Noise. Disruption. Clamor.

It was the sound of the alarm blaring through the speakers. Stretching his body, Demund yawned—

“Can’t be up late on our first day, can we?” the speakers yelled. “You have five minutes to get dressed and be out in the yard!”

He looked at the time through the watch he’d been given. It was seven sharp. Compared to the time he usually woke up, that was thirty minutes later. Well, the time he woke up didn’t matter since he always felt refreshed after sleeping.

Across the walls, Demund thought that he heard someone scream in agony. But ignoring the sound, he quickly put his clothes on and donned his shoes before going out of the room. His leg, much to his surprise, could stay on while he slept or showered like a real leg, so he’d kept it on. Besides, he’d have to experience that slithering penetration again if he took it off which had been uncomfortable. First night with his new leg—and honestly, it hadn’t felt out of place.

Kenna was already in the yard wearing a tanktop and a red hat with an emblem on it. In her hand was a whistle, and she smiled when she saw him.

“Good morning,” Demund greeted, standing in front of her.

“Are you ready to run?” she asked cheerfully. “A healthy body makes a healthy mind.”

“Ah, yeah.”

He heard someone groan loudly behind him. Turning around, he saw Laveny emerge from the building in similar clothes, rubbing her eyes. Her hair looked like it had gone through a thunderstorm.

“I thought we were resting this week,” she complained, trudging over.

“Come on, tomorrow is the weekend. Since Demund is here with us now, shouldn’t we show him how to live a hero’s life? Put some strength into those legs.”

“Why couldn’t we start next week?” Laveny sighed. “It’s only one day.”

“Things like that add up. Physically, it might not make much of a difference, but it can affect your mind,” Kenna told them. “Alright, everyone is here! Demund, please tell me if your leg is uncomfortable.”

“I made it perfectly comfortable,” someone muttered in a small voice.

“I’m feeling great,” Demund answered. “So, will we run now?”

“That’s the spirit!”

It wasn’t much of a run as it was a jog. And since they ran together at the same speed, it was Laveny who set the pace, making it that much easier for Demund. Feeling the cool sea breeze on his face, running through the vibrant grass, Demund wholly felt that he was now at the Preliminary Islands, experiencing a life that Jothan might have lived.

It was truly like a vacation. Developing his powers, exercising, and self-studying? It was the life he’d dreamed about.

“Why does it feel like we’re running faster,” Laveny huffed while wiping her face with her shoulder. “I wish I had a bionic leg too.”

“It’s all in your head,” Kenna stated. “Now—to the beat of the whistle!”

Synchronized running. He hadn’t done that in a while, and the environment then had been much harsher. Though his body was worse than that of his other self, for some reason he felt lighter and more energetic, wanting to smile as he ran. That, and the small girl next to him looked so irritated it was humorous. Her long hair flew all over the place with each step.

The run ended in ten minutes. They had run laps around the grassy field until the alarm had gone off. While they practiced steadying their breaths, a small robot emerged out of the building, carrying with it three glasses and a bottle of drink. Seeing it, Laveny rushed to it, immediately pouring herself a cup.

“What did I say about drinks other than water?” Kenna said, placing her hands on her hips.

“It’s healthy,” Laveny answered. “No sugar. Just vitamins and minerals.”

Despite her saying that, the drink was sweet on Demund’s tongue. Kenna raised an eyebrow after taking a sip, but by then, the small girl had escaped into the building. She shook her head with a small sigh, placing the drink down. The robot made a small beeping noise that sounded a little sad.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, turning to Demund. “Is it too difficult?”

“I quite like it,” Demund replied, emptying his cup. “I expected it to be harder.”

“Starting from next week, you can run as much as you like. I won’t always be here to supervise, but most of the time, I’ll be taking care of you.”

She put out a hand. “We didn’t introduce ourselves, properly, no? I’m Kenna.”

“Demund,” Demund said, taking the hand. Her grip was firmer than it looked. “So what do we do now? Yesterday was a little abrupt.”

