Ken texted back to all the messages that he got. He finally felt seen.

  He went out for a walk after a while.

  “I hope this year will be much better than last year,” he hoped.

  “I don’t even know how it’s going to look after finishing my college,” he wondered, looking up at the sky.

  “I need to get stronger, I need to enjoy a lot more, I need to spend more time with my family.” he had a lot of plans for this year.

  Time passed, and he eventually returned home still thinking about it.

  2 days later,

  3rd January, Wednesday,

  Ken woke up early and left for training after a long time. He reached Roger’s house early.

  Both Roger and Andrew were surprised to see him there.

  “Ken, how are you? It’s been a long time since we met,” Roger muttered, happy.

  “I am fine, what about you? I can’t wait to see my progress this year,” Ken replied.

  Then they began their training session after a small conversation.

  Andrew hadn’t skipped training for over a month. He trains in the morning and also in the evening, not only that, but he also gets to increase his pace in working towards his dream.

  He was way more determined than ever, and thanks to his battle with Rheos, he wants to become even stronger.

  But even after all this, he still doesn’t recognise his power.

  Their training went well as Ken felt excited and learned a lot more about controlling and using Core Ignis.

  He got several ideas about the techniques he wants to implement using his mind-reading power and Ignis.

  1 month later,

  3rd February, Saturday,

  Ken called all his friends and asked them to arrive at their usual location, near the park.

  Both he and Andrew skipped their evening training session and arrived there at around 5:00 pm.

  Galen arrived at 5:05 pm, while Harkey arrived at 5:11 pm.

  “What happened, Ken? Are we in for a mission?” Galen asked.

  Harkey was confused, too, as he didn’t expect it either.

  Ken finally revealed his plan that he had been crafting for over a month.

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  “You all know about the Medrick’s situation, right? We are going to raid the prison and save him,” Ken told them.

  “WWWHHHHAATT!” was the reaction of both Harkey and Galen.

  Andrew remained unsurprised as he already knew some of its contents.

  Ken began explaining how he found the enemy’s plan and what it had to do with Medrick.

  He explained all the stuffs he and Andrew were discussing and how both events eventually intertwine.

  Both Harkey and Galen were shocked by hearing it. They can’t believe it, but it seems like the truth behind all these.

  “They set up a trap for us? Then why should we fall into it?” Harkey asked.

  “We have no other way; we have to save Medrick and also know the truth behind all these mysteries,” Andrew muttered.

  “You too, Andrew,” Harkey said. He didn’t expect it.

  “Ok, what is our plan for raiding?” Galen asked, curious.

  “Are we going to raid the prison, seriously?” Harkey thought, couldn’t believe it.

  “When are we doing that, Ken?” Andrew asked.

  “March 14th,” Ken revealed.

  “You planned everything?” Harkey asked.

  “Why March 14th? It’s almost more than a month from here,” Andrew asked.

  “I want to graduate before it takes place. We don’t know the consequences of it, so we should be prepared for everything, right?” Ken told them.

  “That makes sense,” Galen said, thinking.

  “Tell us about your plan?” Harkey asked.

  “Harkey, you were against it a few minutes before, now—” Galen asked.

  “I have no other choice, I thought, why do something uninterested and sceptical, I have made up my mind,” he shared his thoughts.

  Then, Ken revealed his plan.

  30 minutes later,

  “That’s it,” Ken shared everything, relieved.

  “That’s it? We are committing a crime, on top of that, we are falling into our enemy’s trap, knowing it, but as he said, we have no other choice but to find the truth.” Harkey’s mind was a mess.

  “I am not sure about the part where you said about “what if we get caught”,” Galen said, thinking.

  “We can do this, this will work out, if we just manage to escape the prison, even if they find out about us, we will survive, and your plan about it should work out,” Andrew said confidently.

  “Sorry, Harkey, we don’t have any other option—” Ken told Harkey.

  “It is what it is, I don’t know what to say, but I will try my best,” Harkey replied, with his mind blank.

  Ken shared the layout of the prison and every detail he knew about it.

  Their discussion continued for another 20 minutes before eventually leaving.

  The next day,

  Ken received the call from Vittario in the evening after he returned home.

  He started off speaking casually, then told him about his parents’ decision.

  “We are leaving Aurelios, Ken,” he revealed.

  “Why? What happened?” Ken asked, confused.

  “I have completed my graduation, my parents thought this place is more vulnerable, and this seems like the perfect time to return to our homeland,” Vittario explained the decision.

  “Homeland?” Ken asked.

  “Our family is from Vaelheim. We came here during my childhood, and I don’t want to interfere in their decision. I also feel like I am targeted because of my powers,” he shared his opinion.

  “If I return there, I think they can’t chase me, and also I have many relatives over there, so that my parents would also get to enjoy their time with them,” he muttered.

  “Sorry, Vittario, I am also one of the reasons for this decision. We all would miss you, but it feels like the right decision,” Ken told him.

  “You saved my parents and me. We are grateful to you. If you had time, come there with our friends, we would meet again,” Vittario said.

  Another month passed,

  March 5th, Monday,

  A few days back, Ken asked Lucera to come to their usual meeting spot on Monday morning.

  He arrived there at 8:10 am. Lucera came there at 8:12 am.

  “How are you, Ken? Is anything special today?” Lucera asked, thrilled to meet Ken.

  “I am fine, nothing special today, I thought I should meet you since it’s been a long time,” Ken told her. He was thrilled too, but didn’t show it outside.

  They spoke about the regular topics, and after several minutes,

  “Lucera, I am about to commit a crime,” Ken said, with a serious look.

  “WWWHHHAAATT!” She was shocked.

  Ken began laughing as he couldn’t control his laughter after seeing her shocked.

  After a few seconds,

  “Yes, I am going to save Medrick—” Ken revealed his plan to her.

  It took 30 minutes to explain his plans.

  “Ken, you don’t need to do all this, but if you’re doing this, I will support you,” Lucera told him.

  “I didn’t expect her to react like this when I revealed my plan,” Ken thought.

  “I also wanted to tell you something, I might leave Aurelios after escaping from the prison,” Ken said.

  “But why?” she asked, and couldn’t believe it.

  He then shared another plan he had made if the king were to find them. He also explained her role in his plans.

  “Ken, I don’t know what to say,” she muttered.

  “Sorry, Lucera, I have to do this. I am sorry,” Ken told her.