Chapter 51 A Journey Begins

“…I did it–I did it!” He let out with a surprised smile.

Celly nodded, “You did…now, I have nothing left to teach you.”

“–” He glanced up at his tutor.

It was clear that the smile she had was one of pride and joy of her student’s achievement, but it did have a certain sadness to it.

As he released the trio of water-shaped dragon heads, letting them dissolve into a sprinkle of rain, he turned around to face his teacher, who knelt down to match his gaze.

“Emilio, over this past year, you’ve become a wonderful mage. You’re ready for the world ahead of you now,” Celly told him, “You’ll surpass me in no time.”

“–” He was left devoid of words, only able to nod.

Of course, instead of words, they instead shared a hug in celebration of this achievement for the young practitioner of magecraft.

…Part of me felt bad for some reason I couldn’t explain. It seemed to me…Celly didn’t feel like she actually taught me anything; to her, it seemed merely as if she was presenting the proper knowledge that I already had an understanding of. That’s wrong…Celly, you made me a hundred times the mage I was before you came here, he thought.

–

Though that time had to come eventually.

He made sure to squeeze all of the time he possibly could with Celly–learning under her, studying beside her, and even just simply chatting with her at times. Still, time waits for nobody.

It was that day.

He was sad to see it come: the full year of learning under Celly had come to its end.

“At least let me get you a carriage ride…” Julius said.

Helping the silver-haired young woman outside, his father was carrying her luggage for her, stepping outside with it.

Celly shook her head with a smile, “It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”

“If ya’ say so,” Julius sighed.

All he could really do was stand there and see her off as he didn’t know what to say. It was different from his time with Veldalla; he felt as if Celly was somebody he had grown a real bond with.

Celly seemed to notice this as she smiled at him, “Emilio.”

“…Yeah?” He looked at her.

“I’m sure you’ll accomplish great things. I couldn’t have asked for a better, brighter student than you–it’s almost too much for an unqualified teacher like myself,” Celly laughed a bit.

“That’s not–”

“Remember our promise, alright?” Celly told him.

He nodded, looking at the silver-haired mage as she showed him the seal on her palm, which he possessed as well.

“Alright…I should get going now,” Celly said, lifting her luggage.

It felt so bittersweet to watch her begin her leave, walking away as he felt a piece of his life leaving, but a new chapter was beginning.

“Just make sure to avoid the mountains during the night!” Julius called out.

Celly simply waved back while becoming more distant.

He finally called out, “Goodbye, Celly-!!!”

The young woman looked back with a surprised expression for a moment before smiling brightly, waving back.

It was sad, but that’s the way life was. It’s full of goodbyes. Though Celly promised to write me letters every now and again, it still felt like a true goodbye. At least, in the shorterm, he thought.

–

There was a lull period in his life; a time in which not much happened besides the usual–he maintained his magic studies, sword training, and helping his father with more quests. This was all in preparation for his journey to become an official, certified adventurer.

[Fourteen-Years-Old]

…Today I set off to become an official adventurer, he thought.

He was dressed in new gear: a light-gray suit with rolled up sleeves, a black vest decorated with golden tracings, and a green cape that was tied around his neck.

Of course, he had his personally-forged sword attached to his belt and his wooden staff in hand, with the dragon-designed pendant hanging around his neck that he was gifted from Irene.

“Today’s the day!…Damn, this is harder than I thought…” Julius’ expression wavered.

Although his father tried to be vibrant, it was clear that what was coming was a difficult goodbye.

“My little boy is all grown up…Well, I know you’ll do just fine,” Treyna smiled down at him.

“It’s not going to be forever. I’ll come back and visit every now and then,” he said with a smile.

Though his words were only met with very tight hugs from both his father and mother, but he definitely understood the sentiment.

It wasn’t as if it was easy for him, either, but he was more excited than anything for this opportunity ahead of him.

As he looked over, just as his eyes met with the young, blue-haired girl’s own, she finally came forward with her words.