Deion had taken him around the building, showing him the different facilities as well as his room where he’d unpacked all of the items he’d been given. After that, they’d gone over the formalities and paperwork as well as a brief health checkup, followed by dinner. It was a meeting with Laveny after that where he was thoroughly informed about the properties of his leg, including information that he honestly didn’t have to know. But the girl was an avid talker when she wanted to be. She’d kicked him out of her room, and he’d spent the rest of the night walking around the building again, trying to memorize and recall the things he’d been told. A lonely night in an empty building. There were many rooms like the one he had been given, but he hadn’t seen anyone besides the three.

“That’s what we’ll plan after breakfast,” Kenna told him. “You see, as we’re dealing with powers, it’s hard to put everyone in the same routine. Laveny takes lessons through her computer. Yours is unique as it is flexible, so computer lessons won’t do it.”

“How much do you know about my power?”

“Not that much. Your medical records say that it’s a D-class ability that lets you have vivid dreams. But you can learn from those dreams, can’t you? So, it would have a subclass of learning or replication. We’ll explore your limits together.”

“I see. Will you be helping me?”

“Of course. I’ll be your teacher as much as you’ll be mine. Let’s do our best, shall we? For a safer and happier future for all of us.”

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

They were sweaty, so he took a quick shower before going to the dining room where something was sizzling in the kitchen. Laveny had already arrived. He sat down a few seats apart from her. She was looking through her tablet lazily, chin on the table.

Demund realized that it was Deion who was cooking. It was surreal to see the former MMA Club president cooking for him while he sat inside of the Islands with a genius girl next to him, surrounded by the sea. Almost like a dream. He wondered if he was dreaming, but everything was real.

“Come on, you’ll be seeing each other for quite a while,” Kenna said cheerfully, entering the room with a towel around her neck. “Take this opportunity to get to know each other.”

Laveny didn’t reply. Demund didn’t know how to reply. Did he have to say hi?

Luckily for him, Kenna sat down between them with a grin. “What a stale atmosphere. While Deion gets breakfast ready, shall we play a short game?”

Demund nodded. Laveny put away her tablet and leaned back on her chair.

“Good!”

She took out a deck of cards from her pocket, placing it on the table. After Demund repositioned himself so that he would be facing the two, she allocated the cards while she explained the rules.

“We’ll start off with Old Maid,” she stated. “After that, any suggestions?”

“Find the pair,” Laveny said.

“Sounds good.”

With just the three of them, the first game ended fairly quickly with Demund and Laveny as the final contestants. She was quite bad at putting on a poker face. That alongside his marker on the Joker, there was no way he could lose.

Why had he done it? He wasn’t sure. There was no need to get so serious in a simple card game. But he hadn’t wanted to lose, and he’d emerged victorious. Laveny looked quite upset.

“It’s all luck!” she complained while shuffling the cards. “It won’t be the same for this game.”

“I’ll let you two play this one,” Kenna chuckled, clearly amused. “A word of advice, Demund. Laveny doesn’t forget what she has seen. I always lose to her. But you can choose the next game.”

“Hmph.”

All 54 cards were placed on the table, including the Jokers. The rules were simple: the two cards that were the same color and number were a pair (except the Jokers which were a pair). There would be 27 pairs in total and the person with the most pairs would win. If you found a pair, you could go again until you incorrectly paired two cards.

The game began with Laveny flipping over two random cards. Demund instead flipped over the first two. No pairs. She flipped over two new ones. Demund did the same. On her third flip, she immediately found a pair without hesitation, taking it from the cards he’d flipped before. He was unsuccessful on his third try, and on her fourth, she found another pair.

By the time their food had arrived, she’d found eighteen pairs while he’d found nine. Laveny put away the cards with a satisfied look.

“You did better than I expected,” Kenna told him with a hint of surprise. “I usually only get three or four.”

“I’m confident in memorizing,” Demund told her. “But it feels like there’s also some luck involved.” Truthfully, with the continuous pairing rule, the person who got lucky picking the cards would win.

“It’s called probability,” Laveny said proudly. “You did alright. No one can beat me except Deion.”

Demund felt his eyebrows twitch. “Oh, really? Let’s have a rematch.”

