《a madman adrift in a flock of sheep (attempt one)》 ch 1: a lost traveler in the sea of suffering an entity awoke in an endless darkness, there seemed to be a howling wind that would never relent and cold waves that would grace its face yet the entity remained docile and without thought, truly the entity had no reason to think, no past no present and no knowledge to guess a future. and so that entity sailed on an ocean bereft of emotion, a listless dream if you will. that entities sedentary state became more apparent as the remnants of waves became encrusted on its being, it did not even know that it was being carried by the waves underfoot nor what a wave was and so it stood there waiting. the waves brought the entity to a speck of light of which a voice higher than any heaven sounded, it brought with it a weight that pushed down on the entities very soul. the speck of light spoke these words "art thee truly adrift in this endless sea?" "doth seem so" before it knew the entity had made a reply, the entity began to question. was that truly me? was there another adrift in this... sea? yet before its worries could cement its very being shook as the speck of light spoke once more "then I grant upon thee an opportunity, the endless undulations of dreams figulated. upon dreary tears they grow fasciculate and calm despite the pain. child who knows their own crime sail forth beyond to a new dream bereft of unwary grime, bring upon them the sorrow of the night." the speck of light disappeared after leaving a sentence that sense little, the entity felt its own body and realized that it was kneeling, did that speck control it or was there something else within? Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. the entity waited there as questioning may be knew but it knew how too wait, maybe something would happen? and so it did, the entity fell within the waves and lost all senses that remained. there were many things that the entity did not know like that it would soon gain flesh or that lightning had illuminated the... crimson sea and the demented face on the remains of what had been the speck of light. the entity felt pain as this was the first time it had been without the touch of the waves nor the sound of the waves, it truly felt... nothing, there was not a speck in sight, it could not scream for help... yet why would it want to? what was happening to it? why did it feel such pain at loneliness? the entities questions were soon answered as colour entered its mind, not through any semblance of a mind but instead through memories, memories of what seemed to be a past long gone, the entities past. NO it wasn''t just some entity it was a person, it felt once more. thee being in search of a purpose delved ever deeper into these newfound memories like a starved beast devouring prey it frantically searched until it came across a memory that gave a warm feeling, it showed a man in a plastic suit slowly peeling the skin off of another man bound to a chair, this strangely brought great joy and fondness to the being. in the mans effort to find out his name he had lost sense of time, years possible decades had passed and he felt... he felt flesh, his own flesh. the man rejoiced screaming all his might, as he screamed he heard voices, the man screamed louder as he could hear once more and now that he thought about it the man opened his eyes. the bright colours illuminated the back of his eyes bringing life the once barren graveyard of the mans soul, the world seemed so beautiful now, so many dancing colours that swirled around played before his very eyes. it took three months before the mans excitement had worn off and he had the capacity to look at himself... wait was he still a man? 1.5/2 Ciaran the smartest in the basket After a quick self-check, the man discovered that he indeed retained the same bells and whistles as his previous mortal shell, the man noticed that his surroundings were exuberantly decorated with many needless luxuries strewn about. The man, wait no¡­ child? Looked at the supple hands that always held him, they were surprisingly his fathers¡¯ hands his mother an elusive angel. His father looked sophisticated with a full suit, gold rimmed spectacles and most jarringly an impeccable posture. Despite dressing intolerably snobbish, the man was smiling warmly at the child in his arms, it was such an affectionate smile the child found it intoxicating. The man had short ash grey hair and deep crimson eyes, his nose was surprisingly subtle and his cheeks smooth with little to no blemishes. A month thereafter the child was able to partake in the beauty of his mother, her glossy midnight hair flowed lavishly, her pallid skin shimmered like an evening winter day, her eyes were of a subtle turquoise and her hands moved as if they were flowing water. The child was able to observe and look in awe, yet he could do few things, let alone talking he could not yet control his bladder and thus was left with the pain of inaction for many winters. The child was rather content with its parents, they were loving and kind, most importantly the child¡¯s brain didn¡¯t have the capacity yet to think otherwise. the child forgot of the endless sea and his past and found himself content with life as he aged. In the blink of an eye the child was eight years old and had learnt a few things first was that he was abnormally smart for his age analysing what he knew so far of his household he made a list.
  1. Family wealth: 12 caravans, 458 minor trade contracts, 36 noble connections, 2 major trade contracts
  2. Workers: roughly 3650
  3. Parents: smart, big brain, kind.
  4. Great grandpa: got dad title of baron, gives sweets, is nice.
  5. What is baron? Dunno.
  6. People working for dad: butler, workers, chief attendant, 14 mercenary companies and the village guard-
  7. Dad strength: strong, never fall.
  8. Mum strength: kind, never fight.
  9. Little brother: annoying, always ask questions, is cute.
  10. Fruit tasty¡­
  11. Ask butler for more fruit¡­
Of course the list trailed off as he wasn¡¯t a genius, just above average enough to raise interest and be lauded over at such a backwater region like coredim, the empire where the boy resided was large and far reaching occupying the entire western peninsula which was a natural fortress with riches beyond compare, of course few of those riches were allowed near mere commoners but the empire was rich nonetheless and such a small region was of no importance to anyone of mention in the empire. The child was dressed in a cute little suit and had polished off his next fruit when he heard his mother call for him from the door. ¡°Ciaran why are you hiding up here¡±. ¡°How did you know!?¡± ¡°And who told you we had an attic?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Glumly Ciaran replied ¡°You¡­¡± Ciaran had turned the attic of their mansion into a workshop of ideas, (none of which worked) he had filled it with contraptions materials and tools hidden away from the prying eyes of others. ¡°Come on down your father has something to show you¡±. Ciaran would never think of disobeying his mother¡¯s orders, so he begrudgingly looked past her transgressions and headed down a neglected staircase to the kitchen and then followed an old servant¡¯s corridor to the hall where he saw his father. Now that all three were in the same room it was undeniable that he was their child, Ciaran bore two different colours that intermingled in his eyes, crimson and turquoise, his hair was swaths of black and ash while his skin had the softness of his father and the pale colour of his mother. Though Ciaran¡¯s father was wearing a monocle today A monocle was abnormal since spectacles normally adorned his father¡¯s face... getting bored waiting Ciaran asked. ¡°Why are you wearing a monocle instead of glasses?¡± ¡°Great observation, it¡¯s a gift¡±. ¡°For whom?¡± The man chuckled a little before continuing. ¡°Why you of course, soon you will enter the academy and you need an artifact.¡± Ciaran asked in anticipation ¡°really, when do I start¡±. ¡°You start the first morning of next week, you have already been enrolled¡±. ¡°Then why give it to me now?¡± ¡°You got to have a little fun with it, why not?¡± As the Ciaran had never been disappointed with his father¡¯s gifts in the past the boy was indeed eager to delve into what this seemingly normal monocle held. In general Artifacts were objects created through the infusion of aether into an object to create an affect. It was very simple in theory but created items with fantastical affects. Ciaran knowing that his father would not give it so easily even if it were a gift tried jumping to get the monocle off of his father but inevitably failed and pouted at his father¡¯s smug face. Ciaran¡¯s father¡¯s gentle hand graced his face with its warmth, placing the monocle on his right eye. Ciaran needed not to adjust it as surprisingly the monocle shrunk to fit his eye nestling itself comfortably and Ciaran saw one of the affects immediately, there was a subtle foreign hue to everything he saw, some were subtle like red floating around a candle, but others were obvious like a light green around a wooden table. Taken aback Ciaran forgot to say his thanks and immediately sought to quench his thirst for knowledge. ¡°what¡¯s with all the colours¡±. Ciaran¡¯s father was going to say ¡°guess¡± but after seeing the look in the child¡¯s eyes changed his mind, who could ever resist such temptation? ¡°it¡¯s aether¡±. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it comes in many different colours, blue for water and red for flames, green for natural elements and white for light. There are many more, but you will learn that at the academy.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait¡± the enthusiastic Ciaran then proceeded to bounce off the walls in a mad search for different colours of Aether. Seeing that the boy was distracted with delving into the monocles other features Ciaran¡¯s father felt a little contentment as it was a genuine struggle to get Ciaran to slowly enjoy one thing. There was nothing Ciaran¡¯s father felt the boy struggled in, although the boy had innumerable failures under his belt already the boy had overcome each one with ease, the man believed there was never true growth or mastery until there unless it was a struggle. He believed that knowledge and skill were split into two worlds the surface and the underworld, struggle was the key to find understanding and enter the underworld where true skill resided. ch 2.5/3 the academy of whimsical doo dads Time passed unbearably slow for the boy as he asked each day when he could attend the academy. The pain of waiting was reduced as Ciaran did all manner of wacky things spurred on by his recent acquisition of as he now dubbed it ¡°the monocle of truth¡± it was the fifteenth name he had given to the monocle and would not be the last. Alas Ciaran¡¯s effort bore fruit and today he would attend his first day of school at the academy Ciaran got dressed in a less formal suit that still displayed wealth and placed the monocle on his right eye. heading downstairs it only then struck him that he would stick out like a sore thumb, so he quickly got changed into casual clothes which made him look less of a brat and more of an innocent village child. Once Ciaran was downstairs, he had breakfast, his father had a joyous face while his little brother could not restrain his curiosity about the academy, though it was to be expected his mighty brother talked about it so much. Ciaran¡¯s mother was also at the table but unlike her beauty she barely had a presence, it was like a ghost in the wind that threatened to fly away. Breakfast was simple and hearty as the main meal was at mid-day. After breakfast Ciaran¡¯s father gave the boy a leather satchel ¡°Use it well, and don¡¯t fly off¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not that small¡±. Unfortunately, his dad¡¯s joke was not unfounded, the satchel looked like a sail on the boy, if Ciaran didn¡¯t know better, he would mistake his father¡¯s words for genuine. Unfortunately for Ciaran only his mother could accompany him as dad had to work but he enjoyed it nonetheless as he got dragged out the door. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go¡±. His mothers bright smile washed away the cold no matter the weather and contrasted heavily on her pale skin. On their way Ciaran got to take in the bustling streets as the town began to awaken from its slumber. Normally the town would have been bustling long ago but most of the residents had children in the academy. today those children started, some for the last time, others, their very first. Ciaran saw the smoke rise from chimneys of a few bread shops, they were preparing the evening meals filling the air with all manner of flavours be it fruit nut or spices, mixed into the delectable smell of baking was the occasional sweat and sap that wafted off of laborers, some had to work regardless of time or weather to keep the aging town together. Before long the two arrived at the academy, it was as old as it was wide taking up a third of the town. Of course, not all of the academy was one building, it was separated into twelve buildings all of which were dark and gloomy with tall steeples. The main building had two steeples either side with a triangular roof, no signboard or identifier and was littered with many ornate designs and patterns, there were no doubt countless similar buildings built in the era of Sildar the great, a pioneer of knowledge and war. Entering the main building Ciaran was greeted by a long line, of course they did not wait and were ushered in by the head of the academy himself, the joys of power in a small town. ¡°Misses Aerecura lilium, we welcome you to our fine establishment¡±. ¡°Mister Gilbert it has been some time, how goes the children?¡± ¡°Left the nest and flown for greener pastures I¡¯m afraid¡±. ¡°I suppose they will make nests of their own soon then?¡± ¡°Indeed, indeed one of them has already found themselves a hen¡±. ¡°My best wishes then¡± ¡°Yes well, I suppose we should move on to the wee one you brought with you¡±. ¡°of course, he is a smart wee one, he has a few symptoms of higher Aether aptitude like increased learning ability and longer memory, he likes to create things hands on and works well with others¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any opinion on the marking guide for this year?¡± ¡°Go with it and see, if necessary, some alterations may need to happen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad there are no issues, would you care for a cup of tea, mister Luper can guide your son to his class.¡± ¡°Why of course¡± Ciaran had been waiting patiently, it was rude to interrupt adults when they were talking after all. Though the child was not unaware that they were going to be talking about bribes Aerecura kneeled and kissed Ciaran on his forehead gave him a hug and said her farewells. ¡°You be good now, follow mister Luper and don¡¯t cause any mischief, mummy loves you.¡± Ciaran¡¯s mother then gave him another hug before leaving him to mister Luper. Mister Luper was not one to hold hands, so he led Ciaran to the class, it was in the main building down a short corridor and on the left. The stoic Mister Luper didn¡¯t let out a peep until he got into class at which point he sighed. ¡°How did I get this low, taking care of a bunch of gremlins¡±. the classroom was old and cold with wooden floors that spoke of prior times yet despite this the class had a colorful air as the walls were decorated in bright colors and murals depicting the greatness of the empire and its feats of power and might. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. it took fifteen minutes before the last child entered the classroom. the classroom was uncomfortable no chairs or desks, not even a roll was called but the children were soothed by their intrigue. the children had never seen a man who looked as old as Mr. Luper did. despite the overall calmness a few children did shuffled from time to time in time, they were children afterall. at the center of the class Mr Luper''s thin legs now dangled from a chair which was not there last time Ciaran looked over, it had less padding than the floor and seemed unbearably uncomfortable. Mr Luper begun his lesson not caring for introductions or an icebreaker, his lesson was simple in theory, but unfortunately for the children man had been used to teaching real students instead of children and used language beyond their level, luckily for the children it was a lesson on the history of Aether to ease students into the hell that was the imperial education system. According to Mr Luper the great divine had gifted humanity the beasts of blood to hunt. blood beasts were beasts that were saught after for their bloods magic properties that allowed humans to control parts of Aether. it is said that when humans hunted their first beast it was when a veil was lifted and humanity exited the age of unknowing and entered the light of the divines grace, this was called the ¡°enlightening¡±. After the enlightening there were three major events in the history of Aether, the first was the united empire, the second was the freedom federation and the third was the new dawn. the united empire was the first true pioneers of Aether as they dedicated half their nation to new magic and discoveries with many of their discoveries still influencing the world of magic several thousand years later. Mr Luper went on a tangent and gave heavy praise to the united empire, Ciaran learned from this that the united empire was the first world spanning empire, they created the first golem, they created the imperial system that most modern countries still use, the list went on and on, it seemed that Mr Luper genuinely enjoyed the topic even if he was telling it to children. Mr Luper¡¯s tangent lasted until the first break it was one of two breaks that were allowed to first years, a luxury compared to the higher years. Ciaran spent the time interacting with his classmate and discussing how cool Mr Luper¡¯s lesson sounded while also bragging about his monocle. Ciaran¡¯s efforts were aided by the classes Aether aptitude that fueled their curiosity and before long, Ciaran had accrued quite a gaggle of curious followers mostly in part due to his unusual behaviour, but Ciaran believed it to be his natural charisma. Soon the break came to an end much to the children¡¯s disappointment and the lesson resumed discussing the freedom federation which was a coalition of nations that sought to escape the tyranny of the fallen kingdoms that had risen in the wake of a burning united empire. The freedom federation invented flight magic opening the sky for human domination and exploration, bringing in thousands of new and exotic types of magic. So far most of the lesson had been filled with fluff which deeply confounded Ciaran as he saw Mr Luper as such a serious man but unable to find a chance to ask the second break came upon them and it was lost to the back of Ciaran¡¯s mind. During the second break the children were bored of talking so they ran around and played games one such game was drowned lady, it was a game taught to the kids by some of the older boys in the village. the rules of drowned lady were really simple, one person would play a beast and the rest were ladies, the lady had to hold its breath when the beast was looking at it and the beast had to hold its breath when it had its eyes open, when the beast closed its eyes it was allowed to breath and the last person to go out won. the children played such games like drowned lady not knowing of their origin, rather horrifying especially when drowned lady came from only a few towns over. at the end of break Ciaran felt like nothing could stop him, he had the most friends in the class already and he got to show off his monocle alot. Mr Luper continued his explanations with the new dawn. the new dawn was something that permanently changed the direction of magical study away from beast blood and towards artificial beast blood. the daylight church which believed in the great divine had a subsidiary that created artificial blood. the daylight church denounced artificial blood, enraged by this the dawn church fought back with mass produced warriors made using artificial blood. the dawn church won the and became the worlds largest religion with a new doctrine that focused on artificial blood. The explanation for the new dawn was the briefest and marked the end of the day, the entire class clumped together as they left the hall at which point Ciaran realized, he had yet to use his satchel for any books but surely that came later? They didn¡¯t expect him to remember everything¡­ right? When Ciaran got out of the main building and found his mother he decided to ask her. ¡°Mum, I didn¡¯t use a book today, do i have to bring them?¡± ¡°You will have to take notes, just not yet. We will speak more about that when we get home, say goodbye to your friends now¡±. Ciaran said goodbye to his new friends which were also being picked up by their mothers and headed home. The streets were far busier at the end of the school day with the smell of food stalls and hawkers lining the streets, it was small but still showed that the region had some spirit left in it. Other than businesses many grizzled warriors walked round advertising their services for any who wished to venture out into a danger zone, outside of the guard¡¯s active hours, or for protecting a trader on his way to the next town. When Ciaran got home the sun was still bright and Ciaran¡¯s mother brought him inside to avoid it''s terrible gaze. once inside Ciaran gave his satchel to a servant and then asked. ¡°So, can you tell me why I won¡¯t need my books yet now?¡± his mother acquiesced a little and fed his curiosity. "the empire is a big, old and prideful place, order has been carved into it since long before anyone has recorded. with time comes dissent, the empire wants a healthy spirit, what is the empires spirit?" "the emperor of course" despite his confidence Ciaran was wrong "if one cannot be two aspects of the empire, what is it''s mind, the one that controls its actions for better or worse" "the... Emperor... then what is the spirit of the empire?" Ciaran''s mother let a chuckle escape her lips and then answered "it''s you, its me and everyone around you. the spirit is the empires personality, it''s emotions and it''s identity. for a healthy empire the mind must appease or control the spirit, you will be taught the greatness of the empire before you can learn anything important." ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I like the empire?¡± another slight chuckle escaped the lips of Ciaran''s mother as she looked at her son''s innocent face where her eyes dwelled for a minute before pausing for a moment and saying. ¡°That¡¯s the right attitude to have¡±. Ciaran''s head was filled with much confusion, was there really a need to say that at home?. before Ciaran could pose a question Ciaran¡¯s mother sidelined any attempt to find out more through some teasing, praise and some distractions. soon his mothers kind words had lulled him away from any attempt to learn more. ch 3.5 family time Ciaran¡¯s father had arrived home and left his burdens at the door before giving his coat to the servants and sitting in his favourite chair, it was by the fire in the main hall. the main hall was spacious enough to be a ballroom if need be and was adorned lavishly. Ciaran¡¯s father got to savor five minutes of peace before being blasted by reality as he heard his son bounce down the halls in joy. Ciaran¡¯s father had arrived later than usual, but it didn¡¯t disturb the boy as he bounced past the table and up to his father where he then prattled off about all he had learned in the hours prior. Ciaran¡¯s mother even came in to watch her husband¡¯s suffering. Ciaran recited most of the lesson until he reached the new dawn where he praised the church, hearing this Ciaran¡¯s father looked to his wife. Noticing this Ciaran¡¯s mother came closer and whispered in his ear. "He will learn in time, let him be a child for a while." seeing this Ciaran stopped his prattling for a brief moment and questioned his mother. "Mummy what did you tell daddy?" The sweet voice of Ciaran¡¯s mother was brought to his ears as her hand ruffled his hair. "Nothing a child should know sweety." Ciaran retorted in a cute half annoyed voice. "I''m not just a child!" "of course, you aren¡¯t¡±. saying this Ciaran''s mother kissed him on the forehead and then did the same to Ciaran''s father before heading off. Ciaran even more flustered decided to ramble on about all the new friends that he made. After Ciaran ran out of words to say he retreated to his attic and decided to organise the place. When Ciaran left, his mother came back into the room with two glasses of a pale white drink. she witnessed her deflated husband, sprawled out on his chair. ¡°He had a great day huh?¡± ¡°Why does he never share these things with you?¡± ¡°You know he looks up to you¡±. ¡°At the rate that sprout grows I will be looking up to him in no time¡±. Aerecura laughed a little nearly spilling the drinks before, giving them to her husband and got a seat for herself then resumed the conversation. ¡°So, what brought you home so late¡±. ¡°There was a landslide in the west mountains, it revealed an ore deposit. The ore we found there is very flammable, most likely a medium level Aether deposit. Cleaning up the landslide was the easy part; I swear they add more paperwork every day. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°If it¡¯s got that much Aether, will we be able to keep it?" ¡°Hopefully, we played it down as much as possible and the few that remain with power in the regional court wont mess with us when we are under your father¡±. ¡°that¡¯s good don¡¯t tell Ciaran though, if he learned that rocks could burn, the whole house would go down in flames¡±. ¡°it¡¯s amazing what that kid gets up to when he thinks we''re not watching.¡± ¡°His brothers starting to take after him¡±. ¡°They are young, they can be curious unlike us¡±. ¡°Are you calling me old¡±. ¡°No, my dear¡± The two slowly drifted away from the topic of Ciaran and decided to relax with their drinks looking forward to the what the future may bring.
