[Sig – 13 years]

Xander's stuff isn't down here, including the giant stuffed leviathan he was snuggling when he went to sleep last night. That means he probably went upstairs and is helping Aunt Rachel with something.

As I get up, I spot a folded piece of paper sitting on the table with "S.G." written on it in big letters. Picking it up, I find a letter from Xander in very careful handwriting. Since there aren't any spelling errors, he probably used his phone to make sure he spelled everything right.

Sorry for leaving, but you guys were all still sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. I didn't want to miss my morning lessons. Thanks for inviting me to the sleepover again, it was fun. Also thanks for inviting Russell.

I send him a quick text in response to that.

[Sig]: even if you body slammed me awake, I would've been fine with it

[Sig]: feel free to wake me up and let me know you're leaving if you ever have to leave before I wake!

With those sent off, I head into my room and change into fresh underwear and shorts, then head upstairs to where Aunt Rachel is pulling a breakfast casserole out of the oven. There's also a plate of steaming-hot breakfast sausages on the counter as well as some sliced fruit in a bowl.

"Ooh! Breakfast!"

"Go wake the others," she says. "Xander said he left you a note letting you know he left for his lessons, right?"

"Yeah," I nod. "He must've used his phone since everything was spelled right."

"Go wake the others," she slaps my hand as I try to grab some of the food. "And don't use your hands to grab it, Sig!"

"Back in a minute!" I snicker and run back downstairs, then belly-flop onto Connor. "Breakfast time!"

"Siiiig!" Connor complains, but I'm already belly-flopping onto Sam.

By the time I've woken Isaac, Russell's woken up.

"Awww," I say. "I wanted to belly-flop onto you!"

"That would've been fine," he tells me.

"Cool!" I say. "Hanging out with you was fun, so you can join us if you go bowling with Xander against next week! Oh, and guys? There was a note. He already left so that he could do his morning stuff at home."

I don't remember hearing if Russell knows about Xander's morning lessons, even if I know the rest of them do. So I'm not going to say it, or he'd probably get mad at me if Russell doesn't already know.

"Aw," Russell looks disappointed.

"He doesn't really like missing it," I tell him. "Unless he's got other stuff to distract him, like when he helped us with the backyard. Anyway, come on, everyone! Breakfast is ready!"

We all head upstairs for breakfast, and Russell gets picked up by his dad shortly after. Once he's gone, my friends change and we get ready to go, then head out. The dads made sure that the bikes were all brought over for us, so we hop on them and set off.

Rather than staying in town today, we head over to Nine Springs. No one else is here, but that doesn't stop us from climbing on top of things and running around.

"Hey! Watch this!" I exclaim as I run along the edge of the roof of an old shop; it has a flat top to it.

"Sig, no!" Connor exclaims as I reach the edge and jump.

A moment later, I'm grabbing the edge of the next roof and pulling myself up, then I turn around and pump my fists in the air.

"'Cause that's how the Bastion does it!"

"Jeez," Connor's got a hand pressed against his chest. "Every single time you do that, it gives me a friggin' heart attack, Sig!"

"You're frickin' insane," Sam chuckles as he walks over to this building. "Was that a further jump than last time?"

"I think this one was half a foot further, yeah," I nod. "Come on up here, guys! You can see one of the swimming ponds from here!"

They all climb and boost each other up, and I help pull them when needed. Once we're all up here, we look at the pond. It looks pretty clear still, so we decide to go play in it. Less than three minutes later, we're slipping off our sneakers and socks and jumping into the water, then roughhousing in it.

When we tire of that, we dry off a bit and run around the ruins some more, pretending to be elite soldiers hunting monsters. That lasts all the way up until Sam missteps and falls off the truck he was atop.

When he hits the ground, there's a sickening crunch and he lets out a shout of pain.

"Sam!" We all run over to him.

There's bone sticking out. There's bone sticking out. Oh, crap, there's bone sticking out of his arm.

The others are freaking out, too. We're much further away than usual when someone gets hurt, and I've never seen bone directly. Not from a person.

What do we do? Call the dads. That's what we do. That's the best option. They'll know what to do. Mr. Thompson's a doctor. He'll know what to do.

"Come on, come on, come on!" He's taking forever to answer.

"Yes, Sig?" Mr. Thompson answers the phone.

