Melina and Alistair watched from behind the corner of the street as four Church priests went inside the tailor's shop. Melina's stomach lurched at the sight. The priests shouldn't have any interest in Adrien at this point in time. He was only sixteen and hadn't awakened to the System yet. However, the priests were here, and she doubted that they had come all the way to Pertia to get a new outfit.

  This could mean only one thing—Heiliger did indeed remember the last timeline, or at least some part of it. It appeared that she was just as eager to get the most promising [Archmage] candidates on her side. Perhaps, she was already training the new [Archmage] to do her bidding. Heiliger already knew what training methods worked the best last time, so she could no doubt speed up the process.

  "This is really bad…" She whispered.

  "We should stop them," Alistair said firmly, ready to jump into action.

  Melina firmly pushed him back. "No! You openly antagonizing the Church will put both you and your father in a difficult position."

  "But we can't just let them brainwash this kid before he even awakens to the System," Alistair objected.

  Melina frowned. She could just go and forcibly subdue the priests with her magic—it would be an easy task. But that would likely only scare the kid and make her look like the villain. Not to mention that she didn't want to resort to violence if she could avoid it.

  "I think we first need to figure out exactly what they are trying to accomplish," Melina said, and pulled out Sienna from her dress pocket. "Could you help us out?"

  Sienna cocked her head quizzically, then let out a little plume of smoke, indicating that she was ready for a fight.

  "No, nothing so drastic. I want you to sneak into the shop and listen in to their conversation," she instructed.

  "Listen in through Sienna? Is that weird thing you did when you sent Sienna to the Monster Realm?" Alistair asked.

  "Yes, . It lets me see and hear everything that Sienna sees and hears," Melina explained and placed the wyrm on the ground.

  She reached out to their bond, and Sienna opened up, letting Melina see and hear through her. It was still disorienting to switch to Sienna's point of view—their link wasn't perfect yet, so everything was a bit foggy and muddled. Not to mention that she was staring up at herself—her eyes glazed over in a weird trance-like state.

  "That looks a bit… unnerving," Melina heard Alistair say through Sienna.

  Somehow, she managed to speak while connected to Sienna, but it was odd as she heard herself through Sienna. "Please, make sure nobody catches us."

  "You can count on me," Alistair nodded.

  Sienna then scuttled away, crossing the street and heading to the tailor's shop. She was incredibly fast, and within a minute, she was already sticking to the outside wall of the shop, looking for entry. Luckily, the window was left slightly ajar to let in some fresh air in the summer heat.

  The wyrm darted inside, going straight up to the ceiling and hiding in a dim corner behind the priests' backs. They were talking to the owner of the shop—Adrien's father. The boy himself was nowhere in sight.

  "You haven't come to order clothes?" Adrien's father, a man in his early forties, looked confused, running his hand through his thin, black hair.

  "We have come here guided by the words of System God himself," one of the priests said, crossing his hands over his chest in the typical Church greeting. Other priests repeated the gesture.

  This only seemed to confuse the merchant further. "System God? I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand what you mean."

  Another one of the priests stepped forward and said quietly, "Have you not noticed something unusual happening with your son? Him being able to do things other children cannot?"

  This made the father flinch, but his expression only hardened. "I have no idea what you're talking about. He's a normal teenage boy, just like any other in Pertia."

  The first priest stepped closer, his voice sounding sweet and friendly. "There's no reason to hide it from us. Your son's abilities should be celebrated. They are a gift from the System God himself."

  "My son doesn't have the System," the merchant objected.

  "Not yet. But there is no doubt that he'll awaken to it once the time is right. But the fact that your son is showing abilities before then proves how powerful he'll be one day. He'll be able to accomplish great things."

  "If he can learn to control his power," another priest said sternly. "There is a possibility that he'll lose control and hurt somebody."

  "He hasn't hurt anybody!" The merchant objected, growing increasingly agitated by the exchange.

  "Of course not," another priest said. "But his powers will only grow, and one day, he might not be able to control them anymore. Not without proper training."

  Understanding dawned on the merchant's face, and his fists clenched in anger. "Have you come here to take my son away from me?"

  The priests didn't seem perturbed by his outrage. "He requires proper training, and it is something we at the Church provide."

  "I thought you only took people with the System. My son doesn't have it," he slammed his fist into the countertop.

  "He will awaken to it without a doubt. Your son's powers are already noticeable. If you keep him with you, then he'll be a danger not just to you, but to the whole town," the stern priest said.

  "No, he will not!" The merchant roared, desperation in his voice. "I will not give up my son! Get out of here! All of you!"

  "I understand that this is a difficult decision for you, but think about it. We'll return in a few days."

