Chains Of Eternity: Awakening

I SMELL TROUBLE

Upon climbing aboard, I am met by two ladies: an older woman in a red gown, her face heavily made up to the point of resembling a child's doll, and a young girl, close to my age. The girl is dressed in a long patterned dress, maroon tights, and matching maroon boots. Without needing to be told, one could easily discern from their appearance that they belong to a well-off family.

The girl glances up at me with blue eyes, her fair skin tinged with a hint of darkness. She gives me a disdainful look as I offer them a polite smile.

"Good morning to both of you," I say as I take a seat across from them. The carriage is decent. They ignore me as if I am not even there. The girl only shoots me another glare before returning to a book that I hadn't noticed before. It has strange images, likely beyond her level of understanding. I gently settle beside the window, where I see my father and mother waving at me, shouting as baby Jolt struggles furiously in my mother's arms. I wave back.

"Miss your mama already? You gonna cry?" the little girl says with an amused smile in her mouth, "just how old are you?"

"I'm older than you, so you can take a guess," I snap back, my tone dripping with rudeness. She glares at me angrily.

"You beggar, how dare you…" she starts to scream, but her voice falters when the woman gives her a hard stare, her long eyelashes now visible as the girl retreats, returning to her book with a sigh. The older woman isn't the least bit normal; she looks like she'd probably throw up if I stayed any longer. Without much thought, I crawl out, landing on the rail. Finding a simple spot, not too hard or too soft, I settle in as Alfred sends a quick smile my way.

"Having trouble sitting back there, kid?" he chuckles, raising the hilt and striking it down to make the horse pick up speed, rushing down the dusty rough road.

"You could say that," I sigh, holding on tight as I catch a glimpse of our house, a tiny shadow with my family still at the edge of the compound.

"I know the feeling, kid, but you'll come back. They'll still be waiting for you," Alfred says as we pick up the pace, leaving a trail of dust behind. I know what he meant, but my mind was on the assessment ahead. I really wanted to be an adventurer, to feel what my mother felt. We didn't follow the road leading to Igdeel; instead, we took a path through the forest, heading towards the River Tigras. I loved the scent and the breeze from the river, and the way it sometimes glowed blue in the evenings.

Gazing at the river, I remembered celebrating my twelfth birthday there with my father. It was late, around nine-thirty, and the full moon was out. That was the time when the river would glow, and strange creatures would swim in its waters. Dad had told me they were born from pure Aether, blessed by the heavens. Just thinking about anything related to Aether always made me feel anxious.

We rode for about two hours before Alfred finally stopped at a small town, suggesting we take a break. As expected, the two modest beings immediately rushed toward a well-displayed building that looked like a boutique. I decided to follow Alfred as he took care of the horse, watering and feeding it.

"How long will it take to reach Raigdeel?" I asked as I grabbed some hay and pushed it into the feed box, feeling the horse's warm breath brush against my hands. The horse's long, dark muzzle reached down, grabbing the grass before slowly grinding it.

"If we keep up this pace, we should reach there by five this evening," Alfred replied, pouring more water into the tub as the horse drank steadily.

"Is it really as cold as they say?" I asked eagerly, watching as Alfred added even more water, laughing softly.

"Absolutely. The Awakener Institute there is run by an ice mage and not just any mage—a five silver star rank mage," he replied with a knowing smile.

"A five silver what?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. I had never heard about any rankings before.

"Oh, the five silver stars? They're mages who are close to breaking through into the catastrophic stage," he explained.

"Okay, now you've lost me, old man," I said, shaking my head.

Alfred burst into laughter just as the others returned, their arms full of new bags. Some of the bags were filled with visible dresses, while others held neatly packed boxes.

"What are you staring at, loser?" she sneered at me, but before I could respond, the older lady gave her a slight smack. The girl cursed under her breath as we all boarded the carriage again.

"I'm sorry, kid, but for details like that, you'll have to join one of the esteemed schools to learn them." Alfred's tone was gentle, but his words carried the weight of experience. We soon headed out of town, and after an hour of the horse's steady galloping down a well-maintained but untarmacked road, I drifted off to sleep. The savannah stretched out endlessly around us, and the breeze was comforting, lulling me into a deeper slumber.

Suddenly, my body jerked forward as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. I barely managed to regain my balance, my heart racing as I steadied myself to avoid falling. I freeze momentarily, not knowing how to react to what I was just seeing. A long, gleaming blade was pressed tightly against Alfred's neck. My breath caught as I spotted a figure emerging from the shadows—a man dressed in a black robe with a blue assassin's hood. His face was mostly concealed, leaving only his eyes visible, cold, and calculating as he stepped closer.

"No funny business, old man. Let us take what we want, and you might get to live a long life," the figure says, his voice dark and heavy with menace. Just then, a blue flame ignited, its glow casting long shadows across the ground. From the dense forest ahead, more men emerged, all dressed in the same sinister attire. Though it wasn't yet dark, the sky above us had grown unnaturally heavy, the weight of an impending storm pressing down. The wind was bone-chilling, and with each passing moment, it became harder to breathe, as if the very air around us was thickening with danger.

And then, like a thunderclap, the carriage exploded with a violent force. The blast sent me hurtling through the air, my body flying nearly five meters before I crashed down hard onto the ground. Pain shot through me as I landed on my back, the impact jarring every bone.

Ouch.