Growth.

Just as advised, the king has dispersed a small group of knights to investigate the location that a bolt of lightning had struck.

"What in the world happened here?"

A large expanse of land has been damaged. The surrounding plantations are all dead, like the attack of a pestilence.

"You should come see this," a voice resounded through a transmitter.

"Is there something I should know?"

"You should see this yourself," the voice replied.

Maddox walked over to the direction where the source of info is transmitted from.

Tiny dead creatures of different life-form were scattered at every corner.

"I see, plants weren't the only victims,"

"Seems like it," the other individual replied, "It's a good thing they weren't any human nearby as that would be quite tragic."

"There's nothing to find. Whatever happened here, it is not good news."

"Or maybe it's just natural phenomena being a little unusual," says a Knight.

"I hope so, but I highly doubt that," Maddox said, "It's been days already, so it's likely someone else must have been here ahead of us, perhaps the other continents."

"If what you say is true, and they already found something. This may prove problematic,"

"Either way, our journey is a colossal waste,"

.

.

.

"He is famished,"

"I should go hunting… I can only imagine how long he's been without food," says Ackley, after which he stepped out.

"May I speak with you for a minute?" Ackley's wife called out to him.

"Is anything bothering you?"

"Is it a good idea to keep the kid with us?" she asked. She goes by the name; Blythe.

"Of course, why not?" Ackley replied, a little taken aback by her question, "Don't you want him around? If not, then I will just send him to the orphanage."

"No, it's not that," Blythe said, "It's just that the longer he stays with us, the more I become attached to him."

"Yes, that's a good thing... right?"

"He must have a family of his own," she said.

"They abandoned him,"

"We don't know that. For all we know, the poor kid may have been a victim to kidnappers, only to get thrown away."

"Then how do we explain his memory loss?" he asked.

"Perhaps there is more to this than what meets the eyes." This is Blythe's word.

"However, we still have to find his parents,"

This realization made Ackley depressed. He truly wished to keep the youngling with him, but just as Blythe said, he may one day have to go back to his family.

. . .

Days became weeks. Ackley had left for work, and it usually takes months for his return, so the young kid who now goes by the name Ambrose spent his everyday life with his new family.

His stepmom and sister take turns in teaching him alphabets and how to make sentences, and he is a quick learner, way faster than they expected.

The name Ambrose means 'Immortal One'. Ackley's wife, Blythe, gave this name to him.

Going through such hardship for days and survived until he was rescued. Ambrose is indeed a befitting name.

One morning, right outside their home and just a few meters away. With a hand gesture, Blythe magically draws water directly from a well. This act is called 'Element Bending'.

This caught Ambrose's attention as the three-year-old boy slowly walks towards her.

"No Ambrose! You might fall in,"

Following her example, Ambrose began drawing water from the well just as she did, almost like he had been well trained beforehand.

"That's... impossible," she said. "He already knows magic... at this age?"

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"

"If only your family knows where you are and how to find you," she mumbles.

Blythe had decided she won't let such talents go to waste, not while he's still under her care...

.

.

.

Ambrose also displayed his magical talent at home as you can see a small body of water floating in the air.

"He's not even up to five years of age, how is that possible?" Danica, an 8-year-old child, exclaimed. "I did not see him use any hand-signs or magical word,"

"Your brother is a rare kind," says Blythe.

"Mom... are you going to take him there?" Danica asked.

"Of course, I will," she replied, "I have a feeling Ambrose will grow up to become great and I'll do my best to assist with that."

.

.

.

Ambrose helped with house chores using the only magic he's able to display. He washes plates using water magic, mops the floor, wets the plantation from their farm, all of this and many more.

Ambrose easily made friends with other fellow youngsters, even though a few of them are older than he is.

Not everyone is gifted with the ability to use magic, so yeah, watching a kid display such magic is indeed awing to them.

Danica had school to attend, so she is not always at home. The educational system is a little different from what we know it to be. Students must attend school three times a week, minus the weekends. To attend, you must be at the age of five, so Ambrose, who is just close to four years of age, isn't eligible.

"Hey Ambrose, come over here boy," a man called out to the young boy. He's among the three who had rescued Ambrose.

"Hello Mr. Howard," said Ambrose as he got close to the middle-aged man.

"Here, a gift from me to your family," Mr. Howard gave Ambrose a piece of his successful hunt. This made Ambrose pretty excited and Howard noticed it;

"Hahaha, I can tell you like meat, but no worries, whenever I have a good hunt, I will give a piece to you. How about that?"

"That sounds amazing!!"

"That's my boy!" says Howard. "Now go give that to your mom and let her cook something good to fill your tiny bellies,"

. . .

In time, Danica's desire to learn magic grew as she notices Ambrose's progress in water magic. It will soon be time for the young boy to attend school, in a year, to be more precise.

While on his way back home from his delivery, Ambrose noticed something from a distance.

"Hmm?"

Normally, he is not the kind to peer into things that have nothing to do with him, but this could not be ignored.

There are four older boys throwing curses at a younger, fragile kid. They all surrounded him to make sure he doesn't escape.

"Please let me go,"

The fragile boy had his face hidden under a good…

"Take off the hood, let's see what you look like," One kid demanded.

"But I don't want to," he said.

"Shut up and take it off or we will do it ourselves,"

"You know what, I'll take it off myself," one kid walked over to pull the hood down.

"Let go of him," Ambrose's voice came to their hearing.

"Huh?" They all look behind at who this person is.

"Go home!"

"I can't,"

Ambrose's words pissed them off, and soon they all stare at him like predators.