Beep! Beep! Beep!
Louis groaned, swatting at his alarm clock like it had personally offended him. The incessant beeping continued, and he buried his face deeper into the pillow.
"Just five more minutes," he mumbled, tugging the blanket over his head as if that could block out the noise—and the world.
But peace was fleeting.
Suddenly, the door to his room burst open with the force of a small tornado. Two pint-sized whirlwinds rushed in, jumping onto his bed and straight onto him, their voices loud enough to wake the dead.
"Good morning, BIG BROTHER!!"
The culprits were Ruth and Seth, the mischievous twin siblings. Both opposite-gender twins grinned at him, their faces glowing with excitement.
Louis groaned louder this time, glaring up at their annoyingly enthusiastic faces.
"Get off, you two," Louis said calmly, trying not to sound irritated.
The twins giggled and shook their heads.
"Nope! This is the only way to wake you up properly!" Seth declared with a mischievous grin.
"And it's nice to see your annoyed face," Ruth added smugly.
Louis rolled his eyes, already regretting not locking his door the night before.
He sighed lazily. "Great. You both did an amazing job. Now can you please get off?"
The twins giggled again before finally hopping off him.
Unbelievable. If only I had their energy.
Louis thought Wishfully, stifling a yawn and glancing at the twins.
"By the way, Why are you two so energetic this early?" Louis couldn't help but ask.
"Mommy said We're going on a Trip today!" Ruth chirped, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Huh? where?"
"to the Laplace City!," she Answered " so we going to leave the Bashbell City as well!"
"And Mommy also told us to wake you up!" Seth added, crossing his arms like he was delivering a royal decree. "You've gotta get ready for the train!"
Train? Louis blinked a couple of times before it dawned on him. Oh, right. Summer vacation's over, and the Academy term is starting again...Yay.
Louis sighed, rubbing his face. The alarm clock continued its relentless beeping.
Beep! Beep! Click–
"Stupid clock," he muttered before turning to the twins. "Alright, I'm fully awake. Go tell Aunt—I mean, Mommy—that I'm up now."
The twins nodded happily, but then they chuckled, trying to hold in their laughter.
Louis was confused and asked,
"What?"
The twins exchanged glances before Seth finally said, barely holding back a laugh,
"I like your hair. It suits you well."
After that, they ran off, giggling hysterically, leaving Louis even more confused.
He turned to the mirror and sighed. His ash-brown hair was an absolute mess, sticking up in every direction like a bird's nest.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for reminding me," he muttered.
Finally, peace returned, and the room was quiet. Louis glanced around his room. Papers and books relating to magical theories, Essence awakening methods, and other arcane topics were scattered across the floor. His garbage can was overflowing with crumpled paper and empty cans of black coffee.
All the research and countless sleepless Nights… Louis finally realized that his room was in complete chaos.
i should clean this place up before Melissa lectures me to death, Louis thought with a weary sigh.
Stretching, he slowly got up and began tidying the chaos.
A few boring minutes later, he was finally done. The room now felt cozy and clean.
"Finally. Job's done," he muttered to himself. "Now, let's get ready."
Heading to the bathroom, he washed up quickly and then dressed in his uniform—a simple black robe embroidered with symbols, a brown sweater underneath, and black pants.
He looked at the mirror again and studied himself. Ash-brown hair, fair skin, and an average height—not ugly, but not particularly handsome either. The only remarkable feature was his icy-blue eyes, a distinctive trait of the Mustang family. together with long eyelashes and dark circles.
"Huh... good enough, I guess," Louis muttered, checking his appearance one last time.
After that, he finally left the room and went downstairs. As he descended, the first thing he noticed was the delicious smell of breakfast wafting through the air.
"Hmm, chicken soup," Louis muttered happily, his stomach growling in anticipation.
When he entered the kitchen, he saw a middle-aged woman busy at the stove. It was his aunt and the person who felt more like family than anyone else, Melissa Auclair.
"Morning," Louis said as he sat down, ready to devour the soup.
"Morning, Louis," Melissa replied, her back still turned as she stirred the pot. "Excited to go back to the Academy?" she teased.
"Don't remind me," Louis muttered, rolling his eyes. "But yeah, kinda."
Louis grabbed the spice jar and sprinkled black pepper into the pot of a chicken soup.
Behind him, Melissa glanced over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched in curiosity.
"Black pepper? First thing in the morning?"
"Absolutely," Louis replied with a faint, Cheeky grin.
She sighed, shaking her head, but a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Alright then, Suits yourself," she muttered, turning back to her own cooking.
Taking a spoonful of the spicy soup, he couldn't help but savor the rich taste. A quiet moan of satisfaction escaped him.
Dear Gods… thank you for making humanity so damn creative that they could make this masterpiece.
As he ate more, Ruth's earlier comment about a trip popped back into his mind. Louis turned to Melissa and asked, "So… are you going on a trip? Ruth told me you were heading somewhere with them."
Melissa nodded. "You could say that. Your grandparents are getting old and sick, so I decided to visit them. I'm taking the twins with me since they don't have school. Plus, I don't really trust the maids to take care of them."
Louis nodded silently, understanding her reasoning, and continued eating his soup.
"Oh, and also, I was asked to meet Victor. requesting for some reports," Melissa added.
At the mention of his father's name, Louis frowned. The cheerful atmosphere dimmed slightly.
