The day after I had returned to Eloria, I could already notice changes in my parents' behaviors and appearances. The tired expression that they both wore like masks had vanished, being replaced with unusual happiness.
How could I blame them? Their supposedly dead son had returned from the grave, there was nothing in the entire world they could've wanted more.
I had spent the last week doing all sorts of activities with my family, including shopping, strolling, and today would be the first day of training.
Bruce could sense a newly awakened power within me, and he wanted to witness it firsthand.
"You ready, bud?" he asked, slamming his fists together, coating them in stone. Just as his hands were covered with the color of sandstone, a fiery aura encompassed his body.
I could see why he was an A-rank adventurer, his strength and newly-learned firepower made him terrifying to fight against.
I grinned at the challenge. I had been experiencing a new kind of bind, would I be able to use it if I was faced with an opponent stronger than myself?
I calmed my breathing, sensing the bind collect in my core. Neutrality was key with this bind, focus solely on your objective, or your emotions would melt the energy away. I let out a long breath, vapor escaping from my mouth.
"!!"
I released the energy, massive crystals of ice erupting around me as they advanced towards my opponent. Bruce grinned at the oncoming pillars, punching through them as earth and fire worked in harmony. I definitely needed to practice with ice a little bit more before it was even usable.
"Haha, that's my son for you! An advanced binder!" he roared, full of pride. I smiled.
"Well then, let's get serious."
"Huh?" questioned my Dad, confused about what I meant by that.
BOOM
A massive bolt of lightning struck me, creating zaps of yellow lightning around me. Instead of smiling, my Dad just stood there in shock.
"You're kidding me, right? Uh, son, how many elements can you control exactly?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Six."
He just laughed at the answer. He believed me, but the absurdity of my response was just too much. A seven-year-old who could control six elements, even the thought of it would only appear in fairytales.
Jane just watched the entire scene unfold, hiding her face in her hand.
"My son can control six elements, what even is this?" she muttered in disbelief. After her momentary shock, the woman looked up and smiled at her son still struggling to even land a hit against Bruce.
A-rank adventurers were no joke. Even with my speed, Bruce always managed to block my path with his earth abilities, manipulating the terrain around me to slow down my approach.
The battle ended with a draw, but if Bruce had launched the offensive he would've definitely won. I was pretty sure he was ending it at a draw to make me feel good. I smiled at his efforts.
I also appreciated the fact that I still had a lot to learn. If I had utterly destroyed an A-rank adventurer, there wouldn't have been a massive sense of pride, but now I had a goal to strive towards. Come home one day and beat Bruce.
I announced to my parents the next day that I would become an adventurer, and while my Dad was roaring with excitement, saying that it was what I was meant to do, my mom simply smiled and nodded.
"I knew this would happen. I'm proud of you, baby, but please, I can't lose you again," she said, kneeling down and pulling me into her arms. She gently stroked my hair as she whispered in my ear. "Please be careful, honey. That's all your mother wants."
I hugged her back.
"I will, Mom. I'll always come back to both of you, well, three now."
Jane and Bruce laughed at the comment. I still couldn't believe I had a baby sister who had just turned three. That meant we had approximately five years between us considering my eighth birthday was right around the corner.
She had started to accept my presence in the family, occasionally requesting my help with something or asking me to accompany her to the market to walk around. She'd always grasp my hand when we went outside, but it felt different to hold her hand now.
It had only been to assure she wouldn't get lost, but now I felt something deep down when I held Alice's hand. A dire need to protect, to shelter the little girl who stood by my side. Was that what it was like to have a sibling?
"Jay, I got you a spot for the exam!" announced Alan, enthusiastic, as he walked into the house.
"When?" I asked, masking my excitement.
"Tomorrow at nine, I already got you your identification," he said, extending a small card.
I grabbed the beige identification card, looking at the information that was written on it.
NAME: DARCK
AGE: ?
RANK: ?
CLASS: ?
I smiled ever so slightly at the name, had Alan guessed that was exactly what I wanted to be written on it?
"So my age can stay blank?" I asked, checking if I would have to blatantly lie on my identification.
"Not forever, but for a while," explained Alan, "you'll definitely be pressured to put it sooner if you become famous though."
So I had to lay low if I wanted to prolongate my time as an adventurer. Did that mean I had to limit the number of elements I used?
I decided to wait until the examination. There were bound to be more candidates presenting themselves for a rank, and all I had to do was evaluate the difference in my power versus theirs.
Tomorrow, my life as an adventurer would begin.