"Calm down," one of the insignificant scientists said, looking down at me. "Calm down. Alren desires to see you, and my job is to take you to him."

I took a deep breath and followed the scientist. Focusing on his feet, I tried to distract myself.

Why did I have to hide my existence from those close to me? Yet, these random scientists could know my secret — being an artificial mage. How could I trust them? Unlike those close to me, how can I rely on those I barely know?

Losing focus on my pace, I bumped into the scientist, hitting him headfirst on his back. Stepping back, I rubbed my head. "My bad."

"Right here," the scientist said, ignoring my apology. He pointed at a chamber with a door.

Walking past him, I opened the door, standing on a platform. He closed the door. The platform gradually descended, abruptly stopping.

It was almost pitch black when I began descending again. Unlike the other magical elevators, this one had no clear glass. It was surrounded by walls of white rock with engravings of some sort etched onto them. It also had blue light emitting from the runes — allowing sparse visibility.

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

The elevator initiated an ear-piercing sound as it clashed against something, accelerating at an alarming pace. I crouched onto the floor, gripping one of the rocks. The descent turned into what felt like a free fall. The speed at which I was descending was unbelievable.

How was I even on my feet? Though I was crouching, I should have been flung up to the ceiling. I shook my head, disregarding rationality; I gripped the rock harder.

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

"DAMN IT," I yelped, descending to what I supposed could be my death. I closed my eyes, clenching onto dear life.

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

*SKKKKRRRRRRIIIIITTTTTTCCCHHHHHHHH*

"Are you going to get off, or should I come and pick you up....?"

I opened my eyes, witnessing one of the four walls surrounding me disappear. I stood up, reaching my arm through the once-solid wall. I walked through it, getting a clear glimpse of who spoke.

"I have some rather important information to convey," Alren said, seated on a chair. "Why don't you sit."

I sat on the relatively comfortable chair while Alren remained seated across from me at his desk.

I glanced around at the posh room — similar to a CEO's office. I regained focus, maintaining eye contact. "Is this your office?"

He looked around, chuckling. "You could say so." He flipped some papers on his desk, holding one up. "What is progress?" He glanced at his papers, looking at me again. "What is progress?"

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, remaining eye contact.

Alren placed his legs on the table. "Regarding your magic, how far should we convey you progressed?" He smirked, almost as if he would laugh. "After all, King Arthur-"

I interjected, nearing the desk. I leaned over the desk, asking. "King Arthur is involved with me?!"

Alren slightly tilted his head, placing his feet back onto the floor. He stood up, walking towards a shelf. "Don't get too excited. He doesn't even know of your existence. Do you really think the great Arthur has time to acknowledge a mere rat from Darka?" He turned around, shaking his head and holding back a laugh. "It's not adequate to utter jokes during serious work."

He placed some papers on the shelf. Looking back at me, he created eye contact. "King Arthur simply desires a progress update regarding the artificial mage. Hence, why I summoned you. I wanted to observe your core strength." Alren moved towards me, gaping at me. "You're still a three-orbital mage. A far cry from the exemplary mage you must become."

Alren's jabbering didn't affect me anymore — I got used to it. That being said, I was becoming a little angry. First, he made frivolity of me, and now he's mocking me. I gripped onto my seat, letting out a deep breath. "When am I allowed to reveal my identity to others." I paused, looking around. "About all this science bullshit and me being a product of science?"

Alren grew closer, smiling as he opened his mouth. "Great question!" He paused, continuing to smile. "Never."

"I'm tired of all these secrets. Why is it that others can't know, but all these scientists do? What guarantee is there that they won't leak any information!?" I yelled, standing up, taking a few steps away from Alren.

Alren remained poised. "Oh, there are no guarantees! We just want to delay the truth as much as physically possible. Anyways, think of this whole facade as your job." He shrugged, looking at me and walking past me towards a tank containing some sort of fish in it. "We all have our tribulations. You aren't special regarding that notion. If I were you, I'd oblige your mind to the simple tasks we ask." He paused, staring at the fish tank. "WITHOUT question."

"Is that all?" I clenched my hand.

What could a selfish fool like Alren know about me? Hell, what would anyone understand about me?

I approached the magic elevator, but before I could get into it, Alren spoke again.

