Chapter 06: Memories, Regrets, and a Wish I

Three years ago 

   November 13th was my birthday. I was lucky that it fell on a weekend, so I didn't have to go to school on that day.

   That was the only time my parents left the house on my birthday. But promising that they would spend two days with me to make up for it, and if I wanted to skip school, I was free to do that too.  

   It was not unusual for them to leave because of work and leave me on my own, and I wasn't even frustrated about that. I already had plans for today myself.  

   I was in a public park, sitting on a stone bench. It was a nice day, but suitable for ice cream.  

   Next to me were Jack, Naila and Caius. Naila, who was a second class officer at the time, with Jack and Caius being third class officers. They got today off to spend the day with me, although I had suggested that they not give up a day of work at the AWA for such a reason.  

   Usually, when a child has a birthday, he gets some computer or parts for it, if he already has one. My case was more complicated, since I could not handle technology.    

   -Here. Happy birthday, Keyner.

   -It's not a big deal, but... -Naila, those were the chocolates we bought to share? 

   -They are not. These here I bought for myself. 

   -Come on, stop lying, you were with us since we left the AWA, and you didn't stop at any market.

   Caius was the one who scolded Naila, but it was expected to happen, so much so that Jack and I just watched him waste his voice for nothing, while she increased the speed at which she swallowed the chocolates. 

   Jack handed me a package, which inside contained a jacket.

   A black sweatshirt, which had a hood, a white zipper in the middle of the trunk, and subtle horizontal white stripes that ran all the way across the jacket.

   -Well, we know you don't like warm-colored clothes, and we thought this jacket would match your hair.

   They always said they thought my hair was beautiful. My hair was as black as mica, straight and slicked back, that was parted and slicked back, with slightly spiky ends.

   We spent the day with them telling me about their AWA missions and business. Caius was against this, because he didn't want us to talk about work, but eventually gave in when I insisted.

   Those were good memories that they passed on to me. Jack pulling a face with Caius during work and being reprimanded by the captain at the time; Naila stealing the candy from the other soldiers; the three of them discussing what kind of meat preparation was best during a mission to slaughter monsters... Needless to say, it was hilarious.

   On the same day, I met Marino, who gave me for my birthday the parts I was needing to make my weapons and swords. Even before her confession, she was always teasing me, but I loved her company. Not just the company, of course.

   I remember many things that I went through. Some old and some even recent.

   "Call me a naja again and I'll shoot your head off.

   "I don't know how you don't like red meat much and prefer soup.

   "Any opportunity to annoy her is worth it.

   Good memories. Good memories. But that at the moment, I couldn't get away from the thoughts regarding the last two days.

   "You're a fucking wizard, Keyner Blake."

   "One moment. That's how long it took for her throat to be opened."

   "I'll show you, that there are still people in this world you can still trust!".

   I am a wizard. I am part of a race that will bring death to mankind. That is something that is in their nature.

   But what does this ... mean?

   I thought I was going to die with the explosion that threw me off the plain.

   But that's not what happened. Although I thought it would have been better that way.

The scene of Jack being thrown out of the plain by a shot Naila fired into his chest repeated itself over and over in my mind. It even seemed like torture imposed by someone. 

   But it was. It was self-imposed torture.

   I couldn't help Jack. I didn't realize that he had been ambushed by Naila in some way, and then impaled and thrown out of the plain from another angle. 

   I prioritized the chance of getting out of the city over the situation we were in. 

   He was dead. 

   It was my fault...

   ... was mine.

   I should have been dead, given that several explosives were implanted in my chest, on the ground, and in the ship right behind me. But I wasn't.

   Two people saved me.

   As badly injured as I was, I couldn't lose consciousness. What little I could see showed me that my body was releasing those same blue and red rays as before, while I felt my wounds imploding and my body spontaneously twisting. If I were to explain what I was feeling, I would say that the pain wouldn't let go, causing me to be in a limbo of agonizing and passing out.

   I could have a strange awareness of my body. I had both legs and my left arm broken. Two ribs were gone, and I was hemorrhaging where Naila had shot me at home. Not only this, but I had the impression that my rib cage was exposed, thanks to the bombs exploding in my chest.

   I was being levitated by something. I couldn't recognize the silhouettes of the two people who had saved me. I could only tell for sure that one of them was bigger than me, and was lying on the ground panting. The other was carrying me, and was holding something like a playing card between his index and middle fingers, with the card glowing green as I was floating in the air.

