(Jacob, 16)

Jason has two past lives? He had one in a world without magic? He never mentioned this before, though I suppose I would have found out with the trip to negotiate with dragons, had I actually seen his Crystal Crest.

Why is he telling everyone this?

Jason explains to us that many of the inventions under Sageson Magical Technologies comes from those memories, that he and his papas and mamas work together to bring them to life to better our world.

As he talks, I look around, gauging reactions. Alex seems to have known this already, and the same goes for Niko. Everyone else, however, is clearly in shock over this and processing the news.

"Why are you telling us this?" Tiffany, one of the basic training group members, an A-Class third-year, asks.

"All will be revealed in time," Jason says. "But my mamas and papas felt it best to inform everyone here of this. There are a few others who are under investigation, should they meet the requirements as well. We were planning on informing everyone of this at a later time, but only because we wanted to do it as a group, with several days after. The opportunity arose now."

"We do have our reasons," Sage Samuel steps forward. "For informing all of you of this, we are just not revealing them right away."

"So you are the mysterious patent holder?" Kyra asks.

"Yes," Jason nods. "Some of the inventions created through these memories are put under my name, but most are a joint effort, usually involving Papa Jared and me. I am not the only mysterious patent holder, however."

"There is someone else?" I ask in surprise, and Jason gives me an amused look.

"Yes," he says. "There is someone else who has come up with some of the new inventions. We actually have someone at Sageson Magical Technologies who invented something of his own accord – no past life in a world without magic. They should be hitting the market this next week, in fact. For now, he has requested his identity remain anonymous. In addition to him, there is one other. He holds the patent for something relating to an invention you are aware of that Papa Jared and me have been working on, in addition to another patent for something that will be hitting the markets next week."

"In fact," Jason says. "You each have one."

We all look at each other uncertainly.

"Or rather," he gestures to Sage Samuel. "You will, because Papa Samuel forgot to put them in the rooms."

Sage Samuel chuckles as he opens up a spatial storage, then removes a crate, which he sets in front of them. The Sage opens it, and pulls out a small clock. I rarely see those, as they are more difficult for people to make. This clock is only around three inches tall and wide, and five inches long across the front.

The actual clock-face is on the left side of the front, with a series of runes along the right-hand side, including the numbers of one through twelve in one column and zero to fifty-nine in five columns, with a pair of runes beneath to relate to morning and afternoon. Above the numbers are 'clear' and 'set'.

"These are alarm clocks," Sage Samuel informs us. "You can set it to a time by pressing the corresponding numbers. First, you press 'set', then you touch the times you want, then tell it if it is morning or afternoon. After that, you press 'set' again. You have thirty seconds from the first set press, or it will leave the set mode."

He demonstrates as he explains, setting the clock for seven in the morning, exactly, and the related runes glow blue, only faintly. So do the runes for the corresponding time on the clockface itself, with the rune for morning on the clockface glowing as well. I did not notice the runes for morning and afternoon on there until then.

"If you wish to disable the alarm," Sage Samuel tells us. "Press 'clear' three times."

He does that, and the runes stop glowing.

"I am going to set this one," he sets it as he speaks, setting it on the table. "To go off in just a minute, so that you can all hear what it sounds like when it goes off. To turn off the alarm, you have to tap the top of it three times. Any less, and it will enter into a 'snooze' mode, which tells it to go off again in five minutes. This does not reset the alarm, meaning it will go off at that time every day until you disable the alarm."

The alarm goes off, and it is loud without being too obnoxious. He allows it to run for almost half of a minute before turning it off.

"It will run for one full minute," Sage Samuel tells us. "If you do not turn it off and let it run out, it will go off again after three minutes, for another full minute, and continue to do this until you turn it off."

"They run off of mana batteries," Jason tells us. "But by our estimates, it should be months before the battery needs replacing. To disable the glow, which shouldn't be enough to affect your sleep, tap 'clear' once, then slide your finger down the hours runes. The glow will return if you do that again, if you clear the setting, if you set or change the alarm's time, and if it goes off."

Sage Samuel demonstrates this as Jason explains, then the Sage addresses us.

"There are enough for all of you," he says. "So each of you, come up here, take one, and take it to your room. Set it for six in the morning, as that is when the first portion of the training will begin. We will stop when it is time to prepare for dinner, around four. There will be breaks for lunch and breakfast, naturally, with a break before lunch begins."

