Its been around 5 months since i learned lightning magic. I've been honing it well. The more i refine it the stronger it gets, and it changes in color too. Before it was a cyan color, and now it's a solid blue.

I use lightning a lot. It's good against Leon's earth magic. It can easily destroy the walls he puts up. I also use it to annoy my older sister. Every chance i get i always give her a little loving shock.

One thing that i wanted to try was to increase my speed using lightning. I can choose the speed of what i want the lightning to travel at. I tried surrounding my body in lightning but that acted as a shield and didn't give me what i wanted.

If i could create the lightning inside my body it might work, or it might electrocute me through the inside. But in order to do that i need perfect internal mana control. So i need to keep training.

I tried teaching Nia and Hanna lightning magic but they were unsuccessful. Either they lacked understanding or just weren't compatible, maybe both.

I also taught them healing magic and every 3 or 4 days we would go out together to heal farmers and workers. I've gotten better at healing too. i'm confident i can cure bigger wounds and deadlier illnesses.

Mia is still to young to learn magic, but she's always sticking close to me. To the point where she started sleeping with me at nights. I don't mind, i like having company. Before sleeping we sometimes have little conversations about our day.

It's now afternoon and i'm in the backyard training in magic with Hanna and Nia. I threw a slash of lightning. A lightning slash is different from fire and wind. It spreads over a wide area but it's as thin as a blade.

In my duels with Leon if i managed to land a hit on him with lightning. He would get paralyzed. So if i add more strength behind my lightning i could technically disintegrate him completely, but of course i wouldn't do that.

I'm not capable of killing someone, and i kind of grew attached to Leon. At first our relationship was a bit awkward due to our past situation, but i doubt he cares about that now and my reason behind it.

I focused lightning on my hand and shot it out to a tree in a continuous stream. I continued adding more mana to it and it became a slight dark shade of blue. Then it burned a hole through the tree.

Fire magic also changes in color the more mana i add to it. The heat becomes stronger. I focused the fire into the edge of the blade and swung. The fire shot out in a sharp straight line. Since i added more mana into that slash the fire was dark red, and sliced straight through the tree.

Then what was left of the tree caught fire, But both Nia and Hanna worked together to put it out with their water magic.

"oops. sorry." I said.

"seriously you have to be more careful. this whole area could've caught fire if we weren't here." Hanna said proudly.

"there you go again." i mumbled to myself.

"Hey!! what is that supposed to mean!" she said.

"nothing." i said quickly.

"hmm." she turned her head and walked away.

"Hey Arata want to get started now." Nia said. She's changed a lot this past year and a half. she's now more open than she was before, and Hanna and her are really close too. Her appearance also changed. She still has short hair, But her body is now more athletic than it used to be.

"Sure, let's go." i replied.

I taught Nia how to shape mana with a sword. she learned how to do both fire and water slashes. So in our magic training we throw slashes at each other and deflect them. Some times we launch just one or multiple at once.

After a while of the afternoon training we were taking a break. I laid on my back, enhanced my hearing to listen to the sounds of nature, and closed my eyes.

After a few minutes i heard galloping of horses coming closer. I got curious so got up to go check it out.

"Do you guys hear that." I said to Hanna and Nia.

They both looked at each other then back at me, and shook their heads.

"I'll be right back." I then walked away.

"Hey wait for us." Hanna said as she and Nia quickly followed behind me.

We went to the front yard, and saw a carriage in the distance coming straight to our house.

"what do you guys think that is?" Hanna asked curiously.

"A carriage." I said simply.

"I know that!! But what is it for!" She said annoyed.

"To carry people and goods." I said. Expecting what was coming.

"I KNOW THAT!!! But what is it doing coming over here." She said angrily then smacked me in the head. "I'll go call father."

"Are you okay?" Nia giggled then started massaging where Hanna hit me.

"Yeah it happens a lot, so i'm used to it." I said with a smile.

We looked at each other for a second then she immediately averted her eyes, her face turned red, and she turned around quickly.

What was that about? I wondered.

Just as i was about to ask her if she was okay Leon and mother along with Hanna and Mia came out of the house.

"Ahh, their finally here. You ready to go Arata." Leon said.

"What? go where?" i said confused.

"What do you mean? Didn't your mother tell you about this." Leon said.

"Tell me about wha-" I got cut off by Mother.

"Leon i thought you were going to tell him."

"I'm pretty sure you were going to tell him" Leon responded.

"What's this all about." I asked with a hint of annoyance.

"So you really don't know?" Mother asked.

"No" I said confused.

What is going on.

"You and me are going to the City of Bryxton." Leon said.

"For what?" i asked.

Leon smirked. "We are going to the Canavar plains."

" . . . "

"For what"

"i'll tell you on the way. Let's go. The faster we leave the faster we'll get there." Leon said as he pushed me away.

"Wait let me say my goodbyes at least." i told him.

"How long will we be leaving?" i asked him.

"I don't know, it could be years." he said simply.

"Years!?!?" i said confused at this sudden trip.

"Are you really leaving?" I heard Nia say with a sad voice.

I looked towards her direction and saw her with teary eyes.