“After breakfast,” Deion said, giving them their plates. “Now, who’s turn is it to share?”

“Kenna,” Laveny said confidently.

“It’s you,” she rebutted. “Come on, don’t be shy because Demund is here.”

“I’m not shy.”

“Go on then.”

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, holding her hands together in slight annoyance. She looked at her plate of food.

Deion put his hands together as well. “Laveny. It’s rude to look at something else while speaking.”

With a sigh, she raised her eyes. “I hope for more sweets. I hope that Deion makes us more food, and I hope that nothing bad happens in the world.”

“A little broad, but okay,” Deion nodded, turning to Demund. “We like to share three things that we envision before starting the day. The first is personal, the second is for this place, and the third is for the world. It helps us remember what we believe is important.”

“I guess I’ll have to share sometime later too.”

“Yes, when it’s your turn. Don’t think too hard about it. Just say what comes to mind, like Laveny here.”

Laveny smiled broadly. “Can we eat now?”

“Yes, yes, dig in.”

Demund could understand why Laveny appreciated Deion’s cooking so much. He would have believed it if it was from a fancy restaurant where celebrities went to dine. It was the finest thing he’d tasted—disregarding his other self. There, he ate meals fit for a king, so the impact was not as significant. There was also the body factor. Shaden’s tastebuds were keener than Demund’s.

But it was still delicious.

He volunteered to do the dishes, but Deion brushed it off, saying that the machines would do the work. Cleaning, washing, and housework—all of these things, the machines could do. And they’d all been programmed by Laveny.

“I made most of the things you see around here,” she said proudly as a robot took away her empty plate. “And I’m still a kid.”

“Can you make a cooking robot?” Demund asked.

Though he hadn’t meant any harm from what he’d said, the girl seemed to take offense at that, giving him a glare and leaving her chair to scurry out of the room.

Demund scratched his cheek “Did I say something I wasn’t supposed to? Do her cooking robots explode?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Kenna chuckled. “You don’t understand a maiden’s heart.”

“There’s magic in cooking,” Deion coughed. “A feeling of warmth. Robots can be convenient, but food made by robots doesn’t feel the same.”

“It also keeps him here longer,” Kenna sighed. “You promised to visit more often. Look how upset Laveny was.”

Deion closed his eyes. “I know. But there are more important things.”

He opened his eyes, looking at Demund directly. “I won’t be here for long. Before I go, I want to tell you exactly what you have to do.”

So it began. “I’m ready,” he said, mentally preparing himself. Would it be training? Being thrown into the ocean? Using his magic until he fainted?

“It’s very similar to what you were doing before,” Deion said. “You can learn new…spells from your dream, correct? We will give you a list of things you’ll have to learn, see what your limit is. Then, you’ll transfer what you’ve learned to your students.

“Students?”

“Like Kenna here,” Deion said. “She’s less of a student and more of a supervisor, but she’ll learn from you. Laveny will also be included. There may be more.”

As simple as it sounded, something felt off to Demund. “So I’ll be a tool of sorts,” he concluded. “This is the Islands, after all. You’ll be creating powers through me.”

“Don’t put it so negatively,” Deion told him. “Depending on your ability, you won’t be a tool, but a comrade to many heroes. I saw potential in you, Demund. I saw a hero working behind the scenes, providing other heroes with tools they need in the form of magic.”

“A hero? Me?”

“Yes. You’ll be the hero of heroes. On the other hand, you could create mass chaos with your power, giving abilities to those who will harm others with it. What do you want, Demund?”

Demund blinked. A hero of heroes. Working in the shadows to make the world a better place. Something welled up inside of him when he thought about it. He wouldn’t be a mere cripple with magic tricks. He could become someone sought after by everyone. If he could replicate powers—the possibilities would be endless.

Well, the last thought was likely impossible given how complex powers felt, but in the distant future, when he learned more about magic and mana, wouldn’t the impossible come within his reach?

“I—I always wanted to be a hero,” he said. “Everything about this is so surreal. Can I really become a hero?”

“You won’t be in the spotlight. It would be too dangerous. Even your club videos can pose a problem. But yes, you can be a hero working with other heroes.”