"Finally!" I exclaim. "We're out playing in Nine Spring and Sam slipped and fell and broke his arm and there's bone sticking out and it'll take forever for anyone to get here and-"

"Stop," he says and I do. "Take some deep breaths, Sig. It's going to be alright. Is he conscious?"

"Y-yeah," I answer.

"Does he react if you talk to him?"

"He's saying 'ow' over and over," I say. "Sam?" Sam looks at me. "Yeah, he looked at me. He's sitting up right now."

"Okay," he says. "The first thing that needs to happen is you tell Sam to minimize moving his arm. He needs to keep the arm as still as possible. Do that now."

"Sam," I say. "Mr. Thompson says to try and keep the arm still."

"Okay," Mr. Thompson says. "Also tell him to keep the broken part elevated – above his heart."

"Why?"

"It'll help stem the bleeding," he says. "Sam should lie down, this will make it easier to have it above his heart."

"Mr. Thompson says to lie down and keep your arm above your heart."

"Okay," Mr. Thompson says. "How is he breathing? Is he having short and rapid breaths, or are they more normal?"

I look at Sam.

"Normal, if a bit panicky."

"Okay," he says. "I've texted his dad and let him know; someone will be on their way. They'll take him back to my office and I'll get his arm set and in a cast. Are there any other injuries?"

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I ask Sam.

"No," he groans. "I don't think so. It's only hurting in my arm."

"Visually check him," Mr. Thompson tells me. "He might not feel another injury."

I check Sam a little, then let Mr. Thompson know he's just got some scrapes and bruises, nothing else that I can tell.

"Okay," he says. "I know the standard first-aid kits in the play backpacks kids around here have some simple first-aid stuff, but I made sure all of you have clean, sanitized clothes. Grab one, pull it from its package, and gently place it over the wound. Remember to unfold it first."

"Unfold it first. Got it."

I do that and let Mr. Thompson know.

"Good," he says. "That will reduce the risk of contamination. Now put someone's backpack under his feet, so that they're elevated."

"But his legs aren't injured."

"It'll help with the risk of shock," he says. "Just do it, alright?"

"Alright," I do it. "Done."

"Okay," he says. "Who all is there right now?"

"Just us four," I tell him. "Me, Sam, Connor, and Isaac. Xander has an invite to join us, but I think he's still in his classes. Or maybe he's just finished them up? But no one else is here. No one's ever broken a bone so far away from everyone else before…"

"The worst of any of you had was a fracture," Mr. Thompson says. "But it's okay, Sig. What were you doing when it happened?"

"We were pretending to be elite soldiers hunting monsters," I answer. "He'd hopped up onto the top of a truck and was doing fine. It was when he went to get off that he fell. I think he tripped over his own foot."

"Okay," he says. "So you boys were just playing and having fun, right? Not doing anything wrong?"

"Y-yeah."

"None of you will be in trouble," he says. "You could've broken your arm before, when you fell out of that tree. Or any of the other hundred thousand things you've fallen from. Only how ridiculously tough you are saved you with any of them, and you wouldn't have gotten into trouble if you'd gotten hurt during those times. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"Can you put me on speakerphone?" He asks.

"R-right," I do that. "You're on speakerphone."

Mr. Thompson continues talking with us until Mr. Michaels shows up in his truck. Sam has to sit in the front while the rest of us sit in the back, and there's silence on the way to the building Mr. Thompson works out of. There are a few people here with their kids, waiting for appointments, but we're taken to the back immediately.

Connor's dad is the head doctor for this office so if he says his son's friend takes priority, then Sam takes priority. That's probably why he was able to stay on the phone with us the whole time – because he probably texted a nurse to let them know that he needed to clear some time out.

We're allowed to wait in one of the patient rooms even though that's not normally allowed. Sam gets taken for scans even though his bone is pretty obviously out, and we all just sit here, fidgeting. It's not like we don't get hurt all the time, but this is the first time it's been that bad.

When Isaac fractured a rib back in April, they were able to fix him up in just a couple of weeks thanks to a special, magical medicine that his dad's insurance covered. Well, and also because the fracture wasn't that bad.

Even with all of the stuff I've done, I've never properly broken a bone before. And I've gotten hurt falling off of stuff way more times than they have – and even from bigger heights. When Xander broke his arm, he was out for two months with it. There's probably not something covered under Sam's dad's insurance to heal him up any faster, so he'll probably have to spend two months with a broken arm, too.

