The ride towards Lysensa was a long one, so I recollected my thoughts and made myself presentable.

I arranged my black hair, wore the nicest clothing available to me, a navy blue jacket over a white shirt, neat green cargo pants and boots. Inside my bag were the assortment of papers that I want to show-off, I wonder what my ma and da will feel when their wee boy is a smart lad.

I was hopeful, my smile was reaching my ears, the feeling of joy, of longing. My power was also emanating from my hands.

'Control... breathe ???... You got this....' I told myself.

Then we reached the gates overlooking the Land of Immortality, amidst the June summer day, Lysensa is still buried underneath a blanket white frost. Streetlights, stages, even the roofs are coated as if sprinkled by powdered sugar.

"We're here lad, I'll pick you up at 5."

"Okay, thanks for the lift sir!" I smiled and trudged forward. Lysensa was so peaceful, and despite the cold, I was ecstatic. My parents are here, I can feel it in every inch of my body.

"Theodore be careful! You'll might fall pet!"

By instinct, I hid behind a tree. Why? I don't know...

I looked back towards the source of the sound, it was identical to my mam's voice. And it was, her gold hair locked in a long braid, blue eyes sparkling with life, she was sporting a brown trench coat and a brown fedora with a blue lace. Resting on her arms, wrapped up in a bundle, was a girl with blond hair and blue eyes as well. She looked identical to mam.

"Mammy! Look, look! I'm making a snowman!!" The boy with gold hair and blue eyes said, he looked like he was a year younger than me. He moved his hands and pure blue energy began to manipulate the snow to create a snowman. He was also using telekinesis.

"Theo that's adorable! That's such a wonderful piece of art pet."

"Where's da by the way?" He asked.

"Why don't you hug him and find out laddie!" Da said while smiling, a face he never makes whenever he sees me. But why am I hiding? This... Isn't this what I was waiting for all my life? I mustered up all my courage and came out of hiding.

"Mam... Da... It's me." I called them out and when they saw me, they were looking at me as if they just saw a ghost.

"Da? Who's that?" Theo asked as he was put down, he was looking at me with curious eyes.

"I-it's nothing. Listen lad, why don't you take Lucy out and head for the ice cream shop, we'll come for you after wee later."

"Ice cweam!" The baby said excitedly and Theo obliged, taking the girl away. The atmosphere became colder when it was just the three of us. I was supposed to be excited, happy even. But... why was I shaking so much?

After Theo and Lucy left, da's face reverted back to the cold, smileless face of his. The indifference radiated so strongly I feel like I was choking.

"Da...?"

"State your business. We sent you to the academy right? Why aren't you studying?" He barked, his tone was harsh, it wasn't the same when he was talking with Theodore.

"I... I filed a request for leave. I wanted to see you." I put up a brave smile, but I could feel my lips trembling from the pressure.

"That's it? If you have to waste your time on that kind of rubbish, then you should dedicate yourself to your studies. You've disappointed me already, so I expect you act your age." Da said harshly.

"I... I just... I missed you and... I wanted to see you." I started to stutter. What is happening to me? Why was I stuttering?

"I see you haven't been studying hard enough because you're eating your own words." Da sighs.

"T-that's not true da! See..." I handed him the papers of my achievements. "I'm a scholar... And I made it to the honors roll. And... and... They told me I will be representing the school in an academic spearhead event."

"Is this it?" His question dropped down like a meteor. I looked at his face, then at mam's face, she wasn't even looking at me.

"Da?"

"I'm asking you if is this all you've achieved so far?" Da's voice sounded even more menacing. "How old are you again?"

"I'm 8 this year Da..." Why doesn't he even remember how old I am.

"8... and only a single scholarship, and you just entered the honors line?"

"I... I did my best..."

"And clearly that's the limit. It will be an insult to Theodore if I start comparing him with you." Da said. "Can you imagine? At his age, which is 7, he has more than 10 scholarship grants. And he's been inside the honors roll ever since he started school. Not only that, he manifested his power at the age of 5, and he has absolute control over it now, even if he has an outburst of emotions."

Silence permeates the whole park and Da sighs and takes out a paper.

"I've received a report from your school. You manifested your power at age 6, and you are still having a difficulty in grasping your powers. Now tell me... Are you confident that you can show your mastery over your powers?"

"I... I..." I could only say nothing more. Why was he being like this?

"I think we're done here. Go back to the academy." Da said.

"W-wait! I... I'll show you!" I stammered nervously.

'Breathe... calm down...'

But no matter how hard I tried to calm down, my mind went blank. Cyan energy manifested on my palms, and on the snow, but instead of creating a snowman... it only ended up as a pile. I tried to fix it, but in my panicked state, the cyan energy just bursts out, scattering snow all over the place.

"I... I'm..." I knelt down... Why am I like this?

"I should've known that we shouldn't have made a wager, Ashe." Da told mam.

"Mammy?" I cried out for her but she wipes her tears away and gives me... a cold look. "What wager?"

"It doesn't matter now. You failed. We thought sending you away would help you improve, instead it made you weaker." Da said. "Don't bother in attending that summit. You'll only embarrass the Academy. And don't come near us again. Theodore and Lucy cannot be seen around you lest they suffer complete embarrassment."

When they were starting to leave I ran up towards them and grabbed the hem of my da's coat.

"Da please... Am I not your son? Your wee boy?!" I asked, tears streaming down my face and instead of pity, his face was full of disgust he slaps me away and I fell to the snowless ground. Scrapping my palms.

"That was your only chance. And you failed me miserably. The wager is done Ashe. He's... Not a Scifios anymore. Return to the academy now and never show your face again."

"Why? Please tell me why do you hate me?!" I screamed and Da just threw a mirror. And I saw myself... Red eyes, and Black hair... Then I looked at all of them, Gold Hair and Blue eyes. I... I did stand out and was as if a dark stain in a perfect canvas.

"There's your answer. And by the look of the aura you've used... It only confirmed it. You are nothing more but a spurious."

When they started to leave again, I couldn't follow them but could only cry out for them to come back and telling them not to leave me. I repeated those words until the colors faded from my eyes, the sound around was damp, and everything seemed... Useless now.

I knelt down on that same spot until the driver from before found me. He helped me up and got me inside the van. He was telling me something but I wasn't hearing anything. Everything just went... numb.

And in that numbness... I began to hear voices in my head. And as it turns out, it was the voices of everyone around me. Their minds in fact. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore.

After all... it meant nothing.