Marco set the small tray of food on the grass. “Your food has arrived,” said Marco in a flourish.

“Thank you.” said Maxwell. He continued on sheepishly. “You know I still feel weird ordering you around like this.”

Marco shook his head. “If you act that different other people will start to notice. In fact i’d say you should stop with the pleasantries. Ignard never really bothered with those.”

“Hmm, Ignard sounds like a real piece of work,” remarked Maxwell. He reached over to the platter Marco had laid out on the blanket and grabbed a pastry. He took a bite savouring every millisecond of joy. The wind blew through Maxwell's hair. The sunlight felt good on his skin. Perhaps he was enjoying himself a bit too much considering the unfamiliar environment but who wouldn’t being outside in the warm summer air eating good food. In a way it felt like it fit in here, his past life in some ways felt more like a long dream. Could I live here forever? Eating meals with his parents, relaxing in the sun every day. When was the last time I ate a meal together as a family? The thought made his heart ache. Those luxuries were things he had never experienced in his old life. The possibilities in this new world were also limitless. There was magic! He became giddy with excitement at the thought. He shot to his feet.

“When am I going to learn magic!” he exclaimed. “I can’t wait to use it!” He could practically see how cool he would be.

“I am son Maxwell!” he shouted while mimicking shooting an energy blast. Not much came out of his hands of course but it did cause Marco to raise a concerned eyebrow.

“Are you alright Master?” he asked.

“Perfectly fine,” said Maxwell hurriedly. He awkwardly sat down again.

“By the way you may have noted this but you do not possess magic,” said Marco.

“What!!!” Maxwell was taken aback.

Haven’t you wondered why you alone are secluded in the estate while your siblings are nowhere to be seen?”

Maxwell’s mouth twisted in thought. He’s got a point, I haven’t so much as seen another soul. I was a little taken up in this new world experience thing.

“Nobles usually enter the royal magical academy at the age of 11 but that is only after awakening their Insignia.”

“Wait, how old am I?” asked Maxwell pointing a finger at himself.

“14.”

Maxwell gasped. “Seriously!”

“It’s usually common for nobles to awaken their ability around the age of 3 which makes you even more of a rare case. There have been cases of nobles being kicked out of their households for awakening their insignia's late. They usually blame it on illegitimate children and get away with it like that.”

“Then why am I still here?”

Marco sighed, “You really don’t know anything do you?”

“There is one marker of one’s insignia before the awakening, and that is the eye-colour. Your eyes you might have noted are unique from anyone else’s in the house of Vanderbilt or even me and Amelia.”

Maxwell nodded. I noticed it as soon as I was transmigrated.

“Your eyes are golden,” continued Marco. “Magical power is ranked with brown at the lowest, then green, followed then by blue and at the top its-”

“Golden,” finished Maxwell.

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“Even among nobles that is incredibly rare meaning you hold incredible potential, that is why you are in this unique predicament,” explained Marco. “As for actual magical abilites, your insignia denotes your specific affinity and there are also of course general magic skills.”

Maxwell groaned. “I think I only got about half of that before my eyes glazed over.”

“That’s fine,” said Marco. “By the looks of it you’ll never gain your magic so its nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” wailed Maxwell.

“Wait a minute,” he said, composing himself. “I used Magic, the dispelling thing how was I able ot use that?”

“That doesn’t require mana from its user, all mana required is consumed when it’s cast. The technical classification of it is a curse.” he said.

“Sorry about that,” said Maxwell.

“No need to apologise,” replied Marco.

Well it sucks that I don’t have magic. He thought. It was incredibly frustrating. But… He clenched his fist. When he had dispelled the violence pact he had sensed the surge of mana within him. It felt so strong within him he was certain he could use it. His fingers twitched as he recalled the sensation. He sighed and lay down. Perhaps those served no indication of any value. He stared up at the sky. Maybe there was no use contemplating that.

He closed his eyes thinking yet again back to that sensation. Maybe if he could recreate those sensations he could use mana. Who knows the Ignard that had occupied this body could not use magic but maybe he could. Perhaps if magic is tied to the soul then maybe he still had the potential to use magic. The fact still remained that Ignard had golden eyes, would that power level translate to his own as well. There were too many questions. I wonder if I can do it though. He focused back on that sensation of mana channelling through him as he uttered those words. His eyes shot open, I felt a tingle! He clenched his eyes shut, Come on out, I can get another one! He gasped for breath.

“I worry for your mental health,” said Marco. “Perhaps a visit to the church ought to be in order?”

Maxwell’s cheeks turned red. “Oh, you’re still here Marco.”

“At your beck and call,” said Marco sarcastically.

He turned back to the sky. The sun was starting to poke through the clouds. He glanced back at it. Something about it had caught his eye. He peered up at the luminescent ball that hung in the sky, he blinked rapidly as the sunlight flooded his eyes. It seemed to shimmer and swirl. Strange iridescent patterns like the waves of a stormy sea crashed along its surface. He was completely mesmerized. There was only one word he would use to describe it. Beautiful. If Maxwell had been paying attention he might have noticed that his eyes didn’t sting from the bright light nor did tears well up in his eyes. There was something about the sun that was so captivating. He felt his body glow hot, the heat inside him growing with every beat of his heart. The light from the sun seemed to coalesce in and through him. He felt a dizziness as if he was on a roller-coaster yet he had an unexplained calmness inside him.

“Master, what’s happening to you!” shouted Marco. Marco sounded strangely distant to Maxwell, like he was behind a layer of glass.

“Maxwell!”

Maxwell snapped out of his trance looking around him. To his surprise when he looked beside him through the windows he could see the rows of books in the library. The thing was the library was on the second floor. He looked down and to his horror he was hovering several body lengths above the ground. This awareness seemed to end his hovering. In the millisecond before his descent the thought of how this wasn’t the first time he’d fallen from fatal heights flashed through his mind. He hurtled to the ground. In a flash Marco leaped upward and caught him. Marco landed down with a gentle thump with Maxwell in his arms.

“Huh, I’m alive,” said Maxwell in disbelief. “I thought I was a goner.” Maxwell’s face didn’t compare to Marco’s though.

“You’re divine Insignia, it awakened,” said Marco, his mouth open.

“Does this mean…”

Maxwell looked down at his chest. It was glowing. An insignia shone through his shirt. That must be what Marco had meant.

Is this magic! He could barely contain his excitement. Everyone has had that fantasy at least once. Of being able to cast powerful spells, break mountains, control the weather- to use magic.

“That was magic, wasn’t it!” said Maxwell excitedly to Marco.

The glowing outline of his shirt illuminated by the mark shone brightly. They darkened as they ignited. His shirt rapidly burst into flames.

“Marco what do I do!” he shouted. Marco subsequently dropped Maxwell’s flaming body onto the ground.

“Calm down, control your mana!” shouted Marco equally as panicked.

“I don’t want to be naked!” shouted Maxwell as he clutched the burning remains of his shirt. They withered and atomized in his hands before being blown into the wind.

“Stay here, I’ll call for Sir Howitzer!” shouted Marco rushing into the large estate. He soon emerged, followed by Sir Howitzer.

“Quick, we must head to the church at once!” said Sir Howitzer. “You can explain what happened in the carriage!” Maxwell had never seen the man so happy. He was beaming from ear to ear. “ This is a momentous occasion, I almost thought this day would never come, finally at last!” He exclaimed.