Many years of evolution had already passed and yet a certain instinct still remains especially to us males. A certain instinct that automatically activates every time we see a helpless, crying girl. A certain instinct that eventually transforms into a desire of wanting to help that girl: a desire to become her hero.

Weeks passed, Emily taught me the four basic elemental spells: Fireball which shoots a ball of fire towards the enemy, Water Whip which creates a lasso made of water, Earth Wall which summons a wall of earth to a location of my choosing, and Air Slash which produces blades made of wind to slice anything in its path. I also learned to cast those using minimal words for their incantation. As part of my training, we’ve decided to hunt for food in the forest.

“Air Slash,” I shouted after I wrote the rune. Blades of wind soon hit a deer-like creature wandering in the direction of the spell. Its blood gushed out from the huge cut inflicted on its body. Forcibly, the beast tried to run away, but its injury made it too hard for it to even walk. It let out one final cry before falling down. The closing of its eyes signals its life withering away.

“G-good job, Hiro,” Emily softly spoke.

We went to the creature to confirm if it’s dead. Walking towards it, we noticed the movement of nearby bushes. Emily and I quickly guarded ourselves. It could be a dangerous beast ready to attack us. Quietly, we waited, but what came out surprised us. It was not a monster but two beautiful women wearing robes.

“Lookie here, it's the faker Emily,” the blonde woman proudly said.

She was accompanied by a pigtailed woman with blue hair.

“We’re here looking for food and what do we find? It’s Little Red Faker. What are you doing in the middle of the forest anyway?” The blonde woman added.

“Who are you two?” I asked, glaring at them. At least that was what I would I looked like if I had eyes.

They glanced at me for a second before switching their sight back to Emily.

“Wow. Looks like this faker finally managed to summon a skeleton,” the blonde woman spoke. Looking at Emily, she was trembling, a sheep hiding from a wolf.

“Let’s go, Emily,” I said, grabbing her hands.

If things are to continue, it might eventually escalate into a fight, the way Emily is fairing right now, it’s clearly two against one. And even if it is a one versus one, I doubt my skill as a newbie mage will win.

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

“What? So you're going to run away again?” the blonde woman shouted. “Run back to your house like a loser you are.”

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

Looking at Emily, she stayed silent, but her grip on her scepter was clearly tightening.

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

The blonde girl continued raining Emily with insults.

“So you’re just turning tail again, even after getting your mother killed?” the blonde woman shouted.

Those words stopped me for a bit. Looking at Emily, she finally broke into tears.

“I...I’m sorry,” Emily spoke in a soft voice which I barely heard.

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

Somehow, I found my hand moving unconsciously.

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

Avoiding harm is not cowardice, it’s a necessity for survival.

“Fireball..!”

A ball of flame soon appeared on the rune I wrote and shot itself towards the blonde woman. But she immediately blocked it.

“Shut the fuck up!”

Why did I do that? It doesn’t make any sense. The best possible answer is to avoid provocation and go home. Then why? I’m just putting both of us into harm.

“Huh? What are you talking about,” the blonde woman annoyingly replied. “You’re just a familiar.” Raising her scepter, I guarded myself. “Dispel,” she yelled.

I tried to use Earth Wall to block the incoming energy, yet the spell just passed through and hit me. However, nothing happened.

“You...” The blonde woman was bedazzled. “What are you?”

“Mistress,” the girl with twin tails guarded her companion with her arm. “He’s probably a Lich.”

A Lich?

“Tch, you’re right,” the blonde woman spoke with her eyebrows tilted towards the center of her face. “There’s no way this faker can summon a skeleton,” she added pointing towards Emily. “A stupid faker, hiring a lich to fool me; this is unforgivable,” the blonde woman replied, switching her glare towards me. “Hey lich, you will pay for this humiliation!” The blonde woman raised her scepter and began chanting. “Summon: Giga Skeleton!”

The earth trembles as a crack appeared on the ground. Suddenly, a giant fleshless hand emerged from the seemingly bottomless pit. Slowly, it climbed up, like a zombie surfacing from its grave. The place turned dark with the monster standing in front of me, blocking all light coming from what little the sun could offer, and from the looks of it, it was five times my height in comparison.

“Rejoice commoner, for you are about to see my power. My name is Thea Skyheart, a pure-blooded necromancer. Tremble before me!” the blonde girl said while cackling maniacally.

***

The giant skeleton uprooted a tree nearby and tried to smack me with it.

“Shit,” I cursed, tumbling with Emily away from where we stood. A strong gust of wind soon whooshed towards us from the tree. “Emily, get a hold of yourself!”

But she didn’t budge, so I tried to move her away from the giant and provoked the blonde necromancer.

“You bitch!” I shouted while running away from the goliath. “I’m your opponent right now!”

The huge skeleton let out a deafening roar while gazing upon me. It then tried to crush me under its foot, but luckily, I fell over between the gaps of its toes. But, its step made a shockwave that nearly knocked me off my balance.