In the attic Ciaran stood there admiring his work, there were two long benches that went along his section of the attic and he had filled a vast majority of the with the piles of junk that used to adorn the floor, there were still two more piles but he would be done soon. resuming his work Ciaran found a funny looking piece of metal. The piece of metal was rectangular with two damaged protrusions on either side, the protrusions looked like they had been chewed and made Ciaran think that it was once part of a larger object or construction. The now curious Ciaran looked at the piece of metal with his monocle, it had blue Aether much unlike the subtle brown that normally surrounded ores of the earth. Intrigued Ciaran decided to go searching for similar objects with Aether that was ¡®abnormal¡¯ Ciaran searched the remaining area of his workspace before venturing downstairs, he searched the servants quarters below his section of the attic in the east wing and even went around the garden and ended up in the west wing that held the guests quarters. Luckily for Ciaran the servants were used to his shenanigans and did not question the presence of the young boy that was very conspicuously searching for something. by the time Ciaran had made a full loop of the mansion with no results he gave up and headed back to his attic hideaway and thought of where he could find more of such things, if it were common he wouldn¡¯t have missed it when he was looking for Aether. Ciaran decided that it would be best to keep his eyes peeled on his way to the academy tomorrow and with that problem solved for now he moved onto his next problem. Ciaran¡¯s mind had been poked and to quench his thirst for accomplishment and knowledge he decided to try and make something to commemorate his first day at the academy. Ciaran pulled out a few bits of scrap wood he had ¡°acquired¡± and then dug a small wooden box out from one of the two benches and opened it, inside were the few sharp tools he had hidden away, his parents worried too much and now that he knew his mother could come up to the attic he wouldn¡¯t leave them anywhere she could see them. Ciaran decided to try making a carving, he pulled out a small broken knife and grabbed another sturdy piece of wood to hit the knife with. Ciaran¡¯s first result was admittedly a mangled piece of wood, but his second piece was worse better. On Ciaran¡¯s third attempt he managed to aim properly and control the pressure he hit the knife with, and the result was a blocky figure he deluded himself to look like his father. Afraid that his fourth attempt would be worse Ciaran made the excuse to himself that the broken knife was too blunt. After packing up his tools and cleaning his mess Ciaran noticed that the attic seemed utterly dull, realising that the sun would soon go to sleep he hurried downstairs to be in time for dinner. when Ciaran reached the ground he found the kitchen bustling, this was not Ciaran¡¯s first time, he passed through the many cooks nimbly and reached the main hall where he saw that a table had been set and his brother was playing with a few wooden blocks on the floor. When Ciaran took this all in, he felt a strange warmth in his heart, even if everything else changed one day this moment together each night would never change. shibdididibidee doo its cold Ciaran woke up to the bitingly fresh air of a new day, he got dressed in joy thinking about all the cool stories he could hear today and then stood proud and ready before heading down for breakfast. once Ciaran sat down at his chair he realised he should have went up to the attic and grabbed that funky piece of metal before coming to breakfast, realising it was too late Ciaran gobbled up his soup intent on enjoying the new day. Ciaran''s parents saw their child''s joyous behaviour and found his childish antics cute until they saw their second child copy him and the cuteness was overpowered by silent concern, they could handle one Ciaran but a second was out of the question. Ciaran quickly finished his plate and then looked over to his mother¡¯s bowl to find that there was still ? of the soup left, a little dejected Ciaran was about to think about what to do in his time when his mother gave a light chuckle and beckoned him to come as she got ready to leave for the academy, seeing this Ciaran looked over to see her plate now empty. The now confused Ciaran happily obliged and followed his mother out the door taking his satchel from a servant on his way out. on Ciaran¡¯s way to the academy, he kept his eyes peeled for more of that funky metal with a different Aether, he looked at the bread shops, he looked at the paths he even looked at the people. Ciaran eventually did see a piece of metal with a different Aether however, Ciaran dismissed it as him seeing things as it was on the sword of a really scary looking mister. Ciaran arrived at the academy without any progress, but he didn¡¯t feel bad because he had his mother behind him, who could ever feel bad with her nearby? Ciaran sadly had to depart with his mother at the door, he said his goodbyes and got a hug from his mother before heading in. when Ciaran entered the classroom, he found there to be a few bookshelves filled with many different colours along the walls and seven tables with chairs spread around the room. Ciaran saw all of this and thought to himself that he was done with the stories and now they would be learning something cool, like magic¡­ he was so utterly wrong it brought a strange pain in his heart whenever he thought about how wrong he was, it was handwriting practice, an entire day of writing letter. Every time someone talked or tried to take a shortcut Mr Luper would swiftly put an end to it, Ciaran did not know how, but that man¡¯s orders could not be disobeyed, not even tears could escape his influence. When the bell for the first break tolled Ciaran decided to talk about his hobbies to escape from the fact he had to do more handwriting afterwards. Ciaran learned a lot about his friends, he mostly learnt that his friends don¡¯t have hobbies and just help around the house or go out and play but he did find someone that he felt meshed immeasurably well with him. That person liked to relate things like Ciaran and even had access to a lot more sharp tool. That person¡¯s name was caitiff he was a boy even though he had long hair and such a small stature compared to the rest of the boys in the class. Ciaran enjoyed his interactions with Caitiff and when the second break came around, he spent most of his time talking to him before being forced back to work once more. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.When class ended for the day Ciaran like most of the class ran from Mr Luper¡¯s classroom before separating and heading towards his mother, there he voiced his complaints. ¡°You said we wouldn¡¯t have to use our books until we were ready and could learn the important stuff.¡± ¡°no, no, no I said you would use them for notes when that time came, did you take any notes today.¡± ¡°no¡± Ciaran responded in a dejected voice, he couldn¡¯t blame his mother and even more so he couldn¡¯t let her know that he lied, he didn¡¯t use any books at all, it was all Mr Luper¡¯s paper, now that Ciaran thought about it, how could Mr Luper fit so much paper in his pockets, are his clothes mostly pocket? Before he knew it Ciaran¡¯s mother had grabbed his hand and was leading him home. when Ciaran remembered to look for funky metal he was barely in the mood for it, but they soon passed a blacksmith¡¯s shop, there he saw it, there was amongst all the other tools a few that had Aether unbefitting of their materials. Ciaran intent on figuring this mystery out himself decided to wait until he got home then form a plan. Ciaran mulled over the events from the day while wandering the garden, he did this for two reasons, the first was because the flowers smelled nice, and the other was because he thought it made him look smarter and in turn made him smarter. Ciaran thought of many options, but none seemed to fit, he could escape and go see the blacksmith, but then what if he got caught or the blacksmith didn¡¯t want to talk to him, he could go to the blacksmith on his way home but then his mother would find out, he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to walk by himself until he was older. A servant soon came out and informed Ciaran that his father had returned home, hearing this Ciaran ventured into the main hall to see his father and complain about handwriting. After Ciaran had annoyed his father sufficiently, he decided to head upstairs once more, not to create anything but to play. Ciaran pulled out a shabby box from a corner of the attic and then moved over to one of the few windows and emptied the contents of the box onto the floor. The box contained not toys or tools but a collection of different shaped woodchips and metal chunks, Ciaran then organised the pieces onto three areas, the largest of which had few metal chips and few small woodchips while the second largest held most of the metal chunks, the smallest had most of the small woodchips. Ciaran then started moving them and playing with them, he enjoyed thinking that they were ships and that he was orchestrating a grand battle between three factions two rival kingdoms and the measly pirates. Ciaran played until the light had set enough to ruin his fun, and thus he had to pack up and head down for dinner. some readin, an some smiles On the third days of Ciaran¡¯s school life, he bounced off to the academy once more, he had a little less enthusiasm due to the handwriting of the day prior, but he looked forwards to his interactions with the rest of the class. As soon as Ciaran entered the door he was greeted by the two other students that sat on the floor but strangely enough Mr Luper¡¯s seat was empty, as Ciaran began to question why he remembered that he forgot to search for another way to obtain that funky metal, instead of dwelling on it Ciaran decided to walk around the class in circles until everyone arrived. Mr Luper arrived last and had deep bags under his eyes but before Ciaran had room to question Mr Luper started the day¡¯s work with a rather curt and sharp statement. ¡°Everyone grab a book from one of the shelves and read it, come to me if you need any help.¡± Mr Luper intended to leave the class to read while he got some shut eye, but his efforts ended in futility as he discovered that ? of the class could not read forcing him to help them. Ciaran was one of the few that could read and dug into each book with gleaming intent eventually finishing his second just before the bell for the first break sounded. Mr Luper disappeared faster than the wind, but it was none of the children¡¯s concern as they busied themselves eating and talking. Hemlock one of the kids soon discovered that he could use the skills he was learning from his father to start trading snacks at an advantageous price, Ciaran did not end up trading anything however as he preferred the snacks made by miss Milders, the head cook. Mr Luper eventually returned to ruin the fun and forced those who could not read to the front of the class and tried to teach a crash course, Mr Luper struggled however as it was unlike when he introduced the class to the world¡¯s history with interesting stories, he had nothing to keep the attention of the children other than his authority. At the second break Ciaran decided to find Caitiff and talk about the books he read. when Ciaran asked, he found himself embarrassed as he realised that he was too engrossed in his books to notice that his friend could not read. Luckily for Ciaran Caitiff was smart and tried to ease his embarrassment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell what you read?¡± Caitiff had remained rather stoic during as he was talked at but whether Caitiff was paying attention or not wasn¡¯t something that crossed Ciaran¡¯s mind. ¡°s-sure¡­ the most interesting one was of a knight; he warned the people of the world that it would be consumed in a crimson of their own making. The people of the world did not listen to the poor knight, they ridiculed him, but the knight was determined and set out on a quest to stop the flame that would consume the world. It was not the praise of the people that fuelled the knight¡¯s journey, but his noble spirit and that spirit led him to success forever keeping the terrible flames at bay.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Once Ciaran had finished Caitiff woke up and dragged Ciaran over to one of his friends, a girl named Iris. The two sat down and were soon joined by a fourth, apparently Hemlock was friends with Caitiff and Iris, Ciaran could have sworn that he knew this but was unable to place his finger on a reason why he might have forgotten; as far as Ciaran knew he was still young he should have plenty of storage in his memory, what was hogging it all? despite his contemplation the world did not slow down for him and Ciaran was dragged into another game, this one was a simple version of one the older kids played involving a rope and knots, three of the four were in a silly mood and decided not to play it properly however which caused Mr Luper to come and untangle them several times. After the second break MR Luper finally decided on a method that he thought might work. ¡°Everyone make sure that there is at least one person that can read at your table, those that can read help those that can¡¯t.¡± Mr Luper¡¯s instructions were awkward, but they got the job done and Ciaran decided to move to a table with Caitiff, Iris, Hemlock and two others. The six worked well until Iris discovered that Mr Luper had fallen asleep and decided to try and make a building out of books, the entire group eventually joined in which led to much snickering. The last bell came quickly disturbing the Mr Luper¡¯s peace as he had to dismiss the class. Mr Luper first whispered ¡°grab your shit and go already¡± but quickly corrected himself with a louder statement ¡°grab your bags and take one of the books home, make sure to get your parents to help you with reading, I will see you tomorrow¡± as the children left Mr Luper glanced at Ciaran¡¯s group and sighed before returning to his stool. Halfway through his walk home Ciaran was talking to his mother about jewellery when he remembered that he was meant to look for that funky bit of metal, however unfortunately for Ciaran he saw nothing other than the blacksmith, not even another scary man. Ciaran decided to head to his room and contemplate once he got through the door, Ciaran did this until he came up with a solution he was content with. Ciaran¡¯s solution was to employ his brother to look for him. the only thing between Ciaran¡¯s room and his little brothers were their parent¡¯s room so the walk was quick. When Ciaran opened the door, he bore witness to the cuteness that was his brother, Ciaran immediately through that solution of his out the window as he convinced himself of his greatness in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m the eldest, I¡¯m meant to be the strong one, I¡¯m meant to protect my little siblings how could I dare to make them do my bidding?¡± Ciaran did not know where this feeling came from, but it wasn¡¯t too bad, and his brother¡¯s cuteness was something worth protecting even if he was a little annoying. Ciaran was brought back to reality as his brother questioned him. ¡°Caiwan why aa you just standing there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for you.¡± ¡°I know that, why were woo just standing there?¡± Ciaran looked at his brother and decided the best way to avoid the child¡¯s answer. ¡°You wanna make something.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Solas, do you want to or not?¡± ¡°yeah¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Ciaran then dragged his brother, Solas into his room where he kept the softer materials. his dad had gotten him all sorts of things from clay to rocks that bend but Ciaran decided just to pull out the clay. the two spent several hours making blobs and other ¡°creations¡± until they were dragged down to dinner by their mother who ensured that they were clean before they ate. school~ is mon~ot~in~ous~ On the third days of Ciaran¡¯s school life he bounced off to the academy once more, he had a little less enthusiasm due to the handwriting of the day prior but he looked forwards to his interactions with the rest of the class. As soon as Ciaran entered the door he was greeted by the two other students that sat on the floor but strangely enough Mr Lupers seat was empty, as Ciaran began to question why he remembered that he forgot to search for another way to obtain that funky metal, instead of dwelling on it Ciaran decided to walk around the class in circles until everyone arrived. Mr Luper arrived last and had deep bags under his eyes but before Ciaran had room to question Mr Luper started the day¡¯s work with a rather curt and sharp statement. ¡°Everyone grab a book from one of the shelves and read it, come to me if you need any help¡± Mr Luper intended to leave the class to read while he got some shut eye, but his efforts ended in futility as he discovered that ? of the class could not read forcing him to help them. Ciaran was one of the few that could read and dug into each book with gleaming intent eventually finishing his second just before the bell for the first break sounded. Mr Luper disappeared faster than the wind, but it was none of the children¡¯s concern as they busied themselves eating and talking. Hemlock one of the kids soon discovered that he could use the skills he was learning from his father to start trading snacks at an advantageous price, Ciaran did not end up trading anything however as he preferred the snacks made by miss Milders, the head cook. Mr Luper eventually returned to ruin the fun and forced those who could not read to the front of the class and tried to teach a crash course, Mr Luper struggled however as it was unlike when he introduced the class to the world¡¯s history with interesting stories, he had nothing to keep the attention of the children other than his authority. At the second break Ciaran decided to find Caitiff and talk about the books he read. when Ciaran asked, he found himself embarrassed as he realised that he was too engrossed in his books to notice that his friend could not read. Luckily for Ciaran Caitiff was smart and tried to ease his embarrassment. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell what you read?¡± Caitiff had remained rather stoic during as he was talked at but whether Caitiff was paying attention or not wasn¡¯t something that crossed Ciaran¡¯s mind. ¡°s-sure¡­ the most interesting one was of a knight; he warned the people of the world that it would be consumed in a crimson of their own making. The people of the world did not listen to the poor knight, they ridiculed him, but the knight was determined and set out on a quest to stop the flame that would consume the world. It was not the praise of the people that fuelled the knight¡¯s journey, but his noble spirit and that spirit led him to success forever keeping the terrible flames at bay.