The Weight of a Dream 1

Ryan Landheart POV

I sat there, pondering what was to come. I'm sure Kai—a nickname, Kaiyo would be the more "formal" way to mention his name for those who don't have the best relationship with him—has forgotten what is to come, but how could that slip his mind...? I pulled Kai aside, partially amused by how absentminded he was about this, his expression confused as to why, I've done this, "Kai, have you forgotten what happens when one first releases a spell? Usually this wouldn't be too alarming, but if what you said is true, what happens tonight could be dire—" I exhaled, relaxing my tense shoulders. "—so how many elements does your little prodigy have a natural affinity for?" Kai began thinking before giving an unknowingly response: "Well, so far, according to what we know, the two elements are fire and wind. Though I'm not sure if there's more." he replied, his pride steadily seeping through his words. "TWO… ELEMENTS!?" I replied between tongues, bewildered, "Kai, your son may attract some unwanted attention, and who knows if it's just those two elements alone." Peeking at Igris, I couldn't help but speculate whether there was something extraordinary hiding behind that innocent smile.

…

It was around midnight, and the kids—Alice and Igris—are now sound asleep. "Honey, don't you think Alice should be awake to see this? When I asked Akame and Kayio if it was alright, they said that it was okay since opportunities like this don't come along very often." My wife's stunning russet brown eyes locked with mine, and finally I released a sigh of relief. "Okay, one day Alice will have to do this herself, so, fine, go awaken her." There was no point in not giving her the experience; if the day comes when she has her own children, it would be my fault if anything were to happen. Then Jasmine gave me a gentle squeeze on the hand and kissed my cheek before heading out.

As Jasmine left, Kai approached the door soon after and said, "Ryan, don't wimp out on me now; we've been through a lot together, don't you think?" Turning my gaze to the smirk on his face, "Yeah, yeah, let's get going, my good old pal." I answered while patting out the wrinkles in my pants before exiting the room. "That's the spirit," Kai said, cuffing me in his arms. "Also, thank you, Ryan. I really appreciate everything you're doing for my family." The sudden confession caused my face to get a little red. "Okay, okay, hands off; we've got business to handle." Kai doesn't have to thank me; a price tag even if they stayed for a while—which Jasmine seems to really enjoy—let alone what's happening now, would never come close to everything we've been through.

We made our way through the magnificent halls, my gaze primarily fixed on the well-polished wooden flooring, until we arrived at Igris' room. Entering Kai went over to his wife who was gently holding her sound asleep son's hand.

They conversed as I waited for Jasmine to come with Alice, and shortly after I saw my daughter, what two beautiful ladies, Alice and a cute little image of her mother, her rubbing her eyes confused as to why she's up so late, I knelt down on one knee to talk to her at eye level, "Alice, make sure to stay close to me or mommy, whichever one is closer, okay?" I clutched her little hand as she nodded in response while rubbing her drowsy eyes.

Maybe I was overreacting, but something just didn't seem right. Though I couldn't place my finger directly on it, I began to think about all the scenarios. What could possibly have me on my wit's end, my train of thought had come to a halt when I heard my wifes concerned voice calling for me. I cleared my throat, "We should start soon," I motioned my wife to come in and sit on some chairs Kai, and Akemi had brought in. I couldn't be fazed by such an usually occurrence especially in front of my wife, and daughter.

After a little idle chatter with my wife, and some occasional silence Kai stood up, "Let's set a barrier just in case anything unexpected happens," Kai declared, I nodded in agreement. We can never be too safe, Kai and I began humming a casual barrier over this particular room, so there's less room for error, as I exhaled a deep breath Akame had spoken, "It began."