The Beginning After The End (Early Years Book 1) (12 page)

“Hehe~
Art, your hair looks funny.  Hey hey, is it true you’re going to be
staying here for a while? Grandpa told me this morning! I’m so happy! You’re
really staying right? Right?” Tess exclaims with a wide smile pasted on her
cute face.

How
the hell is she so energetic this early in the morning?

Trying
to tame my bed hair, I respond, “We’ll know for sure after my trip with Elder
Virion, but most likely, it seems I’ll be bothering you for a bit longer
princess.”

She
stabs my side with her hand, “Not princess! Tess! T.E.S.S.! I’m going to get
upset if you don’t treat me better.”

Dammit,
she looks so cute with her pouting face.

“All
right all right! I have to shower and get ready so unless you want to see me
naked, I think you should leave the room Tess.” I waggle my eyebrows lewdly.

“Eek!
I’m leaving you pervert!”  I can see her ears turn bright scarlet as she
runs out of the room.

I
didn’t think that’d work so well.  My 4-year-old body hasn’t even matured
any of its “manly parts” anyhow.

I
just shrug and hop into the shower and get ready, making sure to keep the
feather-wrapped stone in my robe.

The
butler opens the front door for me and I see a small carriage with Grandpa
Virion and Tess inside.

“Father!
It is not appropriate for a human to be residing within this kingdom!”

“Alduin
is right Elder Virion.  Although saving Tessia is something I will be
grateful for, having a human stay here goes against all traditions.”

I
hear The King and Queen talking to Grandpa Virion as he is lazily leaning back
in the carriage.

“BAH!
Screw traditions! I’ve taken a liking to that brat and so has Tessia, haven’t
you child.”  He says.

“G-grandpa!
It’s not like that! He’s just…” She mumbles at the end, face red.

“Hahaha!
Anyways! He’s going to be under my direct guidance from now on so make sure to
let everyone know that he is not to be trifled with!”

“F-father...”

“ENOUGH!
This is not a discussion!  Oh brat! You’re here! Come! We should hurry!”
His expression changes into a smile upon seeing me.

I
nod and hop into the carriage, avoiding the frowns that the King and Queen are
giving me.

______________________________________

A
little into the journey, I ask Grandpa Virion.  “Hey Gramps, where are we
headed anyhow.  You said we were meeting a friend of yours right?”

“Haha!
Gramps eh? Well aren’t you awfully comfortable with me now. Good good! As for
where we’re going, it’s a surprise.” He throws in a wink.

Tessia
has fallen asleep and her head is leaning against my shoulder.  She must
have been tired from waking up so early.

“Take
good care of her Art.  She grew up in a very lonely environment.” He
suddenly says, a look of compassion in his eyes as he looks at his sleeping
granddaughter.

“What
do you mean?”

“Growing
up as the only princess of an entire kingdom is very stressful, too much for a
child to handle.  Growing up with no close friends, it was hard on her.
 She has gotten hurt too many times by people pretending to befriend her,
only to be using her for their personal gains.  This has made Tessia into
someone cold and distant to those around her.  Imagine how surprised we
all were when we saw you two holding hands.” He continues.

“Yeah,
I noticed when I heard her talk to the guards.” I add.

“Arthur.
 Tessia has shown more expression, more smiles now than she ever has
growing up, around you, she finally seems more like a child.  For that, I
thank you.” He pats my shoulder.

This
was the first time Grandpa Virion ever patted me, catching me by surprise.

The
carriage stops before the driver opens our carriage door and says we’ve
arrived.

“Hey
Tess, we’re here.” I gently nudge her.

“Mmm…”
She eventually stirs awake and we get out of the carriage, arriving at what
seems like a small hut.

“Hey
you old witch! Come out!” Grandpa Virion suddenly yells while knocking on the
door.

Suddenly
the door swishes open and what we see is a hunched elder lady with grey hair
that seems like it was struck by lightning and wrinkled eyes that was strangely
a mixture of multiple colors, all blending together.  Dressed in a simple
brown robe, she looks at me with a studying eye.

“Took
you long enough to get here!” She scowls!

“Hahaha!
Arthur! Let me introduce you to Rinia Darcassan.  She’s a very special
deviant amongst us elves.” Grandpa Virion announces.

“It’s
good seeing you again Virion.  Charming as always little Tessia.” She says
patting Tess’s head.

Looking
at me, she smiles, “We finally meet young Arthur. I am Rinia.  A Diviner.”

Grandpa
Virion, Tessia, the Diviner Rinia and I were currently all situated around a
circular table with a jar of water in the middle.

“Umm…
Elder Rinia?  You said that you were a diviner correct?  I’m a little
lost as to what it is you can do.   Gramps said that I’d be able to find
out if my parents are okay by seeing you.”  I ask, staring curiously at
the jar of water.

“Kekeke!
Gramps huh?  Virion, you’ve really let yourself go if you’re letting
youngsters like him call you that.” She snickers.

