GRANDPA VIRION, Tessia, Rinia, and I had situated ourselves around a
circular table. A jar of water rested in the middle.
I stared curiously at the jar of water, then ventured, "Elder Rinia, I'm a little
lost as to what it is a diviner does. Gramps said you'd be able to tell me if my
parents are okay."
One of the ancient elf's thin, white brows rose. "'Gramps,' is it, Virion?
You've really let yourself go if you're letting youngsters like him call you
that."
"Bah! He's an exception," Virion said with a grin, looking at me. "If any
other brat dares to call me something like Gramps, I'll have them hung
upside down and beaten with a cactus."
Glaring at me, she barked, "So, you little whelp! You don't even know where
your parents are, but still you want to travel all over Sapin, find them, and
then come back to train? You'd be dead by the time you got yourself back
here."
I looked at Grandpa Virion. Did he tell her…?
As if he knew what I was thinking, he smiled and said, "I didn't tell Rinia
any of this. There isn't much you can hide from her, but she doesn't usually
bother looking too deeply into a person." His smile had faded as he spoke,
and now he directed a worried gaze toward the elderly lady. "What's made
you so nosy, Rinia?""You and I both know he's special. In fact, there are parts of his life that even
I can't see. Arthur, whatever beast it was that passed its will onto you, it was
no ordinary creature. Limiting it to an SS-class wouldn't do it justice." She
pondered for a bit before continuing.
"Enough about that, though. Arthur,
you're here to see your parents, so that's what I'll help you do. Close your
eyes for a moment and picture your parents. Focus on their appearance and
their mana signature. I'll take care of the rest."
I closed my eyes and imagined the last time I had seen them both together—
my father badly wounded, my mother healing him.
"You can open your eyes now."
I looked at her to see the colors swirling in her eyes. The water had floated
out of the jar and formed a spiraling disk in midair. Suddenly, I saw my
parents in the water.
I bolted up, flipping over my chair as I leaned in as close to the table as I
could get. I saw my mother and father together, sitting around a dining table.
It didn't seem to be our home in Ashber. My mother's face was a bit pale,
and she was saying something to my father. I could tell that she had lost a bit
of weight, but looked healthy otherwise. Her stomach! It was evident now
that she was pregnant; her belly had a noticeable bulge. My father looked
much the same as ever. He was wearing some kind of uniform, though, and
was sporting a beard.
I could feel hot tears running uncontrollably down my face, but I didn't dare
take my eyes from the image of my parents.
They're alive! They're doing okay! They're fine.
"Th-thank you, Elder Rinia," I managed to say in a sniffled stammer. "Thank
you, truly, for showing me this."
She looked a little uncomfortable at my emotional display, and just waved me
off. "Let me see where they are now."
The image zoomed out, and I could see the outside of the building they were
in. Just as I had suspected, it was definitely not our home in Ashber. Zooming out even further, I could see the layout of the city they were staying in.
"It seems they've made their home in Xyrus," Rinia said, a contented look on
her face. "That makes things simpler for us."
Tess was patting my back, obviously upset to see me crying, but her gaze
didn't leave the swirling water. I faintly heard her mumble, "Art's parents…"
But Grandpa Virion clapped his hands together and stood up.
"All right, Arthur! Let's let your parents know that you're alive!"
According to Grandpa Virion, strict regulations controlled communications
between the kingdoms of Elenoir and Sapin. However, Rinia, as a diviner
who had not been discovered by the kingdom of Sapin, allowed us a certain
freedom from those regulations.
"I'm going to put your voice directly into your parents' minds," Rinia said.
"Here's how it works: I will pour some of my innate mana into you,
establishing a temporary link. When I give you the signal, start speaking as if
you're talking to your parents. It's important to know that they will hear your
voice inside their heads, so they may not believe what you're saying at first.
You must get them to believe that it really is you speaking to them, and that
they're not going crazy.
Remember, we're just doing this to let them know
you're still alive. I can't keep the connection up for long, so think about what
you need to say. You'll have about two minutes." Her gaze was serious.
