I remember being eight when I first made this vow.

I vowed to myself. That I would never marry. And that I would never have children.

It was because of something that happened that day.

They came to our house in the middle of the night.

The village elders.

They had torches with them.

They demanded my mother proved she wasn’t a monster.

That she drank the “monster’s concoction”.

“If you really aren’t a monster, then drink it!” – They said.

Father tried to intervene, but then they demanded that he drank it as well. 

They did it, and the elders waited.

I wanted for mother to throw it up. I wanted for her to put a finger in her throat and just take that from inside her body.

I screamed and pushed her and ran to my room in despair.

But she endured it. She endured as much as the elders wanted.

They stayed overnight to make sure she wouldn’t take it from her stomach.

Five old man sitting around the table, facing my mother and father.

They left by morning.

Mother and Father watched they go, and closed the door.

Then both collapsed to the ground.

I was desperate. But I understood I could not scream.

I wanted to call someone for help, but I couldn’t do it.

Why had father collapsed as well?

Shouldn’t this only affect us?

…I believed in it at the time. In the lie of Abnormals being monsters.

Mother would never grow old, so that was the same as being a monster, right?

I was used to that.

Mother was a gentle monster. I was a gentle monster as well.

We only remained young while others grew old. We weren’t dangerous. We were normal, even if we were monsters.

We were gentle monsters.

But monsters couldn’t drink the monster’s concoction. It would kill them.

The monster’s concoction was venom for us, even if normal humans could drink it.

Then, why had father collapsed as well?

Why?!

I tried chanting the strongest detoxification magic mother had taught me.

It was for no use.

That day, when the tiredness and anxiety rose to it’s peak I lost consciousness believing my parents had died.

From that day on I began to understand the truth.

Mother told me everything when I was ten.

And then I vowed again, that I would never marry or have children.

This world didn’t want people like us. The people of this world didn’t want for us to exist.

So I went with my life like that, until I met John.

And then things changed.

I let go of my vows and decided to marry him.

Ann was a special child with a lot of willpower and a bit of an edge over other children her own age.

Jacen was also smart for a child, and after Alvin started helping me he proved to have at least as much willpower as Ann.

Not to mention he also had a big talent for aura control.

Then, Alvin.

I used to joke he was frightening, but now it has become truth.

It’s almost as if he has all of it.

John didn’t see how much effort he puts when he really wants something, but I’m sure he has at least as much willpower as Ann.

He learned things very complex for his age and his mind is clearly superior.

He can control his emotions. He won’t cry as much as a child his age would, or seek vengeance when Jacen poked him.

He has enormous talent with aura, and even if his aura aggregate amount hasn’t been increasing because of his special training, his recovery speed has already surpassed even Ann’s and reached John’s level.

And his memory… he can learn things like medicine recipes by seeing them only once.

This is too much.

It’s frightening.

My son is a menace. I love him, but he is dangerous.

I’m worried. What will happen to us? What will happen to him?

… we reached mother’s house.

It’s night already, so we may need to wait a bit before she opens.

This waiting is killing me!

“John? What are you doing here at this…. Come in.”

Mother opened the door as soon as she saw our faces. She looked both sides before closing it.

The next time she talked was in whispers.

“Where are Jacen and All?”

“It’s okay Ma. Nothing happened yet. We are just worried.”

Mother clasped her hands and looked above.

This much could get her killed if someone else saw it. John’s face has become cramped.

“Come over and sit. I will make some tea.”

Brown tea? It’s not that I dislike it, but it makes the head a bit fuzzy.

“Are you sure Ma? Is it really the time for this kind of things?”

“It’s not brown tea darling. It’s just beauty grass tea.”

Oh. I had forgotten how much mother liked this kind of things.

Thinking well, it has been many years since I came to mother’s home. Ever since Jacen’s birth.

No... wait… it has been even longer, hasn’t it?

Maybe eight years or something.

“Here. Drink a bit. It will help you calm down.”

The tea had it’s peculiar, perfumed and sweet taste. It started to melt some of my worries.

We all drank it. It was refreshing, even if it’s spring already.

“Marie? What’s happening?”

Father is surprised seeing us. He is looking around.

“All and Jacen?”

“They are fine Anton. We are just worried about Alvin.”

He sighed in relief.

“Goodgrief. Ma, give me one of those cups of tea please.”

“Sure. Here.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, why don’t you tell me what happened?”

John told mother about Alvin’s confession to us. Then he talked about how worried he was. How he was uncertain first, but now was sure of it. That All needed special education, and that we needed her help.

“You said you used to teach Abnormals, right? We need you to teach Alvin.”

My mouth curled down when he said it, the word.

Abnormals.

That is how they call us.

It has been years now, but John still think on us like this.

I can understand why mother holds a grudge against him.

“Indeed I used to train geniuses at some point of my life. But is that all that happened? Ann, Alice?”

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Now it was John’s time to curl his mouth down.

