Elias Leywin POV
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARTHUR!" everyone, including myself, cried out in unison.
The whole Helstea house was decorated lavishly with festive ornaments and woven threads, as the Twin Horns and the Helstea family, as well as my own, gathered together to congratulate Art's ninth birthday.
"Thank you all for bearing with me!" he says as he gives a deep bow, which Sylvie mimics, nodding her small head.
The banquet table was already lined with steaming plates of food, and the smell made my mouth water even though I'd already snuck a bite of bread earlier when no one was looking.
Mama had made a selection of Arthur's favourite dishes herself, even the honey-glazed duck that took forever to cook. I knew because she'd let me help... well, mostly I just stirred things and got in the way, but she'd said I was a 'very professional helper'.
In her words, at least...
The celebration spilt into every corner of the house, it was full of warmth and laughter. My sister ran around giggling as she chased our brother's bond, the grown-ups clinked glasses filled with sparkling drinks, and the servants wove expertly between them with trays in hand. I stayed close to the wall, hugging one of the warm plates Papa had handed me as I stood in line at the makeshift buffet.
From my spot, I watched Arthur carefully, like I always did. He was surrounded, smiling and talking easily with the adults. Even Uncle Vincent, who could be a bit stiff sometimes, looked relaxed as he laughed at something Arthur said.
We all begin to make our way to a table outside. As we do so, the redheaded Spearman let out a booming guffaw as he launched into a story. "Oh, come on now! You think that was bad? Remember the time Jasmine-?"
But as the aforementioned Jasmine slid into her seat, she calmly raised her hand and cut him off with a sharp voice. "Adam, you seem to forget the time a horned mole snuck up on you while you were relieving yourself in the dungeon. As I recall, you got so scared, you landed flat on your back, screaming and... spraying pee everywhere like a fountain," she coolly said as she casually took a sip of her tea, not even bothering to look at the petrified Adam.
"Pfft!" The food in my mouth sprayed out as I attempted to hold in my laugh, failing catastrophically. Bits of food flew from my mouth as I choked on a laugh.
My father blatantly roared with laughter, nearly falling back in his chair as he pointed his finger at the frozen Adam. Even Vincent had his face buried in his hands as he tried to keep from laughing.
"No! Y-You! I thought n-no one was awake when that happened?!" Adam's face turned ghostly pale, and his shoulders slumped in utter defeat. Meanwhile, the women just shook their heads in embarrassment at the men's behaviour.
Ellie, not wanting to be left out, tried to get in on the conversation. "I learned the word 'elbow' today," she announced proudly, then added, "It has two vowels."
Lilia nodded encouragingly. "That's great, Ellie!"
Ellie beamed and leaned into Mama's side. I watched her and wondered if I would've been that brave to speak up like that.
After dinner, the party moved to the lounge where a fresh fire crackled. The scent of burning pine and smoke filled the air, inspiring a feeling of calm. I shuffled in after everyone else and climbed into the armchair furthest from the fireplace.
"Lias" father called, beckoning me over to his side.
Papa handed Arthur a wrapped package, one side bulging oddly. "Happy Birthday again, Son. This present is from your mother and I, and of course, Ellie and Lias as well."
Mama had to keep Ellie from tearing into it herself, her little fingers twitching with excitement.
Arthur peeled back the cloth, and I leaned forward, trying to get a better look. Inside was a single black glove. It looked like something a knight would wear, but it had three glowing white stones set across the back of the hand like tiny stars.
"I hunted the material myself," Papa said with pride.
"And I imbued healing spells into the stones," Mama added softly. "Each one can be used once."
Arthur looked down at it with wide eyes. "Thanks, Mom, Dad, Lias, Ellie. I love it."
He pulls us all into a big hug before then styling the glove on his left hand, watching how the stones shimmered by the light of the fire.
"Ahem! Next is us!" Vincent interjects as he pulls out a small box. He dramatically got down on one knee and opened the box, revealing two silver rings, one plain and one with a small clear gem.
Arthur blinked. "Uh..."
"Honey! Stop teasing the boy!" Tabitha smacked Vincent's shoulder while he held in his laughter.
"Okay, okay! Arthur, this is more of a present for your family than for you, but I'm sure you'll appreciate it as well."
"This ring," Vincent pulled out the plain ring, "Is what you will be wearing, while this ring," he handed the gemmed ring to my mother, "Is what your mother will be wearing."
Tabitha continued on for him, "Alice, while Arthur is wearing the ring, you'll be able to tell whether he's okay or not. The plain ring is able to keep tabs on the mana circulation that naturally flows in a mage's body. If the natural mana flow stops, the ring you're holding, Alice, will glow red and emit a high-pitched sound."
"We thought really hard on what Arthur may need during his time as an adventurer, but Lilia was actually the one who brought up the possibility of giving a present that'll help him and his family. Unfortunately, the rings can't do much more than that, but I thought this would bring you some peace of mind, Alice, Rey." Vincent shrugged his shoulders.
My mother teared up while clutching onto the ring. "Oh, Tabitha, Lilia, thank you!" She hugged the both of them in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Vincent." She gave Vincent a deep bow while he shook his hands, saying how this was nothing much.
