"Son!" An old lady yelled. She dropped the firewoods she was carrying and rushed outside to help the boy who was lying on the ground. "Son," she called while trying to help him stand to his feet.
Of course she was old so trying to lift someone up was not an easy task but eventually, she managed to raise the boy up.
"Ember?" She gasped, seeking the wounds that covered his bare chest. "Can you still walk?" She asked him.
"I can," he replied very weakly.
"Good, now, let's go inside first," she said and the two of them slowly walked back inside the small hut.
Once she was able to lie him down on the floor because they had no bed nor mat, she brought out a basket containing a small bottle of alcohol, wool, and a small bottle of oinment, and then placed it close to him.
"Tell me how this happened, did you go stealing food from the market again?" She inquired as she cleaned the wound.
A frown stretched out on Ember's face as a result of the pains but he didn't scream, he quietly laid there, allowing his grandma do her thing.
"Answer me, boy!" She demanded, her tone no longer calm but authoritative.
"Grandma, I didn't steal this time around," Ember replied. "I was attacked by a stranger on my back home but then got saved by another stranger who is called a magic knight."
"A magic knight?" The old lady asked in surprise. Her tone showed that she definitely knew what the magic knight was.
"Grandma, tell me about a magic knight. I have only heard that they are really strong," Ember inquired.
"Well, they are indeed really strong but that's not all," she said to him. "Magic knights are those whose loyalty is to the magic king and the mage king is the king over all the magic knights and mages; he isn't the king over the kingdom but someone whose power is even equal to that of the main king. The magic knights are also servants to the main king but they don't answer to him, their loyalty is only to their own king..."
"So are you saying that the main king can not punish them if they do wrong?" Ember asked her.
"He can if he chooses to," she replied.
"Oh," Ember sighed and she smiled.
"The king is the king after all, no one dares to disobey him, not even the magic king himself. The lives of the masses are in the hands of the magic knights so no matter what, they will not do something that will endanger any person's life. They won't do anything that will warrant a punishment from the king himself."
"Grandma," Ember called the old lady who stopped what she was doing and began to look at him. "I want to become a magic knight... No, not a knight, I want to become the magic king."
"What did you just say?" She asked him. She heard him in the first place but she likely wanted him to repeat it.
"I said I want to become the next magic king!" Ember repeated, carefully drawing out each word.
"You aren't being serious, are you?" She asked him. "You don't have any magic so how will that be possible?"
"Grandma, I don't care if I have magic or not. I am damn serious about it and nothing can change my mind," Ember replied.
The old lady fell silent for a while, trying to digest what he had said. Nothing is way, being a magic knight is not even easy talk more of becoming the magic king himself. For someone with no magic, it was more than difficult — an impossible thing.
"Grandma," Ember called out to her, pulling her out of her deep thought. "I know what you are thinking and I know you will try to have me change my mind but I want you to believe in me. I will become the magic king, and when I do, I will take you out of this dirty village. It's a promise!"
"It is not all about making promises, Ember," the old lady said with a troubled look on her face. "The journey won't be easy—"
"Grandma!" Ember suddenly grunted and rose to his feet despite the pain. Anger spread on his face and he stared at her. "I can endure such talk from other people but hearing you talk like this is disappointing! This is my first dream, my first aspiration, grandma! And you are discouraging me so much already, thanks ma. I'm out!" He said and instantly stormed out of the house despite the old lady's callings.
After he had gone far without turning to look back, the old lady sighed deeply, a helpless look on her face. Her grandson had misunderstood her and it made her sad and worried. She was only doing this so he could live for her and nothing else, it doesn't matter if he didn't become a magic knight or whatever as long as he was alive and staying with her. She would not be able to endure it if something should happen to him along the way.
"Come back soon, please," she mumbled while staring at the path Ember took.
Meanwhile, Ember had left home angrily and went to the river side. There was a small river not far from his home, it was his special place. He went close to the river and let the water splash on his feet.
"This is my first dream, why can't she just support me?" He grunted, looking sad and frustrated. He bent down to sit down but the wounds on his chest wouldn't let him do so so he just stood there, staring into the far distance. He subconsciously grabbed his necklace and with his other hand clenched, he said. "I don't care what grandma or anyone would say to me. I am going to become the magic king and when I do, I will make sure they hear about it. I will prove to them that anyone can become great, just a matter of time and practice!"