"This is all my fault," I groan, and the others look at me. "I'm the one who suggested that game."

"It's not your fault," Mr. Richardson says as he enters the room with us. "That could have happened at any time, with any game. You boys are pretty daring with some of the stuff you do."

"But-"

"Not. Your. Fault," his tone and gaze are firm. "Understand me, Sig? Sam chose to hop up there on his own. You didn't make him. And it was an accident."

"Maybe…"

"Weren't you with Sam?" Isaac asks. "How's he doing? Are they gonna have to amputate it?"

"No," Mr. Richardson snorts. "They're not going to amputate it just because he broke it, you goofball. They finished the scans a few minutes ago and his arm is being set now. I was feeling a bit queasy and he told me to leave."

"Mr. Thomspon did?"

"Sam," he snorts. "Told me that if I'm going to look like I'll pass out, I should go wait with the rest of you. I protested, but Sam overruled me."

"Is he okay, then?" I ask. "If he's saying that sort of stuff, I guess he is."

"He's bummed he won't get to climb, roughhouse, or go swimming for awhile," Mr. Richardson says. "But otherwise, he's fine."

"How long are they saying?" I ask.

"Several months of healing due to how bad it was," he says. "And do not go blaming yourself for this, Sig. Accidents happen and it's not your fault."

"Maybe…"

No one really says much of anything after that, not until Sam rejoins us. His arm is in a sling… but not a cast.

"You weren't given a cast?" Mr. Richardson asks as Sam waves to us with his good arm, a big grin on his face. "Paul? Why didn't you put it in a cast?"

"Wasn't needed," Mr. Thompson answers as he closes the door. "I'm not entirely sure why, but a healer showed up, already knowing about the break, and mended it. Said it's not an absolute heal and he still needs a few days in a sling, but he should be fine by the time he wakes on Saturday as long as he doesn't use or move it too much or sleep on it."

"Oh! That's perfect!" Sam says. "That means it'll be good in time for the next game test, right?"

"If we're still allowed to go…"

"None of you are in trouble," Mr. Thompson says. "It was an accident, Sig. Could you boys have been more careful? Yes. But Sam restated that he'd just tripped over his own feet. That could have happened on the ground, or it could have happened from even higher up. Does that mean you shouldn't be allowed to roughhouse and horse around anymore? No. Getting hurt while playing is just something that happens sometimes. Understand?"

"Yeah…"

"Come on," Mr. Richardson says. "Let's go get something to eat. Though Paul? What about the cost for that? I can't afford magic healing and I know my insurance doesn't cover it, either."

"No cost," Mr. Thompson says. "I told the healer that and he said it was already covered, but that's all he'd say."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Who could have known about the broken arm, arranged for a healer this fast, and paid for it?

Wait a moment… I know someone who could do that. We all know someone who could do that. I won't say anything, though, in case I'm wrong and it's not him. But Connor did text the group chat to let Xander know that we probably wouldn't be able to hang out this afternoon because of it.

And Xander happens to know someone who could arrange such a thing. He could probably even pay for it with some of what he's made with his hoverboards, and I get the feeling he would offer it, too.

Maybe if it was me, though. Sam's the one who broke his arm and Sam's also the one who's done the most mess-ups with Xander's comfort zone. So it might not have been Xander, unless it was his way of attempting to say that he's not upset with Sam.

Or so that he's not down one person for the beta test on Saturday. Honestly, I could see Xander arranging a healer just for that.

----------------------------------------

[Xander – 12 years]

"Xander?" Trey asks, and I look at him.

He just got home from work and hasn't changed out of his suit yet. He looks really concerned for some reason, too.

"Why are you crying?" He asks.

"I'm trying not to cry," I sniffle, then shove another forkful of cheesecake into my mouth.

"Katie said Russell came over after lunch by surprise," he tells me. "Then left after talking with you, and you had tears streaming down your cheeks. He seemed like a nice kid, but did he turn out bad?"

"He broke up with me!" I wail. "I know it's wrong to be sad about it 'cause I'm only twelve but I'm almost thirteen and I really liked him and we only dated for like, five days, but still! I don't wanna do magitech or magic anymore!"

I tried not to cry and whine but it all came out. Trey sits beside me and pulls me in for a hug, keeping an arm wrapped behind me as he holds me. It doesn't seem to matter that I'm going to get snot on his suit, but what if it really does matter and he beats me for it after I stop crying like a baby?

