“As we all know, over ten thousand years ago, Jeroth himself blessed humanity with magic. Immediately after, a period of expansion began for humanity, leading to the creation of the three great empires. Prome, Losimatic, and Sima. Naturally, Prome is where we live, and the only empire still following Jeroth’s example. Now, turn to page four thirty nine.”
Deimos hummed, rolling his eyes. Sure, he loved learning about history, but the bias was so obvious. He wasn’t sure how other students didn’t understand. It was only made worse because he’d already read up on Jeroth’s Journals. Despite being a foundational text for the Jerothian Followers, it seemed like no one really bothered to read them. He glanced down at the page, groaning to himself. He’d already read ahead. It wasn’t surprising, given how slow the teachers seemed to teach, but it was frustrating either way.
“Is something wrong, Deimos?” The teacher, Mr. Dresco, put his hands on his hips, looking vexed.
“I already read this.” Deimos frowned. “Can I read ahead?”
Mr. Dresco crossed his arms, a challenging expression on his face. “Oh? Then you won’t have any problem answering who founded Prome, Losimatic, and Sima.”
Deimos took a breath, knowing he couldn’t roll his eyes without Mr. Dresco being even more annoying. “Kordan, Aiedu, and The Conjurer. In that order.”
Mr. Dresco, rather than looking pleased by Deimos’ knowledge, only looked more annoyed. “And do you know why?”
“Because they each had different views on how to best follow Jeroth’s example.” Deimos stared at Mr. Dresco in the eyes. “Kordan thought capitalism and democracy were the best method for humanity to advance. Aiedu thought a strict economic control and singular, dictatorial power were better. And The Conjurer believed we should all follow Jeroth as a god, creating a religious empire to do so.”
Unsurprisingly, Mr. Dresco huffed in irritation. “Correct.” Despite his affirmative answer, Mr. Dresco didn’t seem any less displeased by Deimos. “See me after class.”
He didn’t really understand what the man wanted from him. Deimos did his best to read ahead, to not just learn the text, but to understand it. He was only ten, his teacher should be proud of his eagerness to learn, not scornful. “Okay.” He knew actually responding to Mr. Dresco would only further irritate the man, but at the moment he wanted that. Served him right.
Mr. Dresco narrowed his eyes slightly, before speaking again. “Pair up into twos and go over what you think the chapter is saying.”
Typical for his class, chaos ensued for a brief moment, friends pairing with friends. Deimos didn’t really bother moving. He knew most people would pair up with their friends, and he’d get with whoever was left. It was the same as always. He wasn’t exactly disliked, but he wasn’t close to anyone in the class.
“Can I join you?” One of the girls stood at his desk, smiling nervously. Sophia, he recalled. A short girl with brown hair and blue eyes, not really standing out in any way, which only made it stranger that she wanted to be partnered with him.
“Uh… sure.” Deimos blinked. He hadn’t expected anyone to try to join him. He didn’t move as she pulled her desk next to his, seemingly pleased by his acceptance.
“I know you’ve read ahead, but I did too, so I figured…” She shrugged, still smiling nervously. “That way neither of us will be slowed down.”
Deimos grinned. “Great. I was worried about that. So, do you really think Prome is the best?”
Sophia pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe. I’ve never been to Losimatic or Sima.”
Deimos nodded. “Exactly. Kordan might be a great leader, but that doesn’t mean he’s right about what Jeroth wanted.”
“Yeah, in his book he says individuality is the way to go, not specifically capitalism.” Sophia beamed. “I’m so glad someone else gets it!”
Deimos matched her expression. Finally, someone who understood. “What’s your magic?”
Sophia flinched, glancing around. Deimos realized he might’ve overstepped. While most people didn’t mind explaining their magic, or at least what their Cores were, some were very private about it. “I don’t know yet…”
“Oh! Me either.” Deimos chuckled.
“Really?! But you’re… well, I heard you were stronger than even the teachers!” Sophia gaped at Deimos, a sense of awe filling her.
“Well… maybe. But magical strength doesn’t mean I know what my Core is.” Deimos frowned, still annoyed at that. “I’m going to an analyst on Saturday, though.”
“Oh, let me know! I’ve got an appointment in a week. I think it’ll be Water, though.” Sophia nodded assuredly. “I’ve always enjoyed the ocean.”
