Chapter Twenty-Two.

(Colt)

"Mom?" I say as I walk into the kitchen, and she looks at me, then frowns.

I feel a little scared, but then remember that I'm stronger now, and know the family's secret. I can also sense her Mana. I'd say that her Mana Talent is probably only a two.

"I thought that was you," she says. "Just where do you think you've been? You vanished on us nearly a year ago, you know."

Yeah. Still mean.

"I was kidnapped!" I tell her. "But I'm home, now!"

I mean, that's not a lie – Tyr did kidnap me, after all.

Tyler moves to next to her, and starts making faces at her, and it's hard to keep mine straight.

"How did you escape?" She asks.

"How?" I ask. "I made a friend. He's standing right in front of you."

"Hey!" Tyler looks at me.

"Sure, you did," she says. "We'll have a psychiatrist examine you, see if anything's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," I say. "Nothing at all, Mom. He's standing right in front of you, right, Tyler?"

"You're leaving the filter on, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I look at Tyler. "I am. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is my mom. Not sure where my dad or brothers are, but you'll probably get to see them soon enough."

"Hey, Mom," Daniel, my eldest brother, walks into the kitchen, then stares at me. "Is it me, or is Colt standing there, looking healthy, muscled, and not at all like the scrawny runt he was when he vanished."

"Yo."

"Did my ears deceive me," Daniel looks at Mom. "Or did he just talk to me like I was some common brat, like him?"

"Wow," Tyler says with a lot of emphasis on that first word. "Your family really is full of assholes. Your mom's a bitch, your brother's a dick, what's your father?"

"Distant, most of the time," I answer.

"He's also hallucinating," Mom tells Daniel.

"This is just too good," Tyler grins. "When are you going to lift it?"

"Later," I answer. "I'm having too much fun leaving you like that."

"Definitely hallucinating," Daniel says.

"Nah," I look at him. "He's really there. Say 'hi', Tyler."

"Hi, Tyler," Tyler says, and I giggle. "What? I said what you told me to!"

"I know!" I tell him. "I'm surprised I haven't gotten in trouble for talking around them yet. Mom usually beats me. Or lets Daniel beat me. He's got this really big stick-"

"I'm calling Dr. Michaels," Mom pulls out her phone and leaves the room.

"You know you aren't allowed in the kitchen," Daniel says. "I'll give you until the count of five to leave it. Do not speak to us again. You know the rules. Return to your room, and wait for Dr. Michaels to get here."

"But I'm hungry," I tell him. "Killing demons, Demon Generals, and Demon Lords is exhausting. I got to rest up, but didn't get to eat before Tyler and I had to go restore the mountain to health, and then got sent here.

"Oh," I say. "Grandpa said to tell you guys 'hi', but also that he's sorry he couldn't make it. He has to protect the mountain's crystal, until it wakes back up from its slumber, so it's probably going to be a few months."

"What the fuck?" Daniel asks in pure confusion, and I have to do my absolute best now to keep a straight face, especially with the ones Tyler's making again.

"So," I say. "I know I'm not allowed to really get my own food, but do you think I can? I'm really, really hungry."

"You had to return while we were currently without a housekeeper, didn't you?" He asks. Stay there, and I'll make you a sandwich."

"A sandwich?" Tyler asks as Daniel opens the fridge. "Just one? How big is it going to be? Wait – it's probably just going to be meat and bread, isn't it?"

Daniel grabs a pack of lunch meat, and lets the fridge swing closed as he turns his back to find the bread. I apparently don't have the boosts from the System anymore, because the next thing I know, Tyler's holding two different types of sliced cheese, two more packs of meat, and lettuce, onion, tomato, and a couple of bottles of condiments. He gives me a look that I think is asking if Daniel will see it, and I shake my head. He grins at me.

Daniel pulls out two slices of bread, places a single slice of the meat – turkey, it seems – on the bread, then puts them together and sets it on a plate, which he then hands to me.

"Thank you," I tell him. "I will eat this flimsy little thing that shouldn't even be called a sandwich, while you eat those monsters, right? Your usual torture?"

"What monsters?" He turns around, finding the stuff Tyler grabbed on the counter, along with four giant sandwiches packed with meet, veggies, and condiments. "What the fuck?"

"If I said that word," I tell Tyler. "I'd probably be smacked and sent to my room without food."

