"Can I use magic? I thought it was impossible by now."

"There are two reasons for your lack of magic. The first one was that you needed the 'Key' to unlock the potential in you, the second one is the bracelet we gave you."

"The 'Key' I can understand, but the bracelet too?"

Reon began to explain, since he was the one who created this situation.

"The point of the bracelet was to suck up most of your magic, and keep the seal inside running. Most of it is magically powered. Without that function, we wouldn't be here, talking to you."

"This, and to hide you as much as possible until you knew about Elliott. We have no idea what time it is outside this place, so we feared Elliott could be roaming free when you were growing up."

"If he had found you, the one he came to kill in the first place... I can let you imagine the result."

Reon was about to keep talking, but before he could do so, Orianne walked in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough of that for now. Unlocking is magic is simple, he either has to learn it in books and practice, or we can just unlock it with our magic. In this case, unlocking his potential will simply be enough, though."

Orianne butted in, and with the swiftness of a bird, grabbed Orion and made him sit at the table. She then sat next to him and asked.

"This is not the time for any of this! Do you know how much I wanted to speak to you? I don't even know a single thing about you yet. I missed the chance to see you grow, so I have the right as a mother to listen to your story and how you lived until now!"

She was pouting again. Reon looked at her, shrugged and eventually nodded before walking to the table both his wife and his son were sitting at.

"You're right, this should have been the priority. I'm sorry to only talk about depressing stuff. We still don't know anything yet. Orion, can you tell us about yourself and the state of the world?"

Reon sat at the table across Orion and Orianne.

"Well, first, I should say that I'm eighteen."

"Our child is eighteen, Reon! He grew up so well!"

Orianne gasped in shock and relieve.

"Can you be quiet for a minute? You asked for details about his life, but are you going to comment on every single thing? Give him a break for a minute."

Reon began to scold her like he was her father.

"And don't start pouting again. Just listen to him, you can do that, right?"

'So this is my father. And my mother is like that too. It feels so warm just listening to them.'

"Should I start with what I heard from the person who found me? Or should I start with the world and the area I live in currently?"

"Please start with yourself, the world's state is just for me to give you advice later, on what you should do."

"In that case, I'll begin with the place I appeared at. I heard from a man named Dylan, the person who picked me up, that-"

...

Orion detailed everything that happened until recently.

His apparition from a pillar of light, Dylan picking him up, him growing in Auro, a village of beastmen. His lessons about the world and the abilities he obtained from both people important to him, the only girl in the orphanage, Amelia, which also coincidentally was the person marked with the 'Key' brand.

"A girl! You have a girlfriend already?! I wish I could have seen her, a sweet and shy little girl!"

"Orianne, later with that."

Orianne was unstoppable, she adored cute girls. Less than her son, though.

He also mentioned his hunting techniques and the strange new beast that he hunted, finally ending with the orphanage fire and Amelia's loss of control over her magic.

"It is a pretty big problem I need to resolve, but I don't know how much time has passed since I got here. I sincerely hope Amelia is safe."

"I don't know if it will reassure you, but no time as passed since you came here. To begin with, only your mind was absorbed in the device, so you're perceiving time differently compared to what's occurring outside. The bracelet can seal its content from 'time'."

Reon gave a quick explanation of the bracelet functions.

"I can't believe it, my child is being hugged by another woman currently. I can see it clearly! This is incredible!"

"Mother, it's not like that! Do you even remember I'm in the middle of a burning building?"

"This is a small detail, what could happen to you anyway?"

"Sorry to cut you two in your fun, but I would like information on the current world you live in, Orion. I still don't know how long it has been since then."

"From what I guessed from the recordings, the continent is named the same still, but the island both of you lived on is now part of the mainland."

"WHAT?!"

Reon and Orianne let out loud screams.

"What is the year we're in currently? This might be a terrible time for you to live in."

Reon pressed Orion for answers.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I'm not very knowledgeable about the past, but we're currently in 2000."

Both gasped in shock and looked at each other as if the world were ending.

"Orion, your mother and I sealed us exactly two thousand years ago! Elliott is either free, or close to being unsealed!"

"I can't believe so much time passed. It took nineteen thousand and eighty-two years for him to be nurtured by the divine magic. This is bad, and the worst part is, we can't do anything about it."

Both were feeling depressed by the fact that they would leave Orion in such a dire situation. They knew how powerful Elliott was.

"Let's continue, was something else different from the recordings?"

Reon got his composure back, but lost it almost immediately. Orianne was in deep thought, and stopped listening altogether.

"There was something about the factions. If you forget about the giants that became extinct in your time, and the Remnants that no one ever witnessed, there should have been twelve factions. But today, four factions have disappeared."

"Which ones?! This is awful, did the factions' balance got broken by Elliott?"

"From what I remember from the recordings, the griffins, the kobolds, the arachnea and the elementals are the ones missing."

"The kobolds were always being hunted by humans, so I guess they just got decimated with time. The arachnea most likely went in hiding. The griffins either got subjugated, or they fled to some inaccessible place. The elementals disappearing is a giant blow to the world, without them, it becomes harder to use magic."

"What about the other factions?"

Orion detailed what today's factions were doing.

"The fairies... we don't know much about them today. Lamias became human subjects to stay alive. Kelpies lost a lot of territory because of Eogis merging with Triazils, so they also became endangered. Dragons are dragons, no point in thinking about them. The beastmen lost their right to form organized groups."

"This is... What happened for the humans to direct their hate on all factions? I thought that with Elliott out of the pictures for a few centuries, it would help them reconcile, but it became worse?"

