<- System Rewards ->
[-New Passive: Recovery twice a day-]
Defense Stat +10
Mana Stat +10
Strength Stat +10
[ New Stat Available: Stamina- Allows Host a certain amount of time to remain active, and exert itself for prolonged periods ]
Yuto saw his body being healed and felt a rush of strength and endurance return to him, and his body felt so alive and powerful.
Even Cynthia turned her head back as she noticed the glowing green light, she looked in awe as his wounds healed up, leaving no trace of scars.
"B-brother, what did you do?" Cynthia stopped in her tracks, she was confused and rather curious about how her brother managed to heal such wounds and felt stupid to have forgotten the fact that he was bleeding out
Yuto smirked, "Looks like I learned some healing magic, wait why didn't you heal me before?"
Cynthia looked a bit sheepish as she turned her head away, "W-well I mean, hey they healed up now, so no harm done right?", she asked with a stupid grin.
He flicked her forehead and proceeded to continue walking, "Sure you did now hurry up, I'm starving, talking about Aunt Lily's food made me hungry"
~Yuto, I felt your strength increase, did you receive some rewards from the system?
Yuto chuckles, [-Yes, it seems as if my actions truly do matter, I'll check the rest later, for right now I'm a bit hungry-]
Mizuki in her spiritual form, patted his head.
~You're not in pain anymore, are you?, her usual demeanor was gone, as although his injuries healed she was worried about his mental health
Yuto gave her a reassuring smile, [-No, in fact, I feel a lot better, so don't worry we can discuss the rest after I eat-]
Mizuki takes a smaller form, the size of his hand, and sits on his shoulder.
~Now this is more comfortable
Yuto lets out a little chuckle as he pinches Mizuki's cheek, [-Jeez, what am I going to do with you-]
Mizuki chuckled, ~So you decide to tell her about me?
[-It's the least I can do, I'm still keeping secrets from Mom and her, the most I can tell them is about you-]
~Whatever you decide Yuto, I'll support you
Although she saw that her brother was smiling and talking to Mizuki, she couldn't help but feel a bit tense, her thoughts were all over the place but the clear one was
~ Healing magic is only available to those in the 3rd Tier so Mizuki must have done that green light, so she knows healing magic?
With that thought it was almost easy to pinpoint Yuto's level but also impossible to grasp, how can a newly awakened be in the 3rd Tier?
"Cynthia?" She snapped out of it as Yuto called her name out
"Coming!" As if her brother can be in the 3rd Tier, Mizuki probably healed him
After eating their fill, and finishing the rest of their journey, they finally reached his aunt's home, in the city of Driffield, a city that most adventurers will call "The Beginners Town," a great place for a newly awakened Yuto to train for a month.
-Aunt's Home-
It was at the end of the city, a large mansion that puts his family home to shame, how can she afford all this?
She is a high-ranking mage who has a lot of accomplishments as an adventurer, publishing her books on magic, Cara does not like her sister as she sees her as nothing more than an immature brat who has money and other personal issues.
"Hey Mom," Yuto asked with the utmost cutest tone he could give, Mizuki was laughing her guts off at how out of pocket Yuto sounded, even his Dad and Cynthia looked at each other with surprise.
"Yes, sweetie?" She answered with a soft smile on her face as she looked at him and then at the city, they arrived in, it was truly a sight to behold as they had lived in the mountains in a small village for 17 years
"Are you going to be okay, I mean me and Cynthia know you don't have a good relationship with Aunt Lily," Yuto was in no way going to mention his Dad as he looked away rather quickly, away from the conversation.
His Mom let out a chuckle and gave him a bright smile, she patted his head with her hand, gently and reassuring him.
"Don't worry sweetie, I'll be fine. I can handle your Aunty"
Yuto and Cynthia both looked at each other worried, from past experiences, they could tell when their mother was lying, she would usually hold her finger on her leg and close her eyes as she spoke sweetly.
It is a truly terrifying thing to see as no one can imagine this sweet-looking woman would be capable of one-shotting a bear.
