"Ah. There you two are, now we can get started."

"Two? I thought we were waiting on Luca."

"Well, today we're having Fred join us."

"Not to offend you father, but I don't think Fred is ready for this."

Vanilla was the most outspoken over this matter, she'd been distant from me as long as I could remember. It didn't help how much my father seemed to fit me in where ever she'd been used to.

"What does it matter, if he can't handle it then he can just keep going over the basics, besides he's not a distraction unlike Luca."

"Hey!"

Luca was picking at his nose for the moment and being quite loud as he grunted in the effort. He started heading for Zeus, our older brother.

"Sit down Luca we're getting started, now. No more talking back from any of you about this. Ok?"

"Ok."

They all spoke in unison. With father there's just no room for long winded arguments, his silence was much scarier than his verbal reprimanding.

"Today we are starting with the forces behind natural phenomena in preparation for using the elemental set."

The elemental set? It was the name of the magic category relating to nature itself. Fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth are the main magics in this one. I read about it before in a minor illustrated novel that went over the magic sets in the world. It was a simple enough book for me to take from father's study.

As father kept explaining the process behind the existence of these forces, I continued to get a huge nagging in my brain. I knew about each and all of these forces of nature. There were at times where I didn't appreciate the mysticism my father added to them as compared to the rational explanation. However, it was still entertaining for him to add in the more fantastical legends of this world. The elemental set is the natural magic of the dragons.

Father said he was personally taught by a dragon on the casting of these spells and up to the point where he could even rival his teacher's mastery.

"Although, you'll only ever be as good as the person who taught you. That is unless, you've got even a smidge of talent for the set. Alright, how about a break from the lecture portion so we can start getting to the good part."

"Finally."

Zeus switched from his slouched posture to a more focused and rigid position. He must've been bored from listening to father just read out of a book.

"Oh wait, let's go outside first. It would be a shame to damage any of these precious tomes. They were gathered by several of our family ancestors you know."

We followed father to the castle's interior training ground, it was a garden courtyard until it was remodeled at some point before I was born. There were several dummies placed in numerous locations and thick walls of concrete behind each one. Likely to ensure a stray spell doesn't make it to a window.

"Listen carefully, and once you feel like you've properly envisioned the spell in your mind, repeat after me. 'O core of the world, destroyer and guide, giver of radiance and warmth. Grant unto me dominion over thee to set ablaze as I wish. Ig.'"

A relatively serene ball of flame appeared to hover over the palm of my father's hand. He moved it to his pointer finger and continued to play with it like a basketball.

Zeus was the first of us brave enough to chant that embarrassing incantation. He managed a sizeable spark that quickly dissipated.

"That's a pretty good try Zeus, but try to keep it going and stable. I believe in you."

Vanilla tried next and she almost immediately stopped the spell and yelped.

"Make sure to maintain control over it Vanilla. It's not a race, try to calm yourself. If you need to, try to imagine the flame like a candlelight to manage it without risk of burning yourself. Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Vanilla might've gotten a minor burn, she didn't admit it though.

Luca gave it a try next and given that he's Luca the flame just puffed into smoke without even a spark to explain its existence.

"A fizzle is better than nothing don't get disheartened Luca."

"I won't, I'll just try it again."

Luca did as he said he would and tried to ignite a flame in his hands three more times eventually getting a spark on his fourth attempt.

"Yes, that's good enough."

Luca looked over at Vanilla, she glared at his smugness for barely managing to copy her attempt. He always teased her but it's not like he was capable of doing as well as her in efforts. It's honestly the goal of annoying her that's made it possible for Luca to even catch up to her in ability. He's only ever caught up though.

"Fred, son, it's okay to wait until next time if this is too much for you right now."

I just wanted to see how well they could do first, old man. I guessed using magic without the incantation is unheard of at this level. Maybe I was expecting too much of my self because of these memories, but in them I remembered fantasy stories where characters would always learn to use the magic to the point of not needing to say such long phrases.