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Once Ciaran had finished Caitiff woke up and dragged Ciaran over to one of his friends, a girl named Iris. The two sat down and were soon joined by a fourth, apparently Hemlock was friends with Caitiff and Iris, Ciaran could have sworn that he knew this but was unable to place his finger on a reason why he might have forgotten; as far as Ciaran knew he was still young he should have plenty of storage in his memory, what was hogging it all? despite his contemplation the world did not slow down for him and Ciaran was dragged into another game, this one was a simple version of one the older kids played involving a rope and knots, three of the four were in a silly mood and decided not to play it properly however which caused Mr Luper to come and untangle them several times. After the second break MR Luper finally decided on a method that he thought might work. ¡°everyone make sure that there is at least one person that can read at your table, those that can read help those that cant.¡± Mr Luper¡¯s instructions were awkward, but they got the job done and Ciaran decided to move to a table with Caitiff, Iris, Hemlock and two others. The six worked well until Iris discovered that Mr Luper had fallen asleep and decided to try and make a building out of books, the entire group eventually joined in which led to much snickering. The last bell came quickly disturbing the Mr Luper¡¯s peace as he had to dismiss the class. Mr Luper first whispered ¡°grab your shit and go already¡± but quickly corrected himself with a louder statement ¡°grab your bags and take one of the books home, make sure to get your parents to help you with reading, I will see you tomorrow¡± as the children left Mr Luper glanced at Ciaran¡¯s group and sighed before returning to his stool. Halfway through his walk home Ciaran was talking to his mother about jewellery when he remembered that he was meant to look for that funky bit of metal, however unfortunately for Ciaran he saw nothing other than the blacksmith, not even another scary man. Ciaran decided to head to his room and contemplate once he got through the door, Ciaran did this until he came up with a solution he was content with. Ciaran¡¯s solution was to employ his brother to look for him. the only thing between Ciaran¡¯s room and his little brothers were their parent¡¯s room so the walk was quick. When Ciaran opened the door, he bore witness to the cuteness that was his brother, Ciaran immediately through that solution of his out the window as he convinced himself of his greatness in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m the eldest, I¡¯m meant to be the strong one, I¡¯m meant to protect my little siblings how could I dare to make them do my bidding?¡± Ciaran did not know where this feeling came from, but it wasn¡¯t too bad, and his brother¡¯s cuteness was something worth protecting even if he was a little annoying. Ciaran was brought back to reality as his brother questioned him ¡°Caiwan why aa you just stwanding there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for you¡± ¡°I know that, why were woo just standing there?¡± Ciaran looked at his brother and decided the best way to avoid the child¡¯s answer ¡°You wanna make something¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°solas, do you want to or not?¡± ¡°yeah¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go¡± Ciaran then dragged his brother, Solas into his room where he kept the softer materials that his dad got him. the two spent several hours making blobs and other ¡°creations¡± until they were dragged down to dinner by their mother who ensured that they were clean before they ate. Ciaran the bubble of curiosity Ciaran got up in the morning and got dressed before deciding on something important, TODAY he would find another piece of that funky metal, Ciaran had breakfast and headed out the door like usual but scoured the streets with his monocle searching for any hint of colour where it shouldn¡¯t belong, Ciaran¡¯s conversations with his mother were rather brief until he stopped speaking altogether as he looked at the shop window of the blacksmith for what felt like the fiftieth time and he felt the futility of his actions, determined not to ask for help Ciaran decided that he should search the rest of the way to school and never stop searching until he finds another way. Once Ciaran had gotten his kiss on the cheek he headed off to class where he was greeted by the eight students there already and Mr Luper¡¯s vibrant face, it looked like he had found a solution to all his worries overnight. Once everyone was present Mr Luper stood up from his stool and exclaimed with much gusto ¡°Everyone leaves your bags; we will now have pe for the first fifteen minutes of each lesson instead of a dedicated day¡± Mr Luper¡¯s joyous face tricked the children into believing that it was a good thing. Soon Mr Luper had them running laps around the main academy building, he would give some breaks occasionally and keep the children at a manageable pace which for some turned out to be more of a walk than a run, but Mr Luper seemed excited to see the results of his planning as when he dragged the children back inside, he nearly forgot to tell them what to do ¡°Today we will be writing a summary of the books you took home last night; you will structure it like so¡­¡± Mr Luper gave an example and decided to teach properly from the start for once yet many of the children including Ciaran were still worried, some couldn¡¯t write proper sentences while others hadn¡¯t even taken their books out of their bags. Ciaran¡¯s solution was to try and write about one of the stories he had read the day prior. At the first break Ciaran was around three quarters done, he enjoyed his time relaxing and playing games but not what came after, when Mr Luper said lesson, it seemed he meant each section of the day, once in the morning and once after each break. By the time Ciaran returned to class he had little energy to mess around or do work finishing the last quarter of his work just before the second bell and handing it in to Mr Luper. ¡°Mr I¡¯m finished¡± ¡°Hand it here and get some more paper, you will write about one of the other books you read¡± Others weren¡¯t so lucky as Ciaran and had to go to another table and have someone in the group read a new book to them for them to summarise. Little happened during the second break as the children were rather docile thanks to Mr Luper¡¯s plan however had severe side effects after the students third run as they began to act more like mindless husks than people their third run after the break and the children were basically walking zombies, Mr Luper was not upset however as he had already achieved his goal of getting a piece of writing to assess the level of the children, he did this so he could organise them by a skill level other than abysmal and teach each group accordingly. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. At the end of the day other then complaining about having to exercise which got a strange smile as a reaction from his mother Ciaran retreated to his room intent on resting his eyes¡­ for¡­ just a second, when Ciaran opened his eyes again it was already time for dinner. The next two weeks went by like a blur as Ciaran got used to school life the only evidence of his efforts culminating in his literacy skills that slowly inched forward each day and his burgeoning friendships as he spent more time with each member of the class. There were few highlights that he remembered outside of his friends, other than the constant exhaustion that was slowly subsiding and the fact he nicked himself on a chisel but his memory shifted, it had been two weeks but today was much more interesting, the school day had been rather dull but on his way home he was surprised by his mother dragging him into the blacksmith¡¯s shop and within he saw his father sitting on a plush sofa by a rack displaying spears of fine craftmanship. Ciaran took in his surroundings like a curious cat, he had never been inside a shop that sold weapons but those weren¡¯t the only things on display, there were many assortments of tools that lined the walls and shelves from nails and horseshoes to hammers and pliers. There was a gruff man his body plump in shape, but his fluffy exterior hid layers of experience and muscle bound tightly and packaged into a beast of a man. The blacksmith spoke his voice surprisingly soft despite his build and his language ¡°boy, I hear ya have a question for me?¡±. Ciaran nodded shyly realising that his parents had somehow picked up on his interest in the store and deduced the reason to be curiosity. the man seeing Ciaran¡¯s nod spoke his voice more endearing than before trying to coax the boy into speaking ¡°then let¡¯s hear it¡±. Ciaran responded to the man¡¯s efforts ¡°well I saw that some of the objects in your store window had different aether to what looked to be their material¡±, hearing this answer the blacksmith looked to Ciaran¡¯s seeking an answer why he had sought him out to answer such a simple question for the boy only to see Ciaran¡¯s father lift his arms and smile, it was out of his control and the man seemed to find amusement in the situation. The blacksmith let out a resigned sigh before answering Ciaran¡¯s question ¡°well boy, that¡¯s because another type of Aether has been imbued into them, whether by inscription or enchantment¡± Ciaran¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked another question ¡°what¡¯s inscription?¡± the boy had read enough tales of hero¡¯s lately to know that special mages could enchant an object giving it new properties and with the newfound knowledge that they were infusing Aether into the object to illicit a change the only knowledge that now eluded him was inscription. Seeing Ciaran¡¯s beaming eyes that seemed to hold endless questions the blacksmith seemed to understand why Ciaran¡¯s father had arranged the meeting, he grabbed a fine wooden seat sitting before the couch and inviting anon to sit next to his father on the couch. The blacksmith¡¯s eyes closed for a second in contemplation but he soon opened them wearily ¡°inscription is when you make a physical channel for the aether, it is like enchantment but requires specialised tools and materials, there are many ways to inscribe and many different thing¡¯s to inscribe the most common is magic circles but there are also instances where one might inscribe runes or words of old, unlike enchantment inscriptions last longer only dissipating when they have been worn out compared to the time limit attached to an enchantment due to the whims of the Aether¡±. Ciaran asked the blacksmith yet another question ¡°how do you inscribe something, what do the tool¡¯s look like?¡± the blacksmith was about to answer but once he saw the faces of Ciaran¡¯s parents that had lit up due to his question he guessed their intent instead opting to say ¡°get some more muscle on yer frame and I will teach you, how¡¯s that?¡± the offer was tantalizing to Ciaran his curiosity yet to be satiated and he readily accepted after very little contemplation ¡°sure¡± he was basically fizzing in his seat with excitement at finding out something new with a challenge. Ciaran the muscley boi (not really) Ciaran and his mother had gotten up and ready to leave, however his father had gotten embroiled in a conversation with the blacksmith. Ciaran was content with just standing by and listening, but his mother was not. The blacksmith gave Ciaran¡¯s father a knowing gaze seeing Aerecura¡¯s dissatisfaction and decided to set him free. ¡°Well, I better let you get back to your family, may the winds grace you Mr Andreas¡± ¡°And you too Mr Burton, but please call me Alexander; I think we will be seeing each other quite a bit more often¡± Mr Burton chuckled his eyes falling upon Ciaran ¡°Indeed, we will be¡± On the way home Ciaran decided to find out how his parents knew of his search fro that funny looking metal. ¡°Daddy, how did you know I wanted to talk to the blacksmith?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your mother, she is the one that found out¡± a soft and warm light seemed to envelop Ciaran at the sound of his fathers gentle yet amused voice, and Ciaran shifted his head to his mother. ¡°Mummy, how did you find out?¡± Aerecura reached down with her thin, pale arms and scooped Ciaran up, looking into his eyes and letting loose a bright chuckle. ¡°it¡¯s a bit hard not to notice when you stare at it everyday¡± Ciaran was too embarrassed to retort instead he turned his head; this however caused his parents to burst into laughter reddening Ciaran¡¯s cheeks. Ciaran¡¯s father took him out of his mother arms and placed him on his shoulders, the three walked home like this chatting and giggling all the way. At home the three were greeted by the jealous gaze of Solas who jumped at His father clinging onto his legs. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Hearing Ciaran¡¯s laughter as he looked down at the situation A playful smile graced their father¡¯s lips as he trudged into the main hall where he threw Ciaran down onto the soft couch and pulled Solas up, spinning him around in the air. Alexander was forced to lift the two children several times, spinning them throwing them or play a few games of tag, but no matter how hard he tried the children never gave him a break. By the end Ciaran and Solas were still shouting ¡°AGAIN, AGAIN¡± but their father refused as he feigned exhaustion and flopped onto the carpet below. their mother had been watching the entire scene by the window with a glass of clear iced liquid in her hand, when she saw her husband lying on the floor she sauntered over and came to sit by his head, playing with his hair. ¡°That makes it children five dad two¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised I could even win twice; they really are something¡± As their parents were cozying up to each other the two children decided to head to the garden where they could play without getting scolded by the butler. The two brothers chased each other and hid amongst the many rows of flowers eventually returning as mud monsters which despite their best efforts still elicited a scoldign from the butler. After the scolding of the servants instructed the brothers ¡°Young masters, please clean yourselves up¡± When the butler saw them heading to their rooms for clothes, he immediately changed his tune. ¡°Dear young masters, clothes will be brought to the baths, please head that way¡± A servant came up behind the butler and asked ¡°Are they still going at it?¡± ¡°Apparently, at this rate we are going to have to prepare another room¡± ¡°If it¡¯s another boy I¡¯m going to ask for a raise¡± ¡°Me too¡± After they had made themselves more presentable Ciaran sat down in the main hall with Solas chatting as they played with the blocks ¡°Soooo, what did you do today?¡± ¡°Butler frank taught me all sorts of things¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± ¡°Well, I only just started but soon I¡¯m going to earn money just like daddy!¡± A warm smile crossed Ciaran¡¯s face as he looked at his brother¡¯s bubbly face and reminisced about his lessons with the butler that he had managed to escape after a year of torment. The children¡¯s parents came down at dinner time, Aerecura was leaning on Alexander her hair was let down and slightly dishevelled; the two were absorbed in their own little world leaving the two boys to eat and talk by themselves. Returning to their blocks the two children decided to create forts and then take turns throwing one of the blocks at the others fort where they placed inside one tall rectangular block that they labelled the king. The king that lasted the longest won, it was a simple game, but it entertained them after dinner before they were forced off to bed. my bad Soft splashing and the laughter of children could be heard as Aerecura looked onwards from her spot on a boulder, she was far from the rushing water but close enough to keep an eye on the children. Ciaran looked up from the river calling to his mother ¡°Mummy, look what I built¡± Ciaran pointed towards a tall pile of rocks. the rocks were in many different shapes, however most of the rocks were rugged unlike the smooth banks of the river that held a dull beauty under the speckled cover of leaves. Aerecura smiled at Ciaran her gaze filled with a simple and pure love for her little one as she pondered a response, her mind slow in the comfort of nature¡¯s embrace. Before Aerecura could finish her thoughts, Ciaran was already dragged away, his clothes now drenched thanks to Hemlock. Aerecura shook her head in amusement, turning her head behind her to see one of the village guards playing with Solace, the poor child was too meek to play with the other children. deciding that Ciaran would be safe under the eyes of Hemlock and Caitiff¡¯s parents, Aerecura slid down from her rock arriving by the little ray of light hidden by the shadows. Solace and the guard were playing with sticks drawing battle lines and formations, Solace had a knack for numbers far greater than his brother but even, so he was still only six. Aerecura¡¯s movements were nimble and refined as she sauntered over, she picked up a small stick and crouched down drawing a third army in dirt. The guard raised an eyebrow at first but did not complain knowing that she was connected to ¡°That Clan¡± a thought far more prevalent in his mind then her noble heritage. The guards lack of concern for her skill was vindicated, her ability evident whenever she forgot to hold back for poor Solas, she ended up walloping both of them twice. despite losing it was not Solas that got upset but instead the guard. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Solas believed deep down that he had won as he had learnt from this little game, and every little piece of information he learnt brought him closer to the one he admired. the guards putting also slowly subsided as he was enthralled by the woman¡¯s beauty her smile unending, as if she were a queen, every happy moment and memory with her children the jewels adorning her crown, her eyes filled with nothing but love and a deep softness. The guard knew that he would never have a chance due to ¡°That Man¡± but he seemed to be content with just observing her beauty that seemed to meld with the forest itself her presence barely a whisper. Days went by peacefully, the calm waters turned into raging rapids, but Ciaran wasn¡¯t content, He had tried to build some muscle for the blacksmith, but his progress was ever lacking. No matter what he did he couldn¡¯t fill out his tiny frame. Ciaran had consulted everyone from Mr Luper to his little brother. Ciaran had associated knowledge with power and power with strength despite its flaws this idea was not the first to falter, instead it was how much time he spent each day on exercise. Ciaran normally spent the time Mr Luper allotted each day and sometime after school. Ciaran finally decided to take action putting his thoughts away and marching to his father that lay in hall as normal, his peaceful eyes were no deterrence to Ciaran, and he was woken by the determined little boy. ¡°Daddy!