Robert stood at the door and knocked softly, feeling a sense of relief that he was finally home after two months away at school and a lengthy, stressful but eventful afternoon. The house was a white compact duplex, bought by his father before his passing. It wasn't extravagant, but it was serene and welcoming. Robert inhaled heartily; it truly was wonderful to finally be home. Poison's regeneration ability had restored his health, leaving no trace of the cuts and bruises he had sustained in the fight with Chuck. He was as good as new.
"Who's there?" a gentle voice whispered from behind the door.
Robert's insides bubbled with anticipation. "It's me!" he said. He couldn't wait to see his mother's face.
On the other side of the door, Robert's mother, Tadley Manuel, instantly recognized his voice and her face lit up with a smile. "Hey Erica, guess who's back?" she exclaimed with a burst of enthusiasm as she eagerly opened the door.
"Is that Robert?" a tiny voice called out, and in a moment, six-year-old Erica was already at the door, throwing it open. She jumped into Robert's arms with a squeal of delight and embraced him tightly. Robert wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the smell of baby powder that always clung to her. It was the best feeling in the entire world!
"Welcome home, baby," Tadley said affectionately. She touched Robert's cheeks gently, and a rush of happiness washed over him.
Just then, a mouthwatering aroma wafted through the air, catching Robert's attention. "Mmm," he said. "Something smells amazing." He turned to Erica and gently tapped her chin, smiling warmly at her.
"Oh, I'm making dinner," Tadley said.
Robert flashed a grin as he entered. "You were expecting someone?"
Mrs. Manuel chucked. "Oh, dear, there's no one left to expect but you. I'm making your favorite!" She relived him of his backpack and ushered him inside, shutting the door behind them.
With a nostalgic sigh, Robert took in the sight of the living room as he walked in. Two months away had left him with the unsettling feeling that everything had changed, yet nothing had. His gaze swept across the familiar space, from the couch and sofas to the wall television, to the picture frames of his father, mother, and his, and Erica's, to the carpet, the small statue of Lord Valmnar on the prayer table, the wall clock and even the lighting. Everything looked different yet unchanged. This feeling was nothing new to Robert anyway; it was a familiar sensation that greeted him every time he returned home from Solar Springs High School. Brushing it aside, Robert settled into the sofa, where his little sister clung to his hand with excitement. "Hey, Erica, I've got some new magic tricks to show you," he said, "wanna see em?"
Erica's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh!"
Robert grinned. "Alright. But first, tickle monster needs to say hello!" And with that, he began to tickle Erica, sending her into fits of giggles.
After a playful interlude with his sister, Robert retreated up the stairs to his bedroom, where he indulged in a long, warm and relaxing bath, relishing the privacy of his own bathroom. It was a change from the crowded bathrooms at school, where all the boys bathed together. While he had grown accustomed to communal bathing, it was nice to have the privacy of his own space once in a while.
He emerged from the bathroom feeling revitalized and ready to face the world... or at least whatever his bedroom had to offer. He reached into the drawer of his reading table and took out his phone, powering it on. A flood of notifications promptly flooded the screen, and he settled onto his bed to sift through the messages.
A minute later, he heard his mother call from the dining room downstairs. "Robert, dinner's ready!"
"I'll be right there!" he shouted, sliding his phone into his pocket and bolting out of his room, racing down the stairs.
In the dining room, his mother and sister were already seated at the table. The room was neatly set, with a small chandelier glowing with orange light bulbs hanging overhead. The gentle glow of the bulbs filled the space with a warm, golden glow. There air was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of freshly cooked food. Robert's stomach growled with anticipation.
"My God, I've missed this aroma!" he exclaimed, and his eyes widened as he caught sight of the large bowl of soup in the center of the table. "Oh goodness! I've been craving fish weets for ages. I mean, look at that - it's heavenly! Just so you know mom, yours are honestly the best." He took his seat and dug in immediately.
Tadley watched Robert wolf down his food, and an amused but understanding smile crossed her face. "Have you guys been eating well at school, sweetie?" She asked. "You seem to have lost a bit of weight."
Robert's mouth was already full of fish and dripping with brown soup, so his words came out slightly muffled and hard to understand. "I've just missed home so much, Mom... Can I have some more?"
Tadley chuckled. "Help yourself, sweetie - have seconds, thirds, as much as you'd like. This was made especially for you - reserve a head for Erica though."
Robert smiled gleefully, immediately helping himself to more food from the bowl.
Poison's low rumbling voice abruptly echoed in his mind. "Hey, kid!" Robert was startled. "I wanna know about your father, what happened to him?"
"Old man," Robert retorted mentally, "you finally decided to break your silence."
Poison gave no response. Robert thought, "you've been quiet all day. What's your take on the fight with Chuck?"
"Amateurish," Poison chimed in, prompting Robert to roll his eyes. "Still, I'm impressed you managed that without relying on my magic."
Robert's face lit up with a smile, which his mum misinterpreted as being directed at her, and she smiled back in response.
