"Once upon a time,"
What is this voice?
"Everything was dark."
Are these thoughts his?
"But not empty"
It sounds familiar.
That's right, I remember now.
It was the tale my mother once read to me. What a soothing voice she had.
How I would love to hear it again…
"Once upon a time, everything was dark; matter had not taken shape, and there was no such thing as life. But this darkness was not empty. For mana was present, and it was everywhere. From this mana came the beings of Good, and Evil. Through their clashes that caused endless destruction and rebirth, the three worlds were forged. At last, the fighting ceased. The Genesis of Good took their seat in the Heavenly Sphere; the Root of Evil, the Demon Realm. The Primordial Spirits: later offspring of mana, occupied Geenna, the land in-between."
Arthur leapt up, "Ooh! Ooh! That's where we live right?"
"Is it?" Cedric asked.
The twin brothers stared at their mother, their bulbous eyes pleasing for the answer.
"Yes, exactly." She said, pausing to wholly take in the wonder and passion in her children' s eyes.
The boys' hearts were numbed by the love in her sweet smile, and hurried to seek the heat nestled in their mother's lap.
Arthur lifted his face for a breath. "We're ready. Continue!"
"Now, now, what is the correct way to ask for something?"
"... Please?" Cedric said, so softly he would've been able to retract his answer because no one would have been able to hear him.
"That's right." She said while suppressing her amusement from spilling into a chuckle.
Arthur stared with a subtle discontent seeing his mother reward Cedric with her head pats before she continued:
"Those that could retain their sentience prepared hurriedly, reinforcing their defenses so that they could have a higher chance of surviving the next clash. But it never came. The peace continued for a year, then a decade, then a century; but the entities known as Good and Evil never appeared again. Still, life sprung forth from the former primordials and the Dawn of Gods followed. The strongest of these new beings, born of concept yet made of matter, were called Gods. The Celestial God ruled over the Celestials in the Heavenly Sphere and the Demon God ruled over the Demons in the Demon Realm. In Geenna, the Spirit God ruled over the Forests, the Dragon God ruled over the mountains"
Sleepy…
…
No! I must stay awake to get my head pats!
"--and our ancestor, the Human God ruled over the humans and demihumans. However, peace did not last forever. The Demon God began a war with the Celestial God, and Geenna was the battlefield where it all took place. The lands were razed by fire and lightning; buildings crumbled. No one gained anything from this war as all the gods were critically wounded and are thought to have died. The human races that once ruled Geenna just barely managed to survive the chaos thanks to the Human God who gave us the gift of magic.
"Are we not the rulers of Geenna anymore?" Cedric asked in truly inquirous fashion.
"No, the monsters have pushed humans out of our land. But don't worry, mommy will never let the bad monsters hurt you."
She turns the page.
"That is why we must always remember the Human God's sacrifice and thank him daily for giving mommy the power to protect you."
"The end." She said before slowly closing the book.
Just like that, the boys' excitement was completely revitalized.
Arthur extended his arms outwards. "Will I be able to use magic like mommy and daddy?"
"And me too?" Cedric asked, attempting to match Arthur's energy.
Before she could reply, two large hands reached out from behind, and grabbed both of their heads.
"Being able to use magic isn't all that important. What really matters is being healthy and staying disciplined."
She reaches her hard out to hold both of their faces.
"That's right, me and your dad will always love you and be proud of you no matter what you do, as long as you do your best."
Arthur uses both of his arms to push the hand off of his head. "No! I will become the strongest magic user and kill all the monsters!" He proclaimed, before running off, casting make-believe spells.
"Me too!" Cedric says, following after him.
Her smile drops as they leave. "Ah, what are we going to do? We tried our best to hide magic from them, but they still managed to find out about it. They'll be so disappointed if they don't manage to awaken magic."
"Well, we're both mages, so the likelihood should be higher."
Her jaw shifts back and forth. "What if they end up like Taren? Cedric especially."
A darkness looms over his face, and when he looks, she has the same scornful expression.
A crashing sound comes from the other room, like the resulting vibration a large piece of furniture would cause once it fell.
A second later, two heads poke out.
"He did it!" They said in perfect sync, both pointing at the other, before running back to clean their mess.
She sighs humorously. "All we can do is pray."
"Pray? Ha, to whom? The Human God you were telling them to revere a minute ago?" He said, bracing himself for impact.
She pulls him close and turns her head. "Honestly, I might. If it means that they will have a higher chance of awakening, I'll even pray to the Celestial God."
He looks at her, and then looks up. "Yeah, I'll do the same. They're five years old already. Gosh, they grow up so fast."
.
"Mom, look! I awakened mana!"
"Mom, me too!"
"That's wonderful news! I'm sure you'll both become powerful mages!"
"Haha! You'll both become even stronger than your dad!"
"This calls for a celebration! Your thirteenth birthday is coming soon right? We're all going to the market! Buy anything you want!"
…
Why… Why? It has been eleven months since Awakening. Why have I still not received a blessing?
He slumps over his knees as he sits on a tree stump; his mouth hung open, allowing the life to spill from it.
I won't be able to cast any spell beyond the 14th Quotient. Only Beginner tier spells. There's no way the Magic Academy will accept me if I don't have a blessing by the examination date!
How was Cedric able to get a blessing on the day he awakened?
A hand is placed on his shoulder.
Mom?
"How are you feeling today?"
He paused for a moment after their eyes meeting.
"I'm doing great! Do you need me to help out with anything?"
His eyes narrowed gently; his pupils gleamed softly, reflecting the warm light of the setting sun behind her, and transferring that spark into all life that looked. His mouth curved with ease, the corners lifting symmetrically, along with his bright cheeks.
How genuine, that boy must be truly happy. Anyone else would think; but not her, she knew her son.
"Ow!" He screamed in response to his ear being pulled.
"That's good, but I thought I taught you better than to lie to me."
She lets go, and her paper-smile flattens.
"Arthur, you're brave and smart."
"Never feel like you are less than someone else because of something you can't control. As long as you try your best, no one in the world can shame you for failing."
His dull eyes glinted again.
Am I going to watch my dreams end? No. I'm going to become the strongest!
He brings her close and holds her tightly.
Thank you mom. I promise I'll repay you for all that you've done. You won't have to work as an adventurer anymore. A castle, servants, and anything you want, I'll buy it all.
He holds his head high, unable to keep himself from grinning as he runs off with a sword.