It was just after dinner time when the four siblings finally saw Gabriel walking out of the vault and towards them with a bright smile on his face. As they watched him inquisitively they picked up on subtle but distinct changes in his entire demeanor. Gone was the ice in his ash grey eyes, replaced by something much more… intense… the only term they could think of to describe that piercing sensation they each got from those eyes of his. With his hair growing longer than the short buzzcut it had been in, it now touched his tailbone as it hung loosely in an almost feral style. While these changes were different they were not entirely unexpected given that each of the siblings had a profound impression of Gabriel’s father Marcel and the extent of his prowess.

“Thank you uncles and auntie.” Gabriel greeted his uncles and aunt with cordiality that seemed somewhat unnatural for almost anyone else. But for him this was something they had already grown used to.

Ever since he first began to speak, no one had truly been allowed into his heart regardless of what they did to endear themselves to him. Cruel or heartless it may be it was how the boy coped with the loss of his parents. Shutting off his heart in the hopes to not feel anything at all, to save himself from the pain that ate away at him.

“Well kiddo what did your pops leave for you?” Crass as always Derrick disregarded everything to ask what the siblings really wanted to know. The thoughts on Gabriel’s ‘change’ were almost completely forgotten.

“To be honest uncle I myself am not too sure. Besides feeling different and having troubles controlling my body, I don’t recall being ‘given’ anything.” Slowly and somewhat confused Gabriel explained what happened when he entered the chest space, “After that warmth left me, I sat down proceeded to meditate till all the ambient mana was gone. That’s when the space started to collapse and I returned to the vault.”

Gregory spoke up after thinking about it for a couple seconds, “Maybe it wasn’t something you were given per say but shown. I myself also follow Mana Arts like your father, and I have heard of many theories relating to conveying emotion through spells. Never has anyone proven it or done too in depth of study relating to it, but if anyone would it definitely had to be Marcel.”

“Seems like my father is truly quite the character to do something like that,” Gabriel smiled a genuine smile as he thought of the effort his father must have put into making a spell just to tell him that he loves his son. “Though it feels odd that I am having difficulties with my body seeing as I just got checked up by grandmother…”

Derrick and Gregory shared a knowing look as they came to the conclusion that Anika or ELijah must have won the bet.

“Well we can just have you checked out again. It comes as a benefit to living with a Medical Saint like mother haha!” Anika cheered as she shot a sideways glance towards Elijah.

Back in the infirmary, a place that Gabriel was becoming more and more familiar with as the day went on, Elijah and the rest of siblings were unceremoniously thrown out before Gwenyth began her check up.

“Sheesh you know I’d almost say that mom cares more for the pipsqueak then us…” Derrick’s deep voice grumbled as he rubbed his sore tailbone. Yet before he could even continue that sentence he was smashed in the face with a small fireball courtesy of Anika. Followed up with two punches from both Gregory and Elijah as they all stared daggers at their dense as rock brother.

Some things were really better left unsaid. Especially when their mother was still suffering from the pain of Marcel having to live a life on the run because of the August’s apparent weakness.

While the hallway outside the infirmary soon descended into chaos as Derrick suffered a humiliating beat down from his elder siblings, inside the medical room was filled with a palpable amount of tension.

“You know they both love you right?”

“Of course I do grandma, if what uncle Gregory said is true then that is even more so after feeling exactly what that space held for me!” Exclaimed Gabriel in a rare bout of emotion.

“While I won’t question anything else seeing as you understand that, there are somethings that I can tell you with just a look at you.” Gwenyth explained gently “you should know that your mother is not a human like the rest of us and yourself by default is not entirely human either. This created a few issues during your time in utero.”

“You know that medicine isn’t my speciality Grandma haha, just tell me the important stuff.”

“Alright, alright, alright. Anyways your parents dealt with any issue relating to your maternal bloodline by sealing and pacifying it. Little Lily, your mother, comes from a very powerful clan of beings that live on the other side of the world. Before you ask, I am not telling you what kind of race they are, all you have to know is it is a double-edged sword to be related to them.”

Gabriel nodded mutely as he took in the information one sentence at a time and processed everything into his compartmentalised brain.

“While you get some amazing increases related to your physical quality it also dampens your mana related gifts. That race passively uses mana to make themselves stronger than even the oldest of draconians can however it is at the cost of being able to use mana externally. So your little spell from this morning? Not happening again if what should happen does, now that that bloodline has been activated.”

“So I no longer have a chance at following father’s path as an arcanist?” Questioned Gabriel intensely.

“Child you really don’t but you should retain your exceptional control of mana, albeit internally.” Dispirited and forlorn Gabriel grudgingly continued to listen to his grandmother. “Maybe following the path of the arcane warriors of old is an option though finding a teacher will be difficult if not impossible even with our connections.”

As this world shaking conversation happened, on the opposite side of the residence the rest of the young generation of the August family gathered. Yuyan sat with her brothers on either side of her, Frederick on the right and Wutian on her left. Before the trio stood Amellia who was quietly discussing something with her cousins.

“I told you everything I know so tell me where you all will stand…”