"The reason I summoned you was for a different reason." He dipped his hand into the tank, gliding his hand across the water. "Would you like to tell me anything?" He turned around, taking out his wet hand. "No one can eavesdrop on us when we are here. If you'd like to tell me something..." He closed his eyes, smiling. "...well, now is your time."

I shook my head, grinding my teeth.

Alren was arrogant, selfish, haughty, patronizing, pretentious... Almost anything negative could accommodate him. Yet, there was still a part of him that felt human. Of course, I didn't want to trust it, but I knew he was one thing: caring. Though, he was an asshole at displaying it.

"Any day now, princess," Alren jested, drying his hand off with a cloth.

A space where no one can eavesdrop. What could I possibly tell Alren... My past life was out of the question. I haven't even told my parents about that yet, so what could I possibly...?

Closing my eyes, I shrugged. "Is it safe to assume all the other specimens have passed away?"

It was an observation that I couldn't quite fathom. Were people expandable to such a degree? Didn't this country have any regulations regarding humane practices? It was rare for me to witness the same individuals after a couple of days. It was safe to assume that their experimentations were either successful or... failed.

"Yeah, they are five feet under," Alren swiftly answered, rubbing his chin. "You shouldn't worry about the others. Focus on yourself and your objectives. You don't have time to worry."

Opening my eyes, I nodded. "Their deaths don't affect me." I tugged my lips to the left, shrugging. "I was just curious."

Alren appeared somewhat shocked but shook it off. He added, placing his cloth back onto a table. "Aren't you curious about what I do? If this is my office, surely there are other rooms more lucrative."

"You act as if you're willing to tell me-"

***PRESENT DAY***

*BUBBLES* *BUBBLES* *BUBBLES*

*BUBBLES* *BUBBLES* *BUBBLES*

*SPLASH*

I whaled my arms underwater as I choked on the water. I brought my head out, gasping for air.

*HUFF* *PUFF* *HUFF* *PUFF*

Coughing out water, I stepped out of the bath.

I felt idiotic, almost dying in a bathtub... I forgot most of my dream because of my near-death scenario. All I could think about was almost dying from a bath.

I grabbed a towel, overlooking whatever I was recollecting. I dried myself off, wearing a fancy outfit picked out by Tehla. A dark red fuzzy coat with a black shirt, pants, and shoes. The set of clothing was very similar to that of a tuxedo.

I rubbed my neck, glancing at the mirror. I was slightly taller, which was expected. After all, I was a year older — fourteen.

I descended the stairs, waving at my parents.

They waited with Tehla at the front door.

"I'm ready," I smiled, running toward my family.

Over the previous year, I started behaving like an actual son, though it was an annoying process. From having to do all the attributes children would do: complaining to their parents, hugging them, and all that mushy shit... I could proudly proclaim — for over a year — that I developed into a satisfactory son. I still had some characteristics to work on, but I was getting closer to what could be an actual family.

"About time," Tehla smirked, leading us outside.

I leaned against my mother as she held my hand. In front of us, a carriage awaited, pulled by two regular horses. Or what I thought were ordinary horses. I let go of my mother's hand, and we entered the carriage, including Tehla. I sat next to Tehla while my mother and father sat near each other.

*NEIGH* *NEIGH* *NEIGH* *NEIGH*

*NEIGH* *NEIGH* *NEIGH* *NEIGH*

The horses began erupting with noise, causing movement. The horses were generating a smooth pace with no blemishes, mainly thanks to the coachman. Though, the speed of the horses seemed to be developing abnormally fast.

I peeked out the window, realizing we were flying?! The horses harbored miniature wings, making the scenario fanciful at best. The horses flapped their tiny wings, causing us to take flight.

"Are you enjoying the ride?" My mother asked, beaming at me with enthusiasm.

"Yeah... This is unreal," I stuttered, leaning my head outside the carriage. My father appeared eager and showed it in his conversation with my mother. Tehla, on the other hand, remained quiet, keeping adequacy — sitting tall and firm.

I was delighted, humbled, amazed, and even grateful. The emotion I felt was one of utter joy. I gazed outside, looking down at the city — evening. Watching all the lights from afar was outstanding, and I could scarcely view individuals traveling on the side of the road. The structures were plentiful, and there was no indication of them coming to an end.

