“Sometimes being different can make a person feel unique and special. Although in my case, it just makes me feel like… I don’t belong…”

∞×∞

Sankayayun Village, Rashvagel

Pañca’xahr, 4044 AOT

Sankayayun Village is a secluded village surrounded by mountains in the province of Rashvagel, country of Laamhi. It is a small village with a population of three to four thousand. Everyone who lives in this village is an ubliss. Their skin tone ranges from light brown, tan or chestnut color. Their hair color ranges between brown to black. And eyes are normally dark blue or jade colored. Everyone who lives there meet the mentioned requirements, except one.

Around sixteen years ago, a child with fiery red hair and blazing red eyes was born into the Lisiantha household. Their first born daughter is completely different from everyone else. The couple tried their best to let the little girl grow up as normally as everyone but their efforts proved little to no success. Other kids her age looks like they are afraid of her. Some of the adults’ gazes are quite judging. It is the kind of look that will make one lose their self-confidence as a child.

It is not the first time they have seen such traits. From the murmurs of the old town’s folk, one can only conclude that the reason why they feel guarded around her is because they did not have a good time dealing with the person who had the same appearance. Many parents and grandparents would rather not let their child get close to her.

Not being able to fit in with the people of her village, Blair found refuge in the surrounding mountains. She has always been a child that is close to nature. The forest is her playground as she grows up. There are a lot a little animals and docile monsters around the forest that becomes her playmate. Everything is fine as long as she does not go too far and fall into an aggressive monsters’ territory. Young Blair spends many of her days playing in the forest, making friends with animals and monsters alike, and sometimes she wanders into the mining area where some adults that are not from the village work. These grown-ups are very welcoming that they taught the little girl how to fight and the ways to survive in the wilds.

Her normal days have always been different compared to other kids her age. Her powers awakened when she turned seven. Ever since she discovered that she is a reveil, she made it into a habit to train herself alone in order to be able to gain better control of her abilities. Despite lacking proper teacher or even books, she taught herself to cope. Her usual training area is deep in the forest where no other villagers ever wander into. She wants to learn more about her ability without letting anyone else from the village know about it. She is afraid that she might become more of an outcast than she already is. That’s why she does not use her ability unless she is completely away from any human eyes.

For many years, her closest friends are the animals and monsters in the forest, along with few of the grown-up men who always spend their time close to the mine. It is not a bad thing at all. She enjoyed their company, and she believes she would still choose to spend time with these guys even if some village kids become nice to her.

At the end of Pañca’xahr, 4044 AOT, on her way home after training alone, while leaping from tree to tree and using her ability to slip through branches, Blair noticed an unusual sight. A lone man in his early twenties is passing through the forest. He is wearing a suit and sunglasses which is quite an uncommon fashion in their area. His black hair with bright yellow highlights catches Blair’s eye. He looks like one of those gangster bosses she sees in movies. In the moment she lost focus, she landed on a branch the wrong way and slipped. In order to avoid injuring herself from getting caught in other branches, she used her ability and tried to regain her balance and posture before landing on the ground.

“Wow…” The stranger says while keeping a cool not in the least bit surprised expression. “I’ve just seen you slip through those branches over there. What was that?”

He sounds really curious while Blair stands wobbly and dazed from the fall. Her mouth is shut tight while she is trying to come up with an excuse.

“Hello~?” The stranger is taking a step closer to her. His eyes are fixed on her incredibly toned shoulder and arm muscles observing her physique. “Are you a ghost?”

Blair frowns while turning her eyes away. “N-no… In fact I’m a Forest Fairy.” She says while sweat rolls down her face. At this moment, she just wants to avoid any more questions. With that kind of answer this man will probably think that she is just some weird girl and then just leave. She cannot let him know that she is from Sankayayun, or else he might expose her powers.

“I see.” He nods. “Hmm… Then, you might as well know where the fairy village is?” A very suspicious grin on his face form as he looks directly at the internally panicking girl.

“W-what?!” She responds more surprised than she would usually be. She almost falls back a step. “Why would I tell you something like that?”

“I am Rajid Signas, Special Faculty Member from AB Academy.” He confidently introduces himself. “I am looking for a red haired, red eyed fairy that lives in a secluded village around here.”

“What the heck?..”

He laughs cheerfully after staring at the confused young lady for a while. “What’s with that look? I mean, I’m looking for the village around here, it’s called Sankayayun Village. Could you help me find the way?”

“Err… Why are you looking for that village?” She asks looking at him cautiously.

“Because I’m sent here by the headmaster to look for a certain person as well as some undiscovered talent. As for that person, he disappeared more than… hmm… six, seven decades ago?… I think… Well who cares about the small details.” He laughs casually.

“I’ll just tell you the direction, so go find the way on your own.” Blair answers not wanting to get involved with the weird man.

After giving the man the directions he needs, he goes on his way without any more questions. Blair believes that she is able to get rid of him. She even delays her return home until sunset. But when she gets back, she is more than surprised to see that strange stranger is there sitting cozily on the sofa in their living room. She suddenly feels a chill, freezing her where she stands. It is like a lot of questions flood her mind that she totally lost track of her own thoughts forgetting what she is supposed to do.

