[Ryan Ashford - Age 9]
Sitting cross-legged on the floor of my room, I flipped through the pages of the well-worn book in my hands. The edges were frayed, the ink slightly smudged from years of use, but it didn't matter. This book—one of my favorites—had always been my escape. As I read, the world outside my room faded away. The house's soft hum became distant background noise, and I was fully absorbed in the world within the pages. The characters' adventures, the far-off lands they explored—it was like stepping into a dream where I could forget about everything else.
Knock knock.
The sound of the door startled me, pulling me from my quiet reverie. My heart skipped a beat, and I looked up, frustrated at the interruption. My mother's voice followed shortly after, light and cheerful as always.
"Ryan, dear, come to the living room. We have guests here," she called, her tone inviting and warm.
I sighed, my chest heavy with reluctance. I wasn't in the mood for company today not with my head so wrapped up in the world of my book. But there was little point in protesting. With a soft exhale, I closed the book and placed it gently on the floor. I wasn't sure what I expected, but the thought of facing more people after such a peaceful escape unsettled me.
Stretching my stiff legs, I stood up and walked toward the door. The narrow hallway seemed to stretch on forever as I made my way to the living room, the murmur of voices growing louder with each step. When I finally reached the doorway, I hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the room.
The moment I entered, my gaze was drawn to the unfamiliar faces. An adult woman was sitting on the couch, her auburn hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. Her eyes, the same bright blue as the girl beside her, locked onto mine. There was a kind of warmth in her gaze, but it was tempered by something I couldn't quite place an intensity, maybe. She was studying me, and it made me uneasy.
The girl beside her, around my age, looked almost identical. Same auburn hair. Same piercing blue eyes. But there was something different about her something distant. While her mother's smile was open and welcoming, hers felt more guarded, as if she wasn't sure what to make of me. Her eyes flicked to mine for a second, and I could feel the weight of her gaze.
I stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. My mother's voice broke through the awkward silence, as warm and eager as ever.
"Ryan, come on in and meet our guests," she said, her tone brimming with pride. "This is Lisa Collins, my former party member from my adventuring days."
I nodded politely, but inside, I was still grappling with the unfamiliarity of the situation. Lisa Collins. The name didn't sound familiar, but the way my mother spoke about her, with a hint of nostalgia, made it clear that this was someone from her past someone important.
Lisa's smile widened slightly, though there was a subtle sharpness to it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryan," she said, her voice calm but carrying an underlying authority. "Your mother has spoken quite highly of you."
"Hello, Miss Collins," I stammered, my voice betraying the nervousness I couldn't quite shake off.
Lisa gave a small, polite nod, acknowledging my greeting. Then she turned her attention to the girl beside her, a slight softening in her expression. "This is my daughter, Rena," she said, gesturing toward her. "Rena, come on, introduce yourself."
Rena's gaze met mine, and for a brief moment, I saw a flicker of hesitation, maybe before she stood up. She straightened slightly, offering a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. There was something about her posture that radiated quiet confidence, but it didn't mask the walls she had built around herself.
"Hi, I'm Rena," she said, her voice softer than I expected, carrying an undertone of caution as if she were weighing each word before speaking. Her blue eyes locked onto mine for a fleeting moment, and I could sense a certain wariness, as though she was trying to figure me out.
My mother and Lisa shared a quiet laugh in the background, their voices light and easy, as if the situation was perfectly normal. The sound made me feel even more out of place, as if they were in on some joke I didn't understand.
Before I could process the awkwardness of the moment, Lisa's voice broke through, smooth and coaxing. "Rena, dear, why don't you go play with Ryan for a while? It'll be good for both of you to get to know each other better," she suggested, her tone light, but with a subtle insistence.
I felt my stomach tighten. I wasn't sure why the idea of being alone with Rena made me so uneasy, but it did. There was something in her expression guarded, distant that made me feel like I was stepping into uncharted territory. I wasn't good at socializing, and she seemed just as uncomfortable as I was, if not more so.
"But Mom…" Rena's voice faltered as she glanced at me briefly, her gaze quickly flickering away as though she were unsure of what to do.
