*THUMP*

I quickly opened my eyes, rubbing my head. 'Where am I?' Blinking, I stood up from the floor, whispering. "Did I really just fall off my bed? I'm too old for this..."

My mother yelled. "Wrrrryn, are you alright!?" I could hear her voice before she even opened the door to the room.

As soon as the door opened, my mother pounced onto me, causing me to fall onto the bed. My mother cried while my father stood nearby with a dolorous expression.

Bombarded with my mother's kisses, she gripped me, hugging me. Trying to move my body, I looked around. "Where are we?"

"Fech, more specifically province three," my father replied.

I lifted my eyebrow, trying to escape my mother's grips. "Are we visiting the Goodes?"

Interrupting me, a man coughed. "This specimen is the key to the limitless possibilities for our nation, so try not to kill him with your hug."

My mother let go of me, standing up, allowing me to view the man. My eyes dropped in fear when I saw him. He was the man next to my parents when they were trapped.

His presence reminded me. 'What happened to the professor?'

My damn dream made my memories disoriented. Why the hell was I even thinking about those days?

I shook my head, standing up. "Who are you, and where did the professor go!"

The man rubbed his eyes, breathing in from his nose. Letting out a deep breath, he opened his eyes. "My name is Alren... Alren Walker. I'm under the authority of HEADMASTER Vafaren. Don't ever refer to Headmaster Vafaren as a Professor. Not only is he the Headmaster for the famous Academy of Fech, but he was also once a Commander." Before I could even speak, Alren continued. "You will be under my authority until the Headmaster situates his dilemmas. I will be performing various tests on you, but before we do, dinner is a must."

Everyone followed Alren, descending the stairs. Darting the extravagant house, I muttered. "Where are we?"

"Fech, more specifically province three.." my father whispered.

Gazing at my father, I rolled my eyes. "Why are we in this building?"

My father and mother looked at each other, but my father shook his head, answering. "This is our new home."

I tilted my head. "New home!!!?"

Alren kept moving towards the kitchen while my parents remained still for a few seconds, quickly following. At times like such, I wished I was a benevolent child. Something else was amid, I could tell from my parent's behaviors.

We entered the kitchen, and to my surprise: there was food already placed on the table. The steam emitted off the food, making it look so desirable, forcing me to lick my lips.

Many maids surrounded the area, one of the maids boasting. "Tonight's lunch is a marvelous soup inspired by the people of Vrakor."

I was the first to sit, then everyone else followed, gazing at the soup. The soup oozed out an aroma that made me desire to gulp the whole dish in one go.

But before I could initiate upon my foolish desire, Alren announced. "Eat up, Radcliffes! We have a long journey ahead of us, and today shall mark the start of it all." Alren raised a glass of what I thought was alcohol, following him, so did my parents. "Cheers!"

My parents hesitated but swung up their glasses filled with alcohol and proceeded to drink.

Ignoring them, I drank the soup. The savory soup made my taste buds desire more, making the experience even more blissful. One could only hope to experience such a thing once in a lifetime. I was the first to finish my meal, but soon, the rest consumed their meals.

One of the maids asked. "Would anyone fancy tea?"

Alren lifted his hand, raising three fingers while my mother and father remained silent.

The awkward silence ensued in the room for a long-lasting five minutes. The maid delivered one of the teacups to Alren. But as she was about to give him the other cups, he pointed towards my parents.

The maid dipped her head and apologized, frantically handing out the cups to my parents.

Alren sipped his tea, as did my parents, but suddenly, Alren smiled. "Wryn Radcliffe, are you prepared to give up everything for this life?"

'What the hell is this man talking about?' I furrowed my brows, looking at him.

Alren set his cup down. "If you want to maintain this luxurious life, then you have to consent to the Headmaster." He brought out a scroll from his pocket and unrolled it. "All you have to do is place your hand on this magic scroll, and once you do, you will be able to maintain this new life."

My father gulped all his tea, purposely electing to not look towards me. On the other hand, my mother assured me. "You don't have to do this, Wryn. Yes, we may have this new home if you do, but we can always go back to our old one. Don't do this if you don't want to."

