The boy waited patiently as his mother tucked him in for bed. He cherished the moment, knowing that this would probably be one of the last times her mother would do this before he finally grew up.
“Mom, can you tuck me in again tomorrow?” the boy asked hopefully.
“Sweetie, haven't I told you already? I can't keep doing this forever. I can't always be there, especially when you're all grown up. What will you do then?”
The boy's mother chided him gently. It was hard not only for the boy but also for the mother. Despite what she was saying, the mother also wanted to spoil her son forever, but she knew he had to grow up someday. But until then, she would have to cherish every moment like this with her son.
“Can you tell me a story?”
The mother was about to say ‘no,’ but hesitated. After contemplating a bit, she agreed.
“Alright, but just this once, okay?”
“Okay!” the boy said with a large smile.
The mother wanted to squish his cheeks like she did when he was younger, but she held herself back. She sat down on the bed beside the boy. She put her hand on his head and caressed his hair as she began telling her story.
“Once, in a small village, lived a diligent Farmer who worked hard every day. Because of his hard work, he was always successful in his job: his harvests were always bountiful, his livestock healthy and free of disease, and his fields were void of pests and parasites. He was the best farmer in the area.”
The mother paused to see if her son had any questions, which he often had, but just saw him listening attentively. She continued.
“One might expect that the successful Farmer was the richest in the small village, for who else might have more riches than the man who supplied almost all of the food of the town as well as exported the most goods to other towns? Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.”
“Why?” the boy asked.
“Be patient, sweetie, I was about to say it. Now, it wasn't the Farmer who was the richest, but it was actually the Businessman, who bought his goods every day. The Businessman purchased his goods at a very low price and sells them at a much higher rate to the other towns. The Businessman was successful because the farmer's goods were very high quality due to his hard work. This went on for years without the Farmer knowing, until the day arrived that he finally did.”
“How did he find out?”
“That's not important, sweetie.”
The boy pouted.
“Anyway, when the Farmer found out, he was angry. When the next harvest came, the Farmer raised his prices to a much higher rate, but the Businessman didn't like it and cut off his ties with the Farmer.”
“Then doesn't that mean the Businessman won't be successful anymore? He no longer had a supplier.”
“Not really, sweetie. The Farmer wasn't the only farmer in the area. There were a lot of other farmers, and the Businessman had a monopoly on all their goods, so his business only suffered a bit.”
“That's unfair!” the boy exclaimed.
“That's how society works, sweetie. When the Farmer realized that the Businessman wasn't even affected that much, he became livid, so he hatched a plot. The Farmer contacted the Businessman again and sold his goods at the original low price. The Businessman was quite happy at the turn of events, but after a few days, complaints from his customers flooded in. The complaints were about the bad quality of some of the products he sold. Some were even rotting! When the Farmer found out the results of his little plan, he laughed in front of the Businessman and mocked him.”
“Hah! Serves him right! The Businessman probably deserved that!”
“Yes, he probably did, but that's not the end of the story. After the incident, the Businessman lost his reputation and his business went bankrupt, forcing him to leave the village and find new opportunities. The problem was, there were no other businessmen who wanted to operate in the small village. The Businessman wasn't the only one whose reputation was ruined, but also that of the entire village. Soon, nobody else bought goods from the farmers in the small village anymore since they suspected that all their goods were low quality, which forced the people to move to other places to find a livelihood until only the Farmer was left. He looked around him and realized the consequences of his actions, but the Farmer just grunted and got back to his work. The End.”
“Wait, that's it?!” the boy asked incredulously. He didn't enjoy the story at all.
“Yes, that's the end. Did you like it?”
The boy hesitated for a bit. He didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings and say that he didn't like her story. “Um, it was alright, I guess? I mean, it's just unfortunate that it didn't have a happy ending.”
“Most stories don't have happy endings, sweetie.”
“So the moral of the story is that revenge always leads to both sides losing?”
“Not really,” the mother said with a smile. “The lesson is that if you want revenge, you have to be willing to pay the price.”
●●●
Helen slowly woke up. Her body felt like it went through hell and back, but thankfully it was nowhere near the level of pain she felt last night.
The sunlight coming from the window shined on her eyes, and she groaned. I need more sleep.
Helen grabbed a pillow to cover her head. Her arms protested with her sudden movement, but her consciousness was still too groggy to register the pain. All she wanted was more sleepy time.
“I hope I'm not disturbing your beauty rest, Helen, but I'm afraid I still have somewhere else to be,” an aged voice said right beside Helen's bed.
Helen immediately sat up on her bed, shocked that someone other than Brogen was in her room, and her body exploded in pain.
“I suggest you avoid any sudden movements for now, child. I already healed any life-threatening injuries you had, but your body is still in bad condition.”
Helen looked up and saw Mother Betha sitting beside her bed. The pastor was in her nightgown, and her eyes were dead-tired. She looked like she would fall asleep any minute now.
“Mother Betha? What are you doing here? How did you know I was injured?”
Helen was confused. There was no reason for Mother Betha to be here, and there was no way she could have immediately known what happened last night. Unless!
“Brogen came to the chapel last night, Helen. Or rather, at two hours after midnight. He told us what happened.”
Helen's eyes went wide like dinner plates. Brogen went outside alone! And in the middle of the night!
“Before you go and admonish your son, just know that you would have died in your sleep if he didn't come to us.” Mother Betha's eyes were grave. Helen froze, her eyes wide. She knew her injuries were bad, but she didn't realize it was life-threatening.
