“Are you sure you don’t want to see them?” asked Shaden. Mist came out from his mouth as he spoke, and all around them, the dim lanterns illuminated the streets. He pulled his robe a little more tightly around himself.
“It’s been too long,” stated his tutor. “Some things are better left unturned.”
Shaden let out a dissatisfied humph. “You said you’d visit in the winter. Just come inside. You’re already here. Where are you going to stay?”
“At an inn.” She glanced at the modest apartment. “The place looks too small to fit me.”
“My brother left the house, so there’s plenty of room.”
Rother had decided to go train at the House of Sword of Ice and Cold to the north. Shaden had visited when he left after getting a message from his grandfather, and his family had sent him off with a smile. He had left that year after completing his 15th birthday celebration. So, their house was pretty vacant.
“I’m sure Dad will be happy to see you. Mom is a nice person too. She’ll welcome you wholeheartedly.”
“I doubt that. Garthan doesn’t think that highly of me.”
“But you promised.”
“Mm…next year. I promise.”
“No. You’re meeting them this year.”
His aunt twirled her fingers and sighed, a large amount of mist forming in front of her.
“Are you nervous?” asked Shaden.
“Well…no.” She stared at Shaden. “You’re just eight. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Fine. Maybe I don’t. But we're a family. And a lot of time has passed. Isn’t it time for you to meet each other again?”
“…It’s been too long.”
“Which is why you’ll meet them today.”
Lytha squinted her eyes and glared at Shaden. The boy was so persistent. If she said no, it was final. Why did he have to argue so much?
She sighed. “I’ll be going now.”
“Lytha, is that you?”
Lytha stopped in her tracks and froze.
“I’m happy that you didn’t notice my string of mana,” whispered Shaden while shrugging. “I made sure to let Dad notice.”
“You…”
When had the boy learned how to slip past her senses?
“Lytha,” called Garthan again. His voice was calm and had lost all of its uncertainty before. “Sister. Won’t you come inside?”
Lytha turned around, her face painted with discomfort. “You would invite me into your house?”
Garthan scratched his beard and sighed. “It’s been a long time. Come inside.”
“I’m surprised you would say that.”
“Stop being so bashful. I heard you were here last time Shaden came home. The night’s becoming cold. We have dinner prepared.”
Lytha scratched her cheek. “Will…that be alright?”
Garthan chuckled and cleared his throat. “You’re the same as ever. Shaden, bring your aunt inside.”
“Of course.”
Shaden went and grabbed his tutor by her arm without giving her a second to think. Then dragging the mumbling woman, they went inside of the house as the first snowflakes began to fall in the city.
〄 〄 〄
“So. It’s been a while.”
Lytha quietly sipped a cup of tea as Garthan took a seat in front of her. They had finished dinner, and Shaden was inside his room spending time with his mother as well as Melany. And of course, the cat too. Around six months had passed, and Shaden hadn’t realized how much he had missed stroking the fur of his cat.
“You’ve become much quieter now.”
“Hmph. I’m being respectful.”
She put down her cup and crossed her legs, looking into Garthan’s eyes. “You look well. Much less gloomy than before.”
Garthan grinned and leaned back on his chair. “And you look as mean as ever. You didn’t bully my son too much, did you?”
“Nonsense. I did what I had to do.”
She lifted her cup again and took a sniff. “He’s incomparable to you when you were his age. He doesn’t cry or whimper. Unlike you.”
Garthan grunted. “I was young. Shaden is special.”
“Yes, he is.”
A short moment of silence passed between them.
“Do you still live at the castle?”
“That dark place? I’m sick of even looking at it.”
Garthan smiled. They still had that in common.
“No; I don’t exactly have a home. My work requires me to travel often.”
“So. The ideal job. You’ve found it?”
When they were young, Lytha had always told Garthan that she had wanted to explore the world outside of their family’s bland land. Garthan had almost gotten sick of her adventurous nature, and it had almost caused him to get seriously hurt a few times.
“Somewhat.”
