Magic was easy for a magical prodigy. Too easy. Because of that, Ryan only need to spend an hour, maybe two, of focus, and he could figure out a new spell. He ran through the day he met Kayla dozens of times before deciding to reset back to his birthday instead. Running the same day over and over allowed him plenty of time to train without worrying about someone bothering him, as Tyler was ill for most of the day.

No one bothered him so long as he remembered to take breaks for lunch and to warm back up, but those accidental incidents allowed him to train his empathy further.

With Tyler sick most of that day, it was quite easy for Ryan to practice without anyone wising up to his actions. His servant, however, would have suspected something was up by lunchtime, were he healthy. Even if Ryan could reset things, he didn't want to deal with having to cut his training short. As it was, he had to reset to the night before rather than the morning of.

Otherwise, he would be mentally exhausted, even if physically awake. The spell might return him to the previous state of his body with his current magical power and his memories intact, but a mind still needed its rest. Then there was also the strain on his mind as his body adjusted to his senses.

From what Ryan was able to figure out, any adapting his body had already done carried back into the resets as well, meaning that it did not mentally tax him to expand three of his magical senses out to their full breadth.

At least, that was his initial assumption. Further testing had proven that his body began to adjust immediately, but since he always fell asleep right after, since he was physically exhausted enough to pass out within moments of the reset, he wasn't originally aware that his body adjusted after he came back, but rapidly. With his first few resets, the adjustments were minor, so he had not noticed them.

So as a result, the pain that flooded him around a minute after the reset washed over him for the first time while he was conscious, and Ryan sat up, groaning as he clutched his head.

"Ryan!" He heard Tyler jumping up and rushing over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ryan groaned. "Aw, damn! That hurts!"

"Let me get the hea-"

"I'm fine, Tyler," Ryan groaned. "Just give me a minute to adjust, I can feel it finishing."

He wasn't just saying that, either. He could feel his body adjusting, and his magical 'sense' for how his spells worked also appeared to work for the adjustment. While was glad that he was always asleep when it hit, he did begin to wonder as the pain subsided how he didn't wake up from it in the past.

"Jeez, that was painful," Ryan rubbed his temples. "I'm better now, Tyler."

"I really should get the healer," Tyler told him. "What if that comes back?"

"Physical adjustment of magical ability," Ryan told him. "That's all that was."

"You've awakened?" Tyler asked. "When?"

"That's complicated," Ryan answered. "Can you fetch my father for me? Don't alert him I've awakened. Or anyone."

"Yes, sir," Tyler responded, then left the room.

Ryan lay back on his bed, rubbing his temples and making a note that for the next round, he was going to reset himself to while he was asleep. He had tested that already and found that he would not wake up from it, so assumed the mysterious effect of him not going through that pain would not happen then.

Which was important, because he planned on resetting a lot. He wanted to build up his power and skills in as little time as possible. In as little real time, not experienced time. Which meant that he would be performing a series of resets to change how events played out for optimal training.

Since he could 'see' relatively well by mixing his elemental senses, Ryan felt comfortable beginning his actual magical training. Or at least, the part where he properly learned how to see from masters and naturals. Doing that, however, required traveling to them, which was where the problem would come in.

He was absolutely sure his father would reject the idea, and so needed to come up with a plan to convince his father into it. One which didn't spoil things. He would be willing to sacrifice revealing some of the Specialist magics he had learned, however, as those could be explained a little without too much issue.

A few minutes later, Ryan heard his door open and several people rushed in. Ryan let out a groan as he realized his instructions weren't clear enough to Tyler and that the family healer had been grabbed as well.

"I told you I didn't need the healer, Tyler," Ryan said.

"I am the one who fetched him," Ryan's father informed him. "Tyler told me you awoke with pain."

Ryan sighed, knowing why Tyler was concerned. PAOMA generally took anywhere from several hours to several weeks to finish if it occurred suddenly and with strong pain accompanying it, but Ryan felt fine, other than a lingering after-pain.

"I promise," Ryan told his father. "I'm fine. I did want to talk with you, though."

"About what?" Samuel asked.

"Training," Ryan sat up as he answered. "First, I would like you to teach me how to perform a geass."

