Neses
A chilly draft hit my face and I instantly sneezed. The weather is completely tropical, with a pleasant feeling of being comfortable in whatever you wear.
And most importantly, the midyear vacation has arrived. I'll finally return home. Living at school is the worst thing someone from the nobility can suffer through. My birthday is about to arrive, and I'll finally find out whether I'll follow the family legacy and become a mage.
Turning twelve in the nobility is like defining your social status for the rest of your life among the people you live with.
Anyway, in two days the school release will be authorized and we'll be able to take the train back to our respective home regions.
While the authorization doesn't come, all I can do is stay in my room doing nothing. I ran out of things to do. I read all the books, did all the assignments, reviewed every note. Now all that's left is waiting.
The two days pass slowly and the authorization arrives. It's a shame they no longer use carriages, even after the invention of the train. Something private is better than saving money. Showing our power should be the priority.
It doesn't take long to get home. A train trip saves days of carriage travel. Its only advantage.
Arriving at the mansion, the servants welcomed me and took my luggage.
— Is my father in the office? — I asked one of them.
With a quick nod he said yes.
— Just leave my luggage in my room, I'll put it away later.
They didn't answer. They didn't need to answer. If I ordered it, they had to do it.
I walked slowly through the empty corridors filled with paintings, clay art, and things like that.
Every step echoed through the hallway, like drops of water crackling in a cave. I never liked walking through them alone. They carried a melancholic atmosphere and gave me chills.
I could feel something watching me as I passed the sculpted works where only the heads had been carved.
My pace quickened instinctively, trying to escape the cold hallway despite the sunlight coming through the windows.
Arriving at the marble office door, I stopped in front of it. Hesitantly, I swallowed dryly. I knocked on the door with brief intervals. A rustic sound filled the corridor, making me break into a cold sweat.
— Is that you, Neses? Come in. — my father's hoarse voice didn't falter at all.
I turned the doorknob and entered the office as if my life depended on it.
— How did you know it was me?
— Simply because you're the only one without a mana signature yet. — my father replied without looking at me, shuffling papers in his hands.
— Satisfactory, I guess.
No matter how much I focused on looking at his face, I saw nothing. A shadow covered it, stealing the features of the man before me.
— Rest for the rest of the day, tomorrow you must wake up early. — his head moved, I think, shifting his attention toward me. — You'll have a surprise, something I deliberately prepared for your birthday tomorrow.
My mind immediately recalled memories of my older siblings after hearing about that surprise. And as if my siblings' memories weren't enough, I felt a slight urge to run.
My legs gave in to instinct and ran through the hallway, which grew darker with every step.
Before I noticed, I was already trapped by darkness, wearing that white robe. Candles lit up throughout the darkness around me.
Hooded people pointed their hands at me, speaking strange words. An unbearable pain struck my solar plexus.
I thought I was pissing my organs out of my body. I grabbed my stomach and looked down. Instead of organs and blood, I had only wet my clothes.
I started vomiting my dinner until I vomited blood. Something exploded inside my stomach. I fell to the ground, motionless. It hurt. My whole body hurt. And I couldn't move.
I felt a dense energy entering my stomach until it began tearing through my skin. And then the pain…
* * *
Panting and frightened, I jumped out of bed and sat there trying to understand why I was having another dream like that.
It seems that ever since Ryo awakened his core in such an unusual way, my brain, out of empathy, has been turning it into memories of the past in my dreams.
— Dreams, my ass. This is obviously a nightmare. — I said out loud to myself. I brought my hands to my face and sighed. My mouth felt dry and, thanks to the nightmare and the growing heat, I was sweating a little. I quickly summoned some water into the cup sitting on the table beside my bed. I took a long drink.
I got up and walked to my window. A night sky full of stars and a beautiful full moon. Melancholy filled my room. The wind sounded, making the loneliness in the house clear. My eyes grew heavy; I felt the age and the weight of the decisions I'd made hitting me in the face. I don't think I'm missing anything. I just prefer being alone. Fate taught me that. What is destined to happen is absolute. But I regret nothing.
— Haaahh! — I sighed.
After yesterday, I think the boy will be in good hands. Guapho didn't go as hard on him as I expected with all that act. Despite everything, it seems he and the boy have some affinity in the way they use magic. Even if Ryo uses it unconsciously and foolishly instinctively.
The nightmares should disappear soon. Actually, I'm interested in how the boy will develop his powers. What kind of future he'll reach now. I'm curious.
— I think I should go back to sleep. I have to give the boy a tour, since Guapho made him pass out from exhaustion because of rapid mana depletion. — once again thinking out loud. — That boy… I wonder how he'll react to what happened yesterday? He's pretty unpredictable. He might not even care, or he might pick a fight with that idiot duck.
— Anyway, what decides the future are our choices. I hope he doesn't become like me in the end. — sadness, melancholy, and resentment taking shape in my words.
I returned to my bed. Tomorrow would be full.
The night passed and day had already arrived. The routine that would fill my days for the next few years had begun. The first thing was to pick up little Ryo and then take him to the village.
— The cold is finally ending. — I murmured while walking to meet the little one. — Good morning, Mrs. Zyu, Ryo.
I approached them, more specifically the boy. I placed my hand on his head and ruffled his hair a little.
— How are you, little guy? — I asked, referring to yesterday.
— Is that duck gonna be there again today?
— He is. — I replied without even a hint of surprise.
— What's with this so-called duck? — the boy's mother asked curiously.
— Nothing. — Ryo answered dryly, looking away.
— Very well, we should get going. — I said, trying to ease the mother's curiosity about the boy. — The day's going to be full.
We took the same path to the tribe.
I'm going to show you the places you need to know. Later, when you're already used to the place, I'll introduce you to other places.
I showed him the place where he would train, the chief's son's tent, the chief's tent, the stream, and the lake farther up following the stream, where they usually bathe in shifts.
Then I quickly took him to Hajba's tent, the chief's son. He was sitting there meditating. He quickly realized we were here because of the mana-training technique they culturally practice.
— You arrived early. That's good. — Hajba said, standing up and walking toward Ryo. — Thanks to the data I collected with Guapho, I already know what your problem is and what needs to be trained.
— Hadn't I already told you everything? — I asked nervously.
— You did, but I needed to see and feel it. Guapho fulfilled his role.
— Doesn't matter. If you know what I gotta do to get stronger and be able to use magic, then let's do it. — Ryo joined the conversation, leaving me without clear arguments.
— Are you sure? — I asked worriedly. — It's going to be harsh and painful.
— Yeah, that duck's screwed when I get my hands on him. And I wanna be like you, Grandma Neses. — he looked at me with admiration in his eyes. I couldn't help but think about last night. About my past.
The worry didn't leave me, though there was nothing I could do. It's his choice, despite his age. If he doesn't do this, he won't be able to overcome anything in the future. And if he keeps looking at me like that, he'll end up wanting to go to the magic academy, and there he'll need to be strong.
Whether I want to or not, I need to let him give everything he has to surpass himself. That's my duty as a master and as an equal. I'll support him and make him stronger. His future depends on it.