Damn, but an offensive spell could damage the house... Should I just try casting a really weak one? No, that would be too risky... I could try a light spell, if that''s even possible, but if it works, I might end up hurting my eyes... I could try some healing, but if I cut myself in this crib and can''t heal it, I might catch some disease, and I don''t think this baby body can fight off a disease without medicine. Damn, I''m out of options?
Nytheris, if this spell gets too strong, stop it, okay? I''ll try to cast a really weak one. I can''t wait until I can leave the house.
Damn, I''m so stupid. I can just use wind magic. If I make it weak enough, it''ll just be a breeze. I''m thinking too far ahead. Let''s do this, wind is something really powerful.
Flügel takes a deep breath, trying to visualize the air molecules spinning in the palm of his hand, like a small vortex. He feels Nytheris in his right hand, the same one he''s trying to form the small vortex with. He knows that if something seems dangerous, Nytheris will stop the spell immediately.
He starts to feel that light, simple breeze, seeing the small vortex in his right palm.
Flügel smiles, but the small vortex quickly disperses because of Nytheris, and with that, Flügel looks ahead and sees Aragi at the door, walking towards him.
Thanks, man. I was so absorbed in the spell that I didn''t notice the footsteps.
Aragi walks up to Flügel''s crib with a smile on his face and strokes his head.
— You still haven''t slept, Flügel? Hm... Not sleepy? Daddy will tell you a story. — Aragi says with a big smile on his face as he strokes Flügel''s head and hair.
— Let''s see... Ah, Daddy really liked a story when he was a kid. It''s about the spirit of ice. They say he has a beautiful appearance, like a handsome boy with light blue hair, eyes as blue as the sea, and skin as pale as a sheet of paper. But even though he looks human, he''s a spirit, and one of the greatest. — Aragi says, smiling, remembering when he was told this story.
— One day, a dragon, yes, a fire dragon, appeared in the far north, a wandering dragon. He was hurt and ended up meeting the great ice spirit, Nivareth. —
Is this story true or is it just a tale? But at least I''ll have a basis for some tales with this story.
Flügel thinks to himself while paying attention to the story so he doesn''t miss a single detail. For him, a reincarnated person, it will be good to learn the common things in this world early on.
— As soon as they met, the foolish dragon attacked Nivareth without hesitation. Even though dragons are known for their strength, the flames the dragon spat at Nivareth did nothing. And then, furious at seeing his attack do no damage, already badly hurt, the dragon just gave up. That dragon had been alone for a long time, as his family had abandoned him. Dragons are known for their incredible strength and fire breath, but this dragon had a very weak breath. The worst among all fire-breathing dragons, he was expelled from his family while still young. As a teenager, because when they''re adults, they leave to start their own families and live their lives, but only when they''re able to defend themselves. Not that a fire dragon is weak as a teenager, but you get it, right? —
I''m having to really focus to understand, Aragi. You''re terrible at telling stories.
Flügel thinks to himself, seeing how bad his father is at getting lost in his words.
Aragi looks at Flügel''s slightly confused face and feels ashamed of himself for not being able to tell the story properly to his son, but he decides to continue.
— And so, that dragon wandered alone through the mountains, flying and following, almost killed by a pack of wyverns several times. Even though dragons are stronger than wyverns, wyverns always travel in packs, and that dragon could call himself the weakest dragon of all, and no one would say otherwise. And then, after so much wandering, already an adult, nearly dead from a long battle against wyverns, that dragon just followed the wind. The colder the wind got, the more comfortable the dragon felt; he never liked fire. Fire had abandoned him; he, a fire dragon, the one said to have the strongest fire breath, didn''t have it. His was weak; by human standards, he was strong, well, we''re quite fragile, but by dragon standards, it was even humiliating; just looking at him would make you feel ashamed. And so, he headed north, where the wind hit him and the cold penetrated his scales. That cold was comforting; fire dragons live far from the cold and hate it, but for him, it was comforting. And so, he fell, plummeted from the sky, and thanks to his incredibly resilient body, he didn''t die, but he was hurt even more. And now, this miserable dragon is face to face with this figure. He knows this isn''t a human; this presence could never be human, not even his parents, fire dragons, had a presence as strong and terrifying as this small being in front of him. But to his surprise, that being wasn''t angry. "You''re hurt..." the boy said, approaching the battered dragon and touching its nose. The dragon is so weakened that after its breath, it collapsed without strength. The dragon, fearful and hesitant, opened its eyes. It felt the comforting cold penetrating its scales; before, its slightly reddish-gray scales, now completely blue. It felt healed, more powerful than it had ever felt. "You''re alone too, aren''t you?" the boy said, looking at the dragon, once a fire dragon, but now, it''s an ice dragon. —
Flügel is absorbed by that story. He doesn''t know if it''s true, but if it is, then a spirit can even change the nature of beings, and that intrigues him.
