Later that same day as I was spending some alone time in my room I began to feel uneasy. Maybe I should go spend some more time with the family. With them there, my mind will be put at ease.

Making my way down the hallway I couldn't shake the feeling that something was just wrong. Quickly turning my head back I saw that nobody was there. I could've sworn somebody was watching me.

"Flare?" I spoke out loud. No, last I saw Flare she was sleeping in Nina's room.

Shaking it off as my own imagination, I continued on my way. Stepping inside the kitchen I saw the same faces as before. I also noticed Nina had come back down.

"Arata. . ." she was the first to speak. For some reason, I was so on edge that I was just fixated on her taking step after step toward me. "I'm sorry about earlier, It's just that. . . I freaked out when I almost dropped Atticus and. . ." she began to say, stopping in front of me to speak.

But I wasn't really listening to her words. They were being drowned out by my own delusion. All of a sudden I felt a pair of hands gently pressed against my cheeks. This feeling alone snapped me back to reality and noticed it was Nina who had done that. "What's wrong?" She asked, noticing my facial expression.

Just then I sensed someone sneaking up on me. Out of pure reflex, I pulled Nina close to me for protection as I turned around and grabbed ahold of the perpetrator's hand. "Owww! Arata! That hurts!" hearing Hanna's pained voice I immediately let go. "What's up with you today? You're acting strange?"

"Something weird is going on," I said, hearing my words and serious tone everyone went silent. Turning to my side I realized I was still holding on to Nina, whose cheeks had grown red. Thinking I had made her uncomfortable I immediately let go.

"What do you mean?" asked Leon, stopping whatever he was doing and focusing on me.

After a long moment of silence, I let out a deep breath and said, "I need to get some air," I didn't know how to explain it, but it was almost as if something was about to happen and if I stayed here they were all going to be dragged down with me.

Without listening to another word I walked away from them. They were probably confused by my actions but didn't follow me. Having walked out the back door my body got engulfed by the sunlight.

"Arata Arumani, right?" just then, a voice that I did not recognize called my name. Immediately turning my head I saw a woman. Short in stature, with dark blue hair, and wearing a black uniform.

Isn't she. . .

"Are you the one who lured me out?" I asked despite all the other questions that burned in my mind.

At my words, the corner of her lips curved up into a smile. "You're coming with me."

Without answering my question she grabbed ahold of me and sprinted away in such a quick motion that my eyes weren't able to process what had happened.

Finally regaining my senses I realized that we were in the air. . . Huh? How did we get up here? Wait, what is that. . . She's stepping on something. At her feet, I noticed circular thin plates of water that appeared out of thin air that she used to leap into the air.

Well, I'm not up to going any further without having been told any more details. . . It's been a while but. . . Distortion! At my command the rune on my palm glew gold.

As expected the Marshal's mana control was as close to perfect as it could be. And so, I only managed to make the thin water plate ripple but that was enough. Enough for her to stop and wonder what was happening.

As she was distracted I used gravity to loosen her grip on me and forcefully pushed myself away. "See ya!" I said right before I plummeted straight to the ground.

Wow, we certainly came a long way up. I thought as I took in the sight before me but quickly snapped my eyes shut. Don't look down! Don't look down! Wait. . . There's no other way to look!!!

Okay, okay. Calm down. I can just slow myself down before I reach the ground. Opening my eyes once more I saw the ground was fast incoming. Panicking, I unleashed all my magic into a repelling gravitational force that shot me back up into the air. Then, coming back down, I landed as soft as a feather.

"Is that a kid?" a random bystander spoke.

"That boy just fell from the sky!" another one said.

"Are you alright, dear?" said a woman.

After that, I wasn't able to make out a single word as a mob of people gathered around me, all talking loudly among themselves. Looking up I noticed that the woman who captured me had leaped onto the roof of a building and then again down into the back alleys. Do they not want to be seen by the people? I thought.

Well in that case I'll just stay in this populated area until I find a way back home! Happily thinking that I had gotten away. The ground beneath my feet suddenly began moving with me atop it.

Realizing I was being dragged by some kind of force, I attempted to get away. Then immediately noticed that I was running in place as the ground adjusted to my pace.

Before I even tried to jump the earth beneath me disassembled and reshaped itself as easily as if it were clay. Coating my feet, locking me in place. . . Earth magic?

Seeing this, the crowd around me backed up and fell silent while watching me get dragged into a back alley. Their vision obstructed as a giant wall erupted from the ground separating me from the people.

