Animals were starting to stir in the outside world as Kayne returned to himself slowly after waking up from his dream. The singing of the birds and the occasional noises coming from the barn made him realise that he had been asleep for some time and was waking up at the crack of dawn.
For a short time, he had laid there staring up at the still light and shadows that projected onto his bedroom ceiling, trying to figure out whether or not he had imagined the whole thing. It didn't feel like a dream to him, and whilst he thought of himself as having a good imagination, he knew it wasn't that good.
Strangely, I thought in some way that I would miss Earth and my little flat. Having had the chance to return, even if it was just in my dreams, has made me realise that I don't, just some of the people there.
He also thought about his aunt, who had been the one to take parental guardianship over him at his parent's passing. She never mistreated him or used the money left to him for her gain, even though she wasn't very well off.
Looking back, it is evident that she had never really wanted children and had taken him on more out of her sense of obligation towards his mother. She had sent him to a reasonably prestigious boarding school, and whilst he had wanted to stay with her at the time, he now realised that she had made the best choice for them both on reflection.
His friends, he also knew, would be just fine without him. While they might miss him sometimes or think about him now and again, they would live good lives. Overall, he was excited about the future and all the wondrous things he might be able to see.
Who didn't want a fresh start in a world full of magic and new experiences?
His father was the one who came in to get him ready for the day instead of his mother, who usually did a much more efficient job at it with her water essence abilities. He had decided that since what he had been calling magic was referred to instead as Essence here, he would adopt the same nomenclature.
He could tell it was his father long before his dopey grin appeared above him due to the heavy footsteps pounding on the wooden floorboards placed just above the stone foundation the twins had laid.
"Hey, little man, how're you this morning? Ready to see your old man give those idiots a good walloping today?" His father spoke to him as he picked him up, sniffing his bottom half for any damage, but finding none, he walked over to the window and opened it for the day.
A dim light crept in from the sun that had yet to rise fully. Between that and the Lightstone slowly fading, the room was well-lit. Kayne wasn't sure what his father was referring to with his words as it sounded like some fight would be taking place today, and he would be there to see it.
His father's words piqued his attention. He had planned to spend the day trying to awaken his will, but he would much rather see actual combat in this world than perform any self-reflection.
If he was being honest with himself, he still needed to figure out if the vivid dream was genuine. He suspected that it was as he wasn't typically someone who would remember his dreams upon waking, but this one was still crystal clear in his mind down to the minute details.
He was pulled out of his musings by his father's irritating prodding of his nose as he laughed and teased him. Kayne knew it was out of love and that his parents were overjoyed at finally getting to have a child of their own, even if it was frustrating to him at times.
He still got the urge to throw a punch at Marcus over it, but that seemed to come from his weird sense of vengeance that arose when he felt slighted in some way. He had noticed that the more he grew to care for his new parents, the less that feeling manifested, but that didn't mean he still wouldn't pass up a chance to get revenge when it presented itself.
He wasn't a stranger to playing pranks.
Marcus held him up at head height as he attempted to blow raspberries onto his bare stomach, moving him away before returning for more. He had to admit even though he was a grown man, the feeling still caused him to let out little laughs as he cursed his sensitive newborn skin and body for betraying him.
He waited for his chance at revenge as his father returned for another attack before he dropped his shopping in a mini explosion that got an immediate reaction from his father's sensitive nose, which was now turning up in disgust.
He felt a sense of triumph wash over him at seeing his father's expression, and as he looked down at the man, he tried to put on the biggest cat that got the cream smile he could manage with his limited facial control.
"Shameless little thing, you like to gloat at your Dada's misery, eh?" Marcus laughed. His attempt at a large grin must have been more evident than he had thought.
"I guess your mother can deal with this after all. Perhaps she was right… Don't tell her I said that, though." His father whispered the last bit with a wink, and it made Kayne smile inside to see that even though he had crossed a sea of stars, people were still the same inside.
