In the academy courtyard, just before the class bell rang, Lyra and Rota noticed that the bench where Kael usually sat was empty. Kael hadn't attended classes for the past two days.Lyra looked around uneasily and turned to Rota:
"He didn't show up again. It's been two days, Rota, and no one has seen Kael. I wonder if something happened to him? He'd usually let us know—this isn't like him at all."
Rota sighed as he looked at Kael's empty seat:
"I don't know, Lyra. He seemed pretty distracted after the last class. A voice inside me says he's out there pushing his limits again, doing some magic practice somewhere. Kael just can't sit still!"
Just then, Kael appeared in the hallway leading to the classrooms, looking slightly worn out from the journey. As soon as Lyra saw him, she rushed over to him.
"Kael! Where have you been for the past two days? Lyra's voice was both angry and worried.
Rota followed behind and grabbed Kael's arm:
"Dude, you've been MIA for two days! We didn't even hear you leave the academy—where did you go and disappear like that? You've literally killed us with curiosity!"
Seeing his friends' genuine concern, Kael swallowed hard. He couldn't possibly mention his guild duties or the trouble he'd gotten himself into, so he told a more plausible lie.
"I'm sorry.... I left you in the dark. I just had some important family matters that took a few days to resolve; I needed special permission from the academy administration to handle them. Things happened so suddenly that I couldn't tell anyone."
"You realize that, right? We're friends after all—you could've at least let us know."
"I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Well... we thought something had happened to you. At least you're here safe and sound."
By the time Rota and Lyra's anxious encounter had ended, everyone had taken their seats.Mr. Roven was entering the classroom for the Basic Magic and Control class. As soon as Roven entered the classroom, he dove straight into the topic:
"I assume you all know that control is the most important thing in magic. To explain this better, let me demonstrate with an example."
Roven created two fire-type magic rings, one on his right and one on his left. The rings were simply floating in the air. He formed a small fireball with his hand and flung it into the ring on his left. The fireball bounced from the ring on his left to the one on his right and then back to the left ring.
"As you can see, I'm using a basic magic control exercise by continuously sending the fireball back and forth between the two magic rings. Now let's double that."
Roven transformed the two magic rings into four and sent the fireball back again. The fireball kept bouncing back and forth in a specific order between the four rings.
"Here, I'm controlling both the magic rings and the fireball I created. If I leave one of the magic rings empty..."
When Roven closed one of the magic rings, the fireball headed toward the gap after the third ring and went out.
"You'll start with two rings. What I want from you is..."
Teacher Roven stepped forward and created 20 magic rings around him. The rings floated in the air, circling Roven. Roven stood right in the center of the rings. The students watched Roven in astonishment. Roven created five fireballs with his hand and sent them toward the first ring. The moment the fireballs struck the first ring, they began bouncing between the other 20 rings within seconds. The fireballs were bouncing so fast that the teacher wasn't even visible inside the rings. Roven was inside a cage of fire, yet not a single spark touched him. As the fireballs continued to bounce between the rings, Roven continued explaining to the students:
"There are tons of fireballs flying around me, but not a single one is touching me. Why do you think that is? Because I'm controlling every single ring. I instantly sense where the fireballs need to bounce, their speeds, and their angles, ensuring they pass right by me."
The students were having a hard time grasping what Teacher Roven was explaining. Kael, however, was watching Teacher Roven with wide eyes.
Lyra: "Kael, what's going on here? Is Teacher Roven expecting us to control magic like this? That's impossible—I can barely control even one. Mr. Roven is a total beast!"
Rota: "For the first time, I agree with Lyra—this is absolute madness. Controlling 20 rings at once is way beyond our level."
When Roven heard the anxious murmurings in the classroom, he smiled slightly and snapped his fingers, making the rings disappear.
"Listen to me; this might seem very complicated or impossible to you, but don't worry—I'm not expecting you to control 20 rings right away. At first, I struggled to control even two rings, just like you; rest assured, it's not as impossible as you think—it's just a matter of time and focus."
As the pressure on the class eased slightly, Kael seemed lost in deep thought:
"Master Pyros had told me how important spell control is. I spent the entire year mastering firebolts, but what Teacher Roven just demonstrated is on a whole different level. Mr. Zephyros was right—the academy can really teach me some serious magic."
The academy was about to enter the mid-term break. While the students staying in the dorm were packing their things and getting ready to return to their families, Kael mustered the courage to go over to Lyra.
"Lyra, if you're free, I wanted to ask you something."
Lyra was taken aback; Kael was usually the type to keep to himself, so it was unusual for him to come out of the blue and ask her for something. Kael hesitated for a moment, as if afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"You mentioned that your family is skilled in fire magic. I was wondering... could I learn a few things from you?"
