11 A beautiful day

Asterios woke up early with sunlight streaming through the window and bathing his face. The girl who had sneaked into his room the night before was already gone, and he was alone in his bed again. He sighed heavily and got up. After that, he washed his face in a bathroom connected to his room by a simple door, took a shower, and dressed in comfortable clothes before heading to the castle's dining hall.

His steps were slow and steady as he entered the modest room where employees and servants ate. His father never used the lord's dining hall, with rare exceptions when some noble or influential figure visited them, so he usually ate here, where he was pampered and well taken care of by all the castle's maids.

"Welcome, young master Asterios!" a female voice was heard as Asterios walked through the dining hall door. She was a woman of simple appearance, with black hair tied up in a bun and beautiful amber eyes that reminded him a little of Anna's.

That woman was the castle's governess and Anna's mother. Although there were many capable servants to do this, she insisted on personally taking care of Asterios' meals.

"Ah... Hi, good morning, Mrs. Anastasia," Asterios replied before asking, "What's for breakfast today?"

"Pumpkin soup with shrimp, your favorite!" Anastasia exclaimed, as she put some soup on a glass plate and carried it to the table where Asterios had already sat. She placed the plate full of steaming soup and a spoon with a sweet smile on her face.

After that, she returned to the table, where she picked up a jug full of apple juice and left it in front of Asterios, along with a silver cup.

"Enjoy your meal!" she exclaimed with a soft and lively voice before returning to clean the stove where she was cooking.

"Thank you very much..." Asterios thanked her before taking a generous spoonful of soup and putting it in his mouth. The taste was light and balanced. The sweetness of the pumpkin combined with the salty, sea-like taste of the shrimp brought a unique and pleasant flavor. Its texture was smooth and creamy, making the recipe even more delicious.

After getting up, he thanked Anastasia before walking towards the door of the room.

"Anna said she wanted to see you, she must be in the garden," Anastasia's voice sounded behind him just before he left the room.

"Thank you," he thanked her again before leaving the room. He was in a hurry to see Erik and continue his training, but knowing that the black-haired girl wouldn't call him if it wasn't something important, he decided to see her first.

Soon, he found himself walking through the beautiful castle garden, scanning his gaze over all areas in search of Anna. "Asterios! Over here!" He heard a girl's voice in the distance. Turning his face to the side, he saw Anna approaching, dressed in a beautiful white dress with red roses printed on it. In her arms, she carried a small and elegant black bag.

"Hi Anna, what did you want with me?" Asterios asked.

"Ah... Mr. Erik asked me to let you know that he has some things to take care of with your father and won't be able to give you lessons today," she replied as she stopped in front of Asterios, a shy smile on her beautiful face.

"Oh... I see. Thanks for letting me know," Asterios spoke with a disheartened voice. Soon, as he began to think about training alone, he heard the little girl's voice again.

"There's a new creation from the central continent. They say it's called ice cream, it's sweet and really tasty! Do you want to come with me to try it? They're serving it at Mr. Garik's restaurant."

"Hm... sure," Asterios replied after a brief pause. He had already heard some news about this "ice cream" and was excited to try it.

"Then let's go!" Anna exclaimed and grabbed Asterios' hands, dragging him towards the exit of the castle. Soon, they arrived at the restaurant, a two-story building, painted entirely in black and gold, giving it an air of luxury and nobility.

The restaurant was not yet open, and there was a long line next to the restaurant doors of people excited to try this new culinary creation. But Asterios didn't have to worry about that. Grabbing the little girl's hand, he passed the line and walked directly to the front door of the restaurant.

The guards responsible for preventing any joker who tried to sneak by greeted them with respect before opening the door, a gentle smile on their faces as they observed the two young ones.

It was a lovely sight: an 8-year-old boy, 1.40 meters tall, walking hand in hand with a 14-year-old girl, 1.60 meters tall, as if they were a young couple.

Upon noticing their two visitors, Garik, a tall man with red hair, smiled slowly before walking towards them. "Young Master Asterios! Miss Anna! Have you come to taste some ice cream?"

"Yes, Mr. Garik, do you have something ready?" Anna replied politely while Asterios watched silently.

Garik laughed again and pointed towards a table. "Please, sit down. I will go to the kitchen to get some for you."

