Chapter 76: *You said ’secrets’ ...*
Alan added for him to get it right, "Of course, even if you don’t go into meditation, you have to be extremely focused to be able to see them. It takes a lot of practice to create a spell because right now you are only using the spiritual energy around us. Then you will learn how to introduce the particles inside your spells, and finally, the last step is to be able to directly introduce the particles of an element into the spiritual energy that you will use to create your spells."
Alan got up in turn and showed him the different steps, one by one. First, he created a milky white ball of spiritual energy the size of a tennis ball, then he introduced particles of fire into it, and the ball turned a bright red. Then he dissipated his spell and started again, but this time the fireball was created in just a few seconds.
Kevin had just understood the main steps to create a spell; their teacher only showed them the first and second steps, but not the ultimate goal, like Alan had just done. Once he would be able to gather the element particles along with the spiritual energy, he would be able to create all kinds of spells besides the ones that he could copy. It was just so cool!
But what Alan had told him made him realize something very important, namely that the items that could increase his Soul force points didn’t count in order to be able to see the particles; only his own points counted for that.
Alan sat down and saw with satisfaction that Kevin had understood what he had just shown him. After that, the studious vibe turned into a playful one, and they continued to eat while telling Kevin anecdotes about life here at the Sun Sect.
When they had finished eating and cleaning the dishes, they all found themselves in the living room, and the time for confession had arrived.
Axel began, "We’ll tell you everything, but first, you have to know that you need to be open-minded and that we trusted you enough to tell you Kevin’s secrets."
Alan, too curious to hold back, said, "You said ’secrets’..."
Axel coughed, embarrassed, and confessed to them, "There are several, yes."
Kevin then took his hand and intertwined his fingers with his. He said to him, "Let me explain everything to them, okay?"
Axel looked at him, and Kevin seemed determined to tell them all by himself. It was his story after all, so he nodded. Then Kevin told them that his soul had transmigrated into this body. He explained to them where he came from and who he really was.
He gave them the same information as Axel, and Erik then exclaimed with resentment, "Fuck, Axel! No wonder he has beaten me up, and that explains why you’re so knowledgeable when it comes to fighting techniques and weapons."
Alan nodded and still asked very curiously, "What are your other secrets?"
Kevin looked at Axel, who squeezed his hand to give him courage, so Kevin continued to explain to them what had happened with the book he had inherited, and he explained to them what the System was all about.
Then, he was bombarded with questions by Alan and Erik, and so, Kevin decided to make appear and disappear one high-grade magical crystal from his inventory.
Alan knew very well the worth of it; actually, it was the dream of all mages to get a high-grade magical crystal, even if it was a small-sized one. Because the particles that gather around it when you meditate are 10 times more numerous than with the one the Sun Sect used for the pavilions.
Alan knew very well that without the help of the System, he couldn’t have bought it in Dawn City; it was extremely rare—only in the capital during auctions could you buy some.
After that, Kevin even made a fireball appear in his hand. Erik and Alan were really shocked because the fire element wasn’t an element he had an affinity with when Alan had tested him, so in the end, they could only believe him.
Erik exclaimed, "This is absolutely insane!"
He looked at Alan, but Alan had started to frown again, so he asked him, curious to know why his man looked troubled, "What is it, my love? Is something troubling you?"
Alan didn’t answer him; he would know soon enough. He looked at Axel and Kevin in turn, and then he stopped on Axel and said to him, "You did say ’secrets’! You already knew that we would accept the fact that his soul has transmigrated into our world, and it was rather easy to show us that his System does exist... So what’s the problem, Axel? What are you still hiding from us?"
Axel turned to Kevin and said, "It’s better if you show them; otherwise, this time I’m afraid that they won’t believe us."
Kevin just nodded and got up, and as he took off his sweater, t-shirt, and breastplate—which he now kept on him—Axel was watching his friends’ reactions, and he wasn’t surprised to see their shocked expressions when they finally saw the mark on Kevin’s chest.
Alan had turned pale, and Erik, even if he already knew the answer, asked all the same, "Is that the mark of the royal family?"
Alan sighed and then said to him, "It was the mark of the royal family 17 years ago; you forgot what happened."
Kevin, who was getting dressed, was stopped in his tracks by this sentence. He asked Alan after he finished dressing, "What happened 17 years ago?"
Alan looked at him, surprised, and then he looked at Axel with a disapproving expression, "Didn’t you tell him?"
Kevin also looked at Axel, wondering if he had hidden something from him, and Axel immediately said to him, "Don’t look at me like that; I told you everything I knew... Alan, I’m not like you. I don’t come from an important family; I grew up in an orphanage, don’t you remember? And I’ve never been interested in royalty or nobles. I really don’t know what happened 17 years ago, but I guess that’s probably why Kevin ended up in an orphanage, isn’t it?"
Alan ran a hand over his face and exclaimed, "Damn it!"
It surprised everyone, including Erik, who then came to put his arm around his shoulders and asked him in a gentle tone, "You tell them, or do you want me to tell them?"
Alan finally raised his head and said, more for himself than for the others, "This mark explains a lot of things..."
He then looked at Erik and said to him, "Thanks, sweetheart, but I will tell them. I know probably more than you about it."
Erik nodded, and Alan then apologized for his behavior and began to explain to them what had happened, "17 years ago, the king was assassinated, and his younger brother became the new king... I hate my father, but he, with the rest of my family, supported the former king, your father—well, I mean the father of... You understand, don’t you?"
Kevin nodded and waited patiently for Alan to explain further, but seeing that he was silent, he asked him, "Why was he murdered? Do you know who is behind all of this? And you spoke of the king but not of the queen; what has happened to her?"
Alan realized that he had stopped there in his explanation, so he apologized again and continued, "My family thinks it’s your uncle who... Can I just pretend that you really are him because it really disturbs me..."
Kevin nodded again; he could understand that it must be disturbing. When Alan saw that Kevin was agreeable, he sighed in relief and continued where he had left off, "According to them, it would have been your uncle who had murdered your father. On the one hand, because your father wanted to stop this war against the demons and find common ground with them. And on the other hand, because he wanted to steal something from him that was only passed on to the new king and therefore the heir of this mark. Apparently, it was an extremely powerful thing, but he never found it."
Kevin immediately thought of the book the former Kevin had received for his birthday, because that was what he would have done if he were the king. If he were ever reduced to abandoning his own son, he would give him every possible chance to become powerful enough to protect himself from those who had forced him to this extremity.
Alan then said to him, "This mark that appeared on your chest is unique and only appears on one person per generation. Your father was the former bearer of this mark, but it could have appeared on anyone. This mark isn’t an inheritance; only the most powerful mage can receive it. So, no matter what you think about it, this mark makes you the new king."