¡± A long exhale preceded his father¡¯s words ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I need to grow bigger and stronger¡± After seeing the confliction on Ciaran¡¯s face from his words the tall man rose from his chair and walked to a small wooden box, opening it he took out a piece of ¡°encouragement and dangled it in front of Ciaran ¡°I can wait¡± After handing the small glossy sphere to Ciaran his father sat back on his chair looking on in amusement as Ciaran devoured the small treat. ch: something a rather n accordance with his fathers¡¯ instructions Ciaran had waited the entire year, soon his time at the academy would come to an end, looking back on it he found that it had slipped through his fingers like the sand that flowed between the rocks disappearing into the currents to a location unknown. Few things of importance had happened over the months possibly aiding in his ability to forget the passing of time but that mattered little as he stood before a wooden door far bigger than himself, his father giving a knowing smile as Ciaran stared up at its gaping form. Once he had found enough amusement from the situation Ciaran¡¯s father opened the simple set of double doors, as the creaks echoed throughout the small stone tunnel Ciaran¡¯s expectations were crushed. Inside the cold basement was a large array of workout equipment, contained in the vault of fitness where many things Ciaran didn¡¯t even know existed but none of it elicited any reaction. He had followed his father down here in excitement hoping that it would be some secret method to do with magic, but he was sorely mistaken. Ciaran¡¯s father removed his shirt, the slim man had rows of densely packed muscle, despite his apparent flimsiness he seemed to contain a refined strength greater than Ciaran had ever seen¡­ not that Ciaran had ever seen that many shirtless men¡­ realising that his father¡¯s actions were weird he decided to inquire ¡°Daddy? Why did you take your shirt off, don¡¯t people exercise with their clothes on?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but I have to show you something, also if you ever head west the nu-ahh nice people up their train under water, clothes aren¡¯t great there.¡± ¡°But we aren¡¯t under water¡± ¡°What part of I have to show you something?¡± ¡°Oh! sorry¡± ¡°Anyway, our clan has a very special method for growing nice and dense muscles, our clan prioritised this method of muscle gain due to its greater strength and out natural physiques that are determined at blah blah blah¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Seeing that his words were going in one ear out the other his father didn¡¯t even bother explaining which muscle was which and just put his shirt on before staring at Ciaran. Once he realised and stopped zoning out, Ciaran inquired ¡°what¡¯s a clan¡± unimpressed his father answered ¡°Think of it like a family, a very weird one at that, anyway, do twenty reps on that I will correct your form if your wrong¡± ¡°can¡¯t you show me first?¡± ¡°I did¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seeing Ciaran¡¯s big eyes his ¡°yes¡± got caught in his throat, instead he chose a different tactic ¡°If you do this you can get strong!¡± ¡°okay¡± ¡­ Ciaran failed miserably for the first few days, his lacking memory but a small part of the equation as he tried again and again to go over his limits. Ciaran¡¯s father was not faring well either as he realised that the academy would close for a month soon to prepare for the next year, and he would be left with the cute little gremlin. Despite their early failures the two managed to persist until Burton came by to inquire about a shipment of farm tools he had to make, and Ciaran¡¯s father began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. ¡°ahhh, Mr Burton I do believe it has been a while since we last met¡± ¡°Indeed, I believe it was the ironworks about a month ago¡± ¡°so what brings you my way today?¡± ¡°the shipment of greenies that you wanted, now did you want 52 or 56¡± ¡°I do believe that I only placed an order for 52, why?¡± ¡° I received the money for 56¡± ¡°ah, the price of western iron is on the rise again¡± ¡°with the way those westies are hogging through I¡¯m surprised they have any iron left in the market, I¡¯ve been getting mine from down south, takes longer but its not like I¡¯m going anywhere, I live in this town after all.¡± ¡°well, if you have nothing else may I propose a different challenge, I call it rescue the father¡± ¡°oh, has the wee one been some trouble¡± ¡°no, he¡¯s just¡­ a bit too enthusiastic¡± ¡°sure, I will take him off your hands, I only needed the time to prepare the shop for a kiddo anyway, doesn¡¯t really matter the muscle hes got on him¡± ¡°I tried to teach him a bit of patience, I did it the hard way¡± ¡°well that ones on you, but I will do what I can¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes lit up at the thought of the freedom soon to come ¡°don¡¯t smile like that¡­ Please¡± Haitus announcement 01010011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01101000 01100101 01100001 01101100 01110100 01101000 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101001 01110110 01100101 01010011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01101000 01100101 01100001 01101100 01110100 01101000 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101001 01110110 01100101 This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. 01010011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01101000 01100101 01100001 01101100 01110100 01101000 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101001 01110110 01100101 hammer After cleaning up the drool the two headed over to inform Ciaran, but first they had to find him. The cheeky child was dangling from the rafters in the attic, how he got up there was none of their concern as they scurried to get hm down safely. With one Ciaran retrieved and safely on the ground the three could finalise shipping Ciaran off. ¡°Ciaran Mr Burton is here, and he says you can start learning, isn¡¯t that right Mr Burton?¡± ¡°COUGH, oh ah yeah, Kiddo just pop on over after school tomorrow and we can get you started¡± ¡°YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY¡± ¡°¡­ I think he¡¯s happy¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ is it too late to say no¡± ¡°yes¡± And so, with that Ciaran¡¯s father could finally rest and poor Mr Burton was in for more than he bargained for. The next day, Ciaran didn¡¯t bother saying farewell to his friends preferring to race to his mother, the grin on his face hid nothing. The two walked to the blacksmiths shop and Ciaran bounced his way to the counter where Mr Burton upon noticing them spoke ¡°Ciaran you can head through that door, I will be with you in a sec¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°okay¡± Ciaran kept his bag on and wandered through the big cream coloured door between two weapons racks at the very back of the store leaving Mr Burton and Aerecura alone. ¡°I heard from Elaine, if you truly are her daughter then it makes sense how you are with ¡°That Man¡±. If you ever intend to go back and claim a few heads, then my blade will be yours my lady¡± ¡°That is for later, we still have to secure a title first. your offer is appreciated though and I will keep it in mind Sir Burton¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s to be expected, the moment I found out that man lived here I gave up on hiding it. Now I must go attend to your wee one if I may?¡± ¡°you¡¯re the one who started talking, now off you go¡± Behind that cream door was a large workshop, on the left were three anvils an in the right were four different furnaces, in the centre of the room were an array of different tools clumped together in racks or piled on top of each other as well as one Ciaran poking and playing with a few of them. Entering the workshop Burton sighed to himself quietly, closing the door he places a smile upon his face. Mr burton then picked up Ciaran, his strained jubilance redirecting the child''s attention ¡°Hey there little guy, why don''t we get you started on something more interesting than that¡± ¡°But they all have that funny Aether thingy going on¡± ¡°You want to make that someday, don''t you?¡± ¡°yeah¡± ¡°Then we better start now, come on¡± Mr burton guided Ciaran how to sloppily hit the hammer, but throughout the entire time his eyes drifted to a black cabinet that hid beyond the forges with bold lettering on one of the doors ¡°you fucked up didn''t you¡± there were many things about that cabinet that kept his attention but the least pressing of which was that he needed to change the language to something a child could be near. It was almost inevitable that he would need to open it, especially since it was only his second time teaching a child. Other than two darting pupils and a bouncy pupil the lesson went somewhat smoothly allowing Mr burton some respite after sending the child home in one piece. interlude to something A small campfire burnt quietly in a cave, the depths of which were indiscernible in the echoing darkness. Two men sat at that fire, one in an archaic suit of armour made of iron while the other wore rich robes and finery. Even as the fire flickered and spat neither spoke, the armoured man more akin to a statue in the silence. The man In robes lightly tapped on his knee finally setting a conversation in motion. A strong graunching sound could be heard as the knight shifted its head to look at the man. Even the knights voice seemed to carry an endless amount of rust ¡°You came¡± The robes man had a much finer and soft voice but still replied succinctly ¡°yes¡± ¡°You are early¡± ¡°The fire has dimmed¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ why are you here?¡± ¡°You let someone through, didn¡¯t you?¡± At the mans question the knight pondered for a while before answering ¡°In this place you lose sense of time, it has already been so long. I blinked and 8 became 10¡± ¡°Answer the question¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you find it ironic? Humanity calls them demons, yet have you ever stepped back to look at what we have done?¡± ¡°So, you have¡­ this makes things difficult for me¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t, you know full well what happens to those who enter this sanctum¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The robed man gave a long sigh before answering ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me something, a final story before you feed me to the flames¡± ¡°Hmmm, you pick which one, do you want the stories of the Mythics, some truths of this worlds history, or the tales of those humanity has eliminated¡± ¡°Are the ones humanity has eliminated and the Mythics not the same?¡± ¡°If all the Mythics were dead, then the world would no longer continue to exist¡­ it is close though.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go with a truth of the world¡± ¡°Sure, your god is a lie, this world was not created by them, though they did help create humanity.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No, but the full story is too long, and I do not care to let my throat go parched in this hell without water¡± ¡°And it hasn¡¯t already? You have been in this cave for several thousand years¡± ¡°Fine, the true god of this world left long ago, and in their absence, another came along, that God was a blind follower of the universe¡¯s strongest entity, Nadir. That entity is so powerful that just blinking wipes out several million worlds, and I do not jest, this world has barely survived it the last three times.¡± The knight smacked shifted in his seat and smacked his lips a few times before continuing ¡°Anyway, that God that came believing in Nadir corrupted the elves to create humanity, a much lesser species. That God gave the simple instruction to conquer the world to its creations. Humanity did very well, taking advantage of the other races kindness and even securing victory over a small clan of elves during the era of the united empire that was le by the dwarves. But as humanity survived and grew into the next era that God left, whether boredom or for some other reason.¡± ¡°I no longer wonder how you were taken for a fool, if anyone truly took your words to heart and survived, then humanity would implode.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is surprising how such a fragile species has managed to change the world¡¯s name from something so beautiful to Malo-Dorus¡± The robed man looked on in silence as his clothes slowly disappeared into the amber and crimson that engulfed him. the man didn¡¯t know when it had begun but he knew this was his end, there was no pain, nor regret. All that filled the man¡¯s mind even as his eyes melted into a goop that pooled on the floor, was pity. it was not a self-pity, but pity for the knight who guarded the eternal flame, the knight who let in someone who would surely die in this hellish world, the knight who is only remembered by those who wish him dead. With a final gargled sigh, the man collapsed to the ground, his thoughts trailing off into the river of nothingness that his soul would never reach. V1.5 ch1 live laugh leprosy A horrid, toothy grin shaded in a scarlet hue amongst the endless darkness. A pair of beady scarlet eyes incessantly shaking beyond the veil, shattered ears brought close. The decadent smell of the night attracts all manner of horrid atrocities. From the seed of humanity sprouts an endless weed of corruption and taint. Those eyes and many more leer in the shadows of a once pure world, their hunger palpable beyond words. Humanities darkness is impure, a rapacious mix of noxious fumes corroding the world itself. But within that darkness a cleansing Is nigh, the one who holds the key to darkness. What they will do in this world is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain, many will die. ...... ¡­. ... .. . The sky lit up with the occasional lightning strike as hail pounded on eery roof. Despite the horrid day Ciaran still had a smile wide across his face, he seemed fascinated by what lay in the clouds. Dancing waves of neon blue circulated in the heavens, every lightning strike adding more to the ever-brightening pool. If Ciaran could, he would stare at such a beautiful sight endlessly, but he couldn¡¯t. dragging his head back down he continued his way, the academy drawing ever nearer. Seeing lightning in the Coredim was rare, and even rarer from within the town. Ciaran heard his father say that the region had been drained of Aether and that reduced the chances, but he refused to elaborate. As Ciaran came up to the big wooden doors his eyes drifted off to the side of the building. There he found three boys gathered around another who was cowering on the floor. Luckily Solas was afraid of the thunder so didn¡¯t bear witness to it, but it upset Ciaran. Why should there be something his little brother shouldn¡¯t see, this town was their territory. The sound of their pounding mixed with that of the rain, obscuring Ciaran¡¯s footsteps as he approached. Looking down on the boy, Ciaran saw the boy huddled on the floor, completely soaked with red marks adorning his face. Another thought graced Ciaran¡¯s mind, what if, what if this could happen to Solas? A smile graced Ciaran¡¯s lips for a second as he thought of the joy on Solas¡¯ face when he first entered the academy with his big bro a few weeks ago. With a sudden action Ciaran threw a punch at one of the boys, and before they could react brought down a second. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. When the boy that was on the floor slowly opened his eyes, he saw Ciaran sitting atop the three bullies. Ciaran¡¯s chair groaned and complained but he seemed not to care, and instead asked the boy ¡°What year are you in?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m a second year¡± ¡°don¡¯t lie I haven¡¯t¡­ oh, time really does fly, would you look at that im a third year already!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I ask the questions, now why were you getting beaten up¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Do you want to be able to defend yourself?¡± The boy was confused by Ciaran¡¯s act of kindness, unendingly so, but he still answered ¡°y-yes?¡± ¡°Good, good, you just have to do one thing for me in return, okay?¡± As the sat up, leaning against the wall he queried ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± There was absolutely no determination in the boy¡¯s voice, but Ciaran didn¡¯t care ¡°Just make sure that they stop doing things like that, inside of school or out, no beatings. Okay?¡± ¡°Oh, okay, how do I fight them?¡± ¡°Patience, come over to my place¡­ tomorrow, and I will teach you¡± Before the boy could respond or say his thanks Ciaran had disappeared into the academy. today¡¯s lesson was on one of the basics of Aether, conductivity. Before conductivity they had a lesson on creation, but since it was such a ¡°complex and convoluted¡± topic, they were only taught one sentence. ¡°Aether is created through physical phenomenon transforming Aether type 0-000 into other forms of Aether¡± coupled with a refusal to elaborate it made an adequate explanation to most. However, Ciaran was not most, and he had managed to nag the fact that Aether 0-000 was the Aether of nothingness from Mr. Luper. The Aether of nothingness sounded interesting so of curse Ciaran asked more. Aether 0-000 had no substance, feel, appearance or even affect. However, the Aether seemed to be everywhere in an infinite quantity, and through the right circumstances become other forms of Aether. A Physical phenomenon was not the only way to create other forms of Aether, but this was not Mr. Luper¡¯s field of expertise. As Ciaran sat in his seat next to the window, he looked at the rain and pondered. Each year they had changed classes, and unlike the old one this room was rather¡­ stale. Everything managed to look dusty without being so and there wasn¡¯t a hint of colour, not even a spec woody brown poked through the grey paint. So many other things had changed too, there was only one break time, instead there was extra activities one could pursue. Ciaran didn¡¯t know the other options well as he had picked calligraphy, but he knew basic carpentry was in there. Just thinking in such a stale classroom made Ciaran feel bored, but luckily, he had a way to kill time. with a dip of his pen Ciaran got to work, lines of neat notes with a few birds mixed in slowly filled his pages. It didn¡¯t take long for breaktime to be upon them, but still Ciaran found it hard when Mr. Luper had to explain something he had already learnt from Mr. Burton. Break was filled with lamentations, not only because everyone was stuck inside but because one child mentioned how wizards could change weather. Despite Mr. Luper¡¯s reasoning that a wizard strong enough to do so didn¡¯t live even near the region, nor would they have a reason to clear the rain. However, his words only spurred on the children¡¯s delusional aspirations to reach such a height just to stop bad weather. That night Ciaran got to work on a box alongside Caitiff, the two spent hours trying to get the joins pretty but ended up failing several times. The two laughed in the face of failure and kept on trying, right up until Caitiff had to head home at dinner time. vol 1.5 ch.2 from hope darkness is born Another day dawns and Ciaran rushed off to school, though his feet slapped the wet ground Ciaran enjoyed the freshness of the sun. The only bad thing was that he had to run, Solas had once again beat him out the door. Ciaran was able to catch up quickly with his long and powerful legs, but they were already nearing the academy. The two separated as soon as they met and headed off to their own classes. Taking his seat Ciaran readied himself for today¡¯s lesson by looking at his notes. Skimming over them he was reminded that Aether conductivity was how well Aether of a certain type passed through materials. Each Aether preferred different materials over others and Ciaran suspected that they would learn about this today. Ciaran¡¯s prediction was both right and completely wrong as Mr Luper declared that they would do a practical demonstration. With a few waves of his hand every table became an altar with a hole in the middle and several lines branching out. Each line went to a hole and was interrupted by a slot in the middle. Mr Luper brought around several gems of different colour and placed them in the tables with the repeated instruction ¡°Do NOT touch.