Familiar place but unfamiliar sights

Selarian Academy is named after the most prominent figure in the War of the Dark Ages—the Grand Sage Selarian. In a time of war between Demons and Humans, Selarian rose to power and slain the Demon King.

As a testament to his might, this academy where talents from all over the continents gather is named after him.

The academy runs on a political system in which individuals are judged based on talent, effort, and achievements, rather than wealth or social class.

3 years ago Luman enrolled into this academy with his childhood lover, Triss Stallard who was the daughter of an adventurer. They met in a farming village in Luman's hometown.

Luman, the son of a farmer, had been under the study of the local fisherman, in other words, he was a peasant from a rural area. Because of this, the stories of Triss about his father had always fascinated him.

And since the conclusion of the war 50 years ago, many mysteries still surround the country. So adventurers who travel around the world are the most popular occupation this century.

Luman and Triss's relationship started out as childhood friends. It evolved into something greater as they grew to their teenage years. It was because of this love that Luman left his hometown to help his girlfriend pursue her dream of following her father's footsteps to become an adventurer.

'Agh… Huh?'

Luman woke up and sat up, he was laying on a bed with side rails on the side, there were curtains that could be drawn resting by the side.

"You're awake?"

A woman with white hair tied up in a bun, she wore a rectangle-shaped glasses and had a doctor's coat draped around her shoulders. This woman was the school doctor, Lily Evergreen.

"I've applied medicine to your chest and right arm, besides that do you feel any other pain?"

Almost on instinct, Luman answered in a way that would end the conversation as soon as possible.

"No, I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere else."

The doctor adjusted her hair that had fallen carelessly in front of her eyes as she replied.

"Alright, if there is nothing else please take this painkiller if you feel further pain but no more than 2 a day. You are free to go. Got it?"

Luman nodded and the doctor left his side and attended to another student that was sitting by the doorstep.

'Where am I? No, how am I still alive?'

Luman stood up from the bed and looked around in a rush to find something reflective.

He grabbed a hand mirror that was by the side of the table and looked at himself.

'Black hair, familiar face, gloomy expression. I am alive… I am Larian but also Luman. But most importantly… my legs, they've recovered!'

Excited by his state he finally "remembered" where he was.

Selarian Academy…This … place was from the novel he had written! He has transmigrated into his own novel.

Still slightly dazed, Larian pushed the door and exited the infirmary. His legs wobbled as he walked, he was unfamiliar with the sensation of walking after 6 years in a wheelchair.

Recovering from his excitement, Larian looked out and around.

The tall hallways stretched far. This school looked luxurious no matter how one looked at it. There were multiple columns that hold the ceiling of the hallway, he could look into a courtyard where multiple students were malingering in. This amazed Larian who was mesmerized by the details of the hallway.

Larian had no time to stare when someone came by and smacked the back of his head.

"Get lost from the road, you eyesore."

A spiky blond-haired man who Larian could only distinguish as of noble birth had hit him while he passed. His expression was laughing and holding in his disgust at the same time.

Larian didn't recognize him. But he immediately understood his situation.

'This is Luman's lowest point of the book.'

In the novel, Luman who had enrolled into the academy with his girlfriend was betrayed by another childhood friend of theirs, Ren. Unbeknownst to Luman, Ren had spread rumors of infidelity about Luman.

Ren who possessed a trait to change his face, disguised himself as Luman and successfully plotted against Luman to break up with Triss.

Ren, who was known as a calm and gentle man, had apparently comforted Triss when she was heartbroken, so they naturally started dating after that.

The story was written by Larian, so he was numb to this plot of betrayal. And most importantly Larian wasn't excited or happy for transmigrating into his own world.

'This whole world was made because of my doctor's recommendation. It was therapy for my depression. Although I have become the main character here, I didn't give Luman cheats or shortcuts. Because I made it that way.'

This world represented Larian in his wheelchair, the world here always plotted and shifted to make life difficult for Luman. One such aspect was this, in a fantasy world where magic gave endless possibilities, no such benefit was given to Luman.