~Jeez I'm more scared of your mother than the time your dad beat the shit out of us if looks can kill I promise you this, your mother would be a world champion
Yuto agrees with Mizuki almost instantly, [-Careful now my mother is very perspective if she knows I'm talking to you in my mind, it's over for me-]
They both laugh with each other. It is very clear who wears the belt in this family, and it ain't the dad with how quickly he looks away when the topic of Aunt Lily is brought up.
His Mother looks at both Yuto and Cynthia and can't help but raise her eyebrow when she notices that both of them look worried.
She let out a chuckle, "Hey, what are you both worrying about? I can handle your Aunt Lily alright"
Their father was just staring out the window, just hoping they would get out of the carriage before their Mother exploded.
Cara looked at her husband, surprised when she noticed that he was worried as well, she couldn't help but scoff and look at all of them in annoyance.
"Can you all stop worrying for a moment and trust me? I can handle a conversation with your Aunty, alright?"
The Carriage doors finally opened, and who other than Aunt Lily was waiting by her door, along with 10 other servants waiting to carry any luggage they might have
Lily was wearing a very beautiful purple dress, her smooth black hair tied in a bun, and her brown eyes looked captivating as her eyes met their mothers. She gave her a very cocky grin.
Cara glared a little when she saw Aunt Lily in front of her door and gave her a false smile in "Greeting"
The family left the carriage and walked up to her doorstep, Cara zooms past both Yuto and Cynthia, her arms crossed across her chest as she waves her hair back.
"Hello Lily," Cara gave her sister the most sarcastic greeting, Yuto, Cynthia, Mizuki, and their Father all looked at the both of them with a tired expression.
"Oh boy here we go again," Cynthia sighed as she shook her head.
Cara could feel a vein pumping on her forehead as Lily spoke in such a careless tone to her. She let out a soft chuckle that was mostly just anger and annoyance before she spoke again.
"Yes... it's nice to see that you didn't change at all"
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Lily with a smudged look walked even closer, with every step she took the air around them started to feel like suffocation, she enjoyed the look on her sister's face knowing she could do nothing as she was not a mage or a swordsman.
"So what's so special that you'll come to visit little old me?" Yuto's Dad was the one to stop the suffocating air as Cynthia was about to counter Lily's spell with hers, Lily noticed this and gave her a wink, which only made Cynthia angry.
Both Yuto and his father looked at each other, on the verge of tears trying to stop the 3 ladies from ripping each other apart.
Cara resisted the urge to just snap at Lily in anger and instead kept her usual smile. She let out a soft sigh before speaking again.
"Well, I need to talk to you for a moment. A family matter," Cara asked with a neutral tone, Yuto's dad finally stepped up and reassuringly held Cara's hand.
"Oh, scared I'll steal your husband if he comes in?" Lily responded with her usual cockiness.
That sentence was the single most triggering sentence that could've come out of her mouth. Cara felt her eyes widen as her fake smile turned into a scowl. She clenched her teeth as she spoke in an angered, yet still quiet tone.
Yuto, Cynthia, and even Mizuki backed away giving their condolences to Yuto's dad, who was now trapped as Cara gripped his hand with a lot of strength, 50 percent for support and the other 50 was to hold her back from ripping Lily's face off.
"Excuse me?! What in the hell makes you think that I'd be scared you'd steal my husband?"
"Jeez Cara, almost 41 and still acting 15," Lily started walking back to her doorstep.
Cara felt another vein pumping on her forehead as Lily walked away, her smug look only fueling the fire of resentment, Cara could barely hold the anger inside her.
Her eyes start to twitch slightly from annoyance and anger, "I'm not acting 15! And why do you always get on my damn nerves!"
Yuto stepped up and patted her back, "Mom," Mizuki passed out from the amount of energy his Mom was leaking.
His Mom took a deep breath to calm her anger when she felt Yuto patting her back. She spoke with a calmer tone and turned to look at him and the others while she still looked annoyed at Lily.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"We need to talk to her about my awakening and I am hungry"
She nodded in agreement with Yuto, as Cynthia was now passed out in their dad's arms and looked back at Aunt Lily.
