2025-12-15 20:31:08The morning sun poured through the tall windows of the Tristan mansion dining hall. The long table was covered with warm bread, golden eggs, fresh orange juice, and little silver dishes of jam. Everything looked perfect.
Asta sat alone at one end, still in his soft blue pajamas, hair messy from sleep. He was quietly spreading butter on his toast and taking small bites.
Cassian stood in the doorway,his arms crossed. He was already dressed in his neat school uniform, his tie perfect, his shoes shiny. His sharp eyes stared at Asta for a long second.
Asta looked up and met his gaze.
Cassian let out a tiny, cold chuckle, just a puff of air, nothing friendly. Without saying a single word, he walked past Asta’s chair, his shoulders stiff, his shoes clicking loud on the marble floor. He headed straight for the grand staircase and disappeared upstairs.
The old butler, Grogerry, stepped closer, wiping his hands on a small towel.
“Young master Asta, did Master Cassian wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”
He asked, his tone soft.
Asta looked down at his half-eaten toast and shrugged.
“I have no idea…”
He responded as he kept eating.
Night came.
The mansion was quiet and dark, only a few lamps glowing along the hallway.
Asta walked out of his room in a loose t-shirt and shorts, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He turned the corner and…
BAM!
He crashed right into Cassian, who was coming the other way.
Asta stumbled back a step.
“Sorry! I didn’t see you…”
Cassian’s eyes flashed with anger.
“Watch where you’re going next time!”
He snapped, his voice sharp.
He tried to push past.
Asta turned and gazed at him with a frowning face.
“Hey! What’s your problem? You bumped into me! If anyone should be angry, it’s me, not you!”
Cassian stopped walking. His back was still to Asta. Slowly, he turned around, his voice low and cold.
“Why? Why should it be you?”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“Oh, let me guess… because you’re the real son of the great fire mage? Because you’re the strongest one here? The boss of the house?”
He stepped closer, his eyes burning.
“Or is it because I’m just the adopted cousin? I don’t get to have a say? Is that it, Asta?”
Asta didn’t move or flinch, he just looked confused.
“What are you talking about, Cassian? You’re not making any sense.”
Cassian’s face twisted.
“I’m making nonsense, right?”
He poked his own chest hard.
“Tomorrow you’ll see exactly what I mean.”
He spun around, stormed to his room, and slammed the door so hard the walls shook.
Asta stared at the closed door for a second.
“What is his problem…?”
He whispered to himself.
Then he shook his head and walked downstairs.
The kitchen was lit by one warm light above the sink. Butler Grogery was washing dishes, his sleeves rolled up, humming an old song quietly.
Asta walked in.
Grogery smiled when he saw him.
“Young master Asta, still awake?”
“Yeah… just came down for water.”
Asta filled a glass from the big jug on the counter and drank half in one go.
“Young master Cassian was down here too.”
Grogery said.
“You must have passed him on the way?”
Asta sighed.
“Yeah. More like he walked straight into me.”
Grogery chuckled softly.
“Don’t be too hard on him. He hasn’t lived here in years. He’s still getting used to the place.”
Asta sat down on one of the kitchen stools, resting his chin in his hand.
“Butler… Can you tell me more about Cassian? I feel like I need to know who he really is… and which part of the family he came from.”
Grogery dried his hands on a towel and
pulled up a stool and sat across from Asta.
He smiled gently.
“Alright. If you really want to know… I’ll tell you everything about young master Cassian.”
