Chapter 44

I quietly stared at the white ceiling of the apartment that had become my new home, hands crossed under my head and one leg folded up over the other. Weak sunlight filtered through the open blinds of the window opposite the bed along with the chill early winter air. The two combined were a rather pleasant sensation.

There was no smell of frying oil, no hustle bustle from early customers looking for a quick breakfast on their way to work and no blaring honks and cursing from the usual chafed Londoner.

Honestly, I didn't miss all of that either.

But no, being thankful for all of that was not the reason I'd been staring at the ceiling for well over an hour since I'd woken up. It was something else entirely.

You see, after a heated discussion with the professor that went late into the afternoon yesterday, I'd finally managed to learn my affinity through a series of tests and... tarot fortune-telling for some reason.

It was something quite rare and the man had expectedly grilled me about keeping it under wraps. Sometimes, I doubted he placed any trust in my ability to keep my mouth shut. Then, I remembered just who I was and realised that he was completely right about the mistrust.

That did not stop me from being grumpy about it anyway.

My Elemental Affinity wasn't one of the natural Five Great Elements of Fire, Wind, Earth, Air or the Mage's Association own entry, Void. No, it was one of two illusive Imaginary Elements. Hollow.

Now, as much as I wished that meant I could form a white demonic mask, start howling and firing off beams of pure destruction, it didn't. What it did allow, at least according to Waver, was interaction with a place called the Imaginary Numbers Space.

In theory, this place was supposed to be a void, an 'imaginary' place that was technically not real yet surely existed, where everything and nothing was possible in tandem. It was the opposite of the Real Numbers Space which was supposed to be our reality as we knew it. 

Admittedly, that was the extent of my knowledge about this particular subject... and it didn't really help me understand anything. But, the very words 'imaginary numbers' and 'unreal space' did bring up a rather interesting thought.

Licking my dry lips, I took my aviators in my hands and tilted them at a certain angle so as to create a reflection. A reflection of my eyes. A majestic blue sky that seemed fantastical, stuffed into two orbs.

Yes, it did bring up some very interesting thoughts indeed, thoughts I was going to put some time into and bring into reality. If anyone could do it, it was me. I could do the necessary calculations in the back of my head as I went about my day. I was literally him after all. There were definitely going to be spectacular failures but each failure would bring me infinitely closer to my newfound goal of employing this ability to interact with the imaginary numbers space towards… well, that was a secret~.

Snorting, I slid my aviators back on and threw myself up. My body groaned, not wanting to leave the comfort of the soft bed... but I wasn't going to give in. Or rather, there was a reason to get up.

The second I pushed down my newfound obsession with magecraft, another train of thoughts came ramming into my mind at breakneck speeds. That was...

"Man, I miss Luvia."

Neither of us was very experienced... and I got the distinct feeling things were getting a little too passionate than they were supposed to but... well, I didn't care. My feelings were real. Hers were too, I knew.

I wanted to be with her, help her, get coddled by her and most importantly, to bother her over little things like usual.

That was all that really mattered to me.

With a huff, I rose to my feet and stumbled into the bathroom. After washing my face with the cold water and tying up my hair in a man bun that would make pre-Hitler era Geto proud, I picked out a navy tracksuit that Luvia bought me the last time we were at Carnac and a white shirt.

When I was finally done preparing for the day, I shuffled out into the living room.

"Did you get taller?"

My mother greeted me from the attached kitchen, a green apron tied around her waist and her dark hair done in a bun that put mine to shame. 

"I hope so."

A man could always be taller... well, up till a certain point. I didn't want to become a titan or something. If anything, I wanted another inch or two and that would be enough.

With another groan, I plopped down at the square dining table and rested my chin on my palm. "Did you quit that stupid job yet?"

Instead of the stubborn denial I would expect from a woman of her age, Louise Smith just gave me a thumbs up.

"Yesterday. The manager was pretty shaken. Oh, and, he told me to give you his congratulations." She said idly, fiddling with a thermos. "Are... are you really sure though?"

I sighed. "I'm not having this discussion again, ma'am. There's no need for you to work anymore."

The average weekly income in this day and age was something like 500 pounds a week or something for a full-grown adult, I brought home double that. There really was no need. Even then, that was the extent of what I could bring home without her getting suspicious.

