I was attending school when I turned 5. That time was a bit difficult for me. While I showcased my intelligent and studious nature successfully that received many praises from Ms. Renne and the other adults, it kind of backfired with the kids. Though Lunargrove housed mostly humans and beastmen, it seemed I was the ‘Weird Teacher’s Pet’ among my new peers. It wasn’t just those around the same class, either. No, even the ‘big kids’ were looking at me strangely and teased me behind my back.

I will say right now that I don’t like kids. When I got old enough to work back on Earth, I had a job in retail to help pay for my education and hobbies. I felt more dead than usual as I had to put up with noisy children on a daily basis, and don’t even get me started on the parents that didn’t discipline them because they were ‘angels’ and would blow up on anyone that said otherwise. With that kind of experience and going to school, as an old man in the body of a young boy in a new world, I tried to avoid any contact with brats. Anybody who would tease or make fun of me for my ‘weirdness’ when I wasn’t looking, I just minded my own business and not bother wasting my time and energy with them. When I wasn’t practicing magic, I was either conditioning my body or reading whatever books were available at the time.

I guess my ‘weirdness’ was to be expected if I attended the ‘big kids’’ classes along with those around the same age as me, though. Due to the lacking number of teachers residing in Lunargrove, the classes took place in the same building but were divided among two age groups that were held at different times of the day. I was in the class where those around 5-9 years old would attend at the beginning of their education. Let’s call this ‘Class 1.’ I picked up the basic stuff in that class quickly with no problems: reading, writing, arithmetic, and some history. The other class, ‘Class 2,’ would teach those around 10-14 years old more advanced arithmetic and math, history that went further back and detailed, cultures of the other existing races, and dancing.

Yes, you read that right, dancing. While it wasn’t needed to graduate, it’s actually a given for anyone to take it anyway with how important it plays during that time in our lives, but I’ll go over why another time.

Along with those, there was one more subject I was dying to learn more of since I came to know its existence in this world.

Yep. You guessed it, magic. It may have been the fundamentals but that kind of lecture was better and more fun than any class I would hope to dream attending. After I was done attending Class 1’s lectures, I would stay behind for Class 2’s. I couldn’t go that far without confiding in Ms. Renne for permission, of course. I was thankful they were flexible enough to let me sit in on the side and listen in at most, so long as I didn’t bother the older kids, which I had no problems with. I couldn’t participate in the magic demonstrations but I got most of what I wanted to know from listening and observing the others before I went and practiced on my own with a better handle on how to cast spells. Plus, watching Mom and Dad perform magic with their Fairies also helped, too.

As for the dancing classes, it looked fun and interesting for me despite how awkward the big kids were with the subject. Even if it looked weird, I wanted to change myself and try to make the most of my new life, so I would take the time to practice the steps by myself for a bit.

By the time those classes ended, I would immediately go off on my own and practice magic more. Sure, school and the kids might have been more tolerable if I opened up to them, but even if I did, the mindsets between me and them were too different with our mental ages and I was not willing to act my own [physical] age just to put up a convincing front. I was more used to being alone anyway, so it didn’t bother me as much.

There was one exception who didn’t bother me though, but I’d have to bring up who that is at another time as I hardly even registered their existence during that period of my life.

Aside from that, Ms. Renne noticed how alone I was to the point of concern. She one day pulled me away after Class 2’s session ended and gave me a special quiz to check in and observe what I had learned from those classes, and yes that would include casting spells. Maybe she was partially hoping I wasn’t getting anything out of attending Class 2’s sessions and find a reason for me to try and make friends with the other kids. I never really knew her intentions, but with a knowledgeable and open-minded adult like her, I really wanted to wow her with my own brand of awesomeness.

What was different with Ms. Renne’s magic in school when she was teaching compared to what I had seen from her outside of it was the chanting. It was probably for the sake of the young ones to grasp the concept better but she would voice chants aloud as her magic activated, but it seemed that if you had the talent and know the concept well enough, you could cast spells by speaking them in your mind.

She broke into tears when she witnessed how I pulled off chantless spell-casting so effortlessly while demonstrating 3 of the 6 elements that existed in magic. I was able to use Wind, Water, and Darkness, then there’s Fire, Earth, and Light to make up the rest of the elements. Before I could even ask what was wrong she hugged me right there and practically begged me not to display my magic to others until I was old enough. Not like I hadn’t been doing it before she asked me, but then I remembered what she and Mom talked about after my birth, about me possibly being sent to the military guard for training and serve the country.

Now, it’s not like I didn’t love this new world enough to help protect it, I loved it a bunch; however, I was never into joining military-like factions to serve their country back on Earth due to my perspectives on it, and in a world that uses magic, I could only imagine how much a government would abuse one’s powers for their own gain. Mom and Ms. Renne must’ve had those same thoughts when they talked a while back.

