The train’s whistle pierced through the calm skies. Raphael hurled forward at the noise, woken up from his sleep, barely avoiding the seat in front of him. He looked around the almost empty carriage, before sliding back to his seat. He turned his head to the right, looking at Mount Moluart standing in the distance. Large stretches of farmlands covered the base of the mountain, while various farm animals graze the open plains. 

He looked to the left, over the empty seats, looking out at the calm, open seas, the sun setting in the distance. The clear skies had been colored orange from its warm glow. Raphael sank into the seat, filling the little vibrations as the train shook. Houses and buildings of various sizes began filling the window as the train slowed down. The whistle shrieked again as the train arrived at the platform. Out of curiosity, Raphael stayed glued to his seat, despite sitting just one row away from the exit. 

The small station had its platform on the right side of the train. A girl with yellow hair waved toward him, a necklace in the shape of a sword on her neck. He smiled but turned his head to the train’s aisle. Three people got off. A few seconds passed, but no one else appeared. He sighed and stood up, reaching for his two suitcases and carrying them off the train. The girl ran up to him, her long ponytail hair shaking left and right as she approached. 

“Raphy!” She opened her hands and threw herself at him, pulling him into her embrace. 

“Heya. How’s my little girl doing.” He greeted her with a bright smile. He reached out his hand and caressed her hair. She let out a relaxed smile. 

“I’m not little~~,” she said, clearly enjoying the head pats. 

“Fine, fine, let’s do this properly. How’s my little girlfriend doing?” 

“The word ‘girl’ isn’t the problem.” She let go of him and took a step back, before playfully hissing at him. Her eyes went down toward the suitcases in Raphael’s hands and reached out for them. 

“Eh? I may be weak, but I can at least handle this.” He pulled his hands away but the girl grabbed them. With a confident grin, she pointed toward herself. 

“I, Carol Priya, future Ranger, pleased to make your acquaintance.” She took both of the suitcases and held them in one hand. Raphael let out a light chuckle watching his girlfriend’s antics. 

“Fine, fine.”

Carol then jabbed her free hand at herself. 

“Follow me,” she said before turning around. Raphael did as ordered. He put his now free hands into his pants pockets as he followed Carol out of the station. They crossed the street, heading toward the parking lot. It was a small space, fit for only six vehicles, and even then, only two occupied the space. He looked back at the station. Three trucks lined up next to the sidewalk. A farmer guided a cow to the first one, while employees from a shipping company brought large boxes into the second and third trucks. 

“Guess some things never change, huh?”

“Actually, it did change,” Carol said as she opened the rear door to the yellow hatchback, putting the suitcases into the trunk. 

“Really?” Raphael turned toward Carol. She opened the door and entered her yellow car, the same color as her hair. 

“Really.” 

Carol put on the safety belt. Raphael opened the door and sat down on the passenger’s seat. 

“Two weeks ago the train pulled two passenger carriages instead of one.”

“Wait, really? Are you serious?”

“One of them was broken, and was about to be sent for repairs, apparently.” Carol shrugged. Raphael brought his palm to his forehead. 

“That doesn’t count.”

“Well, I’m glad as long as the town stays like this,” Carol said with a grin, elbowing him. “Besides, you’re acting as if you didn’t enjoy the life here.”

He looked out of the window, into the peaceful streets that surrounded them. The town of Kaleya was known to be a large producer of dairy products, among many others. The farming industry and agriculture kept it alive. 

“But that will soon change,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hmm?” Carol gave him a sidelong glance. 

“Ah, nothing.” 

“Hmm…” Carol looked at him. Raphael waved his hands. Carol returned to the car, turned it on, and drove it out of the parking lot. 

“You sure it’s nothing?”

“Nah. I just thought about making a joke about my reputation. Bringing the town back to life through my reputation, but I realized it isn’t funny.”

“Pfft. What do you mean back to life? Oh, you just haven’t seen it yet. It’s quite lively in the evening.”

“Well, show me then.”

“As you wish, Your Highness. But first, I am ordered by the king to take you back to your palace.”

“Oh no~~.” Raphael flailed his arms before covering his head. 

“My father and my mother. I have gone for so long…”

Seeing his boyfriend acting childish, Carol stifled a giggle.

“You never change, huh?”

“Nope. Besides, I’m not gone for that long.”

“Yeah…” Carol pushed the brakes and stopped at the red light. 

“How about you show me something you learn down there?” 

