Throughout the journey home, Kanashimi felt slightly paranoid.
"This is strange."
He couldn't understand why Erebus and his people had taken such great care to remain completely undetected, yet had let him go so easily.
A thought crossed his mind that they had released him intentionally, as a mockery and a display of their power. They could eliminate Kanashimi at any moment, but they chose not to.
'Realizing this only makes it worse.'
On his way to his room, he passed by his parents' room, the door was open. Inside, Andrian was sitting at a desk, and next to him, on the bed, was his mother, Ran. Kanashimi quietly approached the door and stood in the doorway.
For some reason, the encounter with the Nymph made him ponder Ran's appearance. If her sister was a nymph, why hadn't Ran inherited anything from that race?
She was extremely tall, like Kanashimi. She had black hair, blue eyes, and a round, soft face. Kanashimi had only inherited her height; in other respects, he resembled his father. He had a masculine, angular face, straight, thick brown hair tied back in a ponytail, thick eyebrows, and predatory gray eyes. Kanashimi looked more like a formidable fighter than a teenager.
Shiro had inherited much more from their mother. He had wavy, short black hair, blue eyes, a round, childlike face—though that was likely due to his age—and a short stature like his father, at least for now. After all, he was only 12 years old. While Kanashimi, at 18, had a fully developed physique, the same could not be said for Shiro; he could still change significantly.
As he stood lost in thought, Ran noticed him and approached.
"What are you thinking about?"
Her voice was the opposite of her appearance; it was deep and mature, soothing to the ears, and full of love. As Andrian had told him, it only took one word from her to make him fall in love.
Kanashimi quietly replied, "About the past."
Ran laughed.
"What a coincidence, Andrian and I were also talking about the past. I received a letter from my cousin."
"From that nymph?"
Ran tilted her head, slightly displeased.
"Well, well, you're as always. She does have a name, you know."
Kanashimi didn't respond. He had always viewed other races differently from ordinary humans. He didn't even know why; it was as if some mechanism in his mind had been ingrained since birth.
"Do you want to know what's written in it?"
Kanashimi had no objections and nodded. Ran whispered to him and entered the room.
"Come in."
Kanashimi followed her inside. Andrian watched Kanashimi, his face calm but with a hint of seriousness, unlike Ran, whom Kanashimi had never seen serious.
Judging by his expression, Kanashimi immediately understood that the letter had something to do with him and Shiro. Andrian had always told Kanashimi that one day he would leave, just as Andrian himself had once done, and lately, it seemed he was preparing for this.
"Is the letter about me and Shiro?"
Andrian smiled, then returned to his previous expression.
"You guessed it. Have a seat and read it."
Kanashimi sat on the bed, and they handed him the letter. Ran sat next to him and picked up a stone with several runes carved into it, forming a simple spell. As soon as she took it and infused the runes with mana, a small flame ignited at the top of the stone, casting a pleasant light in the dark room.
This room, like almost every other in the house, had no windows. This was because Ran was allergic to sunlight, and she only left the house in very rare cases, fully protected from the sun by clothing.
Kanashimi took the letter and looked at it. It was written in a different language that resembled runes. Of course, Kanashimi knew this language, as he had lived in Akre until the age of 7, where this language was used. The language was called Setra, and all family members knew it.
Kanashimi began to read the letter.
"Hi! I'm sure Ran will make the whole family read this. So, hi to all of you. Just so I don't forget, let Gans fly around; he'll find his own food and return in a couple of days so you can send a reply. Now, to the point. Isn't Kanashimi turning 19 soon? Does he still remember me? No big deal if he doesn't; after all, I haven't written since you left, and he was only 7 back then. I would love to visit personally, but I've been swamped lately. You should see my workshop; it's a thief's paradise with precious gems and enchanted gear lying around. Too many people rely on me, and I can't even take a day off. Oh, back to the kids. Lately, my cohort and I have had fewer tasks, so I can take them in and train them. He probably hasn't seen anything more dangerous than a wooden sword in his life. In your region, there isn't any dangerous game, as far as I know. I'll gladly take in little Shiro as well. Hope you're all doing well. Bye for now!
At the very bottom was the author's name, written in calligraphic script.
Gadian
The entire letter was written in beautiful handwriting, but the signature was much more elegant.
Kanashimi finished reading the letter. It was obvious that one day his parents would send him to a place where he could gain real combat experience. After all, Andrian had been training him in swordsmanship since childhood, and Ran had instilled a love for magic in Shiro, who then dedicated himself to learning it independently.
His parents looked at him, expecting some reaction.
Kanashimi looked back at them for a few seconds before responding.
"You've already decided everything, so why are you looking at me like that?"
Andrian smirked, and Ran softly laughed, touching his hair.
Andrian spoke first.
"We're waiting for your reaction. You're a talented young man, so this is your chance to shine. Shiro is just as talented as you; he'll catch up to you eventually."
Kanashimi didn't respond, and an awkward silence ensued for a moment.
"In any case, you still need to prepare for your trip to Gadian. First, you need to master magic."
"I'm a warrior, not a mage."
Andrian frowned.
"I haven't heard of a single warrior who achieved anything without using magical abilities."
After a brief pause, he added,
"Tomorrow morning, I'll go to Cirta. Ask Shiro to teach you the basics of magic."