3 Leaving Home

A carriage could be heard approaching the Nightshade Household. The ground felt like it was shaking from the stomps of the two white stallions pulling the carriage. The carriage was a dark red colour, slightly darker than royal red but not quite as dark as black. There were bronze, almost golden, trimmings on the exterior of the carriage. Even the carriage driver, a middle aged man with greying hair, was dressed in shining white. This was how Tomas was. Luxurious in everything he did.

Before the carriage could reach the Nightshade mansion, the youthful cries of a young man could be heard, "Lucian! Lucian! Are you ready yet? Lucian!" If one looked at the carriage it would be possible to see the upper body of a boy protruding through the roof of the carriage. This was Tomas. His hand was waving through the air as he shouted. His waist-length red hair blowing behind him as the carriage sped forward. It was wondrous how Tomas had yet to hurt himself as yet.

The carriage slowed to a halt inside the cobblestone courtyard of the mansion and Tomas leaped out of the carriage with more enthusiasm than seemed necessary. "Finally some fresh air," exclaimed Tomas as he laughed. The courtyard was surrounded by luscious green tress and colourful flower bushes, creating the feeling of an everlasting spring. Tomas was wearing blue clothes, clearly made of fine fabric, which created such a strong contrast with his hair that Tomas almost appeared more mature.

A slight cough was heard from the carriage as a middle aged man adorned in all black attire stepped out of the carriage. "Ah Tomas, as I recall, your head was in the 'fresh air' for most the journey," said the man with a smile.

Tomas' face reddened in embarrassment. Trying to wear a fierce glare Tomas looked at the man, "I still don't know why you're here with me, Uncle." Yes uncle, this man who appeared no more than a few years older than Tomas was actually his uncle Rob. The youngest brother of Tomas' father, Glenn Davidson.

"Why don't we wait for Lucian before I explain?" Although Rob had phrased his words as a question, Tomas knew it was more of a command. There was no point for Tomas to persist as once Rob made up his mind, he would rarely change it.

Lucian walked through the front door with a few bags in hand, obviously containing clothes and other personal belongings. Lucian wore his knee-length black coat, which he never thought was too warm for a hot day, and tight black pants. He was followed closely by his mother and father, with his sister trailing not too far behind.

Anna wore a bright yellow sundress that looked like it came from a fairy tale. Anna looked every bit as stunning as their mother did at her age, perhaps surpassing her mom's beauty in some ways. Lucian greeted the pair with excitement. Tomas greeted the parents with a familiarity of a family member, "Hello Uncle John, Aunt Dani!" It wouldn't be incorrect to say they wouldn't be family soon anyway. Anna and Rob were to be engaged in the near future. The couple were already in each other's arms by the time Tomas had said is greetings.

Lucian had been curious about Rob's appearance and finally decided to act on his curiosity, "Rob, are you coming to Elfin with Tomas and I?" As far as Lucian had known, only those under twenty years old were admitted into the colleges. Rob was too old to be allowed anywhere near an institute. At Lucian's question, Tomas expectantly looked over at Rob.

"No, I'll just be travelling with you both until the Air Bridge. Father sent me on special business for him, so I won't be in your hair long," he said with a grin. The four bridges connecting the four kingdoms where each named after an element. Air between Elfin and Bellare. Water between Bellare and Ravanna. Fire between Ravanna and Phoenix. Earth between Phoenix and Elfin.

"Oh I see," said Lucian," besides, we wouldn't mind even if you were stuck with us for the whole journey." After a brief pause Lucian finally said," I think we should leave now, so we get to the next town before nightfall." Lucian didn't want to leave his family so soon, but it was more a matter of safety now. It wasn't safe beyond the walls after dark. Actually, it's never safe beyond the walls.

"You're right," Johnathon said. Rob's and Tomas' agreement was expressed in the form of silence. "Here," John said as he handed Lucian a ring, "it's a storage ring. The storage space is only two cubic meters, but that should be enough for now. You just have to send your will into the ring to access the space within."

"Thank you Father, this must be worth quite a lot. I really appreciate it," Lucian slipped the ring onto his right hand's index finger while thanking his father.

"Honestly, it's more common than you think. I've heard the storage space of some of the rings can reach a thousand cubic meters, but I think that's just a myth," John once again had a little grin on his face, but it wasn't difficult for Lucian to see that under the veil of toughness, his father felt anxious about his departure. He knew there was nothing he could say to ease the thoughts of his family, after all, nothing is certain. Lucian could only muster a small smirk at that thought.

Next, Lucian turned towards his sister whom jumped into his arms for a good few seconds. However it didn't feel long to either of them, the goodbyes were happening so very quickly. Anna gripped his shoulders with her hands while staring into his eyes intently. "You'd better be careful, if anything happens to you, I'll kill you myself," she said with a bitter smile. "Seriously though, be careful." Anna then pulled into a hug once more.

"I will Anna, don't worry about me too much," he gently spoke into her ear but just loud enough for everyone to hear, "you always told me I was destined for greatness, how can I die without making you all proud first." Lucian could see the glistening of Anna's eyes. She was trying her best to hold back tears.

Finally he looked at his mom. She appeared to be strong, but Lucian knew it was just a façade. His mom was most likely the one most concerned at that moment. She had told him a dozen and more times that no matter how big Lucian was, he would still be her baby. That is just how motherly love is. "Lucian you should know all the rules by now. Remember not to talk to strange-, "but Daniella was interrupted by Lucian's soft words, "I'm not a little boy anymore, ill manage just fine mom."

Dani drew in a deep breath, "I know. I just forget sometimes." Her nose was slightly red and her voice flooded by a tinge of embarrassment. "Then I suppose the best advice I can give you is not to trust people to easily, I know you may not think people have a reason to harm any of you but you might be unpleasantly surprised. Make sure you call me every once in a while. I hope you won't forget about us the moment you leave."

"Don't worry. I would never be able to forget my home even If I wanted to. Love you mom, dad. You too Anna." After last minute hugs, Lucian followed Tomas and Rob into the carriage. The step was unusually high for a carriage so Lucian had to put slight effort into jumping aboard the carriage. Lucian looked back once more at his family before shutting the carriage door with a bang. With that the carriage set off. Leaving was necessary.

The inside of the carriage was equally red as the outside. The colour on the inside was milder than the exterior, even if by just a few shades, it gave the interior of the carriage a warm and peaceful feeling compared to the blood rush one felt looking at the carriage's shell. Pulling aside the small curtain covering the window at the back of the carriage, Lucian peered outside for one last look of the Nightshade mansion that he would see for many years. He could see the brick buildings and the colourful fauna fading away as the carriage moved. He was finally on his way. A large sigh escaped Lucian's parted lips.

"You okay Lucian?" asked Tomas, "I thought you would be more excited."

"I'm fine Tomas, just burning the image into my mind." Lucian still stared out the window, even though his home had already vanished.