We used our shoes as a form of flag, since we didn't have anything like that.

The rule was very simple: Whoever caught the shoe won.

But we couldn't hurt ourselves; we could just immobilize.

The first game was a test to see if the game would work. And also, it was a great opportunity to test our magic.

We played the game in our backyard, and Katerine was watching from a short distance away.

Then the first match begins!

William quickly advances towards me with Wind Magic, which makes him faster by generating a green aura throughout his body!

He runs in an elliptical trajectory, he must be finding a way to get past me.

I can create a root that holds his foot, but he's not within my reach yet...

When he's close enough, I move to the side to block his path, but he quickly shifts his body to my left.

William walks past me and is about to grab the shoe!

But I already expected that.

He's in my range!

With my magic, I make a small root emerge from the ground and entwine itself around William's shin!

He fell to the floor. Now all I can do is get his flag!

I run with all my might to William's shoe before it comes loose from the roots.

I'm almost there!!

Likewise, I look back and see William breaking away from his roots.

At the same time, I look ahead and throw myself at the shoe, as if I were going to catch a running rabbit.

I achieved!

Slowly opening my eyes, I look at my brother and see that, even on the ground, he managed to grab the "flag"...

Katerine was watching this the whole time, so she must know who won.

"Who won?" I ask, still panting.

"Hmm..." Katerine makes an expression of discomfort, apparently she doesn't even know who won... "I think it was a draw!"

William gets up and cleans his clothes a little by hitting the fabric.

"Looks like we're going to have another round then." William says.

After that, the next round was William VS. Katerine.

Katerine didn't know much about magic compared to William, so he had no problem winning.

For the rest of the day, we did rounds of capture the flag.

We tried every possible battle combination.

In the end, I was the one who came away with the most victories.

Me: 7 wins

William: 5 wins

Katerine: 3 wins

It was a good learning experience on how to use magic in combat, even if I can't use my full strength.

Two months later, I was strolling through the kingdom. My mother started letting me leave the house alone because I was already able to fend for myself, so she thought it wouldn't be that much of a problem, mainly because Legório isn't a dangerous place.

Generally, I spend my time in the kingdom just observing the sites, the people, and the weather in totality.

It's already spring, and the weather is a little warmer but not as hot as summer.

Birds singing, flowers are blooming, and the trees are greener than ever.

Sitting on a bench in a kingdom square, which has a fountain in its center, I watch the kingdom's soldiers moving around in an unusual way, as if they were looking for something.

Strange...

"Did the princess run away again?" One of the guards walks past me, muttering to his companion.

Ryza, the princess of the kingdom, is currently five years old. I still remember the first party I went to. Some lamp head stood in front of me...

Nowadays, I already recognize your face. Every year, a birthday is celebrated. I want to see how long the kingdom's budget will last...

That's because she's only 5 years old, when she's 15, I think they'll build a new kingdom...

I mean, I don't know if this world has the custom of having 15th birthday parties. In fact, not even in my other world was this practice common everywhere...

I think I better go back home, I want to train magic today.

Passing through the kingdom, towards the exit, I look around at the buildings and see a girl in a white dress in an alley between them.

"Shhh …" The girl gestures with her hand.

Is this the princess?

It looks like I was luckier than the guards.

As I approach the little girl, I get a better look at her face and her dress.

She wears a dress worthy of a noble princess. A white garment, the color of clouds, that reaches the knees. Near the end of the dress, small glitters reflect the light, making the dress appear to be shining.

His face has white skin, with some freckles on his cheeks. Her hair is blonde, but it is delicately faded, resembling the color of pearls.

Her hair is long and loose, but slightly wavy. She doesn't have an exact hairstyle, but her bangs are swept to the left, while two large strands pass down the side of her face.

His nose is thin and upturned. His eyes are large, and his iris is as blue as the color of a crystal-clear sea.

I see her sitting on a bench, petting a big, fluffy white dog. It looks like a Samoyed or a Chow-Chow, but I can't say for sure.

"Aren't you Princess Ryza?" I say. "You are lost?" Conclude.

"I told you not to come!" She whispers.

The dog she was petting was now sniffing me.

"Sorry... it's because there are some guards looking for you." I justify it with an ironic smile.

She lets out a sigh.

"Living in the castle is a pain, I can't do anything. They always watch what I'm wearing, my hair. And I still have to talk in a difficult way to "be a princess", that's annoying!" she vents.

It certainly seems like it's not a very healthy routine for a child.

Children are hyperactive, so forcing them to do "adult" things is always a difficult task.

I say this from my own experience. Training Katerine was not an easy task, she always got distracted when she was unlocking mana.

"I guess being a princess isn't as easy as people think..." I say smiling.

"You're right. I didn't want to be born a princess... I wanted to be someone normal." she says sadly.

It's an interesting perspective to see.

It's like you were given two options: born rich, but everyone will torment you and force you to do things you don't want, or born poor, but free to go wherever and whenever you want.

"I guess it's not all that bad. If you saw what my family and I ate for lunch, you would certainly be grateful for being born as the king's daughter." I respond, sitting down on the worn wooden bench she's on.

"Hmm. Come to think of it, you're right, but shouldn't I at least be able to walk the streets without having to ask anyone?" she asks.

"In my opinion, you should always ask your parents to leave the house, especially because you are someone important. And even then, even I, who am not important, ask my mother for permission."

The girl is silent for a while.

"What is your name?"

"Light Rods."

"...Mine is Ryza Wanderberg."

Before I knew it, I ended up befriending the princess.

"Your dog is really cute, what's his name?" I ask, petting the cutie.

"Foguinho, my best and only friend." She says while petting the dog.

These words caught me a little off guard. Does she consider her dog her best friend?

This girl really needs to get out of the house for a bit.

Speaking like this, it feels like I'm talking to my old self.

"I had an idea." I say looking at her. "How about you go to my house? There, you don't have to worry, and we can also play a little." I conclude.

The girl's eyes seem to have gotten brighter after I said that.

"Of course, of course!" She responds enthusiastically.

"But first, we need to find a way to leave the kingdom without being spotted." I mutter.

"Okay, it's like a secret mission..."

Legorio has four gates, and we are close to one of them that leads to the village.

"Okay, try to cover your head and not attract attention." I speak.

"But what about Foguinho?" She asks.

"Don't worry, he'll come along."

If we're going to flee the kingdom, we need to be stealthy. The idea I have is to hide between the alleys and go to the gate.

"Let's go." Ryza and I left the alley.