For when God showed himself before me, I knew then, that there was God. And God told me to fulfill his task, to aid his rebirth. However, God did not tell me how, and I fear that calamity will be brought upon my people for this foolish act.
----------------------------------------
Kai stood in his room, right next to the bed. The light from the chandelier fell upon a few items placed upon his blanket: Books, Clothes, Magic Crystals, and Money; A few of those stood out, like the Mage Robe his parents prepared for him, the old notebook, and the history book found within the same chest as the robe. His wand rested amongst clothes, and next to it, his father’s sword. Its once violet hue is now reduced to nothing more than an abyssal darkness. He sighed and picked it up. It’s so heavy…
Swinging it around, he felt the unnatural weight, different from when he first used it. Injecting mana into it did nothing, but a power unknown to him pushed him away, not letting him use the blade. Putting it away in his ring, he grabbed the wand and brought it closer. Its red, rugged surface remained the same as when he first got it, with not even a scratch or mark visible on it. He smiled to himself and fed it a bit of mana before putting it away as well, then gathered whatever else he thought he’d need wherever he was going.
The door suddenly creaked open, inviting Aina’s figure. A soft smile creased her lips, and she let out a light sigh while sitting down. “I trust you’ve taken everything you need?”
“Mostly, I think so.” He replied, taking a seat next to her. “I’ll need to double-check.”
“Right,” she said slowly, taking a ring off her finger. “Take this as well, I’ve put in some things you may need.”
Kai grabbed it and took a peek inside, a grateful smile manifesting on his face. “Thank you, Aina.”
“Aye, this kid.” She ruffled his hair while getting up. “How long are you going to call me by my name? You know your mom is old enough to be my daughter, right?”
“Uh… shall I call you grandma then?”
Aina halted in her footsteps, taking a second to contemplate before saying, “Aina will do just fine.” and hurrying away, the door clicking shut behind her. “And don’t forget to get ready to leave for Monten, and make sure you have everything, alright?” Her voice echoed in the hallway.
Kai shook his head, an awry smile decorating his face. He flopped on the bed, staring at the chandelier, his pupils reflecting its soft light. Sighing, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling gently. He cleared his head, trying not to think about what was about to come, and instead reflected on the past. The memories of the past several months flashed before his eyes.
A light giggle escaped his lips as his shoulder shook. So much happened… it feels almost surreal. Like a bad nightmare turning into a dream, except it’s reality. And the dream isn’t dreamy at all…
He stood up and opened his eyes, then changed into something more fitting for a party, and walked downstairs. There, Aina and Elizabeth sipped on a cup of tea, while Euphridia stood up next to them, leaning on the couch. “Are you ready to go?” Elizabeth asked, getting up.
Kai nodded and looked around curiously. “Where’s Onyx?”
“He’s waiting for us outside. I swear he’s grown a lot since you arrived here.” Aina placed her cup down and made her way out, followed by the others. She whistled softly, and Onyx’s large figure quickly ran toward them, his snout covered in flower petals and grass. Aina let out a light sigh but didn’t say anything.
Looking up at Onyx, Kai realized that his companion had grown a fair bit taller. Tall enough that he had to use spells if he wanted to get on his back. When did this happen? How could I not see that before?
“He’s grown, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah, truth be told he’s hit a growth spurt in the past month you’ve been training with him. I think his Rank increased but he refuses to let me check.” Aina explained, petting his head. “Not to mention he’s been eating a lot more lately, I guess that’s how Obboriks are. I never actually met one.”
“The books don’t say anything about them either, it’s like someone tried to hide away their existence,” Kai added, remembering the old book his parents left in the chest.
“Oh? That’s news to me, what book?” Aina asked, and Elizabeth closed in, just as curious.
Kai chuckled and pulled it out from his ring, handing it over to Aina. “I must have forgotten to mention it. They left me this book but I can barely understand half of it.”
“Interesting… I’ll read it later then, should have plenty of time.” She put it away, disregarding any opinion Kai had. “Also, I taught Onyx a spell to decrease his size, although it costs a lot of mana to maintain.”
“Huh? You did? When?”