"The pre-breakfast training," Jason says. "Will be run by Papa Michael and Papa Samuel, and will be split into two groups rather than seven. As there are thirty-five of you, we are exempting one of you from this. Jeddy, that is you. We'll need your help in the kitchen for breakfast, or you can sleep in."

That is not fair, but I think Jason and the Sages are looking at the fact that Jeddy's body is younger and less-developed than ours, so the extra strain in the mornings would probably be too much for him.

"Okay!" Jeddy responds.

"As for the rest of the training sessions," Sage Samuel tells us. "You will be in the same groups as today. Each session will last around an hour and a half, and with the final break, the training finishes. You can run your festival activities after that."

"Be forewarned," Sage Elena steps forward. "Some of those here have a high sensitivity to the spirits. If they are affected by it too greatly here, we will lighten the load. We will also not tolerate any harassment or bullying of those who are sensitive to the spirits."

Sage Samuel calls for us to actually come up and take our alarm clocks now, so we each go up and accept ours. When I reach the front, I take mine and look at the Sage.

"How long did it take to make all of these?" I ask. "Does it not take several hours to make a single clock?"

"These ones only take around half of an hour each, after the pieces are made and enchanted," he tells me. "Alyssa made the wooden parts, Jared made the metal, I helped with different parts, and then we all built them."

"I see," I say. "Thank you, sir."

I take the clock to my room, then return to the dining room to mingle with those who return to it as well. Jason has vanished, and I inquire about that to Sage Alyssa.

"Sleeping," she answers. "Due to not sleeping last night, Jason is quite exhausted and decided to turn in early. No one would blame you or Lina for doing the same."

Acquiring some sleep now would be preferred, especially as I know we have a tough holiday weekend ahead of us, but etiquette dictates I stay up with the others here.

"I see," I say. "Since you are one of Jason's mamas, I take it you have known since his coming-of-age about his past life?"

I already know that she and the other Sages are aware Jason is one of the Magi, since Papa told me that when he revealed he knew I was one. He never mentioned that Jason had two past lives, though, but I am confident he was aware of it.

"We actually began to suspect it before then," she informs me. "Years before then."

She gives the room a sudden sly smile.

"Since Jason is sleeping," she calls out. "Who wants to hear stories of him from when he was little?"

(Alex, 16)

"Let me guess," I say to Sage Elena, who is looking at everyone leaving with an annoyed look. It's obvious it ain't aimed at us, which makes it obvious the source of her annoyance. "Jason's not here?"

"I checked his room," she tells me. "And he wasn't there. I checked the house in Varil City, our house, his house – he isn't anywhere."

"Was Aurum missing?" Niko asks.

"No," Sage Elena answers.

"Oh," Niko thinks for a moment, then nods slightly. "I believe I might know where Jason went. If you would give me a few minutes, I can fetch him for you."

Niko steps out of the hallway and into the dining room, then opens up a gate, a blue rectangle forming. Before any of us passing by to start our early-morning training can react to that, Niko has stepped through it, and the gate disappears only a second later.

"Since when can Niko use the gate spell?" Jacob asks.

"I'm not sure," I answer. "Either Jason taught him, or he figured it out on his own. I wonder if that happened before or after his magical power turned blue earlier this week."

"I am not sure," Jacob responds.

We wait as everyone else makes their way outside, already bundled up in their coats because it is freezing here. And I bet Jason wants to do another camp this winter, too. Just how cold does it get here?

At least we're warm inside. Unfortunately, I know the Sages will usher us outside once Niko and Jason return.

Several minutes pass before a violet gate appears, then Jason and Niko enter. Jason is wearing a pair of boots, pants, and a vest – his usual outfit, when not dressed in the university's robes. Other than that, though, his hair, necklace, and bracelets are wet, which seems odd.

"No coat?" I ask. "Jason! Ya'll catch a cold? Are ya insane? What-"

"I was using magic to keep me warm," he says, and I realize his face is flush and he's breathing just a little bit heavy, as if he were exerting a lot of energy. "Sorry, Mama Elena. I woke early, so I was doing something."

"Care to share what?" She raises an eyebrow that says he better answer.

"The final prep for my training sessions today," he tells her. "And testing something."

"And?" Niko looks at Jason.

"She doesn't need to know about that," Jason rolls his eyes., and Sage Elena gives him another raised eyebrow. "Nothing dangerous, I promise."

"Uh-huh," she says.

"No, seriously," Jason tells her. "I promise, I wasn't."

"And your hair is wet… why?" She asks.

