Between Shadows and Light

Ares quickly returned home after hearing the butler's screams. He opened the door and realized his mother hadn't come back yet. He felt confused. His mother had never been away for so long.

"Ugh… I'm so hungry," he heard his stomach grumble. "What can I eat now?"

He went to the kitchen, trying to shake off his worries. He found some bread and ham and quickly made a small sandwich. He ate it fast, as if trying to distract himself. But he couldn't stop thinking about his mother. With a sigh, he headed for the shower to refresh himself. As the water ran over his skin, his thoughts drifted to his first meeting with Leophold, when he helped him hide from the instructor. "Ahh… it's been three years already," he thought, a sad smile crossing his face. The memory seemed so far away, yet so vivid.

After the shower, he climbed into bed, but sleep didn't come easily. "Mom will come back late," he mumbled to himself, trying to reassure himself. He closed his eyes, but the feeling of emptiness in the air kept him awake. Eventually, sleep came, but it was restless, interrupted by thoughts of her.

The next morning, he woke up early, but the weight of worry about his mother still hung over him. He quickly took a shower to fully wake up. As he dressed for work, he realized his mother still hadn't returned. A growing sense of unease filled him. "Strange," he thought with increasing worry. He decided that after work, he would go to the estate's kitchen to see if she was there.

He left his house and headed for the garden. The sky was still light, but something in the air made him feel uneasy. As he walked, he met another gardener.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The master ordered everyone to go to the gate to greet the young master."

"Oh, I see. Maybe I'll find my mother there," Ares replied, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

When he reached the gates, he found all the servants gathered. His eyes searched the crowd frantically, looking for his mother, but she wasn't there. His anxiety grew. "Mom, where are you?" he asked himself, clenching his fists. His mind was full of questions as the calm scene around him felt distant and unreal.

In front of the gates, the master of the Asteris family, his wife, and Leophold were greeting guests. The crowd applauded, and many looked at the family with admiration, as if they were surrounded by an aura of perfection. Following the gaze of the others, Ares spotted Leophold standing next to his parents. His mother, a thirty-year-old woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes, and his father, a man with white hair and eyes as blue as his son's, both seemed to shine in the crowd.

Leophold, with a quick and furtive glance, searched for Ares. When their eyes met, Leophold winked at him, their secret greeting for when they couldn't speak openly. Ares smiled faintly, but his heart was still heavy. He couldn't focus. He needed to find his mother.

Thirty minutes passed, but his discomfort didn't fade. The crowd grew larger, and the news that Leophold was going to the Imperial Academy had attracted nobles and influential citizens. They all gathered to congratulate the Asteris family, knowing that with Leophold's bright future, they could never afford to be on bad terms with them.

Suddenly, a murmur spread through the crowd.

"Hey! Look, someone is flying!"

Everyone looked up at the sky. A man, wrapped in a shiny white tunic, was slowly descending from above, as if suspended between the sky and the earth. The sunlight reflected off his clothes, making him look almost divine. His arrival broke the silence, creating a palpable tension. The crowd, in disbelief, whispered to each other, but their words couldn't describe what they were seeing.

"Who is he?" asked a trembling voice.

The man landed gracefully in front of the gates. His movements were smooth, as if the air itself bent to his will. His presence was so powerful that the murmur of the crowd turned into complete silence, and everyone held their breath. Every gesture of his seemed to radiate power, as if his very existence called to the mystery. There were no words to describe this man, but one thing was clear: his appearance was not a coincidence. His energy and status were undeniable, as if he came from another world.