Melissa noticed his reaction and sighed. "I know you're not fond of him, but I need to visit him. It's very urgent, you know?"
Louis was silent for a moment, staring at his bowl. Then, with a slight nod, he resumed eating his soup.
After a while, his curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced up. "What's it about? Something related to politics?"
Melissa hesitated, her expression shifting into something more guarded. Finally, she said,
"It's about the Bronzo Continent, in the Noha Kingdom. According to what I've gathered, the Mistborns have already conquered 30% of it."
"What?!" Louis froze, his spoon mid-air, his expression a mix of shock and a bit of dread.
Melissa quickly held up her hand in reassurance. "Don't worry. Masters and Grandmasters are already handling the situation. In fact, the latest reports say they've managed to reclaim 15% of the lost territory."
Louis stared at his aunt, still rattled by the news. "So… that's why you need to visit my father?"
"Exactly," she confirmed. "We need more clarity and cooperation. Your father might have the connections and resources we need right now.
"As the head of one of the Greatest Families, Victor is always a great source of help, and we need every resource we can get to destroy those creatures."
He mulled over her words, his mind still lingering on the Mistborn threat. Finally, he nodded, though the unease didn't leave him.
Though, Louis also couldn't help but to frown at the mention of "Greatest Families." The term always irritated him.
Greatest families Huh?...Louis sighed heavily whatever. not that I care about them...anyway this soup is amazi–
His thoughts were then interrupted by two gremlins (the twins) trying to get their Mother's attention.
"Mommy, can you help me pick an outfit?" Ruth asked sweetly. tugging Melissa's skirt with her small hands.
"And can you help me find my Dino-plush?" Seth added, also gently tugging her skirt.
Melissa's hand glows for a moment. using her Essence to turn off the stove before looking at one of the twins.
"Sure, darling. Just go to your room and wait for me, ok?" said Melissa, stroking Ruth's long–Light–Brown Hair.
She then looked at Seth and teased" and your little friend is on the couch, probably reading a book," She also stroked his short–light–Brown hair.
"Thank you Mommy " they both said in unison with a smile as they both went on their ways.
If only those Gremlins Behaved like that longer. Louis sighed as he continued to Eat the soup.
After he finally finished it, he stood with his Bowl and decided to wash it. not giving His aunt more work than she already has.
"Thanks," Melissa said with a smile.
"No worries," he muttered. already finished cleaning the Bowl.
louis then looked at the time and realized it was already 11PM, Meaning the train was ready to set off in an hour.
Oh shit!
"Gotte go" he called, he hurriedly went upstairs,
Melissa Calmly followed. since she needed to help Ruth with Clothes.
After Louis was in his room, he took everything he needed.
Clothes, Books, Snacks, Study objects and lastly his notebook.
"Is this all?" he muttered, scratching the back of his neck before looking at his aunt from the other side of the room and asked " is there something i'm forgetting?"
"Nope!" Melissa voiced out, also helping out Ruth " Oh! actually, go downstairs and you will see the box. you can take that with you!"
A box? Confused and curious he went downstairs again and immediately noticed a nicely wrapped box in the kitchen.
he went closer and noticed a note, he picked it up and read it.
"Happy 18th Birthday Louis, I wish you the best!"
Louis smiled faintly, already knowing who the gift was from.
Even though his birthday was still a week away, he was touched to receive something early from her.
"Thanks, big sis," he muttered softly, a warm smile spreading across his face. Carefully, he took the present and went back upstairs to continue packing.
Once he had everything ready, he headed downstairs, ready to leave. But just as he reached the door, Melissa stopped him.
"Wait! You forgot something," she said, walking over and handing him a large bottle.
The bottle contained a blackish liquid, swirling with countless glowing sparks that danced and shimmered within it.
Of course... how could I forget that? Louis sighed, tucking it carefully into his pocket.
"You know the drill, right?" Melissa asked, her tone serious. "If you feel nauseous, have the urge to throw up, or—"
"—Or randomly get a nosebleed," Louis interrupted with a faint smirk. "I'll drink it immediately. Three times a day. Don't worry, Aunty, I know the rules."
Melissa let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Good... good. Don't forget, okay?"
"I won't," Louis reassured her with a faint smile.
She sighed again, softer this time, and leaned in to kiss his forehead gently.
"Once I'm done with my work, I'll come visit you. Would you like that?" she asked.
"Always," he replied with a smile. "And I don't mind if you bring those little gremlins along."
Melissa chuckled and nodded. "Sure, sure. They'd love to visit you too."
Louis chuckled, then opened the door, ready to leave. But before he could step out, a familiar, enthusiastic voice rang out behind him.
"Bye-bye, big bro!" Ruth shouted happily, waving her small arms with all her might.
"See you later, Louis! Can't wait to annoy you again!" Seth added with his trademark cheeky grin.
Louis rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless, waving back at them. "See you later, you little gremlins," he said playfully, before turning to his aunt.
"You too, Aunty. See you in two months."
Melissa nodded silently, her warm smile glowing with affection.
Grabbing his suitcase, Louis stepped outside.
The air was warm and the weather was nice, he sighed in relief that it didn't rain today.
As he walked away, he glanced back and saw the twins still waving from the doorway. He couldn't help but smile.
Looking ahead, he took a deep breath. The path before him was clear.
He was ready to go to the Academy.