As the water flowed, a soft splash came from the bottom of the sink. Extending my arms, I took a handful and splashed it over my face. Wiping with the towel next to me, I turned my attention to myself on the other side of the mirror.
“Sigh, all my hair has turned gray at this point.”
In my reflection, the wrinkles had long rooted, and other than a single line of brown, the rest of my hair had lost its color.
“Papa!” A loud, enthusiastic voice came from the other room.
“Coming.”
Hanging up the towel, I made my way to the living room. There, I found the three kids I had been taking care of for the past few years. Lyon and Theodore were absorbed in their book, lying on the sofa’s pillows, and Cain was sitting on the opposite side of the room in my rocking chair, swaying back and forth furiously, opening and closing his palm with a grin on his face.
Well, of course he would be excited. After all, it’s not every day that a nine-year-old awakens. The achievement alone is worth celebrating, especially so when it’s supposed to happen around the age of eleven. To achieve such a thing at the young age of nine…
’He is just like me and…’
It had already been a few days since it happened, and we had a grand celebration with cake and everything, but I guess it wasn’t enough to quench his excitement.
’Lessons gonna have to wait a few more days.’
Lyon and Theodore had both grown a lot ever since they were babies. Lyon’s hair was like a black messy ball reaching to hide his eyes, yet it could never hide the azure-colored skies beneath. Similarly, Theodore’s hair also grew, but unlike Lyon, it curled upwards, resembling something close to the sun. His eyes might not be as breathtaking as Lyon’s, but he was just as adorable.
They seemed to read from one of their favorite books, but that was half the truth. While Lyon was indeed trying to read the book, judging by the intense frown on his face, Theodore’s eyes ran up and down, left and right, to the pictures that accompanied the texts.
To be fair, they weren’t reading something that advanced. In fact, I was pretty sure Theodore could understand the story without even reading. Not that his mind was to the point of comprehending everything and analyzing the pictures to the point of understanding the story. He was still only four, after all. It was because I had read them stories from the particular book more times than I could count. Still, I was happy to see Lyon actually trying to learn.
The book’s name: Elmore’s myths and legends. The first time I read one of its stories to Lyon when he was still a baby, his eyes shined so brightly it made my heart skip a beat. Theodore had a similar reaction, so, of course, I took the book as the first stepping stone to teach them the language. I didn’t want them to turn out like the rest of the villagers, where they barely know how to speak, let alone read.
’No child of mine would be left uneducated!’
I still remember how hard it was to learn to read at my teens. They’re going to struggle now, but it’s much better than doing so later.
“So, Theodore, why did you call me for?”
“Papa!” The moment he saw me, he jumped off the pillow and ran in for a hug, forgetting entirely he was ‘reading’.
“There, there.” Bending to his level, I patted him on the head. “Now, what is it, Theodore?”
The happy, excited expression on his face froze on the spot and was quickly changing into one of worry. “Oh... em... em... em... I forgot.”
“It was about Cain,” Lyon answered in Theodore’s place, his frown deepening, struggling to read the book while listening in on us.
Theodore’s previous expression returned with a jolt.“Ah yes! Papa! Is Cain okay? He for...” Theodore paused and started counting his fingers until he raised five of them.” …this many days looks scary. Is he sick?”
Until the point Lyon mentioned his name, Cain wasn’t even listening to what we were saying, but the moment he heard Theodore’s comment, he frowned.
“I am not sick!” He yelled.
”Ah!” Theodore screamed and hid behind my leg.” Papa, see! He scary!”
“You!” Cain yelled louder.
“Of course, Theodore is scared,” Lyon interrupted. “You never smile, and now you’re smiling all the time!”
“You!”
I sighed heavily, and all three turned to look at me. “Okay, that’s enough.” Then I turned to Theodore. “Theodore, Cain is fine. More than fine, in fact. He is very happy because he is an Elemancer now.”
“E... Elemaner? What’s an Elemaner?” He turned his head to the side, and a finger reached to his lips in wonder.
“Elemancer.” I pointed out the ‘c.’ “And more on that later. Now, Cain, this is no way to talk to your little brothers. Apologize.”
“What!?” He exclaimed in disbelief, his mouth hanging open, perplexed. Seeing that I wasn’t planning on changing my mind, he swallowed his anger and his cheeks took a faint rose color.
“I’m sorry Theodore.” He said and immediately reached for the staircase.
“Wait, Cain,” I said, but he ignored me, reaching for the second floor.
“Papa, what are we going to learn today?” Lyon asked, breaking the small silence.
“We won’t be having a lesson today.”
“What!? Why!? And what’s an Elemaner?” Theodore blurted out his questions at once.
