Growing Guilt Part I
Inside Arias’ room, the young man was asleep on the soft white bed. He was tired after last night when he was busy practicing his combat skills. The whisper of the wind that grazed his ears as he moved, the stench of the blood of the beasts that he had slaughtered, everything was still engraved in his memory. It seemed like luck was on his side last night as Arias finally found what he was looking for: a big great boar with white and brown fur. It may look like a half-witted wild animal, but it was a mid-level beast. A striped boar might be quite slow and rather stupid, but its defensive power was strong. It took him quite a lot of effort to beat the creature, and Arias still had a green bruise on his side that he got from when the boar charged at him.
“Arias, wake up. It’s very late now, dear. People are waiting for you.”
A knock on the door came from outside of the room and a familiar voice woke Arias up from his slumber. He slowly got out of bed, still drowsy. This voice belonged to Maria who often came to wake him up so Arias could eat breakfast together with her and Albert. Arias was not very thrilled about it at first, being woken up this way. But as time went by, it became a part of his routine and he had already gotten used to it.
Looking back to the past when he was still a mage named Tanos, he never ate a single meal with his family when he was young. There was no voice telling him to wake up, no eating a nice meal that had been prepared until all he needed to do was just put the food into his mouth. Back then, it was only the call of death and danger closing in on him that always woke him up from his sleep. As for food, he could say that there was hardly any day that he could have a proper meal like other kids his age. The hunger he felt back then drove him into doing anything including stealing scraps of food from others. That was right, just the scraps. If he did not count those evil cousins of his and the fiancée who resented him so much it made him feel repulsed by her, this life that he had now seemed to be a whole lot better than the previous one.
“No more knocking, Mother. I’m awake. Give me a moment to get dressed and I’ll be right down.”
Arias shouted back in response so the one who kept knocking on his brown wooden door would know that he was awake. As he stepped down from the bed, he could feel that his body was still tired. It only took a while for Arias to change his clothes. After that, he went down to the dining room.
“It’s bad manners keeping your elders waiting. Haven’t anyone taught you that, Arias?”
A harsh voice said, full of criticisms. It came from a middle-aged man who sat opposite Maria and Albert. While the words seemed like a reprimand meant for Arias, a part of it was meant as an insult to his parents as well. The two young men sitting beside the middle-aged man chuckled. Maria and Albert glared at Merson in irritation, seemingly displeased by his words.
Arias, however, was completely unfazed by it. He let it go like it was the sound of wind blowing past his ears. It was nothing of importance. The only thing that surprised him was today’s morning situation which was different from any other morning. His eyes darted around to inspect the pure white dining table that was made from marble and was beautifully carved with a look of surprise. On any other day, Albert and Maria would be the only people sitting here and waiting to have breakfast with him. Aside from them, there would just be a few servants waiting around in case they need anything. Today, however, there were four more people joining them. At the end of the table was Farhan who sat there waiting with a stoic expression. Opposite of Arias’ parents were Merson and his two sons who were staring at him with disdainful eyes. Beside the dining table stood Kanl, the family butler who took on the duty of supervising the servants himself.
“Is there something wrong, Mother?”
Arias asked in a soft whispering voice as he sat down on the chair next to his mother.
“Shush…or you’ll get scolded by your grandfather too.”
Maria raised her index finger to her lips and softly told Arias not to ask any further. Arias could only remain quiet and kept the question he had to himself. The last time he saw his grandfather, it was when the Hobson had come to talk about the annulment of Arias and Sophiar’s engagement. This time, it seemed like Farhan had an important matter to announce as well, or else he would not have called everyone in the family to gather together like this.
A moment later, dozens of dishes and desserts were brought out and set down beautifully. The dining table was engulfed by the nice aroma of the golden roasted chicken carefully made by the family’s top-level chef. There was a beef stew that had been braised until it had a wonderful flavor, fruits that had just turned ripe and were perfect for eating, and other dishes that could be picked to their liking. The sight of this alone was mouthwatering.
“Now, the reason I asked for all of you is that I have important news to let you know.”
After everyone had finished the meal, Farhan began to explain the reason why he called everyone in the family here.
‘Finally, the main topic,’ Arias thought.
“Is this about the Tournament?”
Mashelle blurted out before he could stop himself. His voice was not very loud, but it was loud enough for everyone sitting at the table to hear. It made Merson turn to glare at his son with a scolding look.
“Seems like some of you already know about this. In three months, the Hargen will be holding a tournament at the fighting arena inside the city. Every youth below the age of twenty can participate in this Tournament. The first-place winner will be rewarded with the Black Burn Armor, and the rest of the winners will be rewarded accordingly. This year, the gate to the Land of the Heavenly will be opened. The first to ninth-place winners would get to enter the Land of the Heavenly.”