Chapter 8: Magician

"So, from what you are telling me, a few days ago, you entered the other forest in this area - the one Mr. Grimm explicitly told you not to - only to run away after hearing a haunting noise?"

Elena nodded her head shyly, before turning her gaze around in a subtle fit of paranoia.

"Then," I continued to summarize, "After that incident, you started having nightmares - nightmares about this monster you can't describe but utterly terrifies you - and you think it's the cause of the dreams?"

"...not think," she murmured a bit emptily before meeting her eyes with mine.

They were filled with terror.

"Know."

I couldn't help but gulp at the out-of-place look inside little Elena's eyes.

Children were simply not meant to look that... traumatized. Almost as if something went inside and controlled them, and leaving scars of the soul in the process.

"Do..." Blink. The glaze behind Elena's eyes faded away, bringing back the child beneath them. "Do... you not believe me, Big Brother Rain?"

I acted quickly, shaking my arms wildly as if to perish the thought. The girl looked like she would cry!

"No, no!" I almost-yelled, thankfully just remembering it was late night before I ended up waking everyone else. "It's just... surprising, I guess. Who would've wondered such a little girl like you would dare go into a forest like that though!"

The following moment, little Elena broke into a blush, staring back at her feet shyly.

"Actually... it was because I had another secret. A secret I'm okay with telling you, Big Brother Rain..."

I gave out a sigh. So, there were more?

Elena was about to open her mouth again, no doubt to tell her other secret, when she found her lips closed by a finger.

I smiled at her, my face close to hers as I knelt to meet her height.

"It is late, Elena. There is time tomorrow for that." I murmured as soothingly as I could, giving the girl a short hug. "But for now, it's time to sleep. Should I stay here, Elena? In case of nightmares?"

Elena froze in my arms, before sagging to finally let herself rest.

"Yes, Big Brother Rain..."

I didn't sleep.

As a Player, sleep wasn't as much as a necessity for me as it was for NPCs. I didn't know what was the case for NPC-Adventurers, but at least I knew for certain that ultimately, sleeping wasn't as much required as it was advised to do.

After all, it wasn't the first night in Fate Online that I stayed up awake with my mind filled with dark thoughts, right?

"And here I was worried somebody broke in the orphanage while everyone else was asleep, Mr. Rain."

Still deep in my solemn brooding, all I managed to give the bespectacled man was a fleeting smile.

"Sorry about it if I woke you up, Mr. Grimm." I took the cup of tea that he handed me. "I was just busy thinking."

"A dangerous pastime, I believe." Mr. Grimm gave a low chuckle, "And drop the honorific already - it was amusing in the beginning, but now it's just a mouthful to hear."

I managed a grin at his light teasing. "Only if you drop yours as well."

Grimm gave an acquiescent nod. Thus, there was silence except for the rhythmic sounds of sipping, the crickets chirping, and the moon being so beautiful in the sky that I was almost in peace.

Almost, being the operative word.

"Is there something ailing you, Rain?"

My mind, being snapped out of those thoughts again, only gave a short, "Huh?"

"You look troubled, and as far as you are still barely a stranger to me, I must admit you have been fostering a bit of fondness in my person." The caretaker didn't look at me - no, he was still staring at the moon, the light reflecting on his face, almost making him look timeless. "I normally hold a bit of contempt for Players, yet... somehow, you've managed to avert that directly from me."

"You? Hate someone?" I couldn't help but blurt out, ignoring the short blush on my face over the indirect praise. "Are you sure you are talking about yourself, Grimm? You've practically welcomed a stray like me inside your home!"

"Now," Grimm turned to me directly this time. "Isn't that the question?"

Another moment of silence before I broke it. "...you said you held contempt for Players. Why?"

The man in front of me settled down his own cup of tea. "Tell me, what do you think about my kind?"

"Kind? You mean Race? I have no predilections against any of-"

"By my kind, I mean us who you Players call the NPCs." Grimm interrupted me before I could finish. "Us, who your people have created; us, whose existences are all managed in what you all call 'programming'. Tell me, what do you think of us, the artificial beings that we are?"

My voice turned low. So, Grimm had known and thought of his existence as an AI?

"Like I said." I repeated, far more solemnly this time. "I have no predilections against any sentient, moralistic life. Whether it is human, or just an imitation of one."

I would've thought my usage of the word 'imitation' was wrong, but then Grimm gave me a smile.

"So, I was really right about you, Rain. You really are a kind boy."

"So," I coughed, trying to direct the subject away from me. And if it meant taking my eyes off that smile on his face, then it was sheer coincidence. "What about it then? How is it related to us Players?"

"Now, that is a subject for another sleepless night." Grimm easily deflected, returning the focus back to me. "We were talking about you and your problems, if I remember correctly, Rain. Now, tell me. Why are you so troubled?"

I murmured something beneath my breath, but he didn't hear anything.

"Come again?"

A bit disgruntled, I looked away. "I'm just remembering bad experiences, I suppose."

The expression on Grimm's face was almost fatherly. "Remembering what?"

"It doesn't matter." Or to Grimm at least; he didn't need to know what happened the last time I stayed with strangers. "As for the reason as to why I'm thinking of them again - now, that's more important. Did you know one of your kids - the girl named Elena - has been having nightmares?"

"Yes," the orphanage caretaker answered grimly. "I am very much aware."

"She's been dreaming of monsters. I've even gotten a quest out of it-" Grimm looked at me with widened eyes, "-but all I care about right now is that fear that she had in her eyes when she told me."

Blood. Betrayal. Cold-blooded murder.

"Children just aren't supposed to ever look like that. Ever."

Sleepless hours passed, and the morning came.

