Sin thought that she'd be better off completely ignoring her dad and continuing the conversation they were having before. “So, what actually happened Rai?”

Lilly, for once, diverted her attention to Rai. Kallad was already listening.

Rai sighed. “Well, it’s... hard to explain.”

Sin saw the look on Rai’s face. “Sorry Rai, I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t have to answer if you’re not ready to yet.”

Rai metaphorically waved away her concern, “It’s fine. The main thing I can easily say is that I think I died?”

Sin thought he was going crazy, “You... died? How can you tell that you died... That doesn’t make any sense. You must’ve mistaken that for something close to death in the heat of the battle. There’s no way-”

Kallad shook his head, “No. The analysis performed by our doctors confirmed that Rai’s heart stopped beating for almost a whole minute.” The blood drained from Sin’s face as she heard her father’s words.

Kallad crested his hands in front of his face as he leaned forward. “Rai. You need to tell me the truth now, no making excuses, no lying like last time. How did you survive? No one outside can hear us, if you’re worried about being overheard.”

Rai didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just tell Kallad about the celestial being that intervened twice, or about the book with the technique of an Ancient. Or even about the true nature of forbidden spells. Wait... I still don’t know how Antithesis works after its evolution... I should test it ou-

“Rai. You’re getting distracted by your own thoughts again.” Kallad was growing impatient. “Please, I’m only asking this for your own safety, you have to tell me exactly what happened.”

Sin could see Rai floundering, “Dad, he’s obviously tired. Ask him another time.”

Kallad sighed. “Sindyl Raven. Stay out of this. This has much larger implications than you think.”

Sin knew he wasn’t messing around since he used her full name. She stayed quiet.

As much as Rai still didn’t want to tell Kallad about what happened, a feeling in his heart told him that he could trust Kallad. “Fine. If you really want to know then I fought against a Daemon.”

Kallad’s eyes widened. He rushed to cast an incantation on the doorway and double the layers of magical soundproofing in the room. Lilly was also shocked. A tear flowed down her face.

Sin was confused, she almost started panicking when her father and Lilly reacted the ways that they did.

Kallad finished casting his incantations, then sat down beside Rai with sweat on his forehead. “You aren’t mistaken? It was a Daemon?” He sounded anxious.

Rai was scared at his reaction. Kallad never made a big deal out of anything, but a few words from Rai made him this worried. “Yes. It was a Daemon. It was possessing Pico and said something about a contract.”

Kallad’s knee jumped up and down in a nervous manner, “Those fucking Daems. They brainwash their kids to revere the Arbiter and sacrifice their lives in his name. There were rumours that they had links to the Daemon, but this is proof of it.” Kallad sighed, “Rai, tell no one of this. They’ll likely come to keep you silent. Accept whatever they offer and tell no one. If you don’t, then the consequences will be irreversible.”

Rai gulped. “Yes sir.”

Kallad took a long breath. “whew. You’ll get to see your mum and Jin during your rehabilitation. I’ll make sure of it.” He spared Rai a warm smile, “I’m glad that you’re alive.” He had a heavy expression on his face as he turned to Sin, but didn’t address her directly, “Encounters with Daemon normally result in death. So I’m glad.” Lilly turned to Sin as another tear flowed down her face.

Sin watched the two of them, but didn’t understand why their expressions were so heavy. What’s got them so sad? She wanted to cry, but couldn’t figure out why. An emotion from deep within her was causing her to react this way, but Sin wasn't able to identify it.

Kallad took a second to smile at Rai, “How’d you win then?”

Rai thought about it. Was now the time to tell Kallad? All Kallad had ever done for him was for his growth. Still, his seals weren’t something he could tell just anyone. He told Sin when they were kids, but it wasn't like everyone would work out in the same way.

Rai decided against it. Instead, he would take a lesson of deception from the Deceiver. Rai smiled through the pain, “I used Antithesis with everything I had!”

What Rai didn’t know was that Kallad already knew about his seals. In fact, Kallad had known since the day they met. He was glad that Rai wasn't so willing to talk about his seals. Kallad smiled back at him, “I see.” He knew that Rai meant he unsealed all of his mana. “Did anything special happen after that?”

Rai pondered. This time, he didn’t feel any apprehension around telling Kallad about Ig’lyn, or Antithesis evolving. It was Kallad who gave him the name of the technique, so Rai felt that at least this much was fair. “Well, since I poured everything into Antithesis, I met a certain condition apparently.”