Lytha took another sip and swallowed the liquid. “The world wasn’t as great as I thought. It’s beautiful, and there’s a lot of good food…”
She trailed off, then found herself again. “Let’s say it was more colorful.”
Then she furrowed her eyebrows and placed her chin on her hand. “Actually, it was really great, now that I think about it. The world is a great place.”
“How much did you see?”
“Oh, very much. From the Crystal Islands to the west to the Fire Lakes to the east.”
“That far?”
Lytha laughed at Garthan’s round eyes. “Indeed.”
Then she leaned forward, her eyes focused on Garthan. “But there was so much more beyond that. Endless reaches of land and water, filled with the unknown. Landscapes that are riddled with thunder, seas crawling with giant monsters, skies swarming with beasts.
“And you saw them?”
“No, idiot. I’d be dead if I did. I heard about them at the edge. But I did see some corpses. The natives hunt like madmen.”
They laughed and spoke some more, remembering old memories and getting updated on each other’s situations. His sister told him about her adventures, and Garthan told her about the family he had made, his wonderful wife, and his talented dragging. They both bragged as much as they could, and in no time, they were siblings again.
“You do realize Shaden will turn ten in less than two years,” said Lytha.
“Yes.”
“Father will want him to take the oath.”
“You mean…the binding?”
Lytha nodded, and a small frown crossed Garthan’s face.
“So soon?”
“The sooner, the better. Garthan, you don’t know the half of it because you ran away, but it’s necessary for Shaden to take the oath.”
“Not you too.”
Lytha tightened her fist. “It’s either him or his son. But by then, who knows if Father would still be alive.”
Garthan became silent. While not as much as his sister, he understood the importance of having an heir in the family.
“He’s already gotten very used to the dagger. It’s only a matter of time.”
“……There’s still some time left. Let Shaden see for himself.”
Garthan got up from his chair. “Come, I’ll show you your room. The bed and blankets are already there, so you can rest right away. The bath is—”
“I know. I saw it.”
Garthan led his sister to Rother’s room, which was now the guest room.
“Enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you.”
〄 〄 〄
The streets of Danark were packed with snow. It was around 10 in the morning, and Shaden ran through the streets in his jacket and long pants. It had been a long time since he had roamed these streets, and he laughed as he kicked himself off from the ground.
He said hello to some familiar faces he saw. Everyone was still busy during the winter, either stocking up on food or preparing for the winter festival.
Shaden soon reached a familiar entrance that loomed before him. The great doors of the Academy were closed shut, and the stone walls looked lifeless, barely a sound escaping from its structure. During the winter, the Academy went on a break. Still, there were some people who stayed over, students from far away who couldn’t return.
Stolen story; please report.
But in the cold, snowing winter, even some of those students returned to their families. Currently, in the Academy, only a handful of students remained.
Shaden walked up the stairs and pushed the doors open. Needless to say, they swung effortlessly. Shaden smiled in approval. He had definitely grown stronger.
Like he had expected, there was no one at the entrance. The large, stone reception desk was cold and lifeless. The only light that the place had was a ray of the morning sun which shined through small windows at the sides of the hall.
Shaden silently closed the doors behind him and took in a deep breath. He hadn’t been here in a while. The last time he had visited was during Rother’s 15th birthday, around seven months ago.
There was a new person running the place. The Headmistress had retired, taking the people responsible for Shaden’s incident with her. According to his father, she had grown too tired to teach.
Shaden sighed. It hadn’t been that bad. Compared to some of his training, it was but a mosquito bite. Itchy, annoying, but still trivial.
He wondered where she went. He honestly believed that she wasn’t a bad person.
With soundless footsteps created by padding his feet with mana, Shaden tiptoed through the halls. He saw some servants, but they didn’t notice him.
Would she still be here? He thought to himself.
He passed through the vacant classrooms and silent doorways. Even the indoor training areas were all empty. No, he spotted some people swinging their swords. There were always people training at the Academy.
But his target was nowhere in sight. He undid his stealth and decided to ask one of the people who was training.
