It wasn't easy, but Syalt eventually got back home. With the help of the very patient caller, he was able to take the correct roads and reach his home in less than thirty minutes. 

There were times when Syalt would go silent during the call, as his attention would get snagged by another aspect of Japan's unique culture. 

In fact, it was so bad that the caller had sighed multiple times and muttered "fucking tourist" at the end, but he didn't hear it. He had already ended the call by then.

But once he had reached the complex, he immediately went to his room, not even bothering to take in the fact that he forgot to lock the door. This was probably for the better. He didn't want to be trapped outside. 

At the moment, Syalt was busy fiddling with one of the appliances in the kitchen. He had noticed earlier while he was cleaning that there were a lot of unused gadgets just hiding inside the many drawers in his house, gathering dust. 

Syalt also found out about the existence of coffee in this world. He struggled to figure out just how a small packet of powder was supposedly able to contain enough energy to keep someone like him going. 

He managed to get the water heater going in a few minutes, and had already started making the drink that would help clear his head. But maybe he should've went with tea instead if he wanted that. 

Once the water had finished heating up, Syalt took the whole thing into his hands and began pouring its contents into a small mug he had recently washed, unceremoniously spilling a great deal of it in the process. 

But after pouring it in and mixing the powder inside, Syalt was stunned to find the water's color rapidly changing into that of a brown tone. 

"What is this?! I feel so ene-r-gized!"

Syalt's body, one that had never tasted coffee before, experienced his first mild caffeine rush. His heart started beating rapidly as he suddenly had an urge to move around. 

He wasn't any stranger to adrenaline rushes. In fact, he had experienced them countless times during life threatening situations. 

His heart would start beating rapidly, and strength that wasn't there would suddenly show itself, allowing him to overpower his opponents by surprise. 

This one was different. The rapidly beating heart was still there, but Syalt could feel that the energy was a bit more… artificial. It felt fake, but it still felt wonderful. 

But having all this energy and not knowing where to use it was a problem. He knew that he had to use it on something. 

Using his newly obtained energy, Syalt decided to do the one thing other humans in this world could not do- magic! 

The very first time Syalt trained with magic, he had to train very hard to even consider feeling the Aether around him. Only when he was confident enough to see, smell, hear, touch, and taste it did he start his first steps to the First Realm. 

Now it was different. His senses had been honed to the limit. He was most likely the only person alive right now who even knew about the Aether. This abundance of raw energy would do well to help him get stronger. 

He didn't have any sort of lofty goal that would require him to train for tens of years. He didn't want to be strong enough to kill everyone on this planet either. 

Reaching the Third Realm would be enough for him to use one of the Wind Element's signature spells, Flying! 

The sole reason Syalt wanted to attain that was so that he could cut down on flying expenses!

At the moment, he was locked to the First Realm and thus couldn't start traversing the path to power without finding a way to break the chains that bind him. 

'This probably shouldn't take too long if I focus.' 

After all, he was the world's strongest human. Chains, no matter how sturdy, would soon break when exposed to enough pressure. 

***

"Finally! School's over!" Akari let out a lengthy moan as she stretched her upper body. 

Her final class for the day had just finished, and the other students had already started packing up and heading out. 

Groups of friends would meet out in the hallway or outside the school's front gate, and would go on to do whatever they fancied. 

Akari herself had many friends; she was known as the class idol, and had many admirers. She was always at the top of her class, and was the current Student Council President. 

Naturally, she had an overwhelming amount of responsibility to carry as the school's student representative. It was bearable at least, thanks to their very capable Student Council. 

Today was an off-day for her. There wasn't anything to worry about at the school, and she didn't have any prior engagements. 

Which was great, because she was tired. Akari had already gotten used to feeling fatigued after the first week as the President. She'd be unable to return home until it was getting late. 

Now that she was free, Akari decided to head over to the one place she would always go to whenever she wanted to let out some steam! 

The one place she had always frequented whenever she was hungry! A takoyaki stall in downtown Tokyo, one that was run by someone she was very familiar with. 

Akari left right as soon as she had finished packing her things. As she waddled eagerly through the school's halls, she was reminded about the incident from earlier. 

It wasn't supposed to be out of the ordinary. Syalt had pulled multiple similar stunts during the time he had been living there. 

"I should check on Rowley. He must've sent me the results by now. And I'll be able to chew him out when I get home!" 