"It's alright, Xander," he says. "It's okay to cry, you're upset. And you're right, you're on the younger side, but that doesn't invalidate your feelings. Sure, they aren't the same as what an older boy or even a man might feel, but they're still very much real. So it's okay to be upset."

He rubs his hand up and down my upper arm for a moment, then pats it twice. That feels nice. Not in a bad way, it's just hard for me to figure out how to describe it. But it helps me calm down a little. I still sniffle a little, but I'm not crying loudly anymore.

"Xander?" Trey asks after a few minutes. "Xander? Can you tell me what he said? I'm assuming it has to do with why you don't want to do magic and magitech anymore, even though you enjoy them?"

"He said I'm too good," I mumble. "That I'm too talented. That-that he noticed how good I am and it makes me feel really bad about his own skills. And that it was frustrating him a lot, especially after he saw it wasn't just magic and magitech but even something like bowling. And now that I want to learn how to do art, he's scared I'm gonna be better than him at it. And that made me realize that's it gonna be that way with everyone. I can't help that I'm so good at magic and magitech, but if I keep doing it, then I'll never get to be happy, not even if I lived a million years!"

"Xander," Trey snorts. "Russell's thirteen. He's an adolescent, just like you. Katie told me yesterday that the two of you had a talk about how puberty messes with people's heads a little. It has them questioning a lot of things, trying to figure things out about themselves. Know how you feel insecure, how you aren't good enough? That's normal for boys and girls going through puberty. Some deal with it more than others. The you that Russell started crushing on wasn't someone with a lot of talent, it was just a normal boy, if one a bit scared all the time. That's the same you that he'd become friends with. You're a different kid now – yes, I know you're still you, but your personality is different, and the stuff you do is different.

"After spending the weekend hanging out with you," he says. "Then yesterday evening and last night, he probably realized that you're not the same boy he knew earlier this year. You're a more confident one, and one who has a lot of talents. And for someone who feels insecure about his own talents, that can make those feelings worse."

"But-"

"Hold on," he says. "I'm not done. If he's cut things off now, then he probably would've even if you weren't dating. He probably would've seen your talents while hanging out with you and then decided it was too much and decided to stop hanging out. It's normal to compare yourself to other people, and it's normal to not want to be around those who make you feel insecure.

"But he's not your only friend, is he?" Trey asks. "You have other friends, don't you? Ones who've seen your talents even more than him and still treat you like just another one of them, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"That means that the problem isn't you," he says. "Connor, Isaac, Sam, and S.G. are all good friends, right? And they just like hanging out with you because they like you as a friend, right?"

"Well… I'm pretty sure S.G. has a crush on me," I say. "I-I figured out I'm an empath and realized I could feel that from him."

"What about the others?"

"I think they just wanna be friends with me."

"And that proves my point," Trey says. "It's not that your talents are bad, it's just that you and Russell aren't compatible as friends. Those other boys are more than willing to hang out with you despite your talents in some areas being superior to theirs. To them, that sort of thing doesn't matter. That's what's important with friends, Xander – finding people who don't care about your talents, they care about you."

"I care about them, too," I mumble.

"I know," he rubs my arm again, then squeezes it. "They're all good kids. Why don't you see if they want to hang out? One of the best things to do after a breakup is to just carry on with life. Don't let it stress you out, don't let it make you cry for too long. It's okay to cry, but don't dwell. Return to doing stuff you enjoy doing. If that's magic, then go do magic. If it's magitech, then go play with magitech. If it's hanging out with friends? Go hang out with friends. I'm willing to bet that if you told them you were upset but wanted to hang out, they'd jump at the chance to hang out and they wouldn't press you if you said you didn't want to talk about it. They're good kids, alright?"

"They probably would…"

"Do you still not want to do magic and magitech?"

"Yeah."

"Even after I said you shouldn't let someone's opinions of your skills being high make you stop?"

"That's not what you said…"

"Xander?" He asks. "Buddy? Can you look me in the eyes?"

I look him in the eyes, but he doesn't say anything, just seems to look closely without moving his head closer. It's like he's trying to see something.

"Have you had memory issues after your brain got fixed?" He asks.

"Like, with remembering stuff that happened after my brain got fixed?"

"Yeah."

"Not beyond what the internet and Grandpa Adrian says is normal for people to not remember."