“–By the time you return, I’ll be fluent in writing, I promise!” Irene told him, having to work up the courage to be so forward.

“Got it,” he nodded, patting Irene on the head.

It wasn’t too long after that the sound of carriage wheels riding over met his ears. Turning over the dirt trail that led to the Dragonheart residence, the sound of the wheels cycling was impossible to miss.

They had been outside waiting for the person set to be his escort to the Guild Foundation to arrive, and it seemed it was that time.

“–“

Huh…? He thought.

As the carriage came into view, he was taken by surprise at its all-black appearance, looking as if it came straight out of some gothic fantasy; the wooden foundation was black, the door was black, and even the steed that pulled it was coated in abyssal fur.

“…He’s here,” Julius said.

The carriage stopped just before the short, stone walls of the residence, but after a minute, nobody came out.

“Isn’t he going to…you know?” He said.

Julius shook his head, “…Vandread is a special one. But, he’s reliable–plus, he owed me a favor, so that’s why he’s going to be the one to take you to the Guild Foundation.”

Father told me a bit about this “Vandread” person, but he’s still a mystery. The “Guild Foundation” is apparently in Vasmoria and located in a pretty secluded place, with some dangerous locations in between. So, Father called in an old friend of his for a favor. Apparently he was in the same party that Veldalla was in, as well. I was hoping he was normal, but…guess that was too much to ask, he thought.

He gulped, looking back at his family once more as this would be the last time he’d see them for a long time.

As he approached the all-black carriage, he raised his hand to knock on the door, but just before his knuckles could touch it–

It opened.

It was pitch-black inside, causing him further doubt as he gulped, looking back to see his family happily waving him off as he felt as if he was about to step into hell.

…Well, here goes the new chapter in my life! He thought.

As soon as he stepped in, the door closed behind him, leaving him in the pitch-black interior of the carriage before suddenly–the flame of a lantern manifested.

“Gah-!”

He stumbled back, falling right onto the cushioned seat below as he noticed the figure sitting across from him now that had caused the scare in the first place.

It was a man with dark-brown skin, dressed black garbs; the man was definitely around the same age as his father, looking to be in his late-twenties, but he possessed numerous scars on his face–still, despite those scars, it was easy to tell the man was a looker.

“You’re the brat of Julius, huh? You do have his eyes.”

“–” He gulped, “…Yeah, that’s me.”

The mysterious man stared at him with his tired, platinum eyes before raising his hand, snapping his fingers.

With that signal, the tall, black-furred steed out front let out a grunt before the carriage began to turn around and leave the residence.

…I thought it was weird that there wasn’t a driver up front–the horse doesn’t need one?! He thought.

As he looked forward again, the enigmatic man with platinum eyes and shaggy, jet-black hair and matching painted nails was still looking at him.

“Erm…I’m Emilio Dragonheart,” he put on a wry smile, trying to break the ice with an introduction.

Though he extended his hand, he didn’t receive the same etiquette as the mysterious, dark-skinned man layered in scars simply stared at him before leaning back, lounging on the cushioned seat of the carriage.

“Vandread,” the man introduced himself simply, “Behave yourself and let’s just get this over with.”

He nodded, gulping, “…How long is it? To the Guild Foundation, I mean.”

The man hardly looked interested in conversation, though he replied as the sounds of the carriage wheels rolling accompanied his monotone words, “If we’re not interrupted–a couple months.”

“A couple months…?!”

Such a time frame seemed like hell–a month spent with this abrasive, unmannered man who seemed to want to do anything else but escort him.

“I said that’s if we’re not interrupted. Which we will be. Why do you think your dad sent for me?” Vandread said.

“–” He remained silent.

“Yullim may be a peaceful place, but we’re riding across all of Milligarde here and into Vasmoria. It’s a dangerous trail we’re heading down–so sit down and get ready for the road ahead. It’ll be awhile,” Vandread told him.

And just like that, a fresh path was being carved ahead for the young boy–one that would introduce him to the grim reality and the splendid wonders of Arcadius.