Eyes widened seeing the gloomy chasm before them. The high cliff towered thousands of feet. From below, sea waves crashed against the cliff's ceiling. The gust of wind from the cliff felt capable of carrying one into the sky. Hit just a little, and a life would surely be gone. Want to turn back... behind there was only the cliff.
That ice-cold face hid his fear. He only stood silently staring down, where fierce waves continued to crash roughly against the cliff wall. Even the falling cliff debris was swallowed quickly, so what if he jumped and fell? The whistle of the wind now sounded as if whispering death to him.
"Why are you just standing there silent, stupid prince-ah, Your Highness?" asked Louis, who sat cross-legged on the rocks.
"I thought your words that day were just an expression. But, what is this? You really want me dead, huh?" Matthius. His Highness the honorable crown prince of Luminaria suspected Louis' idea of asking him to jump freely down.
Louis jumped down from the rocks. He walked closer to Matthius. "Did I ever say that my words to Sir Niel were just an expression?" He put on a fool's questioning face. "You must die first if you truly want to master it." Then, that face smiled cheerfully.
"Are you toying with me?"
"Good grief...," Louis stepped even closer while hissing irritably at Matthius. "Just jump!"
"He-hey!" Matthius' body jolted as Louis pushed him closer to the cliff. "You-
-AGHH!!"
Louis waved his hand cheerfully watching the body of the prince idolized by everyone free-fall from the height. The heartthrob of all students. The teachers' favorite. The people's white-horsed prince. Louis was escorting the kingdom's jewel toward his death faster.
Whooss
Wind swirled behind Louis, leaving a magic circle's trace on the ground. A long, gleaming-haired person dressed like a Fairy King approached with his steps landing softly like the beat of a melody,
"How was your training?" asked Niel, who arrived with his teleportation magic.
Louis turned, and he smiled. "Dead. The prince is dead."
Both of Niel's eyes nearly popped out of their place, "What?!" He ran, looking down the cliff. Matthius had vanished. Truly vanished. "Don't tell me.."
Louis nodded while smiling upon finding Niel staring at him in horror. "You damn crazy kid!" Niel scolded before jumping off the cliff.
"Goodbye." Louis waved his hand happily.
Time passed. The sun had half-circled the earth. The ocean below began to recede. The crashing waves weakened. The whispering wind grew noisier against the ears. Three hours had passed since academy classes ended earlier this afternoon, and three hours had passed since Matthius and Niel jumped down.
Louis solemnly waited for them atop the rocks, closing his eyes to enjoy the noise of nature. The whisper of the universe sounded calming, like an old tune replaying forgotten memories. As if, its whispers carried the soul to another world. Until, the heavy steps of two humans drove away the tranquility that had settled.
"Be careful." Niel slowly lowered Matthius whom he was carrying.
"Sshh." Matthius hissed in pain.
Louis slowly opened his eyes, seeing the appearance of the two renowned figures of Luminaria in disarray. Clothes soaking wet, seaweed perched beautifully as if that was indeed where they grew, and funnily, a fish flopped atop the head of the head of the academy.
"Pfft." Louis tried to hold back his laughter, jumping and walking toward Niel and Matthius. "Was playing in the ocean that fun, Gentlemen?" he asked.
Niel glared sharply at Louis, "Hey, you! How dare you..."
"What is it?" Louis showed his innocent face.
"Uhuk!"
"Matthius!" Niel hurried to Matthius who coughed because of the seawater still lingering. "Hey. Was the light mana control training correct?" he asked Louis.
"Light mana training?" Louis showed his most clueless questioning face.
Matthius weakly rejected Niel's hand that moved according to its owner's worry. "You asked me to jump."
"Ah, that. I was just testing your courage. To control light mana you must have courage greater than a hero's against the Demon King."
"Enough! This is no joke." Niel's face was annoyed. "I will stop this training. Truly, a bad decision giving you permission."
Louis' face, which was cheerful at all times like the sun, turned cold. "Are you saying this training is useless?" he asked in a flat tone. "Is it because I'm just an untalented student? You think I'm a stupid human who doesn't think?"
