Ojero groggily sat up in his bed, rubbing his sore legs with one hand while stifling a yawn with the other.
It was officially morning now, but he had not gotten much rest.
He and Orpham only returned home after midnight, and his aching body made sure he remembered that.
The night prior, he watched the Magos clash with the Ent Lord in a startling spectacle of magical might, beating it by decapitating it with his memorable sword. The wooden corpse then fell to the ground with a resounding thud, causing all the spectators to jolt in their seats.
Loud applause filled the night, and the Magos bowed deeply again and again, saying that it was all "no trouble", and to "please stop, I am unworthy!"
Ojero found the entire situation to be a little over the top and braggadocious, but he wasn't about to question the intentions of a Magos.
Not long after, Roger dragged him and Orpham away from the camp, throwing the rope back over the wall and having them climb out. They then made the long walk back to the estate under the cover of darkness.
At least Orpham was happier without having to blindfold himself the entire way.
He also tripped less often, which Ojero considered a net loss.
Looking over at his brother's bed, he noticed that he was still sleeping, his body sprawled all over the mattress and his mouth open in a deep snore. His sheets were in disarray, which was nothing new for Orpham.
'At least I know I won't get attacked this morning. Small mercies.'
He slowly got up and dressed himself before dragging his sleepless body through the house.
Eventually, he found himself in the dining room with a knowing Sir Lancel serving him breakfast, although he was hard-pressed to remember the journey.
On the plate was buttered bread, a cooked egg, and some sliced ham.
He slowly began to satiate his appetite, trying hard to stay awake while doing so.
Ojero would have argued that it was a far more difficult struggle than the Magos against his foes, although he acknowledged few would agree.
Once he was almost done, an annoyingly energetic Orpham seemingly skipped into the dining room.
"Breakfast? Why didn't you wake me up, Ojero?" He asked, a look of mock hurt on his face.
All he received in reply was a grunt as Ojero took another bite of his bread.
'How the hell he has all this energy is a question only the gods will ever know.'
Orpham happily took a seat on the opposite side of the table, and within a minute Sir Lancel was carrying out another plate of food.
It didn't take long for his brother's sloppy eating to ruin his appetite.
A few hours later, he was back in his bedroom with his mother fussing with his hair.
She had been trying to style it properly for almost half an hour now, with little success.
Viewing it as beneath her to complain about a trivial task like this, she silently expressed her frustration with a frown.
'Maybe I should ask that Magos what he uses to keep his hair so still.'
Ojero thought with a wry grin, just imagining himself asking the elemental lord for hair advice.
'He did seem pretty personable, maybe he would find the question so humorous he would oblige.'
Eventually reaching her breaking point, she stopped without a word and began to straighten his tunic instead.
Satisfied with her work, he handed him his signet ring.
"Put it on and follow me quickly. The carriages are already waiting out front. I believe if we wait too long your… friend… may cause trouble for the servants."
That wasn't a surprise, his parents never did approve of Roger.
Sliding the platinum ring on his finger, he followed her down the hallway and staircase before they met up with his brother and father by the door. With a nod from his father, the attending servants stepped forward and pulled the door open in unison.
Outside, a row of multiple long carriages sat waiting, a man with blonde hair and green robes casually leaning on one of them as he conversed with one of the drivers.
The carriages were mostly empty, with only a few students staring out the windows at the richly dressed nobles.
Although he would never admit it, Ojero enjoyed the looks of wonder and envy. It made him feel like he was important.
Noticing the four of them, the Magos dismissed the man and then stepped forward into a low bow.
Rising from it, he greeted them with a wide smile.
"I bid you good day my lord, my lady, my young lords. I am honored to be in charge of delivering your children to the Academy this cycle."
"I am grateful to have the Academy send a Magos for this year's transport. I am however curious as to why we would have one so far from the front with all the worrying news." Quasar responded, his tone judging.
The man's smile never wavered.
"This year we determined there to be an unusual amount of high-priority targets, and so a suitable Magos was chosen to ferry them to the Academy directly. Due to my unique capabilities towards wood and nature, they believed I would be best suited to react and defend against any threats to the carriages."
Seeming to accept the man's answer, Quasar turned to both Ojero and Orpham.
"Well boys, it seems this is it. You're finally going off to become men, and learn how to fight like one. I know it doesn't need repeating, but I love you two, and am so proud of the kind of men I know you will become. So get out there and change the world, or your old man will have to come there and make sure aren't lazing around!"
His voice broke as he spoke the final words, the large man losing composure at sending his only sons off.
Ojero found it hard to watch, a sudden regret making him want to refuse to leave so he could stay with his family for just a few more days.
Placing her hand on her husband's arm, their mother continued.
"What your father means is we will always be here for you. No matter what. Now please, go learn of the world and have fun."
The four of them embraced once more before the twins slowly walked to enter the closest carriage, the Magos excitedly leading them to the door with a smile.
Behind him, he could still hear his father.
"I wasn't even there to see my son absorb his first gem, and now he is leaving me before I can train him!"
A light swat followed.
"Quiet dear, we both know you just want another justification for disliking the museum's curator."
It didn't deter their father this time, his love for his sons beating his better judgement.
"He isn't good for the boys! I just know it! Who knows what kind of arrogant fools he could turn them into?"
Hearing his parents quarrel was like a balm to Ojero's mood, as if it was a sign everything would be all right in the end. That even if many things were changing, not everything was.
His home was still here, and so long as that was true he would never be alone.
Entering the carriage, he was greeted by the sight of a waving Roger, who seemed to have already made himself at home on one of the two long benches in the bus.
"Looks like you two finally finished up. I feel like I've been waiting here for days!"
"Oh shove off," Orpham said. "We just had to say goodbye to our parents! You know how they get!"
Both of the twins seemed to realize his mistake at the same time.
"I mean uh, parents can be pretty emotional." He hastily tried to correct, before giving up.
"Sorry, Roger."
Roger waved the comment off.
"None needed, and I do know what you mean."
"You do?" Ojero asked before thinking.
"Of course I do! I imagine it's a lot like how upset people get when I steal an heirloom, just a lot more extreme. People seem to like family stuff a lot."
The brothers looked at him strangely for a moment.
'That's… Roger for you, I guess.'"
Anyway, do either of you noble folk know who picked out this ride? It's a carriage fit for a commoner at best!"