"Kids! It's time for breakfast!" Evelynn yelled out loud. However, no response was given. Well, this is a first. Usually, when she yells like that, they come flooding in like tidal waves even with drowsy eyes. "Did those rascals oversleep again?"
No, they did not. They are out there and they didn't even sleep. Of course, being the mother to her children for years and wife to his husband for even longer, she's already aware of how they operate. It's always at this time of the year. She just pretends not to notice, but she lets them loose just on this particular occasion. Having no choice but to sigh it off, she went and searched for them.
"If I don't find them in 5 minutes, they're gonna fucking get it." Evelynn clenches her fist.
Meanwhile, a strange chill entered Dave's spine. Seizing the rare opportunity, Cain swiftly attempted a thrust to his father's knees. Unfortunately for him, it was easily fended off. Obviously, the parent and child are clashing swords. It isn't just a way to pass the time, it's also their way of bonding as father and son.
"What's wrong, Father? Is it your age catching up to you?" Cain tried to taunt his father but it was a futile attempt. A good attempt, but pointless. His father has already embraced the concept of aging last year. Still, the man drew a distance from his son and scratched his back.
"Nothing, I think a worm bit me or something. Let's continue."
Resuming their battle, the two clashed swords heavily while Jubelian, the second sister, cheered for her brother. She and Dave made a bet- If Cain wins against his father, Dave will grant her a single wish. However, if Dave wins against his son, Jubelian will break up with her boyfriend.
"You can do it! You have to win, Cain!" Jubelian yelled with all her might.
Swords were swung vigorously, and the metal clanged as it reverberated. The wind itself was being torn apart and waves of gale formed everywhere. If the air was water and the swords were rocks, the gale would not just be mere ripples, but rather waves. Amidst the swinging and clanging, Dave and Cain held a conversation.
"You're getting good! Look at who's starting to resemble his Father!" Dave smirked.
"I don't resemble you! Hah! I'm better than you!" Cain snickered. Dave managed to resist the taunt earlier, but this one? Not so much. In battles, a clear mind is important in order to minimize openings. The momentary disruption in his focus made Dave prone to reckless decisions, thus, he swung his sword to the left with such force that his body couldn't stop it in time. A fatal mistake by Dave. This was an opportunity that Cain did not let pass.
After dodging by a hair's breadth, first was a deep breath. Breathings in battle are essential, they basically multiply your body's output.
Cain swung his blade in return and aimed for the opening at his father's right torso. Fwoop! The air itself was split and a vacuum was created for a split second. It was a beautiful swing, the sweat-drenched blade in his grip glistened in the sunshine as an arc of light formed midair as its afterimage. If it was a real battle, Dave's upper half would be on the ground right now. However, Cain stopped just right before hitting his father's flesh. The match was over.
"... I admit defeat." Dave drops his sword with humility and pride. He's always been prideful about his swordsmanship. In fact, it was one of the few things he's actually proud of. However, seeing his son all grown up has made him even more proud.
"Haha! I actually won! This is my first time winning against you, Father!" Cain cheered with glee along with Jubelian, who even jumped in sheer joy. Jubelian trained her brother for the past few weeks, teaching him magics that her mother, Evelynn, taught her. It was all for this.
The cheers and celebration didn't last long.
"Hey!" called out an elderly woman whose name is Paprika, the Valric family's neighbor and Gilgan's chieftess. "You're being too loud in the morning. Can't you spare that for another time! My husband is having trouble sleeping lately, maybe the two of you are the cause!"
"Ah, it's her." Cain clicked his tongue in disdain. This is a rare occasion, Cain is usually on good terms with everyone due to his relatively extroverted personality, and likewise. This chieftess likes to nitpick even to the smallest of things and only to their family. It seems like she doesn't like the Valric family very much. She doesn't even have a husband, she has a dog she named "husband" for reasons unknown. They also weren't THAT loud. Sure, they were clashing swords early in the morning but they chose a remote location far away from buildings. It's the usual place where Dave and Cain train together. Finally, when she starts speaking, she never stops! Her mouth is like a storm, once it hits the coast it goes all the way through the lands.
