Kai studied the boys a bit more. Judging from their looks of confusion, they genuinely didn’t seem to know what a Spell Spirit was. This wasn’t all that surprising given how perceptions of magic have changed over the years, but he still assumed these children would be different somehow.

“Interesting. You really don’t know what they are, huh?”

He almost sounded a little disappointed, much to Lanosis’s further annoyance.

“Well, what did you expect? We’re not exactly from this part of the world, so get off our backs!”

“Oh yeah?” Kai stroked his beard. “Then where, might I ask, are you from, boys?”

Lancer raised his finger. “We’re—”

“Don’t answer that. We have no reason to trust this guy, Lancer.”

Lanosis protectively stood in front of his brother and glared at the old man. Kai shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine, don’t trust me. It’s not like I’m the only one who knows what that little mark on your brother’s forehead means.” He tilted his hat forward to cover his face. “If you don’t wish to find out, I’ll be on my way.”

He spun around and slowly walked away, using his staff as a walking stick.

“Wait!”

Kai stopped walking to glance over at Lancer. He could already tell that he had a more softer and curious disposition compared to his older brother. Even his orange eyes had a unique warmth to them that he couldn’t help feeling drawn to.

He thought over his words before speaking. “Do… Do you really know what it means?”

“Seriously, Lancer? What did I just say?!” Lanosis scowled.

The brothers both exchanged fervent glares with one another.

“Just lighten up, Lanosis! If I do have some lion dragon… whatever inside of me, I need to find out what it is and where it came from.”

Kai smiled from ear to ear. His prior suspicions about the boy’s abilities were now proven correct.

“Ah. So, your Spell Spirit is Ridmos. I had a feeling that was the case.” He chuckled. “Though, the thunderstorm created from your Eun did give it away, I suppose…”

Lancer frowned. He was beginning to wonder how Kai knew so much about this particular spirit and, arguably, Eun in general.

Lanosis, on the other hand, was wondering why they were still speaking with this weirdo. However, he’d be lying if he said that the old man wasn’t a useful source of information.

“Before you start giving out random names, tell us what the hell a Spell Spirit is, so we can all be on the same page and move on with our lives.”

Kai sighed. Within the blink of an eye, he transported himself directly behind Lanosis and rested his staff on top of the boy’s shoulder.

How did he—

The old man clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk. You really need to work on that temper, Lanosis. We’re only having a casual conversation here.”

He then used his staff to lean closer to Lancer.

“Has he always been like this?”

“Yep. Pretty much.”

“Gee. Thanks for the support.” Lanosis grumbled in a sarcastic tone.

“Now, now. Let’s just all settle down and listen to what I have to say, alright? Okay.” Kai cleared his throat and sat down on the grass. “Now, bear with me, kids. This might be a little hard to follow.”

“Just get on with it.”

Lancer sat on the grass waiting for Kai to speak, an action which Lanosis, begrudgingly, had no choice, but to repeat.

“Well, to put this in the most simplest of terms, Spell Spirits are the progenitors of magic in this world. They are divine creatures who hold power over various elemental properties, some of which include fire, water, earth, wind, ice, and, in your case, Lancer, electricity.” Kai described. “Spell Spirits, much like us humans, are comprised of Eun, or life energy. ‘The Power of All’ is what it typically stands for in most cultures.”

The boys were intrigued by this explanation. They already knew about Eun, of course, but they never even considered its possible origins. Back home, there was only one single being that their father, mother, and Refugus seemed to talk about in regards to the creation of Eun and the entire Gamma Kingdom in general.

“All… you mean as in Allimon?” Lancer asked.

The old Spell Caster raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure where the boy could have gotten that implication, but it was somewhat accurate.

“Wow. For someone who claims to not know what a Spell Spirit is, you seem to know quite a few things already.”

Lanosis crossed his arms. “How so?”

“Allimon is the creator of all Spell Spirits, boys, and possibly even Eun itself. We may refer to him by that name, but in other places, he’s typically called… well, God.” Kai explained.

