Seated behind the ornate desk, Darius Valdene peered through the ripples of the library's grandfather clock, its face obscured by a layer of swirling earth and lightning mana. His newly developed Arcane Gate had allowed him to perceive the unseen flows of mana, yet he found his vision compromised by the energies. He sighed, his blue eyes losing their spiritual glow as he deactivated the technique. The clock's hands revealed it was five in the evening. It was time for supper.
The dynamics of his relationship with his parents had grown increasingly complex over the past two years. The failed assessment was like a ghost in the room, unspoken yet ever-present, creating an intangible divide among them. Jarek's love was a constant, unfaltering despite the circumstances. Yet there was an unexplainable chasm that had begun to form, a distance that made Darius uncomfortable. Snippets of overheard conversations hinted at a looming crisis linked to the Valdene legacy, a threat his father was determined to keep him away from.
Amara Valdene, his beautiful mother, found herself in a painful dilemma. A fierce loyalty to her husband, Jarek, on one hand, who harbored the hope of securing a successful heir through another child, and a deep, unyielding love for Darius on the other, resisted the idea, unwilling to abandon hope for her firstborn. The undercurrents of this struggle pulled at her heartstrings, as she was caught in the stormy seas of familial duty and maternal love.
From his place at the top of the staircase, Darius noticed a flicker of pleasant surprise cross his mother, Amara's face as she saw him descending to join them.
A dense silence spread across the grand dining table, like a thick fog that refused to lift. Darius took his usual place, each tick of the ancient clock amplifying the underlying tension. The flavors of the carefully prepared meal seemed muted, each bite acting as a bitter reminder of the fragile balance his family was desperately clinging to. The weight of unspoken words lay heavy on his heart. It was a discomfort he'd grown too familiar with in recent times.
As he toyed with the food on his plate, his mind raced. He had been wrestling with himself for days now, a torn conscience pricking at his resolve. The burden of their strained smiles, their silenced concerns, bore heavily on him. He looked up from his plate, stealing a glance at his parents.
With the completion of his Arcane Gate technique, a newfound sense of confidence had bloomed within him, prompting him to take a step he'd been hesitant to take until now.
Drawing in a deep breath, he decided to shatter the oppressive silence. Clearing his throat, he lifted his gaze to meet the anxious eyes of his parents. "Mother, Father," he began, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions within him. "There's something I need to discuss with you."
Before they could respond, he continued, "I want to have a sibling."
Jarek choked on his drink, his face turning an amusing shade of red as he attempted to regain his composure. Amara seemed momentarily stunned, her emerald eyes narrowing in confusion. The tension in the room had shifted from silent discomfort to visible shock. Darius couldn't help but find a certain sense of relief in their reactions.
"Darius, this isn't a discussion for tonight," Amara's voice wavered with a hint of embarrassment, her gaze stern.
"I know what is going on, not all of it, but enough," Darius declared, his voice ringing with a maturity beyond his tender age. He looked at his parents, their expressions mirroring his own seriousness. "I know you are both disappointed by what happened at the tower."
"Darius, we..." Amara started, but he didn't let her finish.
"Mother," Darius began gently, his voice strong yet carrying a softness that drew their attention, "I know you both are. I understand your feelings, because they are my own." He paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath. "I will never possess the capabilities of a mage or the strength of a manaforged knight."
There was a solemn acceptance in his words, a deep understanding that left his parents silent. "I've come to terms with this reality," he continued, looking at each of them in turn. "And I think, for us to move forward, it's important that you both do as well." His voice was calm, the words measured carefully to convey his acceptance and his hope that they too would find peace with this reality.
His parents stared at him, a myriad of emotions playing on their faces. Darius studied his mother's tear-filled eyes, then turned his gaze towards his father. Jarek's pale blue eyes were hard, concealing an ocean of pain behind their stoic façade.
"I know the heir to the family cannot be a dud," Darius said, choosing his words carefully.
"Darius!" His father, Jarek, vehemently objected, the muscles of his scarred face tensing in an automatic reaction to the word. His normally calm eyes flashed with an intense mix of shock and denial. "Do not refer to yourself in such a manner."
"But it's an undeniable truth, Father," Darius argued, his tone severe.
In an attempt to steer the conversation, his voice tinged with a hint of desperation, "Our family needs an heir, and besides....I wouldn't mind having a sibling to play with. I don't see any issue with this. What about you, Father?" He framed the serious topic with the innocence of a child, cleverly masking the weightiness of the discussion.
Caught off guard by his son's sudden shift in tone and the begging glint in his eyes, Jarek was rendered speechless for a few moments.
Staring at his son's earnest expression, he finally chuckled, finding himself disarmed by Darius's tactics. "Well, when you put it like that," he conceded, shaking his head in bemusement, "I can hardly find a reason to object. If my son thinks it's a good idea, then it must be."
"Darius," Amara interjected, her voice trembling slightly under the weight of her emotion. Her green eyes shimmered, not unlike the spectral waves in her aura, which had taken on a darker hue, akin to a turbulent sea. She pushed back a strand of her silver hair that had fallen onto her face.
"I do see a problem," she admitted, her stern exterior cracking to reveal the tender mother beneath. Her hands, usually steady as she cast her healing spells, clasped around Darius' in a gesture of comfort and resolution. "This conversation... It isn't fitting for your ears, my love. We do not need a new heir, Darius. We have you, and that is more than enough." Her voice held a certain finality.
"I refuse to give up on you," she said, holding his gaze, the warmth in her striking green eyes contrasting with the chill in her aura. This was Amara, a loving mother determined to protect her son's place in the world.