"Okay," he snorts, then reaches up and ruffles my hair. "Why don't you see if your friends want to hang out? I'm sure you'll feel better once you get your mind off of it."

"Can I go to Nine Springs?"

"Is that where they are?" He asks. "Sure. Just watch out for monsters, they might come there."

He didn't let me answer, so I don't think it matters that they aren't there now.

"Okay," I say. "And I'll make sure to watch out for monsters."

Trey lets go of me and I finish off the piece of cheesecake I was eating, then change into some black MountainStorm Gear pants and a dark green MountainStorm Gear long-sleeved shirt with a bright green stripe down the left side of its front. I pick out a pair of matching shoes after changing my socks to more outdoorsy ones (though still black), then look at myself in the mirror.

Okay. I look ready to go. Wait. I should switch my glasses, so I do that and pull on a pair of my green sunglasses.

Now I look ready to go.

I pull on my backpack and grab Trenton, then leave the house. Once I've made it past the gate, I teleport to where I met Carter, then let my feet guide me until I find an old, rusty truck.

Is this the right one?

What do I do now, though? I didn't think this far ahead.

"Huh?" I look down at Trenton. "That's a thing? Really? Sounds fake, but if you're saying it… okay."

I continue looking down at Trenton, then frown.

"Huh. Why would Greyson use that for his mega-computer? Okay. Should I report it to Grandpa Adrian or ask Greyson about it first? Do you think he'd let me properly look at his mega-computer and see what it does? Oh, right, he's fine with basically anything I want. Okay, yeah I'll ask him about the mega-computer next time we're both at the workshop and have the time. So how do I do it? Not the second part, just the 'looking at it' part?"

It takes me a few minutes to use the magic but once I do, I find myself floating in… something. It's just me and Trenton and everything else in the world. All of it, all around me. Everything that ever was and currently is on Earth, stored within its memory. The past and present, here for the world to remember.

This is dizzying, but I manage to navigate through the labyrinth of the World Memory and find the part for the location we're physically at.

That bit's easy, which I think is because we're already there so it's the part of the World Memory closest to us. What happened to Sam should be easier to access because it was very recent, too. At least, according to Trenton.

There! I see the others hanging out! Okay. They said he fell off of a rusty truck, and the scene I'm looking at is them leaving this area. Rewind. Oh. That's not how it works. Okay. Um… how do I get back to the beginning of this?

It takes some figuring, but I manage to find the beginning of this. Sam hops up onto the truck and is pretending to look for bad guys or monsters… that looks like a lot of fun, but I'd rather do it on the ground. And for real, not play, so that I don't get into trouble for lying and pretending to be something I'm not.

They're all shirtless. I'd forgotten they do that when playing. Or are like that most of the time, even at home. It'd make sense they'd be like that when playing out in the sun if they're like that most of the time. It also makes me very uncomfortable and I want to stop, but I need to see this.

Not the shirtless part, the incident.

I can see the not-real fairies in the World Memory… does that mean they're not actually hallucinations? They're very active around Sam in the one I'm viewing, too. He, Connor, and Isaac all got a new blessing before I saw them on Monday. At least, based on what I could see of the not-real fairies around them after their lessons on Monday and when I saw them again yesterday.

Why are they being so active around Sam? The ones for S.G., Connor, and Isaac aren't, and Sam isn't that great of a person. He's not my friend, but I don't want to see him hurt.

There! Wait. How do I pause the World Memory? Okay… that didn't work. Or that. Or that. Oh, that did. Okay, now to rewind it. Yeah. Right there.

I was right.

Also, is that a unicorn watching?

I finish watching the scene, then leave the World Memory and let out a big yawn. That was exhausting and I should really take a nap. But first, I need to make a call.

"Yes, Xander?" Grandpa Adrian answers after only the second ring.

"Grandpa Adrian," I try not to yawn but end up doing so again. "Sorry for yawning into the phone. Um. Unicorns don't have healing powers, right?"

"They don't, why?" He asks. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt."

"One saw Sam, one of my friends' friends that I hang out with, get hurt," I explain. "And when he was taken back to Dragon Falls, the unicorn headed off in that direction, too. Maybe he was just checking to see that he was alright? Okay. So um, Saturday? When Sam gets to the test, can you heal his arm? Please? Russell won't be there since he dumped me and I don't think we can be friends anymore, but I don't want to exclude Sam. I don't like him, but he's good friends with my friends and they usually do most things together."