¡± When every hole except for the slots in the middle of each line were filled, Mr Luper placed a tray filled with different materials at each table. After this Mr. Luper¡¯s instructions were quite simple, you just had to place a material in one of the empty slots and record the gem in the middle¡¯s reaction. They had to do this for every material and every gem around the outside and missing one would result in punishment. For others the punishment may have looked daunting but most often it was what Ciaran considered a reward. Ciaran had a decent idea already thanks to his lessons with Mr Burton, so he placed a piece of wood in the slot for the green gem. The gem in the centre lit up the most for the wood and other plant material while it had a faint or no response to other materials. Seeing this Ciaran remembered that lesson fully, Aether only passes through objects with similar properties to itself. Thinking about the jolly old man also reminded him that he had a lesson with him tonight. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ciaran was the fastest in the class to do his work, but even he had only gotten through half of it by the time the bell for break went. Instead of hanging with the others he decided to go for a run, the sun was out shining and the breeze felt nice on his face. Once the bell rang once more, he returned to the classroom with a fresh mind and managed to nearly finish his work before he left. Ciaran walked with Solas for a while listening to him about his day before turning off at Mr Burtons shop. Ciaran went straight through and entered the workshop; there he saw the hefty fellow wielding his hammer. Chucking his Satchell down Ciaran picked up a pair of tongs and began heating up his latest project. The sound of clanking went on for quite a while before Ciaran¡¯s body forced him to go home. But the boy didn¡¯t want to, especially when he was so close to finishing his first axe. When he walked down the cobbled path to his doorstep Ciaran couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had forgotten something but judging it to be unimportant he ventured inside. The warmth of the fireplace replaced that of the forge and Ciaran gave his father a big hug, ensuring to impart as much soot and grime as possible. The mischievous child then rushed off to have a wash before any punishment could catch up with him. That night Ciaran went to talk to his father in the basement, but there he saw something. A book, a book that contained nothing, that is what his mind told him. on the pages was multiple names, numbers and dates, but even though he saw all this only two things came to mind. The first thing was that there was nothing in that book, and the other was that it was a ledger containing nothing. Ciaran didn¡¯t know why, but it felt like the very depths of his mind sought to avoid that book, as if it were the most horrid thing to exist. And so, Ciaran ignored it and opted to go look for his father elsewhere. The next night curiosity crept into his mind, and he ventured down to the basement once more and turned the key he ¡°acquired¡± in the lock. But no matter where he searched the book was not there. Ciaran left the basement how he found it and concluded that it was a book with pages that had nothing on them and didn¡¯t exist. vol 1.5 ch.3. project complete, happiness acquired The sun poked Ciaran awake, and he headed down for breakfast, he had finished Aetheric Conductivity the day before. Today he would start on Aetheric capacitance. Breakfast was great as always, but it could have done without his mother poking fun at how tall he was getting. Both Ciaran and Solas wished for her to continue walking them to school but the bulge in her stomach had her preoccupied. Arriving at school Ciaran was about to head off when he saw someone, and his mind clicked. He headed over to the boy he had seen a week and a half prior and berated him. ¡°I told you to come to my house, but you didn¡¯t, do you take my words for a joke?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me your name, how on earth was I supposed to find out where you lived.¡± ¡°Ah, my bad, well let me introduce myself. My name is Ciaran, and I live at the Andreas manor¡± The name Andreas seemed to scare the boy, but Ciaran didn¡¯t care and continued to ask ¡°So, you should be good to come over tonight, right?¡± ¡°I think so, but don¡¯t you have any plans?¡± Ciaran gave it a solid minute of thought before responding ¡°Yes, I have to go pick something up, pop over tomorrow¡± Before their conversation could get any further the bell caught them, and Ciaran shot off to class. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As the class took out their books and Mr. Luper began talking it became apparent that there was a major difference between capacitance and conductance. Anything could store Aether, one just had to be strong enough. certain materials however took to storing aether better than others. And other materials let go of Aether easier than others, and vice versa. The rate at which an object lost it¡¯s stored Aether was called Aetheric drain, while the rate at which Aether could be pulled from an object was Aetheric discharge. the reason behind all of this was unfortunately very complicated. Aether likes to move, and trapping it requires a net that can let it in easy but prevent it from leaving. Gemstones were the most suitable as most types of Aether got trapped in their atomic structure. Not all Aether was the same however and some preferred other materials, but gems were used for all ¡®standard¡¯ Aether. This is also why if someone was strong enough, they could store Aether in any material, as they would have to force it into a space it couldn¡¯t fit or change that space to trap it. Ciaran¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help but wander, tonight he would finally be able to see the fruits of his labour. Ciaran was not the only one to stop paying attention to the lesson however and Caitiff was also in the same boat, but for a different reason. Caitiff¡¯s father had recently gotten a promotion, and now he could dream of attending a named academy in the capital. Only five more years, and he would venture out to the great walled city. That afternoon, much to Ciaran¡¯s dismay he found the shop locked, even as the boy tried to go around back, he found that too was locked. Glumly Ciaran resigned himself and wandered home staring at Solas¡¯ back off in the distance. When the lanky child entered the warm house, he was greeted by the smiles of his family, and Mr Burton too! There was also another man he did not recognise, which made the boy happy, but confused, very confused. Ciaran¡¯s father picked up the still decently small child and began to explain. ¡°Oi, what¡¯s with that face, you finished your first project after a year under Mr Burton, so we decided to celebrate. Mr Martin even made you a pretty handle.¡± Ciaran¡¯s face lit up like a candle and wrapped his arms around his father. Alexander was a slim but sturdy man, every ounce of him was the boy¡¯s pillar of strength and joy. A pillar that would never fall. vol 1.5 ch.3.5 blacksmith qualifications After he got down from his father¡¯s embrace Ciaran looked to Mr burton. From material research to design and prototype Ciaran had spent so many hours at Mr Burton¡¯s shop, and now the burly man stood holding a small wooden box. Inside that wooden box surely lay all his effort, it would even have a handle. Even in his Joy Ciaran still felt that something was off, and he looked to the man for answers. Mr Burton smiled before opening his jolly mouth. ¡°Ciaran Andreas Realta, I Mathias Burton as a qualified association blacksmith who has attained the twelfth level of advanced mastership present to you¡­ your proof and project that you have attained the rank of a first level apprentice smith.¡± Mr Burton then gave the box to the boy, allowing him to open it as he continued. ¡°With your rank you are qualified to the following: first a registration under the blacksmithing association of. secondly you are qualified to seek further training under a qualified blacksmith. Thirdly you have fulfilled the legal requirements to inherit property as a commoner. Fourth, according to the smithing opportunities act you are now eligible to sell your products legally¡­ fifth¡­ sixth¡­¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Through Mr Burton¡¯s ramblings Ciaran mainly focused on the ornate axe that now lay before him. the blade had many curves and curls on the edges while the body of the blade was round and bare of decor. The body of the axe head was decorated with some basic engravings, Ciaran¡¯s favourite was the squiggly line he called a river. Ciaran was content with most of his axe, but he didn¡¯t like the handle. The handle in all its dark, smooth and lovable nature took Ciaran¡¯s eyes away from all his effort, but he couldn¡¯t hate it either. Other than decorations the handle also had on it a few lines of text, first was his name but below that was something else. ¡®LEVEL ONE APRENTICE SMITH proof of qualification¡¯ was engraved clearly on one side of the handle. It finally dawned on him how far he had come, to get any further he would need to use Aether. Ciaran didn¡¯t like the thought of being stagnant for four years, but he decided to forget that and enjoy the moment. That night Ciaran would have had his first glass of alcohol, if it weren¡¯t for his mother¡¯s protests, and his brother¡¯s presence that is. but even without the burn of alcohol everything felt warm within the manor. It was not just the hearth that burned, nor the yellow that spilled out from lamps. Ciaran couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, he just knew that he was happy, and that something deep down was content with everything in that moment. vol.1.5 ch.4 a snake coiled amongst flesh Ciaran began to wonder while in class, when did he start having more fun outside of school? merely two years ago he enjoyed learning like there was nothing else, but it seemed like he had begun learning out of school and doing all sorts of things. Tonight, he would even train some stranger he hardly knew. The thought of why he would be training another briefly passed through Ciaran¡¯s mind, and it ticked him off. To relieve his mind Ciaran searched within the class for the face of his brother. After realising his mistake Ciaran turned to the window with a red face, and there he saw something. There were two snakes coiled together as they fought, their jaws interlocked. There were many things off about the snakes, the first of which that caught Ciaran¡¯s eye was their blue colour, but the second was their presence in the region, or stark lack thereof. Ciaran looked at the snakes in wonder, even as Mr Luper rambled on Ciaran continued staring. The snakes danced and cooled until eventually one got a hold of the others tail. Not to be outdone the other snake also latched onto the others behind. The two snakes now made a circle as they raced to consume the other, however it seemed that unless one died it would go on forever. Thanks to an angry Mr Luper Ciaran returned to work, but the next time he looked there was no snake. The snake mattered little in the grand scheme of things and Ciaran continued with his day, with it niggling at the back of his mind. Ciaran made several plans for the coming days, one of which was to head over to Caitiff¡¯s. his other plans were mostly in relation to the upcoming school trip. The academy very rarely had the budget to let the children go outside the town, so trips were rare and precious. Other than that Ciaran was intent on begging Mr Burton to start lessons for moving to level 2 a few days earlier, the burly man didn¡¯t have anyone else to take care of so he surely had time. After school Ciaran decided that he should have some time before his guest came over and decided to investigate. Ciaran asked around the town and even Mr Luper and his parents about the snakes, and the answers confused him. some said it was a good sign, others a bad sign, most didn¡¯t care, but they all said not to tell the church. There was no reason stated for the distrust of the church, just the strict ruling that such things should not reach their ears. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. When the sun began to dim a little a knock sounded out at the front door of the manor and a boy introduced himself to the butler. ¡°uhh, I am Damien, Ciaran told me to come over for something.¡± The butler¡¯s eyes beamed as he spoke before heading back inside ¡°Ah, a friend of young the young master I see, I will go fetch him now.¡± Once Ciaran was notified, he brought Damien out to a large patch of trees near the manor where the boy had to introduce himself again. In typical Ciaran fashion he got distracted by something before work could begin. ¡°so Damien¡­ Damien huh, that is an uncommon name, why were you given it?¡± Damien got hit with a Ciaran special and was left stumped ¡°how would I know?¡± ¡°You have never asked them?¡± ¡°NO, have you? ¡°no¡± ¡°Can we get to what I came here for¡± ¡°what was that again?¡± ¡°you said you were going to make me able to stop those bullies¡± ¡°Ah, yes that happened¡± With a more serious face Ciaran appraised Damien¡¯s physique before giving up at his lack of such a skill. ¡°Then we should see what our base is. shouldn¡¯t we?¡± This time a smile played on Ciaran¡¯s lips, one that did not speak of goodwill for the boy before him. Ciaran made Damien run through the forest and lift different sizes of rocks, it was all useful information, but it sure didn¡¯t feel like it. At the end off the session Damien was on the mossy forest floor while Ciaran looked over him, and the boy protested. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s going to make me any stronger.¡± ¡°that¡¯s where patience comes in, you see Pain makes you stronger¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any fucking sense, I should be super strong by now then!¡± ¡°Not all pain makes you stronger.¡± ¡°Words of wisdom from a child.¡± ¡°And you are not?¡± Ciaran then helped up Damien, patting off the moss from the boys back. Damien walked back home afterwards, earnestly refusing Ciaran¡¯s offers to carry him home. However, something still played on the boy¡¯s mind, he saw a portrait hung int the main hall of the Andreas manor. The portrait was surely of duke Realta, a man that couldn¡¯t have a connection to the Andreas family, a man that SHOULDN¡¯T have any connection to the Andreas family. before his passing Damien¡¯s father had instilled a few things in the boy, but one thing rang out, the upper nobility was dangerous. Ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub Damien¡¯s training progressed well with Ciaran, he came to understand what he was meant to do, and Ciaran seemed to find him cute. despite all his worries Damien was a much simpler creature compared to Ciaran and disregarded his worries about the duke for his own good. The child¡¯s heart still threatened to break free from it¡¯s shackles each time it saw the name on that picture in the Andreas manor, but he knew not to question them. Many other things came up that were far more fitting to ask and after accruing a few over the weeks Ciaran was forced to answer them. Damien even as he sat down intent on finally hearing some answers was awestruck at how Ciaran ad forgotten all the questions let his jaw droop. Ciaran ignored the sight and continued ¡°So, what was it that you wanted to know?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ you told me to stop the bullies from bullying anyone else, how would I do that?¡± ¡°Tell them to stop¡± ¡°What if they don¡¯t stop?¡± ¡°Then beat them up some more¡± ¡°What if they still won¡¯t listen, I can¡¯t just kill them?¡± ¡°Then make them your underlings¡± ¡°Wait a minute, how did you come to that conclusion?¡± ¡°Well, a subordinate listens and it will actually be better since you can use them to stop other bullies as well!¡± Damien sighed at Ciaran¡¯s mirth and joy that radiated from him then he asked another question ¡°How should I get them to follow me?¡± ¡°Beat them up?¡± ¡°Why did that sound like you were asking me?¡± ¡°I would find out a way, but I don¡¯t have the time to experiment, and I also don¡¯t want¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want what?¡± Ciaran¡¯s face dropped, his eyes sending a chill down Damien''s spine while his breath seemed to condense as he continued. ¡°Do not let my brother see anyone fighting, not near school, not near anywhere. I don¡¯t care whether your worst enemy bumps into you, but in front of my brother you best become anything but enemies.¡± Silence filled the air and after a while Damien finally built up the courage to speak again with a gulp. Ciaran¡¯s false smile did not help but he pushed through anyway ¡°W-what does your brother look like?¡± Ciaran¡¯s eyes lit up with a radiance far brighter than the morning sun and he answered with glee ¡°he¡¯s a year younger than you and slightly shorter, he has the same hair as me, similar eyes, he has a squishy face, he is very smart, he shines like his name, his name is Solas, he likes meat, he is rather thin despite his face¡­¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. When talking about his brother Ciaran didn¡¯t need to take a breath and Damien regretted asking, but only slightly. Content with a much warmer Ciaran Damien decided to ask another question. ¡°Anything else I should avoid?