Chapter 140: Forgetfulness

Ciaran was surprised at the familiar name, but decided to stay quiet, lest they give him even more work.

The others were intrigued by who this Ingrid was, but the dryads said it was part of their mission to find her on their own.

After the briefing, the four were left on their own, as the dryads wanted some privacy. The royals wanted to explore the city, but Ciaran opted to go see his family and friends.

Diana was torn but ultimately decided to go with her siblings and let the boy have some alone time.

Ciaran made his suit change into the Academy uniform and went to investigate. Since he was now technically a Forth Year student he was allowed to see the real appearance of the Academy.

It was largely the same, but he could feel the magic in the air. He could also feel a very familiar presence, and now that the restrictions were gone, he went towards it.

"Ok, students any questions?" Elizabeth asked what remained of her class. Most kids raised their hands.

"About something other than my appearance." She said, mildly annoyed. Ever since she revealed magic to them, and then showed them her true self, it was all the same.

The fact she even felt some lust from the boys, was starting to drive her mad. She wanted to cultivate young minds into the future of the Empire, not breed adolescent perverts. Alas, she could do nothing as it was just their bodies changing faster than they should, thanks to ranking up.

She had heard that was an issue, but she never experienced it firsthand. She was about to scold them a hundred times today, but then she felt an unfamiliar presence watching her and the kids.

When she turned her head around, she saw a young man who she didn't recognize sitting on a bench and looking at her directly, with a smile on his face.

"Class dismissed. I have some work to attend to." She said and shooed them away.

Then she got rid of her scholarly smile and walked toward the intruder. When she got sufficiently close, she even learned his Name, which worried her even more.

Ciaran was about to greet her, but before he could, he was met with a barrage of flames.

"I don't know what you want Soul Eater, but I will not let you harm my kids." She said and felt the magic around him steer. She expected an attack, but when she looked at him he was just lying on his side, with his head held in one hand.

He was pouting at her, and the look in his eyes told her she messed up. He didn't look scared or annoyed, more like a child who had found a new toy to play with.

"Teacher, stop before he gets even more dirt on you." A little spider told her.

Ariadne crawled out of her pocket and grew to the size of a horse. She didn't like using her true size, as she had gotten too big, but she still wanted people to take her seriously.

Ciaran felt a Rank Five aura coming from her, and he could tell she was even an Apprentice. But he didn't show the happiness on his face.

"So, not only do you attack your students when they come to say hello, but you also turn their familiars against them. Also what's with calling me by my nickname, do I call you Mrs. Scarlet Vow? Boo, Liza boo." He said and almost gave the Fire Grand Mage a heart attack.

She looked at him closely, and if she ignored his height, his face, his presence, his power, and the fact he felt like a natural disaster in human form, he did look like Ciaran.

She was too shocked to ask questions. Everything else aside, he had a Name. Most Archmages didn't have a Name. She was absolutely sure he did something preposterous, but before she asked she gave him a hug.

Everyone knew what had happened North, and she was sure he had participated in that madness.

"When you didn't return with your grandfather, I thought you were lost Ciaran. Most of us did. Come, let's go tell the others the happy news." She said as the boy got a bad feeling.

'Ari, who exactly thought I was dead, from the people that matter?' He asked, and when she showed him, everyone but Sunny, he knew he was fucked.

He had indeed not told anyone of his survival, and neither did the dryads. Combined with the high casualty rate, and the fact he hadn't even seen his grandfather in a while, he knew he had messed up.

"How pissed do you think they will be that I forgot to keep in touch?" He asked, and the flame-powered slap to the head spoke louder than anything she could have said.

He knew his mother would be the most pissed off them all, so he left her for last. First, he went to see the girls.

Clara and Sunny were quietly working on their elemental mastery. They complemented each other just as well as their elements did. The Light mixed with the Darkness, and the contrast showed them how they should progress.

He was about to call out to them, but the Light and Dark told him why he shouldn't.

"I'll wait till they are done. I hated being interrupted when we were at it with my partner." He said, and for some reason, Elizabeth wanted to slap him again, while Ariadne jumped on his shoulder and pestered him for details.

About forty minutes passed when they stopped to take a break. They saw their teacher and a man they didn't know looking at them.

It took Clara one look, to figure out who the man was.

"I hope Aunty Camille rips you a new one, you insensitive jerk." She said, as she dashed forward and gave him the hardest slap she could. Then she hugged him and allowed a few tears to fall.

"Told you he is alive. There is no way he would die from a few animals." Sunny said as she joined in.

Elizabeth was happy seeing her students reunited and safe, but the contrast between the two girls and Ciaran just made her more worried. They were like two small lights in front of a giant. Clara was smart, and Sunny was devious, but both couldn't compare to the monster they were currently embracing.

She didn't feel like he was a danger to them, more like he could no longer connect with them. He was just too powerful, too matured after his adventure. She could see he missed them too, but he was already keeping them at a distance.

"Where is Ray, I want to see the Rockhead as well," Ciaran said, trying to hide the fact their teacher's worries were solid.

"At home, he took a few days off to look after the Brigadier. Ciaran, I hope you have a good excuse because the whole Clades mansion is in the morning. I am not joking, Aunty will kill you when you go there." Clara said.

The boy just sighed and gestured for them to follow. If he was getting killed, at least he wanted to make it a party.

The four left the Academy, and Elizabeth saw them out. She was also curious about some things, but she would ask when he was back.

As they walked towards the biggest house in the Nobles District, the girls kept asking him questions. He never said too much, leaving the explanations for when they arrived.

Sadly for him, the time had come, and they were at the front gate. Sadder still, Edith was also there. She had gone out on a walk and was just getting back. When she saw the girls walking toward the mansion with an unknown man, she got confused.

The more she looked tho, the faster her heart rate got.

"You…"

"Me."

The boy answered with a smile on his face. She was the fourth person to not recognize him, but it still had not gotten old.

The old woman didn't get angry like Clara, she just went next to him and gave him a hug.

"At least we didn't waste our mourning. It was nice seeing you again Ciaran, I wish you a quick and painless death." She said as she pointed at the house. More specifically she was pointing at the living room, to a certain chair the lady of the house liked to sit in.

"Give me a break, I could hardly say no to a …" For the first time in his life, he had no words. He knew that Gods were special, but this was ridiculous.

"Never mind, let's just say I had something to do." He said, but Edith knew all too well what kept him from speaking. She had seen it before, she just didn't know who placed the restriction on him.

Just like that Ciaran was back home, alive and well. He only hoped he would remain like that till the end of the day.