Nervous. So nervous. It had been a long time since he’d felt this agitated.
He wasn’t circulating because he would need it for later. But he wished he had the calm to deal with the situation. Everywhere, he could hear whispers; people glanced in his direction every second. His insides felt like they were stuffed with dread, and he was tempted to use his mana to shrug it off.
But no. This much was doable. It was back to the moment when he’d come to school with Enariss for the first time, except that she wasn’t here to console him. Riley and Rhyne were in other classes, so they wouldn’t see each other until lunch.
He felt so alone.
Demund noticed a smirk. And a grin. Then a chuckle. It might have been students simply talking, but it touched him differently. Though he was glad that Edan and his group were mostly composed of juniors as they had classes on different floors.
He made it to the room, trying to ignore everything around him. Taking out his books, he began to prepare for class.
So far, so good. Nobody had talked to him yet.
The teacher came, and school began without any complications. He diligently focused on the lecture. It let him momentarily forget about the incident at Edan’s house.
He never should have butted in.
Time passed by quickly, and it was time for lunch. Riley and Rhyne met him at the cafeteria, and they ate at one of the tables. Demund had an eye out for Edan and his group, but surprisingly, he didn’t spot anyone.
“Maybe I’m paranoid, but it feels like everyone’s taking glances at me,” Demund confessed. “Darn. I’m nervous.”
“Trust me, you don’t have to be,” Rhyne told him, waving his hand casually. “People don’t really care unless it’s personal.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, I had something similar happen in middle school.”
“He punched someone,” Riley muttered. “Those were bad times.”
“Hey, to be fair, you’re the one who told me to.”
“No, I told you that something was weird and you went to him.”
Demund scratched his cheek, wondering what they were talking about. “What happened in middle school?” he asked.
The two looked at each other. Riley cleared his throat, and Rhyne whistled, turning his attention to his food.
“Wow, you guys are great friends,” Demund sighed. “After I told you I’d teach you about magic…”
“It’s not like we don’t want to tell you,” Riley apologized, putting his hands together. “It’s just that it was a big accident. The teachers told us to be quiet about it.”
“You know what? Who cares. It’s middle school stuff,” Rhyne spat, slapping his hand on the table. “So yeah, I punched someone. It’s a long story.”
“You sure?” Riley asked. “We’re technically still in the same school.”
“I mean, we’re friends with Enariss now, aren’t we?” Rhyne shrugged. “Demund is close with her too. I don’t think we’ll get into trouble.”
“Trouble?” Demund was intrigued now. He wanted to know.
“You tell him,” Riley sighed, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.
“So, in middle school, we were in the same class as Enariss, yeah?”
“Yeah?”
“Actually—she comes in later. There was this guy called Kein, and he was like Enariss right now. The most popular guy in class. The earliest one to awaken their power. Turns out,” Rhyne leaned closer, “his power was brainwashing.”
“No, not brainwashing,” Riley said. “Subtle persuasion.”
“Subtle my butt. He had everyone under him. Anyway, we got our powers pretty early on as well, and Riley realized that something was weird. You know, with his power being having a clear mind and all.”
“So? What happened?”
“Well, until then, Kein said that his power was quick-thinking, or reasoning—something like that. He made people do weird stuff with his logic. I thought it was funny. Anyway, he never did anything too bad to stay off the radar. That’s until Riley discovered that whenever he was with Kein, he felt compelled to do whatever he asked.”
“Even when I didn’t know him that well,” Riley said. “We weren’t even friends, and I was giving him money.”
“He was collecting money from everyone. Small amounts, but there were over fifty people. So Riley told me about it, and after thinking, I knew it was weird.”
“So you…punched him?”
“Not right away. I talked to him—”
“I told him to tell the teachers first.”
“And he pissed me off. You know, when I was aware of it, I could feel this…compellingness.”
“Is that a word?”
“Anyway, I told him to stop, but he didn’t. So I punched him.”
“And everyone thought that Rhyne was the bad guy. He got suspended from school, and everyone in class basically thought we were delusional,” Riley groaned. “We really should have told our parents. Rhyne wanted to be a hero, so he convinced me not to—urgh, I cringe thinking about it.”
“Yep, those were bad times. But hey, we did manage to win some people over.”
“Like, two.”
Demund blinked. He’d known that something had happened to them, but their story sounded surprisingly similar to his. A story he never wanted to tell anyone, a story only Jothan and their families knew about.
