Giean's perspective
Ken’s house is not what I expected. Currently the houses within my territory are all made from clay bricks or stone. When I first visited the poorest households, they built their shelters with mud and straw. With the introduction of the clay brick and tile factory that all changed.
Wood houses are not common on the plains and while I have travelled all over the continent as a high-ranking adventurer, there has never been a reason to visit any but the houses of the nobility. As I look at the small hut built in the middle of a clearing I feel, unsure.
I see a smoke house built near the edge of the clearing, an outhouse on the opposite side. animal skin dry under the sun and I can hear a nearby stream gurgling. As I look at the rough cut of the logs and their haphazard placement, I realize why I have this knot of concern in my stomach. I know nothing of Ken.
I have taken him on as my apprentice out of necessity and while I have talked a lot, he has barely told me anything about himself. Not that I can blame him, even excluding the pain from his pack and awakening his mana he has been through a lot these last few days.
Ken’s father opens the door. He looks like Ken but less refined. His teeth a little more crooked and yellow, the wear of losing a son showing on his face. His mother is the first to embrace him. She is what nobles refer to as a village beauty having many of the characteristics they elevate like high cheekbones, large eyes, and perfect teeth. Things that the nobility breed into bloodlines through concubines and bastard children.
Unlike true noble ladies that live in the lap of luxury, years of hard work have left their mark. Her tan skin shows her age, thickened by years working under the sun and with her hands. Wrinkles, deepened by the recent incident, crease her forehead and sun spots dot her nose and cheeks.
As the parents reunite with their lost son, I feel awkward standing outside the door behind Ken. I look past the crying family into the house. Everything in the building has a rough edge to it and seems handmade. Everything shows the patches of many repair jobs. The life of a hunter is not a profitable one.
That is when I notice the girl sitting at the table dolls in hand. Matching my breathing and mana signature to Ken, concealing my very existence within his, I slip past them. His sister stares at me wide eyed as I approach, her brain rejecting my existence because of the dissonance created by sensing her brother and seeing someone else. As soon as I start talking to his sister their family reunion ends.
To ken’s parent’s credit, they handle all the news very well. While they did reject the necessary upgrades to their house originally, they submitted when I explained the situation to them.
“Are you sure you must leave so soon,” Ken’s mother Bethany asks. “You are more then welcome to say for dinner.”
“it may be plain by a nobles standard but I think my Beth is quite the cook.” Ken’s father James says putting his arm proudly around his wife.
“I don’t doubt it,” I respond with a smile, “but we really should be going.”
If I thought my exhaustion was bad in the morning, now I could just lie down and sleep anywhere. Chrono scrambles out of Annette’s arms and climbs onto kens back resting on his shoulders.
Still there is something I want to see before I go. I can hear the wind whip through the forest, see it shake the trees surrounding the clearing. However, the wind essence around the hut is perfectly calm. It is like the wind is trying to protect the hut.
I crouch down in front of Annette. “Hold out your hands,”
She does so without asking questions, rare for a child. I hold up my own hand snaking my mana up to interact with the wind essence. I force it to gather in my palm till it becomes visible to the human eye. Then I change its shape to that of a galloping horse. I ignore their wide eye stares as I slip my hand under Annette’s placing the wind horse in her palm.
I sever the thread of mana maintaining the horse and with my other hand behind my back form a new connection with the earth essence in the ground. In that hand I start to form a pure white stone horse while I watch the wind horse standing in Annette’s palm. The horse’s feet start to move no longer appearing to be galloping but actually galloping in place. Annette’s hands begin to glow green to my eyes as the wind essence draws on her dormant mana to maintain its altered form.
I watch the expression on her face become strained as she focuses on the magic in her palms, not realising she is the one maintaining it. She takes one hand out from underneath the horse. As she reaches for the mass of condense air, I tap into it again with my mana. With a snap of my fingers it disappears.
Before she can react, I hand her the white stone horse. “This is what your horse will look like all grown up.”
Her face beams as she takes the figurine from me and clutches it to her chest.