“Fortunately, I got here in time to stabilize your condition. Your ribs had punctured several of your organs, and you had severe internal bleeding. Your injuries were probably aggravated when you walked from the center of town to your home. With your house on the outskirts of town, that was a long way to walk. I couldn't completely heal you since your body wouldn't be able to handle it, but it should naturally heal on its own over the next few weeks.”
Helen laid back down on the bed slowly. The revelation that she almost died was still fresh on her mind. I almost left Brogen alone. This is what Linny was warning me about all those years ago.
“I would have liked to hear how you got your injuries, but it's alright if you don't want to talk about it right now,” Mother Betha said. “There will be plenty of time in the future.”
Helen gratefully nodded at the pastor's consideration. Last night, guards from the baronet's mansion went to visit the tavern to drink. Helen used to work for the baronet as a maid a few years ago, and the guards were able to recognize her. They tried to take advantage of her and convince her to give them ‘nighttime services,’ but she fought back. In the end, it led to the drunken guards beating her up until she puked blood. The bouncers wouldn't interfere since the baronet's guards had more authority in this town than them. Even the other patrons just chose to watch in fear of retaliation from the guards. Even after all these years, the baronet is still a thorn in my life, Helen thought, her eyes taking on a dark look.
“What I would ask you instead is something else, Helen,” the pastor said. Helen looked confused but motioned for her to go on.
“When I arrived here, the place was a mess. It looked like a storm swept through the house, and when I asked Brogen what happened, he said he had no idea.” Mother Betha narrowed her eyes. “There is no way a heavily injured woman or a three-year-old child could have created such a large mess in a short period, and to make matters more complicated, I detected traces of mana. What happened here, Helen?”
Helen recalled the events that transpired the night before and her face paled. She did not know whether she could trust Mother Betha. What happened last night was too big a secret, and if it reached the wrong people, Brogen's life could be endangered. Brogen is an Ascendant.
Helen still couldn't believe what she saw, but she knew the moment people learned of Brogen's power, the news will spread. Ascendants always made their marks on history, whether they wanted to or not.
They were living legends. People who had supernatural abilities that were outside the field of magic. They could become the strongest heroes destined to slay evil, or, if they went down the wrong path, become the greatest villains the world had ever seen.
But no matter the path, it always led to the same conclusion: an early death. The number of Ascendants who got to live past the age of fifty could be counted on one hand, and no Ascendant in recorded history had ever died of old age. Ascendants always became the center of conflicts, and they will continue to do so until they finally faced a challenge they could not overcome.
Helen didn't want any of that to happen to her child. If keeping her son's power a secret meant that he would be able to live a long and peaceful life, then she would gladly take that secret to the grave.
“I don't know, Mother. My consciousness was already waning when I got here last night,” Helen said, trying her best to make her face look innocent, but Mother Betha just shot her an exasperated look.
“I've known you for years now, Helen. I know when you're lying.”
Helen bit her lip. Mother Betha was always sharp when it came to these things. She wasn't appointed as a pastor of the Holy Mother Church for nothing. Helen felt immense shame for lying to the person that helped her during her desperate moments, and a part of her mind reasoned that Mother Betha was family and that she could be trusted. But when the stake was the life of her child, she couldn't leave it to chance.
Mother Betha saw the look in Helen's eyes and sighed. “Is it a big secret?”
Helen nodded silently.
“Are you worried that I couldn't be trusted with it?”
Helen hesitated for a bit but ultimately nodded. Mother Betha looked offended for a moment but decided to shrug off Helen's lack of trust. “If this secret is so big, it's probably related to Brogen. Am I right?”
Helen looked shocked for a moment, then immediately schooled her face to that of ignorance. Mother Betha chuckled. “You don't have to pretend you don't know what I'm saying, Helen. You were never good at lying.”
Helen just blushed as she looked away from the grinning pastor.
“Anyway, I understand if you don't trust me since you're not that familiar with the Holy Mother Church's inner workings, but let me tell you why you should,” Mother Betha said as she looked directly into Helen's eyes. “The servants of the Church of the Holy Mother pledge under many Oaths that limit our actions, but in exchange, we receive the blessing and protection of the Holy Mother. You already know this, right?”
Helen nodded again as she listened attentively to Mother Betha's lecture.
“One of our Oaths is the Oath of Secrecy. We are not allowed to share any information that is entrusted to us as servants of the Holy Mother without permission. This includes confidential orders from the higher-ups, confessions from the common people, and also applies to simple conversations like the one we're having right now.”
Mother Betha looked at Helen's face, which still had a trace of doubt and confusion.
“Isn't an oath just a few words? Nothing is stopping you from breaking them.”
After hearing Helen's words, Mother Betha laughed loudly. “If the oath is one of those vague promises made on the streets or in shady deals, then yes, there's nothing stopping me from breaking them. But we're talking about Holy Oaths, Helen. Oaths we pledge to the Holy Mother Herself, and if we break them, we would lose all the blessings and protections we were given. And not only that, a price will be tolled on us.”
Mother Betha grimaced as she remembered the price to be paid if a servant of the Holy Mother broke one of the Oaths.
“What's the price for breaking an Oath, Mother?” Helen asked curiously. The doubt present on her face earlier was gone and was replaced with inquisitiveness.
“It depends on the Oath that is broken,” Mother Betha answered. “The price for breaking the Oath of Secrecy is our voice. Violators will never be able to speak using their voice again, and it cannot be healed by any means except with a power that rivals that of the Holy Mother.”