This bit of information further shocked the two princes. It might have even been considered a little blasphemous if Kai’s description weren’t so plausible. Calling Allimon, God, in of itself was an accurate title for him. That was what the people of the Gamma Kingdom always believed, at least.

Lanosis scratched the back of his head. “Damn. Then these Spell Spirits really are the real deal, after all.”

“But, I’m still a little confused. Why do I have one, but Lanosis doesn’t? That seems a little unfair, don’t you think?”

“It’s not about fairness, Lancer. Spell Spirits decide on what people they wish to choose as their human host. Some inherit their power from birth, some form direct partnerships with them, and others, in more extreme cases, can forcibly be possessed by them.”

Kai, through masking his presence, dashed behind Lancer and shifted his bangs away from his forehead.

“Hey! What are you—”

The old man simply pointed at Lancer’s birthmark-esc symbol. Small traces of electricity still surrounded it.

“However, in every single case, a Spell Spirit’s presence is indicated by a symbol or marking on the host’s body. The one on your forehead just so happened to be a lightning bolt with wings attached to it.”

He then moved back to his original position and sat back down.

Lancer placed two fingers on his forehead and rubbed it. “So… I was just born with this?”

Kai nodded. “It’s basically been this way for thousands of years. Some people become hosts and others don’t. However, all of them are equally responsible for the amount of power they accumulate. No one has a clearcut advantage over anyone else.”

“I dunno. Having a godlike spirit inside of you seems like a pretty big advantage to me.” Lanosis grunted.

He couldn’t help feeling a little bummed out by this revelation. As the oldest child in their family, he always thought that he would end up having the highest potential as a Spell Caster. Fate, however, seemed to have had other plans for the two of them.

“Perhaps, but it can also be a huge disadvantage. It all depends on the relationship a host forms with their Spell Spirit.” Kai assured him. “Besides, everyone’s gotta start somewhere.”

He smirked and pointed his staff toward them. It ever-so-slightly shined with light blue energy.

“And that goes double for you two runaways.”

Lancer and Lanosis’s eyes widened in unison. Apart from Allimon, they hadn’t mentioned anything about the circumstances behind their arrival here, let alone that they were running away from somewhere.

“Oh, relax, boys. I’m smart enough to realize that you’re from the northern continent, Snardentus. Your attire and references to Allimon practically gave it away.” Kai brushed aside their worries with a wave of his hand. “Would I be correct in assuming that you originally were born in the Gamma Kingdom?”

The Leoto siblings exchanged nervous looks with one another.

“How do you know all of this? Snardentus is supposed to be hidden from the rest of the world. That should apply to the Gamma Kingdom as well.” Lanosis snarled. “Someone like you shouldn’t know anything about us period!”

Kai shook his head from side to side.

“Don’t be naïve, Lanosis. You seriously think Snardentus was always hidden from the rest of the world? Its barrier may make it seem invisible to every other continent, including this one, but it is still very much a part of this world. That barrier, after all, was set up for one specific reason.”

Lancer stood completely speechless. Everything that Kai just said changed the way he viewed his kingdom. It was as if he didn’t know anything about it at all.

“And that is to keep out those who can cast the most powerful form of Eun, Gamma. It is, in case you weren’t aware, a combination of every single magical element known to exist.” Kai explained based on the little knowledge he accumulated over the years. “People of the Gamma Kingdom are the only people capable of casting this type of magic and, thus, are considered the closest in strength to Allimon himself.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Both kids thought back to the magical spells casted by Refugus, Ligalta, and Malak. They were well aware that the purple energy being used by them was powerful, but nowhere near this kind of level.

Lanosis was beginning to wonder if their uncle was far stronger than he ever gave him credit for.

Does that mean the type of spells Refugus used in battle… can’t be accessed anywhere else? I never even considered that.

“Why are you telling us all of this, anyway? I mean, big whoop, we’re from an invisible kingdom and have nowhere else to go. You have nothing to do with it.”

