Erik rubbed his eyes, stretching as sunlight streamed through the tall windows. He still wasn’t used to waking up in such a large room. No creaking floors, no sound of his siblings moving in their beds, or Anna’s soft snores. Instead, silence. Too much silence.
Three weeks ago, his world had shifted. His family’s humble home was replaced by the grand halls of Duke Phillips’ mansion. His mother’s explanation still echoed in his head: "Me and Phillips share feelings…"
The light coming from the tall windows around his bed woke up Erik. He slowly rubbed his eyes before sitting upright and stretching.
That’s when he looked around. The place he was in surprised him for a moment before his sleepy mind caught up to the situation and things made sense again. Not sleeping with his siblings around, and in such a big room was still confusing to him.
It was around three weeks ago, it seemed like his mother and Phillips got closer somehow. Erik wasn’t sure what was going on, but from what Alice explained to him, she and the Duke had some special feelings for one another, so the Blake family was invited to live at his mansion.
It wasn’t that his mother married Phillips—at least yet—but from the amount of hand-holding, and “private time” they had together, Erik could guess it wasn’t too far off from it.
Erik got up from his bed, took off his pajamas, and started putting on his everyday clothes—now a black shirt and green trousers. He honestly never had clothes with a fabric that felt as good as this one, or that were this pretty so he could only thank the Duke a lot in his mind.
Erik wasn’t planning on living off someone’s expenses forever though.
He had a future he wanted to achieve.
Erik looked at the mirror above the dresser, studying himself. A smile curled on his lips as he realized that in the past couple of years, he had grown much taller, to about 160cm, and even his body had a more defined build due to his training.
He pulled his shirt up for a moment, watching his defined muscles under the thin layer of fat he had.
‘Damn, I guess I really changed,’ he chuckled as he was already thinking of what could happen to the Royal Magic Academy. Besides his magical prowess and the possibility to learn and make a career in this line of work, Erik also felt a need to impress the opposite gender.
He was a man now after all—or so that was the thought process of this 12-year-old boy.
Afterward, he left his room and went downstairs to eat breakfast with his family and the Duke’s own family. He had but a daughter named Eleanor. She had a calm and warm demeanor when her father was around but seemed to mostly ignore the Blake’s—and that was on the better end of things.
Even the happy and cheerful Anna did not dare to talk to Eleanor after being badmouthed a few times.
Erik sighed.
‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter much, either way, I’ll be going to the capital today,’ today was the day Erik would be going to the Capital. The Duke said he would prepare his best coach for Erik. With it, he could get to the Capital in just two days, a full day before the entrance exams of the Academy.
A few minutes later, Erik sat inside Phillip’s carriage. His mom had already cried and hugged him several times and gave him gifts and advice for the journey. Ben swore he would become a better magician than Erik when he came back.
Anna on the other hand had changed. Once, she’d clung to him every time something happened, making him fall to the ground or lose his breath. Now, she barely looked his way. "Don’t die or something," she muttered after their hug.
Well, not that it made him sad—it was all the more reason for him to be mean back at her.
Phillips gave him a large pouch of money with coins ranging from copper to silver. It was honestly a bigger sum of money than Erik had seen in a very long time.
All of this would have made him very happy most of the time but now there was something that only made him frown.
“Why the hell is she here?!” Erik rudely asked the Duke, pointing at Eleanor who was on the other side of the coach. Her black eyes didn’t even look in Erik’s direction, instead looking out of the window.
“Come on, be nice to my sweet Eleanor…” he answered in a pleading voice. “You can all be friends, right?” he grabbed Erik’s hand but when he reached his daughter’s, she slapped it away, her long red hair swinging with the motion before she crossed her arms and defiantly hummed
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The Duke’s face tensed slightly, a smile that was way too tensed and weird to be genuinely formed on his face before he patted up Erik on the shoulder.
“You’re a good boy, Erik. Just try to make her see that.”
Erik sighed. He understood that Phillips wanted both parties to be at ease, and feel like actual family but Erik wasn’t sure if it was possible.
“I’ll try…”
----------------------------------------
The next two days were perhaps the most boring Erik had ever had. Eleanor barely uttered any word, her gaze was almost never on Erik—and when it was, she frowned and looked away.
“Nice view, huh?” Erik sometimes said, hoping it would spark a conversation.
Eleanor didn’t even glance his way. "I’ve seen better."
