Welcoming Ceremony

"We must have a welcoming ceremony for Blaine!" Albus said with a cheerful laugh.

"Yes! Let's have a welcoming ceremony!" Cedric was overjoyed.

"It's only appropriate to give you a proper welcome." Janika chuckled.

"I shall inform everyone and get things ready!" Sebas left the office room in a hurry.

"Wait, please! You don't have to do so much for me! I'm truly grateful! I really am! Not only did you took me in your care… but, you also made me an official member of your family. I can't ask for any more than this." Blaine tried to hold back his tears.

"Haha. Worry not, Blaine. You will get used to it." Albus laughed.

"The welcome ceremony will be tomorrow. And many noble families will be invited and attend the ceremony." Albus said after he stopped laughing.

"I still don't know anything about this place. And, noble families?" Blaine said in a nervous voice.

"Ah, yes. You probably didn't know this. But, we, The Circe Family, are nobles. And just like us, there are other nobles as well. Serving The Great Kingdom of Aetherlyn. You will learn about The Kingdom of Aetherlyn when you enroll in The Academy of Magic. But, why not learn it hear in the two months before the academy starts. The Academy mostly teaches students about magic and such. So don't worry, alright?" Albus responded.

"Ah, yes sir!" Blaine replied back.

"Alright everyone, you may leave. And get excited, tomorrow is a big day!" Albus chuckled.

Everyone stood up and left the office room.

"I can't believe I got another younger brother!" Cedric was filled with excitement.

"Ah, yeah… hahaha…" Blaine still couldn't believe that he was adopted as a noble.

"Now that I think about it, Blaine must be around your age, right Janika?" Cedric asked her.

"Mm-hmm. Probably. I'm fifteen. And Blaine looks the same age as me." Janika replied back.

"So, she's the same age as me, huh?" Blaine thought to himself.

"Well, you two, I'm off to go somewhere." Cedric said and left.

"Well, then, I guess I'll be off too." Blaine said and tried to leave.

"Wait" Janika called him back.

"Ah, yes?" Blaine said nervously.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?" Janika crossed her arms and asked him.

"Well, I was…" Blaine couldn't think of anything to say.

"You're coming with me." Janika smiled and said.

"Where are we going…" Blaine asked her.

"Just follow me."

As She said that Blaine followed after her.

She led him to the basement. Where they arrived at a large and thick metal door.

"Janika, what is this?" Blaine asked her nervously.

"This is a chamber where you can practice your magic." Janika said as she looked at the door.

She pushed the door and it opened.

The inside of the camber was considerably wider. There were some old books and strange circles drawn on the floor. It was dark inside the camber and not much could be seen from outside.

They walked inside and the door suddenly closed on it's own. Lights lit up and brightened the dark chamber.

Blaine had enough of these moments, so he wasn't going to be surprised again.

"Umm—

Blaine tried to say something but was interrupted.

"Alright Blaine, get ready." Janika chuckled.

"I want you to show me what you have learned." She told Blaine.

"Like how I was controlling my mana?" Blaine asked.

"Yes. Show me." Janika kept a straight face.

"Okay, but I'm still not good at it, so don't be disappointed, alright!" He said to Janika and closed his eyes.

"Alright, relax and focus." He slightly lifted his hands horizontally. Just a few inches away from his waist.

"Yes… This is it. I feel it much better now." As he thought that, his body took a bright golden glow.

"Amazing…! He really does have Light Magic! And he's learning so quickly!" Janika thought and was surprised after seeing it for herself.

"Alright, that's enough." Janika told Blaine.

Blaine stopped and opened his eyes.

"How did I do?" Blaine asked nervously.

"You did great. That was truly remarkable." Janika was impressed at how fast he was learning.

Blaine smiled after being complemented.

"Now, let me show you a little something I'm able to do."

She raised her hands vertically. And slowly, starting from her feet, the entire chamber turned into pure ice. From her hands, a flower started to take shape. It was a Rose. An ice rose.

Blaine was in awe at the beautiful sight of seeing an ice rose being created out of thin air.

The chamber had gotten cold from being turned into ice. But, being laser focused on the ice rose being formed had overshadowed the temperature difference.

"Wow… Beautiful…"

"I know, right?" Janika and gave him the flower "This is a small gift from me to you. Welcome to the family, dear brother." She chuckled and smiled. "Oh, and, the flower will disappear after a short while. Hehe."

"Haha…" Blaine chuckled and held the beautiful ice rose.

"But really, thank you." Blaine gently smiled.

"…" Janika's eyes slightly widened.

"You are very welcome!" She chuckled and smiled back.

The ice that had covered the chamber slowly disappeared.

"Why don't you try it?" She asked Blaine.

"Try what?" Blaine looked confused.

"Try to make something with your mana." She told him.

"I don't know how though." Blaine responded.

"Try to imagine an inanimate object. Then, use your mana to create it." Janika said to Blaine.

"Okay, I'll try."