Helen widened her eyes at the punishment. For a normal person, losing their voice would have been a harsh punishment, but one they can live with. But for some mages who needed their voices to chant spells and cast magic? It was a death sentence.
“Isn't it too big a price for not keeping a secret?” Helen asked.
“It is a price that is worth the blessing we receive when we pledge the Oath. Not all servants of the Holy Mother Church pledge the same number of Oaths. We have the freedom to choose the Oath that we want to take. After all, one of the Holy Mother's doctrines is to ‘respect all free will,’” Mother Betha said, and she suddenly remembered how she forcefully denied Sister Lina's request earlier to come with them to visit Helen. That's a different situation, Mother Betha mused as the thought made her chuckle.
Mother Betha peeked at Helen's face while lecturing. She saw a face filled with awe. It always felt so satisfying for the pastor to share the Holy Mother's doctrine with people like Helen who was ignorant about it. Helen may have lived with them for several months in the chapel, but that didn't mean that she attended every mass and lecture that Mother Betha conducted every week.
“For every Oath we take, we receive a blessing from the Holy Mother in return. If a servant wanted to rise in the Church's ranks, he or she must pledge the necessary Oaths to do so, one of which is the Oath of Loyalty. That is what makes the Holy Mother Church so incorruptible and pure, Helen, and that is also what makes us different from the Orthodox Churches.” Mother Betha almost spat the word in disgust. The Orthodox Churches were a thorn in the Holy Mother Church's side for centuries. A loosely formed alliance between many different churches that worshipped varying gods, the Orthodox Churches despised the Holy Mother Church and its doctrines.
The pastor wanted to preach to Helen what made her Church far better than the others, but she managed to stop herself just in time. They were going too off-topic already.
“Now, have you already decided to tell me this little secret of yours?” Mother Betha asked.
A look of uncertainty returned to Helen's face. If Helen made a list of her fears, her fear for her child's well-being would likely be on top. This was the reason for her hesitation, and the fact that her actions would dictate Brogen's fate didn't help. But Helen also knew that keeping Brogen's power a secret would not last forever. A simple mistake was all it took for people to find out, and by then, it would be too late to ask for Mother Betha's help. After a few seconds of contemplation, she acquiesced.
“I'm not completely sure of it yet, Mother, but I think my son is an… Ascendant. ”
At the mention of the word, Mother Betha's eyes popped wide open. Her earlier enthusiasm vanished, and she inwardly regretted convincing Helen to spill the beans. If she knew the secret would be this, she would have gladly remained ignorant of it.
“What made you say that, Helen?” Mother Betha tried her best to appear calm, but Helen saw her fingers tremble a bit.
“When Brogen saw me in a bad state last night, all the stuff in the house just suddenly flew around in the air.”
“Are you sure it's not just magic? Maybe Brogen awakened some innate magical talent in his body or something.”
Mother Betha was just trying to convince herself of some other truth at this point. The pastor knew it was impossible. She was the one who measured Brogen's mana a few years ago, after all. Brogen's mana was just enough to light a small candle or blow a weak gust of wind, but to levitate multiple objects in the air at the same time without chanting? That would require extensive amounts of mana and years of magic training. The only plausible explanation was awakening an Authority, the power wielded by Ascendants.
“Did anybody else see what happened last night?” the pastor asked gravely.
Helen shook her head. They were fortunate it happened in the middle of the night when everybody else in the area was already asleep.
“Good. Never speak of it to anybody else. Do you understand?” Mother Betha's eyes were intense, scaring Helen a bit, but the young woman nodded immediately.
“But is this gonna be alright, Mother? What happens if the authorities find out that we kept the identity of an Ascendant a secret? The King requires everybody to report any unaccounted Ascendant.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“That is the first thing you should do if you wanted Brogen to die or to become a slave, Helen,” Mother Betha said, remembering some of the world's history that involved Ascendants. “The moment the nobility learns of Brogen's existence, they would abduct him and use him as their tool, or if he turns out to be uncontrollable, kill him.”
Helen had a look of horror on her face when she heard Mother Betha.
“It has already happened several times in history, Helen, and for good reason. Most tyrants, criminal masterminds, megalomaniacs, and evil beings who ever existed were Ascendants, and their existence led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of lives, sometimes even millions. That is why most nations are strict about this. Nobody wants a mana bomb in their house just waiting to go off.”
“Brogen isn't a bomb! He won't grow up to be one of those… those… monsters. I will make sure of that!”
Helen glared at Mother Betha, who just chuckled at her reaction. “That's why I told you to never speak of this to anyone, Helen. I know you would never let Brogen become like the monsters that threatened the world centuries ago.”
Mother Betha looked at Helen fondly like a grandmother would to her grandchild.
“Should I explain all of this to Brogen?” Helen asked.
“That depends on you, Helen. But I suggest you tell him as soon as possible. The earlier he knows of what he has, the better our chances would be to keep this thing a secret. We can't have him showing off his Authority to other people just to impress them.”
Helen grimaced at the thought. She imagined her son showing off his power to his friends in the future to show off and suddenly getting abducted by secret agents of the Crown.
“Then I'll tell him soon, Mother. Again, thank you for all the help.”
“Say your thanks to the Holy Mother, child. Now, I must go. Not all of us had the chance to get a good night's sleep. I'll be seeing you soon.”
Mother Betha walked out of the room, and Helen caught a glimpse of Sister Tillie caressing Brogen as her son slept on the nun's lap.
When the door finally closed, Helen shut her eyes and immediately fell into a deep sleep, worrying about the future of her child.
