Flash!

A bright light shone in Flann’s eyes, and he opened his eyelids carefully, squinting at the source. In his palm, which was previously empty, a blazing red flame was flickering violently, ready to grow and consume anything in its sight. He was taken in by that glaring, bright red, and stared at the flame as it continued to flicker, sparks flying. 

“Flann! Put it out!”

“Flann!”

Suddenly he was pulled out of his trance, hearing Clarette’s urgent voice shouting at him.

“It’s dangerous!” Clarette grabbed the sleeve of his other hand, trying to get him to dismiss the flame. 

Abruptly becoming aware of the danger of the flame in his hand, Flann drowned out the vivid sensation that danced above his palm, and the flame ceased in an instant.

The silence that followed was cold and heavy, and after a long moment, Clarette removed the grip she had on his sleeve. The seconds before she spoke felt like an eternity to Flann, and a cold sweat dripped down his back. Afraid of what he had done, his fingers began trembling, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes.

“Flann, are you hurt anywhere?”

Clarette tenderly reached for his hands, and Flann peered up to find her expression was one of concern. 

“That was dangerous,” she said, inspecting his hands for any burns. “You could’ve gotten severely injured.”

“Ah… I,” Flann stuttered, “I’m fine…”

“Really? That’s good then.” Clarette let out a quiet sigh. “I had no idea you would have so much potential… I didn’t realize that it could’ve been a danger.” 

“...I’m sorry,” Flann said meekly, still slightly afraid of any consequences that might come from his actions.

“Were you trying to create a large flame? Is it because I said it might not work?”

“...No,” Flann replied, “...I visualized a flame just as large as yours.”

At this, Clarette paused for a moment, and then turned to the side, thinking. After that short pause, she looked back at Flann, questioningly. “...You tried to create a small flame but one that size came out?”

Flann hesitated for a little, then nodded anxiously. 

An expression of disbelief on her face, Clarette said, “You might be a great deal stronger than I had anticipated.” 

“...Is… is that bad?” 

“Well, no,” she clarified, “but it may garner unwanted attention, since it’s unusual.”

After a moment, she added, “I think we should tell my parents about this. Is that okay with you?” 

Flann nodded softly. “...If you think that’s right, then I’ll follow you.” 

Aware of his distress, Clarette smiled warmly and patted Flann briefly on the shoulder. “Then we’ll do that. Don’t worry too much about it. Now that we know, we can just be more careful.”

“And,” she said, trying to lift his spirits, “if used properly, this could be a great chance for you, you know?”

Flann peered up at her, and then dropped his head quickly, the tips of his ears blooming with a soft red. Quietly, he replied, “...If that’s the case… that’d be nice.”

***

As the evening sun was sinking below the mountains, dyeing the sky in a gradient of colors, Clarette and Flann arrived at the dining room for dinner. Clarette turned the knob and opened the door, finding her parents already inside. Amandine smiled and gestured for them to sit down, and they both took their seats across from her. 

Glancing at the both of them, Kelsus spoke. “I heard there was somewhat of a ruckus today.”

Flann gripped the edge of his seat nervously, a lump forming in his throat.

“The maids said that there was nothing unusual by the time they arrived, but they heard some yelling?”

“Yes,” Clarette responded, slightly timidly. “I wanted to bring that up to you both too.”

“Actually, Flann asked me what using magic was like, so I demonstrated to him the basics. When he gave it a try, not only was he able to ignite a flame, but the magnitude was quite large as well.”

Both Amandine and Kelsus took this with quite a shock, moving their gazes from Clarette to Flann, before looking back.

“Flann can use magic?” Amandine questioned, intrigued.

“I was quite surprised too,” Clarette replied. “The biggest thing was, he said he visualized a small flame, but what came out was much larger than he anticipated.”

“That is indeed remarkable.” Turning towards Flann, Kelsus asked, “Flann, you were unable to predict that such a large flame would spark?” 

Flann nodded slowly. “...Yes, I was… just trying to make a small one.”

Kelsus sat for a moment of contemplation and then said, “Something like that usually only occurs in those with a high abundance of mana…”

“His potential is great, but it could be dangerous if he doesn’t learn how to wield it properly.”

“I thought so, too,” Clarette remarked, “but couldn’t he be capable of so much if he trained?”

“Yes, but since higher levels of mana are usually only found within nobility, there aren’t any academies for those born of commoners.” 

“Wouldn’t it be possible to make a recommendation? I’m sure there must be some exceptions…”

“It is, but beyond that…” Kelsus paused, glancing at Amandine. They shared some knowledge between only the two of them in that exchange, and Amandine spoke up.

“Actually, to tell the truth,” she began, “we were considering… adopting Flann into the family.”

“...What?” 

The words dropped like a bomb on Clarette’s and Flann’s ears, and they looked at each other, astonished. 

Then, turning back to her mother, Clarette stumbled, “Wait, you said… you were considering adopting Flann?”

Amandine smiled and nodded.

“When? How come I never heard of this?”

“Well,” Amandine replied, “It was only something your father and I talked about in passing, and we haven’t had much time to really think it through.”

“But you both seem to get along so well, and it seems that Flann still does not have anywhere to go back to, so we were thinking about letting this be his permanent home.”

“Yes,” Kelsus added, “it was not settled at all. But seeing this new development, I think that this could be a good opportunity for Flann.”

He made eye contact with Flann, asking, “What do you think?”

Flann diverted his gaze anxiously, playing with his fingers under the table. “...I… uh… I don’t know…”

The Ruzenas were silent for another moment, giving him time to speak, and he felt he had to give a more proper answer. 

“...I… don’t want to inconvenience you…”

“Not at all,” Kelsus responded. “In fact, we’d all be pleased to have you as part of the family.”

“Yeah!” Clarette joined, grinning widely. “I’d love to have you as a brother!”

“...But I… am not good at etiquette,” Flann added, flustered. “I’m not like a noble…”

Clarette gazed at him, and responded, rather seriously, “To be honest, you pick up on things very fast. I don’t think it’s a problem.”

Flann peered up at her, wanting to refute, but no words came out of his mouth. 

Amandine smiled at him warmly, and said, “Flann, you don’t need to worry about any of that. You are perfectly welcome to join our family. The only thing you need to consider is how you feel about it.”

Flann sat in silence for a moment, and then nodded meekly. The three of them looked at him like a small child, and smiled between them. 

“So you can take a while to think about it,” Kelsus commented. “It’d be nice to admit you to an academy as a member of our family, but if you do not wish so, I can procure a recommendation for you too.” 

“I do believe that you should enlist for an academy though, because you have great talent, and it’d be a shame if you never used it, or even potentially misused it.” 

“...I understand,” Flann replied. “...I’ll think about it, and… thank you very much.” He bowed his head towards all of them, and they laughed in response. 

Motioning to the dishes before them, Amandine mentioned, “Then, why don’t we get to eating? If we keep chattering, the meal will get cold.”