Chapter 120 Arrival (Part 4)

Daichi finally felt the disparaging difference between the lives of mortals and the power the gods held.

If it were likely anyone else it may have inspired them to want to get stronger, strong enough to reach for the realm so far above them that made their existences so vastly different as heaven and earth.

Since Daichi wasn’t such a person, it only made him ponder what a wonderful universe he was a part of that such wonderful things existed. That he’d only had a taste (if that) of what the universe had to offer. He felt the desire to experience more, to know more, to see more and to above all else, understand all the things he that intrigued him or held any significance to him.

“Why’d you call him a magician? What is a magician?” Daichi finally asked. He’d wondered that since Lydia had spoken to him and casually mentioned the title yesterday.

Giving him a strange look, Haeru shrugged it off and explained assuming it had to do where he was from “A magician is more of a classification for how someone utilizes mana. Except, becoming any form of magician –at least in Lumea- means you’ve been recognized to be able to utilize your mana to a minimum of a specific degree. The same goes for other titles.”

Haeru thought about it as he wondered whether he did a good job explaining it or not. He felt like he was explaining something to a child and he’d never done something before, to him it was like explaining why the color of the sky was blue-grey; why there were multiple moons; how long and where the world ended. These were all just truths and things he took as common knowledge and didn’t think about.

Leo chimed in “In Lumea we have specific classifications that came about after the barrier came up. These are things that people outside from Lumea wouldn’t know. There was safety before and therefore specific classifications weren’t as essential, but afterwards a great importance began being placed on power. It was essential to human survival afterall. There were standards of power and utilization of mana that were set up for different classifications that both garnered respect from others and gained those who attained these titles a fair share of benefits along with the responsibilities that went along with those benefits.

There are classifications for magicians, summoners and warriors. Pretty much everything that you can think of falls under one of these categories in some way or another. They’re just titles though; what matters is how powerful someone is. Some people are classified under multiple titles because they can utilize their abilities so well but only the higher ups know. For example Professor Lydia or the 3-clawed guardsman that is with us. Even though we know they must be really strong to have either position, it’s not like people outside of the academy or from the loose government that governs us would know what their actual classifications are.”

It was like a tsunami of information that truly made Daichi wonder how Lumea city was being run. There were no such classifications before, but he wasn’t surprised at the changes. ‘A lot of things would have changed without the former status windows. They made this world so simple in ways no one had really felt or understood until they were gone.’

Haeru and Leo discussed many things with Daichi along the way. They had nothing but time and a lot of the others, while indebted to Haeru had begun to feel uncomfortable around him. After his display with the imps, they’d begun to feel a chasm between him and them. The talent he displayed and the ability he’d used made them feel inferior. This was all made even worse when the people that had followed Haeru and Leo discussed what had happened amongst themselves and misinterpreted his actions.

When they’d arrived on the scene and seen Damien and his group battling for survival, instead of immediately jumping in Haeru had told them all to wait. Leo clearly understood he did so because he was preparing a technique to counter the imps which the others himself included had no answers for, but some of the other participants had begun to spread a rumor that the real reason they’d been stopped from helping was because he wanted to prove a point. Some even speculated that the reason was that he’d known the instructors had become distracted/busy with something else and weren’t around and wanted to wait for them to return so he could use his ability in front of them.

These rumors had spread a lot of them whether due to their growing feelings of inferiority or belief in these rumors had begun to keep their distance. Leo as Haeru’s growing friend had been kept in the dark. Although even if someone had been willing to discuss it with him, it was only at Haeru’s insistence that he was drawn into conversation with Daichi and himself. Otherwise he would have spent all of his free time worrying about whether Marcos was alright.

Damien had tried to approach them on several occasions. He’d gotten a better understanding of what had happened in the forest from the others and came to understand that as things stood there was no way that Leo hadn’t passed the exam. His past animosity towards Leo was put on the back burner. Although Damien was arrogant, he didn’t really hold grudges. He was merely a product of his upbringing and station. He didn’t put stock on any the rumors going around about Haeru either as he refused to believe that someone his age could be so vastly stronger than himself. Instead he choose to believe Haeru merely needed time to use such a powerful technique (which in his view was the only thing that made sense).

Unfortunately, Leo wasn’t as willing to put their past grudges aside. He’d been privy on multiple occasions to Damien’s bullying of Marcos merely because Marcos’s father worked for his family and had a terrible impression of him. His poor attitude towards Damien made him too uncomfortable to really join in on any of their conversations even if Leo’s distaste for him wasn’t voiced out loud.

Daichi took stock of the situation with the others and while he was curious about some of the other people in the group. It was merely a passing curiosity. Haeru and Leo were clearly at the top of their group and they had been filling him on things he needed to know. They’d spoken a bit on the classifications in Lumea regarding how different people utilized their mana or grew stronger. They discussed what joining the academy would mean and the general situation within the city. More shockingly for Daichi was the disparaging difference between those that lived in Lumea and those that didn’t.

Daichi was filled in on how the people that lived outside of the city and inside of the city. There were weak people everywhere, but it was more surprising to Daichi to find out that there were more people that lived within Lumea that practiced martial arts or mana abilities than there were outside of the city.

Haeru filled him in on a rule that was passed long ago about how those within that made it into Lumea Academy were allowed to bring a certain amount of people into the city and offer them the rights to live there (assuming they could pay for their own expenses). Those that graduated would be given property for free and a pass for a certain number of people as well. Every year they would need to perform some merit for the city otherwise their property would be reabsorbed by the city and their dependents kicked out of the city.

Outside of the city everyone (for the most part) had practiced some form of self-defense. Creatures randomly appeared all the time and the people living outside of the protection of the barrier had to be prepared to fend for their lives at any moment. Of course none of these people could compare with the strength of even the students of Lumea Academy much less the graduates but compared to some of the “useless” people living within the city there was a disparaging difference.

This only made Daichi think about how some things had changed and some things had not ‘There will always be a ruling class won’t there? At least now every family in power has to have some people with value, money alone has lost all its meaning.’ Which made Daichi think about Ava before taking a moment to clear his mind. Afterwards he briefly wondered why he’d thought about her in such a moment and as he pondered what impression she’d truly left on him.

It was only then that his keen senses felt the change in everybody as he looked forward and in the far off distance saw his first glimpse of a city. Daichi held his breath as he stopped walking. ‘I finally made it…’ he thought to himself as he felt his heartbeat quicken and his chest became heavy.

He had spent years thinking about Lumea City and the all the information held within. After making it his goal to one day enter the library, he’d made Lumea City a symbol within his mind. A symbol that represented reaching a destination that held the promise of a future for himself. So many times within the mist he’d thought about how long it would take and what the city would be like once he reached it. Now that it was before his very eyes he inadvertently held his breath as he felt things were finally coming together for him. He hadn’t expected to reach the city so many years after setting out nor with these people ‘Life is truly a wondrous thing.’ He thought to himself as that moment of awe washed over him. He was still far from reached the city, but after years in solitude these last few hours or days would either be a torture or breeze.

The others within the group started shouting with joy “We made it!”

“I can see home!!”

“We did it!”

Some of them jumped for joy at making it back alive while others were finally letting the occasion sink in as they realized they stood a very strong chance of having made it not only back alive, but into the prestigious ranks of Lumea Academy!

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