No matter what the reason was, the parents still felt guilt as they sent their children away. They understood the meaning behind the tradition, but the pain did not lessen. The situation was worse for the children as they were forced to bear the pains of separation all because of a ‘tradition’, without knowing anything more.

Alz lay in the warm embrace of his mother, looking curiously as the figure who stood beside her. The man was well-built and had small scars all over his body, giving him the impression of a veteran warrior. His eyes were the same shade of yellow as Alz, but his other features looked rougher.

His head was currently pointed down while his eyes were coloured in guilt. He was too ashamed to look directly at the pair because he felt like he had let the pair down far too much.

He and Alz’s mother were part of the same batch of hatchlings, and Alz’s mother was one of the hatchlings which had achieved the best results and had easily earned the right to live in the central village. His performance on the other hand was mediocre at best, so he did not earn the right to return to the central village.

He had very mixed feelings on the day the council evaluations were released, but not because he was unsatisfied with his results, as he had always been prepared for that.

He had held feelings towards Alz’s mother since many years ago and felt genuinely happy when they announced her evaluation results, yet a part of him also felt lonely. Yet, reality had other plans for him as she confessed to him right at that moment, asking if he would allow her to live by his side at the fourth village.

Naturally, he was overjoyed by this and readily accepted, but he always felt guilt towards her because of this. This got worse when they found out that they had Alz and he would never forget the painful tears she shed on that day ten years ago, a memory that was like a thorn in his heart.

Just as negative thoughts began to fill his mind, he felt something warm gently pulling on his hand. He looked up and saw Alz's mother smiling at him. She lightly shook her head while looking at him with a reprimanding gaze, as though she could see through his thoughts.

Seeing this, his heart warmed, and he quickly pushed the negative thoughts to the back of his mind. Today was a happy day, the reunion that they had all been waiting for. There was no meaning in dampening the mood by thinking of what had already past.

 “Let's go back, to our home” Alz's mother said with a slightly hoarse voice, a gentle voice that felt nostalgic yet foreign when it entered Alz's ears.

She grabbed onto both of their hands and walked off. Her face had a radiant smile which shone brightly, a smile comparable to the brightest smile she made in her life, the one she had when she first learnt of Alz. 

Alz let his mother pull him along as he felt the warmth that remained from the embrace earlier, invoking memories which he thought he had long since forgotten. One by one, the reunited families began to leave the field, emptying out the field.

There were several times when he thought this was all a dream, as this was something he used to dream about countless times, a warm, happy reunion.

This was something he had always longed for as early as he could remember, so he tried his best to savour this feeling, to make up for what he had lost over the past ten years.

The three of them soon stopped before a small wooden hut. The hut was slightly smaller than the one he was brought to yesterday, but there was a cosy feel about the hut, something which the dormitory did not have.

Alz was quickly pulled into the hut and its interior entered its eyes. The interior of the hut clearly differed from the places he had previously stayed in. There were several decorations around the hut which gave the space a homely feel.

A wave of nostalgia rose in Alz's heart, along with a sense of security. There was something about this place that made him feel at ease, a feeling of comfort the care center and dormitory lacked.

“So this is what it feels like to be home.” Alz inwardly thought as he eyes danced the hut.

“This is where you were born...but you probably don't remember.” A hoarse voice containing grief and loneliness emerged from his side.

Alz turned to the side and saw his mother looking at a section of the hut. He followed her gaze and saw a bed with a crib nearby, woven with many twigs and leaves. There were several small toys placed in it and a few sets of leather clothing clearly meant for babies.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

The area looked well-maintained and it was clear at a glance that much work had been done to retain it. Alz felt something move in his heart when he looked over the area, causing the sense of distance he felt towards his parents lessen slightly.

 “This is your bed, tell us if you want anything else.” suddenly, a low, husky voice travelled into his ears.

This was the first time his father had spoken since the reunion. He turned to the direction of the sound and saw his father standing by a bed, a bed which looked to be in a fresh condition. Evidently, this was something they had prepared in advance for his stay.

Alz looked around at the entire hut again, thinking about the two-week time limit he had here. He inwardly decided to cherish every moment of this time, hoping to compensate as much as he could for the past ten years, to experience life as a family for the first time in his memories.

