‘Is that so…’ Lan’s mother said with the serenity of a frozen mountain and a smile with all the sweetness that a stalking Lioness could muster. ‘That’s nice.’ She nodded as Lan tried to say something.

‘That…’

‘And Kurt.’ She batted her eyes at Lan’s father with even more sweetness, enough to drown a man. ‘I am happy to see that the two of you have made up finally. But I have to say you seem to be taking the news of my son becoming an Adventurer quite well.’

‘Well…’ his father tried.

‘But I would think that if you were ever to be mad at my son, it would be now.’ She laughed softly like a gentle death knell. For Lan, who had never seen his mother do more than pout, seeing her as she was now was far more worrying than anything he had faced until now.

It almost seemed like this was new territory for her, and in an attempt to process it, she was creating something truly terrifying.

‘I am upset, Enri.’ His father tried tentatively as Lan looked at him as if he was willingly stepping into a dragon’s jaws. ‘And he is my son too, you know?’

‘Oh, I know.’ Lan’s mother’s eyes flashed, ‘I am well aware that he is your son because if I had married some other fool, then my son wouldn’t think throwing himself at monsters was a job!’

Lan’s mother seemed to have regained some of her usual self at this point, even if she had reached over the table and was now shaking his father by the shirt. His father let her, clearly seeing the merit in just letting her vent, although Lan was a little surprised by just how much his tiny, in comparison, mother was moving his father with every push and pull.

‘And you!’ she rounded on Lan. ‘How could you do this to yourself?’ his mother asked as she moved to his side and took his face in her hands like a child that had tripped and fallen before her eyes grew wild. ‘This isn’t because I gave you that money, is it?’ she ended horrified.

‘What, no!’ Lan started feeling the need to defend his mother from herself. ‘Well, I won’t lie, although I decided to do anything to get your Hairpin back. I had already been considering joining.’

‘Almost as if you didn’t have a choice.’ She said, turning and glaring at his father.

‘I said that to you over twenty years ago.’ Lan’s father said, getting a huff back from his mother as she turned back to Lan.

‘Level seven… how much have you been putting yourself through. I don’t have to tell you how dangerous adventuring is, do I?.’ she said, knowing it to be true as she looked into his battle-sharpened eyes.

‘It’s not that bad.’ Lan started, reasoning that it had almost been worse a few times, so he felt safe saying as much. ‘I have a lot of people helping me.’ Lan said, thinking about Cawl and Cali, Leah, Lock and the others and, of course, the little ball of light that hovered around wholly unnoticed.

‘But more than that, even though I have been in a few tight situations and have gone through some things that I would rather have remained a mystery to me. I keep finding my thoughts drifting to when I will next go out. I think this is what I’m meant to do.’ Lan said, not taking his eyes off his mother’s, hoping that she would see his sincerity.

And as her expression softened, Lan guessed it had worked. Seeing this, Lan thought now was the best time to let them know everything.

‘Plus, you shouldn’t be too upset with Dad. I get the feeling I would have found myself here no matter what.’ At their confused looks, Lan said, ‘You two have heard of the All Guild’s Campaign?’ he asked, looking at both, then to Maya, who had seemed happy to just watch as her head darted from one person to the next.

‘We have heard rumours, but it has not been called yet.’ Lan’s father said as his mother’s face flashed with worry.

‘No one seems to know what is going on,’ Lan started, ‘there are stories about all manner of things that could doom the city, if not more. The Guild master of the Wild Hunt refuses to make any commitments and tells us we need more information, but I think I know what it is…’ Lan breathed, collecting his thoughts as his father took his mother’s hand.

‘Two days ago, I came across something made of shadows that, in moments, destroyed a Goblin Swarm.’

Knowing what that meant, his mother and father tensed as Maya gasped.

‘Luckily, with the help of a little friend, I was able to get away from the Shadows unharmed. Tyr.’ Lan said, looking to the wisp, who, for once, seemed to listen to him as golden light filled the kitchen. ‘This is Tierrnadora. Her light could keep the shadows or whatever was in it away from me.’

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‘Oh… so you can see her now?’ Lan’s mother said, still trying to process what he had said.

‘Wait, what?’ Lan asked, suddenly feeling like he was the one at a loss.

‘Huh? Oh! That little wisp has been floating around you since you were a babe. I had thought she was like the others, but no, even though she would disappear from time to time, she would always come back.

‘Sorry,’ Lan raised his hand. ‘You can just see wisps even when they are hiding themselves?’ Lan managed, even though the idea that Tyr had been with him the whole time made his head spin.

‘Yes.’ Lan’s mother said before looking at his father, who looked back with a question.

‘Why have you never told me this?’ he asked.

