The storm passed by first light in the morning. I had just finished eating breakfast with the Tindolst family when Cyn had returned. Once more I thanked them for their hospitality before setting out with my escort. Ilsha had waved goodbye from the porch as we left the farm. Thankfully, Cyn didn’t say a word, she merely smirked. I rubbed my temples in frustration. I knew damn well what she was assuming, Ilsha obviously had a childhood crush on me. Especially after the thunderstorm. Bah! I should have seen this coming.

“How do I fix this…” I mumbled as I bounced in the cart that Cyn’s horse pulled.

“That girl seems to really like ye, m’lord.” Cyn finally said once we were a few minutes out from the farm.

“Yeah. Shame I’ll have to break her heart.” I responded. Cyn looked back with a look that, on the surface looked kindly, but deep down you could feel a threatening presence.

“M’lord shouldn’t do that.” I put my hands up defensively,

“Its not in my hands! If I have a gift I get sent to the College for a long time, right? So if I do have a gift I get sent away in three years.”

Cyn nodded thoughtfully. “If’n it makes a difference to ye m’lord, I’ll pray ye don’t have a gift fer her sake.” I had to grin,

“Softy.” She waved her hand dismissively.

The rest of the trip home was made in silence.

My mother and sisters were there to greet me as we arrived back at the mansion. Of course, I was bombarded with questions. When the Q&A session was over I could finally grab a book and relax. While the Tindolst’s home is comfortable in its own way, nothing beats sleeping on beds that aren’t stuffed with straw. That stuff is itchy! The rest of the day I was followed almost everywhere by Lakka. Thank goodness the bathroom is a safe space.

Two days later I walked into the library. Inside was Breidda reading a book with a large bag beside her. Judging by the cover of the book, it was about the human body. I had read it before and found it was pretty detailed on what was inside us, but not so much on the functions of the organs. Granted, I knew more than that book thanks to public education. I could probably become a doctor in this world if the whole magic deal didn’t work out.

Dr. Daen. I like it.

I myself grabbed the book about magic I had already read to reread and proceeded to skim through the magic process. The invoking process seemed simple, you concentrate until you ‘feel’ the magic within you. Feeling the magic would allow you to move on to the next step, unlocking the power. That first and second steps were the big factor between new magic users and veterans. Veterans barely had to concentrate to unlock their magic while for a novice it would take them a few minutes to access their power. Like in all things, the first step is the most vital. From what my father had said about his time in the College, the first few months are just accessing and releasing your power constantly.

“Feeling confidant I see.” Breidda spoke as she turned a page in her book.

“Confident?”

“You’re reading about magic and you don’t even know if you have the gift yet. Most would call that confidence.” She turned the page again. “I would call it foolishness.”

“Aren’t children like me allowed to be foolish?” I cocked an eyebrow at her. She chuckled,

“Most, yes. Jeral himself would seem to be foolish. But it is his way to make others smile.”

She then stared straight into my eyes, and from across the room I could tell, they were red. “You however, are not a foolish child.” It was at that moment I realized that we were well and truly alone in the library. My heart was bursting in my chest, threatening to break out of my ribs.

“No.” I said simply. Total silence stood between us as we stared each other in the eyes. Every second felt like a year and I felt cold sweat dripping down the back of my neck. Her eyes felt like they were burning into my soul.

But she was the first to blink. And then she chuckled. Her eyes back to her normal brown.

“Such a reckless child. You are wise, but your wisdom makes you reckless. Few would meet my stare.” she paused in consideration before shaking her head.

“What are you?” I questioned.

“I’m surprised you don’t already know, with all the time you spend in here.” Her eyes ran across the top shelves of the bookcases. The shelves that I couldn’t reach even with the aid of a stool or chair. The shelves that I knew had the most vital information in them. “Oh.” She then laughed.

Wow, what a bitch.

“Are you a demon?” A grin formed on her face.

“We’ve been called that many times, though we are not demons.”

“A vampire then.”

