Kael opened his eyes, bolted upright and was hyperventilating as he tried to reflect on the dream he just had. He flipped off his blanket and stood, leaving his straw bed unmade. Above him, an iron pole ran horizontally across the ceiling of his 70 square metres, sparsely furnished room. In front of him stood a small study table with a chair, a stack of books piled neatly on the left side. To his right, just at the head of his bed, sat an opened chest overflowing with clean but unfolded clothes; looking more like a stuffed laundry pile than properly arranged clothes. At the foot of his bed was a small table, an iron lantern resting on top and casting a dim light across the room. There was only one window, situated above the chest but it was closed shut by wooden window shutters to prevent the cold wind from getting inside. Kael grabbed his winter coat and put it on. He then turned to the chest, rummaging through the heap of clothes until he found his favourite brown leather pants.
He pulled it from the pile of clothes and looked at it with delight before putting it on. Afterwards, he gathered the clothes that had fallen to the floor and stuffed them into the chest. Then he bent down, under his bed, to look for his boots, spotted them and grabbed them. The boots were made of leather, a mix of black and brown. He had forgotten to get socks, so he placed the boots on his right side and rummaged around again until he found a pair. He put on the socks and then boots. Standing up, he turned and took the lantern from the small table at the foot of his bed. He opened the door and began to descend the stairs.
Kael's room was just above his sister's. Before their rooms was a small hallway, and directly in front of the stairs leading up to Kael's room was the doorway that served as the entrance and exit to the house they both lived in; Father Howard's house. Kael then went to the dining room, which was just before their rooms. In the center of the room stood a small table that could seat only three people. On it sat a sliced loaf of bread, covered by a steel dome-shaped food cover. Kael lifted the cover, took two slices of the loaf, and stuffed one into his mouth. He turned his head to the left, toward the small stone stove. Hanging above it was an iron pot with a handle, suspended by an iron chain attached to a pole fixed to the edge of the stove. About half a metre from the right of the stove was the door to Father Howard's room.
With the other sliced piece in his left hand, he turned his head back to the food cover, picked it up, set it down over the loaf of bread to cover it. Then he walked towards the iron pot. He checked the pot for yesternights beef stew leftovers and upon finding some, he dunked the slice of bread into it just enough to soak it. After swallowing the sliced bread he had eaten earlier, he stuffed again the soaked one into his mouth and savored the taste for a moment before chewing. Then he turned, headed straight for the hallway and began to open the door
As he opened the door, the cold dawn breeze met his face. He struggled to chew his food with his mouth open, trying to close it as he chewed. After stepping out, he closed the door behind him and walked to the flower garden on the left side of the house. The house had a cobbled stone base, held together with mortar. Above it are oak logs stacked securely to form the walls, which were then coated with beeswax and cedar oil to repel termites. Topping the structure was a thatched roof.
Kael went to the flower garden which was surrounded by wooden faces. He stood at the small gate and raised his right hand above the gate and chanted "Susihon" (Inspect). Then a white barrier glowed in front of him, with baybayin runes reading;
"Babala. Wag pumasok nang walang pahintulot" (Warning. Do not enter without permission).
He rolled his eyes as he read the runes before him, he lowered his hand and placed it on the gate and pulled it and went inside the garden.
"Why are these flowers so important to her? It's just flowers." he muttered slowly entering the garden ignoring the warning.
He searched for the red roses and found them at the edge of the garden. The garden has six square plots - three on each side. The first two, closest to the gate, were filled with white daisies. The next two contained four bushes of sampaguita on each side. The last two held roses in various colors: white, red, lavender and blue.
"Just three red roses Ate tan" Kael muttered
[Author's Note: "Ate" (pronounced "Ah-teh") means "elder sister" and is used to address an older female whether a relative or a peer, in Filipino culture. For males, the equivalent is "Kuya" (pronounced "Koo-yah"), meaning "elder brother," which is also used for older male peers. These terms are commonly used by Filipinos as a sign of respect to someone older to them in age.]
Kael took three roses off from their stems, stood and went out the flower garden. He closed the gate behind him and turned to check if he locked the gate shut, before treading up the road. The house was situated on the east side just a few feet down from the foot of the six and a half tall stone walls of the church. Outside they have a few neighbours whose houses were on the same line of their house. Kael turned his head to the houses, their window shutters and doors still closed, and some of the dogs barked at Kael. He then made funny faces at them as he passed by.
