Birds chirped in the distance, roosters singing their morning song, the curtains glowing as they received the sun’s morning light. Raphael opened his eyes, gazing at the familiar ceiling. It had been a while since he last saw this one. He pulled himself off his bed, stretching his limbs. He reached for the phone on the desk.

“Ah… I completely forgot about this…” he mumbled as he read through the notifications. Most of them weren't important, but he did miss them yesterday. After arriving in Kaleya, he didn’t bother checking them. Unlocking his phone, he started reading them one by one. Some of them were chats from his university friends, asking whether he had arrived home or not.

‘I have arrived safely, thanks.’

One of the others came from his university professor, asking him for some materials to gather for the professor’s research. He opened a memo app and listed down all the materials the professor asked from him, reminding himself to go and hunt them down later.

Another came from a painter he met in university, asking him to take a photo of the sights, for reference. Raphael stepped toward his window and opened the curtains, letting unfiltered sunshine pierce into his room. He squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light, before putting his phone on the window. He tapped on the screen, getting the picture into focus, and snapped.

He sent the picture to the painter.

‘View outside my parent’s house.’

‘AS EXPECTED FROM THE GREAT MAGE! SUCH MAGNIFICENT VIEWS! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!’

Raphael didn’t understand what was so magnificent about this view, a sight he had seen since his childhood. A peaceful town with large open plains and Mount Moluart standing in the distance. A small portion of the landscape was hidden by the house across the street. The house in question only had one floor, though.

He also didn’t get why the painter decided to type in all caps but decided that it had nothing to do with him.

‘No problem.’

He checked the rest of the notifications. A lot of them came from various apps he installed, most he used only once. Sometimes for payment, other times to take advantage of promotions. He decided to delete them later, now that he no longer used them. For now, he put the phone into his pocket and headed out back to the first floor.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“Morning, honey.”

Kaye was typing away at his computer, the little clicks and clacks filling the morning air. Milyane undid her apron and hung it to the side.

“Breakfast is ready. Feel free to dig in.”

“Thank you,” Raphael replied, heading for the kitchen. He took a plate and stood in front of the rice cooker, holding a rice spoon in his hand.

Even this was replaced by technology, huh?

He didn’t really mind, to be honest. It made life much easier, but seeing how things had changed in this world made him reflect. He wasn’t alive in the golden age of magic, the time when mages were seen as representative of the gods, nor did he live in the days when magic and early technology were duking it out for the space in the people’s hearts.

He lived in the present when magic was regarded as a luxurious item. Some people have them, but for most of the population, they could be easily replaced. He found himself thinking about it every now and then. Proteorno, being a large city, was filled with various people from all kinds of backgrounds. The university in particular had those who still see magic as the way of life, the center of their existence.

He couldn’t agree with them, but it did make him think about it every now and then. And not just them. The Mount Moluart Tournament had dragons fighting each other with the best of their skills and magic, no piece of modern tech allowed. He wondered if that rule would ever change.

“Is something wrong?” Milyane leaned into the kitchen, looking slightly worried.

“Ah, nothing. I was just thinking of something.”

“My son has grown…”

“Mom, I can think ever since I entered elementary school.” Raphael smiled wryly and scooped up some rice.

“We got something simple for breakfast, I hope you don’t mind.”

Raphael went to the stove, a frying pan with scrambled eggs on top of it.

“Extra salty, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks a lot, Mom.” Raphael took the scrambled eggs and put them on his plate. He brought them to the table and began enjoying breakfast.

“By the way, when will Carol be around?” Milyane asked from the living room. Raphael looked up toward the clock hanging above the dining table.

“... It’s this late already?”

“Well, Carol certainly won’t mind if you continue sleeping.”

“Yeah, and all of a sudden people will start laughing at me.”

“Come on, your sleeping face isn’t that terrible.”

“I refused to believe that.”

By the time he finished half of his breakfast, the doorbell rang. Milyane stepped out, bringing Carol in not long after. Carol went toward the living room, turning her eyes left toward Raphael. Once she saw him there, she slumped her shoulders.

“Go back to sleep, now.”

Raphael shook his head in disapproval. Carol let out a sad sigh and then turned toward the two suitcases sitting next to the front door.

“You didn’t touch them?”

“No.”

“Stinky…” She disappeared from the living room, taking the suitcases outside. Raphael finished breakfast and went to the sink to clean the plates, before heading back to the living room. Kaye was still typing. He stopped, took a breather, and continued. Just like a machine.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Ready to go?” Carol asked. Milyane opened her arms and pulled him into a hug.

“My son is going out into the world…”

“Mom, you said that three years ago.”

“It still doesn’t feel real, though.”

“You said the exact same thing three years ago as well.”

“Did I?”

“At the train station,” Carol added with a nod.

“My, I must be getting old.”

“You’re forty-five, honey,” Kaye said from his work desk.

“Half a century had passed. I’m an old relic,” Milyane said with downcast eyes. Kaye rolled his eyes and stood up.

“Anyway, take care. You’re free to visit anytime," he said, momentarily freeing himself from his workload.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just ten minutes from here.”

Milyane escorted the young couple back to their car. She waved as they drove away.

“Guess even mom didn’t change, huh?” Raphael said, sinking into the car’s seat.

“Well, you’re the one that changed most, I think.” Carol kept her eyes on the road, looking around. They arrived at a red light. A truck passed in front of them, driving through the intersection. It reminded Raphael of his professor’s request. He pulled out his phone and checked his memo.

“By the way, can we get some of these first?” he showed the list to Carol. The light turned green, so he pulled the phone back and started reading through the list.