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Chapter 45
Flora reached out and squeezed Asta's shoulder, then did the same to Jabber. "...whoever gets called first, remember we've got your back. You're not alone out there. You're representing Ember Watch, and we believe in you.""Hell yeah." Mira added with a fierce grin. "Go out there and kick ass."With that, they split up. Flora and Mira heading down one corridor, Asta and Jabber heading down another. The walk back to their room was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts, the earlier excitement giving way to a more contemplative mood.When they reached their door, Asta pushed it open and stepped inside. The room looked exactly as they'd left it this morning,unmade bunks, his practice sword leaning against the wall, the small window letting in weak afternoon light. Nothing special, nothing fancy, but it was theirs.He'd barely had time to sit down on the edge of Jabber's lower bunk when there was a sharp knock at the door."Come in." Asta called.The door opened and a higher o
Chapter 44
Old Man Kael stood on the platform, his weathered hands still resting on his walking stick, waiting for the excited chatter to die down enough that he could continue. The crowd was buzzing with energy, a tournament meant action, meant proving themselves, meant finally having something concrete to strive for instead of endless days of repetitive labor and training.When the noise level dropped to something manageable, Kael spoke again, his voice cutting through the remaining murmurs with that authoritative calm that demanded attention."Now, let me explain how this tournament will work." He said, his cloudy eyes sweeping across the assembled laborers. "You all will have the chance to see how strong your squad members truly are. How well you work together when pressure is applied. How you adapt when plans fall apart. And perhaps most importantly, you'll see how strong your opponents are,what strategies they use, what flames they wield, what weaknesses they possess."He paused, letting
Chapter 43
The gathering quarters continued to fill. More and more laborers streaming in, the noise level rising as hundreds of conversations overlapped. Asta recognized some faces from training sessions or work details. Others were complete strangers,the labor section was large enough that you couldn't possibly know everyone.Finally, when the space was packed nearly to capacity, Old Man Kael raised one hand. The gesture was small, but somehow it cut through the noise like a blade. Conversations died down in ripples, starting near the front and spreading backward until the entire room had fallen into expectant silence.Kael let the silence hold for a moment longer, his cloudy eyes seeming to see through and past the assembled laborers to something beyond. Then he spoke, his voice carrying clearly despite not being particularly loud. There was something about his tone,the weight of experience, the authority of someone who'd earned respect rather than demanded it,that made people want to listen
Chapter 42
Flora asked once the laughter had died down a bit. "You said you got letters from your butler? That's nice that they wrote.""Yeah." Asta said, touching the pocket where he'd stored the letters, feeling their slight weight against his chest. "Gregor was my family's butler for decades," he wrote about what's happening at the mansion. My half-brother Cassian officially became clan leader a few nights ago. There was this whole ceremony with all the major clans."He tried to keep his voice neutral, but some bitterness must have leaked through because Flora's expression softened with sympathy."They also wrote about how they're doing." Asta continued quickly, not wanting to dwell on Cassian. "They got dismissed from the mansion after I was sent here,Cassian didn't want anyone loyal to me staying around, I guess. So now they're working as day laborers. Gregor , Helena, and Marcus,they're all doing hard physical work despite being older, despite having given decades of service to my fam
Chapter 41
“P.P.S. Marcus, I'm holding you to that promise about the sword techniques. Start preparing your best teaching voice.”“P.P.P.S. Gregor , please tell me honestly how bad your back is. If you need money for a healer, I'll find a way to send some. The labor section pays a pittance, but I've been saving every copper.”He read through what he'd written one more time, checking for anything he'd forgotten or wanted to add. Then he carefully folded the letter, sealed it with the basic wax provided at the portal station, and addressed it with their names and the return address they'd included in their letters.Asta placed his reply into the outgoing section of his portal,a separate small compartment meant for letters to be sent out,then locked everything back up. His hands were steadier now, the act of writing having helped him process some of the overwhelming emotions.He gathered Gregor 's, Helena's, and Marcus's letters carefully, tucking them into the inner pocket of his tunic where they
Chapter 40
“Also, I'm enclosing a recipe in case you ever get access to cooking facilities. It's your favorite,the honey cakes I used to make for your birthday. The ingredients are simple enough that you might be able to acquire them, and the process isn't too complicated. Something sweet to remind you of better days.”Asta looked at the bottom of the letter where Helena had indeed written out the recipe in careful detail, each step numbered and explained as if she were standing beside him in a kitchen, guiding his hands. His vision blurred again.“Write back to us, dear boy. Even a short note would mean the world.”“With love,Helena”“P.S Marcus says to tell you he's been practicing some new knife techniques and when you visit “notice I said 'when,' not 'if',I'm an optimist”, he'll teach them to you. They're quite impressive, if I do say so myself.”The third letter was from Marcus, and it was much shorter.Marcus had never been much for writing, preferring to express himself through his cookin
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