บท 14: Chapter 14 - Warm Welcome I
[Arthur Leywin POV]
After we knocked on that door, unexpectedly, I could hear the faint pitter-patter sounds followed by a childish voice. "Coming~!"
A maid opened the door together with a little girl, Immediately upon seeing us, she hid behind the maid. The maid looks at us curiously, evidently surprised to see two boys younger than 10 years knocking on the door of a noble's estate.
"Ahem, nice to meet you, We're Luz and Arthur Leywin. We were informed that our family is currently residing in this manor. Do you mind if we speak to them?" I give a slight bow, Sylvie jumped to Luz arms with my moviment.
Before the confused maid could even respond, I heard an all too familiar sound in the background.
"Eleanor Leywin! There you are! You have got to stop running to the front door every time someone..." My mother stopped mid sentence and dropped a small bowl of what looked to be food for... my sister...?
I look down to see the girl with dazzling brow eyes, look at me and Luz with innocent curiosity. Her hair had the same color as my father's, but with a much prettier quality. She has two pigtails on the side of her head above her ears. I was trying to keep myself from crying as I looked back at my mother. I was so happy to see her, well, and now with a daughter.
"Hi mother, we're home". Luz had to say those words, because I was breaking down in that moment, full of feelings.
My eyes were filling with tears, leaving my vision a little blurry, but I feel like I saw her running towards us and then she was on her knees in front of us, hugging thightly around my waist.
"Oh my babies! You're alive!! The voices... I knew they were you! *sniff* You're back now! Yes, you're home now, my babies!" she couldn't stop crying as she hugged my waist even more tighter.
My head couldn't take it anymore, I soon lowered myself to the height that my mother was and hugged her with the same force, making her head lie on my shoulder, without having control of her tears, while I... I continued crying too, repeating to her several times that it was over, that we managed to get home, that we were fine...
I noticed that my little sister was patting our mother lightly on the back, trying to calm her down, but seeing that she failed, she ended up crying too. I could even hear Sylvie doing 'kyu's as if she was crying too, she must have been affected by my feelings due to our mental connection, but it wasn't my fault.
"Arthur!" I turned my head, face still wet with tears to see outside the sprinting figure of my father drenched in sweat. I guess the maid had told him about us.
He came running up to us, ending up skidding on the ground to stop as he hugged us tight. Our family meeting continued in the living room of that place. With my mother hugging my arm tightly without wanting to let go, still crying, my little sister next to her crying too, while me, Luz and my father were looking at each other, Luz being the only one who didn't have red eyes, even after crying with happiness to see everyone there, showing me that he could handle more than me on an emotional level.
Eventually, we had all managed to settle down.
"Are you okay now? Did you at least eat three meals a day? You slept while dressing warmly everyday right?" My mother said smiling and still having some tears, while she was stroking my hair as she planted a soft kiss on the crown of my head.
Eleanor was looking curiously at I, Sylvie and Luz, while the baby dragon was sitting on Luz lap attentively observing the three unfamiliar humans. My dad looked at Sylvie curiously, but then he looked into Luz's eyes and then into mine. I could feel with that look, he was quite happy, but still feeling miserable, for not having seen his own son and the very child he rescued, growing up, during these almost four years.
"Ellie, say hi to your big brothers. They were away for awhile but they'll live together with us from now on. Come on, say 'hello'." My mother gently urged my sister.
"Brother?" She tilted her head, reminding me of a confused Sylvie, and she cupped her hands over my mother's ear, whispering something. My mother replied to her "Haha yes, these big brothers. The ones I always told stories about."
Her eyes started sparkling as she looked back to me and Luz. I couldn't help but now wonder what stories Mother had told her.
"Hai Brothers~!" She beamed, waving both of her little hands at us. I replied "Hello Eleanor. It's nice to meet you... sister." I pat her head while Luz wave back to her.
Father spoke up now "Arthur... Luz... we were devastated after that incident, and we berely believed it when you communicated to us through our heads... Tell me, how'd you survive that fall?"
