Aiden didn't have much to pack from his house.
The books cluttering the place would only weigh him down, and he didn't need them anyway—years of relentless study had cemented their knowledge in his mind.
So, Aiden prepared with just three things:
The money reserves his grandfather had given him days earlier, enough to fill four small pouches hooked to his pants.
The old sword inherited from his father, whose techniques he hadn't fully mastered.
And a small moon-shaped necklace, the only thing he remembered belonging to his mother.
"That's it?" Lyra asked, leaning against the doorframe, her impatience to hit the road crystal clear.
Aiden nodded, and Lyra strode out of the house, expecting him to follow.
But Aiden lingered for a moment, taking in the place.
The house had been given to him by his grandfather shortly after his parents' deaths.
It held no particularly joyful memories, yet he couldn't shake a pang of nostalgia.
He recalled the countless nights of dedicated study and the many days when this house was the only place he truly felt safe.
Still, Aiden's determination was the anchor he needed to keep from drowning in sadness.
Knowing that clinging to those emotions would do him no good, he left the house and secured it with an iron lock.
'Guess I'll never sleep here again. Now… where will I find a new home?'
With that question lingering, he now faced leaving Reta, his town, a place that stirred a tangle of conflicting emotions.
But when he and Lyra reached the town's edge, all traces of nostalgia or affection vanished. A mob of townsfolk glared at him with contempt, and among them, of course, were the three bullies who'd tormented him for years.
"You better not come back here, cursed kid," one of the bullies sneered, his words backed by the jeering shouts of the crowd.
"We always knew having you in this town was a bad idea."
"You probably summoned that demon yourself."
"Go wreak havoc somewhere else, filthy blood."
The venomous comments rained down on Aiden, a heat surging through his veins.
If Lyra hadn't given him a couple of compassionate pats on the back with a sympathetic look, he might've snapped back at their irrational hatred.
With a massive effort to stay calm, he pressed forward and left the town for good, leaving the hate behind and resolving, for the first time in his life, to chase a destiny of his own choosing.
. . .
Hours of nonstop walking followed, with only the chirping of birds and the whistle of the wind breaking the silence across the flatlands Aiden and Lyra traversed.
"Alright, I think we can stop here," Lyra said at last, halting abruptly.
"Here? In the middle of nowhere? We've been walking for hours without you telling me where we're going, and this is our destination?"
"Easy, kid. We needed to get far enough from any human presence to really start our journey."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Lyra smirked and stepped a few paces away from Aiden. She clapped her palms together, and yellowish rays sparked from them.
She thrust her hands forward, shooting the rays into the sandy ground. A blinding flash forced Aiden to shield his eyes for several seconds.
When the glare faded, he stood dumbstruck at what he saw.
From the light had emerged a massive winged creature, the size of an average house.
Drawing on his studies of his world's fauna, Aiden recognized it as a jegger eagle, a species of giant eagles found only in deserts, avoiding human contact.
"Her name's Icara," Lyra said. "She's my friend and personal ride."
"So you're a beast summoner."
"Let's say it's one of my magic tricks. No more dawdling—hop on."
They both climbed onto the eagle's broad, comfortable back, the creature completely tame under Lyra's command.
"And where to now?" Aiden asked.
"I'm taking you to the place where you'll train: the kingdom of Ragath. Flying will make it easier to get there, but it'll still take some time."
"Well… let's not waste any more of it."
"That's the spirit. Let's go, Icara!"
The eagle obeyed her master's order without delay.
Kicking up a cloud of dust, they were soaring through the skies in seconds.
The vast mountainous horizon revealed terrains of unimaginable scale, kingdoms and towns waiting to be explored.
Adjusting to the surreal shift of being above the clouds, Aiden relaxed, letting himself lie back on the eagle's back like it was a bed, while Lyra kept her eyes on the path ahead.
"Hey, since we're here, why don't you tell me about yourself?" Aiden said, trying to break the earlier dead silence.
"What do you want to know?"
"I dunno… you could start with your connection to my grandfather."
"Let's just say I'm one of his many employees. He trusts me enough to put me in charge of looking after his grandson."
"So, what, you're like a glorified babysitter?"
Lyra laughed, then shot him a playful look.
"I can be a lot of things, kid. For now, let's say I'm tasked with saving your sorry hide."
"Really?" Aiden fired back with a mischievous grin. "You know, something tells me I'll be the one saving yours."
"Wanna bet? I'm pretty sure—"
Their banter was cut short as a cluster of black clouds loomed in the distance.
"Well, damn," Lyra muttered, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. "Looks like this trip's gonna be rougher than I thought."