5 The Pas

The burning late-summer sun already hung high over Ritark, proudly declaring its presence. A pair of mother and son was trudging along the dusty main road, appearing as if in deep thought. 

The alleys were significantly less populated than this morning, but a small group of kids was already expecting them. Naturally, they were a petite assemble of friends and the usual nosy neighbor's children, whom the short boy expertly pacified and persuaded to talk later, before returning to his mother's side. 

Much had happened today, for what few hours had already passed, and Teo was not exactly in the mood to talk right now; he needed to think. 

He did have a gift for Magic, but just a mediocre one, and only for the weakest type of it. He could strive to become a Magician but was likely to fail and could not afford the education anyways. He had an Affinity, just not for any Element but Mana itself, which he, weirdly enough, had never heard of before.

Teo could not wrap his head around it. 

It seemed to be something good, just that he had no idea what he was supposed to do now.

Magic was fascinating, but what about his father's forge? He could not simply desert his family to seek his fortune, adventuring and hoping to find some great inheritance, like the heroes from the books his mother read to him.

What was he thinking about anyway? He just turned six today; what was a child going to achieve alone on the streets, pretending to be a hero? Also, he would miss his parents. 

No, this plan was full of holes.

He would need to trust in his parents; they would know what to do, as they always did. Teo pushed the complicated thoughts to the back of his mind, firmly grabbed his mother's hand, and picked up his pace towards the workshop, greedy to indulge in this morning's leftover pancakes. Meanwhile, Elisa thought about a similar topic, just from a very different perspective. 

Except for the warm summer wind brushing through their hair, nothing noteworthy happened on the short way back, and they soon approached the large, wooden structure they called home.

Unexpectedly, the workshop with its massive forge was empty, and it turned out that his father was already waiting for them in the living area. After a warm welcome and a firm hug from his father, both of his parents withdrew to discuss the happenings of this eventful morning.

Teo did not mind, as he was glad to get some breathing space after talking about complicated topics for so long. After quickly gobbling up another pancake, he went outside to look for his friends.

After a short question-and-answer session, he was free to join them without much further ado.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

His friends did not boast the most excellent understanding of Magic, much less could they comprehend the gibberish, Teo managed to recite, so they soon lost interest in the details. Disregarding the occasional envious glance, his friends seemed to be happy for him.

Afternoon came sooner than expected, and Teo made his way back home, exhausted.

He could hear his mother's voice, even before pushing against the front door.

"Do you think it's best for him, darling?" His parents were seated around the gnarly, old kitchen table, long past its best years, still absorbed in the discussion. They heard the door opening, hurriedly turned their heads around, and looked at the ruggedly breathing Teo.

His father, Rainert, was a well-built man in his late twenties with a healthy complexion and decently developed chest muscles, easily visible through his thin linen shirt. Most rememberable about him were his square face as well as his short and spiky, chestnut-colored hair, that almost resembled a hedgehog lodging on his head.

His hair color was one of the only things he managed to pass on to Teo, whose hair still ended up being smoother and wavier than his, quite like the stream of liquid golden strands, his mother called her own.

"Son, sit down. We need to talk," he said in a noticeably conflicted intonation. Teo did as he was bid, already suspecting where this was going.

"I had wanted to have this conversation when you are old enough to understand its implications, but it can't be helped, given the circumstances," he said, heaving a sigh and continued, "I did not expect you to awaken the family's talent of all things, but it is not necessarily a bad thing."

His father fiddled around with his hands on the table and gave Elisa a quick look, seeing her nod in approval.

"You have probably already wondered why you have never heard anything about your grandparents from my side of the family... and I have to admit that we have not been completely honest with you." Teo was shocked, hadn't he had enough revelations for today? And here he was, expecting this to be about Magic. Teo expectantly looked at his father and waited for him to proceed.

"I am not from Ritark originally, like your mother is. I grew up further to the south, in Sigella, to be exact," his father added, wearing a solemn look on his face.

"Born into the side-family of the Grassdown lineage of Merchants and Low-Rank Enchanters, I received all the benefits of our wealthy standing from a young age..."