A trait manifested in everybody in this world, it could be a Magic talent or a Swordsmanship talent. These Talents gave each individual power to rise in the world and there was no limit to each person. A man could have a single trait his whole life or have 6 since birth.

This world wasn't made fair.

Luman's trait couldn't even be called a talent, he had a trait that hindered his abilities. This was a reflection of his disabled legs in his previous life. It meant any actions would feel like there were invisible weights all around his body.

His strength was weakened, his magic was suppressed and he was ostracised in the entire school. One could trace how Larian thought of the people around him back on Earth. That everyone was special in some way, except himself.

To make matters worse, in this school where only talent was respected, Luman was at the absolute bottom. If anyone was referred to Trash they would refer to Luman.

'Your talent is Luman grade.' They would say.

However Triss, Luman's love interest was his complete opposite, she had shown exemplary standards in all fields. Her talents supported her intense desire to grow stronger, hence she excelled to the top.

The Golden Princess they would call her. She was regarded as the most talented hatchling of her generation hence the nickname.

This special person wasn't some random character Larian had imagined, she was inspired from a real person from his previous life.

'Triss was my first love in High school. She was everything I loved in a girl, I was so sure there was no one like her. I thought if I let it slip there would never be another chance.'

Larian gripped his fist tightly, so tight that the nails dug into his flesh. The memories resurfaced into Larians mind almost uncontrollably.

'I dunno if you knew but I always had a hard time at school.' Triss said from the rooftop. Luman sat right next to her.

'You were pretty much the only guy who was kind to me, I never had the chance to say it so thank you for making it all slightly bearable. You're a cute guy Larian'

Flustered, Larian saw this as an opportunity and replied: 'You were the prettiest girl in school and I… I guess I just wanted to protect you. I loved you Triss.'

Taken aback Triss brought her hands together nervously: 'Oh Larian, I don't know what to say… I've always liked you too but not in that way. I always thought you were just a friend. Nothing more. I'm sorry.'

The memories ended here, the pain from the nails digging his flesh awoke Larian.

'Unrequited love…'

Larian lifted his gripped arm to look at the marks of nails on his palm, this hand which he wrote with made him think.

'I wrote this world not for greed for a happy ending I could be satisfied with. But because I hoped someone out there anywhere, even in a book, someone would suffer the same misery I faced. Only then could I seek comfort in our wallowing pity.'

Larian shifted slightly towards the courtyard where the sky was visible.

'So for what reason was I brought here to this world, what am I meant to fulfil? In a world where I was doomed to fail, nothing has changed.'

Larian suddenly remembered, in the last line of what he wrote.

'When the world treats him so harshly, there is always hope. Just not in the academy, through constant suffering he finally found his goal through an unusual teacher in the forest.'

He never got to continue what he wrote, but he was hoping to finish the book when he found the answer he wanted. When he found the strength to move on in life.

Since he never wrote the continuation, what would he find if he headed there now?

Larian walked through the academy inviting many disgruntled glances and hushed whispers.

'It seems my reputation has already hit rock bottom.'

On earth Larian had never faced such direct hostility, but the same glances and whispers as they looked at him in a wheelchair gave off the same feeling. Like they were staring at an animal in a zoo, something to gawk at.

Larian left the academy and headed into the forest that surrounds the city, but he was unsure of which direction he should head.

The forest had a special feature in which people would find themselves lost if ventured deep enough, unless they held a compass like artefact which guided them back to the city, most people would never make it back.

Luman thought his fate to find this person in the forest should be predestined, so Luman decided to head in while clutching the compass in his hand which was given to every student.

While he moved through the forest, Larians legs began picking up speed.

Make no mistake the ability suppression was still in effect and it made his legs slower than an average person but to Larian who has been crippled for so long this speed gave him immense joy.

'Faster! I can keep going!'

The fear that his legs were a dream slowly faded as he kept sprinting, he felt liberated.