Ignoring my mother, I asked. "What will I be signing up for?"

"You'll be signing up for experimentations, of course, all non-life-threatening. The bonuses that come from this job: a new house, occupation for your father, connections to the academy, and much more. The choice is yours: do you want a better life?"

Did I want a better life?

Why could I not help but be reminded of my old life? It even reminded me of my current life with that psychotic idiot Hedwer. Not everything was as good as it appeared. If anything, my previous self and current self-taught me that.

But it appeared like the other times I didn't have a choice.

I stood up and walked towards the scroll, placing my hand on the scroll, and after around ten seconds, I let go of the scroll. The scroll copied my handprint, closing on itself.

I needed to accept the offering and keep moving forward. Nodding my head and closing my eyes, I gaped at the man. "I consent."

"Well then, shall we commence," Alren stood up.

I nodded in approval, waiting for him to move.

My parents likewise stood up, but Alren infringed. "You folk must not worry, just get comfortable in your new home. Additionally, Mr.Radcliffe, you should prepare for your new job."

Trying not to create a commotion, my parents agreed, heading to their bedroom. After I said my goodnights to them, Alren and I walked towards the basement.

After several stairs, there stood two passages, one leading to a storage area, and the other was a vast room. The vast room was lit by the same orbs that the Headmaster used in our impromptu fight. The room consisted of grass and walls made out of stone. Some parts of the walls had writing inscribed on them.

We both entered the enormous room. Alren placed his palm on the wall, causing the once open passage to close.

Alren put both his hands into his pockets. "Wryn Ruhtra Radcliffe, you are a test subject. One who could produce a revolutionary change." He gazed down at me, holding his eyes wide open. "If you have accepted this new life, then you'll need to learn the basics of magic." He cleared his throat. "Place your hand in the air and imagine a substance entering. This substance can be anything, but the most important aspect is to make sure that you concentrate."

Closing my eyes, I placed my hand in the air, imagining water flow through my hand. Opening my right eye, I questioned. "Nothing happened?"

"No, something indeed has transpired, but I wonder why you can't perceive it," Alren clicked his tongue. "Concentrate on your eyes, and imagine the substance entering them."

I concentrated, clenching my eyes, to the point where they felt like they were about to explode. Letting out a sigh, I opened my eyes, again nothing happened.

I looked around, noticing a similar surrounding. Clicking my tongue, I stomped my foot onto the ground.

A buzz sound reverberated the area, coming from my legs and arms, lightning-like material forming around them. I recognized the feeling, a feeling so recognizable yet so outlandish. A perception that I couldn't quite fully understand. I experienced it when I was with the Headmaster, and essentially, it felt like I obtained an extra limb.

Yet, the same aura that oozed out of myself and the Headmaster back when we fought wasn't prevalent, I could almost feel a thick fog grazing me, and now it was nonexistent.

I sought. "Alren, why can't I sense the-"

Without any warning, Alren kicked me down to the floor, as his foot glossed my mouth as I spoke. My tongue licked a part of his shoe, and unfortunately, there was nothing that I could do but brace for impact. My face compressed against the floor while my eyes began to close. My face crashed onto the grass as I swallowed several pieces of grass and a plentiful amount of dirt.

Spitting out the grass and dirt, I clenched my fist in anger, but before I could even express my displeasure, Alren interjected. "Shut up and just do as I say." He began shaking his head ever so slightly. "The fact that you can even perform magic is a miracle. If you believe you can function as a natural mage, then you're foolish. Well, at least not yet..." He added, shaking his head. "The Headmaster injected magic into you, well, technically, he injected magic into you. Mages have circuits that allow for magic flow, and they connect to a magic core. So, he basically manipulated magic into your baren magic circuits, allowing your magic core to operate adequately."

I remained speechless, gawking at the man. "How could the Pro-" I shook my head. "...Headmaster draw magic into his system so easily?"