His mother summarily dealt with his mess not long after outside the house, with his accident being sent into a nearby field as usual by his mother's essence powers. He had realised that his mother must be skilled in wind and water essence with what he had seen from her so far.
Apart from showing off his herculean strength, his father had only fired out that cone of light, and he was curious if that was a fire or light essence type ability.
I need to ask that old ghost more about essences. I still have so many unanswered questions.
Valeria and Marcus had dressed the same most days, choosing clothing he felt a medieval peasant might wear.
His mother usually wore plain-coloured dresses with many layers under them and a small leather belt around the waist. If the weather was too bad, she had an oversized fur coat to put over the top to keep her warm.
That flowing grey fur fell just above her knees, like the dresses. He guessed this was to give her better manoeuvrability if she needed it. Brown leather boots rose up her legs to just above her shins, completing the outfit.
Her clothes looked decently made, but even at a glance, a person could tell it wasn't something a wealthy person might wear as it appeared more functional than decorative.
His father usually wore a large, worn-looking brown robe covered in stains for his daily work that had stitched-up patches here and there. It was more comfortable casual clothing, as Marcus would throw it on whenever he got up and worked around the farm.
He had a more formal-looking attire resembling a very long blue tunic that ran down the body and came to rest just above the knees. A thick leather belt sat around the waist, and he noticed his father always seemed to carry a dagger in a small sheath hanging to the rear.
The tunic had a V-shaped neckline and long sleeves tied together with a short leather lace. Dark pants were under the tunic, and these ran down into shorter leather boots than his mother wore, as these ended in the middle of the calf.
When he decided to make an effort, Marcus looked quite dashing, and he could see why Valeria had ended up interested in the man. Unfortunately, he usually looked like a homeless person in his brown robe with his unkempt beard and hair.
On the other hand, his mother always looked like a natural beauty who would put many celebrities to shame back home with her flowing dark red hair and comely face that never held any makeup. She had a natural beauty that brought images of a Celtic princess to mind.
Today, the pair bathed in the morning light as she held him in her arms. His father had walked off to their bedroom after pawning him off to Valeria for a kiss and seemed to be rooting around in there, judging by all the banging he could hear from inside.
"Marcus, we'll be late if you don't hurry up. The sun is already above the tallest mountain." His mother Valeria called out into the house, and he looked out, noticing she was right as he saw the ball of light hanging above the largest mountain in the distance.
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He wasn't sure what relevance this held to his parents, but he guessed it would somehow be a way for the locals here to tell the time. Come to think of it, he hadn't noticed any clocks around.
When I grow up, I wonder if I can bring some of my knowledge from Earth to this village to improve things for my parents and the other villagers.
"I'm nearly ready. Besides, it's not like we've far to travel." He heard a muffled reply come back through the walls of the house.
He had already realised that his parents' hearing seemed much better than his, and he just put that down to Essence and its superhuman abilities.
His father walked out not long after, preceded by a metal-on-metal clanking noise as he strutted outside, looking like some ancient god of war.
He had swept back his dark hair neatly, and his beard, whilst still there, didn't seem quite as long now as it was well styled. He wore silver armour on his chest that reminded him of the bronze breastplates ancient Greek hoplites wore in the textbooks at his school.
The chest plate was tight-fitting and styled to make it look like the outlined muscles of a well-defined male torso. The plate didn't cover the arms and ended at the shoulders like a sleeveless t-shirt.
The arms weren't bare, and two metal bracers sat firmly on each forearm. Two circular epaulettes also sat on the shoulders with a long draping red cape attached to these that fell to the rear, reaching just above the knees.
Thick white leather strips hung down all around the waist, and these fell to just above the knees also, with each leather strip ending in a slight metal point. Starting in front of the knees and running down and around the lower half of the legs were some greaves made of the same type of metal as the chest plate.
The leg armour was attached to some sturdy-looking leather footwear, with metal covering the top of the foot and toes. Kayne couldn't see a helmet anywhere but saw a fancy leather belt that held an ornamental-looking dagger at the side at a second glance. The whole thing looked like some strange cross between an ancient Greek and Roman warrior, with fantasy-like touches added in here and there.