If there was anyone who could stop this madness, it was her. The light of the Valric family, the only person that Madam Paprika seems to smile at.
"I'm sorry Madam Paprika. Here, a basket of pan and a bouquet of flowers-" Evelynn intervened to calm the elder's temper. Like a water bucket to a blazing flame, the elderly equipped a smile faster than any cheetah. Evelynn glared at her husband and children her eyes saying;
"You either go back to the house, or you won't come back at all. Ever."
With the message received, the parent and his children went inside with chills creeping on their backs. So THIS is why Father was distracted, thought Cain.
Evelynn noticed that there were only 3 of them there. She's not mad that they're distracting Miss Paprika, she's mad because she doesn't see the twins with them.
"Where are the twins?" she asked them, particularly her shivering husband.
"Eh... A-aren't they sleeping?" He can't speak of what happened last night since she will find out that they didn't sleep, or rather, Adam would rat them out. Only Dave and the heavens know what she is truly capable of doing when her wrath surfaces.
"But they weren't there. I guess I'll just find them." Evelynn sighs.
*~~~*
In the library, Adam was quietly studying when his cheerful sister grabbed his attention.
"Look, Adam. It's a book about Magic!" Eve exclaims.
Magic is the power hidden within mortals. It is currently unknown as to why or how it was inside mortals in the first place, but it is evident that Magic is inside everybody, further proven by famous wizards such as [1]Gilgamore and Merculin.
However, this does not mean everybody can use it. Only people blessed by "them" can use magic and symptoms show at birth. This means that even though everyone has magic, only people chosen by fate can use it. One of the blessed people who can use it is the Valric family. Dave and Evelynn along with their children all can use magic. Well, with one child as the exception.
Adam can't use magic. He has bad memories of it because he was a victim of prejudice due to his lack of talent for magic.
"O-oh, y-you should read it!" Adam feigns a smile.
"Won't you read it?" Eve tilts her head.
"No. I'm good!" Adam smiled. "Besides, you're the most talented mage in our family. Clearly, YOU should be the one cultivating it the most!"
"... Okay."
A few minutes passed, it was getting boring. Adam has already finished the entire book that he was reading earlier. In the same degree of boredom, Eve was lying on the floor like a starfish. If she was to be honest with herself, she doesn't like magic. Rather than that, she just wants her brother to shine. Many kids of their age look down on him despite being so talented.
She remembers that one time when they were playing outside, his brother made a massive sandcastle. However, it was ruined by a group of random kids who approached them with an obnoxious smirk.
"Look boys, it's the luckless idiot!" the child who seems to be the ringleader spoke.
"All of his family members have magic and he's the only one who doesn't! How unlucky!" followed another.
Word after word followed those sentences. They said so much that in fact, she doesn't remember anything except the words that struck her nerve like "failure" and "worthless". Being the sister, she defended him. Although, it didn't end pretty and it resulted in the kids throwing rocks at her, giving her the scar on her forehead.
"I wonder what happened to those kids?" Eve said out of the blue.
"Huh? What kids?"
"Oh, n-nothing!"
"Kids, huh." The last time that Adam interacted with kids of his age, his sister was hurt. The sheer rage that he felt when he saw his sister passed out, blood dripping from her seamless forehead, now imbued with a terrible wound. He felt like he was about to pass out himself due to how black his vision was. Oh well, after THAT happened, he's sure that they'll NEVER gonna approach them EVER again anyways.
BWOOOOONG!
The sound of the horn echoed throughout the town, three blows of the horn to be precise. The library was faced rather far away from the town square but it was heard even from there. Everybody knows what the horn meant, it was the start of the Festival of Rings!
*~~~*
[1] There are many arguments about who is really the greatest, but if someone asked you that question, you NEED to pick between Gilgamore and Merculin. Gilgamore is a cursed witch of New Bjork while Merculin is the blessed warlock of Paris. It is said that when the two of them clashed, the battle was so fierce that the Gods themselves had to intervene because they were about to wipe the entire space-time. They were also said to have teamed up against a Giant and won.