The Great Fae Mentor

The enticing aroma of pancakes wafted through the manor as Nate navigated his way to a splendid dining room. The atmosphere was rich with beauty—fine paintings, lavish decor—and yet, it exuded a warmth, accentuated by the family portrait featuring Meloni, Edward, and their lively brood.

Seated around the dining table were everyone but Edward, leaving an inviting spot next to Professor Jodi. Nate happily took his place, anticipating the forthcoming breakfast. Edward soon entered, carrying a heaping plate of pancakes, followed by attentive servants bearing an array of fruits and syrups. As the delicacies were arranged on the table, Edward settled beside Meloni, gesturing for everyone to enjoy the feast.

The children were the first to move happily grabbing as much as possible. "You might want to hurry and grab something or you'll be left behind" Edward said to Nate as he to grabbed food with gusto.

The room buzzed with pleasant conversations and the joyful symphony of children's giggles. Nate found himself in a playful struggle to fill his plate, fending off the competing forks of others, adding to the lively atmosphere.

After everyone was thoroughly satisfied, Nate expressed his gratitude to Edward for the delightful breakfast, met with a warm smile in return. The satiated children scampered outside to play.

A broad smile adorned Meloni's face as she exclaimed, "GranPoppy!" Her burst of morning energy propelled her out of the room, a lively spectacle at the early hour.

The group migrated to the living room, where a young man with flowing dark purple hair and light lavender eyes awaited, a mischievous grin adorning his face. Meloni enthusiastically embraced him before swiftly returning to Edward's side.

The man's gaze swept across the room, eventually fixing on Nate. His eyes glowed as he studied Nate, a wide grin forming on his youthful face. "My beloved granddaughter wasn't wrong; how interesting," he declared, darting over to Nate and circling him, scrutinizing every detail.

"GranPoppy, I think you may be coming off as strange," Meloni interjected, but her words were dismissed by a wave of his hand.

"Definitely interesting. Do you have wings yet?" he inquired, poking at Nate's back.

Confusion and surprise painted Nate's expression. "Wings?" he responded, uncertain.

"Yes, yes of course wings you should definitely have them. How old are you?."

The idea of having wings never once crossed Nate's mind though he honestly knew very little about the fae since he was raised by humans "I'm currently sixteen".

"Ah you haven't come of age yet" he responded still circling around examining Nate.

"Are you sure he will have wings GranPoppy he looks very human?" Meloni asked.

"This boy managed to strongly inherent from his fae parent so his wings will definitely emerge" the young man replied back stoping his examination.

With the same lively enthusiasm as Meloni, the young man grabbed Nate's hand and shook it vigorously. "It's nice to meet you, boy. My name is Valerian, but you can just call me Ian, though."

"It's nice to meet you I'm Nate" he replied back as he managed to remove his hand from Ian's.

Ian then gave Meloni a pointed look who understanding his intentions directed everyone out of the room.

With everyone gone; silence filled the air, and Ian once again fixed his glowing eyes on Nate. Gesturing towards the couch, Nate took a seat, making himself comfortable while Ian settled across from him.

"Hey, kid, how would you feel about marrying my granddaughter?" Ian asked, eyeing Nate with a keen interest.

Caught off guard by the unusual question, Nate coughed a bit before responding, "Meloni and Edward are much too happy together," hesitant to come between a happily married couple.

Booming laughter echoed through the room. "Not Meloni, though it's a shame she chose that human over every fae male I presented to her. No, I have another pure-blooded fae granddaughter. Her name is Daphne," Ian declared, and a tingling sensation of magic filled the air as he conjured an illusion of a beautiful fae girl. With a short, curvy figure, long flowing purple hair, and striking golden eyes, Daphne's image materialized before Nate.

"I'm sorry, but I already have three lovely wives and have no plans of having any more," Nate replied, attempting to convey sincerity.

"We will see, I guess, but you are definitely a good husband candidate," Ian remarked before the image of Daphne vanished.