It took a while to explain everything from the beginning. Luz said that he managed to grab me and use that strange run of his with smokes, to propel us over trees that managed to stop our fall little by little. After that, I talked about our meeting with Tess and that she was being kidnapped, until we saved her and she led us to her Kingdom, where we stayed.
"You said something about an illness that kept you from coming back sooner. What was all that about? Are you cured now?" My mother asked us a little worried.
"You don't need to worry about that anymore. We had a little problem with our mana cores being unstable, and for some reason, Art was the only one who was having some episodes of pain. Luckily there was an elder in the elf realm, that knew how to cure it. The process was slow but he assured us it wasn't threatening if treated consistently." Luz said while patting her shoulder.
"Okay, but what's the story with this little friend of yours?" My dad just chuckled, finally bringing Sylvie up.
"Well... While we were travelling, we find a mana beast that was very injured, it's cried a lot for help and I went there to see what was happening. I saw that this mana beast was very docile and it gave me a strange stone with its tail before dying, but we didnt know it was an egg. She hatched only a couple of months ago so she's still a baby. Say hi to Sylvie." I said with a little laugh in the final.
Luz picked her up, holding her body so her limbs dangled like a kitten's. "Kyu~!" She purred, as if saying hi to everyone.
With all these explanations said, Luz asked our father what was new, since the only thing we had seen when we spoke to him was that they were living in Xyrus, that is, we were very curious.
After Father explained what happened since then, my mother chimed in "That's right! The Helstea family had gone on a trip but they should be arriving back today. They are going to be so surprised when they see both you."
"Oh! Wait a minute! I'm curious. Dad, what color is your mana core now?" Luz said while Sylvie managed to go inside his beret.
A confident grin emerged from his face as my father proudly replies, "Your old man broke through from the light red stage a couple years back and is a dark orange mage."
We looked at him in surprise, at the age of early thirties, our dad was doing really well, as ordinary mages like us didn't go to schools, which caused them to get stuck in the light red stage, maybe even the dark orange stage if they were lucky. On the other hand, the nobles had access to several things that helped them to propel themselves much faster and faster.
He then asked Luz, leaning closer. "I bet you only asked me so you could brag yourself. Let's hear it, what stage are you now?"
Luz started scratching her own cheek, looking at our father with a half forced smile. "... Dark Orange too." Our father had already been leaning forward on his chair, but after hearing that, he stumbled completely out of his chair. Even my mother let out a gasp in surprise.
"HOLY SHIT!" My father exclaimed.
"Shet!" Eleanor echoed, laughing at father falling.
"Honey! What did I say about cursing in front of Ellie?" My mother reprimanded while blocking my sister's ears.
"Haha Sorry. Sorry! Ellie dont listen to what your father just said." He then turned back to me. "And you, Art?"
".... Light red." When I said this him started to laugh... a lot.
"My sons are still the same genius they used to be! Come on. Let's have a quirk spar with your old man!" He grinned menacingly while clasping our shoulders.
"Dear! They just came back! Let them rest." Mother pulled me back.
"It's fine Mom. We sleep a lot yesterday, because we wanted to have a lot of times with you now." Luz lied, because of him I had a little hangover in the morning, and yesterday was a wild party and all. But I think he's saying that because he wants to see how our dad is on technics... well, I'm not going anyway, not for now.
"Men! Always trying to fight! Isn't that right, Ellie?" My mother sook her head helplessly.
"Papa and Brothers are men!" Echoed Ellie, trying to mimic our mother's expression.
Both the three of us laght this time. It was really good to be back... but...
"Hahaha! Hm... what about this... Luz has a spar with him and I'll seeing their spar with you two in my side." I asked my mother, who was smiling and hugging me tight.
"At least one of you knows when to stop!" She said.
"Nah..... I'm just still dizzy from yesterday... Sorry, mom..." I thought.
We all get up to move to the backyard when I hear the door open.
"Rey! I just heard your sons were alive. What the hell is going on?" I see a thin proper man with glasses and parted hair in a suit sweating, with what I assumed to be his wife and daughter running behind him.
