“Quickly use it!” yelled Youri.

“Wait a second! I need to kill this thing!” yelled Mike back, while fighting ogre like monster.

“Were is George?”

“Katy is healing him!”

“Fuck! Jack just lost his arm with sword sticking into demon lord!”

“Katy HURRY!”

“I’m almost done!”

“I’m activating it!” yelled Mike extending his arm with a black orb in it. Then orb started to radiate an enormous light that blinded everyone. Within second a medallion on Youri neck started to shine and barrier erupted around him. Then in next second all light that orb has released was sucked back inside, leaving room in complete silence, only for monster to start falling on the grown. Then everyone started to fall except Youri with barrier around him. From the inside of orb, piece of paper started to appear, Youri knew well what that was, a hidden explosion bomb. Then explosion rang, sending Youri to fly across the room, and as he was flying he saw his barrier being destroyed as well as barrier around the throne.

Then darkness, only darkness surrounded him.

Within that darkness arm grabbed his leg, looking there he saw a mutilated body of his friend, crying and begging for help. Then other bodies started to grab onto him yelling, crying, asking for vengeance, asking for help.

“hu*-hu*…” breathing hard, Youri looked around to see he was in the room and was covered in sweat. Looking out of the window, it seemed to be a middle of the day. Concluding that he slept for whole day he descended downstairs, to see old man drinking a tea.

“Bad dream?” asked Gernard seeing Youri with dark expression and coldness in his eyes that he have not seen for long time.

“Something like that,” he answered.

“You been having them for what seems to be a half a year,” with difficult expression said Gernard.

“Yes, usually I just dream of different parts and everything is hazy but, today I saw everything clearly,”

“I see… you don’t tell me what it is that you dream, but I can tell that it something horrible, and for it to hunt you for half a year…”

“It’s… my friends’ ghosts asking me for vengeance, and today they finally seceded in showing why they exactly died…” said Youri

“…vengeance…” with sad and dark expression Gernard sighed.

“I can’t really tell you that following vengeance is road to self-destruction, as I know you are smarter than me and most people alive, and I can never say I understand you pain because I never lived the life you did, and experienced what you have…” Gernard continued.

“I’m thankful for all you did,” Youri said giving him smile. Seeing this Gernard smiled back and said-

“I remember at first you never smiled, and Trei was afraid of you but now…I’m glad you are batter,”

“Time heal bleeding wounds,” said Youri

“…but not the scars, as you say,” added Gernard

“…but not the scars,” said Youri and both of them had solemn faces.

Then door opened and Trei walked in, with few other kids.

“Hey old man!” Trei yelled. And after this other kids yelled the same.

“Old man!?!” painfully exclaimed Gernard.

“Yea! Old man I will go and propose to big sis today so I will be late. Big bro thank for teaching me all the tips on picking up girls now I’m sure I will get big sis,” confidently proclaimed Trei and run off, other kinds followed him. Looking at the door Gernard sighed.

“….he is only ten and already want to propose…..I raised him well behaved and caring, but now he is the troublemaker of village… just who should I blame,” looking at Youri Gernard said.

“Don’t look at negatives, now he is confident and has a lot of friends,” Youri said with smile, not wanting to accept his responsibility for Trei change of character. To which Gernard sighed again and smiled.

“So how long will you stay?”

“I need a clear plan, so for month I think,” Youri answered.

“I see,” dejectedly answered Gernard.

“Don’t worry, after a month you will with happiness throw me out,” said Youri to which they both started to laugh.

“-*thud*-*thud*” someone banged on the door.

“Come in,” Youri said. Opening door Gernard looked at the room and saw walls covered with paper and on them something was written but he could not read that language. Maps were also on the walls with different arrows and text written on them.

“I see you did quite a lot for half of month time,” Gernard said.

“You think, I still have a lot to work on, and I’m kind of stuck here,” answered Youri.

“How can you read this?”

“This language is actually quite easy if you want to learn it,”

“I’m already old, for what would I need it, and I can guess this language is not even useful in this world,”

“You are right, this language is called English,” laughed Youri.

“See, I told you,”

“So, what happened?” asked Youri

“I thought you wanted to hear this,” said Gernard and Youri looked at him seriously.

“Big bro! You think this time big sis will accept my proposal?” Trei said as he walked in the room, but seeing serious atmosphere he quietly walked away and closed the door.

“Well, see Trei has manners when it is needed,” Youri said and they both smiled.

“So what is it?” Youri asked.

“News of Lady Kalista prophecy is being sent throughout the continent,”

“Oh, her, frightening woman I would say, it was good decision on my part to get on her good side,” Youri commented.

“So you were on good terms with someone like her, I was expecting nothing else of you,” with admiration said Gernard.