Theodore’s reaction was understandable. What to me was tedious and boring-having to learn proper grammar and vocabulary in order to be presentable and able to pass the written exam for the Ranger Guild-was one of their favorite activities. The more I taught them, the more they wanted to learn, and we’ve recently started going into more advanced fields such as history and geography. Of course, at the most basic of levels and in the form of stories, so that it’d be easier for them to digest.
“Elemancer.” Lyon corrected Theodore this time and my eyebrows raised involuntarily.
By this point, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I couldn’t help it. Unlike Theodore, who often stumbled over his words and mispronounced them, Lyon didn’t, and even more shocking, borderline scary, was his learning speed. It’s more appropriate to call him a sponge.
’What am I even raising? Or is it perhaps my unparalleled and exquisite teachings that enable him to understand at a faster pace? Heh, I knew writing that book would come in handy. Yeah, I guess I’m that good of a teacher.’
“I said it right this time. Elemaner! Elemaner!” Theodore yelled, throwing his hands in the air, Lyon giggling in response.
“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, “now, as I was saying, we won’t be having a lecture today. Instead, I have prepared a very special surprise.”
“Suprise!? What suprise!?” Theodore’s interest piqued.
Tapping his nose with a finger, his eyes flinched. “Its surprise, and if I tell you, then what is the point of calling it that?”
“No fair! Papa!”
While Theodore was more than enthusiastic about the surprise, Lyon didn’t show it. He remained concentrated on something specific in the book. “What’s wrong Lyon? Is everything okay? Are you perhaps not interested in the surprise?”
He turned the book, pointed, and complained. “Papa! You told all the stories in this book, but not this one! Why? The words are hard and I can’t read it!”
To the end of his small finger, on the top of the page, the title of a story was written: The Lonely Friend. Of course, there’s a reason I avoided it. The title alone was enough to tell that it wasn’t a story meant for children.
I sighed heavily and put on an upside down smile, pretending to be deeply hurt to steal his attention from the book. “Lyon doesn’t want the surprise…”
A low thud came once the book hit the ground, Lyon rushing to grab and shake my trousers, his eyes wiggling with tears. “No, Papa, don’t be sad! S- surprise, I want the surprise!”
The grin found back its place on my lips. Bending down, I patted him on the head and the tears vanished. “Alright, if you insist. Come on, let’s get Cain and go see what that surprise is.”
“Yey!” they exclaimed simultaneously as I reached for the staircase.
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Unlike the rest of the village, the orphanage was a big establishment, the biggest in the entire Asmit’s End, funded solely by yours truly. While the first level consisted of the kitchen, living room, a small bathroom and, of course, enough room for the children to be able to play an abundance of games, the second floor was reserved, mostly for bedrooms and other necessities. Comparatively to orphanages in the rest of the Kingdom, it was considered small, but unlike those, the children here wouldn’t be forced to do manual labor nor would they have to share their beds amongst themselves. Contrary to my idea of comfortable space for children, Lyon and Theodore loved to sleep on the same bed, and even more surprisingly, was their love to change bed each week. They would constantly switch, something that would only increase my weekly work of changing bed sheets, but what could I do? They were children, let them have fun.
Cain had also changed room and now instead of sleeping together with Lyon and Theodore, which were next to mine, swapped to the one opposite of them. Opening his door, he was wrapped in his blanket from head to toe, with a hole in the top open so he could breathe comfortably.
“Cain,” I said, the cocoon wobbling a little. “I have a—”
“I don’t want to go!” He cut me mid-sentence.
I let the rest of my breath out before speaking again. “The reason I planned this was as a gift for your awakening. Are you sure you want to miss it?”
He didn’t say anything back. Instead, he adjusted the cocoon tighter.
“Alright. If you change your mind, go to Roric. He’ll guide you from there.”
Turning toward the staircase, Lyon and Theodore were bouncing up and down, yelling ‘surprise’ and ‘suprise’ as they did so. I felt bad for Cain, but I’ve already made the preparations , and it wouldn’t be fair to cancel everything now after getting them so excited. With everything ready and done, we left the orphanage behind. Strolling through the village, Lyon and Theodore’s eyes sparkled and darted in every direction.
“Are we there yet?”
“No.”
”Are we there yet?”
“No.”
“Are we there yet!?”
“No.”
It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t somewhat regretful. If it weren’t for the short distance to Rorick’s place, I would have had second thoughts. An old man can’t keep up with the boundless energy of a child. It’s just impossible.
’Maybe if my core hadn’t…’
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The hammering of iron reached my ears, interrupting my thoughts.
It might be strange for a surprise to be a visit to the blacksmith, but the look on their faces when their eyes fell on the weapons and the armory were more than enough to tell how excited they were. Ever since they were babies, whenever we passed the area, their eyes would glue at the display. Being the sparks created by the collision of iron to iron, or the shine the products exuded, I didn’t know. That being said, we weren’t here just for the view. What surprise would it be a simple visit to the blacksmith? This was just the first stop.