●●●
I woke up as Sister Tillie gently nudged me off her lap. My eyes snapped open as I remembered the events of last night. I wanted to stay awake while Mother Betha treated Mom in her room, but Sister Tillie convinced me to sleep.
When I looked up, Mother Betha was standing in front of us, looking at me with serious eyes.
“You were a hero today, Brogen,” she said. “If it weren't for you, your mother would have kicked the bucket by now.” Mother Betha gave me a proud smile.
“…What happened to Mom? Is she going to be alright?” My voice was raspy from crying and coupled with the lack of sleep, my eyelids felt heavy. But I had to know what happened to Mom. I want to know who did this.
Mother Betha looked uncertain for a bit but decided to tell me.
“Some people hurt your mother from the place she works at. The people there are crude, vulgar, and violent. Unfortunately, your mother suffered their ire, hence her current condition. But you don't need to worry about her health, she will completely recover in a few weeks.”
The pastor's indifferent look while speaking of Mom's condition almost made me snap at her, but I held myself back. All that matters is that I now know who's responsible.
“I hope you're not thinking of doing anything foolish, boy,” Mother Betha said, as if she was reading my mind. “Your mother's injuries today will heal over time, Brogen, but if you get hurt doing something stupid, you're going to inflict Helen even more pain than the beatings she received last night. And emotional scars are impossible to heal with magic.”
Mother Betha's words infuriated me, but I knew she was right. What could I do? I'm stuck in a 3-year-old body who can't even do magic. But I can do something else.
I remembered everything that happened last night. I remembered feeling something snap inside me, and all of a sudden, I felt an uncontrollable power swell within me. It felt like another sense was added into my brain, and suddenly, I could feel everything that was made of fabric around me. Not only that, but I controlled them, like puppets on a string.
But I didn't have complete control over my puppets. My emotions last night were in turmoil, and it showed in my puppets' movements. They went berserk, and the only thing that managed to stop me was Mom's voice when she told me I was hurting her. When I heard that, all my anger instantly vanished and was replaced by fear. I'm afraid of a lot of things, but nothing could scare me more than knowing I hurt Mom.
My newfound power terrified me. I couldn't control it, and I didn't know what it could do. But every time I remembered Mom's state last night, anger swelled inside me. Those who are responsible for doing this to Mom will pay.
I felt a wrinkled hand cup my cheek, and I looked up. Mother Betha was looking at me with a morbid intensity in her eyes.
“Don't worry, Brogen. I am a servant of the Holy Mother Church. We live our entire lives to become paragons of virtue and justice, and I will die first than let this injustice against your mother go unpunished.”
I first thought the pastor was indifferent, but I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Hidden beneath her calm facade was a wave of smoldering anger greater than mine. Mom wasn't exaggerating when she told me all those years ago that her family consisted of me and the women at the chapel, and I almost forgot what Christine said to me in my previous life. Don't underestimate the bonds formed between family.
“Everything's going to be alright, Brogen,” Sister Tillie said beside me. “When your mother finally recovers, she can always work at the chapel until she finds another job. ”
“Well then,” Mother Betha said. “It's time for us to go, I still need to get some beauty sleep. Let's go, Sister Tillie. After my nap, we'll have to take care of matters regarding the incident in The Drunken Tavern.” The pastor grinned. “We can't let anybody mess with a friend of the Church and let them go unpunished now, can't we?”
“Absolutely not, Mother, and I'm sure Sister Lina will be happy to help.”
The faces of the two women sent a chill down my spine.
●●●
“Say ‘aaahh.’”
“I can eat by myself, sweetie, you don't have to do that.”
“You're currently my patient, Mom. It's my responsibility to take care of you. Now, say ‘aaahh.’”
I was feeding Mom in her room while she sat in bed with some of the vegetable soup she always liked. Sister Lina came by a while ago to check up on Mom and cooked us some dinner.
“Really, Brogen, you don't need— mph!”
“Tut-tut, don't talk when you're mouth is full, Mom. Now, here goes another one.”
“Brogen! Seriously— mph! ”
“What was that, Mom?”
I snickered as Mom glared at me while chewing her food. The soup had some bits of meat in it to help Mom regain some of her muscle.
According to Mother Betha, healing a person with magic uses the patient's nutrient reserves, so they often lost mass every time they're treated with magic. Mom lost some of her fat and muscle after Mother Betha healed her, but the old woman made sure to minimize the amount of healing she did. She only took care of the most critical injuries and let the rest recover by themselves. Finding out that Mom's life was no longer at risk brought back my pep. I wonder if Mother Betha is secretly an overpowered healing mage hiding in a remote town like this one to avoid attention.
“Alright, here comes the train! Choo choo!”
Before I could put the spoon in Mom's mouth, she grabbed my hand as she glared at me. “Brogen, I can eat by myself! And what in the Holy Mother's name is a train?”
Oops, better be careful about everything I say. Turns out trains don't exist here yet. Gotta change the subject. “You're not supposed to move, Mom, or you'll just worsen your injuries.”
Mom glared at me for a few more seconds, then finally gave up with an exasperated sigh. “Oh fine, I guess you can feed me. It feels nice to be pampered by my son now and then, hehe.”
Mom's expression did a complete reversal as her frown was replaced by a stupid smile. Same here, Mom. It feels nice to take care of you in exchange for everything you did for me.
I felt guilty every time I remembered that Mom went to her job in the first place for me. I don't want her to keep on sacrificing herself just for my sake.