She stares back at her with an annoying smirk on her face that Cara wants to slap off. She spoke with a little anger in her tone.
"We have something to discuss with you, Lily it is important"
"Oh, what is it that you would bow your head down?"
Cara felt the anger and annoyance rising again when she spoke to her in her careless tone.
Cara crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at her with a serious expression.
"It's about Yuto's awakening"
"Huh, he finally awakened?"Aunt Lily's usual cocky demeanor stopped, and she walk down to check Yuto's progress, she grabbed his arms of course with his permission, and started to inject some of her mana into his body
"I didn't notice at first but his hair and eye color are different"
<- System ->
Skill: Appraisal, has been copied
Yuto is surprised when the system appears, moreover, he gains a new skill.
["I can copy skills if it's used on me?"]
<- System Alert ->
HOST UNKNOWN MANA IS BEING INJECTED, WILL THE HOST ACCEPT MANA VIEWING AND APPRAISAL SKILL?
HOST HAS ACCEPTED
Cara felt a little satisfied when she saw Aunt Lily dropping her usually annoying demeanor, and walking closer to check on Yuto.
Cara looked at Yuto and then looked back at Aunt Lily, "So... what do you think, Lily?"
"Incredible, a late bloomer who awakened just recently, has talent in both magic and aura, hell even in almost every type of weapon use"
Cara with a proud look nodded as Aunt Lily spoke with her observations about Yuto's growth and talent. She patted Yuto's head softly when she mentioned how he was a late bloomer.
"I know, right? I'm honestly quite surprised by his talent and speed he developed already"
"This ring, you finally gave him the ring of Ernaline?"
Yuto spoke up, "You know about this ring Aunty?"
Lily let out a chuckle as she patted his back, "Brat, who do you think sold this ring?"
Cara looked surprised that Lily immediately recognized the ring from its aura, but still nodded and answered her question.
"Yes... I and my husband gave that to Yuto 6 days ago, he was supposed to receive it 3 years ago but seeing as he did not awaken back then it would have been dangerous without any abilities to back it up"
"Hmm, what's this other ring?"
Cara looked at Lily, surprised that she noticed that Yuto had not only one but two rings on his fingers.
Cara raised her eyebrow and looked at the other ring Lily mentioned, "You noticed the other ring on his finger?"
Yuto after the talk with his sister started to conceal Mizuki with his magic, of course to those who were stronger than him, they were bound to notice
Yuto gave his mother a look that said, "I do not want her to know about Mizuki so bail me out"
His mother noticed the expression shift in Yuto and the look he gave her and understood that he did not want Lily to know about that 'ring'. She looked back at Lily and gave her a confident smile.
"It's just a normal ring... don't worry about it," she glanced at Yuto and winked, Mizuki gave her a smile in return.
["Looks like Mom is keeping her promise about keeping you a secret"]
Mizuki responds, her voice amused and slightly skeptical.
~Hehe, I'm rather grateful that your mother is keeping her word. Still, just because she hasn't mentioned anything yet doesn't mean she won't later on. She might just be waiting for the right time to bring it up again.
["At least she's giving us the right to bring it up when we want to, others wouldn't even get such an opportunity"]
Mizuki nods in agreement, a hint of relief in her voice.
~Yeah, that's true. At least she didn't immediately start asking questions or demanding explanations like she did 2 days ago. Giving us the right to speak about it in due time is a small victory in a way.
"Hmm, so what about Yuto's awakening did you want to talk about?"Aunt Lily looks at Cara with a serious tone.
Cara nodded, as she stepped in front of Yuto, "Well... about that..."
Aunt Lily sighs, "Jeez, come in first. It's cold, and talking to you makes me hungry"
"Sure, thank you..."
They enter the giant mansion and get set in their rooms, where his mother remarks that each room is just too big for its good, everyone agrees because all 3 rooms put together are already bigger than their small cabin in the woods.
The 3 adults went to the 'Living Room', talked, and planned to stay for a week, maybe even a month.
