Many untrained awakeneds experience a phenomenon known as the LIMIT. This is caused by the accumulation of impurities in their core as a result of the absorption of unaligned cores. So far, the only cure we’ve found for this special disease is evolution.
Experimental studies on the behavioral patterns of elemental and conceptual energy cores.
Lord Adiran Manohar. Chief scientist and member of the Alchemist Guild.
Sector 2, Yildirim. Year 2265.
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The knife penetrated an inch deep before Unrid managed to stumble backwards, his eyes going wide with shock as blood seeped through his neck.
“Have you finally lost it, Larwynn?” Synové shouted as she rushed towards her bleeding husband, while Aodhán summoned a bolt of lightning large enough to obliterate her on the spot.
Larwynn stumbled backwards at the sight, her face going pale with each passing second. He took a threatening step forward, but Unrid gasped.
“Let her go; she acted out of grief and will never set foot in my presence again.”
Aodhán turned to Unrid; a thick napkin was held against his neck, but his gaze was cold and hard, promising death the next time she appeared before him.
Aodhán dismissed the bolt as the woman nodded and scrambled back to her feet before ambling away, still crying. It was then that Aodhán noticed the boy standing beside Unrid; he was about 15 or 16 years old and had the same blond hair as his mother.
He was beautiful in a fragile sort of way, but his green eyes shone with anger as he stared at the retreating woman. The boy had a stature slightly more robust than his and a slight upward tilt of his chin that made him seem stuck up and obnoxious.
“By the ascendants! That woman has finally gone insane.” Synové exclaimed, but Unrid just sighed and muttered.
“Let it go, Syn; it’s alright.”
“No, Unrid, no! Who attacks a man in broad daylight? And in front of so many witnesses, for that matter. I tell you, that woman needs to be put down like a rabid dog before she murders the entire village in their sleep.”
At this point, their neighbors had gathered, and many of them had witnessed the scene. Most argued and shouted in agreement with Synové, but some remained quiet. Their expressions were neutral, but Aodhán could sense the anger and envy in their serene expressions.
“That’s enough, mother; let’s avoid another scene.” The boy said calmly, but Synové glared at the direction Larwynn had gone for a moment longer before she turned around and said, “Help your father inside Daruk; I’ll be with you in a minute.”
As Unrid and Daruk turned towards the house, Aodhán followed behind them while Synové picked up the rusty knife from where it had fallen and took it towards the garden to do God knows what.
As they entered the house, Unrid removed the napkin, and Aodhán saw that the wound had already stopped bleeding and even seemed to be healing already.
“Aodhán , this is my son, Daruk.” Unrid introduced both boys, and Daruk gave him a small bow.
“You have my eternal gratitude for saving the life of my father, Sir Aodhán .”
Daruk’s formal tone threw Aodhán for a loop, and he cleared his throat awkwardly before responding with a similar bow.
“It was my pleasure.”
“Now, how about that bath, eh?” Unrid said it with forced enthusiasm, but when he got no response from them, he sighed.
“Daruk, take Aodhán to one of the prepared guest rooms; he needs a bath as well as some clothes that actually fit. Some of your brother’s old clothes should be suitable.”
Daruk’s gaze moved silently to the healing wound on his neck before he gestured for Aodhán to follow him up the stairs. It was then that Aodhán had the chance to take in Unrid’s home, and a suitable word to describe it was cozy.
What remained of the sitting room wasn’t too big, not with the dining area, fireplace, and stairs occupying much of the space, but there were enough windows that it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all.
Light gray curtains framed the windows; foam chairs of the same color were arranged around a wooden center table; and a silver vase containing white flowers was placed on it.
A gray rug covered the entire floor except for the dining area, which was left bare, revealing brown wooden boards.
The stairs curved upwards, and when they reached their end, Aodhán saw a total of four rooms, two on the left and the other two on the right.
The first room on the right was almost double the size of the others, so he assumed that was the master bedroom.
Daruk moved towards the second room to the left and pushed it open, revealing a room bathed in the morning sunlight. The windows and door were framed with light blue curtains that seriously clashed with the bright green rug that covered the entire floor.
As Aodhán walked into the room, Daruk said, “I’d like to thank you once again for saving my father and, by extension, my family. Please know that you’re welcome to stay for as long as you’d like.”
“I appreciate it.”
Daruk pointed at the wardrobe in one corner of the room and said, “Also, my brother’s old clothes are in there; feel free to pick any that fit.”
Daruk gave a small nod before shutting the door behind him, and Aodhán let out a sigh. At least the family was nice.
A reading table, lamp, and stool stood by one of the windows, and he made his way to it as he took in the room in greater detail. He’d never had an entire room to himself before, and if the price he had to pay for this one was the awful interior decoration, then he’d gladly take that deal.
Another door stood opposite the entrance, and when he opened it, he found a small space that acted both as the bathroom as well as the toilet.