   I understood. These guys... are...

   In a non-spontaneous way, I finally manage to lose consciousness. 

   -Hmm...

   I wake up with a headache and pain in my body, especially in my legs and abdomen. 

   The little that I can move my head gave me the vision that I was in some kind of room. The peculiar thing was that the room was made of some white rock. 

   I was wearing several bandages. On my left side there was a small table with two bowls of water, some towels, and something that looked like a bowl of soup.

   -If you are hungry, we can eat after the presentations. 

   I look to my right diagonally, and there was a boy apparently my age, sitting in a chair reading a book.

   It was a guy. He was wearing a black shirt with some kind of mini skull on the right sleeve. He had two black leather armbands on his wrists, and a belt with two rectangular compartments. His pants had several pockets, featuring an old camouflage design, but composed of black and gray.

   -I think the treatment was a success, but don't try to move around too much, you might open an injury.

   He had a slightly raspy voice, but it somehow matched his facial aesthetics. He had a round face, slightly messy light brown hair. Something that stood out about him were his eyebrows, a little bit thicker than the traditional one that is seen.

   -All right, where am I? -You're not from the AWA, are you? And what do you mean by "treatment"?

   I was starting to panic and go into a state of alert. But when I realized that the situation of my body was not a bluff, and I didn't have my weapons, I calmed down and returned to the position I was in before.

   -Look, you can call me anything you want, just don't call me a member of the AWA, okay?

   He answered me with an ironic tone, as if to make a joke. The worst part was that I ended up laughing a little, in exchange for a pain in my thorax. 

   The boy takes a playing card from one of the compartments of his belt and burns it by folding it with his two fingers. When he realizes that I am watching him, he turns his gaze to me.

   -Fearful?

-I don't know you and I don't know your intentions. Isn't the answer kind of obvious?

   Again he asks with an ironic tone, which this time irritates me a little. After I answer, he takes a new playing card from the side compartment of his belt, reading it for a few moments.

   -My partner won't be long in coming. If you're served.

   He points to the bowl of soup that was on my side. I end up making a doubtful face, which makes him come closer to me while giving a sigh.

   He takes a metal spoon from behind the bowl, and swallows a spoonful of the soup.

   -If your reluctance was because of poisoning, I hope I helped.

   -Who can assure me that you are not immune?

   -You have trouble trusting others, don't you? Is it some kind of trauma?

   -...

   This goth hit the nail on the head.

   I spent seventeen years of my life living in a town that had the wizards as enemies, and I was one. My parents didn't tell me anything about this, and now I am a wanted man.

   Or not. Given that I was bombed and pushed off the plain, I must be a dead man for Tecmetriun. 

   No. I mustn't confuse things. Not a dead man, but...

   ... a happily murdered wizard.

   My thoughts are overlaid with a stomach ache. Not because of my injuries, but because of hunger.

   -Look, you've been asleep for five days, plus the two days it took us to get you here. Just eat something. 

   -...

   I take the bowl of soup, and realize that it was a potato and chicken soup, with carrots and peppers. I also realize that there were no bones in it.

   Instead of getting the other spoon that was also on the table, I turn the bowl of soup over with my hands, and drink directly from the bowl.

   -Ahhh.

   It was good, as well as a great temperature. It didn't have any strange taste, so I ended up assuming it wasn't poisoned.

   *Toc*

   -Come in.

   The boy answers the knock on the wooden door that someone outside gave. The door is then opened, and another guy appears.

   If I had to say, I would bet that the latter was older. He was at least six feet tall. A triangular face with a serious look, enhanced by dark brown eyes, the glasses he wore, and closed facial features. His hair was black, but combed to the side, and he had less hair than I did. Not that this last detail was important, since I let my hair grow a little longer on purpose. 

   I took a closer look at the guy who just walked in, and noticed some parts of his body that were clearly bruised. Which reminded me that there was a person carrying me before I lost consciousness, and that the latter was wearing something like playing cards.

   -Are you the wiz- the guys who saved me?

   -Thank you for understanding and for trying to be polite. Yes, we saved you before you hit the ground. If we hadn't realized the struggle thanks to the explosions, you would be dead.

   The man with the bandaged wounds was the one who answered. He had a diction that I found a bit strange at first, since he starts speaking slowly and ends with his voice in a faster rhythm.

