Can I just stay here forever? Screw the Academy.

Adion was sitting on a couch in his grandfather’s study. His sister was hugging him from the side, patting his head comfortably. His brother wasn’t quite as close, but he still sat beside Adion with a hand on his shoulder, a content and peaceful smile on his lips.

It feels nice to be a little brother again.

“This should be…Wait! Marli! The grapes we bought last week, bring them too,” Adion’s grandfather instructed the maid.

“Of course, master,” Marli said with an amused smile and hurried off.

“Something is missing. Will the wine be enough?” His grandfather mused aloud.

“It’s fine, Grandpa,” Adion smiled, “It looks delicious.”

“A reunion like this should be done right,” His grandfather stressed.

“Isn’t it already perfect?” Adion questioned.

His grandfather stopped his tinkering and turned to look at Adion with a smile, “I suppose it is.” He took a seat in an armchair next to Adion and his siblings and poured some wine for everyone.

“It’s a nice place you managed to get,” Adion said, “I didn’t know we were this rich.”

Adion’s grandfather lived in a small mansion just 15 minutes walk from the Academy. Adion didn’t know how much it was, but it couldn’t have been cheap.

“We got a good price for the Remori manor from the Grath and Valis family,” His grandfather said.

“Because of the formation?” Adion asked.

“You know about it?” His grandfather asked.

“It was how I managed to escape,” Adion answered. His brother turned to look at Adion with curiosity. Even his sister lifted her head to look at him.

“I suppose I’ll start at the beginning,” Adion said. He knew that telling them carried its risks. Perhaps his grandfather could keep his secrets without issue, but Aiden and Ailera wouldn’t stand a chance if someone questioned them about it. Their aura control wasn’t good enough.

So be it. We’ll solve everything together. I’m not lying to my family. I want to tell them everything.

“Mm,” Ailera nodded. He had his family’s undivided attention.

“A month after you all left for Cyalis,” Adion began, “I was out training in our courtyard. Mom and Dad were close by. It was a peaceful day. But suddenly, Dad got this serious expression on his face. I didn’t know what was happening, but we all took off to the front of our manor. A huge crowd had gathered there. Mom, Sami, and I stayed at the back while Dad went to see what was going on. There were three men in white masks there. They had killed Francis. It wasn’t only the three of them. All around us, there were masked men and women.

“I couldn’t hear what they were saying to Dad, but Mom must have heard, as she instructed Sami to take me away to the treasury. I didn’t want to leave, but Sami grabbed me, and I could offer no resistance. As I was being carried away, I saw how those men killed Mom and Dad.”

“So that’s how they died,” Aiden said in a low voice with an expressionless face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Adion.”

“I’m glad you weren’t,” Adion said.

“Those people, they were from Heavenly Light, right Grandpa?” Ailera asked.

“So you know about it?” Adion asked.

“You know about them, Adion?” His grandfather asked softly.

“Not at the time, but later,” Adion said, “How did you find out?”

“Not long after we arrived in Cyalis, I got a message from Arissa about what had happened,” His grandfather explained, “At the time, no one knew who was responsible. But I headed straight for the Valis kingdom when I got the news, and seeing the cave with the formation collapsed, I understood what they had been after.

“I was…angry, very angry about what had been done to my family. But more than anything, I felt tired. I felt empty. Thankfully, Arissa was there to handle everything. She also brought in the Valis family as she was clever enough not to keep something like that to herself.”

“It only took a week after the Valis family got involved before they discovered who was behind the attack. I decided that even if I would likely die, I had to get my revenge. The only thing to fill in the emptiness with was hate. I am not proud of what I was like during those days. Thankfully, Arissa stopped me and talked some sense into me. I realized that I still had family left. And Aiden and Ailera would need me. So I left the Valis kingdom behind me and returned to Cyalis.”

“I see,” Adion said, “And you’re safe here? You don’t think Heavenly Light will want to finish us?”

“I’m sure they do,” His grandfather nodded, “But Cyalis is pretty safe. And I’m pretty strong. I don’t think we are very high on their list of priorities, either. But that doesn’t mean I’m not their enemy, and they might strike when I least suspect it. Thankfully, Ailera and Aiden are students at the Academy. No one would dare to harm them.”

“Not even Heavenly Light?” Adion questioned, “They are very powerful, Grandpa. And they probably have people working for them inside the Academy.”

“They probably do,” His grandfather agreed, “But so does any other organization worth their name. It would be foolish not to have your members be part of the greatest institution on the continent. But does that mean they can kill a student? No. Not even the Royal families would dare plot such a thing.”

“Are you sure about that?” Adion asked. It seemed to him that someone with a lot of friends in the Academy could make someone disappear without evidence with enough preparation.