— It''s said that the ice spirit, Nivareth, was once human. They say his mother had a child with the true ice spirit, a forbidden love, and then, when he was born, with blue hair, cold skin, even though he was alive, eyes, eyelashes, and eyebrows as blue as the sea... That boy certainly wasn''t human, and with that, his uncontrollable power began to show, until he was expelled from his village after losing control and freezing all the children who were intimidating him because of his appearance, and even assaulting him. After hearing his own mother call him a monster and being driven out of the village with knives and other weapons, he wandered to the far north. With every step he took, tears streamed down and froze on his chubby cheeks. When the boy got tired, he sat down and cried like a child. And there, his powers went out of control, freezing everything around him. And that''s how the far north was born. There, it''s a great desert of ice. Nivareth was consumed by the hatred of his father, Glacien. And so, he sought revenge. He found his father; he didn''t know how, but he kidnapped his mother. He still loved her, so he didn''t harm her. But he swore to kill her if his father, Glacien, didn''t show up. When he appeared, Glacien just killed his mother when she went to hug him. Nivareth saw his mother die; despite the things she said to him and even expelling him from home, he still loved her. He lost control again. When he regained consciousness, the ice was thicker around him; Glacien was headless, and in his hand, Glacien''s head was dissolving and turning into mana. He saw his entire body covered in a layer of ice, like armor. He stayed like that, in shock, even as Glacien disappeared; he didn''t change his position. Until he looked around and saw that he was alone again. As always, he would remain alone, even though he was just a 12-year-old boy, there he was, completely alone. That''s why, when he saw that wandering fire dragon, and he knew that fire dragons didn''t go north, because of the stories he heard before being expelled from the village. And that fire dragon, abandoned by its own family, just like him, he decided to make it his family.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Aragi speaks with a nostalgic tone in his voice, smiling goofily, even though he''s telling the story to Flügel. Apparently, he still loved this story.
— And nowadays, that dragon is called Pyroclast; he''s known as the King of Ice Dragons, and it''s said that he can even speak, think, and communicate like humans and even in other languages. He lives with Nivareth in the far north; nowadays, they see each other as brothers... Well, I don''t know if this story is true, but it''s very beautiful and sad at the same time, isn''t it? This story is from centuries ago; no one even knows how much of it is true... But even I''ve heard stories about some king of ice dragons, even though I''m not from the northern continent, so it must be true. And they say he''s lived so long and developed this intelligence because he''s become almost a spirit too, half dragon and half spirit. No, he''s half fire dragon, half spirit, and half ice dragon.
Flügel stares directly at Aragi''s face. He''s clearly happy; more things have been confirmed for him: there are spirits in this world, dragons, and even wyverns. But he''s also very interested in knowing if this story is true.
Man, I want to fight a dragon... But I hope it''s not this dragon king, since he''ll also be accompanied by this Nivareth guy. Well, I at least hope I''ll be strong...
— Alright, son, go to sleep now. — Aragi says, kissing Flügel''s forehead.
I think my dad is a bit dumb. Should a baby as young as me be able to understand what he''s saying? Maybe he just wanted to tell this story to someone or he''s just a chatterbox.
Flügel sighs inwardly, afraid that Aragi might be a foolish man.
