The sun blazed mercilessly overhead, the faint buzz of insects mocking us as we struggled through Uncle Neryx's idea of "training." My shirt clung to my back, and my arms burned from the makeshift weights he'd dug up from somewhere in his decrepit yard. Even Fara, who usually had boundless energy, was sprawled on the ground, looking as though she might pass out.
"How much longer… do we have to keep doing this?" Selene panted, dropping her wooden practice bow and flopping dramatically onto the ground. Her pink ponytail stuck to her forehead as she waved her hands weakly in the air, calling for some divine intervention.
"Until you stop whining," Uncle Neryx replied, his voice calm and infuriatingly smug as he sat in the shade sharpening a rusted sword. He looked completely at ease while we worked ourselves to the bone under the unforgiving sun.
"Why don't you come here under the scorching sun?" Selene groaned, peeking at him from under her arm.
"Because I'm not the one who needs training," he replied, the metallic scrape of the whetstone punctuating his words.
Varal didn't say a thing, as usual. He stood off in the corner, his blade cutting through wooden dummies with mechanical precision. His dark eyes gleamed with focus, and the dummies seemed to fall apart faster than they were replaced. Of course, he's that guy.
"This isn't training—it's torture!" Fara finally exploded, throwing the weights to the ground and glaring at Uncle Neryx. "What are we even training for? The Sadist Olympics? Why can't we use essence already?"
"Soon," Neryx said without looking up.
"That's what you've been saying for months!" Selene huffed.
"My training, my rules," he said with a nonchalant shrug, eyes still on the blade.
Selene narrowed her eyes, then smirked. "You know, Uncle, that's probably why no woman likes you."
Uncle Neryx froze. His shoulders tensed, and for a second, it looked like she'd struck a nerve. Then he doubled over, clutching his chest as if she'd physically wounded him.
Fara's laugh echoed through the yard, cutting through the tension. "She's got a point."
Selene and Fara's antics barely distracted me from the ache in my arms. I threw the weights onto the ground, sinking into the grass beside Neryx. "Done," I gasped. "760 reps. New record."
"Good. You've earned a break," Neryx said. "Ten minutes, then push-ups. 300's the target."
I groaned, lying flat on my back, ignoring the pointed stares from Fara and Selene. "Why are you even sharpening that thing?" I asked, eyeing the rusted sword in his hands. "It's falling apart."
"It has good bones," he replied without looking up.
I squinted at him. "What does that even mean? It's going to snap if you so much as breathe on it wrong."
"You'd be surprised what a little maintenance can do," he said, his tone sharp but calm. "Same goes for you kids. Weak bones won't get you far in essence weaving."
Before I could retort, Neryx stood, the sword gleaming faintly in the sun. His movements were deliberate, precise, and for the first time, he looked serious.
Varal paused mid-swing, his eyes locked on Neryx, as if sensing something was about to happen.
With a single, fluid motion, Neryx raised the sword, muttered something under his breath, and swung.
The air shuddered. A sharp gust of wind roared past us, and I had to shield my face from the sudden burst. When I opened my eyes, a small tree on the edge of the yard was split clean in two, its top half crashing to the ground.
"What just…?" Fara stumbled back, staring at the tree stump.
Selene's jaw dropped. "That's… that's not normal, right?!"
Varal's reaction was subtler—his grip on his sword tightened, his expression unreadable. But even he seemed taken aback.
Neryx inspected the blade with a frown. "Hmph. Still rusty," he muttered. "Guess I've lost my edge."
"Lost your edge?" I sputtered, my voice breaking. "You just cut a tree in half with the wind pressure!"
Fara nodded fervently. "Yeah, what kind of adventurer were you?"
"Just an adventurer," Neryx said with a shrug, though his voice held an uncharacteristic tension. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say more but decided against it.
We fell into silence after that. Even Fara didn't have a sarcastic comment to break the tension.
