Alden's gaze lingered on Elrian, trying to reconcile what he had just witnessed with the age he suspected the boy was. Taking a deep breath, he hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Arlan, Lyssandra... I might be wrong, but Elrian isn't in his teens, is he?"
The room seemed to grow colder as Arlan and Lyssandra exchanged glances, seeming to weigh the implications of their answer. Lyssandra began cautiously, her voice soft, "Alden, what you've witnessed today might seem out of the ordinary. And it truly is. Elrian's gifts, his prowess... they are extraordinary. But it's not just his skills that are unexpected."
Alden's eyebrows furrowed, a hint of urgency in his eyes. "How old is he?" he pressed. The weight of the question hung heavily in the room. Each second felt like an eternity as the silence stretched.
Arlan, taking a deep breath, finally said, "Elrian... He just turned five. Just a month ago."
