As Shio and I walk away from the towers I feel the high from the manhandling, and mana slowly edge down. Nothing is said, nor any attempt to communicate between Shio and I as we stop outside a store displaying suits and dresses. Something I have never admitted but I envy women and their ability to dress in beautiful and colorful clothing. Men can not wear colorful suits without people thinking them off, maybe even crazy. Might be different in this world but it is what I am use to.

I wonder what will happen at the school because I broke the sword hero’s foot and gave his front half burns all over, “Shio, there is healing magic, isn't there?” I tilt my head looking at her. I… Should of asked this before crippling him and burning his sword into ashes. The aggressiveness I showed felt natural, like it was myself. But looking back at it...So many questions. What is mana? It warps minds, space, and reality. It seems to function closely to that one quantum physics mindfuckery. Where… was it light? Well, something small acted like a wave and a particle, there intelligent life seemed to indicate how it behaved.

I demand a star. I get a star. My mana feels endless, what holds me back is my body. I think. Better than a human one I am sure. But I am unsure.

I feel a tug on my hand breaking me from my thoughts as Shio looks at me worryingly, her hand lingers on mine for some reason, “I am fine. Just thinking. So do they have healing magic? I am quite ignorant on that field. I saw what looked like to be doctors at some point, but I am not sure if they are assisted by magic or simple medicines.”

She nods, “Alright. Did not totally cripple him than. That is good, I think.” I take my hand form hers and open the door. I wonder if she has a crush on me. The hand thing as pretty big sign, or a different culture. I am not sure, I have not interacted with women much here.

I will ignore it for now. Shio walks into the store and I follow behind her. There is, “Why does lace seem to be everywhere?” I mutter out, Shio looks over with a small smile. Probably laughing at my pain.

Someone walks up to us, a girl dressed in one of the dresses on display. A pretty girl that I am sure was hired for her figure, to be a living model to show off how nice these dresses look on the right body. Smart choice, I think. I have been proven wrong a lot in my old world.

She walks up to us without looking up. She picks up the sides of the laced monstrosity that she is wearing and does that strange movement all the servants proform. Right let wrapped in front of the left. The knees bend just enough to lower the individual, “Greeting Lady Winter. Greeting Sir Mage. How may this one help you?”

I smirk and chuckle while glancing so Shio, “Does the whole city know you?”

She nods.

“Gods, that must be stressful. We are looking to expand my selection of clothing. Something without lace if possible. A two piece suit? Are those popular?” I’ll admit. I have always one of those extremely fancy suits. Is it three pieces? Shirt, jacket thingy, and pants. Yea three pieces.

The girl in the dress nods and bows once more, “Any color preference, sir mage?”

“Black is fine. Closer to the color that I have on the better.” The service girl, yes a fitting name. The service girl nods and walks to the back. Shio follows after her so do I as well. The girl stops in front of a mirror while pulling out a measuring type. Well, more just a piece of fabric notched with ink. Each mark is a bit shorter than a inch.

“Sir Mage. I need to measure you if you are not offended…” She still refuses to look me in the eyes. Discormting in a way.

“I do not mind. Would it be easier if I took off my shirt?” The service girl nods. I shrug and slide the leather chest piece off of me. I stretch my arms out and let out a mixture of a huff and a purr of feeling my chest being free. I feel my tail flick slide to side, hitting my ankle with soft pats. While I looked behind me I looked into Shio’s eyes. Her face blushed but she quickly breaks eye contact by looking to the ground.

I...well. I am not terribly dense. Hand holding? Attempted. Blush face and unavailable to make eye contact? Check. I like her, not in the way she likes me, but as a friend. She's quite, enjoyable to be around.

Breaking my thought’s for a moment I feel a piece of fabric pressed on the middle of my chest. It wraps around as well, to check how thick, wide, and long my torso is. After that, the poor girl has to get a step stool to easily measure my shoulders. She could of reached, easy. I think she needed to be level with them? I do not know how tailors work.

“Sir mage, what robe color are you in the college?”

“Oh, I am purple. Shio, do any of the gods have holy text, ways to worship, or something along the lines?” The service girl seems confused but Shio nods, “Perfect. Is it possible to can have a constellation or two knitted...Or whatever the word is for it. A white stitching on the arms of a consolation. I gotta look the part of a hero.” I chuckle. Super power suit? Na, just an outfit to walk around and feel important in. Hopefully in not a crowded area.

It's interesting. Wanting to be dressed nice, but not being the center of attention

I am brought out of my thoughts once more by the service girl staring up at me with wide eyes. Doe like brown eyes, “A hero?...” I nod with a smile, always put on a smile. It makes you seem more friendly. Her eyes go to my ears, than my tail, “I-I am sorry great hero! I-I’ll g-go get the head tailor.” She stands up and backs away. My shoulders slump as I sigh.

“You're doing an excellent job. Do you need to measure anything else?” The poor frightened girl nods. I look over to Shio for an explanation on why this is happening but she signs out book once more. Fucking books.

