“I lived my whole life excited to be defined by my Core Skill only to discover that doing so would be to lose all sense of myself.”

~Unknown

Whatever the inciting incident may have been, it resulted in Tulos forsaking violent applications of his Core Skill. This was a problem. Tulos represented an investment of time and resources people in power would loathe to take a loss on. Simply leaving was an impossible prospect, and outright refusal to perform would be met with coercion at best.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, nothing greased the wheels of circumstance like wealth shamelessly flaunted. Tina’s father was a merchant, a successful one. Leo Duscall had his finger in enough ventures to rub elbows, shoulders or whatever appendage he wanted with the noble class and not seem out of place. It was a dynasty, of sorts. Leo inherited the business from his father and would inevitably bequeath it to one of his progeny. Tina Duscall was his only daughter, the fifth of seven children born to three separate mothers. Grandpa Leo was a bit of a romantic.

I asked if Tina would be the one to inherit the business, not because I actually expected the answer to be yes, but because I wanted to know what the process was. When Leo was ready to step down, any of his children who wanted to take over would plead their case and he would make a decision. If reality television had taught me anything, there would also be back deals layered over betrayals and deception occurring behind closed doors. Naturally, the nuance of greed and human nature wasn’t included in her lecture to a small child. Tina was confident that, even if she wanted to be the new head of her family, she would be unsuccessful. It was, quite literally, a Skill issue. Vigil wasn’t much of an accountant.

Tulos and Tina had crossed paths through their respective educations which eventually sparked their courtship. I didn’t get the full story - when Tina mentioned the ‘vase incident’ Tulos blushed and moved the story along - but was content to accept the explanation for what it was. When Tulos told Tina about his predicament she reached out to her family for help. It was the kind of blind dedication reserved for those you fall in love with and the pair shared a loving glance at the memory.

***

“Your father must-”

“He is your grandfather, Will.” Tina gently corrected me before encouraging me to continue. A few strands of hair had gotten rebellious and coiled over her eye. She took a moment to wrangle the offenders while I almost rolled my eyes at the semantics.

“My grandfather must be very nice to help dad like that.” There wasn’t an easy way for me to say he must be ‘generous as fuck’ without blowing my cover, but the sentiment was there. Honestly, something wasn’t adding up. Call me jaded, but I found it hard to believe that this Leo person would cop such a supposedly monumentous financial and influential blow due to their charitable spirit. Tina’s response reinforced my suspicion.

“It is not that simple, Will. What your grandfather did for your father was difficult, even with the resources he could call upon.” I’d moved out of her lap by that point in the story and watched a thoughtful expression settle onto her face. “I needed support, so-”

Tulos coughed pointedly and gestured subtly in my direction with his head when he got Tina’s attention. A faint blush dyed her cheeks and she coughed to regather her composure. “Those details can wait until you are older.” Her voice had jumped up half an octave as she rushed through the sentence.

I looked to Tulos for an explanation but he just shrugged enigmatically at me before continuing the story.

You know, I cannot decide if that is ominous or not…

***

A deal was struck. The true extent of the terms were obscured from me, but I was able to infer two key points. Firstly, Tulos was restricted to living in and around Elbura, the village of his birth. It was like house arrest except broader in scope. Secondly, he was prohibited from further Advancement and was required to have his Core Skill measured periodically by a local official. Currently, that was Hwan, which explained their relative familiarity.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

As someone with a Combat Core, Tulos represented a potential threat to people’s safety if given free reign. As such, his desire for a peaceful life needed to be monitored and, if necessary, enforced. The fact that a governing body was taking such steep precautions spoke volumes. Just what scale of personal power would people in my new life have the capacity to possess? I didn’t know if I should be excited or terrified.

***

“Your mother and I moved to Elbura. Well, I moved back to Elbura. It was your mother’s first time moving here. Then later on, we had you. Well, your mother had you, I just-”

“Darling, he is three,” Tina cautioned before her husband accidentally stumbled into a premature lecture detailing where babies come from. Tulos’ mouth snapped closed with an audible pop. He gave his wife a nod of thanks before retrieving the small leather pouch where he stashed his halaweed - dried plant matter that smells vaguely like tobacco - and began loading his pipe.

