Light made the darkness a little brighter, as I opened my eyes I yawned and looked around.

I was resting on a cradle, in a small room filled with little toys, the light from the wooden window fell directly on my eyes. As my mind traced the last things that happened before I fell asleep my ears started to burn. I should have just held it instead of crying, it wouldn’t have helped anyone anyway.

I furrowed my eyebrows in contemplation until the door to the room opened.

The young woman with the dark short hair came into the room and gently took me in her arms, all the while making her way to what seemed to be the kitchen.

After sitting down on a chair, she played a little with her shirt until her bosom spilled out, my mind instantly went blank, but when I felt the pain in my stomach, I understood I had no other choice.

Reluctantly, I fed until I felt full, only to understand that the embarrassment wasn't over. After all, babies could barely do anything, from eating to making excrement, to talking.

Day after day, I got used to the new situation, the people who took me in seemed like very kind people, the woman with the dark short hair was named Charlotte, she would always treat me gently, and at nights she would whisper beautiful lullabies, but from time to time when she didn’t see me looking, she would look down at the wooden floor, staring at the air.

The man with the brown hair, whose name was James, was a constant light bringer, he would kiss his wife Charlotte at the start of every morning, only to pick me up right after, taking me on a little tour around the house and throwing me in the air, though sometimes the cold feeling would wrap my mind when he threw me, as if I would actually fall to the ground or hit the ceiling.

As time passed on, I started to walk and talk more. I figured that even though I didn’t have memories of myself from before I was born, I still had some basic knowledge that came to me naturally.

However, it mostly came down to just holding a spoon, walking, and learning the new language faster.

During the last five years Charlotte barely showed any signs of sadness anymore, she had turned into a much more cheerful person.

And James stayed the same carefree, cheerful person.

But when I saw him one day return from the town’s guard duty with a sword on his hip. I instantly realized that I had a certain degree of knowledge on how to use swords.

“Are you ready Dante?” James asked me as he took a little stick that was near the house and crouched down to my height.

I smiled as I lifted up a small wooden sword and pulled back my white hair from my face.

“Here I come.” In an instant, I leapt towards him.

I swung my sword, trying to hit him fruitlessly as he easily parried every attack with a smile, “is that all you’ve got?” He asked playfully.

Fine, I’ll take it a bit more seriously.

Just as James was about to strike my head, I parried and gave a faint to the head. He tried to protect himself only to get hit in the hand, making his grip on the stick soft.

“You’re wide open!” I laughed out, James stood up and tried to make some distance, but I didn’t let him, even though he didn’t get hit, he was being pushed back.

After I landed a couple of hits to the legs, James’s smile grew larger, with a small step backwards he was able to push himself much farther away from me, giving him room to breathe “alright, try to do that again Dante”.

I stopped and furrowed my eyebrows, “you used magic, that’s not fair!”

James raised a shit eating grin on his face “What? Are you afraid to lose?”

Taking a deep breath, I let my mind plunge into a cold calculative state, I took a stance and dashed at his direction drawing a surprised look from him.

for a split moment I saw his muscle in his shoulder twitch, and I moved accordingly, we traded blows, neither of us reaching the other.

He sped up and swung aiming for my head, in return, I dodged by a hair with a back handspring.

“Show off.” James scoffed.

“Ahem”, from the side of the house, Charlotte was standing with a cold expression, “James, the last time I checked, I didn’t have two boys to look after.”

James, who had a smile up until now, looked like he accepted his fate as a dead man, “… it was his fault.” He muttered.

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Seriously James. I looked at the ground with furrowed brows.

Charlotte looked at him with a frown, “you’re sleeping in the kitchen.”

“Ah! I was joking!” he immediately retorted, “Anyway, you know I wouldn’t hit him hard!”

Charlotte crossed her arms, “yeah right, just like you used to throw him in the air, but sometimes you would almost fail to catch him”

My head snapped in James’s direction, I also felt like I was going to fall!

In defeat, James slumped to the ground and muttered an apology, only to slowly lift his head with a smile in her direction, “Charlotte, our boy really is a prodigy for a five-year-old, he is a natural.” He looked at me with a wide smile.

He looked at her for a couple of moments, “I think he should be taught how to use mana.”

Charlotte flinched and sighed, she looked at me with a gentle smile, “come on boys, we’ll talk after dinner.”

“You made steak, right?” He slowly asked.

“Soup, James, you’ve been asking me since yesterday, the answer won’t change.” Charlotte ranted, all the while staring daggers into James.