"That was a pretty high drop you managed to land," I heard that same feminine voice speak. The ground beneath me turned, making my whole body spin around. Shifting my attention forward I noticed two people. One was the same woman that captured me earlier and the other was a man.

He's also a Marshal. I noted. This same duo served as guards at the Royal Banquet. "I take it you didn't use lightning," the woman continued. "You got any other magic hidden away?"

They know about my lightning? What else do they know about me? Looking closely at my surroundings I noticed several things I could use to my advantage. Like barrels and empty crates as well as several different objects. "Are you not going to talk?" she asked as both she and the man took one step after another, slowly making their way to me.

"Any other magic?" I spoke, visibly frightened as I felt my body shaking slightly. "Let's see. . ." concentrating my mana I raised my arm and used gravity to throw several objects at them with as much force as I could exert.

Unflinching and unfazed they both continued walking toward me at the same pace. The man outstretched his fist smashing the wooden compartment into pieces. While the woman raised her hand creating a thin wheel of water that cut the barrel directly in half

"telekinesis? Perhaps?" she questioned. "No. . . You seem to have some restrictions and are only able to push and pull, very interesting," she spoke, both of them now standing in front of me. "Well, whatever. We'll get out answers soon enough."

Following her words the man picked me up this time. His thick arms and brute strength send a message to my brain saying that I will not be able to escape him easily.

Just like that, both of them kicked off the ground and sprinted away. On the way, I had to close my eyes since they weren't able to keep up moving at high speeds as well as the fact that it would only make me feel dizzy if I tried.

Once I felt that we had come to a stop I reopened my eyes. Looking around I saw a familiar terrace. Isn't this the Royal Palace? Why would they bring me here?

Walking down the wide hall we entered a room that just looked like an ordinary office. "Do you have any idea why you're here?" the woman asked as the man sat me down on a seat.

"Let's see. . ." I began to say, thinking back to her words. "You brought up lightning magic and mentioned if I had any more 'hidden magic'. . . Then you brought me here to the castle and. . . Is this about Asia?" I asked as she was the only person that came to mind regarding this incident.

At my words, the woman smiled. "Very perceptive. And yes, it was Asia who bragged about you," should have known something like this would happen. "But before we ask any more questions we should introduce ourselves," she spoke, placing a hand on her chest. "My name is Dorothea Marrolquen. My close friends call me Dorothy while you can call me Marshal Marrolquen."

Having introduced herself, she turned her head toward the man next to her. "My name is Luther Luttersworth," the man said. "My friends call me Luther and you can call me. . .uh? Luther is fine."

Hearing his words, Dorothea let out an audible sigh before she continued speaking, "Anyway, we first heard of you when your father came to us proposing an interesting training theory bragging about how his son was a genius for proposing it.

"Having heard the idea, we took his words seriously and secretly ordered one of the many training sectors to undergo a different kind of training. That is, a no-mana regimen only meant to strengthen the body. And finally, the last portion of it is to train mana control so it can integrate well with the individual," she explained. "So far they're performing wonderfully."

They did all that? Wow, who knew just a simple piece of information I pulled out of my brain caused this change? I wonder what else I could do with all the information I hold of my previous life.

"And then we saw you at the Royal Banquet," she continued. "A mere boy who possessed an unnatural amount of mana. I thought it was a bit odd but chose not to question it. Then, just recently, we discovered Princess Asia's abnormal magical affinity for lightning. After questioning her, it led us back to you.

"We're not going to hurt you. We just want answers. Iradale is our home and is our duty to protect it. That includes raising as many powerful soldiers and to do that your knowledge is needed," she spoke.

That is certainly a lot of information to take in but what should I do? What can I do? It's not like I can defy them. They are unimaginably strong so I can't escape them. "Alright," I finally spoke. I never meant to keep my magic a secret anyway

-----

"I don't get it," Dorothea said, looking confused after hearing my explanation. "Do you?" she asked, turning to face her partner.

"Huh? I stopped listening once I sat the boy down," Luther admitted.

"Urgh!" Dorothea let out in turn as if this had happened many times in the past.

"I can tell you how it works but I can't make you understand," I told them as I watched their amusing behavior.

"Are you calling us stupid!?" Dorothea asked, looking a bit shocked. Before, she had a more reserved attitude and was going about this case professionally. But that character quickly fell when presented with something she couldn't make sense of. While that Luther guy is just standing there pretending like none of this matters.

"I didn't say that," I replied without any change in my expression. I was a bit nervous before but looking at them now. . . Their strength is the only thing to fear.