A large container filled with water lay in one corner of a small room, and an empty wooden bucket sat beside it. Opposite the large container was a tiled, circular construct that vaguely resembled a water closet and seemed to serve the same purpose.
A wooden board was nailed to the wall on his right, and the soft fragrance of flowers wafted from a plastic bottle placed on it. The bottle was filled with a pink liquid he assumed was soap, and in a small container beside it was a minty herbal mixture that he realized was mouthwash.
He stripped and threw the baggy clothes on the floor outside the bathroom. It was when he closed the door that he saw a sight that gave him pause.
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A foggy glass mirror was placed behind the door, and with shaky fingers, he wiped the glass clean to confirm the sight he saw.
He was gaunt, and his hair was a mess. His beard grew in patches around his jaw, which was a repulsive sight on its own, but what caught his attention was his eyes. His irises had grown larger, and instead of the dark brown color he was used to, they were now pitch black and ringed with a single band of gold. It changed his appearance completely, adding a touch of mystery and savagery to his features that he grudgingly accepted as beautiful.
As he stared at himself, he also noticed that he’d gotten taller and now stood at roughly 5’8 inches. He stared at the mirror for a while, but the conclusion he came to was that the changes were a result of his evolution. Also, if every evolved person developed ringed pupils, then that would make it easier for them to identify him, and vice versa.
He spent the next few minutes searching for any other changes he’d missed, but he found none, and he soon turned his attention back to his bath. He spent the next fifteen minutes washing away the grime and dirt that had clung to him for the past three days.
He brushed his teeth and then shaved with the blade made available. 10 minutes later, when he stepped out of the bathroom, he felt like a new man. With a spring in his step, he walked to the wardrobe, where he selected a white linen shirt and black trousers that fit even with the lack of a belt.
After dressing, he climbed down the stairs and into the sitting room, where he saw Daruk setting the table up for breakfast. As he moved to help, he suddenly heard the muffled voices of Unrid and Synové arguing behind the closed kitchen door.
“I know it’s not my fault, Synové; I just can’t help feeling guilty about it.”
“But you shouldn’t. You weren’t feeling guilty until that woman attacked you.”
“I was Syn; I must have been; I just didn’t realize it until she attacked. Look, I don’t blame myself for their deaths; it’s just, What’s the point of this power if I can’t even protect a few people?”
“But you said it yourself; there were unforeseen circumstances, the horde—"
“Oh yes, the horde; another thing I need to worry about. If those monsters leave the forest and, Raol forbid, breach the city walls, the damage would be catastrophic. So many—“
“There! Don’t you see it, Unrid? You care about the lives and safety of the villager so much that you’ve let yourself believe that you can protect them all, but you can’t. You can’t save everyone, but you are doing the best you can.”
There was a beat of silence before Unrid agreed with a heavy sigh. “You are right. I am doing the best I can, and that has to be enough.”
“Of course I’m right, silly.” Synové giggled before her voice suddenly turned husky, and she murmured, “I’m always right.”
The entire conversation went downhill from there, and he immediately turned his attention back to Daruk, only to find him calmly sitting on one of the chairs and sipping a clear blue drink. “I promise they’ll be done in a few minutes.” He said it with a smirk as he gestured to the chair opposite him, and Aodhán walked towards it. When he sat down, Daruk poured him a cup of the blue drink and said, “So, you’re quite the eavesdropper, aren’t you?”
Aodhán stammered. "I...I don't...uhm... I'm sorry?" He hadn't had any intentions to eavesdrop, but Unrid and his wife weren't being discreet either.
Daruk chuckled. "Don't mind me. My parents are animals."
Aodhán smiled, feeling both relieved and embarrassed, so to change the topic, he said. “I didn’t know you could smile; I thought you were stiff.”
Daruk raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t being stiff, Aodhán ; I was being formal. It’s good practice for life in court.”
“Oh, that’s quite the ambition for a villager.”
Daruk shrugged. “Grandma Alderman is teaching me; she says I have the talent for it.”
Aodhán had no idea who Grandma Alderman was, so he left the matter and sipped his drink in silence. But he wasn't comfortable, especially with the sounds still coming from the kitchen, so he asked. "So, you should awaken soon, right?”
Daruk smirked. “Hopefully. My birthday is in a month, and father is awakened, so that sort of improves my chances, but it’s not certain.”
“Oh.” Aodhán had no idea what was considered proper or improper conversation topics, especially at the dinner table, so he just asked the first question that came to mind. "What class would you like to awaken then?”
Daruk’s eyes shone at the question, and he eagerly replied. “It depends on what class alignment I awaken. If it’s a conceptual class, then I would prefer a spatial or time concept, but if it’s an elemental one, I don’t mind air, water, or any of their sub-elements.”
“Oh, right.” Aodhán muttered, realizing just how ignorant he was of the world he was in. He needed to rectify that immediately, so he asked. “Is there a library in the village?”
