Vedik woke to the soft rays of sunshine filtering through the window.

As he stretched his body, memories of his conversation with William flooded back in his mind.

He wanted to talk to William, but the old man was nowhere to be found. Vedik assumed he had gone out for some errands.

So, he started preparing breakfast and soon ate it.

William had forbidden Vedik from leaving the house today, and he had no idea what to do.

Boredom gnawed at him , as he was never free in the orphanage.

Vedik wanted to train martial arts techniques but sadly he could not leave the house.

Then he remembered—he had awakened Arcane magic.

In its early stages, all he needed to do was feel the elements: Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth.

So without wasting a sec , Vedik settled into a meditative position.

A few seconds later, strangely mana started surging around him .

He sensed the elements within his consciousness—their raw power waiting to be harnessed.

There were also other elements like Time and Space Magic, as well as Black Magic, but most people could only use the common elements.

William arrived at the house and called for Vedik , but he didn't got any response.

As Vedik focused, William's footsteps approached. But Vedik's eyes were still closed as he was in a trance.

"Why did you use arcane magic?" William asked, his voice sharp. "The priest is still in town."

Listening to William, Vedik opened his eyes. Before he could respond, he saw it—four elements floating before him. Fire danced, air swirled, earth grounded, and water shimmered.

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A mysterious square-shaped box and black fumes were also present.

Sweat began to bead on Vedik's forehead as he explained that he was bored, so he started meditating.

Since William had already fed him the herbs, Vedik thought they were out of danger.

Suddenly, William dashed to the storeroom and emerged with an ancient artifact.

"I am sure that the priest will arrive at the house after the awakening ceremony," he warned. "Go to bed and pretend to sleep; only come out when I call you."

Thirty minutes later, a knock echoed through the house. William opened the door to find two figures in light armor standing there. "Are you William?" they asked.

William hesitated before nodding. "Yes. Who are you?"

"We're with the priest," they said. "The priest sensed mana during the awakening ceremony. We've searched everywhere; only your house remains. We know an orphan named Vedik is here."

William replied with a sad voice that indeed Vedik is staying here but he was sick and that's why he couldn't attend the awakening ceremony which many people desire.

Soon, the priest arrived at the doorstep. "Don't interrogate him," he ordered. "We'd like to meet Vedik."

"I apologize for their behavior," he continued, "but could we meet the person named Vedik?

During the awakening ceremony, I felt the presence of a magician's mana."

William thought he couldn't refuse and invited them into the house.

The priest's face was covered with a veil. After serving some food, William excused himself and said he would bring Vedik into the hall.

After five minutes, William brought Vedik with him. "I am really sorry that I couldn't welcome you," Vedik said politely while pretending to be sick.

The priest replied smoothly that during the awakening ceremony, he felt someone using mana.

"We checked all over the village and only Mr. William and you were left," he continued. "I came to know that Mr. William is a martial artist and so are you, but you have only turned 14 this year."

"Just for confirmation," he added, "let me help you awaken and see if you can harness arcane magic."

William and Vedik exchanged glances filled with uncertainty as the priest began praying.

The mana around the room surged intensively; Vedik subconsciously closed his eyes.

After ten minutes of silence, nothing happened. The priest frowned slightly as he sensed something amiss. "I feel like something is blocking my mana."

Before he could elaborate further, one of the armored men interjected: "Please don't waste your energy; it normally takes five minutes for an awakening, but you have already spent ten minutes on this boy."

"I don't think he will awaken," another added dismissively.

Vedik sat quietly listening while William was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, William arrived with a lamp in hand. "I think the magic that you felt today was from this lamp," he said urgently. "This lamp is my family's treasure; it produces heat with magical crystals."

Earlier in the afternoon, I used it for Vedik because its heat can heal a person's condition."

The two armoured man looked at the lamp covetously.

After listening and examining the lamp carefully, the priest finally stopped and nodded slowly. "Yes, the mana I felt today must be from this lamp," but a flicker of doubt crossed his face.

"Now let me heal you, Vedik," said the priest as he prepared for healing magic.

Before he could start the process though, his two armored escorts interrupted him.

"Don't waste your energy on this commoner," one said dismissively. "You've already done more than enough for these third-class citizens."

Before the priest could respond, Vedik spoke up calmly: "It's okay; they're right— you should conserve your mana and not worry about me."

"I'll be fine," Vedik said softly.

The two armored men smiled approvingly and urged the priest that they needed to return to their church soon.

The priest then handed over a potion to Vedik and said: "I don't have much mana left; we need to depart urgently."

"Here's something in exchange," he continued quickly. "Drink this potion and all the impurities from your body will be washed out."

The armored man with an annoying face said: "Be grateful commoner; this potion is very expensive."

Before Vedik could refuse or ask any questions, the priest stood up and started walking toward the door.

Vedik thanked him sincerely as William escorted them out.

Once they were gone , a sigh of relief escaped from Vedik's lips.

He then turned back towards the bedroom.