"Hm?" He reaches up and feels his hair, then runs his fingers through it, quickly drying it with his magic. "What wetness?"

She leans forward and sniffs him.

"Were you swimming in the ocean?"

"Technically, I was walking," Jason tells her as he dries his necklace and bracelets. "Since I was on the ocean floor."

"Wait," I look at Niko. "If ya had to fetch him from the bottom of the ocean, how come ya ain't soaked?"

"I surrounded myself with an air bubble when I descended," Niko explains. "Jason only creates a filter around his mouth, nose, and eyes so that he can see and breathe without issue."

"Why were you in the ocean?" I ask Jason.

"Just investigating something," he answers. "Anyway, you three should head to the training, I need to help Mama Elena prepare for breakfast."

I sigh, knowing we won't get an answer out of him, then Jacob, Niko, and I head outside.

(Jason, 16)

"Why were you at the bottom of the ocean?" Mama Elena asks once everyone else has gone outside and we have made our way into the kitchen. "What were you investigating, Jason? And why?"

"I was looking for the Tomb of the King of Knowledge."

"At the bottom of the ocean?"

"The Magus of Mind," I explain. "Was the leviathan of the Magi."

"Alex?" She asks, and I give her a curious look. "Jason, we know Alex is a Magus. We also know he had a second past life as well."

She gives me a pointed look.

"We also know you paid Baron Amarxik a visit for Connor, not to meet the maker of your favorite toy zoo."

"You know?" I ask.

"We know the identities of several of the Magi," she tells me. "We know you, Niko, Jacob, Alex, Lina, Connor, and Tasha. The other five, we do not."

"I know who they are," I tell her. "What are we doing for breakfast?"

"Who are they?" She asks.

"Pancakes?" I ask.

"Who. Are. They?" The Mad Witch asks in a tone that says I better answer.

"Why do you want to know?"

"In case something happens," she tells me. "It would be best if we knew before everything went public and problems occurred who the Magi are. What if someone finds out and attacks them?"

I think it over, and decide that even though I would rather not, I will tell her. Just in case something does happen, even though this might accelerate that.

"Kyra and Kayla, from the training group."

"The lesbian couple who try to hide it, yet fail horribly?"

"Just as they did three thousand years ago," I shrug. "We all knew anyway. They are a lot more gossipy in this incarnation than they were three thousand years ago, but I suppose that comes with a changed culture."

"And the others?"

"Everyone so far has been couples," I hint.

"Hailey," she guesses. "Connor's betrothed."

"Correct," I nod.

"So we have a pair who aren't even in Varil," she says. "Then your entire advanced training group."

"That last part's coincidental," I tell her. "It wasn't planned or anything. As for the last two, they're Adam and Elise. And others can make it into the advanced training group, reincarnated Magi just have an inherent advantage in knowledge from a past life. Have you seen Alex fight? Not all of those moves come from this life."

"I see," she says. "Go take a shower, we've got time."

I nod, then head to the showers and wash the ocean off of me. After drying and dressing, I join her in the kitchen and ask what we're making for breakfast.

"We're making sparik toast," she answers.

Sparik toast, one of my favorite foods from when I was Lucas, and something developed here as well. Back on Earth, it's called 'french toast'. Here on Midlaris, it is often served with slices of strawberry and some syrup.

If someone has a gate, then they can ignore the time to transport stuff and directly acquire bananas to slice and top them with as well, and Papa Harold had Papa Samuel take him somewhere so he could buy a lot of bananas.

I'm somewhat curious as to the real reason for buying so many bananas. It seems excessive.

"Understood," I say. "Ratio?"

"A bunch of teens," Mama Elena says. "Will probably eat an average of three or four, so make four per person, including your papas and mamas here."

"That's forty people?" I ask, and she nods. "One hundred and sixty slices, then."

Mama Elena and I get to work slicing the bread, the first stage to it. We each make eighty slices, and I find out she made the bread last night, after I went to bed. Adam helped her, which doesn't surprise me. If there's baking going on in my life and it's not in one of my homes, Adam seems to be there. Jeddy helped, too, but is currently sleeping in.

With the bread sliced, we check the dishes and put them out so that they're ready when it's time, then we start cracking eggs. We need one for every two slices, so eighty eggs, plus an extra two eggs per person as another part of the meal, making another eighty eggs.