"I can do that," Grandpa Adrian says.

"And sorry for yawning so much."

"You sound tired."

"I'm gonna take a nap after the call," I tell him. "One more thing, if-if that's alright."

"It is," he says. "What's wrong? Why do you suddenly sound so worried?"

"Do you know about the Faction?"

"What's that?"

"Greyson says it's an organization that doesn't want child geniuses inventing stuff or getting too strong for some reason," I say. "That they'd do anything to stop us. He's always worried they're gonna try and stop him if they find out about him, and he's working on making the world a better place. And he even told me that they've come after Luke before. They sent golems after Luke when Luke was on his way back from the city before… I don't know if they've made other attempts. But he's absolutely certain they want to stop child geniuses for some reason, whether it's for something magical or nonmagical. And maybe they're after me because I invented something that doesn't exist in a proper prototype yet, only ones that need repairs after use or which can't go very far? And am inventing a state-of-the-art AR set? That's what S.G. called it."

"You think they're behind your friend's injury?"

"I'm not friends with Sam," I state. "He's mean and dunks me underwater and takes food off my plate and gets too close when I don't like him. He's not S.G., he can't be that close to me. So we are not friends."

"Alright," he says. "So you think they're behind Sam's injury?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'm at the spot where he got hurt now and there was a spell trap on the roof of the truck. S.G.'s told me before that they come out here to play all the time, and I know they usually just get scrapes and bumps and bruises and stuff at most. Not broken arms. And if they're out here all the time, then why is it after the first stream where I'm showing off the AR glasses with them that they come across a trap here? It had to have been on purpose. They might be coming after my friends while trying to figure out how to get at me directly."

"I'll investi-" he cuts off. "You said Greyson calls it 'the Faction'?"

"Yeah."

"That kid and his paranoia…" Grandpa Adrian snorts. "Xander, 'Faction' is what happens if you translate the organization's name into English, then turn it into an acronym. Where you take the first letter of each word, possibly ignoring certain words such as conjunctions. Then, you translate it back to Zrebzialan. Most of us call it the Foundation, the first word of their name. And… I can see them doing such a thing. If they were expecting to catch you in the trap, or dishearten you, or something… well, don't worry about it. I've let them go a little too long as they weren't causing too many problems and they were all things the military was handling. But going after one of my great-grandsons? They'll regret it."

That sounds scary.

"Take a nap," he says. "You sound like you need it."

"Thanks," I say. "And thank you, Grandpa Adrian."

"You're welcome," he says. "Love, you Xander."

"Love you, too, Grandpa."

"Bye."

"Bye."

----------------------------------------

[Luke – 13 years]

A tense silence fills the car. Mom, Dad, and I are on our way to Nine Springs right now, along with several other vehicles from the military. Including quick-moving magitech tanks. I wanted to lightning-charge my body and dash over there, but was ordered not to.

Something big happened and they want to make sure support is there if I need it. Or rather, in case the military needs it. We're there as support, even if we'll probably end up being the primary force. The surge of mana that was detected… it's possible there's another Rift. An extremely powerful one, the sort which lets out city-destroying monsters.

At least there was some good news. We got the call for assistance… while already on a call with the very person who gave it to us. Dad was receiving an update about the two golem attacks from the General. It turns out, they were orchestrated by the Foundation, which had never made a move against a prominent family like ours before. That's why I hadn't thought it could be them – it's absolutely madness to go against one of the elder mage families.

They must have gotten brave with their other successes, despite all of their failures. From what I've heard, they've never actually targeted a kid or family before, just worked on building up their might.

While on the phone with Dad, the General received a call from Adrian King informing him that the Foundation will no longer be something the military needs to handle. My guess is that they tried to make a move against Xander because of the hoverboard and augmented reality kit.

Everyone knows it's absolute idiocy to try and target a Lumaria King for something like that. Maybe if the King was causing problems, but because he's a genius? Absolute idiocy.

It was as the General was about to end the call that he received the report of an absurd amount of mana fluctuating in the ruins of Nine Springs. Anything big enough to actually be picked up by the sensors is pretty much guaranteed to be a Rift, and this one pretty much overloaded them. There's currently no magitech sensors which can pick them up on lower levels from a distance, only on major levels.

Other military units are gathering and will be coming to reinforce the area. If it's as dangerous as expected, we need to make sure the monsters don't head into town.

