《Underworld Living》


 Prologue - A Dream Come True

    Devon had had a rough life at this point. His mother, supposedly a caring and kind person, had died giving birth and his father would periodically and secretly take his anger out on him because of that. Not only that but his best and only friend had moved away after saying that she would not be able to see or contact him again without explaining why and after a month of hearing nothing from her he was starting to believe she just abandoned him. So when he went to bed wishing he had a new start, it wasn¡¯t anything special nor even worth caring about to him. Although it would be this night that he would finally get his wish.


    Saying he woke up in an empty white void would not be the worst way to put it, though to him, it was less like waking up and more like he had already been awake and standing there for some time. Confused, he called out, ¡°hello. Anyone here?¡± not expecting a response. And there wasn''t one at first but eventually a figure appeared in front of him. With scarlet skin, horns that pointed straight up, and wearing a formal outfit that looked akin to what a more modern version of a traditional maid uniform might be coloured in pinks and with orange accents the figure intrigued him. ¡°Sorry.¡± the figure said with a sweet and caring voice ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to have you wait for me to appear, I just had some problems with connecting to your inner mind is all.¡±. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Devon asked, already assuming the answer. ¡°Yes but this isn''t just any old dream it¡¯s¡­¡± the figure, seeming unsure how to finish that sentence, started to just stammer trying to convey a point that they themselves didn¡¯t quite know until they eventually just gave up and explained ¡°look I¡¯m here on behalf of the lady i serve. I¡¯m sure you can tell I¡¯m not human so let''s just skip to the point. I''m here to offer you a deal. You may ask for whatever you want and in exchange for granting you what you want my lady gets your soul when you die. Just give me details. My lady genuinely wants you to get your desired outcome, and not just what I think said outcome is.¡±


    Devon already knew what he wanted and he didnt care what consequences may be waiting so he responded saying ¡°what I want is a new life where I¡¯m happy.¡±.  Looking worried the figure seemed to think for a bit before stating ¡°well that¡¯s vague. I am more than able to do It but I need details, kid.¡± ¡°I don''t care what the details are just so long as I''m happy or even just not as¡­ I guess upset would be the word.¡±. The figure shook their head and sighed at this response before saying ¡°you know there are many ways I could take this so why don''t you tell me what is making you unhappy with your life right now and we''ll go from there.¡±. Devon went on to explain basically his whole life story and afterwards noticed the figure holding their head with their fingers ¡°look kid you clearly have a lot of problems right now and I genuinely want to help but I don''t even know where to start. I can''t just give you a happy life. Deals don''t work like that. I need to give you a specific outcome that will give you a happy life and I need to choose what said outcome is.¡±. Devon started to think about what they wanted out of life and eventually settled on a more concrete idea ¡°I want a new family with someone who will genuinely care for me in a place away from here where I can make friends and get a new start.¡±. ¡°Better. but¡­¡± the figure seemed to realise something. ¡°I''ll be right back, just have to check and see about something.¡± the figure said before disappearing.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    As time went by though Devon was unsure of how much, as it felt like it could have been from a few seconds up to a few hours, but eventually they returned. ¡°Alright kid, we may be able to get you exactly what you want and give my lady something she wants, and I mean other than your soul, though taking it will still be necessary. You see my lady has been looking to adopt but there''s no one in our area who is currently up for adoption so I asked her if she would be willing to adopt a human and explained your situation.¡±. Devon, understanding where this was going, asked one simple question ¡°What would this mean for me exactly?¡±. ¡°We would bring you to the underworld and you would move in with my lady. She will treat you as she would her own kid and me and my coworker would help take care of you. Other than that we would take things as they come and adjust as needed. Only thing is you won''t be able to return to your world, but I promise.¡±. As they were about to reassure Devon that he wouldn''t regret it if he went through with this they got interrupted by him yelling in excitement ¡°Deal!¡±. ¡°All right. Here''s how this will work. As soon as we make the deal your body will be taken to a bed in my lady''s house and we will try to get things set up for when you wake up and I guess everything else can be covered later.¡±. ¡°So now¡± a clipboard with a paper and attached pen appeared in her hand ¡°Just sign on the dotted line and the deal will be made.¡±. After signing, the figure disappeared and the void started to go dark but Devon, sure he made the right decision, wasn''t afraid. Instead he gladly drifted back into a true slumber awaiting his new life and what lies ahead.

 Chapter 1 - A Fresh Start

    As he slowly woke up Devon started to process what had happened. He wondered if it was a dream and how he would come to terms with it if it was. But when he opened his eyes he realised it wasn''t just a dream, or that maybe the dream wasn¡¯t over. Either way he was glad.


    Taking in his surroundings he noticed how empty the room was with just a bed bigger than even a king size, a desk with a chair that looked like it would be comfortable, and a dresser. Then he noticed a table next to him with a bell and note on it that read ¡°Dear Devon, we welcome you to your new room. Please ring the bell to inform us you have woken up. Do note you will not hear a sound but I, the servant writing this, will be notified when you ring it. Should you need some time to gather your thoughts  you don''t need to ring it right away, but please don''t leave the room until one of us arrives to greet you.¡±.


    After taking a moment to himself he rang the bell and a few moments later another person knocked and entered the room. He was wearing a suit with a bow tie and gloves, and if it wasn''t for his fox-like ears and cat-like tail he could easily pass as a human. ¡°Hello sir Devon¡± he said with a formal and precise voice ¡°I am Leonardo, a servant of the lady of this house and now your servant as well. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Hello¡± Devon said, unsure of how to proceed. Realising this, Leonardo continued ¡°I suppose this is all new to you, so I shall go ahead and simply ask you this. Do you need anything? Whether food, drink, or otherwise I am here to aid you to the best of my abilities and have been told to provide you with anything we have access to should you request it.¡±. ¡°Then can I have something for breakfast? I feel like I haven''t eaten since yesterday''s breakfast.¡± Devon responded. ¡°Ahh about that. You have been asleep for quite awhile. Actually as it seems the trip here wasn¡¯t the easiest thing for you and right now it is around supper time so it would make sense you would be more hungry than when you normally wake. Please, why don''t you follow me to the dining room and I shall make you something. Then while you eat I shall answer any questions you may have.¡±.


    After arriving at a table big enough to seat a whole family and taking a seat, Devon saw Leonardo step into the next room and he had a moment to process everything. He realised that whoever was now taking care of him must be some sort of upper class though that should have been apparent when he met the first servant. He also realised how big the house he''d be living in was as the dining room was as big as one would expect from a living room. But not only was it big it was fancy with various decorations and paintings like you would find in a high end restaurant made for the upper class. Even the tablecloth screamed expensive in both look and feel making Devon worry about getting it dirty.


    Eventually Leonardo returned with a plate of food. ¡°Here sir Devon I made you a simple meat and vegetable plate staying away from any big flavours as I was unsure what kinds of flavours you would like, so my apologies if it is a bit bland.¡±. The dish consisted of two parts, a magenta coloured meat that looked like ham and a vegetable that had two different sections, a green broccoli like top and a red stalk like bottom. Devon of course asked if it was safe for him to eat. ¡°So long as you stay away from spicy sauces and seasonings you will be able to eat and gain nutrients from our food the same as your worlds. In Fact the only reason you can''t eat spicy food is that some underworld beings can take spice too far for human consumption, though so long as you are careful with how spicy things are you may be allowed to eat spicy food.¡± Leonardo explained. Devon started eating and took in the taste. The meat was tender and had a lack of flavour like unseasoned meat of some kind although the exact flavour didn''t match any meat he had ever had before. The vegetables had two different flavours with the green tops having a refreshing flavour that seemed more like it belonged to a fruit than a vegetable while the bottom red part had a juicy, tangy taste that while not unpleasant did surprise him with how different it was from the first part.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Eventually Devon finished his meal and decided to ask some questions that had been on his mind. ¡°So who exactly is your lady and when can I meet her?¡±. ¡°Currently,¡± Leonardo responded, ¡°they are out with Emily, the maid you met when you made the deal. They are going around buying things they think you may need or want and have been doing so for some time now. Originally we were going to leave Emily here with you but she is more in touch with what someone your age would want and as such she went with our lady instead. As for the first part I believe that is best saved for when you two get to meet each other.¡±. ¡°Are there any plans for what''s in store for me?¡± Devon asked. ¡°As of right now nothing is set in stone, however the lady wants to have a chat with you about some ideas she has for you but will not be putting them in place until you give your input on them.¡±. ¡°Like what exactly?¡±. ¡°Please be patient sir Devon my lady will go over everything once she arrives.¡±. Realising that answers would just continue being vague for now Devon decided it was best to just wait till the lady, whoever she was, to return.


    After being given a tour of the house and taking a seat in the living room all he could do was wait. Eventually he and Leonardo heard someone come in the front door and arriving holding what looked to be too many bags was Emily accompanied by another woman. They had purple skin with brown hair and a tail that curled into a loop with a spearpoint on the end. They wore clothes that to Devon''s untrained eyes looked like nothing special, but  to an eye trained for fashion, would tell they were made from high end material and someone who could detect magic may find them shining brightly with magical energy. Leonardo was about to introduce them but was signalled to stop by this figure and immediately did so and she introduced herself instead. ¡°Hello Devon,¡± she said voice sounding simply pleasant. ¡°I am Lady Jasmond but please call me by my name only or if you prefer to call me something else you are more than welcome to.¡±. Devon was quiet trying to decide what an appropriate response would be until he eventually just gave a shy hello back. It was clear to all that he wasn''t going to help guide the conversation right now, so Jasmond took the lead ¡°as I''m sure you''re aware from here on out my servants and I will be taking care of you and I promise we will do our best to do so.¡±. Unable or perhaps unwilling to say much Devon simply replied with ok and waited for someone else to break the silence. Eventually Leonardo did so. ¡°Devon had asked a question earlier that I figured would be best for you to answer yourself. Specifically, he wants to know what kind of plans you have for him going forward and I figured you would prefer to discuss it with him instead of having me discuss it.¡±. ¡°Alright,¡± Jasmond said ¡°we can start there if you want¡±.


    After Devon nodded his head she continued ¡°So really I only have one idea of what we might do with or rather for you. I believe part of what you wanted was to make friends, correct?¡±. Once again Devon just nodded in response and she continued ¡°well you won''t make friends just staying in the house so my idea is to put you in public school. I won''t force you to go but I do believe it would be best for you to at least try it. And ultimately if public school here is too much for you to handle then you are more than welcome to drop out at any given time.¡±. Devon finally gave a proper response ¡°so is it just normal schooling or am I in for a special lesson plan or am I in for normal schooling but not what normal schooling would be considered by my world¡¯s standards?¡±. Smiling, from finally hearing something more than just a one word response, Jasmond explained ¡°it will be normal schooling, but the curriculum may not be what you are used to.  Along with the normal school subjects, you will be learning to wield the magical abilities I gave you as part of our deal.¡±. Now Devon had known about receiving said powers as it was in the contract he signed and he at least skimmed it quickly however the exact nature of said powers were unknown to him at the time and he didn''t bother to ask before signing for any details so he was curious about them. Before he could ask any questions on that topic however Jasmond, assuming he just was back to not talking, stated ¡°for now let¡¯s get you set up in your room and decide how to handle potential situations.¡±. and off they went to his room where they started to set up and arrange everything, and it took enough time and energy that Devon ended up just heading back to bed, thus ending his first, albeit not full, day in his new life.

 Chapter 2 - Preparation Week Begins

    As Devon walked into the dining room the next morning he noticed that the others were already gathered around the table eating, and that there was an extra plate set out seemingly for him. Leonardo seemed to notice him immediately without so much as looking his way ¡°Ah. Good morning sir Devon. Breakfast is on the table ready for you.¡±. After which Lady Jasmond and Emily took notice of him ¡°Good morning devon.¡± ¡°Morning kid.¡±.


    Trying to ignore that all attention was on him Devon took his seat at the table and focused on the meal in front of him. It looked like a normal breakfast with pancakes, eggs, and some small vibrant dark red cubes of meat which compared to his last meal was a nice surprise. The pancakes and eggs tasted like normal although the prior had some vanilla-like flavouring mixed in. The cubes of meat were tough yet juicy, or perhaps just greasy, and it had a light herby seasoning flavour on its sides. Next to his plate was what looked to be a light blue smoothie of some sort though upon holding it he noticed it was cold like a slushie even if the consistency wasn''t as frozen as one. ¡°That''s what we call a sweetslush.¡± Emily commented ¡°It''s made from a fruit that produces a cream-like substance which gets mixed with other fruit ingredients to create refreshing and popular drinks.¡±. Upon trying it Devon noted that it had a berry like flavour though it was sweeter than what one would expect from fruit alone.