“I’m as sure as I can be,” His grandfather said with a smile, “The Academy is different from the rest of the families and organizations on Shiora, Adion. They don’t just have the most powerful mages; they have knowledge. No one knows what means they have to unravel a plot. And even if it were the Royal family of the Alago Empire, should the Academy declare them enemies, the rest of the continent would follow suit. Even the Nobles of the Alago Empire would rush to kill the Royals to please Cyalis.”

“How could that be?” Adion asked, surprised.

“How could it not? The Academy is more powerful. People tend to side with the most powerful. And they use their power to educate all our children and grandchildren. Sharing much of their valuable knowledge. Basically every family clan on the continent has a deep connection to the Academy. That is what makes them truly powerful. They wouldn’t even need to leave the Academy to end a Royal family. Just say the word, and we would all gladly do it for them.”

That is true power…Say the word, and the world obeys.

“Seems like I might be able to relax for a while then,” Adion said.

“Yes, you should,” His grandfather said with a smile, “You must have been through a lot.”

“It’s been quite the journey,” Adion said, “Before I continue, though. Do you know about how Heavenly Light is planning an attack on the Remori manor again?”

“I do,” His grandfather said, surprised, “How come you know so much about all of this?”

“It’s a long story,” Adion said.

“Keep telling it,” Ailera urged, “How did you get away from our manor?”

“Right,” Adion nodded, “Do you, by any chance, know what that formation in the treasury does?”

“No,” Ailera shook her head. She turned to look at her grandfather, “You said that no one knew.”

“No one does,” His grandfather said, “At least not that I know of.”

“Well, I will tell you then,” Adion said, “It’s a teleportation formation.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“A…what? You mean…” Aiden looked at Adion, trying to understand.

“I was brought down to the formation by Sami,” Adion explained, “And the formation grabbed my attention. I stepped onto it, and before I knew it, I was on the other side of the continent.”

“What!?” His grandfather yelled out in shock, “This is…Once this is known…”

“‘Once it is known’? I see no reason to make it known,” Adion said.

“Why not?” His grandfather asked.

“Well, let me continue explaining, and we’ll discuss everything later,” Adion said.

“Mm,” His grandfather nodded, looking curiously at Adion.

“You might remember that I used to be a sparkless,” Adion said.

“Of course,” His grandfather nodded, “Just how did you-”

“Ganta!” Ailera interrupted, “Adion! You’re a mage!”

“You didn’t notice until now?” Adion asked with an amused smile.

“How?” Ailera asked.

“I created a core without a spark,” Adion said, “I have always trained my mana control, as you might all know. But what you might not have known is that I have always had an affinity other than fire and water. It has always been my strongest affinity, actually.”

“Stronger than your fire affinity?” His grandfather questioned, “What element?”

“Space,” Adion replied. Not hesitating a second to hide something like that from his family.

“Space?” Ailera asked, looking at Aiden and her grandfather questioningly.

“What do you mean ‘space’?” Aiden asked.

“The element of space,” Adion replied with a smirk. He grabbed the four glasses of wine on the table with his Authority and brought them in front of each of his family members. “It’s a convenient element. I recommend training in it.”

“What is going on? How are you doing this?” Ailera asked.

“I’m freezing space and moving it around,” Adion explained, “This is an affinity I believe you two have as well, maybe just to a lesser degree. It’s probably why we have such good spatial awareness.”

“Hold on,” His grandfather pressed his temple, contemplating what he was hearing, “Then…you don’t have a fire core, but a space core?”

“Yes,” Adion nodded. “The reason the formation was acting up was because huge amounts of space mana was leaking through it. Somehow, that seemed to have given us an affinity to it. Perhaps because I was sparkless, I gained the greatest affinity.”

“You mean I could do what you’re doing too?” Ailera asked, grabbing the wine glass as Adion let it go.

“Well, it would take a lot of practice, and you would need…we’ll get to that. Anyway, I teleported to the other side of the continent. Somewhere deep within the Endless Forest, in a cave much like the one in the treasury.” Adion continued.

“In the Endless Forest? How did you-” Adion's grandfather began but interrupted himself, “Never mind, sorry. Continue, Adion.”

“Well,” Adion said, “On the other side of the formation, I discovered what was causing all the space mana to leak through. There was so much space mana around that I could hardly believe it. For some reason, I just immediately began forming a core from it. Even without a spark, if you bend enough mana to your Will and compress it together, you can form a core. It was just like we thought, Grandpa. I just managed to do it a lot earlier than expected.”

“Incredible,” His grandfather said with a smile. “And you’ve managed to reach middle Bronze already. It seems all that practice wasn’t for nothing.”

“About that…” Adion said, slowly revealing his true cultivation, “I’m a bit stronger than middle Bronze.”

