Two Futures Bound

Chapter 64

Arthur Leywin

"Brother, Caera! Wake up!" My sister's voice pounded through my head as she screamed at the top of her lungs directly next to my ear. "What? What's going on?" My eyes still half-closed, I looked around frantically to see where the emergency was.

"Sheesh! You suck at waking up, Brother." Ellie had probably woken up not too long ago, judging by the state of her hair. "Is that the newest style for the girls at ladies' school?" I poked at the wild tangle on her head.

"Stop it! Your hair looks weird too." Hopping out of bed, my sister reminded me to wash up as she left. "Aye aye!" I gave my sister an exaggerated salute, making her giggle before she headed downstairs. Sylvie blinked her eyes slowly as she toddled unsteadily behind me.

After I washed up I made sure I had everything I would need. That included, my seal that was holding back my fire element, Dawn that was resting on my hip like she always does. The chain I got from Caera on my birthday, and the clothes we were given a couple days ago for the field trip.

Walking downstairs, my nose detected the aroma of a meaty soup. By the time I reached the kitchen, my parents and little sister were already sitting around the table, drowsiness still evident on their faces from being up at dawn.

"Hope you don't mind-the chef is cooking breakfast for you. We're probably going to go back to sleep after we see you off." My mother said, smiling despite the tired rings under her eyes. I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to Ellie. "Not at all. In fact, you didn't even have to wake up and see me off."

"Be vigilant," my father warned me, his bedhead ablaze, "no matter how easy you think the dungeon may be. It's called a dungeon because you never know what dangers lurk inside."

The strain on my mother's face was obvious as she struggled for the right words. "Just-please be careful, Arthur. I know how strong you are, but I can't stand to see you hurt. It's just that..." Her voice faded away.

"Hmm?" My mind flashed back to what my father had said in the infirmary room back at Xyrus Academy about an event that had made her unable to heal anyone seriously injured.

"It's just that you don't want to make Caera worry. She'll be here while you are gone and could be a worried mess," Mother said, causing me to let out a chuckle.

The house chef brought in our food just then: dry bread and a creamy soup which I assumed I was supposed to dip my bread in. Sylvie took a nibble of the bread, then whined and curled up again. By the time I'd finished eating, the sun was starting to peek out from the mountains.

"Are you going to be coming home right after your excursion?" my father asked after giving me a hug.

"No, not right after. I'll be back for a whole week next week though, for break. There's some kind of special festival going on in the city, right?" My professors had announced it a few weeks ago, explaining that once every ten years, a week-long phenomenon occurred during which the mana density in this continent reached its peak. This gave mages the resources to make breakthroughs and even allowed non-mages to experience what it was like to feel mana. For that week, classes were cancelled and students were allowed to either stay on campus or go back home to meditate and train as much as possible.

"Ah, right! The Aurora Constellate is next week. So you're going to stay here for the festival too?" My mother's mood brightened. "Wow! A whole week?" My drowsy sister perked up at this and pulled on my sleeves.

"Yup, that's the plan. Let's all go to the festival together." I gave my family a smile and hugged my sister and mother before walking down the stairs. "Be careful!" my mother shouted one last time while waving. Waving back at them, I stepped into the carriage. Once inside, I followed Sylvie's lead, catching up on my sleep until we arrived.