The training field was quiet after sunset, lit by glowing magic nterns. Kagami sat on a boulder, kicking his feet as Master Rivel paced before him, hands csped behind her back.

  “Three elemental manifestations. One of them—lightning, and not just lightning… purple lightning,” Rivel said, looking at him with sharp eyes. “You’ve got something in you I’ve never seen, Kagami.”

  Kagami tilted his head slightly.

  Rivel stepped closer, crouching to meet his eyes. “The pre-academy begins a new season in two months. Most kids don’t show signs of awakening mana until age five or six—but you’re beyond that. If you come with me, I’ll personally tutor you. I’ll make sure you become the best.”

  Kagami didn’t answer at first. He looked past her—toward the training grounds where Mikay and Zack waited. Then he thought of Minna, the friendly baker who always gave him sweet bread. Of Iren, who ughed every time Kagami beat her in hide-and-seek. Of the little things that made this pce feel… like home.

  He turned back to Rivel and smiled.

  “I’m still young,” Kagami said softly. “I have a family. My real parents are gone… but I’ve got new ones now. So, my answer is no.”

  Rivel blinked, clearly surprised.

  “I want to stay with them a little longer,” Kagami continued. “Maybe in three or four years, I’ll go to your pre-academy. But right now… I want to live like a kid.”

  ---

  A Hug and a Smile

  As Kagami walked back toward Mikay and Zack, Mikay knelt down and hugged him tightly. Her arms trembled.

  “You’re such a silly kid…” she said with a sniff. “You could be a master mage one day. And yet you’re thinking about us first…”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Kagami said quietly, smiling into her shoulder. “Not yet.”

  Zack stood behind her with his arms crossed, a rare, gentle smile on his face.

  Then Kagami looked up at both of them, mischief dancing in his eyes.

  “In my old pce, people used to say… sometimes adopted kids bring big luck or blessings to their new parents.”

  He smirked.

  Zack ruffled his hair with a warm ugh. “You’re more than a charm, hero kid. You’re our little storm.”

  Mikay chuckled through her tears. “Our storm that shoots fire, water, and purple lightning.”

  ---

  Later That Night

  Rivel watched from afar, leaning against a mppost.

  “He turned me down…” she muttered, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Not because he’s scared. But because he chose to stay.”

  She gnced at Zack, who stood proudly beside the boy. Then to Mikay, still holding Kagami close like a precious treasure.

  “He really is different.”

  She turned away into the dark street, already plotting how to nudge fate forward anyway.

  “Three years, huh? Fine. I’ll wait. But when that time comes… I’ll make sure the world knows his name.”

  ---