His father held his left hand on the dagger handle as he walked, so he couldn't see it clearly at first. In his right hand, Marcus held on to a sizeable double-sided blade that Kayne had seen hanging from a wall in the house.
He had assumed it was just some decorative item created by two swords fused back to back, but seeing his father grasp it like an old friend made him rethink that assertion. He had seen similar weapons in the media back on Earth but doubted their functionality in a real-life setting.
They would be too heavy and unwieldy ever to be effective, and there were plenty of weapons better suited to use, like a sword, spear or even a halberd, depending on what you needed.
He also knew he was no longer on Earth, and seeing his father carry giant farm animals about like it was nothing made him excited to see such an exotic weapon in action. With how his father had come out dressed for war, he knew there was bound to be some fight today.
Kayne didn't think they were going off to fight on some battlefield with how relaxed his mother and father looked as they walked along, heading away from the village, but he wasn't confident either.
They wouldn't take a child to a battlefield, right? Like some messed up bring your child to work day?
Several other people were walking down the road or across the fields, all dressed in the same kind of armour. He noticed a mix of men and women wearing it.
The women's armour he spotted was pretty much the same, apart from a less defined-looking breastplate and allowances around the breast area. None of the other villagers seemed to be wearing helmets or had them on their persons, but all were carrying weapons of various types either in hand or strapped to them.
He also noticed that whatever was going on seemed a family event as he could see others not dressed and a decent number of children of all ages tagging along.
"Valeria, not training today?" A tall, stern-looking woman said as she effortlessly cleared a short wall with a jump, her armour clanking as she landed next to them.
The woman had short, cropped, mousy-coloured hair and a wicked-looking set of scars across the side of her head that bled into her hairline. Those scars looked to be a set of three, and they looked almost like some clawed animal had caught her with a swipe, leaving behind a nasty injury.
He also noticed her weapons: a bow hooked sideways across her upper body and a short sword hanging from her waist. He wasn't able to see any arrows or a quiver.
"Good morning, Texon. No, not today. We thought it best if one of us stood aside and looked after our son." His mother said with a beaming smile, tilting him towards the woman as if showing off a prized possession.
"Yes, I heard about that this morning when I returned. Congratulations. He seems to be very alert. Perhaps he would make a good hunter for the village when he grows up." The woman said, appraising him like a predator would do to prey before turning her gaze away as if she had lost interest in him.
"Did you manage to snag any good game on your outing?" Marcus said as the small group headed down the uneven path towards the treeline, getting closer to them.
Marcus held the large black and white twinblade against his shoulder, carrying it around like a spear. Kayne still couldn't get over just how comical the weapon looked but figured, in some ways, it was no more different than lugging around some other lengthy weapon.
"I managed to bag a couple of juvenile Verrox that had wandered up onto the edge of the mountain range. Let me tell you, even though they are easier to deal with on uneven terrain, one of them still nearly impaled me when I was dodging its friend. It took me most of my arrows before I finally brought them both down, nasty things when enraged." The woman mentioned without much emotion entering her voice.
It seemed like her brush with death was a regular thing.
"Did you manage even to bring much back? A beast that size, you wouldn't have been able to salvage much, but it's still worth the effort for the horns alone. They should fetch an excellent price from the traders." Marcus asked, a hint of appreciation seeming to shine through in his voice as he glanced at the detached hunter.
"Ajax lent me the large storage bracelet. Look." She mentioned as she stopped and turned to the side, his parents stopping with her. She pulled out a bracelet from under her left bracer made of a black onyx stone with a mix of runic patterns carved into it.
She held out her left hand, which caused the air to distort in the area as a familiar feeling washed over him. Before he could pin down that familiar sensation, a giant beast appeared motionless before them all.