Sin’s eyes widened. She only now realised that what Rai said must have meant that he unsealed all of his mana. What did that feel like for him? Was it thrilling? Or painful... I couldn’t even imagine that much mana rushing through my mana channels.

Rai continued, “Antithesis evolved,” Kallad paid extra close attention to Rai’s words here, “ and a message from an 'Ancient' played, telling me about how he made the spell, and how I shouldn’t just use random spells I find in books...” Rai slipped up.

Kallad’s studious expression was replaced by a smirk. “Don’t worry, I already knew you were hiding something from me. Carry on, I won’t scold you for it. Tell me more about this ‘Ancient’.”

Rai wanted to nod but couldn’t. “He said his name was ][;#’@#.”

Kallad, Lilly, and Sin all gripped their heads in pain.

Rai was confused.

For him, saying Ig’lyn’s name was like saying anything else, it came out just as he wanted. Kallad explained, “Don’t say his name. We don’t know the language of the Ancients. If we hear it, it causes a painful ringing sound instead. I'm assuming that the being that showed up in front of you imparted their language unto you. For now, consider it to actually have been an Ancient.”

Rai nodded, then continued, “Well, he said that forbidden spells are forbidden because they evolve. That’s why Antithesis evolved when I met those conditions.”

Kallad digested the information. “Our current understanding of forbidden spells was different to that. There weren’t enough of them to give them a category of their own. The council deemed the term ‘forbidden’ to describe a spell or technique that went against the nature of the world.” Kallad stared at Rai, “Do you trust it? The ‘Ancient’?”

Rai answered, “I don’t. Not fully, at least. I don’t think it meant me any harm, so the information may be true.” Rai continued to wonder. Ig’lyn’s profile activated after I evolved Antithesis. If it was meant to provide an explanation, then why didn’t it when I asked how the evolved Antithesis worked? Some things just aren’t adding up...

Kallad could tell that Rai was questioning things for himself. This was enough for now. He sat back in his seat, releasing some of the stress he felt, “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Keep me updated on Antithesis when you get the chance to test it. If it’s evolved, then there’ll be something different about it when you use it.”

Rai had gotten used to smiling again, so the pain wasn’t that intense this time, “I will. Thank you for always being there for me.”

Kallad smiled, “Anything for my future son-in-law.”

Rai and Sin cringed.

A knock came at the door. Lilly was ready to defend Sin at the sound of the door knocks. Kallad got up to open the door. First, he released the incantations and turned to Rai. He put a finger up to his lips, essentially telling Rai to keep quiet. Rai shot him a slight smile.

Kallad opened the door.

A figure that he knew all too well stood in the hallway. The headmaster.

Kallad looked at Rodrick with suspicious eyes, “Rodrick. You’re the one who found Rai and brought him here.” Kallad was always wary of the headmaster, given his track record with prodigies. He was also worried about Sin. Sin was being mentored by the headmaster, which normally would be great for any student. However, Kallad didn’t trust Rodrick one bit.

Still, he knew that this wasn’t the time to make a scene.

Rodrick smiled at him, then bowed. “It’s not often that I get to see an Aspect in the flesh. My greetings to you, Deceiver of the Underworld.”

Kallad put on a sarcastic grin. This fucker... “Please come in.”

Rodrick held his faux smile. “Gladly.” He entered the room. Everyone was clearly being wary since they didn’t know who was at the door, but after seeing Rodrick, their apprehensions fell.

Rai stared at the headmaster. His expression was taut, “How's Pico?”

Rodrick waited a moment, then sighed, “He’s dead.”

Rai’s heart skipped a beat. He’s... dead? But it was a possession... since the Daemon left his body, isn’t he able to take control again?

Rodrick noticed Rai’s worry. He shook his head, “You misunderstand what I’m saying. You both fought to a point where you had irreversible damage. When I found you, you were on the brink of death.” Sin choked on the air she was breathing. Any time she heard someone say anything about Rai and death, her heart skipped a beat. “I was able to get his heart to beat again, but Pico’s body was shattered. Even though his heart now beats, his mind is gone.”