"Now tell me about your father."
"Well, since you asked," Robert thought. "What I know is that, according to my mom, my father was a Water wizard and an adventurer. I used to think she was pulling my leg, but now after everything that's happened since you invaded my life, or rather my body, I realize how foolish my skeptical expressions must have looked like. Honestly, looking back, I feel embarrassed."
"Mm," Poison's groan was unenthusiastic. "What's an adventurer?"
"Uhh, how do I explain this... Adventurers are people - often wizards - who take on various quests from an adventurers institution... some kind of organization... and are rewarded upon completing them. Think of this institution as some sort of job board, where individuals can post missions and adventurers can pick them up through the institution or organization, whatever." Robert explained.
Poison asked. "Can you give me an example of what one of these quests might look like?"
Robert glanced at his mum and Erica - who was chewing a fish eye curiously - before continuing telepathically. "Poison, I just became a wizard officially last week, how would you expect me to know that. I don't have knowledge of real-life adventurers; I only know about them from video games and movies. But I once saw a quest while searching through a website about finding a rare Purple Helene flower on Midnight mountain in the Rosern continent. The pay was good. Mum said father was an adventurer, and he died at thirty-eight during a quest at a place called the Flaming valley. I was only ten when he died and and mum was expecting Erica. She told me he was killed by a beast, and his body was scorched with white flames when they brought him back. I don't really remember what the beast's name was said to be, but I wasn't inclined to believe her at the time." He concluded as he ate the last bits of his fish. He began to sip his soup, savouring the taste.
"I'm sorry about your father, kid," said Poison. "I haven't even started looking for a suitable descendant in the past six years. I've just been enjoying my life as a ghost, you know, floating around, spying on people, sneaking into bedrooms and stuffs like that."
"Wait a second," Robert thought, a puzzled look on his face. "Did you just say you were 'enjoying your life as a ghost'? Do ghosts have lives? I thought they were... dead."
"When someone dies, their soul goes to another realm - what we used to call the astral world, what you call paradise," Poison replied. "But I don't have time to explain it all right now. You know what I meant by enjoying my life as a ghost."
Just then, Robert's phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
"It's that blonde freak, Zack!" Poison grumbled.
Robert excused himself, taking a hearty sip of his soup before leaving the dining table and heading to the living room to take the call. "Hey Zack, what's up?"
"Hey, Robert," came Zack's energetic voice from the other end of the line. "I hope I'm not bothering you, but I just had to tell you about this bed of snow I'm lying on - it's so cozy! Oliver's ice castle is amazing, but the signal here is terrible. I'm pretty much in a large ice castle in the middle of nowhere, and I think I just saw a baby Kobrax slithering past the front door - the castle's basically transparent. I have no idea what this forest or hill or mountain is called, but I think it's between Heiss and Pytte. How's your family doing?"
"They're all good," Robert replied. "Where's Oliver?"
"I think he's taking a shower, or whatever you call bathing with near frozen water and scrubbing yourself with bars of ice... I wasn't watching him; like I said, it's all transparent."
Robert stifled a laughter. "Alright, make sure you two get ready for the magic beast hunt on Nyxusday. Craft more of your bombs and crazy devices, and tell Oliver to meditate and practice harder to reach the peak of the second rank. I'll find somewhere to practice my spells tomorrow. I'm gonna be meditating in my room..." He suddenly stopped talking, sensing a presence behind him. With a jolt, he turned and was met with his mother's startled gaze, her eyes wide with a mix of confusion and disbelief as she stood at the doorway.
"Who was on the phone, Robert?" Tadley asked, her voice full of suspicion. "And what's this about practicing spells? Wait, are you a wizard?"
She walked towards him, her eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"What? A wizard? No, that's ridiculous! Wizards aren't real. Besides, who would pay the fees?" Robert spluttered, sounding more suspicious than convincing. But he knew he wasn't fooling anyone. His mother's expression told him everything he needed to know.
"You have that look on your face." Tadley's voice was calm now.
Robert swore inwardly, realizing he had been caught in a lie. He wasn't surprised anyway. His mother had always been able to tell when he was being dishonest ever since he was a child. Ever since he began speaking, she'd noticed that he always sported a subtle, peculiar expression whenever he lied. Yet, Robert had tried to lie while watching himself in a mirror, and one time in eighth grade, he had asked Dora if she'd noticed a weird expression on his face if he lied, but neither attempt revealed any telltale signs. Maybe his mother had some sort of lie-detecting power or something!
"Robert," Tadley's voice became more serious. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
Robert hesitated, trying to decide if he should come clean or not. He knew he would eventually have to tell the truth, but he also knew how difficult it would be to explain everything to his mother.
"I..." he began, but then trailed off. Tadley watched him expectantly, yet concerned and patient.
"I really don't know where to start..." he muttered.
Poison said, "Go ahead, son. Manhawk agreed you can tell your mom during the break."