As I promised Ms. Renne to keep my magic under wraps while trying to console her, I wondered how such a beautiful woman that cared for a child’s welfare and future like her was still single. I would’ve asked her to marry me if I was older, even if the difference between us by then was a decade apart (from my physical age).

Not to mention that she had quite the bombastic body that went wonderfully with her orange fox ears and tail, but that was the icing on the cake.

Anyway, at that point, Ms. Renne said she would give me special tutoring sessions in magic and other subjects she knew, probably making an effort to show me I had a friend on my side or something. She would even help me improve my dancing by acting as a partner. I guess that was how I really became the teacher’s pet, but I didn’t mind, especially since some of what she taught me up to then answered things about this world that had bothered me for a bit.

Plus, I liked Ms. Renne. Sure, our physical ages were different, but she saw I was more mature and reserved than other kids to take me seriously like she was talking to an adult. I appreciated that.

I may have gotten along better with some adults who’ve known me long enough because of my maturity as well, but if they saw me for the very first time, they would no doubt treat me like a kid with that body. I admit that I was a little saddened when I had that realization and it made me lonely.

I tried not to dwell on it though. I wanted to learn about magic and I was going to give time and effort into understanding it as much as I could, even if I had to do it alone.

~~

That was the thought I had after that special quiz. By the next morning, though, an unfamiliar voice was talking to me in my sleep.

“Soar~. It’s time to wake up~. It’s a beautiful day and there’s a special surprise waiting for you~.”

The voice was small like Dew’s and Tyra’s, but the tone was so soothing and melodic that I might’ve fallen into a deeper sleep instead if she said something different.

I groggily opened my eyes from the noise and my vision took a few moments to adjust itself until I saw a bright firefly circling above me. I say firefly, but this one was too big to call it one and its light was unlike anything I could recall from my previous life, let alone my new one.

It wasn’t until I looked closer that it wasn’t a firefly, but a tiny human-like being with wings that looked like stained-glass and resembling a butterfly’s. This small person had a silk light green, one-piece dress that only stretched down to her upper thigh, barely covering her sex and butt to make her appearance decent. It sort of resembled one fairy in a story who would help a certain boy fly with some of her ‘fairy dust’ sprinkled on him. Other notable features included glittery locks that matched her dress; long, pointy ears that she moved some of her strands behind to reveal the seemingly white skin on her face and body; and a dark green gemstone between her clavicles. She was tiny, but the proportions told me she was maybe a woman in her early 20s if in a larger form.

“Good morning, Soar. Did you have a good sleep?” she asked before giving a smile that was warm and bright as the morning sun.

I was still trying to get my bearings as I sat up half-awake. I looked out the window and saw that it was still fairly early in the morning for the sun to start rising from the horizon. I then turned to my guest and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“… W-Wait, no way, you’re a fairy?! The ones that helped shape this world to the way it is?!”

“That’s right.”

This was something I learned from my time in Class 1. There were a total of 9 gods and goddesses that exist in this realm. First, the big 3 that lead the group: the Goddess of Magic and Creation, Elmyra, was said to be the very reason we’re able to use magic today after she created the world we lived in called Manara, the ‘Great Mother,’ as she was called; then, there are the only 2 gods that were males, the ‘Two Fathers:’ the God of Mind and Order, Nodem, and the God of Emotion and Chaos, Garem. Between the three of them, they birthed the other 6 goddesses who represented the elements of magic, the ‘Elemental Maidens,’ and between them and the Two Fathers, they created beings who helped maintain and look after Manara of its magic residing in everything that sits on it. Those would be the fairies like the one that was hovering in front of me.

What’s that? A father making children with their own daughters is crazy and immoral, you say? Try telling that to the Greek Gods and not get fucked over by becoming a hideous half-animal creature and come back to me. Myth or reality, that’s just how the beginning of the story went in the creation of Manara.

Anyway, one may increase their magical prowess and capabilities by becoming what’s called a Chaperone. To become a Chaperone, they have to form a contract with a fairy to make them into a [Fairy] Companion. How often that happened was actually pretty common for just one, and how much they would gain is the same for everyone as all fairies start out as equals. The likeliness to make contracts with more fairies into Companions lessens drastically after the first one, though. The capability to use magic by yourself was surprisingly commonplace, but some may not even bother using it if their aptitude wasn’t high enough to do a lot with, hence why the ranking system for it existed. There were those who would go through their whole lives without ever becoming a Chaperone, even if their aptitude for magic was high in rank, the reasons for why varied between people. The same went for fairies to never become a Chaperone’s Companion, but their lifespans were depressingly short unless they make a contract with someone. Until then, they would just work to maintain the nature of the world.

Basically, everyone in this world can become a Magician once they’re able to learn how to wield and convert the mana in their bodies and surroundings to create magic, but it really depends on their luck and aptitude that determines how well they can manage to pull it off.