    After being left to himself to finish eating his meal Lady Jasmond finally spoke ¡°Now then, I think we should continue where we left off yesterday. Mainly whether or not you will be entering school.¡± Devon had been thinking it over since last night and while he would rather not go through with it he also did still want to try to make friends and saw this as his best option to do so ¡°I''ll try going at least.¡±. ¡°Alright in that case I suppose we should go over what we need to do to prepare you and what to expect while attending.¡± Lady Jasmond said.


    After thinking for a bit Lady Jasmond continued ¡°I believe first we should go over what you physically need to prepare. Which reminds me we still need to get you some other outfits. We would have had more ready but outfits like that cost a lot more than one would think, considering how simple of an effect it is to enchant.¡±. She was referring to a temporary outfit her and Emily bought the other day for Devon that he was currently wearing. It was a simple black shirt and shorts that when he was putting on seemed  like they¡¯d be way too big and loose. However as he put on said outfit that morning they adjusted to a comfortable size for him thanks to what was apparently an enchantment of some sort. ¡°Besides¡± she continued ¡°this way you¡¯ll get a say in what clothes you have to wear. But let¡¯s save the shopping trip for later in the day, maybe around lunchtime so we can grab something to eat at a restaurant as well.¡±.


    ¡°Now then if we are putting that off until later then I guess really the only other physical preparation is to gather some supplies you¡¯ll need which¡­¡± she trailed off as she started looking over at Leonardo who just replied ¡°Do not worry I have already taken care of making a list of what we can supply from what we already have here, and what we need to go out and buy.¡±. ¡°Of course you did Leo. Tell ya what, when the lady and kid go out you can go with them and I¡¯ll go round gathering what we need.¡± Emily chimed in. ¡°So getting back on track¡± Lady Jasmond said ¡°if all physical preparations are covered, or rather are going to be covered, then that leaves¡­ I suppose just teaching you enough of the basics to make sure you aren¡¯t too lost or confused when classes start. Now what subject to start with.¡±. ¡°Why not let sir Devon decide my lady?¡± Leonardo asked ¡°Or at the very least you could let him know what he needs to be taught so he knows what is going to be covered.¡±. ¡°Sure.¡± she replied ¡±We need to cover the basics of magic and the underworld¡¯s history along with some expected common societal knowledge. Everything else you should know from regular schooling in your world at least to a good enough degree.¡±.


    Devon thought it over for a while and eventually asked ¡°Can we start with going over.. I guess anything to do with the underworld itself?¡±. Despite being more interested in magic he figured that starting there would be better or at least make it more tolerable in the long run. ¡°Alright, but just give me a moment to think of a good starting point for someone who very likely knows nothing about it.¡±. It took awhile and some input from Leonardo and Emily but eventually lady Jasmond settled on where to begin. ¡°Let¡¯s begin by saying you should erase any assumptions about the underworld you have from myths or legends as they very rarely get any details right. And even when they do get something right it is either not fully correct or interpreted through a premade lens of incorrect assumptions. Which starts us at the question what is the underworld. The simple answer is it is another separate but connected plane of existence and we will keep it there as the complex answer would take a whole lifetime of learning for you to understand. But to continue from that we go to who lives here and how this affects your world. The latter of which is simply answered by saying that the underworld itself does not affect your world however the inhabitants can and sometimes do which leads us back into the prior question. As a whole we simply call ourselves underworlders however we split ourselves into four categories, those being Demons, Devils, Daemons, and the other category, literally called other, as it just encompasses any being that does not fit within the original three categories.¡±


    After being given a second to process the info Devon asked ¡°so what category do you all fall under?¡¯. And lady Jasmond smiled before replying ¡° Well each of us are actually from a different category. Specifically, I am a subtype of devil called a mystic devil which improves my general magic abilities and is the only reason I could give you magic power as part of our deal. Leonardo belongs to the daemon category which has no subtypes and doesn''t give special abilities but allows for the potential to use all general magic. Finally Emily belongs to a type in the other category specifically she is a succubus though she doesn''t really use any special abilities that being one grants her other than when she enters dreams to make deals on my behalf. And while we do not have an example for it, the final category, demons are basically the wildcards of underworlders as they have no set special abilities but always have at least one, and they can look¡­ varied to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± lady Jasmond took a second to refocus and then continued on ¡°To continue from where we left off before that question we should go over how underworlders affect your world. And that is¡­ a bit complicated but I¡¯ll stay with a simple version for today. Basically we can not travel to your world on our own meaning we are only able to be summoned there by a human. Typically our main goal after being summoned would be to make a binding deal like the one you made, then return unharmed, though the unharmed part is not necessary, and neither is returning alive as if we die in your world we regenerate back in our own world, typically wherever we were before being summoned. Anyway we make these deals in order to gain a benefit, not for your sakes. Said benefit is that the more a human gives up for a deal, and the less we have to use our power on said deal, the more our maximum amount of power that we both have total and can use at once grows. There was another way for demons specifically to gain power but it is no longer possible so the only special way for an underworlder to grow their power is to be a mystic devil and give a human some of their power which will grow within said human then be returned with however much it grew by being added to the mystic devils maximum.¡±. ¡°Why don''t we leave this here for now? It¡¯s early in the day and the kid looks like if they get any more info their mind will overload.¡± Emily said bringing this conversation to a stop as the other two came to notice how overwhelmed Devon had started to look.


    Devon spent the rest of the morning just processing the info that was given to him until eventually his train of thought was interrupted when Leonardo retrieved him so that they could head out to shop. As they strolled through town towards the store devon noticed just how out of place he looked as everyone around him had some inhuman feature such as hornes, a tail, or even differently coloured skin, and it started to worry him if he would stand out too much within a school full of underworlders but he figured that in public was not the place to ask that question so he pushed it aside for later. Eventually they arrived at the store and Emily parted ways agreeing to meet up in an hour and a half at a pre-agreed upon restaurant for lunch leaving just Devon, Leonardo, and lady Jasmond to enter the clothing store.


    The store was clearly not a big chain store as it was too small and had generic branding on the outside simply being called Dress Up Clothes Shop. upon entering it however, it still looked like a professional shop at least until you looked around for the clothes themselves which were sparse with only one or two examples per style. However, despite that, or maybe because of that, there were numerous styles, some formal, some flashy, some simple, some so unusual you would know you were not on earth just by looking at them. ¡°looks like the lady is not here.¡± Leonardo commented which was when Devon noticed there seemed to be no staff present. Noticing a sign on the counter, Devon walked up to it and went to read it. The language seemed foreign but thanks to part of the binding deal he made he was able to read it after concentrating on it for a bit. The sign read as follows ¡°hello valued customer I am currently dealing with something else and will be back in ____ minutes. Do not bother trying to steal a display piece as it will not go well for you. If you are ready to be served please ring the bell next to this sign and I will be alerted to your presence.¡±. The space for how long they would be busy for was left empty so lady Jasmond went ahead and rang the bell then they took a seat and waited.


    Eventually a hidden side door opened and out walked a lady. She had bright pink hair and skin whiter than snow but her most eye-catching feature, at least to Devon at this point, was her arms. It wasn''t that they looked off but rather that she had an extra set. One set came out higher than normal near the top of where the shoulders would normally be, and one set came out lower than normal closer to the lower chest area. ¡°Why if it isn¡¯t lady Jasmond! It¡¯s always a pleasure to have such a valued customer visit.¡± the figure said, voice seeming to echo out from her. ¡°Please we¡¯ve been over this, remember, you of all people do not need to use my title.¡± lady Jasmond replied.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    After a bit of banter and polite conversation the lady whose name had not been revealed to Devon yet finally said ¡°Alright while I love chatting with you, usually when you want to just chat you invite me over, and if you come visit my store it¡¯s to do business so tell me dear friend what brings you hear today?¡±. ¡°You are correct that I¡¯m here on business not to talk so I guess let''s get started by introducing you two¡± lady Jasmond said gesturing to Devon. ¡°Oh did you finally find someone up for adoption in our area or is he from another area? Actually, first let me introduce myself first. I am known as Noir and am the owner and sole staff of this shop. It''s a pleasure to meet you.¡±. Correctly assuming Devon would not speak Lady Jasmond stepped in ¡°This here is Devon he is a little on the shy side from what i have noticed so expect me to do most of the talking for him. And yes he is the one I ended up adopting. We are here because he is in need of a whole new wardrobe and I mean a completely new one.¡±. ¡°Well I am honoured to be the person you decided to go to and I promise you Devon no matter what style, colour, or size you may be looking for I have it in stock even if at a glance it may not look as though I do.¡± Noir claimed despite the shown selection saying otherwise.


    Devon never really cared what clothes he was wearing before and even if he had known what kind of clothes he wanted to wear any terms Noir was using were going straight over his head. Eventually realising Devon knew basically nothing about fashion Noir decided to put him through what she called a sampling which, as one might expect, would involve him trying on many different sets of clothes. However there were some things that needed to be covered first ¡°do you know if Devon gets allergic reactions to any material?¡± Noir asked. After looking at him for a moment, Lady Jasmond responded ¡°we¡¯re unsure but if you can stay away from anything that commonly causes reactions just to be safe we would appreciate that.¡± ¡°Alright next what kind of budget are we looking at and how many sets, both total and different, does it need to cover?¡± Noir continued. Lady Jasmond smiling just said ¡°You know as well as I do that budget is not in my vocabulary as for how many sets, at least 10 different sets 2 of each or a minimum total of 20 sets. Whichever happens is fine so long as he gets enough clothes.¡± ¡°If I did not know your wealth I would be concerned about you dear.¡± Noir said as she shook her head. ¡°Now finally, are there any potential obstacles your body has in the way of clothes? And upon looking you over I don¡¯t see¡­ any at all¡± Devon started to get worried at her comment but Noir just continued ¡°You¡¯re human passing to a t. Makes my job easier but is this actually your true form? I know some people hide theirs in order to not have to deal with horns or tails, especially tails, but if your true form is different you should get at least something tailored to it in case you have a reason you need to show it. Even just a change in height could cause you to be unable to wear anything you own, and a change in colour could mean your clothes need the same.¡± Noir seemed to be in her own world at the moment as otherwise she would have noticed Devon''s sheer panic on his face. But lady Jasmond just put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gesture as if to say not to worry about it then simply looked back at Noir and said ¡°This is his true form so you do not have to worry about any body based obstacles, alright.¡±. ¡°Good. Like I said, it makes my job much easier. And with those out of the way let us start by finding what colours work for you and what you like, then we''ll find different styles that feel comfortable and look nice on you.¡±.


    It took over the agreed upon time just to narrow down what styles he would wear and could pull off but when all was said and done Devon for the first time in his life felt like he would have clothes he actually wanted to wear and look good in. He even ended up wearing a different set of clothes out of the store than he wore in. Now instead of the black t-shirt and shorts, he was wearing a dark blue, long sleeve shirt with a two button collar and dark grey, almost to the point of just being black, sweatpants. Because of how long they took they arrived late to the restaurant and found an annoyed Emily who, once again, was holding numerous bags waiting there for them.


