The next couple of days flew by quite quickly as the Snows were adjusting to their status as parents, albeit unexpectedly, and for the first time ever in their marriage they were very happy. The good news that the elder Brinhad came with one morning only served to seal their happiness.
"There is no one claiming they lost a baby and certainly no one is looking for a misplaced one anywhere within the country," said the elder happily, unable to contain the good news. Richard was sitting beside his wife at the dinner table as they gratefully welcomed the good news. Theresa was beside herself with tears of joy at those words.
" I cant thank you enough for your help, elder Brinhad", said Richard. " if there is anything i can repay you with, please let me know!", he exclaimed, his excitement causing him to release a burst of mana. The elder chuckled good-naturedly and said, " be careful with that , boy Richie, I can actually hold you it, you know. Which reminds me-" he paused, stretching out his right hand and muttered into a dimension ring, extracting a small parchment.
"I will need you to sign this with a blood print. It's a document that places you as the sole guardians of baby Damien," he said with a wink.
Richard sprang from his chair and rushed to the elder's side in disbelief. He read through the contents, which simply stated that Richard and Theresa Snow were to be the immediate guardians of said Damien, hereforth to be addressed formally as Damien Snow. As such, the Snows shall bear responsibility for the health, happiness, education and discipline of the minor until Damien is able to take care of his own welfare.
This was a typical parchment that every parent had to sign with their blood, making it magically binding until the child reached the age of 17.
The Snows didn't need any further encouragement. Richard withdrew his hunting knife and nipped his right thumb and pressed it firmly on the parchment. He then proceeded to gently nip his wife's thumb as well and as soon as her thumb print had been fully immersed beside Richard's, the parchment flew from the table and hovered above their heads and burst into blue flames, before disappearing.
"Well, that settles it," said the elder," i will be taking my leave now. Please, swing by the compound anytime you like... I'm sure young Paul wouldn't mind having Damien as a friend",
"Definitely!," said Theresa, " Thank you for all you have done, elder Brinhad. I will be sure to come by as often as I can.".
"I expect you to, Theresa. The gods know what you have been through these last couple of years," said the elder as he shook both their hands. Richard walked the elder out, leaving Theresa to tend to Damien, who had started crying, hungry and demanding for attention.
"I don't know if you noticed Richie, boy. But your son's mana pool is abnormally large. I felt it slightly when you first arrived. I found it astounding that there was zero leakage of mana regardless of its size." said the elder as they made their way to the footpath that leads to the village.
"I noticed it elder, but I thought I was mistaken. A normal baby has a mana pool the size of my fist at most. Damien's encompasses his whole body."
"I see... No doubt, he isn't an ordinary child. He will turn into quite the mage warrior with that large mana pool. Watch over him until he reaches that capability. His power will not be easy to hide, Richard," said the elder with feeling.
Richard understood well what the elder was hinting at. Baravia was a country where those with more power oppressed the weak and built wealth for themselves. A person with Damien's potential can be weaponized to the satisfaction of evil.
" I will bear that in mind, elder brinhad. Again... thank you for helping us with this", he said. The elder simply nodded and proceeded on the path alone, leaving Richard to make his way back.
His mind was now slightly troubled by the elder's words,which, despite being a good warning, were still worrying. He decided that he would protect his family with all his might, giving up his life if necessary. He forced a smile on his face and pushed aside the grim thoughts to the back of his mind as he stepped back into the cabin.
**********
Time tends to fly by swiftly when one is happy. Such was the case in regards to the Snows, that it felt like yesterday when they first found Damien. Now today is exactly five years since that incident, marking precisely Damien's birthday. The boy had grown to become a happy and kind toddler,very expressive and curious. Besides the occasional unintended mana surges by the lad,which would press down on everyone in the vicinity, forcing them on their knees,he was still an adorable young toddler. Everyone liked the boy, even in the village where Theresa would send him to deliver her tailoring and other chores,resulting in his frequent travel to and from Sunfall village and his home. He and the elder's son,Paul Brinhad, had become fast friends,and hung around together when Paul wasn't at school. Paul was now a 3rd year at the Essaf School of magic.
Richard had gone hunting again the previous day and she was expecting him back that evening,since he was no longer hunting too far from the cabin. For some reason,ever since they found Damien, there had been a marked increase in game in the Beast forge, especially near the Snows cabin. Theresa suspected that they owed that to Damien; his usual amount of energy seemed to draw in everything to him as if he himself was the sun. Even the plants around the cabin flourished as well, giving a greenish hue to the cabin background.
No doubt,Damien's presence had a positive effect on the environment and everyone in it.
The increased numbers of animals was the least worrying thing though. Theresa moved her hand to touch her navel slightly. She suspected that she was pregnant. Initially she had discarded the thought,given the amount of energy they had exerted in trying to find a cure for her barrenness,but she could no longer
ignore the morning sickness,the occasional vomiting and sensitivity to every odour,and just now,the fluttering movement in her womb now.