Curious, Nate inquired, "So, you mentioned something about wings. I never knew that the fae had wings."

"Every fae comes of age when they turn seventeen. When that happens, your wings will emerge, and your physical aging will slow to a crawl. It's also when your fae magic will truly awaken," Ian explained, appearing disinterested in the conversation as if considering this common knowledge.

"Well onto more important topics your control over your fae magic is non existent if you don't fix this before your coming of age you'll likely start having women disrobing in front of you" Ian said with a wide grin on his face.

Nodding enthusiastically, Nate prepared for the upcoming training session. His body tensed, recalling the initial days with his other two mentors.

"To start, I need you to close your eyes," Ian instructed, prompting Nate to comply.

"Now, shift your consciousness toward your center. This is where your mana core is located."

Following Ian's guidance, Nate honed in on his mana core—a solid sphere adorned with a blend of various colors, each representing a distinct affinity.

Nate extended his mental reach, aiming to connect with the orb, yet a subtle jolt impeded him.

"Concentrate on your fae magic and practice pulling it back and forth into you."

Centering his attention, Nate drew the pink-hued magic. As he absorbed it, a blissful, empowering sensation enveloped him. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to push it back into his core, only to encounter a formidable barrier resisting his efforts.

"Hurry put it back in boy your mana is starting to fill up the room"

Persisting in his attempts to push it back, Nate found himself thwarted by an impenetrable barrier. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he intensified his focus, but despite his efforts, the obstacle remained unyielding.

"I can't. Something is preventing me," Nate grunted through gritted teeth.

As he prepared for another attempt, an overwhelming pressure built within him. Unable to contain it, a surge of mana erupted from Nate with a resounding boom. Sparks of pink energy shot out, causing chaos in the room—paintings fell, and furniture disintegrated in the wake of the unleashed power.

Ian swiftly conjured a sizable purple shield, enveloping both himself and Nate as the uncontrollable surge of pink mana wreaked havoc in the room. Placing a hand on Nate's head, Ian's glowing eyes returned.

"Your mana core has a seal on it," Ian stated thoughtfully, "it's preventing you from properly interacting with your own mana." His hand moved from Nate's head to his center, right over the mana core.

An invasive force probed Nate's mana core, intensifying the tension in his already stiffened body. The probing triggered a searing, all-encompassing pain that resonated through Nate, his bone-chilling scream filling the room, but the probing persisted. Soon the force inside him latched onto something and began to pull causing the pain Nate was feeling to intensify.

Black clouds began to invade Nates vision but he blinked them away willing them to disappear. "Cola, what is happening" Nate asked desperately.

"Host, he is attempting to focefully undo the seal I am attempting to help but the seal has been on you since birth making its connection to you strong," Cola replied in her feminine robotic sounding voice in his head.

Ian then pulled back causing the all consuming pain to leave. Nate fell weakly to his knees his mind still blank from what he just experienced.

"I managed to weaken the seal; it should allow you to freely manipulate your mana. However, to completely undo it, you'll need to find someone specialized in sealing magic," Ian stated, his own face showing signs of weariness and strain.

A system prompt then materialized in front of Nate's dazed eyes:

[Seewal partial uniolck_rAIzd error_Skeill error error error error error error]

The prompt was once again filled with jumbled language, but Nate was just happy that he was now one step closer to the seal being taken care of, and that he would now be able to use his magic more easily with better control.

"Well kid you sure know how to tire and old man out" Ian said while laughing though his face still seemed tired.

"Well at least I managed to not black out" he chimed back. The two then examined the destroyed room "Do you think Meloni will be upset by this?".

"I'm sure we can blame it on the kid's" Ian joked back with a shameless smile.

"Oh, you plan to blame my children"

The two men instantly stiffened before looking behind them only to see Meloni standing there with a broad smile on her face. A smile that didn't seem to completely reach her eyes.