He reached the top where one of two the entrances of the church is located, one entrance to the church facing west to the main town just before the church main entrance. then one on the east side where Kael stopped and saw father Howard sitting on a stone bench facing the cherry blossom tree, talking and laughing at no one.
"Did Howard hit something in the head?" He thought
He turned and headed down a path that led to the cemetery and upon reaching it he paused at the altar of Orpheus, where a basin of black ash just next to it rested on top of a table. He dipped his index finger and drew an ankh symbol on his forehead, placed his palms together and prayed. After praying he placed a dupo coin on the basin which turned to ash the moment Kael released the coin from his hands. He then bowed onto the altar of Orpheus and went on his way on a narrow path while scanning around the graves on both sides. Until he reached a familiar row of graves. He then stopped on three tombstones which had the names of Roger, Emily and Matthew.
"Sorry I'm late." Kael said while taking a big stone enough for his body to sit on, and placed it half meter away from the tombstone of Emily. He then removed withered roses from the jar and set it on his side and poured down the water off from the jar. Then placed it back on their tombstones. He then placed the newly plucked red roses, and sat on the stone he prepared for him to sit.
"Hi Dad, Mom, and Matt. I can't believe it has been a year… since that day…"
Tears started to flood his vision but he managed to wipe them away before it reached his cheeks.
"I'm alright, this is just tears of joy Mom! Nothing to worry about." He laughed
"Tania is doing fine by the way, even though she would still force me to eat okra which is so disgusting to eat due to its slimy thing in the mouth. I miss your way of cooking it. Tania tried to copy it but… It is way more disgusting than her usual way of cooking it. Though Howard ate it happily, I can see his body struggling to swallow it. Oh by the way Tania recently updated her ID card to from rank steel to Iron also she attained the silver rank in both healing magic and holy magic, a major jump from steel. Though she is still stuck in steel rank in elemental magic."
He placed his hands together and looked down on the ground. Then looked up to the tombstones and straightened himself up.
"Anyways, I have so many things to share with you!" He chuckled.
"Howard and I trained on swords, and combining it with magic, it was so cool to see Father Howard do it, with his techniques but I need to practice my mana control to be able to copy it."
Kael reached for his pocket and took out a copper card identification card. He then chanted "Buksan ang estado" (status open). A blue holographic screen emerged where personal statistics are presented
Upper left
Name: Kael
Birthday: 07/12/1000
Age: 10
Birth address: Barony of Nebo, Kingdom of Velanthir
Liege: Baron Oliver de Rais
Class: Commoner
Rank: Copper
Below
Vital statistics
Health: Healthy
Mana Pool: ♾️
Stamina: Steel
Below
Skills:
Black smithing: Silver > Elemental Magic: Iron > Swordsmanship: Steel > Healing magic: Steel > Holy magic: Copper > Cooking: Copper
"I'm still ranked Steel in swordsmanship, even after a year hehe. But my elemental magic rose from Steel to Iron! I'm making progress, little by little." He placed his right hand behind his head and laughed. "But don't get mad, Mon. I know you don't like sword fights or use magic that could hurt people. You'd rather let me follow Dad's trade in blacksmithing."
Kael turned his gaze toward his father's tombstone.
"I'm sorry to say this Dad… I never really liked blacksmithing. It's too tiring and boring. Hammering swords, taking repair orders, making things for others - it just wasn't for me." Kael laughed nervously, but his expression soon shifted to sadness and regret.
"Still, despite all that, I learned so much about smithing. Back then, I was only ranked Iron - far behind Diamond rank. But it taught me patience." He let out a soft chuckle
"Oh, Dad, do you remember the first time I messed up one order? I failed ten times and wasted so many materials on it. But you turned it into something that would become an heirloom of our family. You even let me name it - Durandal."
Kael looked down, memories from two years ago flashing through his mind - the day at the forge when his perfectionist eight - year - old self failed ten times on a specific sword order. He remembers Roger checking on him, taking the blade from the anvil while Kael sat sulking in front of it. His father examined the sword, then quietly placed it back into the fire.
"Kael" his father said.
Kael looked up at his father and watched as he heated the blade, removed it from the fire, and placed it on the anvil. Roger hammered it ten times, then quenched it in a tall bucket of water. He pulled the blade out, letting the steam rise, and carefully examined it.