"I didn't make those sandwiches!" Daniel tells me.

"Well," I say. "Unless Tyler is able to move faster than a human should be able to, how else could they be there?"

"Tyler is a figment of your imagination."

"He's still on about that?" Mom reenters the room, then looks at the sandwiches. "Hungry, Daniel?"

"I didn't make those!"

"Either you did," I say. "Or Tyler's real, and able to move faster than humanly possible. I think he made them for me, Mom. It's been awhile since I ate. He made me this one to tide me over until he finished those massive ones, because he's feeling generous. I am much grateful to him for his kindness. I was too in shock at his generosity that I didn't even take a bite of this, and just stared at him from my shock."

"Don't make a mess when you eat," Mom orders me. "The doctor will be here soon."

"This is really fun," Tyler tells me. "This is way better than you telling them 'fuck you'!"

"I know, right?"

Mom leaves the kitchen, and Daniel gives me the sandwiches. His brain is overloaded too much for him to even realize he's being nice to me. He could've just eaten them, himself.

He even gets me a glass of water, when I ask. Tyler keeps moving stuff around when his back is turned, and it's confusing Daniel even more, and it's really, really funny to watch.

Especially when the sandwich stuff happens to put itself away when his back is turned. I 'helpfully' remind him that he did it, and he's starting to think he's going crazy.

As I wash my dishes, I feel Daniel's gaze on me, making sure I'm doing it right, and when I finish, he frowns. I'm drying my hands off when he speaks.

"You're using magic, aren't you?" He asks.

"Magic?" I ask him.

"Yes," he says. "Magic. You're using it, aren't you? That's how that stuff is moving – you're doing it."

"Pretty sure card tricks can't do that," I say. "You might want to go lie down for a nap. Thanks for being so nice to me, Daniel. It's been a long several months."

How long was I gone, again? I've kind of forgotten. I was having so much fun.

"Yeah," he mutters. "A nap. I'm going to go lie down. I'm probably just confused."

He leaves, and I look at Tyler, then grin.

We go to the living room and sit down on the couch, where Mom told me to wait for the doctor. He arrives about twenty minutes later, sitting in one of the chairs and staring at me.

"Welcome back, Colton," he's got magic. "You were kidnapped, and only just managed to get back. Whatever happened to you, it was a traumatizing event. I'd like to find out some of what happened, to see if we can work through your problems.

"To start," he says. "I hear you've formed an imaginary friend. Tyler, right?"

"He isn't imaginary," I say. "He's sitting right next to me."

"Is he?" He asks, then looks to my right. "Hello, Tyler."

"He's on my left," I say.

"My apologies," the doctor looks to my left. "Hello, Tyler. I didn't see you there."

"Well, that's because you can't see, clearly," Tyler says.

"He's sitting right here," I point at Tyler. "You can't see him?"

"I can't," the doctor says. "He's a figment of your imagination. Now, I'd like you to talk to me about Tyler. What does he look like? What's he wearing?"

"A light blue tunic," I answer. "A black belt around his waist, though he doesn't have a sword on it right now – that's in his spatial inventory. He's also wearing black shorts, and black boots."

"Interesting," the doctor says. "So he comes from a medieval time?"

"No," I answer. "Though some of their appearances can match it, there."

"There?" He asks. "The place you went to?"

"Yes," I nod. "It was another world."

"We'll talk about that in a few minutes," he says. "Can you describe him to me more? How old is he?"

"How old are you?" I ask Tyler.

"Twelve," he answers. "I think I'll be thirteen in a few months, though I kind of lost track of time. Guess I'll have to wait until we return to find out. Either it'll say I'm thirteen, or I can ask Father when my birthday. I've been having so much fun since I met you, I've completely lost track of time."

"Same here," I tell him, then look at the doctor. "He's twelve, though doesn't remember how long before his birthday. We lost track of time after meeting, because we've been having so much fun."

"Do you know how old you are?" He asks.

"Thirteen," I answer, and he writes something down in his notebook. "I don't know when my birthday is, in relation to now, though, for the same reason. I just know I'm thirteen, because of the System."

"The System?" He asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "It's a game system that Tyr put in place on the other world a couple hundred years ago. It doesn't exist here, but the benefits of it are still in place, here. I can move really, really fast, because my AGI is that high. My STR is even higher. The System tells you how old you are, when you're looking at your status screen."

