Laughter and a warm, comforting atmosphere spread throughout the table decked out with an assortment of mouthwatering food. Freshly baked pastries, deserts and savoury meals were just some dishes on display.
The combined aroma caused more than one ravenous stomach to groan in pleasure simply from getting a whiff of the meal.
Sitting at the dining table, with the rest of his family and his mother's childhood friend, Nico, tucked into the last breakfast he would get to eat at home for a while. Feeling the pastries and the meat melt in his mouth, the boy hummed in approval.
To his right, Charlotte chewed rapidly, inhaling her food at godly speeds - much to Cynthia's exasperation. Little crumbs stuck to her mouth, enhancing her natural cuteness. Her jade-green eyes shone like two precious jewels.
Hiding the smile that threatened to appear on his face, Nico took a sip of his favourite coffee. As the bitter taste spread through his mouth, he thought:
'Truly, there is nothing better than a cup of coffee to wake you up in the morning.'
Nico smacked his lips together, a content sigh escaping his mouth. He looked to his left out of the corner of his eye.
Seated elegantly with her back straight, Beverly used a knife and fork to cut through the food on her plate. The polished silver ring on her index finger sparkled slightly. Picking up a small morsel from her dish, the ginger-haired woman carefully placed the bite in her mouth. She chewed slowly, savouring its taste.
The boy's eyebrows twitched. Why did she now suddenly decide to carry herself with the grace of a noblewoman? What happened to the lazy woman he knew?
Nico shook his head. He decided not to think deeply about the matter. The inner thoughts of a woman would always remain a mystery to him.
Shifting his gaze, the young man looked ahead to where his parents sat.
Ross was currently stuffing as many pancakes as he could in his mouth, showing an expression of pure bliss. Cynthia, meanwhile, scolded him for eating too fast and blamed him for the reason her daughter ate so fast.
Nico chuckled quietly. He basked in the warmth his family gave him.
How many times had he taken this sight for granted? Now, only after being forced to live away from his family did he fully appreciate the sight before him.
This was his home.
His sanctuary.
No matter what happened in the future, as long as he had these people by his side, then everything would be alright. Home belonged with them.
Everyone soon finished their breakfasts and moved on to the desserts. Charlotte was adamant about having a slice of her mother's renowned chocolate cake.
She had used the excuse of her brother's last breakfast with the family to weasel her way into receiving a slice of her favourite food, something she normally could not have this early in the morning.
Cynthia, who had heaved another exasperated sigh, eventually submitted to her child's demands.
Spreading a generous portion of jam onto her own slice of cake with a knife, the woman turned her head to face her childhood friend. "Hey, Beverly. Is it okay if you drop Nico off at the Training Camp before you head to the Temple? I'm sure Blackie wouldn't mind a new passenger, especially if you let Nico give him some treats."
Dabbing at her mouth with a white napkin, Beverly took a second to mull over the proposal. The Training Camp was to be in the East Leaf Wilderness, a few hours away to the west.
Gazing at the young man next to her - whose ears perked up as soon as the conversation turned toward Blackie - the prim lady agreed.
Although using one of the teleportation matrixes in Airedale would've been a lot easier, the ginger-haired woman didn't mind. She would pass by that area, anyway. An extra passenger wouldn't hurt.
If anything, it would make the ride less monotonous.
"Alright. I don't see why not. It should give him some experience in dealing with the supernatural." The ginger-haired woman slowly sipped at her tea.
"Great! I owe you one. Speaking of favours, I dealt with the situation at the Descender Association for you yesterday. The man formally apologised and said he would compensate you generously for the inconvenience." The green-eyed lady smirked.
It never failed to amuse her when someone tried to request for her friend's hand in marriage only for Beverly to scare them off with just a wisp of her aura.
"Thanks, Cynthia," Beverly responded, noticing the far-off look on Ross's face whenever one of them mentioned the Descender Association.
A few minutes later, once everyone had finished with their meals and the table cleared of its contents, Nico got up and made a final check of his luggage. Making sure he had forgotten nothing of note.
After finishing the task and finding that delaying any more would do no good, the boy walked to the front door, followed by Beverly and the rest of his family. Once they were outside, Nico gave his mother and little sister a big hug, reassuring them he would be alright.
"Brother, don't leave.." Charlotte sniffed, on the verge of crying. The boy simply patted her head and embraced her tiny body again, trying his best to comfort her.
"Alright, Nico. The time has come for you to make us all proud." Ross - with the help of a cane - walked up and embraced his son.
"Thanks, Dad." Nico put up a strong front and suppressed his emotions. He didn't want to cry now.
The family was currently standing in the village square. Rows of houses surrounded the close as the boy's neighbours all peeked their heads out of their homes to view the tear-jerking spectacle.
They held no fear on their faces after their eyes lingered on the monstrosity that towered above them in the middle of the square. Already accustomed to such sights.
They had seen far more frightening things during their time in action.
Turning around, Nico saw Beverly standing with an amused grin on her face. Beside her, a large black mass stood in place. Steam escaped from its snout. With sparkling eyes, the young man walked forward as the details of the creature beside his 'aunt' became clearer.
