Scene: A Mother's Worry
A mother is preparing dinner for her family, her movements quick and anxious. She pauses, looking at the clock, her brow furrowing with worry. Her son hasn't come home yet. She calls out to her husband, who is sitting in the hallway reading the newspaper.
"Honey, are you listening?"
"Can't a guy even read a newspaper in peace? What is it?" he grumbles, lowering the paper.
"Our son hasn't come back yet. Can you go and check on him?"
"Relax, honey. He's not a kid anymore. He's probably just hanging out with friends. Don't worry."
She steps out of the kitchen, a forced smile on her face, and asks sweetly, "Honey, do you want your food with or without salt?"
Her husband catches the underlying threat and thinks, "She means go or else." He sighs, stands up, and says, "Okay, I'm going."
Scene Change: A Boy's Sorrow
A boy sits alone on a bench, his face clouded with sadness. A voice breaks through his thoughts, "Hey Arthur, why are you sitting here alone like a dead man? What happened?"
Arthur looks up, surprised. "Father, you! Why are you here?"
"Well, I'm here because your mother was worried sick about you being late," his father replies.
Arthur sighs, "Sorry, Father. I didn't mean to worry you two."
"No worries," his father says, sitting down beside him. "But why are you so sad? Did something happen at school? If I remember correctly, today was your test to see which element you'd get, right?"
Arthur's expression goes from bad to worse.
"Ah, I thought so," his father says gently. "What happened, kiddo? Did you get a weak element, or was it something the teacher said?"
Arthur sighed, "Yes, I got the wind element."
His father understood everything upon hearing that. The wind element was considered the weakest in the world—so rare and feeble that the last person to have it, 400 years ago, was deemed the weakest human in history. Now that Arthur had the wind element, his father's heart ached, realizing why his son was so upset. Though he couldn't change Arthur's element, he could offer support.
Placing a comforting hand on Arthur's back, he said gently, "Don't worry, son. It's not like you could have done anything to change it. The wind element is hard to control, which is why nobody has ever been able to harness its power. But don't worry, we'll find a way to master it together. For now, let's go back and enjoy your mother's delicious food."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Arthur couldn't hold back his tears and hugged his father tightly, crying loudly. Marqus held him close, offering comfort and reassurance.
When they returned home, Iliyana was about to scold Arthur for being late, but she stopped short when she saw his red eyes. Marqus signaled to her that something was wrong. Arthur went to wash his face while Marqus explained everything to Iliyana.
After dinner, Marqus couldn't bear to see his son's sad face any longer. He asked, "Son, do you know who the strongest person in history was?"
Arthur replied, "Yes, Father. It was Velcane Cifer."
"Do you know that surname, son?"
"Yes, Father. We share the same surname, but that was 2000 years ago. Our strength is long gone, Father."
"That's only half true, son. Our ancestors may not have been involved in political warfare, but that doesn't mean we're not strong anymore."
"What do you mean, Father?"
"Well, our ancestors had a unique habit of documenting their research in books."
"Books, you say?"
"Yes, we have a library on the third floor. If you want, you can go there and read some of the books. They might help you understand how to use your wind power. What do you say?"
"But, Father, Velcane Cifer had the power of fire. How could books about fire be useful to me as a wind user?"
"Even so, son, I believe you should check the library. My grandfather used to say that it's not just a collection of books; it's a potential treasure trove waiting to be discovered."
"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to check out the books."
Saying that, Arthur rushed to the third floor to delve into the ancient texts. Meanwhile, Iliyana asked Marqus, "Honey, do you think he'll find anything useful in that pile of stories?"
Marqus replied, "I don't know. They're considered tales of our ancestors, but who knows? He might discover something valuable."
Arthur spent quite a bit of time in the library, poring over various books. After nearly two hours of reading, he grew frustrated and tossed a book onto the ground, exclaiming, "What a load of rubbish! These books are just filled with stories of our ancestors. Is there anything useful here?" He questioned himself, disheartened.
But then, after some time, he noticed an unusual book on the shelf. He picked it up and remarked, "Ah, this one looks different. It's thicker and about ten times heavier than a normal book." With effort, he managed to open it. As soon as he did, the book began to levitate in the air, emitting a soft yellow light.
Startled by this unexpected turn of events, Arthur heard a mysterious voice speak, "Who are you?"
To be continued...