“I don’t see a Kein around here,” Demund observed. “What happened after?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure, but there were rumors,” Rhyne continued. “Kein tried to, er, make a move on Enariss or something like that. Suddenly, he didn’t come to school anymore. And you know what the crazy thing was? People didn’t really care.”
“The school never admitted what happened,” Riley spat. “After all the stress they put Rhyne through. Not even a single apology.”
“Oh well. But I think everyone knew Enariss was involved with Kein’s disappearance. And it was a little…terrifying? We knew she was the daughter of, you know, but they just—made someone go poof.”
“Yep. Make sure not to bring that up.”
Demund recalled the incident when he and Enariss had been jumped on by some thugs. She’d apparently almost killed some of them, but the trials had gone by without any problems.
“Uh, so, how are things with your former classmates now?” Demund asked.
“What do you think?” Rhyne grinned. “It became awkward.”
“We’re in high school, so not really anymore,” Riley said, “but we tend to stick to ourselves. You’re similar to us in a way. You stood up for that guy.”
“Turns out he didn’t need saving,” Demund sighed.
“Well, so yeah.” Rhyne scraped the last of his food into his spoon. “Time heals everything? I don’t know. Let things pass, I guess. People don’t really care.”
Demund smiled, breathing out. “Thanks, guys,” he said, feeling calmer. “Maybe I’ll share my story with you someday.”
“Like the dream world?”
“That too. But I had some things happen during middle school as well—”
The bell rang at that moment.
“Darn, that was a long talk,” Riley whistled, getting up. “I’ll see you after school.”
“Alright. We have to run.”
“Eh, we still have five minutes.”
They quickly moved to return their plates and headed towards class. And Demund’s stomach felt much better, partly because he’d eaten, and mostly because of what his friends had said.
They were great, those two. Confident, unflinching, steadfast. They didn’t give in to pressure like him.
For the first time in a long while, he felt like he’d found friends whom he could truly reveal himself to.
⤙ ◯ ⤚
“I felt like I should return this.”
Demund kept a straight face as he held the bag in front of Edan. Inside was everything he’d gotten from him, including the ones from the Junior’s Advancement. He’d loved the expensive clothes since they were the highest quality items in his possession, but it didn’t feel right keeping them after what had happened.
Edan narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. “What’s this, Demund? Are you cutting ties with me once and for all?”
Why did he have to put it that way?
“It’s not like that,” Demund replied. “You gave me things worth more than a year’s allowance. It’s too much to take.”
“You took it pretty willingly before,” Edan snorted.
Demund curled his toes in his shoes. “I thought about it, and it didn’t feel right. I’m grateful, but it’s too expensive for me.”
Edan smirked, cracking his neck. “You know, I thought we had something going in between us. They were gifts to you from me. Should I take this as a revocation of our friendship?”
Power surged into his mind as he felt his spirits rise. He had to be determined.
“I don’t fit in your group,” Demund stated. “I’m better off at my house, studying with a book. So I really won’t need these clothes because I won’t have time to wear them. They’ll be better off with you.”
“You didn’t like my parties?”
“After what happened, not really.”
“What, that little prank?” Edan’s voice rose, drawing some eyes to them. “You’re seriously doing this because of a prank that even Davis agreed on? We’re not kids, Demund. What, now I’m not your friend anymore? Is that how it is?”
“I didn’t put it that way,” Demund said in a firm voice. “You’re twisting my words.”
“Whatever.”
Edan waved his hand uncaringly at Demund while looking at something else. “Throw it in the trash. Who’d want to wear something someone else wore.”
Demund tightened his fist. It was taking everything he had to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks. He dropped the bag on the ground.
“Seriously? Littering in the building?” Edan sighed. “Davis. Davis!”
The guy came waddling to them, covered in sweat. He’d been helping the others work out.
Edan motioned at the paper bag. “You can have that. Or sell it.”
Davis nodded, glancing at Demund. Before Demund could say anything, he took the bag and tucked it underneath his arms, going away. They were treating him like a servant, and he was complying with them. It was much more clear to him now.
The ordeal was over. Demund relaxed, stopping the flow of power. He turned around to go back to his friends.
“Ungrateful bastard.”