“It’s simple, really. Gamma Eun takes years and years of training to properly master. You two have little to no experience casting Eun, so crossing through a Gamma Barrier is, sadly, a one-way trip. As much as you might want to return home, you physically aren’t strong enough to do so.” Kai tipped his hat to look over at them, frowning. “Is that what’s going through your poor little heads right now?”

Lancer grimaced and looked down at the floor. They came to the same conclusion right before Kai showed up.

“Yeah…”

Lanosis scoffed. “Like it’s any of your business.”

“On the contrary, I believe it is my business now. As a spellcasting master, I feel obligated to help train the both of you. You’ve already managed to awaken your respective Eun signatures, so all that’s left is rigorous training and practice.” Kai offered his services with a kind smile. “Then, maybe someday, you’ll become strong enough as Spell Casters to activate Gamma Eun at will. It’s your decision.”

The old man, as cryptic as he may have been from Lanosis’s perspective, drove a hard bargain. Refugus did want him and Lancer to thrive as Spell Casters, so Master Kai was practically offering an easy way to fulfill that last request.

The only issue was that, apart from moving incredibly fast and sensing energy, Kai didn’t exactly fill the credentials required for an effective spellcasting instructor. His irksome, playful attitude was a huge red flag that couldn’t simply be ignored.

At least, that was what Lanosis thought, anyway. Lancer was already willing to take the offer without any questions asked. He would have said yes if his brother didn’t choose to act defiant as usual.

“Prove it then.” Lanosis muttered.

Kai quirked a brow. Considering how dire of a situation these kids were in, he, admittedly, wasn’t expecting that type of response.

“Pardon me?”

“You claim that you’re this great and powerful spellcasting master, so prove it to me. Show off some of your skills and maybe, just maybe, we’ll agree to train with you.”

“Uh, what do you mean, ‘we’, Lanosis? Just based on how fast he moves, I can definitely tell he knows his stuff. You’re being ridiculous.” Lancer remarked.

Lanosis rolled his eyes. “Hmph. More like cautious. If we’re going to get anywhere as Spell Casters, we can’t just put our faith into the first person we meet. We have to keep our options open, little bro.”

“And those other options are…?”

“Oh, shut up. You know what I meant.”

Kai watched this little back-and-forth conversation go on in amusement. It reminded him of the spats he used to have with his friend and fellow master, Zuken Tartur, back in the day.

“Now, now, there’s no need to argue. Lanosis’s logic is pretty sound, albeit a little too skeptical for my tastes.”

The master stroked his beard, trying to formulate an equal compromise between them. He examined his black bo staff and, in a sudden moment of realization, snapped his fingers.

“How about this then? If you manage to touch a part of my staff, I’ll agree to train the two of you. If you don’t and somehow pass out from exhaustion beforehand, well… I guess you boys will be on your own.” Kai slowly held out his hand. “Sound like a good deal?”

The two looked down at his hand for a moment or two. His gesture was open, yet deceptively good-natured at the same time.

“You don’t need to do this, Master Kai. You’ve already shown that you’re knowledgeable enough to help—”

Lanosis ignored what his brother said and promptly shook Kai’s hand.

“You’ve gotta deal.”

“Excellent. Give me a second to get ready and we’ll start right away.” He looked up at the night sky and smirked. “Let’s make this quick, though. Old farts like myself need to get their beauty sleep, you know?”

“Right. As if that would do you any favors.”

Kai chuckled. “Aha, that was a low blow, my young friend. Just for that, I’m not going to go easy on you.”

He then firmly stuck his staff into the ground and began to stretch. His aged limbs cracked a little from even the slightest bit of movement.

“What the heck, Lanosis?! You’ve seen how fast he moves! There’s no way we’ll be able to touch him or his staff.” Lancer hissed.

“Look, no one said this spellcasting stuff was going to be a walk in the park. If we are actually going to be training under this old creeper, we need to witness some of his power on full display.”

Lancer still looked somewhat reluctant. “Guess that makes sense.”