Taking her phone out from her bag, Akari was surprised to find out that the test results were very much positive. Syalt really was an amnesiac. 

"Seriously?"

Akari knew that she couldn't force a "disabled" person to pay rent when she knew the person in question did not have the ability to work. 

But knowing Syalt, he probably was already searching for a new job. After all, he was pretty hardworking, until he was let off and his life started going downhill. 

What was she thinking? This was a different Syalt! He still had that same hardworking vibe to him, but she knew that their personalities would only start diverging once Syalt continued to grow. 

But she kept all that in the back of her mind, and instead headed for the takoyaki place. 

"Old man! I'm here!" 

"Well, if it isn't Akari! How was school today?" 

Having just arrived at the takoyaki stall, Akari greeted the person manning it.

She had fond memories of him as well. How could she forget that one time when she had failed to bring her wallet? The old man felt bad about it and seemed like he would hand it even without the payment. 

Ah, but that was also when she met that person. He was someone she used to admire, and someone she found hard to forget, even now. 

'Stop it, Akari! It's long gone now. Besides, he was the one who left Mom!' Akari shook her head rapidly from side to side. 

"School was great! How was business?" 

"Great, great. I had a bit of a good laugh earlier, you know. A man ordered one of my takoyakis!"

"I see…? What's wrong with that?" 

"He forgot his wallet! Wohoho!"

"If I may ask… did that man have long hair, blue eyes, and a confused demeanor about him? Was he wearing glasses?"

"He did, he did! I was about to give him the thing without asking for payment, but some other man told me he would pay for it!" 

Syalt was here? But this was so far away from the apartment complex they lived in! Did he somehow get lost?

"The man who paid for his meal sort of reminded me of you, Akari. He looked a lot like you."

Did that man and Syalt actually talk to each other?

"I see… I'll take one, please." 

"Sure, sure! I'll have them ready for you to eat in a few minutes." 

In the meantime, Akari had sat down on a nearby bench. There was a lot to take in. Syalt had somehow worked his way here, and even met that person?!

This truly felt like too much to be considered a coincidence. Maybe Syalt knew something about her father that he didn't tell. 

Coincidence or not, Akari made up her mind to rush back home the moment she finished eating! 

***

Once Akari had devoured the takoyaki, she headed straight for the subway. It wasn't long before she was able to get onto a train. 

In just a few minutes, an announcement had rang across all of the cabins. They had just arrived at their destination. 

Without wasting any time, Akari headed for  the doors. It was vital to always be the one of the first people when it came to entering or exiting the train, as the onslaught of people fighting (peacefully) for a spot on the seats would start the moment the doors opened. 

Right as the train stopped to a halt, Akari ran through the doors, already speed-walking her way to the end of the station. 

The station itself wasn't too far from the complex, either. A short five minute walk was it all it took to reach and use the most popular type of public transportation in Japan. 

Akari soon arrived at the building. She climbed the stairs to the side and reached the second floor easily. 

She was about to lay her hands on the door to Syalt's room, but froze when she heard a loud thud echo inside. 

What was happening inside? Strong winds, ones that couldn't be produced by the fans were blowing, even seeping through the cracks in the door. 

Brilliant light would flicker in four different colors, switching every few seconds. When the green light shone, Akari would feel a small gust coming from the bottom of the door. 

When blue light shone, the door knob would suddenly show signs of being wet. Water would flow from below the door, soaking Akari's socks and worsening her mood. 

As the red light shone, the heat inside would suddenly increase, and the moisture attached to her skin would instantly evaporate, leaving her dry once again. 

Then a brownish light would replace it. This time, the same loud thuds would rumble throughout the room. 

"What is that idiot doing…?!" Akari, half confused and half mad at the noise Syalt was making, hastily pushed the door open. 

Oddly enough, it wasn't locked. 

But inside the room, Akari was not prepared to see what she was supposed to see. 

Syalt was there, seated in a crouched position. His legs were crossed, and his eyes closed. 

But the oddities started here. Floating directly above his left hand, a ball of water and fire was spinning around each other. 

They weren't mixing, but instead swirling around in a circular formation, creating what seemed to be like a Yin and Yang formation. 

On his right side, green energy traveled the full length of his arm. It swirled around it, akin to a drill. 

His hand was completely covered in a rocky armor, which would shatter every few seconds, before forming back again. 

"Wha-t are you do-ing?!"