A few months after my first excursion outside the house, I finally had discovered why the guards and basically everyone else were always so respectful towards my mother. As it turns out, my father was in fact the Guard Commander who was basically their boss and explained why we had such wealth.
My initial thoughts (hopes, really) were that we were of nobility. Initially, I was childishly disappointed with the notion that we were not nobility. Maybe it was because in my last life I was so painfully ordinary, that I wished to be someone special in this life? I don’t know. But I was still disappointed with myself, not because that I was not born into nobility, but because of my original reaction it was just so...childish of me to think that way.
After beating myself up for thinking that way, I resolved myself to be better than that, and try hard to be someone in this life, not squander it like the last. Afterall, I highly doubt whatever let me reincarnate into the past would let me do it a second time.
The first one alone could be considered a gift beyond measure, despite being born in the wrong era. Following that line of thought, I decided to make a small prayer in thanks to whatever entity or thing that allowed it to happen.
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(5 Years Later)
5 years, 5 long years of what basically amounted to doing nothing all day or playing with kids of family friends. The days that followed my groundbreaking discovery of being transported to another world was marked by excitement, fear, joy, confusion and eager anticipation of what would happen to me now that I was in another world.
I had initially thought that being reborn into the past would be the biggest shock I would ever receive in this life. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. 5 years into my new life, my mother decided it was finally time to take me to where father worked.
It was my first time heading towards the barracks and entering it, but it was nothing special, what was inside however, was. As my mother and I passed through the massive wooden gates into the barracks I saw them, the ever so valiant and powerful looking guards that protected the city, but that was not what was shocking. What was shocking was that they were being tossed around like ragdolls by a massive 2 metre tall and nearly 4 metre long rhinoceros that was for whatever reason, inside the barracks.
Then I saw it, something that would change my life forever from that day onwards. I saw the rhinoceros glow as it transformed its body, slowly morphing into the familiar shape of my father. I was so shocked by what just happened that mouth went wide open and I nearly tripped on myself.
I’ve already seen magic nearly 2 years ago. It was while I was watching mother do her work crafting jewellery when her hands started to glow and she started inscribing patterns onto the gems, apparently enchanting them. Needless to say, I was both very excited and happy at the discovery of magic. This however was beyond that, it was so amazing and cool that I was nearly rendered speechless by what I saw, but luckily enough, that was not what happened.
“Dad!”, I instinctually called out to my father in my excitement.
“Hmmm?”, my father must have heard me as he turned around to face me. His face breaking into a smile as he saw me. He ran towards me and started chuckling at the sight of shocked expression and I could that my mother was also doing the same.
“Was daddy cool? Did you like that?”, he picked me up and asked.
“H-How did you do that?!”, I stuttered as my brain tried to process what just happened right in front of me.
“Hm, that was my spirit. This is his first time seeing one right, dear?”, he answered me, then asked mother.
“Yes, I haven’t brought him outside the city yet, and I haven’t brought him to the areas where people are allowed to use their spirits, either.”, she answered him back.
“C-Can you teach me how to do that dad?!”, I asked before they could say anything else, and then proceeded to mentally smack myself in the back of the for still stuttering like a bumbling idiot.
“Hehe, sorry Markus, but your still too young for this and besides, your body wouldn’t be able to handle the strain of awakening your spirit”, his eyes lit up with amusement as he spoke to me, seeing the expression on my face.
“Awakening?”, finally managing not to stutter as I asked.
“You’ll know it when it’s your turn, I remember when I awakened it was a painful experience to say the least.”, he replied.
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I could only imagine how bad it must be if even my father remembered it as a painful experience, it could only be much worse when time comes for me to experience this ‘Awakening’ ceremony.
“Show him around the city for now Sarah, I bet it’ll get shock right out of him. You can drop by Old Hector, he’d love to see Markus again and he even got the new batch of gems you’ve been asking him for.” I was still too shocked by the information I just received to notice mother grab my hand as we walked out of the barracks under the gazes of the other guards who were also looking at me with amusement in their eyes.
“GET BACK TO PRACTICE! I WANT 200 SQUATS ON THE DOUBLE!”
“”SIR, YES SIR!””, I finally snapped out of my daze when I heard my father yell at his men to get back to practice and smirked as they begrudgingly started the exercise.
We got back on the carriage and I looked out the window, and I managed to see the city I’ve been living in for the past 5 years. It was not how I first imagined it would be, the houses in the outer districts were tightly packed together, small, dull, made of stone or wood, almost box like in design and almost always in a state of disrepair. In comparison, the elegant mansion I now resided in was 100 if not a 1000 times better than those houses, even my old house in my previous life was nothing in comparison to it.
The city seemed to be divided into districts that separated the people into a class system. It was unsettling to say the least, mother seemed to be used to it, but this was my first time taking in the sights and as much as I hate to admit it, I was happy that I lived in the inner district near the core district where the nobles resided and as far away from the slums as possible.
