After bidding Amelia farewell, Kaiser, along with Farah and Zani, headed back home
When they arrived, Kaiser immediately carried Snowy to the living room, where Myreni was sitting, enjoying her afternoon tea
"Hey, Myreni, look at this" Kaiser said, holding up the little white kitten in front of her
"A kitten?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she set her teacup down
"This is Snowy. She's a stray kitten I found while walking around the market" Kaiser explained, gently cradling the tiny creature
"Just like me, huh? I was wandering around the market when I picked you up and brought you home" Myreni said with a playful smile
"Now that you mention it, the situations do seem pretty similar" Kaiser replied with a small chuckle
"I have no objections to you adopting a pet. As long as you can train it, you can have as many as you like" Myreni said, taking another sip of her tea.
"I'll do my best" Kaiser promised before lifting Snowy higher to look into her tiny blue eyes
"Alright, I'll take her to my room now"
"Okay" Myreni said with a nod, a faint smile playing on her lips
Kaiser carried Snowy upstairs to his room at the end of the hallway. Once inside, he crouched down and gently set the kitten on the floor
"This will be your new home, Snowy" he said softly, running a hand over her fluffy fur.
"I need to get changed before training with Farah" he added, standing up and heading toward the bathroom
After changing into his training clothes, Kaiser picked Snowy up and brought her out of the room. He set her down in the hallway, letting her explore the house on her own
"You're free to roam for now," he said, giving her a little nudge before walking downstairs and heading out to the training grounds
When Kaiser approached the training grounds, he spotted Farah sitting cross-legged on the ground, her hands resting on her knees. She looked serene, almost cold, her usual bright demeanor replaced by an aura of calm intensity
As he drew closer, Farah's vibrant blue eyes opened, glowing faintly before dimming back to normal. Her expression brightened, and she grinned at him
"Oh, Kaiser! You're here" she said cheerfully, squinting her eyes in a playful way
"Yeah. By the way, what were you just doing? You seemed... different a moment ago" Kaiser asked, curious
"Oh, that? I was meditating" Farah explained, brushing some dust off her knees as she stood up
"It's a technique for quickly recovering Mana"
"Meditation? Does it only help with Mana recovery?" he asked, tilting his head
"Well, besides that, it also refreshes the mind. That's why I still do it, even when I'm not low on Mana" Farah replied, reaching out to ruffle Kaiser's hair playfully
"But it's not something you need to worry about right now" she added
"Only people who can fully control Adept-level Mana bracelets can recover Mana through meditation"
"So... you're at Master level already?" Kaiser asked, surprise evident on his face
"No, of course not" Farah laughed, shaking her head "I've only lived for 14 years, you know, just four years older than you. Reaching Master level at this age is impossible"
She continued "Right now, I can only fill half of an Adept-level Mana orb with my Mana. There are very few ways to increase Mana capacity, so I've been focusing more on controlling it"
"Very few ways to increase Mana capacity?" Kaiser asked, his brow furrowed
"That's right. There are only a handful of rare and expensive methods to increase it. But you're lucky, you have a Stigma" Farah said, pointing to the faint black line encircling Kaiser's neck
"How does that help?" he asked, instinctively touching the line on his neck
"It allows you to increase the amount of Mana in your body many times faster than an ordinary person" Farah replied calmly
"How much faster, exactly?" he pressed, curiosity flickering in his eyes
"For someone like you," she began, tilting her head thoughtfully "by the time you reach my current age, around 14, you'd have enough Mana to fill three-quarters of an Adept-level Mana orb, even though you started learning to use Mana four years later than I did"
His eyebrows shot up in surprise "That fast?"
Farah gave a faint smirk and nodded "Yes, that's the advantage of the Stigma. You should focus on developing your abilities and make the most of the gift you've been given"
With that, she tossed him a Mana bracelet "Here, let's start training"
Kaiser nodded, slipping the bracelet on. The two spent the rest of the afternoon practicing together until the sun began to set.
—
The days that followed settled into a familiar routine for Kaiser. Mornings were spent strolling around town with Amelia, afternoons training with Farah, Zani, and sometimes Myreni. Snowy quickly became a beloved part of his life, often curling up on his lap during moments of rest.
A week later, during one of their morning walks, Amelia turned to Kaiser with a bright smile.
"Would you like to visit my home?" she asked suddenly
"You mean... the royal palace?" Kaiser asked, startled
"Yes," Amelia said with a nod. "There are so many interesting things there, and I'd love to introduce my new friend to my family. I think my father and brother would like you"
Kaiser blinked, taken aback by her sincerity. After a moment, he smiled "Alright. I'd love to visit"
Amelia's face lit up "Great! I'll let them know to expect us soon!"
As they walked back toward the market, Snowy perched contentedly in Kaiser's arms, purring softly, the adventures of the royal palace now awaiting them