The words almost caused his legs to freeze, but he walked on, acting as if he hadn’t heard it. Edan had spoken them under his breath, just barely enough for him to recognize it. He was tempted to turn around and look the guy in the eyes, but he walked on, feeling sick in his chest.
All the fun moments he’d had with Edan, gone like that. Demund couldn’t understand why Edan would change so quickly.
No, it wasn’t that. He’d always been like that since the beginning. With no one to speak against him, everything had looked fun and smooth.
Or had he made a mistake again? Like with the soldiers—he had messed up then. Maybe he was in the wrong here, rejecting Edan when he had shown kindness. Maybe Davis didn’t mind it and it was just him who was overthinking things.
Demund clenched his jaw. Had Edan been a good person at heart, he wouldn’t have reacted so hostilely. He could tell; his past was screaming at him to get away.
Back then, Jothan had been there to back him up. Now he had Riley and Rhyne. Alone, he might have succumbed, but together, he wouldn’t be discouraged.
Though with Davis, he really didn’t want to get involved. The guy was staying in there because he wanted to, right? If he wanted to get out, he could do it himself.
Right now, he was busy taking care of himself. Many things were on his mind, and Davis wasn’t one of them.
“How did it go?” Riley asked when he reached them.
“Not that well,” Demund sighed. “I think he hates me now.”
“It was best not to get involved with them,” Rhyne muttered, grunting as he lifted a weight. “They’re not really the good type. I hate sparring with anyone from that group. Well, except maybe Juvel. He’s cool.”
“Do you guys still spar?”
“Nah. Even with anexide, it’s tiring. Gotta study, you know?”
“I’m surprised you’re saying that,” Riley said, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, can’t disappoint Enariss while she’s gone, right? You’d agree with me.”
“Yeah, of course,” Demund nodded.
Without Enariss to lead the study group, they were still adjusting to the new situation. For now, they were working on their own classes. Though they had a lot of time left each study session since the worksheets Enariss had provided were nonexistent now. Time felt slower than ever without her, and Demund looked forward to the time when she’d return. Until then, he’d try to stay off Edan’s radar and spend his time with his friends.
“Dude, your leg must be like, double the strength of ours,” Rhyne grinned, looking at Demund squat.
“Shoosh. Trying my best not to fall over,” Demund breathed, getting up. “Yeah, squats don’t work for me. I’d rather run.”
“Need help?”
“Do your thing first.”
Having a missing leg sucked during leg workouts. He’d always have a weird posture because of it. There were expensive prosthetics that could replicate a leg down to its muscles, but that was out of his league. He’d hoped that maybe Enariss would get him one for his birthday or Christmas, but—
What am I even thinking? He wasn’t a beggar. He could never ask his friends for anything. Asking for help was something he could not do.
They made sure to dry themselves properly before going out into the cold. As they were making their way towards the parking lot, Demund spotted someone he didn’t think he would see at that point during the day coming out of the library. She was someone he hadn’t contacted for a while.
“Alina?” he waved as his friends twisted their necks towards him. “Hey, long time no see.”
“Oh, Demund!” Alina answered. She had someone next to her. “You haven’t contacted us at all since you went to the…Junior’s Advancement? Whatever it was.”
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“Sorry about that. I was a little busy.”
“My parents said they saw you on TV.”
“Really? Never knew it would be broadcasted.”
“They said you did great.”
“Tell them I’ll go say hello sometime,” Demund said, noticing a familiar face. “Is she your friend?”
“Who, Kacy? Yes.”
She was the black-haired girl he’d seen during Edan’s party. He’d completely forgotten about her. He also never would have imagined her to be with his best friend’s little sister.
“We’re best buds,” Kacy replied, hugging Alina’s arm. “You know, you kind of ditched me during that party.”
“Uhhh, yeah—” Demund winced, glancing at Alina, “I don’t think I’ll go there anymore.”
“With the chaos that happened? Duh.”
Kacy rolled her eyes. “Well, the party was boring anyway.”
Alina was frowning at him now, half with worry and half with scorn. She was one of the few people who knew about him—the real him.
“So, partying now?” she said, pursing her mouth. “I don’t think you should.”
“Trust me, I’m never doing that again,” Demund promised, putting his hands together.
“Kacy also showed me a video of you dancing,” Alina sighed, taking out her phone. “Just a sec. This is you, right?”
It was the video of him being drunk. He writhed inside, hating himself for ever drinking. If his parents found out—
“Did you tell your parents?” he asked quietly.