Lisa's smile remained unwavering, though there was a firmness to it now. "It'll be fine, Rena. Go on, make him feel welcome," she insisted, her tone not quite a suggestion but more of a soft command.
Rena sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she turned her attention back to me. Her gaze was a mixture of reluctance and uncertainty, as if she, too, was caught between obligation and discomfort. The tension between us felt thick, unspoken words hanging in the air. I didn't know how to bridge the gap, and it was clear neither of us was particularly eager to break the silence.
We stood there for a moment, both knowing this was the beginning of something neither of us had chosen, but both of us now had to navigate.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Three months had passed since that first awkward meeting. Despite the uneasy start, Rena and I had grown closer during that time, though it hadn't always been easy. She didn't have many friends, and it turned out we were the same age. Maybe that helped bridge the gap, or maybe it was just time that worked its magic on us. Either way, we found a rhythm, even if it was still a bit tentative.
I'd come to learn that Rena wasn't like other kids. She was quieter, more reserved, with a kind of introspection that seemed to push her further away from the others. There was a certain loneliness to her, though she rarely spoke of it. We spent time together in silence often, each of us immersed in our own thoughts, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. There was an unspoken understanding between us, a shared space of solitude.
It was during one of these quiet moments that I learned about Rena's magic. She'd never mentioned it much, but one day, while we were sitting by the stream near our house, I watched in awe as she casually flicked her fingers, and the water around her hand began to ripple with a soft glow.
I was amazed, but also a little jealous. Rena's magic was so natural, flowing from her effortlessly, and yet here I was, still waiting for my own magic to awaken. I hadn't felt any spark, any sign that something within me was stirring, and it made me feel like I was falling behind.
My mother often said I was a late bloomer, but that didn't make the waiting any easier. I had seen the way Rena handled her magic with such ease, like it was an extension of herself. It made me wonder if I'd ever be able to do something like that or if I was just too ordinary to awaken at all.
When my magic finally awakened, I wanted to be strong, to have control over it, and to carve my own path, just like my mother had done in her adventuring days. I imagined using my magic to protect others, to explore the world, and to face challenges head-on. My mother's stories of daring quests and the thrill of the unknown had always intrigued me, and I wanted to experience that for myself.
But even as I fantasized about it, I couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty. What if I couldn't handle it? What if I was still too weak, too unprepared? Seeing Rena's natural talent made me wonder if my journey would ever be as smooth as hers. She seemed to embody the kind of effortless strength I could only dream of, and I wasn't sure if I would ever reach that level.
Still, despite the doubts that crept into my mind, I couldn't help but feel a spark of determination. If I couldn't awaken my magic yet, I would wait. And when it did come, I would be ready ready to prove to myself, and to everyone around me, that I could be just as strong, just as capable, and just as daring as my mother had once been.
I was sitting in Rena's house, a place that had become oddly comforting despite the quiet, reserved atmosphere. Her house was a two-story building, far larger than my own, with soft, warm colors decorating the walls. It was a space that felt lived-in, like every corner had a story to tell, but it still held an air of solitude, a stillness that mirrored Rena herself.
Rena was upstairs, taking a book for us to read, while I found myself idly looking around the house. It was strange to think that, despite the comfort, her life wasn't all that different from mine. Both of us were learning about our powers and navigating the path of growing up in a world full of magic. Her magic had come naturally to her, while mine still felt like a distant dream.
Rena's mother, Miss Lisa, was off working in the Guild in Kaelan, where she served as the secretary to the GuildMaster. I'd heard Rena mention it a few times, and I was curious about what it might be like to work there. The Guild was a place where adventurers gathered, and I could only imagine the kinds of people Miss Lisa encountered on a daily basis. It sounded like an exciting and dynamic environment, worlds away from the quiet life Rena and I had grown used to.
But despite the difference in our parents' lives, it seemed that both Rena and I had inherited some of the same ambition. I could see the way Rena's eyes would light up when she spoke of the Guild, even though she often kept to herself. I had no doubt that, like her mother, Rena would one day find her place in the world, just as I would find mine, whether through my magic or my own path.
For now, though, I waited. Both for my magic to awaken, and for the next step of this strange journey we were both on.