   -...

   -My name is Morello Uria. This goth you met first is Yurion Raven. Would it be too weird to say it's a pleasure?

   -Of course! To begin with, you don't give me confidence. How am I supposed to know that something in my memories or in my body hasn't been altered?

   I was trying to take the situation to the safer side, even with the disadvantages I was at. Even if the guy who says his name is Morello is injured, my situation is worse. Not only can I not get out of bed without opening some wound, I am also without my weapons.

   -We have no reason to hurt you, because we were close to the place of your fight with the AWA precisely to support your escape.

   -Wait... -Support for my escape? Did you know what was happening?

I didn't understand what was going on anymore, and I was beginning to question even more whether I should trust these two people.

   -Yes, we are friends with your parents. And we are the only people who can better explain to you what you are. 

   Morello asked for a little time to start explaining the situation. In the meantime, he drinks some water that was on the table next to my bed, saying that it wouldn't take long to get some more water, leaving the room.

   -Well, we are friends with your parents, and we knew that you were taking the test for admission to the AWA. But more than that, we don't know.

   -...

   I didn't know to what extent I should be suspicious. But for now, letting them talk seemed my best option. 

   -Since Morello made the introductions first and he needs to recover from his injuries, I'll tell you what I know.

   Yurion was the one who spoke, but I began to be more suspicious of him, since some blood was coming out of his mouth.

   -Look, Raven. Either you're biting your lip to avoid saying something, or you're really having a bad time. Which is it?

   I became suspicious and a little irritated that my first suggestion had a chance of being true. He takes a tissue to wipe his mouth and starts again:

   -No, ignore that. It is a price to pay to keep a magic active at the moment.

   -Magic...

   -No need to be alarmed. This magic is to keep them from finding out where we are and to finish your medical treatment. But... Back to the main topic. Is there something you want to know before we start talking?

   I swallowed hard. Yurion had a naturally calm face, but the seriousness in his gaze made me understand that they were committed to telling the truth, besides the fact that what we are about to discuss must have enormous weight.

   -I have three things I want you to answer me before you start talking.

   -All right. Then say them. 

   -What is magic? Why were you in the vicinity of the border? How do you know my parents?

   -Well, apart from the first question, we were going to explain it to you. But I will try to go through it in the order you asked.

   -...

   -Magic... -Look, I don't know. We just use it as if it were an arm that is a little more difficult to control. It's something that we are born predestined to use sometime or another, but unlike humans, our limitations are determined at the moment we are born.

   -What do you mean?

   -Humans' manipulation of technology doesn't have a limit. There is no certain level at which it will lose its ability to be perfected. We wizards go through the opposite: not everyone can manifest an Arcanum.

   -Arcanum. That's...

   I heard this name once before, but in a different way.

   -If you were in a conflict with AWA captains, you probably saw the manifestation of an ArcanaTech. I am surprised not only to know it, but to have survived. Although the reason is more obvious than it seems.

   Yurion pointed at my chest, which was covered with bandages and bandages. You could see little blue and red rays.

   -Is that... Is that my magic?

   I asked, startled. These rays have been a pain in the butt since my fight with Naila last week. I realized that they were increasing my strength a little and were healing the injuries, but in a very cruel way. 

   -Yes... But also no. Morello is the one who will explain this.

   It was impossible not to notice that Yurion's face and tone of voice became subtly sad and worried. His answer was a little lower, and he clenched his fists.

   Noticing my stare, he clears his throat with a cough, and speaks again:

   -To be honest, I think the only thing that differs technology manipulation from magic is the laws that are broken when performing either. Another thing I seek to understand is why there is no difference in the DNA of a human to that of a wizard before using magic for the first time.

This took me by surprise, as convenient as it was. That must be why of all the clinical examinations I have been through, nothing has been captured that is different from me.

   Yurion's last line drew my attention to one of the three secrets of the world: how the wizards' manipulation of magic and the humans' manipulation of technology came about. Before I was almost killed by that bitch, the three secrets and their answers were my goals. 

   -That was quite convenient, since they didn't find out about you earlier than expected.

   -...

   -The concept of magic is also vague. We only say manipulating nature and its laws with them, from the creation or manipulation of the elements of nature.

   -Only elements?

   -Not necessarily, but elemental manipulation is the most powerful way to directly mess with time and space. 