“Not yet,” Aline replied.
“Sorry, I made a mistake. I will never drink again.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What? You’re supposed to convince Alina to go to a party with me, not deter her,” Kacy pouted, crossing her arms. “No fun.”
“Er, Demund, we’ll see you tonight,” Riley coughed, putting his hand on Rhyne’s bag. “Enjoy your talk.”
“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Demund said awkwardly, waving at his friends. Rhyne was staring at him like he was a criminal, jaw dangling as he was half-dragged away by Riley.
“Tonight?” Alina huffed. “Who are they? Are you doing weird stuff?”
“Riley and Rhyne, my friends. We do a study group,” Demund explained. “They’re good people. Real friends.”
“Hmm.”
Alina put a finger on her chin. “Study group, you say? Maybe we could study together.”
“We were just studying at the library,” Kacy nodded. “But Alina is bad at teaching things.”
“She can be hard to understand sometimes,” Demund agreed.
“What! That’s nonsense,” she said, looking like she’d gotten slapped. “But it would be nice to have you with us. He helped me get into this school,” she told Kacy.
“Mmm. I’d be happy with it,” Kacy smiled. “I know he’s smart. Do you know that he has perfect grades on everything?”
“Really?”
“How do you know that?” Demund frowned. “Let me guess—the Student Life Committee.”
“Not really. You’re sort of famous as the only guy Enariss acts intimate with.”
Alina raised an eyebrow. “You’re friends with a girl?”
“Remember, you’re a girl too,” Demund said. “But I’m already studying with Riley and Rhyne. I could ask them if you want to join us. Or would you not like that?”
“Hmm. What kind of people are they?” Alina asked.
“I know a little,” Kacy said. “Riley is the calm guy. Rhyne is the hyper guy. They always stick together, I think. And with you.”
“Trust me. They’re great guys,” Demund promised. “Riley’s good at teaching. And they’re the ones who convinced me not to, you know, party. You know, I think your family and theirs are pretty similar.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Alina had always been the strict and upright person in her family. She’d tattled on him and Jothan when they had stayed up too late playing games during a sleepover. Those had been good times.
“I’d be fine with it,” Alina decided. “Kacy?”
“I’m okay as well,” she agreed.
So he quickly called Riley, who picked up right away. After telling them about the situation, it didn’t take long for them to agree with it. All the while, Demund could hear Rhyne whooping in the background, making weird noises. But it didn’t seem right for them to meet at Riley’s house.
“Okay. Are you planning on starting today?” he asked the girls.
They both nodded.
“Alright. Let’s see.”
Demund thought about the best location, and all signs led to one. It was finally time to reveal a part of him that he’d hidden from his friends. Kacy, he wasn’t so sure of, but if Alina considered her a close friend, he would risk it.
He took in a deep breath.
“Then we’ll meet at my house at eight.”
⤙ ◯ ⤚
“Woah, nice place.”
“You have a second floor? That’s cool.”
“Yeah, haha,” Demund laughed weakly, showing them around the house. “But it’s a little crowded. Area wise, it’s probably half of your houses.”
“Still, I always wanted a house with a second floor,” Rhyne said, looking around. “Can we go see your room?”
“Maybe after we’re done studying.”
They made themselves comfortable on the dining table—the only place that was big enough to fit all of them besides the floor. Three good leaps would get them to the front door; it was a small house.
“Are your parents here?” Alina asked, sitting down. “I’d like to say hello.”
“They’re out for a walk,” Demund replied.
To be honest, he didn’t want his parents to be there. His mother was overly considerate to the point where he felt embarrassed to invite friends over. Then again, it had been a long time since he did have friends over besides Jothan. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he’d remembered. His father had made unfunny jokes to Jothan whenever he’d visit.
And they were old. He’d been born late, and his parents were easily over ten years older than the parents of his classmates. Even the house had an old smell to it, something he’d been conscious of when he was younger.
Now, he found himself caring less. He only hoped that things wouldn’t be too awkward. His parents could be emotional sometimes.
“For now, we’re going through our class material,” Demund explained. “It’s not really studying together, but it gives motivation. But if you two don’t know anything, feel free to ask. You guys are, er, in the special class?”
He’d seen their colored uniforms. They both nodded.
“Okay,” Alina said. “But why don’t we introduce ourselves first?”
