Part 1
The sun blazed mercilessly overhead, and the faint buzz of insects in the air seemed to mock us as we struggled through Uncle Neryx's latest idea of "training." My shirt clung to my back, drenched with sweat, and my arms burned from lifting the worn-down weights he'd unearthed from some corner of the yard. Even Fara, who usually had boundless energy, looked like she was about to collapse.
"How… 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, as if calling for divine intervention.
"Until you stop whining," Uncle Neryx said, not even looking up from the rusted sword he was sharpening. He sat in the shade, completely at ease, while we worked ourselves to the bone under the unforgiving sun. "Or until one of you passes out. Whichever comes first."
"That's so mean!" Selene whined, throwing her arms over her face. "Why don't you come here under the scorching sun?"
"Because I'm not the one who needs training," he replied, his voice calm and infuriatingly smug.
Varal didn't say anything, as usual. He was off in the corner of the yard, slicing through wooden dummies like they'd personally offended him. His blade cut through the air with an effortless grace, and he barely seemed to break a sweat. Of course, he's that guy after all.
Fara wasn't as quiet. She threw the weights she'd been lifting onto the ground and let out a frustrated groan. "This isn't training—this is torture! What are we training for, the Sadist Olympics? Why do we have to train physically? Heck, why do we have to do it without embedding essence in our cores? When are we even going to start our essence weaving training?"
"Soon," replied Uncle Neryx, eyes still dug into the cracked blade.
"That's what you've been saying for the entire past year!" Selene groaned.
"My training, my rules, Selene. If you don't like it, find yourself another teacher," replied Uncle, his eyes barely shifting from that stupid piece of junk.
"You know that's why no woman likes you," said Selene with a cold glare.
Guess that definitely hit the mark, considering Uncle bent in pain as if an arrow had pierced straight through him.
A few excruciating minutes filled with whining passed by. Varal was also starting to lose his edge a bit. Guess even geniuses have their limits.
I threw the heavy weights I had been lifting onto the ground and sat down next to Uncle Neryx. He looked at me before his eyes shifted back to the sword.
"Are you done with the lifting, Kael?" he questioned, his low voice accompanied by the unpleasant sound of metal scraping.
"760. It's a new record for me," I replied, clearly showing discomfort from the annoying sound.
"Good. You can take a small break and then get on to push-ups. 300 is the target."
I lay back down to rest but could feel the eyes of the rest digging into me. All that I could offer back was an awkward smile.
"Why are you even sharpening the sword? I mean, it's rusted to the point where it's unusable," I questioned, trying to divert my mind from the cold, piercing gazes.
"It has good bones," he replied.
"Good bones? How does that even matter? The sword looks like it's going to snap with a single swing."
"You'd be surprised as to how far just a tiny bit of maintenance can take you. Heck, I can say the same about you kids."
You know the same can be applied to your crumbling house's condition. I squinted my eyes, trying to peek into his lazy-ass soul.
Just then, he stood up. The sword in his hand, still rusted but with a sharper edge.
Varal paused mid-swing, his eyes fixed on Neryx, as if sensing something big was about to happen.
With the sword ready in his hand, Neryx took a stance, hands on the hilt, eyes peering into the distance. The rusted sword caught the sunlight for a brief second. He said a few strange words and, in a single motion, he swung.
At first, nothing happened, but then a strong gust of wind appeared, almost blowing me away. The next moment, I heard something snapping. My eyes trailed the origin of the sound, shifting to a small tree a few meters outside the lawn.
It was cut in half. Straight through the trunk.
"Wha—what? What just happened?" Fara freaked out.
"Wait… this isn't normal, right? Right?!" Selene said with a confused look, staring at the tree stump.
Varal, on the other hand, was also taken aback at first but quickly regained his composure, going back to swinging his sword.
The rest of us shifted our eyes to Uncle Neryx, who had a mundane expression, as if this was a daily occurrence.
"I really have lost my edge, huh?"
This man seriously has the audacity to say that he has lost his edge after he snaps a whole-ass tree with nothing but the wind pressure of his swing? What? was he Hercules in his prime?
My eyes felt like they were about to bulge out. My lungs forgot to breathe for a second. My heart skipped a few beats. It was thrilling, scary even.
"See? Good bones," he said, inspecting the sword. I jolted from my awe, snapping back to reality.
"Are you sure you were just an adventurer when you were young?" I questioned.
"Just an adventurer," he said after a pause, though his tone wasn't as confident as usual. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something more but decided against it.
