Chương 16: Chapter 15

Every morning after breakfast, I trudged into the old man's office. And every morning, I left with nothing to show for it. Weeks passed like this, as my other Paths ticked up bit by bit, I began to wonder if maybe I just wasn't meant to do magic. Well, beyond Skills anyway. One of the benefits of revealing my access to my Status was being able to work on Muffled Steps. Every day I exhausted my aether supply trying to push the Skill to last just that bit longer.

Numbers were going up slowly but surely with my single skill. My Path progression also continued with most of the Basic Paths increasing by at least a few steps every day. As I walked out of Cornelius's office, I found my mother waiting to give me my lessons. Henrietta wasn't around today so it was just the two of us. My mother must've noticed my dejection as she scooped me into her arms and rested me on her lap as she took a seat near the fire.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I can't sense it," I whispered softly, perhaps slightly ashamed. Her reaction to my revelation about my Affinity, Talented Attribute, and the rest of my Status had given me the sense that I should've been able to brute force my way through any problem with sheer willpower and natural capability. My failure to do so with Aethersensing was poking holes in my ego, which might be good for my long-term social skills, but it wasn't helping with my mood.

Motivation was suffering, and out here in the boonies, my motivation was almost all I had.

"The aether? It takes time, darling. When grandpa and grandma taught me, I was already twice as old as you. It still took me months. Keep at it, and don't give up. I'm proud of you just for trying. Grandpa says you're doing really well, and he's always happily telling me how often you try not to get distracted." I nodded against her chest, seizing on the chance to change the topic.

"Where's grandma?" I felt my mother's body stiffen against me at my question and immediately felt terrible. I hadn't even considered that it might be a sensitive topic, my childish curiosity running my mouth before my brain could catch up.

"She died when I was a teenager. Her and grandpa used to be adventurers. They would go into Dungeons to improve themselves and I guess for the wealth they could earn. It's a dangerous life though. When grandma died on a trip into the Dungeon, your grandpa retired from that life, which means he stopped being an adventurer. Do you want to know why?" I looked up at her striking blue eyes and angelic face expectantly. Her smile had a tinge of sadness to it, but the happiness within was brighter still.

"He didn't want to risk the same thing happening to him and leaving me alone in this world. So, he became a teacher for the Adventurer's Society. Teaching is a very prestigious and coveted position because, with the right Skills, it helps people get better at their Paths."

"Like, faster?" I asked. My mother nodded.

"Exactly right. Your grandpa has a Skill for Teaching Aether Paths. So, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." I smiled before nuzzling back into the cuddle. Being in my mother's arms felt safe. She didn't say anything for a time, letting me calm down and reset with the only sounds being our breathing underscored by the crackling of the fire. Finally though, it was time to get to my lessons. With them out of the way, I was free to do whatever I wanted.

My mother was watching over me as I started playing in the rocky backyard beyond her limited garden of vegetables and herbs. She kept an eye on me as she got her hands dirty dealing with weeds and turning soil. I was keen to play but also work on my Paths, so like a good, albeit violent, child, I picked up a stick and fought invisible enemies while running all around the area. A loud caw interrupted my latest imagining as I pretended to fight an ugly troll in the form of a sapling that was barely taller than I was.

I turned to find a large crow resting on one of the garden's fence posts. It had drawn my mother's attention as well.

"Not afraid of people, huh?" she mused. The garden had a couple of scarecrows to keep away the birds, but this particular one, easily bigger than my head, didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Instead, it stood there, cocking its head back and forth as it watched us, though I felt like it spent far more time on me than it did on my mother. Finally, as if its curiosity was satisfied, it let out another caw and took to the sky, flying deeper into the forest as it followed the line of the mountains north.

I raised my stick, turned imaginary sword, in the direction the bird had flown.

"What's that way, Mum?" She glanced up, hands covered in dirt and looked where I was pointing.

"Hmm? North of us? More mountains mostly, but far more wild. Behind us, going south, the trees grow smaller as we get further away from the cold and approach the coast. That means where the land meets the sea. Do you remember about seas?"

"Lots of water. Bigger than lakes. You said that if you were to go out in the middle of it you wouldn't be able to see any land!" I answered. The topic had been a part of one of my many lessons. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Good boy," she said, showering me with praise as she normally did.

"Well, you tend to find more people the closer you get to the sea. More people means less beasts and monsters. North, though… there aren't many people. Maybe none at all until you cross to the other side of the mountains, and even then there's only Varingia in the far north and the small communities that surround it who hunt the frozen tundra. Sorry, darling, I am lecturing again. You asked what was north of us on this side of the mountains? Wilderness filled with beasts and probably a few monsters." I nodded.

