The rest of the lesson went by quicker than normal. It felt like Elandra was going at double the speed she normally did. Then when the lesson was over she left very abruptly and quickly. Usually, she and Ryuji would take a little bit of time to eat some snacks or have some tea together and talk, but today without another word she simply left…it was odd. Ryuji thought he might have been too pervasive, which was honestly fair. He wanted to put it out of his mind and the next part of his day was the easiest time to do so: it was time for his siblings riding lesson.
Every Sklgran is taught how to ride a magical beast of some kind. Some of the more common families have beastial type rides, but ones of higher households get beast of the air. Ryuji was unable to obtain a mount since he wasn't an official member of the Lyondel family (and they also knew he would try to escape). But he did enjoy getting to see the mounts his siblings had. He had found a spot a few months ago where he could watch their practice while still staying out of sight, they did not like it when he watched them most of the time. He headed into the garden, as nonchalantly as possible, and walked to the back of the area. There was a large stone statue of some other elf, probably the first of the Lyondel's, that had been placed just between the walkway and the hedge that surrounded the garden. Ryuji quickly snuck behind it, being careful not to be seen. Most people in the household did not care much for what he did, except for Reginald and Elandra. A few of the servants would tell him not to go places or look at him with disgust, that is why he had to try and get into his hiding place as quickly as possible. He snuck into the hedge, letting some of the branches and bristles poke at him as he continued to tread through. After a few feet he came to a clearing within the middle of the hedge, a dry spot with little leaves and branches to be seen. He had previously set out a blanket for himself as well as had found a container to store some snacks, he would be glad to see the container was untouched by insects. He sat down on the blanket happily and pulled out some crackers and began to enjoy his time. He had made enough of a window for himself that he could very clearly see where his brothers and sisters would be practicing without having to worry about being seen himself. After a few minutes, his siblings began to file along outside in full riding gear, all three of them.
They marched forward, the same order every day, followed closely behind by their father; William Ansum Lyondel. He walked out with a long and forthright stride. His presence was definitely commanding. He didn't fit the typical mold of Elves. Most Elves were tall and thin, he was indeed tall but definitely not thin. He had built up a substantial amount of muscle during his time fighting in the Ingla military. He was a highly decorated general, but after years without the regime he was still large and strong but had weakened with time. His size was a little more pudgy, he wasn't as solid as before. He was more so a product of muscle memory rather than work. That didn't stop him from trying to show off however. Ryuji noticed he often wore jackets that were too small in order to show off the size of his forearms. He had wrinkles and evidence of tiredness around his eyes, another rare thing for an elf. He had the same long white hair as the rest of his progeny but his was more kept than the others, a product of military standards. He was a rather cold and distant father who only passed down discipline when necessary and without mercy, the way a general would. He didn't give much love or affection and his attitude encouraged infighting between his children, not that Ryuji was every part of it given he was the 'unknown Lyondel.' Most children would be all the worse for having a father like him, but Ryuji couldn't help but be fascinated by him. The years of trauma that must float around in his head, more than anything he wanted to get inside that man's psyche…more than anything he wanted to help.
Ryuji watched, munching on snacks, as the instructor came out to lead his siblings towards their mounts. They all stood patiently and eagerly as they awaited their mounts' arrival. Not before long, the sound of cries and screeches could be heard around the estate. Shadows appeared in the near clouds and little specks could be seen coming towards the estate, they were arriving. This was Ryujis favorite part. The beast quickly came and landed onto the open field of the floating island, all three in total.
"Alright my lords and ladies, today will be the first day you truly get to ride your mounts," the instructor yelled, "remember, the beast are proud! You must assume dominance and control, if you do not they will not respect you as their master. Not this day, not ever." Ryuji could tell this made his siblings more than a little afraid. "Sander, why don't you start us off?" The instructor said,
Sander sucked in a big gulp of air and proudly stepped forward. Of the four kids he definitely looked the most like their father. Sander was tall, handsome, and more stocky than the others. He also inherited his fathers magical affinity; Gravity. His long white hair was tied back in a ponytail. If you didn't know him and had the pleasure of meeting Sander you would see him as strong and confident, but Ryuji knew the truth. He was terrified, indulgent, almost every action he made was to impress someone else. He was basically a puppet, one that his father often liked to use for his own and then criticize when he wasn't useful.
Sander stepped towards the mount with a confident stride, very rehearsed. Ryuji had caught him practicing his stride many times in secret. He walked towards his Mount, a large Griffin type creature, and placed his hand forward pointing a finger at the ground. "Kneel," he said. No one else could see, but Ryuji noticed a flicker of opaque energy resonate from him. Suddenly, Griffin looked at him wide eyed, it appeared to be struggling for some reason. After a moment it knelt itself down and bowed its head, it seemed to struggle to keep it up. Sander walked around and climbed onto the saddle. His siblings and father applauded, Ryuji included.
"Well done Sander…even if you did cheat," Ryuji said. It was the advantage to having gravity magic, it was easy to make things yield. Next up was his sister, Ariana. She and Sander were similar to each other in looks but differed in physique, she too is tall but has more of a lean build to her. Though he knew their father would never say it, Ariana was the pride and joy of the family. She was beautiful, adept at almost everything, and had a neutral magical affinity; which Ryuji had found out means she can copy other peoples affinities, a very rare ability. She was exactly what their father wanted a Lyondel to be, perfect. Or at least appearing so. Ryuji, due to his out of sight nature, often saw things others didn't. Ariana was not as gifted as she appeared, in fact…she was the hardest worker Ryuji knew. Ryuji would even go as far as to say she wasn't really adept at anything but had the work ethic to become masterful in any area she desired. Ryuji didn't know her motivation behind the work but he wanted to.
