Chapter 4

Arran stared at the blond man in front of him . He was certain he had never seen the man’s face before, yet there was something strangely familiar about him .

“Who are you?” he asked again .

The man smirked, and his image suddenly grew blurry . When it cleared, Master Zhao’s grinning face appeared .

Arran was astonished . “So it was you…” Although he had seen the man change like this once before, at the time he had been too shocked to give it much thought .

“Why did you draw so much attention?” Arran asked . “After tonight, there is no way we can escape unnoticed . “

“I’ve always loved a good bit of theater,” Master Zhao said, a sly smile on his face . “But more importantly, this was the best way to hide you . “

A puzzled expression appeared on Arran’s face . Drawing attention was the best way to hide him?

“You failed to get into the Academy, then spent half a week at the biggest brothel in the city, before getting hauled off by your uncle . ” Master Zhao grinned .

“Nobody would act that way while trying to hide from the Academy,” he continued . “When the Academy’s mages arrive, they will have to find out who cracked the testing disc . The first suspects will be people who left or disappeared . “

Arran now understood why Master Zhao had sent him to the Blue Angel, although he wished the man had told him earlier .

“But won’t Adept Song tell them it was me?” he asked, remembering the man who tested him at the Academy .

Master Zhao shook his head . “Adept Song is dead . ” Seeing Arran’s shocked reaction, he added, “It was the only way to hide your identity . “

Hearing this, Arran was overwhelmed . Master Zhao killed Adept Song, and because of him?

After a few moments of silence, Master Zhao said, “We have much to discuss . But first, tell me, what do you know about magic?”

“Nothing,” Arran answered honestly .

“Nothing?” Master Zhao knitted his brows . “Then what made you come to the Academy?”

“My mother,” Arran replied . “She left when I was little . My father never told me anything about her until…” He swallowed hard . Even now, the memory still felt like a fresh wound in his heart .

After a moment, Arran continued . “Half a year ago, my father was struck by a bandit’s arrow . The wound became infected, and he fell ill with fever . In his final moments, he told me that my mother had been a mage . “

With a thoughtful expression, Master Zhao spoke . “I think I can tell you why your mother left . “

Arran immediately sat up in attention . The question of why his mother left had plagued him as long as he could remember . He looked at Master Zhao, eagerly awaiting the man’s next words .

“What you have — the reason the Academy wants to capture you — is a forbidden Realm . ” Master Zhao said the last words slowly, as if they carried great meaning .

“A forbidden Realm?” Arran had no idea what the man was talking about .

Master Zhao took a deep breath . “When we use magic, what we really do is manipulate Essence, a type of magical energy . Essence is drawn from Realms . Whether you can use magic depends on the Realms you can access . “

Arran listened intently . What little he had seen of magic already astonished him, and he was anxious to learn more .

“There are many Realms,” Master Zhao said . “For example, there’s Fire . “

He raised his hand, open palm facing upward . Without a sound, a fist-sized ball of yellow-white fire appeared, slowly spinning in the air above his hand .

Despite being several paces away, Arran could feel the heat that radiated from it . It seemed hot enough to burn through flesh as easily as it would burn through paper .

Master Zhao lowered his hand, and the ball of fire disappeared . He spoke again, waving his hand . “Wind . “

A sudden gust blew through the room, nearly sending Arran to the floor . It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Arran’s hair tousled .

Once more, Master Zhao spoke . “Shadow . “

In an instant, the room went pitch black . It was as if all the light in the world had disappeared, and for a moment, Arran worried that he had gone blind .

When the light returned a few seconds later, it revealed Arran’s shocked face, gaping in astonishment . He had finally seen a glimmer of the true power of magic, and it was beyond anything he could have imagined .

“To mages, acquiring Realms is a small matter,” Master Zhao said . “It is easily achieved with magical scrolls or artifacts . The difficult part is learning how to draw Essence from a Realm and use it . “

Arran nodded . It made sense that powers like these required practice .

“Most Realms are bound by the laws of reality,” Master Zhao continued . “Fire might burn a man, but it will still leave ashes . Shadow might conceal him, but he will still be there . But some Realms have the power to change reality itself . To the Academy, these are the forbidden Realms . “

“And I have one of those?” Arran asked .

Master Zhao nodded .

“So… what can I do?” The prospect of having powers like Master Zhao’s seemed incredible to Arran .

“Right now? Absolutely nothing,” Master Zhao said with a chuckle . “Just like having hands does not make you a carpenter, having a Realm does not make you a mage . “

It made sense, but Arran still felt slightly disappointed . With a sigh, he forced himself to stop thinking about what he would be able to do once he became a mage .

“You said you knew why my mother left?” Arran asked, remembering what the man had said earlier .

Master Zhao nodded . “I think she sensed your Realm when you were a child . As the son of a mage, other mages would inevitably wonder whether you had inherited some of her powers . If they looked into it, they would discover your forbidden Realm, and you would become a target for the Academy . “

Comprehension dawned on Arran’s face .

“When she left you behind, she probably hoped that you would live a normal life, never so much as meeting another mage . To save her son, she sacrificed seeing him grow up . “

A hint of sorrow showed in Master Zhao’s expression as he spoke the words, as if he was reminded of a distant but painful memory .

Arran, meanwhile, felt a sudden sense of gratitude toward his mother . For the first time, he understood that she had left him for his own protection .

“But why are you helping me?” Arran asked .

“My reasons are my own,” Master Zhao answered curtly .

Arran suppressed his curiosity . It was clear that whatever drove the man to help him was something he did not wish to discuss .

“So what will we do now?” he asked .

After some hesitation, Master Zhao answered, “I don’t know yet . There are some powers within the Empire that can keep you safe, at least for a time . Whether they are willing to do so… that’s a different matter . “

The answer only left Arran with more questions, but some small part of him was relieved to hear the uncertainty in Master Zhao’s voice . Apparently, the man did not know everything .

Finally, Arran asked the one question that had been burning in his mind since the start of the conversation:

“Will you teach me how to use magic?”

Master Zhao laughed . “We haven’t even escaped the jaws of the Academy, yet already you’re thinking of learning magic?”

Arran flushed in embarrassment . In his eagerness to learn magic, he had almost forgotten about the danger he was in .

“But yes, I will teach you . ” Master Zhao’s expression turned serious . “I can protect you for now, but eventually, the Academy will find you . When they do, you will have to rely on your own strength to survive . “

Arran’s excitement at the prospect of learning magic dimmed instantly . Eventually, the Academy would find him? And he would have to face the Academy’s mages by himself? The thought filled Arran with dread .

“For now, return to your room, and get some sleep . We leave at dawn . ” Master Zhao’s tone made it clear that the conversation was over .