“Thane! You up yet?! We’re going to be late to the Ivory Tower! Don’t make me come in there and wake you up, boy!” Thane’s father, Leon, bellowed from behind the door to his son’s room.
He turned his ear towards the locked door and waited. Yet, not a sound of movement or a muffled response came from inside the room. He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned from frustration.
Every damn morning, Thane! This is why I still nag you! You always complain back, saying that you know and to not treat you as a kid anymore. But how can I not worry, boy? When you can’t even get up on your own!?
Suddenly, the old wooden door to Thane’s room violently rattled from Leon’s hammering fist.
“Thane! Get up! Now!”
No response.
Worry gnawed inside of Leon; they were going to be late. His son was not getting up, and he became restless, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. He didn’t mind being late himself, but Thane could not be tardy. Or more like, Leon desperately wanted his son to be on time. To him, every second in the academy mattered. He believed every moment inside while learning would allow his son a higher chance of becoming a Tower Climber. And so he continued, urgently banging on the door. They had little time left in their morning to head over to the Tower and academy.
However, the urgent and distressed sensation Leon felt was odd. It wasn’t something that only occurred when attempting to wake his son. It had subtly gnawed at the middle-aged man for weeks now, but recently it bothered him with a constant unsettling sensation. Something was coming for him, and he needed to hurry. But not run away. He could not run away. He just needed to tie up loose ends. But what exactly, he did not know. An inkling, maybe. Maybe it was to ensure he and his son arrived at work and school on time. However, he currently had no time to ponder over the feeling. They needed to start heading to the Tower to start their day. There was little time left. And unbeknownst to Leon, who could not comprehend the frantic sensations, he had practically no time left at all.
Thane typically would be hurrying and scurrying about while groaning in defiance had it been any other time his father commanded him. However, although he groaned and fussed, the only time Thane did not follow his father’s orders was when he fell asleep. He was nearly at the age of becoming a full-fledged adult, but he still needed his father’s help to wake him up.
It wasn’t entirely Thane’s fault per se; Thane was a deep sleeper. Even the pounding on the loose door, caused by the constant daily thunks from his father’s knocking, did not affect the still-slumbering adolescent.
With no other choice, Leon used his clipped fingernail and wedged it into the slit of the doorknob. He twisted his finger and unlocked Thane’s door. Bursting in, Leon stomped four wide steps to the edge of his son’s bed. Hot breaths of air puffed in and out of his nostrils as he towered over the drooling face that was a chiseled, not-yet-stressed, and younger version of his rugged self. His son laid haphazardly, but blissfully peaceful, diagonally across his twin-sized bed.
Thane snoozed away without a single worry in the world. His soft brown hair was a mangled mess that smothered against his bed without any pillows underneath. Instead, the pillows and blankets lay partially strewn about below, covering the cold, faded, and creaking floorboards.
Thane’s smiling sleeping face and his unconscious hand that scratched his butt broke the dam holding back his father’s anger. It flooded and gushed out of Leon as he gripped down hard on his son’s broad shoulders. In a few more years his son’s physique would overtake his figure. However, for now, he was still more muscular, and he madly shook his sleeping son like a snow globe.
“Thaaaannnnne! Up! Now!”
Finally, after the heavy-handed awakening, Thane groggily opened his eyes and mumbled with a low cracking voice that had yet adjusted from a night’s rest.
“Huh? Dad? Stop shaking me. Five more minutes,” Thane groggily said while still half asleep. He then shut his eyes and turned his head to the side and away from his father as he dozed off again.
The empty dam inside Leon boiled again with anger and burst out as he shook his son awake once more.
“Five minutes!? We’re late! Get your ass outta bed this instant! We need to run to the Tower, and you need to get to the academy! Now, Thane!”
Hearing his father shout ‘academy,’ Thane’s listless state and his desire to continue sleeping immediately vanished. He jerked up into sitting. Still somewhat drowsy, he glanced to the side and noticed the glistening bright light reflecting off the giant Ivory Tower through the open curtains of his window. Dread and alarm washed his dreary mind fully awake as the images of a strict and ruthless teacher at the academy flashed in his mind. He looked back and shouted at his father.
“Dad! Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?! Ms. Maribell is going to punish me!”
Suddenly, Thane went meek as a mouse and quieted from the frightening look on his father’s bright red face that scrunched into a ball.
“Wake you up sooner? Ms. Maribell’s punishment?” Leon hissed between his gritting teeth.
A heavy silence momentarily ensued before the storm.
“IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE AFRAID OF, BOY?! WELL, YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET! GET YOURSELF OUT OF BED THIS INSTANT! I EXPECT YOU TO BE READY AND OUT THE DOOR OF MY HOUSE BY THE TIME I STEP OUT THE FRONT DOOR!”
His father blasted a furious roar at him, and Thane nodded fervently, not wanting to anger his father any further. His father was a scary man when enraged. He did not face many beatings growing up, but when he did, he could only walk the next day with a limp in his steps, if at all.