“Ketara Lake shrimps, Yaakase trout, Zrosta salmon… hold on, isn’t this all just food?” He didn't pay much attention when he was copying the names earlier, but now that he paid attention, all seven items were local specialties.

“Mr. Rodger?”

“Yep.” Raphael had told Carol about him. Mr. Rodger taught several history classes at the university. Raphael considered himself lucky to have met him and studied under his guidance, but when it came to food and research…

“‘Food represents culture, so to study culture, we must study food!’ or so on.”

“He really can’t shut up about those two, huh?”

“Yeah. I can understand history, he is a history teacher, but food?”

“Well, you can’t make history on empty stomachs.”

Raphael felt like he heard that sentence before, somewhere, but couldn’t remember where or when.

“So, how about we get your professor a little gift?”

“Sure, I’ll deliver it on the afternoon flight.”

“Okay.” Carol turned the steering wheel, heading to Kaleya's seaside.

Kaleya Seaside Village was located west of Kaleya, next to the Yaakase Sea. It became a large hub for fishing and seafood, the best place to find fish and various other underwater delicacies. It was located quite far from Kaleya, a fifteen-minute drive from the city center. In Proteorno, that time wouldn't amount to a large distance thanks to how full the traffic was. Traffic practically didn't exist here in Kaleya.

The village offered a large selection of seafood. Various species of seafood like tuna and salmon, crabs, oysters, shrimp, starfish, even lobsters and squid. Not all of them originated from the sea, though. A lot came from other inland bodies of water like Ketara Lake and Zrosta River.

“Is there a specific amount?” Carol asked. She reversed into a parking lot next to the village entrance.

“He didn’t specify anything. Oh well, I guess I’ll send him a gift.” The two got off and made their way into the village.

“Ah, it’s the mage!”

“The mage had returned!”

“The Great Mage!”

Raphael scratched his head at the excited cheers. People started crowding around him and Carol.

When did I get this popular?

The last time he visited the place was four years prior. Back then, he was among the few with magical abilities in the town, so naturally, people were, to some extent, interested in him. Even if magic was no longer the special thing it used to be, people still found it interesting. But even then people didn’t just crowd around him like this.

“Welcome back! How about having some fish? Freshly caught!”

“I just got these oysters delivered, feel free to have them!”

“These shrimps tasted great, trust me, my kids love them!”

There were so many people that Raphael struggled to distinguish one from the other, their voices merging into one in his head. He could only smile as he waved, not remembering what he did to deserve all this in the first place. Carol walked next to him, a smile on her face.

With the help of the future Ranger, things went back to normal. She escorted him as he collected the things he needed to send to his professor. Every time he offered to pay, the shopkeeper or fishermen would only offer him more, for free, and every time he claimed that he never did anything for them, they would only laugh.

“Phew… That’s tough.” Raphael slumped into his seat after returning to his car. He mustered up every last bit of his remaining energy to wave toward the gathered crowd as they headed back toward Kaleya.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” he asked after they returned to the main road.

“You really don’t remember?”

“No. We went together last time, remember?”

“Of course.” Carol giggled. He looked at her, puzzled.

“... Did you say something about me?”

“Oh, what could you possibly imply, Great Mage?”

“...” Raphael squinted his eyes.

“Remember those medicines?”

It took Raphael a moment to recall his memories.

“Medicine… What medicine… OH… THAT!?” he exclaimed. Carol laughed.

“Yes, that.”

“But I purposely sent them unmarked? Wait, no, I did send them marked, but I marked them as help from Proteorno Magic University, so they shouldn’t have known!”

“Well, I told them.”

Raphael fell silent. He then let out a sigh.

“Miss future Ranger, the point of having them marked that way is so that people don’t suspect it was me.”

“Are you angry?”

“Well, not really. A bit dizzy, though.”

Raphael could create anything from thin air. He couldn’t create a cure-all medicine yet, but basic over-the-counter types of medicine, one that could cure light wounds or reduce pains were things within his power.

It was one of the few things where magic won over technology. For light pain like bruises, cut wounds, or headaches, magic could cure them with no side effects in an instant. He couldn’t keep coming back to help the townsfolk, but with his unique ability, he could send them in the form of paste and the like. He made them taste great as well.

“People absolutely love your medicine.”

“Still…”

He helped because he wanted to, but he couldn’t promise that he would continue helping. He may change his mind one day. If that day ever happened, other people’s opinions of him probably wouldn’t matter anymore. But, if he sent medicine under the university name, people wouldn’t be disappointed. They would also be willing to trust a medicine approved by a well-known university rather than an unknown mage.

“I’m sorry for telling them, but they’re already treating you like a great hero. Some of them even planned on going to the university in search of this great mage.”

“Really?”

“I thought having a bunch of them showing up at the university would be a headache, so I told them who kept sending them that.”

“I can’t deny that… fine, I’ll forgive you, but on one condition.” He held up his index finger.

“What is it, Great Mage?”

“You caused this in the first place, so I fully expect your support.” Raphael grinned.

“Very well. Your future wife will do her best.” she held out her pinky. Raphael brought his pinky to hers and the two intertwined.

“By the way, is that one of your reasons for purchasing that house?” Carol let go, bringing her hand back to the steering wheel.

“Yeah. I feel now that I understand more of magic, I should be able to make more that lasts longer.” Raphael caressed his chin.

“Still the nice guy, eh?”

“I am not contracted to continue being like this.”

“But I hope you stay this way regardless.”

“That after saying I changed the most.”

“Humans are complicated.”

“Yeah…” Raphael looked out the front windshield, a smile crawling to his lips.

"We really do change, huh?"