Before I can collapse fully, before I am assaulted by the zombie, I feel something grab ahold of me, lifting me into the air. It’s Gin, and a second later, we’ve leapt away, moving to a safe distance.

He mumbles something under his breath, and I suddenly feel a warm energy course through me, revitalizing my senses. That’s when it also occurs to me my position, being carried bridal style in Gin’s arms. “P-put me down,” I protest, and I find myself feet back on the ground. “W-what happened?” I mutter, rubbing my head, “I couldn’t cast Magical Arrows towards the end there.”

“You ran out of spells,” Gin explains.

“What... like OOM?”

“I don’t know what that is, but basically, there’s a limit to how many spells a person can cast each day. If you try to cast more than that…”

“Bad things happen. I see.”

“Well, this just further confirms my suspicions,” Gin shrugs.

“What do you mean by that?”

Before Gin can reply, however, I see his attention be pulled away towards the north side of the room. He smirks. “Oh good, Vivian’s back. Lesson’s over, Jaxon. Come on, let’s go.” Gin gestures towards the opposite side of the room as he begins to move ahead.

“Go? What about the zombies?” I ask, pointing to the five remaining creatures lingering between us and where Gin had indicated. The man does not appear to hear, however, for he does not stop, instead casually walking forward, humming a tune, hands behind his head, on a direct collision course with the crowd of zombies. My eyes open wide when I see one make a swipe, claws aiming for Gin’s head. “Look out!” I exclaim. A second later, and my eyes open wider still, though for quite a different reason. I watch, dumbfounded, as Gin strolls right through the mob, unfazed, unharmed, and once he passes, the bodies of the zombies appear to simply fall apart, dissected limb from torso from head, as if sliced asunder by an invisible blade. The pieces of flesh linger in the air for a split second, then drop to the ground, scattering and rolling about.

I can feel my mouth gape open a moment longer, unsure what exactly I’ve just witnessed, before I quickly sprint ahead to catch back up with Gin. As I approach, I find that Gin is with Vivian, the two smugglers tied up to the side, and when Gin spots me, he strikes a pose, saying, “What zombies?” Since I have no words to offer in reply, Gin then turns to Vivian instead, asking, “So, how was that delivery?”

Vivian shrugs, eyes looking bored, “Five out of ten.”

A look of mock horror crosses Gin’s face, and he sighs dramatically before finally turning to me. He must mistake my stunned silence as distress, for his expression grows gentle and soft. “You okay, Jaxon?” he asks.

Following his line of sight, I note that he’s observing my right hand. I lift it up, but find nothing in particular. Gathering my thoughts, I manage a notion that’s been lingering in the back of my mind for a while now, “You’re… crazy strong!”

Gin lets out a hearty laugh. “I’ve just had a head start on you is all,” he says. Then punching me lightly in the chest, he adds, “What you have inside of you, you could easily surpass me one day, Jaxon. I mean it. I sense something-” It feels as though there’s more that Gin wishes to say, but he holds his tongue, turning to the smugglers instead. Though they are bound and gagged, they are still very much conscious. I see Gin squat low before the fat one, giving him a pat down, and though the gesture appears innocuous, I do catch sight of Gin retrieving something from the man’s inner robe pocket. It is only a flash, for the movement is fast, but I think it’s a book of some kind, with a white rose embroidered across the cover. A moment later, and Gin has tucked the item away somewhere, giving the smuggler a few slaps on the cheek to draw his attention.

“Now,” Gin begins, a mischievous grin on his face, “we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

“Eashy! Eashy!” the smuggler yells, his voice muffled by the cloth, his eyes wide with fright.

Gin sighs looking disappointed. “I was really hoping you’d choose the hard way. Well, whatever. So tell me, where are they?”

****

“They” turn about to be Fae, pixies specifically, as Gin explains, and as Vivian goes through picking the locks on the numerous cages, I see the tiny creatures flutter out, like little children about a foot in size, with skin an earthly green, clothed in nature and carried about on vibrant butterfly-like wings. The pixies first move to embrace each other before coming to us to offer their thanks.

“You have our eternal gratitude, merciful humans. If you ever by chance find yourself in the Veridian Glades, seek us out, and we shall celebrate you with a luxurious banquet,” one of the pixies, a girl with blue hair and eyes, offers to us, “For my name is Lori Treetoes, and my word is true.” The rest of the pixies cheer in agreement, and then with a few more minutes of pleasantries, they take their leave, vanishing into thin air.

“Master, there’s something else here,” Vivian says once the pixies are gone, and she gestures us to a final cage hidden in the shadow of the corner. Once she unlocks it, a solitary creature floats out. It looks nothing like the pixies, however, instead looking like a floating piece of blue cotton candy with sleepy eyes. I watch as it glides through the air, then to my surprise, it moves towards me before finally landing on my head with a gentle flump.

“W-what-?” I stutter, not exactly scared, given the thing’s appearance, but more confused as to what is even happening.

“Is that a… floof?” Vivian says slowly, “What’s it doing so far above ground?”

“It must have been captured like the pixies,” Gin replies. Then turning to me, he says, “Looks like it likes you, Jaxon.”

“Um, this thing, ‘floof’, it’s not dangerous, is it?” I ask, pointing to the ball of cotton candy sitting atop my head.

“Nah, floofs are harmless. They’re lawful good creatures. Although… eh, nevermind,” Gin says, and I see him stretch his arms high into the air, “Ah, yes! Quest’s finally done with. Time to head home.”

“You mean the inn?” I ask.

“The academy,” Vivian corrects.

“Academy? Wait, what academy?”

Vivian pauses for a moment, a deadpan expression crossing her face. Then she turns to Gin, “Master… you did tell him, right? Wasn’t that the whole point of this plan of yours?”

“Huh? Didn’t I? I thought I did. That’s weird… did I forget? Hahaha!”

“Tell me what?”

Vivian sighs, her face impassive as she points a thumb back at Gin. “Believe it or not, this guy is a professor at the Royal Academy.”

I see Gin put on a smug expression, turning up his nose as he looks down it at me before asking, “Jaxon, how would you like to enroll and learn magic at the best school in the kingdom?”

“Eh?”