“...Ma'am? What's wrong?” Nearing the end of his recollection, Stella had suddenly begun to shed tears. Out of concern, Urie came closer and placed his hand atop hers.

Stella smiled warmly as she enclasped his hand, “Little Urie, may I call you that?”

Urie nodded, then Stella affectionately ruffled the hair on his head. “My little Celeste has been gone for over a year and I haven't received any news about her. I'm just relieved. My thanks to you for telling me about her.”

“Ah.” Worry jabbed at Urie's conscience. It showed on his face as he shied away from Stella's gaze.

“Hmm? Is something wrong? Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you back to your family.”

“No... it's not that,” Urie paused. “I was with Celeste and Elicia just before I arrived here—inside the tower. I don't know what happened to them after we separated. ”

[They're fine.]

Stella and Urie were both startled. A voice had suddenly intruded upon their conversation.

—Who?

Urie saw two men enter the room from the doorway, one of them having a short version of Celeste's crimson hair while the other, an appearance akin to Stella's. Both, however, looked equally stunned as the voice didn't seem to have come from either of them.

[It's gone now but I had to make sure, just until Luca got here.]

Reverberating throughout the room, the voice was deep and husky. The lighting then dimmed and slowly dispersed before coming together on top of the table in the form of a small, humanoid wisp—a flame sprite.

“Volcanus, what do you mean?” The man with crimson hair stepped forward. Seeing as he recovered from his surprise faster than the others, he must've known what it was.

[When this kid arrived, he had the stench of the fire dragon's mana with him.]

“...Dragon?” Assuming the flame sprite was talking to him, Urie wondered about what it said. The only other person to ever mention a dragon in front of him was the headmaster of the academy, Arinndra.

[Kid, have you met with the dragon?]

The flame sprite flew in front of Urie's face and questioned him. It was tiny—only as big as a child's fist, yet the voice it spoke with mismatched with it's adorable appearance.

—Is-Is this the greater spirit of fire?

Seeing and hearing it up close, Urie remembered the spirit that had awoken his mana seed. Why was the greater spirit in such a small form?

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

[Bah! Kid, aren't you going to talk?]

“Ah! I-I've met an old man asking me to kill one, but the dragon in question... I've seen only a statue of it. Umm...” Urie had something to ask but he wasn't sure about how to address the spirit, “ About Celeste and Elicia...“

“—Volcanus!” Luca flustered at Urie mentioning of his daughter's name, “What's this about!? You told me to pick this boy up!” His sudden outburst prompted Simone to take a step back, knowing that Luca was prone to bouts of anger.

Coupled with stress and the lack of sleep, Luca rubbed his forehead, “Who is this kid, and what does he know of my daughter!?”

“Luca, indoor!” Stella slammed on the table and threateningly shot her husband a glare—dousing his momentary flame of anger.

“...S-Sorry, dear.”

[Bah. For someone with my blessing to cower at someone else—]

“You too, candlewick! Stop dragging and spit out everything you know!”

[Candle...? How dare you compare this magnificent fire to–—fine!]

Volcanus, the Greater Fire Spirit, abruptly shut his mouth as the target of Stella's glare shifted from Luca to himself.

—Aunt Stella is a-amazing...

Different from the warm impression that Urie had gotten from her earlier, he marvelled at Stella's figure, standing with crossed arms and an air of authority.

The flame sprite snorted in dissatisfaction. It sat in mid-air while resting its cheek on a hand before directing the conversation at Urie.

[Although I have no idea how you got into that room, I assume you came here through Erden's Tower? The connection I left over at your side was agitated by the small trace of the dragon's mana that was with you; triggering a reaction in the tower's mana and transferring you over to our side.]

The ashen-haired boy listened but couldn't quite follow.

—Dragon's mana? How? Was it that?

The only other oddity Urie could think of was the red glow that appeared on his head when he was attacked by the dark and mysterious magic creature.

—It couldn't be. The mana was the headmaster's... wasn't it?

It hadn't been long since he was shushed, yet Luca raised his voice again, “Volcanus, you sayin' he's from wherever you sent my daughter a year ago? If this boy can come here, then couldn't my daughter return as well!?”

[She can't. It wasn't just me that was involved in transferring your daughter. Actually, it was Undine that had instigated it.]

“Then we could send him back the same way, and then—!“

[My connection to the other side was a dwindling flame. It had already been severed the moment the boy shifted and came here. Back then, Undine could take your daughter because she was eligible to receive her blessing. It was but a stroke of luck that this boy was present on the other side to act as the medium for the transfer of mana—]

Volcanus was interrupted. His small figure had begun to flicker away, and the soft flames radiating from him were dimming.

[...This form can be held no longer. I fear the Nifyr would become rampant if my consciousness were to separate too long from my origin. Kid, we shall hold our conversation another time.]

Volcanus' body dispersed into motes of red light and returned brightness to the room. With no candles or lamps, Urie was initially curious about where the lighting had come from. It seemed it was Volcanus providing it.

“Does he do that for all the houses?” Urie unwittingly mumbled—his curiosity piqued.

“Wait,” Luca was unsatisfied, “Volcanus, I have more questions!”

Simone patted Luca's shoulder, “So that was the Fire Spirit, huh?” The emotions of a person blessed by a greater spirit would be more or less affected by the spirit's personality. Having direct interaction with the flame sprite, Simone finally confirmed the source of Luca's hot-headedness.

He muttered under his breath a point that stuck to him during the discussion, being careful not to let his words reach his sister's ears, “My sister could rein you in brother-in-law... I didn't know she could do the same with the fire spirit.”