By the time Neryx let us go, the sun had already started to sink. The last of its light stretching across the sky in a fiery blaze. We'd gathered our things and were heading home, sore and exhausted but too relieved to complain.
"Guess I'll hit the market tomorrow," I said, mostly to myself. "Need to pick up more rune ink."
"For your little experiments?" Fara asked, her tail flicking lazily as she walked beside me. "Pretty sure Aunt Alethia's getting tired of you locking yourself in the library all day."
I gave her a sheepish smile. "She'll get over it."
Selene skipped up beside us, her energy somehow renewed. "Oh! Can I come? I love the market! And I've got nothing to do tomorrow since Uncle Neryx is fixing the village barrier."
Fara raised an eyebrow. "Is he? Guess we don't have training tomorrow. Finally some time to rest." she said, stretching her body almost like an actual cat.
"Come on, Fara," Selene pleaded, tugging at her arm. "You're coming too, right?"
"I mean if you want me to come that desperately, I think I can manage some time out of my VERY busy schedule." Fara grumbled, though I could tell she was neither annoyed nor busy.
Selene grinned, then turned to Varal, who was walking ahead of us. "Varal! You're coming too!"
Varal didn't stop. He didn't even look at her.
Selene huffed and ran to catch up with him, practically begging him to join us. At first, he didn't respond, but then she leaned in and whispered something. Whatever it was, it made him pause. He turned, sighed heavily, and gave her a curt nod before walking off.
"He said yes!" Selene beamed as she ran back to us.
Fara leaned toward me, her voice low. "What do you think she told him?"
"No idea," I said. "But whatever it was, it worked."
The walk home was quiet, the faint hum of rune lamps mingling with the rustling of leaves. Fara, for once, seemed too exhausted to chatter, and I didn't mind the silence. The cool evening air was a welcome contrast to the blistering heat of the day, and I let my mind wander.
As we passed by the village square, a cluster of villagers gathered near a fruit stall caught my eye. Their voices were low, but the tension in their hushed tones carried farther than they probably intended.
"I am telling you the truth, my brother in the royal army overheard his seniors discussing it." one of them said frantically.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure. We believe you. The Orion church in Gresion is selling information to the Intrussy sect in the ELF KINGDOM." another one said his tone filled with mockery.
"As if the king would leave them unchecked and even if he did, the Orion sect prays to the God of War. Why would they interact with the Goddess of life's believers in the first place?" a woman added, her arms crossed. Her posture suggesting utter disbelief.
Their conversation faded into the background as we moved on, but the words lingered in my mind.
At the end of the day no matter the world, gods still exist huh? I wasn't expecting churches though. Guess I'll read a book about mythology today.
Fara tugged my sleeve lightly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Come on, we're almost there. I am super hungry."
"Gluten," I whispered to myself, running towards the fields in front of my house.
By the time we reached, the sun had vanished completely, leaving the village bathed in the soft glow of rune lamps. As we approached, I noticed Lilith waiting by the door, her tiny figure silhouetted against the warm light inside.
"Big brother!" she cried, her amber eyes lighting up as she ran toward me.
Before I could react, she latched onto my leg, nearly knocking me over. "Did you fight monsters? Did you win? Can I come next time?"
"Lilith, training isn't a game," I said, ruffling her curls. "We had this discussion before too. You've got to grow a little more before you can join us."
"I'm big enough! I can fight too!" she pouted.
"Sure you are," Fara teased, crouching to Lilith's level. "But first, you've got to beat me!"
Lilith squealed and darted behind me, peeking out from around my leg. "No fair! Fara's scary!"
Fara grinned, her tail swishing mischievously. "Scary? Me? I just want to play!"
The chaos that followed was inevitable. Fara chased Lilith around the house, Lilith screamed bloody murder, and I ended up in the middle, trying to keep them from destroying anything valuable.
Mom stormed in, hands on her hips. "WILL THE THREE OF YOU CUT IT OUT?"