"Yuto dinner is ready" Cynthia barges into Yuto's room, Mizuki is lying on his bed bored out of her mind, her legs against the wall.
Cynthia sees this and slams his door behind her, "W-what is she doing on your bed?"
Yuto chuckles, "I did promise her that she could be in her physical form when we reached Aunt's home"
"Yes, you did promise her that, but did you seriously have to ask her to stay in such a position?"
Cynthia did her best to keep her voice down, she was embarrassed while looking between her brother and Miuzki in disbelief.
Mizuki with a smirk chimes in, "Oh dear, what exactly did you have in mind?"
"Wh-?! I wasn't thinking of anything!" Cynthia became defensive and started to stammer out in response to Mizuki's teasing, her cheeks turning to a nice shade of red as she quickly looked away avoiding eye contact.
"Mizuki, don't tease my little sister, she is as red as a tomato"
Cynthia blushed even harder, her face felt like it was on fire as she mumbled quietly, "Y-yeah stop teasing me, I've already seen enough to get scared for life.."
Mizuki gave her a wink before going back to lying down, Cynthia took a few breaths, trying to get her embarrassment to die down, before replying, "I just came in to tell you dinner was ready, and then I see... this"
Yuto walks up and pats Cynthia's head, "Well I don't mean to blame you, but you did just barge into my room"
She paused when Yuto said that, glancing at the door for a brief second, "I- well- I didn't know you two were doing that! You didn't even lock the door!"
"Sure, whatever you say, I'll meet you in the dining room," Yuto already looked worn out, thinking this was becoming another Aunt and mother situation.
"Tch.. whatever.."
She huffed, mumbling quietly to herself as she left the room, closing the door behind her, her face still bright red from the embarrassment of walking in on Yuto and Mizuki.
"St-stupid brother, always teasing me"
After putting on the clothes his Aunt picked out for him, Yuto made his way into the hall that connected to the living room.
His mother sees him walking to the dining room but stops Yuto to speak to him, she quietly pulls him aside.
"Sweetie..." her voice was gentle yet nervous.
"Yes, Mom?" Both Mizuki and Yuto were surprised at how small his mother looked. Yuto and Cynthia both knew that she didn't like coming to her sister's home but she had never backed down or had a nervous look.
His Mother looked at him as he answered with a concerned tone, she took a deep breath before she spoke nervously but still tried to keep her voice down.
"Remember what we talked about earlier?.."
"About Mizuki?" Yuto holds his mother's hands.
His mother nodded and glanced around the room for a moment before she looked back at him and spoke quietly again.
"Yes, about her..."
Mizuki pops out, "What's wrong ma'am"
His mother flinches a little when Mizuki suddenly pops out of seemingly nowhere. His mother glanced around the room again to make sure that no one saw her before she looked at her.
"Stop with those sudden appearances, I almost had a heart attack"
Mizuki chuckles and so does Yuto as she turns small again and sits on Yuto's shoulder.
Cara let out an annoyed sigh as both Mizuki and her son chuckled at her. She looked at Yuto and glanced a few times around the room again before she leaned closer to his ear.
"Did anyone see her just now?"
"No, she's in her spiritual form so only you should be able to see her, let alone sense her"
His mother felt relieved when Yuto mentioned that nobody else should've seen Mizuki, She let out a soft sigh and leaned back.
"How much did you hear?"
"Well, ma'am. Your sister is a mage and a 6th tier one like Cynthia, which would explain why you couldn't stop the wind magic from earlier"
Cara blinks in surprise at Mizuki's remark about Lily being a mage.
"Yes, that's right... it's good that you're aware that she is a mage"
"So what's wrong Mom?"
"Sweetie... there is something about Aunt Lily that you should know..."
Both Mizuki and Yuto tilt their heads in curiosity, Yuto this has been a family mystery for years, why his mother had such a dislike for Aunt Lily.
Cara looks at Yuto and Mizuki for a moment, she takes a deep breath and finally continues to speak, "Promise me that what I tell you will remain a secret, okay?"
They shake their heads incredibly fast, Cara feels relief when they both agree to keep the secret that she's about to tell them.