Deimos smiled softly. He wasn’t about to point out that enjoying the ocean didn’t necessarily mean she was a Water Core. “I think I’ll be something weird. Cool, though.”
“I bet you’ll be Light.” Sophia nodded. “You’re always ahead of everyone else, after all.”
Deimos understood, more or less. Despite their intelligence, they were still only children. They might understand more than they should, but they didn’t always have the words for what they wanted to say. “I dunno. Imagine if I’m Dark.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Deimos… everyone can use Dark. It’s the most common thing! I’d be more surprised if someone couldn’t use Dark magic.”
She wasn’t wrong, either. Deimos knew from experience that Dark was a magic that anyone could use, almost as if it were embedded in humanity. If someone could only use Dark, they’d be a pariah on that alone. Just as much as a Light Core would be lauded as a future hero, Dark Cores would be looked down upon as a useless burden to society. He idly wondered if that was true in the other empires. “Well, you never know.” He grinned, trying to show that he was just joking.
Sophia giggled. “Anyway, let’s go ahead and read up. It’s nice to be able to talk to someone who can keep up…”
Deimos smiled softly, staring at her for a short moment. He definitely agreed.
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“Mom!” Deimos hollered as he walked into his house. “I made a new friend today!”
Lilis glanced up from her seat where she had been resting. “Oh? Come here and tell me all about him.” She chuckled softly, bouncing Dawn on her leg. Despite her youth, Dawn was a well behaved child. Naturally, this meant taking care of her was fairly easy, even given Lilis’ condition.
Deimos closed the door before hopping over to sit next to Lilis. “She’s named Sophia! She partnered with me in History today!”
Lilis let out a huff of amusement. She already knew what she was dealing with. A first crush. “Oh? What’s she like?”
“She’s great! She kept up with me all day! She’s funny, too!” Deimos practically bounced in his seat.
“Oh? Is she cute?” Lilis’ lip twitched into a smug look.
“Mooooom.” Deimos whined. “She’s a friend!”
Lilis chuckled, shaking her head. “Okay, okay. So, what’d you learn today?”
Dawn giggled. “Deimos got a crush!”
“Do not!” Deimos flushed, crossing his arms.
“Dawn, don’t tease your brother.” Lilis gently chided, pointedly ignoring Dawn sticking her tongue out at Deimos. “Now, what did you learn?”
“We learned about the history of Prome.” Deimos sighed. “I don’t like Mr. Dresco.”
“Your teacher? Why?” Lilis frowned. She’d heard some rumors lately about the school district, but nothing of substance.
“He doesn’t like me. I answer my questions and read ahead, but he still doesn’t like me.” Deimos huffed. “I don’t get it.”
“Ah” Lilis nodded, understanding what was going on now. “I think I know. Deimos, sometimes people get defensive when someone else proves smarter than they expect. Mr. Dresco deals with many children, so he probably expects you to act just like everyone else.”
“But I don’t want to act like everyone else.” Deimos looked at his feet. “They’re so boring!”
“Deimos…” Lilis sighed, shaking her head. “You don’t have to. But you have to understand that some people will dislike you for it.”
“But… what do I do, then?” Deimos stared up at her, that adorably confused expression eliciting a smile from her.
“No matter what, Deimos.” She patted him on the head. “Be the person you want to be. Let other people decide for themselves whether or not they like you. You just need to work on yourself.”
“Yeah! Deimos is cool already!” Dawn cheered.
Deimos beamed, hugging Dawn and beginning to tickle her.
“No!” Dawn whined between her giggles.
Lilis just laughed softly, shaking her head. These two were already inseparable. She couldn’t wait to see what they’d be like fully grown. Her little terrors would probably take over Prome.
Just then, the door opened. “Hey.” Achlys greeted his family tiredly.
Lilis couldn’t help her concern. Achlys had been getting more and more exhausted as time went on, but… she knew they didn’t have another choice. She just hoped she could find something, anything, to help. “Hey honey.”
“How’s my favorite people doing today?” Achlys plopped down next to Lilis, wrapping his arm around her. She could tell he’d been drinking, but he seemed sober now. She couldn’t fully blame him, and it was certainly better to drink away from the kids.
Lilis smiled, a teasing tone in her voice. “Your son developed a crush.”
“Moooom!” Deimos groaned.
“Oh?” Achlys grinned, leaning towards Deimos. “Why don’t you tell your old man all about her?”
