บท 73: Master and Disciple(3)
It had been an hour since Marcus had woken up. Alongside Edvard and Eldric, they had worked in solemn silence to bury each of the villagers while burning the bandits' corpses. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and charred flesh as the pyres crackled under the harsh desert sun.
Eldric had used an earth-element spell to summon golems that aided in fetching the bodies, moving the villagers' remains with the care and respect they deserved. He had deliberately left Marcus' mother's body for last, understanding the boy's need to personally lay her to rest.
Despite being just ten years old, Marcus had insisted on doing it himself. Of course, a child his age couldn't manage such a task alone, so Edvard had quietly stepped in to help. Together, they dug the grave, their hands moving with a slow, measured rhythm, the weight of the moment palpable.
Once the burial was done, Marcus collapsed beside the fresh grave, his small frame trembling as he kept crying and tears kept flowing. He didn't want to leave his mother's side, as if staying near her would somehow keep her close.
Edvard crouched beside him, his voice gruff but softened by concern. "Kid, you need to understand—your mother's not here anymore. She's gone. She's up there, watching over you. I'm sure she's happy, at peace in heaven."
But no matter what Edvard said, Marcus wouldn't stop crying. His body shook with each heart-wrenching sob, and as much as Edvard tried to comfort him, his words fell flat, drowned out by the boy's overwhelming grief.
Edvard's patience began to wear thin; he wasn't the best with emotions and comforting a grieving child was far beyond his expertise. He looked helplessly at Eldric, who had been watching from a short distance.
Eldric stepped forward suddenly, brushing past Edvard with a firm but quiet determination. "Let me handle this," he muttered under his breath.
"What are you doing?" Edvard asked, slightly alarmed.
Without responding, Eldric knelt down in front of Marcus, who was still sobbing into his hands. The old mage's voice was calm, but it carried a weight that demanded attention. "Marcus!"
The boy barely lifted his head before Eldric's hand came down, delivering a sharp but controlled slap across Marcus's tear-streaked face. Marcus gasped in shock, the sting silencing his cries as he clutched his cheek, wide-eyed with surprise.
Edvard shot to his feet, fury in his eyes. "Eldric, what the hell are you—"
"Quiet," Eldric said firmly, without taking his eyes off Marcus. He knelt lower, meeting the boy's gaze with steady resolve. "Listen to me, Marcus. It's not your fault."
Marcus blinked, still in shock, his tears momentarily forgotten.
"You don't need to keep crying," Eldric continued, his tone firm but strangely gentle. "Do you think your mother would want to see you like this? Broken, lost, drowning in guilt? She gave her life to protect you. You honor her by living, not by tearing yourself apart."
Marcus sniffled, his hands slowly lowering from his face as he stared at Eldric, the weight of his words settling in.
"You have a choice," Eldric said, his voice softening now. "You can keep crying here and die, or you can honor her sacrifice by becoming strong. Strong enough to survive. Strong enough to make sure this never happens again."
The boy's lip trembled, but his crying had stopped. He wiped his face with his sleeve, his eyes puffy and red, but clearer now. After a long pause, he looked up at Eldric, his voice weak but filled with newfound resolve.
"Can… you help me?" Marcus asked, his small hands clenched into fists. "I want to get stronger. I want to protect the people I care about… so no one else I love dies like this."."
Eldric's face softened, a rare expression of warmth crossing his features. He placed a gentle hand on Marcus' shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "That's a beautiful dream. But you need to know, the path to strength is not easy. It's full of pain, hardship, and sacrifice. Are you ready for that?"
Marcus wiped the remaining tears from his face, his small body still trembling but no longer with grief. "Yes," he said, his voice stronger. "I'm ready."
Edvard and Eldric exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them. Eldric smiled faintly and nodded at Marcus. "That's the spirit."
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After they finished their talk, Eldric and the other two moved towards the vulture, preparing to leave the ruins of the village behind. As they mounted the massive bird, Edvard looked over at the boy, his brow furrowed in thought.
Before they could take off, Edvard spoke up, his voice gentle but probing. "Do you have any other family, Marcus? Someone who might still be alive? Maybe we can help you track them down."
Marcus sniffled, wiping his face with his sleeve as he responded, his voice small and broken. "Yes... I have a big sister. She ran away... so she wouldn't have to marry the old village chief."
Both Eldric and Edvard exchanged a glance. Eldric knelt down, placing his hands on the boy's small shoulders, his tone softer now, but filled with a determination that Marcus could feel.