The girl stops, a mental storm in her mind. She nods and hesitantly walks back over with the measuring stick in hand, “S-sir Hero...A-are you sure you do not want a professional working on your clothes?”

“I am sure. I well and truly do not mind. A simple suit of black with blue, white, and purple stitched visibly to form constellations. Everything else can be chosen by you, or whoever makes it. I am not picky and will be happy with anything make.” The service girl nods. She lowers herself to wrap the tape around my thigh then brings it down to measure how long my legs are.

“W-we will h-have it done soon Sir Hero…” She bows while I look to Shio, trying to portray confusion with just a facial expression, “I-I am sorry we can't have it done sooner Sir Hero!”

“We do not need to pay?” I tilt my head, looking to Shio who shakes her head. She signs out

“H-e-r-o. N-o.” Gods I am glad to have Shio around. Smart girl who knows the land. Taught her JUST enough to actually communicate with me and not have to play a game of twenty questions when I want to know something.

“I… Well I will be back in a few days than. Have a good day Miss.”

“Have a blessed day under the gods and a happy story Hero.” She curtsies. That's the word. I fucking knew I knew it.

Shio and I leave the shop after I put the leather chest piece on, hiding my pale chest from the sun. Silly sun, chest aren't meant to be burnt.

Shio and I start to walk… Somewhere. She took the lead and I started to follow. She has not attempted to communicate to me. I trust her to a point. If she wanted me dead it would be a lot simpler. Plus I get to see more of the city.

About 15 minutes in the walk we enter what looks to be the area where all the nobel mansions are kept. On their gates elements are drawn in the metal gates. Flags, written words, armour, guards. Decorations to make one manor look more amazing than another. Gate’s made out of odd metals, the road here is smooth and polished. I can see my own reflection in the marble road itself. When the gates give to walls, the walls are painted in a explosion of colors. Families in battle, forming magic, making something, sitting and reading. Hallmarks to the name that they have earned and kept from generations passed.

History painted on theses walls. Less detailed than a biography but much easier to understand who they are, and what they do. Why they are important enough to have so much money that they can have such grand homes and take care of it as well. Is she taking me to her home? It is pretty logical once you think about it, I will still have to ask… “Shio...Are you taking me to where you live?” She nods, “Why?”

“B-o-o-k-s.” I tilt my head.

“They do not have a library back at the college?” She shakes her head, “That… Is a shame. Well, I am glad that you are taking me to your home. Thank you for trusting me.” I smile down at her. She looks away with a red face. Yea this is getting pretty bad… Almost like I am her first crush.

I will ignore that for later. We stop in front of a gate about half an hour later. It is inscribed with a evergreen tree, and the ground around it covered in snow and ice. Yea, this screams winter. Shio opens the gates by pushing on them while making what look like ice roller skates for the gate to easily and quietly slide open. We walk up a winding path for a good few minutes. The path ends at a staircase just a few steps tall. At the apex of these stairs is a door made of snow white wood. Not a single speck of dust or rot on the white doors.

On an impulse I reach out and stroke the door. I jerk my hand back with a small noise of surprise and a bit of pain from just how cold the door is. It is not bad, not like an instant freezing of my finger and hand but just the feeling of randomly having your hand plunged in a bucket of ice. You can tough it out, but the immediate knee jerk reaction is something you can not control if you do not see it coming.

Shio has a small smile on her face and her shoulders are rising up and down rapidly. A small audible noise from her breathing is easily heard as well, “You’re laughing at me…” I pout at this girl. She knew this, and she just let me touch it. You’re supposed to stop cats from touching things that will hurt them! Not laugh as they jump in shock!

I watch, while holding my hand to try to warm it up, Shio simply walk up the steps and push the double doors open, ignoring or immune to the cold. Cheeky thing.

We walk into a polished marble entryway. Like, I can see my reflection in the floor. Almost like a mirror. Shio once more takes the lead. The door closing behind us with a weight to the noise of the door closing. That sound of the foundation being rattled by the force it closes with. So many horror movies start with this scene. Shio goes up to another pair of doors across the room form the doors that lead outside. She pushes on one, taking a bit of force to actually open these doors.

I, being a gentleman, help her open it. My body is close to hers as I push with a single hand. It… opens finally. Damn it was heavy. What the hell? Why would you need such heavy doors?

“Lady Shio, who is the… guest?” I jump form the sudden and random bodiless voice. Full literally in the air with all my hair going on the ends. I’ll admit her house creeps me out. The sheer amount of featureless white walls. The self closing doors. The fucking random voice.

Shio walks a bit farther into the hall and turns where the door was hiding a older butler. Grey hair, a white suit with a red tie. His gloves white, his shoes oddly black. Very mismatched coloring. Thank god it wasn't a voice like Marble, “I am Ivan Mercer. Hero of Fata Stele, who else would walk around wearing star sprankled leathers?”

