| Meeting and Peaceful Times(2)|

[Merlin's PoV]

Amazing display of utilizing lightning deviants from Art. He's a born fighter for a reason.

The energy from Art body was drained and as soon his father puts him back down, Art collapsed on his butt. With the winner being Reynold, but I knew that Art would win if his aim is to win.

>Silence<

But why is it so silent right now?

I noticed the dead silence surrounding as soon as the match between Art and his father ended.

Vincent and Tabitha's faces are all in sync: faces pale, jaws slack, eyes wide. Art's mother had her hands covering her mouth in shock, while even Lilia knew that what Art did wasn't normal.

Compared to Renold's excited yet unsurprised acceptance, this reaction was more so within my expectations.

"Haha… Surprise!" Art threw up his arms up, laughing weakly.

"Woooah~!" I cheered, breaking the silence.

"Kuu~!" Sylvie scampered towards Art, giving him a concerned gaze, as if asking, 'Are you okay Papa?'

Vincent was the first to speak up.

"D-deviant!" he managed to spew out.

"My god…" Tabitha just sighed in astonishment.

"So, Art. When exactly did you learn that new trick?" Reynold asked, more in curious tone than one of shocked bewilderment. Shaking his head while ruffling Art's hair.

"Not too long ago Dad. I can barely control it, though," Art replied sheepishly.

"Deviants woo! Woo! Eleanor isn't your brother suuuper amazing?" I slightly pinched Eleanor chubby cheeks from the side.

"Yesh! Amazwing!" She innocently cheered as well.

We all then made our way back into the living room where we all situated ourselves around the dining table.

"Rey…your son. Do you realize the kind of future he has? He's only eight but he's already stronger than a veteran B rank Adventurer," Vincent said, hardly able to contain his excitement.

Reynold scratched his head.

"This is crazy. I thought that him awakening at the age of three was already terrifying but to think he would become a deviant as well."

"What? He awakened at the age of three?!" Tabitha cried out, bolting up from her seat.

Art's mother or Alice just nodded at her question.

"Arthur managed to blow up most of our house in the process."

Both Reynold and Vincent leaned back, sinking in their chair as they let out a synced sigh...

"Papa? Are yoh okay?" Eleanor poked Reynold in the cheek.

Laughing, Reynold picked her up off of Alice's lap,

"Haha, yeah I'm okay princess."

Vincent got up from his chair now and looked seriously at Art, arms stretched out on the table.

"Rey, how about enrolling your son in Xyrus Academy?"

"What? You can't be serious, right? He's only eight!" my father refuted, sitting up on his chair.

Tabitha then chimed in. "Rey, Alice, I think your child is more than capable of exceeding at Xyrus."

"I thought that only noble geniuses were allowed to attend Xyrus Academy?" Alice responded, concern etched into her face.

Excitedly, Vincent voiced out, "I can handle that! I do a lot of business with the Director of Xyrus Academy so she'll be lenient in the enrollment process."

"Wait, don't you have participate in the tournament in order to enter Xyrus?" I chimed in and asked.

"No, the tournament's hidden purpose is to secretly analyzed the other race strength. Keeping them in check and building ties." Vincent explained.

"..." I became dumfounded, I didn't know you could also enter by having connection.

"B-but the school fees are much too extravagant for us to handle," Alice argued, still doubtful of the idea of sending Art.

"Alice, that should be the least of your worries. We will be glad to pay for the fees. Arthur's talent is immeasurable. Who knows what he can accomplish. Even if we don't pay, I'm sure he'd find nobles that would beg to sponsor him." Tabitha held Alice's hands in her own for reassurance.

"Ahem! Do you mind if I have a say in this?" People seemed to forget that the person's future they were trying to decide was right here with them as Arthur spoke up. I knew right away that he's being serious right now.

"I have just arrived back home today. Can I spend a bit of time with my family before I decide whether to go to school or not?" Art gave a meaningful gaze to Vincent.

'Is this what it feels like to have a family?' I thought to myself, seeing the situation unfold in front of me.

"O-of course. I apologize. Haha. I guess I was too excited there for a moment."

Vincent just laughed weakly before sitting back down.

"Thank you." Art gave the Helstea family a smile.

Art turned his head to face his mother.