"A geass?" His father asked. "You would need to be a Specialist, Ryan, and beyond that-"

"I'm aware," Ryan flicked his wrist, and his pillow flew, smacking into someone. "That sounded like Tyler. I suppose I need to work on my aim, it was supposed to hit you. I'm aware that a geass is a form of mind spell, which is a difficult type of magic to use. However, I would much prefer to learn it just for fun. As a birthday gift from you."

Ryan never asked for gifts for his birthdays, so he knew his father would likely be amenable to teaching it to him, especially as he knew it would be doubtful to most that Ryan could actually do something with a geass spell.

"I can teach you later," his father responded. "How long have you been awakened?"

"A few weeks," Ryan answered. "Give or take a little time. Second, I want to visit the Mieria Islands for a few months. It is turning rather cold here, and I hear they have beautiful beaches that might be pleasant to enjoy."

Ryan could feel several confused gazes on him.

"What?" He asked. "I can enjoy the feel of the sun on my skin, or the sand beneath me, right? I would have Tyler there to accompany me, in addition to the other blind mages."

"What blind mages?" Samuel asked.

"The elementals," Ryan answered. "Much like me, they lack sight, and much like me, they are mages. Also, I think it would be a good place for Tyler to train in his magics. He prefers water magics, yes? It would make sense for him to learn them among experts."

"The Mieria Family is not among our allies," Samuel told his son. "It is doubtful they would allow such a visit to occur."

"I am not talking about an entourage," Ryan stated. "I am talking about only Tyler and myself. They would be more willing to allow me to visit and enjoy the beauty of their beach if only one person came with me. If they ask for the purpose, tell them that I wished it for my birthday. Just a few months' visit. It isn't often I can enjoy a beach at all. In fact, I have never left the area since I was little. There is little I could do to steal their secrets or plot against them, and Tyler will be with me at all times."

Ryan fell silent as he waited for his father to respond to his statement. He wasn't lying about having never left the area in years, something which was truth due to his father's protectiveness of him. The moment Ryan was somewhere he was unfamiliar with, he became many times more difficult to take care of and much more high-maintenance than he already was, and the last time Ryan left was a tragedy for both of them.

He could feel a gaze moving on and off of him, and guessed it was Tyler. After reaching out with his sense of air, he determined it most likely was his servant, and that there were two others in the room as well. When he expanded his empathy out, he felt his father's conflicted mind.

The Novar Family Head wanted to grant his son's request, but at the same time, was scared to do that, especially because the requested location was outside of his family's control. The Mieria Family remained against the Novar Family, and would likely oppose his presence on the islands. That, or cause a problem or conflict.

"If the Mieria Family," Ryan spoke up after a minute. "Decided to cause a problem, Father, then we can crush them. It is doubtful they would, however. Everyone knows that you would do anything for me, so bringing me harm or attempting to use me to force you to move would ensure their downfall."

Ryan waited, still sensing his father's anxiety. He really wanted to visit this islands, though, because of the elementals. He could change it to another place with elementals, but that would require restarting the day to avoid suspicions. His plan involved studying under different elementals in different locations.

He theorized that even if communication with them was impossible, he could at least still learn more about sensing with magic and the elements by studying them with his own magic. The reason he chose the islands as his first target was because he could use Tyler as an excuse. Most of the island's mages specialized in water magics, and Tyler preferred his water magics over all others. In addition to that, the vacation-type nature of the islands also served as an added bonus to the cause.

As his father's mind began to show clear signs of coming to the decision not to allow that, even as a birthday present, and to offer something else in return, Ryan made one more attempt to convince his father to try.

"I am sure Damien would be quite amenable to allowing me to visit without incident," Ryan told his father. "If you suggested that we reveal to the Guilds who was behind the incident in Miami two years ago, along with the evidence we have proving it."

"How do you know about that?" His father asked in shock as Ryan felt Tyler's mind grow nervous, the servant himself looking between the father and son.

"My servant is quite loyal to me," Ryan stated. "Which means it is only natural he would not inform you when I have him take me into our guest house to speak with our guests. I have had him read a few files as well."