Niel fell silent. His feelings were pressured every time words spoken with that cold face were uttered. "You should at least give an explanation, shouldn't you?"
"Ah, right." Louis' face returned to normal. "But, what about this. I don't know the exact explanation. I did this on instinct alone."
"You're... insane, huh?"
Louis scratched his neck awkwardly. "If possible, please do it one more time."
"What?!" Both exclaimed.
Louis walked slowly, approaching the edge of the steep cliff where Matthius had jumped earlier. He stared at the raging ocean below. "Can both of you see how deep this ocean is?"
Both Matthius and Niel approached, seeing the sea's rage hitting the base of the cliff even harder. The deep blue sea water indicated that the ocean's depth was no longer a place where animals could live freely, but a place where every animal either fought or died preyed upon.
"This ocean is so deep. The deeper the ocean, the darker it gets until the sun refuses to pierce through. I believe, if you're in that darkness, light has already become impossible."
Matthius glanced from the side at Louis' calm face. His figure was like... a god of truth. "Are you finally choosing to die?"
Louis turned, looking at Matthius happily. "There was a time I had thoughts like that, until a strange figure guided me to find light in the darkness. That figure made me realize something I might have regretted for a lifetime if I realized it too late." He explained.
"Something?" This time Niel asked.
"I realized my feelings at a late time." Louis lifted his head, staring at the sky that was beginning to darken above. "Regret came after the feeling of loss I felt first. I thought it would be eternal darkness, but in that darkness I saw light."
Niel tried to digest the metaphor Louis said, then after a moment represented by the gust of wind he immediately realized it. "Light is the eraser of darkness, and that term is no different from light mana defeating dark mana."
"In the end, I have to find my own way to that light. No matter how dark the ocean floor is, light will find a gap to pierce through."
"That's the meaning of my instinct, Your Highness. Asking you to jump into the ocean is the way I thought of. You must become a light that is calm and warm in the darkness. Make the ocean your darkness. Move with the current, and feel the fragments of light left behind."
Matthius stepped forward. Taking a deep breath then exhaling slowly. The crashing waves grew sharper hitting the base of the cliff and he had to jump. This time, he wasn't afraid. The doubt inside him vanished after knowing what Louis wanted to convey. Bravely, his feet jumped down, merging into the violent rage of the sea water.
"So I have to explain it." Louis muttered.
Niel stared intently at Louis. "How can a child like him teach something like this? I keep wondering about him. Who exactly is he?" He thought.
"Hey, Sir." Louis called. "Do you really need a light mana user?"
"Why are you asking that? Isn't that obvious? Only light mana can defeat darkness. It was the same a hundred years ago." Niel answered.
Louis glanced at the incredibly handsome man beside him. "What if one from the darkness has the same light?"
Niel chuckled softly. "You... your imagination is high, huh." He ruffled the head of the child who wasn't even up to his waist fondly.
"If so, I'll change my question." Louis made Niel stop ruffling his head. "Where did the notion that demons are vile creatures come from, so that you all shun them like pests?"
"It all started with the war between gods. The massive massacre carried out by the King of the gods of darkness made them regarded as vile creatures. As the Elf race that has existed since before the war between gods, we witnessed their cruelty ourselves."
"Ah, the war between gods, huh. I should ask that woman directly about this issue." Louis thought. "Do you know their reason for doing it?" he asked Niel.
Niel momentarily wanted to open his mouth before he realized he had no answer to Louis' question. Seeing Niel only silent, Louis spoke up, "You all don't know the reason the gods waged war and convinced yourselves that those who live in darkness are villains and those who live wrapped in the glow of light are heroes. Isn't that right?"
Niel clenched his arm, feeling every sentence Louis uttered hit exactly on the reality buried within every illusion they believed. "Is this true? Why haven't I realized it all this time? That vague history has brainwashed our minds for generations." He thought.
"I really want to know." Louis said in a soft tone, making Niel look fully toward him.
"Somehow, I don't feel like I'm talking to a child, but rather a broad-minded priest." Niel muttered without being heard by Louis, ending with a faint smile. "I too want to know the actual truth." He admitted.