Rai’s expression turned sour. He hadn’t killed anyone before, and this wasn't exactly a situation where he could say that he killed someone... but this wasn't a feeling he liked. Rai didn't consider this as him killing someone, but his instincts kept telling him that he killed Pico. Rai tried to steel his will. His mum said that she wouldn’t be mad at him if he killed someone to save himself, so it would be fine. Right?

Sin rested her hand on Rai’s. She comforted him, just like he’d always comfort her. Rai smiled. His worries remained, but Sin helped to alleviate some of the pressure he was putting on himself.

Kallad knew that Rodrick wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he had no grounds to push further. He got first-hand information from Rai, and that was all he needed for now. “Very well. I’ll take my leave then. Rai, recover well, the penthouse is waiting for you.” He winked at Rai, then flickered into vanishing flames.

Rodrick looked at the vanishing flames for a second before turning to Rai again, “Rai, you should know that the Daem family will be furious. Even moreso... never mind. I’ve done what I can to calm them down, but this won’t blow over well.” He bowed towards Rai, surprising him, Sin, and even Lilly. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault, I should’ve stopped the battle before it began.”

Rai was shocked for a moment, but he understood how the headmaster must have felt. A student ended up in this state under his own instruction, “No no it’s not your fault, don’t worry about it. I should be thanking you. You helped me out of that mental state, then helped me even further in the first of those spars. Thank you for that whisper, it helped me realise that I was only locking myself away.”

Rodrick got up from his bow, then raised an eyebrow at Rai. “What whisper? I didn’t whisper at all, why would I do that when I could just talk to you.”

Eh?

“What do you mean? If you didn’t... never mind then. Still, thank you for pulling me out of the rut.” Rai had an idea of where that whisper came from, but he felt like he would never get confirmation of his suspicions.

Sin jumped in, “You’re better now then?! I’m so glad. I was so worried that I couldn’t help you when you were feeling down after we went back to the penthouse.”

Rai lightly chuckled, which resulted in excruciating pain. “Yeah. Rodrick helped me by putting me in a situation where I could let loose. I felt bad about the fight with Amy and Tullian, but now I have a better understanding of myself and my motivations...” His face was growing hotter. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

Sin blushed as well, “Me? Worry about you? Yeah, I was worried sick. I’ll always be there for you, and I know you’ll be there for me.”

Rodrick was feeling awkward, not knowing what to do now that the only thing those two could see was each other. Lilly scooted over to him, then whispered to him, “Get used to it. Everyone can see it but them.” Rodrick nodded, and made the decision to leave.

As he was leaving the room, Rai called out to him, “We still have to go through the mentor stuff!”

Rodrick chuckled in the doorway, “We will. Rest and recover, then I’ll catch you up to where Miss Raven is.”

After Rodrick left, Rai finally had some time to rest. Sin organised it with the doctors to allow Lilly to come and help Rai whenever he called for her, and for her to make hourly checks. For the next week, Rai’s recovery went swimmingly.

He was mortified at first when Lilly showed up every hour, on the dot. They didn’t interact much, other than Lilly cleaning his body at the same time every day. The embarrassment soon faded once he realised that there was very little to actually be embarrassed about.

Sin visited every single day. In the first few days, Rai couldn’t move his arms, so Sin fed him food. She was anxious about it at first, but grew past that. After those few days, Rai was able to move his arms enough to feed himself again. Still, even though Rai was able to move his arms, Sin refused to stop Lilly from coming and cleaning him no matter how much Rai pleaded.

Rai found Sin to be both amazing and terrifying. In this instance, she was mostly terrifying.

As part of his rehabilitation, Rai got back into his routine, doing light exercise and getting his body back into shape. Sin remained by his side whenever she could. She helped him as he worked to get back into shape, and made sure he had everything he needed throughout his recovery.

Still, this didn’t stop her from working on her own training and improvement. She had many awesome techniques that she wanted to show Rai whenever they got the chance.

Recovery only took a week, then after about a week into Rai's rehab, he was able to move his body around properly again.

He had yet to use magic since the battle. Rai was worried that his mana channels were destroyed after experiencing the backlash from unleashing all of his mana. The doctors said that they were fine, but Rai was still scared. It was an instinctive feeling rooted deep in his gut.

He’d have to be careful using magic for now, until he fully understood what was worrying him so much.

A few days before the end of his rehabilitation, Rai got the chance to meet with his mum and Jin just like Sin said he would.

It wasn’t in the form that he’d expected though.