Holding his mother's gaze with a steadfastness far beyond his tender years, Darius spoke. Each word was measured, crafted with care to carry the weight of his conviction. "Mother, I've never suggested that you should abandon your faith in me. I understand the family's need for an heir capable of following the path of mage or knight... but it seems that I am destined for neither. That, however, does not close my ability to forge my own path."
Turning his attention to his father, Darius posed his query. "Father," he began, his voice laced with a touch of challenge, "Can you retract your aura to such an extent that it becomes invisible to me? And moreover, can you concentrate it in one particular area of your body, without revealing where?"
Confusion flickered across Jarek's stern features. Still, in his pale eyes, there was a trusting gleam. "Alright," he responded to his son's strange request, the deep timbre of his voice resounding within the room.
His pale blue eyes closed, seeking clarity in the darkness. The steady hum of his aura, a constant, comforting rhythm to those in tune with the arcane, began to ebb. The air around him quieted, the gentle crackle of his lightning aura reducing to a mere whisper.
In the realm of the arcane, aura was a curious thing. It was like a second skin, visible to fellow mana users, even duds, unless the bearer chose to hide it. Jarek was no different. His aura, a spectacle of pulsating lightning and spectral armor, could be withdrawn at will, hiding the raw power he carried within.
Seamlessly, the signature spectral armor that encased him began to retract. The spectral gauntlets, vambraces, and sabatons, all etched with the Valdene wolves and glowing with the ferocity of storms, faded into nonexistence. The aura, which had once crackled like a contained tempest around him, gradually pulled back, condensing itself.
And then, with precision honed through years of meticulous training, he localized it. His left hand became the sole beacon of his aura. The spectral steel armor and the arcing lightning, his elemental signature, pooled onto the skin of his hand, invisible yet brimming with latent energy.
It was an impressive feat, even for an experienced Steel Knight such as himself. Yet to his son, Darius, the aura had seemingly vanished altogether, just as he had asked. Jarek had concentrated the essence of his formidable power onto one unassuming hand, unseen and unreadable.
Darius invoked his Arcane Gaze. A contraction of well-trained muscles and a subtle application of his life forces caused his azure-blue eyes to shimmer with an otherworldly glow. In an instant, the world before him was transformed, his vision enriched with elemental mana.
His father, Jarek, was no longer just a man; he was an intricate amalgamation of energy. On his left hand, a dynamic sphere of arcing lightning throbbed with raw power, vivid and wild against the mundane background. "It's on your left hand," Darius said, his voice ringing with the wisdom of an ancient cultivator, even as he struggled to maintain his 8-year-old facade.
He then turned his gaze towards his mother, Amara. His eyes softened at the sight of her aura. It was a dazzling cascade of shimmering blue, pulsating with a serene intensity akin to a tranquil sea under the moon's gaze, encapsulated within the boundary of the Valdene Family Crest, a wolf subtly incorporated into the shimmering design.
Dumbstruck, Jarek forgot to hold his aura, and it flared in the room, sending off a vibrant display of light that danced across their faces, but neither of Darius's parents seemed affected in the slightest. They were staring at Darius and his glowing eyes. "D-Darius, what have you been studying?" Amara asked with a look of shock on her face.
Slowly, Jarek's aura went back to cover his body, spreading the aura so it was less concentrated and bright. "Does this mean the test was wrong?" Jarek asked with excitement.
"No, Father, the test was not wrong. I have been trying to find a way to bypass that result, and I have succeeded in the first step, so now I can see mana. I wasn't going to tell anyone about this," Darius explained. His parents looked confused and terrified by this sudden confession. "Seeing you both so unhappy for so long, I knew if I continued to keep it a secret, our family would continue like this."
"Darius, safeguarding your happiness, that's our duty," Amara exclaimed as she sprang from her seat, hurrying towards her son. She tenderly cradled his head, tilting it backward to meet her gaze, and planted a reassuring kiss on his forehead. "My little wolf, you are an unending source of wonder," she whispered, her voice laced with warmth and admiration.
Barely allowing the tender moment to conclude, Jarek's voice interjected, laced with a blend of curiosity and awe. "If you're not destined to be a mage or a knight, then what system could you follow?" He posed the question, the undercurrent of wonder palpable in his tone.
"I am not sure yet. I am kind of figuring it out as I go along," Darius said, chuckling and rubbing the back of his neck. "I knew I needed to start with being able to see and sense mana. I just succeeded in this today, so I need to do more research and experiments to see where I can go from here."
Jarek and Amara exchanged a fleeting, knowing glance - a silent conversation shared between two seasoned souls, a blend of worry and pride interwoven in their gazes. Jarek broke the silence, his voice grave but touched with an undercurrent of undeniable pride, "You must never tell anyone about this, Darius, until you are strong enough to defeat me in a single move. Never."
Feigning a startle at Jarek's words, Darius countered, "But Father, you're the mightiest man I've ever known. How can this be a fair expectation?" Before Jarek could respond, Amara cut in with a tone rarely adopted, her voice layered with determination, "Darius, your father speaks the truth. What you've accomplished so far, it must remain our secret. You have to promise us this."
"Alright, Mother, alright, Father, I promise," Darius conceded. As he voiced his agreement, a silent thought sounded in his mind, 'I don't want the world chasing after me either.'
"Excellent!" Amara responded, immediately dropping to eye level with Darius, her eyes practically sparking with lightning-like curiosity. "Now, my young wolf," she declared with an exaggerated flourish that was more starving academic than tender mother, "let us dissect your learnings, one by one!"