“Just don’t think too hard about it. All we need to do is use our Eun to catch him once and then, we’ll be off the hook.”

It sounded simple enough, but what he claimed wasn’t guaranteed by any means. He did use some type of energy to awaken Lancer from his trance, but that was more than likely a spur-of-the-moment action. Perhaps it had something to do with the emotions he was feeling in that situation.

“You think we’ll even be able to activate it this time?”

Lanosis narrowed his eyes. “Don’t know. That might be what he’s trying to teach us.”

In that moment, Kai cracked his knuckles and sighed loudly in satisfaction.

“Alright! You boys ready for this?”

The brothers said nothing in response. They simply nodded their heads and waited for Kai to make the first move.

“Mm, very fierce looks. I like that.” He said. “Though, in this case, I don’t want simple looks…”

With a wide smile on his face, Kai tilted his hat forward and unleashed all of the Eun he could muster. A light blue aura surrounded his entire body, including the black staff being held in his hands. His brown eyes ever-so-slightly glowed with the same blue light too.

“I want action!”

He dashed toward both kids, causing the patches of grass beneath his feet to be uprooted from the ground.

Lancer stood frozen in place. The pressure being exerted from Kai’s magical energy was far too strong for him to brush aside. It was weaker than Refugus’s, but at the same time, somehow much larger in size.

T-That aura. I can’t entirely sense it, but I can tell it’s massive!

“Don’t just stand there, Lancer. I’m your opponent now, so when I attack, you dodge!”

Kai swiped his bo staff at the boy’s feet. Lancer, as if by instinct, jumped up to evade the attack.

“W-Whoa!”

He rigorously alternated swipes of his staff between the two princes. While Lancer kept flipping away, Lanosis took a more offensive approach by pulling back and thrusting his arms at the old master’s body. His overall speed was slower, but Kai could tell that the older boy was more calculated and fierce in his actions.

As expected, their personalities were reflected by their fighting styles. Lancer, due to being cautious and reserved, was more evasive in combat while Lanosis was the complete opposite. He wondered if someone in the Gamma Kingdom could have already trained them to fight this way.

Whoever they were, they did a pretty good job to say the least.

Good. They seem to have some basic knowledge about martial arts. Knowledge isn’t the same as actual experience, though, but I’m sure they don’t need to be told that.

“Hold still!” Lanosis growled.

He dived at Kai’s body in an attempt to tug on his robes. Unfortunately, the old master managed to step to the side and smack him in the back of the head.

Lanosis rolled around in the grass and massaged his bruise. He glared daggers at Kai in annoyance.

“Your movements are far too sluggish. You’ll need to think faster if you want to counter the enhancements granted from my Un.”

Seeing that his back was turned, Lancer sprinted over to Kai and outstretched his arm.

“Un?”

Smirking, the old man evaded this move and side-flipped above Lancer’s approaching form. He then landed directly on top of his staff with both arms crossed behind him.

“One of the four types of Eun, otherwise known as Spiritual Magic Power. It’s another way to describe the aura surrounding a Spell Caster’s body.” Kai winked mischievously. “Catch me and you’ll learn the other three types.”

Lanosis was neither amused by his mannerisms or the tone of his voice.

“Stop mocking us and get down from there!”

He slid along the grass in order to kick the staff away with his foot. Kai wagged his finger and, after tightly grabbing the staff with his own feet, jumped from side to side. He gradually picked up the pace each time Lanosis kept pouncing at it.

Each failed attempt served to make Lanosis even more frustrated and, subsequently, slower in speed.

At this point, Kai was more than certain that Lanosis’s short temper would be his main weakness. Anger was an emotion that could have its perks in spellcasting, but that required control over it, which was a quality that Lanosis sorely lacked.

He sighed and lightly tapped on one of his wrists.

“Time’s a ticking, guys. You might want to step it up a bit.”

Lanosis clutched the sides of his head. Hearing the geezer’s voice felt like a nail being repeatedly stabbed into his ears. He wasn’t sure if he could take much more of this torture.