Soon, he returned from the kitchen and placed two bowls with a creamy and white mass in front of Asterios and Anna, along with a small silver spoon in each bowl. Neither of the young ones hesitated. Taken by the sweet aroma, they thanked Garik and began to devour the creamy substance, with a sweet and smooth taste.

Asterios had the same indifferent expression as always while eating the ice cream, but his eyes did not lie, dominated by a childish glow as he enjoyed every spoonful.

Anna had a similar glow in her eyes, but she was more interested in watching the little boy eat than actually enjoying the taste of the sweet, a fond smile dominating her face as she observed Asterios' cold yet cute expression.

Soon, they finished eating and left the restaurant after thanking Garik, who didn't even think about charging them and just watched them walk away with an honest smile on his face.

After leaving the restaurant, they continued walking through the city, passing by some clothing stores, going to the docks to watch the ships being unloaded, and even doing a little fishing. Even Asterios' normally cold expression melted as the day went on, smiling timidly as he walked through the city hand in hand with Anna.

"Have you ever climbed the tower of the old mage in Vasbrusk?" asked Asterios, as he looked at the tower that stretched into the horizon.

"Hmm... no, it's usually guarded by soldiers who don't let anyone in," replied Anna, also turning towards the tower.

"Do you want to go there? I don't think anyone will stop me from entering," Asterios asked again.

"I do!" exclaimed Anna. The tower of the old mage had always been a great mystery to everyone in the city, both children, teenagers, and adults. Everyone was curious about what the old mage hid so important inside the tower.

Hearing the girl's response, Asterios quickened his pace, and soon they arrived in front of the tower. It was a cylindrical stone structure, extending for more than 15 floors. It was the tallest building in all of Vasbrusk, with a few small round windows, most closed by powerful iron grates, with a single access door constantly guarded by two sentinels.

This was the dwelling of an ancient and powerful mage who had lived in Vasbrusk for many years but had died during the War of Arthemis.

Since then, the building had been closed, and no one entered without permission from the lord of the city.

Naturally, Asterios did not need to worry about that.

When the sentinels saw him, they immediately greeted them and opened the door, not even questioning why the little boy was there.

In fact, he was a frequent visitor to that place, and they were already accustomed to seeing him enter and leave the building from time to time.

Entering the great tower, they came face to face with a large hall, crowded with books as far as the eye could see.

In the corners of the room, there were two spiral staircases leading to the upper floors. They then took one of the stairs and ascended slowly, but Anna's excitement slowly subsided as all she noticed in the many upper rooms were books and more books, without magical weapons or shiny trinkets, just a sea of thousands of books.

"Come with me," exclaimed Asterios when they finally reached the top floor. That was a different kind of room, completely open on its walls, sustained only by four pillars on each corner.

There was a large and luxurious bed in the center of the room and, to the west, there were some chairs that could be used to watch the sunset. It was in that direction that Asterios pulled Anna.

It was already late and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, while the sky slowly changed color. A soft pink light illuminated the large clouds that stretched across the sky. It was a sweet feeling to watch as the dull white clouds gained vivid colors, and the sun was slowly taken over by a bright golden and then a soft red that slowly faded into the horizon.

Enjoying all that beauty, with Anna sitting by his side, the little boy finally gathered the courage and spoke: "You've been acting weird from yesterday to today..."

Anna didn't immediately answer him. Her face was melancholic and had a certain feeling of loss. When she finally spoke, she asked, "Have you ever heard of the magic school in Ashadia?"

"Yes..." Asterios answered straightforwardly. In his heart, he could already imagine what she would say next.

"Your father gave me a recommendation letter, and I accepted..." She replied, unable to hold back tears. She continued. "I don't think we'll be able to see each other for a good few years... and I want to make the most of my time with you."

Asterios didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he stood up and hugged her. "It's okay... Don't think too much about it."

Wiping the girl's tears away, he spoke softly as he gazed at her beautiful face. "I want to get stronger too, train, and be powerful enough to protect you and everyone I love..."

"So why don't we make a promise? I'll get strong to protect you, and you get strong to protect me?" He exclaimed. There was a certain sadness in his voice, but he hid it all with a forced smile.

"Okay, I promise I'll get strong too to protect you!" Anna exclaimed, her voice a little more cheerful as she tried to hold back tears.

Asterios didn't answer her, and they just continued to embrace, enjoying the rest of the afternoon until evening.

They were completely oblivious to the fact that a female figure was watching them from a corner of the room with a smile on her face.