"It's still Kharon's vacation, and I would prefer you not to bother him. Besides, I still feel.." She paused for a moment as she searched for the right words. "A little uncomfortable letting you out on your own."

"But mother, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." As annoyance flared within me, I huffed at her. I love mother, I really do, but I need to unfurl my wings. I knew it was because she cared, but it still didn't change that I needed to get out every once in a while.

She stared at me and crossed her arms, no doubt weighing my words. "Nyx, I just want nothing to happen to you. It would kill me." Her face quickly became a pout.

"Mom, I'll be okay. I promise. I'm just going to the stronghold to visit Mr. Kharon for a little touch-up on my magic." After ensuring my backpack was secure, I carefully picked it up and spun around to look at her

She sighed and reached up and pinched her nostrils. "I know. I'm just overthinking. If you would like, I can walk you there, or even teleport." Her eyes opened, and she regarded me with the vibrant emerald orbs that radiated a quiet fire.

I bit back my grin when I heard her words. It may have been a minor victory, but it was still one nonetheless. "Thank you, mother. I would like to be teleported there. But first, I need to go to my room and gather a few things." I replied matter-of-factly. I needed to collect a batch of books to return to Mr. Kharon, so I could get a few more. But that also meant I needed to make a list of things that I needed. "Oh, before I go, can you write me some stuff about gravity? I want to study while I'm with Mr. Kharon." I clenched my backpack a little tighter and gave her the widest smile I could. With how mother spoke of it, gravity must be powerful as a magic. So, I was considering making it my primary affinity. But before I do that, I must consult my teacher. After all, I couldn't be rushing headlong into this. Magic wasn't something that you could just tamper with.

The sheer happiness that was radiated from mother's face had faded slightly, and her eyes seemed to stare into the distance. "I suppose I could do that for you. Just give me a little bit." She turned around and walked over to her bag.

I nodded as I rushed out of the training room, but I was still careful not to jostle my backpack too much. After all, I didn't want to risk cracking the orbs until I was ready to absorb the mana within. "I'll be back as fast as possible, mother!" I called out as I rushed out of the training area and towards my bedroom.

I rushed in and ran over to my desk the second I got into my room. I had to leave some of the most important things here when I transferred some stuff over. Not that I didn't trust my mother, but a lot of the magical stuff was dangerous, and I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt, espicallally mother. I reached out, carefully opened the first drawer, and pulled out a stack of books.

Each of these was grimoires of spells or magical theory that Mr. Kharon got from the library capital. At least that is what he told me, but I have yet to visit a place like that. The mere thought of visiting such an extensive magical library made my heart flutter with excitement. I couldn't even imagine how wonderful such a place would be.

There would be thousands of books, all for me to pour over to my heart's desire. At least what Mr. Kharon would allow me to let me take home. 'Treat your books with respect', he often told me, but I did! I just think he is scared that I would become a better mage than he is.

I placed my backpack down and carefully opened it, and rearranged everything within so I could fit my books inside of it. But the glimmering gravity mana core grabbed my attention. I reached out and gingerly took it within my fingertips. Its surface brimmed with unnatural light as its weight fluctuated in my hand. It was so pretty, and I couldn't wait to consume its mana. The power that existed at my fingertips would be mine soon enough.

I grinned, placed the orb back into its temporary home, zipped my bag up, and gave one last cursory glance around my bedroom. Let's see, I gathered all the books that I owed Mr. Kharon, and I left all my artifacts with him, and I would need to be sure to retrieve them all. Mostly just the wand since I will need it to channel some of my magic. Once I was happy with what I had, I nodded and carefully slid my backpack over my shoulders. Onwards back to the training room!

When I stumbled back into the training area, I saw that mother was sitting on one of the benches. In her hand was her notebook, and she was jotting something down, and next to her was a small metal box with flowers that decorated its surface. Even from this distance, I could smell the contents of the metal box. It was the sweet, tantalizing smell of fresh, seasoned meat and other things that I couldn't quite put a name on.

"Mother, I'm back!" I told her as I rushed into the room and over towards her. It always made me happy to see her.

"Hey." She glanced up, and she gave me a soft smile. Whatever traces of sadness that were on her earlier had vanished.

I crashed into her and nestled myself into her. The heat from her body radiated in steady waves in tandem with the steady beating of her heart. "What's in the box?" I asked as I pulled away. The scent kept gracing my nose and drawing me further to it. I even found myself salivating at it.

"Oh, I made you some lunch to share with Kharon when you visit him." She pulled away and gestured towards the metal box.

"But mother, he's a skeleton. He doesn't need food." I stared at her, a little perplexed at why she would do something like that.

"It's the thought that matters. When you see him, ask him if he wants to have lunch with you." She grabbed a small metal handle near the top of the box and slid it over.

"But why?" I tried to think about why she would ask me to do that. But it didn't make all that much sense.

"Because Kharon is family. Doing things like this shows that you care. Time is scarce, and if you aren't careful, then it could all be gone in the blink of an eye." She wrapped her arm around me, pulled me into her once more, and held me close.

There it was again. The fleeting sense that something could go wrong. That the people I care about could be taken from me. It was a concept that scared me when mother told me about death. It scared me, and I didn't like being scared. But she had a point. I needed to remind them I care about them. Mr Kharon, Ms. Alessia, and Mother are all I have. "I understand, mother." I pulled away and hopped down from the seat and reached out towards the metal box. "But I'm ready to go!"

She nodded her head and cleared her throat. "Well, in that case, I can allow you to go to the stronghold. Unfortunately, all the palatines are currently in a training exercise, so the only ones at the stronghold will be a few of my praetorians, okay?" She squatted down, ran her hands through my hair, and gave me a pat on my head.

"That's okay. I can take care of myself. Besides, I'll be with Mr. Kharon, so I will be perfectly safe." I gave her a salute that I see all the soldiers do, and mother giggled happily as she gave me a pat on the head.

"Okay. I'll have a little faith in you then." She pulled away, and a sigh left her lips as she wandered back towards the seat where she had left the notebook. "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached down and grabbed it, ripped out a few pages, and folded them gently before returning to me. She tucked the papers into one of my hands and then passed over my new weapons, which were now clad in sheaths that could be wrapped around me, much like my backpack.

The second the paper touched my hand, I couldn't help but feel even more excited. Contained within was the delicious knowledge of gravity. "Are you ready?" She asked as she stood up and gave me one last pat on my head. Which never failed to leave goosebumps on my skin. I nodded my head and closed my eyes. I absolutely dreaded this part. My heart beat a few more times in my chest until I heard my mother's fingers snap, and my world twisted away.