Father's Knowledge

Mother didn't urge me to train that day, which allowed me to nag my father about his past. He told me about the Northern War that happened before my birth. How they fought Eterians and Furians, as well as a few other races. How father and his friends defeated them, and freed the Furians from Eterians' control. The more he told me, the more difficult their lives seemed. Their relationship would be considered forbidden, from a Human point of view. Father wasn't like that though, he loved mother even if she was pure Furian.

"Did you guys meet during that war then?", I asked. "No sweetheart. Me and your father met a very long time ago. Even back then he was a glutton", mother replied. "Yea, I probably appeared very threatening back then. I had my reasons, but yea. We know each other for almost thirty years", father added. He then narrated a few other stories of his distant past.

Him being a slave, or being chased by Humans and even losing his arm. 'To think I complained when mom was a bit strict… Just what did he have to go through in his life?', I asked myself. He didn't complain when speaking of his past, he smiled instead. When he finished narrating the last story, I hugged him and apologised. I was angry at him because he left us, but he didn't do it on purpose. My father's past was… unlucky. He went through a lot, and learned even more. My little complaints here and there, all of them seemed like a rock in a sea. This made me feel bad.

"Anna, my daughter…", father said while caressing my head. "I can see how much you needed a father in your life. You convinced yourself that somehow this was your fault… Hehe, seems like our family likes to have it tough, eh? Me having a tough past. Your mother lived in a Human Empire, while being half Furian. Then there's you, growing up without your father. We are all here now, so let's be happy not sad", he added while hugging me and mother. '...I never truly hated him, I just wanted him to be around… I can finally let go of those feelings...', I said to myself while looking at my parents. "Hehe, our Anna is finally at peace. I know you never hated me, your eyes longed for a father", he said.

"You… can you read minds or something?", I asked, surprised. "No dear, he simply knows Humans and their emotions inside out… Or rather any being's emotions. Your eyes tell him the whole story, even though you said nothing. He sometimes knows too much", mother explained. 'That's basically reading someone's mind... right?', I asked myself. "Fox, don't make a freak out of me. Anyway, let's stop here for today. Why don't you tell me some of your stories tomorrow? So far, you only heard dad's experience. I'd like to hear yours", father proposed. "Sure, I can tell you now though. It's not that late yet, we can stay for a bit longer", I replied. To my surprise, mother liked father's idea a lot. She told me he was tired and whatnot, but I didn't buy it.

Both of them were acting a bit weird, then it dawned on me. "...Do you guys want to be alone?", I asked suspiciously. "What are you talking about, sweetie? It's getting late, you have to train tomorrow", mother replied. Her fake smile was obvious to me, she was lying. "I knew it… We lived together for sixteen years, such a fake smile will not work on me. You want to be alone with father, right?", I said.

"Well I gotta say, she outplayed you. Anyway, I'm tired from the journey, so no more stories today. I'm not going anywhere Anna, we can talk more tomorrow", father said while standing up and grabbing mother into his arms. "You guys are impossible!", I exclaimed before running to my room. I knew what they were about to do, I wasn't stupid. Dawn and Tara already told me about it. Besides, the romance books also described some of those things. They were husband and wife after all. This wouldn't be weird at all, especially since they were apart for many years.

When my thoughts arrived at that point, my face turned beet red. 'No, no, I need to go to sleep. I want nothing to do with anything like that', I said to myself before jumping into my bed. I tried really hard to fall asleep, but my thoughts wouldn't give up that easily. Time slowly passed, while I listened for whatever reason. No matter how quiet it was and how attentively I listened, nothing happened. 'Maybe they really went to sleep?', I asked myself.

This wouldn't let me sleep, no matter how much I tried. 'I'll just get some water from the kitchen… Yea, I'm thirsty', I tried to deceive myself. Once outside my room, my behaviour was akin to a thief in the night. All was fine, but my parents' bedroom was across the house. Creeping slowly through the corridor, I arrived at the kitchen.

'There are no sounds… This should be enough, right?', I asked myself while looking at the corridor leading to my parents' bedroom. My curiosity made my body move towards their room. There was a faint sound of breathing, then a louder snore. 'I mean, they are like fifty years old. Perhaps they don't think about such things anymore. What was I thinking anyway?', I thought while scratching my head. Since nothing was going on, I returned to my bed and finally fell asleep.

Next morning though, some kind of loud noise woke me up. "What the…?", I asked myself half asleep. The sound of sawing and chopping came from outside, it was really annoying. An even more bizarre sight appeared in front of me, once I left the house. "What are you doing so early in the morning?", I asked my father. He was cutting logs, making planks and whatnot. "Good morning, Anna. Did you sleep well?", he asked instead. "I'd prefer to sleep a bit more, but whatever. Again, what are you doing?", I replied. "Oh, I'm building a workshop for myself. There are a few other things I'll have to make, like a new garden", he replied. 'A workshop? Why the hell does he need that exactly?', I asked myself, but then recalled what master Ama said, 'Oh right, she did mention working with dad. I guess he is a craftsman then'.

"I saw the Taurus in that shed over there. It's yours, right?", he asked. "Ha! Of course he is. My Turry is the best and fastest Taurus out there. No one can win against him… At least no other Taurus", I replied while taking a look at sleeping Frosty. 'I wonder what he eats though… Hopefully not my Turry. Still, I'm surprised he can just sleep through this commotion', I thought. "By the way, where is mom?", I inquired since she wasn't around. "She's still asleep. Let her rest a bit more", father replied.

