"And who might you two be?"

Ryan expanded his range at his father's cold tone, sensing the Blessed Ones arriving. He had done his best to delay his father finding out about the assassination attempt, but once Michael informed his own father of it, it was only a matter of time before the Novar Family Head learned of the incident.

One thing the developing god was glad for was that it took two weeks for his father to learn of the event, which gave him two weeks of learning under the pair of Blessed Ones. In that time, his powers had grown tremendously, especially with Emily's ability to expand space, allowing for more extensive combat training in the suite, even if they did only spend a few days doing that particular form of training.

"That's Colin and Emily," Tyler answered the inquiry. "Ryan seemed to have been expecting them when they first showed up, and they've been teaching him magic."

At the moment, Ryan, Tyler, Michael, and Samuel were sitting at a table in the dining hall, at Ryan's insistence. His father, as powerful as the man was, knew that it was unlikely for harm to come to Ryan while he was around, and so had agreed to lunch in there instead of the suite, where he wanted it.

"Magic?" Ryan's father asked.

"Yes," Ryan answered. "Magic. They came early today."

"The elementals informed us your father was present," Colin answered as they drew close. "And likely to bring you home. This is regarding the attempt on your life the young assassin made?"

"Yes," Ryan answered. "I'm attempting to convince him everything is okay."

It wasn't going well, and Ryan was contemplating an early reset. Before he made his decision, he needed to figure out what he would do. In order to avoid his father pulling him away from the Blessed Ones and the elementals, giving him more time to train, Ryan would have to prevent the attempt on his own life.

"Everything is not okay," his father said. "While I know she saved your life, I examined Amy's mind."

"So you know?" Ryan asked.

Not that Ryan was the actual assassin, as he had altered Amy's memories to match his story. However, there was other stuff in her mind which he knew would displease his father.

"Yes," his father answered. "First, there's the little thing you told her. Then, there's the fact that you have been having sex with her-"

"What?" Tyler asked in shock.

"While you and Michael are off doing your things," Ryan told his servant. "And Amy is keeping me company. She feels quite nice, and smells nice, too."

"Are you really willing to leave-" his father began.

"No," Ryan snorted. "I just told her that to amuse myself. I know it's impossible. According to Colin, it would quite literally take a god to grant me eyesight."

As he spoke, Ryan realized that he could sense confusion in his father's mind. His father recognized Colin. He also sensed the discomfort in the pair of Blessed Ones. They had no reason to be afraid of his father, as they were vastly more powerful than him, yet he still made them uneasy.

"You said your name was Colin?" Ryan's father asked, looking at the male Blessed One.

"Yes," Colin answered. "Emily and I live further up the mountain."

"Is that because you haven't aged a day in the last three Ages of Magic?"

Confusion filled the minds of Tyler and Michael, and the comment made Ryan realize that his father knew exactly who Colin was. At least, in relation to their family.

"I thought I got rid of all records of my appearance?" Colin asked, and Ryan could sense the confusion in his mind as well.

"So it is you," Samuel said. "Colin Novar, the first of our line. There was always a theory that you weren't killed in that attack, leaving behind your infants and toddlers to disappear."

"Wait, plural?" Ryan asked. "I've never heard this story before, I thought the first of our line only had one kid?"

"Yes," Colin sat at the table and Emily pulled a chair from another table to theirs so she could sit with them as well. "When I was twenty-two, there was an, ah, attack on me. Raxvar Corporation was responsible for that. I decided to play dead."

"I was asking about the plural," Ryan said.

"I had five children," Colin explained. "A set of triplet boys and a set of twins, a boy and a girl. The eldest son is the one you're descended of, while the twin boy is the one Tyler is descended of. Emily, on the other hand, only had the one son, then retreated, leaving him with his father as the next head of the Veloas Family. After this many generations, the blood relation between the two is pretty much nonexistent, though I do believe the young Kayla possesses chronomancy, a legacy from our lineage."

"Kayla is a chronomancer?" Ryan's father asked. "I knew you were, and it's common among our family, but she's both rather distant and from a lineage that hasn't shown any signs of it before."

