I remembered my time adventuring with Jasmine, our cores newly formed and our hopes high. I had been tested as a dual elemental, like Kaspian Bladeheart, in fire and air, but Jasmine had disappointed her family not too recently, being only a wind elemental.

We had run away, to escape the abuse and neglect of her family and the prying, horrible eyes of those that wanted me back. We were only ten when we fought our first beast. It was a handful, to say the least.

A year later, she joined a party, permanently. I smiled in both joy and jealousy as she left with the Twin Horns.

We kept in touch, and we laughed and drank, and fought, all the things best friends do. Then one day, she came to my little cottage in the middle of nowhere, face red in agony, obviously holding back tears.

I was horrified when she began to sob into my shoulder, saying, "It was my fault! I couldn't protect him! I couldn't protect their kid, and now he's dead!"

I didn't know what she was talking about, I couldn't have, but I made sure she felt safe as she cried.

It was the first time I had seen it happen that I had known of, in all nineteen years of us living.

We decided it would be best for her to take a break from adventuring, to allow herself to heal on the inside.

During that year, I often found her training in the yard, fighting the occasional mana beast that got too close to my house.

It was worrisome, to see her so centered on training her combat and body.

When it was time for her to return to her dangerous lifestyle, she kissed me on the cheek, stunning me, and ran off to meet the Twin Horns.

I grinned as this memory, laying in a bed at an inn at Xyrus three years after it happened. That kiss had really been something.

"Since we're in town, should we visit Rey and Alice?" I heard Adam's voice loud and clear as he talked to the others. I smiled and got up from my bed, opening the door and feigning a yawn.

"Oh, Raptor, you're up. We could use a second opinion," the group's leader, Helen, said. "Should we visit the Leywins?"

I nodded. "That meeting is long overdue. I can come if you want, for, you know, emotional support."

Jasmine nodded, putting her hand in mine. "Come. Please."

~We were sitting together, our backs to the trunk of a cherry tree.

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"That beast was tough," I said.

Jasmine nodded, mute as usual.

We continued to stare into the distance before I realized something.

"Jazzy, you're bleeding!"

She looked at me and tilted her head. I pointed to her palm, where blood was pooling beneath it.

"We gotta get you to Kipling!" I shouted, grabbing her by the wrist.

She let me lead her to my brother. Kipling had been setting up camp.

He saw us running at him and immediately noticed her palm before sharply sucking in air.

"Shoot, you've been marked by a scaled sparrowhawk."~

The action seemed to shock the others, but they quickly composed themselves.

Adam leaned on my shoulder, grinning at my childhood friend.

"Well, Jasmine, never knew you had a crush-"

I kicked the back of his knee, causing him to fall over.

"We're just friends, doofus," I said with a grin on my face. "Although that is cute of you to think."

Jasmine, meanwhile, was just staring at him angrily, her face a shade of scarlet I didn't know was possible.

Helen nodded nervously. "Well, I think it's best if we surprise them. Come on!"

We left the inn and went over to the manor they were staying in.

I whistled in appreciation at the lavish house. "What giant ass beast did they kill to afford this?"

Jasmine whispered in my ear, saying "They're staying with a friend right now, this house isn't theirs."

I nodded, still a bit in awe. Angela was the one to knock on the door.

It opened, and everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of the eight-year-old child at the door.

He had auburn hair and blue eyes that seemed to glow. His features were still immature, but he would surely grow up to be a ladies' man if he took proper care of himself.

Angela embraced him, causing me to cringe as he struggled against her suffocating cleavage.

Honestly, did she get surgery to make them so unnaturally large?

"Angela, you're hurting him," Durden said, which caused her to drop the child.

Who's that? I wondered to myself.

Everyone exchanged tear-filled pleasantries with the child. I was most surprised with Jasmine's reaction as she got on her knees and embraced him. That's when I realized.

"You're Arthur," I said, "back from the damn grave."

Jasmine, Helen, and Durden all attempted to smack me at that moment. Creating small vacuums behind each of their hands to slow them down, I ducked out of the way to avoid the slapping.

Adam was the one who hit the mark.

"Ow! Adam you son of a-" I shouted out at the spear shaft hitting my neck, but a death glare from Jasmine shut me up.

I went up to the kid and shook his hand.

"Name's Raptor," I told him, smiling. "I'm here because I'm Jasmine's emotional support adventurer."

Boy was she glaring.

"As you know, my name is Arthur Leywin, pleased to make your acquaintance," he said.

Rey came up and shook my hand, saying, "Hey, O- Raptor, it's been a while."

The girls were quickly fraternizing, doting on Arthur’s younger sister, Ellie. Even Jasmine complimented her.

Rey put his arm around my neck. "So, how are your siblings?" He asked.

The Twin Horns all cringed at his question.

"Missing and presumed dead," I told him deadpan.

His eyes widened and he looked down at his shoes. "Oh, um... I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "Don’t worry about it, it happens. How are you now that your son is not dead?"

He laughed heartily. "Honestly I'm glad he's alive. He was surviving in Elenoir with an elder who fixed up his core."

"Core? Like mana core?" I looked to Arthur and grinned. "I'm not the only early bird in this place?"

Rey nodded. "Of course, he wasn't born with his core like you. I still have to ask, how did it happen?"

I shrugged. "You ask like I know."

Adam let out a "pfft" in response to that.

I was introduced to the people they were living with, the Helsteas. Despite the adults not being mages, their daughter, Lilia, seemed to be forming a mana core, albeit painfully slowly. She'd form a core by eighteen if allowed to naturally progress.

Vincent seemed suspiciously familiar, the kind of familiar that made one sweat and have a panic attack.

I excused myself to the bathroom. There, I splashed water on my face, making sure I wasn't just going to have a random panic attack.

In the mirror, I saw him.

Tall and muscular, with pale blond hair and lightning tracing his body.

I turned to where he seemed to be, my fist on fire, but he wasn't there.

I turned back to the mirror and studied by appearance.

My hair was white instead of the usual black, and was much longer. Some of it fell over my face, making me look more disheveled and vulnerable. My eyes were a vibrant violet, the usual yellow nowhere to be seen. There were various mana particles in the air, most coming from me.

"Fuck," I muttered, realizing my killing intent was leaking out.

I turned off my power, Realmheart as Kipling had called it, and recalled all my mana.

I left the bathroom, stumbling. 'Why now of all times did I need to have a panic attack?'