The Calm Before (1)
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“......iam.....Liam......wake up Liam!”
A sharp sensation ran up my arm before I could even collect my own thoughts, on pure instinct, my body jerked in response, forcing me to sit up in my loose-fitting sleeping garments. As I blinked, my surroundings slowly came into focus. The room was dimly lit, with shadows dancing on the walls. Confusion washed over me like a wave, and I soon began taking note of the figure adamantly standing beside my bed, puffing her cheeks in indignation.
“...Emma....what is it?” I asked, still wiping away the teary fluid from my eyes.
“We’re supposed to go shopping today, but it’s already nine O’clock and you’re still half asleep. Did you train with Oliver this morning? I thought today was supposed to be your day off. What exactly were you up to?” She fired off a barrage of questions, staring me down with a gaze lacquered in curiosity.
“No......I wasn’t training but I did stay up too late....” My body reacted on its own just then, indulging itself in the gesture known as a ‘yawn’ despite my reluctance. Besides fatigue, it was one of the few things about this body that I could never exert full control over, whether I’d wanted it or not, they were going to overpower me eventually.
“Oh? Then what kept you up after-hours dear little brother of mine?” Her gaze sharpened and a crude smile was now starting to stretch across her lips, still, this too was something I’d grown used to over the past two weeks.
“After thinking about everything we were going to do together, I just couldn’t sleep.” Lifting my covers off, I slowly rolled over to the other side of the bed, dangling my feet in the air before I was finally able to disembark from the soft structure.
Emma had been left stunned by my reply just now, that velvet color I'd gotten so used to seeing had once again started spreading across her cheeks. “I-I see, well then if that’s the case, I suppose I can let you off just this once. Now go wash up, we’re running late.”
Despite the obvious front she usually tried her best to maintain, this girl was unironically weak to compliments.
“Mhm” Lazily giving her an overhead wave, I made my way down the winding halls of the Ashwell home, finally arriving at the ‘bathroom’ at the first right turn. The human need to cleanse themself within the confines of a private room honestly made no sense to me, but as for right now it was considered crude to do otherwise.
As I opened the slightly screeching doors, I began to take note of this body's still developing features for just a brief instant. It wasn't something I'd done often but rather an action spurred on by a sense of pride, since I could now finally use my own two feet to see myself in the reflective pane of glass affixed to the wall, although this notion only applied from my head down to my shoulders.
This vessel looked incredible fragile; but the more time passed, the more I could see trace aspects of both Oliver and Julia's features subtly peering out. The true standout factor here, however, was the crimson color being reflected by my Irises. They’d sunken into an even darker hue ever since my awakening and were now serving as clear-cut proof that my soul was undoubtedly intermingling with the magical forces of this world.
After all, it was only after my awakening that I could clearly see and converse with souls, though it still wasn’t to the same degree as what I was capable of before. Perhaps that was for the best though, partly because my soul is weakened right now and thanks to this body being part druid, I was no longer feared by living creatures. In fact, they seemed to be rather fond of my presence. If anything, the biggest drawback to having this body was the fact that it was ‘alive’. That wouldn’t have mattered to most people, but in my case, it was severely limiting my own skillset; it was solely because this vessel was ‘alive’ that I’d hesitated to use or even try out my old techniques.
What I’d wielded in Eden wasn’t magic, but something akin to the essence of death itself, the literal bane of all living things in existence, after the dramatic change I'd been subjected to however, utilizing that power was no longer an option. My old body was neither alive nor dead, so I had very little in the way of ramifications to worry about whenever I used that power, but things weren’t so fortunate now. I was mortal, and all mortal lives are prone to death, so using that power in this body could very well end up in me spelling my own doom.....thankfully though, this body of mine was particularly gifted.
I suppose being able to wield two of the most powerful elements a mortal could ever hope for was some kind of compensation for losing my original powers, so for the time being, I would just have to master those elements.
It was a distracting thought; one I didn’t need to have right now. Promptly folding my clothes after removing them just like Julia had taught me, I gave the glass pane another sidelong glance before commencing the ‘bathing’ process.
Somewhere along the line, I had grown quite fond of this appearance, I was starting to grow distant from the memory of what my previous form looked like, so this was the only way for me to truly confirm my physical presence in this world.
I felt an unusual emotion as I prepared to commit to the day's activities, because today I would finally be putting an end to all this. If what Lennon had told me about the rune was indeed true then even this simple outing could be used as a steppingstone and as that thought ran through my mind, soon after my body was enveloped in steam.
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After spending a bit too much time in the bathroom, I hurriedly rushed to my own room where Julia had already prepared my clothes for the day. For some reason, the action of bathing had always left me feeling fulfilled after I’d finished. Luelle used to mention something like that all the time, but now that I could finally feel each and every last droplet for myself, I was finally starting to catch up to the meaning behind those cryptic words.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Making my way down the arched staircase, I drew the attention of the small gathering now dining at the table centered in the middle of the large room.
“Good Morning...” I uttered in an unusually loud voice.