"Interesting," he writes something down. "While in this other world, you were able to work out? I see that you've gained some muscle, while you've been gone, and lost your baby fat as well."

"Well, yeah," I say. "Of course I worked out – I want to be a knight. I am, now. I have the Class of Burning Knight. It's awesome."

"Burning Knight?" He writes that down. "We can get to that in a little bit. Can you describe Tyler some more? You said he's twelve?"

"Yes," I nod. "He's also short for his age, like me."

"Short, but compact!"

"Yeah," I grin at him. "We're definitely compact," I look back at the doctor. "He's got pure-white hair, and blue eyes. He's small, but muscled, just like me. We train against each other and compete with each other all the time. I'm currently winning for who's better."

"I'll beat you, someday!"

"You should've trained harder while I was dead," I tell him.

"While you were dead?" The doctor asks.

"I was dead for seven days," I nod.

"How did you come back to life?" He asks, and I lean forward, beckoning for him to lean in, as if to tell him a secret.

"Magic," I say with wonder in my voice, holding my hands up and moving them to the sides, as if stating something amazing.

"M-magic?" He asks.

"Yeah," I sit back against the couch. "It's a really powerful type of magic called Instinct Magic. The spell was Ashes of the Phoenix. I have to trigger it close to when I die – a minute per Level of the Skill. If I died before time was up, I'd turn to ash after dying, then be reborn."

"What if you didn't die?" He asks. "What then?"

"I'd lose five years off my life," I answer. "But gain some Mana and Aura to my pools as a trade. Not much, though – fifty isn't that much when you have nearly twelve hundred."

"YOU HAVE HOW MUCH?" Tyler yells in surprise.

"I told you I'm eating you!" I stick my tongue out at him. "Yours only feels like a little less than six hundred, so I'm still beating you. Grandpa taught me how to train magic really well, and increase my Mana Pool better, and same with Aura. He also taught me about purifying magic. He said that magic is pure when it's created, but becomes tainted while it's stored in our bodies, and we need to, essentially, purify the storage containers within us. The purer it is, the stronger the magic, and the less Mana and Aura you need to use spells and techniques. Once we return, I'll teach you how."

"Once you return?" The doctor looks shaken up, and I wonder how much of what I just said is already known here. "You think you'll be forced to return?"

"Well," I say. "If we don't find a way to go back on our own and do it, or Grandpa doesn't show up and send us back, then I'm pretty sure Tyr will storm this place and throw me back. Or we'll just suddenly find ourselves there, with a pouting god in front of him."

"A pouting god?"

"Tyr is quite the child," I nod.

"So Tyr," he says. "He's the man who kidnapped you?"

"He's a kid," I say. "But he's also a god. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well," I say. "There are the gods, then there are the Old Ones. The Old Ones are the gods of the gods, basically. They're older and more powerful, and the gods don't know where they come from, but they're gods, too. Then there's Tyr. Tyr is basically the Old One to the Old Ones.

"So basically," I say. "If gods were mortals, then the Old Ones would be gods to them. If the Old ones were mortals, Tyr would be a god to them. In essence. Though I think Tyr would technically count as an Old One to the Old Ones, if the Old Ones were mortals."

"I'll need to review what we've talked about so far," he puts his notebook in his briefcase, then stands up. "And speak with your mother. I'll be back to see you in a few days."

The doctor leaves the room, and I strain my ears to listen to him talking with Mom in the foyer.

"He's created a well-crafted fantasy," Dr. Michaels tells her. "He believes it to be true, completely and entirely. Tyler is likely to be a boy he met there and got close to, but was killed in front of him in a brutal way. The hallucination is his way of coping with Tyler's death – he can't accept that Tyler died. The fact that he gives Tyler white hair tells me they were probably put under a lot of stress and put into a lot of pain, and the other boy had Marie Antoinette syndrome."

"What is he, stupid?" Tyler asks, and I do my best not to giggle.

"He's even incorporated video games into this fantasy world of his," Dr. Michaels continues. "It's possible that games rooted him down, and as a result, have played into a huge factor of how his fantasy was shaped. There's one concerning thing, though."

"What's that?" Mom asks.