He felt his father's mind turn to completely shock as the older man looked at Tyler, then back to Ryan.

"You have interrogated prisoners?" His father asked.

"I have spoken with a few guests, yes," Ryan responded. "And Tyler has seen the video of the incident in Miami. Damien should have no issues allowing Tyler and me to visit in exchange for us continuing to keep a secret that we have never revealed. A small price to pay, as it is. You have wanted to use the video in the past, but never found a good reason to. Here is a good reason to. Your son wishes to visit their islands."

He felt his father mulling it over, accepting it then. The Mieria Family would undoubtedly be willing to allow Ryan and Tyler to visit without incident if the alternative was having both the Novar Family and the Guilds coming after them.

"Very well, then," his father finally said. "I will speak with Damien."

"Could you do so soon?" Ryan asked. "I would like to go there as quickly as possible."

"What's the rush?" His father asked.

"I have never been to a beach before!" Ryan grinned. "I don't want to delay much longer, especially since it's going to be much warmer here!"

"I will talk with him after breakfast," his father chuckled. "Let the healer check you out, Ryan, to make sure your PAOMA is over. They are quite rare to start with, but I have never heard of a case where it lasted only a few minutes."

Ryan hadn't known the adjustment was rare, but he supposed that it didn't matter. Since he was both powerful and a Specialist, it would make sense that he would have the adjustments.

As the healer checked Ryan out, the teen stretched out his sense of water in addition to his sense of air, using the two elements for a more accurate sense of how things were than one alone could provide. He could handle two for extended periods of time, or three for around ten minutes. After training for two months of daily resets, he could also extend his range up to ten feet, which covered most of his room.

It was strange to him, being able to see in a way, but he enjoyed it. He had enjoyed replaying the day over and over as well. The main thing he would miss while in his current time was sleeping with Kayla. She would not be there for several weeks, and when she arrived, he would be hundreds of miles away.

When the healer, his father, and the third person left, Ryan did his morning exercise, then took a shower. After, as Tyler was drying him off, Ryan noticed his servant's state. Not a difficult thing to do when sensing the water around him.

"Do you think about women as you dry me off?" Ryan asked.

"Pardon?" Tyler paused in his drying.

"A young man like you and me," Ryan said as he servant resumed his duties. "And you're drying me off because I can struggle with doing it properly. But you can't actually enjoy the sight, can you? Do you imagine I'm a beautiful woman that you're getting to rub down with a towel?"

"I-yes, sir," Tyler responded, his master noting a bit of hesitation and embarrassment in his mind.

"No need to be ashamed of that," Ryan told him. "I am sure I would do the same in your position. Naturally, it would not be a beautiful woman, but one with soft, luscious skin. Not too much muscle, but not too much fat, either. Just the right combination to feel the best. A voice beautiful to listen to, soothing to the ears. A gentle, but nice scent-I the two of us have different fantasies. You are probably a more visual one than me.

"Regardless," Ryan said as Tyler finished drying him off. "If you ever need to take care of yourself after drying me off and fantasizing about whichever woman you fantasize about, just stay behind in the bathroom a few minutes. It doesn't bother me and we all have needs to take care of. You already put my clothes on my bed, yes?"

"I did, sir."

"Then take care of yourself," Ryan told him. "And if you ever want to try dating whoever she is, just let me know. I can ask Father to allow it, and he will."

"That is not necessary, sir," Tyler told Ryan, who could feel his servant's reluctance.

"Nonsense," Ryan said. "Your happiness is important to me, Tyler. You have served me well ever since becoming a servant. I can have Father authorize you to have relationships, and even if she is a classmate from your high school rather than someone in one of the Families, he will allow it. I just ask that you introduce me to her first. I would like to see how beautiful a woman she is for myself."

"Of course sir," Tyler snorted.

"Now take care of yourself," Ryan told him. "I'm going to get dressed, then eat breakfast. You should have plenty of time before I'm ready for breakfast to take care of that."

"Thank you, Ryan," Tyler said.

"You're welcome!" Ryan said. "And seriously – introduce me sometime if you want to date her. If her voice is beautiful, I'll approve her for you!"