After taking note of the smile now on my face, Julia’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, she smiled at the sight of my descending figure holding on to the railing as I paced each and every one of my docile steps.
“You woke up with a smile this morning.... what’re you so excited about Liam?”
“I just really want to go shopping with Emma today, that’s all...” I replied with an earnest grin but despite my intentions being pure, it only attracted more suspicion from the dining trio.
“You’re excited to go out with Emma? I know how capable she is, but Emma can be a klutz sometimes too you know Liam.” Beatrice cut in, gently patting the corner of her mouth with a white handkerchief. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she asked, casting her gaze over to the fuming girl sitting on her right.
“We’ll be fine mother. I’ve been running errands on my own for months now, I can keep an eye on him while I shop its no big deal.” Beatrices comment just now must have sparked something within her, she was now even more determine to prove herself but in the midst of her facade, her bold expression softened as soon as a sudden realization dawned on her -
“By the way...,,how are you feeling? Are you sure you want to go back to work today? I can keep going for a bit longer you know, I’ve gotten really good at -” Beatrice cut her off, she placed her hand on Emma’s head before patting it a few times. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’m fine now.....right Julia?” She lifted her right sleeved and curled her arm in a strange show of vitality, and in response Julia gave a strange symbol of her own, forming a small circle with her index finger and thumb.
“Don’t worry Emma, I’ve been looking after her. Your mom's not in any danger anymore.”
Emma's eyes widened in shock and a transparent film began forming over her Irises, but she soon shrugged it off with a chuckle. “W-well just so you know, I’ve sold out our entire stock three times in just this past month so I've already beaten your best sales record.”
Beatrice stared at her for a moment, before chuckling to herself “Emma, I can pull that off in two weeks you know. Are you forgetting just who exactly it was that taught you how to bake?”
“T-Two weeks!?” Emma forced her stuttered reply out on pure instinct.
“You have a lot to learn dear daughter.” That merciless retort left the young girl completely frozen in place.
“Liam, aren’t you going to take a seat? You breakfast is getting cold.” Julia called out to me; her thin brows had slowly begun converging so I instantly knew the emotion spurring on that conspicuous expression she now wore.
It was ‘concern’.
I couldn’t see exactly what was on the table, but it didn’t particularly smell appetizing to me, still, my mother’s expression was compelling me to oblige.
“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that before, but I’ll try it....”
“Ohh that’s right, I guess you’ve never tried wyrm meat huh...” She pondered aloud
“Wyrm?” I asked, puzzled.
“Wyrms are low level-” Before Emma could finish, Beatrice pulled her close, covering the young girl's mouth with her slender fingers.
“Don’t mind her Liam, we’re just playing a little game here.” That obviously wasn’t it, but there were no real benefits to prodding any further.
I made my way to the vacant chair on Julia’s left before swiftly climbing atop it with my small frame. I exchanged glances with Julia and the charred concoction on the silver dish before me, she flashed me a thin smile which must have been some form of silent approval so without any further hesitation, I took a bite from my strange meal.
It was nothing like what Emma and the others usually served up, in fact, they seemed to be eating something completely different from us. The meat was both crispy and hard, it took an enormous amount of strength just to chew it properly and every time I bit down on it, I heard the sound of my teeth grinding against the rough texture of my meal. After somehow managing to swallow it, I hurriedly reached for the glass of water on my right, chugging it down as fast as I could.
Emma and Beatrice were watching on in horror the entire time I was engaged in mortal combat with my own meal, but I could hear them heaving a sigh of relief the moment I’d managed to swallow the first bite.
“Haah...haaahhh....Mother.... what was that?” My panting voice lacked all traces of the luster it had carried only a few minutes ago, rather than chewing meat, it felt like I just finished using my teeth to cut through a tree tunk.
“Fufu...it’s a secret, this is something every growing child needs.” The smile on her face hadn’t shifted whatsoever, I wasn’t particularly picky about food but the fact that she was now keeping the ingredients of my own meals a secret did seem a bit odd.
Th door on the opposite end of the room creaked open, giving way for Oliver’s gallant approach. He was still clad in that strange uniform, so that could only mean he was once again going out to search for that monster.
“Morning, I see you’ve all had breakfast already.” He greeted us with a broad smile.
“That’s right, would you like to join us before you head out?” Julia replied, extending a fresh plate of that strange meal towards him.
“Well of-” His gaze dropped down a few inches, and the moment his mind registered the strange sight being offered to him his beaming smile from earlier morphed into something much more crooked.
“.....Of course I'd love to, but I’m already running late as it is, so I’ll pass today. I’ll be back by evening, so we’ll continue your training then Liam....” Leaving those words behind, the man made his swift exit without even sparing us a second glance.
(“Don’t mention it Emma”)
Those words landed right within my earshot; I wasn’t exactly sure what Beatrice meant by that, but I suppose it was something I wasn’t meant to hear given the low tone she was now speaking in.
“He left without eating any....how odd...” Julia unconsciously pondered aloud. After only a few minutes, things were already taking an unpredictable turn, maybe today wasn’t going to go as planned after all.