Lyra froze in shock. She still couldn't believe Kael was asking her for something.
"I wish I could help you with fire magic, but I'm two rings below you. You're much better at fire magic than I am, Kael."
Lyra thought for a moment, and a sparkle appeared in her eyes
"Wait a minute! Why don't you come with me, Kael? I can introduce you to my family. My dad is an 8-ring fire mage; maybe he can teach you something. What do you say?"
Lyra couldn't stay still with excitement as she made this offer. Kael, however, felt embarrassed by this persistent offer.
"Oh, thank you, Lyra, but I don't want to cause trouble for your family. Your father must be an important person; he might not want to be bothered with this."
"Don't be silly! My father is one of the kindest men you'll ever meet; he'll definitely help you."
Kael couldn't refuse Lyra's persistent and enthusiastic offer.
"Alright then, I'll stay with you for a while."
Lyra was so thrilled that Kael had accepted her offer that she jumped up and clapped her hands together.
Kael and Zephyros set off for Vaelmon's magnificent mansion. When he entered the mansion and saw his mother, Nerya, standing before him, he froze; he hadn't expected to see her at his grandfather's house. The moment Nerya saw her son, her surprise gave way to deep longing, and she immediately rushed toward Kael and embraced him tightly.
Then his grandmother, Elowen, came storming in, exclaiming, "My grandson has arrived!" and showered Kael with kisses. Vaelmon, meanwhile, stood in the corner, watching them with a solemn expression and nodding in greeting. When Kael finally made his way into the living room and sat down in his chair, he saw the loving curiosity in his family's eyes.
"Mom, by the way, there's something I need to tell you."
"What's wrong, Kael? Is there a problem?"
"No, it's not that. The mid-term break is coming up; I'm thinking of visiting my friend Lyra as a guest. I wanted to ask your permission for that."
His family was taken aback when they heard Kael's proposal.
"Did you say Lyra, Kael? Who is she?"
"Lyra is my classmate. She's the daughter of the Solfyre family. Since her father is an 8-ring fire mage, I thought I might learn something from him."
Zephyros asked, unable to hide his surprise:
"Did you say Solfyre?"
"Yes, do you know Lyra's father?"
"Ah yes, Galm Solfyre. I know him."
Vaelmon: "Did you say Galm? You're in for a rough time, Kael; I know that grumpy old man too."
"Wait a minute, a grumpy old man?"
Kael thought back to what Lyra had told him: "Didn't she say her father was a polite man? I guess trusting Lyra was my mistake. It's too late now."
Zephyros: "He's the royal mage of the Northern Kingdom, Kael. Everyone in the kingdom knows the Solfyre family. Is the education at the Academy not enough for you? Why did you make such a decision?"
"It's not like that—actually, I just feel like I'm stuck in place. The Academy has taught me a lot; please don't misunderstand. I just feel like something's missing."
Nerya interrupted anxiously: "Kael, you can't just up and go to the Northern Kingdom like that!"
Zephyros: "I might have forgotten to mention this, but Kael is a D-rank adventurer registered with the Adventurers' Guild. With his guild card, he can enter the Northern Kingdom without any trouble."
Everyone was shocked when Zephyros said this.
The astonishment on Nerya's face quickly gave way to sharp anger. After taking a step toward Kael and looking at him with concern, she turned to Zephyros.
"What have you done, Zephyros?!" Nerya's voice was filled with anger.
"He's just a child! Did you really register him as an adventurer and throw him into the midst of danger?!"
Zephyros had anticipated that Nerya would explode like this and tried to defend himself in some way.
"Nerya, calm down. You know Kael's abilities; he can protect himself..."
"Can he protect himself?" Nerya cut Zephyros off, pointing at Kael with her hand.
"Is raising him to be a dangerous adventurer your solution? Now you're going to send him off alone to the Northern Kingdom?"
"Is that what you call responsibility? Why didn't you warn him earlier, or why didn't you come to me for advice?
Seeing his mother so shaken, Kael felt guilty. He quickly stepped between his mother and Zephyros and took her hand.
"I asked for this, Mom. Uncle Zephyros just saw my potential and gave me a chance. I'm old enough to make my own decisions—please calm down."
Nerya: "Kael, you always leave me worried!"
Vaelmon placed his hand on Nerya's shoulder: "Kael might actually be right. Galm's fire magic is unique; maybe it'll really help Kael and help him improve."
Nerya: "Dad!"
Vaelmon: "All right, all right, I'm just thinking of Kael's best interests. Don't get so upset."
Kael had managed to soften the tension within his family with his own determination and somehow convinced his mother. The idea of going to the Northern Kingdom now seemed certain.