There was just so much that Kael did not know. While the question appeared simple, and he did not think much of answering Martin, the simple fact that it was so hard for Martin to ask the question made the decision infinitely harder. There was no way for Kael to know what parts to leave out of his story.

He spent a few minutes going over the events in his head. Was there anything that seemed suspicious? Was the name of the Archmage important? Was the fact that he was an Archmage, whatever that was, somehow relevant? What about the ritual? The conversation he had with the others on the roof?

How was he supposed to know what was what when he had not even understood half of what had transpired? Kael stopped himself before his mind could spin itself into a spiral of unknowns. In the end, the question was this: Did he trust Martin? That was at least something he could think about.

All of their interactions up until this point played on repeat in his head while he contemplated. Aside from his questionable choice in friends, Martin had presented himself as honorable, friendly, compassionate, and reliable. So far, he had kept his promise to keep Kael out of any fallout from their encounter with Jason.

He had been open about magic and how Kael could progress while warning him of possible pitfalls. If there was any deceit in what he had said, Kael had no way to check, making the notion nothing but pure, useless paranoia. Martin could have kept most things about magic to himself, stringing him along. He hadn't.

Opening his eyes, Kael looked up and into Martin's face. There was hope and anxiety in his eyes. Furrowed brows, speaking of concern. Yet... There was not even a trace of malicious intent. While Kael did not consider himself a savant at reading people, he had gotten quite good at it, and his improved senses did their part to help.

This was a new part of his life. He had stepped out of the shadows and into the light. This was his chance to be stronger, better. Life alone was not what he wanted. Kael came to a decision. Like boulders in a landslide, a weight, previously unnoticed, dropped off his shoulders, and after fifteen minutes of thinking, he answered. "Sure. It all started with this idiot crash landing on my roof..."

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Over an hour later, Kael finished his retelling. While the story itself was not long or complicated, Martin had questions. A lot of questions. "Ok," Martin said, "this sounds very different from the norm. Usually, the ritual is a lot less complicated, and I have no clue what the bubble could have been for." - "Certainly seemed important to him though." Agreed Kael. "They were the last few minutes of his life after all."

"Yea, I will need to research a little to find out more. If nothing comes of it, I might have to ask my Father for help." - "Why? Do you think he knows something about this?" The thought of involving more people scared Kael, but he had already made peace with being vulnerable, so he would not stop Martin. "Well, maybe. But this is not the only thing that we will need to think about."

Raised eyebrows were all Martin needed to elaborate. "I can teach you the basics of magic, and I will. But... My specialization is healing magic. While we don't know where all of yours lie, the changes to your body make it clear that you are at least partly talented in reinforcement magic. That is a field I know nothing about." - "So what exactly are you going to ask your Father about? By the way, is it ok for you to be out so late?"

"Haha. It's not that late... FUCK!" The transformation from happiness to terror happening on Martin's face had Kael fighting hard to suppress his laughter. "Mpfh I guess not huh? Come on. I'll walk with you to the subway." They quickly grabbed their bags and jogged out of the park. Thankfully the nearest subway station was only a couple of minutes away.

Pushing through the evening crowds that somehow always formed before the stations, they made it to the platform with a few minutes to spare. "Ha Ha Ha. Damn! Remind me to exercise a little." Kael said, panting. "It's those damn stairs. We were fine on the way here, but all of those stairs fucked us." Martin answered, glowering in the direction they had come from to underline his point.

"Yea fuck those things! Escalators for all!" Kael agreed in between laughing. "Right you are! But, before I forget. The thing from before. We need a teacher for you. Well, or a way to get you into the school. Preferably both. Let me work on this a little. I will know more by the time we meet again." - "Oh? And when is that? Next week?" - "Haa... With how late I am today, I don't know. Let me text you when I know."

They talked a little bit more before being interrupted by the sound of an oncoming train. "That's my ride. Uhm... I don't know how to say this but... Thanks for trusting me. It means a lot. Ah, I need to go now, talk to you later." Martin vanished into the crowded train before Kael had even processed what Martin said.

Staring at the empty space where the train had just been, Kael felt something warm well up in his chest. A slight smile playing on his lips, Kael shook his head slowly left and right. "No, thank you. My friend."