Alren created eye contact, confessing. "Us natural mages readily attract magic into our systems. Now that being said, natural mages likewise have to learn how to pull magic. Even if we can extract magic naturally, we still need more to accomplish the medium to complex magic or even when our magic resorts are low." He began rubbing his scalp out of frustration. "In all honesty, the Headmaster told me to refrain from teaching you."

Staring at the man, I grew a perplexed expression.

Alren comforted me. "For now, just say you stumbled into this room..." Alren scratched his head, awaiting a reply.

"Why would the Headmaster not want me to learn magic?"

Alren murmured. "That old head firmly believes magic is inadequate without proper combat training. You have nearly no knowledge in both areas, which is quite the predicament. For now, I'll deal with the Headmaster. Meanwhile, you should try to activate your magic circuits that control your perception."

I nodded, but the sudden news still left me quite shocked. There was a lot that I didn't know, and being left clueless wasn't the most ideal situation.

Alren marched towards the entrance, placing his hand on the wall, causing the door to open. Raising his right hand in the air as a gesture, he dismissed himself. "I'll come back around midnight."

There was no clock in the vicinity, so with no conception of time, I could only do one thing, wait. I couldn't help but be outraged as I paced around the area, trying to calm myself down.

While walking, I glanced at my legs and hands, and they still had some sort of material forming around them. While pacing back and forth, I questioned myself. 'Why can I create a lightning-like material, but I still can't feel the same sensation I did with the Headmaster.'

I reckoned the aura that oozed out of the Headmaster was essentially magic. Hence, my perception of magic was dysfunctional. Which would confirm why Alren would suggest concentrating on my eyes.

Around two hours passed, and I still couldn't perceive the same feeling. I kept on trying the method of imagining a substance entering my eyes, but it simply didn't work.

Out of frustration, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was about to bang both of my hands onto the floor, but I realized an idea.

What if I punched myself with the lightning-like material encompassing me. I struck myself near my right cheek, a couple of inches away from my right eye.

All I was left with was a bruise...

In an attempt to calm my mind, I sat down. 'What kind of person reveals a mysterious room, tells you information, and then proceeds to say they weren't allowed to do such a thing.'

Why would Alren even bother?

Jolting up, I rubbed my chin. 'What if Alren did teach me information?'

He talked about magic circuits and a magic core. He also added information about the Headmaster doing something to my baren magic-circuits. It was reasonable to think my circuits affected me, so what if I manipulated the magic already in me towards the baren magic circuits?

I could manifest this lightning-like material around me because of the technique Alren taught me, but what if I did that and then relocated the magic towards my barren areas?

That idea arose another problem: how should I distinguish what circuits were barren? I was baffled yet again, and even if I understood Alren's new information, how should I visualize my magic circuits and core?

After a plentiful amount of time, I concluded: my magic core was like my heart, and my circuits are like my veins, but instead, they push magic through them.

Alren never specified what a core does, but I assumed it was valuable with the flow of magic. At least, I hoped so for my own sanity.

Now that I had a clear visualization, I needed to combine it with Alren's method and somehow move the magic towards the barren circuits.

There was no way to distinguish between baren-circuits and circuits filled with magic. Therefore, I planned on testing my luck by approximating areas where the circuits could transpire around my eyes.

I sat down and began visualizing a material entering just like Alren taught me. I pretended to act like the magic entering my system, and theoretically, I was now the magic. I moved across an imaginary magic circuit towards the barren area near my perception.

I opened my eyes, and to no surprise, it didn't work.

I aggressively scratched my head as I reflected on the failure. After a few minutes, I realized a crucial addition to my plan: an area that I could save time. Alren's teaching wasn't always required because magic was already in my system. Still, that time-saver only worked until the lightning-like material remained, and once it deteriorated, then his teachings were required.

Imagining myself as a magic particle, I moved across my theoretical system and reached the barren circuit. But again, to no avail.

I tried the theory repeatedly, but it was no good. Grinding my teeth, I gripped my head and let out an angered sigh.