“And if I fail?”

“You’ve already succeeded,” Deion said. “That is why you were brought here.”

Demund looked at his hands—and gripped them.

“Does it come with a scholarship?”

“Everything will be paid for,” Deion promised.

“You said that I would be a hero.”

Demund looked up. “I want to take the first step. I’m already getting a scholarship from my school. The scholarship you’re offering—can you give it to Davis?”

“All of it?”

“I mean…for high school.”

“Yes, it is possible,” Deion nodded. “But it’s not a small sum of money. If he isn’t worthy of it, then it would be money wasted.”

“He’s a guy that would take a beating for who knows how long to stay in school,” Demund reasoned. “There’s gotta be a lot of willpower in that.”

“...I will review it.” Deion put on a smile again. “But for now, let’s talk about your schedule, shall we? As you are a student, you have school work to do. We’ve contacted your school to provide you with the materials you’re missing out on. Kenna will be your teacher. She’s a certified educator.”

“You can count on me for both mental and physical education,” she winked.

“In the afternoon, preferably after you’ve finished your schoolwork, you will teach Kenna and Laveny magic,” Deion continued. “After dinner is free time. You can use it for homework and learning new spells.”

“It’s similar to before,” Demund said.

“The more comfortable you are, the better. You can let Kenna know if you’re dissatisfied with anything. Any questions? If not, I’ll give you a list of spells that I’d like you to learn and teach.”

“None for now.”

“Excellent. I will send you the list right now.”

He’d left his phone in his room after showering. But his watch vibrated instead, showing the message that had arrived from Deion. He examined it. It was a short list but would likely be expanded later on.

Fire and water for survival. Those would be simple enough. The others on the list were not so complex either. But when his eyes landed on the last word, he felt the back of his head go cold.

Healing magic.

The last time he’d attempted it, the target had exploded.

⤙ ◯ ⤚

More so than fire, he was afraid of healing.

After he had healed Rother’s legs, he’d endlessly thought about recovering his own, sprouting a new one from the stump. Magic was an endless journey. Perhaps after decades of trial and error and countless hours of practice, it would become possible. Even if his mana pool was small, it would increase the more he used magic.

Nothing had happened in the beginning. His test subject had been a mouse whose tail he’d cut off. A faint colorless glow had emerged from his hand and seeped into the mouse, yet no outwardly signs could be seen.

The next day, one of the mouse’s eyes had popped out, and parts of its skin had stretched to form small bubbles of flesh. Its tail had healed, but it screamed in pain, so much that he had to cover it with a blanket to make sure his parents wouldn’t hear it. Yet most ominous of all was how relentlessly it ate the seeds he’d given it—the only time when it had been quiet.

To silence it, he’d gone to school after placing twice its size worth of food. When he came back, the mouse had stopped eating and was sleeping peacefully. He’d decided to leave it be.

It died a week later, its body bloated like a balloon. To see whether it had formed a crystal, he’d cut it open—and had been splashed with everything rotten and bloody. It was good that he’d done it outside away from himself, but still, the smell and puss had been hideous. It was as if the rat had been rotting for the whole week. There had been no crystal, and instead, he’d found its flesh to be a disgusting lump on the inside.

Cancer was the word that had come to mind. And though it was a theory, his healing magic had affected the mouse’s gut bacteria as well.

Creating magic through methods outside of the two spellcasting systems was as dangerous as mixing a bunch of random chemicals to see what would happen. The results were unpredictable. But for the most part, it either worked or didn’t. A mistake while creating fire didn’t result in radiation. There were wavelengths for certain phenomena, some complex, others as simple as light.

But healing? Yes, it had a certain wavelength; he’d known when he had succeeded. But it wasn’t just one. He’d only succeeded in ‘growth’—as for the others, only practice would allow him to learn.

He’d stopped then and there. It was too sickening. But more than that, the complexity of the magic was beyond his comprehension, like trying to play a complex musical piece with his toes. If the performance was not perfect, the result would likely be a corpse.

