Chapter 1: To Be A Tamer

[Three months after Max's 10th Birthday]

My life changed into a significantly different one than before. Since the time of my introduction to the real world that was unconfined and stretched far beyond the walls of my house, everything felt different for me. To make a comparison, my life before was a little bit joyful I'm not gonna lie, but it was monotonous. Bland. Restricted. It was like watching a cool cartoon in black and white.

But now, the joy in my life increased tenfold, if not more. What was black and white was now filled with vibrant colours and the experience was something I welcomed in my heart. The same can be said for my mother and grandfather. As her only son and his only grandchild, I knew they were happy for me.

Since that day, I found myself no longer lying on my bed and peeking out the window. Don't get me wrong, I was still lying and lazing about. But now, it all happened outside. My back against the soft but prickly green grass. My head safely resting on the smooth soil, with my eyes gazing upon the clear blue skies.

"Hey Max! Come in, I made lunch!" called my mom from inside the house.

"Okay mom!" I replied. Slowly, I stood up and dusted away the grass and dirt from my clothes. After I made sure no more filth was on me, I walked back inside.

"How was the view Max?" asked my grandfather while chuckling slightly.

"It was great!" I replied with stars in my eyes.

"I'm glad you liked it! But remember, the world isn't only limited to our front yard. It is infinite, and it stretches far and beyond, to places that are so beautiful you would think that they can only exist in fiction" explained Max's grandfather.

"I know. But mom doesn't let me go too far from the house" said Max.

"And for good reasons too" Max's mother chimed in as she stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a pot of chicken soup in her hands.

"Lucina...you do realise that he will grow up to be a man. And when that time comes, he'll surely want to explore the world for himself" Max's grandfather said to Lucina.

"I know.....and I will let him go outside when it's time. But not now. Besides, the world still isn't a safe place yet. Not with those monsters around" said Lucina, muttering the last sentence under her breath. Max didn't hear it but his grandfather did. Even for an old man, he was still as sharp as ever.

"As long as I'm around, I won't let any harm come to you or Max. Still, I'm an old man. I might not be around for longer. That is why Max needs to learn to protect himself" said Max's grandfather.

As soon as he said that, Lucina's expression immediately turned sour. An awkward atmosphere radiated across the room. "I thought we already had this conversation before. I guess you didn't hear me correctly the last time, so let me repeat it. Max will never, and I mean NEVER EVER be a magician!" shouted Lucina in an angry tone.

"Lucina! You have to realise that Max is special. To not let him be a magician is to waste his talent!" rebutted Max's grandfather.

"I know Max is special! But he's also MY SON! I'm not gonna let him die. I don't want to lose him like how I lost Sato!" exclaimed Lucina, small tears of anger and sadness running down her cheeks.

"That's not fair! Sato died a hero! He saved lives!" said Max's grandfather only to draw more anger from Lucina.

"Yet, he died! He didn't even get to see his son grow up, Dad!" Lucina continued yelling towards her dad as she slammed the wooden table with her hands in anger.

"Everything he did...he did it for Max. He fought at the frontlines, endured those monsters for weeks and suffered. And it's all for Max, don't you see?!" shouted Max's grandfather.

"I did see. You wanna know what else I saw, his gravestone! There! Right there at the cemetery! I didn't even get to see his body! You wouldn't know how it feels to lose someone you love to those creatures! In fact, you're the one who put him there at the frontlines!" Lucina yelled, causing Max's grandfather to stand up from his couch, his fists balled up in frustration.

"Don't you dare try to blame me for it! He wanted to serve on the frontlines! He was the one who wanted to fight for the Magic Corp!"

"And you let him! You didn't even *sob* try to stop him! You even encouraged him knowing that he still has a wife and child to go back home to! I still remembered what you said.You said that he was a great soldier and deserves to be on the main squad! Is that all he ever was to you? Is he only an expendable soldier in your eyes?" asked Lucina in disbelief.

"A soldier? He was like a son to me! Do you know how hard it was, even for me to accept his death?!" questioned Max's grandfather.

"Then why are you so keen in letting Max be a magician?! Do you want to see him die like his father?!"

"No! I want him to be a magician so that he'll be safe!" answered Max's grandfather.

"Safe? So let him be safe here! Far away from those creatures! Far away from any danger! Not there at the frontlines!"

Both of them continued arguing, not noticing the poor boy who had to endure their fighting. Max sobbed softly, crying in sadness and fear. It wasn't the first time that these two fought because of him. But, every time they did, it became more worse for Max.

