Tepo drew a sharp breath from this revelation. Suddenly he saw this world with different eyes. Were all those heroes the common people admired so much only doing it for the publicity? It made a lot of sense!
Clearing dungeons, winning tournaments, even ruling cities could earn one money and admiration. This was the reason why warriors traveled so much. They did so to spread their name.
Suddenly the young man's eyes fell on his mother's face. A bit of suspicion creeped into his mind:
"Mom? Why do you know so much about warriors? Are you…?"
"Naturally you mother is also a strong warrior! But now I'm long retired.", admitted Reahva with a laugh.
Eyes wide open, Tepo's body shook. He felt incredulous. Did his mother give up the life of a warrior… for him?
"Don't look at me like that.", admonished Reahva. "I settled down on my own free will. It was my wish to have a child and I never regretted it!"
His emotions turning chaotic, Tepo had to suppress a few tears. He embraced his mother tightly. Silence fell on the room as mother and son shared a bonding moment.
Only after a few seconds did Tepo take his arms back. Just as he wanted to open his mouth to ask a few more questions, his mother suddenly stood up.
"Ok, it's getting late now. I need to work again tomorrow. Goodnight."
With those words, Reahva patted her son's head before leaving the room.
Tepo sat on his bed, confused. Wasn't this a bit too sudden? It almost felt like his mom was… fleeing?
Now that I think about it, my memories don't seem to contain a lot of information about my parents' past. Mother never felt comfortable talking about it. There is seemingly something I'm not supposed to know. Just now she fled again, so I can't ask more questions.
Rubbing his temples, Tepo was a bit worried about his mother. The gently lady seemed to be torn. Tepo had the feeling that she didn't really want her son to enter the path of warriors, but she also couldn't bear to stop him.
Tepo felt guilty, but he still had a purpose. He needed to become a warrior to confirm the nonexistence of 'outsiders'.
I'm sorry, mother. I can't stay here with you.
A few hours later the sun slowly set beyond the horizon. Tepo finally went to sleep after an eventful day.
***
It has been a couple of days since the ceremony. During this time, Tepo was gradually forming some plans. With so many people thinking he had no core, the young man knew that no organization would take him in.
Thus, he decided to earn some money to buy an artificial core. Although this would be difficult, Tepo didn't think it was impossible.
His confidence stemmed from the fact that his mother was pretty wealthy. As an alchemist she earned a lot of force crystals. In fact, Tepo guessed that they could have moved to a better neighborhood long ago, but his mother was content with their little home.
Therefore, Tepo had begun to learn from his mother. Reahva was also happy to teach her son before he would embark on the path of a warrior. Spending so much time together, the mother and son duo had been in a great mood the last few days and Tepo didn't dare to ruin it.
Thus, he never asked about his mother's past or other warrior related topics. He could learn about those in the future. Right now, it was more important to be a filial son.
In this way the te Avatios shared a few worry-free days until suddenly Tepo's com vibrated.
The young man was already in bed, reading a book about some famous warriors. Although he stopped worshipping them, this didn't mean that he couldn't learn from them.
Suddenly an unfamiliar sound rang out. Next to Tepo's bed, a small metallic rectangle blinked and shook. This was his com, a device for communication.
When the young man arrived in this world, he wasn't yet familiar with everything. In his hurry he forgot this practical device at home. Only afterwards did he form the habit to carry it with him all the time.
Wondering who might be contacting him this late, Tepo reached out his hand and touched the metal. Immediately a young voice sounded out.
"Hey, Tepo?"
Tepmodus smiled faintly. He hadn't heard anything from Yerive since he got out of jail.
"Yerive! How are you doing?"
"Hmm, fine, fine. Listen, man. Something strange happened. Can we meet?"
"Strange?", asked Tepo with a raised brow. "Sure, we can meet."
"Good. Let's go to Tonam's."
"Sounds good. See you in five minutes."
"Yeah. Bye."
"Bye."
Looking at the com after it fell silent, Tepo' gaze turned serious. What an ominous call. It reminded him of the times when his superiors assigned him a new case.
Tepo shook his head as he jumped up from the bed. Grabbing a black coat he had found in his closet, the young man looked into the mirror. He chuckled lightly. Except for the tight, black clothes he wore normally, he now looked like a younger version of his past self. Now he felt even more as if he was about to investigate some case.
With a bit of curiosity, the young man went downstairs. He said goodbye to his reading mother before grabbing his red scarf. Although it didn't fit the image of the former investigator, Tepo grew to like it a lot over the last few days. Furthermore, this world was just too windy, so a scarf was an accessory often worn by commoners.
Strolling along the street Tepo enjoyed the mild evening. Leaves were fluttering with the winds and the sun was already weakening. Clean air graced Tepo's nose. Parents called back their children as young adults gathered for a drink or two.
Arriving at Tonam's Inn, Tepo saw many of them. With a smile on his face, he stepped into the small wooden building.
Compared to the day of the ceremony, the Inn was bustling right now. Men and woman filled the wooden tables, conversing in quiet voices. Many of them had their attention on the storyteller doing his job on a small stage.
Meanwhile a young man with red, curly hair and freckles hurried between the tables, delivering food and drinks.
Tepo roamed the room for a second, before finding Yerive. His friend had managed to reserve their favorite table in a corner. Tepo weaved through the narrow space between chairs, and quickly sat down opposite the brown-haired youngster.
Just as he wanted to joyfully greet Yerive, Tepo swallowed his words again. He was taken aback as he mustered the youngster's face. There was no trace of his usual liveliness. His head hung low. His hair looked hastily groomed. But the worst was the sadness in his eyes.
Only as Tepo sat down, did Yerive finally look up.
"Hey, man. Are you ok?", asked Tepmodus full of concern.
Yerive forced a smile.
"Tepo. Don't worry, I'm alright."
"You don't look like it, though. Come on, tell my what happened."
Sighing faintly, Yerive thought about it for a second. In the end he reluctantly spoke up:
"It's… Do you remember what core I wished for?"
"Sure. You wanted an offensive core. Something that one day let's the world know about 'Yerive, the King of Swords'."
Cringing slightly, Yerive threw his friend an annoyed gaze. Why did Tepo bring up those things he said when he was too excited?
"Right. But…"
"But now you got a defensive core?", guessed Tepo.
Yerive shivered slightly. With a bit of hesitance, he admitted:
"No. It's even worse. My core is called… Core of Soft Water."
Yerive expected his friend to laugh at him before coming up with a consolation, but he was confused when he didn't hear any sound. Raising his head, he looked into Tepo's eyes. But he only saw bewilderment on his friend's face.
"So… what?", questioned Tepo.
"What do you mean?"
"What do YOU mean? What's so bad about your core?"
"Are you kidding me?", exclaimed Yerive with a frown. "It's called Core of Soft Water! Could it sound any more feminine?! Its first ability is even to spread a wave from your weapon. It has no destructive power at all!"
Tepo was slightly taken aback by Yerive's opinion. It seemed he hadn't realized how important the correct core was to his friend. While Tepo thought he himself would be content with any ability, his friend seemed to pursue a clear image of his future.
Nevertheless, Tepo still tried to console Yerive. It's not as if a core could be exchanged after all:
"Maybe you are worrying too early. When you grow stronger, wouldn't your ability also improve? What is a harmless wave now might drown entire cities in the future!"
Yerive opened his mouth but closed it again. He lightly shook his head. It seemed his best friend's opinion on this topic differed more than he had thought. It has always been his dream to be a famous but fierce hero and gaining everyone's admiration. But now this dream appeared unreachable to him.