All of these details brought Reon to a shocked state, the world was in a worse state that it could have ever been.

"Reon, Elliott had subordinates. What if those below him continued to manipulate everything until now? This could be the reason no one knows about the angels' and demons' fight from our time."

Orianne cut in after thinking for a long time.

"You might be right. We heard that Elliott's men could inherit their ancestors' abilities and magic. If they remained strong all the way until now, they could have pushed the other factions to the brink of extinction."

Orion was listening to his parents. He was stunned to observe his parents deducing so much from almost nothing.

This was another reason why Orion was so compatible with the 'Calm Analysis' ability. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as they say.

"I think I have everything I needed to picture the current state of the world right now. It's time for you to make a choice, Orion."

Reon looked at Orianne, and both nodded.

"What are those choices?"

"We will give you two choices."

Orianne lifted one finger, and said the following.

"You can forget most of the things we told you, go back to your life like nothing happened, protect that girl, Amelia, and live happy somewhere far away from Elliott and his goons. As your parents, we only wish for your happiness."

Orion listened carefully, but he could see some frustration on her face.

Reon proceeded to lift a finger too, and gave the second choice.

"You can also hunt those subordinates, help the oppressed factions as much as possible, and find a way to send Elliott on his way to the afterlife. This is the hardest path, and you could lose everything doing that. We cannot force you in shouldering this. You may have our legacy, the 'Shackles' or whatever, you will require more than simple strength."

"Finding allies, becoming a protector, and hunting only the right people. Can you be certain you will achieve everything in what seems like so little time remaining? Please remember, waste too much time, and Elliott will most likely hunt you down."

Reon's face showed signs of exhaustion. This was also tough for him, as he felt like sending his son to his death.

However, he had to say it because the choice was not his, but Orion's.

"Don't mind your father, he never liked conditions like these. Take your time, and think carefully."

Orianne took Orion's left hand between her hands.

"Before making my choice, I need my magic unlocked. If I don't have the magic for it, I might as well completely forget about it."

"You're right. Come here then. Reon, come help too."

They all got up, and moved a few meters away from the table.

"Get ready, Orion, this might sting a little if you possess a significant amount of magic. Your body needs to get used to it."

Orianne began to channel her magic on Orion's back, followed by Reon. Orion closed his eyes to focus on the feeling flowing inside his body.

Silver and Gold energy began to flow into Orion's core. A tingling sensation was felt all over his body.

They channeled their magic for more than twenty minutes, before Reon began to show concern.

"This is taking too long, Orianne. He might not be able to use it in the end."

"Give him a minute, it's his first time feeling this."

"I know, but-"

Cut by a sudden burst of magic, it forced Reon to stop talking, before pushing both of them back slightly.

"What did you say about him not being able to use magic?"

"This is ridiculous! Orianne, do you understand what we've done?!"

"Not really, but doesn't that mean we've made a strong child?"

Orianne giggled while looking at her son enveloped in silver and gold energy.

"It's more than that, Orianne... We brought back two of the lost elements in one body, and we gave him our magic power."

"Combine this with the 'Shackles'? Can he lose himself in all this power and become a second Elliott?"

"Don't be stupid, he's not Elliott, he's our son. A parent's job is to lead their child on the right track, am I wrong?"

Orianne slapped the back of Reon's head with a smirk.

"You get too easily lost in your fears. Believe in him. Or are you telling me you regret having him?"

"No... I don't."

Orion opened his eyes after assimilating the energies in his body. He felt like nothing changed physically, which was true.

"How do you feel? Can you feel the flow in your body?"

"Yes, I can. I also obtained a few ideas on how to use this in the future."

He turned around. Reon and Orianne gasped at his look.

"Orion, come here."

Orianne took a mirror placed on top of a drawer, and showed Orion his reflection.

"What the-?!"

His previously black hair showed a different color. The back of his head remained black, but the front now showed a silver color on the left side, and a gold color on the right side.

"This is what you get for taking our magic."

Reon felt better jabbing at his son.

The magic around Orion started to dissipate, and his hair began to turn back to its original black color.

"Oh, so this is temporary?"

Orion was relieved, since he really liked his black hair.

"So, with everything that happened, what are you going to do now? Are you going to live safely, or fight Elliott?"

Orianne looked stressed, and Reon prepared himself for the answer.

"First, I want to save Amelia. If I'm able to do it without her suffering any injuries, I will hunt those subordinates. If I can't, it means I don't have the power to do so."

"His first choice is to save a life. Are you still doubting him now?"

Proud of her son, Orianne smirked. She hugged him one last time.

"What can I say? I wish for his wellbeing, too. But please do not rush anything. Being prepared can be the difference between life and death."

"I will remember that, with everything I learned here."

They both stepped away from Orion.

"I think it's time to separate for now. I'm glad we could see you, my dear son."

Tears fell from Orianne's eyes, and Reon appeared regretful saying goodbye so soon.

"Can't you come with me?"

Orion had to ask.

"We lost our bodies when we sealed ourselves. Only your mind came in the device, remember?"

"It's impossible for us to come out, we are technically spirits currently."

He felt horrible hearing that his parents were dead, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"I understand. I hope I'll see you again in the future. I'll tell you everything that will happen next time."

"We will await you impatiently."

"Mother, father, see you later."

Orion waved at his parents, watching them wave back, and slowly vanished from the device, waking up in reality.

"Aaaand back he goes. Time for us to go back to sleep too."

"I suppose we have to. Let's go Reon, I can't wait to see him again!"

The room began to darken, until everything became void.