Maiden Voyage: Inaugural Steps into the Unknown (Part 3)

On another day, I trained myself as usual to master the magic that I was able to control.

Everyday, I would wake up in the morning and go to any nearby place with water, like lake, river or pool of clean water to wash myself and Elijah. After that, I would train my body to become more strong and agile with my usual routine of my morning exercise. 

I will have my breakfast with fresh fruits that I obtained from yesterday's hunt. 

After I finished, I would go hunt with Elijah. Sometimes, it is hard to hunt a big animal. With my new magical ability that I learnt, I am only able to catch simple minded creatures like wild rabbit and chicken.

Once, I tried to have a taste of deer's meat by using Elijah as a bait, but I had to face a wild forest cat that was also aimed for the deer. In the end, I had to give up because I realized my magic didn't have enough powerful force to beat a bigger animal. 

I take a note to myself, for what my training is next. As I am able to control the ground to grab my foe, I also need to learn how to strengthen it with my magic. I need a strong and firm 'Ground Gripper' to hold them steady. 

Meanwhile, my wind manipulation from thin air is much harder. For me to be able to manipulate the ground, I imagine it to become like a pool of puddles that move like water to shape it and let it go as it turns back to rock solid ground.

Wind manipulation is easier if there are gusts of wind, but not if I need to create it from a thin layer of air. I need to move around my hand, to feel the air brush against my hand to get a touch of it. As I remember it feels, I would grab and hold it like a rope and use it like the wind is in my hand. 

I was able to turn it into a weapon when I realized I could throw the wind in my hand as I imagined it, like throwing a stone. 

At the beginning, I was able to move a leaf and master it to move a pile of leaves. As I master in controlling the wind, I started to imagine the wind that I controlled, into a thinner and faster wind that appeared during a storm. A wind that is soft, can be turned into a tornado. It can be manipulated to be faster like a tornado.

It took me a couple months to successfully manipulate the wind. It is strong but not deadly. I realize, my wind manipulation is not good enough. If it is big, it surely can knock back anything. But what I want is the wind to become a weapon, like shooting a bullet. 

Since that, I try to imagine the wind that I hold is shaped like a sharp spear and my imagination must be strong to believe and confident it would pierce anything. I found that my belief and confidence is crucial to my magic. 

Therefore, I need to train my focus by meditating at night when Elijah is fast asleep.

All of this training took me months to master the ability of wind and ground manipulation. I can't believe I was able to hone my skill in order for me to hunt for food.

Continuing with my daily routine, I will gather herbs and fruit that I found in the forest after finishing with hunting. It is important for me to do this, because it is for our healthy lifestyle. Fruit for breakfast, herbs and vegetables as a side dish and make our food taste more delicious. Sometimes, I also use extra fruit and vegetables as bait for hunting.

That day, I finished cooking a meal and looked at Elijah, who had grown up so much over the past few years. He was no longer the little boy who followed me everywhere with wide eyes and unending questions. Still, there was a part of him that remained innocent and curious. I knew he might wonder about our mother and father, a curiosity that had likely only grown stronger with time.

"Did he remember them?" I wondered. The thought lingered in my mind as I watched him. "I hope you could get to meet them later," I mused silently. "I promise I will let you see them."

My life had settled into a rhythm of training and taking care of Elijah. Without him, I might have lost my mind from the loneliness that came with being isolated in this world. His presence was a beacon of hope and sanity, a constant reminder of my purpose.

At least I had someone to play around with. Despite our age difference being only two years, it was clear that Elijah was more childish than me. It made sense, given everything we had been through and the responsibilities I had taken on.

"Is it because my soul is a 30-year-old man?" I wondered, a rueful smile tugging at my lips. The experiences and burdens I carried had aged me far beyond my years.

"Elijah," I called, watching as he perked up and came over. "Dinner's ready."

He sat down, and we ate together, the bond between us strengthened by shared meals and quiet conversations. I could see the questions in his eyes, the unspoken thoughts about our past and our parents.

"Elijah," I began gently, "I know you must wonder about our mother and father. One day, I will take you to them. I promise."

He looked at me with a mix of hope and uncertainty. "Really, brother?"

"Yes," I assured him. "When the time is right, you'll get to see them."

Our days continued in this manner, filled with training, hunting, and learning. Elijah grew stronger and more skilled, and I found solace in watching him develop. The nights were filled with stories and plans for the future, and though the darkness within me remained, I fought to keep it at bay for Elijah's sake.

"Together, we'll face whatever comes our way," I whispered to myself each night, feeling the warmth of Elijah's presence beside me. He was my anchor, my reason to keep going, and with him, I knew we could overcome any obstacle.