“Blair, where have you been? It’s almost dark outside.” Her mother says the moment she notices her daughter standing like an idiot by the door. “We have a guest today so don’t make any ruckus.”

“Huh-?” She looks at everyone with a confused face. “I wasn’t aware you are going to be home tonight.” Then her eyes catch the weird man within her line of sight again. “Mom, do you know that weird guy over there?” She points.

“I don’t personally know him but your uncle does. He is your uncle’s friend.” Her mother answers while taking a sit on the living room. “It seems that Claymore said some stuff about our family and the academy over there is interested. By the way, your father’s home too. Go greet him then call him out here.”

Rajid waves at her as if they are close friends. “Yoh, little miss.”

“Uncle has weird friends,” she mumbles while taking her leave to see her father in the study room.

She nonchalantly enters the study room. She is about to greet her father but she then feels that there is no need to since it seems that he is having fun spinning himself on the chair. “Dad, what are you doing?”

“Ah- Blair, you’re home.” He responds while slowing down. “Did Aurora call me? Am I allowed to go out now?”

“Yeah, we have a guest.”

Her father pauses trying to recall something. “Right, I was about to throw him out.”

“Is that why you were confined?” Blair sneers.

He stands up and heads to the door. “Your mom knows how much I hate studying.”

Blair and her father go down stairs to see the guest. Her father takes his seat beside her mother. One of their maids sets up the table and then pours them tea. Blair looked at the situation for a while and assumed that it is some adult business so she probably should not get involve.

“I’ll go stay in my room.” She says, about to take her leave.

“Wait-” Her mom says staring at her. “Gilda, make sure Blair is cleaned properly before dinner time.”

“Yes, madam.” The maid answers courteously.

She goes ahead while the maid follows her. Judging by her father’s expression who rarely gets serious, it seems like they are about to talk about a topic that is quite complicated.

When they face each other again in front of the dinner table, Rajid starts to talk about the reason why he travels. Blair barely pays any attention about that subject, since it is about the advantages of graduating in some school in a faraway city. Being someone who rarely attends her classes, what interest could she have in it?

“So, Miss Forest Fairy, are you interested in going to AB Academy?” Rajid suddenly turns his grayish eyes towards Blair grabbing her attention.

“Huh-? Wait what?!” She paused chewing her food.

“Just say yes and that would do.” He snorts.

“This bastard mafia boss.”

“Blair,” her mom calls looking at her with such desolate expression. “Would you like to continue your studies outside the village? You can go in that city where your Uncle Claymore lives.”

“What for?” She asks. The uneasiness she feels inside is growing. Meanwhile, her father just continued eating without saying a word as if he is leaving the entire decision making in her hands.

“There are a lot of things you have to learn.” Her mom is avoiding Blair’s gaze. “The outside world is huge; you’ll meet different people and learn more about others as well as… about yourself. The village doesn’t have what it takes to help you learn more about your ability.”

“AB Academy is a school for people with ability, just like you, a reveil.” Rajid adds with the same easy going tone. “You’ll meet a lot of students your age with similar situations and teachers who have gone through the same circumstances. Believe me; you’d definitely enjoy it there.”

She looks at them with furrowed forehead. “You already know about my ability? Mom, Dad, you know what I am?”

“Well… That’s because your great grandfather was the same.” Aurora answers while keeping her eyes down on her plate.

“You never told us about it so we decided to wait until you’re ready, like a real man!” Her dad adds.

“Blade,” Aurora coughs and then glares at her idiot husband.

She does not notice how she pouts while she tries to remember. “My great grandfather who got the same red hair and eyes as me?..”

“Your great grandfather died a long time ago, and since then no other reveil were born into the family. That’s why even though we as your parents, we can’t fully grasp it.” Her mother continues to explain.

“We’re not in a hurry for you to decide now.” Rajid says feeling comfortable on his chair while taking a sip on his glass of water. “I’ll be staying here for five more days, so before I leave the village I would like you to say ‘yes, I want to study in AB Academy’ then we’ll pack-up and leave immediately.”

She can sense how worried her mother is. In fact it is not just a simple form of “worry,” she can feel that there is something she fears out there. Outside the shelter of this secluded village surrounded by mountains lurks an unknown threat. She finds it thrilling. Despite her qualms, Blair feels an urge to explore and expand her world.

In the end, Blair decides that she needs to face that frightening realm out there. At the end of that week, she is to leave Sankayayun village. Her father is not saying a word while watching his daughter take off. He is not persuading her to change her decision as if he has always known that his daughter will eventually leave their nest. Her mother, with teary eyes, simply gives her a kiss on her forehead as she says her goodbye.

After arriving in Eldoon New City, Blair lives with her Uncle Claymore and Aunt Becca’s house for a while. On the other hand, Rajid proceeds to take care of documents she needs to enroll. Their place is in the First District; it takes about half an hour travel by vehicle to reach AB Academy’s school gates. She wants to go to the academy early to get herself familiarized with the area but her aunt insists that she should stay with them until official classes start. It seems that her aunt is a little lonely because her son, Katana, who is four years older than Blair is studying in a different city and did not come home for vacation this summer. She spends her summer getting unnecessarily spoiled by her relatives until the first day of school. Her Uncle Claymore then sends her off in his newly bought black sports car that he is quite proud off.