“Sounds good,” Riley agreed.
“I guess I’ll go first, since everyone knows me,” Demund volunteered. “I’m Demund.”
A few seconds passed.
“That’s it?” Alina asked.
“Yeah? You next.”
“Oh. Well, I’m Alina,” Alina began with a kind smile. “I’m Demund’s friend’s sister. Kacy and I are freshmen, and I hope to learn many things from this group.”
“Demund’s friend’s sister?” Rhyne said, looking at Demund for clarification.
“He went to the Islands,” Demund told him.
“Ah.”
“Ahem.”
Their eyes turned to Kacy who had cleared her throat. She sniffed, tilting her head slightly.
“I’m Kacy,” she said brightly, putting her chin on her hands. “Kacy Merral. It seems like we forgot about last names.”
“Oh, right. I’m Demund Blanner.”
“Alina Harken.”
“Wait, Merral?!” Rhyne whispered, shaking Riley’s leg underneath the table.
I can hear you, Demund sighed internally.
“I only came here because Alina is here,” she stated, leaning forward. “If she leaves, I’m leaving. But otherwise, I’m looking forward to it. This is where Enariss used to study as well, right?”
“Not here, but yes, this study group,” Demund nodded.
“Then I’m satisfied. I’ll take having two of the smartest people in school in one place as a good sign.”
She felt slightly haughty, and he agreed with Alina when she began to softly scold her friend. Kacy only smiled and shrugged. As pretty as the girls were, Demund hoped his friends wouldn’t be offended by their conduct.
“I’m Riley,” Riley eventually said. “Riley Flae. Nice to meet you. If there is anything I could explain, I’d be glad to.”
“Rhyne Talonia,” Rhyne said with more calm than Demund would have expected. “Pleasure to meet you two.”
“Right. Let’s begin then.”
“Do you have drinks?” Kacy asked, leaning her cheek against an arm.
“Right. Drinks. You guys can start first,” Demund said, getting up.
Kacy shrugged when Alina glared at her.
“I’ll help you,” Alina said, pushing her chair back.
While the others began the study session, Demund and Alina went to the kitchen where he rummaged through the fridge for something to drink. Water seemed too plain, but his family didn’t buy many drinks. They were unhealthy according to his mom.
“So…how’s your leg doing?” Alina asked carefully while taking out the cups. “I can use these, right?”
“Yeah, you can use anything,” Demund replied. “I’m managing. I think I’m used to it now.”
“I see.”
“Any news from Jothan?”
“Not yet.”
They shared a silent moment. The only noise came from the cups and tray.
“Do you think they’ll like honey water?” Demund asked.
“Yeah? The weather’s cold too.”
“Okay.” Demund turned around. “You know, Alina?”
“Hmm?”
“No offense, but…how did you become friends with Kacy?”
Alina frowned. “With Kacy?”
“Since you two don’t seem…similar.”
“You and Jothan weren’t that similar,” Alina said.
“Right.”
“Sorry. That sounded—whatever. Kacy took care of me when I first came to TISE.”
“She did?”
Alina nodded. “You know, you congratulated me for being accepted into the special class last year. You never told me about how exclusive they could be.”
Demund remembered his time in the special class. Even now, he was alone, more so now that Enariss was missing.
“I didn’t like it. I tried hard to be included.”
She exhaled deeply. “Well, Kacy wanted to be friends with me. Everything has been smooth since then.”
“You could have told me,” Demund said. “I’m—sorry about that.”
“Why are you apologizing? You already had a lot of things going on in your life…”
She knew about the past him. The unreliable, frail, undetermined, broken him. Years had passed, but suddenly, the bad memories seemed to catch up to him. He should have paid more attention to her, but her words were true: he’d been busy.
“Oh, well.”
Alina stretched her arms high above her, leaning to the left and right. “She’s a good person. Did you know that her father works at the organization for heroes?”
“Really?”
Alina nodded. “He supposedly has ties to the Preliminary Islands as well. But yeah, she’s great. I know she comes across as a rich lady—well, she is—but she’s only being honest. I hope you don’t think too badly of her.”
“Not particularly,” Demund said. “I’ve seen worse.”
“You mean Enariss?”
“Oh, no, no. Other people.”
“Middle school?”
“It’s complicated.”
He’d never told her about the dream world. That was something only a handful of people knew about.
