“Take all the time you need.”
That was what the Archmaster had said.
“But do let me know soon.”
He had added before he strolled out of the study - the mansion - leisurely, without waiting for dismissal.
And he did think. He thought about it almost unconsciously, so much so that he was distracted all day. After the third time he almost ran into someone, he decided to lock himself in the library. He found a few of those old books on magic he had read excitedly as a child. He had stopped reading them after his thirteenth birthday.
Energy flows through everything in the world. It manifests in creatures in different forms, the most common form being mana. Humans have the ability to feel and harness mana. Just like blood flows through the veins inside a body, mana flows through what is now called mana veins, and its source is the spinning core that is situated just below one’s heart. It is formed of the mana that a human body naturally gathers and a functioning core is formed by the time a person is 6-8 years old, before it deviates into one or more elements a few years later.
Emilio’s eyes ran through the familiar paragraph before they automatically dropped further down the page to another passage.
An exception to this is the existence of Laiks. The root word “La” is an Ancient Aelorn word indicating non-existence, and “Ika” is the root word for “energy”. Therefore, the meaning of “Laik” would be “lack of energy”. However, in truth, the word “Laik” is applied to those who have the inability to form, feel and harness magic. These people do have a core, and they do have veins. But they cannot gather mana in their cores nor can they regulate it in their veins. There could be different reasons for this - their cores could be unstable, their veins could be thinner than average and thus incapable of circulating mana, and their cores could sometimes be blocked off, making them unable even to feel mana. The exact cause for such occurrences has not yet been discovered. A theory by Archmaster Claude Loren is that they are somehow corrupted. Regardless of the reasons, it is the sad truth that some people in our world are born with such disabilities. They identified as Laiks and they consist of less than 10% of the human population.
Emilio remembered the first time he had seen this paragraph. He hadn’t given it much thought back then, other than feeling a bit of pity and sadness for those people. How was he supposed to know that he was one of them? And when he did come to the realization that he was indeed a Laik, he had torn through all the books in the library in an effort to find something, anything that would help him use mana. He had begged his father to find a way. But… they only confirmed what he had always known. There was no way.
Once a Laik, always a Laik.
And now, somehow, he could talk to animals. Now, he had the chance to go to the Academy - the Academy that had been his dream and had remained a dream - handed to him on a silver platter. The child inside him, the child he thought he had killed, was so very excited at the thought. But a bigger part of him was embroiled in panic and fear. He still didn’t have any mana.
What was he supposed to do there? Irantha was the greatest magical Academy on the continent. The ones who got in there were the elites, the people who had exponential talent in magic. Even if you were a noble, if you couldn’t keep up, you would be dropped. And he, a Laik, was supposed to go to the Academy? He could already imagine the prejudice, and the abuses he would have to face. He knew one thing. Iranthans were a proud bunch.
A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He realized he was crinkling the page in his hand. He exhaled shakily to calm himself down and then spoke. “Enter.”
The door opened and he could tell by the footsteps that it was Jeremiah. He turned his head, only to see the boy approaching him cautiously. He put away the book and smiled at him before opening his arms for the boy. That was all he needed to hop over and get onto his lap. Gods, you’d think Jeremiah had reached the age where he’d be averse to any show of affection. But no, the boy was always looking for more hugs and head pats.
“Is something wrong?” Jeremiah asked softly. His voice was shaky.
Emilio tilted his head. “What makes you say that, Jeremiah?”
“Well,” he ducked his head. “Father looked worried. Ronald said you seemed uneasy. You just woke up and the Archmaster Loren came… some people are saying that he said that you are about to die.”
Emilio frowned. He had thought father had taken care of all gossiping maids.
He sighed before smiling reassuringly at the boy. “Nothing is going to happen to me. I am perfectly fine.”
“But you don’t seem fine.”
Perhaps it was because Emilio had raised the boy. Ever since he was brought into the home and looked up at Emilio with those big, warm brown eyes, Emilio had been wrapped around his finger. Emilio had been the one to take care of him, to feed him, to take him on walks, to teach him his letters, to sing him lullabies, to put him to sleep and tuck him in, because the servants were too afraid to go against his mother, who had ruled their small mansion with an iron fist in the absence of their father. He knew this child like the back of his hand, But that also meant that Jeremiah also knew his older brother. So, even when he smiled at him, the boy could feel his anxiety.
He still kept that smile. “I am fine. The Archmaster checked me and there is nothing wrong with me. So, stop worrying about it, alright?”
Jeremiah looked unconvinced. He opened his mouth but then there was another knock on the door. “Young Master, it’s Ronald.”
“Come in.”
The door opened. “Young Master, the Lord has called you to his office.” Ronald’s eyes moved towards Jeremiah. “Young Master Jeremiah too. Henry has been looking for you to inform you.”
Emilio looked at Jeremiah. “Did you come here without informing Henry?”
“No,” the boy mumbled, avoiding his eyes. Obviously a lie.
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He pinched his ear lightly. “What did I say about lying?”
“Not to.”
“Good. You remember.” He nodded. “And don’t go anywhere alone without telling Henry first. He’s there to take care of you.”