“I could use a little help here, Lancer!” He barked.

Lancer panted from exhaustion. His attempts to knock Kai off of his staff weren’t going well either.

“I’m trying my best! What else do you expect me to do?”

“Remember what I told you. Clear your mind and take deep breaths.” Lanosis reminded him. “It’s not doing me any favors for obvious reasons, but it’ll work for you.”

“Okay. That might work.”

The eleven year old prince focused all of his attention on where Kai stood. He kept his breathing at an even pace and started running.

Focus, Lancer. Try to remember what happened when you meditated.

Continuing to breathe in and out, he picked up the pace and ran faster. The symbol on his forehead glowed once again and surrounded Lancer’s body in a yellow aura, or as Kai previously described it, Un.

This Un increased the speed of Lancer’s run little by little. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion to him until, finally, a massive lightning bolt struck in the distance.

Once this bolt hit the ground, Lancer opened his eyes and disappeared in a flash of electricity.

“He did it.” Lanosis muttered.

Kai stood on top of his staff with a puzzled look. For a split second, he could have sworn that he sensed Lancer’s Eun completely skyrocket in terms of power.

“Hmm. Seems like Lancer’s a faster learner than I—”

Emerging with the speed of yet another lightning strike, Lancer materialized in behind Kai. His hand, to the old mage’s shock as he glanced back, was covered with the blue fur and green claws of his chosen Spell Spirit, Ridmos.

Kai’s eyes widened. It was a kind of spellcasting ability he hadn’t seen for fourteen long years. Only one, specific person was capable of tapping into their Spell Spirit’s power in such a way.

“Balthazar Zolto…?”

Lancer smiled. “Got ya!”

Taking advantage of Kai’s vulnerable condition, Lancer smacked him in the shoulder and sent him flying off of his staff. He roughly smashed into the ground, leaving an open crater in his wake.

Lancer looked at his arm in surprise. Before he could even react to the blue fur coated over his skin, it vanished in a small series of electric pulses. “Weird.”

Lanosis, meanwhile, starting laughing at the amount of damage his younger brother caused. He picked up Kai’s black staff and smugly held it to his side.

“Impressed now, gramps?”

Kai just picked himself up off the ground with little care. He brushed some dust off of his robes and inspected the crater left by his fallen body.

“Oh, definitely. I’m more than impressed,” He laughed. “Well, by Lancer, anyway.”

The man then snatched his staff out of Lanosis’s hands before he could even react.

“Hey!”

Lancer caught up with the two of them. He clenched and unclenched his right hand in puzzlement.

“Sorry for slapping you like that, Master Kai. You weren’t hurt too bad, were you?”

Kai was surprised by the amount of concern laced in Lancer’s expression. He laughed it off and downplayed the seriousness of what just happened.

“Don’t apologize, lad. You should be congratulated.” He jerked a thumb at himself. “You’ve earned yourself a new teacher, after all.”

“Really? You’ll train us?”

“Yup. A deal’s a deal.” He said. “You two are officially part of Royal Legion West now. Welcome to the team, boys.”

Lancer’s prior concern and brief was replaced by confusion once again. He had a feeling confusion was going to be a normal reaction for the next few days or months.

“Royal Legion what?”

“Ah. I forgot the Gamma Kingdom preferred to keep that part of their history a secret.” Kai murmured.

“Keep what a secret? You’re talking again, Kai.” Lanosis groaned.

“I’ll tell you more about it on the way there. All you need to know is that Royal Legion West is the main magical organization, or guild, for this particular continent, Coligad.”

This response only served to raise further questions in Lancer and Lanosis’s minds, but Kai didn’t really care. He simply pointed to the nearby sea of trees and kept moving.

“I’ll lead you there.”

The Leoto brothers shrugged their shoulders and followed him. At least they knew Kai was more than qualified to teach them how to use magic.

Whether the same would apply to Royal Legion West itself was yet to be determined.