Monsters, eh? My next imaginary fight was against a gigantic bird in the form of a crow that I decided was terrorising our community by swooping down and stealing goats and sheep from Griselda. In my fantasy, the aerial hunter was after Henrietta and it was my job, as the hero of my own tale, to save her. My stick… I mean sword, struck true, puncturing the heart of the beast as it collapsed in a pile of black feathers. My imaginary play had lasted for hours. I was covered in sweat and more than a little tired.

But, it had paid dividends as the notifications flashed before my eyes. You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Coordination VI (500/500) Reward: +1 Coordination You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Running VIII (2500/2500) Reward: +1 Stamina You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Balance VII (1000/1000) Reward: +1 Coordination Coupled with the increase I had gotten for Muffled Steps earlier in the day, I was happy to see that despite my misgivings, I was still progressing.

It reminded me that as long as I put in the effort, the numbers would keep going up and that alone made me feel amazing. Under careful coaxing, I returned inside with my mother. That night she told me stories of the trolls that could be found in the mountains. She warned that they rarely came this far south but that if I ever saw them I was to run and find her or grandpa. Failing that, to hide.

The following day I expected to be like all the rest, but when I came downstairs, I found a familiar group of adventurers seated in the common room, enjoying some breakfast. I, of course, couldn't say that I recognised them. Not surprising since the last time I had seen them I had been one year old. But it was hard to forget those sharp, amber eyes. They zeroed in on me the moment I reached the bottom of the stairs, my mother swooping in with more food.

I froze up and my mother noticed, immediately trying to make me more comfortable.

"Morning, sweetheart. We have some guests passing through. This is Keryth, Vianola, Thomas, and Leo from the Farwalkers Guild. Everyone, this is my son, Sebastian." My eyes roved over each one, refreshing my memory of them. Keryth was a lithe, male elf with golden blond hair and amber eyes. A bow rested against the table next to him along with a buckler. On his hip was a knife that was as long as my arm. I remembered him the most, since he was the one who caught me pulling off one of my pranks.

Caught me, and let me do it anyway. Next to him was Vianola. If my memory served me, and it often did, she was his sister. I probably could have told that from her appearance alone. She was a mirror of her brother, perhaps even the same height, though it was hard to tell with them sitting. Like her brother, she was dressed in some comfortable-looking but worn brown leather armour with fur peaking out around the wrists and near where her pants met her scuffed boots.

She also had a bow, though it was smaller with an odd shape to it that I couldn't quite figure out. Seated by Vianola was Thomas. The last time I had seen him, he'd been frothing at the mouth with the green skin of someone deep in the throes of poison and knocking on death's door. He looked much better this time, with scruffy black hair and green eyes. Next to him was a larger shield made of a pale brown wood and crossed with metal bars to reinforce it.

The shield was paired with a sword on his hip that was as tall as I was. The final member was stuffing his face with my mum's cooking. Couldn't blame him. You may be a messy bastard, but she's a good cook so I will let it slide. Just clean up after yourself, you brute! I thought. Leo was the one who I had pranked by sneaking up on him and tickling his leg. He was as broad as ever and balder than I was as a baby. Like Thomas, he had a shield resting nearby along with an axe.

I guessed it was hard to sit with that on his hip. Or maybe he'd just tossed it down to get at the food. My stomach growled in protest, or perhaps support. I needed food too! I gave a shy wave which was enthusiastically copied by Vianola and Thomas. Leo just grunted, barely acknowledging me, his entire body focused on cramming as much food into his gob as he could. Only Keryth gave me a more thorough appraisal.

"I remember him," admitted the elven man.

"He was quite a sneaky little baby. I watched him right there by that fire for you, Penelope." My mother blushed.

"Oh, that's right. You did. He was a bit of a troublemaker back then." Still am, mother! I thought in amusement. My heart wasn't in it though. I was too focused on the adventurers. What had they seen? Where had they travelled to? I felt my curiosity bubbling away like a witches' cauldron on the night of a full moon! What should I ask? I mused. My mother beat me to the punchline.

"Last time you were dealing with a Rift, right? What brings you into the Horndales this time?" Keryth's eyes slid off me and focused on my mother.

"We're actually not on a job. We're relocating to Helenica." Cornelius chose that moment to sweep into the room, dressed in sturdy and warm woolen clothes.

"Is that so? If you're not in a hurry, perhaps I could convince you to extend your stay a little?" I was as surprised at the old man's comment as the adventurers clearly were. What are you up to, old man? I wondered.