Sorcery, something I wanted to pursue in the past, the feeling of molding mana, and the scent of it gave me an indescribable ecstasy. But my mother strongly advised against it, warning me that the path of a sorcerer was one chosen only by those willing to forfeit their lives.
She told me that studying the arcane arts could only lead to self-destructive ends—a view I now suspect might have been an exaggeration meant to deter me.
Her concern left a lasting impression, and now, I wonder if there was a deeper reason behind her warning. My father, however, didn't seem bothered by the idea, though he never went against my mother. He simply told me to listen to her, believing she had her reasons.
Four years ago, while we were ten years old and playing in the woods in Aspen, I heard a girl drowning in the nearby lake.
She had attempted to take her own life, but halfway through, she felt a wave of regret. In a state of panic, she tried to swim back to shore.
My sister yelled for help, and without thinking twice, I jumped in to rescue the girl who was drowning. Lyn'chael followed closely behind me, and together, we succeeded in bringing the girl to safety.
She begged us not to tell the villagers and pleaded that we say we were merely playing. Then, she confided that her father was forcing her to learn sorcery—and he was abusive about it.
Her name was Aki Corvane. She told us sorcery was painful, yet I encouraged her to keep going, despite her reluctance. I told her the abuse might stop if she learned it, though my reasoning was shallow—I just wanted a friend who could teach me sorcery.
She would frequently visit us to get away from her father's cruelty.
Looking back, I can't understand why Aki ever took my advice. I pushed her to the point where she decided to study it formally, and now I question whether she resents me for urging her into something so painful.
Yet again, I was lost in my reverie.
"Hello? Is your head still empty? Lyn'chael, I think your brother's losing it," That was Aki's voice—so direct and teasing. It's been so long since I last heard it.
"Don't be so mean," Lyn'chael interjected. "We just went to mass and we're tired."
"Is that so?" Aki said in response.
To be honest, I struggled to find the right words to say to her—it had been so long, after all.
"Kai'len, Aki's been waiting for you two, and you can't even say hello? How disappointing," Hakon joked, his voice laced with a smirk.
Why was he even getting involved? It was only making things more complicated. Elin, however, showed no concern, keeping her attention fixed on the chess game with Hakon.
After a sigh, I finally said, "It's good to see you again."
It felt like the safest and most normal thing to say to a friend I hadn't seen in a while.
Aki tilted her head, a smirk forming. "Been a while, hasn't it? Still as awkward as ever, I see."
A small smile creeps on my face. "I can't do much about that, but you did ask if I wanted to see some sorcery, right?" I said, attempting to steer the conversation back to safer ground
"Well, it only took you an eternity to reply," Aki teased, a trace of irritation in her voice.
"What—"
"Oh! Right, how's your studies in Dagon?" Lyn'chael quickly added, shifting the topic.
"It was... complicated, but I managed," Aki replied casually, though I could tell that it didn't fully paint the whole picture.
"How tough was it? I heard some people quit before even reaching the invocation," Hakon asked, still focused on the chess game with Elin. The faint clink of chess pieces could be heard in the background.
"Yeah, a lot of people do give up. It's hard to explain—mostly reading, more reading, and then a lot of visualization on top of that," Aki said, her tone light but revealing.
"Reading and more reading? Sounds awful!" Hakon remarked.
"I know, right?" Aki let out a small laugh.
"But it's great to have you back! How long are you planning to stay?" Lyn'chael asked eagerly, wanting to know.
"I'll be here for a while. Sir Leon said he'd help me out," Aki replied.
If she's here that means her father is with her.
"What about your father?" I asked, unsure of how to phrase it.
The conversation fell silent, and part of me regretted bringing up that question.
"My father? Kai'len, he's dead."
Of course, of all people that could've asked the worst question, it has to be me.
"I... I'm sorry,"
A visible gasp escaped from Lyn'chael, and Hakon paused, his face frozen in shock as he looked at us. Meanwhile, Elin remained unmoved, still uninterested.
"Seems like all of you are more affected by his death than me," Aki said nonchalantly. Lyn'chael immediately moved to hug her again.
"Oh!" Aki was surprised by the gesture.
"Hakon, move your piece." After a brief silence, Elin finally spoke up, her voice directed at Hakon who was still in shock.
"My apologies." Hakon snapped back into focus on the game, though he didn't seem to know what to say to Aki.
"So... the sorcery you mentioned, I'd like to see it," I said, steering the conversation in a new direction.
It felt like a good idea to avoid dwelling on it, at least from my perspective. I wasn't sure whether Aki's father's passing was recent or if she was still mourning, but I thought it best not to press her about it.
"Lyn'chael, you're so cute!" Aki said, distracted, as she hugged Lyn'chael back.
It felt like I was being ignored, but I didn't mind. At least Aki had proper company with my sister, and that was enough.