The animal was unlike anything he had ever seen; it looked like some strange mix between a woolly rhino and a giraffe. The bizarre animal was covered head to toe in white and grey coloured fur, but it was hard to tell as blood and dirt covered it.
Arrows were still sticking out of it, and he quickly counted at least two dozen that he could see. Instead of having four legs, though like a giraffe or rhino, this animal had six at the sides of a very long, muscly body.
A long, thick neck protruded from the body, tapering off into a head the shape of a light bulb, the face sitting on the smaller side of the head. Two bulbous eyes sat roughly on the side of its head above a strange beak-like mouth with a large white tongue lolling out the side of it.
If forced to guess, he would say this animal was a herbivore and was not something that hunted others for food. It did seem to have a large white horn sitting atop its head. The horn curved up into a sharp point, and unlike a rhino's, it seemed thinner on the sides and reminded him of a scimitar.
The horn was covered in strange marks that reminded him of the ones engraved into the crystals. It seemed nearly six times his size, and he couldn't help but be a little in awe at such a large creature. It felt like something that had just stepped out of prehistoric times.
"What are you thinking of doing with it? It's a shame the storage device will not keep things fresh forever like the ones the noble families have back in the capital, or I would have bought some to keep in storage for our son to eat once he is of age." Marcus lamented a look of obvious disappointment stitched across his face.
"Yes, the king could have at least provided a true storage device as a reward. It's the least he could have done for us for keeping his fat arse on the throne. Instead, we got a half-baked storage device and banished to this place." Texon angrily said, a hint of venom lacing her voice as she turned and spat onto the nearby grass.
"At least the one they did send had a decent-sized space inside. Those things are not cheap, even in the capital. To get one of that size that would slow time passing for the items inside would be considered a family treasure, even for the royal family. Besides, if they did send us one, it would only make us a target for others. We can make do with the smaller ones we have. At least they're more available." Valeria said as if she was trying to be the voice of reason for her short-tempered friend.
"I would like to see someone try to come and take something from us." Texon coldly said as her hand wandered down to the sword hanging from her side. Kayne felt like it became hard to breathe all of a sudden as a feeling like someone had gripped his heart in an iron vice.
His forehead started to sweat, and he had an intense urge to try and run away even though he knew he was physically incapable of doing so. The feeling of wanting to run away returned his mind to that night as images of a man's angry face and a descending brick consigned his emotions to fear and despair.
Just when he felt he was about to pass out under the suffocating pressure from the woman, he had a feeling of white-hot rage bubble up from nowhere, and the sensations ceased as quickly as they had come under that all-consuming anger.
A strange self-awareness struck him briefly before it vanished, and he was left staring at the Verrox, confused as to what had just happened.
"Texon, control yourself. You're scaring our child." Marcus said, a dual hint of warning and chastisement seeping out in between his words.
Texon seemed to return to her senses as the murderous gaze that distorted her otherwise emotionless face disappeared, replaced by a look of embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I sometimes forget about the little ones. Still feels weird that you all have a bunch of children running around now." She stepped forward, reaching out slowly as if she were about to touch his face gently, but seemed to think better of it and lowered her hand instead and turned back to the dead beast.
Kayne noticed others in the area looking over and pointing at the giant beast as she pressed the black bracelet up against it, causing it to shrink at a rapid pace before it was no longer in existence, the crushed bloody grass the only sign it had even been there a moment ago.
"Are you not looking for a man to settle down and be happy with? I'm sure a few in the village would be interested. Perhaps one of the twins or both?" Marcus said, the change of subject clearing away the awkward air that seemed to linger around the small group.
"As if I need a man to be able to feel happiness, and if those two idiots want to try and get handsy with me, then I hope they have built a set of matching coffins for their burial." Texon snorted as she gave his father a dirty look.
"Besides, look at Valeria. She used to be much happier before she met you." Texon stated, and his mother held a hand to her mouth, stifling a little laugh at his father's comical, baffled look.
Kayne vowed inwardly not to get on this woman's wrong side in the future. She had quite a vicious mouth.