    After having lunch and heading home to put everything away Devon was called to the living room in order to continue going over any information that he would need for school. However instead of continuing with info on the underworld, Lady Jasmond decided to start their discussion on magic. ¡°Now then once again I¡¯m going to ask you to set aside any assumptions you may have on magic based on any fiction you may know so that we can start fresh and with an open mind. Magic in concept is both very simple and extremely complex depending on how in depth one analyses it. Once again we will stick to the simpler explanation for now meaning all you need to know is that magic is manipulating the world around you by utilising a form of energy that intertwines with reality itself. This energy is called mana for simplicity in current times. It is normally not available to humans such as yourself. However, as I previously stated, since I am a mystic devil I have the ability to grant a human a portion of my maximum mana as part of binding deals, and have done so for you. Typically this is done in small amounts in order for the mystic devil to retain as much maximum mana after making a deal as possible, but I have a lot more maximum mana than any other mystic devil and would have no problems giving you access to more maximum mana than even some devils have, and so I did. You still do not have as much as most daemons but with time because your human any maximum mana you have will grow meaning you''ll likely have more than them after a decade or more, but still not more than what a daemon who is actively making deals with humans the way I do would have.¡±


    ¡°Now we are going to have you take a little test to determine what kinds of general magic you can perform.¡± Upon saying that, Leonardo took out from a box, what looked to be a platform of some kind with a bowl that had a hole in its centre suspended on it by thin legs that reached out to each corner. He then placed a glass or perhaps crystal board of some sort in a slot under the board and somehow filled the bowl with a viscous blue liquid that seemed to ignore the hole in said bowl. ¡°Now then sir Devon¡± Leonardo spoke ¡°what I have placed here is the device that will allow us to determine your magic abilities and limits. I could explain how it works in detail but for now let me just say what you have to do.¡±. He then pulled out what looked to be a pen of sorts. ¡°This is not a pen but a miniature needle like the ones used in your world to help test blood sugar. I am sincerely sorry but I think you know where I am going with this. You simply need to poke a spot on your finger and let even a single drop of blood fall into the liquid and the device will do the rest. I promise it is safe and at most will feel like a pinch. I even had Emily buy a new device today just to be sure it is clean.¡±


    All it took was one drop of blood and a few seconds later and the liquid started to pour onto, and somehow into the board. After the bowl emptied the board glowed then seemed to settle with new words written into it. ¡°Alright let us see what we are dealing with here.¡± Leonardo said. To Devon it seemed like random nonsense words and numbers even with his ability to translate the written language, however It seemed Leonardo understood what it ment and essentially translated it for him. ¡°So it seems the lady may have gone a bit overboard with granting you access to types of general magic, or maybe random chance just decided to shine upon you like a desert sun, as it seems you are not missing any type of general magic. That being said, you are slightly on the higher end of mana consumption for everything, including basic magic, and have no special abilities to offset that. Or at least it does not seem like you have one but the special ability section seems like it is being vague which I did not even know was possible. My only other guess would be that perhaps you are developing one but it is not formed yet, since you are human and your magic should grow, it seems like it could be possible. But I would have to talk with experts about it to be sure, so for now we will just assume you do not have one.¡±


    ¡°I will confirm that I left his magic up to random chance.¡± said lady Jasmond ¡°And that I did not intend to give him a special ability but I know one appearing randomly is also possible. But for now let''s move on and do some practical training. You will need to already be able to control your magic to some degree after all.¡±. The training started simple in fact all Devon had to do was focus on how he felt all the while lady Jasmond would be doing something which needed them to hold hands to essentially create a ring. ¡°Alright Devon, here is how this is going to work. I¡¯m going to cause both of our magic to start flowing in a circle through the ring our arms are forming. All you have to do is try to sense it moving. This is considered the first step for people who have a teacher or someone else to help them, and you do not even have to control your magic or even sense it while it is still.¡±. Devon responded ¡°Alright when do we begin.¡± to which lady Jasmond chuckled and said ¡°Just try to focus I¡¯ve already started on my end.¡±. Things went silent for a bit after that inorder to help Devon concentrate and to him nothing seemed to be happening but he assumed lady Jasmond had no reason to make a fool of him in this manner as she could probably do so in many other ways so he continued focusing.


    Minutes passed and soon Devon started to feel something, but it was not the flowing magic instead it was frustration as, to him, it still seemed like nothing was happening. Yet there was something else that was making him feel this frustration, that being a dizziness that had slowly started to appear seemingly from nowhere. ¡°I don''t feel too good. I think whatever you''re doing is making me dizzy.¡± he stated. But once he did it subsided almost immediately. ¡°How about now?¡± lady Jasmond asked seemingly also out of nowhere. ¡°Better. It''s basically gone.¡± Devon responded. Lady Jasmond gave a worried smile ¡°Well good news is you are able to sense your mana moving. However, it seems your mind is having trouble due to it. I''m unsure how to proceed with this information maybe¡­¡±. As she trailed off Leonardo chimed in ¡±If i may, my lady, I believe Devon may simply be more sensitive to mana. I have heard this exact reaction before with that being the root cause. And if that is the case then so long as sir Devon keeps training his senses he will eventually get used to the feeling of mana moving within him and it will stop being a problem.¡±.


    The two of them kept at the training until supper, occasionally stopping to give Devon a rest when he started to feel too dizzy to continue. After supper was more of the same as despite lady Jasmond, Leonardo, and even Emily suggesting he just take a break for the night and do something else, like play some of the games they bought for him before he arrived, Devon insisted he wanted to continue training, seemingly out of spite for having extra trouble with it. And thus his night concluded late and in frustration however he still went to bed feeling proud of himself as for the first time he had found something that drove him to want to succeed, and it was all because of that risk he took making the deal.

 Chapter 3 - Preparation Week Continued

    Over the course of the week Devon had started to get into a bit of a routine, which starts with him waking up and eating breakfast. Then he would partake in casual conversation while he was still waking up, or more accurately he would be casually talked to as, while more responsive, he still was not quite helping any conversation that he was involved in to continue. After fully waking up he would practise sensing mana and eventually got to a point where he was to try sensing and controlling his mana without lady Jasmond¡¯s help. This was done by creating a ring with his arms and basically trying to focus on, and move his mana to create the same kind of flow that lady Jasmond had made while Leonardo guided and watched over him. Leonardo also started to tutor him on other school subjects such as maths and literacy after they had lunch each day though Leonardo left the underworld and magic related  subjects to Lady Jasmond which would be taught right after up until dinner. And finally Devon would wind down by playing some games in his room, or rather would say that was what he was going to do, meanwhile most of the time after he learned how, he would just be training his mana control and sensing until he decided to head to sleep.


    Eventually he and lady Jasmond got back to their original lesson on the underworld and its inhabitants ¡°Now then we covered most of the basics with the underworld itself, and what kinds of inhabitants are here, so let¡¯s focus on the society you are now living in. Specifically, I want to go over the social hierarchy we have set up, and I suppose the best way to start is at the top of it, so let¡¯s begin there with the rulers of the underworld. The underworld is ruled by a group of three beings called the three greats. Their positions are passed down every 30 to 40 years to someone they themselves have chosen to take over their position. Their main job is basically keeping everyone else in line, especially the middling group in the hierarchy, the nobles. The nobles are given their title by the three greats and earn them through, basically, community service, however there are other requirements to become a noble based on wealth and family history. One person in the family is considered the main family member and is called the head noble. their title is passed down to one of their children, though which one is up to them so long as they meet certain requirements....¡±.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Devon asked since Lady Jasmond had a weird look on her face. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Lady Jasmond said, sounding annoyed ¡°it¡¯s just¡­ I guess you would have to learn about this sooner or later, but¡­¡±. Lady Jasmond paused for a moment before continuing ¡°alright, let¡¯s just get this out of the way. I¡¯m sure you realised I am from an upper class family, and yes said family has a noble title. In fact I was supposed to be the next head noble but missed out on my chance due to not meeting¡­ a certain requirement, and now said title is being passed down to my younger brother which, while not a bad thing, does still hurt my pride a bit.¡± ¡°What exactly was the requirement?¡± Devon asked, though he immediately regretted it after seeing the look that appeared on her face. ¡°...Thats¡­ Not important. Anyway the only other category in the hierarchy is just the common folk who have an upper class and a lower class and honestly you should be able to figure out the rest so I think we¡¯re done here¡± she said seemingly rushing the last part before rushing off leaving Devon alone. ¡°You know kid,¡± Emily chimed in seemingly having been listening in for a bit ¡°this happens every now and then, so don¡¯t worry about it. Truth is she¡¯s just embarrassed about it is all.¡± and with that Devon was left to his thoughts worrying about how badly he messed up and wondering if there was anything he could do to make up for it.


    As the week continued and time passed, Lady Jasmond seemed to just forget about the event even if Devon was still worried about it. And they started continuing on like normal, and eventually they got back onto the topic of magic. ¡°So I know we¡¯ve kind of been using terms while talking to you about magic which you have had no way of knowing the meaning of, so I¡¯m going to take it back to basics for a bit starting with the categories of magic. The first category is called general magic, and is the only category that everyone with magic has access to even if only a little. It also has a sub category called basic magic that covers the effects everyone can cast.¡±. Realising from that last sentence she had gotten ahead of herself, Lady Jasmond decided to backtrack. ¡°Alright, let me try that again, starting from where I should have started this off today, the magic process. As I previously stated, magic is about using mana to affect the world around you, yourself, and others. The act of utilising mana is called casting and is done by manipulating your mana within and around your body. This is done to create an effect, which do not have any specific terms attached to them as effect is as specific of a term as one can get. At least that is the case without naming every unique effect something different, which no one would want to do or memorise. These effects can take basically any form one can imagine. However the more complicated or powerful an effect is, the more mana is needed to be used in an instance. And typically prolonged effects need you to use mana over several instances. With how frequently said instances occur also being determined by how powerful and complicated an effect is.¡±.


    Devon was given some time to take it in but only needed a second as it was basic fantasy game mechanic type stuff. And thus ended up prompting lady Jasmond to continue on. ¡°As we implied when we went over your magic abilities not everyone has access to every effect either due to some effects requiring too much mana to be used at once for them, which can be overcome through making binding deals and growing their maximum mana output, or because their mana simply is not capable of creating said effect, which has yet to be worked around without outside premade tools that create the effect for you.¡±. Once again to Devon this has basic fantasy game stuff so he again prompted her to continue this time adding that he would ask her if he had any questions or needed a second to think something over. ¡°Alright then next is the second category of magic called special abilities. These allow the wielder to cast an effect at a much lower mana cost per instance, and can even break known rules of magic such as allowing an ongoing effect to only require a single instance of mana cost at the start of the effect and none after that. What special ability you have is based on what type of underworld being you are, with demons each getting at least one random one, devils and anyone in the other category getting one based on their sub type, or rather just type for those in the other category, and daemons not getting any at all. As for humans¡­ Well from what I know it is a random chance for what you end up with and not something that can be controlled. However the mystic devil giving a human their power can decide whether or not they get one at all, or to leave it to random chance like I did for our deal.¡±.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Devon finally having a question even if a bit unrelated asked ¡°Why did you leave seemingly everything about my magic up to chance?¡±. After she thought about it for a bit she finally responded ¡°I guess the best way to put it is that I had no real idea of how it would be best for your magic to manifest, so I just gave you enough of my power to make sure you''d have a good amount of both total maximum mana, and maximum mana you can use in a single instance, and just let the rest of the details appear in a more natural manner.¡±. Devon then thought about what she said for a moment and came to a realisation ¡°you didn¡¯t really have a plan at all when we made the deal did you?¡±. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I never thought I¡¯d adopt a human. Also I figured whoever I would adopt was going to have some sort of previous set up even if only in terms of what school they were going to. Hence why I was trying to adopt specifically from around here and not a different area of the underworld, as doing so would not take them away from any connections they may have had.¡±.


    Upon noticing lady Jasmond had a sombre look on her face Devon chimed in ¡°Well it¡¯s not like you took me away from any connections.¡±. Lady Jasmond then looked a bit confused so he continued ¡°I told Emily this before we made the deal but I guess you must not have heard. The only friend I had left town, and after a month of no contact I¡¯m pretty sure they just didn¡¯t want to keep in touch. They even said that they wouldn¡¯t be contacting me anymore right before they left. The only other person who I was close to, in any sort of way, was my dad but he basically never took care of me and worse, he was¡­ abusive¡­ both verbally, and physically.¡±. Lady Jasmond looked upset at his past and was about to comment on it, however when she tried to speak Devon interrupted her ¡°But now I have you and the others. And you all look out for me. And I know this may sound crazy but even the fact you all feed me proper food, instead of me having to¡­ basically rummage around the kitchen for something that is either edible without cooking it or is basically precooked since i never learned how to even use a stove, means way more to me than it probably should. So please don''t worry about the fact we made that deal and instead let''s focus on what''s in store going forward, and making the best of it.¡±. ¡°You must have really had a harsh life to be this mature at your age.¡± Lady Jasmond commented ¡°But I guess we can not change the deal we made anyway, so yeah, let''s focus on making the future you have here the best we can.¡±.


    After taking a moment to let both of them recompose themselves, Lady Jasmond continued the lesson ¡°now then the second to last category of magic is enchanting which is simply binding mana to an object to give it an effect. There is more to it such as needing to set up conditions for when the effect happens, but unless you end up trying it out we do not need to get into the details. Finally we have binding deals which are specifically special deals made between humans and underworlders. We already went over it partially when we first went over underworlders so to recap the more a human gives up, and the less an underworlder uses their power, the more power the underworld gains. And that is really all we need to cover on magic, at least until you become good enough with controlling your mana to start casting with it.¡±


    Eventually the last day before school came and before heading off to bed in order to get rest for tomorrow, lady Jasmond went over the plan for said day. ¡°Now then Devon, as much as I wish I could be the one to walk you to school on your first day I have been called in for a meeting and can not join you. So in my stead Leonardo will be taking you there. There will be an opening ceremony set up instead of morning announcements, where you simply will listen to an... Extensive introduction to the school. Then you have homeroom where you will be given your schedule of your classes and greet your primary teacher. then you have two classes followed by lunch and then two more classes after which there will be a free hour that is normally spent on club activities or to just hangout, but that will be skipped tomorrow and thus you will be picked up early.¡±. ¡°Got it¡± Devon replied. ¡°Oh¡± lady Jasmond said seemingly remembering something ¡°one more thing Devon. I know you were worried about having you being human getting revealed back at Noirs clothes store, but you should have no reason to worry. Even if someone somehow finds out you¡¯re human, with my¡­ influence, you will be kept safe from any potential harm. However I¡¯ll still leave when, and even whether or not you reveal it to people up to you.¡±.  ¡°Understood.¡± Devon responded and after all was said and done he went to rest and get some sleep as tomorrow was to be a big day.