She spoke in a quiet and nervous tone, "Good... you probably noticed how Aunt Lily and I are not exactly on good terms, right?"
Yuto let out a soft sigh and nodded, "Yes," Yuto thought that it was pretty obvious they were not on good terms when they tore each other apart like rabid dogs.
"The reason for that is... that Aunt Lily and I have a long story of tension between each other..."
Mizuki sets up a noise-canceling barrier.
"Aunt Lily and I are not on good terms like this just because of family tension. But instead because she... has... feelings... for your father"
They both slap their faces, "Mom, I think that's pretty clear"
Cara raises her eyebrow in surprise, "Is it really THAT obvious?"
"Jeez, I'm starting to think Aunt Lily is right when she says you act like a 15-year-old"
Wrong words as both Mizuki and Yuto felt the taste of death, as a vein started pumping on her forehead in irritation. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and spoke in a slightly annoyed tone.
"What do you mean by that? Me acting like a 15-year-old old?
"Mom, Dad only has eyes for you, and you alone"
Cara felt a slight blush on her cheeks when Yuto mentioned it with such a laid-back attitude, she let out a soft sigh, She looked back at him and spoke with less irritation.
"Your father indeed has eyes only for me... but Aunt Lily's feelings make me... worried..."
"Jeez, Mom, trust my Father, you and Dad have been married for 20 years by this point"
Cara looks at her son and lets out another sigh when he tells her to trust her husband. She spoke in her usual soft tone, her eyes filled with warmth and love.
"Y-You is right, I should... but it's hard when Aunt Lily always flirts with him..."
"And Dad shuts her down quickly, now please I'm starving and so is Mizuki"
His mother looked a little surprised when Yuto mentioned how her husband shuts down Aunt Lily's flirts quickly. She looked at Yuto and Mizuki for a moment before speaking again.
"Alright, alright. We can talk more about this later. Let's just eat already", they make it to the dining table and sit.
"What took you so long?" Aunt Lily asks, Cara pauses for a moment before answering.
"Oh uhm... we were talking about something..."
"So, Yuto's awakening"
Cara nodded when Aunt Lily mentioned Yuto's awakening, Cara let out another soft sigh.
"Yes, Yuto's awakening... there's something we need to talk about with you regarding that..."
"His talent and you want to see what else aside from his talent, right?" Lily received her cut-up steak from one of the servants and poured a glass of wine to all the adults.
They even poured Yuto a glass of non-alcoholic wine and gave an extra large portion of food to Cynthia who was destroying all the food inside her black hole stomach.
Cara nodded and looked at Aunt Lily with a serious expression, her tone held no anger, no sass, but one of a mother worried about her son.
"You are correct... his talent, skills, and as well as what he's capable of are what we want you to view and help him get a grasp on his abilities, we need you to talk to him to better understand his awakening"
"Hmm, that should be fine, we can view more of his talent tomorrow morning, for right now eat and rest I'm sure your family hasn't slept on a bed for a week"
Cara nodded again and let out a soft sigh of relief when Lily said they could view more of Yuto's talent tomorrow morning. Cara crossed her arms in front of her chest and spoke in a calmer tone.
"That would be great... thank you, sister," she gave Lily a genuine smile, one that caught everyone off guard, hell even Lily seemed most surprised and felt a blush creeping in.
"H-huh?" this was the first time in their family's history where Lily had nothing to say, no snarky remark, no cocky attitude, just a cute woman whose entire face when beat red, Cynthia took a quick picture for 'Memories'
"W-whatever just eat the food and go to bed, we can discuss his schedule later", Although she tried to hide it, Aunt Lily had a huge smile on her face, this was the first time in almost 2 decades that both sisters stopped fighting, and where just eating like a normal family.
-Yuto's Room-
Yuto was lying on his bed with Mizuki, she was caressing his right knuckle with her thumb, before the system appeared before him.
<- New Quest ->
Visit Your Father In The Backyard
[ Rewards will be ]
- +10 stat points to every stat
-New Skill
-New Passive