Ethan entered the ancestral mansion and looked around with a curiosity only a child could possess.
Just two months ago, he had turned eight, and it seemed he was now old enough to participate in the family tradition.
The family tradition!
He had always been curious about why, once a year, his entire family gathered in a mansion deep in the woods.
He had asked his parents, but they only told him he would find out in due time.
Even his sister, who had been attending the tradition for years, remained silent about it.
The mansion's hall was vast and opulent. Although he had been accustomed to wealth since he was little, this grand hall gave him a very strange feeling.
Like a place full of many stories and events. He ran through the mansion on a reconnaissance mission; the maids and the butler watched him without saying a word and let him continue his adventure.
Everything seemed new to him, from the rooms to the game rooms. As he walked down a long hallway, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and the lights started flickering.
Ethan began to tremble as he advanced, his heart racing madly with each step. The flickering lights made the shadows seem sinister, and he had a terrible feeling that something very evil was lurking in them.
But what truly made him tremble with fear was an object in the middle of the hallway.
He couldn't see it clearly due to the lack of light. His small heart pounded with every step he took.
When he was just a meter away from the object, he could see it clearly.
An axe!
It wasn't a special or ancient axe; in fact, it was a common axe placed beside the fire hose and extinguisher.
It was just a regular axe... But the terror and fear Ethan felt upon seeing it were absolute.
He started hyperventilating, and his eyes began to water.
But before he could have a full-blown panic attack, a hand rested on his shoulder.
"What's wrong, little man?"
The touch on his shoulder seemed to snap him out of his trance, and he realized he was in the same hallway, but everything was completely normal. No flickering lights or sinister shadows.
The axe was still on the wall and still gave him chills, but the feeling was bearable, like seeing a tiger in a zoo.
You knew it was dangerous, but you were safe there.
"Oh! Yes, I'm fine!" Ethan was still trembling slightly.
"You look terrified." His father crouched down and ruffled his hair affectionately.
"It's nothing." He didn't know why, but the idea of telling his father the truth also terrified him.
"What are you doing?"
"Exploring!"
"I see." His father nodded and then pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. "You can keep exploring, but don't go into that room or your grandfather's office."
Ethan looked at the door at the end of the hallway, and his chills intensified.
"I won't." He shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to explore anymore."
Rudolf looked at his son with puzzlement but shrugged and led him through the hallways.
In one of the hallways, they came across a painting of an old man dressed in very ancient clothes with a stern gaze.
"Look there." Rudolf pointed to the portrait.
Ethan looked at the portrait of the old man with confusion.
"Who is he?"
"Nathaniel Bergil!" His father replied with admiration in his eyes. "The founder of our family, Bergil."
"He alone founded our family during a time of chaos and wars." Staring at the portrait, Rudolf had a distant look. "Using only his Gift, he navigated through a turbulent time when advanced mages died like mere cannon fodder."
Ethan couldn't fully understand the meaning of his father's words, but he could tell it was something incredible.
"A Gift?" He asked, driven by his curiosity.
"Oh? I forgot you don't know what Gifts are yet." Rudolf smiled as he explained. "Gifts are special abilities with which particularly magically gifted people are born."
"They come in all types and varieties. Some even seem to go beyond all logic and magic. So absurd that they make you reconsider if we are truly as special as we believe." Rudolf shook his head with clear longing on his face and looked at the portrait. "That was our founder, a gifted man. Unfortunately, Gifts are not hereditary."
"What was the founder's Gift, Dad?" Ethan was naturally curious.
Rudolf put his hands in his pockets and took out a cigarette, lighting it.
"He could see the future!"
Ethan's eyes widened in shock.
"Incredible!!" His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Our ancestor was amazing!!"
His little legs jumped with excitement as he imagined casting spells before his opponents and anticipating their actions.
Rudolf smiled, seeing himself in the past. He, too, had smiled and imagined being like the ancestor Nathaniel.
Grrrrrgggg!
Ethan's stomach growled for a few seconds, and silence fell in the hallway.
Rudolf let out a loud laugh and, laughing, lifted Ethan off the ground and placed him on his shoulders. "Let's go eat something."
"Yes!" Ethan looked out the window and, just for a brief moment, could swear he saw the mansion's butler burying something in the garden.
Rudolf carried Ethan on his shoulders to the dining room, where, after sitting down, the servants began placing food in front of them, even though it wasn't dinner time yet.
Slowly, family members began to come down and join them for dinner, complementing what was a beautiful family meal.
His father Rudolf and his mother Cecil sat together, talking in low voices so he couldn't hear them.
But Ethan still managed to catch a phrase from his mother.
"He's not ready for the tradition yet!"