บท 28: I Will Die Trying
With a scowl of resentment, Braakan abruptly turned around and stomped out of the house. After watching him leave, Lyrian walked back to his father, who was now awake in Rosa's hands.
"Are you alright, Father?" Lyrian asked with a concerned voice as he knelt down beside him.
After coughing a few times, Grasus answered. "Don't worry about me son, I'm perfectly fine!" His tone was very joyful, with a broad smile on his face.
"How about a smile on your face huh? You now have an opportunity to enter an exam!" He loudly said.
"No! Things aren't just all happy and well now! Son, why would you make that bet with Braakan!?" Rosa suddenly yelled, her words being out of concern for her family and child, whom she loved.
Lyrian didn't say anything, simply looking at his mother and understanding her concern for him.
"The entrance exams to high-ranking schools are not like just any others. No one can tell what it might be, since it changes every year, and people even die inside of them! This bet you made… if you fail, you will die!" Rosa spoke in distress, her mind filled with negativity.
"Mother…" Lyrian began to speak. "If I cannot become strong enough to protect us from dangers and free us from the restrictions that being weak puts on us, then what would be the point in living? Our lives would continue to be the same as it is, and I can't allow that to happen."
On hearing these words, Rosa paused, acknowledging the insight that her young son had on this world. Suddenly, she broke out into streams of tears as Grasus sat up and held her head close to his shoulder.
"Son… we are sorry to have put you in a situation where you feel like you need to bear the responsibility of taking care of us. But, going along with this bet–trying to pass the entrance exam to Anaviotis. It is a death sentence." Grasus said, knowing full and well that his son currently had no other choice but to take the exam.
What he was trying to do right now was see Lyrian's viewpoint on this. As he cared about his son's life more than his own, he wanted to know why Lyrian would risk his life, when he did not need to.
"I promised myself that I will live a life of no restrictions, and if I die trying, then at least I tried," Lyrian said, the profoundness of it taking Grasus aback in awe.
He was shocked that a kid so young could even have such thoughts and aspirations, but it would be false to say that even he wasn't inspired by those words.
Currently, Lyrian didn't have a clue on what his ultimate goal was, however, he knew that when he achieved it, he would also gain freedom from all restrictions and pains.
Right now, if his family was in danger, then he would not have that freedom from pain that he wanted, so he had to protect them.
If he did not pass the entrance exam to Anaviotis Magic Academy, he didn't know whether he would ever have the chance to become free ever again, so he had to pass the exam.
Or at least, he had to try. His mind was already set, and now, death wasn't something to be afraid of.
After this, the three talked about many things together for the first time in their lives. Who was Braakan to them? What was their family history and lineage?
What was magic? Why was magic hidden from him? And even how Lyrian learned to conjure magic as well.
However, Lyrian didn't tell his parents the whole truth about that. He told them some about his strength training and the creation of Gale, but not about the system or its abilities.
When they heard about Gale, the two were gobsmacked. All existing cultivation techniques were created by their founder's thousands of years ago, but to create it by yourself, and at such a young age as well, was completely unheard of.
It wasn't even a legend, but more so seen as impossible. At that moment, they realized that their talented young son was actually a one-in-a-million prodigy.
The talk continued on until the night, and in the end, it was closed off with a warm embrace between the three with words of affection.
They all fell asleep on the floor together that night, and as the sun rolled around the next morning, they quickly began to get prepared.
For what exactly you ask? Well, it was simple. One who took the entrance exam to any magic school first needed a certification of magic affinities from the adventurer's guild.
The adventurers guild was a privately owned company, but it also worked hand to hand with the government and school board in the kingdoms where it resided.
To get the certification of magic affinities, one had to take a test to see what magic affinities they held. The requirement to participate in the exam was an affinity to at least one magical element out of the four majors ones:
Fire, water, earth, and wind.
Getting one affinity wasn't seen as a bad thing, mostly because that was the norm. Getting an affinity to more than one magical element was undoubtedly remarkable, but many masters of cultivation were said to have one magic affinity as well.
Rosa wore a long, flowing dress in a muted color, made of sturdy wool, adorned with modest embroidery.
Over her dress, she wore a fitted bodice, cinching at the waist to accentuate her figure.
Her hair was neatly pulled back and covered with a linen coif, with a few loose tendrils framing her face.
Grasus wore a plain, knee-length tunic made of coarse fabric, paired with a sleeveless leather jerkin and a wide leather belt holding a small pouch and a sheathed dagger.
His feet were covered with sturdy leather footwear, and he donned a simple, brimmed hat made of felt.
Lyrian's attire was much more simple, his torso adorned in a white t-shirt and on his legs a pair of brown shorts.
After catching a cheap-looking wooden carriage to carry them, they began their journey to the adventurer's guild.
The main building of the guild existed in the inner kingdom, where most of the larger noble families lived.
However, smaller branches also existed in the outer cities, and the one that Lyrian and his family were heading toward wasn't too far away.
It was a local building, so they arrived in under an hour of horse travel.
As Lyrian approached the grand entrance of the adventurers' guild with his family, a sense of awe washed over him.
The imposing building stood tall, adorned with intricate carvings depicting legendary creatures and heroic figures.
The guild's emblem, emblazoned above the entrance, showcased a stylized sword crossed with a shimmering wand, symbolizing the union of martial prowess and arcane might.
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