Kael arrived at his home later that day. Technically, it was afternoon. Clare had left him a couple of meters from his house, as she too had gone home carrying her wand.
He was really tired as he walked toward his house. Using mana really drained him, and the fact that he had a small body and limited mana reserves didn't help.
He touched the screen next to his home's door. It turned green and opened.
Kael entered the house. His mother was sitting in the living room, drinking a cup of tea. She looked at him and smiled.
"Hi, son."
Kael looked up at her while removing his shoes and putting on his slippers.
"Hello, mom."
He went up and sat next to her. She took another sip of her tea before putting it back onto the floating table.
"What were you up to today?" she asked, gently placing her hand on his.
"Not much, mom. I just explored the forest. Oh, and mom—I met a girl in the forest. She was exploring too, just like me," Kael said, smiling.
His mother looked at him for a moment, then asked, "Oh? What was her name?"
"Clare Ashford—that's what she told me," Kael replied.
His mother paused, slightly taken aback.
"Ashford, huh," she said, looking toward the wall for a moment.
"Is there something wrong, mom?" Kael asked, confused by her reaction.
She smiled and said, "Nothing's wrong. It's just that they don't usually stay here for long—they stay in the city most of the time, the Ashfords, that is. It's nice that you've got a friend," she added.
"Yeah, mom," Kael said.
"You must be hungry," she said.
"Yeah, mom, just a little," he replied, smiling.
His mother went to the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a cup of tea and a plate full of cookies—Kael's favorite.
"Thanks, mom," Kael said as he reached for the cup and a cookie.
"Be careful, honey. It's still hot," she warned.
It was too late; he had already taken a sip. Kael winced as the hot liquid burned his tongue. Luckily, it was only a sip, otherwise he would have been in pain.
"See? I told you it was hot, but you just had to go ahead and drink it," his mother said.
"Sorry, mom," Kael said.
"As long as you're okay. Leave it a minute so it cools down," she said, sitting back and checking something on her wrist link.
Kael drank the tea ravenously. He was hungry and tired after using mana so much today.
He wanted to ask his mother about magic, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. He didn't feel like it now.
Kael placed his cup on the floating table and said, "Mom, I'm going to my room. I'm also going to take a shower and maybe take a nap. I'm really tired."
"Okay, son. I'll call you when dinner is ready," his mother said as she picked up the cup and plate and carried them to the kitchen.
Kael entered his room and threw himself on the bed. He was tired but happy. He had tried magic, even though he didn't know if he had done it correctly, but at least he had tried.
Kael looked up at the ceiling, thinking about his encounter with Clare.
"She's a bit weird," he said to himself. "Why did she practice magic in the forest when she could practice at home?"
But he didn't want to judge her. He himself preferred training in the forest because it was peaceful and strangely refreshing to be surrounded by nature.
His mind shifted to another thought—the crow that had once again appeared to watch him.
"Was it watching me or Clare?" Kael asked himself. "But Clare hadn't seen it before, so it's probably watching me," he said, feeling a bit worried.
"Let's hope it doesn't attack me one day. I wouldn't stand a chance, at least not with this body," he continued inwardly, trying to reassure himself.
He looked at the time: 6:00 pm. A sudden thought came to him.
"Should I try making the mana ball?" he said to himself. His heart raced at the thought of whether he could accomplish it.
But he dismissed it. He had more pressing matters to attend to—he had to shower.
He changed and wore a towel, then went to the bathroom. After about twenty minutes, he came out feeling refreshed and slightly energized.
He wore a black T-shirt and black pants, then sat on his bed to collect himself. He was about to attempt magic again—this time without Clare's help.
He was skeptical about whether he could do it. Doubts filled his mind.
Kael sat cross-legged on the bed and placed his hands in front of him. Closing his eyes, he focused on the mana around him, trying to visualize the mana ball in his head, just like Clare had taught him.
After a few minutes, nothing happened. Kael had tried hard but hadn't succeeded. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't create the mana ball.
He opened his eyes, breathing heavily.
"Maybe it was really just a fluke when I made it in the forest," he said to himself, feeling slightly dejected.
Even though he hadn't made it, he still had hope. He was going to let Clare teach him all she knew so he could do it without any problems.
"Kael," he heard his mother call. "Dinner is ready. Come down, dinner's ready."
"Okay, mom," Kael said.
He stood up to close his bedroom window, and a sharp pang of pain tore through his right eye.
Kael fell to his knees for a moment.
"What's happening to me?" he wondered.
The pain disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"Maybe it's just because I'm tired," Kael brushed it off as he headed downstairs.
He hadn't noticed, but his right eye had once again changed color to crimson red.