  "Get out!"

  The priests left, their expressions satisfied. The merchant, on the other hand, looked on the verge of tears as he clenched his fists in anger. It was obvious that he loved his son very dearly and didn't want to let him go, but at the same time, the words the priests said must have struck a nerve.

  This made Melina wonder what exactly had happened to the boy. Melina never experienced any signs that she could wield magic or one day awaken to the System. Yet in Adrien's case, it appeared apparent enough that even his father knew that he would have to give up his son.

  Melina sent a mental command to Sienna to retreat and severed their connection. As she came to, she realized Alistair was holding her firmly by the shoulders.

  "Did something happen?" She asked, blinking her eyes as she tried to regain control of her own senses.

  [Your skill has ranked up. is now Rank C.]

  "Nothing. You just looked rather odd while using the skill, so I hid you from the view of passersby," he explained. "But what about those priests?"

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Melina carefully peeked around the corner and saw the group of priests leaving, thankfully in the opposite direction from where Melina and Alistair were. She breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "They are trying to take Adrien away to the Church. Apparently, he's already showing some signs of magic, and they're trying to convince his father that he'll be a danger to everyone around him."

  "Will he?" Alistair asked.

  "I don't know. I never knew that he displayed any abilities before awakening to the System. I certainly didn't."

  "So if he is, that means he is likely to become a very powerful mage."

  "He was a very powerful mage and could have easily taken my place as [Archmage]. However, he is a pacifist. He doesn't want to fight monsters," Melina explained.

  "But that's good, isn't it?"

  "It would be if the priests hadn't promised to return in a few days to take him away. While his father doesn't want to let him go, I can see that he is torn. He'll likely cave eventually. And once Adrien is in the Monastery, there will be nothing we can do to influence him."

  "Then we bring him to Sunglow," Alistair said firmly.

  "What?" Melina blinked at him.

  "If the father is concerned that his son's powers do indeed go berserk, then I can imagine no better place than under the watchful eye of a magical prodigy," he said with a smile.

  "Me?" She asked, but then realized he was right.

  Whatever problems he encountered with magic or the System, it was almost assured that Melina could deal with them and teach him along the way. The problem was—why would Adrien's father entrust his son to some strangers who were just a little bit older than his son? Melina wished that Master Gilbert had been with them—he'd surely figure out a way to convince the father.

  "Yes. We should try," she nodded, and then remembered about Sienna.

  The wyrm should have returned by now, yet she was nowhere in sight. Melina peered at the shop again, trying to spot the little wyrm on the window or somewhere on the street. But she was nowhere in sight. Peeved, she reached out to their link to find her, and felt a strong sense of confusion coming from the wyrm. She was still inside the bakery.

  "Why is Sienna still there?" Melina questioned with a frown. The priests were still visible at the end of the street, so she didn't dare to leave her hiding spot.

  "Maybe she's trying to make sure that everything is safe before leaving?" Alistair guessed.

  "No… She's sending odd, confused emotions over our link," Melina said. "I'll try to connect to her senses again."

  Melina activated to see through the wyrm's eyes again. It was much easier to establish the connection with the skill ranking up, and everything was much clearer. However, Melina didn't expect to see a black-haired boy with excited grey eyes peering up at her, or rather, Sienna. He obviously looked much younger than in her memories, but it was unmistakably Adrien.

  "Come here! I won't hurt you," Adrien cooed, trying to coax Sienna off the ceiling.

  "Are you sure it's not dangerous?" Adrien's father asked nervously.

  "As long as we don't threaten it, it won't hurt us. Wyrms are the most common pets in elven society. Just think of them as dogs," the boy assured.

  "We're not elves though…"

  Melina broke the connection, having made sure that Sienna wasn't in danger.

  "Sienna was discovered," she said, scratching her head in confusion.

  "What?" Alistair asked in shock. "I thought all the priests left."

  "No, not by a priest. By Adrien himself. And he seems interested in studying her closer," Melina explained, then peered to see whether the priests were finally gone.

  She couldn't see them anymore.

  "Interested in a wyrm?" Alistair asked curiously. "I'd never expect anyone to be interested in a creature that has been labeled as dangerous by the Church."

  "Yeah, me neither," Melina said, pressing a finger against her lips in thought. "But then again, he never did want to fight monsters. I initially thought it was because he was cowardly, but he's not afraid of Sienna at all. Maybe there was a different reason."

  "Well, whatever it is. Now is our chance to talk to him. If he likes Sienna, you should use that to your advantage," Alistair said.

  Melina nodded, and they all hurried over to the tailor's shop. They tied Knight to a pole in the side street to keep him out of sight. The nightmare wasn't pleased to be tied down, but Melina didn't want him wandering around and accidentally running into those priests.

