Rein sat up with a ringing head after the doorbell woke him up.

“Who is it this morning?” He yawned. He noticed Friede was sleeping next to him. “When did i fell asleep? Why did i sleep here?”

He went to the front door and saw Albert waiting in front of the nonexistent door. The sky was still dark with only a glimpse of sunlight.

“Morning Rein.” He walked through the doorway.

“Albert? uhh...Morning.”

“Rein, who is that?” Rose popped up behind him. She still looked sleepy with her mess of a hair and pajamas.

“Come here for a second.” Albert pulled Rein outside and spoke with a small voice. “You’re a fucking bastard you know that?”

“W-what?” Rein then realized what he meant. “NO! No! This is not like what you think it is. She sleep over here last night for a reason!”

“Oh yeah? And that reason is?”

Rein asked Albert to go inside for a breakfast while explaining all that happened the day before.

“Dude, why the fuck didn’t you call me yesterday? I could have helped you.” Albert asked while munching the sandwich in his hand.

“I’m in a panic, even asking for Rose help didn’t cross my mind until after like an hour.”

“Well. What important is that everything turn out for the good in the end. So how is Friede?”

“Still sleeping, after what happened to her, it’s natural. Now that you mention helping me where is your spirit?”

“I left them home. Took some time to convince them, but it’s better like this. Don’t really want to see them bickering with your spirit.”  Albert stopped speaking and finished his breakfast. He then turned on the TV to watch the news.

There were two big news, the SkyRise apartment caught on a blazing fire and a meteor fell on one of the mountain near the city, both on the same night.

“A meteor? Really? Something like that near the city would have been caught on camera.” Albert remarked. “What do you think?”

“I-”

“Because it’s not a meteor.” Rose voice interrupted them. “A fight happened last night. I’m surprised that the supervisor is able to cover this one up.” She sat on one of the chair and took a sandwich. There was an awkward silence after that, where they just stare at her. “What? Don’t mind me.”

“You’re killing the mood Rose.” Aldwin entered the dining room and also took a sandwich. Albert and Rein waited Aldwin and Rose to finish their breakfast before doing anything.

“So…what’s the plan for today?” Rein asked after thinking for a while what he would say.

“We can’t really do anything for today. We still have to watch over Friede and Elis is still recovering from the lack of mana. I guess today is the perfect time to teach you.” Rose answered. “Come see me when you’re ready.” She continue watching the news. “And you Albert, what do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know actually, after hearing what happened yesterday. I guess i stay here for a while, maybe i join your lesson. Arthur is busy, he haven’t been able to teach me much.”

Albert and Rein left the room.

“That was surprising for you Albert.”

“What?”

“Your face, It didn’t get all red. Guess spending all day with three beautifull girl have a good effect on you.”

“My heart still beating like crazy, but i manage it somehow.”

Albert waited in the living room while Rein took a shower. After Rein finished they returned to the dining room.

“Let start with the basic of the basic. What is a mana?” Rose questioned Albert and Rein.

“Mana is particle in the air right? Living creature such as human naturally absorb them, but only a trained human can utilize it as magic.” Albert answered. Rein sat still, he didn’t have any clue what that is.

“Good, guess you do your research Albert, unlike Rein. Though i may add. Even an untrained person can use magic, but they can’t utilize their own mana. Next we move to the the fundamental technique.”

“Oh i know that. It’s the enhancement, transmutation and that sort of thing right?” Rein asked.

“Wrong!” Rose replied promptly. “That is indeed the basic, but it’s not the fundamental mana manipulation. What i mean is absorb, store, and release. Just like Albert said, human can absorb mana from when they were born, it’s the easiest to learn and the hardest to train out of the three. Then the body store and hold it inside your body. Next your body release and utilize the mana inside you body to alter and manipulate the physical world, it is the hardest to learn but the easiest to train once you know how. Release is the one i’m going to teach you today. Fortunately, both of you have already experienced it by summoning your spirit.”

Rose took out a small crumpled paper and gave it both to Albert and Rein. Inside was a small purple crystal.

“Placed both of your hand above it and focus like you did with the summoning. If the crystal move or change in any way that mean you have succeed.” Said Rose.

Rein put the paper and the crystal on the table and focused on it, trying his best to remember the feeling of summoning ritual.

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Half an hour passed and nothing happened. At least not to Rein’s crystal. A dim light came out from Albert’s crystal.

“Good, you’re pretty good at it.” Rose said. “Have you ever done it before?”

“No, this is my first time seeing a crystal like this.” Albert said.

“Well keep it going. Do it like before until either the crystal shake or change form. If in just thirty minutes you can already make the crystal shine then advancing to the next part should be easy for you.”  

A tint of jealousy surfaced in Rein heart seeing Albert progress. Another half an hour passed and still nothing happened. Frustration began to take over him.

“Nothing happen! You sure this crystal is not broken?” Rein asked.

“It’s just that you have no talent” She answered.

“No, something must have broken.”

She took the crystal from his hand and poured mana into it. When she opened her hand the crystal transformed into bird shape. “See?” She gave it back to Rein.

“Wow.” Rein said in astonishment. The bird shape was really well made with many fine detail. “Are there any way i could do this faster? Like shortcut or something, tips maybe?”

“None. Just continue doing it and you’ll get it eventually.”

“And how long is that supposed to be?”

“Hours, days, weeks, maybe more. Who know.”