Leon turned around and stomped an earthquake that rattled the floorboards on his way out. Thane now felt guilty, but he had no time to dwell upon it further. His father gave him an ultimatum, and he knew better than to break it.
He jumped off his creaking bed and raced to his wardrobe. Yanking it open, his eyes widened, noticing the empty clothes hangers and bare drawers; only his laundry basket was full.
Shit! I forgot I was supposed to do mine and Dad’s laundry yesterday!
Thane crouched down and hurriedly pulled out his worn clothes from the basket and smelled them. Immediately, he frowned and shoved it away from the musty odor. A stream of clothes flew in the air as Thane carelessly tossed them over his shoulder to find something that did not smell. He found a set that smelled the least and hurriedly tucked them on before running to the bathroom for a quick hygiene routine.
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Completing his questionable rushed hygiene regimen, he raced down the stairs, clunking loudly down the steps. His father stood outside the open front door, tapping his foot as he impatiently stared down at his watch. Thane rushed out, closed the door, and locked it with a key on his neck before turning to his father. Suddenly, he jumped back in surprise at something his father shoved into his face.
“Lunch. Take it.”
His father was still angry; Thane could tell from his father’s curt words and the eyes that glared daggers at him. However, even with all that, his father still made and packed him lunch.
“Thanks, Dad. Sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then wake yourself up next time. But I’m sure I’ll have to wake you up again. I always do. Now, we need to run. I also need to harvest the herbs from our fields on the base floor of the Tower for the potion shop before Anza comes in, and you need to be on time for class.”
“Yes, Father,” Thane replied as his shoulders drooped down. His father stated the facts, but it made Thane feel bad that he delayed his father.
Hearing the formal response from his son, Leon knew Thane was truly remorseful. With Thane’s sad puppy look, he could not hold it against his son any further. His gaze softened as he looked at his son’s lowered head.
Liza, what would you do? How would you raise Thane to become a good man? How can I start getting him to start taking care of himself? Just one more day and he will be an adult, but I still have to wake him up every morning. I miss you, honey. I wish you were still here with me. You always knew what to do.
Leon shook off his sentimental thoughts, focusing on his son, whom he could still do something about. He walked up and slapped his son’s back, making him turn and wince up at him.
“Alright. I know you’re sorry. Let’s run for now. You can make it up to me by becoming a Climber.”
“But Dad, do I have to? I told you I don’t want to. Couldn’t I just be a normal farmer like you?”
Leon scowled at his son, and Thane flinched at the sudden furious reaction.
“No! Why do I have to tell you a million times?! Don’t you know why everyone wants to be a Climber?! If I was, then your mother may still-!”
Leon choked, thinking about his wife that was likely dead. He turned away from his son. Thane felt even worse, triggering a taboo subject that was not supposed to be talked about.
Leon glared back and coldly reprimanded his son. “Run. You better make it in time to the Tower Academy or else.”
Thane kept silent but huffed and looked away. A mix of anger and sadness swirled inside of him from his father’s unrelenting expectations that did not match his own, and yet, he felt sorrow and guilt when his father mentioned his powerlessness to help his mother. The conflicting feelings weighed heavily on Thane’s mind.
Many wanted to be Climbers for prestige and power but also for the highly desired right to live inside the Tower. Even though the kingdom's tall, man-made stone walls stood sturdy and strong, they could not always keep out danger. Living inside the Tower granted high certainty of safety. But non-climbers could only live outside and within the walls of the Lazar Kingdom.
Yet, Thane wanted none of it. He understood why his father wanted him to be a Climber and all its perks. His mother died because of the Tower, the Climbers, the Dungeon and its Heathens. Or so he assumed. But it was true they all played a part, and Thane wanted nothing to do with any of them.
Thane stormed off first, and Leon looked on with a complicated face at his son’s fading figure. Alone with his frustrations that proved he cared for Thane, the urgent creeping sensation also came back. Or maybe Leon was just more aware of himself. His gut boiled and churned, urging him to quickly run after Thane and make amends before his time ran out. Leon could not yet fully grasp the ominous feeling, but it resurfaced stronger and more dire every time.
With Thane far enough away, he finally spoke part of the words he needed to say but felt uncomfortable to directly tell his son.
“You’ve grown big and strong, Thane. But you still have yet to understand. I hope one day you will see why I say what I say and do what I do. It’s all for you, kid. Everything I say and do is for only you.”
Leon dashed after his son, and the two silently ran together through the busy cobblestone streets. They did not talk, let alone look at each other. The atmosphere between the two was awkward the entire way to the Ivory Tower.
From far away, the immaculate shimmering Tower already took up a chunk of the scenery. As the father-son duo approached, its massive size filled almost all of their sight. Rising from the center of the bustling Lazar Kingdom, the massive Ivory Tower pierced into the clear blue sky, almost replacing it.
