Plonk!

A noise akin to a pebble being dipped in a river awoke me from my nap. My eye lids slowly raised their heavy curtains, allowing light to penetrate and blind me momentarily. The chirping of the birds which was just a chatter before, had now spurred into a rhythmic pattern that repeated itself through the forest.

I supported myself up onto my arms and then scrubbed my eyes harshly, my head quickly turning in the direction of the noise. There sat a larger figure, clad in black cloth with light hints of silver armour covering his most vital spots. The muscle gripping on his body hardened by his effort that was born from something deep within his heart. From the back, this vision, solitarily reminded myself of my lone reign at the top.

"Father? Are you feeling okay now?" I asked with a warm smile, holding my arm in the line of the suns blissful rays that avoided the grey clouds and tried to forcefully place my iris's in discomfort.

His neck slowly turned to me and away from his previously focused figure that gazed at the bouncing waterbed, plopping on the surface in small whiplashes. A tender grin lifted through his face. It looked more earnest than what I had seen since the first time my father ever trained me.

"I'm perfectly fine now. Thank you for taking care of me and also of getting me out of that tight spot. You looked cool y'know, son." A sincere tune expressed his gratitude. His navy blue eyes glistening in the lights radiant beam that descended upon the rock he sat on.

I lifted my butt of my own rock and slowly approached my father who had returned his attention to his goal. He was fishing. I didn't remember him taking his fishing rod nor any bait, but I didn't question it. I let his vision focus on the flowing surface ahead of me. A chill caressed the back of my neck gently, sending a shiver through my body in a jitter. Aldir calmly laughed at my frail self.

"You was incredible as well father. What you did, do you even know what it was?" I brought up his incredible breakthrough that had almost solely defeated that giant without my, or rather the sword of Time's, intervention.

His expression remained the same. Content. It didn't deviate nor falter anymore. He seemed entirely happier about himself. Something that wasn't present within himself before. Slithers of doubt and low self esteem plagued him. But peace seemed to prosper on his heavy handed features. "No, not really. But if I had to say, I did something amazing. I realised who I was, and who you are. I'm not what someone claims me to be, and no one can place a label on me. I let go of that leash that strangled my neck, and the one I clung to at the same in my hand wrapped round someone else's." The words flowed from his heart. Gratitude and peace was present within each formed word that he pronounced.

It seems his breakthrough was a result of conquering some doubts, possibly old demons. Something that interfered with his sense of worth and identity. The corners of my mouth artificially rose towards him. "I'm glad, father. You, truly, did something amazing. Keep using it to protect me and mother."

"I will."

Then silence settled between the two of us. Not uncomfortable. Not by any means at all. It was pleasant. I remembered when being stronger used to give me that feeling. Accomplishment. Yet all that it arrived me at was death, and no one who loved me nor cared for me. I felt no attachment to anyone and I still have yet to, but I hope for a future where I can have people I'll love. People who won't grow into a separate path from mine. For that, however, I need strength.

"Yes~, strength is all you need. Feelings aren't worth enough as they clearly don't do anything on a battlefield. Such expendable things aren't meant for us. Sorry, for me I mean."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

My head quickly turned in disbelief. I searched for the whisper that circulated through my thoughts in that instant.

It really was just in my head? That voice was very familiar, but felt distant at the same time. What is going on with me? Visions of Evert and now this voice?

It talked of the values emotion brings on a battlefield. How such an expendable force is meaningless. Strength is the only thing meant for...him. I refused to acknowledge what the voice adhered to. That wasn't me. At least not the present me. I'm focused on strength to protect so I can live the life I desire.

Roughly after two or so hours, my father had finished catching the fish and had grilled the mackerel on a stick he set above a bonfire I had to light. It seemed his blue flames remained constant and were much more potent than regular flames as each time he persisted in lighting it, it burned the wood in an instant to ash.

A crispy skin melted into the soft taste of the meat sliding across my tongue in the depths of my mouth. Steam gradually rose from it and contents were just as piping hot, resulting in my awkward gaping mouth and my rushed breathing that tried to cool the fish as efficiently as possible. Aldir chuckled at me wholeheartedly before falling prey to the very thing he just ridiculed me for.

I stood over his panicked expression, basking in the glory of emerging briefly victorious.

"Alright, let's get moving." Father announced to me after we finished our grilled mackerel. He reached for the bag on his waist and slot it open. I peered in and to my surprise, found nothing. Yet he continued by grabbing his fishing rod and the bait and began chucking them in there.

"What the? What is that?" I asked, as my father miraculously slotted in a 6ft fishing rod into a bag that was at most thirty centimetres in length.

His eye raised towards me suspiciously. "You don't know what this is? You, the one who knows so much about magic, yet doesn't recognise one of the most crucial discoveries in magic transportation?"

As I thought. Magic has advanced lots since the thirty or so years that I had died ago. Still, it's concept interests me most dearly.

My eyes pestered my dad who was still confused at the gap in knowledge between these usually closely tied subjects in the broad scheme of mana as a whole. "C'mon then. I'll explain it to you on the way, but we shouldn't stay in one place. We need to return to your mother before dusk falls tonight."

Our legs slowly built mana in them and exploded into the trees above ground, traversing and scouting closely for food that we would bring back home for the winter.

"Well this is a 'dimension storage' item. In truth anything can be a dimension storage item as long as you have one of these crystals embroiled somewhere into the object." He began explaining, tossing me the bag, bottom up, where the onyx gem shined. "These stones were founded fifteen years ago in the dwarven mountains. A whole cavern of them was found. Since then they have been studied closely and eventually implemented in this way."

"The draconic and human researchers came together to discover the secrets of these small previous stones. The stones themselves have been identified to have a completely different element attributed to them. One that hasn't yet been utilised nor even touched upon by any of the races. The element the researchers decided on, was most likely the spacial magic. That ability to warp space and manipulate its silk to a degree. This was obviously assigned because of the nature of the stones who can seemingly create a storage accessible to at all times that doesn't actually exist in this world. Since then fighters, researchers, blacksmiths, anyone who has anything to do with magic really, is now trying to harness the element from the atmosphere itself and unlock it. Cement the theory and capabilities of this potentially new all-powerful element."

"Unfortunately, as I said before, they found a whole cavern of it."

"Then what's unfortunate about that?" I questioned his ambiguous phrasing that sent my mind into a spiral.

He reached out his hand, asking for the bag which I threw back, and resumed his explanation. "There was only that one cavern found of it. While it still remains fairly plentiful, I don't see it lasting much longer than another decade or so. And nobody seems to be getting closer to the application of the actual element. In my opinion, us trying to mess with the potential power of space is far past our reach. It's like were trying to become gods. We can already mould the world to our will, and yet we thirst for more. Is it worth it? Aren't we barking up the wrong tree? I don't know. That's just my opinion."

I hummed my response to my father before our gazes locked as we spotted a wild herd of Weredears.

"Let's finish this hunt."