 Chapter 4 - School Starts

    Devon had woken up earlier that morning compared to any other day since he arrived in the underworld. In fact he was not supposed to be up for awhile so he used this extra time to try to compose himself. Today was supposed to be his first day at his new school and he needed to be fully mentally prepared. He knew he could probably just say he did not want to go and would be allowed to stay home and never have to worry about it again. However, the fact of the matter was, while he really did not want to attend school and deal with a group of strangers, he knew he still wanted to make friends and that this was his best option to do so. So he ultimately decided to put his best foot forward, or at least try to put his best foot forward. He even saved a certain set of clothes that included a dark blue button up shirt and a black set of formal pants specifically for this day.


    After waving lady Jasmond goodbye and having a big breakfast, Devon and Leonardo left for his school. ¡°Alright sir Devon¡± Leonardo started ¡°I should give you a warning that we will not be walking the whole way, nor will we be taking any form of travel you may be familiar with, as doing so would be essentially impossible especially for you, since we have to travel between areas in the underworld. I will skip on answering any questions for now as all you need to know is we will be walking to a special facility called a transportation hub and taking a portal to another facility of its kind in the same area that your school is in, then we will walk the rest of the way there. All in all we should arrive in 20 to 25 minutes depending on your pace, more than quick enough to arrive with time to spare.¡±. Curious Devon kept trying to ask questions but Leonardo just kept seemingly deflecting with statements such as ¡°We do not have the time right now sir Devon.¡± and ¡°save that mindset for school sir Devon.¡± until eventually Devon gave up trying as they reached the school. The school building was huge, looking more like a large university or college than what one would expect from a school Devon would be attending at his age. ¡°Well sir Devon, I will be parting ways here since servants are not supposed to accompany people on the school grounds. I wish you the best for your first day and will be back to pick you up once it is over.¡±


    With that Leonardo left, leaving Devon to navigate the school by himself, or at least that was how they both thought it would go. However as Devon started walking with a worried and lost look on his face he heard what sounded like a young girl''s voice say something, seemingly directed at him ¡°so your name¡¯s Devon, are ya new here to?¡±. Turning to look at who said that Devon saw a girl who looked to be his age. She had a lighter skin tone that one could see belonging to a human, purple coloured hair that was done up in a ponytail and reached just below her shoulders, and horns that curled around her head almost like part of a halo. ¡°Well, ya gonna answer my question?¡± she asked after waiting a bit with no response. But once again Devon did not respond so she took a different approach ¡°here let me introduce myself I¡¯m Mya, and your name''s Devon, right?¡±. Finally able to force himself to say something Devon responded ¡°...yes¡±. ¡°Great. It¡¯s my first day going here and I''ma guess it¡¯s your first day too, right? The girl asked. ¡°...yes¡± Devon responded, once again seemingly needing to force himself to speak. ¡°Mind if we stick together for a bit?¡± Mya asked ¡°I¡¯m looking ta try staying out of trouble, and typically that requires more than one person ta do.¡±. ¡°I¡­ g¡­ guess¡­ n-not.¡± Devon stammered out. ¡°Cool.¡± Mya started ¡°I¡¯ll show ya ta way ta the assembly hall, since it seems ya missed out on the tour day. Unless ya started heading the wrong way on purpose that is.¡±.


    On the way there Mya tried talking to Devon some more and prompting them with questions about themselves, such as which area of the underworld they are from and what optional classes they plan on taking. However, since Devon did not know enough to answer the questions he just said nothing, though he probably would have still said little to nothing even if he knew enough to answer them. Eventually they made it to the assembly hall where it seemed like the opening ceremony was still a bit away. ¡°So we have ta sit together since we¡¯ve really gotten to know each other¡± she said with sarcasm that was meant to be picked up on ¡°I''m just messing with ya, but still, lets see if we can¡¯t find open seats together.¡±.


    After finding seats and a few minutes of waiting someone stepped out onto the assembly hall¡¯s stage. He had bright red skin and pale bone white horns. He wore a conventional business suit and tie albeit gray instead of black. His eyes seemed to be gems or crystals of a dark purple colour instead of a normal set of eyes. ¡°Attention everyone!¡± His voice powerfully projecting out over the murmuring crowd. ¡°Apologies for the late start, but we will now begin the opening ceremony.¡± An applause rang out as he said that along with comments such as ¡°About time,¡± as well as ¡°hopefully this one goes by quicker.¡±. ¡°I¡¯d like to start by introducing myself, in case anyone does not know I am Mr. Samuel, your principal, and staff incharge of the opening ceremony. I hope to see you all get along and wish you the most successful year possible. Now then¡­¡± the opening ceremony trailed on for quite some time going over the school''s history and most students seemed to be paying less and less attention as time went on. This lasted until eventually the principal realised he was running out of time and finally said ¡°well for now I have to wrap this up but if anyone is interested I¡¯ll be more than happy to continue later on. However for now I shall call up the new honour student for this year, presenting Kane Monol Barbast.¡±.


    Upon being called, a person over seven feet in height stood up. They had a kind of androgynous look to them mostly in their face. Their skin was amethyst purple and their eyes pearl pink they had a primarily muscular yet also slim build and their hair was scarlet and done into a braid. They wore a dark blue blazer, pants, and bowtie along with a pale pink under shirt. Upon reaching the stage they took a look around then spoke with a voice that commanded respect and attention ¡°Now then I¡¯ll keep this brief so listen up, I am Kane Monol Barbast, yes that makes me who you think I am, however while attending here I expect to only be treated as your equal not your superior. Furthermore I expect you all to strive for the best and reach it, no matter what that is to you. That is all.¡±. As they walked back to their seat no one spoke a word and though Devon did not know why, he knew Kane was someone of great importance. After a bit the principal spoke ¡°Alright that wraps this up if you don''t have your temporary schedule for whatever reason come to the front once people have started clearing out otherwise you are dismissed.¡±.


    After waiting a minute and grabbing his schedule Devon headed off to find his home room and eventually he managed to reach it. Upon entering he saw that Mya was also in the same homeroom class and so was Kane who, at the moment, was being swarmed by people. Devon decided to sit beside Mya who commented ¡°Well well looks like you¡¯re in the same class as me Devon. And that means we¡¯re both in the same class as The Kane Monol Barbast, can you believe it. I mean I heard he was going to be in this school but being in the same class is something else.¡±. Devon, trying to hide the fact he did not know who exactly Kane was, responded ¡°Yeah insane right?¡±. Then a voice from the row behind them spoke up ¡°well at least you two lowborn know your place.¡±. The one who said that had tan skin with horns that curled to the side, and he wore black pants and a red button up shirt with what looked like an image of a coin with a crown on it. ¡°Yeah yeah, look at Mr high and mighty over here, or sorry it should be SIR high and mighty noble, right?¡± sitting next to him was a red skinned seven and a half foot tall bulky guy, who had horns that stuck straight up and had no separation from his forehead. ¡°Anyway hey there I¡¯m Cole the noble there is Tytus Runerood. Are you two new to the area? Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you round here before.¡±. while Devon was unwilling to respond Mya spoke up ¡°Well hey there I¡¯m Mya and this is Devon. Heads up he¡¯s a little shy, seemingly. But anyway it''s nice ta meet ya. As for whether we¡¯re new, I am but I don¡¯t know if he is.¡±.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Cole and Mya continued chatting meanwhile Devon was in his own world panicking at least until someone entered and called for attention. ¡°Now then class I will be your homeroom teacher Mr. Zephyr.¡± looking up Devon saw he had deep blue skin and hair with pitch black eyes, and wore a formal black suit and dress pants. ¡°Sorry for being late, the staff meeting went long. Now we will start with attendance then I will go over homeroom and your class schedule.¡±. Despite how nervous Devon was, everything was going smoothly ¡°Devon¡­ huh no last name given?¡± ¡°Here.¡± yet as Devon had come to know his life would never be that simple. Mr. Zephyr took a moment to look up as he did after every student responded, then he stopped for a moment and sighed ¡°well I didn¡¯t think someone in this school would try to send a serv¡­ant¡­ wait a minute.¡± he then walked up to Devon and looked him over before placing a hand on his upper back.


    The look on Mr. Zephyr¡¯s face went from confusion to shock then settled on just an annoyed look ¡°Well now a bound servant in this day and age huh, never would have thought I¡¯d see one.¡±. the whole room seemed shocked and Mya even let out a ¡°What!¡± ¡°Either way servants are not supposed to be here let alone attending in place of the actual student.¡± Devon, confused and worried, simply said ¡°Um¡­ I.. I¡¯m not¡­ a servant.¡± looking more annoyed Mr. Zephyr simply responded ¡°Really now, am I to believe a human is an actual student here and not someone''s servant they sent in their place?¡± Mr. Zephyr was about to wait for a response, however a look of sheer terror appeared on Devon''s face, one so visceral that he started to wonder what truly was going on. ¡°A quiet voice could barely be heard rambling on ¡°No no no no this can¡¯t be happening she said no one would notice i should¡¯ve never come here i should''ve just stayed out of school i knew this would go terribly.¡± and so on.


    It took a moment but eventually Mr. Zephyr realized he may have messed up and decided to check something just to see for certain what was going on. Alright¡­ Kid, are you able to summon up the contract you made with¡­ whoever it was you made it with. Devon was starting to hyperventilate at this point but managed to get out a ¡°I¡­ ¡­ don¡­ don¡¯t Know.¡±. ¡°Alright let¡¯s have you try, first focus on yourself and the connection between you and the other party, then try to manifest it.¡±. It took quite a while but Devon was eventually able to focus long enough to sense his connection with Lady Jasmond after which it only took a single try in order to manifest a physical version of the contract they made, after which Mr. Zephyr took it to look over. ¡°Ok¡­ your name is actually Devon and you made a contact wi¡­ but that would mean¡­ Oh. Oh no. I am so sorry I didn¡¯t realise you actually are the student please forgive me.¡±.


    But Devon said nothing as he had come to realize that he was stuck, stuck at school until Leonardo came to pick him up after the whole school day had passed, a school day with people who thought of him as different, lesser, and probably worse things and in all honestly all it did was make him want to laugh. Why you may ask? Because simply put this was what he was used to. He never thought it would be comforting to be the loser and the odd one out but, honestly now that it meant he had no reason to worry about making a good impression he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, and finally he said ¡°it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll manage.¡±.


    Devon¡¯s first two classes were simply math and physical education. During the prior everything seemed relatively calm, but by lunch it was clear that the fact a human was attending was spreading, with some people in his class were even pointing him out to others as said human, but Devon just kept on ignoring them after all he was used to the whole bad mouthing behind his back stuff from his old school. He ultimately decided to sit in a corner of one of the corner tables expecting people to ignore him, but to his surprise two people actually came up to sit with him. ¡°Hey¡­ Devon.¡± Mya said, seeming a little worried ¡°So I wanted to apologise for my over the top reaction earlier to the whole¡­ thing and¡­¡± she ended up trailing off so Devon responded  ¡°It¡¯s fine I. It seems it was a bigger shock for a human to be in the underworld than I realised.¡±. ¡°Wow, just coming out and saying it huh?¡± Cole said laughing ¡°well either you have no common sense, or well I guess your mind might¡¯ve just snapped judging by the change in, well everything about you. You basically seem like a different person now compared to when you entered the homeroom classroom.¡±. Devon laughed and responded ¡°Maybe so but I¡¯d say it¡¯s more like I¡¯m back in my element, ya know? Still i''m surprised you two came here I mean I get Mya felt she had to apologise but why are you here Cole?¡±. ¡°Cause why not. I mean I don''t even need my ability to tell troubles gonna follow you.¡± Cole said. ¡°Your ability?¡± Devon asked. Cole, realising Devon might not know, explained ¡°Ah right guess you may not know but I¡¯m an Oni we all have a special ability to detect something, like danger, or in my case trouble. Yes it''s a vague thing to detect but it helps keep things interesting.¡±. ¡°So¡­ Devon¡­ How long have ya¡­ been in the underworld?¡± Mya asked nervously. ¡°Today marks the start of week two believe it or not¡­ I wonder what¡­ anyway anything else you want to ask I mean there''s no way to hide it now so why try, am I right?¡± Before anyone could comment a message played over a speaker system ¡°could Devon¡­ uh¡­ right no last name. Could the Devon from Mr. Zephyr''s home room class please come to the principal''s office.¡±. And so off he went to see the principal.


