The boy on the road

They hadn't misheard; the old man had said, "a body." The three occupants of the carriage exchanged glances before disembarking. Since the possibility of an ambush couldn't be ruled out, the young man walked with his sword strapped to his waist, ready to use it, and his senses alert to the surrounding woods. The two girls followed behind him, but the one with light hair seemed a bit more curious and soon took the lead.

They indeed found a solitary body lying in the middle of an isolated road, but the boy appeared to be peacefully asleep.

"Upon closer inspection, he doesn't seem dead," the carriage driver remarked, relieved that the boy was still alive.

The girl beside him nodded in agreement, then approached and prodded the body with the tip of her boot. The boy didn't react.

"He's unconscious," she said, looking back at the other girl who was a bit behind. "May I use my magic on him? Is that okay, Miss Naige?"

The dark-haired girl also observed the boy. He was dressed too well for any peasant from this inhospitable region to afford, and the bags nearby suggested he was a traveler who had run into misfortune.

"Do as you wish," Miss Naige finally replied. "Just don't take too long."

She showed no further interest in the boy and returned to the carriage, where she sat with her arms crossed, watching the events on the road through the window.

The girl with light hair tossed her hair behind her ear before crouching near the boy. She closed her eyes in concentration and extended her hands over him.

"Celestial spirits, heed my call and illuminate my hands to awaken this dull mind," she chanted her magic with a soft voice, each word carefully spoken to enhance her focus. As she did, a blue glow emanated from her small palms, and two small circles hovered above the boy's back.

Inside the boy, his consciousness was disturbed by a warm sensation. This continued until he was brought back to reality. Upon awakening, Lince felt his body as light as a feather. When he slowly opened his eyes, a blinding light filled his vision. As his senses gradually recovered, so did his thoughts, though they were somewhat muddled.

"Am I... dead?" the thought crossed his mind. He moved his hand in front of his eyes to block the light, and with a blurry vision, he saw what seemed to be a girl's face very close to him. Moreover, a blue light warmed his body like a woolen blanket on a cold winter night. He hesitated to believe his eyes. "What's happening?"

"Done," the girl said as the magic circles and the glow in her hands disappeared.

Lince's eyes gained clarity, allowing him to get a good look at the girl. She had light pinkish hair that shimmered, cut above her shoulders. Her face was slim, with large, lively eyes, and a small, smiling mouth. Despite her simplicity, her attire hinted at nobility. With the sudden change in his body, he no longer believed he was dead.

"Where are you looking?" the girl asked, calmly and with a smile.

Her words made Lince quickly get up and move away from the girl, sitting on the road. The sudden movement, however, left him a bit dizzy. He touched his head; there was no pain, but confusion clouded his mind.

"I... The first attempt to speak sounded like someone recovering from a night of drinking, and he even tasted bitterness in his dry throat.

First, Lince tried to remember why he had been found in this situation, but his recent memories came in fragmented pieces, shrouded in a dark fog within his mind. After a while, he remembered that he had been in a strange dream, but he couldn't recall much about it because his head started to throb when he tried to evoke those memories, and he gave up trying to remember.

Calmer now, he focused his attention on the girl with an observing gaze. He had never seen anyone like her before. Although there were few girls his age in his village, none possessed such striking beauty. But what caught his attention the most was discovering that she was a mage.

"Yes, I'm a mage," the girl spoke as if she could read his thoughts. "I just saved your life, and you even saw my private parts. You're lucky, huh?"

"A mage?"

"Is that what caught your interest?" The girl smiled mischievously. However, after seeing the boy's confused reaction, she explained, "You were looking at my hands earlier. You probably haven't seen many people using magic before, right?"

She was right. While anyone could be born as a mage, it wasn't uncommon for most of them to come from noble bloodlines. However, that wasn't the issue. His father had always said that most mages were arrogant, and they often charged exorbitant fees for their services, sometimes demanding absurd amounts. Lince feared that the girl might ask him for something like that.

"I don't want your money," she said, hearing the coins in his pocket.

He sighed in relief and then whispered in a voice seeking explanations, "What happened to me?"

"I can't answer that," the girl said honestly as she got up. "You should be the one to tell us."

She was right. Lince lowered his head and tried to remember. His recent memories appeared in gaps, and much of it was still shrouded in a dark mist within his mind.

"What's wrong?"

"Let the boy recover, Ran."

As soon as he heard that voice, Lince looked behind him. A young man in white attire approached with a flask of fresh water and offered it to him. He accepted and drank eagerly, then apologized for finishing all the water.

"Don't worry about it," the young man replied, smiling. "You don't seem like just a lost traveler. Can you remember what happened?"

The young man stood next to an elderly man. There was also a large black carriage at the roadside. Focusing solely on this young man, Lince could recognize him as a noble just by looking at him. After all, like the girl, he was wearing fine clothing and had an even finer and more threatening sword than Rude's strapped to his waist.

Rude... Lince looked around and saw his bags, then remembered everything. Because of what Rude had done that day, kicking him out of the carriage, he had to travel alone through unfamiliar places. He survived by drinking water from streams and eating small fruits from trees along the road when he found them. Time passed, and he found nothing but a wild landscape until he spotted some wooden houses with thatched roofs and smoking chimneys. He had stumbled upon the homes of some hunters, where he sought help. That was his salvation.

Talking with them, Lince learned that he had taken the wrong road to the academy. He had lost his way on a dangerous path and was lucky not to have died on those roads dominated by violent bandit groups. From these people, he also received some soup to eat with bread. After satisfying his hunger, he spent the night sleeping in the family's barn alongside some animals. The next morning, he received breakfast and even lunch to take with him, then resumed his journey after making a brief friendship with some country folks, reminding him of his father.

However, at the end of the following day, Lince wasn't as fortunate. The sky darkened suddenly, and a torrential rain poured down on him. To escape the rain, he had to huddle against the trunk of a hollow tree, where he almost starved and froze throughout the entire night. At that moment, the barn seemed like a luxury inn, and even a bit of hot soup would have been a feast. He longed for his humble yet comfortable home and cursed Rude until he succumbed to sleep.

In the early morning, Lince woke to the birds' chirping and resumed his journey once more. He walked for another half-day, still carrying his bags and having not eaten for a long time. Desperate, he even wished to eat tree leaves when he found some that looked appetizing. He also came across some birds and small rodents, and his instincts urged him to devour them, but he lacked the skill to hunt them. As a result, his body weakened, and he lost consciousness while walking. All these memories rushed back at once, eliciting a sound from his stomach that resembled the growl of a hungry beast.

Upon hearing this, the young man commented with a relaxed smile, "It seems we have our answer."

"Unfortunately, my magic can't heal that," the girl said, smiling.

The young man extended his hand and helped Lince to his feet.