my foolishness, and my damned mistake

now we're here—really, what a deadly mistake

---

Upon a grassy, sunlit spot the red-haired magician rested with his hands cushioning his head. His eyes fluttered between drowsy and asleep. He recalled vaguely him leaving his dorm for some job but in the end, the warmth of the gentle afternoon convinced him to momentarily sit down and enjoy the open, spiraling sky above. But all too quickly a few minutes turned into a few hours. How could he resist its allure? It fed his fascination and wonder—could the sky stun him more so than now? What ridiculous enchantment he spoke! So caught up in the moment he briefly forgot the overwhelming beauty of the night sky. But whereas the eyes feasted upon the night, his skin drew toward the azure planetscape (and the warmth wrapping him in gentle layers of content and tranquility). And oh, he wanted to grasp and pull it to him—greedy as he were and desiring more of its tender light. If he could, he would also stop time so he could stay like this—in a momentary state of ignorant serenity. But didn't he have something to do...? He could hardly recall, but as he thought about it more the fog in his brain slowly dissipated. With a sigh, he lifted himself from the ground. He brushed off the dirt and grass from his clothes before tiredly dragging his feet toward the location fading in and out of his mind. (He was still tired, okay!?)

---

243 / 500

my foolishness, and my damned mistake

now we're here—really, what a deadly mistake

---

As though it were never to pass—and that the universe refused to provide Ariel passage to his destination without any distractions—as he drew nearer to a familiar village, a man with salmon pink hair greeted him excitedly and pulled him away from his intended destination. Any time he attempted to protest—he wasn't here to chat, and this was an inopportune time to drag him into whatever the hell Natan came up with this time—his damned brother overrode him with loud chatter. Natan's grip on his wrist practically merged them together so Ariel could not physically escape either (damned fanalises and their damned strength). His only direction was wherever the hell Natan steered him, but he would not go silently into the night! Oh no, if Natan planned to derail his entire afternoon with whatever the hell he wanted from him, Ariel would go kicking and screaming.

---

373 / 500

my foolishness, and my damned mistake

now we're here—really, what a deadly mistake

---

As the other dragged him along, he mentioned the gap in between Ariel's last visit, to which the catty magician retorted by saying Natan spent most of his visit damning Ariel to training hell for the sole reason of laughing at him. As though nothing could sway Natan's cheerful mood he tossed his hair back and laughed.  He suddenly warned, "you've better been practicing, big bro~!"

Big...bro...? Since when did Natan ever call him that!? His lips fell downward, and he shot an accusatory glare at Natan. "Who the hell have you been hanging out around, huh?" he demanded. He didn't like the thought of Natan hanging around anyone who could influence him and he was scared Natan would move on without him because he did not want to see them lead his darling brother astray——

---

512 / 500

my foolishness, and my damned mistake

now we're here—really, what a deadly mistake

---

Kyeh!

Ariel's thoughts cut off as foot met stomach with the force of a ramming bull. He stumbled back from the (painful) blow delivered to his stomach. Fucking hell, that hurt! He whipped his head up to find the little shit laughing at him. That brat! (But really, he ought to have expected this sort of behavior from his crappy little brother.)

"Oi! What was that for!?"

Natan winked at the angry magician before moving forward again. Ariel did not even have time to lift his arms into a guarding position when a roundhouse kick swept his body to the side as if he was nothing more than a mere doll. The thought boiled his blood. He wasn't just a fucking doll, dammit!

---

500+ / 500

my foolishness, and my damned mistake

now we're here—really, what a deadly mistake

---

"Hey, hey, big bro~ If you're so angry, you should do something about it!"

Arrogant brat.
It's on, you little fucker.

He didn't have his staff on him, but so what!? He could do without it just fine no he couldn't fuck what was he thinking. He was also an arrogant brat though. Trying to compete with a fanalis in raw strength in speed was like asking to lose. Fanalises weren't considered (physically) the strongest race for nothing. And it wasn't like magicians weren't considered the weakest race physically anyway. In other words, they were useless without their magic. He was useless without his magic. The very idea brought a burn to his ears and cheeks. Fuck, he absolutely despised being dependant on anything or anyone!

---

500+ / 500