"Anyways, the reason I want you four to do these physical exercises is to build up your bones. The better condition your body is in, the better you will be at manipulating essence," he continued.
No one said anything after that. Fara mumbled something under her breath, Selene kept glancing at the tree, and even Varal's swings looked slower than before. It was like the tree had been cut out of all of us.
Part 2
By the time the excruciating training was over, it was already late evening. The sun was just about to drown behind the endless mountains in the distance, and soon all the light that would be there would be from the small rune lamps across the village.
We had all gathered our things and were just about to exit when I remembered that I needed to visit the market for more rune ink.
Over the past few years, I had gotten really interested in rune weaving and was helping my mother out. It's actually quite similar to basic science. Back in my previous life, I used to study quite a lot in order to appear smart. So that someone, anyone among the endless foster parents, might look at me and think, 'Huh, this kid's got potential. Might as well adopt him.'
I chuckled a bit, thinking about how stupid I was back then. Of course, no one would have cared even if I was smart. I wasn't their own blood, after all. My achievements were not theirs.
"What are you laughing about, Mr. Noble Crybaby?" Fara said, patting my back from behind.
"Nothing," I replied. She squinted her eyes in suspicion.
"That reminds me, I need to hit the market tomorrow. Need some more rune ink."
"Hmm… is Aunty Alethia fine with it? You have been spending way too much of your time in the library," Fara remarked while walking nonchalantly next to me, occasionally skipping a few steps.
An awkward smile crept on my face. "I'll convince her one way or the—" I was cut short by Selene, who jumped between me and Fara.
"You two going out to the market tomorrow? Can I join too? I am free, and we don't even have training, cuz Uncle Neryx needs to mend the barrier around the village. I'll be bored to death… PLEASE?"
"Sure, the more the merrier, I guess…" I replied, taken aback by the sudden intrusion.
Fara gave me a worried look, saying, "But Kael, what about Aunt—"
"It's fine. We'll convince her," I cut her off.
She frowned before looking back up to me with a confused and half-scared expression.
"What do you mean 'we'?" she asked after a pause.
"You and me, of course," I replied, staring at her face with a bright smile.
The awkward stare-down stretched for a while before Selene ran up to Varal, who was about to leave.
"Varal, come join us tomorrow. We are going to the market."
Varal, as usual, sighed and just walked past her. Most people would give up at this point, but knowing Selene, I knew she wouldn't let Varal go. She quickly followed after him, practically begging him to come till they reached the gate, but when all hope was lost, she mentioned something in Varal's ear. After listening to her, Varal turned around, dropped a huge sigh, and gave her a nod before walking off.
"He is coming!" shouted Selene before running out of the house.
"I don't know about you, but those two seem quite close, don't they?" Fara whispered into my ears.
I hadn't given it much thought, but now that I think about it, they sure are close. Well, it can also just be that Selene is way too pestering. I can imagine her getting along with almost every single person in existence.
On the way back home, the sun had completely disappeared, and all that was left was a cold, chilly night. Fara came along with me to my house because her father and my dad had taken her mother to a doctor outside the village. It wasn't really uncommon for Fara to crash at our place anyways, although it was quite uncomfortable the first time around.
She was jumping around on our way through the fields. I swear, where does she even get the energy from? Like, you were crying about being exhausted just a while ago.
Part 3
By the time we got back home, it was dark, and the chilly evening air made me shiver. As I stepped through the door, Lilith was waiting for me, her tiny frame pressed against the doorframe. Her amber eyes lit up when she saw me, but when she noticed Fara trailing behind, she froze, her expression turning wary.
Before I could greet her, Lilith darted behind me, grabbing onto my leg like a shield.
"What's wrong, Lilith?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Fara grinned like a cat who'd just spotted her next toy. "Aw, is the little baby scared of me?" she teased, taking a step forward. Lilith yelped and tightened her grip on my leg.
"Don't you dare, Fara," I warned, but it was too late.
Fara lunged, and Lilith bolted, using me as a human barrier as they began circling the room. My protests were drowned out by Lilith's panicked squeals and Fara's mischievous laughter.
"Stop running! I just want to pet you!" Fara said, pretending to pounce.
"Nooo!" Lilith shrieked, ducking behind the dining table.
Before I knew it, the chase had turned into complete chaos. Fara climbed onto the couch, Lilith darted under the table, and I was stuck in the middle, trying to stop them both.
The noise must've reached the kitchen, because my mother stormed into the room, hands on her hips.
"WILL THE THREE OF YOU CUT IT OUT?" she bellowed.