…

The day passed by, I am grateful as I am able to live another day with Elijah. All I could wish for is to live. I couldn't imagine what would happen if I didn't focus. Living in this world is full of mystery and dangers. Everyday is an adventure for me to live in this unknown world. 

All I could hope for is to take care of myself and Elijah. If I am not a 30 year old man in my past life, I couldn't guarantee to live until now in this world. I was able to use my past knowledge to live independently in this world while taking care of my brother.

At the mountain's leg, we started to climb a mountain after leaving the forest where we had spent the night. Within an hour, we reached the top and were greeted by a breathtaking view.

"Brother, look! There is a village," Elijah exclaimed, pointing excitedly.

"Yes Elijah! That's the village that I said to you. There might be nice people there," I replied, feeling a sense of hope.

"And delicious food!" Elijah added with enthusiasm.

"You might be hungry, right?" I asked, smiling at his eagerness.

"Totally!" he confirmed.

"Me too. I will treat you to nice food when we get there."

We were both starving, and it had been a long time since we'd had a proper meal. After several hours of walking down the mountain, we finally reached a rural village surrounded by a wooden gate for protection. As we entered, the villagers were staring in surprise at the sight of a young child carrying a toddler on his back.

An old man approached us, leaning on a stick. "What a poor young kid. Where are you coming from?"

"Oh, nice to meet you, sir. I'm a traveler from a nearby village," I replied politely.

"What a surprise! He can talk fluently at that age," the old man thought. "Did you mean Laven village?"

"Yeah, that one!" I said, grateful for the knowledge I had about this world. The wisdom allowed me to understand and communicate with others.

The villagers gasped in shock. "You came here by crossing the mountain?" the old man asked, incredulous.

"Yes, sir," I answered.

An old woman stepped forward from behind the crowd. "Alright, that's enough. This is not some kind of show. Go back and continue with your work. I will handle this myself," she said, her concern evident. I look at her face and know instantly that she is a kind-hearted person. My experience living in my past life gave me the knowledge to be a good judge of someone else's character.

She invited us into her house, where it became clear that she and the old man were a couple.

"Hey kid, are you sure you are human?" the old woman asked, her expression serious.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I responded with a frown, worried they might uncover our hidden identity.

"I'm surprised a human can survive at such a young age alone without their parents. You must be a genius," she remarked. "Aren't there many monsters at the bottom of the hill?"

"Erm, do you mean the big monster with fur?" I replied, relieved she wasn't probing too deeply.

"Gosh, you really came from there! Did you run until you got here?" she asked, astonished.

"No. I already killed them," I said nonchalantly.

"It would be a miracle to come here safely," the old man noted.

"Kill them with what?" the old woman asked, intrigued.

"Magic," I replied.

"Impressive. You are young yet so talented. Did your parents teach you?" she inquired.

"Yes, ma'am. I really love magic. My parents said I am talented," I said, trying to sound proud and believable.

But from their expressions, I could sense doubt. Of course, no one would believe a 6 years old kid that randomly appeared out of the mountain.

In their eyes, we look like a lost kid that may have separated from our parents on our journey to this village. But they decided to play along and not question more because they could not tell which is true or not.

While holding Elijah, the old woman held my hand to walk head to the village.

"Maybe you should enroll in the academy," she suggested to me to have a small conversation as I mentioned my ability to use magic.

"There is a school here?" I asked, curious.

"The magic school," the old man interrupted before she could continue. "Not here, but at the Capital." He looked puzzled as I didn't know about school. "If his parents knew about magic, this kid should have known about magic school. Their parents must be graduated students from there to know about magic." He thought to himself, searching for an answer.

Both of them look at each other and think that my parents didn't tell me yet about school because I was too young to know about it. 

"I'm sorry. But I don't have much money to do that. It would cost a lot to get in there," I explained, trying to cover up my mistake.

"What about your parents?" He asked about their whereabouts. As I mentioned about not having money. 

"They're gone and didn't leave any savings for us," I said quietly. Maybe it would answer my inability to attend school, as an answer for my parents not telling me about it.

"Well, that's a pity. We can't do anything about that if you have financial problems. But don't worry, school is not everything," the old woman said sympathetically.

"Don't worry. I don't mind it at all. I also have something to do," I reassured them.

We arrived at their house and entered it.

"I wonder where you are going," the old man mused. As we entered the house he put Elijah on the couch while I sat there together with him.

The old woman got up and went to the kitchen to prepare us something to eat. 

I explained to them about my parents that went missing as we traveled to this village. As we woke up, our parents were no longer beside us. It is a made up story that I made to make them think we were just a kid left by its parents.

They questioned us why we continued our journey and decided to come here. I put on an innocent face and told them that we want to search for our parents back.

They seemed to sympathize with us and decided to let us stay.