"Well! That's what you implied!" she exclaimed. Letting out a sigh, she calmed herself down and asked, "How did you even come up with all that magic nerdy talk?"

"Rude!" I pointed out. "But, to answer your question, It was raining and there was thunder so I thought, 'What if I could turn mana into lightning,' and so baam! It happened," I explained.

"So. . . You saw the thunder, and all of a sudden all this knowledge awakened in your brain?" she asked.

"Urgh," I grunted, a bit frustrated. "That doesn't matter. What's important here is that there are many prerequisites in place that limit the unlocking of lightning magic. You first have to possess high compatibility with wind magic as well as a high level of mana control to be able to tell apart the different charges of mana. And You have to start at a young age unless you're of a different race like yourself," I pointed out.

"So how was the princess able to do it?" she asks.

"As you heard me say, you have to have a high level of compatibility with wind and as for the princess, she happens to be extremely compatible. So she was able to achieve it easily, easier than me at least," I pointed out. "You could say that she is as close to being special born as one could be."

"Is that so?" was the only thing she said before going quiet. "Well, that's all we wanted," she spoke. "We wrote down your surprisingly difficult-to-understand explanation on this parchment and will soon be delivered to the king. . . Now, come with me I'll take you home."

After that, Luther headed who knows where while Dorothea led me toward the exit. "Oh yeah I forgot to ask," she spoke up as we walked through the halls. "How did you manage to survive such a high fall earlier?"

Looking up at her the only thing I said was, "Gravity magic," following my words I raised a finger and concentrated my mana until a few strands of her hair floated in the air.

"Urgh," she let out in defeat. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Anyway," I spoke again. "Did you have to bring me to the castle?" I questioned. "You could have just stepped inside my home and questioned me there."

"It was a mission of absolute secrecy, by order of the king," she replied. "Plus, I had a reason to bring you here."

"Well?" I asked, signaling for her to continue.

"There," she said, pointing to a girl who sat in the garden. Isn't that Asia? I thought while looking closely at the girl. Before I even got the chance to speak she pushed me forward. "Go talk to her."

"W-What-" as I was about to question her actions her body blurred out before disappearing completely.

"Uh? Arata! What are you doing here!?" turning my attention forward I saw Asia looking at me.

"That Marrolquen woman dragged me out here," I said. Then noticed her surprise was quickly overturned by uncertainty as her gaze drifted away from me. "Huh?" I let out, knowing something was off. "What's wrong,"

"Nothing is wrong," making her way toward me she avoided eye contact. "I'm fine," she said walking past me.

Quickly reaching out I grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Tell me what is wrong," I stressed, my voice heavy almost as an order.

". . . Why?" she spoke quietly, her voice soft but shaky. Is Asia having some kind of internal conflict? Is that why Dorothea brought me here? Perhaps she realized that it's something that only I can fix.

"I want to know what's bothering you."

"Why?" she repeated.

"Because I want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because. . ." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. What does she want? I thought as I watched her forcefully break free of my grip and continue to walk away. Hm. . . What is the one thing she is most insecure about? Something she lacks or rather lacked. ". . . Because we're friends," at my words she stopped and slowly turned around.

Without saying anything she walked close to me. Looking at her feet she grabbed my arm and dragged me to a stone bench where she sat. Then she tugged on my arm, signaling for me to sit as well.

Finally, she began to tell me about her earlier conversation with Arel. Through her face and speech, she conveyed a variety of emotions that I thought the always joyful Asia would never display.

She continued by saying that she's always felt a lingering feeling of sadness after her father's death and that Arel only made things worse. Then ended it by mentioning me.

According to her, playing with me made her forget about all her troubles, and she felt truly happy. But once I was gone it all came back. Hearing her words certainly made me feel special on the inside. I never viewed myself as any sort of a counselor but I'm glad I was able to help.

"He really told you that?" I spoke, thinking back to my encounter with him back at the Royal Banquet. Feeling a little angry as I remembered his words. At her nod, I continued speaking. "Just who does he think he is to determine what my feelings toward you are?"

"That's just how he is," Asia replied. "He always makes me feel sad about myself."

"If he makes you sad all the time then that's not a healthy relationship to maintain," I told her. "I'm not really in a position to tell you this but if I were you I'd let him go."

"Is that. . . Really necessary?" she asked. Does she really want to keep her friendship with him despite the way he treats her?

"Why do you want to keep seeing him if he only makes you sad?" I said.