"She can slip out of time temporarily," Ryan nodded. "She has to have both hands touching the target if she wants to slip someone else out of time. She's also mostly interested in just having a child with the most powerful Novar she can, which means that she'd actually be willing to have a child with me, despite my situation. It's not the power she wants, but the status of being married to the power."

Ryan immediately became aware of his father's gaze upon him and the intensity behind it.

"Father," Ryan said. "I'm studying under the two oldest, most powerful mages on Earth. I've learned a few things."

"Including how to perfectly eat dinner without making even the slightest bit of mess, which is completely unlike you?" His father asked, and Ryan realized he'd made a mistake.

He'd continued eating while distracted and with his elemental senses open. As a result of that, he was eating without any of the usual issues which stemmed from that. There wasn't the slightest bit of mess made, as if he could perfectly see everything and aim his food properly.

"Erm," Ryan said. "Well, the thing with that actually came before I met them, and requires me to actively use the spell for it."

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That made up his decision to reset. He'd learned plenty under the Blessed Ones, and could go somewhere else, such as back to the islands to play around with Nicholas a little more. His current attempt at things was ruined already, and his father and servant knowing he could 'see' in some way further screwed over his plans.

"Before you reset," Colin said. "And yes, I can tell by your expression that's your plan, Ryan, the elementals wanted me to pass on a message, since you aren't expanded out far enough to see them. There are some lightning elementals dealing with an issue in Volnal, which is owned by the Novars. They said that if you deal with it in just one reset, then can handle it in all future resets. And no, the resets aren't the cause of it. That's all they would tell me."

"Resets?" His father asked.

"Yes," Ryan answered, then decided to just ask a question he was confident he already knew the answer to. "Resets. Colin, are you and Emily-"

"Exempt, like the elementals?" Colin asked. "No, we are not, so we won't be aware we've met once you do it. We're also not capable of them, though we can do a few other time magics."

"Okay," Ryan said. "I might return in a future reset to learn a little more from you. Should I just tell the elementals to summon you here?"

"If that is your wish," Colin answered.

"Then I'll see you again eventually," Ryan said.

"What are you-" his father began, but the words disappeared as Ryan found himself waking up on his bed once more.

"Good morning, Tyler," Ryan sat up.

"Good morning, sir," Tyler responded. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Ryan responded with a smile as he sat up. "I'm going to do my morning exercise, then take my shower. I won't need assistance drying off anymore. Please inform my father that I am heading to Volnal. Ensure the arrangements are made, we will be there for an unknown period of time."

"Um, Ryan," Tyler said. "I know you like to get out of the estate every now and then, but suddenly visiting Volnal? Your father's going to protest it pretty hard. And why do you seem so serious?"

Being honest, Ryan knew he was in a bad mood after having yet another reset cut short over something outside of his control. He could have controlled the situation by playing with memories, but he didn't want to do that to his father or to Tyler.

"Give me a minute to get through the POAMA," Ryan told his servant.

"Why would you-" Tyler began, but cut off as Ryan began groaning and clutching his head.

Ryan thought the pain was worse that time, and that it lasted longer than before, but he pushed through it, waiting for it to end. He was glad he'd noticed it coming on, as he had forgotten he would suffer from it after going back to his younger self, which had not already had the adjustments occur naturally over time.

Once it passed, he rolled his shoulders.

"I'm a bit stiff," Ryan said. "Could you get my exercise clothes, Tyler? I'd like to get started. Inform my father of my trip while I'm in the shower, please."

"He's not going to be happy, Ryan-"

"And I'm not exactly happy, either," Ryan said. "I want to deal with something, then get back to what I was doing."

"What?" Tyler asked, confusion clear in his voice.

Ryan sighed as he realized he had started to snap at his friend.

"Something has pissed me off," Ryan explained. "I'm actually getting rather frustrated by it, especially by what happened. My plans keep getting interrupted for one reason or another, as if some force outside my power has decided to screw with me."

"I-what?" Tyler asked. "You're not making any sense."

At that word, Ryan remembered to stretch out his senses of air, fire, and water and did so.

"Tyler," Ryan said. "It's a rather complicated situation, and I'd really rather be going on my way to Volnal so I can deal with this situation. I have no clue what it is, just that my assistance has been requested. And once I've dealt with it, I'm returning to what I was doing before."

Ryan stood up off his bed and approached his servant, making sure to turn his head down, even if he couldn't see.