“Some time ago, when he started growing.”
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“Kai…” Aina sighed, “The universe doesn’t revolve around you, you know?”
Elizabeth and Euphridia chuckled in the background, while Kai himself turned as red as a tomato. “Can we just go now?” He said, hurrying off toward the portal. The women let out a hearty laugh as they followed suit, and Onyx hurried along, using the spell to decrease his size.
…
The group appeared in Monten, a small city inside the Dwarven Mountain Range, the same place where the tournament had taken place. Inside Zarman’s courtyard, a large circle appeared out of nowhere as they walked out of it. He and Sverik waited for them outside, a wide smile manifesting on their faces. “Quite a fancy entrance you have here.” He said, walking forward and kissing the back of Aina’s hand.
She gracefully accepted the gesture and said in a soft voice. “Oh please, if you hadn’t allowed us to use your place we’d be in a back alley somewhere. I think I’ll use this place next time I have business here.”
“Hey, don’t abuse my goodwill!” Zarman puffed, however the smile on his face gave away his mood instantly. Elizabeth rolled her eyes while Euphridia’s widened as she looked around. The myriad of crystals hanging from the ceiling, the numerous lights dancing far away into the city. The weird sense of being entrapped but free at the same time, she took in all of these new sights and feelings as it was her first time visiting a dwarven city.
“This place is amazing…” She mumbled softly under her breath.
“Well then,” Zarman clapped his hands, let’s go inside. The man from the Magic Academy will arrive tomorrow evening, until then let’s blow the house up!” He yelled, raising his fist and slamming the door open, revealing the lavish interior.
“I didn’t prepare much because I didn’t expect a lot of guests, well besides us. There should be more than enough alcohol though, haha!” He let out a hearty laugh as he walked inside, the rest of the group following suit, Onyx included. Although apprehensive, he trusted the other’s judgment and went inside with the tail tucked between his legs.
It seemed that Zarman made little effort to decorate the place, except for a big banner with messily written text that read ‘Congratulations.’ Sverik’s face flushed red as the group chuckled at the sight, however, he did his best to ignore them and sat down at the table. Zarman quickly took out a large tankard of wine and poured a cup to everyone before he sat down as well. “Let’s drink and eat until we can’t anymore!” He raised his cup and yelled, the others following suit as cheery laughter broke out.
The girls took small sips, while the boys barely touched the burning alcohol. Onyx, on the other hand, didn’t drink anything, not even water, as nobody gave him a bowl.
Sverik got up and walked to the kitchen, bringing snacks and placing them on the table.
Although this was supposed to be a party, the joyful atmosphere that came with one wasn’t present here. Despite laughter and wide smiles, the underlying feeling in the room was that of a solemn sorrow. After today, the routine they had grown accustomed to would completely vanish.
Sadness and regret hid behind their shimmering pupils, and even as they drowned themselves in alcohol, these feelings only grew until they could barely be held back. Aina’s trembling lips parted, her shaky voice echoing in the room. “I can’t believe the helpless boy that came to us nine months ago would leave so fast…” Her sorrowful expression softened as she reminisced.
“He takes so much after his father,” Elizabeth said, glancing at Kai. “In the craziness aspect, that is. One day he’ll be the death of us.” She broke into a soft laughter, taking another sip of wine.
Zarman sighed and chimed in, leaning on his knees as he stared lovingly at Sverik. “Aye, that little boy I picked up had also grown into a fine lad… And now he’s going away to study at some prestigious school.” He emptied his cup in one gulp and let out a satisfied sigh. “Boy, you better study well and come back rich, you hear me?”
Sverik nodded, too shy to say anything in response. “Good, good.” Zarman’s sigh rang in his ears, followed by another sip.
They sat and talked about how fast their pupils advanced while the pupils in question looked at each other weirdly. Eventually, after barely finishing their cup of bitter alcohol, they decided to go outside, bringing Onyx with them.
The cold wind blew against them, their clothes fluttering in the chilly breeze. Making their way to the edge of the wall and climbing it, they looked down at the large city. The lights from the houses and street lamps look like nothing more than static fireflies.