Shaden approached a lean teen with very defined muscles. The shaggy-haired boy was training without a top, sweating furiously while practicing skills with his sword. It made Shaden cold just by looking at him. The room he was in wasn’t even warm.
“Excuse me.”
The teen stopped his sword right above the ground and turned his head towards Shaden.
“Can I ask you a question?”
The boy, panting, cleared his vision by moving his hair to the side.
“Yeah.” He swallowed some spit. “Sure.”
“Do you know anyone named Mistilia?”
“Ah, the wolf-girl?”
Shaden nodded. The teen wiped the sweat off of his brow with his arm and leaned on his sword.
“She should be training outside.”
“In the cold?”
“Wolves are very resistant to snow. You’ll probably find her on the outdoor training grounds.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Shaden bowed his head and walked away. The good-natured teen returned to sword-swinging, not paying much mind to the little boy who had appeared next to him.
Then he realized that the boy had suddenly appeared next to him. He hadn’t noticed at all. Were his senses that dull? Had he been that focused?
He swung his vision towards the boy’s direction.
But Shaden was long gone.
〄 〄 〄
Shaden heard a series of thwacking sounds echo in the distance even before he emerged out of the building. After taking a deep breath, he took a step out into the open.
In the distance, a brown blur was moving restlessly around a wooden dummy. Smacks and thwacks constantly filled the air, and the wolf-girl’s hair flew in the wind as she jumped and struck the reinforced dummy. Shaden noticed that the wooden structure had dents in it.
He smiled. She was very fast now. She had grown a lot.
He fetched a practice sword from the side and felt its weight. Surprisingly, it felt easy to lift it even without using mana. He looked at his arm and saw the muscles. It was so different from that of Demund’s. Just a little boy, but he was already leagues above what was normal.
Well, in Demund’s world anyway. He wasn’t so sure about this world.
He undid all of his stealth (which had become a habit to him) and purposely allowed his mana to seep out away from his body. The crazy magicians had probably given up on searching for him. If they still were, he could escape any time he pleased.
Shaden saw Mistilia stop and flutter her ears and nose. Then instantly, her gaze focused on Shaden’s direction. Shaden smiled and waved towards her.
Then without saying anything, she ignored him and began striking at her dummy again.
Shaden sighed. They hadn’t seen each other in, what, two years? He had left without saying anything. Of course she would be angry.
He walked towards her, his feet crushing the snow beneath him. Then he finally stopped around three meters away from Mistilia.
“Hey, Misty. Do you remember me?”
No comment. She continued to swing her sword. But Shaden’s keen senses noticed that her movements had suddenly gotten duller. Her expression, though she tried to keep it blank, showed signs of discomfort. Possibly anger.
“I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything. I’m…just here to say hello.”
He stood there patiently and watched the girl. Eventually, she stopped and stabbed her sword into the ground.
“What do you want? Are you here to fight me?”
“What?”
Shaden dropped his sword. “No! Never. Well, maybe a spar.”
Mistilia glared at him and clicked her tongue. “Why are you here?”
“Here to say hello.”
“That’s it? That’s why you’re here?”
“What…do you mean?”
There was a fury inside Mistilia’s eyes which Shaden couldn’t quite make sense of. Had she been that angry because he had left?
“You really don’t know?”
Her expression turned to one of hostility, and Shaden felt bare anger before his eyes. He knew bloodlust when he saw it. Or sensed it.
“Clueless. Stupid kid,” she muttered.
Shaden looked at her silently. She had grown taller, but she was still the size of a child. Hearing her insult made him confused.
He raised both of his hands in a surrendering position. “I’m sorry if I did something bad. Can you tell me what it is?”
Mistilia growled. “You made the Headmistress leave the Academy.”
Oh.
Oh. Oh. Oh.
“Now you know. If you don’t want me to hit you, leave. You don’t belong here.”
She picked up her sword and began swinging again.
Shaden didn’t say anything.
He turned around and left.
〄 〄 〄
Within thirty minutes, he returned.
“Why’re you still here?” growled Mistilia.
She looked exhausted now, just like Shaden had predicted. Staying silent, he spread a mat from one of the training rooms across the snow and placed a warm bottle of tea next to a small box.