  When she stepped into the shop, she saw Adrien holding out a piece of sausage to Sienna, who was slowly and surely nudging closer to the treat. Little glutton!

  "I'm sorry about Sienna! I got separated from her, and she must have run into your shop to hide from people. I hope she didn't frighten you," Melina said.

  Sienna let out an angry puff of smoke, as if to say that she would never do such a thing, but nobody seemed to notice.

  "This… creature is yours?" The merchant asked, nervously pointing at Sienna.

  "Yes. Once again, I'm really sorry if she frightened you," Melina reached to grab Sienna, and bowed.

  "That's amazing! You've actually tamed an ember wyrm! I'm so jealous!" The boy said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "How did you do it?"

  "Adrien!" The father chastised him, but Melina smiled at him.

  "Oh, I don't mind questions," she said.

  "Really? Then please tell me how you met this wonderful wyrm and how you tamed it? I've never seen anyone tame a monster before," Adrien continued.

  Melina never saw him ever show such enthusiasm about anything. In fact, thinking back on her memories of the boy, he always seemed glum and depressed.

  "There's a good reason for that! That's a monster!" The father pointed out, glancing suspiciously at Melina. "No offense, Young Miss, but you'd be in big trouble if somebody saw you walking around with a monster in hand."

  "I'm aware. It's Sienna's first time in the big city, so she got a little excited. She doesn't quite understand that people here aren't used to her," Melina said, hoping that the boy would catch onto her bait.

  "Wait, is there a place where people are used to her?"

  Yes! He caught on!

  "Why yes! In Sunglow, Sienna is just another inhabitant. People don't even mind her walking around in her large form," Alistair assured, catching onto Melina's intent.

  "Wow! A place where monsters are kept as pets! I want to go!" Adrien said excitedly, and suddenly a small electric spark snapped out of his hands.

  "Adrien!" The father paled and hurriedly pulled his son back. "I'm sorry, Miss! That was just… Please! Please, I beg you not to tell anyone about this!"

  The father bowed profusely before Melina, forcing Adrien to bow alongside him. She realized that he must be feeling quite panicked after the Church's visit. She would have trudged carefully not to spook him any further.

  "There's absolutely no need for you to bow. I wouldn't tell anyone," Melina assured him.

  "Y-You really won't?" Father asked nervously, standing up straight.

  "No, of course not. Because…" Melina pretended to be torn, letting guide her actions.

  "Melina, maybe you could take this boy under your wing?" Alistair pretended to whisper, but in the small shop, his whisper could be easily heard.

  "It's risky…" She whispered back, also making sure to remain audible.

  "What are you two talking about?" The merchant narrowed his eyes suspiciously, holding his hand on his son's shoulder.

  Melina took a step back and, for a brief moment, ignited a flame in her palm.

  "What?!" The man exclaimed, stepping back.

  "You're a mage!" Adrien said, looking at the flame in amazement.

  Melina showed the flame changing shape into a flower, then into a circle spiraling above her palm, then into Sienna. The shot wyrm a tiny angry flame at the fiery imposter, making it disappear.

  "The best mage there is," Alistair confirmed quietly.

  "Are you with the Church too?" Adrien's father suddenly roared.

  "No," Melina shook her head firmly, making the man blink in surprise. "In fact, I've worked hard to remain hidden from them. If I went to them, they would undoubtedly kill Sienna."

  The merchant nodded. "Aye… They certainly wouldn't let the beast survive. But I still find it suspicious that you just happen to appear in my shop right after they try to take my son away."

  "Take me away?" Adrien said.

  "They say you'll awaken to the System and that without training, you'll surely be a danger to others," the father said grimly. The boy paled, understanding the situation.

  "I d-don't want to go to the Church. They kill monsters. I don't want to do that… I want to study them…"

  "You want to study monsters?" Melina asked.

  "Yes. I believe it'd be better if we tried to understand them rather than just kill them… They're dangerous, but also fascinating. They are essentially animals who have evolved to use the System, and they can continue to evolve through their lives, something that normal animals cannot do," Adrien explained.

  "Boy, I told you time and time again, it is an impossible dream! The Church won't permit it!" The father sighed.

  "Not necessarily," Alistair said. "You could do it in Sunglow. Church's influence doesn't stretch that far."

  "If you would come to Sunglow, then I could teach you to control your magic, and you could study Sienna and the ice kitsune, who are both my familiars. We also have a nightmare horse, although he might be more reluctant to let you near."

  "What?" The father exclaimed in shock.

  "Yes!" Adrien said without hesitation.