A Devil Or An Angel?

Leandrei slowly regained his senses after collapsing. His eyes still closed due to the lack of strength to open them.

He could feel the soft grass as his chest lied on it.

He could hear the cool breezy wind blowing at the trees around him making the leaves rustle.

He turns over and now could smell the freshness in the air.

He opened his mouth and breathed in the air. The coolness travelled throughout his body alleviating his muscles.

Then he finally opened his now dull blue eyes and saw the sky. It was bright and calm. No one would believe that monsters had recently attacked his village and slaughtered many while looking at this peaceful sight. Leandrei's eyes grew duller whilst thinking back to what happened at the village.

"You're finally awake" a soothing feminine voice said.

Leandrei surprised, quickly pushes his upper body up and turns around while still on the ground. Right infront of him was a being cladded in a black robe, her face engulfed in darkness and casually sitting on a rock.

At first glance Leandrei was struck by awe and reverence, he instinctively felt like he was standing infront of a great entity. She was like a great mountain, so huge that Leandrei considered his presence was insignificant and not worth mentioning. He felt like she was something special, beyond comprehension and something great. His mind went blank and lowered his head not daring look at the person cladded in a black robe.

He felt unworthy.

"I can't believe how long you were asleep for" said the person.

Leandrei slowly raised his head back up and asked "May I know how long I was asleep for?" He asks reverently. The woman chuckles and replies "For three days and a few hours".

Leandrei is shocked by what the she said. He couldn't believe that he was out cold for that long, it almost felt like she was lying. However he didn't dwell much on it as he quickly shifted his thoughts to the village. He wanted to know about what had become of it even though he already had a guess. He also knew that he couldn't ever see his father or mother again but he wanted to see at least their corpse if the monsters hadn't devoured them a whole.

"By the way you don't need to speak to me so reverently and feel like you are an inferior being or whatnot. Just talk to me like you would to anyone else" the person said with a refreshing voice.

'How can I talk to you like anyone else? I have never felt such a awe-struck feeling before. What kind of person am I even infront of?" He contemplated listening to what the person said and hastily decides to not follow her wishes and pretend to speak like how normal people would without the bored tone Leandrei has most times in his voice.

Leandrei fixes his expression and asks "Who are you?". The woman chuckles at the quick change in behaviour.

"No" she says.

Leandrei let's out a confused sound "Eh?".

The woman is amused by his reaction and says "What will you do now? The village which was burning must had been yours wasn't it?"

Leandrei's expression grows dark "I don't know" he says with a confused voice.

"I don't have anything left, nothing. Those darn monsters took it all away from me! My village, my home and my parents. They are all gone!" Leandrei's voice was filled with frustration and he vented his anger out through words.

"Why not learn magic?" The person questions.

Leandrei was in disbelief by what the woman suggested and replies with a slightly mocking tone "And what should I do with it? Go to the forest and annihilate the monsters? Then what? And it's not like you can get good at magic easily. You need talent as well as guidance, preferably from someone experienced and strong. Like the professors from the academies. Oh you also need a good bloodline ability on top of that."

"Ha!" The woman laughs at Leandrei's lack of knowledge. "I guess this is what I should had expected from a villager far up north. To begin with the bloodline ability you just mentioned doesn't have to be good to begin with, after all it will become more useful later on. It's the talent you talk about which prevents many from becoming mages. As it's harder for people who aren't sensitive to mana to a certain degree to become mages" she announces.

"But don't worry about that I can tell that you have a talent for magic. You aren't the most talented but are still high up there in the ranks of the talented. You know, some can feel mana even before they come of age and they are the ones who possess a monstrous talent and are also the only ones more talented then you". Leandrei now feels confused, hurt and suspicious of the person about what she is saying.

The person ignoring the change of emotions in Leandrei continues "Those monsters are usually taken to the capital and are treated as nobility as well as protected due to their immense talent. Then after they come of age they are sent to the academy of their choice, to learn about magic. There are three academies for magic in the Kingdom right now, the Sneider Academy, the Maximus academy and the Cresilia academy. You will have to choose which one to go to of the three of them as well".

"Which one is the best?" Although hesitant he still couldn't control the spark of curiosity inside him. "Well from what I know they are all equal, it's all about the student's talent. The young like you will walk the path of a mage and write your own stories in the future which will spread your fame. The academy would be named as one of the many if not the most important reason for your success hence boosting its prestige even more. All of the academies have given birth to amazing mages throughout history so it's hard to say which is the best one".

'All that talking just to say that you don't know? Why couldn't you just say that?' Leandrei quickly thought.

"But still, if you are telling me to go to the academy to get stronger for revenge what should I do afterwards?"

"Who said to get revenge? Child you need to broaden your horizons. You have lost your desire to live and to do anything, family isn't the only important thing one can have. You can always find another reason to live for. Before you decide on whether to die, see for yourself what the world has to offer you. I can guarantee that you will be left shock. Then you would discover and gain precious things. I have a feeling you would appreciate life more as well. You will accept it, embrace it and crave for it along with other desires".

"What do you mean by that?" Leandrei grew doubtful of what the person was saying. He began to believe more and more that she is just spewing bullshit.

The person chuckles as if she knows what Leandrei is thinking "You will know when you experience the feeling yourself". With that she got up and took out of her robe an amulet and threw it towards Leandrei.

Leandrei almost caught off-guard catches it and asks "What's this?"

"Something that you'll need and use a lot in the future, by the way you can change its form to any accessory of your liking". Leandrei stares back at the amulet in amazement. It was golden, shiny and had symbols carved on it and then Leandrei asks himself 'If what she says about this amulet is true then it must be very expensive. Wait. How do I use this thing?' With that he looks back up to where the woman was standing to ask her for the answer but she wasn't there anymore.

Leandrei stands up and looks around for the person but fails to find her.

'That person is too weird and mysterious, she just disappeared out of nowhere. She didn't even tell her name'.

Leandrei was still very discouraged, empty and in despair inside from what happened at the village. He didn't know what to do after what happened and was even thinking about killing himself. He was all alone and had no clue about what the future held for him. But now after the conversation with the person, the feeling inside him didn't change but a seed was planted inside of him. A seed of intrigue, curiosity and hope.

Leandrei then walked to the edge of the flat hill top and stared at the direction of his village. After staring for a few seconds he decides to go back there one final time.