Holding my tongue and refusing to make a scene, I continued to stare at the empty space in which the man stood. His words lingered in the back of my mind as a cold sweat began to form. 

Looking to my left and right, I checked if Romeo and Mia had noticed my sudden change in mood. They were both still watching the tournament as the next match started. 

The last of the matches finished and the round concluded. The kids tugged on my shoulders.

“Thank you for bringing us to watch the tournament!” they said.  

“Huh?” I mumbled. It felt as if I had just woken up from a dream. Everything had happened so fast. Looking up from their pure and innocent faces, I noticed the sun was beginning to set. 

“Oh,” I mumbled to myself with a slight laugh. “Of course! You guys ready to head back?” I rubbed the back of my head, closed my eyes, and gave them the best smile I could. 

The distant thought lingered in the depths of my mind. Was I acting normal for them... or for my sake? After all, they weren’t aware of the torment I’ve faced. Is this all an act to convince them that everything is normal or am I trying to convince myself? 

The thought eventually faded as we continued walking, but a new thought emerged in its stead. I need to learn magic. It lasted for only a second before a storm of questions flooded my mind. Can I even learn magic? The feeling of eagerness wavered. A sudden heat flustered my body. Placing my hand beside my head, I recalled all the events that I could remember. The memories flashed through my head like a picture book flipping through all of its pages. 

There he was! The cloaked man reappeared in my mind. He would utter mysterious words every time he casted a spell. No matter how hard I tried, all my attempts to fight fell short to his overwhelming power. 

I remember the sensation of being engulfed in flames. The flames didn’t burn, but I could still feel the excessive heat. My body felt strained and tired. It was at its limit. Veins etched themselves among my calves and spread upward to my biceps. My muscles contracted to their maximum extent. It felt as if the flames and I were one. 

Was that my magic? Fire magic? 

I pushed the thoughts away as the fragments of the fight finished playing over in my head. There was still a big chunk of my memory missing revolving around that event, but I could slightly recall when I first awoke in the dungeon. 

The smell of brimstone reeked throughout the dungeon and filled my nostrils. The floors were cold and hard. My vision was fuzzy and my clothes were ragged. Through the large tears in my shirt, I could see a ring of magic glowing on my torso. It engulfed my entire stomach and had mysterious, curved markings  connected to the outer layer of the ring. The green glow was at first bright but seemingly faded until the entire mark disappeared. 

My head began to pound relentlessly. The constant throb finally seized as the last of my memories came to an end. The visions and voices had once again left my head. 

“Ares, are you okay?” Mia asked. 

The question caught me off guard but had momentarily shifted my attention away from my thoughts. We were almost back at the old man’s house. 

“Yeah,” I answered her with a gentle smile. “I’m sorry. I’m just really tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” 

We had finally arrived at the house. Mr. Gonzo greeted us with a warm smile and hot bowls of soup. It felt refreshing to be in a more familiar environment again. The children laughed and smiled throughout dinner as they told Mr. Gonzo about the matches. 

Awaiting an opportunity to speak to Mr. Gonzo alone, I finished my meal and headed back to my room. I kept the door open to see and hear what everybody else was doing while I took time to think to myself. 

“Ah, Ares!” the old man said as he walked by. “How’s everything? You okay?” he asked as he entered the room. 

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Everything’s fine, but I’ve been meaning to ask you... what do you know about magic?”