Kai leaned back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “So this is it, then?” he said in a slow, emotional tone. “Tomorrow we will…”
“Yeah,” Sverik replied, his voice cracking. “It doesn’t feel real. I never imagined I’d leave this village, yet here I am.”
Kai sat in silence, reflecting on the past two years, and even more so, when he first arrived in this world. He nodded, remaining silent as the cold breeze passed them by.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Onyx looked up at them, and suddenly began to grow in size, then stood on his hind legs, joining the two on top of the wall. Sverik jumped back, almost falling off the edge as he stared with wide eyes. “When did he grow so big?!”
“Well… I don’t know either…” Kai pet Onyx’s fur, smiling softly. “But I’m not complaining, saves me the need for a sleeping bag.”
Onyx licked Kai’s face, his tongue almost covering it in its entirety. “Although his breath still stinks.”
Sverik chuckled softly and ran his hand through the Obborik’s fluff, causing his tail to wag back and forth rapidly. “Seems like he enjoys it.”
“Yeah… he does,” Kai replied, a soft smile creasing his lips. “What will you do at the academy?”
“Well… I’m not sure yet. Study, I guess? Get stronger. That’s the goal, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I suppose. Won’t you feel trapped?”
“Whether it’s here or there,” Sverik sighed, looking at the closed-off ceiling. “Isn’t it all just a cage anyway?”
“Yeah-”
“What about you?” He interrupted Kai, “What will you do once you leave?”
“Well, I thought of joining a guild and doing menial jobs, though I don’t know if I’ll need the money. I want to get stronger, that’s all that matters…” Kai looked toward the city with a longing gaze, his pupils trembling. “Though I doubt myself a lot. Is power what I want? What do I gain? What’s the point?”
Sverik didn’t say anything, only solemnly listening to Kai as he too asked himself the same thing. However, the doubt in his heart was cleansed as quickly as it appeared, remembering all the abuse and humiliation he had to endure at the hands of his race. Inhaling deeply, his lips parted in a soft voice.
“Maybe, you’re just doing it for yourself. Sometimes you don’t need a reason or motivation to do something. That’s what Zarman always told me.”
“Hm, you may be right,” Kai replied with a gentle smile creasing his lips, however, he knew the reason he wanted to get stronger. The questions he posed himself were related to his final task, his final goal, to defeat Haniard. To avenge his parents and… And what…?
…
The day passed, indicated by the loud jingle of a bell in the distance. Because there was no sun or window to the outside world, the dwarves in Monten developed a system that automatically chimed a bell once the sun rose and fell. The group, still asleep, began waking up, lazily rubbing their eyes and yawning. Jugs upon jugs of alcohol littered the floor, accompanied by food, tableware, and cups. Elizabeth lay on her mother’s lap, which in turn lay on the sofa. Euphridia was snoring in a corner and Zarman clutched a pint of alcohol in his hand.
Aina was the first to rise, her hazy eyes becoming clearer as they dried up. She took a look around, her face turning a bright shade of pink. Slapping Elizabeth, startling her awake, she quickly pushed her aside and stood up. She did the same to Zarman and Euphy, then went looking for Kai and Sverik.
The attic was empty, and so was the kitchen and the rest of the rooms she could access. Eventually, Aina made her way outside and let out a chuckle as she saw the two boys sleeping on Onyx. “My, what do we have here.” Her soft voice escaped her lips, however, she didn’t say anything and let them rest.
Walking back inside, she quickly got to cleaning the mess they made. “Hurry up, we can’t have the inspector see the state of this place.”
“My head still hurts…” Elizabeth brought a hand to her forehead as she stood up, supporting herself on the couch. “Why did we drink so much last night?”
“Why, to celebrate our pupil’s departure, of course!” Zarman downed the rest of the alcohol in his cup as he got up, raising his pants. “Of course, we had to drink.”
“Mhm…” Euphridia groaned, unable to get up from her corner. She rubbed her yellow face and looked around in confusion. “What…? Where…? Arg my head…”
Aina sighed and kept cleaning up alone, not knowing when exactly the inspector would show up.