I looked over at Arthur again. His face was still, unreadable, but I saw the corners of his mouth curl upward as he watched Mama. For a second, it was like something heavy had lifted off his shoulders.
The next gift came from the Twin Horns. Durden, the quietest one, stepped forward and handed Arthur two tightly rolled scrolls.
"You see, we also thought along the same lines as the Helstea family. We couldn't really think of what to give the little monster, so we decided on this!" Adam dramatically waved his arm.
"Those two scrolls are sound transmission scrolls! I'm not going to elaborate on how expensive these were, because they were extremely expen-ouch!" Jasmine smacked Adam on the head.
"Cough! Anyways! With this, you now have a one-time source of communication. Just infuse mana into the scroll, Arthur, and you'll be able to send a message to the other scroll. After the holder of the other scroll receives it, Mama Leywin, she can then send the reply! After the reply is sent and the other person listens to it, the parchment will then turn to ashes! TADA! You're welcome!" Adam gave a dramatic bow.
The members of the Twin Horns were all taking turns talking smack about Adam's egotistical performance.
Arthur bowed his head. "Thank you... all of you."
He gave each of the Twin Horns and the Helstea family a hug, thanking them for the presents. Lilia turned beet red while Tabitha just giggled at her.
One by one, the guests began to leave. The Twin Horns left for their inn, and the Helsteas returned upstairs, Lilia yawning and leaning sleepily on her mother's arm. I sit next to Sylvie watching the flicker of the fireplace, my hands running through her now white fur as my sister curled up next to her, using her tail as a makeshift pillow.
Arthur was quiet now, seated beside Mama and Papa on a sofa only just behind me.
"Tomorrow is the big day, Son. Are you excited?" Papa asked, his hands on Arthur's shoulders.
I hug my Knees.
Why are you leaving, you idiot? You should be here with us... With me...
I could hear the rustle of clothes from behind me as Mama hugged Arthur tightly, pressing his face into her chest.
"I'll be fine," Arthur said softly. "I promise I'll try to be back every chance I get. And you'll be able to know if anything happens."
"Lias", he calls, snapping my attention to him.
"Yes, Bi-g Roouu", I say through a yawn, rubbing my eyes as they struggle to stay open.
I stand up, laying the sleeping bond's body on the soft rug.
"I'm going to be up early in the morning, would you join me for some last-minute training? There's one more thing I should teach you before I leave." He says, climbing down from between our parents, a familiar warm smile lining his lips.
"Okay, Art", I say, looking up at my brother with half-shut eyes.
~~~
"Lias."
The voice came softly at first, tugging at the edges of my sleep like a breeze against a curtain. I mumbled something incoherent, as I clung tighter to a pillow.
"Liaaas," Arthur whispered again, this time with a gentle shake of my shoulder.
I groaned, turning my head away. "Five more minutes..."
That earned me a quiet sigh, and then, a firmer shake. "Lias. Wake up. Come on."
I cracked one eye open, only to be met with the blurry outline of my brother crouched beside me. His hair was a mess, and the soft amber of pre-dawn light traced the edges of his face.
"Lias," he said again, more insistently now. "Get up, sleepyhead. You're going to miss it."
"Yes, Bi-g Roouu..." I yawned, the words slurring as I stretched my arms above my head. My joints popped as I sat up slowly, blinking against the heaviness still clinging to my eyelids. "What time is it...?"
"Early," Arthur said with a grin, reaching down to help me to my feet. "Too early. But I'm leaving soon, and there's still one more thing I want to teach you, remember?"
"Okay, Art..." I murmured, wobbling slightly as I rubbed my eyes.
He climbed down quietly from my bed quietly as he moved with purpose and a strange kind of calm I hadn't seen before. His expression was warm, but there was something else behind it.
He sifted through my wardrobe, pulling out a pair of Black shorts and a White T-shirt, laying them on the edge of my bed as I began to undress.
I swiftly changed into the clothes my brother had chosen for me.
We tiptoed out of the bedroom together, careful not to wake anyone. The hall was dim and still, the house asleep around us. I clung to the hem of Arthur's sleeve as we made our way toward the door, still unsure of what was happening.
The moment we stepped outside, the chill hit me like a splash of cold water. I gasped quietly, hugging myself as the breeze teased my sleep shirt. Arthur didn't miss a beat as he unfastened his cloak and swept it around my shoulders in one motion.
"Better?" he asked, glancing down at me.
I nodded, too busy shivering and yawning to speak.
"It should warm up once the sun rises", he says whilst a sad smile lines his lips.
He led me past the edge of the house, across the dew-slick grass to the concrete patio he had fought that Director. The sky was beginning to blush, streaks of peach and lavender unfurling above the distant mountains.
We stood there for a long moment, just the two of us. I let out a slow breath, watching it fog in the morning air.
He kneels down in front of me, sitting on his heels.
I copy my brother, letting my tired Knees fall onto the stone below.
Arthur sat still, watching me closely as the first golds of dawn crept across the sky, outlining the edge of the Helstea estate in a soft halo of light. The stone beneath us was cold, rough against my knees, and the air smelled faintly of dew and soil.