They returned with the drinks, and he was relieved to see them enjoy it, though Kacy remarked that it would have been better to add a slice of lemon to it.
“If you come to either of our houses, we have fancier stuff,” Rhyne told her. “We usually have our sessions there.”
“The focus is on studying,” Riley said, sending Demund an apologetic look, “but he’s right.”
“I don’t mind it here,” Kacy commented, taking a small sip. “It’s a brand new experience. Do you wash the dishes yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Even during this weather?”
“Yes. We have warm water.”
“I think you’re underestimating the middle class too much,” Alina told her friend. “I wash the dishes as well.”
“I thought you had a dishwasher.”
“Some things have to be cleaned manually.”
“I see.”
It took some time, but they were able to finish studying. Demund was glad that the two groups seemed to mix well enough; it was less awkward than he’d thought it would be. Rhyne especially, though rough around the edges, spoke without any problems. He’d always complained about how bad he was at speaking around girls.
After promising to meet later during the week, they each went home through their vehicles. Everyone seemed to have an automated car besides him.
He looked at the night sky. It wasn’t as full of stars as the sky in the other world, but there was something familiar about it. Enariss would be looking at the same sky, doing whatever she needed to do in the Preliminary Islands.
He’d lost friends and gained some. It was the same for the other world. A year ago, he’d never have imagined things to change so quickly. The him from middle school would never have been able to adjust properly.
Maybe he had changed. He didn’t particularly feel different, but he knew about more things now—about more people.
Demund was unsure about the future.
But he knew he’d make fewer mistakes than he had before.
⤙ ◯ ⤚
“And—here it goes!”
The crowd held their breath as the orb of light shot up from Shaden’s hand, soaring into the air. Their eyes looked expectantly towards the sky.
With a great burst of light, the orb exploded into a thousand different warm shades, illuminating the night sky like a majestic aurora. It spread above the city, covering it, lighting up the streets with wonder and squeals of delight.
Shaden took a moment to prepare a second shot—then launched it. This time, the colors were blue and green instead of red, yellow, and orange, with hints of purple where the colors mixed.
Looking at the fireworks, Shaden couldn’t help but smile broadly; he had prepared for the moment rigorously until now. Getting permission had been the most difficult, but Perela had been able to convince the governor of the city. A celebration for the end of the Winter Trials and the beginning of a new year, she had called it.
The light explosions didn’t make sound, and he’d thought about replicating it by releasing high-pressure air. But the result had sounded a little too close to gunshots, so he’d decided to use only the light instead.
For the final performance, Shaden shaped white light into giant animals that danced above the city. First, it was a bear; next, a rabbit; then the fox, owl, and birds. The shapes weren’t perfect, but the resemblance was there. He finished off with a flurry of white that spread high into the air, very slowly dissipating into nothingness.
He needed the light magic to linger. The timing had to be perfect.
“Look!”
Looking up, Shaden knew the plan had been a success. An hour ago, he’d flown to the clouds and had cooled them so that the snowflakes would form and fall. He’d been worried that the wind would blow to ruin everything, but so far, everything was good.
It was snowing in the city. Gently, warmly, and beautifully.
“You did it!” Beila laughed, giving Shaden a big hug. “That was wonderful!”
“I only replicated what we had in my city before,” Shaden meekly replied. But he felt good. He felt proud.
“And it’s such a great coincidence that it’s snowing right now,” Beila’s friend—Mila—commented, touching a snowflake with a finger. “The spirits must love you.”
“Haha, yeah,” Shaden nodded.
Light magic, to be fair, didn’t consume that much mana. The magicians back at Danark had performed similar feats, though theirs had been prettier. Even some specialists, from what he’d heard, could shoot flares of light during battles that would light up the night. The only thing that set him apart was his control over the shapes, especially for the animals. That had been his idea, and it had taken all of his concentration. And it was worth it.
The snow—well, they didn’t have to know about that.
People in the north kept mentioning spirits, but he’d never met one before. They sounded like convenient myths if anything. But apparently, there were spirit contractors. Well, someday he’d come across one, right?
“It snows pretty frequently,” Shaden said. “I think it was a nice coincidence.”
“Can I marry this boy?” one of Beila’s friends asked—her name was Tina. “He must be a royalty of a distant country or the heir of an ancient being!”
“Thank you for the show,” Loyra—the last of Beila’s friends—thanked him. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Let’s head inside for now,” Beila urged, clenching her friends’ arms. “I’m freezing.”
