Endra sat on his large, comfy couch inside the White Room, casually observing the screens placed on the dome surrounding him. The inside of the room was mostly empty, but of course, Endra made sure to create the essential items inside it, like the bed, the couch, the desk.

The dome was like a giant screen of some sorts, showing everything around Evin’s point of vision, even what was happening behind him. Endra didn’t know how this was possible, but he wasn’t going to care much about it, either.

Surrounding the White Room was a murky-looking still lake, spanning towards the endless infinity. Every second, countless ripples would appear on the water’s surface, slowly traveling outwards before it met with another ripple and died out. Endra believed that these were Evin’s thoughts.

Moreover, Endra, as a denizen inside the boy’s mind, could judge how the boy’s mentality was doing by the lake’s appearance. For example, he could tell that the boy’s head was muddled and confused, by the murky tone that the waters took. His mind was also exhausted beyond belief, judging by the slow traveling speed of the ripples of thoughts.

Sometimes the entire lake would vibrate slightly, which were signs of Evin’s brain trying to shut itself down. A clear indication of Evin’s shaky mind, but… things weren’t that bad as far as Endra was concerned. The boy was simply functioning on autopilot.

And besides, all of this was going to end in an hour or so, as the dome’s screens showed Evin walking through the city with his father, heading towards the Mage Circle’s building.

Ten days had already passed, and Evin had to officially declare his decision to Leanne.

The boy would occasionally glance around the area, seemingly searching for something, but Endra didn’t really know what he was looking for. He judged that the boy was just tired and delirious after that hellish experience he went through under Edmund’s control.

Edmund had stopped whipping Evin around 4 days ago, instead only resorting to a few slaps to the face, but the bruises from before that were still visible for everyone to see. This forced Edmund to buy a new set of clothes for Evin, one which covered Evin from his neck to his ankles.

‘Sigh… Poor child,’ Endra thought in his own head, ‘Not only he’s stuck with a father like that, but he’s also stuck with me in his head… If only I was strong and able enough back then I could’ve influenced Evin to stick with his mother. Lora was such a kindhearted woman; she definitely wouldn’t have made things so difficult for Evin.’

Endra knew it was a cheap delusion. Edmund wasn’t going to let go of his son.

But finally, today, Evin was going to break free from his father’s influence… Probably. Leanne was sure to do something. Endra didn’t know what the woman planned to do, but that in itself didn’t matter much. He was here to keep Evin alive… and in his predictions, Leanne was there to set the boy free.

If the woman turned out to be useless, then Endra would probably need to take some rather extreme measures. Obviously, he didn’t want to resort to these actions, but if the situation required it, he wasn’t going to hesitate.

Although… the father and the son seemed to have different opinions regarding the subject.

“What will you say to the mage when we meet there?” Edmund asked Evin.

“I will not become a mage and I will not study in the academy. I will be happy to stay as a blacksmith beside my father,” Evin replied immediately, just like how his father trained him.

“Good, good… But. You’re acting too weird. Calm yourself down,” his father said.

The words and the dissatisfied tone seemed to send chills up Evin’s spine as Endra noticed how the boy’s eyes started twitching incessantly. The lake inside Evin’s head started to vibrate violently, but it soon calmed down under Evin’s own influence.

“I will fix it immediately,” Evin replied and looked a bit more calm. Though anyone with a brain could see that there was something horribly wrong with him.

“Good, good. With this, I can rest assured,” his father said, a hint of pride oozing from his voice.

‘Disgusting man…’

Edmund was extremely methodical in his beatings. He never hit Evin when the boy acted in a manner acceptable to him, but he held nothing back when Evin rebelled even the slightest bit. But after a couple days, Endra could see that the man starting to enjoy the process a lot more.

And as sad as it was, it worked. Pain and violence were exceptionally effective methods of putting someone under one’s control. Evin was stubborn for the first day, but soon after, the boy couldn’t take it any longer. On the second day Evin was a crying mess… On the third day Evin started resorting to begging and pleading, and on the fourth day, the boy went into autopilot.