Also, the fairies mostly keep themselves under hiding, with the exception of those they have the interest to make into a Chaperone. After a contract is made, the fairies can hide from anyone under the Chaperone’s will with their combined magic, including other fairies and even their family members. Its success depended on the Chaperone’s aptitude and experience in the art. This was why I only saw Mom’s and Dad’s Companions up to then, aside from a few exceptions on special occasions. Ms. Renne only brought out hers a few times for demonstration purposes only. When I confided in her about what I saw up to yesterday, she said I might have a ‘gift’ that allowed me to see mana—the thing that magic comes from—that a handful of people in history were given at birth. The concept of gifts was also discussed amongst those in Class 2 but I’ll explain that later.

“I’ve been watching you for the longest time, but this is the first we’ve ever met and talked with each other face-to-face. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Soar,” the green fairy said happily before giving a soothing smile.

“Th-This is … amazing! A real fairy!” I exclaimed before I realized I was getting too loud and I slapped a hand over my mouth. “But … wait, if this is going where I think is going, shouldn’t that happen when I get older?”

Indeed, it was also discussed in class that people don’t really make contracts with fairies until they were around 10-14 years old on average. The earliest recorded age anyone had ever made a contract with them was 8, and the latest was a surprising 19. Anyway, forming a contract with a fairy was a huge deal. Class 2 would make lots of noise sometimes during breaks, so maybe they were talking about the newly acquired Fairy Companions they gained.

“That’s usually the case, yes, but you’re not like the others here at your current ‘age,’ are you, Soar Osmis? Or should I call you Lucas Rantin?” the fairy asked before making a cute but mischievous grin.

After hearing my past life’s name for the first time since I came to this world, I suddenly felt very cold and broke into a sweat while I was still sitting up in my bed.

“Now, now, don’t look so nervous~. You’re not in trouble. It was our Great Mother that brought you here, after all.”

“‘Great Mother’ … Do you mean the Goddess of Creation and Magic, Elmyra?”

“That’s right.”

“So, she was the one who brought me here … do you happen to know of any reason why?”

“She was actually interested in you for quite some time, being so passionate about learning magic even at the age of your death. There was also how you sacrificed yourself to save that coworker of yours.”

“Oh! That’s right! Shannon! Do you know what happened to her? How she’s doing?”

“Ah, yes, the Great Mother left me a note about this should you ask that.” The green-dressed fairy shamelessly reached down to the cleavage of her chest and pulled out a tiny folded piece of paper. “Let’s see … says here that they managed to identify and captured the guy who stabbed you and had been charged guilty for murder. Turned out he was this Shannon’s ex-boyfriend who got a liiiiitle nutty after the breakup. Shannon came out of that ordeal uninjured and is happily married while raising her son she named after you. She would visit your grave and pay respects twice a year, and that’s all she wrote.”

That might have been the first time I cried since I came to Manara as I tried to pointlessly wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop running down my face. “W-What the hell, Shannon? Naming your kid after someone like me? That’s … goddammit.” I’d occasionally have nightmares of that night I got stabbed and was worried about how she was doing. I was more wound up than I thought as a great weight was lifted off my shoulders after this great news reached me. I couldn’t have been more relieved and happier.

After I finally calmed down, the green-dressed fairy continued. “Anyway, because of your noble deed and your passion for magic despite the hardship you experienced, she and the Two Fathers got a hold of your soul and gave it a gift before having you reborn here.”

“Wait, what is she expecting me to do while I live in this new world? Like, saving it from collapse or something? I mean, I’m grateful to be given a second chance like this, but saving the world is kind of a heavy burden on my shoulders, you know? Plus, I’m not sure if saving one person like that would make me a ‘good enough’ person to be given such an opportunity.”

“Do not worry. Since you’d be living here, of course, you’d need a gift or two to help you fit in. The only thing she wanted was to make sure you’re living your new life as comfortable as possible while enjoying the wonders of Manara’s magic, and that’s what we are here for.”

“… ‘We?’”

Before I could ask any further, the green-dressed fairy made a whistle loud enough that would wake up my parents, but perhaps it was because of the magic she used that expected outcome never happened.

Instead, 2 other balls of light appeared from various places in my room that approached the green-dressed one before they both took distinguishable forms as well. 2 other fairies, one in blue and the other purple, appeared with the green-dressed one, making a total of 3. Their different-colored dresses, gemstones on their clavicles, skin, and hair styled in various designs distinguished them from each other.

The green-dressed one who summoned them before me smiled with maturity and grace as she stretched her tiny hands out towards me.

“Lucas Rantin … no, you go by Soar Osmis now, yes? We stand before you as the fairies who bring the wonders of magic that you love so much in the world of Manara, and we 3 would like to make a contract and become your Companions.”