"Stonecurse Wolves to Lightning Clan," a voice comes over the walkie in the car, pulling me out of my thoughts. "The mana field preventing scanners is still active, so we're going in blind."

"Understood," Mom activates the walkie. "Going in blind."

So the mana here is still dense enough to prevent scanners from being able to see things accurately. I hope the Rift doesn't last too much longer and closes up soo-

I unbuckle and before Mom and Dad react to the sound of it, I'm opening the door and jumping out, landing in a roll as my body becomes charged with lightning. In the next instant, I'm in the air via a lightning-charged leap.

As I descend toward my destination, what I sensed comes into view, and it's honestly more funny than concerning.

Xander's curled up on the ground, sleeping peacefully with Trenton tucked under his arms. He's changed into his dark green pajamas, with black socks covering his feet and his shoes and backpack beside him and a pillow tucked under his head.

He really will fall asleep just anywhere.

Right before I land, I notice red earplugs in his ears. He has different colors of them and I really want to ask why, especially since I know he dislikes the color red. But that can come later. For now, evacuating the civilian is more important.

I land on the ground not far from Xander, a thunderous boom filling the air as the ground shakes and what glass is left around us shatters. That… doesn't wake Xander. He's still alive, though. His electrical signals are just as strong as they've been ever since his brain was fixed.

Shutting off my lightning-charge, I walk over and start shaking him.

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[Xander – 12 years]

Oh. This is a dream. That explains why a waffle just showed up and doused everything in lightning-charged syrup when it landed with a very scary boom. It also explains all of the talking muffins and peaches and blueberries and strawberries.

Why does the waffle have Luke's voice, though? Why does my dream even have a representation of him? I don't like him.

Well. He's food now. Waffles are delicious, and I bet dream waffles are, too.

"Ow! Xander! Don't bite me! Xander, you're asleep! Wake up! Xander you're biting me!"

Of course it wants to trick me into not eating it, it's a dream waffle. Dream food doesn't want to get eaten. But it's food and so it gets eaten.

The waffle manages to escape when I go for another bite, and stays out of my range. He keeps trying to tell me to wake up, though. I don't want to wake up, I want to eat dream food.

Then something gives me a small shock in the neck and I wake with a start, scrambling to my feet with my fists up. As I do, I realize that Luke has scrambled back and landed on his butt. There are some military-types here, they're wearing the uniform of the magic special forces. Well, and Luke's parents, too, but they're not dressed in uniforms, just suits.

Luke's in shorts and a sleeveless shirt and his sneakers, and he looks kind of scared for some reason.

"Sorry, Xander," he says. "It was the only thing I could think of to work and Dad said to just do it. The military's sensors detected an immense surge of mana in the area, which means a likely Rift. They're portals to other realms or worlds or… we don't know. No one ever comes back from going in, nor do any devices return. They just vanish. But monsters come out of them. We're looking for the Rift now, but-"

There really is a lot of mana in the air right now, but it feels like it's still my mana, not that it's converted to normal ambient mana yet.

"Oh," this is my fault. "I might've messed up a spell and didn't clean up the leaks on it. It, um… used a lot of mana. Like, so much I feel dizzy and like I need to sleep."

"How much mana?" Luke asks.

"Sorry, kid," one of the soldiers says. "But you wouldn't have been able to output that much even as just pure mana, much less as leakage."

"How much?" Luke asks me again.

"Um…" I try to estimate how much of my mana is gone and how much I had when I used it. "A little more than three million units? I was pretty full, even after teleporting out here."

The soldier snorts.

"Yeah…" Luke trails off for a moment. "If you were leaking a spell and spent that much mana on it… I can see that causing a false Rift flag. Uh… maybe ask Mr. King if he can teach you how to do that spell without leaking mana? It's really sent everyone into a frenzy. The only things which the sensors can pick up on are amounts that indicate things like Rifts. That's just because the amount of mana in one area suddenly shoots up to a level that even a normal person can feel it."

"Wait… Mr. King?" The soldier asks. "Platinum-blond hair… he's one of the Kings?"

"Yeah," Luke finally stands up, and he faces the soldier. "This is Xander King, quite possibly the most powerful mage in the world, when excluding his great-grandfather."

And someone who accidentally triggered a military response. I'm going to be in so much trouble when Trey and Grandpa Adrian find out. Oh, and I think I might've bitten Luke, too.

Yeah. I'm in a lot of trouble.