8 - The First Element

“I’m keeping this paper,” Sergius said, waving the certificate as if to provoke a reaction.

“What are you going to do with it? Reporting me to the city guards?” the elderly man asked.

“So you’re aware of that possibility, yet you still dared to come here with such a flawed plan?” Sergius rolled his eyes. “But that’s not it. The guards won’t care about something like this, and you aren’t that important, Sir. I just want to show this to the blacksmiths at the workshop so we can have a laugh about it.”

The elderly man paused before scoffing and walking past Sergius. “Just do whatever you want.”

“Wow, it’s always the one at fault who acts like the victim.” Sergius turned around and reached the door faster due to his longer legs. He opened it just enough for the elderly man to step out, then slammed it shut right after.

“What actually happened?” Octavia asked, not wasting a second. She sidled up to the couch where Valrion’s mother was sitting and handed the child to her.

Valrion couldn’t stop gushing over how nice his mother smelled. She must have used a different oil than the one given to him. Though both were predominantly floral, hers was bolder and less sweet—overall, the scent was more complex without overpowering. It wouldn’t be surprising if it cost at least twice as much as his.

“That man claimed to have bought a sword from the Martelli Workshop last week, but it split in half after just a few uses,” Sergius began. “He came with just this piece of paper, demanding twelve hundred nota. I told him to bring this matter to the workshop since this has nothing to do with us, but he acted all righteous, saying, ‘Let’s not make this complicated. At least I didn’t ask for the full price.’ He lives near the town square, so I asked him to bring us the sword so we could check the original mark, but he claimed he had thrown it in the lake. The only evidence he has is this fake certificate. All of this at seven in the morning!”

Except for Octavia, the women in the room laughed at Sergius’ rant. Even Valrion found the story amusing, though not enough to join them.

“But Fina said you would kick the guy out,” Octavia muttered.

“In my defense, that was what I genuinely thought would happen,” Fina explained.

“Octavia, that old man is pushing seventy. He would die if I kicked him. It isn’t my thing to kill someone,” Sergius said, looking at Octavia, then Fina. “Dragging him outside would be the more appropriate phrasing.”

“Why do you look disappointed, Octavia?” Valrion’s mother asked, stifling her laughter. Valrion glanced at the maid still standing beside them. She did pout a little, and he could somewhat surmise her thought: I didn’t come all the way here just to get less than what I was promised!

The energy between everyone in this room felt lovely. Octavia, Fina, and Sergius interacted like siblings, while his mother allowed them to banter freely despite being their employer. He had seen the lords and ladies of the house mistreating their workers, even physically taunting them. It mostly happened in wealthier households with parents who couldn’t raise their children properly, so perhaps that was the main reason.

His parents presumably were more understanding of those beneath them because they weren’t too rich to become arrogant. This mortal way of living made him chortle.

“Aww, look at you laughing.” His mother pressed his nose with her forefinger, briefly causing the area to itch. He shook his head, hoping to ease the feeling, but his mother must have found it endearing since she ended up pinching his cheek and hugging him. This must be the equivalent of Octavia squealing about how adorable he was.

“He’s been in a good mood today. Been laughing since he got here,” Octavia said. “Maybe because of Sergius’ stupid face.”

Sergius frowned. “Huh?”

“Come help me prepare breakfast, Octavia. It’s past Lady Adrianna’s breakfast time,” Fina urged before leaving the common room. It was Valrion’s first time hearing his mother’s name, which was lovely.

“I hope nothing gets burned, though your burned food would still taste nice,” Octavia muttered, following after the tittering older woman.

“Do you need something else from me?” Sergius asked Valrion’s mother.

“All good. I’ll go back to my room to feed Valrion,” she said.

“All right.” Sergius nodded before going in the same direction as the two maids.

With a heavy, deep breath, Valrion’s mother stood up and carried him inside the house. As they made their way back, Valrion could faintly hear the sounds of the three workers near the kitchen. Sergius’s cackle bounced through the hall, gradually fading as Valrion reached his bedroom.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

His mother sat down on the edge of the bed. Settling into the same position as the night before, she began to feed him while humming a similar melody as what Octavia did. It must be a famous lullaby in Eru. In terms of singing, he must admit that Octavia sounded better, but his mother was unmatched when it came to handling him, even down to the hand placement and how she didn’t caress him just as much.

About fifteen minutes later, he felt stuffed to the brim and pulled away, prompting his mother to tidy up, rise from the ground, and head downstairs again. He thought she would take him to the kitchen to join the others, but instead, she turned before reaching it and stepped out a side door.

What lay before him was a clearer version of his last memory before being reborn: his two-story house perched on a hill, surrounded by hedges. It overlooked others scattered across the land, with patches of vibrant green and gravel roads between them, creating a sense of space and tranquility.