I prepared myself, and nodded to show her I was ready.
"Begin… now."
Her whole body began glowing the same indescribable color as her eyes, and
I could see the glow spreading to me as well.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts and concentrated.
Hi, Mom; hi, Dad. It's me, Arthur. You're probably really surprised that
you're hearing my voice inside your head, but there's a reason for that.
Before that, though, I want you to know that I'm alive and well. I'm alive,
Mom, Dad; I'm safe. I managed to survive the fall off the cliff and I'm
currently living in the kingdom of Elenoir with the elves. Please don't tellanyone else this. I don't have much time, so I'll be brief.
A friend of mine is a deviant—like you, Mom, except she's a diviner. I was
able to see how you guys are doing just now, as well. She's also the reason
you can hear my voice. I want to come back home as soon as possible, but I
can't right now. I… I'm safe and alive, but I have a sort of… er… illness that
I need to take care of before I can come back. Don't worry—as long as I stay
here and have the elves treat me, I'm going to be okay. So please, don't
worry. I don't know when I'll be able to talk to you like this again, but what's
important is that I'm alive and I know you're all right.
Dad, Mom, you should both be hearing my voice right now—confirm it with
each other if you still can't believe it. Remember, don't tell anyone where I
am. It's better if you keep acting as if I were still dead—that will make things
simpler. It may take months or even years before I can come back, but be
sure that I WILL make it back to you. I love you so much and… and I miss
you.
Stay safe, and Dad, make sure to keep Mom and my baby sibling safe.
Mom, please make sure Dad doesn't get into trouble. I love you both.
I had trouble keeping my eyes open against the tears that poured continuously
down my face. I stood silent, rubbing my eyes as I fought to keep from
breaking down. The glow faded around us, and Elder Rinia collapsed back
into her chair, sweating and pale.
"Elder Rinia, I don't know how to thank you for this," I managed to croak
out.
"Train well and continue to cherish those close to you, child. That's how
you'll thank me," she answered with a weak smile. "And don't forget to drop
in once in a while. This grandma here gets lonely!"
I gave her a tight hug, making her almost jump, and she eventually
succumbed to my cuteness and hugged me in return before shooing all of us
away.
As we walked out, I noticed Tess pouting a little, looking at my chest.By the time we arrived back at the castle, it was already dark. A maid greeted
us at the door, but before I had the chance to go back into my room, I saw the
king and queen.
The king approached me first.
"Arthur, I know you overheard what we were saying earlier today, and I
apologize for that. Years of being a ruler has made me a bit old-fashioned,
and I was unreasonably stubborn on your not belonging here."
His voice faltered, but the queen continued for her husband, taking my hands in hers. "You are now Elder Virion's first disciple," she said. "This is more
than enough reason for all of us to accept you. Even if that weren't the case,
you saved our daughter. Please consider this place your home. I know you
miss your parents dearly but if I can be of any consolation, don't hesitate—
please treat me as you would your own mother." She gave me a sincere
smile.
"Papa! Mama!" Tess exclaimed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.
Then she ran to her parents and hugged them both.
I smiled back, thanking them as well. They were good people—good people
who were simply looking out for their kingdom.
Standing behind us, Grandpa Virion nodded at us all with a look of approval,
before exclaiming, "Brat! Training starts tomorrow, so sleep early."
I woke with an immense pain consuming my body, as if I were on fire. Cold
sweat covered my skin and the feeling of burning intensified.
I groaned and doubled over, trying to endure. Then the door swung open and
Grandpa Virion was at my side.
"It's getting worse…" I gasped.
He placed both hands on my sternum, where my mana core was located, and
began to transmit his own mana into me.
The pain slowly subsided and I was left panting, my clothes drenched in
sweat."Thank you," I managed to wheeze.
Without acknowledging my thanks, he replied, "It's a bit early, but let's start
training now."
Looking out the window, I saw that the sun had not yet risen. But I probably
wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again anyway, so I nodded and followed
him out into the courtyard.
