"Mum! Dad! It's time to start school!" an enthusiastic Aven exclaims, leaping onto the middle of the bed, "Come on, come on, we gotta hurry or we're gunna be late!" Darian groans in response to Aven's attempt to roll him off of the edge of the bed, "Kid, we're homeschooling you, you can't be late. Plus your mother said she'd handle your first lesson anyways." He rolls back over, "But you need to show me how to do SoleCraft!" Aven responds, pointing at the underneath of his foot. Elira giggles as she sits up in her bed, tying her hair back into a messy ponytail with a smile, "SoulCraft, Aven. As in what's in your heart." She stretches with a yawn before getting up out of bed and tucking Darian in, "Enjoy your rest D, looks like you're going to need it a lot more than I will." She turns to Aven with a smile, "Wait for me in the garden okay? Let me grab a few things and I'll be out."
Elira trembles
A few minutes later, Elira strolls into the garden, clutching an old dusty book close to her chest. "Finally!" Aven mutters with a sigh, "What took you so long? And what's with the book? It's different from the ones Dad reads me; it doesn't have that symbol on it. Did you get it from his room?" Elira giggles as she shakes her head, "No honey, this one's mine. It's my book that I've had since I was your age. Not even your father knows about this." She sets it down on the floor, tracing the large 'V' on the front cover slowly with her finger before flipping the page. "Is that what you're gunna use to make me the strongest? Then I can be a hero, have lots of mainland friends and I'll even get hugs from girls!" Elira pauses, eyes widening, "Did your father put that nonsense in your head?"
"No…" He whispers, glancing at the floor, "And it's not nonsense, it's an objective I can work toward!"
"He told you that too, huh?" She glances at the V on her book before returning her gaze to Aven, "Your father wants the best for you Aven, but so do I. You can't let one person dictate the course of your life, it's not healthy. And we do not lie in this family! We trust each other right?" Aven nods, "Then don't lie, even to protect someone."
The jingling sound of chains
Aven's head drifts toward the noise coming from inside causing Elira to clench her fist, "Aven!"
Aven flinches, refocusing on Elira's words, "You won't have your father to guide you forever and keep your emotions in check. That's when you're going to have to find friends you can journey with, build a life with and grow together. SoulCraft is dangerous. Especially to people like us,"
"Hey!" Aven interjects, crossing his arms with a pout. "Just! Just Listen Aven. Please." Aven silently nods, "When you were first born, I told your father our baby would be free. It delighted me when you first showed genuine interest in something other than those stupid books your father read you at night. But you're your own person. Remember that."
Aven nods, "Don't worry Mum, you can believe in me. I won't let the power get to my head." He chuckles, "But I might have to show Dad a thing or two in the future."
"You won't be showing your father anything if you don't commit to studying." Elira retorts only to be interrupted by a crimson light illuminating the inside of the house.
Aven's eyes widen, "Mum! Dad's using SoulCraft!"
"Pay attention Aven!" Elira instructs, repeatedly clicking her fingers.
"Rule number one" She holds up a finger, "No matter what we discuss together, you can't tell your father." Her smile begins to fade, "And never, under absolutely any circumstances should you-"
"Wait what?!" Aven exclaims as he finds himself being pulled through the air and into his father's arms, "Morning son." Darian says, catching him with a chuckle, "Ready to begin SoulCraft training?" Aven's eyes widen in excitement, "WOAH! Dad, how did you do that?!" Darian smiles proudly, "I've been able to do stuff like this from around the time I first met your mother." He sits Aven down, "You okay for me to take over, Ellie?"
Elira glances at Darian's jacket and sighs, "No problem. Aven, we'll continue studying tomorrow okay?" Aven nods, "Yeah Mum, sure. Now, Dad, hurry up and show me SoulCraft already!"
"Like I said before. It's not that easy. To awaken SoulCraft you have to experience next to impossible circumstances, that's why barely anyone outside the mainlands has it. Aven glances at the floor, voice shaking slightly as he speaks, "So I can't do what you do?"
Darian shakes his head, "Not exactly. But maybe something similar. SoulCraft is determined by two factors..." Darian holds up two fingers before pointing at himself with his thumb, "One is genetic heritage…" Elira stands up and gently ruffles Aven's hair, "The second is your soul: who you really are." Her eyes wander to Darain's jacket before returning to Aven, "I don't have a SoulCraft of my own, so your ability, should you awaken it, will be a mix of your dad's genetics, and your personality." She clutches her book tight to her chest before walking inside the house, "Take it easy on him D, smart as he is, he's not even five yet." She chuckles, "And just keep it to SoulCraft, don't teach the boy Soma."