She still thought Waver was a prestigious professor paying me... the truth was wholly different. The Professor was even more broke than I was. The money came from odd jobs and my shares in Carnac... and now from the inherited businesses of the Ashborn family.

"Alright, big man." She laughed. I couldn't help but smile at that.

The older woman was becoming a bit more livelier as time passed. For the kind of spartan lifestyle she'd led to properly raise Henry and Ellie, she deserved all the comfort in the world.

I could distinctly recall her listening to Henry drone about his day like an idiot kid while barely conscious from exhaustion... yet, somehow, she still expressed interested instead of telling him to fuck off in favour of a nap.

Yeah, she really did deserve it.

"Are you thinking about that girl again?"

"...What? No. Where'd that even come from?"

"Well, you were smiling and all." She said confusedly as she walked out of the kitchen with about a dozen pancakes stacked on top of one another in a ceramic plate.

"It was cause I was happy you don't have to run yourself into the ground anymore."

This time, she didn't answer. She just put a hand on my head and ruffled my hair... or at least tried to, my manbun was of immaculate structural design and withstood her onslaught like a true hero, with not even a single strand of hair bothered by her savagery.

"You don't need to think about that stuff. It's what any mother would do."

Yeah... if only that were true.

I could definitively name one mother that straight up ditched her own kid for not meeting expectations despite having a significantly easier life. Ugh. I pushed away the sour memories by unceremoniously biting into a pancake.

Shit was bland-

"Here's the maple syrup. Your next words will be, 'how'd she know' right?"

How'd she know-... What the fuck?

"Don't swear." She softly hand chopped my shoulder. "Also, I'm your mother, remember?"

What in the actual fu-... How?! There was... Was she some kind of psychic? Were those even a thing in this world?

Before I could ask her, Ellie waddled in dressed in her banana-patterned pajamas. She mercilessly dragged her teddy bear along the floor with one hand, and used the other small one to rub her face as she yawned. 

Without a word, she stepped up to us, and began looking between me and the chair beside me, tiny brows furrowed. After about a minute of deliberation of some topic clearly too complicated for mere mortals, she just held up both of her hands.

I was... confused. 

"Your lap." My mother laughed softly.

I could only comply. When she settled on my lap, she opened her mouth. "Hal. Bite." 

Awwwwww-

My heart was unable to handle the level of cuteness. In fact, I refused to believe there was a man out there who would NOT melt at this sight. If there was indeed such a man, he was one of the opps now, and it was going to be on sight.

I spoiled my cute little sister as much as she wanted.

And yet, as I fed her, a terribly distasteful realisation hit me. The sort that killed my appetite and ruined my mood fully.

The incident with Adra Castle had really run home just how detached magi were willing to be in their efforts towards their research and one-upping one another. Now that I was a New Ager who'd somehow managed the rank of Cause, those nasty gazes were no doubt going to fall on me as well.

As I continued to improve, they would increase, and become nastier and more predatory.

At that point, it wouldn't be out of question that these people were going to want to target my family. No, it was definitely going to happen, beyond any doubt. It didn't matter that Mystic Eyes could be a spontaneous phenomenon, they...

I pursed my lips, and fed Ellie another bite before glancing at my mother sipping her coffee.

An application of the memory alteration spells the magi employed to cover up their tracks could make them forget my existence and-... No, I didn't want to do that. Even if it was the most optimal option, I just didn't.

The only option left then was to become untouchable. Someone so feared within the ranks of magi that they wouldn't dare to even think of doing something to my family.

The decision was an unexpectedly easy one. If I could realise my plans for the imaginary numbers space, it'd be very well within my reach to do something like that.

Until then, maybe it was safer to move them?

"Hmm, maybe Luvia would..."

She was the only person trustworthy enough. Well, Waver was an option but the guy was likely to snap a bone or something from a strong wind so... yeah.

"You're using nicknames now?" My mother broke my thoughts. "Hal... I... Just be careful, okay?"

"You know, if you're that worried," I started, holding a spoon to Ellie's lips. "You should really meet Luviagelita."

"Maybe I should-"

Both of us were distracted by Ellie gripping my shoulder with both hands as hard as she could, brows furrowed in some kind of... anger.

"Hal is going to stay with me. I'm not giving him to anyone."

"..."

Awwwwww-

"What about when you grow up?" My mother humored her, smiling amusedly.

"Then I take him with me. And he takes care of me!"

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW-

"Ellie, I think you're going to give your brother a stroke."

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