It made me realize the capacity of what mages could do without the technology of my old world.

Closing my eyes, I could only do one thing: take in my surroundings. I let the air hit my head, my hair being pushed back. The cool wind helped me calm down.

Was it so bad that I didn't mind this new life? I supposed some subtle stuff could get better, but everything was becoming close to perfect. I developed magic, strengthened relationships, and gained an appreciation for life.

Over the year and some months, I not only acquired new skills, but I appropriated them with combat. It wasn't an effortless process or one with immediate results. Crying out loud, It took me three months to successfully conjure a lightning ball.

Still, I had a lot to show for my successes. I could now conjure three balls of lightning with somewhat accuracy upon discharge. Though that was exciting, my ability to augment was something else. I could comfortably augment my body with lightning with more efficiency than before. Meaning I could also augment other materials better. Sadly, augmentation of my eyes — perceive materials faster — was still a work in progress.

My manipulation wasn't as successful. The idea of randomization dictating manipulation was troublesome. Whatever steered randomization was not in my favor. My professor informed me that I had zero talent in the art of manipulation. Though, I managed to utilize manipulation to a small extent. I reckoned if I could view ambient magic, I could use that to my advantage.

Pre-determined equilibrium and dictated magic were the main theories regarding how magic acts. The theories held no significance since the results would be the same. I would use the raw ambient magic as an indicator to guide my magic wherever I pleased, though it was easier said than done. Even simple acts of walking and running were employed by ambient magic. Depending on how much of my mana reserve I utilized, I could become faster when using this method. Though, this meant I would lose accuracy of movement.

Therefore, I created a method to increase accuracy. I would connect the ambient magic with my own lightning magic, creating an outline of where my destination would be. The method enabled ridiculous speed, but it depended on the ambient magic and where it was present. So, I couldn't simply travel wherever I wanted; I could only travel wherever the ambient magic floated. Additionally, this method drained my mana reserves in less time than Alren would take to become angry.

If I had one complaint, it would be my fundamental deficiency. I had an abysmal three orbitals. Compared to Allura's five orbitals. I was lacking.

Orbitals surround a mage's core, signifying strength. It wasn't odd for someone my age to have few orbitals, but I needed more to demonstrate progress.

Plus, orbitals enabled greater mana reserves, which was pivotal for high-level magic. Mana was a term employed by the people of Xatus. It essentially defined the inner magic a mage could use before running out of magic. It was theorized that inner magic is more refined to best suit a mage's affinity. But at the end of the day, it didn't matter to me. I needed to focus on increasing my orbitals to achieve this so-called greater mana pool.

Orbitals function similarly to muscles, and the only way to increase them is to work them out. The more magic a mage uses, the more orbitals they gain. Though, how much one must work towards achieving their next orbital is dependent. Even with my usage of my magic, I didn't witness much improvement regarding orbitals. Whenever I focused on my orbitals while operating magic, it felt like I was singularly handpicking grains of sand into a bucket.

That's why I focused on another aspect of the orbitals. Through meditation, one can achieve a better emphasis on utilization. Meaning a mage can control their magic more freely. While meditating, a mage must focus on their orbitals, trying to understand them.

I understood that I had to go through countless meditations, magic exercises, and strategic training. Though, these concepts helped me develop. At the end of the day, a mage's skill would speak for itself. The upcoming tournament — Culling Game — was a chance to demonstrate my progress. I wanted to succeed in the tournament for myself and my teammates who worked hard.

But most importantly for my family. If I didn't show progress, I would be killed...

"We're here," Tehla announced, poking me on the shoulder, then pinching my shoulder. "Any time now!"

Standing up, I jolted up. "OK! OK! OK! I'm getting off."

My mother and father walked off the chariot’s stairs, and I followed behind.

In front of me was a lavish house, but honestly, It was more appropriate to call it a mansion! Perhaps it was even superior.

Pushing me forward, Tehla whispered. "Stop daydreaming. Your family is already at the door." She remained indifferent, staring at me and the entrance.

An entourage of maids awaited the door, going out of their way to even clean — polish — my father's shoes.

"Welcome!" A stern yet gentle voice announced. "Welcome to my residence."