¡± ¡°Getting caught maybe? Although you are stopping bullies the adults probably wouldn¡¯t think the same¡­ you need to find a way to stop them from telling their parents, if you get caught then you won¡¯t be able to beat them up.¡± ¡°Last question, could I get your help when fighting the bullies?¡± ¡°As long as I am free and you don¡¯t involve Solas, I don¡¯t see why not. I have a condition; however, I get to name your group.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the name going to be?¡± ¡°¡­ I thought asking if I could help was your last question¡± ¡°But you just said that me fighting bullies, which somehow turned into a group would be named by you!¡± ¡°That sentence made no sense¡± ¡°It made perfect sense¡± ¡°No, it didn¡¯t¡± ¡°Okay it was a little hairy but at this rate you are just wasting time, why won¡¯t you tell me the name!¡± ¡°haven¡¯t thought of one yet¡± Damien crossed his arms and huffed at Ciaran ¡°What?¡± ¡°You just told me to create a secret group to beat up people, which Doesn¡¯t seem easy, but you can¡¯t even think of a name?¡± ¡°The group doesn¡¯t have to be secret; you just have to secretly beat up people¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but making the entire group a secret probably wouldn¡¯t be that much harder, and¡­ it would be cool.¡± At eh word cool, Damien activated Ciaran¡¯s mind and he begun an in-depth conversation about secret organisations, meeting places, handshakes, greetings and all manner of information the child didn¡¯t know it knew. A few days later, on one of Ciaran¡¯s free days, that were becoming increasingly less free he arrived at Mr burtons forge. The burly man was waiting for him, but despite Ciaran¡¯s expectations the room was cold, and a desk was by the furnace. The fact that the desk was wood put an even bigger damper on Ciaran¡¯s mood as he knew that Mr Burton would not risk a fire with him in the room. Ciaran despite his reluctance took a seat without greeting Mr Burton The man seemed not to acre about Ciaran¡¯s protest and came over, his voice as jolly as ever. ¡°boy, you like reading right?¡± ¡°yeah¡± ¡°well good, the only thing I let give me a sore throat is the coal dust¡­ I should talk to your father about getting some better fuel sources I don¡¯t intend to die young.¡± ¡°you aren¡¯t young¡± Mr Burton pulled a poutyb face but still gave Ciaran the books, there were three in total each as thick as an apple. ¡°is this all?¡± ¡°my goodness no! that isn¡¯t even a hundredth of what I have stockpiled¡± ¡°then what exactly are these?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what you have been waiting for, putting Aether into shit, ACK I mean putting aether into stuff, stuff I said stuff. That will get you the second level of apprentice smithing.¡± Ciaran happily opened the first book but no matter how many pages he turned he didn¡¯t find any words, there was just pattern after pattern after pattern. The second book was much the same and Ciaran didn¡¯t bother opening the third before asking ¡°What are these, and what does level even mean?¡± ¡°Those are Aetheric pathways, or as people smarter than me call circuits. They are the pattern that Aether flows through to get activated, it affects things like power input output and a whole range of things I will teach you later. As for the level thing, do you know of Sildar the Great?¡± ¡°Yeah, he is the Emperor that put in place the standard academic system¡± ¡°Well, that same man also reformed professions by standardising qualifications and knowledge, although the second half of that is no longer true the first half is. an apprentice level one in any profession is someone who can do the very basics of the trade and is qualified to do them well. A level two can do advanced parts of the job at a basic level, while a level three apprentice is basically halfway there to becoming a journeyman.¡± ¡°What does journeyman mean?¡± Instead of answering Mr Burton turned around and placed another book on Ciaran¡¯s desk ¡°Get memorising or you are going to have to do it at home.¡± Despite Ciaran¡¯s hopes the book was just more patterns, and Ciaran wondered how he was going to memorise so many squiggly lines. Seeing his doubt and disappointment Mr Burton remembered something and returned once more with a board and some fine powder ¡°Write out the patterns with the flour, my apologies I forgot a proper board¡± this isnt even the deep end yet im drowing You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. swimming is not an art, there is a correct way to do it The crunching of river stones underfoot could be heard as the group eventually arrived at their first stop rather refreshed. They would sleep out in the forest for the night and many of the children began to voice complaints. Most of the whining voices were about food and shelter but the adults answered that with a simple pouch. The pouch was the only one of its kind in the region a worth several decades of the academy¡¯s budget. of course Mr Luper Mr Gilbert and two other adults that seemed to be teachers began bragging about it, but it was indeed very useful. the groups amenities like clothing were stored in the pouch (packed by their parents). Ciaran''s stuff was kept with one of the other adults in another pouch that looked remarkedly similar but Ciaran was too engrossed in what happened next to care. the teacher''s bodies seemed to glow and the ground began to rise, trees grew out of the ground and covered the, dazzling green lights bounced around and red sparks lit braziers. it was so much wonder, btu al so short lived and the children had o begin their chores. some cleared the bush around the camp (with supervision) while others began coking. Ciaran had never done anything like it, but he gave his best shot flowing the teacher''s advice and the recipe. there were all manner of strange ingredients that only held an inkling of a semblance to what he normally ate, but much his dismay the dirt was being cleaned off by a different group. the result, was edible. it was neither great nor disgusting. in the end it was just a meal and no one had any complaints... other than the person peeling 43 potatoes. in the south his struggle should be justified. but the skin of these potatoes were mildly poisonous. not enough to make a child with a good immune system sick, but enough to warrant their removal. after dinner were a few skits and stories to whittle away the last of the children''s energy before bed. the ground was hard, but Ciaran''s thoughts were elsewhere. he wondered why he had such dark thoughts earlier in the day, it was like there was something hiding in the recesses of his mind. the child knew that such thoughts should not surface, they scared the boy. but the child did not know how to forget, he didn''t know how to forget something he didn''t remember. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Ciaran wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to do something! anything! a stuffy feeling had built up in his heart and he did not know why, every question was not his own. he wanted to cry out to the world, he wanted to ask why? just why? it was not out of curiosity but frustration, there were too many things he did not understand, he felt... he felt the world changing beneath him. Ciaran was burdened by concerns that were not his own, some would say he was born in the wrong era. but others would say the wrong species. a flickering candle answered his concerns, and for the first and last time Ciaran was granted pity buy the world. his memories and concerns melting away into a pool of wax. the following morning Ciaran woke and ventured outside the camp. he sat on a tree stump and looked up to the sky. the boy took a moment to look around. his entire body felt lighter somehow and he didn''t know why. Ciaran took the opportunity to enjoy himself with his newfound freedom. the tress, the flowers, the dark blue sky that lightened with every passing minute. he felt like he could smell the morning chill, and it was invigorating. Ciaran''s peace was only interrupted when Mr Gilbert came over and sat down with a cup of warm and dark green liquid for Ciaran. "hey bud, what are you doing out here?" "watching" "here it''ll warm you up" Mr gilbert handed over the cup before joining Ciaran in just relaxing. he stood there with Ciaran until the sun was visible through the tall canopy of the forest. after that eh left to attend to the children leaving Ciaran with a few words "take things slow. there is no rush, the world isn''t going anywhere... it''s a beautiful day, maybe we will get to see the birds on our way." "mm" Ciaran held onto the now empty cup for a while longer before the sound of the other children moved him back to the camp. drowning doesnt matter if you poison the ocean. The children got up too many shenanigans through their walk, but eventually they got to a hill. Everyone seemed intact, but the teachers had a problem. They looked at the thriving town in front of them with weary eyes, and the other adults furrowed their brows. The hill seemed to be a fine vantage point, and the children didn¡¯t know what the teachers found wrong. Th town too just looked like a regular town. But even as the students looked at civilisation with a yearning the adults decided to wait. After some hushed whispering Mr Gilbert headed down. His old and friendly face had hardened to stone, and his steps were heavy. Once Mr Gilbert had arrived at the town, he questioned the first person he saw. His attention always focused on a strange white flag. ¡°Hello there, I happened to be passing by, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice the state of the village. I must say the last time I was through here it was an absolute wreck.¡± ¡°Ah, yes we have put quite a bit of effort in. but not to say that we are done yet, there is always work for those who follow faithfully.¡± ¡°Then I suppose there will be a new church around here? It¡¯s a pity but this region has been without a dedicated place of worship for quite a while.¡± ¡°You are quite correct; I hear Bishop mason himself has given the funds. Maybe we can see a great congregation restored in the region once more through his guidance.¡± ¡°What a marvellous dream. Well, I do suppose I have taken up far too much of your time, I will be on my way.¡± ¡°Haha, have a good day and may the lord watch over you through your journey.¡± ¡°May the lord grant you the same kindness that you grant upon others.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Mr Gilbert¡¯s goodbye was strange but before the stranger could thank him, he had left. The old man felt like he had been bathed in tar. before he had even returned the other adults began turning the children away. Once he had returned to Mr Gilbert questioned one of the other teachers. ¡°Was it really that obvious from my face?¡± ¡°Yes and no, we noticed before you turned back that there was a court.¡± ¡°I suppose it wasn¡¯t regional then.¡± ¡°The new baron is going to have a hard time, it¡¯s imperial.¡± ¡°Well, that is¡­ something.¡± The group decided to backtrack a little before heading south. The route was a little harder than before, but they soon reached an even better destination. A lake nestled in a clearing below a cliff. The teachers touted the waterfall that would flow from said cliff. But it wasn¡¯t flowing today, and the children didn¡¯t care very much for it. everyone but Ciaran was much more interested in the stunning view and messing around. The shimmering light blue mixed well with the vibrant greenery. It was not like the darker greens of the forest around it, the entire lake was surrounded by warmth. Several other colours also mixed in the form of flowers and the white of the stone. Hidden by their smiles the teacher¡¯s thoughts churned wildly. They no longer had a run-down village to safely teach the children responsibility. They would need to do something else, but there wasn¡¯t anything close that was ¡°safe¡±. One teacher suggested using the dried-out nexus as an example. But that was shot down as it would require the children to understand what a nexus was. It would also damage the crown¡¯s reputation and was thus illegal to do so. Unfortunately, none of them could think of a practical example so they decided to hold off till the next year. They just had to hope that words and the children¡¯s parents were good enough to produce children with morals. The trip was not wasted however and the teachers leaned heavier into the survival aspect of it on their way back. The children learnt how to build a shelter in groups, and even a few went hunting. Most of the other things were just household chores with a twist for most. Though Ciaran got to learn a lot since the servants did most of the work around the house. Despite his new skills Ciaran didn¡¯t even mention cooking when he got home. He was far too content with the delicious meals that came from the skilled chefs in the kitchen. He also enjoyed his warm room and comfy bed. Each little thing that he enjoyed were maintained by the manor staff. Ciaran grew a little appreciation for their presence, and he could never imagine a home without them. reminisce Even as a candle flickered darkness pervaded throughout the room hiding all. All the candle illuminated was the small plate of metal upon which it burned. In that silence where even the air seemed stale a voice spoke, it was tired, exhausted even. ¡°I need to be honest with you, I can¡¯t escape the feeling¡­ but shit just isn¡¯t going right.¡± ¡°Your demeanour spoke as much.¡± A second voice responded, this one deep, serious and possibly wise. ¡°I know, I couldn¡¯t sleep last night. The church this, the church that, they think they know fear, but they do not.¡± ¡°I suppose the topic of fighting back was raised then?¡± ¡°Indeed, it was, the clan knows well what happens to those who face the church.¡± ¡°For the sake of a better world, may the rest in peace, and may their lives not go in vain.¡± ¡°For the sake of a better world.¡± Silence followed, only broken by a strained swallow and the clinking of a glass. One of the voices let out a sigh before the other resumed. ¡°The church is one thing, but it is not enough to make you lose your composure, speak your mind.¡± ¡°it¡¯s a bit of everything, I can¡¯t express it, but problems keep occurring faster than they go away. I¡¯m going to bring the trip up again, I know you already know, but it¡¯s just that much of a fucking headache. We have to move the shrine, the Nexus is showing weird readings, imports are down by %15. I just want to cry, I never thought this would, happen, I thought the old headmaster was just old.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t put such restrictions on what the boy learns then it wouldn¡¯t have caused you so much stress.¡± ¡°No, no, that¡¯s alright, I understand that completely, you want the clan¡¯s dark side to disappear. I am sure the rest of the clan understands too, it¡¯s just that the world wants the child to know. No, not the world, my bad.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Why? The will of the world is not something we can understand, it might be.¡± ¡°I felt the same energy on the child the other night that I felt from the old clan head.¡± The other voice didn¡¯t respond, the silence left a mound in the others chest. The room seemed to cry out due to the pressure and the voice began to defend itself. ¡°I swear on my mana that I speak the truth, it was not red, I swear, PLEASE BELIEVE ME!¡± The voice grew more and more panicked, and it was soon accompanied by the crackling of wood. It was not the sound of breaking, but more like something was growing, and fast at that. The serious voice demanded reasoning; their voice seemed to have teeth as the guttural tone bit into the other ears. ¡°Explain!¡± The word wasn¡¯t that loud, but it was clear. ¡°It was similar to his inauguration; we saw it when we were kids. It was there at your inauguration too I think, but far weaker. It felt almost¡­ loving?¡± ¡°Ah, oh, no, no, no.¡± The once serious voice crumbled, a pattering sound followed as droplets hit the ground. ¡°Sir¡­ brother, what does this mean?¡± It took a while for him to collect himself, but the man gave a response, his voice unsteady. ¡°It¡­ it means nothing.¡± ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°Do you know why the world looks so kindly upon not just our clan, but the others as well?¡± ¡°Hope?¡± ¡°And how what will help the world?¡± ¡°Oh, no, please no, contact Jason.¡± ¡°I will, I know that I can¡¯t refuse it¡¯s will, but I want to.¡± ¡°I understand, but all good things must come to an end¡­ do you remember that day the five of us decided we would be brothers?¡± ¡°Yeah, back then we had such high hopes for the future. We thought that life would be nothing but smooth sailing, we would be the saviours of the world. Now we there are just three of us that rely on the efforts of our fathers.¡± ¡°let¡¯s just hope that the child fulfils our wishes from back then. Nothing but smooth sailing.¡± ¡°Mathew would like that.¡± ¡°How would you feel if I died?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean?¡± ¡°You know how much my duties restrict me.¡± ¡°don¡¯t, you¡­¡± ¡°We need a way to deal with that prick, the young ones look up to him. he wasn¡¯t there that day, he just thinks we grew soft with age, he needs to be constrained.¡± The other voice gave a sigh before finally accepting. ¡°Fine, but you know the rules of the clan.¡± ¡°AHAHAHAHAH, yeah, I forgot that one, I shall train a successor. She is going to be someone you know.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t really a successor though, she¡¯s off to a named academy next year.¡± ¡°If I grovel enough, she might take pity on me.¡± ¡°Yeah-right, I know how much of a sucker you are for her¡­ are you sure?¡± ¡°Love will not save a life, in the turmoil to come I want her to be on the good side¡­ even if we are to fail.¡± ¡°I wish I had such courage.¡± ¡°We should visit Mathew, tell him about how far we have come. maybe even reminisce over a few bottles.¡± ¡°Do you have permission from your misses?¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I will go ask.¡± ¡°Best we do.¡± life moves on, so too must the living The sun beat down on Ciaran as he lay comfortably on the grassy gnoll. The boy would have been even more comfortable if people didn¡¯t keep coming up to him. Ciaran opened one eye and looked to the approaching boy before closing it again. Ciaran¡¯s eyes were shut hard and his hands beneath his head slowly crossed followed by his toes. Unfortunately for Ciaran this had no effect, and he was soon assaulted by the cheery voice of his visitor. ¡°Hey Ciaran, your dad¡¯s a baron, right?¡± ¡°No but why.¡± Ciaran¡¯s kept his eyes shut and while his fingers were no longer crossed his toes were still in knots. ¡°Oh, I was just wondering, it really seems like he should be a noble though. Doesn¡¯t he control the entire region already?¡± ¡°it¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°Oh, how so?