“Wise indeed, great deduction skills Daen.” With a smile, she showed me her teeth. Her canines grew in length and looked sharp enough to pierce steel. “Yes, I am a vampire.”

“Are you going to drink my blood then?” I held my hands to my neck for safety.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that would kill you Daen. And killing you is not my goal.”

“What is your goal then? Scare the piss out of me? Cause if we’re done here, I really need to go.”

She chuckled, “No Daen. My goal is to teach you that not all of my kind are the monsters many claim they are.”

“Well of course they aren’t. It would be foolish to assume everyone in a group is exactly the same.” I grinned, “And I am not a foolish child.” We shared a smile as the tension drained from the room. “So how many vampires are there like you? And do they all play nanny?”

“Far less than I’d like to admit.” She sighed, “And no, not all are nannies. One is even a priest in the Church of the Five.”

“Never heard of a devout vampire before.”

“Hes a strange one.” She smiled before leaning over and began to rummage around in her bag. Moments later she pulled out an object wrapped in cloth. With the object held out before her, she made her way to me.

“I’ll be leaving soon. Your father has accepted my request for two weeks off work. I apologize for not being able to attend your Judgment Day, but here is your gift.” I accepted the cloth she held out to me. Inside was a small leather sheathe which housed a dagger. “It isn’t much, but I hope it will serve you well.” She bowed her head to me.

“Thank you. But I don’t believe I’ll be using this anytime soon.” I then placed the dagger back in its sheath.

“A wise man plans for any eventuality.” She answered before getting up and lifting her bag. With all of her things, she walked towards the door. For a moment she seemed to pause in thought and a pained look shot across her face.

“Grow strong, Daen.” The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the library.

“What the hell?” What did she mean by that? As thoughts raced through my head I put my new knife in my pocket and sat back down to read my book on magic. Something was fucky and I needed to find out what. I ran our conversation through my head over and over, grasping the main topics.

Firstly was magic, I already had that covered. But there was definitely more that I didn’t know due to my selection being thin. Second was Vampires. Did my father know Breidda was one? It probably wasn’t a good idea to ask. At best it’d be taken as a joke, at worst…well if I was taken seriously, she may end up hurt. Finally, there was her telling me to grow strong. By her tone it sounded like she’d never see me again. Myril told me there was a time for worry.

This was that time.

I raced through the house to find someone to help me with my book search. Luckily, I had run into Kelmon who found two books on the various dangers that roamed the world. I thanked him and proceeded to barrel through the books. I didn’t finish my reading until the next day. But I did learn a few interesting tidbits of information on the Vampire race.

Firstly was that they were primarily nocturnal hunters and much more dangerous in night than day. The book didn’t state exactly why they were stronger at night than at day. But if they were anything like nocturnal predators from Earth, they had keen eyesight in the dark, whereas strong light in the day would debilitate their eyes. Potentially they could have a keen sense of smell to locate wounded targets as well. But one thing both books emphasized was that they drank blood for sustenance, which wasn’t really new info to me. At least they didn’t have any weird weaknesses like garlic, crosses, or stakes. The books also had numerous accountings of their strength. Even the weakest vampire was stronger than the average adult human.

Unfortunately, I didn’t glean much more information than that. With a sigh, I realized that I well and truly missed Wikipedia. Fortunately, all my thinking and over thinking followed by rethinking made me tired enough to fall asleep the night before my judgment day. Shortly after I awoke, it was time for breakfast.

I stared at the eggs, bacon and bread on my plate after prayer had finished. Immediately, my family was engaged in conversation as they ate. Trying to not look out of place, I began to eat my food.

“Nervous Daen?” My mother asked from beside me as she sipped her tea.

“Yeah, a bit.” I responded honestly.

“Thats normal,” Jeral said chuckling, “you saw how much a nervous wreck Lakka was on her day last week.” A few of us had a light chuckle. Lakka studied her plate intensely with rosy red cheeks.

“Don’t tease your sister, Jeral.” Myril chastised.

“Sorry Lakka.” Jeral said, “If it makes you feel any better, Mytti was so nervous she-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence Jeral.” Mytti spoke threateningly.