After a few more spoonfuls of soup, Mom finally finished her food and laid back on the bed. She watched me as I cleaned up everything. After a few more seconds of silence, Mom brought up the topic I've been trying to avoid.
“Sweetie, did you remember what happened last night? When all the blankets and clothes flew around in the air?”
Damn, straight to the point as always.
“Um, uh… yeah. I did.” I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't even know what I did, but the last thing I would do is lie to Mom. I wanted to keep this a secret, but I knew I could always trust Mom. When Mother Betha asked me this morning about the mess in the house, I just feigned ignorance. I didn't know if what I did was normal or not, and until then, I had to keep it under wraps.
“I told Mother Betha about it,” Mom said.
Well, there goes my effort to keep it a secret.
“I know you wanted to hide it, sweetie, but we can trust Mother Betha. If she betrayed our trust, she would lose all the blessings she has from the Holy Mother.”
My eyes widened in shock. Is Mom actually a powerful mage?! She could remove other people's abilities?! That's freakin' OP!
“Mom, you can use magic?!”
“What? What are you talking about, sweetie? Of course I can't.” Mom looked confused.
“But, you just said you would remove all her blessings if she betrayed our trust.”
“Oh, that? I never said I would be the one who would take it away, silly!” Mom laughed at my stupid statement, then grimaced as she clutched her side. “No, the one who would take it away would be the Holy Mother Herself, Brogen, and it applies to all Her servants.”
I looked at Mom with a stupid expression. Wait, are gods actually real here?! I thought religion here was just some vague stuff just like back on Earth! Oh shit, can the Holy Mother read my mind right now?!
“Anyway,” Mom said, “you might be an Ascendant, Brogen.”
She looked at me sadly, as if being an ‘Ascendant’ was a curse.
“What's an ‘Ascendant?’”
“They're people who ascend, of course.” I just stared at Mom with a blank expression, pitying her for her lack of talent in making jokes. She laughed at my face.
“I'm just kidding, Brogen. Ascendants are people who have supernatural abilities that couldn't be classified as magic.”
“Are Ascendants unusual?” I asked.
“Unusual is a big understatement, Brogen. Ascendants are extremely rare. Only several people awaken into Ascendants in a decade, which makes them a prized asset by all nations.”
I didn't like where this is going. I could already predict the implications of being an Ascendant, and judging by Mom's frown, it wasn't good.
“The power of Ascendants, which are called Authorities, are extremely strong. They don't follow the same rules as magic, which makes them several magnitudes more powerful. That is why all nations across the world require their people to report anyone suspected of being an Ascendant.”
Holy shit, doesn't that basically mean I'm now a wanted man?! I would be wanted everywhere!
“But why?!” I asked Mom incredulously. “Why do Ascendants have to turn themselves to the authorities?”
“Because history tells us it's the right thing to do, sweetie.” Mom looked at me with sad eyes. “Entire nations have been threatened, some even destroyed, in the past by Ascendants, and countless lives were lost because of it.”
“But that doesn't mean every Ascendant will become a bad guy! They can be heroes as well!”
“That is also true, sweetie, and it has happened several times in the past. But it isn't enough of an excuse for kings and queens to let Ascendants roam around their lands without a leash.”
My face must've mirrored the anger and fear I've been feeling because Mom reached out her hand and caressed my head.
“…Are you going to turn me in?” I asked nervously. Honestly, I didn't know what I would do if Mom turned me in. Would I run away from home? Definitely not. I wouldn't leave behind the person I owe everything to in this life. But I didn't want to become a slave either.
But Mom's laugh washed away all my fears. “Don't be silly, Brogen! Why would I do that? No, we will keep it a secret. And until you grow up, you must hide your power, okay? And you must also learn to control it. There are Ascendants in the past who died because they couldn't control theirs. An Authority is a double-edged sword.”
I paled as I remembered what happened last night when I lost control over my power. I could've killed Mom.
The thought gave me goosebumps. I'll have to be extremely careful with this power. I still don't know whether this is a blessing or a curse.
Our conversation died off, so I finished cleaning up Mom's dishes and was about to leave the room when she called out to me again.
“Oh, and um, sweetie?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Thank you. You saved my life last night.” Mom gave me the sweetest smile she could muster. All I managed was a blush as I waved at her before leaving the room in embarrassment. Why the heck did I wave?!
“Oh, and one more thing sweetie.”
I looked back, expecting another sweet message from her. Mom still had her bright smile.
“We're gonna have to talk about you leaving the house, all alone, in the middle of the night, okay?”
My smile vanished.
●●●
I peeked outside our house. Our humble home was located on the outskirts of town. In front of our house was a dirt road about three meters wide. The houses beside and behind ours were a fair distance away, so we had some measure of privacy. I never ventured outside our house yet except when Mom brought me along to the chapel. That was the only route I knew in this whole town. But I never really had any intention of going around town and meeting new faces. Staying in our house was good enough for me.
After accomplishing my goal, which was to check if other people were loitering around, and fortunately there were none, I got back inside and went to the dining table.
“Alright Tedd, looks like we're clear.”
“We've always been clear, you idiot. Nobody lives in the houses near us!”
“I just want to make sure, Tedd. A bit of caution never hurt anybody.”
I looked at the materials I piled up on the dining table for the activity I was about to do.
Placed on the table were a few pieces of grass, my favorite little blanket ever since I was born, and one of Mom's panties. Good thing she's asleep. No need to let her know I'm experimenting on her undies.