“Where did your mother and father - my other grandparents - go?” Tina gave me an approving nod when I gave my extended family their proper titles. I wasn’t satisfied with where the story ended. There were still questions that needed to be answered. The final wisps of twilight were preparing to follow the Sun over the horizon. I wanted to get my answers before I was put to bed. The thought of sleep set a yawn to rumbling in the back of my chest. I clamped down on the traitorous bodily function, loathe to give Tina the excuse she needed.

Tulos looked over to the small fire he’d kindled earlier in the evening to light his pipe. It had long been reduced to ashes. He sighed. “You really should be getting ready for bed, Will.” In the end, efforts were futile in the face of a tired father who wanted peace. There was only one card left to play.

“But I have questions!” I whinged and looked between both my parents, begging them with my eyes. Surprisingly, Tulos must have decided that indulging me would be faster than talking me down.

“I will answer one question, the one about your grandparents, and then it is time for bed.”

“Three questions.” I knew I was pushing my luck, but knowing about the grandparents I hadn’t met yet wasn’t my highest priority.

“Two. Final offer.”

“Okay!” I chirped. It wasn’t the System symposium I was hoping for, but it would have to do. Tina moved over to the firepit and began the task of reigniting a gentle blaze while Tulos cleared his throat and continued talking.

“Your grandparents moved away,” he said bluntly and took a slow puff of his unlit pipe. The aroma of dried halaweed was already suffusing the area. Even when unburned, that stuff was pungent. His answer was deliberately short and we both knew it.

“Where-” I almost asked where they moved to before I could catch myself.

Tulos, you sly dog. No offense, Vigil. A follow-up question was still a question and I couldn’t risk wasting it as an unwilling participant in a battle of wits.

“That is not an interesting answer,” I pretended to sulk while keeping a close eye on Tulos.

“You could always ask for more information.” I swear I caught a glint of mischief in his eyes when he said that. Dad shenanigans were truly universal.

“Why are people in the village mean to you?” I didn’t dignify the taunt with a response and instead asked my final question. I heard Tulos suck his teeth around the pipe which now hung unsupported from his mouth. Behind him, Tina briefly paused from her work to look at us before slamming the flint and steel together in a shower of sparks over the kindling. A fresh flame began to release an orange glow.

“You noticed that?” The faint amusement at our back and forth had been smothered by my question. Honestly, it made me feel like I’d put my foot in my mouth. I could have just played along and let Tulos have his fun after revisiting a troubling history. Instead I made the selfish choice. I nodded and momentarily felt my resolve waver before I clamped it down.

Eyes on the prize. I need all the information I can get. He’ll be fine. Do it for her.

“The answer to that is complicated…” Tulos began. I saw his brow furrow as he tried to organize his thoughts in response to the unexpected line of inquiry. “Do you remember when we talked about not being wasteful with our food?” Again, I nodded. It was one of many baby-lessons I’d had to endure. “Some people think that not using my Core Skill is wasteful. They do not like that.”

Wait, for real?

To me, it sounded like people were jealous, misguided, or both. Tulos was the scapegoat for everyone’s inadequacies. A measuring stick for failure in the eyes of society. Oh, your life didn’t go the way you thought it was going to go? Don’t worry! It could be worse! You could be a probably-pacifist with a Combat Core who bailed on service to The Crown.

Fucking morons.

“That sounds silly.” Even in a world where magic was real, people were petty. It was vexing… well, it was human, I suppose. My frustration continued to simmer, but I was determined to let it go. No sense holding a grudge on Tulos’ behalf. I doubted he’d want that.

“It is.” Tulos smiled warmly at me. “Now. Time for bed.” He looked at me sternly as if daring me to try reneging on our deal. I didn’t. I waddled to bed after a round of sweet goodnights. It was a small bed Tulos made me. I’d grown out of the crib. Tina even tucked me in. Sleep came easily despite my growing excitement. I’d gotten my parents to open up about The System. That meant I could do it again, and I would. I had a lot to learn.