes felt lonely. Rather than experiencing that loneliness alone, I preferred to do something for F.
F may be a creator but it hates being visualized and called by a name. It's just a pile of stones linked together—nothing more. It can't protect you from earthquakes or wars. Believing in F is like that. Those who misunderstand it merely dress themselves up and look like they're okay. Unlike Ela, they cannot be sincere inside and out. They do everything they do thinking it will make F happy.
I read books written about F and all I ever wanted from F was one thing: to ensure that no one gets hurt. Though I was familiar with magic from a young age, I struggled to control it. That's why I never had a chance to practice magic effectively. I also heard that I was scolded by the orphanage director for constantly using my magic.
Life flowed like water and we all grew up. Before leaving the orphanage, we were given the chance to receive training at the Academy. Because I loved my lessons since I was a child, being the top of the exams allowed me to enter the Academy. I started training in the same class as Ela. It's only been a few days but what I've learned has been far beyond the education the orphanage tried to give us.
But ever since I got my own wallistics and started seeing my magic path, I've been feeling uneasy. I was a bit tense because of the directives it had given me but I started working on healing magic, disregarding those feelings.
Although my magic control was weak, I made some progress but I felt it wasn't fast enough. Somehow, I wanted to get a staff for myself to help reduce my control issues. Besides that, I continued practicing. I wanted to become a healer and not only heal people's bodies but also their souls.
Because when I was a little child, whenever people made fun of me, I felt as if my soul was wounded. Dreaming of a life where people don't hurt each other might be a bit utopian but at least I'm trying. Ela aimed to find her real family and if she believed she could do such a thing, I believe I can do it too.
One Wednesday, I was with my friends, and I found out that Nell, whom I know from the Academy, used to be a blacksmith apprentice. I asked him to make a staff for me.
Nell took my request and then, claiming he had some things to do, left us. It seemed like he was trying to run away from us. At that moment, I sensed a seed of discomfort in Nell's soul.
I told Stefan and Ela that I needed to ask Nell something and followed him. I saw him standing by the building where our acceptance ceremony took place. There was someone standing up beside him, holding a dagger.
What happened after that could only be described as extraordinary in the truest sense. The person opposite Nell was actually a princess and her sacrifices and other actions were made to prevent her homeland from falling into the hands of cultists. The girl named Emerra's soul was clearly wounded. For a brief moment, I cast a healing spell on her finger, which she had broken and wanted to comfort her. The princess cried uncontrollably, even if only for a few seconds and hugged me tightly. She shed her disguise, and her soul became visible.
The moment this happened, I felt something change inside me. Something about my magic had changed. As we were both lost in our own dreams inside the deserted building, we heard a male voice.
"Ladies, I'm interrupting your emotional moment but can we focus?"
Nell was right. There was no time to waste crying or self-discovery here. We both stood up and waited to see what Nell had to say.
"First of all, I have to say that I am the one who killed Rona. Yes, I am the infamous murderer everyone's been curious about but I don't need to tell you why I did it. If I hadn't done anything... I don't know what her actions would have driven me to. Zui saw that I had killed her and helped me cover up the evidence. Now, before making any plans, we need to share our strengths and weaknesses with each other."
I had no objection to Nell's words. Emerra also seemed to have no objection. Moreover, I also wanted to see what had changed. I looked at the stats within my eyes and my other information.
As I had suspected, there was a significant change in my magic path.
And what I saw made me swallow and tremble. I'm sure Nell has noticed this state of mine, so I had to share these changes.