“Staying inside of that house has made you frail,” Mila muttered, “but I agree.”
“Don’t deny it. You love the warmth.”
“Hmph.”
“Aren’t you tired, Shaden? Do you need to be carried?”
As much as he would have loved to be piggybacked by a pretty northern girl, it didn’t feel right. “I’m fine,” he replied.
“At least hold my hand, will you? Wow, you’re not cold at all.”
“Are his hands warm? I love men with warm hands.”
“It’s true! Say, I heard that you were at Fort Avagal. Is that true? Did you train there?”
“I thought I said to not tell people about it!”
“Oh, Beila. We must hear from Shaden himself.”
“That’s true. We didn’t get much of a chance to ask him before.”
“Don’t think about running away, Shaden!”
Ever since Beila’s three friends had come over last time, they’d taken a great interest in the foreign boy who lived in their friends’ house. For some reason, the house had also become warm since the arrival of the boy, and with each visit, their suspicions had been confirmed. They were intelligent girls, the three of them; it didn’t take long for them to determine that Shaden was a special kind of boy, and it didn’t help that Beila’s lips weren’t very tight.
From Shaden’s perspective, it was one of the best things that could happen to him. Being surrounded by three—no, four girls? Then again, they couldn’t be over fifteen. Yet, they didn’t act fifteen. They acted like twenty.
It probably had to do with the fact that children officially became adults on their fifteenth birthday. Though being much older mentally, he shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as he had.
And yet, getting so much positive attention was addicting.
The house had already cooled a little, and he quickly heated it back up. The girls loved taking baths in the house due to the warm water, and in a mere week, they had begun frequenting the place much more than before (according to Beila). It wasn’t just the girls; the house had become a hotspot for Perela’s friends as well, not to mention Ponya and Heina’s lady friends.
Ordinarily, even after a great firework display, people would have returned home to spend the rest of the dark night asleep. But the Nieut residence was lit up and teeming with people there to celebrate the beginning of the new year. The celebration would have occurred before the sun went down, but because Shaden was present—
They would party all through the night with no worries about fuel usage.
He’d already managed to teach the children a few light spells that would linger like a floating torch. It was fairly simple for them because of the existence of chanting; Shaden only had to teach them the theory behind the spells. Once they understood, replicating it wasn’t a problem.
“Here comes the main man for tonight!”
He’d already been congratulated many times, but returning to the house brought him more praise. He was sure everyone in the city knew him by now with all of the talking and gossiping the ladies and girls did during their free time. It was a small city, and news traveled fast. It was also why he’d received permission for the fireworks in the first place.
Shaden was shocked when some people kissed him on the hand and asked him to hold their babies’ hands. The adults were about to crowd around him, but thankfully, Beila and her three friends managed to drag him upstairs, hiding him in a room to talk in peace.
“Some people think that if they show favor to you, the spirits who like you will show favor to them,” Beila explained.
“Is it true that you’ve made contracts with a thousand spirits?” Tina asked, her eyes twinkling. “I’ve never seen a spirit in my life.”
“Me neither,” Shaden said.
The girls—except Beila—gasped.
“How do you use magic so well then?” Mila questioned, staring intently. “Did you live with the elves down south?”
“Ah, the elves!”
“I’d like to know as well.”
Shaden scratched his cheek. “Well, I’ve visited them before.”
“Ooo.”
“We’ve never been outside of this city, you see.”
“Now I want to marry him more!”
“Girls, girls,” Beila sighed, “it’s nothing like that.”
“Do you know something, Beila?” Loyra questioned. “You can’t keep secrets from us.”
“Erm, well—”
She glanced at Shaden. While Beila was young, she’d still heard about the tales of Skotos. She understood that he was someone who was kept hidden.
“You know, you wouldn’t believe it even if I told you,” Shaden chuckled.
“Now that’s a story to keep us awake all night.”
“I promise I'll believe it, so tell us!”
How long had he known these girls? Two, three weeks? They weren’t particularly people he could trust. Then again, Enthimer was a small city. News wouldn’t spread far from it. Even if he did tell them about himself, he doubted that they would believe it. If he left the important details out, it would be fine. Tales of traveling wouldn’t do anyone harm.
And right now, he was too happy to care.
“Well,” Shaden began, “It all began when…”