When Kayrus opens his eyes, there’s a slight feeling of pain on the bottom of his face. He blinks for a second before he finally realizes he’s no longer at the Dojo, as he’s currently looking at a white ceiling instead of the Dojo’s brown wooden ones.

“Finally awake?” a very familiar voice speaks out to him.

Kayrus tries to sit up to meet that person. It’s Charleone.

"You look beat-up." Says the Archmagus with a cold tone. He's sitting on a chair beside Kayrus' bed.

Kayrus cringes his face. "Is that your idea of humour?"

Charleone shrugs his shoulders.

"Just trying to cheer you up."

"Yeah, no, thank you."

The young man then looks around him. They're currently inside a spacious white room with around two dozen of beds with linen sheets arranged on two rows facing each other. It's like a hospital. However, Kayrus and Charleone are the only people inside that room right now.

"Where are we?"

"The Clinic Hall," says Charleone, "Emma brought you here after Stefan knocked you out. Fortunately, you didn't have any serious injury, nothing that the Hall's doctors and Healing Magus can't fix."

Kayrus instinctively touches his chin. Charleone's right, he is barely feeling any sort of pain or injury on him right now.

"So, did you come here from work just to visit?" Asks Kayrus, referring to the Gao Archmagus robe that Charleone is currently wearing.

"When you're in my position, every second in your life is work, Kayrus. But yes, I do come here from the office to check on your condition. After all, what kind of a Sponsor I would be if I didn't visit my Apprentice when he's lying unconscious at the Clinic Hall? It's not like I have something else very important, right?"

From the tone of his voice, Kayrus knows that there's something else he wants to talk about.

"So what is it, what do you want from me?"

Charleone smirks.

"Nothing really, except that I might have already found a lead to your Elements condition."

Kayrus' body immediately tenses up.

"Y-You did!? So what is it? What is actually going on?"

"Easy now, Kayrus, I said a lead, not an answer. A Librarian Magus at the ship’s Libarium said that the Society’s Librarium in Neotzhe has a better collection of books concerning Mulitple Affinities, and with an expert researcher there as well. I’m going to go there to ask about the possibilities of having all Elements like yours.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Neothze? Where is it?”

“On Dorma. Fortunately, however, the ship is scheduled to dock for a few days near the city in around two weeks, so there’s no need for us to rush there. I already made an appointment with the researcher under the guise of another official business, so all we have to do is just wait till then.”

“I-I see…” Kayrus looks down, feeling sort of relieved.

Charleone, meanwhile, then gets up from his chair. He walks over to the window just behind Kayrus’ bed.

“By the way, what do you think of the classes I picked for you?” asks the blonde man while looking out the window.

“Well, the first class I had led me being knocked out cold, so I’m dying to know what the rest of the classes will be. But seriously though, why did you give me that many classes?”

“We already had that conversation, didn’t we? Versatility. That’s why you have to learn as much of the basics as possible.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“You still haven’t figured that out yet?” Charleone glances at Kayrus. “It’s the exact same reason why I put you in Bea, to help you control all of your Elements should the need arises.”

Kayrus thinks for a second.

“Ah…I get it now.” he then says, nodding his head. “Versatility…”

“Indeed. Emma must have told you already, but with the situation that is developing, I might need that power of yours on top of your skill as a thief, so you’re going to need to learn how to control it as soon as possible.”

“What situation?”

But Charleone only smiles faintly as he’s walking away from the window.

“For the sake of our survival, it’s best to keep it a secret from you, for now.”

“Not even a hint?”

“Not even a hint.”

Kayrus sighs. He already has some vague hints from Edgar, but the way Charleone is still keeping it a secret from him is irritating him. That said, he’s not exactly in the position of moral superiority in that regard, considering he is living a fake life right now.

“So that’s the only thing you want to talk about?” asks Kayrus.

“I guess that’s it. Like I said before, I might need your help soon, so be prepared.” answers Charleone, “I’m going to leave now unless you have something else to say for me.”

“I don’t really have-Oh, wait, there is.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if you have ever had a dream that feels…real. Like it’s trying to tell you about something.”

“What do you mean?” a frown formed on Charleone’s face, curious.

“I don’t know, but these days I've been having this kind of dream where I’m somewhere and meeting this...girl who I didn't know. She’s talking to me about something I don’t understand. And in that place as well, there was that sphere of colors I told you about before. The same one with the one at the Trial.”

“The sphere, you say?” says Charleone in a hushed tone. “Did you see it again, Kayrus? In your dreams?

“Yeah…” answers Kayrus before asking him back, “Do you know what it was?”

Charleone looks away, his face looking grim.

“I will explain it to you once we arrived at Neothze, until then-”

A knocking sound surprised the two men, who are now looking at the source of the noise, the door of the room. There, standing near the opened door is another student wearing a purple armband over his uniform jacket, and a scarf that hides the lower portion of his face, Jin Komori.

“Apologies for the interruption, Your Grace, but I believed you asked for me?”

“Ah, Komori, right?” Charleone’s face and voice immediately turn into his public persona ones. “Yes, yes, I was asking for you. You are my Apprentice's roommate, correct? Can you help him go back to your room?”

“Understood, Your Grace, rest assured it will be done.”

“Thank you, young man.”

Charleone then turns to Kayrus, still wearing his public facade.

“Well, I’ll leave you now, I’ll see you again soon,” says Charleone before walking away from the Clinic Hall.