Julian Cornetia

After the passing hours, the night was getting late, but Sergius and his friends seemed to be spending more time at the pub. As much fun as Julian and Altevia were having, they also had to leave the place as they were getting a little tired, and their parents could get worried. Of course, this was also the time when the 'girls' started to arrive.

After Nazir and Altevia left through the back door of the place, they looked at each other with smiles in a small area lit by light stones.

“Why aren't you always like this?” When Altevia asked Julian this, Julian was surprised, he could only say, “How?”

“You said you were scared when someone attacked you, right?” Altevia said all of a sudden and then he jumped twice.

“Hit me,” said Altevia, shaking his head from side to side, while Julian frowned, looking at him curiously.

Julian took a step back and his eyes slowly widened as he said, “What? No!”

Altevia had a different expression on his face, this boy never broke eye contact when he spoke anyway, and Julian had never said anything before even though it sometimes made him uncomfortable, but now there was a strange, frightening determination in those eyes. “Have you ever been in a fight?” Altevia asked as he continued to look into Julian's eyes with a smile on his face and Julian reacted “Of course not, that's wrong!” and Altevia replied without waiting, “How do you know it's wrong then? Come on hit me!”

“My lord-” Nazir was about to say something, but Altevia quickly turned to him and pointed his index finger at him, and he fell silent.

Julian didn't understand what was happening, but he took a step to the left, looked down and said, “This is weird... What, you want me to hit you in the face?”

“I don't know, just hit me.”

“I shouldn't be doing this...” Julian took another step back, looked down and looked around, “Are you sure?”

Altevia took a deep breath and nodded, inviting Julian.

Altevia had closed his eyes as Julian looked at him for a very short time and then suddenly swung his fist and struck him in the area between his nose and eye.

Altevia had closed his eyes as the punch came at him, but it must have hurt anyway, because he bent over, took two steps backwards and moved his head, saying, “Jesus! Oh, my eye!” he shouted some weird nonsense words.

Julian was anxiously and fearfully reaching out his hand towards Altevia and asking, “Hey, are you okay?” when Altevia quickly replied, “Absolutely, it was perfect,” and Julian suddenly felt a pain in his chest that made him lean forward and take two steps back. Altevia was punching well for a little kid.

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As much as Julian was hurting, he had a very strange feeling. As he continued to stare at the ground, he heard Altevia say, “Hey, how do you feel?”

He slowly got up, “G- Great... Do it again.”

The smile on Altevia's face grew wider, “No, you do it!”

From then on, they kept fighting until Nazir stopped them, each punch giving them a different kind of... pleasure. Then these little fights became weekly, then every three days.

They were always in the same place, after a while a group of other kids who saw them joined, then the older kids started to join, and over time this 'event' moved from the back door of the pub to a large space downstairs in one of Lord Eliar's places. As the number of members grew, it went from being a small event to a kind of club.

**

Tonight the club was meeting again, there were more than thirty people and the numbers were slowly growing, which meant that one of Altevia's rules had been broken.

As everyone gathered and started to look at Altevia curiously, Nazir put a square wooden box on the floor and helped Altevia to climb on top of it. Altevia looked around, eye to eye with everyone.

“Gentleman, welcome to Mage Club.

I see there are some new faces here, which means we need a little reminder.”

He tilted his head a little, looked at the people in the back, and continued.

“First rule of Mage Club is : You do not talk about Mage Club.

Second rule of Mage Club is : You do not talk about Mage Club!

Third rule of Mage Club : Someone yells stop, goes limp or taps out, the fight is over.

Fourth rule : Only two guys to a fight.

Fifth rule : One fight at a time, brothers.

Sixth rule : No shirts, no shoes, no magic.

Seventh rule : Fight will go on as long as they have to.

And the eighth and final rule : If this is your first night at Mage Club, you have to fight.

Every night at the Mage Club ended with all sorts of body pains and laughter. For a club of men that came there only for fight, it was a very respectful community. And this community was growing like an avalanche, and people who previously avoided looking at Julian when he passed by were now greeting him, just as they had done with his brother Sergius. But most importantly, Julian no longer felt the slightest fear during combat training.

But of course, the club did Julian as much harm as good. The scars he carried with pleasure bothered his family, especially his mother. His mother's discomfort meant his father's discomfort. And the father's discomfort meant a lecture in private. His brothers were always fighting and hanging out with the commoners, why was Julian always the problematic one?

Was he going to spend his life at home just because his mother was upset? Julian loved his mother, perhaps more than anything else in this life, but he couldn't always be there for her.

“If you keep this nonsense up, I'll put new scars on your face.”

Those were his father's last words, and Julian could only bow his head. 'Act like a man,' he had told him years ago, but just when Julian was beginning to think he could live up to his expectations, his actions were called 'nonsense'. Sergius usually supported him, but this time neither he nor his sister Orea could say anything, because his father's tone was too harsh, for everyone but one person...

It only took Julian skipping one club night for Altevia to show up at their house. As soon as he found out what had happened, Julian tried to stop him, but Altevia found Pedro and after a brief argument he simply said “He will do, whatever he wants to do,” and refused to listen to Pedro.

A mistake was a mistake that has to be done, we were carrying the scars anyways.

Julian knew the look in his father's eyes. His father was looking at Altevia the way he always wanted him to look at him. With admiration. While Julian had been trying for years, Altevia had only been worthy of that look in a few conversations. Julian felt jealousy, but he couldn't get angry, because he was admired too, and happy.

His father was less involved with Julian now, the club, runestone works and sword training...

And after a week, for the first time in years, Julian saw his father waiting in the garden with a wooden sword.