“Fireball,” I shouted as the ball of flame appeared in front of me to hit the foot of the giant. However, it was unscathed.

This is just stupid. Why am I even trying to fight this thing?

I tried circling the giant and cast fireball, again and again, each having the same result. The giant was just too sturdy.

“Huh? Is that it?” Thea shouted annoyingly. “I thought a Lich is supposed to be strong but you’re so weak. You can’t even fight a mid-tier familiar.”

It’s no use. There’s no way a basic spell can just damage this thing.

It tried to hit me again with the tree in its hand. “Earth Wall,” I cast a barrier of rock in front of me, but the giant was too strong and broke through the defense. The resulting blow propelled me towards the nearby trees. I then quickly got up and assessed myself for damage, and noticed the cracks in my bones, but luckily, I was still able to fight. Good thing that Earth Wall softened up the colossus’s attack.

“What's wrong Lich?” Thea yelled. “I’m not even trying to join the fight and you’re already losing. Don’t tell me your just all talk.”

“Dammit,” I said, punching the ground.

“Hiiro!” A scream echoed throughout the forest. “Stop this! Why are you doing this?” It was Emily.

Why? I also want to know why. We should’ve walked away from them. Why am I even doing this? This is just stupid.

As I looked at her, she was looking back at me with tears dropping from her eyes.

“Please… stop,” Emily cried. “Please, stop this.”

Staring at her, I saw the face of a familiar girl.

“Ha… ruka.”

“Hiiro… If I ever find myself in trouble again… Will you come to save me just like before?” A voice echoed inside my mind. A message from a familiar memory.

“Stupid. Of course, I will. Who do you think I am?”

“Please, stop! Why are you doing this?” Emily shouted while looking at me with her wet eyes.

“Because you’re crying!!!”

Suddenly, the giant raised its hand holding a tree and tried to smack me again. The tree barely hit me since I tumbled away from it. But some parts of its twigs lightly scraped me.

Thinking while avoiding the colossus’s rampage, I re-examined my enemy from every corner possible. Bit by bit, I devised a plan to defeat it.

Using a mental image of a skeleton as a basis, I’ve found one weakness I could exploit: the intervals of its spine. Judging the distance, though, it is nearly impossible for me to hit it.

I could try running up the goliath’s arm after it reaches the ground. However, gravity alone would make it an impossible feat.

I need to think outside the box. Using my basic spells there has to be something I can do...

“Earth Wall!”

Writing the rune at my foot, I cast the spell just below me. As the earth wall appeared, it quickly propelled me upwards, reaching heights not possible with a normal jump. With equal height with the giant’s ribs, there’s only one thing I need to do: to “move forward.” However, there is a problem. I can’t move that much while airborne, which means I am defenseless in my position. The giant knew; he attempted to swat me out with the tree.

Everything about you is different.

“Fireball!”

With every action, comes an equal and opposite reaction. I used my spell to force the direction of my flight to the right. With this, I avoided contact with its blow. However, the tree lightly grazed my middle finger.

The way you happily eat vegetables during a meal.

It’s different.

“Water Whip!”

A lasso made of water then appeared and bounded the giant’s shoulder bone, just in the way I imagined. With the other end in my hand, I swung towards the giant’s spine.

The fact that you even know how to cook.

It’s different.

Consecutively, I wrote multiple runes on the spaces of its ribs while the giant tried to remove me from his spine.

And the way you always laugh to my humorless jokes.

It’s different

“Be cut in half! AIR SLASH!!!... AIR SLASH!!!... AIR SLASH!!!... AIR SLASH!!!...”

The force of the spells pushed the giant backward, which also redirected me in the opposite direction due to the placement of my water whip; I soon find myself in the ground.

“Yet why…”

Why do I still see her in you?

But, things didn’t go according to plan. Looking up the giant, it was still standing as if nothing had happened. I have failed…

...Or not. A few seconds later the upper half of the giant broke and fell down. Suddenly, a different memory resurfaced.

“H-Hiiro? Why do you want to learn magic?” Another voice coming from a memory from a month ago.

“I thought that if I learn magic… I can fight beside you and protect you.”

“I see. I guess it’s not a lie after all,” I said with a soft voice. “I guess I’ll stick with you for a while.”

“Pathetic,” Thea said looking at me as if I was a bug. “Wasting 15 minutes just to kill a mid-tier familiar. You are weak. Just another loser.” She added raising her scepter. “Die… weakling.”

“Shit.” I tried to move but I have used all of my energy against the giant. “Am I going to die?”

“Phantom Bullet,” Thea shouted.

Looking down, I readied myself for my end… But I only heard a loud thud. Looking up once more, I saw a wall of earth standing between me and Thea.

“I am not the same as before,” a voice of a woman shouted. It was Emily.