A week had already passed after Mom's incident, and she was recovering steadily. Unfortunately, she was still confined to the bed most of the time, only getting up when she needs to go to the outhouse, which was just a small shed behind our house with a little hole on the ground. I miss toilets. The chapel has one, but it would be ridiculous to go there every time I needed to pee or take a shit.
Before I started with my little activity, I peeked in the bedroom. Mom was still asleep. Nice.
It was already eight in the morning. Mom usually woke up earlier than that, but ever since her injury, she always slept in. Which is good. She needs it to fully recover.
Remembering the incident soured my mood, but I just shook my head and returned to the dining table.
When everything finally calmed down after last week's incident, I finally managed to feel excitement for my new power. Anybody would have been over the moon if they found out they had special powers that could turn them into living legends.
“Alright Tedd, let's do this! Commencing Test #1: Determining activation prerequisites of my Authority.”
I took my favorite little blanket and placed it right in front of me. It was made of linen, which felt a bit rough and crinkly when I first got it, but over the years became softer.
I put my focus on the little piece of fabric, forming an image in my mind that it was floating. It didn't move.
“Hm, looks like imagination isn't the key.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“Hey, why are you being so snarky?!”
“Why don't you ask yourself, birdbrain? You're the weirdo who keeps speaking to himself.”
“Fair point. Alright, let's continue.”
This time, I tried voice commands.
“Float.”
Nothing happened.
“Levitate. Stand. Fly. Hm, this doesn't seem to be the answer either.”
“Why don't you ask it to be your friend? Who knows, maybe he'll start talking like me, and you'll have one more imaginary friend. Hah!”
I ignored Tedd's taunts about my friendless status. I don't need friends. All I need is Mom.
If imagination and voice command is not the activation method for my Authority, then what is? I tried recalling the first time I awakened as an Ascendant. Maybe it's linked to emotion?
I tested my hypothesis and recalled the moment when I saw Mom all bloody and beaten up. I felt my temper rise as I clenched my hands. I looked at the blanket, which did not even budge. All I managed to do was ruin my mood. Ah, what the hell am I even doing?! Why won't my Authority activate?! Just move, damn it!
At that moment, the blanket moved a bit. My eyes widened as I doubted whether it was just the wind or not. So I tried it again. Move, little blanket, move! Oh! There it is again!
The corner of the blanket moved a bit, budging a few inches towards me.
“Did you see that, Tedd?! Did you just see that?! That was me! Haha!” I already knew I could do it, but witnessing it firsthand was a different experience. The strong feeling of invincibility that washed over me when I first awakened wasn't there anymore, but it didn't make the experience any less impressive.
It looked like the key for activation was to ‘will’ the blanket to move, along with using imagination. “Alright, let's all calm down a bit, okay? We still have several tests to perform.”
I took deep breaths to relax, holding back from trying to use my Authority again. I didn't know what the cost for using my power was, so I wanted to finish all the tests first before I went playing— I mean, training with it.
“Alright, commencing Test #2: Determining the scope of my Authority.”
I retrieved the small pieces of grass I picked up in front of our house and placed them in front of me. They looked just like the normal weeds that grew on Earth, except that they had a darker shade of green.
I tried activating my power on the pieces of grass, but just as I expected, it didn't work. So assuming my Authority controls fibers, it only works on processed ones, huh?
I initially thought that my Authority could also apply to plants since that was the source of the fibers used to make fabrics in the first place. But it looks like it only works on processed fibers. Weird. Or maybe it works, but I'm not powerful enough yet to do it.
I proceeded to the next test.
“Okay, commencing Test #3: Measuring the limits and range of my Authority.”
I never bothered making Tedd talk anymore. My throat was already hurting.
I activated my power on my favorite blanket again, this time making it completely float, although I had to exert more focus. As I did so, I felt resistance in my mind, like trying to swim through mud.
Making the blanket float steadily made my mind feel a bit tired, but I pushed on with the test. I tried moving it around in a circle. The moment I did, the resistance in my mind suddenly increased until it felt like my mind was paralyzed. I pushed through and tried to make the blanket float as far from me as possible.
When the blanket reached about a meter from where I was, I lost my control over the blanket. I suddenly realized that I was already breathing heavily, my body was sluggish and slick with sweat, and I also felt a hint of nausea. Looks like using my power makes my mind tired. I think it also affects my body, but I still have no idea in what way.
After resting for a bit, I recovered enough to start the next test.
“Now, for the last test. Commencing Test #4: Determining whether I could control fabrics that do not belong to me.”
I retrieved Mom's panty. It was made out of cotton, giving it a soft texture. I placed it carefully in front of me and activated my Authority. It worked, but I noticed that it was significantly harder.
“Huh, I could control other people's clothes, but it's much harder. So how does my Authority know if something belongs to me?”
I was starting to get annoyed with the vague details that surrounded my power. I wish there was a system prompt that would show me numerical data regarding my Authority…
I waited for a bit, hoping that a status screen would appear in front of me, but it never came. Darn it.
I concluded my tests and started cleaning up everything. Just as I picked up Mom's panty, I heard the bedroom door behind me creak open.
“And what, pray tell, are you doing with my panties, sweetie?”
I slowly turned around and saw Mom, leaning on the door. She was smiling, but her eyes weren't.
“Um, I was just, uh…”
“Come here, sweetie,” Mom said, still smiling. “Since you love my panties so much, let's see how you look like if you try some of them on.”
Mom opened the bedroom door wider and gestured with her finger, telling me to come inside her room. Fuck…
●●●
Another week had passed after the panty incident.