    After wandering for a bit due to being lost Devon found his way to the principal¡¯s office and was let right in. There both Mr. Samuel and Mr. Zephyr were waiting for him with ashamed looks on their faces. ¡°Welcome, Devon.¡± Started Mr. Samuel ¡°I am sure you know why we called you here, so let¡¯s get straight into it. I¡¯d first like to apologise that your, I guess we¡¯ll say secret, was revealed.¡°. ¡°like I said to Mr. Zephyr It¡¯s fine, even if I wasn¡¯t planning to reveal it.¡± Devon responded. ¡°Well either way it still was not appropriate for a teacher to reveal something like that, even by accident.¡± commented Mr. Zephyr. ¡°Well anyway let¡¯s get to the main point.¡± said Mr Samuel ¡°That being how we are going to proceed now that we know about it. We did try to contact Lady Jasmond but it seems she must be busy.¡±. ¡°She said she was called in for a meeting today.¡± Devon explained. ¡°Well despite that we still need to figure out what to do today at least. So what do you want to do? We could have you wait to be picked up in either my office or the staff break room.¡±. I¡¯ll keep going to classes if that¡¯s alright.¡± Devon stated  ¡°Devon, are you planning to come back after today? I understand if not but if so there are a few things we will need to cover and do.¡± asked Mr. Zephyr in a surprised tone. ¡°Yes, I think I might. I will need to go over it with Lady Jasmond first, but I have a lot I want to learn and having people who are actually teachers would probably help.¡± Devon explained. ¡°Alright,¡± said Mr. Samuel ¡°in that case, mind if I just make an announcement about you tomorrow? I know it seems weird but I just want to make sure everyone knows despite what you are, we will not tolerate any harassment of any kind towards you.¡±. This actually surprised Devon as he was not expecting them to bother stepping in for him ¡°Sure. I doubt there¡¯s any use trying to hide it anyway.¡±. ¡°Alright, then that¡¯s what we shall do,¡± said Mr. Samuel.


    After that Devon had a general science class then a free period that was going to be used for signing up for electives, but that was pushed back until homeroom the next day, after which it finally was time to head home for the day. After leaving the front gate Devon saw Leonardo waiting for him ¡°Well Devon, I hope you had a good day though you may want to save going over it for the Lady.¡±. ¡°Ok, but it didn''t go how any of you would have expected so it will be a lot to go over.¡± Devon responded, surprising Leonardo with how talkative he was. Eventually they got back home around the same time Lady Jasmond and Emily were returning and once they got inside and settled down with supper Devon explained how his day went and his decision to continue attending. ¡°Well that¡¯s pretty brave kid but are you sure?¡± Emily asked. ¡°You remember that we said you do not have to attend if it would be too much for you, right?¡± added Lady Jasmond. ¡°Yes I remember, and Yes I¡¯m sure. Even if it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll make any friends I still believe It would be better to learn from actual teachers, so I¡¯ll continue attending so long as things don¡¯t go too far.¡±. Lady Jasmond sighed and eventually said ¡°understood Devon but please, don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± and with that Devon went to his room to rest for the night to be ready for what lies ahead.

 Chapter 5 - Learning, Chatting, and Fanatics

    The next morning was rather uneventful, giving Devon a chance to talk with Lady Jasmond and the others over breakfast ¡°so, if you don''t mind, I have some questions I''d like to ask.¡±. ¡°Of course Devon,¡± replied Lady Jasmond ¡°we will try our best to answer them while taking into account your level of knowledge.¡±. ¡°That actually is the first thing I want to talk about. How prepared do you think I am for this school, I mean, I never used magic yet and I still don¡¯t know, basically anything about the underworld." Devon asked. ¡°Believe it or not sir Devon, but for your age you are at a decent level for magic control, as most kids do not cast their fist spell until they enter school.¡± ¡°But they would have been in school much earlier than now though, wouldn''t they?¡± Devon asked in response. ¡°Not in the underworld,¡± said Lady Jasmond ¡°unless you''re a noble like me you get homeschooled until now, and even if you are a noble that only means you get tutored instead of homeschooled.¡±. Leonardo then continued ¡°As for your knowledge of the underworld, you are lacking a lot of common knowledge one would have from just growing up here, but when it comes to what school will teach you, I think you will manage.¡±.


    Devon then went on to his second question ¡°so, how did Mr. Zephyr notice I was human?¡±. ¡°Good question kid, I was wondering that myself.¡± commented Emily. ¡°Well,¡± started Lady Jasmond ¡°I can not say for certain but from what you have told us about yesterday''s events, it seems that he was for some reason on the lookout for underworld beings under contracts, and not only noticed you were part of a contract, but somehow noticed that said contract was different then the ones between two underworlders.¡± ¡°Is that not normally possible?¡± Devon asked unsure if he just got unlucky or if that possibility had just been forgotten. ¡°Well,¡± responded Lady Jasmond ¡°let me put it like this, it takes a long time to learn to check for contracts, and it is rarely a skill one would bother learning for any reason. Also noticing that it was not a normal magic contract but a binding contract, the type between a human and an underworld, is a tricky thing to do to put it simply. So I¡¯m not really sure why he could do all that, nor did I think it was something that we would need to worry about.¡±. Devon then followed it up with ¡°Also he called me a bound servant and people seemed to realise what that meant, so what does that mean exactly¡±. ¡°Alright here goes.: Lady Jasmond said apprehensive ¡°In short a bonded servant is the¡­ nicer name for a human who is bound in service to an underworlder by a binding contract and a title that does not fit what our relation is since you are not under contract to serve me.¡± ¡°so, does that mean there are other humans here?¡± Devon asked. ¡°Once again I¡¯ll give you the short answer. No, not in this day and age.¡±


    After taking that in for a moment Devon decided to ask ¡°so there¡¯s this kid in my class who is apparently a big deal named Kane Monol¡­ something i don¡¯t exactly remember, but who exactly¡­¡±. The other three all looked at each other in shock then Emily spoke up ¡°his full name wouldn¡¯t happen to be Kane Monol Barbast would it kid?¡±. ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s it.¡± Devon responded. ¡°Devon, do you remember what I told you about the three greats?¡± Lady Jasmond asked. ¡°They¡¯re the group that rules the underworld, right?¡± Devon said unsure what this had to do with his question. ¡°Yes.¡± responded Lady Jasmond ¡°that¡¯s correct and you see Kane Monol Barbast is one of their sons and currently thought to be the one who will take their fathers title next.¡± Devon needed a minute to take that in, he was in a class with what was essentially a prince and one that was possibly next in line for the throne, this made Devon once again anxious and h tried to remember how Kane Monol Barbast responded to him being human and he remembered looking around the room after Mr. Zephyr called him a bound servant, and seeing a somewhat curious and interested look on his face, but what that means who knows.


    Finally in a bit of panic he asked ¡°so is there any way you can help me defend myself if someone tries to do more than just mess with me?¡±. And with a sigh Lady Jasmond responded ¡°for now we¡¯ll keep Leonardo being your escort to and from school, as he also acts somewhat as a bodyguard for myself and is more than capable of defending you. As for while you''re at school, unfortunately we¡¯re going to have to leave that to the teachers, though I will at least have a talk with them about it.¡± and with that the time came when Devon had to leave if he wanted to make it to school on time, and so leave he did alongside Leonardo who now had a stern look on his face as he was on guard for any trouble that may arise.


    A lot of eyes were set on Devon as soon as he arrived at school, but despite that he still went to the assembly hall as if nothing weird was going on. Upon finding a seat and waiting only a few minutes Mr. Samuel walked out on to the stage and started the morning announcements. ¡°Good morning everyone I hope you all had a great first day. Let¡¯s¡­ end with the big one which means¡­ First, the sign up sheets for your electives have actually been printed, so you will be filling them out in homeroom as previously stated. Next up club sign ups have not been delayed and will happen at the school week''s end as usual. Those who wish to join a club may try out one per day, while those who don¡¯t have an interest in club activities should report to the cafeteria for the general group.¡±. At this point he started to look over to a side area that the other staff were standing in and without projecting his voice to the crowd asked ¡°is there anything else besides¡­ ya know?¡±. After a second and seemingly receiving a response he went back to projecting his voice and said ¡°Right magic aptitude tests will be done during the final period as usual so please report to your homeroom class for that.¡±


    ¡°And, I guess, that just leaves us with¡­¡± Mr. Samuel paused for a second clearly apprehensive about what came next ¡°Alright I''m sure by now most of you, if not all of you, have heard the¡­ what some are calling rumours and I¡¯m here to inform you that, yes there is indeed a human as a student.¡±. So many responses erupted out that calling the following sound noise could be seen as an understatement. Anyone with a view of Devon that had been tipped off to it being him started staring, glaring, or even yelling at him directly. The phrase ¡°silence!¡± boomed out across the room leaving most people speechless and though a few carried on giving remarks they soon stopped as their attention became captivated by the new speaker, Mr. Zephyr ¡°for those who do not know I am Mr. Zephyr, the teacher in charge of handling disciplinary actions. Now some of you may think that you can get away with doing things to them because they are human, but no. We will not tolerate any harassment towards them regardless of what they are, as they are still a student here, and thus are in our care. You all have been warned now so I suggest you all listen.¡±. As Mr. Zephyr left to the side area Mr. Samuel continued ¡°thank you Mr. Zephyr. Now with that all wrapped up, you are all dismissed, so please, have a nice day.¡±.


    After waiting for some of the students to clear out, Devon headed off to his homeroom class. He was met with many glares on his way, but with the teachers also heading out at the same time there were likely few who would attempt anything. However as he entered the classroom he noticed that Mr. Zephyr had yet to arrive, meaning all bets were off. Looking around for a seat he saw that most were taken and that Cole and Mya were sitting together. Eventually he took a seat near the back of the class with an empty chair beside him. While waiting for Mr. Zephyr to arrive, Kane Monol Barbast entered the classroom and was greeted by a much warmer reception than Devon was. After glancing around the room Devon noticed him seemingly smile in his direction before heading to take a seat. It originally looked like he was going to the seat he took yesterday, however when he got to that row he walked behind that seat and went across the room, eventually taking the seat next to Devon.


    ¡°Why, hello Devon.¡± he said with a cordial tone in his voice ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±. ¡°hello.¡± Devon said. Devon assumed he sat there so that he could mess with him, yet keeping the same tone Kane asked ¡°Did you manage to get some rest last night? I¡¯m sure you must have felt tired after what happened yesterday.¡±. ¡°Yes¡­ I did.¡± Devon responded warily. ¡°Well that¡¯s good. Rest is important even for normal daily life activities. Now tell me something Devon, as a human you do not naturally have access to magic right?¡±. ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± Devon confirmed. ¡°In that case should you really be attending this school? I mean I approve of your persistence in staying but a good chunk of the curriculum focuses on magic study and practice.¡±. Devon just responded ¡°I.. do have access to mana.¡±. ¡°Aha, I see. Then, have you tried using your mana to cast anything yet? Or at least have you tried projecting your mana?¡±. Devon, now interested in the conversation, perked up a bit and said ¡°I know I haven¡¯t tried casting effects yet, but what does projecting mana man I assume that¡¯s sending mana out of you, right?¡±. ¡°That¡¯s correct Devon. However, by the way you asked, I assume you haven¡¯t, have you?¡±. ¡°No, I have not. All I have been doing when it comes to mana is sensing and moving it around within me.¡±.  During their conversation Mr. Zephyr entered and Kane said ¡°We¡¯ll continue this discussion later assuming there¡¯s any spare time during this period.¡±.


    After going over attendance Mr. Zephyr started handing out the sign up sheets for electives. There were some normal classes that one would find in the human world, however what interested Devon more was the magic based classes. Each class name came with a thorough explanation which meant he was able to get an idea of what each one offered. Mr. Zephyr then spoke ¡°Keep in mind if there are any advanced classes you wish to take you must take the required beginner classes.¡±. Devon decided to start with looking over advanced classes and after skimming through the descriptions, and ignoring most of the study based classes, he found one that stood out to him. ¡°something caught your eye Devon?¡± Kane asked, seemingly already done filling out his form ¡°feel free to ask if you have any questions about the classes.¡±. ¡°There is one that looks interesting,¡± Devon said, ¡°an advanced class called enchanting basics.¡±. The description read as follows ¡°learn the basic art of imbuing effects into objects called enchanting. Go from creating objects that have a single trigger and effect to one¡¯s with multiple of them.¡±. ¡°Taking the teacher''s advice and looking over the advanced classes first, huh? Smart move.¡± Kane said ¡°enchanting is an interesting topic with enough time, mana, and knowledge you can create some complex items.¡±. Devon curious asked ¡°Like what exactly?¡±. ¡°Well¡­¡± Kane thought for a moment then responded ¡°really there¡¯s a lot made through enchanting, from simple items such as self adjusting clothes to more complex objects such as cleaning devices, up to even whole games. It really comes down to how much one can do with their mana, and how much they¡¯re willing to learn.¡± Devon ultimately decided to take classes that were pre requisites for the enchanting basics class, and filled out the extra spaces with some one-off courses that seemed interesting.


