The morning bird’s song was interrupted by rhythmic explosions of blazing fire. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and threw myself out of bed. I swept my long dirty-blonde hair out of my face while slipping on my day clothes, which fit snugly around my thick muscles.
I push open my room’s heavy wood door and walk through our wide hallways past decorative swords and shields out to the back yard where my mother trained her magic.
“Good morning, Ray!” My mother waved to me happily, sending another blast of flame into the sky. Her blonde hair, matching mine, blew wildly in the blast, and birds fled from the shelter of the small trees dotted around our garden my dad tended.
“Always impressive, isn’t it?” My dad said admiringly, “Not a bandit or garg in the whole Deep stood a chance against your mother.” He walked over to me, while my mother continued to practice her magic. I caught the apple my father tossed to me and took a bite.
We sat together watching my mother’s practice. Dad held his hand to his face every time Mom shot a new blaze of magical fire into the sky, his dark hair flapping in the force of her attacks. Each explosion erupted with such force that even the plants on the ground seemed to cower back for fear they may get singed by the magic flames.
My parents were Divers, which isn’t to say they liked to swim, they were the Divers that fought the corrupted monsters in the land we called the Deep. Divers got their name from a famous poet and mage who described what would soon be named the Deep as “A sea of ruthless savages, motivated by nothing more than innate destructive desire.”
As my father and I sat, munching on fruits, watching my mother train, he told me, “Your mother wasn’t always such a powerful mage, she’d train like this every morning ‘till she passed out from magic exhaustion.” He laughed.
Wiping sweat off her forehead, my mother walked over, “And now it’s hard for me to use up all my magic at all.” She said, “That is, if I want to do it without leveling a few mountains.”
My father feigned fear. “Scary” He said, raising his hands in front of his face mockingly.
“I’ll show you something scary.” My mother sneered.
My father just laughed, he was the only person in my entire hometown of Halsry that could talk to my mother like that, anyone else wouldn’t dare challenge her absolute power.
“A word with the o’ mighty Remorys?” A familiar voice called from the front of the house.
I jumped up quickly and ran inside to open the door. There stood a friendly face, Christopher Obleck, or Uncle Chris as I liked to call him. Of course, he wasn’t actually my Uncle, but he might as well be, being the closest friend of my mother and father.
“What brings you here, Chris?” My father called from behind me.
Uncle Chris had to stand on his toes to see over my shoulder, which wasn’t to say he was small, my family was just all quite tall, “Just stopping by, no problem I hope?”
“None at all.” My mother said, opening the door further to let him inside.
Uncle Chris and my parents had traveled together for many years when they were all Divers. A merry group of four they had been, fighting corruption, saving towns, and having great adventures. Those days were long gone though, they decided to retire when my mother got pregnant with me, a now 16 year old boy, and all but the fourth member of the party, Yvone, decided to stay here in Halsry.
Yvone was an enigmatic figure, Uncle Chris and my parents spoke laconically about her, and it could be assumed they weren’t exactly on good terms anymore.
Now my parents lived simple lives in this quiet city caring for me and lazing about their days. Uncle Chris on the other hand was often swamped with his duties as Mayor of the city.
When my parents and Uncle Chris first came here, it was a small town, but their prestige and fame they’d earned as Divers caused it to flourish, particularly attracting the notably strong. Being that such extraordinary people lived here, from what I understood, it was extraordinarily different from the outside world as well.
The people here talked differently, acted differently, had different values, and most importantly hated anyone from the outside. They’d do their best not to talk about their time as Divers, and they’d denounce anything from the outside.
To no avail, I’d spent most my life trying to find out what it was that caused such animosity towards anything foreign. Being that nobody would tell me anything, I’d resolved to become a Diver for myself, learn everything I could about the world, and get out of this small, boring city.
We all sat down at our dinner table, and Uncle Chris stretched out with a great yawn. “You know, Sarina, your morning practice keeps waking up the whole city, I’m getting a lot of complaints about it.” Uncle Chris sighs.