After a few hours, the house seemed almost spotless, even the spilling of alcohol and food disappearing without a trace. Aina sat down on a sofa, one leg over the other, and read the book Kai ‘borrowed’ her. Euphridia’s face retained her yellow hue, and Elizabeth lying on the sofa with a similarly pale expression. Zarman, on the other hand, seemed as joyful as ever, clearly used to passing out after drinking his heart out.
Outside, the two still slept on Onyx, his thick, fluffy fur serving as the best kind of pillow and blanket, not to mention the natural body head emanating from him. Kai’s eyes cracked open, and he yawned as he reluctantly got up. Inspecting his surroundings, he jumped at the sight of Sverik, however quickly remembered that both of them chatted until they fell asleep. Man, I didn’t expect my last night here to be spent talking… I should have drunk more alcohol.
He stood up and took a deep breath, inhaling the recycled air deep within his lungs and exhaling softly. His hand flew to his chest, feeling the weak heartbeat thump against his flesh. It’s real… He thought, a pit forming in his stomach. I’ll be on my own, again, but this time out of my own volition… Biting his lower lip, he kicked Sverik awake, startling the poor boy. “C’mon man, get up.”
He immediately jumped up, looking at Kai with a half-annoyed and half-tired face. “Did you have to kick me like that?”
“We won’t see each other for a while, when else am I gonna show my brotherly love?”
“What brotherly love? Just because you told me to call you big brother once doesn’t mean I have a brotherhood with you!”
“Haha, sure, sure. C’mon, the others must have woken up already.” Kai chuckled, walking toward the house. Sverik bit his lip and quickly followed, leaving Onyx unbothered in his rest. The two’s eyes widened in surprise upon entering, having expected a mess to be made after so many jugs of wine.
“Looks like you didn’t party as much as I thought.” Kai chuckled and sat down next to Aina, “Did you mana-” He wanted to continue, however, her voice interrupted him before he could get a word in.
“Oh please, while you two slept we had to clean it all up, not to mention Murphy couldn’t do anything besides throw up everywhere!” She closed the book and stood up, grabbing Kai’s hand and pulling him into a side room. Inside, a large basin filled with a black boiling liquid stood atop a fire. Before Kai could even think about it, he found himself thrown onto a nearby chair, and his hair grabbed. “What are you doing-”
“Sorry, if I don’t hurry the effectiveness of the dye will decrease. And there’s something more I need to talk to you about, and we’re in a bit of a hurry. Now stay still.”
He did as told and let Aina do whatever she pleased. She dipped his hair into the liquid, and his beautiful silver hue rapidly got replaced by a tar-like black color. “Since you can’t use any disguise spells yet, we’ll need to dye your hair the traditional way. It’s not the most effective method, but this is all I can do given the circumstances.”
“Huh, but why would you-”
“You think Haniard doesn’t know what you look like?” She said, coating his hair in black. “Do you realize how rare silver hair is? You were fine walking around with it here because his people had no way of entering, however, Aravia is another can of worms. That place is littered with vampire spies and supporters.”
Kai bit his lip and remained silent, allowing Aina to finish painting his hair despite the ache he felt in his heart.
A few minutes passed, and his once beautiful silver hair had completely turned black. Aina quickly dried him off and handed him a bag. “Whenever it starts to come off, boil a bit of this in water and die it yourself, got it?” Kai nodded and quickly stored it in his ring as Aina dried his hair.
The two returned to the living room, Kai’s face turning red as everyone stared at him with widened eyes. Sverik chuckled softly, and so did Euphridia and Elizabeth, while Zarman just stared quietly at him, a voiceless thought echoing in his head.
“Now,” Aina said, picking up the book. “We have some things we need to talk about.”
Her voice seemed worried, however, she remained glued to the book, flipping page after page. “This book is quite weird, I don’t know where your parents got it from but… I suspect it has a hidden meaning. Here, activate the spell I told you and read it again.”
She passed it to Kai, and he did as told, activating a minor eye-enchanting spell. As soon as he did, words appeared upon the already-filled pages, words he had never seen before. His pupils widened in shock, and he glanced at Aina before taking a closer look.
