"Tomorrow's the day". The boy was sitting on a study table as he flipped through what seemed to be a sort of notice. The boy was on taller side and he seemed to be a bit frail. He had beautiful dark hair reaching his shoulders and deep black eyes that looked like an endless void. He had an indifferent gaze.
The room was modest and well kept, the morning light was coming through the window landing on the bed which was pressed against the wall in the corner of room. A bookshelf was filled with hundreds of books showing the young boy's interest in knowledge.
The young boy slowly stood up and made his way towards the mirror. He looked at himself, his indifferent stare piercing the mirror. "Am i going to die tomorrow?". He had been questioning since he looked at the notice.
The notice stated for all those who were coming of age in the Bloodvale Kingdom to arrive at the magical academy closest to them. Every academy had an Aether Well underground. It was the place where people awakened their Aetherbrand and become extraordinary supernatural beings.
However, awakening was extremely dangerous. One out of fifty could properly awaken. Those who failed would immediately perish. The people who awakened would then be known as Aethers. The people did not have the choice, the kingdom forced them to go through this horrifying fate to increase the power of the kingdom. The people out of fear of being killed by the kingdom refused to run away. The cruel policy came into existence when the kingdom fell in its dark ages.
The young boy had conflicting feelings when he first got the notice, but he calmed down soon enough. He did not want to go through this if he had the choice but fate had different plans.
He turned around and made his way towards the door to leave. The hall was nothing too extraordinary, however there was a scholarly aura to the house. There were paintings on the wall and tapestries.
"Lord daemon, what brings you out ?". An elderly lady with with deep wrinkles with sharp eyes asked. She wore a faded gray dress, with an aprol tied around her waist. She seemed to have been working in the house for quite a while.
"I want to meet my father." Daemon said softly with a warm gaze. The old woman in front of him had been working here since he was very young. She had been taking care of him for as long as he could remember.
"Ah, he's in the study room. He's been wanting to meet you as well. Have a nice talk with him, Lord." The elderly lady said with a gentle smile, soft and filled with kindness.
"Alright, thank you for letting me know."
With a kind gesture, Daemon made his way towards his father's study room. He opened the door and saw his father, Cassian Aetheris, sitting with a cup and newspaper in his hand. He had been reading for a while.
The study buzzed with quietness and sunlight entering through the window illuminating the room. There was a big desk made up of oak wood and maps pinned on the wall and shelves filled with books. The scent of parchaments and wood mingled with the flowers and plants in the study hinted at the knowledge and dilligence of his father.
Cassian sat on the desk with an amusing look on his face but soon it turned into a bitter smile when he saw Daemon. "When was the last time you came to meet me, Son?". Daemon's father asked with a hint of sadness in his tone.
"Why does that matter? I might die tomorrow anyway. I just felt like meeting you one last time in case I actually end up dead." Daemon said with an indifferent tone. "I might not survive the Aether Well like you did." He continued.
"Haha, Don't be so pessimistic. You will survive, I'm sure of it. Don't think too much about it, we cannot do anything but accept the orders of the kingdom." Cassian said, anger slowly surging within him, not towards Daemon but the Bloodvale kingdom.
Cassian, just like everyone had to go to the Aether Well. He had managed to awaken there, A lot of his close friends had died, he had since felt rage towards the kingdom for forcing them to go through this tragedy. And now it was his own son's turn.
"Let's say, I manage to awaken. I wonder what Aetherbrand I will get." Daemon said with anticipation in his eyes. "I want something that suits me."
When people awaken, they get different kinds of Aetherbrands. Aetherbrand was a kind of mark which appeared on a person's body when they awakened. The marks differed from each other, different symbol would appear on a person's body showing the Aetherbrand they awakened. Every Aetherbrand had different powers and uses, no Aetherbrand was better than the other, it all depended on how the user used the powers.
Cassian softened a bit and said, "No matter what Aetherbrand you get. As long as you make it back alive, that's all that matters."
"I know that i may not have been the best father to you, but i still care about you a lot. So Daemon, please survive." Cassian continued with a look of pain in his eyes. He was busy most of the time as he was a merchant, so he did not get much time to look after Daemon. Daemon's mother, Selene, had died when he was 7, A tender age. Cassian regretted not being a good father to Daemon.
Daemon looked at his eyes filled with pain and to lighten up the mood, He said, "Your words cheered me up, Father. I will definitely awaken and make it back alive. Haha, if you can do it why can i not ? Don't worry, I will keep my word to you."
Cassian heard this and almost wanted to shed tears hearing the words of reassurance from Daemon. It had been a while since he had talked with Daemon.
"I will take my leave now, Father. It's a lovely morning, I wish to be under the sunlight while i still have the time. Have a good day." Daemon said calmly and left Cassian's study.
Cassian felt relief wash over him. Daemon had grown much more mature than he had expected. He smiled lightly and went back to reading the newspaper while sipping the cup of coffee in his other hand.