I thought to myself: what if I just replicated what the Headmaster did? I knew it couldn't be that simple because why did Alren not do it to me or even tell me how to.

But maybe, the technique wasn't difficult. If I remembered correctly, all the Headmaster did was trick the magic into me, so how hard could it be?

When I punched myself with lighting, it didn't work. But that made sense.

I nodded my head, rubbing my fingers. 'Forcing magic into an area was a bad idea, but what if I added finesse, then maybe!'

I closed my eyes, placing my hand under my eyelid. I neared it, touching my skin.

*ZAP*

"Fuck," I muttered, startled from the surprise. Instead of magic entering near my eyes, I was welcomed with some sort of shock.

As much as I wanted to perceive magic, I rather not kilk myself, so I stopped trying that method.

Biting my lip, I clenched my eyes shut as the blood dripped down my chin. Pacing my breaths, I realized that I needed to calm down.

I knew I couldn't get anything done in an enraged-induced state.

As the blood dripped down my chin, I licked it, thinking about another idea. I wiped my chin with my shirt. 'If I pumped blood into my lip, eventually it would be packed tight. It's similar to filling a balloon with water, so once the balloon is filled, all the insides of the balloon are technically wet. What if I just filled myself with magic to the degree that the magic hit every part of my body. Theoretically, the magic was bound to hit the barren circuits.'

Noticing my lighting faded, I initiated Alren's technique, but this time I didn't stop when I detected lightning-like material form around me.

Falling to my knees and immensely sweating, I kept on pushing through. I perceived magic all around me: on the walls, on me, and even in the atmosphere. Though, the moment was short-lived, as I began shivering and threw up.

Sprawling around in pain, I gasped for air, but I couldn't breathe. I needed to stop extracting the magic, or I'd die.

I banged my fists onto the floor, a plentiful amount of magic oozed out, allowing me to gain control over myself. I quickly stopped the magic by thinking about a barrier, preventing any more magic from entering.

The once vibrant orangish material that I could observe started to diminish. Standing up, I ran towards the orange sphere, trying to grab it. "No! Please stop, don't go away!"

The once vibrant color had disappeared. All I had left to witness was the sorrow of my tears befalling my face.

I sighed in defeat and laid down on the floor. The magic that I once could perceive was temporary...

The only method I had left was my first one. Sitting criss-cross, I initiated the process again. I entered another theoretical circuit, shooting myself towards the barren area. Of course, to no avail.

I stared at the floor. 'Imagining myself as magic was inefficient and probably wrong in every aspect.' I needed to try something different, and perhaps using Alren's technique while also incorporating some of my past ideas was the answer.

Rubbing my chin, I created a plan. 'Alren's technique can be my initiator. Then, I'd shoot magic into myself, guiding it using my first technique, but instead of only shooting one theoretical magic particle, I'd rapid-fire.'

My balloon technique inspired rapid fire. Since the more I added, the greater the chance of contact. I'd know if I contacted a barren area once I began detecting magic. And when I detect magic, I'd stream more magic into that area.

I began firing magic into my system, guiding the magic in different directions. I directed the magic towards another route, nothing... I quickly moved the other magic particle I shot, again nothing. I kept missing the barren areas even with the rapid additions of magic.

My face grew flustered, so I began biting my cracked lip, continuing to find the barren area. Unexpectedly, the magic hurt me every time it was missed. Every miss reminded me of a failure, the pain etching throughout my body.

Clenching my eyes closed, I crazily began repeating every failure. "Another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss, another miss."

Hours passed by, and all I could remember was the pain. My plan was flawless, so why the hell was it not working? I gripped my fists as my nails cut into my palms, blood oozing out.

I clenched my teeth, closing my eyes harder. Sporadically yelling, my words were rushed and slurred. "Another miss, another miss, anotherrrr missssss, anothar mizz, aalother mizs, anoter mis, aothar misz, ather mizz, anher mi, analother mizs, aher smis, her ms, nter mss, anoher ms, aother mizs, aaanooother misssazs, anotarrrr mi, anot misz..."