He would’ve awoken after sleeping, but Endra let Evin’s consciousness stay in this state, so the boy didn’t have to live through the experience that vividly. Endra had many tricks up his sleeve.  It could be said that Evin was half-sleeping at this moment and the events that were happening to him in the real world would feel like a dream to him.

<Don’t worry, Evin. Me and that mage will surely save you from the clutches of your father. In fact, after today, I don’t think you’ll even need to call him such in the first place,> Endra conveyed to the boy, while loosening his grip on the boy’s consciousness slightly.

The words seemed to shock the boy slightly, with his anxiousness shooting through the rooftop. With every step closer to the magnificent building, Evin’s heart… or should one say, mana-core, would pound harder and harder. Weirdly, Endra found himself wondering why.

Was it because the boy was afraid of the voice inside taking over once more? Ruining his relationship with his father in the process? Or was he afraid of the voice not speaking up for him, ruining his chances to become a mage for the rest of his miserable life?

Sadly for Evin, it didn’t really matter that much… as Endra had already made his choice for the boy. For him, the boy’s concerns and wishes did not matter today.

<Don’t you worry a single bit…> Endra said softly, as the entrance to the building appeared in Evin’s vision.

A minute later, they were waiting for Leanne to appear in the fancy waiting room that they visited previously. Edmund would occasionally throw a glance at his son, sending a silent reminder for the latter. Eventually, Endra saw the woman appear from behind the same door, a distinctly noticeable half-smile on her face. A planned… practiced smile.

Leanne nodded at Edmund and her gaze fell on the boy… Her signature smile immediately faltered at the sight, as a look of guilt and regret appeared on her expression.

‘I suppose she didn’t expect things to go this far…’ Endra guessed.

The mage definitely could’ve helped Evin earlier, but for whatever reasons, she decided not to. Of course, the one to pay for her decision was not Leanne herself, but Evin.

“Have you come to… enroll in the Academy?” Leanne murmured, still in shock at the sight of Evin.

“No, I don’t think he will,” Edmund replied, a sense of finality in his voice, “I will not allow him to become part of your mage caste. He is better off as a simple blacksmith under my guidance.”

“Evin?” Leanne asked.

Evin was about to reply as his father instructed him, but Endra stopped him from speaking. The boy looked shocked, and stole a glance towards Edmund, only to find a threatening pair of eyes staring back at him.

<Silence. The only form of resistance you can show…> Endra conveyed from inside his head, <But you don’t have to worry. Silence is enough to save you from your father’s clutches.>

Endra woke up Evin’s consciousness at this moment, and then affected the surrounding lake to put Evin’s mind in a more relaxed state. It wasn’t very hard, as the boy himself desperately needed and wanted this peace. Next, Endra did his best to make Evin take on a more reflective state of mind.

Evin’s mind seemed to clear up slightly, as his tired expression loosened up a bit and time itself seemed to slow down just for him. His tired expression loosened up a bit as many more ripples started appearing in the lake, traveling at a speed much higher than what was happening a few minuted ago.

Endra saw the countless thoughts appearing inside the boy’s mind, and he steered them all towards a single topic.

Should Evin refuse the chance of a lifetime, stilling his dreams to reach the heights that his precious King Roland once reached. Or should he stay beside his father’s side, getting abused and worked, while every other child in the street isolated and bullied him, where the only company he ever had was a half-mad voice in his head.

Endra knew that the boy was unwilling. Of course, he was unwilling.

But his father’s influence compelled him to speak lies. The blood tie was like a chain around Evin’s neck, constantly pulling Evin towards his father. The only one who could break this chain was Evin himself. It was meaningless if Endra was the one to break these chains. This was the only reason Endra allowed this violence and ugliness to take place in the first place.

“But not any longer,” Endra murmured as he focused on the events outside.