Was it his fault they are arguing? Is it because of his Curse? It has to be. And he lived with that guilt in his heart. He knew it wasn't his fault he was born with the Curse, and yet it was still his. So in the end, it surely stemmed from him.

He was weak. He was trash. He was nothing. In grief, he immediately jumped up from the chair and ran upstairs, catching the attention of Lucina and his grandfather.

"Oh shit" muttered Max's grandfather as he saw Max scurrying away with tears in his eyes.

Lucina immediately ran after Max. However, Max got to his room first. Immediately he dashed inside and slammed his door shut and locked it. Once he was inside, he immediately cried to his heart's content.

"Max....."his mother called him from outside, knocking gently on the door.

"Please.....go away" cried Max

"I'm...I'm sorry Max. I shouldn't yell like that in front of you. Please...please just.....just come out" begged Lucina.

"No! I won't! I'll never go out again! I'm the reason why you two are always fighting! It's my fault!" Max cried out as he was slumped on the ground.

The moment Lucina heard those words come out of Max's mouth, her heart immediately shattered. "Max... don't you dare say it's your fault! Don't you ever say that! It is never your fault!" said Lucina in tears.

"They why are you two *sob* always fighting because of *sob* me?" asked Max through his constant sobs.

"Max....both of us.....we fight because we love you. It's not because we hate you! We will never hate you! I will never hate you! You're my only son! I'm sorry Max, I promise that I won't ever fight with your grandfather anymore. Please.....just unlock this door. For me" cried out Lucina.

Max heard everything his mother said and he felt a little sense of relief. Just a little though, he was still crushed on the inside, but his mother's words soothed him slightly. Slowly, he stood up and unlocked the door to his room. He opened it and there was his mother standing there in front of him.

Immediately, he stepped up to her and hugged her. She immediately kneeled down and hugged him back. Max was now crying on her shoulders and she continued to comfort him."There, there Max. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay" she whispered to his ears.

Max continued bawling for a while in the embrace of his mother. After a few minutes, his cries slowed down and soon was replaced with light snores.

"He fell asleep" Lucina thought. And it was true. Max was already asleep in her arms. Lucina chuckled a little after seeing the cute innocent form of her son in his slumber. She slowly carried him in her arm as she walked into his room. Softly and gently, she placed him on the bed and tucked him in.

Then, she sat on the bedside, peacefully gazing at her son. "You are a very special person son. Don't ever think otherwise, no matter what someone tells you" she whispered softly to his ears. In a brief moment, she leaned down towards his face and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep tight" she said to him before she left the room.

As she closed the door shut, she saw a figure of a man right at the base of the stairs. "How is he?" asked Max's grandfather.

"He's..... he's fine. I just put him to sleep" Lucina answered.

"That....that's good. Look, Lucina... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things" Max's grandfather apologised.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't had yelled at you Dad. I know you just want what's best for him. It's just.....after Sato died, Max became the only source of memory I had of him. He was the product of our love" explained Lucina.

"I know...Sato was always proud of his baby. He even talked about Max before.....you know.....he was sent out" said Max's grandfather.

"I know he would" said Lucina.

"Lucina.....I...you know how much I love you both right, you and Max. I'm sorry if I have been pushing things a bit too far with wanting Max to be a magician but-" he was immediately cut off by Lucina.

"I know what you're gonna say. Listen, I know Max is special too. I know he has talent in him. I also know that it's not in my place to decide whether he should or shouldn't become a magician. That's completely up to him. But can you promise me this? Can you promise me you'll always look after him? Can you promise me that, if he takes on that path, you will always keep him safe no matter what comes in the way?" asked Lucina as she stared right into his eyes.

"I.....I..-" Max's grandfather was lost in a moment of thought. A magician's line of work comes with high risks. He couldn't protect Sato before, so how can he be sure that he could protect Max if he were to become one.

"Lucina.....I.....I know that it was because of my mistake that Sato, you and Max paid the price. I may be the last person you would think of to entrust Max's safety on. But I promise you, this time, I'll make sure no harm would come to him, ever" he answered her.

"That's...great. Thanks dad" she thanked the old man, a relieved smile evident on her face.

"You're welcome. Now, I'm going to go out just for a while. I still owe my grandson an apology" said Max's grandfather as he grabbed his coat and fedora from a wooden stand.