“Would you sit down? I brought cake.”
Mistilia eyed Shaden with her yellow eyes, then glanced at the box. She sniffed the air a few times. Crossing her arms, she approached the mat and sat down in front of the items. Shaden took a seat in front of her.
“There had been a misunderstanding,” he said.
Mistilia pursed her lips and kept her arms crossed. “What?”
“It’s difficult to explain, but…remember the summer I left?”
Mistilia stared, her expression still sour.
“I was kidnapped. And apparently, the Headmistress felt responsible for it. That’s why she left.”
“You were kidnapped?”
Shaden nodded. “By some mages who wanted to experiment on me, I think.”
“Why would she feel responsible for that?”
“Failing to protect one of her students.” Shaden left out the ‘she was at the scene’ part. “If you were kidnapped, I’m sure she would have done the same.”
Mistilia became quiet.
Shaden scratched his head. “You really thought I made the Headmistress leave the Academy.”
“Well…!”
Her eyes looked confused, and Shaden could literally see her thoughts pass over her face.
“When you disappeared and the Headmistress left, Instructor Reedock looked really angry, and he told me he would stop being an Instructor—”
Her ears drooped down. “And I heard some rumors about you…so I thought…”
“What rumors?”
“How a popular Instructor was kicked out because of you, how you hurt some people—”
She shook slightly and raised her eyes. “I didn’t believe them! You’re not a bad person, but—”
Her ears drooped again. “Some people came to the Academy and told me to report you to the Instructors if I saw you again.”
She looked at Shaden. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Shaden nonchalantly unpacked the box and removed the cork from the bottle. Then he pushed it in front of Mistilia. She eyed the items guiltily.
“They’re never going to catch me.”
“So…you really didn’t make the Headmistress go away?” asked Mistilia nervously. She still had an air of caution around her.
“Did she say anything to you about me?”
“Well…she said to stay safe, and…” She swished her tail. “I guess not.”
“Then was there a valid reason to suspect me? If I was an enemy, the Headmistress would have warned you about me.”
Shaden logically laid out the facts in front of the contemplating wolf-girl, who looked confused now.
“This is the second time you’ve treated me as an enemy. I thought we were friends.”
Mistilia’s ears drooped even lower.
“So, I brought you some cake again.”
She cautiously lifted her eyes. Two years, and she was still a child. Shaden didn’t blame her. Children were easy to confuse and manipulate.
“I’m…well…”
“I’m glad to see you again,” said Shaden, putting his hand out. “Can we still be friends?”
Mistilia’s ears shot up again, and her tail did a little swishing movement across the snow. She meekly took Shaden’s hand and nodded.
“Sorry.”
“No. I’m sorry for not telling you. I hope you still like cake.”
She grinned, and her large canines stuck through her mouth. “Thanks, Shaden. Want to share some?”
“I’m fine.” Shaden instantly created a flat cylinder of snow with magic and held it up in his hand. “I’ve got a snow-cake.”
“Then I’m not sharing any with you!”
Mistilia began to hungrily eat the cake with her hand, biting into the delicious slice. She wolfed down the dessert in an instant and swallowed a mouthful of the drink.
“Ehh! What is this?”
“It apparently warms up your body. I didn’t check the taste.”
Shaden chuckled as the girl chewed some snow to get rid of the aftertaste of the tea. “The drink ruined it,” she complained.
“Think of it as a punishment.”
“So you knew!”
“Did I?”
Shaden laughed and ran away as Mistilia tried to catch him. They ran through the snow, and Shaden dodged Mistilia’s pounces every time, leaving her panting and breathless at the end of it.
“Why’re you so fast!?”
Shaden shrugged. “I did some training. I wasn’t lazing around, you know.”
Suddenly, he felt a large presence approach him from the back.
“Mistilia, can I come visit tomorrow?”
The wolf-girl placed her hands on her hips and grinned. “Sure. I’ve been bored, anyway.”
“Then see you later.”
“…at the old classroom.”
Shaden turned around. “What?”