“Bah!
He’s an exception! An exception!  If any other brat dares to call me
Gramps, I’ll have them hung upside down and beaten with a cactus!” He grins
back, looking at me.

Ouch.
How descriptive.

Glaring
at me, she shoots, “Brat! You don’t even know where your parents are but you
want to travel all over Sapin, find them and then come back to train?
 You’d be already dead by the time you make yourself back here.”

I
look at Grandpa Virion.  Did he tell her?  Almost as if he knew what
I was thinking, he chuckles and says, “I didn’t tell Rinia any of this.
 There isn’t much you can hide from her, but usually she doesn’t bother
looking into a person.  What made you so nosy Rinia?” Directing his gaze
towards the elderly lady.

“You
and I both know he’s special.  So special, in fact, that there are parts
of his life that even I can’t see.  Arthur, whatever the beast that passed
its will unto you is, it’s not an ordinary beast.  Limiting it to an SS
class wouldn’t give it justice.”  She ponders for a bit before continuing.

“Enough
about that though.  Arthur, you’re here to see your parents so that’s what
I’ll do.  Close your eyes for a moment and picture your parents.
 Focus on their appearance and their mana.  I’ll take care of the
rest.”

I
close my eyes and imagine the last scene I had of them both together.  My
father badly wounded and my mother healing him.

“Okay,
you can open your eyes now.”

I
look at her to see the color of her eyes swirling.  The water was floating
out of the jar and was swirling around, forming a spiraling disk.
 Suddenly, I see my parents in the water.

*Thud*

The
chair I was sitting on is flipped back as I stand up and leaning closer into
the table.   I see my mother and father together, sitting around a dining
table.  It doesn’t seem to be our home in Ashber.  My mother’s face
is a bit paler and she’s saying something to my father.  I can see she’s
lost a bit of weight but otherwise looks pretty healthy.  Her stomach!
It’s pretty evident now that she’s pregnant by the fairly noticeable bulge on
her belly.  My father looks the same! He’s wearing some kind of uniform
now though and has grown a beard!

Tears
stream uncontrollably down my face at this point, as I don’t dare to peel my
eyes off of the image of my parents.

They’re
alive! They’re doing okay!  They’re fine.

“Sniff.”
 “T-thank you Elder Rinia.  Thank you truly for showing me this.”
 I stammered.

She
looks a little uncomfortable at my sincerity and just waves it off.

“Ahem!
Let me see where they are now.”

The
image zooms out and I can see the outside of where they’re living and it is
definitely not our home in Ashber.  Zooming out even more, I can see the
layout of the city that they’re staying in.

“It
seems like they’ve made their home in Xyrus.  That makes things simpler
for us.” She says, a content look on her face.

Tess,
obviously worried about me crying, is patting my back but her eyes don’t leave
the swirling water.

“Art’s
parents…” I faintly hear her mumble.

Grandpa
Virion claps his hands together and stands up.

“Okay!
Arthur! Let’s let your parents know that you’re alive!”

According
to Grandpa Virion, strict regulations controlled communications between the
Kingdom of Elenoir and Sapin.  However, Rinia, being a Diviner not
discovered by the Kingdom of Sapin, allows us a certain bit of unregulated freedom
in a sense.

“How
this process will work is that I will pour some of my innate mana into you,
establishing a temporary link.  When I give you the signal, start speaking
as if you’re talking to your parents.  It’s important to know that they
will hear your voice inside their heads so they may not believe what you’re
saying at first.  Make sure to get them to believe that it really is you
that’s speaking to them and that they’re not going crazy.  Remember, we’re
just doing this to let them know you’re still alive.  I’m going to emit
your voice directly into both your parents’ minds.  I can’t keep the
connection up for long so say what you need to within 2 minutes.”  She
asserted, a serious gaze from her eyes.

I
nod at this, my face turning serious as well.

“Begin…
NOW!”

Her
whole body starts glowing the same color as her eyes and I see the same glow
spreading unto me as well.

I
breathe a deep breath and start.

Hi
Mom, hi Dad.  It’s me, your son Arthur.  You’re probably really
surprised that you’re hearing my voice inside your head huh?  Well there’s
a reason for that.  Before that though, I want you to know that I’m alive
and safe.  Again, I’m alive and well mom, dad.  I managed to survive
the fall off the cliff and I’m currently living in the Kingdom of Elenoir with
the elves.  Please don’t tell anyone else this.  I don’t have much
time so I’ll only say the things most crucial.  A friend of mine is a
deviant like you mom, except she’s a diviner so I was able to see how you guys
are doing just now too.  She is also the one that is allowing you guys to
be able to hear my voice.  I want to go back to you guys as soon as
possible but I can’t right now.  No, I’m safe and alive right now but I
have a sort of er… illness inside my body that I need to get rid of before I am
able to go back.  Don’t worry, as long as I stay here and have the elves
treat me, I’m 100% okay. So please, don’t worry.  I don’t know when I’ll
be able to talk to you guys like this again but what’s important is that I’m
alive and I know you guys are as well.  Dad, Mom, both of you guys should
be hearing my voice right now so confirm it with each other if you still can’t
believe this.  Remember; don’t tell anyone where I am right now.
 Better yet, just keep it as if I was still dead to make things simpler.
 It may take a couple of months or even years for me to be able to go back
but just be sure that I WILL be going back home.  I love you guys *sniff*
so much and I miss you.  Stay safe, and dad, make sure to keep mom and my
baby sibling safe. Mom *sniff*, please make sure dad doesn’t get into trouble.
 Your son, Art."

