While walking toward my father’s office in an awkward silence that evoked nostalgia, I wondered why he summoned me so abruptly. His emotionless demeanor only made it harder to figure out as I didn’t know if I was in trouble.
“Father, I–” Hearing my voice crack, I cleared my throat while averting my gaze toward the ground as Father’s presence was still too heavy to bear. “If this is about how poorly I handled Sir Baris, then I–”
Hearing the scraping sound of a wooden chair being dragged across the floor, I stopped talking and looked back at my father.
“Sit.” He gestured to the chair resting by his work desk before going around and seating himself. Of course, I listened to his command, awkwardly leaning into the backrest with my arms resting across my thighs. “Alexander, I didn’t call you here for something as trifling as Sir Baris. You’ve handled the situation in a way you saw appropriate. It’s what’s expected of a Lord.”
“Then. . .” Slightly shifting my head to the side, I looked into his azure eyes for any hint of what he might’ve wanted, completely overlooking the obvious.
Crossing his arms and leaning back, he cracked a rare smile. “Isn’t it appropriate to congratulate my son on awakening his core?”
“That’s why you summoned me?” I voiced my skepticism.
“Do I need a better reason?” Father sighed, probably confused as to where he went wrong for his son to doubt his words.
“No, no. . .” Suddenly the back of my neck started to itch as nerves kicked in. “Thank you, Father.”
It wasn’t that his words weren’t trustworthy, but somehow it felt a bit insensitive to others considering Penelope and Ellie, and probably my mother, had lots of questions for me.
“Alexander.” My father’s voice cut off all unnecessary thoughts going through my head.
“Yes, Father?”
“I’m thinking of sending you to the Academy. What would you think of that?”
Although his idea made sense as having one attend the Grand Academy of Nuia was an honor, it still caught me off guard as I hadn’t expected him to be the one bringing it up.
“Actually, Father.” Smiling gratefully, I looked at the ground. “I wanted to–”
“Victor Kallis!” My mother stormed into Father’s office, sending a chill down my spine as I heard her call Father by his full name. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
“Belle?” Father looked utterly lost as even our stone-cold father broke a cold sweat while looking at his angered wife.
“Do you have any idea how hard it was to convince Ellie her brother wasn’t in trouble? You know better than to drag him to your office when we hadn’t seen him in half a year and have just as many questions, if not more?”
Struggling to stay composed as I wanted to burst into laughter, I couldn’t help but compare Queen Sylphena to Father. Unlike her, who was used to Alice storming in without permission, for Father, that was inconceivable, making me wonder who held absolute power within the Kallis household if Mother could do so freely.
“Honey, I–”
“Save it. You’ll have to apologize to our youngest. Understand?”
“I–I will. . . just–” Father awkwardly smiled, failing to deal with my mother’s outburst.
Honestly, it was fun watching him struggle at first, but after a while, I couldn’t help but become sympathetic.
“Surely you’re not thinking of sending Alex away to the Academy after he just returned home.”
Mother wasn’t asking a question that much was clear, but I never expected her to become my biggest obstacle.
“Of course I am,” Father answered sternly, dispelling all doubt about where he stood on the matter. “If given the opportunity, he should be thrilled as it’s a great honor.”
“So is attending the Royal Wedding. Need I remind you what happened then?” It didn’t take keen insight to figure out by the tone of her voice that guilt and anger consumed her, and until the day I father children of my own, there was no way for me even to begin imagining the pain a parent goes through when they lose a child.
“Bella. . .” Never taking his eyes off her, Father took a deep breath while pinching his nose bridge. “I understand your anger with me, seeing as it’s my fault for underestimating the danger when I sent them on their own. You have every right–”
“Stop.” Mother interrupted, lowering her gaze and allowing a sigh to escape her as her shoulders dropped. “I’m just as much to blame as I was the one who suggested it, hoping for the four of them to bond.”
“Mother, may I say something?” Raising my hand, I interpreted their silent gaze as permission, standing up to look at her. “Blaming yourselves for what happened is just about the last thing any of us want. The criminals that took me were able to deal with a fourth circle mage along with the rest of the Kallis Knights assigned to us. It’s a bit far-fetched to imagine them being simple, no? So, please. Don’t let our past misfortune burden us now. I’m just happy to be back.”
“Son. . .” Mother uttered as her lower lip trembled, pulling me in for a hug. “You’re right.”
Right. I was happy to be back, embraced by motherly love.
“He’s all grown up,” Father praised me, showing a shy yet proud smirk. “Forcing him to go wasn’t what I intended to do. While he’s still a Kallis, I won’t press him if he wishes not to go, even if there’s no safer place for him than at the Academy alongside his siblings.”