We sat cross-legged, facing each other. He took a long look at me before
explaining. "Until now, you've been purifying your mana core and
manipulating your mana using your mana channels. While this method is sufficient for normal mages, we beast tamers can't rely on this approach.
Instead, we do something called assimilation."
My face must have shown that I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Don't worry, you'll know soon enough. Essentially it means integrating the
mana from your core directly into your body's bones and muscles—hence the
term 'assimilation.' Unfortunately, throughout the period of assimilating,
your mana core won't develop at all, but that isn't the point. Once the mana
from your new core is absorbed throughout your body, you'll be able to start
utilizing your beast's will."
So that was what Sylvia had meant! All along—during the journey through
the Forest of Elshire and while meeting the royal family and Grandpa Virion
—I had wondered if Sylvia had somehow planned this all out.
Now I was
convinced she had.
"Slowly release the mana from your core—and don't be tempted to use your
mana channels. Instead, let the mana seep out into your body, and let your muscles and bones absorb it. This will take time and effort, but as you
progress, your body should reject your mana core less and less," Virion
instructed. "There isn't much I can help you with during the first part of your
training, other than making sure your mana is distributed evenly throughout
your body and relieving you when you have spasms, like earlier."
So passed the early days of my training, during which I did little else but sitin meditation, dispersing the mana from my core and into my body. I had
gotten the hang of it after a few days, but it was becoming clear how long a
journey this would be. Directing my mana to form a core when I was an
infant had taken a few years, but this process was the exact opposite—with
more mana and the extra step of assimilating the mana directly into the
muscles and bones.
I didn't leave the castle during this time, because I couldn't know when the
spasms might strike again. I was grateful to Grandpa Virion for sticking by
me.
Unfortunately for Tess, I had very little time left to play with her. When I
wasn't meditating, I was resting in my room, my body aching from being
imbued with mana. But that didn't stop her from simply barging in and
chattering at me about her day.
After several weeks of assimilation, the painful spasms were occurring less
frequently and Virion finally pronounced it safe for me to go out into the city.
That evening before bed, I promised Tess I'd go touring around the city of
Zestier with her the next day.
Tess was waiting outside my room, looking adorable. She was wearing a
white sleeveless sundress with a sheer white cardigan over it. The light pink
sunhat on her head was decorated with a pale flower, giving her a fresh and
doll-like appearance.
"Took you long enough. Hurry, let's hurry!" She grabbed my hand, half-
dragging me as I forced my aching body to keep up the pace.
The amazement I had felt when I had first seen the city of Zestier had not
dissipated. After stepping off the carriage we start walking, taking time to
visit the numerous stalls and stores that the city had to offer.
We were met
with a lot of stares—probably because of the fact that a human child was
holding hands with the kingdom's only princess. I was used to being the
center of attention in my previous life, so it didn't bother me. What did
bother me, however, was that, while most of these gazes held only curiosity,
some were filled with blatant hostility.Coming out of the armor shop, I had just moved out of the way for someone
when an elven child bumped my shoulder.
"Well, if it isn't the human Elder Virion has taken under his wing," he
remarked snidely. "I've heard all about you. Gross, I got human germs on my
clothes." A look of disgust was pasted on his face.
The child couldn't have been much older than Tess, and by his clothing, the
attendants who followed behind him, and his group of friends, it was clear he
was a noble.
After spending so much time with Tess, I had almost forgotten how immature
children were. I couldn't help but think that, whether elf or human, spoiled
nobles always seemed to act as if they'd been taught from the same manual.
He turned to face Tess, his facing transforming into a well-practiced smile as
he offered her his hand.
"Princess, it is beneath you to be with this human
child. Allow me to escort you for the afternoon," he urged, expecting Tess to
take his hand.
Without even looking in his direction, Tess linked her arm in mine and said
coldly, "Art, let's go. There is a bug over there, and I don't want to
accidentally step on it with my new shoes."
As I was pulled away, I glanced back, shooting the boy a look of pity—which
seemed to infuriate him even more.