Thane glanced up, as always, during his daily morning travel with his father as they approached the Tower. He peered at the top of the giant structure that vanished into the heavens with sheer awe and amazement.
However, not paying attention while running is not recommended. Thane tripped and nearly stumbled, but his father grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him back before he fell face-first into the pavement.
“Thane! How many times do I have to tell you?! Pay attention and watch where you’re going!”
Thane jerked his arm away from his father’s grasp. He was already frustrated with his father’s expectations and conflicted thoughts. The lecturing only further angered him.
“I know, old man! You always think I’m messing up! You always have something to complain about me!” Thane cared not for the onlookers and blasted out his frustration and fury at his father. Unable to look at his father any further, he angrily jerked his body and glared away in the distance.
His son’s rebellious shouting came off as ungrateful towards his good intentions, even if his intentions came out stern and pointed. Leon’s face contorted with deep lines of rage. He nearly snapped back at his son. But as he opened his mouth for a scathing, he suddenly stopped and held back.
For some reason, he did not want to argue and tell off his son. For some reason, he felt he needed to be calm and address his son nicely. He now started to understand the strange deep churning feeling from his gut that told him to cherish this moment. It was unsettling, unlike anything he’s felt before. It felt bad, like the end.
Some say that they knew when they were about to die. Like their time had come, and death was close at hand. Leon understood it at this very moment. He could not believe it as he was mostly healthy, but sensed it. He was going to die. However, Leon did not accept it. He refused. He still had too much to live for. He always felt that his son was not yet ready to face the world on his own. Yet, even so, he did something unlike himself.
“Thane, look at me,” Leon gently said, calling out to his son.
His father’s reaction was strange. Thane waited for the harsh bellowing lecture that was supposed to ensue. But instead, the soft tone of his father’s voice made Leon turn around and tilt his head with a dubious look on his face. But seeing his father’s strange facial expression, his face went blank, not knowing what kind of expression to make.
His father showed a new and never seen look. It was sort of angry, yet proud and happy. If anything, it reminded him of worry and guilt. But his father’s expression wasn’t completely any of them either. However, it was serious, to the extent that it worried Thane.
“Dad, what's wrong? I know I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I’m sorry, but you know I-“
“Thane. It’s okay. I forgive you. Just listen to me okay, son?”
Son? Why is he calling me that now? Why is he so serious?
Thane wanted to ask many questions, but he kept his thoughts to himself and let his father finish.
“Son, I know we bicker and argue, but I only want the best for you. You know I am proud of you, right? Your mother and I are always proud of you. You’re going to the academy even though you don’t want to. I’m sure the brats of those damn stuck-up Climbers give you a hard time, but you do it every day because I asked you to. You’ve worked hard and persevered through a difficult life with just me so far. I don’t always know how to express myself, and I know I have angered you many times. But forgive me. I love and cherish you very much, son.”
The words of Thane’s father touched his heart and melted away his anger. But it was off. His father’s declaration confused Thane endlessly and made him worry even more.
“We don’t say it much, but I love you too, Dad. I know I do and say things that hurt you too. And I’m sorry. But what’s wrong? Why are you like this?”
Leon looked at his son with proud and clear eyes. The resolution and confidence that held firm in them gave Thane a mixed feeling. It was as if his father now felt at peace.
There are only a few things I worry about, Thane. But I now understand that they’re so small and insignificant. How could I not see that you were already growing into a fine young man?
“I just felt it was needed for me to say, son. I couldn’t say it earlier when we left, but I want you to know how I feel and how proud I am of you. I know you don’t want to become a Climber, but give it a chance. It doesn’t mean you have to fully commit yourself to it. I just want you to have options that can give you a safe and better life.”
“I know, Dad. I know you mean well. But why are you talking like you’re-“
A charming ring from the Ivory Tower cut Thane’s words short.
“Hey! Let’s go! Or you’ll be late!” Leon hurriedly said, and Thane quickly nodded back.
Thane still felt apprehensive about the recent events with his father, but he had no time to worry. Ms. Maribell was another issue. The two dashed off into the crowd that was about to enter the Tower’s lobby area.
Leon turned around and shouted further in from the mass of people.
“Get going to class, ya hear! Study hard! I need to go pick those herbs for Anza, or she’ll throw a hissy fit. Have a good day, son!”
Just about to run off again, Leon turned around once more. He forgot a special surprise he’d been planning for his son.
“Thane! I’ll have your favorite for dinner tonight so make sure to get home on time!” Leon hurriedly said as he waved and raced off.
“Okay, I will! You too, Dad! Have a good day!” Thane shouted back as he watched his father disappear into the rushing crowd.
And the two did have a good day, compared to their typical day anyway. It could even be called a great day as the father-son duo accomplished much. Leon was able to prepare a surprise birthday party for his son, and Thane did not meet many of the snobby offspring of the Climbers. It was strangely smooth with no mishaps. Too smooth.
And indeed, it was too good to be true. They won’t be having such a pleasant evening.