In the two weeks that followed, he went out with his parents daily while they showed him around the entire village. They brought him to various important places in the village during this time, such as the location of the lake and the various amenities in the village.

Alz enjoyed every second of the time while his parents showered him with affection. They strolled around and had picnics, they played by the lake and laughed together. The family of three cherished this time they could spent together and made every bit of it as fulfilling as they could.

On the final night, the three of them were lying on a single bed. This was something Alz's mother decided to do the last night and took no objections. Alz lay in the center with his mother gently embracing him from the side.

His father though, was not looking too good. Around half of his body was sticking out of the bed and he was struggling to balance himself. He wanted to move over to the other bed but each time he tried, a sharp glare was shot towards him, causing cold sweat to trickle down his spine. In the end, he abandoned all resistance and caved in, obediently staying on the bed.

They talked about many things this night, about Alz's previous lifestyle and his friends, stories of his parents' past and anything interesting they could think of.

*Don*. The drum which signalled the second darkness echoed across the village, marking the end of the homestay period along with it. Alz would no longer be able to stay here from the next day onwards and his training would officially begin.

His parents would also have to return to their posts and they would no longer be able to spend a period of time like the past two weeks, weighed down by their personal commitments.

Alz's eyes began to water as he recalled the happy times they spent in the past two weeks. He had never felt this fulfilled in his entire life and he was left wanting more. Suddenly, he felt something warm lightly caressing his hair.

His mother reached out to pat him while her eyes were focused on his face, trying to burn every last detail of Alz into her mind. Several moments later, she hugged the back of Alz's neck and pressed him to her chest, embracing him.

The sudden soft sensation assaulted his mind, causing his adolescent instincts to flare up. His heart started racing and more blood flew to his cheeks, dying them red. However, his mind quickly settled in the comfort and he began to feel drowsy, eventually falling asleep.

His father looked at this scene with a gaze that contained envy as he struggled to position himself less awkwardly on the bed, so that he could sleep.

Time flew by seamlessly, disregarding all wishes of an eternity, as it always had.

The next day.

Alz felt his body shaking, rousing him from his slumber. He slowly opened his eyes and caught sight of his mother's face in front of him with her eyes closed. He looked his shoulder and saw a hand there. He rubbed his eyelids while turning to look behind, catching the culprit behind the shaking.

His father was shaking him awake with one hand while his other hand was massaging his back. He looked utterly exhausted and it was immediately apparent that he did not get a good rest. Alz almost couldn't contain his laughter as he saw this, but he also felt some guilt at the same time.

“Wake up, it's time for you to gather.” his father said in his husky voice.

Alz was reluctant to move, but he also knew he didn't have a choice. He slowly tried to raise his body but suddenly, the grip around his body tightened and caught him off guard. He fell back on the bed, in front of his mother.

His mother was glaring behind him with a gaze full of resentment, something which brought a smile to his face. Just then, the drum of first light sounded. Alz tried to remove the hands around his waist but they were light chains of steel, showing no signs of budging.

Alz's father sighed as he saw this but he didn't dare to force her hands off either or hell would await him after. He tried to convince her slowly by saying sentences like, "it's bad if his late on the first day." and "his still living in the village.", finally convincing her to release her arms tearfully about ten minutes later.

Having finally been released, Alz paused slightly as a wave of reluctance washed over him, but he quickly got out of the bed and went to wash up.

“Be careful and come visit us often.” His mother’s eyes said with a tearful gaze, her voice slightly breaking towards the end.

“I'll come back whenever I can.” Alz promised his mother while his eyes also reddened slightly.

His mother revealed a gentle smile and carefully took an item out from her dress, handing it to Alz, “This is a lucky charm I made, always keep it by your side.”

Alz received the pendant in his hands and proceeded to observe it. The pendant was fang-shaped with multiple inscriptions of blessings in elven script carved on it, threaded through with a string that was made with by weaving multiple thin vines together.

He immediately placed it around his neck, where it stood beside his other wooden necklace with his name inscribed on it.

Alz closed his eyes and held the pendants in his right hand for a moment, before he said, “I’m going off.” He had a serious expression on his face as he turned around and walked towards the field.

After a few steps he started to break out into a jog, fading off into the distance. His ears faintly heard some sobbing coming from behind, but he did not turn back, as he did not have to confidence to continue leaving if he did so.