Daemon left the manor and the morning light spilled across the garden, glinting off leaves and casting golden streaks through the air. Birds chirped and sang on the trees while some flapped their wings and flew high up in the sky. The air smelled fresh, filled with the scent of flowers and grass.
"I wonder if i will see this morning again." Daemon pondered and pondered until he couldn't. "A fine morning indeed." He added in his heart.
Daemon lived in the capital city of Bloodvale kingdom, Rynfall. Rynfall was the center of everything, be it political or economical. Travellers and merchans came from everywhere not just the kingdom itself. The marketplace overflowed with expensive goods. It was the symbol of wealth and prosperity.
Daemon strolled around Rynfall, often at times eyeing things that caught his interest. He saw all kinds of people. Commoners, nobles, merchants, people belonging to different kingdoms. He could differentiate from how they looked and the type of attire they had, he was an observant person by birth.
He had no intentions of buying anything as he was only there to roam around in Rynfall as it might be his last time.
Daemon was bustling through the lively streets until it wasnt lively and he came across a place which seemed to be shady. The building leaned against the alley like it had grown there, its paint faded and windows clouded, giving it a quiet and overlooked presence amidst the bustle. A small notifying board stood tall next to the building.
"Want to know what your future holds ? We will tell you." These words were ingrained on the board which aroused a sense of mysteriousness. Daemon never believed in such lies, "Aethers can do that but the thing is why would an Aether be working here in such a remote and shady place ?". He thought of leaving but he still went inside as he thought that his life might be ending soon.
Daemon stepped inside. The air was cool and still, heavy with the scent of old wood and dust. Sunlight struggled through grimy windows, casting lazy shadows across the worn floor. Shelves crowded with books and trinkets lined the walls. In the corner, a small desk sat covered with scattered papers, as if someone had stepped away and might return at any moment. The room felt alive, quietly watching him.
Daemon felt complex emotions, He could not describe what he was feeling. This place evoked inexplicable feelings inside him. He had barely felt fear in his life, however this place aroused a fear in him, the fear of unkown.
Daemon shouted, "Is someone here?". He got no response so he shouted again. At this time, He could hear someone walking towards him from his left. He turned his gaze towards his left and saw a middle aged woman with long and wavy brown hair which reached her waist.
The middle aged woman had smooth and sharp features and carried a calm and collected demeanor. She looked at Daemon with a hint of curiosity, "Ah, What brings you here?". She asked with amusement as her lips curled up in a sly smile.
"I came after seeing the board in front of the building. I'm not sure whether if this thing is actually real but I still want to know what my future holds." Daemon said with indifference.
"Sure, why not? I'll do it for half the price and don't worry, my results are accurate." The middle aged woman said with amusement. "Come, sit in front of the table." She pointed at the desk which Daemon saw when he entered.
Daemon felt a bit uneasy as this woman seemed to be amused for an opportunity unknown reason and he hadn't the faintest idea about the reason. Daemon sat on the chair and he saw the woman sitting behind the desk and facing towards him.
"All you need to do is hold my hands." She moved her hands in front of him. Daemon reluctantly moved his hand forward and held her hands.
The middle aged woman closed her eyes and started chanting something in a different language. Daemon didn't know what language it was, he had heard it for the first time. He felt as if he was hearing something from the ancient world.
The woman's expression kept changing, from shock and surprise to a look of pity. She slowly opened her eyes and said, "I can't tell you much, kid. But you have one hell of a miserable life in front of you." Daemon could feel a sense of pity from her tone.
"You're a serpent. You will live your life as a serpent. You're gonna have a lot of challenges ahead of you. People will be against you, even your close ones. You can expect betrayals but you will still live through this hard time. Always expect the worst to happen. Don't trust anyone but yourself. That's the only thing i can say to you. And you don't need to pay me for this. Just leave and don't tell anyone about this." She continued.
Daemon was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand what this all meant. He had never lived an easy life but hearing it gets worse from her made him feel hatred but he couldn't tell what he felt hatred for. He didn't believe her blindly but he was skeptical. "What if everything she said is true?". This made him feel even uneasy.
"What should i do? How can my future be better? Is it really that bad?" He stood still feeling that it might not be true and asked.
"What's bound to happen will happen. In such adversity, you can only trust yourself. Go live as you will, Daemon". She said slowly. She pitied Daemon. After an indefinite period of time, she stood up and disappeared into the mysterious building.
"I never told her my name. Not once since i came here. Was she an Aether? And can i really trust her?". He thought to himself . He was perplexed because he never told her his name.
"No, I need to be optimistic. What she said might not necessarily be true. From her words, it seems that i will definitely survive tomorrow and live. But there's no guarantee." Daemon was conflicted on whether to trust that unknown woman's word or not.
"I have to prepare myself for the worst." He continued, his demeanour slowly becoming calm and his lips curling up in a forced smile.