"How about you come and stay with us for now, Marcus?" Eldric asked gently. "You want to get stronger, right? I see a lot of potential in you. And with the right training, you could become a powerful Mage. Strong enough to protect those you love—and even find your sister."
A flicker of hope passed through the boy's eyes. After a long pause, he nodded, his voice trembling but resolute. "Okay... I'll come with you."
"Hahahaha! Good! Good!" Eldric laughed, his excitement bubbling over as he stood up, a bright grin on his face. "I promise, Marcus, you'll become a great Mage, stronger than you could ever imagine."
As Marcus glanced up at the strange, exuberant old man, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and confusion. Beside them, Edvard sighed, shaking his head as he watched Eldric's antics, unable to hide his own small smile.
After the three went on on the vulture's back, the vulture spread its massive wings and took to the sky, Marcus felt a strange mix of emotions—loss, fear, and hope all swirling together. He wasn't sure what the future held, but for the first time since the attack on his village, he didn't feel completely alone.
After flying for hours on the back of the massive desert vulture, The sky began to darken, and soon enough, they would need to land for the night. The two moons, Dua and Ozlic, began to rise, illuminating the endless sand with their silver glow.
Eldric, noticing the drop in temperature and the darkening sky, signaled for the vulture to descend. "We should camp here for the night," he called to Edvard over the flapping of the bird's wings. "There's no telling what we'll run into if we keep flying in the dark."
With a powerful beat of its wings, the vulture landed softly on a flat stretch of sand. The group dismounted, their feet sinking slightly into the cool grains. Eldric and Edvard busied themselves with setting up a small camp, conjuring a fire with a simple spell to fend off the chill of the desert night.
Marcus sat silently, staring into the fire, the recent events still weighing heavily on his mind. Edvard glanced at him, sensing the boy's unease, and decided now was the time to talk. "Marcus," he said. "Tell me, do you know where we are? Where this village was located?"
Marcus looked up, startled out of his thoughts. "you don't know?" he asked, his voice still a bit shaky. "We were in a village west of the Afyndra kingdom."
Eldric, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow at the mention of the kingdom. "Afyndra, huh? That's pretty far from where we entered last time," he muttered, glancing at Edvard.
"Yes," Edvard agreed. "It seems we've traveled quite the distance. This is my first time in the Afyndra kingdom."
Eldric leaned back on his hands. "It's also my first time coming here. I've never ventured this far south before."
Marcus watched the two men exchange words, feeling a bit out of place. He gathered his courage and asked, "Where are you both from, anyway? You don't seem like you belong here in Afyndra."
Eldric smiled warmly at the boy, the flickering firelight dancing in his eyes. "You're right, Marcus. We're not from here. Edvard and I are from the Kederawen kingdom, far to the north. I'm even a member of the royal family there."
Marcus's eyes widened at that. "The royal family? That's really important Why did you come all the way here?"
Edvard chuckled softly, scratching the back of his head. "It's a long story, kid. Let's just say we... took a detour through another world and ended up here."
Marcus blinked, surprised. "Another world? Really?"
Eldric nodded, still smiling. "Yes, another world. But it's not something you need to worry about. We're back now, and our priority is to go back home and help you find your sister."
AN: [Go see the map in my discord channel and you will see the Afyndra kingdom].
After making a fire and getting out some meat from his spatial ring, Eldric prepared a simple dinner for the group. He handed some meat to Edvard and Marcus, watching as they ate quietly around the flickering flames. Eldric decided to break the ice and started asking the boy some questions to lighten the mood.
Eldric: "So, Marcus, what do you know about magic?"
Marcus looked up from his plate, his voice a little unsure. "Well... not much, really. I only know that Mages and Warriors use mana to get stronger and live longer. My sister told me that."
Eldric raised an eyebrow at the mention of his sister. "Oh, is your sister a Mage or a Warrior, perhaps?"
Marcus shook his head, a shadow crossing his face. "I don't think so. She's seven years older than me. She left two years ago. At first, she didn't want to marry the village chief, but my parents insisted... so she accepted."
Eldric, sensing there was more to the story, asked more, "Then why did she run away?"
The boy hesitated before answering, his voice soft. "Three days before she left, she told me she found something that could change her fate. She told me about Mages and Warriors, left some gold, and... disappeared without saying goodbye."