"I guess i am." I said awkwardly.

She stayed silent and looked down. Then i turned towards my mother and sisters. Surprisingly Hanna looked the saddest with tears in her eyes.

I first went to hug my mother.

"Be careful out there. Trust in your father, if something bad happens, he'll keep you safe." she said. Then released me.

Next i looked at Hanna.

"Hanna, are you crying?" i said with a smile.

"shut up." she said. Then she smacked me, but there wasn't any strength behind it.

I held on to her hand. "I'll be back soon, okay." Then let her go.

She nodded as a response.

Lastly i went to Mia and patted her head. "I'll be going away for a little while." I told her.

She had small tears running down her face. "promise to come back." She said as i wiped a tear off her face.

I gave her a hug."I promise." Then i let go of her.

As i was walking back to Leon i looked at Nia. she still had her head down. With tears falling from her eyes to the ground. I walked up to her.

"Hey Nia . . . i'll come back in no time, and when i do we can go out and have fun together again." i told her. I waited for a response but didn't get one, so i began walking back to Leon.

I don't know what to tell her. I'm not good with comforting people. Hopefully that was enough.

"W-wait." Nia said. Her voice sounding sad.

I turned around, and when i did she was right on me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Promise not to forget me and to always be my friend." she said quickly with her head in my chest.

I returned the hug and patted her head. I pulled back a little so i could look at her face. "I could never forget you. you were my first friend, and you will continue to be my friend."

I then let go of her, but she wouldn't let go of me. "You can let go now."

"No!!" she then buried her head deeper in my chest "Just . . . a little bit more."

"ouch!!! Hey listen, i'd like to hug you back. But your horns are stabbing my chest." I said quickly

She looked up at me with a puzzled face and pulled away. Once she pulled away i started massaging my chest. Then she started giggling.

"sorry." she said still giggling.

I smiled as a a response. The carriage had gotten here. and there was a woman who got down from it.

"HEEEYY!! It's been a long time. how have you guys been doing?" She said happily. Then looked at all of us. "4 kids? You guys have really been busy huh?" she said elbowing Leon.

Leon sighed "You never change." He turned to look at us. "Hey kids i'd like you to meet Sophia. She will be staying here to keep you company while me and Arata are away." He turned back to Sophia. "Sophia these are my daughters, Hanna and Mia." he said signaling to them. "And this is my son, Arata."

"Hello kids it's nice to meet you." she said while waving of her hand.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"hi" we all responded together.

"Okay, so if those are your kids." She paused and pointed at Nia. "who's the girl with the horns."

"Ohh. That's Nia, a friend of Aratas." Leon said.

"ohh, well nice to meet you." She said to to her.

"H-hello." Nia responded.

She then came to me. "So you're Arata? I've heard a lot about you in the letters from your father. Be careful when you make it to Canavar, and" she paused "Never drop your guard." she said seriously. Then patted my shoulder and walked towards my mother.

Leon also said his goodbyes. He gave mother and my sisters a hug, and made his way to the carriage.

"We should get going." He told me.

I nodded and we began making our way to the carriage. Before i got in i looked back and saw Nia waving at me, so i waved back. Then i got in the carriage.

"we'll be back soon." Leon said as he also got inside.

The carriage began to move.

"how long does it take to get there." i asked Leon

"hmm about a month or less. This village is pretty close to the city." He responded.

"You haven't told me why we're going."

"ohh right. In order for you to grow further. You have to get some experience fighting monsters. Because you're basically already on par with me. Soon enough there's not going to be much i can offer you." He said. Maybe a little sad.

"ohh, so that's it." Honestly it is kind of sad. I like training with Leon. "is it just going to be me and you?" i asked.

"No, We are meeting up with my old party" He said excitedly "except for your mother and Sophia."

"So how exactly do we enter Canavar?"

"We have to go to the adventurers guild and show them our adventurer license. It's a small card that says your name and rank." he said.

"I don't have one. Do you?"

"Yup." He took out a small card and handed it to me. "You will have to take a rank evaluation to get one."

I looked at the card. Leon Arumani, rank AA it said at the side while at the other side, it had a picture of him when he was younger.

There's cameras in this world?

"How did they take this picture of you." i asked

"Handsome. right?" He said proudly as i just stared at him in silence until he spoke again. "I don't really know how it works. It's a strange contraption that when powered with mana makes a bright light, and whatever is at the end of the light gets captured into the card."

"How do the rankings scale?"

"From highest to lowest it's SS, S, AA, A, B, C, D, E, and F."

"Wow, so you're high up in the ranks." i said.

"That's right, i'm just that amazing." He said while posing. And again i just stayed silent until he spoke. "Any more questions?"

"I don't have a weapon. Actually i've never used a real sword. I've only used the wooden ones you had stashed in the closet."

"Yeah about that. They don't sell good quality weapons in that small village. So once we get to the city we'll go pick one for you."

"Okay. I'll get some rest now. we have a long road ahead of us." I said as i laid on the carriage seat.

"Sounds good" Said Leon.

The sun is still up. I'm riding in this carriage for a month. I wish i had something to do while i wait.