The children woke up with smiles on their faces - even Elena, though she still looked a little pale. When they all came down their rooms to eat breakfast, they were met with pancakes, eggs and roasted ham, much unlike their usual meals of gruel.

I had Grimm take the credit for the meal - the man was kind enough to let me hunt even in the middle of the night after all.

Instead, I was outside the orphanage, making myself a new weapon. It took a long while finding the correct length of wood, but for someone with all night to spend, it was simple to do. All I had to do was carve it out of a branch with my stone knife after all.

You have crafted a new weapon! You now have an Intermediate Oak Staff!

Carving has increased four levels!

You have gained a new skill! You now have Crafting: Level 5!

"Big Brother Rain? Where are you going?"

Rubbing out the rough spots of my new staff, I turned to her with a tired smile.

"Elena, aren't you supposed to be playing with the other kids now?"

"They're all busy taking lessons from Mr. Grimm..." Elena answered shyly, looking down on her feet. "I asked for permission to talk to you before you left."

My heart warmed. Raising a hand, I rubbed at her hair. "Don't worry. I'll surely come back; I'm a Player after all."

"I... promised," She started softly, her voice and determination rising with every syllable. "I promised I would tell Big Brother Rain my other secret!"

"You don't have to-"

Her reply was by raising her hands - causing a small light to burst out of them.

It was a strange thing - shapeless in form, but the blue glow it gave off was warm.

"This is c-called the Magelight," She looked back to her feet, as if expecting me to say something badly about her for it. "I-I inv-vented it... I went into the f-forest to practice - everywhere else, people would've been t-there to see... It's nothing but a trick... not even real magic..."

This girl... she was scared that the other kids would've teased her for it? And still, she showed it to me, a stranger?

"It's amazing..." I praised her, causing her to blush. "Do you know, even I can't use magic? Yet, at least."

Elena widened her eyes. "B-but, the storytelling-"

"-is just a trick." I repeated, tapping the tip of my nose. "It's no magic."

The girl looked back at her feet, shuffling them. "I-I could t-teach it to you... I-If you'd like me to?"

Elena of the Grimm Orphanage is trying to teach you the 'Magelight'.

Attempt to learn this skill?

Yes/No

I gave a nod, knowing I didn't need to even press an answer this time.

"A-Alright." She stuttered first, before shaking her head at trying to say the rest calmly. "I m-mean, try imagining energy coming from the hands. Like... like a memory, or power, or just something, then imagine it going up, up, up brightly like a star..."

Following her words, I tried to imagine what she said.

Power through the hands. Rising, lighting up like a star.

A ball came out of my hands, lighting up like a blue ball - only to explode into nothing.

Elena yelped in fright, before looking back to the ground.

"I-it failed... Must've been my fault, why would I even-"

"No." I interrupted her again, putting my slightly burned hands on her shoulder. "It's not your fault; it's mine."

After all, a window had appeared the moment I attempted the skill.

Magelight failed. You don't have the prerequisite stats for this skill.

You need:

85 Intelligence.

95 Wisdom.

Such a high requirement skill... Just who was this girl before me to manage to create this skill all by herself?

"Big Brother Rain... You don't have to try cheer me up..."

I wanted to tell her, convince her that 'No, it's not your fault, it's mine', but it was obvious that no amount of words would manage to do that for me. This little girl would think that she failed me, even if it was me who failed her...

Actions speak louder than words.

But to learn this skill, I needed to spend at least 120 skill points... plus, at this point, that much usage would keep me stuck with an INT-WIS build, even if I spent the rest on STR. I didn't have any spells; it would simply be a stupid decision to just dump stats into something I couldn't use yet, especially for a spell that wasn't even offensive-based.

Would I really leave a girl to cry?

More physical training could help, but there was no time; I wasn't in the mood to grind, not when I knew someone would suffer the more I wait. Story-telling was inefficient as well, plus I couldn't be even sure I would get something good out of it. What if the previous stat increases were a one-time thing?

But then, a thought flashed through my mind.

Does power even matter to me? Why would I care for what is normal?

My decision was made.

I was a Fool, wasn't I? Then why am I even asking all these unimportant questions?

Silently, I called out for my Status Window. A minute of preparation later, I knelt down to meet Elena's eyes again.

"Sorry about that. Big Brother Rain just had to do something. Let's try again."

Elena met my eyes, before giving a nod. She repeated her words, and in return I opened my arms wide, my palms facing the blue sky.

This time, dozens of lights appeared, bringing beauty to the area around us. Over Elena's hair, within the grass, from beneath tree branches and among the leaves, they sprouted, almost like fireflies.

This time, I didn't fail. And I wasn't surprised.

Secret requirement achieved!

For raising your INT and WIS stats to over 100, you have unlocked the next stage of your class!

You have gained a new title, The Magician (I)!

Title: The Magician (I)"Releasing hidden talents, the Fool masters magic, the secrets of the world...

Effect: Allows pure magic.

Status WindowName:RainLevel:41Class:The Fool (0)Race:HumanGender:MaleTitles:The Fool (0) (Aids growth.)-The Magician (I) (Allows pure magic.)Health:1140/1140Mana:14880/15500Strength:31Dexterity:36Intelligence:116Endurance:32Wisdom:132Luck:5Vitality35Charisma:16Equipment Effects:None.Stat Points Available: 0

"This is-!"

I smiled at Elena, who looked at everything around her with wonder.

You have successfully learned Magelight!

Now, you can light your way through the darkness of the world!

"Thank you, Elena. Now, surely, I can be safe inside the Darkling Woods."

Others may have said it to just comfort her, but I truly believed in my words.

Elena, without knowing it, had just shown me the real power of my Class. Thus, there was no need to worry.

The quest would surely succeed.

Elena blinked away her tears and gave me the brightest smile I've ever seen.

"You're welcome, Big Brother Rain!"