Deep inside Tochi Kingdom, in the shopping district, there was an old man in his mid-forties bargaining with a merchant. The merchant wanted to sell the fish for a whole 5 copper coins per fish, but the old man thought this was an obvious steal.
"The highest I'm going to pay is 2. Take it or leave it!" the old man said angrily, staring at the merchant before hitting the table.
This angered the merchant. "Listen, Sachi, this is the market price. And trust me, I don't really care if you buy it or not. I still have other customers. So you can go if you want."
Sachi was the old man's name. He was angry at what the merchant said, but instead of responding, he just took his staff and started walking away. Even though he wasn't that old, Sachi needed a staff to help him walk since his left leg was paralyzed.
Following Sachi through the road, we would come to a huge fence with a gate that had a sign on it that said "Meragon Clan Land." Near the gate was a guard who started waving at Sachi when he saw him.
"No luck today?" he said when Sachi got close.
"Haha," Sachi said with an annoyed expression on his face. "The clown Marcus thinks he's funny again. How funny. Could you open the gate so I won't miss my son's birthday?"
On the other side, the guard's eyes widened after hearing Sachi's last words. "Wait a minute, Omen's birthday is today!" He opened the gate quickly. From his behavior, Sachi could easily tell that he was scared of his sister.
"So the clown Marcus is scared of his sister knowing that he forgot her son's birthday again?" Sachi said.
The guard looked at him, even though he was wearing a helmet. Sachi was able to tell from his widened eyes that he was terrified. "This is not a joke, Sachi. Emily can't be called a human when she's angry!"
Sachi started laughing as he was walking towards his home.
When he started seeing his home from a distance, he noticed that the party had already started. There were a lot of kids playing in his yard, and the decorations that were covering the place were an obvious sign.
Inside his bag, Sachi had the gift he had prepared, but for some reason, he started feeling that Omen wouldn't like it. Even though he was his son, Sachi didn't really understand how kids thought nowadays.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Sachi started feeling that someone was behind him. Without wasting a second, Sachi turned quickly and performed a thrust attack using his staff as if it were a spear, hitting the person behind him at their head and making their helmet fly away. It was a woman.
Looking down at the person who was on the ground now, Sachi noticed that it was his wife, Emily. He looked at her for a moment before he started laughing.
"You know, for a knight, you really don't know how to hide your presence," he said.
He helped her stand up. Emily stared at him with angry eyes. "Is this how you say hi to your wife?" she said.
Before Sachi could respond, she noticed the crowd near the house. "Your parents already started the party!" she said. She grabbed Sachi's arm and started running towards the house.
In the house, two elderly couples will notice them running toward them. "It looks like they finally came, Tenma," the old woman says before the old man walks over toward the kids. "Army, time to start the mission! Everyone, disguise!" The kids start covering their heads with bags and stand in a line.
When Sachi and Emily finally reach the house, they see this confusing scene. The old man walks to the front of the kids and says with a graceful voice, "This is a punishment test for the late parents. Find your son among my army, and you will be allowed in the party!" The old woman starts laughing, especially because it seems as if Tenma is the commander of this not too old army. Sachi is annoyed, "Father, you know it's our son's party, right?" Tenma looks at them with dead serious eyes, "You must follow the rules; otherwise, you are a criminal and you broke them!"
Sachi doesn't know what to say, but suddenly Emily puts her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; we can easily recognize our son!" The game begins; Emily starts looking at the kids to find her son. She realizes her mistake—they all look the same. Emily feels nervous and chooses one randomly, but when she lifts the bag, it reveals a girl's face. "Alice!" Emily says, her face turning red from embarrassment. Sachi laughs, "Really, Emily? She is literally wearing a dress. I guess you are a bad mom in the end."
Emily walks back out of the house depressed, with her face down to the ground. "I guess now it's my turn!" Sachi says. He looks right and left at the kids, then suddenly smiles and walks over to one of them. "I am back, Omen!" he says with a happy tone before the kid in front of him hugs him. "Welcome back, Dad!" While Omen is hugging him, Sachi looks at Emily, who is outside the house fence. "I guess I am a better parent than you, Emily," he says before everyone starts laughing.
The party continues with kids playing around and eating desserts until the gift time comes. Kids give Omen dolls, books, and such, before the old man Tenma walks over to Omen and gives him a staff. "This is your own staff now since you officially became a sorcerer last year." Omen stares at the staff with wide eyes and barely holds back his scream from excitement before he hugs Tenma. "Thank you, Grandpa!"
Emily's gift is a set of two daggers. "I wished you would become a knight like me, but in the end, you decided to follow your father and become a sorcerer." Omen tries the daggers before hugging his mother. "You are the best mom!" This makes Emily almost cry. In the end, it's Sachi's turn; he walks over to Omen before coughing. "Well, you always asked me about my own spells, so..." He pulls a book from his bag. "These are the spells that I think suit you. We can start the lessons tomorrow." Omen looks up at Sachi, "The Crystal Sorceries?" Silence fills the place before he starts jumping. "I am going to become an actual sage!" He walks around non-stop holding the book before jumping at his father. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
With that, Omen's party ends, and everyone returns home. In his room upstairs, Omen is in bed about to sleep, with his mother near him. "You know, Mom, I know what I want to be when I grow up." Emily, surprised since it's the first time her son has mentioned it even though He is already 8 years old, asks, "What do you want to be, Omen?" He turns his head to face her with a serious stare. "I want to be an adventurer!" Little does he know that these simple words will mark the beginning of a long journey that will change the fate of the world itself.