That corpse could have nearly been him. He’d thought about using it on himself after cutting his finger but had not in case the magic didn’t work and he had to explain why he was injuring himself. Oh, how fortunate that worry had been.

It wasn’t like he was going to give up on it completely. But it would have to be done much, much, much later in the future when his senses became at least a tenth of Shaden’s.

Why did he sometimes believe that his other self was in a dream? Because he could use healing perfectly in the other world without any repercussions. Healing through incantations was safe, but he’d neglected it, using his own power. And he’d succeeded. Every. Time.

Such was not the case with Demund.

“Haaah,” Demund sighed, looking through the list once more. There were ten ‘spells’ Deion wanted him to learn. Light, fire, water, wind, telekinesis, darkness, heat, cold, strength, and finally—healing. The first eight, he could probably do. Some would be tricky, but not impossible. The last two were technically possible. It was just that it could exhaust someone to death or be cancerous.

The best way to prevent this was to circulate. When a person’s mana was directly controlled by them, all other undesired occurrences of mana would naturally unravel. Maybe people with powers could replicate this when they used their power. But too many things were unknown.

“Why the big sigh?” Kenna asked cheerfully, sitting down across from him. He had not noticed her arrive.

“A little worried,” Demund replied. “Healing magic could be cancerous.”

“That’s probable. We won’t do it then.”

“Really?”

“You’re here to learn, not to be forced to create danger. If you don’t want to, you don’t. If it’s dangerous for you, how much more would it be for the people who learn from you?”

Demund nodded.

“Now, if only Laveny would join us—”

“Here,” the girl said, sitting down next to Kenna. “You don’t have to remind me. I’m not a child.”

Demund raised his eyebrows, unable to resist grinning a little.

“Think what you want, but I could earn multiple doctorates if I was allowed to,” Laveny snorted. “So, why are we here? Deion told me you would teach me something.”

“Yes, magic.”

Laveny made a funny face that told him exactly how stupid she thought the idea was. But she crossed her arms, leaning back on her seat, still willing to listen. Or was she amused?

“To be clearer, magic is like superpowers, but on a lesser scale,” Demund continued, putting a hand on the table. “Well, it could get more complex, but I’m not at that level yet. Take a look.”

He sparked a flame into his hand. Kenna slowly nodded, but Laveny didn’t react and looked at him as if to say, ‘So what?’

“Now, you could say that this is part of my power. But the catch here is that I can teach this to other people. And I have proof of it as well.”

He took out a tablet that he’d received after he’d told Deion that he’d need it to teach more easily. Through his assistance, he’d managed to get into his club’s Viggle channel. He played a video of his friends creating light.

“Is that CGI?” Laveny asked, leaning forward.

“No. I taught my friends some simple spells,” Demund said with a little pride. “It’s not limited to light. If you take a look here—this is them controlling water.”

“Oh?”

The girl seemed more interested now. Demund put the tablet away and cleared his throat.

“So, let’s begin. Who would like to go first?”

There was a moment of silence when Laveny exchanged a glance with Kenna, who shrugged. The girl furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms again.

“She’s shy,” Kenna chuckled. “I’ll go first. So, should I cut my finger?”

She’d said it as a joke, but given the number of scars Demund had spotted on her body, including the large one right through the side of her lips, he had the feeling that she would if he told her to. He shook his head, motioning for her hand.

“I’ll have to hold your hand,” Demund told her. “Magic works through SAP. I like to call it mana, like the one in games. I control it to turn it into magic.”

“And the hand holding?” Kenna asked, clasping his hand. They felt rougher than he’d expected.

“For efficiency. I create magic through you so that you can feel it as well. That way, you can copy the feeling.”

“Sounds awfully simple. Can the same be done with superpowers?”

“I’m not sure. But if it could, then a lot of people must have done it already, right? In that case, I don’t think I would be needed here.”

“That’s true,” Kenna agreed. “Now, let’s see it.”

Demund shifted her hand to make it more comfortable and sent his mana through it, forming the spell on the other side. The room brightened as a circular orb of light formed, shining softly so that it wouldn’t hurt their eyes.