Any attempt at contact was useless in the end.
His best friend for this bit was the driver of the coach. He would tell his old stories for hours and hours while directing the horses. They weren’t the most exciting but it was good for the time.
‘At least the food was good,’ the food his mother and the cooks of the mansion prepared in advance gave him a taste of home that made his otherwise bad days better.
As the pair left the carriage, Erik held his bag over his shoulder and waved goodbye to the driver.
When he turned to the city though, his fiery eyes widened, his mouth went agape, and chills crawled on his skin like a cold breeze. His grip on the cord loosened, making his bag drop behind him.
He breathed for a few moments.
“Wow…” that’s all he could say in a moment like this.
Erik gazed upon the city before him, struck by its immense majesty. The sprawling metropolis buzzed with life—its streets filled with people and carriages, all beneath a sky that seemed to shimmer with a mystical glow.
The blue sky let the sun glow down on the city. Despite being January, its rays warmed Erik so much that he felt like it was mid-spring.
The vibrancy of the city was unlike anything Erik had ever witnessed. The inhabitants, from humble peasants to seasoned adventurers, merchants, and soldiers, filled the streets with purpose and energy.
Everywhere he looked, faces were lit with smiles, and the hurried pace of those around him spoke of a place teeming with life. Even Ashford, who in the past few months had improved significantly seemed nothing compared to the sheer density of Auryndale’s city blocks.
The cobblestone streets, lined with patches of moss, wound their way deeper into the heart of the city. Far ahead, Erik's eyes were drawn to a hill, encircled by towering, ancient walls. At its summit stood a castle, its turrets, and battlements cutting into the sky. With blue peaks on each tower, Erik could only feel bewildered as he looked at it.
‘So this is the capital city… the Capital of Magic…’
Yet, the most awe-inspiring sight was the black tower on the horizon. It soared impossibly high, as if striving to pierce the heavens—a feat that should not be possible to humans. The tower, the tallest structure Erik had ever laid eyes on, defied the very limits of architecture, appearing almost otherworldly in its presence.
He gulped. Despite not knowing what awaited him, Erik couldn’t help but tremble upon the sight of his new home.
At least for now though, he would probably be better off with Eleanor. She probably had come here a few times since she’s related to the Royal Family and would do much better than Erik here.
With a determined sigh, he glanced at Eleanor, who was now standing a few paces ahead of him, her arms crossed and her gaze fixed stubbornly on the bustling streets of Auryndale.
Mustering his courage, Erik approached her. “Eleanor, wait up,” he called out. She didn’t respond, her eyes still distant as if she were trying to escape the conversation before it began. As she went to move away, Erik stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
Eleanor’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, she regarded him with a look of disdain, her eyes narrowing as if his very presence offended her. “What is there to talk about?” she snapped, her tone cold. “We have nothing in common, and I have no interest in pretending otherwise.”
Erik’s face tenses for a moment, feeling frustrated but he quickly went back to normal. “I… don’t get why you hate me so much,” he said, searching her face for any sign of understanding.
"You… don’t get it, do y-you?" Her voice trembled. "My father, a Duke, lowering himself for a… commoner like your mother? It’s pathetic. And now I’m stuck playing family with her children?"
“Oh yeah, and you think that acting that way makes things any better? I didn’t have anything to do with that decision, you know?”
Eleanor stopped in her tracks. “You stole from him twice. You’re a thief, you should’ve been locked up in jail but instead, he accepted you… how disgusting.”
Erik bit his lip but dared to not say anything. If Erik was the Duke in that situation he likely would’ve done what Eleanor was saying.
She turned back to Erik, her forehead furrowed and her eyes sharp. “And your father, he was probably happy to die in that war. At least he didn’t have to see what a failure his family turned out to be! Maybe that’s the only useful thing any of you could do—die for the country—”
Erik pushed Eleanor against a nearby wall before she could continue. His arm stuck against her throat. “Mention my father again and I’ll make you regret it,” Erik was serious, despite trying to be nice to her, he couldn’t let her get away with his.
For a moment, her expression changed and her eyes went wide but quickly turned back to normal. “You are a savage with no salvation…” she said with a disappointed tone.
Erik didn’t answer and slowly lowered his arm, she left without saying another word and he was now alone in his thoughts.
‘Why… why can’t things just work,’ Erik bit in lip in frustration, drawing blood.