I just nodded and followed her. I was surprised by what happened after arriving at the place. I saw a man standing there blushing and not seeing any problem.
I asked Rena while pinching her cheeks since we've been getting closer than the last time, "What do you mean by this?"
Rena just smiled and begged me while having her cheeks pinched by me, "To be honest, this is my childhood friend named Nio. He's a wizard who fights in the middle, but…"
"But," I asked her while tilting my head.
Rena answered while sticking her tongue out at me, "He can't do self-defense at all. Can you teach him to help me in an emergency?"
I was confused and asked again while pulling my hands, "Why me and not you?"
She said back to me, "Because I'm not someone who fights openly, I'm a speedster who fights using surprise attacks and high speed."
I nodded in surprise, "Okay, but why me? We got plenty of teachers here."
Nio walked over to me and bent down towards me, "Please, can you teach me the basics?"
I don't understand why he's asking me while he can ask the teachers. But he looks so serious about this, and maybe he has his own reason though. I guess I couldn't refuse and finally I nodded. I didn't expect that I would get a friend like this. Day by day we trained together. I taught him some basic empty hand techniques from the techniques Big Sister Wave taught me.
I spoke to him while teaching him, "Nio, just focus on your enemy."
I continue to train him in basic self defence. I asked him to dodge my attacks or counter if he can. But he seems not really good at it. His stamina isn't that much after teaching him for a few days. But surprisingly, his magic control is very good, maybe he can control it better than me.
One day, Rena, Nio, and I sat together watching the sunset after practice. It was a beautiful day, filled with orange colors filling the scenery. I lay down comfortably while looking at the sky.
"I think we'll make an interesting trio," Rena said.
Nio answered, "I think you're right, right Luna?"
I was surprised and confused to hear that and looked at her.
Nio asked curiously, "Why are you surprised?"
I answered in an embarrassed tone, "I'm not your childhood friend, and we just met a few days ago."
Rena answered jokingly, "You're one of us, even though you're not childhood friends. Now you're stuck with us."
Nio chuckled at Rena's statement and said, "Just give up, once Rena makes a decision, she won't back down until she gets it."
I couldn't say anything so I just stared in silence. They looked very serious about what they were talking about. They considered me one of them. I was a little touched knowing that they accepted me.
"You know Phantasia, right? Would you like to come with me?" Nio said while looking at us seriously.
Rena immediately answered, "Of course, you have to be in that festival, right?"
I was a little hesitant to answer. Moreover, I had tried to reject the festival. But I didn't want to betray their hopes. I nodded and agreed to it.
I asked them, "What must be done to participate in the festival?"
Nio immediately stood up and said, "We must be selected in the elimination of participants in this academy. Phantasia is a famous festival and will guarantee your future if you win and I will become a hunter to search for the book."
Then he continued, "Luna, do you know about the Book of Origin?"
Book of Origin? That word made me a little traumatized. Slowly my breath became labored, my vision became blurry. My body was shaking with fear. Rena and Nio realized my change and approached me to calm me down. I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying to me, it sounded very far away. Relax, me, I can do this, please. It's not like it will do anything to me just by hearing the book's name. Remember what I said to mom a few years ago?
Nio turned my face towards her and looked into my eyes sharply. I was surprised and for some reason it calmed me down a little. The words she said began to be heard little by little.
Nio said to me, "Can you hear me? Thank goodness, I was afraid something would happen to you."
Rena speaks to me with a curious tone, "Luna, do you know anything about the book?"
I just kept quiet, then shook my head. In fact, I didn't know anything about the book, but the book reminded me of the people who killed my parents. My pupils are still small, showing a true fear deep inside me.
Nio said to me, "I think we should stop this conversation-"
But before he could finish speaking, I interrupted him by holding his hand.
I said to her, "No, go ahead. I also want to know something about the book."
Nio hesitantly looked into my eyes, not sure he wanted to tell me the truth. He didn't want something like that to happen to me again. However, I nodded my head, signaling her to continue.
Nio looked at Rena and then back at me while saying, "Okay, then..."
Nio explained everything he knew about the Book of Origin even though her explanation seemed less than convincing. According to the explanation he gave, the Book of Origin was a book. However, it was not just an ordinary book. The book could make everything written in the book come true. The book was a book of the highest level of magic and the origin of all magic. Nio's goal was to find the book to confirm its truth.
Rena also added that the book had never been found, but it was said that it was used by the first hero to save the world from destruction by something evil.
What I just heard from them is almost the same as what I heard from mom's story a few years ago. It's about the first hero and the spirit that made the book to save the world. But Nio told me that the book can rewrite fate itself. The reality could be changed only if someone wrote it on the page. The effect including global and everything on it, no one can escape from the effect. If someone writes about the world's destruction then…
Nio explained that he wanted to go on his journey, but something was holding him back. He wanted to win Phantasia to help him go on his journey to find the Book of Origin. From what I heard from him, he seemed to have to put on a good show to convince his family to go on the journey to know the truth about the Book of Origin.
Nio then said to me, "The Book of Origin contains the beginning of this world. We will know what happened before we were born and even before the first hero came to this world."
He stares at me with determined eyes as if silently asking me to help him in the festival. I think I could feel the conviction in his eyes. I wanted to support him and help him. Rena seemed to really want to help Nio no matter what, and so did I.
I told him, "I… Fine, I'll come…" I sigh softly and start regretting my own decision.
Nio nodded his head and thanked me. We continued to have a pleasant chat that day together. We continued to watch the sunset until the sun was no longer visible. The scenery that day was very beautiful, the sky filled with orange light from the sun until it finally set.