    After handing in their forms the class was given some free time so Kane took Devon to a classroom for magic training. ¡°They should be here somewhere.¡± Kane said while rooting around in a cupboard. ¡°Found one.¡± Eventually Kane pulled out a white rod with a handle that ran perpendicular at the bottom and handed it over to Devon ¡°Now here''s what you''re gonna do, just control your magic so that it flows to your hand then try passing it into the item it will change colour if you do it right and you''ll feel your mana build up in your hand if you do it wrong.¡±. Devon focused on controlling his mana and while at first he did have trouble passing mana from within himself to the object and he felt his mana quickly build up but Kane quickly stopped him and said ¡°Devon it has come to my attention that you don¡¯t know how to properly move your mana. I mean you¡¯re able to move it sure, but not in an effective manner.¡±. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Devon asked curiously. ¡°Well,¡± Kane continued, ¡°here let me guess essentially how you''re moving it. What you''re doing is focusing purely on where you want your mana to move.¡±. ¡°Yeah.¡± Devon replied. ¡°While that is an important part of controlling it,¡± Kane explained ¡°the more important part is focusing on how your mana is flowing. A beginner technique is to imagine a path for your mana to follow towards where you want it to go and then let your mana flow through said path.¡±. And so that''s what Devon started to do and, after a minute or so, Devon had managed to pass some of his mana into the item.Stolen story; please report.


    The item changed colour quickly to a vibrant green and Kane commented on it ¡°Well seems you got the hang of it at least to some degree. And it turned green huh, definitely didn''t expect that on your first go.¡±. ¡°Is that good?¡± Devon asked. Kane then explained ¡°the colour represents how much magic you are able to output. The colours go from purple, to blue, to green, to yellow, to orange, to red, then stops at black. Even if you have the capacity to project an amount of mana, you still might not be able to either gather or control that amount of mana. For you this could mean either you have quite a bit of mana, or you¡¯re a natural at projecting mana, either way it''s a good thing.". Devon decided to ask one more thing before they finished up ¡°why are you helping me?¡±.¡±Because,¡± Kane replied with a smile," I''m interested to see your growth. Anyway we better head off soon since the next class should start in a few minutes.¡±. And with that the two of them put the item back and split off towards their next classes.


    After another set of mundane classes Devon headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. Unlike yesterday, where the section for getting food was closed for deep cleaning, today it was open. Upon entering Devon expected to see your typical walk along area where food was handed out in a line, however instead what he saw was a proper buffet split into many different sections. Normally Devon would be impressed but right now he just felt overwhelmed. ¡°Hey what ya up to?¡± Cole asked surprising Devon from behind him. ¡°Oh, hey Cole.¡± Devon replied ¡°I just still have no real knowledge on the food here, and I definitely didn¡¯t expect to see something like this.¡±. ¡°Well then, let me pick out some things for ya and we¡¯ll go from there.¡± said Cole. and, remembering the warning he was given Devon repiled ¡°ok, just please don¡¯t pick anything spicy, I¡¯m serious, spices can potentially hurt me, and terribly so.¡±.


    After grabbing a variety of different Things Devon and Cole sat down together to eat. ¡°Thank you Cole.¡± Devon said ¡°I really wasn¡¯t expecting there to be that much choice in what was served let alone an entire buffet.¡±. ¡°Why?¡± Cole asked ¡°What¡¯s the school cafs in your world like ¡°. ¡°Well to put it simply,¡± Devon responded ¡°we get a limited selection of food that doesn¡¯t taste all that good and looks about as good.¡±. ¡°Yeesh,¡± Cole replied, ¡°sounds rough. At least that''s one upside to being down here ya get to enjoy.¡±. Devon, slightly confused Asked ¡°What do you mean by ''get to enjoy''?¡±. Cole responded a bit somberly ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what exactly the deal you made was but I assume you don¡¯t get much downtime for fun activities.¡±. Devon thought for a minute then responded ¡°Well I guess that makes sense since you don''t know about the deal, but I¡¯m basically free to do what I want.¡±. This surprised Cole who replied ¡°Really i didn¡¯t think¡­ Now I¡¯m just wondering what exactly the deal you made was, or really at least what both sides got out of it.¡±. Devon after debating whether or not to tell him and then how he would explain it simply said ¡°Well we both got what we asked for and whether or not everything works out is yet to be seen. As for what exactly those things were¡­ well let¡¯s say that for me I was simply seeking a change.¡±.From off to the side a somber toned voice chimed in ¡°So¡­ ya really did do this ta yourself huh?¡±. Mya then took a seat next to Cole and continued ¡°hope ya knew what ya were doing Devon,.though with how schools played out for ya¡­ I mean, let¡¯s hope it gets better for ya from here on.¡±. ¡°You both act like it''s all been bad, however up until the fact I¡¯m human was revealed everything was going smoothly, especially in the week before school started and, honestly¡­¡±


    Devon stopped for a moment before just saying ¡°I don¡¯t know where I was going with that. Anyway, I was told that most people wouldn¡¯t have cast their first effect until they enter school, so I was wondering if either of you two have cast something or not?¡±. Cole chimed in first ¡°Nah. Honestly I¡¯d be more than ok if we could skip out on the mandatory magic based classes. But even physical skill based jobs still want some level of magic proficiency, even if only as a just in case. What about you Mya?¡±. ¡±Well,¡± Mya started, ¡°I have cast a few different things, but only some of the basic effects.¡±. Devon curious then chimed in ¡°what exactly are considered basic effects?¡±. As if quoting something Mya answered ¡°Basic effects are effects every one with magic has access to. There are 5 of them in total including levitating small objects, creating a source of light, adjusting temperature, physically enhancing oneself, and increasing oneself''s magic resistance. Exact details are fussy on how powerful of an effect can be considered as a basic effect.¡±. ¡°Sheesh,¡± Cole voiced, ¡°just grab a textbook next time and save some brain power from trying to remember it.¡±.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± mya said while rolling her eyes ¡°mind if I ask a favour Devon?¡±. ¡°What is it?¡± Devon asked in response. ¡°Well my sister runs a club,¡± Mya started to explain ¡°and they were hoping ya¡¯d show up for¡­ well¡­ imma be honest with ya the club is basically a human fan group.¡±. ¡°What?¡± Devon said, fully confused and concerned. Mya then continued ¡°basically they share any sorta¡­ well anything they can get about, or from, your world and when they heard a human was actually here¡­ and I accidentally mentioned that you were in my class¡­ Well now they won¡¯t stop bugging me about bringing you to their club. I know it sounds like I¡¯m exaggerating since it¡¯s only been one day, but between classes they keep coming up to me, and during class they just keep sending messages every few minutes. I promise I¡¯ll repay ya somehow if ya go but I completely understand If ya don¡¯t.¡±. Devon thought it over for a minute before saying ¡°Give me a while to think about it, maybe until after that magic test thing they said we have, ok?¡±. With a surprised look on her face Mya responded ¡°absolutely take your time, and thanks for at least considering it.¡±. And with that the three of them finished eating then split off to their next class


    After one more mundane class the magic aptitude test arrived however It only consisted of two parts. The first part was a simple form to be filled out that asked questions about your experiences with using magic, while the second was the test Devon originally did with Lady Jasmond and Leonardo to measure his magical abilities and limits. After all was said and done the class was dismissed early and were told to report to either a club or the cafeteria which meant Devon now had to make a choice. Despite the fact he knew he would regret going he figured that if he said no then the club members would just bug him themselves, and ¡°Alright mya I¡¯ll go to the club meeting.¡±. ¡°Thank ya Devon.¡± Mya said ¡°ya have no idea what this means ta them.¡±


    Upon arriving at what could have been just a random classroom Mya motioned for Devon to stop ¡°Last chance ta back out¡±. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Devon said ¡°let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±. Upon entering Devon saw the people who were sitting there, five of them plus one standing off to the side, were a mixed bag of features. However that was to be expected at this point, what wasn¡¯t expected was for the five of them that were sitting to essentially rush him ¡°So are you really a human?¡± ¡°How''d you get down here?¡± ¡°What¡­¡±. Before anyone else could finish asking anything the one standing off to the side spoke ¡°Students please stop crowding him and take a seat.¡±. The women speaking had a lighter human-like skin tone, purple hair and horns that curled around her head as if part of a halo which made her look like an older version of Mya. After getting everyone to sit down she looked at Devon and said ¡°Devon as the faculty member incharge I apologise on behalf of the group for what just happened. Also I suppose I should introduce myself, I am Ms. Lucy, one of the general magic study teachers, and Mya¡¯s older sister if ya couldn''t tell. It''s a pleasure ta finally meet ya.¡±. Devon was still overwhelmed from what just happened so Mya decided to jump in instead ¡°So he¡¯s agreed ta be here today, but that''s it so hope y¡¯all thought about what ya wanted ta ask.¡±.


    After Devon and Mya each took a seat Ms. Lucy began ¡°So here¡¯s how this is gonna work, we''ll start by having you give an introduction, then I¡¯ll ask some general questions that everyone likely has and finally we''ll take more specific questions from the others. Is that alright with you Devon?¡±. ¡°Sure.¡± Devon said ¡°I don¡¯t really have an introduction prepared though, but here goes nothing I guess. As you all likely know or have realised, my name is Devon and I¡¯m a human who, through making a deal, ended up living here. I come from a country known as Canada and that¡¯s basically all I have for an introduction.¡±. ¡°In that case,¡± Ms. Lucy said, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get started. So how long have ya been in the underworld for?¡±. ¡°Today marks the second day of my second week if you include the day I arrived, which was more of a partial day.¡±. ¡°Alright,¡± Ms. Lucy said ¡°I guess ya really haven¡¯t been here long. Did ya have any trouble when ya went between worlds?¡±. Devon thought for a moment before replying ¡°Well I was kinda asleep when it happened but it was harsh enough on me to keep me asleep for most of the following day, and even after I woke up I was only awake for a bit.¡±. ¡®That¡­ must have been rough then.¡± she replied ¡°Did you at least have a heads up that you were going to be taken here?¡±. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Devon asked. Deciding to chime in, Mya explained ¡°So it turns out, Devon here made the deal himself.¡±. Everyone else was stunned at this revelation, and Ms. Lucy, trying to keep things going, commented ¡°O¡­ ok. I¡­ didn¡¯t think anyone would do¡­ something like that, but I¡¯m sure you have your reasons so¡­ let¡¯s just move on.¡±.


    As the questions kept coming Devon answered them the best he could until finally it was finally time for them to leave. However right before he left one of the students asked him one more question that got his mind turning ¡°So Devon what exactly is your plan?¡±. ¡°My plan for what?¡± Devon asked in response. ¡°Your plan for yourself going forward. I mean from what it sounded like it seems you have a lot of freedom in what you do, so what exactly is it you plan to do?¡± the student asked. Devon paused for a moment. He never thought about the future since his plan was just to get a decent job that he could live off of, and basically live paycheck to paycheck. But now not only was that far from being an option it wasn¡¯t necessary. Eventually he just said ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± and left it at that for the conversation, but in his mind he was both in a slight panic and slightly inspired by the idea that he may be able to make a future he would enjoy. Even after walking home with Leonardo and finding out that Lady Jasmond got called away for another meeting, all he could think about was what he could do or even what he wanted to do, however eventually his busy mind fell asleep in his bed letting him get some much needed rest.

 Chapter 6 - Invitation and Challenges

    Waking up late was unusual for Devon,but due to not being able to stop thinking last night he went to bed late, and thus woke up late causing him to rush through his morning routine. After finishing up breakfast and hurrying along to school at a semi uncomfortable pace, he finally arrived just in time for the morning announcements, in which the only noteworthy thing was that magic based classes were on course to start next week. Afterwards was homeroom normally this would be used for catching up on school work but since Devon had been able to keep up easily, this period was basically just free time for him. He was sitting next to Mya who was working on some math sheets. He wanted to talk to her but Mr. Zephyr was making sure to keep the room quiet, or at least that was until the speaker system came on ¡°would Mr. Zephyr please report to the principal''s office. That¡¯s Mr. Zephyr to the principal¡¯s office. Thank you.¡±. ¡°Huh. Wonder what that¡¯s about?¡± Mr. Zephyr said. ¡°Well while I¡¯m gone there better be no funny business happening.¡± and with that he exited the room.