"Vincent, everyone! I would like you to meet my sons, Arthur and Luz! They're back Vince,Haha!" My father wrapped his arms around the man's shoulder. "Guys, this is Vincent Helstea, my old friend and the person I now work for. This is his house so introduce yourself before we start wrecking it." He grinned broadly.
Bowing to a ninety-degree angle, I introduced myself. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Arthur Leywin. I'm not sure what my family has told you about me, but we were in contact with them for a while."
Luz bowed as well "And I'm Luz Leywin, it's also a pleasure to meet you, Mr.Helstea. I was the one that told them to not tell anyone about us until we get back, so I apologize for the confusion."
"Thank you for taking care of our family all this time." we said in unison, this man was one that housed our family in their thoughest time. As far as I was concerned, we owed him and his family dearly.
"Y-yeah. It's really no problem. I'm glad that you're alive and safe." He adjusted his glasses as if making sure he was really speaking to two little boys. "Meet my wife, Tabitha, and my daughter, Lilia."
"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am, Lilia" We bowed again, Sylvie introducing herself too with a "Kyu!"
Tabitha gave a kind slime in response. "Great to have you in our home. Say hi, Lilia! They are your age so don't be shy."
The girl named Lilia spoked up, pointing hesitantly at the creature with my brother. "W-What's that! It's so cute."
"This is an infant mana beast that I'm bonded with. Her name is Sylvie. Sylvie, you can now get out of Luz cloths and say hello." Sylvie got out of Luz and mewed at Lilia.
"Oh my gosh!" Lilia squealed.
"Rey, what did you mean by wreacking my house?" Vincent asked after peeling his eyes off of Sylvie.
"We were just on our way to the backyard. Luz and I are going to have a little spar, and after this maybe Arthur wants to do the same. Want to come?" He chuckles.
Vincent started to say that this was absurd, of wanting to fight someone who had just arrived and on top of saying that there was no point in it. Our father had to say that both of us were capable, with our stages being Light Red and Dark Orange.
With this information, Vincent began to be even more disbelieving. But he drop an information I didn't even know, even the noble mages who go to Xyrus Academy are usually not even in the Dark Red Stage in their first years, only the most rich ones. I'm serious a monster of magic or what?
But our father said to just follow him and see the 'genius magic' with his own eyes, while leading us to the backyard.
I stayed with my mom and the others near the door, while my brother and our father put proper distance between each other on the large grass lot outside.
.-----------.-------------.
[Luz Leywin POV]
"Okay! Can we start?" Reynolds said looking into my eyes, I could see the little smile, it was the happiness of having their kids back together and having a little spar with someone with the same core stage.
I nodded in agreement, but before he finished imbuing his hands with mana, I appeared in front of him. With a trail of light, black smoke making its way down my legs, my Soul Speed was active.
My hand was quickly filled with common mana as well, and when I went to punch him in the stomach area, he managed to defend with his arm, or so he thought. That punch was a fake blow, the real attack was a kick, which I prepared by jumping in conjunction with a spin to get propulsion and hit him in the side of his face.
He was fast enough to be able to use his other arm to defend his face, but it seems he didn't think I was going to kick hard, because after that his arm recoiled and he looked like he lost his balance. But instead of continuing to attack, I move about 2 meters away.
"Now you know how Adam felt, old man." It made me hear laughter from the audience, but specifically from my brother and our mother. That was the same attack that I used against Adam in our first night travelling.
I could see him also giving a light laugh as he was advancing against me, with his palm open, he tried to give me a chop. I just let him do the attack, but before he hit me I stepped back, grabbed his wrist, and used the momentum of his attack, along with my mana-infused hands, to throw him aside.
He was thrown and looked like he gained his balance faster than expected, but instead of going in for another attack, he jumped back a little.
"Well I'd have to say you're better than all of the mages I've trained! Your old man's going to get serious now, though! Be careful." He put on a more serious face. It was apparent to both of us that we had been holding back.
His two fists ignited, bursting into fiery gloves of scarlet. This control over his fire element was novice, apparent from the steam coming from his body. Meaning that there was unnecessary mana being spread out throughout his body.