"Mm-hmm" Janika nodded.

"Imagine an inanimate object… what should I imagine though? Let's try a knife." Blaine thought to himself as he closed his eyes.

"Now, use my mana to create the exact same image as a knife."

He lifted his hands forward and something started to take form, something started to take shape. And the knife had been created.

Blaine opened his eyes and saw the golden knife in his hands. He started to laugh. "Hey, look! I did it! I actually did it!"

Janika was shocked and amazed at the rate he was learning and growing. "You really do surprise me every chance you get."

"What do I do with it now? Is it going to disappear too?" Blaine asked.

"Yes. Mostly like" she answered.

Suddenly, the knife turned into mist and entered Blaine's body.

"Hey, what happened? It went inside my body!" Blaine panicked.

"Oh, yes, you can also do that. You can either absorb it back into your body or let it disappear. You must have unintentionally absorbed it back into your body."

"Wh— you could have said that before, you know!" Blaine sighed in relief.

"Opps… must have forgotten."

"Wh—

"Anyway, let's go back. We have a big day tomorrow, don't we, dear brother?" She chuckled and opened the chamber door.

Blaine sighed. "Yes, let's go."

The day went by quickly. And morning came.

Everyone was getting ready for the special welcoming ceremony. And guests were arriving one after another.

"Sir, you really didn't have to do this."

Blaine and Albus were wearing fancy outfits standing with each other.

"I understand you must be feeling anxious, my boy. If I could, I would hold a small celebration for you, where only us family members would be together. But, as nobles, I had to make this into a big event, and invited many of the nobles. I even sent an invitation to the Royal Family." Albus said with a smile.

"Okay, fa— sir!" Blaine was embarrassed that he almost said 'Father' to Albus.

"Haha! I see you will need some time to adjust to that!" Albus laughed happily when he heard Blaine almost said 'Father'."

"Come, let's go welcome the guests, and you should introduce yourself to them. You remember how I taught you the proper way to greet others, right?" Albus asked Blaine, as they walked down the stairs.

"Yes, sir!" Blaine responded confidently.

Everyone saw Albus and Blaine walking down the stairs.

"It's him, right?"

"Yeah, I think it is."

"He's quite good-looking."

"Very charming young man."

"He's not all that."

Murmuring was heard from the crowd. People were whispering to each other.

"Everyone, you have my thanks for being here. It brings me so much joy that I am able to celebrate this joyous occasion with all of you! And, let me introduce you to the star of the show, Blaine!" Albus stood in front of all the nobles and said.

"I am Blaine Circe Steins. It is a pleasure to meet you all." Blaine put his right hand on his chest near his heart, and slightly bowed his head.

One by one, Blaine met with as many people as he could.

In all that, Luna, Janika, Cedric, and Cleon were walking downstairs. Everyone looked beautiful wearing beautiful outfits.

They greeted the nobles, then suddenly, the doors opened.

"So, you're my new little brother, huh?"

A sweet feminine voice was heard through the crowd.

"Sis!" Cleon ran to the door and hugged his sister.

"Who is that?" Blaine asked Albus.

"That would be your older sister, Ophelia!" Albus responded.

She walked towards Blaine and looked at him.

"Father informed me two days ago. To be honest, I was shocked. When father said he was going to adopt a child, I was surprised. But if he made you an official member of the family, he sees something in you. Anyway, enough of that. Welcome, my dear little brother!" She gave him a hug.

"Y-yes, thank you!" Blaine said as he nervously laughed.

Thr evening went smoothly and everyone enjoyed themselves.

*Ahem*

A loud voice was heard. Everyone turned around and looked. It was Blaine.

"Everyone, if I could get your attention, please!" Blaine said as everyone looked at him.

Murmurs could be heard coming from the people.

"I would like to say something!" Blaine had gotten everyone's attention.

"As you may have known, I have amnesia. And I can't remember anything from my past. The moment I opened my eyes, I was attacked by bandits. Somehow, I won. But, after that I didn't know what I should do or where I should go. I was lost. I didn't recognize anything around me. But, as I was about to lose hope, Janika appeared before me and saved me. She took me with her. To her family. Everyone in this family is very dear to me, that includes Sebas and the maids as well. And I love everyone. Mister Albus has been amazing and everyone else has been amazing as well. What I'm trying to say is, thank you for everything you've done for me."

"Oh, Blaine…"

Everyone started sobbing.

"Hey, wait, don't cry! I didn't think you would start crying. But, let's stop this. We don't want to bring the mood down, do we?" Blaine said as he tried to comfort them.

"Yes… you're right!" Cedric said as he wiped his tears. "Everyone, let's keep this celebration going for a bit longer!"

Everyone cheered and the welcoming ceremony went on.

After the ceremony, everyone went back to their own houses. The ceremony didn't last for too long. It ended before midnight.

And just like that, everyone was tired and went to bed. And wouldn't wake up until the sun shines bright.