I'll just see if anything happens. No, I'm certain this world is like that too, I can feel the mana after all. I willed the mana in my body to condense around a point on top of my palm.

Assuming the mana itself copied or even imitated the missing process for there to be flames like sparks and a fuel source, I used the feeling of mana to conjure what the spell looked like in my mind. A ball of fire that flowed upwards leaving me unharmed and radiated a blue light to show its intensity. I thought about saying the incantation for a moment given the spell didn't instantly show up while I was focused on my imagination.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

However, I suddenly felt a tingle and realized internally there's a sort of switch to just do what I wanted. It's still strange even if I know it has to do with my new body and magic.

The ball of flame quickly formed in my palm like I imagined at the start. It didn't dissipate like Zeus's. No, I could tell when it needed more of my mana to feed it and when it was beginning to grow out of my control, I kept up with it.

"No way, Fred's doing it already. How? He didn't even say the stuff dad said."

"He probably said it under his breath."

Luca and Vanilla spoke up both in disbelief. They didn't expect much from me I figured.

"Vanilla, he didn't even move his lips, so he might have it, the saint factor."

Zeus stared like he was examining me. I didn't realize he was paying attention to me the whole time.

"The what? Zeus what are you talking about."

"Dad told me about it when I was still practicing with Kraimer and Darvy."

Father just looked at me with wide eyes and a sudden grin split across his face.

"I think you're right, Zeus. Fred can you try to move the ball around."

"Yeah why?"

Somehow I didn't feel too surprised myself. I was sure I could cast the spell so there's no way something as simple as moving it around would give me trouble. I did as my father asked and made the ball of fire orbit around my finger then swirl back into the shape I originally held on my palm.

"That level of control... Listen Fred, could you try launching it at the dummy over there?"

My father gestured to a mid ranged dummy in the center of the field. I thought back to the firearms that existed in my old life. Rifles, handguns, machineguns and the like. I didn't intend to fire off a barrage out of nowhere, I think there's a limit to how much I can do at this age, with this small pool of mana.

I extended out my hand with the fire still in hand and made a gun figure with my hand.

"Bang."

The fireball condensed into a more intensive dark blue before it was propelled at the speed of a regular bullet. The dummy obtained a smoking shallow dent where it was hit.

"Amazing, Fred, you're amazing."

It was dinner time, all of my siblings were gathered at the table, I still got to sit close to my mother. I was the only one of her three youngest children that wasn't too small to sit and eat with the rest of the family.

"Daphne, our son is amazing."

"Oh? Yes, how did our son do on his first lesson with the rest of the kids?"

"He went beyond my expectations. Fred cast the spell perfectly."

"Oh come on father, he repeated what you said back to you, children of his age could probably do it without all the reading before hand if you just tell them to recite the incantation. It was pure luck."

Kraimer interrupted his vicious eating to spout off his dismissal. Normally us kids are taught to stay silent and eat as civilly as possible. Noble etiquette we were told, since the first dinner we could have at the family table.

"Nu uh, Kraimer, Fred didn't even talk he just did it with his head."

"You know Luca, I somehow don't believe this even more than that time you said there was dragon in the forest that likes to eat apples and vomits strawberries."

"Luca's not spinning some ridiculous story this time. Fred, actually managed to cast fire magic without repeating father's incantation and to explain a little more, older brother, he launched at the dummy faster than you did the last time I saw you practice."

Kraimer sighed in disbelief.

"Well, if Zeus is speaking out about it, then I apologize father, please continue."

Among my stepmother's children, Kraimer was the most prideful as the oldest son of either wife and the absolute bar us children should all reach in our studies. He's reached the second rank on the entire elemental set and part of the cosmic set at 14. Father gave Kraimer a lot of leeway for keeping up in his advanced lessons. But even Kraimer isn't able to cast spells without speaking.

"You don't have to look so sullen Kraimer, we're all just getting started."

Darvy normally liked to salt any wound on Kraimer, but I thought even he knew that this particular slight could fester if he had done as usual.