With a smile, I hoped my family would never change.

“Dont be scared Daen.” Lakka encouraged, “You’ll have the gift to and we can go to the College together!”

“Looking forward to it, Lakka.” I responded. “Though remember, I’m going to be the stronger mage out of the two of us.”

My father smiled at the head of the table. “There’ll be plenty of opportunity for competition at the College you two. But first Daen must be test if he does have the gift. No bragging until then.”

“Father is just nervous that we’ll show him up, Lakka.” She nodded and the whole table shared a good laugh.

Once breakfast was done I proceeded to head outside to sit in the gazebo until the guests arrive. Just like Lakka’s Judgment Day, the sky was clear and the sun was hot. Servants carried tables and chairs into our yard like before. It was going to be a normal party, right? Gods I hoped so. If the day was like Lakka’s the priest and mage wouldn’t arrive until around noon. I must have been visibly nervous, as Jeral was doing his best to distract me. I decided to stop worrying for the moment. Whatever happens, happens.

Among the first guests to arrive was the Tindolst family. Ilsha pulled her parents along behind her so they would get good seats by the gazebo again. She must have really enjoyed the music from last time. With a grin I approached them.

“Hello!” I greeted simply.

“Greetings” Nemmel nodded his head towards me.

“Salutations.” Pattelia smiled and curtsied lightly.

“Solicitations!” Ilsha said as she attempted to mimic her mother.

“Ilsha!” Pattelia exclaimed with her hand over her mouth in shock.

“What? I said what you did!” Ilsha responded.

I did my best to hold my laughter inside. But once Jeral started snickering, I lost control. Pattelia was as red as a ripe tomate while Ilsha giggled along, blissfully unaware of what she had said. Ah, the ignorance of youth. Together we watched the performers set up their instruments and begin to play a relaxing melody. As the show went on I excused myself to use the bathroom. Upon returning, Jeral stopped me at the doorway to our mansion, a grin plastered on his face.

“Daen, ask her to dance.”

“What? Who?” I was taken by surprised by his demands.

“Your little friend, ask her to dance. You aren’t scared are you?”

“What about you? You’re older, why don’t you ask one of the girls your age to dance?” Jeral shook his head,

“Its your party, you should lead the stage.” By how quickly he deflected my question, I could tell he just wanted to get me flustered as part of his entertainment. Problem was, she had a major crush on me. Dancing together would only make that worse than before. Jeral himself wouldn’t have the guts to…

“Okay, sure.” I decided the reward was worth more than the risk. This made Jeral sputter for a second before he composed himself.

“Wait, you will? I mean of course you will! Go on, enjoy yourself!”

It was time to show my older brother just how much of a child he was compared to me.

With a light step, I walked towards the Tindolst family. The whole time I could feel Jeral’s eyes burning into my back. Watch and learn bro, watch and learn. I reached Ilsha and held out my hand to her, “Care to dance Lady Ilsha?” Nemmel swallowed hard on the tea he was drinking and began to cough. Pattelia merely held a hand to her mouth and muttered an ‘Oh my’. Ilsha however had the best reaction. None. It was as if she had completely powered down for a few seconds as she comprehended what I had asked.

“I uhh ehh ohh errr ahh.” She mumbled as her brain attempted to unscramble itself. I looked back to see Jeral’s eyes wide with surprise. Thats right brother, I did it and you haven’t. Watch and learn. Eventually Ilsha nodded, with cheeks red as the roses growing in our garden. I led her before the gazebo and the band members smiled and played a slow song as we began our dance. It wasn’t my first time dancing with a girl, but I kept things slow as she was clumsy with her feet. Ilsha’s eyes were downcast the whole time in embarrassment.

But I held Jeral’s gaze until he looked away in total defeat. I had asserted my dominance and put him in his place.

Needless to say, a growing crowd of people gathered round to talk amongst themselves and enjoy the sight of youthful romance. Sorry fellas, no romance here. It was all to put Jeral in his place. If you talk the talk you better walk the walk as the saying goes. As the song stopped my audience clapped so I gave them a bow as Ilsha rushed back to sit at the table with her family. Her eyes constantly shifting between looking at me and looking away while she fidgeted in her chair. Then her mother whispered something in her ear which made the poor girl’s face turn even more red.