I wasn't sure how she was able to sleep through that either, but decided not to question that. "You must be hungry then. Since mom is still asleep, I can make breakfast instead", I proposed. "Oh, little Anna can cook? You will be a great wife one day", father said with a smile. I ran back to the house, as my face was turning red once more. He liked to eat a lot, therefore my plan was to cook loads.

While cooking, mother finally woke up. Moreover, she wore the same fancy dress from a few years back. The one she wore during our trip to the Land of Sands. "Mom, why are you wearing that dress?", I asked with my eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? It's just an old dress", she replied with a smile. 'Yea, sure… You obviously want to impress father', I thought. "Anyway, the breakfast is almost ready", I added.

"Mommy was a bit tired. I'm sorry you had to make breakfast", she apologised. "Oh? Is that so? You should take better care of yourself. You guys are not that young anymore", I replied. Mother's intense gaze felt like burning on my back, but I focused on the stove instead of facing her. "Dad! The breakfast is ready!", I shouted as soon as the last dish was done. "You guys... I don't have to eat that much, you know?", he replied while looking at the amount. Before sitting down though, he grabbed mother, kissed her then complimented her dress. 'I knew it!', I exclaimed to myself. "Pak! Here's your breakfast, dad", I said placing a plate atop the table. He laughed but didn't comment.

Even though father said he didn't have to eat that much, he ate everything anyway. "Thank you for cooking, sweetie. I will take care of the dishes. You can go outside and test your strength. I'm sure you will be surprised", mother said. She was right about that. I broke past my limits, which meant my body had to be stronger. "Dad, how about we spar together?", I proposed. He thought about it for a while, "Alright, let's go outside". After drawing my sword and taking a stance, I await for my father to unsheathe his weapon. "... You are not going to take out your weapon?", I asked after a while. "Do you really think I need a weapon?", he replied with a question.

'… Perhaps that was a stupid question. He's stronger than mom after all', I thought. "That attacking stance isn't bad. Who taught you about swords?", father asked suddenly. "Eh? Oh, uncle Harlin did. Did you learn the sword too?", I replied. "Who knows", he said teasingly. "Hmph!", I snorted before attacking.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...", my attacks flew at him, but none of them hit. Father didn't even move, he just stood there motionless. "Look at our daughter fighting", father's voice came from behind. That was impossible, because he was right in front of me. Taking a look behind, father was there, no less standing with my mother next to him. That was impossible, since he was also in front of me. "Ther… There are two of you?", I mumbled, shocked. "No Anna, your opponent is an illusion. Yes, your father can make illusions, and no, he isn't Eterian", mother explained.

'Just who the hell is my father?', this question didn't seem so simple to answer anymore. "Anna, my illusions are not… usual", my real father said. Just when he said that, something slammed into my stomach. "Bam!", "Gah!", the illusion punched me. The force behind that strike wasn't small either. "Cough… Cough… How can an illusion attack!?", I exclaimed, confused.

"That is because this is an Art, and I'm the master of that Art", father explained. "An Art? Stuff like paintings and sculptures?", I asked, unsure what he meant exactly. "No Anna. These are deadly Arts. The ultimate techniques developed by Humans, or rather this Art was developed by a Furian", he added. 'By a Furian?...', me being surprised wouldn't be such a huge thing, but mother was even more surprised. "You see, Arien Nightgale who pioneered this Art, was not a Human but a Furian", he explained.

I could see the change in my mother's expression. She became even more shocked, when father mentioned that name. "You said Nightgale, right? That… That's my mother's last name", she said. "I know. Your mother, well she was a leader of Furians. You probably learned about that already, but Furians listened to you back then because you are the descendant of a strong bloodline", father said. Mother was really stunned, but father wasn't done yet.

"Do you know why your eyes look like that?", he asked. She shook her head in reply. "That's because you have an affinity toward the Moon. Did you ever stare at it during the night?". Mother gasped while nodding. "That is why you have such eyes. Your ancestors loved the Moon. Furians' eyes look like that, because of the techniques they developed. The time slowly passed, and this became your bloodline, passed on to all Furians. Though not equally", father explained.

"What do you mean?", I asked. "Your mother's bloodline is stronger than others, because of her mother. The whiter and more defined her eye are, the purer her bloodline is. If your grandma chose a Furian as her partner, your mother's eyes would be even purer. Of course, you inherited some of that, but not to the degree your mother did", he replied, then took out something from his storage item. "This book contains a lot of ancestral knowledge of Furians. There are a few techniques written in there too. This is a translated copy, so you should have no issues reading it. Here, this book is yours now. I'll also help you purify…" before he could finish, mother hugged him with tears in her eyes.

The more I learned about my father, the more questions appeared in my mind. "Anna, you also have your mother's eyes. Though, they are a bit special. You inherited your mother's bloodline, but also mine", he told me. "What do you mean?", I asked, unsure. "Your irises are not white or grey, they are red. Your eyes change, when you are angry. This awakens your mother's bloodline, but also the anger dwelling inside you. Hence you need to be angry, before these eyes can appear. I will teach you how to control it later, but it's not going to be easy", father explained.

He was right. My view of the world changed when my anger exploded. Everything became red and black, in a strange kind of way. This didn't obstruct my ability to move about, nor see the objects or people. "... Dad, just how many things do you know?", I asked quietly. "Hmmm, I'd say a few. If you live as long as we do, you'll figure some things out too", he replied with a smile. Somehow, I had my doubts about that.