Daruk shook his head as he drank before he responded. “The village doesn’t have a library, but Grandma Alderman does, and she’s my mentor, so if you need anything, I can take you to her."
Aodhán wasn’t sure if the Alderman library contained all the information he needed, but it wouldn’t hurt to visit it. "Sure, maybe I could take a look after breakfast."
The kitchen door opened before Daruk could reply and a perfectly put-together Unrid walked out and even managed to ignore the stink eye Daruk was giving him.
Synové came out a moment later with a tray of food, but she wasn’t as skilled as her husband in the art of pretense, so her blush gave her away as she placed the tray on the table.
Daruk scoffed in irritation. “Of all the rooms in this house, it just had to be the kitchen, and on a day we have a guest, no less.”
Synové’s blush deepened until her entire face was red, but Unrid glared at his son and said, “You’ll become a man soon, and then you’ll understand and come running to me for advice.”
“I seriously doubt that.” Daruk replied as Synové placed a steaming bowl of rice and meat before Aodhán , but Unrid scoffed before waving his hand in his direction.
“Aodhán is from Gishan; he doesn’t care what we do behind closed doors; I bet he’s seen worse. Those people fuck like—“
“Unrid!” Synové scolded.
“That he cares or not is besides the point, Dad; it’s gross!” Daruk replied, and Synové had finally had enough.
“I don’t want to hear another word on the matter from the both of you.” She said it with a glare at both husband and son, and after making sure they understood, she continued. “Now, let us pray to Raol and thank him for his provision.”
Raol? Aodhán wasn’t sure how to tell them that he’d grown up in a monastery and only believed in one God without completely giving himself away, so he closed his eyes, held hands, and waited for the prayer to end before eagerly digging into the food.
“So, how long have you been awakened, Aodhán ?” Synové asked as she handed a cup of cold water to him.
“A year; I just recently clocked 17.”
“Shame, you only have a year before you’re forcefully conscripted into the military to aid the war effort.” Daruk said, and Aodhán paused in confusion. Forceful conscription?
“It’s such a futile endeavor, this war, but more importantly, it’s a massive waste of life as well as resources that could have improved our lives as citizens of this kingdom.” Unrid stated, shaking his head in disappointment.
“Grandma Alderman said the only way to avoid conscription is to become a member of an academy. If I awaken, I’ve decided to enroll in one of the great schools; I’d rather be a scholar than a soldier, where my death could be so ghastly that nothing is left to bury of me except a grisly remnant of flesh and bone for ravenous vultures to pick clean.”
“Alright, enough! Both of you.” Synové scolded with a conflicted expression. “I don’t want to talk about the war; I want to get to know our guests better.”
“Sorry.” Daruk muttered, and after a moment of silence, Aodhán decided to ease the tense atmosphere.
“There’s nothing much to say about myself. I grew up on Gishan, and when I awakened, I spent time honing my skills and mastering my abilities. But a week ago, I went into the forest, hoping to gain some experience fighting monsters and to advance, but I got lost, and when the horde came into the forest, I had to run for my life. I lost my belongings in the process, so I wandered, killing monsters for their cores and meat until I ran into Unrid here, and we fought against the silver Rithclaw together.”
“He was amazing too.” Unrid added. “His control over lightning is astounding for his age...
Unrid continued, telling the story in exquisite detail, and soon, half an hour had passed and breakfast was over. Synové gathered the plates, while Unrid went to prepare for his meeting with the mayor.
“You have to change.” Daruk said to him when only the two of them were left in the sitting room.
“Why?”
Daruk moved his lips sideways as if trying to find the right words for what he was about to say.
“Grandma Alderman is very particular when it pertains to matters of propriety and ceremony. This is a social call; she’ll expect us to be dressed accordingly.”
Daruk gestured for Aodhán to follow him up the stairs and into his room. Daruk’s room was exactly the same as the one he’d been given, except that it followed a different color palette.
In Daruk’s case, both the curtains and bedspread were purple, while the rug was a bright yellow.
Aodhán wondered if Synové had been the one to decorate as they walked towards Daruk’s wardrobe. It was filled with a wide array of linen and cotton shirts. Woolen cloaks, colored in different shades of gray, hung behind the shirts, and the trousers were folded and arranged underneath them.
Daruk handed him a black cotton shirt and long gray cloak to try out, and as he disrobed, Daruk suddenly whistled appreciatively.
“That’s a very nice tattoo.”
“What tattoo?” Aodhán asked, confused; he’d never gotten a tattoo before.
Daruk gestured to the space between his shoulder blades. “The one you’ve got here. It’s actually very detailed too.”
Aodhán rushed to the bathroom window, turning awkwardly to view his back, and after almost an entire minute of struggling, he finally saw it. It was a miniature image of the earth, ringed in double black rings.
“I had no idea there was such a talented artist in Gishan.” Daruk said, and Aodhán grimaced.
“I had no idea either.”