Overly Excited Parents

"WHAT?! REALLY?!"

Elda jerked upright, her exhaustion immediately forgotten as she stared at Ryker in shock.

She could barely process what she had just heard.

Elda:
"Ry… are you serious?"

Ryker, still holding Ryfel high in the air like a victorious warrior, nodded furiously.

Ryker:
"YES! YES! He broke out of his crib—a crib that was just made! Look at his hands!"

He brought Ryfel closer to Elda’s face, practically shoving their newborn in front of her.

Elda’s eyes widened, scanning Ryfel’s tiny hands.

The remains of crushed clay and shattered stone were still clinging to his chubby little fingers.

Her breath hitched.

Elda:
"Did we… did we just create a genius?!"

She covered her mouth, overwhelmed.

Her heart pounded in her chest as a new realization hit her.

Elda:
"I have never heard of a child who could use magic on the day they were born! Did the priest use some kind of special Ether on him? Was it a divine blessing?!"

Her voice wavered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

This was more than she could have ever hoped for.

But Ryker shook his head firmly.

Ryker:
"No—that’s impossible! There is no such thing as special Ether. And even if there was, it wouldn’t be in our Kingdom, let alone our District!"

He turned back to his son, his grip tightening protectively.

His grin widened into something filled with admiration and pride.

Ryker:
"He must have discovered it by himself!"

And that was all it took.

Elda burst into tears, completely forgetting her pain.

Ryker let out a victorious roar.

Then, in perfect synchronization, they both grabbed each other’s hands—

And started spinning.

Ryker & Elda (spinning in circles, holding Ryfel up):
"OUR SON IS A GENIUS!!!"

Ryfel, dangling helplessly in his father’s arms, was being twirled around midair like some kind of sacred lion cub held by a baboon shaman.

His baby brain struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"WAH?! WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!"

His tiny body swayed back and forth, the world spinning too fast for his still-developing senses.

Were they… happy?

Was this normal parenting behavior?

Or had he accidentally been born into a cult that worshipped strong babies?!

Ryfel (Thinking):
"Why do they look so happy?! Is it because I have super strength?! Is this world a place where everyone is born with superpowers?! WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?!"

The thoughts raced through his mind, but there was nothing he could do.

He was too small to fight back.

Too weak to stop them.

Too tired to care anymore.

His newly developed brain gave up.

His tiny head lolled forward, the dizziness overtaking him.

And before he could question his life choices any further—

He fell back asleep.

The last thing he saw was his overly excited parents grinning down at him like he was the greatest thing to ever exist.

A History Lesson… That Sounds Like Gibberish

For the next few days, Ryfel’s new world expanded.

His family—his new family—spent time teaching him things.

Or, well…

They thought they were teaching him things.

Ryfel sat in Milal’s arms, being fed while Ryker loomed dramatically over a giant book, his expression intense with purpose.

Ryker flipped the first page, clearing his throat.

Ryker:
"AHEM! Ryfel, my genius boy! Listen well!"

Ryfel’s tiny baby brain braced itself.

Then—

Ryker (speaking):
"Hwuarg blarkta feh… CRITH!"

Ryfel (Thinking):
"…HUH?"

The words made no sense.

They weren’t English. They weren’t even close.

All Ryfel could hear were random, weird sounds strung together.

But Ryker kept talking, his hands gesturing wildly at the book, pointing at maps and drawings.

Ryfel focused, squinting his newborn eyes.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"Okay… he’s definitely explaining something. I just have no idea what."

Ryker’s voice grew louder, more dramatic.

He jabbed his finger at an illustration of a massive walled city, then to a tall tower surrounded by kingdoms.

Ryker:
"Blork minas-coooool! Runevia! RRRUUUNEVIA!"

His hand sliced through the air, his expression turning serious.

Ryfel tilted his head.

Even without knowing the words, he could tell one thing for certain.

This "Runevia" place?

It was important.

Maybe even dangerous.

The Language Barrier Struggle

Elda watched as Ryker excitedly monologued to their newborn son.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Elda:
"Ryker. He doesn’t even understand us yet."

Ryker paused mid-sentence, blinking.

Ryker:
"…Oh."

Ryfel immediately sighed in relief.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"Finally! Maybe now we can move on—"

Ryker:
"Then that means I just have to teach him the language too!"

Ryfel (Thinking):
"Wait, WHAT?!"

Before Ryfel could mentally protest, Ryker leaned in close, his face filling Ryfel’s entire blurry baby vision.

Ryker:
"Listen, my son. If you are truly a genius, then you will learn this quickly!"

He tapped his own chest.

Ryker:
"Ryyyyy-KERRR!"

Then, he pointed at Elda.

Ryker:
"ELL-DAAA!"

Then, he jabbed a finger at Ryfel himself.

Ryker:
"RY-FELLLL!"

He grinned triumphantly, like he had just unlocked the secret to the universe.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"Did… did this man just introduce me to my own name?!"

Milal giggled in the background, clearly entertained.

Ryfel couldn’t understand full sentences yet, but he started picking up patterns.

The names? He got them.

The gestures Ryker made toward the book? He started associating words with images.

Whenever Ryker pointed at the map of Minas-Col, he would say the same word.

Whenever he pointed at the tower of Runevia, his tone darkened slightly, his brows furrowing.

Through tone, body language, and repetition, Ryfel began to pick up meaning.

Bit by bit.

Day by day.

But it wasn’t enough.

Ryfel needed more.

As Ryker continued rambling in his proud fatherly way, Ryfel let out an involuntary whine.

Ryfel:
"Gaaaah! Baah!"

Ryker paused immediately.

Elda and Milal turned to look.

For a second, there was silence.

Then—

Ryker:
"HE SPOKE!"

Elda:
"He’s just making baby sounds, Ry."

Ryker:
"NO! This is progress! He’s already trying to speak our language!"

Ryfel internally groaned.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"No, you idiot but amusing dad!—I’m frustrated because I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!"

But they didn’t know that.

Instead, Ryker took it as a challenge.

He pumped his fists, standing dramatically.

Ryker:
"Alright! From today onward, we will speak to you as much as possible, so you learn faster!"

Milal snorted.

Milal:
"So… exactly what we’ve already been doing?"

Ryker:
"YES, BUT WITH MORE DRAMA!"

Elda shook her head, sighing again.

Meanwhile, Ryfel rubbed his tiny baby face.

Ryfel (Thinking):
"I need to learn this language. Fast."