One dollar. One lousy stinking dollar. That felt more in line with what I’d expect from my family. We were poor after all. This wasn’t Harry Potter where the young hero had a vault full of gold and gems waiting for him all his life.

The writing on the bill was clearly from mom. Whatever it was for, she thought I needed the candle. I was still getting used to mom knowing about the awakened world. For her to not only possess a relic but also to know I was going to need one was mind-blowing.

Item:

Candle of ?????????

Components

Wax, Wick, ??? ????

Item Rank:

SS

Item Level:

???

Item Owner:

M

Double S. That was new. I always thought the system was capped at S. It was strange that the system couldn’t identify it though. That usually meant the item predated the system. If that was the case, why did it know the rank?

Was there anything else in all that junk? Kalli wanted to know.

Of course, I couldn’t leave any stone unturned, so I was forced to go back through the boxes I’d seen stacked among the furniture. It looked like things someone might put into storage when moving from one house to another. Only none of it looked like anything I’d ever seen on Earth before.

A quick probe into a strange-looking table sent shivers down my spine. There was mana in the furniture. It was all magic. The question was, for what purpose? What did it do?

Deciding that I couldn’t infect furniture with corruption, I pushed mana into the table. It reminded me of Kalli’s old wand and how it absorbed mana as it passed through. That didn’t make any sense though. How did someone pass mana through a coffee table? And why?

Moving on, I started opening boxes. It reminded me of one time when my mother and I moved in the past. The boxes were packed by room or so it seemed. There were magical kitchen appliances and I had no idea what they did.

None of the appliances had plugs of any sort. One had a round hole leading to a plastic bowl. When I applied mana to it a vicious-looking blue aura appeared in the hole and words glowed on the side of the device.

THE COBBER

At least it wasn’t a sex toy. That would have been weird. For that reason, I skipped the box labeled Mom and Dad’s room. One of the boxes at the back caught my eye. A faded label on the side said, FAMILY. I swallowed hard. It was mom’s handwriting. I knew because of the strange way she dotted her I with a little heart.

It was a little embarrassing to go through what could be my past with an audience. Kalli could feel my nervousness. Do you want me to give you some privacy?

While I was worried about what I might find in the box, Kalli was a part of me and I wanted her there for it.

No. Let’s do this together.

I felt her smile and that gave me the courage to open the box. At first, the contents of the box were a little disappointing if not downright embarrassing. Baby clothes, presumably mine, were neatly folded at the top of the box.

Something I discovered a little further down caused my breath to catch in my throat. A leather-bound volume rested atop a taped-up box.

M&M Photo Album

Could it be? Was I finally about to see what my dad looked like? Why did mom keep this from me? So many questions swirled through my mind.

The first several pages were filled with pictures I recognized. Pictures of me when I was a baby. Pictures of me growing up. I rapidly flipped through the book, frustration mounting as I saw more of the same.

Until the last page that was. There was a single picture of my mother. It was a much younger version of her standing next to a man that looked familiar.

I knew him. I’d seen him before. We even spoke to each other. It was the man from my dream. The one resting on a throne surrounded by women.

What did he say to me? I was the last person he expected to see? Kalli breathed in my ear. Relax, Mel. It’s going to be okay. Is that your father?

Her voice grounded me and brought me back from the edge. I set the book aside and picked up the taped box. A quick shake confirmed it to be full of something. There was no label or anything on the outside to tell me what that might be. The system didn’t even want to help.

Item:

A box

Components

Cardboard

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

M

That was strange. Shouldn’t the owner be Murphy? Did the system somehow cut it off? Was this all Dad's? Or perhaps mine? I ruled out the last idea because my stuff always showed up as Murphy.

Deciding to just get it over with, I ripped off the tape and opened the box. Inside were hundreds of letters. I opened the first one.

Dearest Michael,

It’s been a year since you left. Enclosed are more pictures of your son. I miss you. He misses you and he’s never even met you. I want you to know I’ve named him Melvin. You know, after your other name. I know it’s not the same but I don’t want him to get bullied too much. At least this way his friends can call him Mel.

I know you wanted me to go with you but I have to follow my heart here. I don’t want to share you. Please understand. The time we had together was magical and I don’t regret a single moment of it. You showed me a world that I could never have imagined in a thousand dreams.

Melvin is my dream now and I am going to raise him to live his best life. I hope you think of me from time to time. It’s probably best that you not visit. At least not until you are ready to stay and be the father we both know Melvin deserves.

Love always,

Sam

PS: I’ve enclosed some pictures and a little something to remember me by.

Tears flowed down my cheek as I set the letter down. So dad was called Michael, huh? Also, what did Mom give him to remember her by? I probably didn’t want to know. What was this about dad having another name? So many questions.

I flipped through the other letters. They all seemed to be her handwriting. I grabbed the last one from the bottom.

Michael,

It happened. He’s awakened. When it didn’t happen at twelve, I was beginning to think it might never happen. He’s been keeping the whole thing a secret from me. The joke's on him though. I used some of the tools you left behind to keep tabs on him.

