The Midnight Trickster (Wistoria: Wand and Sword X Female OC)

Chapter 2: Indifferent Resolve

--------Hanabi POV--------

Four years had passed since I first stepped foot into this world of magic and mages, and now, at nine years old, I found myself seated in a grand library.

Shelves stretched from the floor to the high, domed ceiling, each one crammed with ancient books and scrolls that buzzed faintly with magic.

The scent of old paper and ink filled the air, mingling with the soft crackle of arcane energy.

Before me lay an open tome, its yellowed pages detailing the intricacies of Regarden Magical Academy, and the path one could take to become a Magia Vander.

The text explained in great detail that only the most powerful and innovative mages could ever dream of being scouted by the Tower-Mercedes Caulis, where the five Magia Vander resided.

There were two ways to ascend to that level: either get scouted by the Tower for exceptional magical talent or create an entirely new spell-something unheard of, an original magic unique to its creator.

Create a new spell...

I stared at the words, my pink eyes lazily scanning over the pages. So that's the secret, huh? I tapped my fingers against the cover of the book, feeling nothing but disinterest.

The Magia Vander... the ultimate rank among mages.

People spent their entire lives striving to become one of them, their dreams and ambitions entirely consumed by the desire for power and recognition.

They craved the prestige, the status, the glory of being acknowledged as the strongest.

But to me, it was nothing. None of it mattered.

I flipped another page, barely registering the diagrams and magical circles that filled the next section.

The intricate spells, the magical theory, the countless hours of study and practice-for what? A title? The responsibility of protecting the world?

To be bound to that tower, following rules and expectations?

I sighed and closed the book with a soft thud, pushing it aside.

The flickering magical lanterns overhead cast a dim glow on the pile of books around me, all carefully chosen to educate me on the Magia Vander's rise to power.

But the more I read, the more it solidified my thoughts.

I don't care.

Becoming a Magia Vander sounded like a hassle. It was work-tedious, repetitive work with no end in sight.

Rules to follow, obligations to fulfill, people constantly watching, expecting more and more.

The academy was no different, a place filled with students hungry for validation, for acknowledgment from their peers and the world at large.

They chased after these dreams, blinded by ambition.

And for what? To be locked in that tower for the rest of their lives? To be shackled to the title of Magia Vander and forever bound to protect a world they had no control over?