Chapter 4: The Children of the Empress

Meanwhile, Evin was still thinking about the new element that appeared in the new world.

He was also afraid that something might happen again if the stone was taken away from him, but luckily, everything was fine this time.

He kept forgetting about the matter occasionally, since it was so foreign and bizarre for him, but this world had magicians. He didn't really know what exactly magic can do, but it's probably not something at the level of parlor tricks. And most likely, there was segregation between people who can and cannot use magic, and obviously one would want to be part of the former in this world.

And there were also the final words of the woman who sent him to this world, 'Strive for eternity or strive for true death'.

'What does she mean by that? Do I have to become immortal? Her words imply that people can become immortal in this place, right? Unfortunately, my parents don't really look immortal to my eyes…'

'Wait, she herself said that she was an ascendant or something,' Evin had received a hint that he could become immortal in the new world, and he was becomeing more and more confident that magic was the way to achieve that goal.

'Perhaps I should've asked for more information from her now that I think about it. Instead, I just impatiently jumped at the opportunity she presented to me,' Evin lamented. He waited for three hundred years, so it shouldn't have been too hard to wait a few more minutes.

'Shit, I just don't know anything'

'But it's not too bad, this place has someone who knows how to use magic, anyway. And I'm a little kid who's supposed to not know anything. And if I start showing off my intelligence early, he might take me as his disciple or something' Evin pondered and a hopeful expression appeared on his face.

So, if he decided to focus on magic from now on, what should he start doing? Practice magic, obviously, but how did one do magic? Did he have to chant a spell, or did he need to feel and shape energy to his will? Or maybe it was completely different from what he was expecting.

He needed a teacher for the first and third cases, so that was off for until he could talk at least. Evin also figured that he could just ask his parents in a curious way in the future.

'Wait, but when is it socially acceptable for children to begin talking?' Evin thought, but decided to worry about it later.

But for the time being, his only clue was the stone.

'Should I try to let him leave the stone with me? Perhaps If I wailed at the top of my lungs, maybe they'll let me keep it?' Evin thought but he didn't want to wail that much, he'd feel bad for his parents after all.

'That Aran guy is the owner of the stone, so I can't overdo it if he looks unwilling to part with the stone.'

Evin decided to just try it and see.

Just as the adults in the room were thinking that things have calmed down, the child suddenly started wailing again. Evin started crying and then trying to reach the stone with his arms.

"Ah, he's wanting the lodestone again. It's not as bad as the previous time, since he doesn't seem that desperate to get it. It just looks exactly the same as Sasha's tantrums," Said Lora, and hid the stone from Evin's sights.

Noticing her mother's actions, Evin decided to cry even more.

"Haha, looks like the child won't be tricked so easily. Let him cry a bit more and he'll forget about it" Said Theor, laughing loudly.

Evin proved how Theor was wrong and cried for much longer than what was considered 'overdoing it'. Perhaps his long life screwed his sense of time in some way.

"It's just a small piece, you can keep it and let Evin play with it. Ah, make sure to tie it to a stick first so he doesn't swallow it. Arza loves them as well, so I know Evin will try to eat it at some point," said Aran absentmindedly and after taking out another lodestone from his suitcase, he briefly made a solemn face and after a few dozen seconds, he then looked at Evin again.

Evin saw the man's chest emit a cold green light again, and the same piercing gaze looked through him again. But this time he focused a lot more on the process, trying to work out anything that might be helpful in understanding magic for himself.

'It's the same thing he did yesterday. I haven't noticed it before, but the stone was definitely crucial in the process. He didn't chant anything, but the stone's light dimmed slightly and after a slight delay, he started emitting the green light. After that, the light gathered on his eyes as he focused his gaze on me'

First thing Evin noticed was that there was no need for a chant. Secondly, he noted that the energy gathered in the man's chest, and then went to his eyes.

Evin thought that perhaps he needed to visualize the magic somehow, hence the reason for the energy gathering in his eyes. The other possibility was that since the mage used magic to look through him, the energy gathered in his eyes.

Evin was leaning towards the latter guess, since there was no need for the energy to gather in his chest area, then go to his eyes.

"He's a healthy child, as far as I can tell... Before I leave, I should probably tell you the differences between a mage baby and a non-mage baby," Aran declared.

"What kind if things?" Theor asked, trying his best to compare Sasha's growth with Evin's.

"First, a mage child's brains will develop much faster than a normal one. As you can see, he's already able to distinguish objects, and grab them in his hands. I'm pretty sure he's able to do some other impossible feats, it's just that we don't know it yet... If for example, Evin was a normal child, he would likely develop these abilities in about half a year, if not longer," Aran paused, thinking of something.

"What other differences do they have?" Lora asked, coddling Evin.