At this, Edvard, who had been listening intently, spoke up. "Sounds like she found something valuable, maybe something that helped her become a Mage or a Warrior. Your sister might have struck gold, quite literally. What does she look like? That could help us find her."
Marcus's face lit up with a glimmer of hope as he recalled his sister. "She looks like me—same eyes, same hair color—but hers is long. And before she left, I noticed that she gota tattoo on her forearms that wasn't there before."
Eldric leaned forward, intrigued. "A tattoo? What did it look like?"
Marcus paused, searching his memory. "It was a pair of wings, one on each forearm."
Edvard nodded. "That should help. A tattoo like that is pretty distinctive. It'll make it easier for us to track her down."
Eldric, always the planner, added, "Tomorrow, we'll find the nearest city around here and go to the adventurer to put in a request of search for her. We can ask around and see if anyone has seen her."
Marcus, still unsure about everything, stared at the fire for a long moment before he gathered the courage to ask, "Thank you, Mister Eldric, but... why are you helping me? I'm just a normal kid, and you're a great Mage."
Eldric and Edvard exchanged a knowing look. They both understood where Marcus's doubts were coming from. After all, his life had been turned upside down, and now two strangers with incredible power were offering him help.
Edvard, never one to miss an opportunity for humor, laughed and jabbed at Eldric. "Hahaha... yeah, you old fool, why don't you tell the boy why you're helping him? If you keep up this act, people might think you're trying to bribe kids into being your disciple. Imagine how the kingdom would react, their 'great hero' babysitting!"
Eldric, caught off guard, scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed. He had never asked someone to be his disciple before, and his pride was making it difficult to come out with it.
"Well... Marcus, you see... you've got a special talent for the Mage path. And frankly, I don't want to see that talent go to waste. How about you come with me and learn to become a Mage?"
Marcus blinked, surprised, trying to process the offer. "... Hahahaha," he laughed softly, unable to hide his shock.
Edvard, still chuckling, clapped Eldric on the back. "Kid, it's a pretty rare thing for this old man to ask anyone to be his disciple. You must've really impressed him. I'd say take the offer. It might even help Eldric grow up a bit, though I wouldn't count on it."
The boy looked down, deep in thought. A long silence hung in the air until, finally, Marcus spoke. "Mister Eldric, if it means I can get stronger, then... yes. I'll be your disciple. Please take care of me, Master."
Eldric and Marcus exchanged a small smile, the bond between them solidifying in that moment. Eldric laughed, clapping Marcus on the shoulder. "Hahaha! You'll become the greatest Mage and surpass even me. From today on, you'll be known as my disciple. I'll give you the surname Kit, meaning 'gifted,' as a symbol of the magic potential I see in you."
Edvard, seeing the happiness on both their faces, nodded approvingly. "Congrats, kid. And remember, if this old man ever bullies you, just tell me. I'll set him straight."
Eldric huffed, pretending to be offended. "Hey! I'm not going to bully my own disciple!"
The vulture, which had been resting nearby, let out an annoyed growl, as if to say they were disturbing its sleep. Eldric and Edvard ignored it, their spirits lifted as they celebrated the newfound partnership.
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[After few days]
Swoosh Swoosh
It's been some time now and Eldric together with Marcus and Edvard kept travelling north trying to find any sign of life or town or city. As dawn broke over the horizon for a new day, the three continued their journey atop the vulture. After hours of flying and just when they were about to give up for this day, Eldric spotted something in the distance. \
He pointed, squinting at the dark shape looming on the horizon. "There, I see something. Looks like a big fortress. Hey, Flying Vito, head that way. We need to figure out how much time has passed and where we are exactly in Afyndra."
Edvard, rubbing his temples as the last remnants of sleep left him, gave Eldric a look. "If Vito could hear you calling the vulture that, he'd lose it."
Eldric just laughed. "Hahaha, let him get angry. I miss that bastard. It's been too long."
As they neared the large structure, Edvard's eyes narrowed. "Hmm... that's no ordinary town. Looks like a mix between fortress and mountain."
Eldric's gaze grew more focused. "Doesn't matter. We'll stop there and gather some information."
Edvard nodded in agreement. "Understood."
With their path set, they soared towards the fortress, the mystery of Marcus's sister and their journey deeper into the unknown ahead of them.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
commander_pride_21
commander_pride_21 He got himself a gifted disciple but he doesn't know what the future hides for them.
Next Chapter: "Master and Disciple(4)".
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