The Fractured Mage

Chapter 13 - Lilac(Part 4)

"...-like they won't even listen to me! It's so annoying!" Huffed Lilac, as she moved one of her pieces forward.

"Yeah, that sucks," I replied with a nod, as I caught her piece in a trap and claimed in.

"...are you actually listening?"

"Yeah, that really sucks."

"Hey."

"I see, how awful."

"...hey."

"Mhm, that sucks."

"Hey!" She exclaimed indignantly, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

"Huh? What?" I responded as she startled me.

"You weren't listening to a word I said, were you!?"

"N-no, I was totally listening," I averted my gaze as she glared at me.

"Okay, what was the last thing I said?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Uh...you accused me of not listening to a word you said."

"Before that."

"You said, uh...that sucks?"

"No, that's what you said! You jerk, you were totally tuning me out!" She pouted as she shook me by the shoulders again.

"Okay, to be fair, you were rambling on and on for ages, you can't expect me to-...h-hey, stop shaking me!"

"I'm gonna repeat myself, and this time, you better listen, got it?" She frowned as she flicked my forehead.

"Ow...do I really have to?" I sighed in response.

A few days have passed since that unfortunate incident with the rabbit, it's currently late in the afternoon, about an hour after we had lunch. After eating, she insisted that I join her to play some games, we were currently in the middle of a game of checkers, which I'm winning, I might add.

A few minutes after we started playing, she began venting about something, which she sometimes does...and after a few seconds, I tuned her out and focused on the game.

Oh, nice, I just won.

Let me summarize her grievances...as I've mentioned before, she's a member of Ifeus's Magic Guild, Solaris, but since she's still a Basic Mage, she's only allowed to take on simple Quests.

Also, Ifeus is a super doting and overprotective father, so he's been further limiting the types of Quests she's allowed to take. Like Quests that she's technically eligible for but are still somewhat dangerous, he's been refusing to let her go on such Quests.

And well, she's not happy about it. Especially with the fact that Iris is just a little over two years older than her, but she's allowed to take on far more dangerous Quests.

I don't think that's a valid comparison though...like I mentioned before, Iris is a prodigy, she had a tremendous advantage right from the get go. Her Ether Capacity when she first awakened her Magic System was higher than what the average is for Ascended Mages, which is saying a lot.

A person's Ether Capacity grows the more they use their Magic, like how muscles get stronger the more you use them, and the rate of growth of Ether Capacity is pretty similar for everyone...in other words, those who start off with a high Ether Capacity basically have a head start.

If this was a race, and Lilac and I began at the starting line, then Iris began with the finish line already in sight. And that's a factor that we don't have any control over, it's pretty much down to luck.

"Your problem is that you compare yourself to your sister. There's no sense in that, it's-...," I began, as she finished complaining.

"Oh, not you too. Yeah, I get it, Iris is a one in a million prodigy, I'm nothing but average in comparison," She grumbled irritably.

Well, this isn't good...while her usual abundance of energy really wears me out, she's even more of a pain to deal with when she's in a bad mood...

"Let me finish...I know how hard you train, Li, you certainly don't lose out to her when it comes to effort, that much is undeniable. There's no need for you to try and match her pace...just do things at your own pace. I mean, you've made great progress, haven't you?

You're already pretty close to the level required to become an Ascended Mage, it's only a matter of time now. Most people don't become Ascended Mages till they're in their twenties, it took Ifeus till he was in his thirties, and he's an Apex Mage now, one of the strongest Mages in the world.

Iris may be stronger than you, sure...but you're improving and progressing faster than she is, through sheer effort alone, without relying on any talent or potential that you randomly lucked into. That's nothing to scoff at. In fact, it's pretty amazing, if you ask me," I stated honestly, while setting up the pieces on the checkers board again.

Uh...why's she not saying anything? I'm not used to her being quiet, this is kinda unsettling...did I say something wrong?

Suddenly, as I began to lift my gaze to get a look at her, my eyes widened, caught off-guard by the sight that met me. She's...smiling. She's almost always got a smile on her face, with how cheerful and upbeat she is on a near-constant basis, but...I don't think I've ever seen her smile like this before.

It's so...tender, and warm. The way she's looking at me, the warm glow in her eyes and on her cheeks...wh-why's my chest starting to pound? It feels like my breath is caught in my throat, and my face feels like it's heating up...

"Thank you, To, I...I think I really needed to hear that, you're the best," She remarked, her smile expanding into a happy grin as she let out a cheerful laugh.

She's so...so radiant right now, almost dazzlingly bright...

"D-don't mention it, I just spoke my mind, that's all. You don't need to make a big deal out of it," I muttered, averting my gaze.

"Hm, noted...but I'll decide if something's a big deal to me or not. In fact, you know what? I think that earned you a hug," She decided, standing up and walking around the table.

"Huh? No, no, that's really not necessary, I'm-...," I began with a shake of my head, trailing off as she ignored me and pulled me into a hug.

C-crap, I'm still sitting, which means my head is right on her chest...her soft, bouncy chest-...snap out of it, damn it! Compose yourself, man!

"Hehe, thought you'd put up more of a struggle," She smirked teasingly.

"Th-this really isn't necessary, you know...come on, let go already," I muttered awkwardly, trying to ignore my senses...her scent is so sweet and fragrant, I feel like it's making my head spin.

"Sure, I will...in a bit, we're just getting started," She replied, as she hugged me more firmly...