“Good morning Roric, business as usual?
Hearing me through the sharp clanging, he paused and looked up. When he saw us, he smiled widely, the missing tooth making the kids giggle.
“And here I was wondering where were ya. I have it in the back, let me go get it for ya.”
While waiting, all kinds of noises reached from inside. Loud ringing from metal falling over, fire hissing aggressively, wood breaking, and paper tearing. He was supposed to give me a single piece of paper, where did he put it anyway?
After a minute or two, Roric came out all dusted as if he went through a dungeon. In his hand, the reason we were here. “Here you are!” He gave it to me and smiled widely, as if the entire blacksmith behind him didn’t just break down.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Dusting himself off, he raised a brow in return. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
’…Yeah, I shouldn’t have asked.’
With what we came here for in hand, we thanked him, payed our goodbyes, and reached for the actual surprise. A few days ago, I overheard Roric talking with a customer about a safe path leading up the volcano, which held the entire village, and even beyond it, on its ledge.
At first, I was skeptical. The volcano was a dangerous place, especially so when dungeons were interconnected inside, but in the end, the thought of such an experience for the kids changed my mind.
Venturing through the forest, I kept both Lyon and Theodore close to me. Wild animals and beasts around here weren’t a problem even in this old state of mine, but they were children, everything attracts their attention. What if they got distracted and were lost? I didn’t even want to think of that.
As we got closer to the volcano, the terrain changed, and the grassy terrain gradually gave way to rocks with a reddish hue. Despite the progressively tougher pathway, the kids became even more excited. It was their first time outside of the village, after all. Finally, after about an hour, there was a big opening to the side of the volcano, much like an entrance. Close to the opening, there was a funny-looking rock that made the kids giggled, taking turns mimicking its grimace and laughing to themselves.
Inside, the air was cool and damp, with enough light filtering through the cracks for a clear pathway to be visible, nothing like what one would expect when imagining a mountain full of burning lava. The kids marveled over the sparkling crystals dotting the walls as we followed a winding path upwards.
To the sides, tunnels were visible, exerting different levels of heat. Clenching the children’s hands tighter, one of my palms was empty. Turning, not only my hand was empty, but Lyon was missing. My head spun in all directions until finding him slowly venturing off to one of the tunnels. One that exuded alarming levels of heat.
“Lyon,” I called out, but there was no response. He looked like he was completely spaced out. I could feel Theodore tighten his grip in fear and worry.
“Lyon!” My raised voice echoed in the walls, jolting him from his stupor. Turning, his eyes widened a little, only now realizing his distance between us. He ran back and grabbed my palm with two hands.
“Is everything alright Lyon?” I asked, a bit worried by his behavior.
“Y- Yes Papa.” He said with a faint daze in his voice.
After a few more minutes, the path turned into a straight line, until we emerged onto a rocky ledge. Atop the ledge, the view was nothing short of breathtaking.
We had ventured high up, and below us, the village spread out like a miniature model encircled by the forest in a scene of green. Beyond that, the scenery extended, revealing further the rolling hills and distant mountains rising majestically against the horizon. To top it off, by the time we reached our destination, the sun was high in the sky, casting its warm glow over everything.
“WOW!” Both of them exhaled at the scene. “This is amazing ~azing ~zing.” Their voice echoed below. Gasping, they turned to look at each other, their eyes sparkling.
They began yelling their words below, waiting to hear their voice back every time. After a substantial amount of time, when the fatigue settled across their faces, they sat near me.
’So there is a limit to their energy, huh?’
“What do you think? Do you like the surprise?”
“Yeah!” “It’s the best!” They said at the same time.
“Papa,” Lyon began, “what is that called?”
“By ‘that’ you mean when your voice repeats over and over?”
He nodded furiously.
I chuckled. “That’s called an echo. When you say something really loudly, in a big empty room or, in our case, the tall volcano, the words come back to you, saying the same thing again and again. Like a copycat.”
“A cat? But Mr. Mews doesn’t do that! Is he sick?” Theodore asked, panicked and confused for Mr. Mews.
“No, Mr. Mews can’t do that. Copycat means we imitate someone else.”
“Ooooh,” He exclaimed in understanding and relief for Mr. Mews.
”Papa,” He didn’t even fully digest the information before asking another question. “What is an Elemaner?
Ah, and here I thought they forgot. An awkward smile formed on my lips. “Now, how do I explain this… An Elemancer is someone who can use Quint and—”
Cutting me mid-sentence and snapping my head behind us was a distant growl. Raising a hand to pause their question, I waited until the growl echoed once more, this time much closer, enough for the kids to hear it.
“W-what was that?” Theodore asked, his voice spilling out his worry and fear. He turned to look at me, horror reflecting in his eyes. “Papa?”