Chapter 41
"I knew it! I knew you would awaken it by this time—but I didn't think it would happen so soon!" Clara exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she stared at Grey.
"What!?" Grey shouted, completely taken aback. The swirling elements around him instantly dissipated, vanishing into the air like smoke caught in a breeze.
"What do you mean by that, Mum?" he asked, stepping toward her in confusion.
Clara sighed softly and patted the seat where Grey had been sitting earlier, gesturing for him to sit beside her.
"You see," she began, her voice gentler now, "when I married your father, I heard of a certain prophecy passed down in the Dawn family. I don't know who originally saw the vision, but it left quite an impact."
"What prophecy?" Grey asked, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
Clara took a deep breath. "It was said that a special child would be born into the Dawn family. A boy destined to become a mage so powerful that no one could ever match him."
Grey blinked, trying to connect the dots. "So... how does that tie into me unlocking my affinities?"
"I'm getting to that. Just chillax," she replied with a chuckle at Grey's impatience.
"When the prophecy was revealed, they were told that the child would be male. But there was a catch—he wouldn't awaken his affinities at the usual age. It would happen much later in life," she explained.
'Was the prophecy talking about me?' Grey wondered silently, his heart thudding in his chest.
"So when your father was born and didn't awaken any affinities at the right age, everyone believed he was the one the prophecy referred to. But years passed... and still nothing. When he became an adult, they deemed him a failure—a cripple who couldn't perform magic.
"He was bullied. Mocked. Eventually, he was cast out of the family home and forced to fend for himself." Her voice trembled slightly, the memory clearly painful.
"But there was one person who stood by your father," Clara continued.
"Who was that?" Grey asked, leaning in.
"Your uncle—Jimmy Dawn. When everyone else treated your father like dirt, Jimmy always had his back. He protected him, defended him—even if it meant going against the rest of the family.
And when your father was finally thrown out, Jimmy protested to no avail. So, he did what he could with what little money he had and bought this small house for your father to live in."
Grey's eyes widened. "So… where is he now? Where's Uncle Jimmy?"
"Years later, he became a well-known mage," Clara said, a hint of pride in her tone. "He was offered a high-ranking position—I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it was important.
He was taken far from the family and hasn't been able to return since. Still, he manages to send money whenever he's allowed."
I wonder what position he holds… and how I can find him, Grey thought.
"When you were born," Clara continued, "we assumed you would be like your father—unable to awaken any affinity. Since magic tends to be hereditary, and your dad never had any, we thought you'd follow the same path. We tried to shield you from bullies, but... well, you still ended up getting hurt."
Her expression dimmed, sadness clouding her eyes.
"But enough about that. Tell me—how did you awaken your affinities? And how are you able to wield three elements at once? And your hair! Why is it red now?" she asked, eyes wide with concern and curiosity.
"It's... kind of a long story," Grey muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. He drew in a deep breath before continuing.
"One day, while training in the woods, I was attacked by a beast. I fought hard, but I was losing badly—getting injured left and right. Then suddenly, I felt dizzy... like something inside me was being pulled outward.
"And then, out of nowhere, something slammed into the beast—completely obliterating it and burning it to ashes. I blacked out right after.
"When I woke up, my hair had turned red. I figured it had something to do with me awakening the fire element. All of this happened while you were away."
"Wow! What a brilliant liar," Noir scoffed in Grey's mind.
"You were attacked by a beast? Are you okay?" Clara asked, her eyes frantically scanning his body for injuries. Her hands moved quickly across his arms and shoulders, searching for any signs of damage.
"Mum, I'm fine. Really, no need to worry," Grey said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she finally let him go.
"Alright then," Clara said, her expression softening. "But another thing—how did you become a two-star mage so fast? From what I know, it usually takes at least a year to advance that far. So how did you do it?"
"That..." Grey hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "It was due to intense training and repeated cultivation. I kept using my elemental powers over and over until I hit a breaking point—and that's when I advanced."
He couldn't bring himself to tell her the full truth—that he had encountered the first-ever mage in human history, who had helped him unlock his affinities at the brink of death.
Or that he had been given ancient skill and spell books and even traveled to other worlds. That would sound far too insane. So he settled for a half-truth.
Clara studied him for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Alright. You must be tired. Go up and rest for now—I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Grey nodded, grateful for the reprieve. He picked up his bag and made his way to his room. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"That was a close one," he muttered, tossing his bag aside as he sank onto the bed. The bag landed with a soft thud, and just as he lay back, a memory flashed in his mind.
"Huh? Right—I almost forgot about Randin's parting gift," he said, jumping up and hurrying over to the bag.
He reached inside and carefully pulled out the small chest, his heart thumping with excitement.
"I wonder what's in here..." he murmured as he slowly lifted the lid.
His eyes widened.
"This... this is so generous and thoughtful!" he whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek as he stared at the contents in awe.