"Hold it, human! I'm not done with you!" he shouted, rushing up and
gripping my shoulder. "I heard you're pretty talented for a human mage. I
happen to be a pretty well-known genius around here myself. My mana core
has already reached red stage, and, in addition to water manipulation, my
mother says I'll soon even be able to manipulate plants."
I responded with a saccharine expression of surprise and awe. "Oh, my word!
Princess Tessia! It seems we are in the presence of pure brilliance here. I am
not worthy!"
Tess let out a giggle, not even bothering to hide her amusement.
"I'll be sure to give you proper respect, Lord Genius of the Elves. Now if you'll excuse us…"
As I started leading Tess away, a handkerchief flew past us, landing on the
ground.
Turning back, I saw the noble brat, his face as red as a tomato, glaring at me.
The attendants and friends all let out quiet gasps.
"How dare you challenge the disciple of Elder Virion to a duel! You may be
of noble blood, Feyrith, but you should still know your place! Take it back,"
Tessia ordered, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"My apologies, Princess. I'll do as I'm told," Feyrith said. He then turned his
gaze toward me. "But I'm sure you wouldn't object if this human were the
one to issue the challenge. After all, a disciple of Elder Virion himself must
know better than to just run back with his tail between his legs, right?"
My lips curved up into a smirk. The boy sure had a way with words.
I gave Tessia a reassuring nod before turning back to Feyrith. Ignoring my
initial instinct to let the taunt go, I called his bluff. "Sure. Why not?"
I didn't want to cause a scene since I was a visitor, but after weeks of
meditating and feeling stifled, my body was eager for the chance to fight.
"Princess, please do the honor of initiating the duel," Feyrith said, polishing
his black wand with his sleeve.
Tess rolled her eyes as she took another step back.
"Let the duel commence."
Though my mana core was still in the early stages of dark red, I could feel
mana strengthening every fiber of my muscles as I dashed toward Feyrith.
It was over in an instant. He was too cocky—he hadn't even taken the
necessary precautions to find out whether I was an augmenter or conjurer. I
was within arm's length before he even began his chant.
I sank my palm into his gut, forcing the air out of his lungs. He flew backward, tumbling to the floor. I was glad I had used my palm; he was
wearing a sturdy chainmail underneath his clothes.
Feyrith's attendants and friends looked on, their eyes wide, and Tessia ran to
me and pulled at my arm.
Gratified by the shocked looks on everyone's faces,I let her lead me away.
"I'm so stupid," she said as we made our way down the row of stalls toward
our carriage.
"What? Why?" I asked.
"I should've told you this before you started—in a duel, there are certain
unsaid customs. One is that the challenger waits for his opponent to make the
first move," she sighed, berating herself as we got in the carriage.
"So I should've waited for him to attack first?"
Tessia nodded. She began telling me more of these customs on the ride back,
one of which was that informal duels between nobles are demonstrations of
magic, not actual fighting. What Feyrith had meant when he had proposed a
duel was that we should simply take turns showing off our respective magic
talent.
"So you just smacked the poor boy into the air?"
Gramps had an amused
expression on his face when he heard the story after we had arrived back at
the castle.
"Basically," I grinned back.
"Wish I was there for that," he said, amused.
"Grampa!" Tessia scolded. "You're responsible for this too!"
"How was I supposed to know he'd get into a fight the first time he goes to
town?" he laughed.
It was a tad disappointing to realize that the look of shock from everyone
around us wasn't from my fighting prowess but from the fact that I had
violated the customs of the duel. Nevertheless, I had enjoyed my time out.
After that, I chose to spend most of my time in the manor, keeping myself out
of trouble and maintaining an ascetic lifestyle—meditating with Grandpa
Virion in the morning, spending a little time with Tessia in the afternoon, and
training by myself at night. Now and then I sent messages to my parents,
letting them know I was still alive and that I missed them dearly.
In this way, three years went by.
REYNOLDS LEYWIN:
I couldn't believe it.
My son. My son was gone.
"Noooo! No, no, no!" I was incoherent with grief. I tried to jump off the cliff
myself to save Arthur, but Durden held me back.