“Come to the old classroom! Today, at three. That’s when my training ends. I’m bored.”
“Well…okay. See you later.”
Shaden quickly hid as an Instructor emerged out of the Academy building. To Mistilia, Shaden just disappeared suddenly, and she tilted her head in confusion.
〄 〄 〄
Enariss was feeling discontent and proud at the same time lately on her nightly runs with Demund. She was very glad that Demund was as energetic as ever, possibly even more. He was constantly overcoming her expectations, reaching new heights that she didn’t think was possible for him.
Like the fight from yesterday. After it, everyone’s opinion of the crippled boy had changed. Enariss didn’t mind that. The others could think whatever about Demund for all she cared.
But the reason why she was slightly dissatisfied was that…she felt like Demund had gotten less dependent on her. After the break, she had expected Demund to be more reliant on her now that they took classes together. But reality was different. While he wasn’t exactly fitting in socially right away, his determination was blinding.
Even now.
She glanced at Demund who was breathing in a rhythmic motion as they ran. Even though they were sprinting at the usual max pace, he didn’t show signs of slowing down at all.
They were nearing her house, so she increased her pace even further, expecting Demund to lag behind. But he kept right next to her like glue, and she heard his breaths in the night air.
Eventually, they arrived at her house, and Demund placed his hands on his knees, panting.
“That...was…fast!” he gasped. He then began to breathe slowly again, and Enariss felt something strange, similar to what she felt when she was using her ability. It was gravitating towards Demund.
“How are you doing this?” she asked, her hands behind her back. She leaned her body so her face would be right in front of Demund’s. “How did you improve so much?”
Demund raised his eyes and looked directly into hers. They maintained eye contact for a while before Demund looked down and took in a deep breath.
Enariss released the nervous breath she had been holding.
“I discovered a way to use SAP.”
“Use SAP?”
“Supernatural Acclimatization Particles. The things that give people their superpowers.”
Demund stood up straight and wiped his sweat off. “I’ve been training with the knowledge from my dreams. It helps me recover faster and enhances my senses. I can control my body better.”
“That’s…a superpower!”
Demund grinned. “Exactly. There’s more to my power than I thought.”
Enariss felt a chill go through her spine.
Rayn had said the same thing.
Oblivious of her feelings, Demund continued.
“You’re probably wondering why I can use my leg so well. Here, let me show you something cool.”
Demund picked up a leaf from the ground and gave it to Enariss.
“Make some holes in it, but don’t tell me how many you made. And don’t show me.”
He turned around and stood with his back towards Enariss. Following his instructions, Enariss made some holes inside of the leaf with her fingers.
“When you’re done, put the stem between my fingers.”
She took the leaf and helped Demund pinch its stem between his fingers. He was still facing away, his eyes closed.
“There are…six holes? No, wait. There’s a little rip to the side. Am I right?”
“You’re right,” answered Enariss. She took the leaf from Demund and looked at it. She hadn’t even noticed the small rip to the side.
Demund smiled. “So yeah, enhanced senses. Pretty cool, right?”
Enariss inspected the leaf. Then increasing her power to 300x, she closed her eyes and tried to sense the leaf.
She felt nothing but its weight and texture on her fingers.
She undid her power and dropped the leaf. “That’s impressive. But it's not just sensing, is it?”
“You’re exactly right. I can…put my senses into objects.”
“What?”
“It’s weird to explain. I can concentrate the SAP in my body and make it into microscopic threads, then insert it into objects to sense them.” He tapped his prosthetic leg. “That’s what I do with this. It’s tiring, but it’s worth it.”
“How is that even possible?”
“I guess it’s just the nature of my ability.”
Demund didn’t know if other people could even learn how to do this. First, they’d have to circulate and endure the unnatural pain. The whole process was too complicated for others to learn from.
Enariss sighed and shook her head. “I’m glad for you. Just don’t overdo yourself, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I got this.”
Enariss smiled. But her worry grew more.
If he was growing this fast, it would be too late by the time school ended.
Perhaps—
It was time to accelerate her plans.