Sara watched John and Robert talk briefly before leaving the office to wait for Richard. Seven minutes later, he arrived. She greeted him with a hug and a warm welcome home.

"Mom, what's with the dramatic entrance?" Richard asked, puzzled. "Just wanted to share a happy moment," Sara replied, her tone a bit forced. "Something's off. Are you okay?" Richard pressed. "Yes, well, kind of. Let's talk in Dad's office." They went to Robert's office, where he was still speaking with John. As soon as he saw them, Robert greeted Richard. "Hey, Dad. What's up with Mom? She seems... off" Richard stated with a look. "We received some bad news today," Robert explained. "It's got her worried." "What kind of bad news?" Richard asked. "It's... complicated," John said. Robert gestured for Richard to sit. "I'll explain. No one's died, and Nana's fine. But I'm going to be away for six months, and I won't be coming back."

Richard was stunned. "What do you mean you won't be back? Are you going to die?" "No, no. I'm being... forced to leave." "Forced? By who?" asked Richard. Robert opened the System Logs and showed Richard the message. "It's not a game, son. It's real, and I can't change it." Richard was devastated. "That's not fair! Can we go with you?" "I wish we could, but it's not possible. All I can do is prepare you all for the future."

"How can we prepare for something like this?" Richard asked, frustrated. "The System doesn't care about our feelings. We have to adapt. I plan to teach you and your sister valuable skills. John will become a brilliant rocket engineer. I'll do the same for you and your sister as well as your mom." Robert's voice was filled with determination, but his eyes reflected the weight of the situation.

"How can you do that, I do not understand?" asked Richard. "I have the teaching skill and I'll work to level it up. When I reach a high enough level I will be able to use it to impart knowledge into you all." Robert stated. "In your brother's case I have taken the skills in several areas that will allow me to make him one of the if not best Rocket Engineer in the world, I will do that for you as well."

"But I want to go into Law Enforcement, not sure what you could teach me that would help," Richard protested. "That's true, but I can still teach you valuable skills. For example, advanced medical knowledge could make you a better first responder and tactical training could be useful for SWAT. There are many ways I can prepare you."

"And for our sister? She wants to be a veterinarian," Richard added. "I can give her a head start on her education, preparing her for a successful career in veterinary medicine," Robert replied.

Richard sat there with a thoughtful look. "Okay I understand that but I'm still not happy about it. What about you, how will you get ready for all of this?"

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"I understand your frustration, Richard," Robert said. "But we must adapt to this new reality. To prepare myself, I'll be training in a system-generated dungeon. I'm also studying a spellbook to learn new magic." "Wait, you can learn magic?" Richard exclaimed, his eyes widening. "You said 'learn more,' meaning you already know some?" "I spent the morning learning a few basic spells. This book contains all the Tier 1 spells I have access to," Robert explained, handing the spellbook to Richard.

Richard flipped through the pages, his curiosity piqued. "Can I learn these?" he asked.

Not yet. Casting spells requires mana, which doesn't exist in this universe. You have access to mana through your connection to the system

"Sorry son, While you could memorize the spells, you wouldn't be able to cast them without mana." Robert said. "So, it's not just about learning the spells, but also having the energy to cast them," Richard realized. "Wait if this is like a game what about something like a Mana Stone?"

"I'm not sure, let me ask. Hal is that possible?" Robert asked.

Hum, it probably is possible. You could have to give him the skill and he'd have to learn to draw mana from the stone, but he would have no way to recharge the stone, so it would be short-lived.

"It's possible to give you a mana stone, but recharging it would be a challenge. It might be worth it for specific spells, like protective or healing spells, but it would be a limited resource."

"So, depending on the mana capacity of the stone and the spell's mana cost, we could get a few casts or many. I think it'd be worth it for emergencies like healing," Richard said thoughtfully. "I'll look into creating a mana stone, but it will take time. I'm still focused on teaching, and I don't know the exact process for creating a mana stone," Robert admitted.

"Your sister will be home soon, so let's wait to discuss more with her. We'll have a family meeting later to go over everything in detail," Robert said. As the boys left the room, Robert turned to Sara. "That went better than expected," he said. Sara sighed. "That's true, but our daughter might not take this news as well. I think we're in for a long night."

Both parents sat in silence, lost in thought. Meanwhile, in the other room, the boys were discussing their newfound reality. "So, is this real?" Richard asked. "As far as I can tell, yes," John replied. "I saw him cast a spell. And that book appeared out of thin air." "That's true, but there could be other explanations," Richard pondered. "Still, I think it's real. And if it is, what do we do?"

"I don't know," John admitted. "We just need to be strong for Mom and Stacey. Especially Stacey, she really looks up to Dad." "Yeah, I don't want to be there when he tells her. She's not going to take it well," Richard said.