The room fell silent. Fara froze mid-pounce, Lilith peeked out from behind the table, and I stood awkwardly in the middle, caught like a deer in headlights.
I opened my mouth to explain, but my mother's glare silenced me. Fara, however, didn't seem to get the memo. Before she could take another step, I grabbed her tail—her ultimate kill switch. She yelped and faceplanted into the floor.
Lilith, in her panic, ran straight into my mother's legs. She looked up, trembling, only to see the full force of Mom's "I've had enough of your nonsense" glare.
Her amber eyes filled with tears.
I sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear of my own. "Good luck, Lilith," I whispered under my breath. "I'll miss you." Waving her goodbye as she and Fara were dragged into the depths of hell by my mother.
After a lecture that felt like it lasted a year, both Lilith and Fara stumbled into the living room, completely defeated. Lilith barely made it to the couch before collapsing, and Fara looked like her soul had left her body as she slumped onto the dining table.
Mom, on the other hand, looked as radiant as ever, like the lecture had rejuvenated her. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she announced cheerfully, as if she hadn't just reduced two people to ash.
Fara groaned, lifting her head just enough to glare at me. "You owe me for this, Kael."
I smiled innocently. "I didn't do anything."
She muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a threat, but I ignored her, turning my attention to Lilith, who was still curled up on the couch. "You okay, Lilith?"
"Big brother," she mumbled, pouting. "Fara's mean."
I glanced at Fara, who stuck her tongue out at Lilith. "She's not that bad," I said, ruffling Lilith's blonde curls. "You just have to be faster next time."
Lilith pouted harder.
Mom poked her head out of the kitchen. "Kael, Fara, go wash up before dinner."
"Do I have to?" Fara groaned, still sprawled out on the table.
"Yes," Mom said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
I stood up, nudging Fara with my foot. "Come on, let's go."
Grumbling, she followed me toward the bathroom, muttering something about "too much effort" and "next time, I'm running straight through the wall."
After a while, dinner was served. The spread was lavish as usual. There were a few dishes made from plumekin meat, a dish made out of potato-like vegetables that we grew on our farm, and a few more Zerathis exclusives. I swear, if there was a cooking competition in this world, Mom would rank among the top chefs.
"Lilith, eat your Drumbeans," Mom ordered while drinking a sip of her soup.
"But I don't like them," Lilith said with a disgusted look.
"Lilith, you should learn from your brother. Look at the glutton eat up anything he finds," Fara chuckled.
I didn't even bother with her. After all, I don't know how much longer I'll get to eat this amazing food. The average age of humans in Zerathis is only 150 years, and a child is expected to live alone after the age of 15 to 25. That means I can only enjoy this luxury for barely 19 more years.
"Fara, you can comment on Kael after you finish your own food," Mom snapped back, looking at the green crupicums on her plate. "At least Kael isn't a picky eater," she added.
My eyes started to water. My mother protected me? She supported me? Is this heaven? Back in my previous life, I would have been happy if I could barely get my foster parents to listen. But protecting me? Ahh, I can die happily now.
I gave Fara a sarcastic smile, while she glared at me in defeat.
After the dinner was over, Lilith dragged me off to play with her while Fara went to help Mom with the dishes.
"Thank you for letting me stay, Aunty. Dad was really worried about where I'd stay when he had to take Mom out of the village."
"It's okay, Fara. You can stay as long as you want. You know, you can even marry Kael in the future and become a permanent member of our family. After all, you're already like my daughter."
"Marry him? I'd rather eat a whole farm's worth of crupicums," Fara snorted.
"You know Lilith comes as an additional bonus," my mom added with the most salesman-like look on her face.
Was I seriously being treated like a commodity right now?
"I guess it's worth it then."
A chill crawled up my spine. I turned my head to look around, but all I could see were two demons smiling back at me from the kitchen.
Once the dishes were done, the house began to settle into its usual nighttime quiet. Mom dimmed the lights as Lilith, now much calmer after her earlier meltdown, sat on the couch playing with her doll. Fara and I helped put away the leftovers before we finally headed toward our room.
After a while, it was time for bed. My mom tucked me and Fara into the bed.
"Psst."
"Hey Kael, what about the trip tomorrow? You were supposed to ask her about it."
"Not right now, Fara. I'll do it tomorrow," I replied, half-asleep.
"Fine then. Suit yourself, idiot."
Ahh, it's gonna be a real pain convincing her, but oh well, that's a problem for the me of tomorrow.