The Lightning Mage

58 | The Proposal, Part II

♥✯♥✯♥

Seven years ago...

Millie buried her face into her hands. Tears leaked from her fingers, splattering onto the wooden tabletop, soaking her trembling arms. She knew that there was no one around her, but she still tried her best to suppress her sobs.

Her seat wobbled. She lifted her head to glance at the unexpected newcomer. It was Raph, perched on the other end of the bench. His thick eyebrows were furrowed in chagrin as he held out a napkin.

Unable to speak, Millie nodded in appreciation as she took the napkin and blew her nose. The two of them sat, still and unmoving, for a while, until Raph decided to break the silence.

"Break is over. Class started, like, ten minutes ago, I think."

Millie nodded. She had heard the bell, but she had ignored it. After all, what was the point of going to classes anymore? She had worked so hard, only for her teacher to crush her dreams with just one sentence. Just thinking about it made her want to cry again.

"How do you know I'm here?" she croaked.

Raph leaned his back on the table and spread his arms out. "You mentioned before that you like this spot for the seclusion, so I figured you'd be here."

Millie's cheeks reddened. She had told every one of her friends about this secluded spot, but she had described it more as a place for secret make-out sessions. It seemed that Raph was the only one who saw beyond her fake portrayal. He had always been so attentive.

"You should go back to class first," she said. "I'll join later."

The dark-skinned boy shook his head. "I'm already late anyway. I'll stay with you till the next class."

Her heart fluttered. She had disappeared since the start of break, but none of her friends had checked up on her. Only Raph. And not only did he find her, but he also wanted to stay. The nerd, the future valedictorian, opted to skip class and stay with her.

She pulled on the wet napkin as she fidgeted in her seat. "I can't get into the fighter class," she whispered.

Her eyes were glued to the wooden table, but she could see—and feel—Raph's head jerk towards her. "What? Why?" he asked incredulously. "But you're- you're so good! And you've been working so hard!"

Millie gulped. "I can't... I can't enhance weapons..." Just muttering this sentence made her want to crawl up into a hole and disappear from this world.

"What do you mean? You're a powerful enhancer mage, aren't you? I've seen the way you pull things out of the air, it's insanely cool." Raph was so serious and genuine that it was hurting her heart even more.

"I don't pull things out of the air, I just take them from one location to another," she explained with a slight chuckle. "And that's conjuration, it's a different type of enhancer magic that's not needed for a fighter."

"So... you can't be a fighter with that magic?"

Millie answered by slumping onto the bench again, landing her head on her hands with a loud thud.

"I don't get it," Raph continued. "Why do you need to be able to enhance weapons anyway? You can always get someone else to enhance them for you. Aren't there some professional fighters who do that?"

"Ms. Jensen is not allowing it." Millie's voice was muffled in her arms. "I have to be able to enhance my weapon to get into a fighter class."

"But you've been training so hard, we all see that, the teachers all see that. Are there... Are there no exceptions?"