the monarch

"What did you get, boy?" Happiness piqued Han's curiosity. He liked the boy more than he would admit and seeing the progress would be great.

Kayden had thought of a situation like this before, and he knew he couldn't tell the old man the truth. The man would never allow the boy to risk his life on something not entirely reliable.

"Sorry Dad, but I can't talk about it. Let's just say it's a secret for now," Kayden said with a serious look on his face that made Han recognize that the boy wouldn't say anything.

"Alright then, let's go back to the orphanage. We've been gone for a while now." As he said this, the old man began to call a taxi to take them back to the train station. At that point, Kayden decided to come clean with him about being out of the house for a while. There was no point in postponing this conversation; it would have to happen at some point or another.

"Dad, I will…" He wasn't quite sure how to say this. "I need to be away from home for about 2 or 3 years. I need to be with David to do my research..."

Before Kayden could say anything else, the old man snapped,

"No, I don't." The old man quickly refused. Kayden was barely 6 years old; he couldn't be alone for that long. But for the first time he could remember, the old man heard the boy retort.

"Dad, I need this. It's going to make a huge difference in my life," as he spoke, Kayden fidgeted with his hands, visibly nervous. "I'm asking for your permission, but I'll do it even without it if I need to. Even if I have to run away from home."

Han was speechless for a moment. Kayden was disobeying him, something that had never happened before. He was about to give the boy an earful and an earful, but when his eyes met Kayden's, he understood. They were the eyes of someone willing to take his words to the last consequences.

"I need to think, I'll give you an answer later." It was the only alternative he found at that moment. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

After waiting for a few minutes, a taxi arrived. During that time, the old man said nothing more; he was deep in thought. This state of doubt lasted until they returned home.

The entire path was walked in silence; Han pretty much did everything automatically. Kayden gave the old man a break, he knew what he asked was sudden and the man needed time to process everything.

Back at home, Kayden went about his days normally while waiting for the old man's answer. During that time, he thought about what he would do. He still had some doubts about changing his life like that, but they were buried deep in his heart.

At that time, he also organized to leave. He said goodbye to some acquaintances, such as the coach and people with whom he had contact during those years. He didn't go into much detail about where he was going or why. I didn't want to get into trouble with the government regarding the protection of minors.

He enjoyed life there; he was laid back, and even if he didn't have many friends, the ones he did have were true. He was also prepared in case he needed to escape from the orphanage.

About 4 days later, the old man called the boy into his office, which was also in the basement. Kayden had never been there before, and when he walked through the door, he found himself in a room very much like that of a college film professor.

There was a couch in the middle of the room, across from it a barrier, and then a table with an office chair. But the most amazing thing was the walls; they were covered with books from beginning to end, hundreds or even thousands of them laid out there.

The old man was sitting on the couch in a black suit and didn't notice when Kayden opened the door and walked in. He seemed lost in thought.

"Dad? I'm here," Kayden called softly so as not to startle the old man. It took a while, but Han looked up at the boy.

"Come, sit here. I've thought it over and I'll give you an answer today," as he spoke, the man appeared with two cups of tea, seemingly out of nowhere. Okay, Kayden was used to magic he didn't understand.

"I'll let you go, but there are some conditions," Han said in an adamant tone. "First, you must come back every 30 days and spend a day here. I will cover your transport costs. Second, you can only stay 1 year there. That's as long as I can give without the government asking why you're not in school."

Unlike the land of his previous life, here the government was extremely strict when it came to the education of minors. They had a progression-at-all-costs mentality, and if the bottom didn't improve, the top wouldn't either.

Kayden thought about what he was told and quickly replied:

"We have a deal, Dad!"

Seven days after Kayden met David.

Time passed quickly for them to meet again, and Kayden was again with the old man in front of David's house. He was carrying two giant suitcases full of books and clothes. His luck was that the old man charged them with magic.

This time, Han used mana to summon the scientist. As soon as David appeared in the doorway, he looked worse than the other day. His hair even had cobwebs this time.

The scientist was happy to see them there and, when observing the

Kayden's happy face, he had an idea that his venture had worked. But Han had a kind of...angry look in his eyes. It looked like it was trying to kill the scientist with its eyes.

It scared him for a moment. He couldn't even dream of surviving if the old man wanted to kill him. Before anyone could say anything, the old man withdrew a parchment from his pocket and tossed it to David.

"He will stay with you for one year. Here are the rules. Sign the mana contract, that's not an option." Han even released some of his aura to pressure... advised David to make the best decision.

Upon looking at the parchment, the scientist was satisfied with the demands. They were:

1. Do not directly or indirectly harm Kayden.

2. Help the boy with his basic questions about magic.

3. Provide food and meet their basic needs.

There were a few more lines, but they weren't abusive either. Taking a pen out of his hair, David quickly signed the contract. As soon as he lifted the pen from the paper, the parchment burned to ash in the air.

This was the first time Kayden had seen a mana contract. He had studied about them in school. Typically, they were used in negotiations where the two sides were unknown. The contract obliged both to fulfill what was stipulated. If anyone tried to break it, they would have their mana core blown out.