Obsidian-black with dark, lustreless scales scattered intermittently on its body. Two sets of wide wings sprouted from its back, gifting the creature an impressive wingspan. A sharp, fearsome row of jagged teeth gave it its characteristic deathly maw.
Its yellow slits narrowed dangerously in Nico's direction.
He gulped.
A sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. This was his first time actually coming close to such a beast.
All the other times he had seen Blackie were from afar. Even though the boy was excited to travel on the Wyvern, a sense of primal fear couldn't help but sprout within him after gazing at its intimidating features.
Suppressing a smirk, Beverly patted her beast companion. "It's alright, kid, Blackie's harmless. Here, give it to him and see if he likes you." The woman threw a large piece of raw meat in the young man's direction.
Hurriedly catching Blackie's treat, Nico slowly inched toward the scaly creature. His hand trained in front of him.
Once the Wyvern growled, telling him not to come any closer, the brown-haired boy took a deep breath before throwing the slab of food toward the animal's maw.
The Wyvern's jaw snapped open in a flash. Tearing into the meat, it devoured the snack within seconds.
Licking its teeth, Blackie issued a content growl which came as a deep rumble from its throat. Under Beverly's urging, Nico slowly moved forward and, finding no opposition from the powerful beast, placed his hand on the creature's snout.
"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it? Beverly grinned.
Giving Blackie some love, Nico felt the ball of anxiety in his stomach die down a little. He purposefully avoided looking at his sharp teeth, otherwise, the apprehension he had felt earlier would come back ten times stronger.
It only took one misstep and he would become wyvern meat. Nico shook his head, clearing away the grim thoughts. Once Blackie had received his fill, the boy climbed onto the beast's back.
Looking back at his family, he tried to put a reassuring smile on his face.
Cynthia, who dabbed at her eyes, determined not to let her tears fall, held her husband's hand, internally wondering how her son had grown up so fast. She could still remember when that little rascal ran around the house, his little giggles echoing between its walls.
Ross, who was silently rubbing circles on his wife's back, comforting her, silently bid his child good luck.
He hoped with all his might that his son could do what he had failed to achieve.
Beverly, having checked that everything was all right, climbed aboard and whistled. With a great whoosh, the Wyvern soared into the skies. Nico closed his eyes. A stray tear slid down his face.
'Here I go.'
***
High in the cerulean skies, a lone wyvern flapped its wings occasionally, soaring forwards with great speed. On its back, a ginger-haired woman and a brown-haired teenager were its riders.
Feeling the wind blow on his face, sending his hair into a frenzy, the boy took a deep breath.
Gazing curiously at his surroundings, Nico noticed large mountain peaks jutting upward on the horizon. To his right, a river snaked onward for what seemed to be an eternity. The luminous sun sent beams of light that fell on the water, coating it in a sparkly sheen.
To the left, large woodlands covered the area. From above, to Nico, it looked like a viridescent blanket had covered the earth. Minutes passed by as the boy continued to be enraptured by his surroundings.
This was his first proper journey outside his village - apart from his occasional visit to the City of Airedale, only a half hour away.
Having had his fill of examining his surroundings, the brown-haired boy spoke with an inquisitive tone to the lady seated in front of him, "Aunt Beverly, do you know what that river to our right is called?" Nico had a vague suspicion in his mind.
Beverly, who was absentmindedly gazing at the scenery passing by, perked up. "Sure, I do. Who do you take me for?" the ginger-haired woman chuckled lightly before continuing, "That right there is called the Enchanted Creek. It's a river that runs through the entire Immortal Reach before merging east into the Ethereal Sanctuary, where the Dragons, Orcs, and Giants live. Rumour has it, that two powerhouses had accidentally created the river just from the mere aftershocks of their clash alone."
The boy's eyes brightened at the mention of three of the Major races. He had heard of those mythical creatures, yet had never actually seen one in the flesh before.
Now that he had actually gotten up close and touched a Wyvern, Nico wanted to see one of those races with his own eyes. Something he was sure was bound to happen in the not-so-distant future.
Nico's eyes scanned the Enchanted Creek again, his gaze widening after hearing the last part of his aunt's words.
'How powerful must those powerhouses have been to have such a profound effect on the environment?' he asked himself.
An expression of awe was plastered on his face. The boy slowly shook his head and sighed, returning his thoughts back to the topic of the Major races.
"Aunt Beverly, have you met any of those races before?"
"Of course, kid. Your Aunt is so powerful that even the Elders of these races might not best me…" she boasted as her beast companion roared in assent. Patting Blackie, the woman continued, "... although, I have to warn you, kid. Never ever, ever mess with their young if you want to live. They are fiercely overprotective of their offspring, especially the Dragons and Giants. They would hunt you to the ends of Crelerath if they had to. The Orcs not so much. But you don't want to incur the wrath of a bloodthirsty race such as theirs for no reason,"
Beverly frowned for a moment.
"Basically, don't accidentally kidnap any one of their young, is all…"