"Before we start," Arthur said quietly, "you need to promise me something."
I blinked up at him, still half-awake, the wind tugging at the edges of the cloak he'd wrapped around me.
"This is something you can't tell anyone about. Not Mama, not Papa. Not anyone," he says, staring deep into my eyes.
My sleepiness faded a little more at the tone in his voice. "Okay..."
Arthur nodded slowly. "It can be. But more than that, it's not something humans are supposed to learn."
I stared. "What?"
"Lias", he starts his words hanging in the air between us, with some hesitation, he continues, "How does a human, or rather any other person, regenerate mana?"
Is he serious?
"By meditating like you taught me..." I say confused
A proud smile cracks his lips as he continues, "That's correct"
What is he getting at...
He exhaled through his nose, gaze distant for a moment. "What would you say if I could teach you a technique that lets you regenerate mana while moving?"
My mouth opened slightly. "I would say that it sounded like cheating."
"You know how to swim, right?" he says, smirking slightly.
"I do, Papa taught me last summer."
"Before you put your head underwater, you take a breath of air, correct?" he says as he begins.
"Yes..."
"Think of that breath as meditating, regenerating mana", he looks to me as he opens his palm "Once you run out, you're out until you meditate or rather, take another breath of air."
"That makes sense, I guess", I respond, understanding his explanation thus far.
"In a battle, when you run out of mana, you're as good as dead" he clenches his fist.
That's morbid...
"But what if it wasn't? What if you could breathe and swim underwater at the same time?"
"I'm not a fish, Brother," I say, looking at him blankly.
He cracks a smile, "This technique was taught to me by someone that wasn't Human, Elf or even a Dwarf..." his fists tighten and his teeth grit.
There was a strange stillness in his voice when he said that.
"She was a dragon," Arthur said at last. "Her name was Sylvia, and she was Sylvie's mother."
I jump to my feet, "SYLVIE'S A DRAGON!?!" I shout out, looking down at my smiling brother, clearly amused by my reaction
That lazy fo- no Lizard is a Dragon.
My brother covers his mouth as she lets out a laugh at my over-animated reaction.
"She is", he says, a smile returning to his face "Since this was taught to me by a dragon, you could maybe understand why it's important to keep this secret..."
I nod my head violently.
"Good. Then let's begin," he says, standing up, he offers me a hand.
He takes two steps back before continuing.
"Since your core is still in its most immature stage, you should be able to learn this technique", he closes his eyes.
"We'll begin by having you gather mana whilst standing and work our way up to moving", he says, drawing mana into himself with ease.
"Show off", I murmur, a smile cracks my lips.
This shouldn't be too bad, I've just gotta relax and focus...
I fold my hands over my chest and close my eyes.
I focus on the edge of each breath as I feel particles of mana draw near, as they swirl down my veins to my core.
I open my eyes and let my focus falter.
"Good. That's a start," he says, smiling "Now do so with your eyes open..."
I let out a heavy exhale as I take in everything that is occurring around me, from the chirps of birds to the streaks of gold peering over the treeline.
The world feels so much louder...
With much trouble, I managed to draw in mana, far less than before, but I had nonetheless.
"Very Good, Lias", he says, a proud smile plastering his face. "Now take a step"
I continue to draw in mana as I move my right leg forward, immediately losing all inflow of mana.
Shit...
I grit my teeth
"It's okay, try again", I look up to see my brother smiling
I do as he commands, failing again and again and again and again.
I collapse onto the floor.
He places a hand on my shoulder as I begin to cry, "Lia-"
"Why do you have to leave?" I ask, cutting him off through sobs of tears as they begin to flow beyond my control.
"Lias I-"
I interject again, "Do you hate me? Do you hate Mama? Papa? What about El?" I ask erratically as my brother's grip tightens.
"Lias", he barks
I 'jump' at his change in tone as I look up, our eyes meeting.
"The love I have for you, Mom, Dad and Ellie", Arthur said, resting a hand lightly on my shoulder, "it's the most cherished thing I carry. That's why I need to leave"
"But-"
He cuts me off, "I need to get stronger, even if that means we're apart again"
"I know it's just..."
"I'll miss you too, Little Brother", he says, smiling down at me as he helps me to my feet.
I exhale, letting go of everything I had been holding onto.
"Now relax. Don't force it. Just let it flow through you as if you're part of nature."
I take a step. And another. An-
I collapse, holding my chest.
"Lias", my brother exclaims.
"I did it..." mutter as my vision begins to fade.
"Well, do-"
WC - 3004
Thanks for reading this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. 😊
All Criticism and feedback are welcome. Any suggestions for the story or plot are also more than welcome.
With this drawing a close to TBATE's book 1 content, and Art's 4 year training with Jasmine begins.
As the Novel pays little to no respect to the lives of Arthur's family whilst he's away playing adventurer all forthcoming chapter will be entirely original content, so any suggestions for story point are now more than ever welcome as I lose my crutch.
If we're all still alive, the next chapter will be released at 12 Likes or on Sunday.
Rius out.