"Arp! Arp!"

The sound of barking could be heard nearby and it kept growing louder.

'Shit! I didn't bring any weapons.'

As a modern man with no habits on carrying weapons, Larian had completely skimmed over the need of carrying around a weapon. Left with no option of retaliation, Larian could only continue running.

"ARP! ARP!"

The sound of barking mixed with the brushing of the grass nearby could be heard quite clearly by Larian.

'Please! Whoever I'm supposed to find here, please appear!'

Panting as he ran, Larian didn't even have enough breath to shout. He could only pray from his heart as he ran.

The steps of a pack of feral wolves was close enough for Larian to feel the vibrations on the ground behind him. Left with no choice he had to turn to face them.

Noticing their prey that stopped running, the 4 wolves that were chasing Larian split among themselves to surround him

Larian who has never gotten into a fight before was starting to feel despair settling in. This was a hopeless situation, his recovery of his legs only brought him so far. There was no escape.

Despair… Anxiety… Hopelessness… These emotions felt so familiar.

'Right… haven't I already resigned myself to fate once before? I should never have been given a second chance. Maybe this hope I planted never existed, since I had never found my answer on Earth.'

Larian seemed to realize the truth of this world.

'This entire world is fake, from a book of a cripple who never recovered physically or mentally. It has always been like this. The world has always been a hopeless cage which gave me despair…'

Laughing with self deprecation, Larian didn't defend himself.

'There is no need to struggle in this unfair world… Even the odds stacked against me were set by me. I penned this dangerous world, these monsters, these feelings.'

The wolves immediately grasp his opportunity to pounce on Larian. One bit his leg, two gnawed on each of his arms.

The Last wolf stood atop Larian staring him down. Its eye stared at the vulnerable neck of Larian ready to deal the killing bite.

Larian who seemed surprisingly comfortable with the concept of dying slowly closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, farewell everyone." He repeated his last words of his last life.

Resigned to his fate, Larian awaited his death.

"Kid. There's no point in trying to train like this. Even you know that right?"

The splash of blood suddenly sprayed onto Larians face. The sticky wetness on his face shook Larian awake, when he opened his eyes he saw a middle aged woman dressed in a grey traditional hakama. Her white hair seemed to be tied up into a ponytail.

This lady stood atop the corpse of the already headless wolves around them.

Despite the wrinkles, her eyes held a certain vigour in them that betrayed the fragility of a woman her age. Seeing as Larian remained silent, the Lady sighed.

"You seem to have a death wish, if you wish to die at least die fighting young man. How can you not even bring the most important thing of a warrior."

"...Warrior?"

The woman gave a smirk seemingly glad that Larian had finally spoken up.

"That's right. How could you not even bring your weapon with you this time? No matter how hard life is, you must never let go of your pride as a human. Only in battle will a satisfactory death come."

Larian looked at the Lady's grey kimono, its color seemed to resemble someone who gave him advice at his final moments. This familiarity gave him the strength to speak comfortably with her.

"But I'm not a warrior, I never was. I'm a… farmer or something equivalent to that."

In his mind, Larian thought of his previous life as a jobless cripple.

"I've never welded a weapon or fought in my life."

The lady finally gave a serious look as she poked at Larians ribs with her sheath.

"If you keep saying you never started then now's the perfect time is it not?"

Larian gave a dumb look at the Lady as if she was crazy.

"Perfect time for what?"

The sheath this time striked Larian on his head.

"To stand up and fight. You have working arms and legs do you not?"

Larian eyes which seemed blurry seem to regain some clarity.

'To stand back up and continue to fight.'

Her words seem to mix with what Larian heard from the grey figure.

'The path that has always been difficult. But always there to follow.'

The lady unstrapped one of the blades on her waist and dropped it on Larians feet.

"Come, get up by yourself. There's a safe place nearby, we can get you treated there."

Larian stood up and followed the lady. This lady's confidence and strength was enough to convince Larian that she was who he was looking for in the forest.