Aragi blows out the candle in the corner of the room, near Flügel''s crib, and quickly leaves the room to help Sophia clean the dishes and put the other children to bed.
Flügel, who was lying down, now sits up and starts trying to make the small vortex again in his palm. In less than a second, he manages to create the vortex, the wind lightly swaying his clothes. And a smile appears on his face.
Maybe I''m not so unlucky to be reborn in a world like this... Nytheris.
Just by saying his familiar''s name, he appears, emerging from his chest and stopping in front of him. He''s a bit bigger now. Maybe he''s four centimeters tall now.
You''re growing fast, huh.
Flügel thinks to himself, and Nytheris nods his head, content. He seems to have a more human-like form now.
Alright, Nytheris, I''ll feed you until you get really fat!
Flügel stops the wind vortex and tells Nytheris to go back into his chest. As soon as he does, Flügel lies down and closes his eyes. He starts feeling the mana flowing through his body again. He remembers the sensation of it going to his hand and coming out to transform into a vortex of mana, or even when he makes the tip of the blanket float. He''s intensifying that sensation and directing it straight to his chest, where Nytheris is. And he feels Nytheris content with it. After an hour of this, he passes out from exhaustion. In the last twenty minutes, he felt tired and started sweating, until he fainted.
And so several more months passed. Flügel was always training his gravity magic and even managed to lift the entire blanket at once. Now, at one year old, he''s 70 centimeters tall and can walk easily, although his coordination isn''t very good. He can say small words, but with difficulty.
During this time, he continued feeding Nytheris with mana, making him grow a lot. Now, he''s 30 centimeters tall and can even say a few things, not just transmit feelings to Flügel.
Now, he also has a much more human-like appearance, with holes for eyes, a small mouth, hair falling down his back, even though it''s confusing since he''s entirely like a shadow, but his hair is slightly smoke-like.
And during this time, Mael, who was 4 years old, turned 5, and Elijah, who was 3 years old, turned 4 yesterday, as today is Flügel''s birthday.
And with that, Flügel discovered that birthdays happen, but birthday parties happen every five years. But for them, they don''t happen, as they''re too poor. So, the children only get happy birthday wishes every year.
They''re still poor, too poor. Flügel noticed how Aragi has gotten even thinner, as has Sophia. Both are always skipping meals to let Flügel, Elijah, and Mael eat more.
On the night of his birthday, Flügel is sitting by the window, looking at the sky, as the view below isn''t enchanting at all. Aragi has his hands on Flügel''s waist, also looking at the sky.
— Daddy... Are we poor? —
Flügel tries to say, doing his best to speak this new language correctly, still unfamiliar to his voice.
Aragi, with a bitter face and a not-so-happy smile, says: — Yes, son... We''re poor now, but we weren''t before. It''s Daddy''s fault we''re like this now, I''m sorry. — Flügel looks back and up, seeing Aragi''s face, with a sad and guilty look. He''s old; he shouldn''t look so old, as two months ago, he heard everyone congratulating him on turning 23, and Sophia turned 25.
— Why? — Flügel says, curious, wanting to know why they became so poor, so poor that everyone in the house is malnourished.
Aragi swallows hard and makes a face, as if he''s swallowed something bitter and bad. — Daddy was a merchant, son. Our family comes from very well-known merchants... We weren''t rich, far from it, but we lived without worrying about money, of course, not spending without thinking... But we lived well. And with that, we did well for a long time. Your grandfather, in his old age, was the one who started this business. My father also did well, even left us a house... — Aragi takes a deep breath, as if holding back tears, not wanting to seem weak in front of his son, Flügel, especially when those dark brown eyes are looking directly at him.