I concentrated on the small piece of cloth floating in front of me. Keeping it afloat took a lot of concentration, but I stepped up the difficulty by also making it rotate in place. After almost a minute of continuous floating and rotating, I finally released my hold over it and slumped back on the couch. Using my power is super exhausting.
Ever since I performed the tests on my Authority a few days ago, I began my training. Whenever I could, I would make the piece of cloth I always had with me float and move around until my mind was exhausted. With this, I improved my power bit by bit.
At first, I could only make the cloth float for about ten seconds straight, but after a few days of training, I could make it float for fifteen. Not much, I know, but if I continue with this training for several more years, I'd become super powerful. Muwahahaha! Everyone will tremble before my might!
Now that I had more time to think about it, I realized that my unexplainable attraction to fabrics a couple of years ago stemmed from my Authority. Good thing too, because I didn't know how I would feel if it turned out it was just my mind having a weird fetish.
The only thing I had issues with right now was the rate at which I exhausted myself. I didn't even know what I was using as fuel to activate my Authority, and I'm pretty sure it had some kind of cost. I can't just keep moving stuff around simply with my will without violating the Law of Conservation of Energy. But magic never really followed the laws of physics in the first place. Wait, is my Authority considered as magic?
Now that I thought about it, I didn't know what made my Authority different from magic. According to Mom and Mother Betha, they were different. I wasn't sure about it yet, but my current guess is that my Authority also uses mana as a fuel, just like magic. If that was the case, it would agree with my earlier theory that mana was just another form of energy. If I was right, I was using mana as fuel to move things. But if that's the case, then why can't I use my Authority on objects other than fabrics? And if using my Authority just meant using mana the same way as other mages did, then that doesn't make it any different from magic.
On another note, if mana was the resource I used up to activate my power, then that meant my mana pool was increasing slowly since I could make fabrics float and move for longer periods. If my mana pool keeps improving, does that mean I could finally cast magic in the future? I felt excitement bubble up within me at the thought, although I couldn't tell whether I was ‘feeling’ my mana. I didn't feel anything at all while using my Authority except for headaches and lethargy.
I had so many questions but nobody to ask them to. Mom, like most common people, didn't really know much about the inner workings of magic and Authorities. According to her, information regarding those was considered as ‘restricted knowledge’ that was kept secret from the masses. She also added that the only knowledge about magic that was open to everyone was healing magic, and not because the people in power wanted it to.
It was actually the Holy Mother Church's decision long ago to publicize all information and methods about healing magic, which was the specialty of their priests and healers. It was a controversial action, given the fact that most mages relied on keeping their cards hidden to stay ahead of the competition.
Even though a lot of mages and nobles complained, they couldn't do anything since the ones who would be negatively impacted by this, which were the healers, mostly worked as servants of the Holy Mother Church. Independent healers were rare since the best institutions that taught healing magic belonged to the Holy Mother Church, and they required a minimum service time to the Church after graduation.
I looked up at the main entrance as somebody knocked on the door. A person with auburn hair peeked through the window, and I immediately recognized it as Sister Lina.
“Hellooo, anybody home?”
I didn't bother standing up to open the door since I knew Sister Lina would probably just enter without permission.
True to my prediction, the door opened with a loud creak as Sister Lina invited herself in while carrying a small basket. She spotted me immediately and came over to pat my head.
“Hey, Brogy! How are you doing? Where's Helen?”
“Don't call me that. Mom's in the shed at the back, taking a bath I think.”
Our shed didn't only function as a toilet, but also as a bathroom and laundry room. There was a wooden partition that separated the toilet from the bathing area so that we didn't have to smell the sewage while taking a bath.
“Aw, looks like Brogy is a little grumpy today. Anyways, I'm gonna go check up on your Mom. I brought lunch!”
“Hey! I told you, Mom's still taking a bath!”
The nun didn't seem to hear me as she passed through the back door. I couldn't see them, but I heard the door of the shed slamming open, followed by Sister Lina's cheerful voice.
“Hey, Helly! I brought lunch! Ooh, you still have some big melons even though Brogen doesn't breastfeed anymore, eh?”
“Lina! What are you doing?! Get out, I'm taking a bath!”
“You don't need to be shy, we lived together for months back at the chapel! I alrea— Ow! Okay, okay! Geez!”
I wondered whether Sister Lina was doing this on purpose just to see Mom naked. If that was the case, I would have to question Mother Betha's preference for her nuns. One is secretly a sadist, and the other is a pervert.
●●●
We sat at the dining table as Sister Lina rubbed at her sore cheek. Mom was still glaring at the nun from across the table.
“You didn't have to throw the tub that hard, Helly…”
“Then you shouldn't have barged in in the first place!”
Mom was pretty angry, and Sister Lina ducked her head sheepishly. But I didn't miss her small triumphant smile that she hid from Mom. She didn't even regret it…
“So? What did you come here for?” Mom huffed as she took a meat bun from Sister Lina's basket. The food probably contributed a lot in convincing Mom to forgive the lewd nun.
“Oh, I'm actually here to tell you some good news.” Sister Lina's playfulness disappeared.
“You didn't really tell us directly who beat you up, Helly, but am I right to assume that the rumors were true and the culprits were guardsmen from the baronet's household?”
Mom almost dropped her meat bun as her eyes opened wide. The serious topic also surprised me a bit, and I paused from eating my meat bun to listen more closely.
“How did you know that, Lina?”
“You shouldn't underestimate us, Helly,” Sister Lina said with a small smile. “Our chapel may not be big enough to have our own information network, but if you are an ally to the common people, then they will serve as one.”