I think he has a girlfriend though neither of them is willing to admit it. There was a bit of drama recently and I think he got into trouble with a vampire. He seems to have worked it out. The two of them, he and his friend (girlfriend?) are heading to The Academy.

Did you want to train him yourself? I’ve kept my promise to not tell him about you. I guess I always hoped you could come back when it was time.

I hope you are getting these. It wouldn’t kill you to send a reply every now and then.

Sam

I dug through the box and looked over some of the other letters but there didn’t appear to be anything newer. Did she stop writing? Could it have been that dad just kept the newer letters somewhere else?

It also made me wonder who left the message on the dollar bill. Was that dad too? That would mean this was his vault and not mom’s. But why would she leave the message telling me where to find it. The whole thing was leaving me with more questions than answers.

I looked through the rest of the vault and didn’t find anything remotely as interesting as the family box. When I sat down on the sofa and buried my head in my hands, Kalli whispered through mate chat in my ear. Come back.

A quick jump through the void, and I was back at her side. Kalli wasted no time wrapping me in a deep hug. Mrs. Hodgins sat up in bed. “Is everything alright?”

Kalli replied for me as my voice was lost for the moment. “It’s fine. He just got news about his father. Everything will be okay.”

I think she said that last line more to me than anybody else.

We stayed in the hospital for two more days before they allowed Mrs. Hodgins to go home. It wasn’t so much the damage from the explosion. That healed quickly and the guild sent healers over to make sure she only had minimal scars. The real scare was not knowing what was in that potion and how it would affect the old Scholar.

They weren’t as worried about me, considering the damage all but vanished in the first hour. Mr. Bellview hadn’t checked back in yet. That probably meant he hadn’t found anything. I kicked myself for not thinking to take the album or letters out of the vault. Not that they would have been super useful. I also didn’t know how I felt about having my dad’s picture.

He abandoned me, or so it seemed. Mom conveniently wasn’t around to dispute it. Was I mad at her, or was I just worried? I knew I missed her.

Kalli was my rock. She nuzzled me and asked, What should we do now? Do you know any other alchemists we can try?

I have a couple ideas. While we’re on Earth, I think we should talk to my old master. Chogu taught me the basics of mana refinement. Perhaps he knows a thing or two about purging.

While I technically could have teleported back to my old dorm, neither of us was sure if it would work since I hadn’t been there in so long. It wasn’t like home, where I had a lasting bond.

We decided to take the phoenix and fly along the coast. Kalli flew low to the ground when we passed the beach. I smiled, remembering Kalli wearing a swimsuit while we share lunch.

That’s where we had our first date.

She looked down and blushed. I still can’t believe people do ‘that’ under the pier. That’s so icky.

I laughed, remembering the security guard chasing us away.

Further north in Anaheim, Kalli squealed when we passed over Matterhorn Mountain at Disneyland. You promised to take me back. Do you want to go now?

While we were in a hurry to save our friends, the doctors at the high house were taking care of the two people who were poisoned. I decided to make an executive decision and clear my mind for a bit.

A few hours should be fine.

We both remembered what happened the last time and neither of us wanted to get kicked out again.

Rule 1: No dresses

Rule 2: No calling Kalli a princess

Rule 3: Absolutely no signing autographs

Rule 4: Have as much fun as possible before getting kicked out

It was easy when you knew the rules. Kalli and I went on a bunch of rides. We may have cheated and magicked our way through some lines. I’m not admitting to anything. There’s no shame in minor misuses of magic. Disneyland is the most magical place on Earth after all.

Kalli’s smile was infectious as she held my hand and tugged me toward yet another line. This time it was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. This place is amazing.

You know, the last time we pretended you were a princess. It turns out you’re actually royalty.

She stopped and thought about it for a while. I don’t feel any different than last time.

The only thing I care about is you’re my girlfriend this time.

Kalli beamed at me. We are so much more than that. You’re my soulmate.

When she kissed me, I decided Disneyland really was the most magical place on Earth.

I used some of the cash I had to buy us churros and frozen bananas. Kalli made me jealous when she swooned over Captain Jack Sparrow on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Damn that Johnny Depp.

Hours turned into the entire day. We only realized how long we stayed when the sun started to set. Fortunately, there was a parade and fireworks, so we didn’t feel too bad staying late.

As the show came to an end, Kalli looked over at me nervously. Where are we going to sleep?

My first call on the M-Phone was to Joe. “Hello?”

Hearing my friend’s voice made my heart swell. “Joe! Kalli and I are back in L.A.. Do you think we can stay at your place for the night?”

Joe’s frustration was evident in his voice. “I’m sorry, man. Wendy and I are still in Japan. If you come back in a week or so, we should be back. You won’t believe what I found out.”

“Hm, Do you know anyone we can stay with?” I asked, too distracted by our current predicament to pay much attention to Joe’s latest revelation.

He replied. “Did you ask Run? He lives over there. I’m sure he’ll let you stay for a day.”

“Oh yeah.” I smiled. “Thanks, Joe.”

“No problem.” He replied. “Let’s get together and have lunch or something when we get back. Or you can always come to Japan. It’s awesome here.”

I thought about it. I really did. Unfortunately, we were on a mission and we had wasted enough time.