"I'm not worried about Manhawk, I'm worried about her reaction," Robert thought back.
"What do you mean?"
"Check this out," he cleared his throat and sighed. Then he explained to her how Manhawk introduced him to Heiss magic school, but he didn't tell her that the Mr. Charles who came with Manhawk was a Blood wizard from the Black Fraggers and also lied about how he first met Manhawk. He stopped at the part when he teleported into Heiss Magic School.
"And you didn't think to fill me in on any of this?"
"Mom, please, just hear me out," Robert pleaded. "I was planning on telling you, but I was waiting... after dinner... or maybe for the perfect time."
"Perfect time?!" she retorted. "Robert, you know I've always had reservations about your father's decision to become a wizard. Had he not learned magic, he'd still be with us. And now you're trying to make the same mistake he did. And what? You expect me to just smile at you?"
"Mom, this isn't just about me, okay?" Robert cut in, his voice rising in urgency, "It's about everyone in the entirety of Kreete, about everyone in the three continents. If I didn't make this decision, do you know what would happened?!"
"What do you think you could possibly do?" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "Even the Superior wizards of the Magic Council can't stand up to a force like the Black Fraggers, how do you think you can make a difference? You're just a boy, Robert. You can't possibly know what you're getting yourself into."
Robert's heart ached at the sight of his mother's tears.
"Mom, please try to understand. My situation right now is really complicated, and I don't even know how to explain myself," he said, calming down and lowering his head. How was he going to explain to her that he hosted the spirit of an ancestor. How would he explain Doom and his perfect natural world, or Normagog, or the Ancestor seal, and even Ancestor souls? How would he explain he was under the Black Fraggers' radar?!
"Robert, you and Erica are all I have left," Tadley whispered, collapsing onto the settee and face-palming, her voice quivering. "I've already lost so much. I can't afford to lose either of you. Not after everything we've been through." She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. Robert's heart broke at the sight of her anguish. He wanted to make her understand, to comfort her, but he knew it would be a difficult task.
Robert was aware that his mother's early life had been marked by loss, having lost both parents during her teenage years. Her grandmother, who had taken on a caregiving role ever since, passed away just after Tadley got engaged. Yet again, she lost her husband at the age of thirty. Even six years later, the pain of his passing was still raked at her heart.
"Mom," Robert said, sitting beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay. Wizards are not bound to die young. Think about Manhawk ("Manhawk's not your average wizard, Robert." Tadley's muffled voice came through her palm.) Okay, how about Old Renny, and Mrs. Pinche who used to live in this neighborhood. You used to tell me - or try to make me believe - that they were powerful wizards. They're all probably over fifty now and still going strong." He looked into her eyes, hoping that his words would bring her some comfort.
"But that doesn't guarantee that you won't die fighting magic beasts or something," she sniffed, proceeding to cover her face with her palm again and sobbing.
"It doesn't," Robert admitted. "But this might." He dashed to the kitchen and took a knife from the counter, then returned to the sitting room. Tadley's eyes widened when she saw the knife in his hand.
"What are you doing?"
Robert held up the knife. "This."
He raised the knife to his throat and, before his mother could stop him, he sliced his skin open. Blood poured from the wound, staining his shoulders and shirt, as well as the floor beneath him.
"ROBERT!" Tadley cried out in horror. She shot up from the couch and rushed towards him, but stopped short when she noticed Robert smiling, then the blood stopped flowing, and then she watched with the greatest astonishment as the wound began to heal and close up right before her eyes. Within seconds, it was completely healed, as if it had never been there!
Mrs. Manuel felt dazed. "How...?" she began, but couldn't find the words to finish her sentence. She stared at her son in disbelief, unsure of what to say or do.
"How... how did you do that?" she finally managed, her voice trembling. "This is insane! For a moment, I thought you were going to die!"
She reached out to touch him, as if to reassure herself that he was still alive.
Robert sported a self-satisfied smile. "I'm so sorry, Mom," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm fine, see?" His smile became reassuring, "Does this assure you that I would be safe?"
"No it doesn't!" she said, her voice still shaky.
"Alright then, I'll just pluck my eyes out..." Robert raised his hand towards his face.
"NO!" Tadley shrieked, grabbing his hand before he could do anything. "Don't you dare! I'm fine, I'm reassured! I'm just... this is all a lot to take in."
Robert smiled at her, and it triggered a fit of laughter from the both of them. Robert couldn't help but feel relieved that they could find humor, even in the midst of the situation.
"But seriously, Robert," Tadley said, taking his hand and leading him back to the dining room. "I'm far from happy about this."
Robert groaned playfully. "What part of my body do you want me to cut again to prove to you that I'll be fine?" He asked, raising the knife in his hand.
Tadley swiftly grabbed the knife from him. "Give me that," she said, her tone returning back to normal. "And how did you do that? Your father could never do anything like that. I don't think any wizard can heal an injury that easily."
"Mom, I'm just... special."