"How's the mass?" Aki asked curiously.
Lyn'chael looked at her with such innocent eyes. "It was beautiful—the singing and the hymn! It was angelic!"
"So, about that sorcery—" I started to ask but was quickly cut off.
"I missed you so much!" Aki gushed to Lyn'chael, still ignoring me.
"I miss you too!" Lyn'chael echoed the sentiment.
"Want to see some sorcery?" Aki asked, her gaze sheepishly shifting towards me as well.
"What did I do?" I asked in confusion.
"I'll look into it later! My brother's been asking about sorcery and wants to see it!" Lyn'chael might have finally realized that I've been ignored several times.
"Oh yeah, I forgot your brother existed," Aki teased.
Why do I feel like she's upset with me?
"Get some rest, Lyn'chael. Kai'len, let's go outside. We need to find a place near a lake," Aki suggested.
"Finally," I replied. "I'll follow you."
In the background, the chess game continued. "Checkmate. You're pretty bad at this," Elin remarked to Hakon.
"WHAT?!" Hakon screamed in disbelief.
Lyn'chael decided to stay to watch Hakon and Elin play chess, calling out, "Take care, you two!"
As I left with Aki, Hakon slowly glanced at me and said, "Take care."
I nodded, His surprisingly nice sometimes.
As we made our way toward a nearby lake, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward. I didn't know what to say to her now that we were alone. Should I even say anything?
"Hey, Kai'len." Aki broke the silence, her voice catching me off guard.
"What is it?" I replied, turning to face her.
"Do you remember what you always do when it's my birthday?"
I don't remember at all. What was I doing back then?
"Yeah! I remember!"
"Name it then."
"No, I don't remember."
She let out a sigh. "It's fine if you don't, I was just making sure."
A small pang of guilt stirred in my chest, but my curiosity pushed it aside. I needed to know the answer.
"Can you remind me what I did for your birthday?"
She paused, her expression unreadable, then said, "You always gave me flowers. Every year on my birthday, without fail,"
I blinked, feeling a mix of surprise and embarrassment.
"Flowers? Really?"
I used to give flowers to every girl in the village on their birthdays, even to Elin once, though she didn't react—just said thank you. My father told me it was a romantic gesture, but I didn't understand at the time. I also gave them to mothers on their birthdays. Was he suggesting I had romantic feelings for them? That didn't make sense, so I stopped.
"Yeah," she said, her voice softening, but the awkwardness was palpable.
"You always pick the nicest ones."
The silence dragged on, and I shifted restlessly, not sure how to keep the discussion going.
"Well… I guess that's kind of nice," I mumbled, wishing I could think of something better to say.
"Yeah…" Aki replied, her voice trailing off.
"It was nice." She said.
There was a long, awkward pause, neither of us knowing how to break it. I cleared my throat.
"Very nice," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah..." Aki replied, clearly feeling the tension too. She shifted on her feet, looking down at the ground.
"Well, at least I did something right," I added, trying to fill the silence.
"You did," Aki said, her voice quieter now, though she still smiled a little, as if trying to make the awkwardness less noticeable.
"Anyways, we're here," Aki said.
The lake in our village was beautiful. It stretched out like a serene mirror, reflecting the vibrant autumn colors of amber, crimson, and gold. A few boats rested by the shore, likely left there by fishermen.
The cold wind brushed our skin, and despite everything, we both found a strange calm as the peacefulness of the lake settled around us.
"It's good to be back here," Aki remarked.
I stood beside her, eager to see the kind of sorcery she had learned.
"Why did you choose the lake of all places to show me some sorcery?" I asked.
Even though this is the place where she almost lost her life, I don't dare bring it up.
"Because the spell I learned at Dagon fits the fall season, and I don't want anyone else seeing it," she replied.
"I understand," I said, nodding. "Is there anything I should do?"
"Let's prepare a bucket of water," Aki suggested for our safety.
I went to work. I borrowed a bucket from a nearby fisherman and filled it with water from the lake.
"I'm ready," I said, holding the bucket.
Aki stood in front of me, her form close enough.
"Wait until I tell you, then throw the water," she instructed.
"I got it," I replied, my grip tightening on the handle of the bucket.
She glanced around, ensuring that I was the only one witnessing this moment.
With a steady hand, she extended her arm, and fallen leaves danced around us, their soft rustling blending with the faint waves of the lake.
In that instant, Aki seemed almost ethereal, her presence captivating. I couldn't tear my eyes away from what was about to unfold.
And then, it happened. A surge of flames erupted from her palms, blazing brightly. The flames flickered and danced, almost as if testing her conviction. Her face contorted with strain, the intensity of the power she wielded evident in her expression.
More importantly it was loud but not loud enough to alarm the villagers.
"Kai'len," she gasped, struggling to maintain control.
"T-this is the invocation of Exort."
Chapter End.