I consciously made the crush worse, all to turn around a joke on my brother. I am a foolish child.

“Where’d you learn to dance?” Mytti asked as I made my escape from the crowd.

“Mother once let me read a book about dancing. It was interesting so I may have memorized some of the steps.” Lies, all lies. But a good enough lie so that Mytti wouldn’t press for more information.

“Can’t believe that my baby brother danced with a girl…no boy ever asked me to dance.” She mumbled.

“Don’t worry sis, I’m sure you’ll meet someone who’ll knock your socks off.” I comforted my poor depressed sibling. Her initial reaction was open-mouthed shock that I had heard her. But then she sheepishly grinned and straightened her dress.

“Yes I-I do believe I will.” She then whispered ‘knock your socks off’ to herself questioningly.

I left Mytti alone and began my hunt to find Jeral. I found him chatting with a group of his friends.

Perfect.

I approached him with a casual swagger that others would interpret as my natural gait. But to him, he would know that that walk announced that I owned this place. I owned him. This was the walk of power, of victory.

“Hello Jeral, everyone.” I announced myself to his group of friends and bowed. They all spoke their greetings while Jeral murmured something that I didn’t quite catch. But no matter, I was here for one reason alone. To show him that when I play games, I aim to win.

“Thanks for recommending that I dance with Ilsha, Jeral. It was actually quite fun!” I gave him a bright smile. In an attempt to save face amongst his peers, he returned a smile of his own.

“Think nothing of it, little brother.” I nodded and asked when he was going to dance with a girl. A wave of sputtering was my reward as I walked away.

I sat with my mother at another table on the other side of the yard. She was currently reading a book about Dominion law. A book I’d get around to reading eventually. One day. Maybe. Eh, who am I kidding, studying law is probably the most boring thing imaginable. I’ll keep putting it off for as long as I can. I’m sure I’ll be forced to study it eventually, but for now I was free.

My mother and I made small talk. Mostly her talking about my dancing with Ilsha and how she was probably now head over heels for me. I just nodded and tried to think of how to let the girl down gently. But I couldn’t think of a single way to do so. She was way too young for any sort of straight up dejection. It would have to be done in such a way that it didn’t hurt the poor girl.

By noon I still had not thought up a way to let the poor girl down. My father and Myril had sat with us and discussed more than a few topics. Such as my father disapproving my choice in women, Ilsha being from a baseborn family and Myril agreeing with him. Being friends with the family was one thing, but this was another entirely was what he had said. Fortunately my mother said love was worth more than status. I wanted to tell them that she had a crush on me, not the other way around. And that I only danced with her to show Jeral who The Man was. Unfortunately, I never got the chance.

The Priest and Enchanter had arrived.

I swallowed hard as they approached us. With a deep breath I stood tall and began to walk to meet them halfway. My family followed me and a crowd began to form. The time had come and I was nervous. Not as nervous as the first time I asked a girl out on a date, but pretty close.

“Shall we do the test now? Or do you need a few minutes my child?” The priest asked with an understanding voice.

With a deep breath I answered, “Now is fine.” Both the Enchanter and Priest nodded. The Priest then reached into his white and golden robes and withdrew the crystal clear orb. He then held it out towards me. I’m not afraid to admit that my body shook from nerves as I reached out and took hold of the orb.

It was cold. Cold and heavy. I ran my thumb over the surface, surprised by how smooth it was. It had to be a perfect sphere with no imperfections to be found. It felt strange to hold such an object. I wondered exactly what it was made out of, it certainly had to be some kind of valuable gemstone. Together with many others, my eyes were glued to the orb which stood dark.

Moments passed and everyone held their collective breath. To the side I saw Lakka with her eyes closed and her hands together as if she were praying. With a smile I turned my head back to look into the orb. Still nothing. A few people seemed disappointed as Lakka had already showed that she possessed a gift. I clenched the orb with closed eyes and prayed alongside my sister.

