Kai sat in silence. His mind wandering back to his past life, while Elysia enjoyed her tea. He closed his eyes thinking back, “I was discovered as an infant, abandoned and weeping, by a group of compassionate friends. They all took care of me, and raised me. One among them was the man who wanted to make the advanced AI that I now rely on.” The image of a man drawing some blueprints, and the younger himself looking at him flashes in his mind. “As a child, I had innocently believed them to be my parents, but the harsh reality was revealed when I started kindergarten” – “My mommy said you don’t have any parents.” One kid first spoke up, and was soon followed by others. “So, you are an unwanted child?” Another added to it, “Your parents must have hated you and thrown you away!” The kids made a circle around him, as they laughed and talked about him.
“They all laughed at me, spitting out those words. As a child, I couldn’t help but cry. That was when I realized, I was an orphan. The other children distanced themselves from me afterwards, and I found myself enveloped in solitude. But there is a saying; Things do Change.”
“As I grew up, I started to not worry of such things as parental care. I was busy in my own world, until the day I died. I thought I left my past behind, but in the face of death, I recalled of the past.” – “Why did I not receive such care? Did my birth parents hate me? I also wanted to experience the care from my parents like a normal kid…” Many images of him as kid, watching the other kids play in the park with their parents while he just stood all alone flashed through his mind.
“All these thoughts got me a break down, as I closed my eyes accepting my fate. But death had offered me a second chance.”
Memories from the time he came to this world started to flow in. That small village, a cozy house, the warm home-cooked meal, and of course, his mother, Emily’s care for him. In this new world, Emily had become his guardian, and he couldn’t sever that bond so easily. As he was immersed in his thoughts, Maximus, Celestina, Hiro, and Sakura returned. Kai opened his eyes, back to reality. Sakura wore her usual smile, but Kai could see the sorrow hidden behind it. He noticed the traces of tears in her eyes and knew she had been crying, but he felt powerless.
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As they settled down, Elysia posed a question, “Mom, Dad, will brother also attend the Magic Academy?” Kai looked towards her, as he recalled the Magic Academy. “If I’m correct, in this world where magic was woven into the fabric of everyday life, the academy was established to help people master their magic. It wasn’t just a place for studying magic; it also offered general courses for those who weren’t solely focused on learning magic. Admission is challenging, requiring passing an entrance exam, but it is open to both nobles and commoners after the current Emperor took over the throne.”
Hiro responded, “I almost forgot about it.” Maximus added, “Reuniting with your son must have made you forget all about the outside world, huh.” They both shared a laugh. Sakura turned to Kai with a hopeful smile, “Kai, would you like to join the Magic Academy? It will be an exciting journey, and you will learn a lot.”
Kai gave her a smile as he wrote in his notebook, “I would like to, but I prefer the general course.” Sakura looked puzzled, “Why the general course?” Kai explained, “If I opt for the magic course, I might stand out among them.” Sakura looked confused at his words, but Celestina, looking at Kai’s legs, seemed to understand. Hiro and Maximus also caught on.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Maximus reassured, “No one would dare to disrespect the Archduke household.” He said so with a smile, to which Kai gave him a small smile and wrote again, “Thank you, Uncle Max, but I still prefer the general course.” Maximus paused for a moment, but smiled at his words, “Alright then. The entrance exam for the Magic Academy is in a month, so you should start preparing.” Kai nodded in agreement. “Good, no need for use of magic.” Kai thought to himself, as he took a sip of his tea.
“Oh! Right.” Celestina spoke up, “When will you guys have the banquet for Kai?” She looked at Sakura than at Hiro who were thinking of it. Kai put his cup down and wrote in his notebook, “Banquet for me?” Hiro replied, “It’s on the celebration for us finding you after all this year. I was thinking of a grand celebration.” Sakura added, “Why don’t we do it before Kai’s entrance exam?” Maximus and Celestina also joined the discussion, while Kai looked at Elysia and wrote to her, “Should we have a stroll outside?” As she read it, she beamed up and announced, “Me and brother will go for a walk!”
The four of them looked at her, then at Kai, when Maximus replied, “Alright then, why don’t you show your brother around the Palace?” To the question, Elysia’s eyes sparkled, “Yeah! I will do that! Let’s go brother!” she took off her chair and went straight to the door, while Kai smiled at her and wheeled himself. Maximus with the rest looked them go when he started back with the discussion.