The next day, my family and I had lunch outside. It was the usual family day for us. Dad always loved long road trips and told us to admire the beauty of nature. I think it was those days that he wanted to remind us not to take things for granted.
It was also the time that it almost felt like he grew from another world. He was a big geek about Earth as if it was a fascinating piece of art. Meanwhile, mom also had the same sentiments. And the weirdest part was it felt like both my parents have avroi. Even Celine.
Dad's presence reminded me of Rei's. And the thought gave my spine a good shiver. My dad was nowhere near the likes of Rei. It was too far-fetched. For me, he was a good family man.
Meanwhile, my mom's presence was light. It gave off some sort of comfort and glow. A complete opposite of my dad's stern avroi. But then again, it must have been my imagination. Celine's was not even that evident. Hers was a lot closer to mom somehow.
Afterward, we went home right away. Nothing else interesting happened that day. Except for getting a feel for my parents' presence. That was something else. It was still a possibility since Ven and Rei told me that Israfil wouldn't survive if I had no magic in my blood.
The rest of the week passed by quickly, and Jaden seemed oblivious that Trevor was not really Trevor. But the others were just as oblivious as he is. A few days later, I was already able to grasp the basics of my element. Rei continuously communicated using the black marble while Ven was on standby just in case something terrible happens.
Every afternoon, we would go to this spot, and it was really a hard time getting away from my friends. Plus, it was kind of painful, too, because I missed out on them for the week. Especially Jade. He didn't seem to notice I was slipping away from them because of this inter-dimensional crap of problems.
The thing is, I wasn't supposed to be involved in the first place.
"It's easy to use this magic for creating stuff out of nowhere, but when it comes to restriction type of spell, I need to exercise more control." I complained. "It's like I'm trying to put a thin thread into the eye of the needle. And it really needs focus."
"You're a natural, Chance." Ven assured me. "By the end of this month, you'll be able to use most of what that element can offer. Don't worry too much. It's been only a few days."
"Yeah, that's true." I said as I attempted to catch their dog with the restriction spell. My shadow quickly crawled towards the dog and lunged itself to its body. The shadow usually goes through the body to restrict any physical movements. Still, I had to hit the target's pressure points, or else it will easily break free. "When you brought the dog here, I thought you're going to ask me to kill it."
"Don't be silly. I won't let Spike be harmed. But if you do, I'll make sure I'll also do it to you tenfold." He said with a seemingly threatening voice. As if I was going to allow myself to hurt the dog. "Just don't summon a weapon while trying to restrain its movements."
"Of course, I won't." I replied as I freed Spike again from my spell. Then Ven threw the ball towards a reasonable distance, which the dog ran after. That way, I can try to catch a moving target. It was harder at first, but I was slowly getting the hang of it. "I think I'm getting tired."
"You want me to whoop your ass?" Ven chuckled. He clapped his hands a ball of lightning appeared between it. We were somewhere on the outskirts of town, so no one could hear us. "If any of our enemies attack and you have no idea how to use that spell, then we won't have any chance of interrogating them. We need information because Samael has been pretty evasive for the past few months."
Both of my arms were raised towards it while my fingers twitched, trying to take control of my shadow's movements. The weaponry creation spells that I've learned so far allowed me to seemingly borrow from my shadow. That means I cannot conjure many weapons if there is too much light.
"That's enough." A voice interrupted. And I wouldn't forget that cold voice of his. The presence of this man was too eerie. "Chance, you need to learn a more offensive spell. I think you're putting too much effort into your defenses."
I checked around to see Rei walking towards us with two other companions behind him. Surprisingly, they weren't wearing any out-of-this-world garments like the last time. Rei was wearing a brown hoodie and blue jeans plus a pair of red sneakers. Pretty typical to wear for a guy his age.
Meanwhile, the guy behind him stepped forward. From the looks of it, he might be a couple of years older than I am. He was wearing a red buttoned shirt and dark sweatshorts. Then he was wearing a pair of black rubber shoes. His hair was medium-length and messy with red streaks on it. Honestly, I almost dismissed him as a junkie. His eyes were light brown in color, and looked at me with a smile on his face.
"It's been a while, Israfil." He grinned and put his hand out for me to shake it. I took it and felt uncomfortable with the way he gripped my hand. It was firm but felt too warm. "I've missed you."
"Sorry, but I'm not Israfil, and he's not on the line just in case you wanna ask." I replied and stepped back. The guy just shook his head and laughed at my sarcastic remark. "Try again after a couple of weeks, maybe."
"I like this guy. Such a light-hearted fellow. He really reminds me of Israfil. A lot." He chuckled. "The name is Nisroc Fervis, House of Kaizer. Nice to meet you, little punk."
I just nodded at him, and the girl stepped forward this time. Like Nisroc, she was probably a couple of years older than I am. The girl had long, light brown hair and blue eyes, which were paler than Jaden's. Her skin was a bit tan compared to Nisroc, and she was wearing a pink shirt under a blue sports jacket with a matching black cap on her head. Meanwhile, her shorts were short and revealed most of her thighs. She was wearing a pair of black rubber shoes like her companion.
And to top it off, she had some sort of resemblance to Caitlyn. That one was kind of eerie for me.
"Hey, the name is Chrystal." We also shook hands, and I nodded at her with my usual awkward smile. Meeting people was not my forte. And it will never be my forte. "Chrystal Tyfios, House of Aquarii. Don't forget that."
"I'm not sure what that meant, but okay." I replied. Her entrance was icy and cold. Then I turned to the guy who strangled my best friend. The way he looks at me was already infuriating, to begin with. "So what brings you here, prince of darkness?"
"I'm here to monitor your progress, and I'll need to directly teach you a few more spells because we need to step up your game. According to Ven over there, you're a prodigy just like Israfil, so learning a few more shouldn't be a problem." He started explaining. And then he motioned Nisroc and Chrystal to come closer. "You know the plans. Get to it and come back ASAP."
"Yes, Captain Reizal." The two said in unison while making a fist with the right hand and tapping their left shoulder twice. Looks like it was their form of salute. But it just looked boring to me, though. The two of them walked away and left.
"Captien Reizal, huh?" I exclaimed.
"Rei is one of the youngest captains in the history of Zidania." Ventus started explaining. He was beginning to be some sort of tour guide for things about the other realm. "It's not really surprising since he was the son of one of our nation's leaders. Think of him as a prince."
"Yep, prince of darkness. Called it." I shrugged. Rei doesn't seem to mind my quick jab at him. He never did, as far as I'm concerned. "So, what do you want to teach me, Your Highness."
"I need you to answer me first." He said with a stern voice. His eyes were suddenly dark and mysterious. I was slowly becoming comfortable with him for the past days, as much as I hate to admit it. But this moment robbed me of that. "Do you have a twin brother?"
"Huh?" My face was almost contorted from the sudden random question. "Not that I know of. My mother would have told me if I did. Or my sister, for that matter."
Rei took a small photo from his pocket and showed it to me. It was a picture of two babies on a small singular bed. The surroundings looked like they were in a nursery at a hospital. And from the looks of the two babies, they were identical twins.
Below the bed was a label. And what was written on it said it all.
I can't help but gasp out what was on the label. My heart crumbled as soon as my mind grasped the idea of it. Then stomach did a pretty good backflip while I digested the picture in front of me. It can't be. It just cannot be.
"Chance and Caleb Valentine."