"While I trust you," Ryan said. "And have come to view you as a friend, please just do this without questioning too much, Tyler. I'm not in a good mood at the moment, and I really don't want to snap at you or get into an argument with you."

"Understood," Tyler said. "By the way… how did you approach me exactly? You've never done that before. You're usually off-center a little bit."

"I can see through the elements," Ryan returned to his bed and sat on it. "My exercise clothes?"

"You can do what?" Tyler asked as Ryan watched him walk to the closet through his senses of air, fire, and water.

"I can sense the elements within a diameter around me," Ryan answered. "I'm also capable of communicating with elementals."

"Since when?"

"That's complicated," Ryan responded. "But there's an air elemental who lives in one of the gardens here, it drifts around a bit."

He only learned about the air elemental because of one of the flame elementals at the Srentases' resort informed him of it, but he wasn't going to mention that, for a variety of reasons.

Tyler returned, and Ryan changed into his workout clothes, then performed his morning exercises. Their discussion ended then, and immediately after his workout, Ryan took a shower, making sure his servant knew he no longer required assistance drying off. He used his new trick to dry himself off, then entered his room and walked straight to his bed. His father and servant were in the room, and the same blank mind he kept sensing was in the hall.

"Are my clothes on my bed?" He asked on the way.

"Yes," Tyler answered.

Ryan dressed, then sat on the bed.

"Happy birthday, Ryan," his father said.

"Thank you."

"Tyler says you wish to go to Volnal," his father said.

"There's no 'wish' in that," Ryan stated. "I'm going there."

"Tyler said," his father said. "Several things that are concerning, Ryan."

"Think of me like Colin Novar," Ryan stated, pulling on what he'd heard less than two hours before. Two waking hours, at least. "Due to that, I have some business in Volnal before I can return to what I was doing."

He nearly prayed to a god that it went swiftly and no one interrupted it and caused him to reset again, but chuckled for a moment.

"Father," Ryan said. "Tyler, answer me this: when a god hopes for something, who do they pray to?"

"A god wouldn't pray," his father answered. "They'd simply make it happen."

"That's easier said than done," Ryan said. "Would that not mean the god was all-powerful in the first place? Capable of making any miracle occur and controlling events and free will with ease?"

"Perhaps," his father responded. "But we can never be too sure of such things, especially as gods are mere myths."

"Perhaps," Ryan said. "Or perhaps they're just as real as we are. Anyway, I need to get to Volnal, so I can deal with this crap, then I'm returning to what I'm doing."

"First," his father said. "It's your birthday, Ryan. We have celebrations. And how do you even know about Colin Novar? Records of him are scarce enough as it is."

Ryan noticed his father looking at Tyler, who opened his mouth to respond, his heart racing. Ryan could also sense the spike in temperature his friend had due to his sudden anxiety, and the shortness of breath as well.

"He doesn't even know who Colin is," Ryan said. "I did tell you to think of me like him, Father."

He stretched out his empathy to sense what his father was thinking, and caught the moment of realization. While he didn't know if his father realized he could use resets, it was clear his father had realized he could manipulate time.

"Ah," his father said. "I see. And this 'business' in Volnal?"

"I have not a clue," Ryan answered. "All I know is that my assistance is requested. I want all non-residents of Volnal evicted while I'm present, and no one outside the Family allowed in. In fact, I don't want anyone who doesn't live there present unless they're vital to the place."

It would both decrease chances of someone causing an issue which interfered with his business there, and prevent the assassin from arriving there as well.

"I'll see what I can arrange," his father told him. "Ryan, at least celebrate a bit with us, please? It is your birthday."

Ryan sensed his anxiety in his father's mind, as well as the worry in Tyler's, and sighed.

"Alright," he said. "Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood right now. You're right, though, we should enjoy today."

He smiled as he said the last part. Once he finished his business in Volnal, he would either return to the Appalish mountains to enjoy the ski resort some more and play around with events while training more, or return to the islands for more training with the wind and water elementals.

But first, he had to let his father pamper him for his birthday and treat him to plenty of food and entertainment. With the way he had woken up and reacted with his bad mood, it would be problematic if he didn't allow the rest of his birthday to flow the way his father had hoped and planned.