Helen continued to drive until they got to a mansion sitting atop a small hill with a large black iron gate surrounding the property. There was a small panel at the entrance of the gate with a screen and a large red button. Helen pulled up to it and pressed the button.
The screen turned to static for a moment before forming into a picture of a man. "Helen?" The man asked, putting his face directly up to the screen to get a better look. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, Reginald." Helen said. "It's me so let me in."
"Not until you say my name right." Reginald said.
Helen sighed. "Regi." She said reluctantly.
"There you go!" Regi replied with a big smile on his face. "Buzzing you in now, you can park in front of the house."
Then the screen went black and the iron gates in front of the car slowly creaked open.
"Didn't he even want to know why we are here?" Dax asked.
"I think he was just overjoyed to see me." Helen said.
"So how do you know this guy?" Dax said.
"Old class S classmate of mine." Helen said as she started to drive to the house. "Guy tried everything to woo me, but sadly for him my heart already was conquered by your father."
"And he is going to help me somehow?" Dax asked. "Won't he kind of hate me?"
"No." Helen said. "He finally found love… in my sister…"
"I have an aunt?!" Dax asked, surprised by this sudden revelation. "Why have I never met this aunt?!"
"She… doesn't like your father." Helen said. "We haven't spoken since the wedding."
"I am sorry you are having to go through this for me." Dax said. "If I were just normal, none of this would be happening."
"I don't mind." Helen said with a smile as she parked. "I wouldn't want you any other way Dax. You shouldn't want to be any other way either. Wishing for the ordinary when you are extraordinary is the path to depression. Trust me on that one."
Helen looked into the rearview mirror; she still saw nothing back there but knew the dragon was sitting happily on the seat. "Dragon, you stay in the car for this." She said. "We will be back shortly."
"But Drakie wants to come!" Drakie complained.
"It's okay Drakie, just do as mom says for now." Dax replied. "We will be back before you know it."
"Alright. Drakie will wait, but you will owe Drakie pancakes." Drakie said.
"Did he agree?" Helen asked her son.
"He said you will owe him pancakes." Dax replied.
Helen laughed. "Alright, fair trade." She said.
Dax and Helen opened their doors and got out of the car. They cracked the windows so that Drakie would be more comfortable while he waited. The temperature was mild, and the sky was clear, so they were not too concerned about him over heating.
Regi opened the front door and went outside to meet them. "Bout time you finally visited!" He said. "I have already lost count of the years!"
"Hey Regi." Helen said, before getting pulled into a hug by him.
"So, what's up?" Regi asked, while letting go of the hug. "And is that your son?! He is a young man now!"
"Yeah, sorry." Helen said. "Do you think we could talk inside?"
"Sure." Regi said. "But I feel obligated to inform you that your sister is home. I didn't tell her you were here, just in case you were here to visit me. If you go inside, you are going to have to interact with her."
Helen sighed. "It's fine." She said, "I need both of your help anyway."
"I figured it was some kind of trouble." Regi said. "Frank got kidnapped?"
"No!" Helen replied. "Why would that be your first thought?!"
"Because he is a helpless little baby person?" Regi said laughing. "It isn't like he could defend himself and you got him that high-ranking government job, I figured it was only a matter of time before he was captured, and someone tried to bend him to their will."
"You got dad his job?" Dax asked.
"Oh, of course she did." Regi replied, while laughing. "Do you now know who your mother is?"
"Regi!" Helen interrupted.
"Well, it's not my place to tell you." Regi continued. "But Helen, you need to tell the boy someday you know. Come let's talk inside."
Regi started walking into his mansion, Helen and Dax followed him. As he crossed into the mansion he shouted out. "Honey, we have guests!"
A woman came to investigate. She was five foot four with long blonde hair and green eyes. She appeared to be a year or two younger than Helen. Her eyes widened at the unexpected sight of her sister. "Helen?!" She shouted.
"Hey Sis…" Helen started but was interrupted by her sister rushing to give her a hug. The faintest evidence of tears upon the corner of her eyes. "Oh!" Helen said in surprise, before embracing her sister back. "It is good to see you too."
"I thought I had lost you forever." The sister said. "I am sorry, I was so mean before. I am just happy you finally have seen the light and have left that horribly weak and common man. Don't worry, Regi and I will take care of you while you get back on your feet."
"Lana!" Helen shouted. "I did not leave my husband!"
"You didn't?!" Lana replied. "Then why are you here?!"
"I need your help." Helen replied. "My son has a unique problem that I fear only the two of you can solve. I would not have come if there was any other choice."
"You the nephew?" Lana asked, while making eye contact with Dax. "You're not a failure like your worthless father, are you?"
"Lana!" Helen protested. "Please stop degrading my husband!"
"What?" Lana asked. "It was just an innocent question. So, what do you need our help with?"
"Are you both still working on an alternative to Nantex's nanites?" Helen asked. "Ones that are more resistant?"
