The next day, Edna visited her mother’s grave. It was a simple tombstone, labelled only with her name and date of birth and death. If they had had more money, they might’ve been able to get a better grave, or an epitaph. But, for a homeless beggar, an actual grave was far better than what was usually reserved for those who died in these circumstances.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” a soft voice spoke. That voice…she recognized it. She slowly stood, and turned to face the source of those words.

Standing before her was an elderly man who looked the exact same as when she had met him four years ago. “Magnus…” she mumbled softly. He tilted his head. “Oh? I’m surprised you remembered me, Edna.” Upon her questioning gaze, he averted his gaze. “…I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now, that’s why I know about the recent events. Someone with your power was…too dangerous to leave unchecked.”

“So you were stalking me,” she said with a level tone.

“That’s….well…” he could find no words to refute her statement. But even so… she smiled. Within those eyes, which had gone cold, the fire of life was now blazing firmly in them. “Magnus, if it’s not too late, I want to join the Gran Sars.”

“Is that so?” Magnus asked her, rubbing his beard in thought. “Well, I suppose now is as good a time as ever…”

“But, I have some conditions!” That declaration stunned Magnus, who was staring at her in shock. “Eh?”

“I…want to be paid for joining, and furthermore, I want that money, excluding the expenses needed to care for me, to go towards Jackson and my friends!”

“….well, getting paid is to be expected, it is a type of job, after all, but you’re quite cheeky to try negotiating. You’re not in a position to be making demands, you know?” Edna hesitated under those words, but she once more stared at him, her red eyes piercing through what she was calling a bluff. “You want me to join, right? I must hold some kind of value to you, or you wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to get me to join, or watch me. Am I wrong?”

“Ku….ha ha….hahahaha!” Magnus began to laugh at her audacious words. “You’re right in that I find you valuable, young Edna. Though, those demands were for naught, you know? I had fully intended to not only give you an allowance, but direct some of it towards caring for your close associates in the first place!”

“Eh?!” Edna looked like she’d just been slapped. “Only time will heal the wound in your heart, Edna. I'm glad to see you've decided to take a step forward in your life…” he extended a hand towards her. “Now then, young Edna, I’d like to formally welcome you to the Gran Sars!”

From thereon, the next few days had Edna quite busy. First, she was escorted back to her former hut, where Jackson was now staying, albeit temporarily, and explained everything to him. Then, she found Hart and June, both of whom started crying when she told them she’d be going away. “I’m so happy for you, Edna!” June said, for once hugging Edna voluntarily. “You’ll get to be warm and fed all the time!”

Those words hurt her a bit, since she thought it was unfair she was given a ticket out of her homelessness. However, she felt comfort in knowing that she’d be able to provide for June, Hart, and Jackson. Magnus stood nearby, waiting patiently with a smile on his face. Most people who had any sort of wealth and did not live there avoided the slums, and tried to ignore the beggars and homeless people, minus the ones kind enough to actually offer a few words of comfort or some sort of item, like food or coin.

Stolen novel; please report.

But, Magnus was different. He treated everyone equally, a trait Edna admired dearly. Finally, after some time, she had said her farewells. “Ready?” Magnus asked her. She nodded vigorously in response. He turned on his heel and began to walk forward. She ran after him, and they were once more out of the slums. “Now then, we’re going to need to have you medically evaluated,” he told her.

She tilted her head, and told him that Serena had already done so. Magnus shook his head. “No, I mean properly. A community clinic has neither the funds nor equipment to properly give a physiological assessment. They can treat most people with most ailments, but some things require a Hospital,” he told her, then glanced down at her body, which was pathetically thin for someone of her age.

“And, we can determine if you need dietary supplements, due to your malnourishment. Most kids should be pretty lethargic, but you seem to be quite spirited…” his voice was soft, as if he were muttering to himself, “…I have to wonder if maybe it isn’t because of how strong your magic is…?”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Come now, we’ll need to visit Eir, it’s not only a hospital but is also the Gran Sars magical testing facility. We’ll be able to evaluate both your body, mind, and magic, far more thoroughly than what I can do. It’ll be a lot more accurate and reliable than a crystal ball, that’s for sure!” he helpfully explained to Edna about Valia, a facility founded to cater to the Gran Sars more technical needs.

Because it was closer to the center of the capital, where the richer people lived, they had to board a carriage. And this time, it was horseless! Edna was quite excited, her gaze staring at the wonderful sights. She had visited the Noble’s district during her time with George, but where they were going was known as the Magus District, a district that was smaller than the others, but was centered around magic users and magitech. It was one of the more industrious districts, but in a different way from the outer Industrial District, which had large factories and plumes of smoke pouring out of large chimneys.

“Do you see those towers?” Magnus prompted, gesturing towards two towers looming above the other buildings. “Those are part of our Headquarters, where we will be going next. It also is home to our own Academy, which you will be attending when you reach the appropriate age of twelve.” Right now, Edna was ten years old, and while she should have been almost done with elementary school, she only had a half-baked education, offered by her Mother from what she knew.

“However, don’t think you’ll be able to play and be free- you’ve a lot of catching up to do education wise. You can read, but can you write?”

"Uh…"

Considering the confused look on his face, he nodded. “I thought so.”

“Um, I can write! But…it’s not very good…”

“Well, that’s a start, I suppose. We’ll test your educational knowledge at the facility as well,” Magnus said after a moment’s thought. “You should try and catch some sleep, you might be kept up late due to the testing.”

“Will it be scary?” Edna asked him. Magnus slowly nodded; he wasn’t the sort to mince words or sugarcoat them. “Yes, but don’t worry, I’ll be there with you,” he said, reaching out and patting her head. The gesture touched Edna, who hadn’t had much of a father figure beyond Jackson. That, along with the fact she enjoyed physical contact, had her wishing he’d keep doing it, though he did not continue.

“Now then, try and sleep if you can,” he told her. She slowly nodded, then frowned. The ride was a bit easy, wasn’t it? Sensing her confusion, Magnus nodded with a smile. “This carriage isn’t like others. It’s got what we call shock absorption springs and a suspension,” he told her. “Shok? Shuspensin?” she repeated the unfamiliar words. Magnus must’ve found her pronunciation funny, since he chortled. “You’ll learn more about those in due time. I’ll wake you when we get there, ok?”

Edna nodded, and rested her head against the window, closing her eyes. Sure, she wanted to admire the scenery, but she figured she’d have plenty of time to do that later. It was best to heed Magnus’ words.