   -I should imagine that the more elements a person has an affinity for, the greater their ability to alter the laws of this world?

   -This is an obvious thing to think, but it is wrong.

   That was something that broke several clichés in my mind. But I didn't understand how that was right. I just made a face like an elementary school kid seeing physics in school for the first time, to see if he understood that he needed to explain some more.

   -If the wizard has an affinity for only one element, the greater the ability to change the laws of the world in relation to that element, as well as monstrous control over it. An example of this would be the Mastrea of light, who in theory can move at the speed of light and create optical illusions by using magic to break the law of the principle of rectilinear propagation of light or by changing its refractive index. The latter the Wind Mastria could do, but in this case only by changing the refractive index of air.

   -That's... scary for anyone with a wiz- Wait, Mastrea?

   -It's the name of a user of magic of only one element or one weapon. Wizards magic can manifest itself through the manipulation of weapons like swords or spears. 

   Definitely, how the hell was humanity fighting with them?

   -You must be asking yourself "how the hell was humanity fighting with us for so long", right?

   -You bastard, are you reading my mind?

   -No. You have rather predictable thoughts. 

   I remain silent, waiting for him to continue talking, since he has stopped to laugh at my face.

   -Well. Humanity has survived for so long because the Mastrias are missing. Not only that, but their identity is unknown. The only thing we know is that they really hate humanity.

   -Wait, don't you or Morello hate it too?

   -I would appreciate it if you would stop acting like a human, in the matter of generalizing about what we are or are not.

   He answers me with a disappointed tone. The only thing I can do is apologize for my rudeness. As suspicious as these two guys were, they treated my injuries, brought me to safety, and gave me soup. Not only that, but they let me repeat the bowl! I have to be careful from now on, but not forgetting gratitude. 

   -The Mastreas of eight elements think that humanity should cease to exist if they continue to hunt us. I have never seen one, but given the theoretical extent of their abilities, no one would want to have one as an enemy.

   Yurion also tells me about the eight elements: fire, water, earth, wind, ice, thunder, light, and darkness. I thought that ice and water would be one element, but ice magic is something extremely dangerous, since in theory it is capable of reducing entropy and condensing matter to unimaginable levels. I thought he was exaggerating, but I was saved from a fall of possibly 200 or 300 meters. I have to start revising my concept of the impossible. 

   -Your second question was regarding your parents. As you may know, they were wizards. Not only that, but they were infiltrating the human city and were giving us important information.

He said "were. That means that Yurion must be aware of their death.

   -While we didn't expect them to find out through the code core. I got a flea behind my ear trying to understand how a data network could capture and force the use of magic from a wizard who had never used magic.

   The details he was giving me were beginning to annoy me. He knew that I was trying to join the AWA, and he knew that I was a wizard who had never used magic.

   Not only that, but he knew that I was in confrontation with the AWA at night.

   This means that ...

   -I was being used by you, wasn't I?

   Clearly, I was annoyed.

   Yurion looks away from me. Just confirming what I asked. 

   -Don't think that we are trying to play your parents against you, but Morello and I were against it. Dragging an innocent wizard into the AWA instead of getting him out among the humans goes against my values.

   What he said seemed to be true. This was enhanced by the anger he was feeling at the moment. It seems that my parents not only concealed the fact that I am not human, but also went against the moral values of fellow human beings.

   To be honest, I am starting to regret their deaths a little less.

   -It doesn't matter. Other than the fact that two of my friends died.

   -I... -My condolences. 

   -...

   Yurion waited for me to calm down, because I ended up remembering Jack's description of Caius' death and the scene of him being stalled by Naila. That was trigger enough to make me cry a little.

   -We were trying to enter Tecmetriun on a rescue mission.

   -Rescue mission?

   -Yes. Ten years ago, the Lightning Mastrea was captured by the humans. Not only that, but eight years ago, the one responsible for teaching Morello and me to control our powers is also missing. 

   -You said that the identity of the Mastreas is unknown.

   -For most wizards, yes. But Master Killian knew Mastria from the ray.

   -Wait a minute!

   I suddenly sit up in bed, but so that my arms reach his shoulder.

   All because of that name.

   My tension that I was trying to control - what the hell. There are going to be four questions now.

   But I couldn't help asking. 

   The calm posture Yurion had maintained throughout the conversation was broken by my elation. My thoughts began to overflow with more and more doubt. 

   -My brother... -How do you know him?