"He knows about magic," the doctor responds. "I don't think he can fully accept it, though. He mentioned a few things about magic and aura that hit too close to truth. Whoever kidnapped him, they used magic on the boys, and possibly aura, too. It's possible that they were experimenting on them."

"So he knows magic?" Mom asks. "I couldn't sense a trace of it."

"Nor could I," the doctor says. "There's more. Nathaniel was there."

"He mentioned him?"

"He said it was your father-in-law who taught him those things," the doctor says. "I think that Nathaniel may have freed him, and, based on what Daniel said before I talked with Colton, sacrificed himself to send Colt back here."

"Anything else?" Mother asks.

"Two more that are important," he nods. "He mentioned that he was dead for a week. It's possible that he was in a coma while he was there. I did a scan of his mind," I didn't sense that at all, and wonder what kind of magic it was, and how he concealed it from me. I still have so much to learn. "And there was no magic stored in there, so his mind's his own.

"The other thing," he adds. "Was that he mentioned that the person who kidnapped him was above gods. Odds are, he's hiding that he's scared of whoever this magician was. He's hiding it really, really well, Valerie – that was the only indicator of it. Whoever this person is, he's a powerful magician, and was powerful enough that your father-in-law couldn't come back with Colton."

"What do you recommend?"

"I'm going to look over the notes," he says. "And see if there's anything I can do now. I'll come back in a few days to talk with him some more, find out more about this fantasy he's created, to see what else he's shielding himself from.

"I know you have issues with him," he says. "You and your husband, because he's a constant reminder that your husband slept with another woman during your marriage, but I'd suggest taking it easy on him. He's fragile right now," Tyler snorts. "And added pressure could break him entirely. That would cause more problems than it's worth."

"Very well," Mom sounds irritated.

"You know I never approved of it," the doctor says. "This isn't me saying it simply because of that. He went through such a traumatizing experience that he created an entire fantasy world to shield himself from it. He can't even accept the death of someone he knew. For him, it's best if routine went back to normal. Don't exclude him like you normally do, but don't let him see magic, not until I tell you it's safe to.

"In addition," he says. "After my next session with him, I may deem him safe to attend school. Don't home school him like you do the others – routine is best, and that includes how he learned."

"Routine is best," Mom says. "Which means-"

"No," the doctor says. "It does not mean you continue to neglect him. Feed him at the table, the same food all of you eat. Don't restrict him, don't punish him, and most importantly, show him love and care, like you do your other boys. He'll need it, to recover. Continuing to treat him the way you have been will break him entirely. If that happens, not only will he be taken away from you, but your abuse and neglect will be reported to the authorities, and you'll lose all of your children. You and your husband. And he isn't a bad kid – he was very, very depressed before he was kidnapped. You do realize that he nearly committed suicide, right?"

"What?" Mom asks.

"I won't say more on that," the doctor says. "But he admitted it to me, in a session before that happened. He's not the same kid he was back then, and he is a good kid. Give him a chance, and you'll see that. He has a higher potential for magic than any of you."

"Why do you think that?" Mom asks.

"Probably because I'm the one who tests it for all of you?" He asks. "I tested it on him, when he was younger. The highest out of any of you was a three. Your father-in-law is a four. Colton sits at a solid five. His potential for magic is even greater than that of the most powerful magician in the world – who, by the way, knew I was checking him. He's the only person to ever detect it when I do that. Colton was four when I tested him, and he sensed it. He didn't know what it was, but he did."

There's silence for several seconds, and Tyler and I look at each other. I have a higher Magic talent than Grandpa does. That means that I'll eventually become more powerful than even him.

The doctor leaves, and a couple of minutes later, Mom comes back into the room and looks at me. She shifts uncomfortably, something I've only ever seen her do under Grandpa's gaze. She doesn't know how to be nice to me, nor what to say.

"Does she always stare at you like this?" Tyler asks, and I snort, looking at him. "What? It's like she doesn't know what to do."

"She probably doesn't," I grin at him, then look at Mom. "I'm really tired, so I'm heading up to my room to sleep. It's night here, anyway."

I get off the couch and tell Tyler to come with me, and he follows me up to my room.

"You can sleep on the bed," I tell him, stretching. "I'm going to leave the perception field up around you while we sleep, in case someone comes in here."

"Alright," he grins at me. "But you don't have to get out of your bed, I can sleep on the floor."

"You're my guest," I say. "You take the bed."