"Whenever life hammers you, drowns you, and puts you through fire, you'll emerge as a fine, beautiful blade. If you embrace life as this blade does, you'll become a better version of yourself."
His father turned to Kael and extended the blade toward him. Kael rose to his feet and took it, examining the blade closely. His eyes widened as he finally understood his mistake, reflecting on the ten failures he had made.
"Keep it. I'll forge a new one for our client," Roger said with a smile, ruffling Kael's hari as the boy struggled to hold back his tears.
"Let me help," Kael said, quickly wiping his eyes and standing up straight, cradling the dull blade in his arms.
"Alright," Roger replied proudly
"But first, finish that sword. Once it's down, bring it back to me - and I'll help you perfect it."
Back to reality.
Kael looked up to the sky watching the orange sun rays pierced through the clouds and a gush of wind blew through where Kael was sitting. His ash brown hair danced with the wind, and he tucked his scarf made from the Adarna fabrics.
"The townsfolk still accused me of killing the three of you, it pains me to think I am treated like some stray dog roaming around the street trying to survive the day while getting beaten by those cruel pigs."
Kael sighs, his breath turned into fog as he exhaled.
"Kael."
A woman's voice spoke from behind him. He turned his head toward the sound and saw Tania, who was walking towards him. Kael composed himself and stood, smiling.
"Hi, sorry for taking some of your flowers…." Kael was cut off by Tania
"Don't worry, as long it is for them, I won't complain."
Tania turned and faced the gravestones.
"Hi Dad, Mom, and Matt. I'm going to borrow Kael for a moment; we're heading to the marketplace. As usual, he'll be the one carrying everything," Tania chuckled. Kael gently held Tania's hand as she struggled not to cry. She looked at him and quickly wiped away the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes.
"Come on, or the market will be crowded."
"Alright." Kael smiled
The two of them left the cemetery and headed down the path that led to the town center. The streets were empty and quiet the early morning; until they came upon a standoff between two dogs, growling and circling each other over a female that lay by the wall of a house, watching the fight with disinterest. Kael picked up a stone, ready to throw it to break up the standoff, but Tania gently held his face, stopping him.
"Just don't mind them Kael." said Tania
"My face te! I just washed my face!"
Tania eyebrows raised and bent over at Kael
"Oh really? And why are there streaks of saliva still on your left chin, hmm?"
Tania took a small napkin from her pocket and wiped Kael's face. A window shutter opened and someone poured something off from the bucket. Tania immediately conjured a barrier shield to protect them both from the contents of the bucket which was dumped. Tania stared at the person who threw at them intentionally until she closed the shutters. That person wasn't sorry for her actions but was rather disappointed that Tania was in the way.
Tania turned and asked Kael. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, okay as always" he chuckled.
Tania looked at Kael's eyes which were filled with pain because of their treatment towards him, but still he managed to make a smile.
"Don't worry I will not let this slide"
Tania dissipated her barrier and went to the door.
"Tania, it's okay… You don't have…. to do this…." Kael stammered while pulling Tania's arms. But was interrupted by an authoritative voice.
"Ahem… what are you both going to do?"
A town guard cast an intimidating glance at Tania. He had gray eyes - a distinct feature common among the locals, rarely seen elsewhere. Tania met his gaze with her sharp green eyes but turned her head toward Kael, choosing not to cause a scene. She grabbed Kael's hand and walked away without saying a word to the guard.
Kael turned his head behind them to check on the guard, he caught his gaze and quickly turned his head forward.
"That glare again…" Kael thought.
As they walked along the stone path leading to the marketplace, the people they passed cast fearful and angry glances at Kael. The atmosphere shifted the moment he stepped into the marketplace. Kael kept his eyes on the ground, then gently tugged on Tania's dress to catch her attention. She turned her head toward him
"Te…"
Tania knelt in front of him, placed both her hands on his shoulders and smiled at Kael.
"Kael, even if the world is against us, all we can do is stand tall and keep our heads high. And by that, I mean…"
Tania gently lifted Kael's chin with her right hand, steadying his posture. Then she stood straight and offered him her left hand. Kael took it.
"Keep it up, and they'll think twice," Tania said with a smile, while both of them walked towards the marketplace.