"It's just as Zeus said. Daphne, our son has a lot of potential for his age. For now I think it's okay to let him learn with Vanilla and the boys."

"He's really something. I knew you were special my quiet one."

My mother rose from her seat to kiss me on the cheek and tickle me. I laughed and tried to tell her to stop.

The rest of my siblings chattered amongst themselves through the rest of dinner.

The next morning I was dressed and prepared to explore the house. I had never gotten the fascination to do so until I gained my memories back. Something about not being entirely familiar with the castle I called home didn't feel right.

The reason I've got enough free time for this was the fact that my father decided to have our session close to dinner time. Dad was quite efficient at teaching, he split his kids into four sessions with my brothers Kraimer, Darvy and my oldest sister Barrett having the morning, my little sisters get the afternoon session, my older sisters and Logan get the later session and then me and the rest get the just before dinner session.

Because of that most of us are left to do as we please before or after father's lessons.

I raced down the halls that seemed endless. Being so small made everything look and feel huge. I watched from the second story window how Kraimer and Darvy sparred. I didn't know what magic they were using but it felt like Kraimer would suddenly teleport behind Darvy whenever the spell was too hard for him to avoid. Darvy, of course, laid down traps to compensate.

Can't wait to figure out how to do it myself. I thought as I descended the stairs.

I started to get into the part of the castle that no one ever seemed to walk into. I always guessed it was because there weren't actually all that many people living in the castle. It was just me and my family plus some guards that lived and patrolled near the entryway far from the comfier bedrooms my family slept peacefully in.

The carpet hadn't been changed in this mysterious wing. I could only find this path into it from the first floor it's not attached at all to the rest of the castle from the higher floors.

I walked along the entire path but it seemed like a simple hidden pathway with a couple of rain drains on the floor. None of them were big enough for me to fit into, not that I was brave enough to even want to see if the sewer system had some secret in it.

There was one thing about the pathway that was far too obvious to be considered a secret. A stairway leading down to a set of double wooden doors.

The doors themselves were still sturdy enough to keep me out but the lock looked horribly rusted. Maybe it's a secret armory that's been neglected for decades. I thought about leaving the lock alone and going off to explore the gatehouse, but something about it called me to investigate.

I made my way back across the first floor and up the stairs to the maid's supply room. The cleaning supplies along with a couple of repair tools were stored there. One of those 'repairing' tools was a hammer. It felt weighty in my five-year-old body but I think even I've got the strength to bust that lock at this age. Unless it's magical any regular padlock like that will pop out with a good smack.

"Young master what is it you were looking for in there?"

I was hiding the hammer in my jacket pocket.

"Oh it's nothing I already have what I'm looking for, no need to worry."

"Is that so? Could you tell me what it is you found then?"

"Um, I just needed a...um. I was looking for a hammer."

It might be easier to be honest about it than to come off as more mischievous by lying and then being exposed by her asking me to show what's in my pocket.

"A hammer? What would you need that for? I could help you if you need to drive a nail, it's what I'm here for young master."

The old woman was trying to be nice, it's fairly obvious she's worried I'll cause trouble with the tool.

"I want to do it myself, I promise I'm not going to use it to break anything or cause you to get punished. I'd be very grateful if you let me go on my way I'll bring it back right away once I'm done."

The maid contemplated what I said for a moment. I'm certain she's used to never interacting with me as I rarely asked for anything and never made a fuss.

"Oh alright. Make sure to keep your promise young master, girls don't like boys who lie. Ok?"

I nodded before heading back to the rusty lock. The main target of my obsession.

Without another thought in the world I raced to the abandoned wing and to the locked doors that were waiting for me. My heart started beating quicker when I got there. I got a chill across my body as I raised the hammer and struck the top edge of the lock dislodging the main locking bar from the shackle. It was easier than I thought to remove.

I have more patience than I give myself credit for. I decided to delay going through the doors to return the hammer first, like I promised.