James looked at me and mouthed the words ‘help me’

I looked to Charlotte with a tilted head and clasped my hands, something James taught me, to convince her in a better way, “Mom, wouldn’t steak be more tas-“

“Do you also want to sleep in the kitchen too?” Charlotte cut me off before I could continue.

My throat instinctively gulped, “actually soup sounds great!” I looked at James who looked at the ground with slumped shoulders.

----------------------------------------

After the dinner, James and Charlotte started speaking about teaching me magic.

“I think that Dante is too young to learn magic, he should learn first about history, he didn’t even visit the town, or started school.” Charlotte started with the conversation.

James nodded, “I do admit that we have barely taught him about the world, but still for a five-year-old, to be able to talk quite fluently, and to fight.“

He stopped as Charlotte's expression went cold. He coughed a bit and continued “to be able to, play so well with a, well a sword, I think a school for little kids who are older than him, would simply be weird.” James looked at me. “Whatever knowledge he lacks besides magic we could teach him. And we could pay a private teacher to teach him magic. the school would do less for the same amount of money.”

Charlotte looked at me and at James. “School teaches in a different and more profound way, and anyway, what do you want to turn him into? An adventurer? What if he goes around using mana, and unintentionally creates havoc? He could be in danger.” she said, her tone pleading towards the end.

James leaned forward and held her hand, looking at her, for a moment her eyes trembled a bit, only to focus on James.

I looked at both of them as they stared at each other silently, I don’t want to cause them trouble. I thought.

“I want you both to be happy.” both of them turned to look at me, “I don’t want either of you to be worried, it’s just, that I like playing with dad, but I don’t need mana to play with him, right?”

The both of them looked at each other for a moment only to laugh a second after making me relax from the hidden tension.

Charlotte placed her hand on my cheek, “I’m sorry deary, I should have asked you what you wanted, just know that if you ever want to use mana, you have to use it responsibly.”

“Charlotte is right, you should learn to wield it properly before using it, of course you should also learn when you shouldn’t use it… but still Char- no, Dante would you like to go see the town? You haven't been there since you were born, right?” James mentioned, asking both me and Charlotte.

I could see Charlotte’s face pale a bit, James put a gentle squeeze on her hand.

“Actually, the three of us could go there, just a casual stroll, we’ll stay out of the crowded areas, I will take a small vacation day from the guard duty of the town, and Dante could start learning more about the basic norms at home.” He continued.

Charlotte took a small breath, and looked at James, she squeezed his hands back and gave a small smile, “that sounds like a great idea, what do you say deary?” Without waiting for an answer she continued “there is even a nice place near Amara’s shop, we could buy some sweats, and, maybe, we could perhaps go and visit her.” She mumbled towards the end.

When she mentioned the foreign name I couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s Amara?”

James turned his gaze from Charlotte to me, “a town healer that helped us when we were hurt in the past…” James stopped and blinked, a small smile formed on his face. “You know what? I think I could convince her to be your personal teacher.” He announced confidently and Charlotte looked at him wide eyed for a moment but said nothing. “Now then, let’s get you ready to sleep alright? You’re all dirty from earlier.”

I looked between Charlotte and James but didn’t say anything. “Alright, could you just prepare the hot water? I’ll take a bath by myself.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to bathe you deary? When’s the last time you let me give a shower?” I could hear Charlotte audibly sulk from behind.

“No, I’m alright, there’s no need to bother you mom.” I started organizing for the bath.

After James put hot water in the wooden tub, I looked at my reflection in the tub, as I removed my white snow hair from my eyesight, on the water I could see shining emerald eyes staring back at me.

Old memories started to flow, the night in the forest when my mother was pursued, the man with the green, emerald eyes who protected me. He must have been my father, I got his eyes after all.

A small pain ran through my heart, I furrowed my eyebrows as a stream of thoughts started to flow through my mind. Slightly shaking my head, I plunged into the warm bath, my muscles that were apparently stiff relaxed instantly.

If they were pursued, what’s stopping them from going after me? I thought as I started roughly scrubbing myself. Every once in a while I tended to think like this, and every time I imagined myself, James and Charlotte getting hurt in the process.

I’m weak, no, not weak, just powerless. I slowly got out of the bath and started to wipe myself, with furrowed eyebrows I looked at the floor.

If I won’t be more powerful, I could lose them too, but with mana I could protect them.

I shook my head again, trying to stop thinking so much. Mentally tired, I said goodnight to everyone and went to sleep.