[Wednesday, March 10, 5723]

[07:44]

Seasons varied across different parts of Eru, but the most populated continents marked March as the start of spring. What was before him confirmed it. The air was fresh, carrying the sweet scent of budding trees and blooming wildflowers in a riot of colors, dotting the pathways that stretched into the distance. Ahead, the neighborhood grew denser, with buildings clustered together, and their rooftops formed a patchwork against the skyline.

On the left side of the town, vast terrain extended, with groves and rivers dispersed throughout. If it weren’t for the rows of windmills standing on the horizon, he wouldn’t have known that the area was meant for cultivation.

He glanced over his mother’s shoulder, staring at the white brick walls and roofs of crimson clay tiles, before surveying the area again. His memory had skewed one detail—his house wasn’t the only one with two stories. There was even one across the street with its second floor under construction. His just appeared to have a more refined design and color scheme.

There were no apparent signs of the Twelve Eidolons. No massive creatures soared over the city to assert their dominance, nor were there any buildings designed to embody a particular elemental affinity. Everything seemed as though they had never existed at all, but it was too soon to make any conclusions. Valrion’s family might be living in the countryside, while the eidolons could be somewhere with more crowds, perhaps the capital of Luxellum.

Valrion yawned before nestling his head against his mother’s chest, and she gently stroked his hair. It was nice being outside like this—no one made a sound except for the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. Every muscle in his body relaxed with contentment, and he began chewing his thumb, which gave him the same joy as when he sucked on that cloth Octavia gave him. Was it weird? He didn’t care much. At this moment, he could easily drift back to sleep.

“Boo!”

Out of nowhere, Sergius showed up, wide-eyed face appearing right in front of Valrion. The combination startled Valrion so much that he yelped, which sounded like he was about to cry, but he gurgled instead.

Who would have thought such a thing would give him the same heart palpation as when the Handbook bombarded with a dozen foreign messages? He knew the answer: his brand-new baby body just wasn’t ready for the sudden surge of adrenaline.

Why was he angry? He had the answer, too: he had been lost in a peaceful moment, basking in the scenery and not thinking about the Handbook, the Twelve Eidolons, his banishment, or anything like that for the first time since forever—and it was ruined. Now, once again, he lamented how his godself wouldn’t have reacted this way since he would have sensed when someone was nearby.

“Don’t do that!” His mother slapped Sergius’s arm with her free hand. The man laughed as if scaring babies was his greatest source of joy.

In the split second that Sergius's face came closer than it had in the common room, he memorized it well: a face a little darker than the rest of his skin, brown eyes, and thick eyebrows. He swore that when he got older, and if Sergius was still around, he would get his revenge by shouting even louder while the man was fast asleep. Better yet, he would tear down Sergius’s roof when he regained his divinity.

“The tax collector came to visit. What a busy day for you.” Sergius lifted a piece of paper larger than the certificate from before, and it fluttered in the gentle breeze.

“Is it already time?” Valrion’s mother asked, fixing the grip around her son’s body.

“Yes, it’s been three months.”

“Put it in the study. I’ll check it in a few minutes.”

“Of course.” Sergius waved the paper. “Fifteen minutes of feeding, then fifteen minutes of sunbathing. Valrion has more nutrition than half the people in Gizio.”

Valrion’s mother chuckled. “Don’t say stuff—”

Before Valrion’s mother could finish her sentence, an object plummeted from the sky and struck Valrion on the head with a sharp thud. The impact left him reeling, and he couldn’t see what had hit him as pain exploded in his skull. He writhed, wailing uncontrollably. This time, he couldn’t suppress the overwhelming agony. The top of his head felt like it was stabbed by a scorching sword, leaving a searing jolt.

[Health -72]

[You have unlocked Elemental Power: Fire]

[Main Quest updated: A New Era]

[EXP +120]

[Level 1 > Level 2]

[Health increased to 281]

[Mana increased to 25]

Fire elemental power? Reaching level two? Did he gain so much EXP because he reached a milestone? Everything happened so quickly, too unexpectedly for his mind to process, especially with all his senses consumed by the soreness in his head.

“What—” His mother couldn’t form a proper sentence. Her breathing came in erratic bursts, caught between screams, gasps for air, and frantic calls for Sergius. It took Valrion a moment to realize another shriek was cutting through his own—someone behind him. It was Sergius.

Still sobbing, Valrion turned around, his vision distorted by tears. Sergius’s right arm was engulfed in red flames, already consuming nearly half of the tax paper in his grip. The fire wasn’t massive—it was no more than five inches in height—but it burned with a ferocity poised to spread further. He flapped his arm, trying to douse them, but it had little effect. Desperate, he bolted to the back of the house, leaving Valrion and his mother in a dazed stupor.