‘Well, I used to tell people when I was little, but no one but my mother would believe me, so I decided to keep it to myself, and It’s not like they were hurting anyone.’ She shrugged. ‘More importantly, what is this about the dark.’

‘Wait,’ Lan raised his other hand to join the first, which still hung in the air. ‘You can see wisps,’ Lan repeated, ‘Does that mean you know what one of your hidden abilities is.’

‘No, I wouldn’t have kept that from you.’

Lan nodded before remembering the Ornithalls and how the pack of odd majestic birds had reacted around him even before he had fully awoken his ability to bind Radiance to himself.

‘Have you ever noticed animals acting odd around you?’ Lan asked, getting an inquisitive look from his mother.

‘Funny you should say that. When I was little, I used to get chased around by all manner of squirrels and birds,’ she sighed. ‘I used to spend most of the days running around the garden, but that all ended the day I gained my first level.’

Lan thought that didn’t seem to help, holding back a sigh of his own. As gaining levels had seemed to bring on the odd reactions. The only difference he could think of was the fact that he hadn’t spent his points yet.

‘Did you spend your attribute points right away?’ Lan asked, getting a nod from his mother.

‘Yes, in Body and Charisma like everyone.’

Everyone but him, Lan thought as he nodded. Maybe that was why he couldn’t use the Wisp Walk Ability. Maybe he didn’t have the right stats. And what if he took the wrong stats? Would he lose the ability forever?

‘This is the second time you have asked about an ability. I take it that you found another, then?’ Lan’s father asked, and Lan was about to answer before pausing.

‘I should return to the story.’ Lan finally said before continuing on after leaving the clearing, waking under the tree and meeting the Tear of Creation.

‘You spoke to a Tear of Creation!’ Both his father and mother said as one.

‘Yeah.’ Lan half laughed as the remnants of his disbelief clashed with his excitement as Maya dropped a mug on the table.

Seeing how the talk was going, she had decided to make a pot of tea and had happily not poured it yet when she dropped the cup. Leaving her to give them a sheepish smile as she picked it up.

‘What did it say.’ Lan’s father asked after sharing a look with his mother.

‘That something was trying to take control of it, which I believe is linked to the odd Darkness that attacked the goblins as Tyr could sense it and stop it. Before it disappeared, the Tear of Creation tasked me with finding and stopping whatever the dark was.’ Before his mother could voice her protest, Lan went on.

‘It unlocked one of my abilities and even made me Light Marked before giving me a quest to stop the Darkness or whatever lies within it.’

‘This is just too much.’ Lan’s mother said, leaning on his father. ‘But why must it be you?’

‘They said that we are connected to something called a Messenger.’ Lan answered and saw something flash behind his mother’s eyes. ‘Do you know something?’

‘My mother once told me that an ancestor had been Light Marked some generations back. But nothing about this Messenger…,’ she paused, unsure, ‘but if anyone would know, it would be her.’ his mother said before she sighed. ‘A week ago, I was worried about you going to the city on your own, and now you are telling me that you plan on facing a threat to the city by yourself.’

‘I don’t plan on facing it alone,’ Lan cut in softly. ‘I’ll convince the guildmaster and the others no matter what. And after that, I will do my part. And if somehow I cannot, then I still have Tyr.’ Lan said, looking at the wisp who flew to sit on his shoulder.

‘The Tear of Creation seemed to think I could do this.’ Lan didn’t say that he was literally the best that the Tear could find, but if that was a promising fact, he didn't know. What he did know was it didn’t matter. ‘If I don’t do something, everyone will be in danger. And I will not lose any of you after getting you back.’

Maybe he was able to get his will across to them through his words, or perhaps his words mirrored their thoughts as his mother and father stared at him with a mix of surprise and worry before looking at each other.

‘It should sound like the words of a fool to say so.’ His mother said, rising to her feet before guiding Lan onto his, ‘To gain six levels even in so short a time is remarkable, but it is nothing compared to what most adventurers start at. Even your father and I had been level ten when he joined, and we never faced anything that would call for an all-guilds campaign for a few years. As much as it hurts to admit it, I can’t stop you, no matter how much I want to. It should be foolish, but… but if you say that you can do this… then I believe you. So what I want is for you to promise that you will come back. No matter what.’

‘Not even a progenitor god could stop me.’ Lan said, knowing that he may have to prove just that and knowing it wouldn’t matter.

With a shuddering sigh, his mother looked to his father, who looked like he was trying to work out a way that he could go with Lan before he sighed, nodded and stood. Wrapping his arm around his mother before placing his hand on Lan’s shoulder.

‘Then we will be waiting for you to return.’

Although they clearly did not want him to go, it was clear that they believed in him. which was almost enough to make him feel a little sorry for whatever was waiting for him in the shadow.

After a moment, something his mother said hit him.

‘Wait, what did you mean by “we faced.”’