“Uncle, I’ll send you my withdrawal receipt. Can you close the fees account and transfer the money into my daily account?” On the way back home, Ewan called Uncle Thain again.
“Huh! You quit?”
“Yeah, I didn’t see the need to attend anymore.”
Uncle Thain broke into a guffaw on his reply, Ewan had to keep the phone away from his ears again—laughing or scolding, this man was loud. A few moments later, his deep breath caused heavy white noise on the call.
“Okay, but you can only get the deposit they’ll refund for now. The rest you’ll get on your birthday with your inheritance. And you’ll also get a new audio from your father soon.”
Ewan’s steps came to a screeching halt; his shoes scraped the asphalt.
He even predicted this…
“I always thought you resembled your mother, how you rubbed your forehead when stressed. But you are your father’s son after all, reckless and stubborn.”
Ewan didn’t reply, the thought of getting a new audio file from his Pa clogged his head.
“I’ll hang up now, I’ll contact you once it’s done,” Uncle Thain said. Ewan replied with a mindless ‘hmm’ this time and hung up.
….
Back in his home, he slumped on the computer chair with a bowl of fried rice, bouncing his leg up and down from excitement; he was going to get another audio file from his Pa soon. After biting a spoonful of rice, he couldn’t control himself anymore, and played the first audio file he ever got to pass time.
“…It’s been a year. How have you been? Did you celebrate your birthday? Is it too soon?” It was a heavy voice with some buzz in the background.
“It’s been seven years Pa…,” Ewan murmured.
“Are you eating well? Don’t eat junk just because I’m not there. You’re a big boy now, you should be responsible for your own health.”
A bright smile sneaked up on Ewan’s face and he ate another mouthful of the fried rice he cooked at home when he heard those familiar words. They held little meaning when his Pa was alive, they even annoyed him at times…
“How’s school? You’re not ditching classes, are you? You can still learn many things there. It’s not the right time to quit.”
He knew...
But the situation was different now. The reason he quit today was because he had nothing left to learn there, at least nothing he couldn’t learn by himself. Only the promise of an Astylind made him wear that uniform each morning and bow his head to that authority. With that reason gone, he had no qualms about quitting.
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His Pa hushed for a while, then sighed. “I’m sorry I let you go through all that. If I could live, I would’ve kept you safe and protected. But you’re on your own now. You’ll have to face everything by yourself. I know you have a hard life ahead of you. But…I don’t have any choice. I don’t have much time left…Forgive me, Ewan.”
Years ago, Ewan hugged his knees on the same chair and bawled his heart out when he heard his Pa, but all that remained now was a peaceful smile with a hint of remembrance, and the grain of rice stuck on his cheek.
His Pa sniffed and cleared his throat. “Also, manage your Sols well, don’t waste it on things you don’t need,” he said. “I don’t have much to tell you now. I thought of many things to talk about, but my mind’s going blank right now. I just hope you can live well. Celebrate your birthday, do what you want to do. Follow your dreams, even if I’m not with you, you’ll forever have my support.”
The audio cut, and the loop took it to the beginning again. Ewan calmed down with a deep breath and leaned back on his chair with his eyes closed, putting the bowl aside. The smile never left his face, his Pa’s voice had always soothed him. All the anxiety, fear, and doubts about his future went away. He gained the confidence to move ahead, for his Pa supported him, he had always supported him.
The notification bell rang, dimming the replaying audio, and Ewan snapped his eyes open—the new file came. He clicked the mail from Uncle Thain and saved the file before typing in the usual password, the addition of his Pa and his birth dates, and played it.
“You’re almost eighteen now, you’ve really grown up. You must’ve reached six feet by now.”
His Pa chuckled and Ewan flared his nose; he was still five-ten, but his growth spurt hadn’t stopped yet. Once he received the deposit, he would drink more milk and eat more meat; he could also hang from the railing, it would for sure give him a centimeter or two.
“And if you haven’t already, you should awaken your soul about three months prior to your birthday, you’ll soon be an Asheva. As an Ayres, your aptitude will never be below average, we’ve always made sure of that. Since the time of our progenitor, the Ayres family has been a Cerade family, every generation has had the capacity to become a Cerade. I was the same, and you won't be any different.”
He continued. “Don’t think of becoming a Cerade though, its path is crude and forever remained in the prototype state, unlike Severynth’s. Your soul aptitude might not give you as big of an advantage as a Severynth as it could as a Cerade, but it will still put you ahead of the crowd. By my estimate, you’ll have enough soul essence for at least three Astylinds when you awaken.”
The small smile on Ewan’s face had now turned into a foolish grin, from ear to ear. Hearing new words from his Pa and hearing about his ‘awesome’ talent, the fireworks went ablaze in his heart.
“You’ve left the school at this time, so I’m presuming they didn’t let you receive the Astylind after all. Don’t blame your mother for it, she will never mean you any harm, but she can't control them. It was my fault she walked away; things were complicated back then. And now that I’m gone, she’ll put all that anger on you, and others will take advantage of that. Just give her some time, she’ll come around. Also, you’ll receive something in a few days, it’s my gift to you. Happy birthday, Ewan.” He finished the sentence in a soft and gentle voice. The seeker touched the rightmost end and looped back, and Ewan sat in silence, relishing the words his father left him once more.
Yet, a roar rumbled in the courtyard and broke him away from his trance—the Fire Monkey had gone into labor.
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