They both go on their way to Stellanova. Taking a carriage lift to get there on time. And upon arrival, they encounter a first-year student by the name of Harry. He was quite an interesting boy, always stood out from people his age, not because of looks or status, but because of his interest in magic. Prof. Nowell occasionally praises him for his theories and hypotheses. Many see him as a smart and determined lad, but others see him as a nuisance and an annoyance.
Walking towards his first class of the day, common bullies stopped him and pushed him to the ground. He isn't as strong or as naturally gifted in mana as his other classmates, but his intellect has gotten him this far. Before defending himself, Nathan and Noah notice this and rush over to him in an instant. Standing behind them were upperclassmen who don't tolerate these kinds of things. Harry smiles at them, but the bullies believe that he's gone over his head, and the leader decides to throw a punch, but it is caught by Noah.
He asks him,
"Just what in the hell are you doing?"
In a threatening tone, Nathan chimes in.
"Ganging up on a weaker classmate? (whistles) You guys must be so cool and tough. Don't you think, Noah?"
"No, seems lame to me."
One of the bullies nervously goes on to say,
"Why the hell do you care what we do with him? Stay out of this!"
The other member of their little bully group tries to attack Nathan, but he traps him the same way he did to the water mage earlier on.
Nathan gives a sarcastically exaggerated expression of shock.
"Noah, did you see what he tried to do?"
Noah starts to squeeze the arm of the leader, and he grunts in pain.
"Oh yeah, I saw that."
"I wonder what we should do with them. The academy usually takes care of these things, but today, I'm feeling a bit of a volunteering mood. What do you think, Harry? What should we do with these troublemakers?"
Harry giggles at their actions and asks Nathan and Noah to let them go. Noah squeezes the arm tighter before letting him go and warns him that the next time, he'll lose it.
"So, Harry, how's it been?"
Harry tidies himself up and then starts to ramble on about his latest thesis.
"Hold on, let me talk to Noah and then I'll get back to you."
Harry nods in excitement at getting help and feedback from his favorite upperclassman.
"Let me hear out what he has to say, and I'll get back to you."
"Alright. Do you want me to tell them or will you?"
"I think I should."
"Okay, see you later."
Nathan goes back to a beaming Harry.
"Let's go sit by that bench and hear what you have today."
As soon as they sit down, Harry begins his explanation.
"(excitedly) I've been thinking about all the possible factors and ways of how mages of different affinities can swap around with other elements similar to each other."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that a water mage can cast ice, as well as fire to light, earth to other natural minerals, and wind to sound."
"That's fascinating. What about shadow magic?"
"Oh… haven't gotten around to it yet."
Nathan gives an awkward smile and turns his head in shame.
"Seems like I'm left out."
Harry frantically shakes his hands and head.
"No, no. It's just that I don't know what can be linked to shadows, at least for right now."
"It's fine. But I'm wondering what made you think of this in the first place."
"It's kind of hard to say, really."
"Don't worry. It's just me and you here, plus you can trust me."
"Okay. It started when I saw someone steal a pumpkin from my mom's vendor. My dad stopped me from making a move and went on to chase the thief himself. He got away, and my dad came back empty-handed. My mom wasn't able to make a profit for the day, but they both reassured me and smiled, telling me not to worry about these things and focus on school. After that, I felt ashamed. Not at them, but at myself for not being able to do something. I understand that I'm weak, both physically and magically, and so I thought of the possibility that maybe I'm not meant to be a mage in the front lines, but someone who can help behind the scenes. And maybe, even if it's just a sliver of a chance, I can shift from water to ice. I know it sounds stupid of me for even thinking about it, but still. Maybe there's someone out there like me, you know. Someone who wants to help but is not able to, and after trying out my idea, they could be a hero."
Nathan looks at him with soft eyes at the down-spirited boy in front of him. A boy with big ambitions of not only helping his family but also others as well. He then softly pats Harry's head and says,
"You're an amazing kid, Harry. Being strong doesn't have to be all about raw power, but about how you can make a positive difference in people's lives. Take those dickheads from earlier. They're strong but want to use that strength to belittle those below them."
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right, my mom told me that."
"She told you that?"
"I wasn't always like this growing up. (chuckles) I was actually quite weak."
"(surprised) Really?"
"Oh yeah. But fortunately, I was raised by her, and from that point on I'd try my hardest not for myself but for others… sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"Well, it would be great to be able to do things solely for yourself from time to time. Like taking long, relaxing naps under a tree."
Harry begins to laugh hysterically at what he heard.
"(grin) Alright, let's go. We'll be late for our classes, and I'm sure you want to rush over to Prof. Nowell afterwards."
"Sure."
As they were about to go their separate ways, Harry was trying to find the words to say to Nathan, but shyness tends to get the better of him. Nathan notices this and asks if everything is alright. Harry then takes a deep breath and asks,
"Is it alright if I call you big bro?"
Nathan's eyes widen in shock with only one word escaping from his mouth.
"Why?"
Harry responds while fiddling with his fingers and looking down.
"It's because I look up to you and that whenever I'm in a bit of a predicament, you're someone I can most likely rely on. You don't have to agree, I know it sounds way too forward and a bit weird, but I've always wanted a big brother and you're almost like one."
Nathan smiles at how his heart is feeling right now. A sense of pride begins to spew out from his response.
"I'd like that."
Harry beams with more joy than when they started talking on the bench. Clenching his hands in utter excitement, he jumps and waves goodbye to him as he goes to his class.
Nathan then walks off and raises his head a bit higher after their conversation.
[A big brother, huh. Has a nice ring to it if you ask me.]