Chapter 3: CH. 3 | Classless Isn’t a Bad Thing

"You?!" the young man shouted, the leader of the gang from before.

"I’ve got your. Just you wait!"

"My father’s men are going to come and beat you in the face!" he barked.

He took off running out of the village square, his five friends limping along behind him in pain. Theo narrowed his eyes, sensing that this young man wasn’t just some random troublemaker.

If he actually meant what he said, it could turn into real trouble, not just for Theo, but for everyone back at the orphanage too.

"You’re not used to fighting bare handed," Maya said, "Look at your hand, it got cut up fighting them."

Theo turned and pulled his hand up, looking at the cut across the back of it. Still, it wasn’t a big deal, a man won’t cry over a scrape he got in a fight.

"Let’s head back."

Maya agreed, and the two of them walked away from the village square, heading back to the orphanage on the outskirts. Along the way, they talked lightly about what had just happened, though Theo kept dodging every time Maya asked how exactly he’d beaten those guys.

Theo had already read up on plenty of skills and seen them demonstrated before. By his own judgment, an ability to see the future wasn’t some ordinary power.

I mean, if someone had a power like that, wouldn’t it mean they could dodge every threat and come out ahead just by cheating off what was going to happen anyway?

If other people found out, Theo’s life would never be the same again, even though he knew his reputation would probably shoot up too. Still, his safety mattered more than anything else.

"I already told you... it was just my instincts talking," Theo answered.

"I really can’t stand you sometimes, you know that?"

"Huh? Weren’t you the one asking how I beat them? Well, that’s the answer, that’s how it happened," Theo said.

He raised his arm and slung it over Maya’s shoulder, a smug grin spreading across his face as he leaned in to whisper to her.

"Oh my knight Maya, if you really want to learn how I did it, you could just make me your teacher. All you’ve to do is kneel down and admit I’m the greatest," Theo joked.

"Really?" Maya asked, raising her clenched fist, "How about this?"

PUNCH!

Theo froze, mouth hanging open, as Maya’s fist slammed straight into his stomach, dropping him to the ground where he rolled around in pain.

"I don’t see your instincts working this time," Maya said.

"You... you’re unbelievable, Maya, I just woke up from being knocked out," Theo shot back, pointing at her weakly.

"Oh really? Well then, my apologies," Maya replied, crouching down in front of him, "Though it would’ve been so much better if you’d stayed out a little longer. What do you say? Interested?"

"N-No."

He tried to push himself up off the ground, standing while clutching his stomach. Getting punched by that girl hurt, but somehow he’d gotten used to it, maybe Maya was just the type who showed affection through physical violence.

What a lucky guy her friend was!

Maya turned her face away and started walking off, leaving Theo behind.

In the distance, the orphanage came into view. Theo could see the other kids from the home standing outside, about twelve of them in total.

They stood there as if waiting to welcome Maya and Theo back, since the two of them were the only ones from the orphanage who’d taken part in this year’s awakening ceremony.

The sisters at the orphanage smiled and had the children clap, welcoming Maya and Theo home. Maya smiled and waved, while Theo only gave a short response.

He had no idea how he was supposed to explain his situation to them. He worried that what had happened at the awakening ceremony would only end up making everyone worried.

The head sister of the orphanage, Anna, walked over to meet them.

"Congratulations on your awakening," Anna said, smiling warmly at the two of them.

"Thank you, Sister Anna."

"I’m sure you both got the classes you were hoping for, right?"

Maya cleared her throat briefly, then glanced over at Theo. Theo responded with a nod, keeping the smile fixed on his face.

One of the younger kids from the orphanage ran up to Theo, "You said earlier you’d come back as a mage. Show us your magic."

Theo turned and gave a small laugh, reaching out to ruffle the kid’s hair, "You’re a real dummy, huh? Magic isn’t something you just show off for fun. My magic could burn this whole orphanage down in an instant, you know."

"And if that happened, poor Sister Anna. She’d have such a mess to deal with," Theo added.

The other kids laughed at what Theo said, Sister Anna responded with a small chuckle of her own. She invited Maya and Theo inside to rest, and both of them went along without argument.

Theo smiled as he answered all the kids’ questions about magic. He gave the best answers he could, even though the truth was he’d never gotten that class at all.

"That’s enough for now, okay? I’ll tell you more later. I need to rest. This body needs to recharge its mana, you know."

He waved to them and stepped into his room. The smile that had been plastered on his face the whole time started to fade. He dropped straight onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Oh... Theo.

You really are one hell of a liar.

While he sat there brooding over what his future might hold, his door suddenly opened. It wasn’t Maya coming to visit, it was Michelle.

Theo sat up and looked at her, "I already told you, I need to recharge my mana so—"

"Mana doesn’t work like that, you lied to them," Michelle said.

The young man went quiet, letting out a short breath as he looked away, staring at the wooden wand he’d made himself as a kid, back in his second year at the orphanage.

"I... just didn’t want to disappoint them."

"So what’s your class now?" Michelle asked.

Theo went silent for a moment, his eyes dropping down to the cut on the back of his hand, "None."

Michelle nodded, then walked over and sat down right beside him. She gave a faint smile, her hand rising to gently stroke his hair and rub his back.

"That’s okay, you still have your own future ahead, Theo."

"It’s just that the path you take might end up a lot harder, rockier, and more dangerous than what other people go through."

Theo turned to her, his heart pounding with worry over what his future might actually look like, even though he knew he had a mysterious power that most people didn’t have.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that being classless would end up holding him back someday. He didn’t know how, and he had no intention of using his ability to peek into his own future to find out, worried about what the real cost might be.

"You’re the only one who can shape your own future, not anyone else, not even me," Michelle added.

"Yeah, I know," Theo replied, "It’s just... I still haven’t come to terms with being classless."

"I’m sure there’s a reason you didn’t get a class. And maybe that reason is exactly the path you’re meant to walk."

Theo let out a small laugh, glancing briefly over at Michelle. But his laughter faded the moment he noticed her eyes had gone glassy with tears.

"W-Why are you...?"

A tear slipped down her cheek. Michelle quickly wiped it away and turned her face aside, "Ah, this, it’s probably just from all the yawning I’ve been doing lately, my eyes get watery."

"Anyway, don’t give up, Theo," Michelle said, turning back to face him, "I’m sure that someday, a lot of people are going to place their hopes in you."

"People placing their hopes in a classless guy? Don’t try to cheer me up with that kind of nonsense, Sister Michelle."

Theo stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the village landscape stretched beyond it, "I don’t know what I’m going to do from here, but I’ll do everything I can."

"Maybe I am classless. Still, I’ve got my own way of deciding what happens to me."

Michelle gave a brief smile, "You remind me of him."

Theo spun around, his eyes reflexively locking onto her. "I’m sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing," Michelle answered, "I said... I’m proud of you, Theo."