"We have a family name?!" Teo shouted out what he was most concerned about, full of surprise. It was quite uncommon to have a family name in this area, for he knew that only important people could afford one, though he was not clear on the details.

"Yes. Your full name is Teodor Grassdown, but let me continue first," he confirmed Teo's observation, giving him a slight nod while folding his solid arms in front of his chest.

"As I was saying, even though I was only part of the side-family, all the gates of the world stood open to me. Sure, I had no talent for Magic, but I could have stepped into your grandfather's footsteps and become a merchant, overseeing the family's naval business. Yet I have not always been the man, you know as your father today..." he stopped, thinking of how to best package what he was about to say.

Teo was a tad disappointed that his father was not secretly a legendary Archmage or a hero from another world. He was finally getting a feeling for this whole Magic-Adventure kind of thing and quickly developed the necessary ambition for it. However, he did not let anything show on his face.

Rainert wore a hard to read, squarish expression on his face as well, but seeing Teo still so attentive while listening to his backstory, he continued,

"To tell you the truth... I was probably one of these ungrateful, profligate youths, everyone hates the most," the burly man admitted, blushing until beet-red, making him resemble a hedgehog resting on top of a giant tomato — which was quite funny in itself.

Mistaking Teo's suppressed laughter for a sign of shocked disbelief, he proceeded with his speech, "I know, it is hard to believe, but it is the truth. As you can imagine, I did not have the best relationship with my parents from a fair age, given the constant disappointment I was. After a major disagreement with my father, I ran away from home at 19 years old, to live my own life, free of their tyrannical reign, as what I saw his parental concerns."

Teo had to admit; he did not expect such behavior from his father, whom he knew only as an honest and hardworking man, respected by many in the village. He was still wondering what it had to do with his Affinity Test though.

"Long story short: I made my way to this village by chance, with nothing more than I could carry, was eventually taken in as an apprentice by your mother's father and, young as I was, fell in love with his beautiful daughter," his father finally concluded, while his mother was still blushing from past memories. 'That was quite the story. Does everyone in the village know about that?' Teo thought. He still wondered if his father, once again, had forgotten to mention the essential parts, as there was no point in telling him now of all times if it was just about the family-drama.

"So what happened after that, and does it have anything to do with the result of my Affinity Test?" Teo voiced his doubts, making his father pale in the realization of his mistake.

"Uhm, yes, I was just about to come to that part," his father cleared his throat and tried to improvise.

"A few years later, my father finally realized that I was not coming back on my own after failing somewhere else. He had no hard time finding me, as he had superficially kept track of my travels, not that I had made it far anyway. He came to our door one day, offering to take me back home. I would get another chance, as long as I did my part in the family." He saved a short interval for a dramatic pause, before concluding,

"He was probably expecting me to fall to my knees and beg him for another chance, but I simply invited him into the house and showed him what I had achieved for myself." He looked at Elisa and then Teo again, with a peaceful smile plastered of his face.

"A wonderful wife, more stunning than I a had ever hoped for, an occupation that rewarded the hard efforts I put in, and a beautiful, newborn son, the most precious thing in my life."

Teo could barely stand the corny exaggerations, but his mother was already wrestling to hold back her tears; she grew up close to the water after all.

"Your grandfather was so shocked; he did not know what to say. Then he told me that he was proud of me, for the first time in my life, can you believe that? And he never spoke about me leaving Ritark again. We still exchange letters from time to time." He was happy, being finally able to share his life's story with someone, but Teo's still-confused look quickly brought him back on point.

"The reason, this has anything to do with your Affinity Test is, that having a gift for Arcane Magic is the most surefire way to become a successful Enchanter. We cannot afford to give you the education and the support you deserve, but your grandparents can. They would be more than happy to accept you into the family too, since any talent for Magic is very rare, even in the main family. You could even study under your granduncle, the current head of the family, and learn the craft from a real Enchanter."

This was more like what Teo had expected. It seemed like fate had not abandoned him after all and came knocking right when he needed it most. He was visibly vibrating from excitement, joyfully believing that the road ahead had already been paved for him.