— But Daddy, when he went to make a delivery... It was for an old owner of a village nearby who bought a necklace, a necklace from the adventurer''s guild nearby... And since they made the deal through letters, they needed someone to deliver it... Since it was a very expensive ring, as it was a magical item, I even hired two mercenaries. They were strong; one was rank B and the other, rank C. When we were about to reach the village, we were ambushed by a thief. He killed the two mercenaries in an instant and stole the goods. Even so, I went to the village, told them what happened, and the old man wanted the money he paid... I had to sell our house and give everything... He only left me the cart... I had to give everything that old man wanted, even though he was just the owner of a small village. He would definitely have pursued our family if I didn''t pay. And then, returning to the kingdom where we live, I had to sell my cart to at least rent a house, this house. That''s why we''re so poor... But I also know how to sell and work, but that old man and the guild master spread that I didn''t deliver the goods and even stole for myself... They slandered our names: "The Heldans don''t work!" That''s what they say. That''s also why Sophia and I decided to give you the surname Aurion, not Handels... And after that, we found out Sophia was pregnant with you, Flügel.
... I don''t even have words to say anything. So that''s why they''re poor but have three children. I need to make money soon, but I''m only one year old... But if this continues, I''m afraid Elijah or Mael might get sick, even Aragi and Sophia... I could also get sick, since I''m a baby.
A tear rolls down Aragi''s cheek, and he quickly wipes it and picks Flügel up from the window, placing him on the floor. He lifts his face, as if to stop the tears from falling, and takes a deep breath. He closes the window and says: — Alright! Time for bed, little guy. — Aragi says, forcing a smile.
Flügel walks with his hands raised in front of him, afraid of falling and not having enough time to put his hands out to protect himself... This has happened before, which is why he decided to walk like this.
When he reaches the room where he sleeps with Aragi and Sophia, he stops by the crib. Aragi picks him up and puts him inside. — Goodnight, son. — Aragi says, kissing Flügel''s forehead and blowing out the candle. He leaves the room.
He must blame himself when he sees the state of his family because of that robbery... But it wasn''t his fault... Well, I''d blame myself too if that happened... What do you think, Nytheris?
— Aragi fool...— Nytheris says in Flügel''s head. Flügel always smiles when he hears Nytheris''s soothing voice, seeing how much he''s grown.
Goodnight, Nytheris.
— Goodnight, Flügel. — Nytheris replies.
Flügel wakes up in the middle of the night, feeling slightly tired, as Nytheris now takes mana from Flügel on his own while he sleeps, but not enough to make him pass out, just very tired. And that''s why he''s grown so much in just 6 months.
Flügel stands up in the crib, looking at the bed and seeing Aragi and Sophia hugging. Probably, Aragi felt too sad and even cried in his wife''s arms. Flügel smiles slightly, seeing how loving they are, even in such poor conditions.
Flügel gets out of the crib, careful not to fall or even knock over the crib. Before landing on the floor, he uses a bit of gravity magic to make himself lighter, so he gets out of the crib without making noise.
He walks carefully through the dark house, reaching the front door.
— Are you going out? — Nytheris says in Flügel''s head.
Yes, I am, I just don''t know how...
Flügel stands in front of the door. He could use gravity magic to rotate the key and the doorknob, but it would make too much noise. Flügel has been thinking about how to solve the noise problem of the door for months. And for that, he trained.
Flügel points his hand at the door lock, sending mana. He creates a ball of air, using it to envelop the doorknob and the entire lock. He creates a small hole in the wind ball, using small jets of wind to push the air out. He''s trying to create a vacuum wind ball.
And he uses a vortex to expel that air. But instead of creating, he''s just manipulating the air inside that ball. So, when the air inside the ball runs out, the vortex disappears, and he quickly seals the hole in the ball. He creates a thicker layer of wind, to not let the sound escape or the air re-enter. The ball becomes slightly translucent and whitish.
Alright, it worked!
Flügel is sweating from the effort. Manipulating wind like this is hard work and very demanding. He does the same with the two bolts on the door. He points his other hand at the key, using gravity magic to rotate it, placing distinct points of gravity on the key, making it rotate. And he does the same with the doorknob, and the door opens. Flügel slowly passes through the door and locks it when he leaves.
Exhausted from using gravity magic and manipulatingthe wind like that, Flügel leans against the wall. He takes a deep breath and wipes his sweaty forehead.
Finally... I''m outside.