"Where are you going?" asked Lucina.

"I'm... I'm going to find something to give to Max. Something to make up for my mistake. I'll be back in about an hour" he said as he opened the door and left.

"Okay Dad! Take care!" Lucina wished the old man goodbye and waved at him as he left the house.

[Three hours later]

After three whole hours of sleep, Max slowly stirred awake. As he wriggled on the bed for a few minutes, his senses started to kick back in. Slowly but surely, he regained back his full consciousness.

"Wha-" Max muttered as he rose awake. As he sat on his bed, his pondered back on his memories a few hours ago before everything went black. He remembered him running to his room and his mom comforting him. He remembered hugging her at the door and crying. And before he realised it, he was already sleeping on the bed.

"Mom must have put me here" he thought.

Max immediately stood up on the side of his bed and went out of his room. As he slowly crept down the stairs into the living hall, he could hear the hums of his mom in the kitchen. The smell of the food she's cooking instantaneously invaded his nostrils.

The pleasant aromatic smell that came from the kitchen immediately lifted his spirits. That and...it also reminded him about his empty stomach because he missed lunch.

As he came down the stairs, he saw his grandfather sitting on the couch, looking like he was waiting for something.

"Grandpa?" Max called out to him.

"Max! Are you okay?!" at the sight of his grandchild, he immediately walked up to the boy and kneeled in front of him. His voice was full of concern towards the well-being of Max.

"I'm okay. I'm sorry for running of earlier" Max apologised to him.

The old man immediately shook his head and replied "No, no. That was my fault. I shouldn't have acted that way in front of you. I hope that you could forgive this senile old man for my mistake" asked Max's grandfather.

"It's okay grandpa. I'll never be mad at both of you. You don't have to apologize to me" said Max.

His grandfather felt a bit relaxed after hearing the words of his sweet little grandchild. The guilt that weighed him down immediately vanished from his mind.

"Thank you.....thank you. I.....have something for you. Something to make it up to you for what I did. Here" Max's grandfather immediately pulled out a small glass cage from behind the couch.

Max immediately inspected the object, more intrigued in what's inside. As the glass was translucent, Max could see something small moving slowly inside the cage. It had a black shell with tints of red splashed randomly across it. Below it's body was numerous small tendrils that acted as it's feet as it slowly crawled across the cage.

"What is this?" asked Max.

"That is a scaly-foot snail. Rare creatures they are. I had thought of giving one to you since you always said that you wanted a pet" answered Max's grandfather.

Max immediately hugged the old man, slamming against his body. The old man let out an 'oof' as Max hugged him tightly. He smiled and chuckled while returning the little boy's hug.

"I'm gonna name it Cy!" exclaimed Max.

"Cy huh? That's a good name" complimented Max's grandfather.

"Max...I also have something to give you" both of them immediately turned towards the owner of the voice, Lucina whom walked out of the kitchen carrying something on her arms.

She immediately sat down besides Max and handed the peculiar object to him.

It was a book. A fairly thicc one at that. Max immediately fiddled with the book's cover and flipped it's pages.

"What book is this mom?" he asked.

"This is a book that your father once gave me when I was learning at the magician school" explained Lucina.

"Father gave it?And you went to a magician school? How come you'd never told me about that?" asked Max.

"I.....I was afraid. I don't want you going down a path that would endanger you. But I know now that keeping everything a secret from you will only harm you more. Listen Max, me....we, your grandfather and I, we won't force you to become anything. You are free to live the life you have always wanted. So we decided that no matter which path you choose, either a magician's life or another one, we will support you all the way" said Lucina.

"I made your father a promise. To take care of both of you if something ever happens to him. And I also made your mother a promise, that no harm will come to you as long as I'm around. If you want to be a magician, I'll guide and train you. Even if you don't want to, I'll still protect you, no matter what" Max's grandfather promised him.

"I...I don't know if I want to be a magician or not. But.....I want to learn about magic. Can you help me with that mom, grandfather?" asked Max.

"We can" both of them answered him simultaneously.

Max smiled at their answers. He was still a child and it wasn't his time yet to make life-changing decisions. However, he was still curious about magic itself. And he wanted to learn more about it. He wanted to find out about his curse and why he was given that curse. His mother and grandfather could help him. And maybe.....just maybe.....the book in front of him may contain the answers he needed. His adventures with Cy has only just begun.

"Magicians Guide: To Be A Tamer" Max read out the title of the book softly.