Protection.

Two long, uneventful days have dragged on since the incident outside the school, and now there are guards stationed outside the penthouse 24/7, thanks to Headmaster Williams' generous gesture. The constant presence of guards should make me feel safe, but I'm starting to feel restless and disconnected from the world. I've been doing all my work in isolation, and the lack of human interaction is starting to wear on me.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. A guard announces that I have a guest, and without hesitation, I tell him to come in. It's Headmaster Williams, the man who lent me this luxurious penthouse. The moment he speaks, his soothing voice puts me at ease. I can see why so many people view him as a father figure; his aura radiates purity and kindness.

"How are you, Sora?" he asks.

"I've been fantastic, Headmaster. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me these past few days," I reply.

I'm grateful to him, and I know I owe him a debt that can never be repaid. I vow to protect him with my life once I become the number one hero.

But there's something I'm curious about. "There is one question I'd like to ask, Headmaster. You are the Headmaster, after all. How strong are you?"

He seems amused by my question. "That is an intriguing question. Why would you like to know?"

"If you ever need protection someday, I want to be able to do that for you."

"I am quite capable of handling things myself," he assures me. "If that man ever comes close to this facility again, he will never make it out alive!"

He chuckles heartily, and I can't help but smile at his confidence.

"How many affinities have you mastered?" I ask, unable to hide my curiosity.

"All of them besides two," he answers.

I'm stunned. "WHAT? YOU HAVE MASTERED ALMOST ALL OF THEM?!"

"Technically, I have mastered all of them," he corrects me, "but there are two special affinities of magic that are far above everything else."

"Infinity and Oblivion magic, the yin and yang of this world," he reveals.

"Infinity and Oblivion? Those have never popped up in the stuff we have learned about. As far as I know, those two affinities do not exist," I remark, intrigued.

"You see, there are certain circumstances you need in order to obtain these affinities of magic," he explains.

"Which are?" I ask.

"The Infinity and Oblivion crystals are what give the affinity to the user, but they must go through a drastic change in order to awaken their respective crystal," he reveals.

"How many people have the ability to use this magic?" I inquire.

"As far as I know, there are always four people who have the ability to use it, and they always get reincarnated after the previous user dies," he explains. "Also, you don't get all 100% of the power on the spot. You actually need to find the other user of that affinity and form a contract with them in order to give up your crystal."

"That is a lot of info to take in. Interesting stuff, though," I remark.

"Is that all for now?" he asks.

I nod my head, and he waves goodbye before leaving the penthouse.

As I sat in my study, my mind wandered to the topic of Infinity and Oblivion magic. It was a subject that had never come up during my lessons on affinities, and I couldn't help but wonder why Headmaster Williams had never mentioned it. I was lost in thought when I heard a commotion at the door.

"Another visitor has arrived," I heard my butler say.

"Let them in," I replied absentmindedly.

"Sora!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

I recognized the voice immediately and leapt from my chair. "Leo!" I cried, rushing to greet my friend.

As I approached him, I stopped him mid-sentence. "Stop with this corny, zesty, weird, preposterous phrase that you were about to utter," I chided him.

"My apologies," he said, laughing.

Suddenly, my joy turned to suspicion. I couldn't shake the feeling that Leo might not be who he appeared to be.

"Leo... what's with the formalities?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently.

I decided to put my suspicions to rest and punched him in the gut. As his cloak fell away, I saw that my fears were justified.

"BROWN, HOW DID YOU GO UNDETECTED IN THIS BUILDING?!" I shouted.

"The thing is, I didn't. I just paid off the guards, so calling for them will not help," he explained.

I knew there was no use in fighting him, so I relented. "Alright, if you tell me what you want, I'll give up."

"Once again, I cannot say what you have or else it ruins everything," he said cryptically.

"THEN YOU AREN'T GETTING ANYTHING," I shouted, my temper flaring.

He gave me a menacing look, and his red eyes gleamed with malice. "You are starting to anger me," he warned.

I refused to back down. "Then fight me," I challenged him. "I won't let you take anything from me. What I do with myself is for me alone."