This world was forbidden.

So many forbidden things. So many secret things. Is this a curse of some kind?

Ann started complementing John’s report on Alvin.

Then it was my time to complement her. In the end I talked a lot more than I thought I would. John seems amazed with the amount of things he didn’t know.

“He trained the healing spell until he passed out so many times? I didn’t think he had put so much effort in it.”

“Yes. I thought it was a bit weird, but since you decided to teach them the adventurer’s way I thought it was in your calculations…”

It was the same case with Ann. We both trusted John had a bigger plan for them.

“No… that wasn’t my intention… to think both wouldn’t even flinch at using aura like that… if they had asked me I would have taught them how to train it after properly calming their hearts.”

“Do you understand it better now? I warned you several times in the past, but you can’t train them as if they were your recruits.”

“Mother, please…”

“No, she is right… you were right, Marie.”

“Good you realize that, even if only now.”

“Then, will you help us?”

“Maybe it’s best to wait a bit.”

Father said something weird. Even mother is surprised.

“What do you mean? I have to start teaching them soon.”

“I know, but you all seem to be forgetting a thing. Alvin just did something very bad. You can’t let he do as he pleases just because he is special. If it was my parents, they may even kick him from the house.”

“I won’t kick Alvin dad! What are you talking about! He is only three!”

“He is three but he said he tricked and touched his sister knowing it was wrong. And also, he made the five of you lose almost everything you have. Don’t spoil him just because he is a kid!”

“The two of you, calm down! Alice, your father is right. You don’t need to do anything drastic, but he must be punished. Also, he hasn’t left the house so far, right? And you live amongst your friends from when you were younger. They will know better than to go around running their mouths to the Dorians or to talk anything to Forehead.”

The Dorians are the only family in our village given a surname by our Lord. They are dangerous, since they got their surname for accusing mother’s existence in the village.

Forehead is the chief-in-charge of the town’s militia. His real name is Uller, but we call him like that because his forehead is big.

Both are a danger to us. The Dorians given what they did to us in the past. Uller because he has duty to report irregularities to the Lord.

Anyhow, mother is right.

“Then, what should we do?”

John is being very humble today. Mother looked at him for a bit, but soon dropped her defenses as well.

Thank you. For putting those feelings aside for my son. Thank you.

“First we need to calm down. From what you told me, Alvin may as well be a superior genius. Since we don’t know, let’s take it for granted that he is one.”

My eyes are moistening.

We all knew this, but I still don’t want to believe it.

A superior genius has just too many flaws. It’s impossible to hide it completely.

It’s impossible for him!

John is comforting me. Ann as well.

“Then?” – John is taking the initiative.

“Then we have to trust he will be able to help taking care of himself. Let’s explain things to him and start his training as soon as possible.”

“When would that be? Tomorrow?”

No, that…

“No, that would be impossible. If we just stop accepting Alice’s friends inside her house it will be suspicious. They may realize something happened, and that may bring us trouble.”

Mother is correct.

“The best time would be winter then. You and Anton should come and live with us for a few months. We can say something happened to your house.”

Winter is too far away. We can’t have Alvin growing more during this period.

“Winter is more than six months from now!”

“Then, let’s have Alvin punished during this period”

Father came with an idea.

“What do you mean Anton?”

“Teach him Crop Growth. I remember teaching you how to do it in the past. Say it’s so he can help with the food for the family. No matter how much of a genius he is, it will take him months to be able to do it right, that’s for sure!”

Crop Growth.

It’s an insurance technique farmers use when something very bad happened to their crops and the only intermediate-level spell everyone is taught, no matter where.

If a heavy storm destroyed the fields for example, the farmers can use their life’s savings of accumulated aggregate aura to cast this spell and grow normal crops.

It’s a frail insurance since it takes a long time for the regular person to accumulate enough aura to produce even a single day’s worth of food, but if everyone from the village spend everything they accumulate thought most of their lives… then it may be possible to produce one meager year’s worth.

“I thought this may be a good idea, but even I have difficulty casting this spell. It takes me a week to accumulate enough aura to produce a day’s worth for four. Do you think he will be able to do it?”

John asked Anton, but mother was the one to answer.

“If he truly is a Superior Genius, even if he’s still a child, that much should be possible. He may master it in a month and reach your level by the time he is four and a half.”

“No… Alvin already has an aura recovery speed similar to Jhon’s…”

Mother froze when I told her about this point.

“Regardless, that only means more food for you, right? Keep his training in secret and it’s alright.”

Father was a pragmatic as always.

In the end we decided this would be our plan.

Alvin would be trained in Crop Growth and then, when winter came, mother would teach him.

It’s unavoidable that Ann and Jacen will learn some things we may have preferred for them not to, but mother tranquilized me.

She insured Alvin will be taught only on ways to hide himself and, at most, on the old cryptic language.

It’s dangerous to learn cryptic, but it’s needed.

It’s dearly needed.