Chapter 02

The First Step

Morning light streamed through an open window, warming the cheek of a young boy’s face as he snored on. The sound of birds chirping harmoniously outside atop tree branches could be heard, along with the light hum of hover-cars speeding past.

“BZZZ…BZZZ… BZZZ…”

An alarm’s blare suddenly cut through the tranquility, but the boy, wrapped in his warm duvet, groaned and buried his head deeper into his soft pillow.

“BZZZ… BZZZ… BZZZ…”

The alarm rang again, the vibrations it caused against the hollow, wooden drawers it rested on intensifying. The boy, still ignorant, raised his arm instinctively toward the noise, accidentally hitting his hand against the drawers with a loud thud.

His eyes snapped open as the impact jolted him awake, his heart suddenly pounding as if startled from a dream he couldn’t remember. A feeling of dread washed over him, accompanied by an unfamiliar image flashing in his mind—ruins? The feeling then gradually dissipated as quickly as it had come.

Still confused and clinging to the last moments of his sleep, he stared blankly at nothing in particular. Then, after a moment had passed, a sudden realization struck him like a mana-infused bullet.

“Damn it!” he suddenly cursed.

He hurriedly sat up, then reached for his watch. Flicking the alarm off and fumbling slightly, he unplugged his watch from the charger and strapped it to his wrist. A quick tap brought up a holographic screen, the time and other important details flashing before him.

His eyes scanned the screen, then he let out a heavy sigh—he thankfully hadn’t overslept.

As he waved away the hologram and was ready to sink back into his bed, a cheerful voice suddenly echoed from downstairs.

“Finn! You better be awake! Your breakfast is ready!”

Finn sighed, fighting the urge to lie back down as he reluctantly sat himself up.

“Yeah, yeah. Coming Mom,” he mumbled, stretching his arms toward the ceiling.

After a moment, he pushed himself out of bed and tossed the duvet to the side, then stumbled across his messy floor over to the bathroom to clean up. He then threw on a plain white T-shirt and black trousers.

Quickly checking himself in the mirror hung across from his bed, he nodded with a small grin in satisfaction.

“I look almost alive, at least.”

Fumbling to put his belt on, he scanned around his cluttered room, ensuring he hadn’t forgotten anything essential. Noticing he hadn’t made his bed, a small smile appeared on his face.

He finished securing his belt, then stood up straight, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together. He then began muttering a small chant under his breath—not in his native language, as he imagined a soft breeze brushing against him. He channeled mana from his core towards his hands as a mystical green suddenly flashed, illuminating everything around him. A soft breeze then generated around his hands and quickly darted toward his bed. Weaving and winding itself through his messy covers, the bed straightened itself with ease.

Finn smiled and relaxed himself, that spell was super useful indeed. Despite it being a simple chore spell that his mom had taught him a long time ago, the situations it could be applied to were almost endless!

The simple breeze spell left his small mana reserves almost 90 percent full, his body feeling lighter almost as if he had left a part of himself in the air with the spell.

Spinning around and checking his room one last time, he nodded and then looked over toward a corner of his room where a small brown suitcase rested.

He grabbed the small suitcase handle and extended it, then pulled it behind him as he sauntered over to his bedroom door. He opened it confidently and headed downstairs, the suitcase thudding behind with each step.

His mother, hearing his clumsy entrance from across the house, came to the bottom of the stairs with a wide smile that lit up her face.

“Good morning, dear,” she greeted softly, running her tanned fingers through his neatly combed hair, ruffling it just enough to annoy him. “Breakfast is waiting on the table.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Finn replied, a hint of reluctance in his voice as he quickly tried to smooth his hair back into place. “What is it?”

With a playful glint in her brown eyes, she wagged her finger in the air. “I had to make your favorite, of course! It’s a special occasion.”

His eyebrow twitched. My favorite? He knew exactly what she meant, and it was far from what he would have hoped for. Still, he wasn’t going to tell her.

Forcing a smile, he muttered another simple thanks. Though, the enthusiasm in his voice had faded. When am I finally going to tell her? he joked internally.

They chatted lightly as they made their way through the narrow hallway, its walls lined with framed portraits of smiling family members. Finn’s eyes caught on one in particular, and his expression darkened.

Why does she still keep his picture up?

His Father hadn’t been home in years, yet there he was, still smiling and watching from the wall as a constant, painful reminder.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He shook off the thought as his chest tightened. No need to let the thought of him ruin my day, he thought.

When they reached the kitchen; which doubled as a dining room, Finn slid into his seat across from his mother. The familiar smell of porridge filled the air, still warm despite his near-tardiness. He stared at the bowl for a moment, then reluctantly dug in.

He would like to lie and say he enjoyed the porridge, but he simply couldn’t. The last time he had enjoyed the detestable food he was what, maybe six?

As he ate, his Mom watched from across the table, a warm smile on her face as she rested her head on her hand.

Finn gulped, glancing up at his mom’s expectant and warm expression before quickly looking back at his bowl.

