It was the night after Theo and Ed returned from the dungeon. It was almost midnight and the air was freezing cold. Ed opened the front gate of his house and walked through the front yard. Though calling it mansion would be a more appropriate term. Two guards stood in front of the gate. They should have greeted and opened the gate for him, but he told them not to.

He slid his hand and rubbed the bushes and flowers as he passed them. The different kind of flower, their color, their shape, their growth, it always fascinated him. The gardener did an amazing job at keeping the garden beautiful, and he loved it. He would love to help them take care of the garden if not for his father forbidding him.

He opened the great door of his family mansion. It was heavy and he should have asked the guards to help him, but if he couldn't even move the door, what would happen once he leaves his home?

"Welcome back young master!" A butler and six maids lined up on the side of the entrance. They bowed their heads and spoke in unison.

Ed sighed. There should only be a butler and two maids inside the mansion since it was not that huge. The increase in number made him remember that his whole family was in the city. His small adventure had made him forget. "I'm home." He said with a dispirited voice.

"Young master, your father is waiting on the upper floor. If you want anything after speaking with your father, please tell me now. I will prepare it for you." Said the butler. His white hair and face full of wrinkles clearly showed his age

"It's fine Barnie. I don't want anything right now. Thank you." He replied with a smile.

"My pleasure young master." Ed sighed again after hearing Barnie spoke in a very strict and formal fashion. Ed regarded Barnie as a grandfather figure and they were very close. They spoke in a casual manner when there was only him in the mansion. It depressed him.

He walked towards the stair at the end of the hall. He swore that he could hear his heart beating when he reached the top of the staircase. A long table with twelve chairs was the first thing he saw as he reached the second floor. Sitting on a chair on the opposite end was another old man.

He has an air of undeniable gravitas. An air of authority that made it hard for Ed to breathe. The old man wasn't that huge, but he was imposing. Even as he sat quietly, it seemed like a giant was staring at Ed from his position. He was Lord Edward Lion, Ed's father, one of the great lords of Amaryn kingdom, and the owner of the mansion he was currently in.

A tankard was on his right hand. It was a rather simple looking tankard, unfitting of a man of his status. From the way he drank the liquid inside, one would think that it was alcohol, but Ed knew his father better. He hated any form of alcohol as it 'robs him of his mind'. It was most likely a juice or a milk that he drank.

"Sit." It was a quick and precise command. Ed's sat on the nearest chairs. It was only then that Ed realized that there was a paper in front of his father. His father picked it up. His gaze wandered on the paper for a second, then he put it down again. "Disgraceful."

His word stabbed Ed's heart like a sword of ice. It was a cold and harsh word, but can't be truer. He had no love for the knight education he got, but it was still an education given to him. At the very least, he must not disappoint his father. To which he failed, miserably.

Lord Edward stood up from his chair. The sound of his footsteps coming near Ed was unbearable. Ed wanted to run away, but before he realized it, Lord Edward put the paper in front of him. "Your brother is the best graduate in the academy's history. Your second brother, the best of his generation. And you, what are you?"

Ed didn't dare take a look at his father's face. Still, he could feel the icy cold stare of his. "The third Son of Edward Lion is, the worst graduate! In the entirety of the history of Aeston Knight Academy!"

Ed wanted to interject his father by saying that he wasn't the worst graduate. The title belongs to Theo technically. But everyone knew that the only reason Theo got the last place was because he was a commoner inside a nobility-only Academy. "Anything to say?" Lord Edward asked.

He shook his head. "N-no. Father."

"So how do you explain this... Numbers?!" Lord Edward slammed his hand on the paper. Lord Edward sat next to Ed. This made Ed drop his head looking down, for he didn't want to see his father's face. "Let me tell you what your instructor said. And I quote, 'Edmund is a brilliant child with his mind, not so much so with his body.' See the problem?"

"Y-yes father."

"Have you been training every day?"

"Ye-No, father." He almost lied. One thing his father hated more than a failure was a liar. He almost dug his own grave, deeper.

"And what have you been spending your times with, Hmmm?"

"I-"

"Spending time with your friends, the Gladium boy? Hoping to become 'adventurer' like him? NO! You are Edmund Lion, the third son of mine! I won't let you be some nobody adventurer. You will be a proper knight! You will serve the country like I did in my youth! Then you will return to the East Port and be the Lord there after my passing! You will marry a nice noble girl and have a good family! Are we clear?"

Ed didn't move nor did he answer.

"You will stop meeting with that Gladium boy from now on. He has been a bad influence on you. A man whore-"

"Father!!" Ed stood from his seat and slammed his hand. Lord Edward raised his brows. It was the first time Ed spoke against his father. "T-Theo is a good man! A-And a very skilled warrior, better even than brother! I didn't spend my time with him. I-I spent my time in the library, reading books and learning magic." Ed sat back again. "I-I'm sorry father."