“I found light to be a good starter,” he explained. “It’s not dangerous and you can control your output with it.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure I feel anything.”

“A lot of practice will be needed. It will basically be me holding your hand until you can do it yourself.”

“I thought this would be harder. Holding hands is quite nice, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Since you have two hands, can you do it with Laveny as well?”

“I can, but…I mean, I can.”

It was much harder to maintain two separate spells, kind of like drawing separate pictures with each hand. But at least they would both be light. He still couldn’t do two separate spells without making his head spin. It wasn’t a problem for his other self, but for his current one, not so much.

“Laveny, come here,” Kenna said.

The girl scooted forward, staring at the orb of light. Demund stretched out a hand before her.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he reassured.

“I’m not scared,” she replied, placing her hand in his. He cast another ball of light, closing his eyes to concentrate. When he did, he felt Laveny’s hand twitch ever so slightly.

“Do you feel anything?” Kenna asked.

“Yeah.”

They continued in silence with Demund trying his best to thicken the magic to allow them to feel it better. It hadn’t been three minutes before Laveny let go of his hand. He opened his eyes, stopping his flow of magic on one hand.

Laveny was staring intently at her finger. She seemed to be very focused on it, probably trying to create light.

“It won’t be that easy,” Demund grinned. “Patience is key. It’ll click with enough repetition.”

With a soft snort, she placed her hand on his again, and they continued. They sat there with their eyes closed as the minutes ticked away. It was much more peaceful than at the Magic Club where his friends were too eager to learn as quickly as possible.

Laveny let go of his hand again.

“My friends and I usually do it in twenty-minute intervals,” he said. “It took them longer than a week to learn.”

“How long did it take you?” Laveny asked.

“A few hours.”

“I did it.”

He opened his eyes.

Laveny’s hand, though small, had a blob of light the size of a marble, shining faintly, but surely there outside of his influence. Despite the unbelievable feat, the girl looked dissatisfied, staring intently at the light.

“I can’t control it,” she said, her arm frozen in the air. “It feels like it’s going to vanish if I relax.”

“Magic can’t be forced. You’ll get the hang of it,” Demund assured. “And—this only took you a few minutes. Wow.”

“She’s a genius, that’s for sure,” Kenna nodded. “How long for someone without powers?”

Demund hadn’t expected that. This was the Islands, after all. “You don’t have powers?”

“None. Just a normal person you’d see anywhere,” Kenna laughed. “So? How long?”

“Er—a friend of mine who was D-class took over a month,” he told her. “But we only practiced like an hour every day.”

“I see. But it is possible for normal people?”

“Yes.”

“More,” Laveny requested, “but this time, try to increase and decrease the output. Please?”

She was like a child who’d found the greatest new toy to play with. She suddenly radiated with an eagerness that had wiped all of the skepticism that had been present in her before. Looking at her bright eyes, the first thought that came to him wasn’t how amazed he was, nor was it how proud he was as a teacher.

It was the sudden fear that everything he’d created for himself would be copied and snatched away from him. And then, he wouldn’t be so special anymore. He’d already seen Alina teach Kacy. What was to say that others couldn’t teach as he did?

But he smiled.

“That won’t be a problem,” he told her cheerfully. “Are you enjoying this?”

“It’s as…fun as creating machines,” she admitted quietly, turning her face away as she put her hand on his.

“And you, Kenna?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m a grown woman. You youngsters can enjoy your magic time. It’s quite amusing, really.”

“I hope that you can learn,” Demund said wholeheartedly. “Controlling mana is an incredible feeling.”

“I’m sure it is! I don’t plan on giving up.”

So they continued. Every afternoon after his classes were done, they practiced magic together. While he liked to exercise and read books after dinner, it wasn’t once that Laveny knocked on his room to ask him for help to improve her magic, which he did happily. He didn’t want to refuse someone so young, as precocious as she was.

The more he spent time with her, the clearer it became that she was absorbing all of his abilities like a sponge, learning far too quickly than he’d expected. But as worried as he was, it would be repayment for his leg.

And that was enough.

But in a mere three days—

Laveny’s mastery over light had become greater than his.