Lilis chuckled softly, glad they at least had this. She knew it wouldn’t last forever, but… if they could at least survive until Deimos graduated, they’d be fine. As scummy as it made her feel, she knew that Deimos would take care of Dawn, no matter what.
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Deimos bounced in his seat as they waited for the analyst to come back into the room. Lilis rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. Dawn was just as excited, which was to be expected.
Lilis understood. For a child, learning your Core was a defining moment. She’d heard it claimed that once someone understood their Core, they were inevitably drawn to embody it more and more. Sometimes, this went badly. More often than not, though, it made people more driven. She could hardly imagine what her kids would be capable of with even more drive. Deimos was already as intelligent as people twice his age, and Dawn was proving to be just like her brother. Not to mention their sheer magical strength. Even when she’d been at her prime, Deimos already had more magical capacity than her. Dawn wasn’t far behind, either. Even with his… enhancements, Achlys was only a bit ahead of Deimos as it stood.
Naturally, it made them both proud, if not a bit jealous. Perhaps if they’d had such magical power, they’d have had better lives…
Lilis shook her head. No point dwelling on that. She had to live with the cards she’d been dealt. “Calm down, you two.”
“But mom! We’re gonna learn our Cores!” Deimos protested, still bouncing in place.
“Wait! What’s your core, mommy?” Dawn looked up at her curiously.
Lilis chuckled softly. “Well, your mommy’s core was Fluidity.”
“Huh? I thought Cores could only be things, not…” Deimos paused, clearly trying to think of the word.
“Concepts.” Lilis finished, patting Deimos on his head. “No, Cores can be anything. Elements are just more common.” It certainly hadn’t helped her that Fluidity was considered a waste of a Core, despite her own adoration for it. Being able to adapt and learn quickly had come in handy more times than she bothered to count, though she privately admitted it might have been why she switched jobs so often.
“Ooh! That’s cool!” Dawn beamed.
“Ahaha, don’t worry young ones.” The analyst spoke up, entering the room. “Your cores are a bit simpler than that.” With that, he sat in his chair, grinning proudly, as if he’d been the reason their Cores were what they were.
“What’s mine?!” Deimos leapt from his seat, jumping in place like an overeager puppy.
“No, do mine first!” Dawn protested, pouting at Deimos.
“Now, now. I have the results already, no need to rush.” The analyst chuckled. “Now, Dawn, your’s is particularly rare, and you’ll have a wonderful future as a Doctor.”
Dawn tilted her head. “So what is it?”
“Life, my dear. Your Core is Life itself.” The analyst grinned. “There are very few with such a Core, and it’s said the Conjurer has it as well. Yes, needless to say, you’ll have quite a wonderful life ahead of you.”
“What about me?” Deimos stared up at the analyst in awe. If his sister was Life, what could he be?! He had to be her equal, if nothing else, so what was equal to Life?!
“You, my dear boy, are just as exceptional, though not as rare.” The analyst glanced at Lilis, still smiling proudly. “Light.”
Lilis couldn’t contain her tears. Life was exceptional enough, a Core that almost always resulted in people who did their best to protect and save lives. The best doctors in the galaxy had Life Cores. Light, though, was not as rare. It was, however, far more directly beneficial. While Life almost always resulted in brilliance, Light always did. From celebrities to heroes, anyone who had a Light Core was said to be destined for greatness. “Are-are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” The analyst nodded. “That’s why I took so long. Procedure demands we double check results, and triple check the rarer results. For this? We tested their magic four times. Each time came with the same result. Congratulations, Mrs. Lambros. Your children are going to be powerhouses in their own right, even more than their magical power implied.”
Lilis scooped both of her children up in a hug, struggling with their weight. She couldn’t help the flinch at the reminder of her lack of magic. She knew, thanks to her time at nursing school, that humans who lost their magic were around a hundred times weaker than those who still had it. It was why she couldn’t really find a job. Thanks to magic enhancing everyone’s physical abilities so extremely, even household items were much, much heavier than someone who lost their magic could lift. Durability required more mass, after all.
“With that being said, it’s always recommended that you check again after they turn fifteen, then again at twenty. People change, and children change much faster than most. Still, this is cause for celebration. Congratulations, Mrs. Lambros.”
Lilis beamed, tears still flowing from her eyes. Her children would be safe. They’d get scholarships just based on their Cores. They’d have chances she never did, and she only felt happy for them. What more could a parent want, than for their children to have better lives than they did?