I knew it was too late. I knew the worst had already happened but I couldn't
just stand still, doing nothing.
"Let me go! My son! He could still be alive. Let me save my son! Please." I
struggled, but Durden wasn't budging. Then Adam was there, helping him
hold on to me.
"Please, Rey. You have to hold it together. There's no easy way to tell you
this, but it's not possible for him to have survived that fall." The ever-playful
and
easy-going Adam wore a solemn expression; he couldn't even meet my
eyes.
"Adam's right. You have to pull yourself together, Rey.
Your wife needs
you," Durden muttered.
They were right. They were absolutely right. Yet… Why would my body not
listen to me? Why couldn't I go comfort my wife?
A scream tore from my throat, then everything went black.
When I woke up, Helen was holding a wet towel against my head.
"You're finally awake," she said, giving me a smile that was sympathetic but
lacked confidence.
I ignored her and sat up, burying my face in my hands.
"This isn't a dream, is it? Please tell me I'm going to wake up to see my boy
playing with Jasmine and Adam."
She managed to mutter, "I'm sorry," before she started sniffling as well.
The flap of the tent was pulled aside and Durden made his way in.
"Reynolds. I can't begin to imagine how much you must be hurting," he said,
"but right now, your wife needs you. She's blaming herself, Rey. She thinks you hate her for losing your child." The redness of his eyes gave evidence
that he was having a hard time as well.
Unable to muster up any words in response, I turned away from Durden.
I felt a sharp jerk as I was pulled back. I caught a glimpse of Durden's large
hand, then my vision blurred and there was a stinging pain throbbing on my
cheek, where he had smacked me.
"Reynolds! We had to stop Alice from killing herself," he growled. "This
isn't the time to be moping. Get off your sorry ass and take care of the one
who's actually alive!"
I had never seen Durden, who was usually so composed, this infuriated.
I managed a stiff nod, my brain still throbbing from the blow, and made my
way to my wife's tent.
She was curled up under a blanket, Angela at her side, patting her gently. I
gave Angela a meaningful look.
Understanding what I wanted, she simply
nodded and excused herself from the tent.
"Alice," I said tenderly, but she didn't respond. "Honey. Can I see my wife's
beautiful face?"
"…child," I heard her say faintly.
"What was that, honey?" I responded, stroking her back.
"I killed our child!" She bolted up and turned to face me. "I killed our son,
Reynolds. It was my fault! If… if I hadn't been there, he could've dodged
that. He could have lived. He sacrificed himself to save me! It was my fault."
I pulled my wife toward me and held her tight, softly kissing the top of her
head over and over. I kept my eyes shut tightly, fighting back my own tears
as she sobbed against my chest.
After a while her sobs turned into dry whimpers, but still we sat there
together.
"You don't hate me?" I was barely able to hear her whisper.
"How could I ever hate you? Alice. I love you and I always will."
"…I miss him so much, Rey." She began sobbing again.I clenched my jaws, willing myself to stay strong for my wife's sake. "I… I
know, honey. I miss him too."
The rest of the journey was slow and arduous. Not physically—no, it felt as if
even the wild animals knew of our emotional torment and steered clear of us.
Our group advanced without unnecessary conversation. Adam's occasional
attempts to lighten the mood were met with a crushing silence. Even the
cheerful Angela bore a solemn face throughout the rest of the journey.
Alice and I fell asleep together each night in each other's arms. I managed to
console her, and it helped me as well. I needed an excuse. I was the one who
had sent Arthur to protect Alice. I kept trying to find people to blame, but the
ones who were actually at fault were already dead. Revenge had already been
taken. All I was left with was a dark hole of emptiness and regret.
The only thing keeping Alice and me sane was our unborn child. For that
child, my child, I had to endure. I wasn't going to make the same mistakes I
had made with Arthur. He was only a child, but I'd sent him off to protect my
wife against grown fighters, even a mage.
I had no one to blame but myself.