They're cracked into separate dishes. Four large bowls, twenty eggs each, to be scrambled closer to breakfast time, milk added just before cooking. Four shallow dishes, twenty eggs and five cups of milk each. Some vanilla extract and powdered cinnamon into each of the sparik toast dishes, then we whisk.

Mama Elena starts cooking as I slice bananas and wash and slice strawberries to top the sparik toast with, then I help cook. In addition to the sparik toast and scrambled eggs, we're also serving sausage links, and I man those and the scrambled eggs as Mama Elena mans the sparik toast.

We're just putting out the first batches of sparik toast and scrambled eggs as everyone comes inside, so I put out milk, orange juice, and water as well, in addition to syrup dishes for every table.

The Mad Witch has to shoo me out of the kitchen once everyone has their first serving so that I can eat with them rather than once everyone has finished. I grab a plate and fill it with food, then take a seat.

As we eat breakfast, Mama Elizabeth and Papa Jared show up, so that they can do the dishes from breakfast while the rest of us are occupied with training. It seems that in all our planning, we forgot about the person who would do that, and my Mamas and Papas ended up tasked with that last night.

When breakfast finishes, I head to the front of the room to make an announcement.

"Everyone," I speak loud enough for my voice to be heard, but not enough to be considered shouting. "While we can still sense spirits in the yard, it is not bad enough to hinder things. As such, Papa Michael's and Papa Samuel's groups will be outside. Mama Elena's lessons will be in here, Mama Alyssa's will be in Training Room 1, and my group will be in Training Room 2."

I'm kicking Papa Samuel out because I'm not going to stay outside nearly all day with the feel of the spirits around me. Checking my original place for training the group today was bad enough, I've never felt evil spirits in large numbers before.

Until today. And one of them was particularly malevolent, to the point that I was actually a little scared of it.

But it's made me realize something about the spirits, and what may be the possible reason why I can't feel any inside this building or either of my homes.

They can't enter a place they hadn't been in during life. Even though they were on this land, and possibly even a building that was once constructed here, they were never in these buildings. The wall surrounding the property affects this as well, though not as strongly. Not sure why it has an effect. I'm also not sure how accurate my theory on why these buildings do not have spirits in them during the festival is, but it is the best one I have right now.

Regardless of the reasons for the lack of presence of the spirits, I'm staying inside most of the day, rather than hanging out outside all day.

With the groups announced, I take my first group, which has Jacob, Elise, and five of the Marrans, to the training room I'll be using today.

"Candles again?" Jacob asks as I hand each of them one of the small wooden boxes I brought in here earlier.

"No," I pull out today's training instrument from one of them. "Balls."

Each ball is a two-inch, hollow wooden ball with gaps in it, creating a sort of wedged appearance.

Each box contains eight balls, each with four of its eight sections painted a color, alternating painted and polished. Two red balls, two blue, two brown, and two white.

"Correct me if I am wrong," Jacob says. "But it seems like a lot of effort went into constructing this building and preparing it just for your training group. After five years, it would be empty and unused, yes?"

"No," I say to the ancient tongue. "There are plans for this building and the training implements for when the training group is over. I won't go into details now, but the plans exist."

"I see," he says in Varilan Common.

"Let us begin," I have my students sit down.

Today's training exercise consists of attempting to hover four balls while spinning them in a different direction from the others. They are not required to do this one simultaneously from the start, so they all attempt it by first casting the spell on one ball, then on a second ball, and so on.

Memories of my punishment from yesterday remain fresh in their minds, so they do their best to succeed with all four balls. With an hour and a half devoted to this, I plan for a twenty-minute punishment session rather than a ten-minute one.

(Niko, 16)

"I saw you performing the running punishment," I sit beside Lina once she arrives in the dining room, collects her dinner, and sits. "How many did you manage?"

"Three," she answers.

"I succeeded in all four," I tell her. "So I do not know how bad it was."

"The cold was not bothersome," she tells me. "After a few laps around the building. The part which was most bothersome were the weighted vests he made us wear."

"Oh," I frown. "I do not understand, Lina. Why does he create an additional training for failing to complete the training? Would that not improve those who failed and not those who succeeded? Such exercises will build muscle."

"When all is said and done," she says. "Only those who repeatedly fail will have any form of advantage, and the punishments which Jason gives us will not give us a magical advantage, when it is magic that will make the biggest difference.

"The purpose of the punishments," she says. "Is to give us incentive to actually try, as well as to try harder. Since we know we sometimes have to think outside the norm, avoiding the punishments sometimes means looking at the task from several angles."

