TO: Kyle of Willow's Rest
FROM: SANCTUM MAGNA
Young Kyle,
Not often do the gazes of us mages wander to the Deadzones, as we are firm in our belief that they are nothing more than vacuums without mana—lands we abhor. Yet a pleasant gift has come from such conditions.
Your name and promise of potential have personally reached my ears, and I must admit I am truly intrigued. To wield mana in a Deadzone is unheard of, and I wish to explore this phenomenon with you. This brings me to the true subject of this letter.
Kyle, I formally invite you to study at the Sanctum Magna Academy. Yes, I have waived your participation in the entrance exam, as you will enter under my recommendation. However, this doesn't mean smooth sailing—I expect to see the promise and potential Roland told me about shining brightly within you.
So please, come to Sanctum Magna. Learn of your potential and surpass it. We promise to make powerful mages, and we have never disappointed.To ease your mind of any travel concerns or how to communicate your decision, a carriage will arrive in 3 days. By then, whether you come or not should be decided.
I wish you well, Kyle.
Sincerely,
Kasper Veylan
Headmaster of Sanctum Magna
---
Kyle read through the letter, absorbing all the information it held. Roland not knowing exactly what the principal had written irked him. Kasper had a penchant for playing pranks. Hopefully, he'd behaved himself in this letter.
"You knew," Kyle mumbled. It cut Roland out of his thoughts.
"What did you say, Kyle?"
"You knew the whole time—that I possessed mana. You never told me, yet you told an old friend so you could what? Ship me off and send me away?!" Kyle said, tears welling up in his eyes.
Roland was surprised—more so, shocked. Kyle never showed emotion, but right now, he was crying. Or at least, that's what his eyes suggested.
"Wait, Kyle, aren't you happy? You can finally go to the Magic Academy and—"
"Who told you I wanted to leave? Was it something I did? Or did the villagers tell you to send me away? Why are you suddenly so eager to send me away, huh?" Tears streamed like a river down Kyle's face.
His state of mind could only be described as fractured. He felt betrayed, as if all the weird things that happened in the last couple of days were the reason everyone had decided to kick him out.
Kyle held up the letter. "Sure, he sounds all nice, but he probably just wants to find out what makes me tick and use it for research. Damn it all—I don't even know myself."
Roland could only stare. He hadn't imagined the news would be received this poorly by Kyle. It seemed he was having a complete breakdown—and he wasn't stopping.
In his anger, Kyle left the cabin. What he saw outside was a group of people, all seemingly working, and he stared at them all. He knew they had heard him shouting, and their refusal to defend him or rebuke his statement only proved him right.
I hate it. Those stares, side glances, the whispers about my name.
If they can turn on me this quickly... was I ever really worth anything to them?
Kyle walked aimlessly until he reached the canteen. Esmeralda was there, and when she saw him, she immediately rushed to his side.
"Kyle, sweetie. What happened?" she asked.
"He wants me to leave. He's sending me away," Kyle replied.
Esmeralda quickly realized the situation and sat in front of the boy.
"Kyle, he isn't sending you away. He's just worried that if you stay here, you're going to waste your life," Esmeralda tried to explain.
"I know Roland has very poor wording, but he talked to me about it. His intentions are in the right place. As soon as his suspicion that you might be able to use mana was confirmed, he tried his best to help you succeed and reach new heights. Willow's Rest may be home, but you need to see that it's a place where all of us are just living until we die.
Most of our kids here have left—heavens knows where or how they're doing—but we know it had to have been less of a burden than living here."
Kyle listened to his aunt. She made sense, but something about her acceptance of all this bothered him. She never once mentioned the other villagers.
"And the other villagers? What do they think?" Kyle asked, looking Esmeralda dead in the eye. He was once again gauging her reaction.
She hesitated, nearly stuttering with just her eyes. That was enough for him—it was all he needed.
"I see. I guess I don't belong here anymore," Kyle said as he left the canteen, returning to the cabin where Roland was still in the living space, seemingly dazed.
He made himself known to the older man and gave a simple statement.
"I'll go."
The three days passed by uneventfully. For the most part, Kyle didn't leave the cabin much and instead stayed inside, repairing his weapons and training his body. He avoided the other villagers, except for Roland and Esmeralda.
Outside of their own work, they made sure he didn't feel too lonely—but they knew the damage was already done. Kyle believed the villagers would do better without him and was willing to leave, if only to help them one last time.
Kyle was in one of the trees behind the chief's cabin, seemingly sleeping, when he heard a familiar noise.
CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP
As he stared toward the entrance, he saw a lavish-looking carriage. The only assumption was that it belonged to the Academy. He climbed down from the tree and collected his bag.
He stood in front of the village entryway and waited for the coachman to approach.
The sound of the carriage had drawn the attention of a few villagers, who came around to see what was going on.
"Are you perhaps the young master Kyle?" the coachman asked.
Tch. "Yes, but refer to me as Kyle. I'm no noble, and I'm definitely no one's young master. I've decided to take the offer, so let's go," Kyle said as he approached the coach, ready to board.
"WAIT!" Roland shouted. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?"
"..." Kyle simply stared, unable to respond, but he managed to say one thing. "Now that I'm leaving, maybe they'll be at ease," he said, looking at the few neighbors who were out.
"Tell Auntie that I'm leaving," he said as he closed the door to the coach.
"Goodbye, Kyle. Try to have fun," Roland said with a wide smile, waving as Kyle left the confines of the forsaken village.
In the carriage, Kyle simply stared into the sky.
"Why would you say something as horrible as 'Goodbye,' chief? You should at least try to say that we'll meet again," he said with a smile, speaking to no one in particular.
Hopefully, he would enjoy the Academy.