“Mom. I know you want what’s best for me, but what’s better than getting to stay with Penelope and Eliot at the Academy? All those dreams I had as a kid, imagining I could become someone other than a cursed child, can finally become real. With this– I’d be able to protect those I love next time.”
Maybe what I said was a bit tear-jerking and manipulative, but I couldn’t help knowing she was one more push away from deciding to support my enrollment. After all, everything I ever wanted as a kid waited for me at the Academy, my one chance to break away from the past and meet new people sharing similar interests.
My mother’s silence caused my confidence to dwindle as my initial assumption that she’d give in became less likely by the second. Her melancholy smile expressed everything I needed to know about her thoughts.
“Mother. Please.”
Breaking her silence by taking a deep breath, Mother turned her gaze toward the window, staring into the distance. It was impossible to tell what she was going to say as all answers made sense from a motherly perspective, but when her eyes met mine again, a sense of relief surged through me as I understood her gaze well. It was a look of approval followed by a tight-lipped smile.
“Thank you, Mom.” Hugging her again, I truly felt grateful that despite her worries, she still had my back.
“Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.” Mother tightened her grip before distancing herself, returning to her rarely-shown strict demeanor.
“I’ll try my best.” I couldn’t help myself from chuckling.
Truthfully, I wanted to stay out of trouble, but four years was a long time, and knowing my luck and Alice’s adventurous nature, we were bound to get dragged into something or start it ourselves. My only hope was for Penelope to keep an eye on us.
“Dear, was our son always such a sweet talker?” Mother asked, greeting her husband with a smile once more.
“Since the day he arrived.” Father chuckled.
“I see. . .” She giggled, messing with my hair before turning her attention to me. “You have my blessing, but you must work hard and watch over Penelope.”
“I’m sure she’ll do the same,” I reassured her, smiling winsomely. “But I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will.” She cupped my cheek, smiling proudly before kissing my forehead. “You always did.”
Flustered, I looked away, wishing I could jump around like a kid as excitement overwhelmed me. To think I was going to attend the Grand Academy of Nuia. It felt surreal.
Father stood up, pushing the chair all the way back to the window. “Now that we’re all on the same page, I’d like to mention that King Edward and his family are visiting us within a few days to welcome you back.”
“Excuse me, what?” I wasn’t sure I heard him right, as the thought of the Royal Family visiting for such a reason sounded outlandish.
“Need I remind you that you’re my son and that he’s been my best friend for years?” Father sighed, shaking his head. “But more importantly, they’re coming here with a professor from the Academy who’s going to test Penelope and give her a letter of invitation. You’ll do well to take it too if you wish to go with her.”
“About that. Since we’re on the subject, I should probably mention that I have something that might help me enroll. Though, I’m not sure to whom to give it to as I know little about the Academy.”
“What is it?” Father asked.
“It’s a letter of recommendation from Elwyn–” I paused, clearing my throat after realizing my subtle mistake. “King Elwyn Kelthyra.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“He gave you his recommendation?” Mother asked, chucking proudly. “Look at you making friends in high places.”
“It’s a bigger deal than you think, receiving King Elwyn’s recommendation. I’m impressed. You’re probably the first human in the last few decades that gained recognition by an elf, especially at your age. You must’ve been close, but you’ll do well to refer to him as King in front of others.”
Maybe it was my ears fooling me, but I could’ve sworn Father praised me, so I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming.
“Huh. . .” I voiced my surprise.
“What are you doing?” Father asked, looking confused.
“Checking if I was dreaming. . .” I nonchalantly admitted.
“Little rascal. . .” he mumbled under his breath before letting out a sigh. “Keep the letter of recommendation safe. You’ll hand it over during the interview with the headmaster.”
“I see. . .”
“But don’t assume you’ll get in just because you received his recommendation. Passing the other exams is of utmost importance. Perhaps asking Penelope for help might be a good idea.”
“I shall do that, Father.”
“Then, before you go, there are a few things I want to ask. How did you dispel the anti-magic curse? You mentioned it not being one?”
“I’d like to know that too,” Mother voiced her interest.
“Before I do, might I ask where Mr. Geron is? He wanted to hear an explanation as well.”
“That rascal. . . So he was the one who cast Concealment on you.” Father sighed, but his repeated phrase made me think he didn’t know how to refer to others when annoyed other than a rascal.
“Is it noticeable?” I asked, unsure of how it worked.
