A *Thump* was all that was heard as my mother put down her cup onto the table.

“Why’s that, he isn’t even four, and I call you saying if he awakens you would teach him.”

“I never imagined our son being a prodigy in mana utilization. There's never been a case of awakening at the age of three.” Father responded more calmly than I had expected.

“That would mean he would have to leave home. He's only four, Ryan! He's just a baby, we can't have our baby leave home at this age.”

“I know honey it’s not like I want to send our son away, but you don’t get it when I watch him as he meditates and the way he uses mana, I can't help but feel like he has a deeper understanding of mana than I could help him with. Rebecca, sweetheart, I’m holding my son back by teaching him things he can do in his sleep.”

Thus began the fight between my parents.

They went back and forth, with good points on each side. Mother said I was too young, father said that they were holding me back from reaching my full potential.

Mom and Dad finally settled down and they both turned to me.

“Quin, this is about you, what do you have to say? What do you want to do?”

Great …

Now I have to choose between two parents without hurting one of their feelings.

Trying to think of something, I suggested, “Can’t we all try meeting some tutors to see if I need one or not?”

*Silence,* Did I say something wrong? Was my sentence too complex for a kid of my age?

I couldn’t stand the loo they were giving me, so I looked down and waited for a response, but I could still feel their burning eyes on me.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like my fears would come true today. Mother finally spoke, “Well, I suppose we do have to have his mana core and channels tested. We can decide what to do after.”

We nodded in agreement, and we started packing the next day. When I said what I did last night, I thought we'd only be traveling to a different town a day’s worth of travel to be tested by an official mage, but I was wrong.

We were preparing for a three-week-long journey. We would be taking a Horse-drawn carriage through mountain peaks to something called teleportation gates, which would get us to a city called Ozryn.

I remember reading it from a book. I recalled reading about an enchanted piece of land built by ancient mages just for the sole purpose of housing and the bringing up of the most prestigious mage academy. A city was later built around the academy; both the city and academy were named after the leader of the organization- Ozryn.

How were they able to keep a piece of land, hundreds of kilometers long, and what was so enchanted about it. The surrounding area would have to be affected too. Did the city have its magic field?

Regardless!

The journey was going to belong. For moments like these, I’d wish modern technology had been invented. To get to the city, we needed to go through one of the designated teleportation gates in the mountains, if we didn’t, it would take 3 months just to reach the gate's town which was near the border of the kingdom of Velaris and Dwarven.

While Mother and Father did all the packing and all the necessities. I packed my wooden sword and a few books (The tales of Velaris the human kingdom and Vital Fundamentals of Mana manipulation) for the journey.

We set out by mid-morning

After tying my bag, containing books and a couple of snacks, to my back with my wooden sword at my waist, I grasped my mother's hand and followed my parents to an inn we would be staying in a day before the meeting of some of my father's ex-party members.

I’d only heard a few things about them from my father when he was an adventurer, while they were helping rebuild our house, which I never visited. Mom said it would be too dangerous, so meeting them would be my first time. The information I got from my father about a select few members he trusted enough to tell them I had awakened consisted of the following:

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Ivy Underwood: Female Spirit mage, specializing in Air mage, Air spirit user.

Luke Gray: Male Elementalist, main weapon dual axes.

Jade Ambers: Female Elementalist, specializing in Fire magic.

Jace Thorn: Male Elementalist, specializing in Water mater magic.

We had reached the inn we would be staying at for the night. It was already the middle of the night and mother wanted me to go to sleep early, so I did.

It was the middle of the night when the door to our inn room was blasted off. I hurried outside to see what was happening and what I saw had to be the worst thing I’ve seen since coming to this world.

It was my father fighting off five mages by himself, and three of them had elemental affinities. I knew father was strong, but there was no way he could fight all of them himself. I looked over to see what mom had been doing and saw her laying down bleeding. Furthermore, I ran over to help or at least see what I could do.

“Mom, what happened, why is dad fighting?”

“We don't know, they just came and blew the door off. But what’s important is that you get out of here, run.”

“No, I’m staying and helping.”

“I know you want to help, but you have to get to safety.”

“I’m going to help dad.”

“Quin-,”

I ran off towards dad after and couldn’t hear what she was saying but I didn’t care I was gonna help dad one way or another. That was when dad came flying towards me covered in wounds and bleeding from his mouth. He had managed to stop three of them; there was only one with an elemental affinity and one without left. Mom and I came running to Dad's aid.

“Dad!!” “Honey!”

I could see the panic on my mother's face as she nervously tried to think of what she could do.

“Cough! Rebecca, I need you to listen to me. I'm fine, don't worry about me. If they catch you healing they’ll try that much harder to get you and Quintan. They’ll sacrifice a lot more if they know.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, my mother began to chant. I assumed her hesitation was caused by seeing her husband injured, but it felt as if she was afraid of using her magic.

Father looked towards me after giving up on persuading his wife.

“Quin, Listen carefully. After your mom is finished, there going to try and take your mother

No matter the cost. After I'm healed I'm going to fight them and buy more time. I think I can beat them but not if I have to worry about protecting you guys. Take your mother and run down the hall and get as far away as you can.”

“No dad, I’m staying with you. I can fight! You've seen what I can do, I can help!” It seemed at this moment I was truly acting like a four-year-old. I knew my father was right but I still wanted to help. But I didn’t care I wasn't going to leave the family I’d grown to love.

“LISTEN TO ME, QUINTAN WHITLOCK!” This was the first time hearing his voice like this; the kind of voice you only do in dire situations.

“I know you can fight! That’s why I’m entrusting your mother to you to protect her. I’ll catch up to you after this is all over.”

“Okay, I’ll protect mom. “Atta boy. That’s my son.”

I quickly grabbed mothers arm and tugged her to move while reinforcing myself with mana.

That’s weird.

Currently, dad was only fighting the non-mage.

Wasn't there five in total and dad took care of three?

“Josh, now they're open! Do the spell!” The other barked out

Who was he ordering?

“... Soothing waves, distant thunder; sandman cometh, he bids thee slumber.”

{Sleep]

From the end of the hallway, the mage had his wand aimed at mother and me. He hid himself during the chaos.

Fuck!

I didn't have much time to react to a huge sphere. Whatever I couldn’t make out the spell he used, at least three meters in diameter, rushed towards us, increasing in size as it neared.

My mind raced. I couldn't think of what to do.

“Dammit.” I roared out for a four-year-old.

Willing all of the mana left in my body I tackled mother propelling her back into the room where a father had just got done taking care of the other man.

I quickly realized my forty-pound body didn't have enough weight to push us both out of the way.

No choice!

I took the full blow of the spell. I had expected it to kill me but it didn't. When I had realized what it had been doing it was too late. My body began to get heavier and before I realized my body had hit the ground I was falling asleep. Before I lost consciousness I saw dad running towards me but I knew by the time he got here I would be Long gone.