For the first day of classes, Blair arrives in the academy early in the morning. Watching the rest of the island from the second floor of the Administrative Building, she realizes how big her new school is. She will definitely get lost in no time. After leaving the building, she sees a weird looking cat. It looks like a cat, but not any ordinary cat. Getting curious and at the same time wanting to pet its soft white fur, she chases after it. After mindlessly chasing the little ball of fur, she fails to notice where it brought her. She is lost. She is now surrounded by trees that she does not recognize. She must have followed it too far in the wrong side.

Lost without a map, not knowing which direction she should take, she roams around the area. Upon running around and jumping from tree to tree, she finally gets a glimpse of some buildings. However, she still does not know where this “Alapaap Building” is. She wants to ask someone for directions, but everyone is looking at her strangely.

“Red hair and red eyes...” Indiscriminate murmurs among the crowd of students.

“But that’s the green-zone uniform.”

“She’s glaring at us! Whoa! She’s scary!”

It is something she is used to, but she did not expect that she would still get the same treatment when she was still in her village. At least back then, she understands the reason for those strange looks and her alienation. But, even in this place where everyone is certainly different from each other, they still find something about her to make her weirder than the normal. Due to the unwelcome atmosphere, she decides to just wander aimlessly again. It feels like she is going to trouble anyone if she suddenly gets close to them. As she walks away she accidentally bumps into a girl.

“Sorry,” Blair apologizes immediately to make a good impression. “Are you okay?”

The girl with long apricot hair and long bangs covering her face turns her gaze away from her. “Y-yes, I’m sorry. H-how may I help you?”

“I think I found a good person,” Blair thought as she looks at the trembling girl. “I think I’m lost.” She continues on with her question, but the girl ever is not looking at her. “I’m looking for Alapaap building, Class 1-C.”

“I-I can a-accompany you, i-if you don’t mind.” She replies with her soft shaky voice.

The apricot-haired girl walks with Blair until they reach the side of Alapaap Buiding. She pointed which part of the building room of Class 1-C is. Then, right then and there, Blair decides to climb up the nearby tree to get into the room by entering from the window. She is in a rush because she knows that she is already late, her class starts so early at 7:30 am. At this moment she is reminded of how much she hates morning classes.

She opens the window from the outside and then she casually goes in.

“Who is she?” The students inside wonder.

“Red? Is that color natural?” More gossiping youths running their mouths without a break.

“Err…” Blair says while looking around. The lady professor does not look amused. “Is this the room of Class 1-C?”

The student burst out in laughter. “This is Class 1-D,” one says still giggling. “Your room is the room back there.” He points at the room behind.

The professor clears her throat. She fixes her dark-green eyes towards the mischievous student. “Young Miss, please excuse yourself from this room, you are disturbing my class.”

The irked professor is wearing a clean lab gown, a moss green waist length, short-sleeved blouse with band collar and side front closing underneath paired with dark green pants. She tilts her head while waiting for the dazed student’s response.

“Sorry.” She bows. Then she walks out rubbing her nape. Reaching the next room, she checks the label to make sure before entering.

“I will be your homeroom adviser, Professor Jhalil Claws. I handle history and I have a level A Rune Adventurer’s license. I hope we all get along this year, freshmen. For today, I--”

The professor gets interrupted when she accidentally opened the front door in a noisy manner. She cannot ignore the professor’s scornful stare at her.

“Red?” Someone mutters. “Her eyes too?”

Blair cannot help but get focused on the side comments people make when they see her.

“What are you doing there?” The haggard looking professor asks.

“Is she glaring at the prof?” More voices echoed around. “Pretty gutsy, huh.”

“Ah… the guys from the other side said that this is my classroom.”

“How could you get your room wrong? Can’t you read the labels?”

Blair laughs while rubbing the back of her head. “You see, I sort of got lost, I was running late so I thought of using a shortcut but I entered the wrong window.”

The professor mumbles something and continued on scolding her. “Don’t enter from the window, are you a monkey?”

“Is he cursing me?”

The whole class laughs.

“Well--” She tries to explain but the professor interrupts, he is way too busy to listen to excuses.

“Go to your seat. First day, late. This’ll be on your records.”

She looks around the classroom, and then figures that their sitting arrangement is displayed in that electronic board. She looked at the board and notices a familiar name displayed. She looks around and got a glimpse of who the name belongs to. Then she moves towards her arranged seat. Her seat is the empty one near the window, a place she likes so this time she is happy.

“Maybe, I’ll just jump out of the window if I don’t like the professor,” is what she is thinking at that moment.

Blair looks outside the window before she turns towards the blonde girl somewhere behind her. Before going to the academy, she is already informed as to who she will be sharing her room with.

“My roommate looks like one of those powder girls you see in malls who’d go ‘eww’ and ‘yuck’ or ‘gross’ at every little thing. I don’t think we’ll get along.” Blair tells herself while she rubs off the dust on her uniform.