After a few minutes, his vision returned to normal, and he blinked rapidly as his eyes wettened. “What… what is all this? I can barely understand it.”
“Looks to be a personal journal disguised as a book, written in old Lazerch. The contents inside are interesting, nonetheless, however judging by how old it is this was common knowledge back then. Some information was intentionally destroyed, and at some point, it seemed like destruction of this book was attempted as well.”
The entire room stood in silence as Aina explained, and Elizabeth moved in to take a closer look as well. “This, do you think my parents knew about this?”
She shook her head and handed the book to her daughter. “It’s unlikely, otherwise they wouldn’t have casually handed it over to you. I don’t know who the author is but from the little I managed to decipher… it was a vampire. And not any ordinary one either.”
“What? That’s…” Kai’s breathing halted for a second, and he took a deep breath before saying. “And what does it say?”
“Well, boring stuff, mostly. It talks about his daily life and his thoughts, though it took me a while to translate. I only have a small dictionary on me, but that should help you plenty.” She said, flicking her sleeve and handing Kai a small, yet thick book.
“Thank you-”
However, before he could continue the sound of galloping horses and turning wheels made a pit form in his stomach. He bit his lip put the book in one of his rings, and grabbed the one from Elly as well. The group walked outside, a complicated expression forming on their faces as they watched a grand carriage, pulled by four white horses approach the house. Despite its size, the carriage had no particular decoration or fancy curtains, unlike Oprphelia’s. The thing that made it stand out, however, was the sigil of the Magic Academy- A purple octagon with golden embroidered edges in the middle of which lay a whaling dragon, wrapped by a thorny rose sprouting from its back.
It came to a halt, and the door opened, revealing the man present at Sverik’s contest. He looked the same, except his crystally eyes were covered by a cloth wrapped around his head.
Onyx woke up as well, rushing toward the others and sitting down, waiting patiently. The man from the Magic Academy took a few steps forward and stopped a few meters away from Kai and Sverik. “I assume you’ve already said your goodbyes. If you haven’t, I’ll give you one count but then we have to go.” His stern voice reverberated in the air, a feeling of reluctance washing over them as they glanced at each other.
Aina nodded, then kneeled in front of Kai and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Kai, I- I wish I could tell you a thousand things, however, words aren’t enough.” She choked on her words as she said with a trembling voice. The reality of the situation finally hit her, and tears dripped down her cheeks as she brought Kai into a hug.
“Just, take care of yourself, alright? Never forget you have a home here, with us. Don’t stupidly risk your life again, think three times before you do anything dangerous. If you feel lost just come back here, if you’re sad just think of us, if you need anything contact us through any means necessary. Please don’t ever forget about me and do something stupid, alright?”
Kai nodded softly, his shoulder shaking as he held back tears. “Damn it, Aina, why are you so emotional now…” He said, hugging her as tightly as possible.
Elizabeth and Euphridia joined in on the hug. Elly’s whisper echoed in his mind.
“Stupid boy, make sure you keep practicing your magic and revise the medicinal knowledge we gave you, alright? Don’t forget to eat properly, and feed Onyx well as well. Write to us, ok? Let us know you’re alive and kicking… and… and…” Her voice broke as her tear-covered face plastered against his shoulder, the whispering turning to a barely comprehensible voice. “Live up to your parents’ name, don’t let them down okay? Don’t die until you’ve avenged them, you hear me?”
Kai bit his lip, his face turning red as a shiver ran down his spine. He nodded again, unable to utter any words despite his wanting to say so much. His jaw clenched as tears dripped down his face, which increased as soon as Euphridia’s voice landed in his ears.
“Don’t you dare neglect your sword training? So what if you have magic now? Keep practicing and make me proud, make me prouder, ok? You brat… daring to leave like this when you haven't even defeated me yet…” Her purple eyes slowly shut as they turned moist, her shoulders shaking as she pressed herself against his back, wrapping her hands around his chest. “Grow up strong and come back, alright?”
Kai gulped, wiping his runny nose as he tried to hug them all at once. His mouth opened and closed, salty tears flowing inside like a river. Ultimately, his lips parted and, with a raspy, forced voice, he uttered, “Yes… I will…”