“Ganta,” His grandfather whispered.

“Adion…how?” Aiden asked with a serious expression.

“This surprises you more than me having a space core?” Adion questioned.

“It’s one too many surprises,” Ailera said.

“Well, get used to it because there are plenty more,” Adion said with a grin.

“But how are you a Silver mage already? And how did you hide it even from me?” His grandfather asked, mouth open in shock.

“You couldn’t tell?” Ailera asked, “But…”

“I have very good control of my aura,” Adion said, “That’s not even one of the surprises.”

“How could that not be a surprise? I’m a Diamond mage, and over 100 years old. You’re just 17. Just how could you have that kind of control of your aura?” His grandfather questioned.

“It will reveal itself as the story moves forward,” Adion said, enjoying himself greatly at seeing his flustered family.

“Then go on!” His grandfather urged.

“So where was I? Oh yeah, I discovered the surge of space mana was because the Celestial Phoenix was being reborn.”

No one said anything. His family just stared at Adion, waiting for him to continue.

“I would have thought that to be the biggest surprise,” Adion muttered.

“I’ll bite,” Ailera said, “What are you talking about, Adion?”

“I discovered later the place I had woken up in used to be the headquarters for the Celestial Phoenix Sect during the Age of Wonder. And that very Phoenix was reborn right next to me. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay long, taking flight immediately after it was reborn.”

“This…” His grandfather didn’t seem to be able to handle all the information Adion was revealing.

“Are you sure you’re my brother?” Ailera questioned, “Not some hero of ancient times?”

“I’ve gotten pretty cool,” Adion nodded thoughtfully, “But a hero? No.”

“Silly,” Ailera smiled.

“So there is not only the Fire Phoenix that has returned…What could this mean?” His grandfather asked aloud, “Surely we need to tell the Academy about this.”

“Why do you want to tell everyone everything?” Adion questioned.

Is that why I’m so bad at keeping secrets?

“This is too big to keep to ourselves,” His grandfather said with a serious expression.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Adion said, “I have a lot more to tell you first.”

“Right,” His grandfather nodded.

“So, the thing about space as an element is that it is very hard to conjure,” Adion explained, “Even now, as a Silver mage, I can only conjure a tiny tiny bit, about the size of a grain of sand. So I was pretty weak even as a mage. But as fortune would have it, there was something remaining in the Celestial Phoenix Sect that has helped me greatly. A pill made during the Age of Wonder, made from the blood of the Celestial Phoenix. And this gave me a power that I call ‘Authority.’ Basically, it lets me control a certain amount of space without having to conjure it myself, nor does the Will of the world fight me over it.”

“There is something like that?” Aiden asked.

“Mm,” Adion nodded, “And there was one made from the blood of the Fire Phoenix as well.”

Adion conjured a flame and controlled it to take the shape of White, just like he used to when playing around with his Authority.

“This…That pill allowed you to do this?” His grandfather asked. His family was gathered close by the flame, scrutinizing it.

“I have to conjure the flame myself,” Adion said, “But as long as I don’t try to make the flame bigger than this, I have perfect control. The will of the world lets me do as I please.”

“The possibilities,” Aiden murmured, “You’re undefeatable. You’re…”

“Mm,” Adion nodded. He would share the happy news that there was a pill for Aiden and his grandfather after he was done with his story. He felt like they needed the full picture first. “I am very strong. Although my abilities in space trumps those I have with fire. But it makes it easier to pretend to be a fire mage.”

“I didn’t even think about that,” Aiden said, “So the professors, they think you’re a fire mage?”

“And they believe that my ability to freeze space is my Gift,” Adion said.

“You lied?” Aiden asked, shocked.

“Well, I know I’m not supposed to…” Adion looked a little guiltily to his grandfather, “But this isn’t something that can revealed casually to people that are so much stronger than me. Who knows what they would do?”

“Not even I know anymore,” His grandfather said, shaking his head with a strange smile, “This is too much to take in all at once.”

“Well, this isn’t a night of boring planning anyway,” Adion said, smiling, “Let’s get to the part where I meet some friends.”

“You’ve made friends?” Ailera asked, an amused smile on her lips.

“He claims he has even made a girlfriend,” Aiden said with a grin.

“What!?” Ailera yelled out in shock.

“How can that be the biggest surprise of the night?” Adion asked.

“Hahaha!” His grandfather and Aiden both broke into laughter. Aiden wiped a tear from his eyes and looked at Adion with an amused smile, “So who is this girlfriend? Somehow, that is the most normal thing you’ve told us so far. I’m looking forward to hearing about it.”

“Her name is Sell,” Adion said with a smile, “Sellitha Amyss, she’s Rellitha’s younger sister.”

The room turned silent once again.