Studying

Wallace noticed that he's currently in his room and has been woken up by his little sister. He looked at the time and saw that it's four o'clock in the afternoon.

He remembered that he took a nap a while ago as he was exhausted due to his practices in potion-brewing. He stayed for over a week in this town now and there are 5 days left before the end of the year.

"Are you crying? Do you want me to call mom?"

Claire asked his brother upon noticing the tears at the corner of his eyes. She always calls her mom to comfort her whenever she had bad dreams.

"N-no! I'm okay. It's not tears, okay? Tell them I've woken up and will head downstairs in a minute."

Wallace was a bit flustered due to his emotions that were triggered because of that realistic dream. He had also heard a familiar sound but ignored it for now.

"Okay~"

His little sister understood and did not ask too much as she left quickly. Their uncle has surely brought some gifts from their province. Claire didn't tell him which uncle visited but Wallace knows that it should be their generous uncle Mitchell who always gives them some gifts whenever he visited their place. This uncle is his mother's older brother who is also a licensed Battle Mage.

As Wallace calmed his mind, he spread out his Divine Sense and felt his parent's presence, alive and healthy. Again, he felt very emotional as he confirmed their status. He couldn't help but feel glad that everything that has occurred was all just a dream. 

"Did I get too tired experimenting in making that potion?" Wallace asked himself. He couldn't understand why did he dreamed something like that at all but it gave him a wake-up call to hurry his advancement and immediately reach his target goals. 

After all, the dream that he had just now might happen sooner or later. Due to the event where the Meredith Empire's forces cornered their Zymeth spaceship, it seems that they value the ancient relic he received. Who knows? Maybe it was the Pathfinder he assimilated was what they were searching for. No one could answer the doubts in his mind at the moment so he must be prepared in case that time occurred and he must be capable of dealing with the threat himself. That way, his parents wouldn't come to the point that they needed to sacrifice themselves just for him and his little sister to survive.

Wallace shook his head as he quickly fixed himself to head downstairs. During this time, he saw the Berserk Potion his father made for him safely placed in his study table.

He thought that the Berserk Potion Recipe he randomly received from the Pathfinder would still take months or years in his storage before he'll decide to dabble on it. After all, he didn't have any impression of potion study. 

But as he got nothing to do that day since he got stuck in resolving the issue on how mana suppresses nuclear fission reactions, he decided to look into the potion recipe to refresh his mind. He even found out that all the ingredients in the recipe can be taken in his parent's storage and some can easily be ordered, so he immediately decided to just try dealing with it. 

Wallace vaguely remembered that when he was still an eight-year-old child, his father mentioned that he was an expert in many fields like crafting, potion-making, and battling. He explained that when he studied a bit of the healer's path, he partly learned pioneering. But as Wallace grow up and learned the difficulty of each path, he thought that his father was just boasting to his child. Only a few days ago when he asked assistance in brewing the potion did he learn that his father has a wide variety of skills. 

His father saw the recipe and tried brewing it. He did not make a single mistake and has been successful in making one potion. Although it might be a fluke as his father no longer dared to try creating another one, it was still very impressive on his side.

He didn't stop Wallace to dabble in potion-making and even encourage him to study it seriously as it will enhance his critical thinking. He advised Wallace that he shouldn't rely on the brewing method that is listed but only make it as a guide.

Unfortunately, Wallace still failed multiple times in creating one and wasted a lot of resources. There wasn't even a mission from the Pathfinder so his motivation hit the rock bottom.

Wallace headed down and saw his father, little sister and uncle Mitchell together with his daughter in the living room. He noticed as well his mother and his uncle's wife in the kitchen.

"Wallace, you've grown up. I heard that you won in TMAC and is now getting ready for the international competition?"

Mitchell is just 3 years older than his mother. He has black hair, a well-built body and always has a cane with him.

Wallace has always seen this cane as his uncle's tool to help in walking or for style but looking at it now, it is a mana artifact. 

"Yes, uncle. There's still about two weeks before the competition. So you can still give me some tips to win." Wallace smiled and replied to the man. 

"Haha, since you're not in combat class, I have nothing to teach you. You can always ask your father about it, he's a jack of all trades." Mitchell said and he did not wait for Wallace to answer as he turned to his daughter.

"Trixie, greet your cousin."

Mitchell said as she brought up his 10-year-old daughter. She has the same tanned skin like his father and wears a simple red dress. It looks like they've just arrived. 

The last time that Wallace saw Trixie was when she was 7 years old so he couldn't help but notice the changes in her physique. He also noticed the mana fluctuations that she exudes just by sitting on the sofa. 

'It seems that uncle wants her to be a combat magician as well.' Wallace said in his mind. His mother's family was famous for their utilization of Mavis Prayer which Wallace has already learned. But apart from that, they have a great number of Battle Mages as well.

As Wallace reached that thought, he was reminded that he only knows this one relative of his from her mother's side. They haven't made contact with other Mavis Clan members and he only knows some inconsequential things due to the stories he heard from his mom and his uncle Mitchell. 

"H-hi Wallace, dad said that you will go abroad?" Trixie asked Wallace. 

"Yes, what do you want as a gift?" Wallace proactively asked his cousin. As he would be leaving the country for the first time, he was expected to bring some souvenirs from the distant country.

"Anything... oh! I want a brooch, same with Claire. Can I?" Trixie seems to be hopeful that Wallace would agree to her request. 

"Of course, I can make something similar." Wallace agreed and promised that he would make one later, once he has some time.

He chatted with his uncle a bit as he listened to some stories about his journey to become a successful combat magician when he was still young and how he earned a chance to join international competitions. But it's different from the TMAC these years as this specific competition has only started 17 years ago. 

***

Wallace was now alone in his room contemplating the dream he just had this afternoon. It seems that it wasn't just a simple dream.

A while ago, he received another mission from the Pathfinder and only had a chance to check it now. It made him believe that he has to move forward with his plans.