    As soon as he left the tension in the room eased up almost completely and gave the students a chance to interact. Despite that Mya was still focused on her math work, seemingly struggling. Now what Devon had come to notice when it came to the mundane classes was that they were a few grades behind what he was learning, so because of that Devon figured he could help ¡°You want a hand Mya?¡±. ¡°Sure,¡± she responded, ¡°If ya think ya can, math is not my strong suit¡±. The problems were on basic algebra which was being taught this year, and while to Devon this was an easy set of questions, he had trouble at first with explaining how to solve them. Eventually he and Mya managed to make it through the whole sheet with Mya doing the last few questions on her own. ¡°Thanks for the help Devon.¡± Mya said with Devon simply replying ¡°No problem¡±. Mya seemingly remembering something went on to ask ¡°So ya got any plans for the weekend?¡±. ¡°Not that I know of, why?¡± Devon asked. ¡°Well my sister wanted to thank ya for showing up at the club and wanted me to ask if ya wanted an early lesson on casting. It¡¯d just be going over the basics but, seeing how interested ya seemed in magic, she thinks it might help hold ya over till the class gets to the point of actually trying to cast things.¡±. ¡°Sounds awesome.¡± Devon said ¡°What day and time would work best on your guy''s end?¡± and after agreeing on a day and time and being given Mya¡¯s address the bell rang and Devon headed off to his net classes.


    After history class, which Devon both liked and was bad at due to not knowing some proper nouns, and science, which was easy for him at this point, came lunch. This meant he had to make his way to the cafeteria of course.however this time was different. He was alone, or rather he had no one who he could rely on to look out for him there as Cole had Gotten in trouble for causing a disruption and Mya was called to the principal¡¯s office near the end of class. For a normal student walking without friends was nothing to worry about but for Devon, an outsider who was looked down on, it was always a tense question of is today the day they try something. Who were they, well they were anyone and everyone. Unfortunately today the answer was yes, and the they were a group of three. ¡°Hey, Human!¡± yelling at him from behind was someone Devon recognized, Sir Tytus Runerood, the others were people he didn''t know the names of but saw constantly hanging out with him. ¡°What do you want?¡± he responded, turning his head but not stopping. Sir Tytus responded ¡°Aw, don''t be like that. We just want to have some fun and figured you might like to join in.¡±. All of a sudan devon felt himself being lifted into the air and was dragged back towards the group of three. ¡°Well now that¡¯s better ain¡¯t it. There''s no need to yell at this distance.¡± he said, smirking insanely. ¡°Honestly if you were just another lowborn I woulda just ignored ya, but you¡¯re not. Instead you¡¯re simply a piece of human trash.¡± Upon saying that it was clear he came up with an idea ¡°You know I¡¯m a decent guy so I¡¯ll do my civil duty and drop you off where you belong. I think I heard that the janitor keeps the dumpster out back open and with a lock near, as it helps keep the overflow in.¡±.


    ¡°Knock it off Sir Tytus.¡± a voice came from the direction Devon was originally heading. The voice belonged to Kane who seemed annoyed but calm ¡°don¡¯t you have to get going to the meeting for the noble houses.¡±. Upon being asked this Sir Tytus sighed ¡°Actually yes, I probably should be going now.¡±. With that he dropped Devon back to the ground.and headed off saying ¡°Honestly don¡¯t get what ya see in him kane.¡±. ¡°You ok devon?¡± Kane asked, seemingly genuinely concerned. Devon simply responded ¡°I¡¯ve had worse done than what they were going to do, but seriously thanks for the help.¡±. ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about it, anyway I actually have to head off to hope you enjoy your lunch.¡± and with that they parted ways putting Devon back in the position of asking that question.Stolen novel; please report.


    Despite the one incident, the rest of Devon''s school day went smoothly. He decided to stay in the cafeteria near some teachers for the club section today and Mya and Cole decided to join him. After some casual banter it was eventually time for them to head home and so Devonwent to look by the front gate for Leonardo. Upon finding him he said ¡°Ah, sir Devon, come along now something has come up and we must get you home as soon as possible.¡±. worried Deon asked ¡°Did something bad happen?¡°. Leonardo simply responded ¡°It is nothing bad per say, however it will be easier to explain when we arrive so let us hurry along now.¡±. After once again rushing at a semi uncomfortable pace they arrived back home and Leonardo finally explained ¡°Now Devon, we have a very important guest who wants to see you so, while I doubt I need to say this, I suggest you be on your best behaviour.¡±.


    Upon entering and heading to the living room Devon was greeted by Lady Jasmond and her guest. The guest was bulky to say the least, having muscles an action hero would be jealous of. They had deep red skin with piercing black eyes and scarlet hair. They wore a black suit and dress pants with a red tie. ¡°Hello there. You must be Devon.¡± they said, voice supernaturally deep ¡°I am Sir. Asher Vint Barbast the great.¡±. Upon hearing that Devon started to worry not only was one of the rulers of the underworld here but the one whose son was in his class, leading him to believe he must have offended them somehow. ¡°Seems you know who I am, good since I won¡¯t need to waste time explaining that we can get to the point. You being here in this way, well it just doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±. This made Devon even more panicked at the thought of what might be done with him but he just continued on talking ignoring the obvious signs of how Devon was feeling ¡°Now, technically there''s nothing inherently wrong with you staying here as a citizen of sorts but I am going to be honest the process would take a lot of time, energy, and resources. Now I was going to just offer you a way back to your world, but from what I have learned that would be a waste of time, and also my son has seemed to take an¡­ interest of some sorts in you. I could just forcibly send you back but instead, here''s what we''re going to do. In 3 months time I will be back to check in on you, and in that time I will prepare a test for you. Should you pass this test you will be granted citizenship if not you will be sent back to your world. understood?¡±. Barely managing to speak Devon let out ¡°Y¡­ Yes sir.¡±. And he simply said ¡°Good then I shall take my leave.¡±.


    After he left and the tension subsided Lady Jasmond finally spoke ¡°Well, good news is, you¡¯re safe for now. Bad news, we have no idea what this test might be and I doubt he would have explained even if we asked.¡± ¡°What do we do? Can we even do anything?¡± Devon asked, rightfully worried. ¡°Honestly,¡± Lady Jasmond said ¡°I do not know, but we will need to come up with a plan so¡­ I think I may need to ask my family for help. Luckily I was planning to take you to see them this saturday since once they heard about you they¡¯ve been asking to meet you non stop. We should also get you a professional tutor for magic.¡±. Upon hearing that last part Devon remembered the visit he planned with Mya and after explaining it she said ¡°Well that¡¯s a start I do not know if she would be able to do that full time but I think we should at least see if she has any recommendations for one.¡±. After sitting in silence for a while Leonardo decided to break it by saying ¡°well empty stomachs and tired minds will do you no good, why not have something to eat and head to bed for tonight, you both seem tired to say the least.¡±. And following that suggestion the two had a meal and headed to rest for the night hoping for a miracle to save them.

 Chapter 7 - Family Gathering

    ¡ª Saturday, 88 Days Remain ¡ª


    The next two school days passed without incident thanks to Devon sticking close to the teachers and Cole, meaning the weekend was here. This would give him a chance to sleep in but he wasn¡¯t that kind of person, so instead he woke up at the same time he did during the school week.


    Upon leaving his room he ran into Emily ¡°Hey kid, didn¡¯t expect you to be up so early. Leo is in the dining room with Lady Jasmond if you want something to eat. Also, can you put your laundry basket outside your door for me? It makes it so I don''t have to enter your room.¡±


    After thanking her for the info and doing as he was asked Devon headed off to the dining room.


    Upon reaching the dining room he saw Lady Jasmond sitting there and Leonardo standing off to the side. ¡°Ah Sir Devon,¡± Leonardo said ¡°I figured you might be getting up so I made you some breakfast. Please have a seat while I grab it for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Leonardo.¡±. Devon said before taking a seat.


    Devon expected Lady Jasmond to be the one to say something, but after waiting a bit he noticed that she was seemingly bothered by something ¡°Is everything ok Lady Jasmond.¡±


    There was no response, seemingly because her mind was too distracted with whatever was bothering her. Devon, worried about interrupting her during an important thought, decided to just wait for either her to be done thinking, or for Leonardo to return.


    Leonardo ended up returning with his food first and so Devon asked him if he knew what was going on with Lady Jasmond.


    ¡°Do not worry Sir Devon, The Lady is just worried about the family meeting you two will be attending.¡±


    ¡°Is she not on good terms with them?¡± Devon asked, worried that his situation was making her go through with this.


    ¡°No, that is not the problem.¡± Leonardo said ¡°It¡­ is not the easiest to explain, but she¡­ I guess she is worried about being embarrassed, both by them, and because of being with them.¡±. Devon looked confused so Leonardo just said ¡°As I said, it is complicated.¡±


    The plan was to Leave before lunch and meet up with Lady Jasmonds parents at a restaurant. Then they were to head to the parents house to meet Lady Jasmond¡¯s brother and nephew, come up with a plan for the test situation, and just spend some time there. This meant Devon had a while before they left, so he spent this time trying to relax by playing the games that Lady Jasmond and Emily had got for him the day he arrived.


    The games came on small portable devices and most of them were simple arcade style games, however he eventually found something that was different from the others. It looked like it was some sort of headband making him think it was simply put in the wrong bag, but it came in a box that said otherwise as the name ¡°Game Visor¡± was written on it. Before Devon could open it however, he was called away as it was time to head out.


    The restaurant they were heading to was called Moonlit Veil. Upon seeing it, all one could think to call it was fancy. It was dimly lit just slightly enough to see with. The walls were coloured deep blue with semi-reflective paint. The tables were covered in clean white cloth with golden patterns sewn in. They also had special privacy rooms that were typically used for business meetings.


    When they arrived Lady Jasmond and Devon were taken to one of the privacy rooms while Emnily and Leonardo were taken to be seated in a servants area. Lady Jasmond¡¯s parents had yet to arrive, giving the two some time to chat.


    ¡°So¡­ Devon,¡± Lady Jasmond started ¡°do you want me to order for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Devon responded.


    A few seconds passed. Then a few more. Then finally Devon decided to take the initiative ¡°So, your parents, you said they know about me but do they know I¡¯m human?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lady Jasmond responded ¡°I told them hoping they¡¯d be willing and able to help if anything bad were to happen to you, and, well¡­ here we are. Honestly I was hoping it would never come to this. I was not even sure if I should tell them about you in the first place. Now, however, I¡¯m glad I did.¡±


    ¡°What are they like?¡±


    Lady Jasmond winced and said ¡°Well, they¡¯re nice and, well, they¡¯re¡­ just wait and decide for yourself.¡±


    And so Devon did just that until eventually they arrived. The first one to step in wore a fancy light pink dress that a movie star could be jealous of, along with an old fashioned large brimmed hat. She had purple skin with brown hair and a tail with a spade design on the end.


    Coming in behind her was a man who had deep blue skin with darker blue hair and a tail that ended in a spear point. He wore a gray suit with a blue bow tie that matched his skin.


    Upon sitting down the woman said, voice sweet yet mature ¡°Why hello there dear, you must be Devon. I am Jasmond¡¯s Mom, Lady Clair Runerood and this here is my husband Sir Dimitry. Please feel free to call us by our first names only.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Despite his tendency to say nothing upon meeting people Devon had been mentally preparing himself and managed to get out a few words ¡±Hello It''s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Now now,¡± Sir Dimitry said ¡°no need to be shy around us. We''re happy to have you as part of our family and promise that you¡¯ll be welcome at our place, no matter what.¡±


    Both Devon and Lady Jasmond were wincing at hearing that, but they had been looking awkwardly away ever since the parents had arrived so neither of them picked up on it.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Lady Clair said ¡°Let us order some food before continuing since, I for one, am getting hungry.¡±


    After everyone ordered something both for themselves and for Devon to try they got back to talking, starting with the mother asking a question ¡°so missy there has been giving us small updates on what has been going on with you, but I want to hear it from your point of view and in more detail. So, Let us start with this, how has staying at my daughter''s house been?¡±


    Devon took a moment to compose his thoughts before he decided to say ¡°Well, I never had the best home life to compare it to but it has been wonderful. I get good food and have games to play. I don''t even have to worry about doing the chores by myself.¡±


    The look in the parents'' eyes was that of both worry and intrigue, ¡°You realise those are basic things, right?¡±  Sir Dimitry decided to clarify.


    Devon simply responded ¡°As I said, I didn¡¯t have the best benchmark for comparison.¡±


    Deciding not to let them press further Lady Jasmond chimed in with ¡°I promise, My servants and I are taking as good of care of him as we possibly can. While still giving him a choice in what he wants to do that is.¡±


    Intrigued, Sir Dimitry asked ¡°What''s that supposed to mean? Has he gotten into trouble already?¡±


    The look on Devon¡¯s and Lady Jasmond¡¯s face was a sight to behold, with enough guilt in hers and shame in his to give away a simple version of the answer.


    ¡°Well,¡± Lady Clair said ¡°we will deal with that later for now let us enjoy our meals.¡±


    After finishing their meals and meeting up with Emily, Leonardo, and a servant of the parents, they made their way to the parent¡¯s house. While the house was big, it was no bigger than Lady Jasmond¡¯s house. The outside had a rustic mansion feel and upon entering Devon thought it seemed nice and comfortable.


