I rubbed my temples as I tried to calm a splitting headache.

Stuck inside Allan’s residence for several days, I had missed much of my anticipated vacation. My second year at the academy loomed on the horizon with only two days to go.

I had so much I wanted to do.

Go to the beach,

The capital library to find more books.

To visit that bakery again. Her pastries were so good.

UHHHHGGG!!!

I flailed around on the bed, the only way I could physically vent my frustrations without breaking anything.

I came to terms with my situation and sat up and looked around the small bedroom. The last time I used this room was just when I arrived in Atlantis.

I would have reminisced about all the things I had done at the academy thus far, but my previous accident left too strong of a memory for me to traverse that lane.

I couldn’t remember what happened, but from what Allan told me, I started convulsing during meditation. A wave of mana rushed towards me, and large orbs of water formed inside the room. He had no choice but to use one of his artifacts to force us into a domain, or else I could have flooded the room. From his perspective, the entire event spanned about fifteen seconds, but for me, it felt like several minutes.

That wasn’t even the strangest thing. During all of this, my body underwent several breakthroughs and my own core had forced me into the adept realm. 

 “To reach the fourth class in the adept realm. This isn’t normal, and if I had not just witnessed it, I wouldn’t think it was possible.”

That was Allan’s words after relaying the events to me.

I would be happy if it were just that, but this only bred more problems.

Usually, after a breakthrough, the mana core becomes somewhat unstable and the individual must set their foundations through Qi exercises. That way, our bodies acclimate to the upgraded core. 

Realms are a combination of our physical and magical strength. Most of what encompassed my strength in that moment was mostly just raw mana. Meaning that if realms only used magical power as a metric, I would have been much higher. 

I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on my body and as expected the disparity was worrying. With the power split between mana and body this lopsided, problems I experienced back at the shrine could resurface.  

Most of my younger days entailed these exercises just because of my inability to use mana without self-destructing. 

This made Allan concerned that the seal, in its current state, would not be able to keep my mana suppressed if I overused it.

This also meant that it would be difficult to make another breakthrough unless I got my body up to par with my magic, which was already difficult on its own.

I knew at that moment that I had several months of physical training, breathing exercises, physical checkups and all the sorts ahead of me.

I was finally getting comfortable with using my magic too.

I sighed and put my hands against my chest. I could still feel that sensation, the itching, the crawling in my chest. It remained, but luckily, much weaker.

I then held out my hands and conjured an orb of water. A numbing sensation spread across my arm, and my headache intensified. My internal mana banged against the seal, and threatened to break out, if I tempted it any more.

I can’t even use magic without getting dizzy. How will I get through this upcoming year at the academy?

The first year was just an introduction to exploration, a few controlled activities to get our toes wet. The second year would be a lot more demanding, with fewer in-house activities and more actual exploration. Completing quests, taking commissions and general exploration would be almost mandatory as all of that will contribute to our end of term score. I’m not one to care about rankings, but I did not want to be held back or worse, sent back to Haakuni because I could not meet the required score to move on.

I held my knees to my stomach and buried my face in it.

A knock on the door then prompted me to look at it. There I saw Lyria peeking from behind the door.

“Can I come in?”

“How’d you get here?” I asked.

She walked towards me and sat on the edge of the bed, a somber look on her face.

“Allan brought me here. Let’s just say I had a lot of convincing to do.”

She stared at me for a moment.

“How are you feeling?”

I looked away from the elf and rested my chin on my knees.

“Terrible.”

I looked at her again.

“But I guess I feel a little better now.”

She smiled and held up a small decorated paper bag.

“Here, I brought you this. Thought you might need some cheering up, but I guess I was just paranoid.”

She placed them on the counter next to the bed. 

We chatted for several minutes, mostly about what happened during the incident.

“A black orb? I don’t know. I can already see the flow of mana, so I don’t need to use such a method to look at the cores of others.”

She placed her hands on her chest and continued.

“To me all cores look like wispy glowing orbs. They range from dull spheres like Allana’s, to blindingly bright stars, like yours and Ellen’s. Even now, yours looks just as it always did, a bright light, partially obscured by billowing clouds. So I’m not sure about the black sphere.”

She got up and pushed her face closer to me while looking at my chest. 

“Can I try something?”

“Sure.” I said. 