“If they have a problem with it they can take it up with me.” My mother huffed.
“You know they can’t do that.” Uncle Chris shakes his head.
“Has there been much trouble for you lately?” My dad asked.
“Not more than there usually is, settling disputes between some of the strongest people to live isn’t exactly a relaxing task though.” Uncle Chris admits.
“Do you need any help?” My mother asked.
Uncle Chris shakes his head, “If I called on your power to scare the city into submission it would become a bleak tyranny.”
“I wouldn’t scare them, I’d mediate them!” My mother objects.
Uncle Chris is becoming ever more exhausted, “There are few men who can even stand up to you, Sarina, let alone argue with you.”
Mages like my mother were as rare as they were feared. Seen as symbols of war and destruction, they’re often hoarded by kingdoms to defend from the corruption. It wasn’t just magic that made you a mage, everyone had magic, it was the ability to bend magic to your will that made you a mage, a gift few possessed, and even fewer became skilled with.
My mother pouts, and Uncle Chris continues, “That said, I do have more time on my hands lately since the city has begun to be self sufficient.” He turns to me with a smile on his face, “What say you I start training your boy?”
“Start?” My dad asked, “I’ve trained him in the blade his whole life.”
“You may know how to swing a sword, Ren, but your tactical mind is not nearly as strong as your strike. I will teach the boy more than just swordplay, I will teach him how to dive.”
“I thought there was no reason for you coming over.” My mother said.
“Ah, you should know me better than that, Sarina.” Uncle Chris said cheekily.
“That I should.” She frowns.
“What do you think?” Uncle Chris asked.
“Absolutely not,” My mothers rejects firmly, “I refuse to let Ray out into the Deep. It’s far too dangerous and he’s far too young.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d been in a similar situation, it was always the same, Uncle Chris and my dad wanted me to go out and become a Diver, and my mother would firmly stand her ground and object. My mothers word was absolute, so unless you convinced her your way was best, your efforts were futile.
“Surely you want to dive as well, don’t you Ray?” Uncle Chris asked me.
“Of course I…” I stop mid-sentence, interrupted by the cold glare of my mother.
“You really have such a weak resolve, Laddie.” Uncle Chris sighs, and silence fills the room for a moment as a tense stalemate arises. “What about this?” Uncle Chris said, “Should the boy best me in a one on one battle, we let him become a Diver.”
My mother raises her eyebrow at the suggestion, and my father chimes in, “If he can beat Chris we know he’d be safe outside.”
“Strength is not the issue, Ray is strong, of course he is, he’s my son.” My mother shakes her head. “What Ray isn’t, is careful, there’s no telling what mistake he’ll make outside that’ll lead to his doom.”
“He won’t beat me in a battle if he’s careless either.” Uncle Chris coaxes.
“True enough.” My mother sighs, looking down at her lap in thought.
“So?” I ask expectantly.
She turns to me, looking me up and down carefully. “Fine,” She concedes, “Should you beat Uncle Chris in a one on one mock battle, I’ll consider letting you become a Diver.”
Me, Uncle Chris, and my father all shout in triumph. My mother rolls her eyes as I jubilantly run to hug Uncle Chris and my father. Years of begging, training, and waiting had finally paid off, I might finally become a Diver.
Uncle Chris puts both hands on my shoulders, “Your training starts tomorrow, Laddie. Be ready.”
I nod happily, while the excitement threatens to explode out my chest. The day has only just begun, and anticipation for the next is growing unbearably by the second.
I run out of the room, grab my greatsword. If I were to stand my sword on it’s tip, it’d likely stand up to my shoulders. I swung my wide, heavy blade over my back and poked my head back into the dining area. “I’m gonna go sharpen my blade!” I say quickly.
“See you tomorrow, Laddie!” Uncle Chris laughed.
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