"Come here Ciar, come here my little baby." Mariam cooed, beckoning to me from across the room. Ciar left his dad and began to wobble unsteadily toward her, his legs shaking uncontrollably. Mariam's smile grew even wider as he managed to make it over half way before falling forward. Ciar struggled to his feet and continued his journey across the wooden floorboards, eventually coming to a stop in his mother's arms.
"Good job! You are such a big boy!" Mariam said, her smile as bright as the sun.
"Mother!" Ciar said back, hoping to surprise her and his dad with the ability to talk.
Mariam's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of disbelief. She glanced at Isaac, then back down to Ciar. Her baffled appearance slowly changed back into a smile, this one somehow even wider than before.
"I don't believe it...full pronunciation...no jumbled words...amazing." Tears in her eyes, Mariam scooped up Ciar and brought him over to Isaac.
"Can you say dad?" She asked, holding Ciar out to Isaac.
"Father!" Ciar squealed happily, reaching out for Isaac.
"Mariam, I don't know what to think. This is astonishing. He's just 6 months old, and he already has perfect pronunciation." Isaac said, a tear of joy slowly falling down his cheek.
Later that night, while Ciar was stumbling around the house, he overheard a conversation between Mariam and Isaac that startled him.
"I don't know what to think. Walking confidently this early, perfect pronunciation, using words like father and mother instead of mom and dad...I'm not sure whether I should be concerned or amazed." Isaac said.
"It's possible he's just that amazing Isaac. There have been stories like this, although I guess none this early. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. While it is possible he has just developed early, there are other, darker, possibilities. I say we make a trip to Osarith. By the time we make it there, he will have developed an affinity for the system, and we can find someone to check it."
"The trip will take us over a year! Are we really going to just up and move after we just settled here? I like it here Isaac."
"I don't see we have a choice, Mariam. If he turns out to be a genius, the academies in Osarith will be perfect for him. If something else truly is wrong, we can find help in Osarith. He's our son Mariam...even if something is wrong with him, I'm not going to stop loving him."
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"...I suppose you're right. When do you want to leave?" Mariam said, resignedly.
"The end of next week. I have to put in my retirement notice, and it will give us plenty of time to gather our things."
"Alright. I'll begin preparations immediately. Now, I need to go put Ciar to bed."
"I'm sorry about this Mariam. I know you love it here, but I just don't see any other way." Isaac said. Leaning down, he planted a kiss on Mariams forehead before making his way to their bedroom.
Ciar stood there, trying to wrap his head around what he had heard.
'Is my behavior really that strange? I knew I was "developing" early, but I didn't know they would react this strongly. This is a problem. If the people in this Osarith can see through my Status Conceal, I'll be in huge trouble. I'll probably be killed on the spot. Even with my racial bonuses, this body is simply to small. I won't be able to fight back at all.'
Ciar allowed himself to be picked up by his mother, only half paying attention to her as she put him to bed.
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"Is everything packed?" Isaac called as he exited the house, strapping his sword to his waist. Today was the day of departure. Ciar sat comfortably in his mother's lap in the back of the carriage. Around him were stacks of provisions, mostly water, that would last them for the first part of the journey. Ciar had learned, to his amazement, that according to official records, the Fellnor Kingdom was about 800 million square kilometers. Just the road to Osarith was 18,000 kilometers long. If they traveled 50 kilometers a day, it would take them around a year to reach Osarith.This, of course, was assuming that the weather was perfect, they were not attacked by monsters, and they did not rest at any towns. All in all, it would take them well over a year to reach Osarith, the centermost city of the Kingdom.
"Yes dear, we need to get started if we are going to make good time though!" Mariam said back.
Isaac nodded in response as he leapt into the driver's seat. The carriage was being pulled by two large, mutant horses. The beasts were mutated just like the Fellites. Two horns protruded from their heads, and smaller spikes were visible on their knees. Due to the mutation, the horses had gained access to mana, though they still acted only on instinct. They were trained to use their mana in body amplification from a young age, allowing them to have more stamina and speed than normal horses.
With snap of the reigns, Isaac sent the horses trotting forward, towards the edge of town. As they neared the gate of the wooden palisade, they encountered a crowd of villagers, all waving goodbye to the family. Although Isaac and Miriam had only been in the village a short while, they had quickly become beloved by the populace. Isaac had served well in the town guard, and Mariam had often helped the Alchemist with her herbs and potions.
"Have a safe trip!"
"Don't run the horses to hard!"
"Come back and tell us about Osarith!"
The crowd shouted as they waved goodbye. Mariam clutched Ciar tighter to her breast, and he felt something wet drip onto his face. Looking up, he saw tears streaming from Mariam's eyes as she waved to the populace with her free hand. Ciar felt bad for his mother. She loved this town, but because of him, she was already leaving it behind. Drowning his sadness, however, was a sense of excitement. He was finally going to see the outside world! He didn't know what Osarith looked like, but he was sure it was going to be a lot better than this town.