"I see," I tell her. "Thank you."

After a moment of thought, I switch to the ancient tongue.

"I think Jason or the Sages intend for this facility to be expanded upon," I tell her. "Possibly adding in several more rooms for instruction, including one for alchemy."

"Why do you think that?" She asks.

"The pumpkin patch can easily be converted into a garden space," I explain. "And if you look at the walls on the first floor, on the eastern side, there is plenty of space at the front, before you reach the training rooms and library, as well as between those and the dormitories, for doors to be added in to connect to a building attached to the side of this one.

"Then there is the permanence of the place," I continue. "The fact that they were obviously investing resources into it at least one or two months ago – likely as soon as Jason proposed the idea for the training group."

"So you believe," Lina says. "They are building this for Jason to use initially for his advanced training group and training camps, and then will convert it into some sort of training place after?"

"Yes," I answer. "It may even be that Jason himself will run it. As Nolan, he was a teacher and leader. It is also possible that they will rent the facility to your papa to use for his Royal Guard. This is an isolated land with plenty of space, and with all of the stuff Jason and I have been setting up, it is easy to understand that it was meant to be long-term."

"What stuff have you two been setting up?" She asks. "You and Jason have mentioned these 'projects' before."

"Training stuff," I answer. "I do not understand the purpose for most of them, and Jason would not answer when I ask, probably so that I could not share it by accident before he intends on their purpose becoming clear. I believe he has had his mamas and papas helping him a little as well."

Lina thinks it over, then nods.

"I can see that," she says. "We are receiving curious looks from those who do not know us that well."

I look at the others at the table, who are regular members of the training group – people who cannot understand the ancient tongue.

"We might as well be speaking Marran as far as they know," I tell her, and she laughs. I switch back into Varilan Common. My gasp of the language has improved decently since I began learning from Jason, though I still have a long way to go. "Let us return to your language, Lina."

"Okay!" She laughs. "Have you ever participated in the festivities before?"

"No," I answer. "I was always too overwhelmed by the spirits in the castle to try to participate. I have heard about them, though, and am looking forward to participating in them here. Whatever ones Jason and the Sages have chosen for us to participate in."

We eat our dinner making small talk, and I am grateful that I am able to eat with Lina. Arranging for a dinner with her, just the two of us or as a group with our friends, is not easy. I do find myself invited to the palace once every week or two, though, but that is mostly on a diplomatic thing, even though they know I hold no real diplomatic power for my people.

It is still courteous to invite visiting royalty over regularly so as to not seem as if they are ignored.

"Is the bonfire today or tomorrow?" I ask Lina.

"Tomorrow," she answers. "Though many people perform a bonfire both days before the second half, while others will perform it all four nights."

"This is Jason arranging things," Jacob says from the table behind us. "You can expect it to happen every night due to his excitement."

"I am not sure I can handle that," I admit.

"The presence of spirits lighten during the bonfire," Lina informs me. "We discovered that a few years ago."

"I see," I say. "Then I will attempt to endure it."

Not long after we finish eating, Jason announces the bonfire for tonight, so everyone makes their way outside. Lina and I sit beside each other, and I shiver a little at the presence of the spirits. There are not many, but I am still reminded of the torments of every year so far.

The castle truly is filled with them, and it disturbs me. Just feeling them now bothers me, and I almost panicked during the training because of the presence of the spirits. I barely managed to keep myself composed.

Sage Samuel lights the bonfire, and he tell the first spooky story. Rumor has it that the malevolent spirits believe the tales and are frightened by them, even if the tales themselves are created on the spot.

The Sage's tale is probably a good one, but I find myself focusing on the feel of the spirits and the way the light of the fire hits Lina's face. She is beautiful, and the fire gives her an odd appearance. I enjoy sitting beside her, on the occasions I am able to. Should I try to hold her hand? I know that some couples do that.

Something shifts with the spirits, and it is not until Sage Samuel finishes his first tale that I realize I was not the only one who noticed it. That is also when I realize that there is a particularly strong presence of a spirit here.

Thankfully, it does not feel malevolent. I am unsure how I would handle that, but likely not well.

When everyone finishes their stories, some of us make our way back inside, and I head to the showers to wash the smell of the smoke off. It seems the bonfire is all that will be done tonight due to how long it ran, but there will be actual activities before the fire tomorrow.

According to Alex, Jason hurried the bonfire by accident, and we were supposed to have an hour or two after dinner to do other activities.