She was standing by the cabin window overlooking the path that led to their doorstep, anxiously waiting for Damien to return. Her gaze was straining, trying to spot his approach when,as if responding to her anxiety, Damien appeared on the foot path. He was leisurely walking on the path as if he owned everything with a confidence that didn't fit his five years. Despite having a toddler's body,he walked with the unhurried confidence and gait of a king. My little king,she thought as she opened the door to meet him. Theresa swiftly got onto the path to meet the boy whose face brightened at the sight of her. Abandoning the king's gait that had become a trait for him,he ran across the path,like any boy happy to see his mother.
"Mother,!" He gushed as they embraced " I saw a small bear cub just beyond that large anthill mama,and he licked my hand".
"Mmm I see,that explains why you are late, my little king", Theresa lightly admonished,gently nudging him into the cabin.
"Well, time is relative mama," he grinned," maybe you were just missing me so much that time flew faster because of it".
"Who gave you that impression?"
" Elder Brinhad,mother. He said that time is the only thing that moves in accordance with the observer."
"Oh....and what else did the elder feed that insatiable hunger for knowledge with," she asked, pleasantly noting that the boy's intelligence was far beyond that of his peers. He comprehended deep faceted knowledge that even she found difficult to understand. One of the reasons why the elder always enjoyed Damien's visits.
"He said that theoretically,with a high level of mana,time can be influenced. He said it is an edict of creation-mana that is common in Baravia."
Theresa turned to retrieve a bowl from the stove containing rock cookies,Damien's favorite snack. As he gratefully grabbed several cookies,the door sprang open,revealing the huggard bulk of her husband,for some reason carrying a dead neralak instead of contracting it with magic or placing it in his dimension ring.
Richard threw the carcass on the cabin floor and turned grinning to embrace first,his son and then his wife. " How was the hunt,dear husband?"asked Theresa, as Richard sunk wearily into a chair. " As good as any hunt. I have been using a different hunting technique lately,an idea I got five years ago," he winked at his wife. They hadn't told him the truth about his birth but thought it better to withhold that piece of knowledge until he was older.
"By focusing my intent on the desire for the neralak to collapse under my aura,I am able to weaken the neralaks' desire to escape until I'm literally within striking distance," his eyes twinkled.
"Why not use intent to just kill it entirely, father?" Said Damien.
" Well,that defeats the whole sport of the game, son. I like to give my hunts the opportunity to win," he said proudly.
Damien looked confused at that. "But doesn't using the technique you just mentioned defeat the whole sportsmanship you just alluded to,father?",he asked innocently.
"Er well,yes...I mean no....it's just ,I mean-", Richard was taken aback by his shrewd question. Thankfully, Theresa rescued him by announcing that she had a surprise for both of them.
Father and son immediately shifted their attention to her.
" I will start with you Damien,happy fifth birthday!", She said, drawing out a large chocolate cake from her dimension ring, laying it on the table. The sudden mana surge caused both Snows to drop on their knees,their life force pressured by Damien's excited release of mana.
"Oh ,sorry!",he quickly apologized,and the pressure disappeared.
" I'm really sorry, when I get happy I lose control of it,I don't know how to contain it," he looked down,deflated.
The Snows looked at each other as they caught their breath,unsteadily standing up. They were beginning to understand the monstrosity that was Damien's mana pool.
"Don't berate yourself, Damien. Your power is so great that it needs an extra amount of will to exert control. Just work hard on it and you will be fine eventually," soothed Richard,pulling him in. Damien nodded and regained his composure.
" Thank you for the cake, mama," he said quietly, and rose to embrace her.
"You are welcome, Damien. You are a gift from Deanna herself. We have been truly blessed by your birth!". They fell into an appreciative silence as each one of them was grateful for each other's presence and love. The building block of the Snows family was love; a pure and unrestricted desire for the happiness of everyone in the family unit.
" And before we light the candles, Richard,your gift",Theresa said ,turning to her husband. Richard waited expectantly.
" I am pregnant!"
There was a sudden release of mana again,not from Damien,but from Richard. Such was the shock at the news that his jaw hung to the floor in disbelief first,then joy. His eyes watered with tears of joy as he trembled to his feet and wonderingly looked at his wife's womb.
"What?...but but...but how??",he asked,getting down on his knees and gently placing both of his hands on her womb.
"I don't know,but I have a theory....", She said, glancing briefly at Damien,who was watching the exchange with curiosity.
" You are going to have a brother...or a sister,Damien",
Damien's eyes grew wider as he finally caught up.
" Finally,I have been praying for a sibling!" he exclaimed. Both Snows looked at him and then looked at each other,then Richard nodded understandingly. Damien's power was a force of change,he thought. His presence has a weighty pulse of creation that ends up affecting everyone around him. Soon he will be going to the test of intent when he turns seven,which will secure for him a place in the Essaf magic academy. Definitely, his power will bring him before kings and even gods.
Richard decided there and then to teach the boy all he knew and get him ready for the world. Theresa quietly chanted at the cake and five small candlesticks appeared on it. Richard then flickered his hand and the candles lit up.
"Happy birthday Damien!",they said in unison.