    They were greeted by a servant who welcomed the parents home before saying that the other guests had already arrived and escorted them to the living room. The room was lavished with paintings and other random artworks. It had enough seats to accommodate multiple families, with each chair and couch looking more expensive than Devon thought possible.


    Sitting on a two person couch was a man wearing a flashy red suit, tie, and dress pants. He also had blue skin, dark blue hair, and a tail that ended in a spade pattern, the latter of which Devon only noticed when the man stood up and started walking over to him.


    ¡°Ah, so you must be Devon. It''s a pleasure to finally meet you. I¡¯m Jasmond¡¯s brother, Sir Drake.¡± the man said joyfully.


    Sir Dimitry then looked around and asked ¡±Where''s that boy of yours. He better have come with you. And you better have finally told him about Devon.¡±


    Sir Drake chuckled before saying ¡°he''s in the washroom.¡±


    This caused lady Clair to sternly say ¡°Did you tell him?¡±


    But Sir Drake just replied ¡°And ruin the surprise? Of course not.¡±


    Everyone except Sir Drake stood there shocked and annoyed at least that was until someone familiar to Devon came walking in the room. Wearing his usual red button up shirt and black pants, with tan skin and horns that curled to the side was Sir Tytus.


    Him and Devon both stared at each other until Sir Drake said ¡°Tytus my boy meet the reason we came here today, and your new cousin, Devon.¡±


    No sound could have been louder, as all anyone could hear was Tytus screaming ¡°What!¡±. ¡°Why is¡­¡± he started fiercely saying before composing himself and starting over ¡°Why is the human here, and what do you mean cousin.¡±


    This confused Sir Drake who asked ¡°Why do you already know he¡¯s human?¡±


    Sir Tytus just responded with ¡°Everyone in school knows, it was revealed by Mr. Zephyr day one, and the news spread from there. More importantly, why did you call him my cousin?¡±


    ¡°Because he is.¡± said Lady Jasmond ¡°Or at least he¡¯s your adoptive cousin since I adopted him.¡±


    ¡°Well, with that out of the way, I guess we should move on to figuring out a solution for this problem of yours. I¡¯m guessing it is just the fact that he is human was revealed, right?¡± Lady Clair said.


    ¡°No, things¡­ got worse than that.¡± Lady Jasmond said before explaining what had happened with Sir Asher the great.


    Everyone seemed somberly worried except Sir Tytus, who was unskillfully trying to hide a grin.


    With no one wanting to be the one to say anything Devon was ultimately the one to speak up ¡°Well, we have time but we do need to start acting. So what is it possible, or better yet likely, this test could be?¡±


    Sir Tytus was the one to speak up ¡°Well it could be on any, or even every subject. And it would likely be set up to only let someone who matched his high standards pass. Good news is it likely won''t kill you.¡±


    Everyone knew he was just trying to make things worse but he was right, and without even a hint to go on they had to assume the worst. Eventually a decision was made, one which made everyone disheartened, besides Tytus who did seem to be hiding his grin better. It was that there was nothing that any of them could do except hope for Devon to pass. This caused Lady Jasmond to decide to head home early and Devon, of course, went with her. Eventually they made it back and upon entering Lady Jasmond just stood there looking defeated.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Devon¡± she said in a tone as sombre as it could be ¡°I really thought they might have some ideas.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Devon said ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage somehow.¡±


    The rest of the evening nothing really happened, or rather everyone just sat around doing nothing but worry. That was with the exception of Devon who, while worried, decided it was finally enough. He finally had an answer to that question that had been bothering him. He knew, at least in part, what he wanted for his future. He knew it did not involve being sent back to earth, but instead involved staying here in the underworld. He came up with a plan to try and meet any sort of crazy requirements possible across all possible subjects. This plan started with getting a Magic tutor meaning, he would have to wait until tomorrow. But that was ok. He had time. So he went to rest after the stressful day he just had in preparation for tomorrow.

 Chapter 8 - Friend and Magic

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª Sunday, 87 Days Remain ¡ª


    Devon woke up ready to start the day despite all the negative feelings trying to overwhelm him. He went to the dining room, where he once again saw Leonardo and Lady Jasmond sitting there. Leonardo again went to grab him food, giving them a chance to talk. Devon decided to ask something relevant to today and save the talk of the test for later.


    ¡°So, since I¡¯m going to Mya¡¯s today, what should I bring?¡±.


    Lady Jasmond was surprised he asked that after what happened but said, ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. I guess grab your game devices and you should be good.¡±.


    After breakfast, he grabbed one of the bags from his room and put all the games he owned in it, leaving behind the game visor until he knew what it was.


    It took a bit to get to Mya¡¯s house, but Leonardo managed to navigate Devon and Lady Jasmond without issue. After knocking on the door, an elderly woman answered. She, much like Mya¡¯s sister, looked just like Mya except older.


    ¡°Welcome. Ya must be Devon¡¯s guardians, and ya must be Devon himself. Please come on in.¡±


    The house reminded Devon more of a cottage than an actual house, but it still felt cozy. The bottom floor had only a kitchen, dining room, and living room with a set of stairs leading up. There wasn¡¯t much in terms of decorations except for a large rug in the living room.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself,¡± the woman said ¡°I am Milda. The girls are just upstairs in their rooms.¡±.


    Lady Jasmond then introduced herself ¡°Hello, I am Devon''s parental figure, Lady Jasmond, and as you guessed, this here is Devon.¡±.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said Devon.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Milda exclaimed, ¡°Didn¡¯t expect ya ta be from a noble house, though I guess that helps explain something.¡±.


    Milda then yelled up to them, ¡°Hey girls, Devon¡¯s here.¡±.


    With that, the two sisters came down the stairs.


    ¡°Heya, Devon,¡± Lucy said, ¡°glad ya took me up on my offer.¡±.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Mya chimed in, ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing those two are yor caretakers.¡±.


    Lady Jasmond responded with ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Lady Jasmond, this here is my servant Leonardo. I will not be here long but I do want to talk with Ms. Lucy for a bit, if you do not mind that is.¡±.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Lucy responded ¡°Why don''t ya two run upstairs till lunch? I didn''t plan on starting till after then anyway.¡±.


    ¡°Ok. Come on, Devon,¡± Mya said before essentially dragging him up the stairs.


    After being given a tour of Mya¡¯s room and plushie collection, Devon asked, ¡°So, what kind of games do you have?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Mya said, ¡°I don¡¯t have many. And the few I do have, I already played until I no longer enjoyed them.¡±


    Luckily, Devon had a solution and said, ¡°Well, I brought the ones I was given if you want to try them.¡±


    ¡°Yes please,¡± Mya responded.


    They tried each game one by one, taking a few minutes on each.


    Mya commenting on just how many Devon had every so often caused him to eventually ask, ¡°How common are these kinds of games?¡±


    Mya thought for a moment before responding with, ¡°Well, these kinds that we lower-class households can get our hands on are relatively new, and most houses haven¡¯t found them worth picking up, so I''d say it¡¯s less common than the upper class and nobles'' game devices. Or maybe more common since ya usually do have more than one per house that has any.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t realise there was another type for the higher class and nobles,¡± Devon commented.


    ¡±Yeah, there is, but they can¡¯t be made anymore, apparently, they¡¯re ta complex for modern methods. Or something like that anyways.¡±


    Devon then asked, ¡°Any idea what they¡¯re like?¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Well,¡± Mya explained, ¡°apparently, they¡¯re these small devices that ya wear that connect to a bigger device. Once ya turn it on, ya essentially get mentally transported to a fake world. One that¡¯s said to be unique ta each person where¡­ I¡¯m not sure what happens from then on.¡±


    ¡°What do those devices look like exactly?¡± Devon asked.


    Mya simply responded, ¡°Don¡¯t know exactly, just that they¡¯re small and meant to be worn on the head.¡±


    Devon started to wonder if that game visor was one of the devices she was talking about but decided to put that question off until he could ask someone who would know the answer. Eventually, they made their way through each game, and by the time they finished, lunch was ready. Heading back downstairs, Devon noticed that Lady Jasmond and Leonardo were gone. More immediately relevant, however, was the smell of home cooking that filled the air.


    ¡°Made y''all something special since we have a guest over,¡± Milda said.


    On the table sat what looked to be just a normal pie that one would find back in the human world. This threw Devon off as while some of the food here resembled food from his world, this was an exact copy. Upon sitting down, Mya and Lucy seemed confused, as if they had never seen something like it before.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Milda exclaimed, ¡°How¡¯d I manage to surprise all three of ya? I know Mya¡¯s never had this, but Lucy, you had it before.¡±


    ¡°I don''t ever remember having this,¡± Lucy said.


    ¡°What even is it?¡± Mya asked.


    Devon chimed in with, ¡°It¡¯s some sort of pie, right?¡±


    Milda said, ¡°Of course it is. And it¡¯s my grandma¡¯s recipe based on pumpkin pie from your world. Uses a Gourd-like fruit from our world as the pumpkin replacement, though. Also, I¡¯m not sure how it holds up to the original, but it¡¯s still delish.¡±


    Devon did not really have anything to compare it to since he had never had any sort of pie before, but despite that, not only was it as delicious as Milda said, but it was also somehow comforting. It was served with a bitter Tea-like drink that did complement the flavour but was just not the kind of thing Devon liked to drink.


    After finishing their meals, it was time for the magic lesson. The plan was to get Devon to the point where he could cast at least one of the basic effects. To that end, he was given a choice of which basic effect he would like to try casting.


    ¡°Which would you recommend for someone with no experience to start with?¡± Devon asked, having no preference.


    ¡°Well,¡± Ms. Lucy responded, ¡°out of the three we can easily detect, creating light would be considered easier than the other two, but not by much.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s start with creating light.¡± Devon decided.


    After turning off the lights and covering the windows, Ms. Lucy explained the process: ¡°Now, since ya will be in my class, I got ta look over the information ya submitted during the magic aptitude test. And taking into account where ya skill level is at, I think we should be able to go right into casting the effect. So first, ya need ta have in mind what effect ya want ta cast. This means having a clear understanding of what ya want to happen and how it should happen. For this, I¡¯ll simply tell ya what ya need to have in mind, That being ya want a glowing light in the form of a ball that floats.¡±


    Devon closed his eyes and took a bit to focus, then said, ¡°Now what?¡±


    Ms. Lucy then explained, ¡°The next step is ta imbue those thoughts into the mana inside ya. Ya do this by focusing on the mana and thoughts at the same time as if they were one thing.¡± Devon struggled with this at first, as focusing on his mana was still new to him, meaning he would lose focus on his thoughts when trying to do so. Eventually, something seemed to click for him and focusing on his mana felt natural. Not only that, as soon as he started thinking about the effect, he felt something shift in his mana, and he knew he had done it.


    ¡°Done,¡± he said confidently.


    This threw off Ms Lucy, who responded with, ¡°Alright if ya¡¯re so confident, let¡¯s move on to the final step of projecting the mana at a specific point.¡±


    Devon did this as if it were second nature.


    ¡±Open up those eyes and take a look, Devon.¡± Mya chimed in.


    At first, he saw some weird-looking designs, which seemingly were from closing his eyes too hard as they cleared up in no time. Then he saw it. A ball of light floated right where he projected his mana.


    Mya said, ¡°Ya did it Devon, and even quicker than I did. Took me more than a few tries.¡±


    But Devon wasn¡¯t finished, as he started to play around with it. Moving it, making it brighter and dimmer, and even colouring it. This left both Mya and Ms. Lucy stunned.


    ¡°Wow, that''s impressive Devon,¡± Mya said.


    Ms. Lucy followed it up with, ¡°That¡­ is an understatement. Moving it is on the easier side, and even one of the basic effects requires that technique. But changing its properties on the fly like that is on another level.¡±


    This left Devon confused as it did not seem to take that much effort.


    Eventually, after the surprise wore off, they moved on to the next effect, affecting temperature. Then, they moved on to moving physical objects. Both of which were done with relative ease. Devon seemed to be gaining expertise in casting effects extremely fast.


    However, instead of seeming proud or happy, Ms Lucy seemed more confused than anything, so Devon asked, ¡°Is something wrong, Ms Lucy?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied ¡°At least nothing seems wrong. And yet, something seems off. Could just be me reading ta much into ya being a natural though.¡±


    Throughout the remaining time, Ms Lucy had Devon try more Complex and specific effects. Eventually, it was time for him to leave, and after saying goodbye, Devon headed home with Lady Jasmond and Leonardo. Upon arriving home, Devon had some supper and went over his day. He asked Lady Jasmond if she got any tutor recommendations from Ms. Lucy, and while she did, she said it would take her a bit to find one who was available. After relaxing for a bit, Devon went to bed, ready for the next day.