The week I decided to stay in the city passed faster than I had hoped, I spent almost every day at the smithy, and when I wasn’t at the smithy I was training with my dad or talking to my mom about her time as a Diver in hopes of learning something useful.
My last full day in the city was coming to an end when Uncle Chris came looking for me. After stopping me and talking for a while, he paused for longer than usual before finally deciding on what to say.
“Why don’t you come with me, Ray? I have something to show you.”
I agreed, as I have nowhere else I particularly needed to be, and the Old Man usually has something interesting prepared when he pulls something like this.
It didn’t take long before I realised where we’re headed. The massive wall around the city loomed over me as we approached ever closer to the impressive structure.
After talking to a couple of guards, and using a couple of favors that many people around the town owed him, Uncle Chris took me to a stairway that led to the top of the wall. The stairs seemed endless, but once we reached the top, the strong wind was the first thing I noticed. Through my waving hair, I’m able to see the sun setting in the distance past a thick blanket of massive trees.
“It’s amazing” were the only words I could muster as the vastness and beauty of the sunset over the forest overwhelms me. A light orange glow painted the sky, and the green of the forest canopy below it stretched like a vast emerald ocean slowly swaying with the breeze.
“Come tomorrow this wide open world will be your home, Ray. You’ll see things that you couldn’t even fathom in this small city, meet characters more eccentric than the craziest folk here, and face fears that would scar any normal man for his whole life.” He told me. “You’ll make countless memories out there Ray, it will forge you into a new person, the Deep is only half of what this adventure is going to be, it will be filled with happenings that will change how you see everything.”
The decision to leave this city would be the most pivotal moment in my whole life, there was so much to do outside, so much to see and experience. This continent was massive, and it was beautiful. As a Diver, I would get to travel all over it, and protect its people at the same time.
“What you do out there Ray, is none of my business really, I want you to have your own journey, your own adventure.”
Uncle Chris pauses, thinking over carefully the next words he’s going to say to me.
“But don’t let someone in need pass you by Ray.”
That was it? Some awfully simple words to give me after thinking so hard about it, but I’d keep it in mind nonetheless I guess. It wasn’t like I intended to ignore someone if they needed something from me.
Uncle Chris stared out into the distance seemingly lost in thought, I decided not to disturb him, and just looked out into the world with him.
I had never seen anything so big, I’d caught glimpses outside the gates, but from there you’d never be able to understand the sheer scale of what lay in front of me.
After a while in silence Uncle Chris turns to me once more.
“I just don't want you to have any regrets, Ray.”
“Do you have any regrets?”
“Of course I do, everyone does, but what I mean is real regrets, things that stick with you for the rest of your life, things that wake you up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. ‘Course, I got those too.”
I decided it wasn’t wise to inquire further into that topic.
“Thank you for taking me up here Uncle Chris.”
“No problem Laddie, now let’s head down, the most important day of your life is tomorrow, you’ll need a full night's rest for it.”
“Yeah.” I agreed simply and followed Uncle Chris on the way back down, thinking.
How my mom reacted was odd. I was already incredibly strong, but I was born to two of the greatest Divers to ever live, Ren and Sarina Remory, trained by another legendary Diver, Christopher Olbeck, with weapons forged by the renowned Lithil family. I know it's not good to get too full of yourself, but with everything I had going for me, how couldn’t I be at least confident in my ability.
My mom understood all this too, so her reaction definitely ran a little deeper than just overprotectiveness. Not much could give me any sort of threat out there I don't think, and they kept revealing more about being a Diver and the Deep by the day, so I’m sure one day the pieces will fall into place.
Assuring myself it’d all workout in the end, I walked with Uncle Chris to my house, where he stayed to eat dinner with us, afterwards we said our goodbyes and I turned in for the night.
As I tried to fall asleep, my door opened and my mother walked in.
“What’s up?” I asked her.
“Can a mother not come see her child before she goes to sleep?”
“Of course you can” But this is rare even for you, I thought, deciding to keep that part to myself.
“Do you know why I don’t want you to leave Ray?”
“Because you’re worried?” Seemed obvious enough to me, and she didn’t want to share anything more than that when she argued with Uncle Chris and my father over the table.
She shook her head, “You have incredible strength, Ray, and with that strength comes confidence, as if you weren't already reckless enough in your actions, your power makes you bite off more than you can chew.”
Of course I was confident in my ability, but I wasn’t stupid and always had a backup plan, but thinking back, that backup plan was almost always Steven.
When I was small I’d often get into fights over things with older kids in the city, which is much of the reason Steven was my only real friend at the moment, and if those fights ever got out of hand, Steven would run and get Uncle Chris for me, or join in and help me out.
Thinking about that didn’t bother me though, if anything it excited me to see how much I could accomplish alone, I didn’t think I'd be scared to be on my own, this was another challenge, like becoming a Diver, like beating Uncle Chris, just another challenge. As I thought and got excited over that point of view, my mom hit me over the head.
That hurt way too much, there was a good amount of magic imbued into that smack.
“That look you’re getting on your face thinking about it is what scares me, Ray, being a Diver is no fun journey, people die Ray, lives are ruined Ray. You watch tragedies occur before you, powerless to stop it. It is noble to want to help, to want to be a Diver for others, but you need to understand that this is not a joyride or fantastical adventure.”
I looked at my mom blankly, her words simply weren't getting through to me. I've heard stories of Divers getting crippled and watching towns fall before them, or close party members dying, but I was so detached from them. Stories were all they were after all.
She looked at me worriedly, “I just hope you don’t have to realise the hard way.” She told me.
“Thanks Mom, I’ll be careful,” I said. My mother pulls me into a hug that I happily return. I'm lucky, incredibly lucky to have this group of people around me. Selfish as it may be to leave like this and go on my own journey, I feel like it's something I must do, lest I never be satisfied with the life I lived.
“I’ll spread the Remory name across the continent for you and Dad.” I declared.
She gave me a cheeky smile back “Fine, so long as you don’t outdo us.”
One more hug before she got up to leave, stopping in my doorway, she turned around for one last word.
“If anything happens, come back home Ray, I know how scary it can be to be alone out there.”
“You bet, Mom”
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