It Runs In The Family

Time passed by in this manner and Jason got more familiar with his family.

Ray and Zara had left the manor three years ago, three months after his mother had gotten pregnant. Although they stayed in contact, they didn't communicate much.

Zara too had gotten pregnant shortly after, however, it turned out that she wasn't a human. Zara was a demi-human and her pregnancy lasted for an entire year making Nora six months younger than him.

Jason hadn't been told about it directly and instead heard it in the passing conversation.

Nora on the other hand slowly opened up to the new environment and the three new people he met.

Mostly, he would trail behind Jason to see what his big brother was doing.

Jason wasn't too worried about Nora following him as he was harmless in every single way possible. However, he was salty about the fact that Nora could talk and had started walking earlier than him.

"Demi-humans develop a bit faster than us normal humans. If human babies start walking once they turn a year old, demi-human babies start walking when they are 6 to 8 months old.

If human babies start speaking meaningfully while at least two years old, demi-human babies can speak while being one year and four months or so."

After Risa's explanation, Jason wondered what else could Nora do faster than him. Risa however said that these differences only lasted till they turned five.

In this manner, Jason's third birthday came and went by.

Although he no longer got any points from drinking milk, the system reassured him that there would be more quests that would allow him to do so.

[ Just wait patiently. It's not like you are dying now. ]

'I might have cancer or something else so I have no idea.'

[ ..… ]

—

2 YEARS LATER

—

So today is the day you get to see what kind of affinity you have?" Nora asked in an excited voice as he and Jason were seated side by side at the dining table.

"Mhm."

Jason currently had a pastry stuffed in his mouth and could barely talk. Nora facepalmed at his big brother's actions as he waited for him to finish eating.

"Well, my birthday starts when the clock hits midnight so that will happen in two hours," Jason replied as he stood up and took his plate to the kitchen before putting it down in the sink. "So yeah."

In comparison to Jason's attitude, Nora was the one who looked more excited. He was genuinely waiting to see what his big brother would get since he was a half-demon.

"Nora, your birthday is still six months away. Save some excitement for it." Zara called out with a smile as she was the one clearing the dishes.

Instead of using her hands, she was just doing everything using her index finger and wind element. The wind would easily clean the dirty dishes while Zara would heat it up to kill any germs growing on them.

Compared to what Jason had expected, his new world was more modern in regards to things like germs, infections, etc. Though due to magic, the concept of science wasn't as researched, so it was less advanced.

[ Do you want to make a bet with me host? ]

The system's voice echoed inside Jason's head as he went back and sat at the table. Issac, Ray, and Risa were out hunting to catch beasts to eat and fish to catch.

Nighttime was good for hunting since many beasts expected humans to not enter the forest but that's when the trio planned to strike.

The person staying back would change every week, that is the one babysitting the kids would change every week. If not, the one doing it would have been bored to death.

'Depends on what the bet is.'

[ Let's bet whether you get one of the four basic elements. I bet that you will get all four of them. ]

'And here I thought that you knew about that.'

[ Of course I don't know about that. ]

'So much for an all knowing system.' Jason replied while smiling as the system politely decided to ignore his reply.

Neither of the two knew much about the elements or magic except for the things Issac had taught them.

There were four basic elements that almost every person with mana could use for small tasks like lighting a fire or watering the plants.

They were none other than fire, water, wind, and earth. Both Jason and the system knew that there would be other elements and had a few ideas about them too.

But since they didn't have any confirmation, they decided to keep their ideas to themselves.

At five years of age, a person got to know what element they had an affinity with and could use skills and spells of.

'Then I bet against you. If you lose, I get ten system points.'

[ Challenge accepted. ]

< A new quest has been generated! >

---

< A Normal Bet >

- The system and host have a bet with the system being in favor of the bet and the host being opposite of it.

Reward: 10 system points

Penalty: The system's voice will sound as though it's coming from a loudspeaker for an hour.

Time limit: none

---

'That's an overkill for a penalty.' Jason thought while accepting the quest.

He then started talking with Nora about what they would do after unlocking their elements and how they would use them.

Soon enough, the members of the Syrward family came back and sat on the dining table to eat.

For an hour, the entire family sat together at the table and ate their food.

"In exactly an hour, you'll be five years old Jason. Most people only awaken their mana at this age and get to know the element of their mana," Issac paused to look at Jason's face to see that he was listening attentively.

"But you already developed yours when you were born so you will only unlock your affinity. In the morning, I will explain everything you need to know about the elements."

"I will be waiting then," Jason replied.

The family continued to talk idly yet none of them seemed interested in the topics they were talking about.

Their attention was instead focused on when the clock that hung a few meters away would strike midnight.

Surprisingly, the calendar and time worked almost the same way as that on Earth. The only difference being the months named differently and leap years not existing.

Ten minutes before midnight, the four adults of the family stood up and looked at Jason.

"Follow me," Issac said while making his way to a section of the house which Jason and the other family members visited almost every day.

It was the shoe rack at the entrance of the house where all the shoes were kept.

No sooner did everyone arrive than Issac pushed the shoe rack away with his hands and the wooden object complied easily.

Isaac then went down and lifted the carpet to look at the wooden floor.

"Open," Issac muttered while lifting his right thumb to his mouth and biting it.

He then dropped his red blood down on the wooden floor and the entire house started to shake.

A few minutes later, a shining metal door about ten feet big appeared in the place where the rack had been.

Issac bent down to pull the metal door open by its handle. It went down to reveal a set of stairs.

The stairs led to the basement where he had been born. It was also the same place where he had met his mother for the first time only to never see her again.

Jason tore his gaze away from the basement and instead looked at the blue pendant hanging down his neck.

That was the only thing he had received from her. No photo of his father or mother was present in the house yet he knew that photos did exist.

[ I guess I will add that to the list of things you will do. Meet your parents. ]

'You forgot that my father is dead?'

[ Pfft. After reading that many novels, you should at least know that the dead aren't dead half the time. ]

'Whatever…'

Jason then turned his gaze up to look at Issac who had a smile back on his face.

"Sooo, I guess all of you know what is going to happen next?" He asked, his smile converting into a devilish grin.

"All four basic elements." Zara declared while looking at Jason.

"Nah, he will have lightning, wind, and maybe a light element." Ray countered as he too stared at Jason.

The young boy wondered why his elements that were yet to be unlocked were being discussed by all of them.

"We are betting to guess your element or elements. The one who is the most far off will have to look after both of you for a month," Risa explained to the kids before placing her bet. "Lightning element only but a perfect grade one."

Jason didn't know what to say as he looked at Issac, the only one who hadn't betted yet.

"Don't give us that look. Gambling is fun and it runs in the family so you might get this urge in the future too," Issac said only to see both of his grandsons along with the other three giving him judging looks. "Also, my bet is thunder."

""As if!""

Zara, Ray, and Risa chorused, making Issac chuckle. He just gave them a 'You will see' look before bending down and sitting on his knees.

He placed a hand on Jason's shoulder before staring into his eyes with seriousness.

"You better not make me lose or…"