"Mom, where do I sleep?"

With that, Arthur's family lead Art to his room, leaving me and Mr. Vincent alone in the dining room as Lilia and her mother went to bed the same time Art left.

"Excuse me Mr. Vincent, how's rare is being a deviant?" I asked.

"Hmm. Well, if a mage appears in every 100 people. A powerful deviant would appear in every 100 mages. It's just a rough probability. Is this understandable?" Vincent explained using rough probability.

"I see. You seemed to like Mage a lot" I asked what I noticed.

"Well...You see...Haa...Our family previous and present generation haven't been able to produce any mage as of yet. So..." Vincent sighed and explained.

"I understand, it's unfortunate...I do hope Lilia will awaken" I sincerely expressed...but I am internally brainstorming.

'There's should be a way to force awaken someone right? I should discuss this with Art.'

"Yes. "

"Can you lead me to my room? Sorry for bothering you" I asked for a simple favor.

"Sure." Vincent agreed and guided me.

***

The early morning light was just starting to creep into the bathroom, casting a soft glow on everything it touched. Merlin sat in the bathtub, surrounded by a thick layer of bubbles that reached up to his chin. He watched the bubbles dance and pop as the warm water swirled around him, feeling a sense of peace and relaxation wash over him.

As he stared at the bubbles, his mind began to wander, and he found himself lost in thought. He thought about the day ahead, wondering what it would bring and what challenges he would face.

He thought about Gramps and Tess, wondering how they were doing and whether they were happy. And he thought about the theory regarding a person holding more than one mana core, pondering about the risks and asking himself if he's on the right path.

Despite the weight of these thoughts, Merlin felt a sense of calmness and serenity wash over them. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the soap and feeling the warmth of the water envelop them. It was a moment of pure bliss, one they wished could last forever.

As he sat in the bathtub, lost in thought, the sun began to rise outside, casting a golden glow over everything it touched. Merlin watched as the light slowly crept across the bathroom floor, illuminating the bubbles and casting beautiful shadows on the walls.

With a deep sense of contentment, Merlin closed his eyes and allowed himself to simply be, enjoying this peaceful moment in time. For in this moment, nothing else mattered except the warmth of the water, the scent of the soap, and the bubbles that danced and popped around them.

He casually watched the bubbles but then he spotted an odd one...This bubble has another bubble in it and it lasts a lot longer than the other normal bubbles before popping.

Merlin then continued watching the bubbles before his brain activated.

"That's it!" He suddenly jumped out of the bathtub and yelled.

An expression of realization is plastered all over his face.

"That's it! That's it! I got it!" He cheered before he quickly dried himself and wore a pant before sitting crossed leg, meditating.

Sweat trickled down his cheeks as he meditate, collecting surrounding mana. He's in the process of experimenting.

A few hours later, a knock on the door stopped him from meditating and quickly changed into a new clothes.

'I don't think going to the tournament will benefits me in any ways...As I can enroll at Xyrus at the same time Art will attend.' Merlin thought before opening the door to his room.

Upon opening the door, he spotted a shy little Eleanor, looking down, with her foot rubbing something on the ground.

"Well hello there, Little Eleanor" Merlin squatted down so he was eye level with her, giving her a warm smile.

"G-g'morning. Bruhtder told me to c-call you for breakfast." She muttered, her head still down.

"Haha I see! Your meanie of a brother used you to call m-" Merlin stopped mid-sentence as a cough from someone interrupted him.

"Ahem"

Turning to his side, Merlin spotted a familiar individual leaning against a wall, directly looking straight at him.

"Can you take me down to the kitchen?" Merlin asked little Eleanor, ignoring Art.

"En!" She nodded excitedly before leading us down the stairs.

The trio were met with a pleasant smell of bacon as they entered the kitchen. Inside, Merlin spotted Tabitha and Art's mother cooking something as they chatted. Lilia was sitting down at the table already, her legs swinging, obviously waiting for breakfast.

"Good morning Mom, Ma'am, Lilia!" Art announced.

"G'morning!", "Kyu!" Both Eleanor and Sylvie echoed.

"Good morning everyone" Merlin greeted.

Merlin and Arthur then chatted for a bit with the moms and Lilia before the breakfast is ready.

***

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