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"We are…" Lana replied slowly, as if she was questioning her sister's question. "Why do you want to know?"
"First I need you to promise me that you will not tell a soul." Helen said.
"Sis, I can't promise that until I know more about it." Lana said. "If it is something that is going to bring more shame on our family…"
"My son's life hangs in the balance!" Helen pleaded. "Please just promise me you will not tell anyone!"
"Fine." Lana said. "I promise, but you owe me."
"I promise as well." Regi added.
"Okay now that is settled." Helen said. "My son is most likely the Magi King."
"Are you feeling okay sis?" Lana asked. "Why would you think your son is some king of ancient legend?"
"Because it is true." Dax said with a sigh. "I find it hard to believe myself, but it is the only thing that makes any sense."
"Okay then." Lana said. "Do something magical. Prove it."
"Well, I don't really know how to control it yet…" Dax said. "But when I was injected with nanites I blew up a room, and when I was knocked unconscious while fighting a horrible bull man beast, I became super powerful and turned it to ash. There is also this." Dax pulled out his necklace revealing the orb with the burning star inside.
"When my father gave me this ancient relic it was a stormy cloud, now it is a bright star." Dax explained. "Not only that but if I touch a monster core it absorbs it. There is also a being called the shadow lord after me. It needs my blood to free itself from an ancient prison. There is a small dragon that follows me around and calls me the Magi King.
Look I know it is hard to believe but I am the Magi King."
"That is a lot." Lana said.
"Turns out my husband might have actually been the Magi King's blood line." Helen said. "Dax here seems to have inherited the power. My husband's book called him the heir."
"I am curious about this dragon." Regi said. "What is a dragon? It sounds intriguing."
"Like a little talking lizard with wings." Dax poorly explained.
"Can I see it?" Regi asked. "I would very much like to study it."
"No." Dax said.
"Well, that's rude." Regi replied. "Asking for our help but won't even let us see this dragon."
"No, I mean you literally can't." Dax clarified. "Only creatures with a strong connection to the mana can see a dragon."
"The mana?" Regi asked.
"You remember, dear, from the fairy tales?" Lana answered. "It was like the power source for the monster king and the Magi King."
"I guess." Dax replied. "I am still learning myself. The dragon has been telling me a lot about stuff… actually he rarely is quiet."
"Sounds useful." Regi said. "Wish I could study it."
"Enough, we are getting sidetracked." Lana said. "Earlier Dax mentioned that he destroyed a room when they injected him with nanites. I assume that is the reason for your visit. You are hoping that our nanites can survive where the Nantex ones failed?"
"Yes." Helen replied.
"Well, I don't mind." Lana said. "We need more guinea… I mean volunteers anyway. I just need to have you sign a few documents and inform you of the risks involved. Regi dear, go get the forms and meet us in the basement."
"Yes dear." Regi said as he rushed off.
"Now dear sister and nephew, if you would follow me." Lana said as she guided them downstairs into the basement. There was a large lab set up with vats of multicolored chemicals, machinery that Dax had never seen before, and a lot of computers running simulations.
"Our nanites are different from the inferior Nantex ones, but they are not currently government approved…" Lana said. "Not only are they more durable, but they are also capable of double the levels of a Nantex nanite."
"So why aren't they approved?" Dax asked.
"Well, nephew I was getting to all that." Lana replied. "They are lacking a few of the safety systems that Nantex has patented. We are working on our own safety measures, of course, but such things take time. So, they can overload and kill the host, cause uncontrolled muscle growth, cause hair loss, hair growth, weight gain, weight loss, and a variety of other different side effects up to and including death."
"I was hoping for a more complete product…" Helen said with a deep and heavy sigh.
"It's what we got." Lana said. "If your kid has magic, why do you want the nanites?"
"It is simple." Helen said. "If he has no nanites and does amazing and miraculous things, then the government will notice and take him away to do experiments on. You know how much those bureaucrats hate change."
"You know that I do." Lana said. "But if he has nanites, then it can be chalked up to them. I understand."
"That being said, I really don't want to risk my son's life trying to save it." Helen said.
"There are risks behind anything worth doing." Lana said.
"You use that in your sales pitch a lot?" Helen asked.
"I do." Lana replied. "It is quite effective. It doesn't make it any less true though. Don't worry, the disclaimer just sounds super scary, the odds of side effects are only thirty percent and the odds of those being life altering or fatal is only five percent.
But it sounds like if he doesn't do it then the government has a one hundred percent chance of finding out. Which would not only be bad for Dax, but his worthless father, and for our family name."
"So, what's it going to be?" Regi asked as he returned from upstairs, forms in his hand. "Do you want to try our nanites?"
"I accept." Dax said, taking the forms from Regi's hands. "Where do I sign?"
Regi then spent the next five minutes showing Dax everywhere to sign on the legal documents.
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