Raphael thought about something. He brought his right hand up, snapped his fingers, and clenched his fist. He then opened it, showing a beautiful jewel necklace, handing it over to Carol. 

“Aww, that’s not fair.” Carol took it and put it down in the cup holder next to her. The light turned green, and they continued their drive. 

“How long before this one disappears?” She asked, pointing at the necklace. 

“... My training has allowed the great me to increase its longevity… Two minutes.”

“Eh… Thirty seconds longer?”

“Quite the advancement if you asked me.” Raphael folded his arms. Carol let out a laugh. Raphael smiled and enjoyed the sight of the little town. Shophouses formed the shopping district. Several cars were parked on the side of the road, with families, couples, and friend groups walking above the sidewalks. The restaurants, bars, and cafes shone brightly, while several other stores prepared for closing time. 

“It’s only going to get livelier.”

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“Really now?”

“Yep.” Carol nodded her head. She then saw a girl waving at them from the side of the road. She had short, dark blue hair, and squared glasses on her face. She had a pretty petite body for someone her age. 

“Meky.” Carol smiled and parked the car next to the sidewalk, lowering the window. 

“Hello, Carol.” Meky beamed. She peeked into the car. 

“Hey there, been a while.” Raphael leaned in closer to the driver’s seat. 

“Raphael! Welcome back. Lucas has been looking for you.”

“I do not like the sound of that.” Raphael scratched the back of his head.

“You’re preparing for the night?” Carol asked. Behind Meky was a small restaurant that served a variety of milk-based dishes, her family's specialty. 

“Yes. The business has been seeing quite the amount of customers lately.”

“See? I told you so.” Carol turned around to address Raphael. Raphael pulled himself back and crossed his arms. 

“Fine, fine. I lost.”

“Guess not even distance can separate you two.” Meky grinned before pulling away from the window. 

“I need to get going. Things will get busy soon.”

“Okay! Good luck with the night!”

“See you.” Meky waved and returned to the restaurant. From inside the restaurant, Carol and Raphael could see Meky’s parents waving toward them. They waved back and pulled the window up, before continuing their trip to Raphael’s house. 

The sky darkened. Carol turned on the headlights, the white beams shining on the road in front of them, acting as a beacon in the darkness. The street lamps flickered before turning on entirely, painting a beautiful line of lights above the landscape. 

“The town really is different from the big city.”

“You think so?”

Raphael nodded in response. There was nothing but an empty road in front of them. Even with all the houses on both sides of the road, there were hardly any cars, except the one or two going in the opposite direction, a sight he rarely saw in Proteorno, the city where he spent his last three years. 

“That reminds me. You really need to teach me those tricks some time.”

“Don’t worry… is what I want to say. I get the gist of it now… Well, to some extent.”

“Heh? So is going there not a waste of time?”

“I kind of understand the basics viewed from a ‘normal’ person's perspective… but… I don’t know.” Raphael caressed his chin, looking down at the empty dashboard. 

“I still don’t understand a lot of it. It feels like my different way of creating magic is hindering me from understanding it.”

“Really now? So you don’t just snap things out of existence?”

Carol then stopped at another traffic light. 

“No, I don’t.”

Hearing his reply, Carol reached for the necklace that once occupied the cup holder. More than two minutes had passed, and as expected, not even a trace of it was left. 

“I can make you a real one if you want.”

“One that can last forever?”

“Not forever. But, if I concentrate enough on it, I can make it last several years. Maybe decades. Won’t be able to just snap it out of thin air, of course.”

“Several years? Oh, so that’s how…” Carol muttered to herself. The light turned green and she pushed on the gas, turning left. 

“That’s how?”

“Ah, we’re here.” Carol brought the car to the side and parked next to the sidewalk. The two got off. Raphael stood in front of the wall that surrounded his home. The standard-looking, gray building had been here ever since he was a baby, thus he had a lot of history with it. He pushed the doorbell while Carol picked up his belongings from the trunk. 

It let out a light ting, accompanied by the front door being opened and someone rushing to the door front. A middle-aged woman with short black hair opened the fence, her light blue eyes glowing after she saw the person standing in front of her fence. 

“My little Raphael! Good to see you back!” Milyane Kaski, Raphael’s mother, stepped forward and hugged her son. 

“Guess calling your special someone ‘little’ runs through the family blood,” Carol said with a grin. Milyane let go of Raphael and looked toward Carol, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“My, my. That family blood would soon run through your veins too, won’t it?” Milyane snickered. Carol averted her gaze, cheeks slightly red. 