"Well. . ." she began to say, awkwardly turning away. "I want to have many friends."

Are you kidding me!!! Forcefully washing down all my pest up emotions I continued to say, "He is not a good friend to you. Listen, I don't want you to be sad any longer. So even if I turn out to be your only friend you'll at least be happier."

Hearing my words she remained quiet for a moment before finally speaking again, "You know. . . I remember the first time I met him he was really nice. I wanted a friend and he offered to be just that. As time went on he changed. The person he used to be is simply not there anymore," she explained then looked at me with a determined expression. "You're right! If he wants to act all mean and cold to me then I'll do the same. Starting today he no longer is my friend."

At that, I showed her a smile. "Now you get it," I said in acknowledgment. Just then, I noticed the sun going down. Just how much time have I spent here? I thought as I stood up. "This might be a bad time to say this but I really need to go home."

"Do you have to?" she asked while pouting.

"Unfortunately, yes," I answered, a bit amused by her actions. "That Marrolquen woman just snatched me from my home without notifying my family. They're all probably worried about my absence."

"Miss Dorothy?" she questioned. "I can take you to her."

"Please do," I replied with a slight bow of my head.

Letting out a small giggle she then continued to lead me through the castle until we reached a door. Before knocking the door opened revealing Dorothea. "Have you kids sorted out your problems?" she asked.

Asia and I turned to look at each other for a second then back at her. Without saying a word we only nodded.

Leon's Perspective

It's been hours since Arata came into the room acting all weird. We decided to give him some space expecting him to come back and explain. Yet after waiting and waiting he never showed up.

Emma then grew worried and began to search but after all her searching she never found him. I then ordered all the guards and maids to join the search and it ultimately came down to the fact that he wasn't in the house.

"What do we do?" asked Creon. "Should we contact the national guard?"

Letting out a sigh I knew it was the only option we had. "Yes, I'll head there myself," I told him. It was a known fact that sending a letter took way too much time.

Just then, one of our personal house guards rushed into the room. "Sir Leon!" he exclaimed. "It's your son, he's come back," following his words was a short moment of silence before he spoke again, "He's in the front yard."

At that, we all rushed to the front door. And just like he said there he was. Arata was standing there looking a bit nervous alongside. . . Huh? Why is she here? I thought stiffening at the sight of a Marshal.

"Arata!" said Emma, running up to him and giving him a tight hug. "Where were you? We were so worried."

"About that. . ." spoke the Marshal in answer to Emma's question. "I just so happened to be patrolling the city when I came across dear Arata here," she said, turning to look at him. "I recognized him from the Royal Banquet and wondered what a boy of his status was doing wandering around. That's when he told me that he was sick of everything and decided to run away," she explained. "Ain't that right, Arata?"

"I am sick of everything. . . So I ran away," spoke Arata, adding more fuel to this clearly made-up story.

"Anyway, I thought I'd do the right thing and return your dear child," the Marshal continued, placing a hand on Arata's shoulder. While looking at him she added, "Now kid, I know how hard life can be when granted a perfect life but you shouldn't run away from your own home."

"R-Right," replied Arata, looking a bit anxious.

"Well, I should get going now," she continued. "Make sure to keep a closer eye on the kid, see ya," and just like that, she was gone.

Once she was gone Arata let out a breath of relief. While Emma looked upset. "Is what she said true?" she asked, pulling on his ear. "I thought you knew better than to do something like that."

"H-Hey, Emma," at my call her head snapped toward me which made me stiffen as I saw her angry face. "You know she was lying, right?"

". . . Uh. . ." hearing my words, her angry mother act dropped immediately. "Is that. . . True?" she asked, her tone softening as she looked back at Arata.

Without saying a word he only nodded. "Let's just go inside so he can explain himself," I said.

"Arata!" as we were about to head inside a pair of childlike voices took my attention. It was the kids. They were all pretty worried due to Arata's disappearance. They were all keeping each other company in one of the rooms, I guess word got to them that Arata came back.

After that, Arata told us everything. How the Marshal lured him out and kidnapped him. Taking him to the castle. The questioning and finally, his return.

"Wow, so basically this was all some big secret mission just to turn up empty-handed," Leon concluded.

"Yup, you're correct," I told him. "Even though I told them the steps to learning lightning magic they did not understand the explanation at all so it is unlikely that they'll implement it in any sort of training."

"Well, at the end of the day, I'm just glad you're alright."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go get some rest now, it's been quite a day," he said, letting out a tired sigh before walking away.