"You look very shaky. Did you try working out again?" he probed. Zac was frozen for a moment.
So he does try and work out… but he isn't consistent.
He stayed silent for a few moments, looking around nervously, until he blurted
"Kin eyes!" Zac said, followed up by a fancy spin into the bathroom. Quin chuckled, but before Zac could close the door, Quin held it, then said
"I'm glad you're starting to work out once again, but just don't go too far", he finished with a gentle shoulder pat, then walked off. Zac sighed softly and closed the door. The bathroom mirror was a bit foggy thanks to the hot water, and he lifted his hand, wiping away the fog.
He was a bit surprised at what he saw- a Square-jawed young man with navy blue hair, and a faint pair of blue eyes nearly gray. His figure was nearly slim yet not athletic. Zac looked at himself in the mirror, turned his face several times, then chuckled.
not so bad looking…
After he finished up in the bathroom, he entered the living room. There he saw a woman, Maya, who wore a simple dress color a soft green color, and her hair cascaded down like a waterfall reaching her chest.
Zac walked closer to her with a warm smile on his face, he noticed that there was an ugly scar on the left side of her skin. The scar distracted Zac from noticing her fair skin, her dirty blonde hair, and her clear blue eyes.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked. Zac finally removed his focus from her scar and then said.
"There's nothing wrong….just felt like walking over here," he said with a smile that made him question why he even said that in the first place.
He wanted to slap himself, but after a few moments, memories flashed through his mind about Maya, memories about the fun times they had spent together, some were foggy, some unfocused, but the one he remembered clearly.
It was the day she had shown him magic!
His smile grew brighter as he said, "Is there any magic you can show me?" Maya's gaze looked confused and startled for a few moments, but softened.
"you haven't asked me that question in years…what changed?" Zac sat next to her and said with a smile.
"I just want to know what I might be able to learn something," his expression grew slightly smug, "I might gain some type of awakening," he finished with a smile. Maya observed Zac closely for a few moments, she was silent until she shrugged. Her tone then shifted as she said
"Are you still having problems with Pure Spells?" She inquired, and Zac was momentarily stunned.
What is a Pure Spell? he asked himself, his thoughts racing. Leaning forward, he answered quickly, trying to mask his confusion.
"Yeah, I've been having some issues… so I just wanted to see an example," he said, finishing with a smile.
Maya gave him a strange look, the kind a parent gives a child struggling to grasp the simplest concept. Her expression softened after a moment, and she rose from the couch.
"I can't show you in here, so let's go outside," she said, her tone relaxed but tinged with mild annoyance. Yet, there was a small smile on her face.
Am I some kind of problem child to them? Zac wondered, sighing as he got up from the couch to follow her.
The sunlight bathed the outdoors in warmth, illuminating the bright green grass. Strange creatures, each about the size of a cat, fluttered by. Some appeared as though they had emerged from the ocean, their translucent forms glistening, while others looked as if they'd spent half their lives burrowing underground. A few of the creatures noticed Maya and glided toward her, their movements curious and graceful.
Her hands began to glow with a soft green light. The blades of grass bent slightly as a gentle breeze rippled through the air. Two orbs of swirling wind formed around Maya, spinning in lazy circles before she tossed them upward. The creatures chirped excitedly and chased after the orbs, their movements playful and synchronized.
"That was an Elemental spell," Maya explained, turning to face Zac. "Eighty percent of the world can use them. The other twenty percent possess Pure Arts—spells that lack any elemental qualities."
She stated softly, walking closer to Zac.
"You're one of those people," she continued. "You have the ability to wield Pure Arts."
Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of amusement. "Unfortunately, I can't teach you anything about them. I don't possess such abilities myself."
Maya paused, her gaze steady as she studied Zac. Then, with a slight tilt of her head, she asked,
"do you still want a teacher? last time you asked about that you almost fainted because of the amount of coins we would have to spend" she concluded, Zac held his chin for a few minutes, his thoughts raced, and they tried to search for some sort of memory that could answer her question but nothing.
"Well… I'm part of the twenty percent that can use Pure Arts, so why waste that?" Maya acknowledged his overconfident tone and then said.
"both Elemental spells and pure spells use mana so the best way to learn is to start at the bottom….but you're not so good at learning mana manipulation." she finished with a sigh, the sigh held many meanings, All that Zac could understand. Vonnegut simply didn't try to learn these skills he was just lazy and didn't try to learn anything.
Well, that explains why his father seemed so happy after seeing me sweaty
"You don't have to teach me anything, just tell me how you control mana," he said with bright eyes. Maya folded her arms and then said with a stern expression.
".. I won't teach you, neither will your father.." She stated with a distant gaze, Zac's expression grew puzzled as he questioned
"Why?"
Her gaze returned, and she matched his look
"I'm simply not suited to teach you magic…neither is your father" She chuckled for a few moments then said to herself "I've never told you the reason I got this scar.." her expression grew Melancholic, and she smiled and then said.
"I might tell you after the tests.." she finished. He entered the house, and Zac was left with a puzzled expression. He stared into the sky.
None of what she just said made any sense…for now, I shouldn't focus on magic but try to understand this world better.
He turned to enter the house, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall object. He turned to face the object, but it wasn't as close as he thought.
"… That…." his voice trailed as he looked at the large imposing spire that pierced the sky - the spire reached for the sun- clouds formed around the spire making a sort of storm cloud around it.
Isn't it the same spire I saw when I was falling? Is that woman also in this world? Questions piled on him, his head felt like it was about to burst with theories.
Suddenly a faint smile made its way to his face
"Guess like I have a different goal in mind" he turned away from the spire to see the open fields and people walking around.
he wanted to interact with the people but, at the moment he wasn't sure about the culture of this world so he had to learn before making a mistake.
As he entered the house, a sudden question rose from the sea of other questions
What did she mean about the Test?