The boy woke up after an entire day. Inside that huge mansion, his room appeared to be in a worse state than that of servants. A spoiled soup sat on his old bedside table, cobwebs his tiny physique couldn't reach to clean even with the wooden stool by his bedside clocked the corners of the room.
Aiden sat up, his head spinning from the slumber he'd been in. He was yet to recover from his headache when a voice snapped him out of his drowsy state.
The master of the house stood at the foot of his bed, his tall, poised frame radiating an air of undeniable authority. In the prime of his years, he carried himself with the bearing of a nobleman. His dark pair of eyes pinned on Aiden as they showed neither concern nor compassion. All they had were anger and hatred.
As he rambled on numerous rubbish, Aiden remained silent without any reply. How was he to reply when he couldn't even understand a word this man was saying? But looking at that face, for years, he'd come to learn one word whenever he came across this man's path. It was plastered all over his face. The disappointment.
"He can't understand any of that man's crap, right?" Caleum wondered.
They were hovering at the corner of that small room, plainly observing the life of this poor but mysterious boy. Right after waking up from a coma, this man, who was supposedly his father, began asking if the boy had learned his lesson instead of asking how he was feeling.
"Maybe that's the reason why he can't understand any of them," Riven said. "His curse turned into a gift around these vile people."
"I'm envious," Lucius said. "I hope to hear none of Caleum's crap too."
Riven observed the conversation as the two wisps went on their usual rumble. As his eyes focused on Aiden, he knew the boy needed not to understand any word. The father's expression alone displayed his dissatisfaction with his son.
"How long are you gonna disappoint me, Aiden?" the man asked almost rhetorically, his feet already headed for the door. "You should have never been born."
The room fell silent as the door closed behind Aiden's father. Even the two wisps called truce from their bickering, the last few words that echoed in the room brought more impact upon the three wisps than the boy sitting on the bed.
"You're still here?" the boy asked them. "I thought I was dreaming. Turns out I wasn't." He murmured the last words under his breath.
"You're one lucky kid," Lucius said. "You didn't get to hear all that crap."
Aiden's face went smug. "Did he say something like I shouldn't have existed? I've deduced that a long time ago."
The three wisps dimmed their lights. Their sadness evident from the pale blue flame they turned into. Never did they expect to feel empathetic for a mortal.
"Then do something about it," Caleum said. "Prove him wrong and get yourself out of this small room. I also want to move to a bigger room."
Aiden looked at them as if he'd heard the most ridiculous combination of words in his entire life. "What do you mean? Please don't tell me you plan on staying."
"Of course we are!" Lucius said. "We're bored and you're one interesting mortal."
Caleum racked himself up and down. "You can thank us later for keeping you company."
"Actually... I'd rather you don't--"
"Besides," Caleum beamed himself brighter as if making himself bigger. "It might be a little hard to believe but you should be on your knees right now."
"Uhm..." Aiden furrowed his brows. "I'm good at kneeling but why should I?"
"Well, mortal. Standing before you are the three strongest gods of the celestial palace," Lucius beamed proudly, his glow blinding. "Now, kneel."
"Standing?" Aiden gave their wispy bodies an up-down. "How are you standing with no feet?"
Both Lucius and Caleum burned red.
"Such impertinence!"
"You punk!"
Riven went in between the chaos. "Please let us stay. We really have nowhere to be in!" He lied, as if they hadn't existed for a thousand years roaming the world aimlessly. "And we might not be much of use now but I believe we can help."
Aiden sat back in anticipation. "You can help me? How?" He said. "Even the people around me gave up trying."
"They can't help you but we can." Riven said.
"You can?" Aiden asked.
"Right. We can?" Caleum seconded, earning a dark flicker from Riven.
Riven nodded. "You can't speak the mortal tongue. We can help you with that."
Lucius began to twinkle—which Aiden could only assume to be the direct equivalent of a wisp clapping. "That makes so much sense. I really wish Caelum had even a little of your brain, Riven."
As the two wisps began yet another fiasco, Aiden turned to Riven.
"I guess that could work," Aiden said, his fingers running through his dark brown hair. "Though, I don't really have anyone I want to talk to".
Just before Riven could answer, the door opened, and the same maid who maltreated Aiden the day before appeared with a set of clothes in her hands.
"Hey, Bastard's son," she said. "Lord Greyson decreed that you attend the academy starting tomorrow. Here's your rags." She threw Aiden's clothes at his face. "Have fun embarrassing yourself at school."
She turned her back and went for the door. But before stepping out, she took one look back, her face imbued with evil. "And by the way... Butler Mitch died last night. You have no one to defend you now, you weirdo."
Lucius burned red from anger. "I swear I'll get that ugly woman after this!"
Aiden looked up. "What did she say?"
The wisps fell silent. Caelum zoomed forward, trying his best to deliver the news in a delicate manner. "That man they call Butler Mitch... the one with the monocle. He died last night."
Aiden remained still in bed, although his face was devoid of any emotion, he seemed to be deep in thought. His expression getting darker by the second. "I didn't even get to say goodbye…"
They weren't exactly close, but Butler Mitch was the only one who treated him kindly in this cold mansion. Everyone else treated him like shit. Aiden's fist clenched when the image of that maid flashed inside his mind. How dare she relay the news of his passing with a vile look on her face?
Riven hovered closer to the boy. "Not just that…"
Aiden stared at Riven as if waiting for more bad news, but Riven nudged the clothes beside him. "You'll be attending an academy starting tomorrow."
Aiden's eyebrows furrowed. "Academy?" he said, "That can't be true. The lord of the mansion will never let that happen."
Those words were hard for him to believe, especially when he had been imprisoned inside this mansion for his entire life, the lord of the mansion keeping him away from the world for being a disgrace. If stepping out of this mansion was already a crime, attending an academy was an abomination.
"Well," Caelum interjected. "We kinda snooped around when you were in a coma."
Lucius nodded. "And we heard that butler's last words…"
Aiden's gaze was piercing, everything else finally making sense. "So, it was him who wanted me to attend the academy?"
The three wisps nodded.
"I understand," Aiden said before getting out of bed to bow down on the three wisps. He spent his entire life indifferent to everything, but now that the selfless butler gave him a chance to get out of this prison, he was not going to waste this chance. "Please help me in whatever way you can, celestial ghosts."
Lucius flared up. "Ghosts?! We're gods, you mortal! Celestial gods!"
Caelum didn't seem to mind the endearment, however—his body beaming with pride. "Well, if you beg us ever so sincerely then we'll have no choice but to oblige."