A Gift with a Price

"Of course I'm going to keep it," Draven affirmed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Draven's father placed a hand on his son's head. "You should probably go find your mother," he advised. "She's been looking for you. If you make her wait any longer, no one will be able to help you when she gets angry."

Draven chuckled nervously. "I better go meet her then."

Draven walked away from his father and Ivan, Alex following close beside him.

As they walked away, Draven's father finally broke the silence, addressing Ivan. "I sent you an invitation, but I didn't think you would actually come."

Ivan shrugged. "How could I miss the first birthday party of my only nephew?"

Draven's father raised an eyebrow. "I never saw you as someone who cares."

Ivan smiled enigmatically. "I guess you don't know me as well as you thought."

Draven's father regarded Ivan thoughtfully. "Are you really okay with giving him a gift like that?" he asked, referring to the spirit egg.

Ivan smiled. "It's just a spirit egg," he dismissed casually. "I don't think too much of it. I'm going to be on my way now."

"Why don't you stay for a little longer?" Draven's father suggested.

Ivan declined. "I came to give a gift. Since I have already done that, it will be no use staying any longer."

Ivan turned and began to walk away, disappearing into the crowd.

Draven's father watched his brother leaving, a thoughtful expression on his face. "He's always so… inscrutable," he murmured. "I never know what's on his mind."

Meanwhile, Ivan, walking through the forest, smiled to himself. "That kid is not as easy as he seems at first sight," he mused. "They say he's unable to use Mana, but I can sense some kind of energy within him. I guess Kaelen can sense it as well.

"Referring to Draven's father"

Ivan smiled. "Keep my spirit egg safe, kid," he whispered, before vanishing into the shadows of the forest.

Draven, meanwhile, had reached his mother. "Mom, I heard you've been looking for me," he said, his tone apologetic.

His mother placed a hand on his shoulder, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Where have you been?" she asked, her voice laced with a playful anger. "Where the hell have you been?"