I Am Lost.

Chapter One: I Respect It.

Autumn finally arrived, marking the start of the first year of theory mage classes and semi-practical sessions at Gaden High, the most respectable school for Mages at Gaden Realm.

Extreme practical classes were banned in schools since there were little to no high ranked villains left in their realm to combat, after the five years near-apocalypse.

A young man moved through the streets, hands in pocket, with a bored expression, and a stick of sweet in his mouth. He stopped in front of a sign and nodded slowly.

"I am lost."

Not that it was the first time. He walked into the empty road and looked ahead to see how long it spanned. Keep going or return from to where he started. Those words played in his mind as he stood there.

A white delivery truck slowly drove down the street behind him, and the driver vibed to a song in his car with his eyes closed.

The young man on the road, turned to the truck, his expression not changing.

As the truck came down the slope, it quickened and rammed past, but then continued on its way as it passed through the young man. The young man turned to the truck again and shook the thought off.

"He doesn't look like he'd know where I'm going anyway." His body was barely visible due to invisibility, a spell mages used to hide their presence and form from normal eyes and was why the truck could move past him.

"I'd just keep walking and if I don't see it, I'd ask the smartest person I see." He decided.

He threw out the finished stick of sweet, grabbed another from his pocket and put in his mouth, then continued walking down the street.

Today, he'd do things like a normal person.

At the other end of the street, a slender girl with long purple locks of hair, wearing a short uniformed skirt and blazer, dashed through the quiet street filled with lineups of orange yellow trees that had been kissed by autumn.

She ran at thirty kilometers per hour, dragging a roughened suitcase with water dripping from its sides. The morning bell had rung, and there were few on the path to school.

Meanwhile, on a tall, rundown building, a blonde girl with teary eyes stood at the edge of the roof, gazing soulfully at the rising sun. None of the few passersby noticed her presence or the deathly aura around her.

"It's all my fault," she whispered, tears rolling down to her lips. "Everything... Everything is my fault." Her shaky eyes looked to the ground where she hoped to end it all.

A short breeze whiffed past her, sending sand into her eyes. She blinked, then looked down, preparing herself but she froze on seeing a crater on the ground. When did that happen? She rubbed her eyes. No, it wasn't a crater but a six-foot grave had been dug for her.

The breeze blew again, raising her short skirt. She quickly stepped back from the edge, pressing her hands down to cover her skirt, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Oh, so a dead person can still have shame?" a voice called out.

The blonde snapped her head down and locked eyes with a tall young man she had never seen before. Most young men in the city didn't look that good. She looked away, snapping herself from those thoughts. She was about to die and leave the world for those stronger, she didn't have to care about a stranger's look.

"I'd ask that you go your way!" she shouted because of their distance. "It'd be better for you… for you not to get involved in what I w-want to do!" her voice shook. "I have my reasons—"

"And I respect it!" the young man interrupted. "Truly, I do. I'd never stop someone from making a life-changing decision of their own!"

Those weren't the words she wanted to hear, but she had to accept it. Why should it be now that someone cared about her opinion?

"However..." The young man left the ground with a gust of wind around his form.

The girl took a step back as she took in his full appearance on closer look. He had a well-built physique with toned muscles; she reckoned he'd be at least 6'1. For many reasons, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his determined blue ones.

Why did he look determined? She couldn't tell, but the thought that he wanted to take her off the path to hurt herself warmed her heart.

"Could you be kind enough to tell me the way to Gaden Academy? I have an appointment there. After that, I'd really leave you alone," the young man landed on the rooftop.

The girl's shoulders slumped and she noticed one less attractive feature about him, that is, if anyone thought scars on the neck were less attractive. He'd really let her go after she helped him with directions? How heartless could he be!

She huffed, brushing past him. "I'm busy, and as I can see, you're a Mage who can move himself with the wind. Move about till you find it."

The young man hummed. "Such a cold woman, even when I went out of my way to dig you a grave."

She looked down, clenching her fists. He had done that? "Are you mocking me?"

He shook his head, walking back. "Not at all! How dare I! But you look so determined to die and you don't want anyone spoiling your plans. I'm sure you've done all you want to do in life and want to end it now." He made a small bow. "I truly respect it."

She couldn't say a word and watched him float away in his gust of wind. She stared at her hands. Had she really done all she could?

Healing was her forte and even if she couldn't use it to save her father because of her negligence, should she really give up now?

Deep down, she didn't want to die, but from the top of her head, she couldn't think of any reason not to atone for her sins like this. Her clenched fists released.

"I can't... do it."

If anything, she wanted to disappoint that annoying, attractive man who seemed to want her to kill herself. She had to disappoint him!

"Layla!!"

The girl turned quickly, anticipating. She saw her best friend running toward her at top speed, holding the suitcase her father willed to her but could never be opened except with tremendous force.

"Layla! It opened! I opened it for you!" the girl flung her wet purple locks behind her. "I went to the ocean and— Layla!"

The blonde girl jumped off the building with outstretched hands and a bright smile. Her friend panicked but leaped high, high enough to catch her, and they fell to the ground together.

"I don't care about the suitcase, Nephis! I forgot about you. I'm so happy that you found me here!" Layla buried her wet face in her friend's body.

Nephis quickly wiped her eyes, frowning slightly. "It's good you waited for me. I can't believe you'd actually try hurting yourself." She rubbed her head gently.

Layla knew she didn't wait for her, and the thought weighed on her heavily. If not for that stranger, she probably would've been dead.

"Let's go to class." Nephis carried her easily and helped her balance on her back. She held the suitcase firmly as she walked down. "You'll make friends this term. I'm here, so I'd help you. Okay?"

A small "hmm" left Layla, and there was a satisfied smile on her face.

She had decided not to give up and try to atone for her sins by healing every person who needed it. In a way, that resolve was thanks to that stranger.

***

The first class at the beginning of the year at Gaden High was usually filled with introductions and the assignment of class teachers.

Layla and Nephis sat side by side as they waited for their names to be called in the roll call. There was a loud squeal outside the class that made the teacher calling the names jolt in fear, causing some students to laugh.

The door of the class slammed open and the class fell quiet. The cold Principal stood at the door with a straight face, but something was wrong. Could she have been the one who made such a squeal outside the class?

"Sir Bennet! This class cannot be yours this year! Class 11-B is our best class and so deserves the best teacher!" She slammed the table.

The class had worried looks as they stared at their poor innocent teacher who was having his heart crushed by his crush.

"Yes, ma—"

"Now, your new teacher will be..." The Principal's cold expression turned to that of an unhinged girl who saw a boy's chest. "... the SSSSS-ranked Mage that you all love, Zenith Ichiban!! He's a perfect choice, isn't he! And he personally requested for—"

"Yo!" A tall young man walked in with a lollipop in his mouth. He had long dark blue hair that was tied at the end, and his blue eyes looked bored. He watched the Principal melt as he stood close to her.

All jaws dropped, even the male teacher's. One jaw specifically dropped for a different reason. Layla wanted to die now.

The presence stunned the students that they could only stare, believing it to be a dream but wanting to burn the image to their brains while it lasted.

Zenith's eyes swept the class, they were relatively low in essence from what he expected from the first generation of graduates of a magic school after the war.

But he hoped they'd be fun enough to while away his time. His eyes shifted to the third row and he narrowed his eyes at the students. Something wasn't quite right.

The Principal stretched her hand for a handshake and trembled with excitement when he took her hand. Zenith decided to ignore what he had sensed, it would just be a random evil lurking around.

He greeted, seeing the students' enthusiastic stares. "It's nice to meet you too."