I shot him a pround grin, before readying myself as well. For what the Twin Horns said in those old days, about my father, he knew that he was a Fire Augmenter that couldn't actually use the element, but now, with his dark orange core, he was now a official elemental augmenter.
"Impressive, Reynolds... But now it's my turn." I said his name just to tease him, as I also ignited my hands, but my flames were more stronger because I was also using wind mana.
He looked at me in shock, this was going to make him know what his foster son is capable. But I wanted to show more! "If you thought this was amazing, check this out."
The flames in my hands were rapidly writhing in fury, and soon after being consumed by my skin, red lightning began to appear on both my hands, and after that going all over my body, as I prepared to attack.
Before giving him the chance to recover, I dashed towards him, leaving now a trail of black lightning behind me, instead of the 'normal' black smoke. I was now behind him.
He maneged to spin and tried to use his fire fist against me, but I was also using my lightning fist against him. The impact of our fists made a explosion making me go a little pushed back, on the other hand, the recoil pushed him into a nearby tree.
Getting back to his feet, he imbued his whole arm before looking at me. We both stayed silent, our gaze enough to tell each other our intent. As he went to me with maximum speed, I was there, just waiting to him be near my range. When he get it, we start to punch, dodge and stop each other attacks.
We were in this for a whole minute, but I made a move, a lightning blade was created in the middle of my fist. We stopped to move, the blade was near his cheek and his knee was positioned just below my jaw.
It was a stalemate.
The tension from our spar immediately dissipated as my father put his hand on my shoulder "OW!" he let out a suprised yelp. I still had electric currents surrounding me, giving him a little shock.
I dispersed my mana, I'm still avarage sound deviant, but for lightning, I'm a total newbie for how this works in this world... even with my lightining abilities in other lifes, in this one, my body was really having a problem, I only managed to create a lightning blade because I know how to make a wind blade using the fundamentals here. But I knew that this wasnt a true lightning blade, was just a lightning spell with the shape of a blade, it even not cut.
I looked at my father and I pat his shoulder, making him laugh of joy. But that moment I just noticed the dead silenc surrounding my father and I.
Reynolds had always been the type to easily accept facts and he knew Art and I were already some sort of monstrous genius, so being a deviant didn't really suprised him all too much. However, this hardly applied to everyone else here.
Arthur was okay, he knew that I was a Duo-Elemental with deviant in Sound and Lightning for natural means and deviant in Plant and Ice in my first phase. And I know that he was now a Quadra-elemental with deviant in Lightning and Ice, still a newbie in these just like me.
The only one that seemed fascinated between the others was Ellie, but that was simply because she didn't really get what had happened. She was probably used to seeing Father fight so nothing outside of that really registered as odd. Vincent and Tabitha's faces are all in sync: faces pale, jaws slack, eyes wide. My mother, Alice, had her hands covering her mouth in shock, while even Lilia knew that what I did wasn't normal.
God... if they knew that I also have a "beast's will" and with it use plant deviant... they would die for heart attack..... I think...
On the other hand, Reynolds' face shown that he was excited yet unsurprised acceptance, this reaction was more so within my expectations.
"Haha... ha... What? We survived in a florest for 1 years and we have been living in the elf realm for 3 years! What's the surprised?" They seemed to ignore what I said, as Vincent was the first to speak up.
"D-deviant!" he managed to spew out.
"So, Luz. When exactly did you learn that new trick?" My father asked, more in a curious tone than one of shocked bewilderment.
"Not too long ago, Arthur also can do it, but we are novice in doing so." I replied.
"WHAT?! ARTHUR WHAT???" Tabitha, Vincent... and also my mother said in unison.
"Yeah, I can do this too.. But Luz! Did you need to show off?" While he was saying this he creats a fire glove in his left hand and yellow lightning in his right hand. Our father looked at him more proudly than he was with me, because I'm the adopted son... Arthur was his real son by genes.
"What? My father was also showing off that he can use fire now! I can't do the same...?" I said, while my father pat my head and we went back inside the house.
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