We arrived at the floating city of Xyrus, coming through the teleportation
gate with no further complications. It was as if the gods were mocking us by
saying we'd been through enough.
The Twin Horns stood uncertainly around me and Alice. We had planned to
go our separate ways from here.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Adam gave us a rare concerned look.
Durden added, "We don't mind staying with you for a few more days. I know
you originally came to this city for Arthur but…" He didn't finish the
sentence.
"It's okay." I waved them off, trying to force a smile. "You have your own
agenda. Alice and I have all the necessities, and enough money to live on for
a couple of weeks. Keep your positions updated in the Guild Hall."
"Will do. Take care, guys. We'll see each other soon," Durden replied,hugging us both. The girls also gave Alice a warm hug as they said their
goodbyes.
When they had left, I turned to my wife, giving her a serious look. "Alice,
what do you say about living here from now on?"
"What about our house?" she replied. "We just got it all fixed up. Most of our
stuff is still there."
I shook my head. "I think it'll be better for us to have fresh new
surroundings. Our home in Ashber… it has too many memories of Art. I
don't think we'll be able to stand it if we stay there. We can hire some
merchants to bring our things here from Ashber."
She looked down, thinking, before giving me a small nod. "What about a
job? How will we afford to live here? This is a very expensive city to live in,
Rey," she added, a worried look on her face.
For once, I was able to muster up a real smile, a sincere one. They were so rare these days. "I have an old friend who lives here. He's asked me several
times to be his guard over the years, and we still keep in touch from time to
time. He's a fairly well-known merchant in this area and has a large manor.
I'm sure he'll have a place for us to stay. They're good people, Alice."
She looked a little doubtful at first, but when we arrived at the manor and
were greeted warmly by my old friend, her worries lessened.
"Rey! My friend! The hero who saved my life! What brings you to this little
city?" he exclaimed as he let go of me, patting my arms.
Vincent Helstea was a thin, bespectacled man who always wore a suit—a
man of brains, not brawn. Vincent was a normal human, lacking any mage
gifts, but a very successful one. The Helstea House had been in the trading
business for generations. The family had been in decline for the past few
decades, but Vincent had single-handedly restored his family's assets to new
heights by building the first Helstea Auction House in Xyrus, followed by
several other auction houses in neighboring cities.
He had been visiting a remote city where he was building an auction housewhen he had run into trouble with bandits. I had been with him at the time, in
my Guild-assigned role as escort, and I saved him. We had become good
friends by the end of his visit.
Curious about the commotion raised by our reunion, Vincent's wife and
daughter soon joined us.
"Tabitha!" Vincent exclaimed. "Meet my dear friend, Reynolds, and his wife,
Alice.
Alice, Reynolds, this is my wife, Tabitha—and this lovely lady here is
my daughter, Lilia." He picked up his daughter as he spoke. She looked to be
the around the same age as Art, with lovely hazel eyes that remind me of a
kitten and long brown hair in a simple braid. My heart ached as I thought
what a beautiful young lady she would grow into in the future.
A future she still has...
Forcing myself away from my dark thoughts, I greeted Vincent's family.
"Tabitha! It's great to finally meet you. Vince told me so much about you
during our trip together to Elshire City. And what a lovely daughter you
have."
My wife exchanged pleasantries with Tabitha, and Vincent urged us into the
living room to get comfortable.
"So what brings you here, Rey? Last time you sent me a letter, you said
you'd got yourself settled all the way up in Ashber." He handed us each a
glass of wine.
I took a deep breath and told them the story through gritted teeth.
"I had no idea. I'm so sorry for your loss," Vincent managed to say. His wife
had covered her mouth with her hand, looking stricken. "I wouldn't know
what to do if I lost Lilia. Is there anything I can do for you?"
I awkwardly scratched my cheek. "You've asked me several times to teach
your auction house guards a thing or two about magic. Is that offer still on the
table? If it is, you would be doing me a huge favor. I just need enough to rent
a small house around here—we can live a simple life. It's just that I don't
want my wife to go back to our old home in Ashber, where Arthur was born and raised."
