Chapter 6 - Acarasa

To make a good impression, the baron brought Adriel and Aira in front of to assessors himself. Aiden and Elian were waiting patiently for more individuals to arrive.

“Welcome, Lord Windbloom! We did not expect to see you so soon. Thank you for making our job easier.”, Aiden said.

Only when Aira showed up from behind Adriel and the baron did he froze, speechless at the sight of the girl, going through a carousel of emotions.

“Aiden!”, Elian called, shaking him slightly but shocked himself. “Come to your senses!”

“Are these your children, Lord Windbloom?”, Aiden asked, his voice trembling.

“Indeed!” the baron replied. “This is Aira, my late brother’s daughter, whom I adopted. And this is my first son, Adriel. I brought them as you requested.”

“I see! We will start the assessment right away then.”

Aiden took a deep breath, then explained the procedure to each of the children. A stone in the shape of a diamond, the size of an ostrich egg was displayed on a table in front of them. Aira was the first to touch it.

“Please keep your hand on the stone for a minute. If you are gifted, it will start shining.”, Elian said while Aiden could not keep himself from staring at her.

The stone did not shine, to Aira’s disappointment and to the baron’s satisfaction.

Adriel, on the contrary, made the stone glow a strong green light, which indicated a high level of mana of healing type.

The baron’s face turned purple as soon as he realized that Adriel was far more gifted than his other son, who only managed to make the stone shine a dim red light of flame type. Aira’s disappointed face was immediately painted in a large smile and her heart was full of hope and excitement, unable to keep herself from jumping into Adriel’s arms, giving him a tight hug.

“Congratulations, Lord Windbloom! I did not know there are still talented people in this area. Your sons have brought you honor.”, Aiden said, still throwing short, curious glances at Aira.

“Miss Windbloom, do not get discouraged. A lot of talents bloom late. You might have other chances the years that follow.”, he added in a softer voice, feeling the need to encourage her a little.

“Ha-ha! Do not worry! She will be more fulfilled after she marries. Woman mages are not that powerful anyways.”

“It seems that your are underestimating women, Lord Windbloom. Please do not forget that it was a woman who defended against an entire army of demons during the second dark war 18 years ago while bearing a child.”, Aiden spoke firmly.

“I meant no offence, but let us be honest. The great duchess Vesta is the only exception. Besides her, there are no women with the same talent as her. Someone like her is born in a thousand years.”,  the baron shamelessly added.

Aiden wished to continue, but Elian intervened, in fear that the discussion might escalate. The baron excused himself along with the two children, then went home. The angry man started throwing objects around the living room.

“How many times had I told you to control your powers?”, he yelled, punching Adriel twice, then kicking him in the stomach without mercy. “How is your brother supposed to get noticed at the academy after what you just did?”

“I’m sorry, father. I can’t control my powers well yet. I did not have anyone to teach me.”, Adriel replied, knowing that he would make matters worse, but did not fret.

“Are you blaming me now?”

“Who should he blame then?”, Aira yelled harder. “You ask him to control his powers, but you did not even provide him with the means to learn how to do it. Are you not ashamed of yourself, you scum?”

“You wench! I see you did not inherit that mouth of yours from your useless father. It must be from who knows who he had you with. That woman must have been a classless lowly whore.”

Aira heard similar words during her previous life countless times, thus she was no longer affected. She scoffed at him, then tried to help Adriel up, whose nose was bleeding from the merciless  punch he received. She looked at him with frustration.

She wished she had power to protect him. He was kind to her since the beginning and always tried to protect her at the cost of being hurt himself. The baron left the room not caring for a bit for his wounds. There were still two weeks left until the assessment would end. She realized that even after Adriel would enter the academy, the baron might still hurt them as revenge.

The next day, Aira snuck out then rushed to the assessment site where Aiden and Elian were waiting for other people. Aiden was taken by surprise.

“Miss Windbloom! What brings you here?”, he asked.

“Among the awards a mage can receive…”, she said in one breath. “A title! A mage and his family can receive and share title. Is that true?”, she asked.

“That… That is true but…”

“What are the requirements?”

Aiden and Elian looked at each other, then at Aira’s desperate face.

“A title can be received only if a mage has great achievements on the battlefield, but that can take more than three years. Not many mages can last that long on the battlefield.”, Elian replied.

Aira sighed in defeat. “That’s too long.”

The mages heard about the baron’s two wives and realized during their stay that the peace they displayed was fake. The clothes Aira and Adriel were wearing were plain and of low quality while the third son wore golden-buttoned shirts everywhere he went.

They noticed solid traces of healing mana on Adriel and Aira’s bodies, which hinted that they were often hurt, bearing old wounds that could only be detected by gifted mages as them.

“Thank you! I understand now.”, Aira said, then left, her head drooping.

“What do you understand?”, Aiden thought to himself.

“Have you received any letters from your father?”, Elian asked.

“Not yet! But there should be an answer soon.”

“I still cannot get used to it. The resemblance is striking. Do you think she wears a disguise or she knows something?”

“She does not seem to know. And I checked already. The skin on her face is real. She did not use any spells or skin replacement.”

Aira threw herself on her bed as soon as she entered her room, her thoughts flooding her mind. She did not move from there until midnight when her stomach roared out of hunger. She lazily got up and went straight to the kitchen, but did not yet enter. She heard voices behind the slightly opened door.

“Ah! I have so much bad luck. This is the fourth time and there is still no trace of mana. I hoped to leave this town forever.”, a servant spoke.

“You’re not the only one. I’ve been trying everything to awaken and nothing worked. All those methods were useless.”, another replied.

“As expected, only a natural awakening is possible. Those who spread such rumors should be punished. They even say that if you eat Acarasa root, you will be awakened and be gifted a high grade element. Who would even climb that mountain sowed with monsters to get that stupid weed without loosing their lives?”

“We tried all methods except that one. Who would believe it could work if the others failed. I’m not that stupid to risk my life.”

Acarasa, a plant that only bloomed once a year during summer was known to possess great powers and whoever ate its root would grow a mana core inside their body and awaken within a day. Aira was reticent but still could not give up hope, even if she would be perceived as stupid.

“I will become a mage, you scumbags! Just wait!”, she yelled from the bottom of her heart but only in her mind.