Kian Goldmaul POV

  I continue to use The Fool's Line until it suddenly cuts off without warning.

  Huh? I look in surprise as I can no longer see any lines. After blinking a few more times, I check my core to notice it's empty.

  Around 30 seconds? Probably because I increased how much Veythar I poured into the lens, although it didn’t show anything more.

  I take multiple deep breaths to calm down my excitement before looking back at The Fool’s Line Magic book.

  Pretty sure the book said no one was able to use this Veythar-art. Why did it work for me?

  I open the book again to check.

  After 5 minutes, I confirm that no one was able to use it since its creation and not even by its creator.

  Weird, did I accidentally use it in a different way than what was described?

  No, if that was the case then other people before should've been able to, and they would've likely been mentioned.

  I get off the chair and start walking toward where I’ve last seen my father.

  I should probably tell him that I was somehow able to use it just in case. After all, he knows way more than I do about Omnishape and Veythar.

  I pass by the aisles until I reach the magic books aisle, but I don't see my father.

  I start looking around before looking above me.

  And I swear I almost got a heart attack as my father was looking down at me, floating straight above me upside down, with his face only 50 centimeters away from mine.

  “WAAH!” I scream in fear and surprise.

  "Pffft Hahahahahaha, I got you hahahaha." I look at my father as he starts laughing.

  "You usually never get scared, so I had to do this! Hahaha." I pout, expressing my displeasure with the prank.

  After a few seconds, his laughter starts calming down before pausing fully while still wearing that annoying grin on his face.

  "So? Did you finish reading the book I gave you?" he says while he stops holding the book, making it float back to its spot in the aisle.

  “Yes, I just finished it.” I say before hesitating for a few seconds as he notices my hesitation.

  "Just like I said, buddy, there's no need to worry or be nervous as nobody was able to use that Veythar-art," he says as he tries to reassure me.

  “Ah, no, it's not that. It's... ummm, I was actually able to use it... for some reason..." I say as I look at him, and his face freezes up.

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  Ronan Goldmaul POV

  I stood at the bottom of the aisle reading a chunky book with a title that says Advanced Veythar Connective Cables Part 6. I flipped through the pages every 10 seconds or so, reading through it quickly.

  As I reached the middle of the book, I noticed Kian getting up from the chair, walking toward my location from the sitting area of the library through my sensor.

  I suddenly thought of a mischievous prank to play on him.

  Since he never gets scared, let me try this on him. Hehehe.

  I started floating and shaping the air and light around me to turn myself invisible.

  I waited patiently until he appeared on the other side of the aisle and came into my sight.

  I waited as he moved his head around trying to find me, holding my laughter back as I floated toward him upside down.

  As I reached the position, I removed my invisibility, waiting for him to look up.

  “WAAH!" When he screamed, I started laughing uncontrollably while floating downward to the ground.

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  “Ah, no, it's not that. It's... ummm, I was actually able to use it... for some reason..." he says as I look at him, and my face freezes up.

  "You were able to use it?! How?? I tried many different ways to use it, but none of them worked!” I say in haste and confusion before forcing myself to calm.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Can you tell your daddy how you were able to do it?” I say gently after calming myself down.

  “Mhm,” he nods affirmatively before starting to explain.

  After 8 minutes, he finishes.

  Isn't that the same as described in the Guide Book? I think, getting even more confused than I already was.

  Let me try it anyway.

  I start channeling my Veythar the same way Kian described and forming the lenses over my eyes.

  After finishing, I wait while moving my head around.

  Nothing—and I have done it exactly like Kian described, too. I start thinking.

  I’ll use atom magic this time.

  I do the same process using atoms instead, but the result is still the same.

  Could it be that Kian's use of The Fool's Line had a mutation when he used it? No, that shouldn't be the case. If it was a mutation, the normal one should've worked. If it's not a mutation, what could it be? A special mutation? No, the same principle applies to that as well.

  I continue thinking, falling deeper into my thoughts before my heart skips a beat and I panic a little. Could it be that the Veythar-art is selective? No, that won't work. I checked, and Kian's core is the same as mine, and he's a human as well.

  I shake the thoughts out of my head before focusing back on Kian.

  “It seems like I can't use The Fool's Line, buddy,” I say with my gentle grin. “You might be a really special case, and I'm not sure what differs.” I say, scratching my head.

  “I’ll try consulting a friend about this, and we will see if we can figure out something.” I say as he nods.