“So what is that prophecy?”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“She said that in about two years, summoning will take place,” answered Gernard, to which Youri eyes widened. Then menacing smile appeared on Youri as he saw answer to problem he is currently facing being resolved with what will happen in two years.

Slightly disturbed by smile of happiness and evil mixed in Gernard said-

“But usually interval between summoning’s are forty to fifty years, so this Is…”

“No, she is never wrong, which mean that in two years…” said Youri and looked at the room.

“You are going?” asked Gernard.

“…yes”

“I, see,”

“I will start preparing for a travel to Intiha,” Youri said.

“That would take about two months, why exactly Intiha, that is merchandise city?” Gernard asked.

“Academy is located there,”

“Ah! That one with weird name, but wh…no don’t need to know more that needed,” Gernard said.

“I will get everything ready in the kitchen it would take two hours,”

“Thank you,” Youri said

“No problem,” with smile Gernard walked outside the room. Slowly standing up Youri started to pack his stuff which was countless notes and papers.

Stacking them in order and category he made different piles of papers and maps. Then he placed his hand over those piles and they started to disappear in flash of light. Feeling like he spend a lot of time categorizing his notes he concluded that about two hours already passed, so he exited room and give it last look. Walking toward a kitchen he saw Gernard with depressed Trei standing by big pile of stuff, ranging from bed to sleep in, tent, a lot of food, and few pieces of clothes for cold weather.

“I though what would be useful, but I gathered to much, our village can’t provide you with horse and to carry so much…” Gernard said

“Don’t worry,” Youri said placing his hand on every object for it to disappear, looking at this astonished Gernard closed his eyes and smiled with smile that said ‘what can I expect less from person in front of me’.  

“Whoa! So you are mage big bro!” Trei excitedly yelled. To which Youri smiled and placed his hand on Trei head.

“I will be going, so look after old man ok?” Youri asked.

“…I will..” a bit dejected but with resolution said Trei.

“Don’t be so sad, we will met again someday, here extend your arm,” following Youri command, Trei extended his arm and looked as in Youri hand out of nowhere a bracelet of pure gold appeared.

“Here give this to girl you love, but only when both of you are dating, ok,” Youri said and placed bracelet in Trei hand.

“That..” Gernard wanted to protest for such expensive thing to be gifted.

“It’s fine, and here I have something for you too,” saying that in Youri hand a knife and five pieces of white paper of four inches in length and two inches wide with green symbol appeared.

“That is!” looking at what is being presented to him Gernard was surprised to see a paper charms being presented to him.

“I can’t, even one cost fortune, but five would be too much, with that I could by whole village and have some money left,” Gernard said, to which Trei looked shocked realizing their worth.

“Don’t worry, this knife is for your gathering and herbs production it will never rust, dull, and its best quality tool for preparing magically enhanced herbs. Just supply mana to it and it will do the work, for those charms, they are protection barrier that work for one hour each, good against wild animals, just infuse mana into them and they will activate. I know you can use mana I saw you prepare special herbs so don’t make that excuse,” Youri said and smiled.

“As a friend, will you accept,” Youri added.

“…if you say it like that how can I not accept,” smilingly Gernard took knife and paper charms. They walked towards entrance gate of village, when they reached it, gate keeper was sleeping.

“I’m grateful for your hospitality,” Youri said.

“I should be one thanking you for all you did for me, thank you,” Gernard said.

“let’s meet again,” Youri said and walked into distance, when he was gone Trei asked-

“Are you crying, old man?”

“No! It’s just something got into my eye,”

“Hey, old man how was big bro able to make thing disappear?” Trei asked.

“That was Storage ring,”

“Storage ring?” Trei asked

“It’s something like your backpack but its stored in the ring, but usually one would never be able to take as much as Youri did, so his ring must be of highest class,” Gernard explained.

“huuuh..?” Trei made slightly confused sound.

“Hey, Trei,”

“What?”

“Want to hear, stories about strongest Hero, Great Eliot of Nuel, I know a lot of them. Like the one where he fought against barbarians alone and saved kingdom, or the one where he with one hit defeated great ogre of the west. There is also when he started to walk against whole army of elves, who said to be best archers, but all arrows that were flying at him as if fearing person there were about to hit, avoided him. People who were there said it was something out of this world, to see not a single arrow of millions, even scratch him as he just continued to walk carefree in see of arrows. Or do you like to hear of all heroes together conquering great quests and dungeons.” Gernard asked his grandson.

“All heroes together, because it’s a lot more fun that way, and not lonely,” Trei said, to which Gernard with sad eyes looked at almost disappeared silhouette of Youri walking alone in distance.

“Grandpa?”

“Let’s go! I will tell you of their adventures, once they…” walking back toward their house Gernard told his grandson stories of the past.