Steel had already reverted to his human form and was staring at the unfortunate bear. The bear, seeing Steel as a little boy, seemed to whimper a little less, likely afraid that Steel might see it as his lunch.

I was also observing the surroundings from not far from the fallen tree. Compared to the desolate treasure site near the small village we had been to before, this place was lush and verdant, clearly a forest-covered mountain range. Although, from the sky, this mountain didn’t appear very tall.

By now, it was nearing noon, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves, not too glaring. I glanced around and asked, “What are you going to do about this bear?”

Steel replied, “I didn’t expect to hit that tree, let alone that there’d be a bear under it.”

“So, are you planning to eat it?” I asked.

Steel responded, “I haven’t thought about that yet. Do you want bear meat?”

I rolled my eyes at Steel. “I’m a vegetarian.”

Looking at the poor bear, I wondered if I should help it. The tree hadn’t caused much damage, but a branch had pierced its body, likely reaching its internal organs. If I didn’t help, the bear would soon die.

After considering for a moment, I decided to help. The moonlight from last night had restored some of my memories, including healing magic.

“This is kind of your fault,” I told Steel. “Come help move the tree.”

Steel scratched his head. “I didn’t do it on purpose.” But he still walked over to the bear. The bear flinched in fear as Steel approached, naturally terrified—on this continent, any creature could easily become a dragon’s meal.

Though Steel was in the form of a small boy, anyone watching would realize he wasn’t just an ordinary human. He easily lifted the tree off the bear with one hand and tossed it aside. However, he hadn’t noticed the branch embedded in the bear’s body.

“Ow…” The bear let out a cry as the branch shifted, causing further pain.

“Alright, alright, it’ll be fine soon,” I said as I approached. I brought my fingers together, forming a spellcasting gesture, and began muttering the incantation for a healing spell.

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A soft white light appeared between my fingers and slowly drifted toward the bear, sinking into its wound. The injury visibly began to heal. Not only did the surface wound close quickly, but the damage to its internal organs also mended rapidly.

“Whimper…” The bear seemed to feel its body recovering. Before long, its injury had almost completely disappeared.

The bear stood up, gave me a grateful huff, and then turned to run into the depths of the forest.

I didn’t dwell on it and turned to Steel. “Let’s go check out your cave.”

Since we were now mentally connected, Steel knew I had regained part of my memory. He led me to the cave where he had previously slept.

The cave wasn’t far from where we had landed, and we soon reached its entrance. The cave’s mouth was enormous, located about halfway up the mountain. Since the mountain wasn’t tall and the slope was gentle, the cave was quite conspicuous.

“Is there treasure in this cave?” I teased Steel.

“Of course there is. You know dragons always sleep on their treasure,” he replied.

“So, you use treasure as a bed?”

“Technically, it’s more like a blanket.”

“Well then,” I shrugged, “that’s one extravagant blanket.”

As we walked into the cave, the sunlight no longer reached us, and it quickly became dark inside.

I focused my thoughts, and a glowing orb appeared in front of us, emitting a soft, golden light.

“Wow… golden light magic,” Steel marveled. “Uncle Rang, your magic is always of the highest quality, even for simple spells. No wonder you’re the most powerful warlock.”

The orb was bright yet gentle, not harsh on the eyes. Following my thoughts, it floated to the ceiling of the cave, illuminating the entire space. Scattered on the ground were all kinds of gold, silver, and jewels—clearly, this was where Steel had been sleeping.

“I slept right here,” Steel pointed ahead.

It was obvious where Steel had been lying; the pile of treasure was sunken in the middle.

I examined the cave closely, wondering how we might find any clues.

It seems that my efforts to dig into my memories were rewarded, as I actually managed to recall a method—the Reversal Magic.

This magic doesn’t allow for tracking, but after casting it, I can mentally trace back the events that took place at the scene. Since it involves the edges of time magic, this spell places a heavy burden on a mage, and the incantation is extremely complex. Of course, as the most powerful warlock, this kind of magic isn’t an issue for me.

“Reversal Magic!” Steel exclaimed with excitement. After all, with our minds connected, he could instantly know what I was thinking.

“Yes, Reversal Magic,” I nodded. “You should feel lucky—I just remembered this spell.”

“Does that mean you can also trace back how you lost your memory?” Steel teased.

This little rascal! I really felt like giving him a good smack because I did want to know the answer to that question.

“Alright, alright, I can feel my memory slowly returning, but let’s deal with your problem first,” I grumbled internally, but the task at hand still needed to be done.

So, I walked over to the spot where he had been lying and brushed aside the various treasures on the ground, clearing a space where I could sit without feeling too uncomfortable.

This was probably one of the reasons I knew I wasn’t an ordinary person—seeing all this gold and treasure scattered around didn’t stir any excitement in me at all. I wasn’t reacting like someone who would go crazy over such riches.

“I’ll keep watch at the entrance.”

Without me needing to ask, Steel headed diligently toward the cave entrance.

I spoke seriously, “When I cast the spell to reverse the scene of you sleeping, you’ll be able to see everything in your mind too, so pay attention to the details. We might quickly find the lost communication orb, which would mean you’ll be closer to finding your parents.”

“I know,” Steel replied, sounding a bit disgruntled. Despite looking like a child, he was actually 400 years old.

I nodded and said no more. To be honest, even though I remembered this magic, the incantation was annoyingly long, and if I messed it up, I’d have to start over, so I couldn’t afford any distractions. Sitting cross-legged, I first took a moment to calm myself, then began forming the gestures for the Reversal Magic with my fingers, slowly starting to recite the spell.

(To be continued...)