  I sigh slightly before walking toward the library exit with still some chaotic thoughts before I reach my office.

  I pick up the landline phone and dial Thaddeus's number.

  After a few seconds, the call gets picked up and I hear an old familiar voice.

  “Hello, how may I help you?” the voice says.

  “I'm Sean Rallis. I'm looking for Count Thaddeus. Can you put me through to him?”

  “Give me a minute, Mr. Sean. I will inform Count Thaddeus, as he's currently not in his office and I had to answer on his behalf.”

  “Alright, I will wait.” I say before starting to wait, and after almost a minute, I hear a voice from the other side of the line. “Ronan?”

  “Ah, Thaddeus, good thing you finally answered.” I say as he replies shortly, “Did something happen for you to call me? And why are you using the landline instead of cell phones?” he says with some confusion in his voice.

  “Well, it's about Kian. You should know The Fool’s Line. Well, somehow Kian was able to use it, and he did describe for me what he saw, so he shouldn't be lying, which begs the question: how? And I don’t believe it's a mutation.” I say as I wait for the answer from the other side of the line.

  “So that's why you called. I agree with you saying it's not a mutation. Did you ask him how he did it?” he asks with more seriousness in his voice.

  “Yes, I did, and it was the same as mentioned in the common guide book, and I even tried it just in case, using both Veythar and atoms, and it still didn't work…” I say helplessly.

  "Sigh." I hear a sigh from the other end of the line. “We will need to talk about this face to face instead of on the phone. Pick a date and we will meet up.”

  “Alright. Oh, and one other thing, can you send a knight to us? I am thinking of starting to teach Kian magic and other things.” I say, and I hear a surprised voice from the other side.

  “A knight? To train him? Isn't Kian only 3 years old this year? He's a bit too young to start training. Even my son Nicolas—I started teaching him only recently, and he's 5 years old.”

  “I do believe the same, but his understanding and thinking process are more advanced than they should be for his age. It would be a waste if we waited. And so I decided on this after some thinking. I was planning to tell you by next month, but this came up and I had to advance it.”

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  Kian Goldmaul POV

  It's been a few days since I learned The Fool's Line. I'm currently in the living room watching television as they finally let me do something other than reading kids' books or the ones in the library, although there is a daily time limit.

  As I'm watching the television that's playing some family-friendly movie, my father enters the room.

  “Hey, Kian, come with me for a second. There's someone I want to introduce to you.” He says while gesturing at me with his hand to follow him.

  I nod and get off the couch, following him without bothering to turn off the television.

  As he leads me through the front door and into the front yard, I see a tall person who's way over 2 meters tall—just slightly shorter than my father—wearing casual clothes, waiting outside.

  As he notices my dad, he nods politely, and after we approach him, my father starts introducing me to him.

  “Well then, Kian, this is Niko—Niko Papas—a knight. He was sent here by a friend of mine. I don't know if you remember him—his name is Thaddeus Balburg. Well, anyway, he sent this knight to help you learn archery better, and swordsmanship with other things like martial arts. I was planning on waiting until you're 6 years old, but you're too much of a genius for that.” He says the last part grinning.

  “Nice to meet you, little Kian.” Niko smiles at me while petting my hair.

  “What about magic?” I ask, turning to my father.

  “Oh, magic? I will be the one teaching you. Why would I let Thaddeus send a magician when, without a doubt, I will be better than them?” He says proudly.

  “Anyway, how about showing Niko here your archery so he can assess you? And he can see where to start. As for swordsmanship, let it wait until you learn some simple martial arts footwork, so it makes learning how to wield a sword easier later on—which might take a month to several months.”

  Now we’re in the backyard where I usually train archery, and in front of me is an archery target that my father has made, different from the dead tree that I first shot.

  I keep a distance of 20 meters, as my father and Niko are behind me watching.

  I look at the target, load the bow with an arrow, pull the string, aim, and after 6 seconds, I let go.

  The arrow cuts through the air before hitting the target, nearly hitting the dead center.

  “No wonder your father kept bragging about you being a genius at 3 years old—you can already shoot a target 20 meters away at almost bullseye without using Veythar,” Niko says, smirking. “And that doesn't seem to be your limit, either—just the limit of your body, huh?”

  He turns to my father. “Alright, I know where to start. I'll be teaching him footwork and martial arts in the morning and archery in the afternoon.”

  Chapter End