Just as she was about to put her hands on my chest, Allan walked in. He gave both of us a stern look and then folded his arms. 

 

“I would suggest you two not do any experiments without my knowing.”

“Sorry.” Lyria replied.

 “It’s good to see you guys catching up, but there are a few things I need to say, so I ask for your attention.”

He grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and dragged it over to the edge of my bed. 

“Atsumi, as you are right now, your mana core is extremely unstable and I am sure you have figured out that you will need a lot of time to get accustomed to it. The seal also got severely damaged, but I have managed to install a temporary fix while you were unconscious. For me to prepare a permanent fix however, I need you to tell me what happened.”

During the next several minutes, I once again relayed what I experienced. Most of the things I just mentioned Lyria already knew, but Allan got more frustrated with every word.

“Atsumi, you need to tell me these things. How can I help you if I don’t know all of your abilities?” 

“Sorry, I didn’t know how you would react. I thought maybe you might restrict…” 

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. 

“Look, I know we promised to allow you to experience your life, but none of it is worth it if you are dead. You can enjoy your adventures without needless risk. I am here as your guardian and mentor. I will do all in my power to ensure that you are safe, but that requires you to be honest with me.”

I looked down, contemplating all the other things I’ve kept from him and figured now would be the best time to tell him the truth. 

“There’s also the  time where I meet this woman in my dreams.”

His long ears perked up, and he looked at me with an anxious gaze.

“Woman?” 

“Yeah, she’s strange, has silver hair and never shows her face. She taught me this dance and may be the reason why I got the water rune. There’s also times when I get to see my mother and a Nephilim woman. I think her name was Aniela?”

He stared into space for several moments, as if pushed into the world of thought. 

“No, that can’t be right.” 

“What?” I asked, unsure of what he meant.

He then shook his head and focused his vision on me. 

“It’s probably just your mind, but still monitor what happens and tell me everything.” 

As if wanting to change the topic, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two rings. He put one on his middle finger and handed me the other. 

“Here, put this ring on. It will help suppress your mana, but also has a teleportation rune on it. If something is to happen to you while I am away, it will allow me to teleport to you.”

He then cleared his throat, knowing very well the bomb he was about to drop. 

“As for the next step, I will allow you to start the next year, but no exploration until you stabilize your core and I can improve the seal.”

I raised both hands in protest, but he cut me off before I could utter a word. 

“I know that this isn’t what you wanted, and you may think me unfair, but this is necessary. This would be a good time to prove to me that you truly want to be an explorer. I can prepare the seal in a matter of a few weeks and possibly less, but it is up to you to stabilize your core. This would also be a good chance to improve on your runelore. You have been slacking off on your studies lately.”

I felt disheartened for the first few seconds, but after he explained everything, I felt determined. This was a challenge I needed to overcome.

“I won’t let you down.” 

He chuckled and shook his head.

“You mean you won’t let yourself down?” 

He then got up and gestured to Lyria. 

“I’m heading back to the academy. Atsumi will remain here until tomorrow, but you need to return.” 

Allan took a few steps before turning back to look at me. 

“I don’t know why, but inside your body, there are several forces of magic, all fighting for dominance. Use your magic as normal and do not consult any of them, especially if it feels wrong. If at any point you need my guidance, I am always here. As a close friend of your father and as someone who owes him many debts…”

He stopped talking and turned around to leave.

“Things are going to get much harder. Make sure you rest well, Atsumi.”

I was then left alone in the room, tired but relieved. 

There had been something on my mind throughout all of this. I wanted to check the moment I remembered, but didn’t get the chance since Lyria and Allan was there.

But wouldn’t they notice if that were the case?

I walked up to the mirror, anxious by what I might see. 

Was it really someone else?

I came face to face with my mirrored self, relieved and somewhat disappointed. 

The same old red hair, the same golden eyes, the same freckled face and slightly chubby cheeks. 

Who was the person I saw from the reflection of the water that day?

Then I saw the pendant hanging from my neck and I gasped.

Now brimming with mana, its crystalline edges glowed dimly. 

Inside, a crescent shaped disc made of silver metal harbored runes of many kinds. Most were unknown to me, but there were a few I had recognized. 

Myriad 

Soul 

Domain

Each word had a different meaning, all without context, yet just reading these runes caused my core to tremble.