A big grin appeared on Vincent's face. "Nonsense! No friend of mine is
going to be sleeping in some little hut somewhere. As a matter of fact, I have
been looking for a suitable tenant. We just renovated our Helstea Auction
House to accommodate three times as many people, and we have a fresh new
batch of augmenter recruits who really need some work around the edges, so
I haven't been home as often as Tabitha would like."
"He's right," Tabitha agreed.
Vincent went on, switching glances between my wife and me. "You'd be
doing all of us a favor if you moved in. That way, Alice could keep my wife
off my bu—I mean keep her busy—and you could work for me at the auction
house and help shape up the new recruits. That is, if you haven't already
found a job."
I wasn't sure what to say; he had turned my initial desperate request around,
framing it as if I would be doing him a favor. With a nod and a smile, I shook
his outstretched hand. "It'd be my pleasure to work for you."
Though I was restless to start working, Vincent wouldn't allow it, saying we
needed time to get situated so I would be in the best state to train his
augmenters.
Vincent also firmly insisted that we live with them in the manor.
Tabitha was always complaining, he said, about the place being too big and
empty. Though we were reluctant at first, Alice and I eventually got ourselves
settled into the left wing of the manor. Vincent was quite generous, saying we
could have several rooms in case we wanted more babies in the future.
Tabitha had to pull her husband away by his ear as he grinned, waving us
goodbye.
Another unforeseen blessing was how well Alice and Tabitha hit it off. I was
worried that Alice would be lonely once I started working, but Tabitha had
nothing to do with her time other than take care of Lilia, so having Alice
around really brightened up her day.
Tabitha's company was a welcome
source of distraction for Alice.Once I started working, I stayed busy training the new recruits. These mages
were not the most talented, but they were willing to work hard. I felt like
they'd make a pretty solid team of guards in the course of a few months, once
I pounded the essentials into their heads. Of course, all the elite mages, both conjurers and augmenters, were attending school at Xyrus Academy, so the
ones who didn't want to be adventurers ended up being hired as guards for
rich nobles, like Vincent, which was also much safer.
It had been a few months since Alice and I had first arrived in Xyrus, and we
were slowly growing accustomed to the city life. Alice's belly was getting
larger by the day and, while she still had reoccurring nightmares about losing
Arthur, having Tabitha and Lilia around was a source of comfort. Arriving
home one evening, I was welcomed by the delicious smell of beef stew.
Vincent and Tabitha had gone out for the evening and Alice had promised to
watch over Lilia. Lilia was already tucked in, so it was a late dinner for just
the two of us.
"This beef stew looks amazing, Alice. What's the occasion?" I grinned at her.
She smiled softly. "It's been a while since I've cooked for you. This used to
be your favorite dish. Art's too."
Her face turned downcast, but before I had the chance to console her—
'Hi, Mom; hi, Dad. It's me, Arthur…'
I froze. It was Art's voice. No. I'm just hearing things.
I looked at Alice while the voice continued to talk in my head. Her face was
distraught as she looked around the room. Was she hearing voices too?
'I'm alive, Mom, Dad; I'm safe. I managed to survive the fall off the cliff…'
What was going on? My son was alive? Kingdom of Elenoir? Illness?
'It may take months or even years before I can come back, but be sure that I
WILL make it back to you. I love you so much and… and I miss you. Stay
safe, and Dad, make sure to keep Mom and my baby sibling safe.
Mom,
please make sure Dad doesn't get into trouble. I love you both.'I looked at my wife again.
"You just heard the voice now too, right, Rey?" she blurted, her voice edged
with desperation. "Please tell me it wasn't just me who heard it."
"Y-yeah. I… I just heard Art's voice." I was still unable to make any sense of
it.
"He… He's alive! Honey! Our baby is alive! Oh my goodness…" Alice had
fallen to her knees, and her voice trailed off into weeping—but it was clear
from the smile on her face that they were tears of joy.
Hell, even I was crying. My son was alive! "Arthur's alive!" I laughed like a
madman.