¡± The unwanted visitor made themself welcome in Ciaran¡¯s heart as the question tugged at a certain muscle at the core of Ciaran¡¯s brain. Ciaran tried to resist, but the urge to talk overcame. Eager ears were a rare commodity, and Ciaran was going to take this opportunity. ¡°Well, you see, the imperial court puts out am auction for lower positions such as a baron. The highest bidder wins the title, this region was actually quite cheap given how many problems there are. Anyway, after the purchase of the title is confirmed, the purchaser goes under review¡­¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t they a baron after they buy the title?¡± Ciaran didn¡¯t mind the interruption as it gave him a reason to use more detail, but he did wonder how long until the boy would give up. ¡°in the case of a commoner buying the title the review period is quite long apparently. If I remember correctly the nobles around the area must unanimously vote to allow the appointment of the new noble. There must be some family connection to nobility within five generations, there must be no criminal record for any family member within six generations, and a while bunch of other conditions.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s neat,¡± The enthusiasm radiating off the boy was strange, Ciaran opened his eyes and looked long and hard at the boy. ¡°Where did you say you were from again?¡± ¡°oh yeah you forget a lot, my bad. I live in the new church a few towns over.¡± Ciaran slowly got up and stretched his arms. ¡°Right, of course, nothing wrong with a bad memory, anyway I have something to do so I will see you later, have a great day, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Ciaran did rather swell at hiding his fear but rather poorly at hiding everything else. as Ciaran walked off into the distance the boy he left behind muttered under his breath.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I fucked up, didn¡¯t I?¡± There was no one to answer, and soon there was no one at all. Weird things just kept happening to Ciaran, he felt like screaming, but that wasn¡¯t what he truly wanted. Ciaran passed through town and headed into the manor. his class had a few days off so the academy could organise classes since the trip achieved none of it¡¯s desired goals¡­ at all Back at the workshop away from the oddities of the outside world the sound of a hammer rang out. The reverberating of the iron that came with every rhythmic strike was music to Ciaran¡¯s ears, but also a source of envy. The child looked on as Mr Burton deftly struck a rod of iron and then cut off the result. The small, tapered strips of metal then fell to a trough of water below the anvil. Upon closer inspection one would notice the bottom of the trough to be completely covered in them. The man was making nails, and Ciaran? Ciaran was supposed to be engraving one of the many patterns that he had to memorise onto a chunk of metal. Ciaran didn¡¯t know what the metal was, but it was shiny. Mr Burton hadn¡¯t looked up from his work, he seemed enraptured by it, but the boy decided it best to resume his work. Ciaran was almost certain that Mr Burton could hear him cease his blows, but Mr Burton was too busy to nag. Ciaran wondered why the man worked alone and how he managed to keep up with running such a large shop. Mr Burton even had enough space for several blacksmiths. Ciaran took his tiny hammer and struck what looked like a mini chisel. The funny point and all the weird angles he had to have his hands kept Ciaran White occupied¡­ when he wasn¡¯t distracted of course. Before cutting into the metal Ciaran had to draw out the pattern on a thin piece of fabric that he then checked up against the original. When he finally got the piece close enough, he set down the fabric on the metal and used a weird red liquid Mr Burton had and put it along the lines on the fabric. After waiting a while, the red had stained the metal. There were plenty of little spikes that strayed from the lines. These little spikes caused the boy¡¯s heart to drop a little, but no matter, he carried on. The sun slowly disappeared, and it was Ciaran¡¯s turn to get stared at. Mr Burton stood with his arms crossed looking at the boy. Mr Burton sighed at the boy and muttered under his breath. ¡°I won¡¯t get old I said, I don¡¯t like kids I said, I won¡¯t leave the city I said¡­ how foolish of young me to think I could keep the party up for so long.¡± Mr Burton¡¯s words pulled Ciaran out of his trance and the boy locked eyes with the man. ¡°What did you say?¡± Mr Burton ignored both the rudeness of the question and the question itself. Taking advantage of Ciaran¡¯s dazed state, he asked. ¡°So, how are you getting along.¡± ¡°I think I am doing it ok, but it doesn¡¯t look like it to me.¡± ¡°It will be fine, you just started. It¡¯s good to have more confidence in your work, just never think it is perfect.¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I think it¡¯s perfect?¡± ¡°Boy, I am old enough to have seen some¡­ interesting, things. There is no true perfection that we can achieve, we should always strive for, better, not perfect. You will also be a happier man if you don¡¯t put your hubris on display.¡± ¡°what¡¯s hubris?¡± ¡°I find it quite strange at times how you are a child. You are just a ball of knowledge, but you don¡¯t know the simplest of things¡­ it¡¯s you are too confident, overly so. it is confidence so strong that even a master smith in a great city plagued by it will be brough to his lowest.¡± ¡°Neat.¡± ¡°Neat huh, that is indeed one way to see it¡­ anyway pack up time. I am sure your mother wants to see you in time for dinner, wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint her.¡± A squeal escaped Ciaran as he scurried away packing up his tools as he went. The boy left out a few bits here and there, but Mr Burton didn¡¯t mind. The man looked rather fondly at the now empty room. ¡°Maybe if I had kept my mouth shut, I would have had one of my own by now¡­¡± Mr burton took a moment of silence and a a sigh before moving to close up the smithy. ¡°Alas the family wants a new lord, and I got sent to go poke that old hag¡¯s daughter.¡± v1.5 ch 9 inspiration bled from lamentations Ciaran could feel his heart with every pulse that sent blood to his head. it was an odd feeling, and his veins bulged, but he didn¡¯t care. The boy stared at his bedside table, wondering, wondering how nothing was upside down. There were plenty of other ideas rattling around in Ciaran¡¯s brain, but this was the one that he decided to explore. Ciaran tilted his head side to side before finally jumping up. Now in the correct orientation blood drained from his head leaving him with an oddly fresh feeling. Ciaran then got ready for school, but as he did so, he lamented. There were more and more strange kids hanging around from the church. Ciaran didn¡¯t see any real need to inquire the church. the teachers already gave him everything he wanted to know¡­ but the new kids were still¡­ off? Ok maybe he did want to investigate the church, it was where they kept coming from after all. Nevertheless, he had the academy to attend. Just six more years and he would be a real mage. Was it six more years? How old was he again? Ciaran forgot how old he was, but surely, he would remember such important information¡­ right? Ciaran scurried off to the academy, the embarrassment only slightly torturing him. he was in a bit of a pickle though as his brain demanded answers, and he didn¡¯t have them. Mr Luper didn¡¯t notice much when it came to Ciaran¡¯s dazed demeanour and the dilemma that he was in. to be more accurate, he didn¡¯t care. The boy was always seeking the answer to something. Mr Luper could finally breath a little knowing he didn¡¯t have to spend so much time on Ciaran today compared to the rest of the class. The boy¡¯s smiles lit up the sky and his curiosity was quite infectious, but Mr Luper did like getting paid. If the other children received sub-par education now that they were growing old enough to work¡­ not great to think about it.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. When it came time for lunch Ciaran¡¯s fight to remember was replaced with something else to worry about. Ciaran walked around the field, just looking around. He was quite tall compared to the others that were out playing. His classmates were inside, and the seniors were stuck inside dreading their existence as the first exams of the year drew closer. Looking over the throngs of heads wasn¡¯t what truly diverted Ciaran¡¯s attention though. It was the purple and blue marks on Damien¡¯s collar that grabbed his eyes. The boy walked over to Ciaran and started the conversation with a telling few words. ¡°I fucked up.¡± Ciaran¡¯s eyebrows creased and he breathed in a sigh before opening his mouth. ¡°How?¡± Damien¡¯s hair shifted as his head lowered the slightest bit. His lips moved up and down, but it took a few seconds for them to final open and words to flow out. His head turned to the side and he admitted once more. ¡°I fucked up¡­¡± Ciaran opened his mouth to ask again, but Damien continued. ¡°I saw them beating up another kid and I thought I could take them on.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You know, the bullies.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The guys that were beating on me when we first met.¡± Ciaran¡¯s head shot up to the sky as he reminisced. ¡°Ahh, those guys. Yeah, I still don¡¯t remember.¡± Damien furrowed his brows for a second before pointing to the other side of the field. Ciaran followed Damien¡¯s finger to find the gaggle of three pudgy idiots. Ciaran didn¡¯t see much remarkable about them and so he asked for confirmation. ¡°Are you pointing at the three over there? One with a grey shirt, the other with a green one and curly hair in the middle?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I think? Could you get better descriptors please, there aren¡¯t that many colours of shirt around here.¡± Ciaran put his leg forwards and got ready to walk off before looking behind him to Damien. ¡°Oh, yeah, get them to come to a secluded place after school.¡± ¡°Why? Where are you going?¡± ¡°Why? Revenge of course. Where am I going? I saw Solas, I am going to go watch him. that seems way more fun than beating someone up.¡± Damien was left with his mouth agape as Ciaran walked off into the crowd. For a moment he wondered how on earth Ciaran was so damn strong, then he remembered what happened last time he asked such a question. ¡°Study and exercise, study and exercise.¡± Damien¡¯s muttering was drowned out by almost everything, but at least he could remember things. VOL.1.5 CH.9.5: Violence, it’s an option… I guess? the towering brick walls of a building that had long lost its roof blocked out what little light remained of the day. Inside sat three pudgy boys, and Damien. the boy didn¡¯t have any tremors, and his head looked straight at the pudgy three. The three were mostly confused, but they were all waiting to see what Damien had prepared. Surely, he wouldn¡¯t have called an adult¡­. Right? Surely not, such an action guaranteed that they ALL were getting a beating. Soon what little orange light that came through one of the windows was blocked out. The figure that appeared inside the building shortly after had blue and red eyes. Ciaran took one look at Damien, and then another look at the three. The three didn¡¯t remember Ciaran¡¯s features due to their rather¡­ fleeting, first meeting. Not matter, he just had to ¡°remind¡± them who he was, but that came later. Violence was an option, but Ciaran didn¡¯t know if it would work. It was also just a lot of effort. Instead, he took the first steps towards mediation. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡± Ciaran¡¯s cheery voice left furrowed brows all around him. the absence of a response that also followed left a stale taste in Ciaran¡¯s mouth and he changed the topic. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not important anyway, so why did you guys start beating up Damien?¡± ¡°He was picking a fight, it¡¯s not our fault he was weak as shit.¡± The pudgiest of the pudgy three answered for the group. ¡°No, I mean before that.¡± ¡°Oh, ah, not telling?¡± ¡°Wrong answer, pick again!¡± ¡°How about no?¡± Ciaran gave a smile at that answer, it seems plan b was the better option. The boy walked over to the three and with a light thud he knocked one of them on the head. whatever it was meant to be, the result left a pudgy mess on the floor. Ciaran looked at the boy whose lights had gone out and uttered. ¡°Oops?¡± The sheer absurdity of the situation finally flicked a switch, and the other two boys remembered a certain rainy night. Well¡­ one of them did, the other wasn¡¯t conscious long enough to have anything to remember. Ciaran looked at the two boys and asked again. ¡°so, why do you go around beating people up?¡± ¡°WHY DO YOU?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, you started it.¡± Ciaran¡¯s tone was much too serious for the bewilderment that covered the other boys faces. Nevertheless¡­ sounds? Yeah, sounds came out of the boy¡¯s mouths. ¡°Ah, e, oh, uhh, I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡± Ciaran raised an eyebrow; it seems that it was his turn to be confused. How could you not know why you were beating someone up? Ciaran¡¯s mouth mirrored his thoughts, and he blurted out.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°How is that even possible?!¡± Two answers came as tears welled up within one of the boys¡¯ eyes. the other boy was much too okay with the situation though. ¡°WE DON¡¯T KNOW!?¡± ¡°he¡¯s weird¡± Ciaran gave the boy that gave a decent answer a decent smack on the head. Ciaran also uttered a word to compliment his smack, just one, one very important word. ¡°No.¡± The boy was still conscious, though he was now on the floor in a tight ball holding onto what was left of his shattered skull. the boy¡¯s skull wasn¡¯t actually shattered, well, Ciaran didn¡¯t think it was at least. Looking at the boy that was still standing but in tears Ciaran decided not to push him. instead, Ciaran looked to the boy on the floor. ¡°Weird is but one reason, surely you would have another. Do tell.¡± ¡°It was fun?¡± How the boy managed to get those three words out in his state was a marvel. Nonetheless Ciaran awarded him with another decent smack on the head. ¡°If you find it fun to beat people up, then I can surely find a way to make beating you up fun if you don¡¯t stop. Actually, now that I remember it, you don¡¯t get that option. On the bright side you still get to beat people up, this time they are going to fight back though.¡± ¡°What are you on about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get you to beat up the other bullies until they stop being bullies.¡± ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Then I will just beat you up until you want to.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the difference between you and us?¡± Ciaran raised one brow and lowered the other. the boy then looked up then shot his head down to look at the boy again. ¡°I¡¯m stronger, duh.¡± Damien exhaled deeply in an attempt to hold in what little laughter he could. The boy had a smile reminiscent of the morning sun stretching across his face. the fools were trying to use logic on the one that logic simply didn¡¯t apply to. Damien had known Ciaran for a little while, and what drove his brain to make such decisions was beyond him¡­ then again, he couldn¡¯t make sense of why most children did things. Damien closed his eyes and shook his head, just existing as Ciaran made all his problems disappear. That was of course until Ciaran called out to him. ¡°Hey, Damien, I think I am done here. I have to run, we¡¯re having fried Sarafrey for dinner tonight.¡± Damien groaned inside, not only because he most definitely had to clean up the mess, but Sarafrey sounded so nice for a night like tonight. Ciaran was so lucky! ¡°Yep, sure thing boss!¡± Ciaran turned his head to Damien just as he was about to hop out the window he came in through and queried. ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, just kinda called you that since you keep being the one to actually get things done.¡± ¡°Really? I heard from Dad that most often the bosses didn¡¯t do much other than paperwork.¡± ¡°Oh, are you sure? Most of the people that run the shops around here do the work themselves.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s all-small scale. Don¡¯t you think once you grow up there¡¯s going to be a bunch of people under you.¡± ¡°Yeah, but even then, I heard that the boss of the Ironworks is the mage strong enough to run the forges.¡± ¡°Fair point, have a good day then.¡± Ciaran fat the rest of his body out the window and took off. For a moment it looked like dust was trailing behind the boy. Another thing Damien so wanted to have, Ciaran¡¯s strength. With saliva thick in his throat Damien wiped his mouth with his sleeve before looking at the pudgy three. Two of the boys had gotten quite far considering they were dragging the third. Nonetheless Damien stood up and walked over to them with a delightful smile on his face. ¡°Hey guys, so that¡¯s Ciaran. You wouldn¡¯t do anything dumb like call an adult¡­ would you? Not that it would matter, his dad¡¯s going to be a noble soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their silence only fed Damiens smile, that and the fact that the two hadn¡¯t let go of the third one yet. The two were holding an arm each and looked rather out of place, or actually quite fitting for an abandoned building. ¡°if that isn¡¯t reason enough, then surely you should know how wealthy they are. You know those fruits Mr Smithson brought in from the south?¡± One of the boys gulped and slowly his mouth opened. ¡°Yeah, what about em?¡± ¡°Ciaran has plenty of them, I am sure he will give you plenty if you do what he says.¡± The two boys looked at each other and hesitantly, they nodded. The other boy then looked to Damien. ¡°We won¡¯t be under you forever, we can guarantee that, but as long as you deliver then I am sure we can work something out.¡± The two boys then resumed with their efforts to leave. The boys however did so walk backwards, their eyes locked with Damiens. Only one of them did this intentionally, the other was still thinking about the juicy, juicy blue goodness¡­ who could have known that food would be so effective on them? Vol 1.5 CH 10. 