I didn’t hate the poor, nor did I feel myself better than them, but I was always uncomfortable around them. Even back on earth I was uncomfortable around them because of how my parents would always tell me when I was a kid to stay away from them and how most of them were bad people who were more than likely willing to kill and steal from you.
While I was busy musing, we eventually stopped outside a large warehouse that stretched from one end of the street to the other and looked more like a fortress than actual warehouse. “I know that you probably don’t remember him Markus, but I want you to treat uncle Hector nicely, he helped me and your father out a long time ago and we owe him a lot for what he did.”
I nodded curtly and followed mother inside. After passing through the gates, I was finally able to get a glimpse of what was inside of the warehouse, and much like its external appearance, the inside looked just like the insides of a fortress with it being lined with a silvery metal that glowed an eerie yellow. I could only assume it to be a barrier of sorts that protected this place.
Further ahead, I could even see guards patrolling the area in full metal plate that covered them from head to toe, they were powerful, silent, mechanical and indifferent to all life. The gave off an aura that spoke of how many ways they could break you before ending your pitiful life. Who ever uncle Hector was, he clearly was a very powerful man.
As mother dragged me through the warehouse we arrived at a corner that had an ornate door covered in gold outside of it. She started tapping on the door on certain positions and the door opened to reveal a room full of jewels and a man sitting at the center of it all.
“It’s been a while Sarah, you only ever visit if you need something these days. This should be about the next batch isn’t it? I’ll just send them over to your shop.” I peeked out from behind to see an old man with large, pointed ears that eerily reminded me of an…elf?
That was surprising, to say the least. I’ve already seen the dwarves, but they were decidedly disappointing and not what I was expecting. One look at them and I knew that they were definitely not the fantastical creatures of high fantasy that I have come to love.
No, these were just ordinary humans that were suffering from dwarfism and outcasted for it, reduced to slaves for reasons out of their control. I pitied them from the bottom of my heart and wished I could do something for them, but I knew I could do little for them and immediately acting in their defence would probably do me more harm than good.
This...elf on the other hand was the complete opposite. Had he been younger, strapped with a bow and arrow, put on a rangers outfit and was in the middle of the woods, he would have made the very image of what an elf of high fantasy ought to be.
“Hmm...I see now that explains why you haven’t been coming, it seems that your boy has grown quite a bit since I last saw him. You been feeding him the meat of Spirit Beasts haven’t you?”, he asked, and I was curious to what exactly Spirit Beasts were. I could tell that they were related to spirits like that of father’s and beast was pretty self explanatory, but could you even eat one? Do they not dissipate when they di—
“Indeed, it’s quite pricey, but we want to best prepare him for awakening. Given that both me and my husband have Spirits, he will undoubtedly have his own.”, before I could finish my own thoughts, mother replied to uncle Hector.
“I see, if that’s the case, I might as well give something as well. I would be a terrible excuse of an uncle if I didn’t.”, he waved his hand and suddenly an aura of green escaped from his hand, a few seconds later a gap within the jewels had opened and revealed a box of dazzling gems of bright colors.
“As thanks for the company that your parents have given me for the past few years, you can choose one from my personal collection, consider it a belated birthday gift from me.”, uncle Hector went up and stood before me, seemingly several heads taller than I previously thought and told me with a wide smile.
“...thanks you uncle.”, I said, still wondering if he was actually an elf or something else entirely, and what kind of person he is, considering the wealth and power he just blatantly displayed in front of me and mother. Not to mention the giant fortress/warehouse he apparently uses as his base of operations.
I looked down into the chest and silently examined the jewels present before me, there was a deep blue gem that seemed to be alive, an indigo rock which kept glowing violet light, a white and blue opal with each side being symmetrically split and a large green orb that was shimmering with iridescent light.
I looked at mother and her eyes lighted with unconcealed surprise. “Hector…he can’t take these, the-they’re too valuable to be given away to a child. It would find better use elsewhere.”, it seems that uncle Hector is much more dangerous than I give him credit for, if even mother didn’t think it was worth the risk of keeping even just one of them despite the obvious value they carried.
“If anyone even has the slightest thought of taking something I bestowed upon this boy they will have to answer to me, besides with the Waltem family backing yours only those with a death wish would steal something from you. Besides, you're the best Enchanter in the city, you'll put it to good use.”
Waltem? That name sounded familiar but, I couldn’t remember who they were, it seems that they’re both important and very powerful based on mother’s expression loosening. With that out of the way, I thought about it for awhile then grabbed a random gem from the chest. They were all of significant value if mother’s expression was anything to go by, and I wouldn’t lose out no matter what gem I picked anyways.
“Interesting choice, no matter, it seems that I thought wrong. It was wonderful seeing you once again Sarah, please do stop by more often, an old man could use some company.” With that settled, I gave the gem that I picked to mother who then stowed it away in a box for safekeeping and we went back out and rode the carriage back home.