Chapter 16: What I Found Out

*ELOWEN*

When my parents saw my brother finally smiling at them, they began to cry because in their minds, he had hated them for some unknown reason. But they were wrong; although Aetherius never responded to them, it didn't matter because they were happy knowing he loved them, or at least that he didn't hate them. Then my brother fainted in their arms, and my parents panicked again. They had to take Trevor and Layra out of the room. As for me, I was in my crib, not leaving my room but knowing what was happening.

When my mother and father poured their power into him again, they managed to save him once more. However, because my parents mixed their magics in the still developing infant core that should have been filling up, there were consequences. My brother, who had inherited everything from my mother, his eyes and hair, began to change color, merging with that of my father. His left eye became the green of my father, while the right maintained the purple of my mother. My mother's hair changed color, from the root to halfway down, it became the ash-colored hair of my father, and from halfway down, it still maintained my mother's hair color.

Several days later, my brother woke up. Everyone seemed confused and afraid if the change in him also affected his character or if he remained the same as always, or if he would be the same as that night, embracing our parents with love.

My parents and everyone realized that Aetherius had indeed changed. His antisocial behavior and everything they said about him had changed for the better. He was loving, he took care of us, and he even visited me when he normally didn't.

Years passed, and I turned 8 while my brother, who was three years older than me, was already 11. Everyone said he was good with the spear and the sword, but his face seemed anything but happy. He was tired of hearing the same thing, so he asked for his weapon to be changed.

My parents objected because the weapon he wanted was more dangerous than any other weapon combined. He insisted relentlessly, and finally decided to do it. What was his change? Exactly something we all know: a scythe.

It took him the rest of the year to master it. When we turned 9 and he turned 12, we all decided to go together to drop off Trevor and Layra at the academy since they were on vacation, and also to meet Mom and Dad's friends whom we hadn't seen in a while. Or at least they hadn't; my brother Trevor and Aetherius had a duel the day before we left for the central academy of the south. When Therius defeated Trevor, we decided to take a walk through the village and saw my mother's friends, Sonia and Dominic, along with their son Viola. My brother Therius and she met one year after his sudden change, and they became friends.

That night we had dinner with Viola's parents and a sleepover for my brothers, Viola, and me before we left. When we left, we spent 4 days in a carriage until we reached the capital. When we entered the guild, a pretty lady welcomed us, Nora Notch, the receptionist and friend of the whole guild. After she introduced us to ourselves under the guild master, Atheria, when she introduced herself, my brother Aetherius made a stupid comment asking if he could marry her when he graduated from the academy.

What he received was a slap from my mother, and I replied, "Brother Ther, you're being unfaithful to Viola. When we get back, I'll tell her." I crossed my arms, convincing myself not to tell Viola anyway. When the guild master told us that she would give us weapons as gifts, we accepted.

Atheria asked us which elements we were affiliated with. Trevor answered fire, Layra water, Therius lightning, and I said I wasn't yet at the stage of showing any element I would affiliate with. My dad and Atheria were apart, and I overheard him saying that I inherited my mother's healing magic and showed signs of the earth element.

I was on the other side of the room and saw a weapon that caught my eye. "Mom, Dad, look, I like this one. Can I keep it?" The weapon was what I had chosen; it was a thin-bladed greatsword, its color was as red as or even more so than Trevor's weapon. My mother looked at it, "Not yet, dear. You're still too young to choose that weapon, let alone wield it. It will be too heavy for you," my mother said. So, there's no other option.

I started to cry, begging Atheria if she could give me the weapon. So, I had to convince her, "Sister Atheria, can I take it with me? Please, I'll train to be able to master it," I gave her sad puppy eyes, and Atheria couldn't refuse me, so I won.

"Fine," says Atheria, "if you like it, I can't say no," she says, "just let me find the rings for you to fit on your fingers and where to keep it," so I proceed to thank her, "YES, thank you, Sister Atheria," then to finish, I say to my brother, "Brother Ther, I give you permission to marry her." My brothers headed to the training area, so my parents and I went to get the things Trevor and Layra would need for their classes.

After returning, I see Miss Atheria with a man with my brothers. Apparently, he was the one who would adjust the ring for my brothers and me. "Oh, she's here already; she was missing to adjust the ring," my dad says, pointing at me. So, they give me instructions for my ring, but since I haven't manifested my element yet, I couldn't store my weapon. They just adjust it, and my parents keep the weapon. So, we walked to the academy to say goodbye to my brothers. Layra and I were saying goodbye, hugging her to calm my tears since I wouldn't see them for a while. "Calm down, Wen, we'll see each other later, okay? Keep training so you can fight your sister next time," Layra says smiling at me. "Yes, Sister Layra, count on it," I say, and so we all finish saying goodbye and let Trevor and Layra go.

The next day, my parents, Therius, and I went out for breakfast at a restaurant owned by the guild where my parents had unlimited access for being part of the guild. So, my brother and I ate until we were full. After finishing eating, we returned to the guild to greet other members we couldn't greet yesterday.

We met a friend of our father, his name was Octavius, but they called him Otto. He greeted my parents and complimented them while also insulting them by mentioning their age and having 4 children still looking great, receiving a kick in the butt.

Then we met three other friends of my parents, Sara, Valentina, and Fredic. I greeted them first with excitement, "Nice to meet you, I'm Elowen Emwind, I'm 9 years old, my core is dark red, and I'm showing signs of the earth element despite being in the process of my first refinement, and I'm going to learn to handle a thin-bladed greatsword."

Apparently, I introduced myself with so much enthusiasm that I ended up getting a hug from Sara. Then Therius introduced himself, catching the attention of the others with his combined hair and eyes of my parents. Then they invited us to the training area, "Why don't you accompany us to the training area for a while?" Valentina says. "Let's go, why not?" Therius says behind us while Sara hugs me, and our parents follow them from behind Therius.

Otto asked Therius for a small duel to see what he could do, not knowing that it was the worst decision he could have made, as we didn't know the nightmare that would cause two days later.