Darian snickers, "That's something thatmaniac would do, not me. You don't need to worry."
Without a word, Elira clutches the doorknob tightly and shuts.
"Well kid, whilst we can't force your awakening, what we can do is strengthen your body to the point where once you do awaken, your abilities won't put an overwhelming amount of strain on ya." Aven nods, "Got it! What do you want me to do first?" Darian smirks, "Glad you asked, follow me." He instructs as he begins to head toward the gate of the garden, "I get to leave the house?!" Aven questions in delight to which Darian nods, "We won't be going far, but it's probably a lot better than being trapped in the garden all day."
After exiting the white gate signalling the end of their property's reach, Darian leads Aven halfway down a hill surrounded by trees before taking him into a nearby forest, "Here's what I want you to do before you can progress," He points to a large, mossy tree, "You need to climb to the top of that tree, shake it so the leaves fall and catch twenty of them before a single one hits the floor."
"What?!" Aven shouts in exasperation. Darian chuckles, "Don't worry, I don't expect you to complete it today." He snickers, "To be honest, I doubt you'll have it down by the time you turn ten." Aven frowns, "No way will one thing take me more than two weeks!" He announces with conviction before sprinting over to the tree and attempting to scale it by jumping and grabbing hold of the trunk, "W-wait!" He shouts as his hands slip on the moss and he falls onto his back.
"Pfft!! This is gunna be great!" Darian exclaims in a burst of laughter whilst clapping his hands.
"No fair! How do you expect me to do this? You're a liar! You can't even do it yourself."
Darian yawns as he stands up before strolling towards the tree and kicking his shoes off onto the floor. "Hands or no hands?" He asks Aven; after receiving no reply he continues, "Both then I guess." Darian answers with a shrug before beginning to scale the length of the tree, using his toes to grip the wood whilst resting his hands behind his head. Upon reaching the top, Darian kicks a tree branch as a bundle of leaves begin to fall. Seeing this, Darian jumps down from the top of the tree, seemingly not moving as he falls to the floor. "Your leaves." Darian says to Aven as he opens his palm revealing a pile of leaves from multiple trees that have been stripped completely nude in a matter of seconds. "I remembered mid fall that you needed the leaves on that tree so I put them back for you and took the leaves of some other trees instead." He pats Aven's shoulder, not making eye contact as he walks past, "You got two more hours to get back to the house, when the sun begins to set, you start making your way back. You remember the way right? Exit the forest the way we came then climb the hill. Our house is at the top."
As the setting sun begins to cast a shadow over the forest floor, a young Aven manages to find his way back to his isolated home atop a grassy green hill.
With a yawn he knocks the door, "I'm tired." He mutters whilst stretching. "I got nowhere. I still can't even grip the tree well enough to even try to start climbing." Darian chuckles, "Yep, that's about where I thought you'd be. Go get changed, I'll get a story ready for you." Aven nods with a smile as he exits the room. "Jeez, what did you put the poor boy through?" Elira rhetorically asks with a chuckle, "Greatness, Elira. Greatness. Once he's older and viewed by nations as an international hero, you know he'll thank us for teaching him the basics."
Elira nods, "Hero huh?" She slowly traces the veins on her forearm. "That sounds nice." She whispers. "Hey, D," She begins, eyes glimmering as she looks up, "Do you think… it's possible for people to change?"
Darian frowns, "What do you mean?"
"Well, you're training Aven to be a hero from childhood right? What if instead of you, he was raised by devils?" Elira asks, glancing at the floor, "Should he still be allowed to live a happy life?"
Darian pauses before answering, "What matters most is that he wasn't. He's being raised by us; not devils. There's no need to wo-"
Elira pulls away, "I'm tired… I think I'm going to get some rest." She tells him, turning her back toward him as she heads to her room. "I've gotta catch up on my reading anyways." She mumbles.
"Guess I'll put Aven to bed then." Darian whispers, folding up his jacket, the logo of a clenched fist leant against an open palm, shining blue.
"Damn, damn, damn it!"
Elira's eyes redden, "He's said it himself… if he ever finds out, I'll never be forgiven…
He can't know who I am."