After a long while of thoughts and introspection, Ray finally decided to seek more professional help.
Moving from his room, he went down the long flight of stairs, the descent causing him to start gasping for air by the time he reached the bottom. Still, this was nowhere near enough to ruin his morale.
He walked through the wooden expanse of the house, silent, pristine, and clean with no one present but him.
His mother, Ria, and the maid had left earlier for the marketplace in town to get some basic amenities.
Hopefully, this time, they would come back with some proper meat instead of those disgusting vegetables.
He shook his head at the thought of the dish he had eaten yesterday. It was anything but pretty. In fact, calling it food might have been generous.
Finally, he stopped before a large wooden door. The knob was positioned frustratingly high, forcing him to stretch on his toes just to reach it. He rolled the knob until it gave a few stubborn clicks, then pulled it open.
He was instantly welcomed by the warm fragrance of the outside world.
It was bright. The rays of the sun reflected gently off the lush, green serenity of the grass just beyond the doorway, bathing everything in a comforting glow.
He wasted no time stepping outside, one foot, then the other, until he finally feasted his eyes upon his target.
In the wide grass field fenced around the house to keep prying eyes away from their land stood his father, Derek Greyhound. The mighty man was swinging a large tachi as he moved, his body twisting and shifting as though an invisible enemy stood before him.
His movements were nothing short of majestic! strong, controlled, and powerful. With each swing of the tachi, a loud shearing sound tore through the air as it was violently displaced by the sheer force behind the blade.
Still, that wasn't all.
With every movement of the sword came a peculiar phenomenon that could not be overlooked.
Each blade arc generated a violent gush of wind which was thin, sharp, and barely visible to the naked eye, yet undeniably present.
The pressure alone carried forward for several meters, ripping tufts of grass from the earth before finally dissipating a few feet away.
"Wow… what's that?" Ray couldn't help himself, curiosity spilling from his lips as he spoke slowly.
Apparently, that was enough to catch his father's attention.
Derek halted his training and turned toward Ray with a large, crooked smile plastered across his face.
Clearly, not one of his best looks. Ray pondered this with a faintly disappointed expression.
"You came to see me train, aye Ray!" Derek yelled, flexing his blade with a few exaggerated swings while shuffling his footwork proudly.
"Show off," Ray replied, smiling despite himself, contentment woven into his voice. "Can you teach me that, Daddy?"
For a moment, Derek's strange grin faltered. It faded just enough to betray his hesitation before fixing itself back into place. He tilted his head and pinched the back of his neck awkwardly with his free hand.
"I'm not sure I can do that," he said slowly. "Ria would basically murder me if she found out."
This was something Ray feared as well. He could already imagine his mother's reaction in terrifying detail.
"How priceless," he whispered to himself.
"..."
"Not sword fighting," Ray clarified quickly, shaking his head fervently. "How to use magic."
Derek's eyes widened in surprise before a loud, boastful laugh burst from his lips.
"Ohhh, so that's it!" he said. "You want to learn air magic."
Ray hesitated briefly before nodding softly.
'Would have preferred fire though,' he contemplated inwardly.
Derek raised the tachi and lodged it firmly into the ground beside him. He then closed the distance between himself and Ray, lowering himself until he was seated in front of the boy.
He patted Ray on the head, scattering his neatly arranged red hair in the process.
"I'm not sure it'll sit right with your mother, so when I discuss—"
"Sure, that's your answer," Ray interrupted with an indifferent sigh, gently shoving his father's hand away from his hair. "You have to tell her everything. I'm not even sure who to call Daddy anymore."
'Damn!'
Derek's face nearly collapsed in horror. He reacted instantly, grabbing Ray by the shoulders.
"No—no! That's not it!" he exclaimed. "I meant I'll tell your mother right after I teach you how to awaken magic. I'm Daddy. Call me Daddy."
Ray's expression lit up instantly. He jumped into his father's arms and wrapped him in a warm embrace.
"I love you, Daddy," he said happily. "Then when I grow old enough and have strong bones, you'll teach me sword arts."
Derek rolled his eyes at that last part, as if teaching his son magic at this age wouldn't already land him in unbearable trouble with his wife.
A few moments later, Ray had been instructed to change into more suitable clothing, a dark singlet and trousers to avoid stains.
Or, the way Ray preferred to see it: to avoid getting caught by Mom.
Soon, the two sat out in the open fields. Derek struck a pose that made him look downright dangerous, his tachi lodged into the ground beside him. Ray made sure to carve this scene deep into his heart and mind.
After all, this was the image of his father. His role model.
"Now, we only have a few hours before your mum comes back," Derek said, sweat forming visibly on his forehead. "So let this be our little secret. I want to surprise Ria when you actually learn magic before you turn five."
This façade could be seen through even by a baby. Ray knew it.
This man was terrified of his wife.
Ray nodded seriously and waited for his father to continue.
Derek raised his hand and placed it gently on Ray's stomach for a moment. He lifted his gaze and stared straight into his son's eyes before speaking.
"Every mage has a magic core. It's where we pull, store, and extract mana from."
"Our cores can be found here."
He gestured once more to Ray's stomach before withdrawing his hand.
"Now, to use magic, all mages must have a core. That's why you can't normally use magic at four years old. Most cores form between the ages of five and ten. So for you, your core might only be a faint, faded sphere, still maturing."
Ray absorbed the information like a sponge. It all made sense. The mechanics of a core storing mana—books had explained it before, but never like this.
'Magic books are written by idiots that want to sound smart! Damn them!'
Still, one question remained.
"Dad? How do I get a core then?" Ray asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Derek simply shrugged, wearing a goofy, helpless expression.
"I have no idea, Ray."
What a waste of time.