‘Please.’

The silence was then interrupted by a faint gasp. Curious, I opened my eyes to see what that was about, only to find the orb faintly glowing gold.

“My word…” The Enchanter uttered. All around, people were whispering in confusion. Others stared in open mouthed awe. And I could understand why. In the book about magical beginnings, the testing orb would only glow the color of a person’s aptitude to their magic. Green would be wind magic, Brown for earth, red for fire, blue for water, and dark gray for black magic. I had no idea what glowing gold meant.

“Amazing…” The Priest spoke, barely above a whisper. “In all my years I never thought I’d see it myself…”

“Ohh, pretty!” Lakka said as she approached and poked the orb. Ilsha stood with her family who were all staring with the same wide-eyed look. My entire family was a mixed bag of emotions written plainly on their faces. Jeral looked amazed, Mytti confused, Kelmon thoughtful. My mother smiled radiantly, Myril attempted to keep herself composed, and my father stared at the glowing orb with an intense look upon his face. His eyes shifting between the orb, the priest, and myself.

“Basros, we need to talk. You too Aldrielle.” He commanded and turned to walk towards the house. Excusing themselves, the priest and enchanter followed. Something fucky was about, but I could not find out what for the moment. In an instant I was swarmed by light bows, back pats, shoulder punches, and other expressions of congratulations.

Lakka was the most physical of the bunch. She gave me a bear hug which almost made me drop the orb.

“We can go to the College together!” I desperately wanted her to be right, but deep down I knew she wasn’t. Even Grashel refrained from drink to stay as close to me as possible without being disruptive. Something was very, very wrong here.

“U-um…” A voice beside me uttered. Ilsha stood close to me fidgeting, “C-congratulations!”

I gave her my best smile, “Thanks.”

For the moment, things seemed to calm down as guests began to celebrate. Though it wasn’t the same as Lakka’s celebration, the guests now were far more reserved as they gave their toasts. If I could describe the atmosphere, it was almost reverent in a way. Like the guests were afraid of displeasing me. None drank too heavily, none shouted, nothing. All hope of things becoming normal shattered when my father came out of the house with the priest and enchanter. He a steady gait, he approached me. All conversation stopped as eyes locked onto us instantly.

“Daen.” He spoke in a tone that demanded no questioning.

“Yes father?” I asked.

“You are to leave with Basros here by the end of the day.” Lakka, Ilsha, and myself were all shocked.

“W-what? Where am I going? Why?” My father looked me in the eyes.

“To the Thallist Holy Kingdom. It is there your education will begin immediately.” Basros nodded to me,

“It will be a long trip, so pack accordingly.”

“I…” was all I could manage to say before they left me. I turned to see Lakka with tears in her eyes. She was the first to act by grabbing me and crying into my shirt. All I could do was pat her head. Ilsha however stood in silence as she stared at me with eyes full of sorrow. I knew that look. That was the look of heartbreak.

“Ah hell.” I motioned for her to come over. With that, the dam burst and the tears flowed endlessly as a girl on each arm cried into my shirt. One not wanting to lose her brother, the other not wanting to lose the boy she liked. I now knew what Breidda meant when she sounded like she’d never see me again. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. When I turned to look I saw Cyn standing behind me.

“Its time to pack m’lord. Sorry.” I nodded and gave both girls a quick hug before I untangled myself from them. With a smile that I didn’t truly feel, I patted their heads with my hands.

“Don’t worry guys, you haven’t gotten rid of me yet…I’ll write to you as often as possible okay?” Lakka nodded as she wiped tears on her arm. Ilsha however cried harder.

“C-cant read…” Ah…right. Like an angel from above, my sister came to my rescue.

“I...I’ll teach you.” Lakka said in between sniffles.

“Thank you Lakka.” I said as I felt hot tears flowing from my eyes. “You two behave yourselves, okay?”

Followed by Cyn, I walked towards the mansion with legs that felt as if they were made of metal.