“Yes, and no. It’s a common tactic for infiltration, and although it hides well, now that I’m aware you can use mana, it’s easy to sense.”
“You haven’t answered his question, dear,” Mother reminded him.
“What? Oh. Right.” He looked back at me. “He went to prepare things for the King’s arrival. After what happened, we’re not putting anything to chance.”
“Is that why a professor is coming with them?” I asked, knowing that all mages from the Academy do not involve themselves with the outside world beyond dangers such as monsters. Father nodded. “I see. Well, now I feel bad since I promised him an explanation.”
“Don’t worry. If you wish, I can pass it on,” Father reassured me.
“Thank you.” Honestly, it put me a bit at ease that he wasn’t around as I didn’t know if he should be trusted with such information, but entrusting Father with the task of passing the information on was the right call. He’d know best how to handle his friend’s curiosity. “Uff. . . Wow. Where should I begin? You see. While imprisoned in Tartarus, I met an elderly mage who learned I had a mana core since birth as part of my inherent gift that someone sealed away. His name was Amon, a fifth-circle mage who helped me deal with my unique circumstance.”
“To think you were born with a gift that awakened your core at birth which got sealed away. . . How peculiar.” Father hummed, puzzled by the truth. “However, there’s something strange about the way you fought. You didn’t use Aura, yet your strength seemed to exceed what I’d expect from a second circle mage. It’s almost as if you had a lower dantian core.”
“T–that’s. . . That’s cuz I do.” While I knew he was insightful, his perception and analysis were awe-inspiring. “You see. Because I had my gift sealed away, I was given a rare opportunity to awaken a second core. Queen Sylphena made sure to use her gift to hide the fact that I formed a second, frozen lower dantian core, but it seems I need to pay closer attention and hold back my strength until I’m powerful enough to defend myself. She warned me not to expose myself as much in the beginning.”
“That’s very kind of her,” Mother pointed out with a thankful smile as she glanced out the window.
“It is indeed,” Father agreed. “However, what’s impressive is that our son seems to be the first dual-core mage in known history. To think we’d have three gifted children.”
“Does that mean that Eliot awakened a gift?” I asked, thrilled at the prospect of seeing him again.
“We received a letter from him two months ago, but I won’t tell you what it said. You’ll just have to see it for yourself.” He paused, gazing into my eyes intently. “It’s shocking to see someone achieve the second circle within seven months, especially considering you have two. The Academy will want to have you under its wing, but Queen Sylphena is right. You must keep your gift a secret as it’ll bring you more harm than good until you reach the strength of intermediate mage.”
“That’s what I was hoping to do.”
“Good. You must be aware that it’s not as easy as you made it seem to bring a third circle mage to his knees in one hit, even if it was direct from behind.”
King Elwyn explained it to me before, but I noticed it myself. Mana naturally reinforced our bodies, making mages somewhat resilient to blunt force. Having dual cores meant I had many passive benefits awaiting. Even now, if aided by Stride, it was unlikely that a regular human had the potential to keep up with me in a race, though exceptions always existed.
“I expect great things from you, Alexander.”
“I’ll try my best not to disappoint.”
Father took his time as he smiled at me with his hands pressed against the table. “Now. Care to tell us everything that happened to you these past seven months?”
“It’s a long story. . .” I sighed.
“Don’t you think we waited long enough to hear it?”
“Okay.” I nodded, taking a seat before diving into the details.
Explaining everything took longer than I thought, as it was hard coming up with ways to tell the story without including the excruciating details my mother didn’t need to know. However, when I told them about the blindness, they couldn’t help but feel even more indebted to Alice and her parents.
“So even now, you can’t tell us where Tartarus is?” Father asked.
“Truthfully? I could probably guide you to the cave entrance if I were to go with you, but I’m against the idea.”
“Why’s that?” He asked, looking intrigued as to what compelled me to say that.
“While the enemy is strong. . . there’s something within the caves that frightened me more.” My smile suddenly faded as I dropped my gaze. “I’m not sure what it was, but some sort of monster wandered the tunnels. And now that I trained with King Elwyn, I can begin to understand how frighteningly strong it was. If I’m honest, I’d likely run away if I were to see it again.”
Even after meeting Alice’s parents and seeing Noir, a magical beast, their presence was incomparable to that monster in the cave that let us live for an unknown reason.
“Oh, Son. . .” Mother embraced me in a hug again after fighting her urge to interrupt my story at least a dozen times. “You’re safe now.”
“It seems I have plenty to discuss with the King, but until then, let’s not worry about this and instead focus on your safe return. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’d like to talk to your mother in private.”