The butler scuffs, “Any fool could walk in and claim being the chosen of a low ranked, hardly known, us-”

“Whoever you are. I do not care what you relation to my friend is. I will end your life if you finish that sentence.” A heat blooms like a flower in my chest. Anger, righteous anger. The type of anger that causes men to stop thinking straight. I tighten my fist and take a step closer to this dumb, dumb, butler. My eyes glare into his, down at him. I feel my ears go flat on my head, protecting themselves if things go south.

The butler eyes are wide. He backs up and places his back on a wall as I feel my hand grabbed. Gently. The fact it was gentle stops me from acting out just how I did the kid with the sword. I also know the feeling of that hand even though I have only spent a few hours with her, “What Shio?”

She shakingly signs out after letting go of my hand, “N-o h-u-r-t.” I sigh as I take deep breaths. Years of anger therapy setting back in as I calm myself. Of course I am still livid, but just a notch below punching someone in the throat and stepping on their crotches while they choke on their own coughing.

“Being in your class makes me important, does it not?” She nods.

“So why am I, and my goddess. My sweet, loving, caring, goddess being insulted by a old piece of shit who has gone so blind he can’t color match his own fucking outfit?” I feel my anger rise as I let out my furstion. It calms though as Shio does her odd little laugh. No sound but the body language of laughter is there, even a smile of her face. I am a guy. I'm weak to cute girls smiling. No matter what anyone says, I think their heart melts a bit when a girl smiles and laughs when you do something they find funny, “Just take me to the library you little mute snowma- women? Snow women.” She nods again, waving to butler.

She takes my hand and guides me through the hall. I miss cars at this point. My ankles are sore from walking and climbing so many stairs or walking up and down hills.

I am easily distracted aren't I? “I am easily distracted aren't I?” Shio shrugs, “What do you mean maybe?”

“M-a-g-i-c n-o. D-a-y y-e-s.”

“When I practice magic I am not. You haven't even seen me awake at night. Their is no way for you to know that, unless it is some weird cat-kin thing. That is my race right? Everyone has been calling me that, so there is no other race that looks quite like them but just a bit different?”

She looks in thought for a moment than shrugs. Of course I sigh, “Let me guess. Book?” She nods.

We walk in silence for a few minutes before she turns and opens a set of double doors. No difference in these ones, and the rest the line of the hallway of white, featureless marble. The doors of wood? I do not know. Everything is just white, white, white. Like fresh, pure, untouched snow. It is disoranting.

I glance in the room that Shio opened to see a typical fantasy noble library. Minus the gold and carvings, along with painting and such. Just bookcases, some type of leather furniture, and more bookcases. Can’t forget the window letting let in, causing the floor to dimly sparkle like morning dew mixed with glitter. Dear Fata is that distrasting. Pretty, but distracting.

Shio practically prances in the room. How she manages to do that? I do not know. Maybe it is something about being born and raised a noble. It is odd. In her world, in her mind. She is a noble women. Someone of high birth who was raised for a task. To be married off...I do not like to think about that. To be a mage worthy of the name, something. Me? I'm a lucky fucker who was simply chosen by a beautiful, kind, graceful goddess. I was given gifts, dropped in the world. And a lucky encounter got me to a comfortable place to sleep, learn, and makes friends with this little noble girl. I like to think we are friends.

In her mind? I am a hero. Someone who appears to fight the dark forces of the world, smite evil, all that fun hero in shining armour stuff. I wonder, would she stay by me if I acted out and burnt this city down. Stopped holding my magic back, salt the earth with radiation, burn the fertile soil to glass, and kick the unlucky bastard who pissed me off till he died? Thoughts for another time, she is returning with a book.

She grabs my hand, dragging me to a couch where she sits down and pats the seat next to her. A ink bottle, feather, and a stack of paper have appeared on the table as well. Huh. I must of been lost in thought for a while.

“So why this one first?” I look to the paper and her hands. Not her lips. Not like I can read them.

“It is a journal left by my ancestor The Hero of Winter.”

“The? Is their not multiple ones that happened?” I open the book. Well I tried to. It is sealed shut.

“Extend your mana around you. It unlocks through a Hero’s mana, touched by the divine.” One thing to note, is her handwriting is very small but neat. I do not remember being available to read their script. Another gift? Fata Stele’s kindness knows no bounds.

Time to test if I have improved my ability. With a thought my mana settles itself over the capitol. Of course it covers a bit more past the wall. A small pressure lies on the shoulders of every living thing in my magic. Something powerful feeling that If I shrinked it, everyone would have no choice to kneel. I wonder if I am a mage, of a sourcer. Someone who studies, who someone made with this power. If I am a sourcer, not a mage. Will it grow or will I stagnant? Shio pokes my hand to force me to focus on the book. The doors to the library closes as I push them with my will.

I can manipulate my raw mana. Something felt right. I just imagined a force shoving the doors closed and they closes. Something new to think about.

Shio pokes me again, so I open the book to the first page and begin to read the life story of a another Hero.