"Ariana when you are ready," Ariana had maybe the scariest creature of them all; the Roc. An incredibly large bird that made the griffin look like a mouse next to a cat. Ariana approached it with worry and poise, but Ryuji knew she would be fine. How? He had seen Ariana studying Roc's as well as trying to figure out their hunger patterns. He then had seen her make many excursions to find this particular Roc and feed it in an attempt to bond with the creature. She had worked meticulously to make this creature like her, before anyone even knew she had interacted with it.
The Roc had no fear in its eyes as Ariana approached. Ryuji could tell with his new found magic that it felt at ease with her, like it was spending time with a close friend. It knelt its head down almost immediately and Ariana gracefully strides onto its back and takes a seat; smiling in an elegant and proud manner. Their father and the rest of them clapped all the more, but their fathers were definitely louder than with Sander. Another competition tactic.
"And now…Liliane…" the instructor said uncertainty, looking to their father. But their father nodded in assurance, a mistake in Ryuji's eyes. If Ryuji was the black sheep of the family, then Liliane was as close to second as you could get. He is a shy, timid, smaller elvish woman. She had beauty for sure but in more of a cute and adorable way rather than a commanding and elegant way. Her hair was similar to the others, but if you looked closely it had more tones of grey than white, an offense in the eyes of the Lyondels. She is a genuinely sweet, genuinely gracious, and genuinely loving girl; which is why Ryuji felt the most protective over her.
Their father did not see it that way. He saw her timidity as weakness, he saw her fragility as a lack of grit, and above all…he saw her lack of magic as an abomination. As if some sort of cruel joke, she had received maybe the most dangerous of the three aviary beasts. A Drake, a small dragon type creature that was prone to aggression. It looked at Liliane with focus on precision, like a cat watching its prey. It would have been enough to scare anyone, but it especially scared her.
"Father I don't…" she began to say.
"Master Lyondel," he said forcefully. He didn't have to say much as that was all it took. He said a few words but the intent was clear. He put Liliane in her place. Liliane cowarded a bit and began gently and fearfully taking small steps towards the creature. Each step she took was smaller than the last, she was trying to take every precaution she could, hoping for something to save her.
"Now, Liliane," their father called out. Liliane looked to her brother and sister for guidance or reassurance, but they offered none. The prospect of disappointing their father was too great a deterrent. She would have to continue onward. Ryuji stood up, getting hit by branches and thistles as he stood. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what he could do.
"Liliane, please stop moving," Ryuji said to himself. He hoped something would be enough to stop her, anything. And yet she continued forward, hesitantly approaching the drake. The instructor nervously inched closer to the drake, seeing the killer instinct in its eyes. The drake began to march forward, it wasn't supposed to do that, it began to close the gap in between itself and Liliane. Liliane stopped in her tracks as it approached. It did so softly, carefully, making sure not to spook Liliane. It was trying to look harmless, it was treating Liliane like prey.
Ryuji closed his eyes and opened his domain, he knew it would be a fruitless effort to try and control the drake, but maybe he could at least stall it. His eyes glowed purple as he got ready to act but it was all too late. All at once the drake quickly lifted itself into the air, it hovered above the ground causing enough wind to cause Liliane to fall over. It looked down upon her as she trembled in terror. Its shadow completely encompassed her, he was consuming her. He opened his mouth and a well of heat and flames licked from within. Ryuji tried to release his spell…
"ENOUGH!" Their father yelled. Suddenly a wave of pressure and energy spread from him encompassing almost the entire island. The air was filled with a haze and it became almost impossible to stand. Everything fell to its knees, the Griffin, the Roc, the children, Ryuji, even Drake fell out of the sky with a loud screech. He landed on the island with a loud thud just barely missing Liliane. Through the haze of gravity, Ryuji could see William walking towards Liliane completely unfazed.
How could such power exist within one man…Ryuji thought. He had only seen his father use his magic a few times, but he had heard the stories. In comparison to Ryuji's petty attempts at using magic it was the difference between a popper you throw on the ground for fun and a missile. The amount of composed and trained power within the man was daunting to anybody within this world, even more so for Ryuji who was not of this world. After a moment, Ryuji felt the gravity lessen, he felt like he could actually move his limbs once again.
William walked over and picked Liliane up by the arm standing her on her feet, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! A BEAST LIKE THIS REQUIRES PRECISION, DISCRETION, AND UNYIELDING PRESENCE," he began to lay into her, but Liliane barely listened; her gaze was fixed upon the drake. She had been feet away from death and she knew it. Ryuji had many patients who experienced familiar moments where they faced death and narrowly avoided it, it was not an easy thing to overcome. Liliane would need to process, but given the world they lived in, she wouldn't be given the chance…unless…
William threw Liliane's arm and turned her towards him, "your lack of magic is not an excuse for mediocrity," he said. Liliane nodded on impulse and William quickly turned and began to walk back towards the entrance to the house. Ryuji heard him say something but it was too quiet to make out. A moment later Reginald appeared. William said something to him and then disappeared once again. Ryuji curiously moved forward, trying to take in as much information as he could.
"Allishtar…" a voice said behind him.
"AAAAAAAAAAA" Ryuji screamed, falling onto the ground and backing into the bush. Behind him was the crouched face of Reginald. This dude was everywhere.
"Your father wishes to speak with you," he said.