“Yes, Father.” Satisfied with how the talk went, I stood up and smiled before leaving the office.
The first thing I did after stepping out was sigh in relief as all my issues had been resolved within the first day of getting home.
“You don’t have to hide, you know?” Chuckling, I caught Penelope peeking from around the corner using Mana Sense.
“How’d you. . .” Penelope mumbled, stepping into the hallway.
“Magic.”
“So. . . You in trouble?”
“Far from it. In fact, I’ll be taking the Academy entrance exam with you.”
Her pupils dilated as Penelope immediately averted her gaze, but I could still see the shy smile slowly forming at the corner of her mouth.
“I’m glad.” She was quiet, but it was still easy to hear her.
“Anyway. I was thinking of asking you if you want to hang out so I could tell you all that happened. Planned to do it while everyone was around, but Father insisted I spill the beans.”
“Sure.” Her tight-lipped smile wasn’t fooling anyone as she took a step closer. “Want to walk around the garden?”
“I’d love to.”
----------------------------------------
Four days passed since, and my parents asked me to get Elena from her room as the Royal Family was arriving shortly. It was still hard to believe that the Lionheart family was coming to see us. Last time the King visited, I was seven years old, so it was hard to remember. He was going to be joined by the Queen and her children, as well as the Crown Prince’s wife, whom I never got to meet. Luckily, Father prepared a gift as I had missed their wedding.
“Ellie, let’s go!” When I stormed the room without warning, I never expected to be the one whose jaw dropped. Meeting eye-to-eye with two emerald green-eyed wolf pups covered with red fur that froze in place after being caught red-handed in their destruction of Ellie’s bed was about the last thing I expected. “Shelly. Damon. . . Penelope’s going to kill you once she finds out.”
They immediately jumped off the bed and ran up to me, rubbing against my legs while barely reaching above the knee in height. They were irresistibly cute, so I couldn’t help myself and just had to crouch down to scratch behind their ears while they slowly morphed into their humanoid forms. Clothes simultaneously materialized from their pairing necklaces, a gift from Geron when they first transformed.
“Sorry. . .” Their guilty eyes looked to the ground, but the tension dispersed as soon as I patted their heads.
They were known as shifters, one of many beastlike races. Their special ability allowed them to transform between their humanoid and animal form, or they could use partial transformation once they had become more adept with it, or so Geron said. They were supposed to be able to do so already, but unfortunately, they were captured quite young, so nobody had time to teach them.
Maybe I got too used to crazy, so I wasn’t as shocked when I found out they were different; however, it was still the first time I saw them in their wolf forms. Sadly, Penelope didn’t have such a good first impression as she found out the hard way. Let’s just say it wasn’t the first time Elena’s room was utterly destroyed.
Honestly, I felt bad for her as she was tasked with taking care of the three, forced to clean up the room every time they made a mess, and that was without mentioning the fur they shed around the house. Luckily, Ellie was always willing to run around with them as they needed a lot to spend their energy so they could sleep quietly at night. However, there were other incidents as well, such as when they tarnished Penelope’s bed, resulting in them being banned from going into her room without supervision.
“Since it’s just the bed, I’ll see to it that we keep this a secret,” I said, looking at their winsome smiles that made my day. However, there was one more troublemaker in the room. “You can come out now. I can see you hiding behind the wardrobe.”
“Impossible!” Ellie stormed out of her cover. “How do you always find me?”
“Does big brother Alex also have a strong sense of smell like us?” Damon asked, making me chuckle.
“Nah.” I pinched his cheek. “She’s just bad at hiding.”
“Am not!” She protested but soon began laughing as I turned her around and put her on my shoulders. “I train every day and will one day scare you from behind!”
“You can tell me all about it on the way, but right now, we have guests arriving,” I said, making my way out. However, I noticed the twins staying in place, so I turned back to look at them. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we. . . stay?” Shelly asked, averting her gaze shyly.
“You don’t want to meet the King?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I watched them shake their heads before looking up pleadingly. “Ah. . .” I paused for a second, unsure of what to say. “You know what? Sure. Just hide in here and don’t make too much noise. Okay?”
“Yes!” They both yelled, thankful that I gave in to their request.
Maybe it wasn’t my place to decide, but they had my sympathy since I hated formal gatherings when I was a kid.
“However, if anyone asks. . .”
“You didn’t find us,” Shelly said.
“Good girl.” I winked, leaving them to their freedom.
We waited in the courtyard for the Royals to arrive as our family and servants gathered.
King Edward and his children. I wondered what kind of people they were.
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading.