CHAPTER 4

Inside the void, Daelyn noticed something strange. The void was different. Instead of black, it was a pure white! Daelyn also had a very different feeling from before from the void, the white void gave him the impression that it was a part of him, instead of that it was eternally elusive to him. The void wasn’t something foreign anymore, it felt like it was a part of him. Flabbergasted, Daelyn could not help but become excited and worried at his new discoveries. He observed the void for a moment, trying to find something different from the black void. He noticed nothing, just like the black void, it seemed to be endless and empty.

Deciding that observing was meaningless, he tried something else. Remembering the feeling of the analysation of the black void, he tried to replicate it on the white void. Trying to comprehend the white void and trying to comprehend his being in the white void.

At first, he was not able to do or feel anything. Not knowing what he did wrong, he tried again. This time he focused the feeling on himself with the desire to see himself inside the white void. It worked, perplexed at the sudden feeling of awareness of his own being inside the void, his focus wavered, and he lost the comprehension. He could feel his mind strained by the exercise, but with his confidence bolstered by the success, he tried again. However, he was disappointed, because as he tried to spread his awareness, there was almost no success. He could feel almost no difference, he could comprehend his being in the void a tiny bit better, but the surrounding void was still very elusive to him. As such he tried again, and again, and again that night, until he fell asleep from the exhaustion, and the mental strain that the exercise created.

As Daelyn awoke the next morning, he saw a very peaceful scene. His mother cooking with the help of his father, they were illuminated by the sunlight. Making their silver hair resemble threads of masterfully crafted silver, shining in the lights of the forges they were made in, the silver hair contrasted beautifully with their dark brown skin. Creating a contrast that was only comparable to that of the silver moon and the brown earth. It looked like a scene right from a fiction, right from the imagination.

He noticed another thing, a thing that he had not thought about the night before. They and him looked different, not small differences that could be explained. No, these were differences that made it clear that they were not his real parents. Their hair and skin colour, their toned muscles, and their seemingly absurd strength. Daelyn became aware of this as he witnessed his father lift a large pot, filled to the brim with the remains of earlier meals, with ease and brought it outside, only to return several moments later with the same pot, set it down, and act like nothing happened. He was completely perplexed by this show of strength, and doubted that he could ever copy that. He decided to ask them once he could.

Upon noticing that Daelyn had awoken, Lyvia left the rest of the cooking to Grey, and walked towards the cradle. Picking Daelyn up from the cradle and holding him close against her, she wondered if he would drink her breastmilk. She decided that it was worth a shot, she undid the top of her outfit and exposed it to the little Daelyn.

Daelyn was wondered by the display in front of him, why was she showing her breast to him. However, these thoughts were quickly pushed aside by the sudden feeling of a starving hunger, and the compulsion to suck. Giving in to his hunger, he drank the milk of his mother.

Seeing this, Lyvia was delighted. She could only observe the spectacle and react with a high-pitched voice filled with motherly love and adoration towards it.

‘He looks so cute! I was nervous that he maybe wouldn’t accept me, but he’s quite a fervent eater. I do hope that he feels at home with us.’

After Grey finished cooking, he saw the pair and could only look with happiness in his heart. He planned to say that the food was ready, but he waited a little. He thought about the future of little Daelyn, what will he become? He can’t be a normal dark elf warrior, due to his inferior physical capabilities. Grey hoped he had talent for water magic, then he could become an alchemist like his old man!

During their breakfast, they discussed how to introduce Daelyn to the community. Grey started off the conversation with a worried tone.

“How do you think everyone will react to having a human child adopted?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t be that bad. Humans aren’t disliked around these parts, so why would there be a problem?”

Grey was already apprehensive of the subject, but with an awkward yet factual tone, he continued the conversation.

“Well, there are almost only dark elves here, so it might be hard for them to accept that there are other species in their community. I doubt any grown dark elf would make an argument against having him here, but the children might bully him for not being a dark elf.”

Lyvia replied to the argument Grey made, with a tone that tried to disarm the situation.

“We get frequent visits from the oni tribe in the mountain, right? Nothing happens then, so I don’t think anything will happen now.”

“I get your point, but those are only visits, they don’t stay here for more than a month.”

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Lyvia replied to him with a soothing voice.

“It’s okay dear, if something happens we will solve it like adults.”

This only filled Grey with more worry as he let it slip through his voice.

“If you say, ‘like adults’ I can’t help but worry.”

Lyvia responded slightly irritated: “And why would you think that?”

Grey recognised the irritation in her voice and the anger on her face, but decided to press on.

“Lyvia, you popped someone’s black cherry with his spear because he called you names. I can’t help but imagine what would happen if someone hurt little Daelyn.”

Lyvia with closed eyes, a smile, and an expression that released bloodlust said: “I told you… I will solve it like adults.”

Grey slightly trembling at these words said with a defeated sigh: “Okay, I believe you. Just don’t cause irreversible damage.”

Lyvia answered with a smiling yet deadly expression.

“Of course, what do you see me as? A barbarian?”

This last remark made Grey pale, he knew only too well what happened to the poor suckers that came up with that nickname for her. Anyone who repeated it in her vicinity would suffer the consequences.

After they had finished Grey began preparing for his job. Grey put on his robes, grabbed his tomes and gave Lyvia a kiss. He said to her in a soft and promising tone: “I will try and come home on time today, I just hope there aren’t too many orders”

Lyvia tried to reassure him with a calm and soothing voice.

“I’m sure it will be fine; didn’t you recently finish a large batch of orders form the guards?”

“Let’s hope that helps, love you.”

“Love you too, see you tonight.”

With that, Grey left to fulfil his duties as an alchemist. Alchemists are quite rare under the dark elf population, because they use both the magical herbs and imbue them with magic, while it is more popular to either specialize in healing magic or become an herbalist and use the raw magical herbs combined with each other. Grey receives lots of orders from the local guardsmen to make potions, since they are easy to consume and can be a very powerful asset in a battle, in comparison to healing magic which requires mana or the herbs which heal wounds overtime or stimulate the natural healing process. While potions can do the same as the herbs, they can do it better if prepared well, and they can also almost instantly help regain health, however making potions is hard and it is normally kept a trade secret. This makes it hard to become qualified to create potions.

After Grey had left, Lyvia started working around the house with Daelyn either cradled close to her, or in his cradle if something required her full attention. He was quite the wanderer for a child. After finishing the housework, she decided that she would play with Daelyn for today, so she led him to a basket filled with toys. She thought that he would be delighted with this kind of toy, but she was perplexed. He did not go to the basket with toys, instead he crawled towards the bookshelf next to it.

While any normal child would like to play, Daelyn had another urge. He saw the bookshelf standing next to the basket and felt an urge, an urge that seemed familiar but Daelyn knew that it was the first time he felt this urge. He wanted to learn, he wanted it. He didn’t have interest in a subject, he just felt the overwhelming urge to learn more. He did not know why, but it compelled him to crawl towards the bookshelf.

During the time that Daelyn was submerged in thoughts, Lyvia was able to snap out of her stupor and think of what to do next. She decided that reading to him might be the best thing to do. So, she grabbed a book from one of the lower shelfs of the bookshelf, picked Daelyn up, sat down and started reading to him. She started reading a story about a hero, named Alberricht.

The story itself was about a hero that was an outcast in his youth, became strong and saved everyone. It was a very typical hero story, but there was one thing that was actually interesting about the book: the villain. The villain was a necromancer and thus a wielder of dark aura, he had raised the family members from the hero, his childhood friend, and his lover. The hero in the end defeated the villain, resulting in a heart touching end with a goodbye from all the enslaved souls. The end of the villain was also different than expected, instead of a man filled with madness and anger at the hero, the villain thanked the hero for releasing him. His last words especially gained the attention from Daelyn: “Thank you, now I can finally enter my eternal slumber in the void. There is no greater deed that you could have done here. You truly are a hero.”

The hero was distraught by this, because he wanted vengeance and had only helped the necromancer. With nothing more to look out for in life, he killed himself on the spot.

Daelyn was not interested in the stuff about being a hero, but he was interested in the words of the void. He now knew there had been at least one other person that knew of the void! The people around him might know of it, and might be able to enter it like he does! He was overjoyed at the possibility.

Finishing the story, Lyvia closed the little book and looked at Daelyn. Daelyn looked at her with shining eyes, and made some pleased sounds. He loved the story, and Lyvia could hear it.

Lyvia: “Did you like it? Do you want me to read another one?”

This was met with a cute smile, and sounds that could only be described as “Yes!”. Seeing his cute face, Lyvia’s heart melted and grabbed another little book from the bookshelf.

They only finished reading after sun down when there was a knock on the door. Opening the door Grey stood in the doorway. Lyvia was startled to see him, ‘It was only morning when we started reading, right?’ and suddenly she realised that she had read stories to Daelyn for half the day!

Grey asked with a tired but happy voice: “How was your day?”

Lyvia could not help but blush due to her embarrassment. She answered with an embarrassed and proud tone: “Yes, it was very nice, I read some stories to Daelyn today! He absolutely loved them!”

Grey was very pleased hearing this, he suddenly had a thought spring up from his mind. He formed a heart-warming smile, directed his gaze towards Daelyn, squatted down to reach his eye level, and said with a tone that beckoned the start of a tale: “Well, I also got a story for you guys. It’s about a heroic alchemist who defended the whole of the village just by using his concoctions. Do you want to hear it?”

Daelyn was marvelled at the prospect of such a story, he looked his father in the eyes with a twinkle in his own, and said with an anticipating and happy voice: “Yess!”

Like hat, the night for the Theandor family was one filled with excitement, fun, and heroism due to the tale of a brave alchemist, that went from a boy with a hated magic, to a man with potions and bravery.