I
have trouble keeping my eyes open from the tears and I just keep rubbing my
eyes, staying silent, holding it in.  The glow fades around both of us and
Elder Rinia looks visibly worn out.  She’s sweating and her face pale.

“Elder
Rinia, I don’t know how to thank you for this.”  I manage to croak out.

“Train
well and continue to cherish those close to your brat.  That’s how you’ll
thank me.  Also! Don’t forget to drop in once in a while.  This
grandma here gets lonely kekeke~!” She says with a weak smile.

I
give her a tight hug, which makes her almost jump, and she scratches her cheek
before shooing all of us away.

While
we’re walking out, I notice Tess pouting a little, looking at my chest.

Was
she jealous?

______________________________________

By
the time we arrived back at the castle, it was already dark.  A maid
greeted us on arrival, but before I had the chance to go back into my room, I
see the King and Queen.

The
King comes up to me first.

“Arthur,
I know you overheard what we were saying earlier today and I apologize for
that.  Years of being a King has made me a bit old fashioned and I was
unreasonably stubborn on you not belonging here.”

The
Queen continues for her husband, holding my hands in hers.

“You
are now Elder Virion’s first disciple.  This gives you more than enough
reason for all of us to accept you.  Even if that fact didn’t exist, you
still saved our daughter.  Please consider this place your home.  I
know you miss your parents dearly but if I can be of any consolation, don’t
hesitate and treat me as you would your own mother.”  She says, giving me
a sincere smile.

“Papa!
Mama! …” Tess says with her hands covering her mouth.

She
then runs up to them and hugs them both.

I
smile back and I thank them as well.  They were good people.  They
were simply looking out for their kingdom.

Smiling
behind us, Grandpa Virion nods in approval before exclaiming, “Brat! Training
starts tomorrow so sleep early!

_________________________________________________________________

I
wake up from an immense pain covering my body. I wake up in cold sweat as the
feeling of my body burning intensifies.

“AARGH!”
I clutch my body tight and just simply try to endure, when Grandpa Virion
suddenly appears next to me.

“I
didn’t think it would this fast…”

He
places both hands on my sternum, where my mana core is located, and starts
emitting his own mana into me.

Slowly,
the pain subsides and I’m left panting and clothes drenched in sweat.

“T-thank
you.” I manage to wheeze out.

He
nods before saying, “It’s a bit early, but lets start training now.”

Looking
out the window, I notice that the sun has yet to come out.  I probably
wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep again so I nod and follow him out into
the courtyard.

Sitting
cross-legged, he looks at me before explaining, “Until now, you’ve been
purifying your mana core and manipulating your mana using your mana channels.
 While for normal mages, this method is efficient, for Beast Tamers, we
can’t rely on this approach.  Instead, we do something called
assimilation.”

I
sit down facing him, blank eyed, an eyebrow raised.

“Haha!
Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.  What it essentially
is, is integrating the mana from your core directly into your body’s bones and
muscles, hence the method, assimilation.  Brat, throughout the period of
assimilating, your mana core won’t develop at all, but that isn’t the point of
this.  Once the mana from your new core is absorbed throughout your body,
you’ll be able to start utilizing whatever power your beast’s will had.”

So
this is what Sylvia meant!  Throughout this whole journey through the
Forest of Elshire and meeting the royal family and Grandpa Virion, I can’t help
but think that Sylvia planned out all of this.  I quickly shake my head in
dismissal though and pay attention to gramps.

“Will
your mana out of your core and don’t be tempted to use your mana channels.
 Instead, let it seep out into your body and slowly have all of your
muscles and bones
absorb
the mana.  This will
take time and effort but throughout this process, your mana core should reject
your body less and less.” He says.

There
isn’t much I can help you with for the first part of your training except
making sure your mana is distributed evenly throughout your body and relieving
you when your body spasms like earlier.

Training
continued on with me just meditating, dispersing the mana out of my core and
into my body.  I got the hang of it after a few days but I realized how
long of a journey this would be.  Directing my mana to form a core when I
was an infant took a couple of years but this was doing the exact opposite
except with more mana and an extra step further of assimilating the mana directly
into the muscles and bones.

I
didn’t leave the castle during this time because I wouldn’t know when my body
would act up again.  I was really grateful for Grandpa Virion for sticking
by me throughout this time.  Unfortunately for Tess, this left her very little
time to play with me.  The times I wasn’t meditating, I was resting in my
room, where she would just barge in at this point and chatter on about her day.