"Books and magics. What are you, trying to be a scholar?" Ed shook his head. "Then what are you trying to be, hmm?"

"I-I want to be a mage father."

"A mage?" His father chuckled. "Amaryn is a kingdom of knight and warrior. Even the court mages, those who possess Class 3 or Class 4 magic talent, are only a symbol and are not appreciated. I will not let you be a joke like them!"

"I will not be a joke. Theo said I have a Class 5 magic talent."

Lord Edward raised his brows once more. He laughed out loud. He abruptly stopped and showed an angry expression. "Preposterous! You think you can fool me?!"

"I-It's tru-"

"Are you taking me for a fool son?!" Lord Edward stood up. "There have only been 20 Class 5 Mages in the whole history of the continent. Only twenty! One only appears every 500 years. Are you saying that despite the existence of another Class 5 Mage in Lethrand right now, another one appears right here in front of me, in the form of a disappointment, that is my third son?!"

"Fa-fath-"

"I don't want to hear this joke any longer! There will be no more discussion! No more arguing! You will do what I told you to do and you will not be a disgrace to the family any longer!!"

Lord Edward left the room, leaving Ed alone. His body was trembling and his eyes teary.

Disappointment. Disappointment. Disappointment. Since he was a child, he was always a disappointment to his father. Weak, small, fragile, childlike. No matter how hard he trained his body, it was never meant for physical activities. No matter how hard he trained his muscle it never grew big. No matter how hard he tried to grow taller or to grow like a man, he couldn't.

"Brother?" A voice came from behind him. It was a voice of an angel, one that always made him happy no matter what his condition was. He wiped the tears from his eyes and turned toward the sound. There was a head, her body not visible to him due to the stairs.

"Elie." He said with a wavering voice. His little sister. Her long wavy hair was blue like him and their mother. Her cheek red and plump. She was a cute little girl.

'Oh right,' Ed thought. He massaged his forehead. She was no longer his cute little sister. She was 18 now and was a beautiful and attractive woman, ready to be shipped to the house of some other noble son for marriage. She was a tall woman, to Ed at least. She was actually normal if compared to girls of her age. The little girl that Ed used to pat her head all the time has grown into someone who could pat his head without looking awkward.

Elie sat next to him on the table. "What happened, brother?" She asked full of concern.

"No, it's nothing, Elie. I just have some argument with father." He smiled to reduce her worry. "You know, earlier today I go with Theo to a dungeon. It was so cool."

Elie's eyes sparkled. A sparkle that Ed knew well. "Ohh! How is big brother Theo doing?"

'God dammit Theo! I won't let you get your dirty hand on my little sister!' He thought after hearing her sister request.

He told him about everything that had happened in the last few days, especially about Theo. Elie was infatuated with Theo, just like many other girls. Her calling Theo big brother while having a feeling for him made Ed cringed a little bit.

----

Ed woke up just after the sun rose from the horizon. He had trained himself to wake up early for the past few months. He had a promise with Theo to go to the cathedral to check his talents, but he has to get out from his own house before his father wake up, or he wouldn't be able to.

He went to the bathroom without making any sound. There were five bathrooms in the house. Each was quite large on its own and was designed to look good. Inside were a sink, a tub, and a shower. Just like the lamp outside, the bathroom furniture was magical. The sink, the tub, and the shower each could produce up to 50 liters of water every day. Some were hot water.

Since the day he learned about magic, he had wondered, would the water it magically produces vanished and dissipated one day, or would it last forever? If it vanished one day, when? What would happen if it vanishes when it was inside someone's body? And if they did last forever, what long term effect would they have on the world? Something like that would have an effect on the world's cycle of water.

Ed dismissed his shower thought. While it might be a nice subject for him to research one day, it was hardly the right time to think about something like that. After he finished his quick shower, he returned to his room and wore a casual shirt he bought using the money he earned. While the quality couldn't be compared to the clothes his parent bought him, using something he bought using his hard earned money gave him a strange sense of pride.

He looked around before opening the front door to make sure that no one saw him. So far it seemed no one had caught him, not his family, not the servants.

"Where are you going?"

The question sent shivers down Ed's body. His excited face replaced by a scared expression. It was his father. 'What is he doing, waking up so early in the morning?' Ed thought, questioning his father's behavior. His father was a great lord of a great noble house. He could sleep all day and no one would complain.

"I'm going with Theo to the cathedral to meet with old man Thoros. I want to prove it to you! That I have a Class 5 magic talent."

"Go," Lord Edward said promptly.

'What?' Ed almost said it out loud.

"I don't want to see your face here." His father continued. "Go. Before I changed my mind."

Ed opened the door and closed it without looking back at his father. "Thank you, Father."