"Oh, I can list a few. A normal baby will start walking and talking in about a year and a half, while Evin would do the same in about half a year... Could be less, could me more. Soon after, he'll probably start running around. So, if you feel like he's growing a bit too fast, don't panic," Aran reminded and prepared to leave.

"I'll take my leave here. Perhaps you can bring Evin to our house to play with Arza when they are a bit older. Also, if you have something to ask, don't worry about bothering me," Aran said to the couple.

"You won't stay for lunch? Elina is making some food. She cooks very well, I'm always surprised by the various dishes she cooks up in the house," Said Lora, hearing Aran's words.

"I'll have to hurry home today. Some officials of the kingdom were bothering me a few days ago and I don't want them to come when Liza's alone," Said Aran and then bade farewell.

Before exiting the house, Aran slipped out a small metal rod, decorated with various small inscriptions that formed a closed eye from his pouch and attached it next to the door. The metal rod soon disappeared from the eyes of the others, and the drawing of the closed eye suddenly glanced open and the pupil that was made out of words started eyeing around the house silently.

Closing the door behind him, Aran walked towards his home, muttering some things out loud, one of his bad habits that refused to disappear.

"Perhaps I should kill him?"

"The boy is obviously a Child of the Empress, that much is obvious…"

Even though he spoke about all those things about mage children being smart, he knew that they weren't this smart.

"I wonder where the 'replacement' comes from? He doesn't seem to know magic, so perhaps he was one of those lucky normal people"

"Or maybe he is simply acting. His reaction to mana was quite extreme. The only places with so little mana are the mana-blocked cells, where most dangerous prisoners are kept. If that is so, the "replacement" is most likely not such a pleasant individual. But it all sounds a bit too illogical..."

Aran had never heard of any newborn reacting to mana in such a way. But even with his short 30 or so years of studying magic, the one thing he thoroughly understood was that nothing was concrete in the field of magic. 

"Sigh, time will tell. I mustn't do anything for now. I can't just kill a possibly innocent 'child' because of my suspicions. I'll check upon what he's doing with the sentry device for the time being"

"Perhaps I should inform Theor and Lora about Evin's true nature. No… That is the choice of the Children. I don't have the right to meddle my head in any of that"

Finished with his thoughts, Aran decided on a wait and see approach.

…

Evin was sitting on his bed, a smug smile forming on his face, oblivious to the danger he just dodged.

Soon after the mage left, Evin finally got the stone he cried so much for. It was a bit surprising to see it tied on a stick, but he got what he wanted so he was content.

Evin really felt like a toddler who won against his parents with his tantrum, and he honestly felt quite good about it. He got to keep the stone after all.

'The random pulsations are quite desensitizing now that I take a good look at it,' Evin thought briefly, before getting to work.

He first tried doing what that man did. He tried to see his body the same way, like he was scanning through it.

The man seemed to absorb some kind of energy from the stone and afterwards shaped it to what he wanted, so he decided to try doing that.

'Absorb the mana. Absorb the mana. Visualize the power, feel the power. Imagine the power accumulating in your chest. And then they gather in my cursed left eye! Ignore the cringey feeling inside you and just let it go. Magic is real and thoughts like this are normal in this world'

He couldn't really feel anything different, except a gradually increasing feeling of embarrassment. Perhaps what he was doing is completely wrong and someone saying stuff like absorb the mana and gather it in your eye was quite cringe.

'Stop getting distracted. Just focus on your task. Let's try to imagine or visualize the things I will try to do'

As Evin tried and failed to get any results with the magic session, he started to feel a bit hopeless. The stone didn't show any new reaction, and he himself didn't feel anything new either.

He also couldn't get anything to work. He tried to imagine seeing his body in a different way. He tried to do some other harmless stuff like making water puddle, creating a breeze or just moving dust.

He finally concluded that he simply didn't have enough information. He needed to learn the language first of all. After that, he would try to catch some info from his parents and that mage guy. He should be able to start speaking after 3 months, but he decided to wait a year to start articulating words. He didn't know if there are cases of newborn babies being controlled by devils or whatnot, and he didn't want to overdo things.

'The mage scanned me two times already. It can't be because he just feels like doing it. Nothing I can do, except wait and hope. At least I'm alive and kicking while waiting for new developments'

Powerlessness was something he felt for a long, long time. Waiting was also something he did for a very long time.

Evin didn't know what he was waiting for when he was dead, but he waited and waited. And a chance really did come to him.

He didn't admit it when he was a wandering soul, but he was always hoping. Hoping that someone will save him. Hoping that all of it will end someday. Hoping for a better future for himself.

He could admit that fact now, because the dark times were over.

But, acknowledging your hopeful feelings in those dark days… Such an act was simply too painful for him. Evin knew that clinging to hope could very easily break him. It was better to let it go and compromise with the situation.

With such thoughts, Evin soon fell asleep on the bed.