“Don’t worry Rein you’ll get it today.” Albert tried to comfort him, but it backfired and annoyed him instead. Rein stared back at him.

“Easy for you to say. ”Rein let out a sigh before continuing what he had done in the past hour.

“Continue doing that until lunch came.”

“You’re going somewhere?” Albert asked.

“I have to report what happened yesterday to Arthur. I will be back around lunch time so don’t forget my share of meal.” Aldwin and Rose stood up from their chair. “Aldwin, what are you doing?”

“I’m your spirit what do you think i’m going to do?”

“Stay here. I can protect myself better than anyone awake in this house.”She glanced at Rein.” And help him a bit would you.”

She left the room. Aldwin sat back on the chair and raised his feet on the table.“You won’t get anywhere doing that with that crap talent of yours.” He said.

“Oh yeah? And what am i supposed to do then?” Rein asked with an irritated voice.

“Just wait… until rose is far enough.”

“What do you mean?”

Aldwin didn’t answer. He waited a few minute before taking both Rein and Albert outside. “There is a faster way to make someone like you able to use magic, but it came with it’s own risk. Rose won’t accept this method.” Aldwin walked behind Rein and placed his hand on his back. “You still want it?”

“Yeah. I guess. But what is the risk?”

“Nothing to severe. Stay still….. And try not to scream too much.”

“W-”

Before Rein could ask what he meant, burst of energy surged from Aldwin’s hand to his chest. A sharp excruciating pain shot throughout his body from the point that Aldwin touched.

He screamed his lungs out as his eyes turned black. His blood veins emitted black light that was visible through his jacket.

Aldwin’s lips curved to a smile.

Something hit Aldwin’s body. He was blown to the church wall behind him. The moment Aldwin’s hand get off him, the pain subsided a little, but it was still too much for him to handle.

“Master!” Elis ran to Rein side. Ball of magic hovered around her. “What are you trying to do?!” She asked aldwin.

“Helping him.” Aldwin answered.

“Are you mad? Do you even know what you’re doing?!”

“I know. I overload his whole body with mana to forcefully open his magic gates. Yes there are risk like making him a cripple or just completely destroy his nervous system, but hey, he wanted a shortcut.” Aldwin replied with a sly smile on his face.

Anger boiled in Elis chest hearing his answer. She extended her hand forward, but before the magic around her followed her command, a roar interrupted her.

An unnatural roar erupted from the roof of their house. A black armored knight stood there. It’s two glowing red eyes stared Aldwin.

“Ah you show yourself. You’ve stalked us since yesterday. I wonder what it is that made you to show yourself. ” Said Aldwin.

The knight somersaulted in the air before smashing its sword on Aldwin.

Aldwin blocked it with with his own sword and pushed the knight back. His hand throbbed in pain.

‘His strength is much higher than i anticipated. A, or maybe A+.’ He thought.

The knight flailed like a madman, or so it seems to other than Aldwin. The knight movement was planned, but it was erratic and bizarre that it was hard for even Aldwin to predict its move.

It spun in the air, making use of the angular momentum to strike hard multiple times. Not only that it combined its sword technique with multitude of kick and punch, landing multiple light blow on Aldwin.

Every time Aldwin attack back it either leaped back or rolled wildly on the ground before countering in the most unexpected way. Its movement was exaggerated and very inefficient.

Albert and Rein watched in awe not knowing what to do while Elis was still confused to who the knight was. Rein couldn’t grasped what was happening, but he noticed something in the midst of chaos. The knight only held the greatsword with its left hand.

Knowing that the fight had gone nowhere the knight did a backward somersault to make a gap. It held the black greatsword in front of its chest.

Aldwin saw the knight appearance clearly for the first time. He let out a huge maniacal laugh and covered his eyes with his hand. “To think.. To think that i could met you here. What is the chance?” The knight stood still and didn’t react. “Don’t understand?” Aldwin asked.

Aldwin’s sword gradually changed shape until it became the exact same sword as the knight.

“You...” For the first time the knight let out its deep ghastly voice. “Sword...My… Sword….”

“Decalogue, the sword of apocalypse. To think that i met its original owner here. Fate is truly full of twist and turn.”

Aldwin and the knight dashed at each other. Aldwin with a smile on his face and the knight with a thunderous roar.

“STOP!” Albert stood between them before their sword met.

He didn’t know why, but he had a feeling he must stop them. The two exact same sword stopped just before slashing his neck. Grazing his skin but not so much as to hurt him.

“Move Kid!”

“No!”

Aldwin and the knight stared at each other. Aldwin pulled his weapon back after seeing that the knight didn’t kill Albert. Albert turned to face the knight.

“You’re not an enemy are you?” He asked. He wasn’t sure if the seemingly mad knight understood him or if he would be skewered in that instant.

“Xander.” Elis called. The knight turned its head recognizing the voice.

“Emera..Lis.”

The knight held its head and let out a ghastly scream. Its voice started to change from deep ghastly voice to that of a woman. The helmet started to dissipate.

The mad knight was no more. Before him stood a fine woman with a pale white skin. Unlike the knight before who was taller than him even with its knee bent, the woman stood a head shorter than him. Her silver sharp stare directed at him. The woman turned to face Rein and promptly kneeled.

“Apologize my lord. For Xander’s behaviour.” The woman raised her head to look at him. “This humble servant is Xandra. Your spirit.”