Yeah… telling her would be impossible.

***

He finally finished his almost inedible breakfast and placed the empty ceramic bowl into the sink. He then pressed lightly on a small button covered in intricate runes under the metal faucet and channeled a small amount of mana into it. Immediately as the mana from his core drained, water flushed into the sink and the dishes seemingly began washing themselves.

Finn simply smiled at the sight and turned away, heading back to sit down.

After sliding back into his seat, a thought he had been long suppressing suddenly surfaced as his eyes drifted to the narrow hallway. He frowned with furrowed brows.

Then hesitantly, he began to speak.

“What was Fathers excuse this time?”

‘I’m sorry’ her response was quick, almost rehearsed.

“Huh?”

His Mothers immediate response stunned him.

“I’m sorry,” his Mom repeated again. “I tried… but he made the usual excuse… work this work that…” she mumbled, fidgeting in her seat with shaky hands. Her gaze drifted off the side, her eyes usual sparkle dimming as her smile faltered.

Finn sighed in defeat. Damn that joke of a husband and father. Could he care to do even the simplest of things for his family?

“It’s not your fault, Mom,” he tried. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to know if…”

“I know,” she whispered as she covered half her face with her hand.

Finn bit his lip. Seeing his mom like this hurt. A lot. If it wasn’t for that man she would never be like this.

Ever since he’d left, her phases of sadness came and went, a reminder of the love she still held for him. Finn had long bottled away his feelings for his father, the pain he had caused was unforgivable after all. Nothing could reignite the love and respect he once had for his father.

Now uncomfortable and not knowing what to do, Finn scratched the back of his head. He noted that the dishes were finally done and the once sound of splashing water had finally calmed down. He also noted that his mom still shifted restlessly in her seat, her expression unchanging.

The silence between them was thick and awkward, only broken by the occasional drip of water from the sink. Finn shifted in his seat, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table. He wanted to do something, anything to break the silence altogether, but the words wouldn’t come.

He glanced at his mother again. She was still sitting there, her head down, her lips pressed together as if holding something more than just tears back.

Finn sat there frozen, his fingers tracing the edge of the table. A heavy pressure hung in the air.

I need to do something… he thought to himself. What could he do? Convince her to forget about his dad?

Yeah. No. The thought made his stomach churn.

Instead, Finn suddenly forced a smile and spoke. “Hey Mom,” he paused and glanced down at his watch. “It's almost time for me to leave.”

He hoped saying this would snap her out of her daze. If it didn’t, he was honestly hopeless and had no more ideas.

Suddenly raising her head as she released a loud exhale, his mom nodded as a flash of realization crossed her face.

Did it work?

“Ah. That’s unfortunate…” she whispered, her frown slowly turning into a soft smile. She took a deep breath, visibly gathering herself before speaking again, her voice brighter now. “But on that topic, dear. I have a present for you!”

“Really?” Finn asked, his eyes wide from shock.

It worked! he cheered to himself, almost instinctively pumping his fists in the air.

“Yep!” she clasped her hands together. “It’s not much, but I put some money into your bank account,” she paused. “I was hoping it could help you when you get there and to help you settle in,” she finished with a cheerful tone.

“I-“

He was about to talk about how he could never thank her enough, but he stopped himself. Suddenly standing up, he meandered around the table and reached toward his Mom. She accepted the hug willingly.

“Thank you, Mom,” he whispered. “I-I’m sorry for bringing up dad.”

And he really was. He knew mentioning father always ruined her mood, but he couldn’t help himself. His eyes glanced back to the hall where their family picture rested silently, he wanted to forget those memories but he couldn’t.

His Mom shook her head. “It’s okay dear. It’s only normal to ask about him on a day like this.” she replied, before adding, “Also, about that money… I can expect you to spend it responsibly, right?”

Finn leaned away from the hug and nodded confidently. “Of course! I would never betray your trust like that!”

“I know, I know,” she chuckled.

Thank god her mood improved, Finn thought to himself as he smiled. If she was happy, he was happy.

“How much longer have you got?” she asked.

Finn glanced at his watch. “Not much longer. I basically gotta leave now,” he answered, his smile turning into a small frown.

“I see,” she said with a smile. Noticing his frown, she added, “don’t worry about me dear. Today is about you after all.”

Finn exhaled and nodded. He knew this of course, but he still felt guilty leaving his mom alone.

“He would be proud, y’know?” she whispered.

Barely hearing her words he forced a smile.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Finally reluctantly saying his goodbyes, and after his mom pestering him relentlessly about staying in contact, he was ready to leave. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and headed toward the door. Unhooking his jacket from beside the door, he placed it on his suitcase. Then, reaching for the cold metal handle, he pulled. A pang of guilt flared inside his heart for a moment, but he flushed it away. He had to step forward.

Today marked the first step toward his dreams—a future he couldn’t wait to face, yet part of him remained tethered to what he was leaving behind. But this was his future, his life, there was no turning back now.