The room fell silent. Even Fara froze mid-pounce, her ears drooping in defeat, Lilith ran straight into mom, falling flat on her back from the impact.
After what felt like a lifetime of scolding, the devil in the shape of my mother finally let us go. Fara and Lilith both looked thoroughly chastised, though Fara managed to shoot me a glare as we sat down for dinner. Mom on the other hand looked rejuvenated as if she had grown five years younger.
The dinner was lively as usual with Fara and Lilith still on with their antics.
"So when is your dad coming back?" I asked heading to the bedroom after dinner.
"I don't know, dad said it can take anywhere between three to seven days, depending on if my mothers condition improves or not." replied Fara.
"Ehh… so I will be stuck with you for a whole week?" I sighed.
"Got a problem with that?" Fara said raising her eyebrow.
I would have loved to tease her more but I would rather avoid enraging the devil again.
"Just go to bed already." I said, sliding into my own sheets, the soft yet warm fabric provided the much-needed comfort to my sore muscles.
"Fine fine, but don't come clinging to me if you see another bad dream."
"As if." I snarled.
It didn't take long before I drifted to sleep. Everything seemed like a blur. Several hours passe or at least I think they did, till my eyes finally focused. I was in a barren desert. It was nighttime, the cold wind felt like ice carved straight into my muscles.
I looked around in a panic. There was no one in sight, no houses, no person just a sea of sand extending till the horizon and a bright full moon that seemed way bigger than normal.
"Finally awake!" a voice echoed from behind me. Unnatural, as if a mix of several people were speaking up in unison.
I turned around in a frantic motion only to see a child half my size, draped in rags with a hood covering its face. Its features were hidden under the darkness of the hood yet its silver eyes glinted from underneath.
"W-who are you?" I asked as my voice cracked, still echoing through the desert. "Where are we?"
"Does that really matter? You are here and so am I so what will knowing where this place is change?" the kid replied, crouching down, drawing something on the smooth yet freezing cold sand with a single bare finger.
I looked closely still trying to come to terms with what was going on. Was this a dream?
"I came here from a very far off place you know… just so I could meet you."
"Meet me? What for?" I asked my eyes still peering into the thing the child was drawing.
"Well, you are quite famous back home. Revered as the 'final piece'."
The final piece? I had an inclination I had heard that before but mind remained foggy.
"So tell me what piece do you think you will be on this cosmic chessboard?" they said pointing towards the thing they had been drawing.
It was a chessboard. One with unnaturally accurate squares.
"Will you be the sneaky bishop, twisting tides when no one expects it? Or the rook, storming through defenses head-on?" They continued.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. The chessboard at their feet seemed to stretch, the edges vanishing into the endless horizon.
"Maybe…" they continued, drawing the word out, "you'll be the queen. Versatile. Unstoppable. Balanced." They leaned back, resting on their heels. "No. That's not it either. Ahh yes. You'll be the KING. The most important piece on the board."
Their head tilted again, and I could feel their smile, even if I couldn't see it. "The one everyone is gunning for. The one with the most targets on his back. A king surrounded by nothing but pawns."
The words sent a chill down my spine.
"How do you know that?" I demanded. My voice sounded too loud, too small, against the vast emptiness.
The figure stood slowly, their hood shifting as they tilted their head to the side. "I see glimpses," they said, almost wistful now. "Little pieces of what's to come. And my glimpses… they've never been wrong. Not in over a millennium."
I opened my mouth to speak again, but the figure froze, their head snapping to the side like they'd heard something I couldn't.
"Ahhh… shit," they muttered, their childlike tone slipping into something darker, more frantic. "He found out."
Before I could ask what they meant, they turned back to me, their voice suddenly bright and airy again. "I'll come back later, but since you've been such a good boy and heard me out, here's a useful hint."
They stepped closer, their face still hidden in shadow, and leaned in until their voice was barely a whisper.
"Not all battles are meant to be won."