Sister Lina had a large smile on her face while Mom was utterly speechless.
“There were a lot of witnesses that spoke with Mother Betha, you know. You may not be aware of it Helly, but there are a lot of people here in Erfeld who recognize you since you worked in the chapel for more than a year! And they all went to the chapel to report it to Mother Betha!”
Mom looked relieved at that, but she also looked a bit worried. “So? What happened next?”
“Oh, you're not gonna believe this!” Sister Lina looked excited to tell her story. “When Mother Betha learned of everything that happened, she contacted the Holy See and finally got permission after a few days of correspondence!”
Mom looked uneasy, but Sister Lina didn't notice. “Why is the Holy See involved with this small matter, Linny? Wait, never mind that, what permission did they grant?”
Sister Lina had an expression of realization that she screwed up a bit but just continued talking. She gave Mom a confident smile.
“The permission to excommunicate the guards that harassed you! Hah, those jerks are probably regretting their actions now, don't you think?”
I was a bit dissatisfied with the punishment for the guards. Wasn't it too light? In exchange for beating up Mom, all they get is an excommunication?
I didn't know everything there was to know about excommunication, but what I do know back on Earth is that an excommunicated person is something like an exile from the church. I felt like it wasn't enough of a punishment, so I looked at Mom beside me to gauge her reaction and was surprised to see the look of horror on her face. Sister Lina must've noticed it too.
“What's wrong, Helly? Aren't you glad?”
“They won't be happy, Lina. They'll come after us! What if they come here to take revenge on me, Lina?” Mom looked at me. “What if they hurt Brogen?!”
“Calm down, Helly! Nobody's gonna go after you! If they did, that would warrant an Inquisition from the Church!”
Mom still looked a bit scared, but at the mention of the Inquisition, some of her tension disappeared. I had no idea what it was, but it was probably some nasty stuff. From my limited knowledge of Earth's world history, the Inquisition back then was brutal. Heretics were tortured to force confessions out of them, and some were even executed.
I wonder how it worked here, especially one led by the Holy Mother Church. I was impressed by all the charity work and good doctrines the Church had implemented so far, but I wasn't going to naively believe that it was completely clean in terms of corruption. As long as an institution was run by people, corruption was an inevitability.
“Plus, the baronet fired the guards responsible, and they already left town a few days ago.” Sister Lina placed her hand on top of Mom's to reassure her.
“Does the baronet know who I am? Does he know that I was the one the guards beat up?” Mom asked quietly.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, he knows you, I think. Why do you ask?” Sister Lina had a look of confusion on her face.
“Nothing. Does he know about Brogen too?”
“I don't think so. If the guards didn't know about Brogen, then he probably doesn't either. There are only a few people who know Brogen exist, even when you worked in the chapel since you kept leaving him in my room when you started working. The only ones who know of Brogen are those who see you together every time you go home from the chapel.”
“That's probably for the best,” Mom said. She looked at me, and we both knew what she was thinking about. Makes it easier to hide my power. I wonder if either of the nuns were told of my secret. Probably not.
“Anyway, that's all I came here for. Once you're all healed, come back and visit us at the chapel, Helly. Alright, I'm heading out. Bye!”
As Sister Lina finally left, I looked at Mom. “Is excommunication enough punishment for those guards?” I asked, still a bit mad about the lacking punitive measure imposed on those bastards.
“Oh, absolutely. Maybe even too much. Excommunication means they're no longer under the protection and charity of the Holy Mother Church, Brogen. That means if someone did something to those guards that violated the Holy Mother's teachings, the Church is no longer obligated to mete out justice on behalf of them.”
My jaw dropped at that revelation. If that happened, then the only thing left that could protect them was the law of this kingdom. I don't think excommunication back on Earth worked like that… right?
“Not only that,” Mom continued, “they can no longer avail of any services provided by the Holy Mother Church. That means they could no longer ask for healing from any priest or priestess of the Church. And if you don't know, almost all healers in this continent work for the Holy Mother Church.”
If I thought earlier that excommunication wasn't enough, I take it back. It was definitely the right punishment for those bastards that hurt Mom.
I didn't know much about this world yet but based on the stories Mom told me on some nights, this place was dangerous. It wasn't noticeable in this small town, but apparently, most parts of the world were teeming with monsters. Mom told me stories of kingdoms constantly being besieged by monsters, of towns obliterated by hordes of undead, and of a continent completely shrouded in darkness. This world was way more dangerous than Medieval Earth. Coupled with the fact that medicine probably wasn't advanced yet, if an excommunicated person couldn't avail the services of a healer, then they'd probably die either from a life-threatening injury or a disease.
“Why did the guards hurt you in the first place, Mom?” I asked innocently.
Mom had a look of uncertainty on her face as she hesitated on answering me. “Those guards, they remember my face back when I still worked in the baronet's mansion. They thought they could take advantage of me just because they had more authority.”
Mom had a dark look on her face I haven't seen before. I knew she wasn't telling me everything, but I decided to just let Mom tell me more whenever she was ready.
“Well, at least they're gone now. Nobody would hurt you anymore. ”
Mom smiled at me and proceeded to finish her meat bun that had gone cold. I looked at mine and also took a bite.
Learning about the Church's excommunication made me realize that I actually know almost nothing about this world. I didn't even know the name of the planet, much less the name of the country I was in. The fact that I was in another world hit me again, reminding me that I shouldn't be complacent. If I want to survive here and protect those who are dear to me, I looked at Mom. She was smiling again, enjoying her meat bun. Then I would have to get stronger.