“Ye- yes. It soon will.” She glanced toward Raphael before stepping inside. Raphael looked away awkwardly. 

“Now, now, there’s no need to rush.” Milyane patted her son’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it…” 

She ushered Raphael in. Inside, both of his suitcases had already been dropped in the living room, with Carol sitting at the dining table. On the other end of the living room was Kaye Kaski, Raphael’s father. He turned his head, gazing at his son who had just entered, before turning back to the computer he was working at. He started furiously typing, typing away at a speed that only could be described as superhuman. 

“You know the usual, deadline.” Milyane pushed Raphael toward the dining table. He took up a spot next to Carol. In front of them lay a wide range of dishes. Steamed Dark Sea Crab, fried River Oysters, grilled Ketara Lake Shrimps, all of his favorite local seafood, freshly cooked evident by the steam floating above from the dishes, filling the room with a sweet smell. 

They heard the sound of a chair moving, and the figure of a middle-aged bald man appeared. Kaye patted Raphael’s shoulder and gave him a warm smile. 

“Welcome back, Son.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

He took his place at the other end of the dining table. Milyane handed everyone a plate of rice, still piping hot straight out of the rice cooker. 

“Okay, eat up! Beware of the heat, though.”

“Thank you for the meal.” With smiles, the Kaski family, including future member Carol, had dinner. Raphael took a huge portion out of the crab. It tasted salty on his tongue, just the way he liked it. 

“I missed this,” he said as he chewed the crab. 

“Is the seafood there not good?” Milyane asked, pointing her spoon at Raphael. Raphael shook his head. 

“It’s good, but the seafood tends to taste sweeter, I don’t like it as much.”

“You’re probably fine with eating just salt,” Carol quipped. 

“I sometimes think about that. I mean, what if the seasoning isn’t actually the salt, but rather, the things that were salted? I mean, I like the saltiness of it, and I like all salty things. So maybe, salt is the main dish with whatever the thing it is put on the seasoning.”

“You’re making all the chefs cry right now.” Carol gave him a sidelong glance. 

“I mean-”

“Say any more and I’ll report this to Lucas.”

“I’ll shut up.”

“Good.”

“My, that means the task of keeping him healthy falls on your shoulders, Carol.”

“No worries. As a Ranger, I have a good knowledge of cooking,” Carol said with pride. 

“Go get 'em.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just relax every day,” Carol snorted, and the entire table laughed. 

“Besides, I’m nowhere near Lucas’ level.”

“You can’t really compare yourself to his level.”

They continued enjoying their dinner, with Raphael telling them about the various stories he had collected during his time at the Proteorno Magic University. The clock ticked, and it soon came time to rest. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow to pick you up,” Clara said, standing in front of the steel fence, behind her car. 

“You sure it’s alright?”

“I have no training tomorrow, so why not?”

“Okay then, have a good night.”

“You too.” Carol waved to him and entered the car. The car’s light turned on and drove away. After seeing her off, Vincent pulled the fence shut, not forgetting to lock it. 

“Still, are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Milyane asked after Raphael returned to the living room, peeking from the kitchen. 

“Did you overhear that?”

“Not exactly overheard. Not by choice, thanks to your reputation.”

“Just what have people been saying about me.” Raphael let out a breather. His father was typing away on his computer, wholly engrossed in his work. 

“I’m an adult now, I don’t want to be a bother.” Raphael smiled wryly. 

“You know that’s not true, Dear.”

“Besides, it’s not like I could land an airplane on the road.”

“You can.” Kaye turned around, rotating the chair with him. 

“We’ll get you permission, even if it means force.”

“Honey.”

Without saying anything else, Kaye turned back to do his work. 

“Well, there’s no need for that. Besides, I won’t be living far anyway. It’s just a ten-minute drive from here.”

“Can’t change your mind now, can I? Oh well, you should rest after the long journey.”

“I will. Mom, Dad, good night.”

“Night, Dear.”

Raphael left the living room and went to the second floor, where his old bedroom was. The clean, empty room had nothing but a single bed and a wooden desk next to it. Most of his belongings had been stored in boxes back when he first left for university. The room’s light blue color matched his eyes, its color not fading even after being empty for three years. He climbed onto the bed, looking at the familiar ceiling above him. 

He closed his eyes, drifting away to the world of dreams.