10 wooden nickels if you can understand my Ch naming scheme. A bucket sat alone on cold stone floor, but the water within bubbled to insanity. A large black object was panted squarely in the bucket, but two black wings dove in and grabbed it as the water died down. What was pulled out was a hammer head, and the one to pull it was Ciaran. Time had been kind to the boy and another year had come to a close in the blink of an eye. There wasn¡¯t much that happened other than the drivel that was going back and forth from school. Ciaran enjoyed school, he enjoyed learning, but surely there could be a little less monotony in the journey. Either way, boring roads be damned the boy survived the year. But what was he doing now? Making a hammer of course, but this wasn¡¯t the forge in Mr Burton¡¯s shop. This was more like a barn¡­ and that¡¯s because it was, just a very strange one. The barn had been converted to storage after the land became barren. Stone was laid and eventually Ciaran¡¯s ancestors built a forge in order to rely more on themselves. The forge however never saw much use after the drop in iron prices during the era of Ciaran¡¯s grandpa. It was still cheap enough to buy nails and tools on the open market, but Ciaran was here not just to do odd jobs. He was here to gain experience¡­ and do odd jobs. He was getting paid for his work at least. On the bright side, Ciaran got to practice and gain more experience doing what he learned while earning a decent sum. On the other hand, he had plans that were now entirely ruined by his sudden lack of free time. Anyway, back to Ciaran. The boy handed the hammer head to a bulky man that sat upon a stool. The man pulled out what looked to be a smooth stick and within seconds the handle was in, and he was pounding in a wedge. Ciaran knew full well that the man overqualified to be doing what he was, but the smile on the man¡¯s face kept Ciaran from asking why he was there. After fitting the handle, the man swung the new hammer around before uttering a single word. ¡°Decent.¡± It was better than the ¡°meh¡± he had been giving most of the week, but Ciaran wasn¡¯t satisfied. Ciaran wanted to shock the old man and prove his worth. With Vigor spewing out of every orifice Ciaran went to start on the next order, but there was a problem¡­ there wasn¡¯t any new orders. Ciaran was done for the day, his arms felt relieved, but he was not. Ciaran looked to ask the old man a question, but his absence left Ciaran¡¯s question in the dust. The boy stood there, staring at a wall until his head started churning again and he decided to just go home. When Ciaran came through the door, he saw the lanky figure known as his father. The boy¡¯s eyes lit aflame with mischief, and he ran at the man grabbing onto his waist.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Ciaran¡¯s father responded in kind ruffling the boy¡¯s hair as the two of them erupted in laughter. Alexander looked at Ciaran for a good few seconds, his smile failing to cease before he spoke. ¡°You just keep on getting taller, at this rate you¡¯re going to be taller than your old man!¡± ¡°you¡¯re not that old, and plus I¡¯m planning on growing even taller than you, gonna be as tall as a tree.¡± ¡°if I¡¯m not that old, then that means you are quite the young one indeed.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m plenty old!¡± The man gave a sigh, his smile fighting off all fatigue as he teased the boy. ¡°Then why does it seem to be that you are clinging to me more and more if you are so old?¡± Ciaran nestled his head into Alexander¡¯s side and with his face hidden uttered: ¡°You¡¯re warm.¡± Alexander knew well the face that Ciaran was hiding, and he gave another sigh. The man also looked back to his father who sighed so often, and the man chuckled a little. Ciaran looked up from his hold and at the face of his father. Confusion was written on his face, and he uttered. ¡°what¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing much, I just happened to realise something. you too one day will realise it, but not now.¡± ¡°Aww, come on! Tell meee.¡± ¡°Nope, not happening, now how about we go see the girls?¡± Ciaran stood there for a while leaning on his father before finally falling to the temptation and freeing his father. The two headed on up the stairs until they arrived at the parent¡¯s room. opening the door revealed a second bed that hadn¡¯t been there the year prior and Ciaran¡¯s mother standing before it. moving closer the boys finally could see the newest addition to the family, a tiny baby girl. Ciaran had never held his little sister, nor did he intend to. There were plenty of fears racking the boy¡¯s brain from dropping her to scarring her into never liking him. He did want to hold her though, everyone else at the academy talked about caring for their younger siblings, and Ciaran had missed that with Solas. Before he knew it Ciaran had stopped in his tracks staring at his little sister, and it was only when his father tapped him on the shoulder did he return. Looking at the man Ciaran found his father¡¯s head to motion towards his mother where the boy found his mother to have a finger on her lips. Quickly the boy gave a nod and despite not even opening his mouth yet, he sealed it shut. Carefully the two approached further until they stood with Ciaran¡¯s mother. Ciaran¡¯s father wrapped one arm around Ciaran and Aerecura while he gave his lovely wife a peck on the forehead. The three stood there standing around the crib until the door flung open with a Bang and Solas came racing in. immediately after he had done such the boy skidded to a stop and slowly backed up, but it was too late. The small child that had once been sound asleep slowly opened it¡¯s eyes exposing the boundless blue. The light seemed to look ike snowflakes in the girls eyes and it reminded Ciaran of winter. The cheerful days of playing in the snow, not the biting cold of the wooden desks of course. Solas without even being prompted slumped at the crib and apologised to the girl. ¡°Sorry for waking you Nivia, please forgive me.¡± This escapade sent Ciaran¡¯s mother into a spiral of laughter bending over as she clutched her chest. Ciaran had no idea why she did this, all Ciaran thought was that both his siblings were lacking in the brains department while also being so damn CUTE it was unbelievable. Nevertheless, Nivia was not one to worry, well other than her concern for what the fuck was going on. The girl was quiet but no one worried, it wasn¡¯t the first time the family had experienced an odd child. And like that the day disappeared, three confused, one hysterical and one apologetic. vol.1.5 ch.11? dont underestimate old people Ciaran lay on his bed with his legs crossed and his arm in the air. The boy was spinning something around, a hat. It didn¡¯t take long before the hat went flying into the wall and Ciaran had to look over and weigh whether he should go get it or not. Ciaran did, but reluctantly so. Ciaran¡¯s father was officially a Baron now, but long before then they had the wealth for such an action. It might not seem all that rich a move, but Ciaran¡¯s disregard for such a hat was a true flex. A hat like the one he had was a luxury that could be passed down for a solid few generations, but so too could most of the clothes he wore. This wasn¡¯t to say Ciaran knew nothing of money, his father was a well acclaimed merchant, and a shrewd one at that. Although Ciaran had restarted lessons a few years ago after seeing Solas¡¯s enthusiasm, that wasn¡¯t the only way Alexander taught his children. Though I guess knowing the value of something won¡¯t stop a bored child from doing what they want. Curiosity didn¡¯t kill the cat, but boredom sure as hell did. Ciaran didn¡¯t have any lessons today at Mr Burtons, no one needed anything fixed or made. Ciaran was free for the entire afternoon, but that was the problem. It had been a solid few months since he was last free, he had no idea what to do. It wasn¡¯t a lack of options, but rather too many options that stumped him. he could go down and play by the river, or he could hang out with Caitiff, he could¡­ he could¡­ he could. So many damn things to do, but such little time. Ciaran held the hat in his hands and looked to the door of his room. ¡°Nah, I might as well just study.¡± Ciaran had recently learnt that he would soon get his first circle engraved. This news was quite the shock to the boy as he had gotten it into his head somewhere along the line that such a thing only happened when you graduated. Nope, apparently the children got circles halfway through. Ciaran picked up a book and got halfway to his desk, but he looked out the window. Big mistake. There happened to be a tree that looked, REALLY climbable, and now Ciaran was up it. It wasn¡¯t like Ciaran wouldn¡¯t get the blood if he failed any tests, so it should be fine. There was also the fact Ciaran thought he wouldn¡¯t fail the tests whether he studied or not, but his father had drilled quite a few words about hubris into him¡­ not like that mattered much. On the downside Ciaran was doing something possibly dangerous to both his body and his future. on the upside, the view was absolutely stunning. The sun shone from behind a great monolith of natural stone and washed over the forests. A vast ocean of light that enveloped everything in a warm haze. So many descriptors came t mind, but even the best of words failed to capture the image, it was better to just¡­ enjoy.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As the boy basked in the sun, an idea popped into his head and a smirk played on his lips. With a flourish Ciaran popped down from the tree and rushed back inside. Ciaran entered the manor and went racing up to his brother¡¯s room. with a BANG the door flew open, and the butler looked in awe at the end of the corridor. When Ciaran entered the room and left the butlers sight he muttered under breath. ¡°I swear, they are as bad as each other, maybe being single was a good thing after all.¡± The man¡¯s comment aside, Ciaran had successfully gotten Solas¡¯s attention with his entrance. The boy was sitting with rock in his lap, the rock was dark grey in colour with veins of red peaking through. The closer Ciaran moved to Solas, the more interested he became in the rock. The red veins were bright, strangely so, and it looked like some of the red was leaking out. Confused, Ciaran took off his monocle and the red dimmed. This was the first time Ciaran had seen Aether in a rock. The boy had seen aether in the gems used for demonstrations, but this was different. Ciaran had managed to get himself sidetracked once again. ¡°Hey, Solas, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cool rock; I found it on the ground!¡± Indeed, it was a cool rock, Ciaran wasn¡¯t going to question that. Where Solas found it was worth investigating though, but perhaps later. ¡°You wanna see something cooler?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As soon as Solas agreed he shot up and walked over to Ciaran. How readily Solas accepted was definitely a concern, but it wasn¡¯t Ciaran¡¯s problem, and so they set out. Solas remembered something and posed a question as soon as they left the room. ¡°If it¡¯s something cool, then shouldn¡¯t we bring Nivia with us?¡± ¡°Good point, let¡¯s ask mother.¡± The two shot next door and surprisingly enough Aerecura agreed, she of course had to be the one carrying Nivia, but that was to be expected. What wasn¡¯t expected was their mother¡¯s suggestion to bring along their father. Without any objections Ciaran had managed to collect the entire family and lead them on a journey to¡­ somewhere. Now standing before the tree Ciaran pointed at it and proudly declared. ¡°it¡¯s up there, the sky looks really cool!¡± Ciaran¡¯s father placed his hands on his hips and gave a light sigh mixed with a laugh, his mother on the other hand gave a bright chuckle. Ciaran didn¡¯t pay them much heed and instead readied himself to climb the tree again, but he found his mother¡¯s hand on his back stopping him. ¡°come on now, we can¡¯t all just climb up the poor tree.¡± Before Ciaran could respond she looked to Alexander and with a smirk she spoke. ¡°If you would my dear.¡± ¡°of course, my love.¡± Without warning the ground began to shift, the green grass turning into roots that slowly slithered upwards like snakes. Before long the ground was replaced with these roots and the family were being lifted to the sky on a platform of thriving nature. The two children were left in awe while the third didn¡¯t really care. Ciaran had seen magic before, he had even seen magic to do with plants before. Most of what he saw came from the school trip, but he had never seen one person use it on such a scale. Their awe caused their father to finally break a chuckle and ask the boys. ¡°What? Did you think your old man wasn¡¯t a mage?¡± The two sounded back in tandem a resounding. ¡°NO!¡± Their mother chimed in at their adamant refusal that they could have underestimated their parents. ¡°that¡¯s good, because so am I¡± When they turned to look at the woman they found that she had an arm outstretched and from it fell snow. With the boys thoroughly shocked their father moved in and clasped her hand, the platform still moving upwards. a warm light came from his hands and melted away the snow that hadn¡¯t yet escaped. ¡°that¡¯s enough my dear, you wouldn¡¯t want to catch a chill now, would you?¡± ¡°Of course not, now get over here.¡± As their mother leaned into their father the platform arrived at its destination above the treetops. There in the sea of light Ciaran lamented. ¡°Aww, it¡¯s gone down a bit, it was WAY cooler before.¡± Despite his complaint, no more words were said as the group basked in the view. Solas was mightily tempted to say something, but looking down knocked that idea right out of his head. vol 1.5 ch.12 idiots in a handbasket (3/4) White covered the ground and sucked dry the warmth of summer. The children walked to and fro with every breath sending clouds of white back to the sky. One of these children was of course, Ciaran, but with him were three others. It wasn¡¯t the normal subject of his pestering, but instead his good friend, Caitiff. Caitiff sped ahead but was reduced to waddling, the cold air scraping at his exposed face. chuckles burst out from behind the boy and a series of tuts came from the surrounding adults. Nevertheless, the boy didn¡¯t feel shame, definitely cold, but the eyes of others didn¡¯t faze him. Eventually the gaggle arrived at the old wooden doors that had become much too mundane over the years. Ciaran was a bit special, but for the others school was already becoming a dull and senseless obstacle. They were sure that after the engravings that would change, but each day they sat in waiting was a day they spent in anticipation at an escape from the dreary and the bleak. Ciaran didn¡¯t understand their exasperated sighs, nor their disdain for learning. It didn¡¯t matter though, the group functioned due to its lack of function and Ciaran knew he had something they didn¡¯t. whenever things ever got dull (which they rarely did) he could just look to the aether. Today it was a blinding white, much like the winter before. But in that white he could imagine all sorts of fairies playing and dancing, even a snake slithering in the snow. Focusing back to the mundane, not much of Ciaran found himself in class. There wasn¡¯t much to note as his hands had carried on listening even as his mind wandered elsewhere. What surprised Ciaran the most was the bell that sounded right after he had started to understand what he had missed. In their freedom Caitiff lifted their head slightly from being slumped on his desk. The boy then looked to Ciaran and the others before he reached a handout to the sky, and with a plea, he called out. ¡°Inspiration, so fleeting, so fleeting, whatever shall I do?¡± Iris took the opportunity to smack Caitiff on the back of the head with a rolled-up book. The girl then looked down at the boy that was now clutching his head and sighed. ¡°don¡¯t be so dramatic, ugh.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Iris was much too frustrated with the overreaction. In an effort to cease the theatrics, she had made them worse. Luckily hemlock was here to save the day by completely ignoring the both of them. ¡°So, Ciaran, where are you going to engrave your first circle?¡± Such information was something the children were told again and again never to share. At the same level such information could decide a mages fate in battle. there were even opportunities for a mage to be exploited out of battle if another mage knew where they engraved their circles. Despite the parents, teachers, and even random strangers best warnings, Ciaran¡¯s cheery voice called out. ¡°oh, I think I¡¯m going to go for one of my bones¡± Hearing this Hemlock offered up his opinion. ¡°Sweet, I¡¯m going for my muscles, probably somewhere in the leg. Actually, I¡¯m a bit surprised you didn¡¯t go for an organ.¡± Before Ciaran could even get a word in, Irish chimed in. ¡°Yeah, me and Caitiff are going for the liver, why are you going for a bone? Organs are the fastest way to becoming a mid-level mage.¡± Caitiff also spoke up, a little miffed that Iris spoke for him. ¡°I understand Hemy going for muscles since they are more well-rounded, but you are going to take forever to reach the next level if you go for the bones.¡± Finally able to speak, Ciaran defended his choice. ¡°If I go for the bones then I will have plenty of room for Aether. I just really like the ability to do lots of stuff instead of being limited to a few options.¡± The three were left grumbling, their chance at winning over the smart one failed. Oh yeah, none of this information was supposed to be coming out of their lips, but let¡¯s face it, there was no way to keep them quiet. Kids will be kids. Eventually however the conversation did still, and the kids were left with some of their details intact. The absence of their chatter was not filled by another topic and instead the others just ended up fiddling with their hair, the desks and even the floor. The silence was misplaced, and the vibe was killed. Despite the boy¡¯s ability to just stare at the aether for entertainment he did not do so. instead Ciaran looked to the ceiling where his mind began a wild journey. With wide eyes the boy captured every speck and spot that was stuck to the structure. Eventually Ciaran began to wonder what a little wooden box was doing all the way up there. Instead of pondering anything the boy was interrupted by a near constant sound. The light and slightly metallic sound was repeating far faster than any hammer. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick¡­ Ciaran reached his fingers to his ears; there he dug for whatever was making the racket. Despite his best efforts he felt not a single bug. Ciaran moved his hand to his neck and began gently rubbing it. he didn¡¯t know how to describe the incessant ticking in a way that didn¡¯t seem like a joke. His only hope was to wait for Mr Luper to return, but then again he could try and ask his friends¡­ but surely there wouldn¡¯t be that much longer left to the break. haitus anouncement... again i have a few complete chapters, but for whatever reason i just don''t want to upload them. i am swamped with work and it seems life is taking me away from this for a bit. hopefully i return with enough chapters and enthusiasm to make up for it... but then again i don''t really care. i just want to get the dregs of my mind out there, among other reasons. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. i do apologise to those who might have had some anticipations, and i hope to see you again soon. sorry and goodbye... for now. HYIE