Jeremiah let out a sigh as if resigned to a terrible fate. Emilio chuckled. “Alright. Let’s go.”
Jeremiah nodded and got off him to let him stand. He took the boy’s hand and led him to the study, Ronald following behind them. They met Henry on the way, and he looked relieved at the sight of Jeremiah. He did not say anything, however, but the look he gave Jeremiah did make the boy rub his head sheepishly.
Emilio knocked when he reached the study.
“Enter.”
He opened the door and stepped inside… and immediately went rigid. Beside him, he felt Jeremiah doing the same. Because on the couch sat the Baroness. He had not expected that. He felt the familiar dread curl in his gut. After a moment, he decided to ignore it and turn his attention to his father.
“You called us, father?”
“Yes,” the man nodded. “Before you come to any decision, I thought that the rest of the family should know what is happening with you.”
Emilio’s eyes widened, with surprise and not a little amount of apprehension. “What?”
“They should know,” Edmund repeated. “This is a… big decision. And whatever is happening has become an inseparable part of your life. Before taking a step, you should talk to everyone. I called everyone here so that there aren’t any… unfortunate incidents or undue influence.” The man’s eyes flickered to his wife.
Emilio bit his lip, hesitating. Somehow, talking to his family felt more difficult than than talking to the Archmaster. His father stared at him. Emilio knew that this matter would be eventually revealed. But he would have preferred revealing that in his own time when he was ready. As much as he loved his father, right now, he could not help but feel a little annoyed.
But still… the man was right. Best get it over with at a palace where he was as safe as he could be.
So, he did. Making sure to keep a hand on Jeremiah, he spoke again about what happened. The party, his ability to understand animals, talking to snakes, and Archmaster Loren and his invitation. With every word, he could see Jeremiah going more and more wide-eyed, while mother had slowly shifted to the edge of the couch.
“You’re going to the Academy?” She asked, her voice coated with barely hidden excitement.
Emilio frowned and shook his head. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“What do you mean you haven’t decided?!” There was the familiar shriek. She then stood and stalked up to him. Emilio quickly hid Jeremiah behind him but for once, her target wasn’t the little boy. She grabbed his face with both hands, so tightly her nails dug into his skin. “You WILL go to the Academy. You have been given a gift! The gods are good! You will learn how to use it and take back what is yours!”
“Mother… mother, stop!” He hissed in pain.
“Anisa!” His father’s shout echoed in the room and the next moment, his mother had been pulled away from him. Her nails dragged across his face as she refused to let go, and one of them broke the skin. He felt a thin trail of blood pooling on his cheek and dribbling down.
“Let me go!” She shrieked. “My son has found a blessing! He will go to the Academy and he will surpass your bastard. Is that what bothers you, Edmund?”
“Mother, stop!” Emilio yelled, unable to take it anymore. His parents froze. Emilio had always been a calm child. Apart from the temper tantrums he had as a child, he never screamed. He had never raised his voice after he entered his teenage years. He exhaled shakily and met his mother’s eyes. “Mother, whether I go to the Academy or not, it will be my decision. And if you think that my gaining this … power or going to the Academy will somehow make me want to usurp Jeremiah of his position, you are sorely mistaken.”
A moment of silence. And then…
“FINE!” The Baroness jerked her arm out of her husband’s grip. “But when he becomes the Baron and decides to throw you out on the streets, don’t come crying to me!”
With that, she strode out of the study, slamming the door behind her.
“Brother?” Jeremiah’s worried voice came from behind him.
Emilio sighed and slipped a tired smile towards him. “I’m okay. It’s okay.”
Jeremiah reached up and wiped the blood off his cheek. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m fine,” he repeats for the nth time.
“I apologize, Emilio,” his father said. “I thought it would be better to get it out of the way before you make any decision. I will make sure she doesn’t tell anyone and that she doesn’t interfere with your decision.”
Emilio nodded. “Alright, father.”
Edmund sighed. “I wish I could do more to protect you. But… whatever decision you make, remember this, I cannot protect you from the world forever. This wondrous world full of magic… is cruel to those without. You need to learn to protect yourself.”
Emilio was quiet at that, finding nothing to say.
“You’re dismissed. Both of you.”
That night, Jeremiah insisted on having dinner with him and sleeping with him. Emilio lay under the blankets with his brother, the tucked against his side.
“Are you going to the Academy?” Jeremiah whispered in the silence they were left with.
“I don’t know,” Emilio whispered back.
“I think you should go.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“The Baroness is right.” Jeremiah looked up at him. “You have been given a gift. You should learn to use it. And then… and then no one will be able to call you a useless Laik.”
Emilio felt Jeremiah’s small fists clench around his nightclothes. He knew Jeremiah was starting to go to the town with their father, touring the Barony and learning the ropes. He must have heard the same dirty whispers Emilio did when he went to town. No matter how high he held his head, it felt like those people could always bring him down.
“You need to learn to protect yourself.”
As Emilio gently rubbed the back of his little brother and murmured gentle reassurances, he came to a decision.