I was the little kid in the family and as a little kid in the family, I didn’t get much value from father or mother. It was also big brother, Rook this, Rook that, it was always Rook and Rook...Well, what can I say about him? He never treated me like his little brother. I was a plaything for him...Someone who he can do anything he wants to.

I felt so lonely...I felt like my world would crumble if this continued and I felt like I would just get used to it and someday die in my little brother’s shadow. That’s when I met her.

I remember getting bullied by my brother and he was punching my face just like how he is doing it now. That’s when she appeared out of nowhere and stepped in front of me, “What do you think are you doing to him?!” She said to Rook.

She was a girl about my age but she was quite daring compared to me...I would say that she was quite cool. The coolest person I had met until Sir Dan came. I was mesmerized by her beauty and her strength to stand up for others.

She used her martial arts skills to beat down my brother and she was so graceful when she did it.

“What’s your name?” She asked me and I answered her with my name. She smiled and her smile was the cutest thing I had seen in my life. Her smile was quite satisfying...

“What’s your name?” I asked her after she helped me get back up, “Kaileen, Kaileen Fracia.” She replied to me with a smile and I watched her.

“Any day, those bullies give trouble to you, give me a call, I will give you my number.”

It all started that day, she gave me her number and I was the happiest man on the planet that day. It was all joy for me. I started enjoying my life even if my mother and father just ignored me. I thought that even if there is one person who values me, I can go on living my life happily.

Every day, Kaileen got closer to me, “Your smile is cute, Luke!” She said to me. Her words gave me the confidence to keep on smiling.

I started to smile more and more every day. I thought that my life was all good and dandy until...

“I don’t want to be friends with you anymore...So let’s cut our ties.” I never understood why she said that to me but...That hurt, that hurt more than anything and the smile that she had every day, even that had gone.

At that moment, I began thinking, what happened? Did I do anything wrong? Why did she sever ties with me? Was I not a good friend?

“I don’t want to lose her friendship...” I tried to say that to her but she looked at me, her face was sadder than anything and I thought that...She was about to cry, “I am a Princess and you are just a normal nobleman, nothing special...You are weak and a Princess like me doesn’t need weak friends like you!”

Is that really what she wanted to say? If that’s the reason why did she have tears as she ran away from me? Why did you say those things to me if it hurt you too?! Why did you break yourself as well as me?! WHY?! I never got that answer and I never expected that we would enter the same magic academy.

That’s when things changed...I begin feeling jealous, jealous, why? Isn’t it simple? The Princess was happy with that guy Tarand. He was there for her...But I kept it to myself, I thought that it will be fine as long as I she is happy but then that Tarand guy disappears and all of a sudden the Princess is all worried...All sad...Angry...She isn’t like the person I know her anymore.

That’s when he appeared, that guy who is my teacher, Sir Dan. I thought he was pretty damn cool when he provoked Kaileen so I saved him. I thought I could depend on him, I thought I had a friend but...I got angry at him that one time and I came to know that he knew more things than anyone else.

Sir Dan wanted to help us all out, he is not some wannabe teacher, he told me about Horrell and Kaileen’s problem and he wasn’t wrong. My problems aren’t that big compared to them and they aren’t something that he can’t solve either but when will I get the confidence to solve my problems. I think that’s what Sir Dan is teaching us all. He is teaching us to have more confidence in ourselves.

In this past month or so, Sir Dan...He has been my inspiration to continue and Kaileen has been my motivation.

I want to be like Sir Dan and I want to be the one to protect Kaileen. I want to be strong enough to a point where she can rest easy on my shoulder and not worry about anything.

XXXXXX

The crowd watches Luke as he struggles to get back up, “I won’t *Huff* Lose *Huff*” It seems that Luke’s face is covered with blood and there are bruises and cuts all over his chest as it is visible due to Luke’s clothing falling on the ground in pieces.

“Your student should just give up, Dan, he is out of breath.” Flesty says.

“She is right Luke, just give-“

Luke interrupts me, “I WILL DEFEAT, ROOK!”

“Luke...”

“If that’s how you want it than that’s how it will be.” Rook says with an evil smirk.

XXXXXX