“What do we say Anne?” Beth scolds.
“Thank you” Annette says her tone shyer than I expected.
“Your welcome,” I say as I stand up.
Honestly, I should be thanking them. I was surprise to see Ken had such a strong wind affinity but his sister is a whole other story. She was able to maintain a high-level wind essence manipulation for 20 seconds with her mana still dormant and based on her expression would most likely have been able to do another 20. That would place her affinity on par with the Suntouched or most Royal families. However, she didn’t stop there, causing the figure to move, she would be considered a genius in any group outside the Beastlord family.
I look to Beth and James, “If you guys would be willing, I would love to sponsor Annette to attend Shingra Academy. I think she has the potential to be a great mage, I am an important figure there, and a personal friend of the director. I am sure getting her enrolled will not be a problem. She will however have to study with my family first, to awaken her mana, and we will teach her the basics so she is not too far behind when-”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Beth shouts waving her hands.
“Shi-ng-ra!” Ken stutters.
“Shingra,” James echoes.
Ignoring her husband and son Beth looks at me, “while I appreciate the offer Annette is still too young and we could never pay you back-”
I raise my hand, “in this case as well I am doing this for my own gain. Your daughter has the potential to be one of the greatest mages on the continent. Not only does it benefit me to have a connection like that but it will earn me great renown among the lords for finding such a rare talent.”
“But…” Beth says trying to find a reason to object, her husband gently places his hand on her shoulder.
“I am not asking for Annette to come with me right now. I will be back in a week to check on the constructions progress. You can give me your answer then.”
They both nod Beth still looking uncomfortable. I can understand that, it must look like I am trying to buy her kids from her. Not a claim I can fully deny. Still there is one thing I need to know.
“Beth do you know your grandfathers name?”
My question catches her by surprise, “Yes, it is Xavier. Why?”
Destiny and coincidence are usually indiscernible. However, there may be a chance that Ken was meant to pick up that egg. I way for my family to pay off their debts.
“I know what your last name will be, Brull.”
Ken’s eyes light up, I shake my head to keep him from saying anything. I want to get back and sleep and explaining everything would take too long.
We say our final goodbyes before Noir emerges from the forest, the blood of some bird painting the black fur around her mouth red. I apologize for rushing her meal as she grooms herself before brushing against Ken’s legs then mine.
The Brulls watch in amazement as she disappears into the shadow of a tree followed by their son. As I am about to enter the shadow James grabs my arm, I turn and see Beth leading Annette into the house. Annette, seeing me turned, waves one more time before she disappears through the door. I look back to James, he will not meet my eyes.
“Thank you,” he says quietly. I open my mouth to respond but before I can he shuts me up. “I know this may not seem like much to you, that you have your reasons, but thank you. You have offered our children chances I could never have dreamed of. Open up doors I imagined permanently closed. So, thank you. I know my wife is hesitant but I will convince her. For Annette to have the chance to go to Shingra Academy under the sponsorship of the next head of the Beastlord family. It sounds like something out of a legend, a song sung at taverns by bards.”
I don’t know what to say so I smile, “maybe one day it will be. If you wife is worried about your daughter being lonely, she wont actually be staying with me but at the beast garden. Don’t worry it is not as dangerous as it sounds. It is where the Suntouched, our family’s servants, live and are trained. There are around 100 families there and many kids around her age who she will learn with. If she is not satisfied with that, I can talk to the Suntouched family head and see if you can live there with her for the duration of her study. You can ask the maid and butler who will arrive later more about it, they live there.”
“Thank you,” he says once more as I step into the shadows.
I emerge on the other side only to be pelted by questions from Ken.
“Brule? The Xavier Brule? The last wind Sage?”
“Yes.” I say trying to push past him.
He can’t even get the words out but the questions are painted all over his face.
“another time, I need to get some sleep.”
I don’t get to see his disappointed expression as I made my way into the house. I don’t remember getting to my room. The next thing I remember is how my bed feels as the world goes black.
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