Chuckling, I looked at her and gave her a hug. 

"Will do, Mom. Be safe, ok?" 

 Hugging me back, I could feel her warmth and love. 

"I should be telling you that, but also keep an eye on your father."  

She let me go and handed me my bag filled with food, money, and other items I might need. I took it and slung it over my shoulder and started walking out the door. Everyone stood outside, each with their own bag and attire for the journey. We were heading towards the Capital of the continent. Avan told our parents that due to our prowess and potential, he wanted to take us to the Capital right away to enroll us into the best mana school in the entire continent, Selvarin ETL. Our parents agreed almost immediately, with Robin's crying tears of joy and Lucy's giving her what seemed like a nod of approval. With us four, my Dad would also be accompanying us just in case anything were to happen, along with Lucy's mother as she was the only other mage in our village who had excelled in defensive mana arts. 

This was my first time seeing my father in his battle attire, his spear slung behind his red tunic. He had three separate rings on, which I assumed gave him access to other sources of mana arts, with a black chain wrapped his right arm. 

 "Are we ready to go?" Avan called out, already inside the carriage. Lucy's mother was also inside, chanting something to her mana orb. 

 "Yup, c'mon kids." My father responded back, staying back until I passed him. 

 The rest of us entered the carriage which was much larger in the inside. I sat besides my dad, while Avan walked out and got on top of some sort of beast. It has the features of a horse, but was bigger and broader with a distinguishing horn protruding out of the front of their head. The girls all sat together, Lucy taking advantage and resting her head on her mother's shoulders. 

 "You excited?", dad whispered into my ears, catching me off guard and earning him a reaction. 

 "A little bit yeah. I never expected myself to have a second affinity. Could it be fire, like what you have? Or is it something entirely different?"

"Well, with a second affinity things work a bit differently," he replied. "The first affinity is almost always one of the parents natural affinity. In some cases though, like lil' Robin, you can develop one based on your heritage. But for a second affinity, that's all dependant on your own mana orb."

"Hm," I responded, pondering what I might be able to conjure up. With how this worlds magic system works, it's basic yet complex as there are multiple layers to it. 

Dad looked over at me and placed his hand on my head, patting it.

"Whatever the case may be, stay safe. Even the strongest of mages can be overwhelmed, copy?" 

I gave him a smile and nodded my head in response, continuing my conversation with him. 

We continued to travel for a few hours, most of us dozing off and sleeping. Me and Avan seemed to be the only ones awake, giving me a chance to really absorb the scenery around us. It was gorgeous, with trees having leaves with different shades of colors and creatures roaming all around. They were called Beast Spirits in this world, roaming in the wilderness with the more dangerous ones in dungeons or other areas similar. 

It must have been around midnight when I felt myself falling asleep. Might as well, I thought to myself, it will only make the trip easier to bear since this was a two day journey. Closing my eyes, I slowly drifted to the dark void, feeling all the muscles in my body relax. 

"Don't get too close, they will only leave like she did."

Running, I turn the corridor and hide behind the wall, the voice only creeping in closer. 

"Take a look around you. Even with a new name, the same tragedies will occur. Same feelings of hurt and sorrow. Do you want that to happen?"

"Shut up, this is different," I screamed out, taking a peek over the corner. My old self from Earth, looking mangled and torn, took slow but heavy steps towards me with a frown. "That won't happen again."

It smiled to my response, speeding its pace.

"Really now?  Why don't I remind you how everything felt, huh?"

It began to sprint, causing me to run with all my might. The hallways were dark, but lit. Paintings of my old life splattered all over the walls, thousands of doors on every side. I slipped and fell, taking a heavy blow to my head. Looking back, I can see the creature slowly change. The hair lengthened and turned into a shade of red, the body morphing and height decreasing. 

"Don't worry, Sylas. You only killed us both, taking away my freedom of choice. Let me see that fake smile you always put up, won't you?"

Springing up, I opened my eyes and began to breath heavily. Everyone looked at me and grabbed me, asking if I was ok.

"Yeah, sorry. Had a bad dream," I replied, shaking away the hands and sinking back into my seat.