22 Unexpected Slumber

Odeti could not hold it in further and exploded into a loud sermon that had Obrecht cowering. Realizing that her Ama had yet again deeply misunderstood, he gave haste to explain, more thoroughly than he had ever done before; like his life depended on it.

Odeti breathed a heavy sigh of relief once Obrecht had finished quelling his Ama's anger. Odeti held her chest while Obrecht wiped away the cold sweat at his brow. That was terrifying, Obrecht thought.

"You said the other person doesn't like you", Odeti asked for clarification, getting back on track on her role as cupid for her son. "Nonsense! How would you know if you don't try, right?"

"But—"

"But what? Why not try to ask for a relationship?"

Having opened to the possibility of liking Videre, Obrecht accepted his Ama's advises and inquires quite easily. He had thought that his Ama would do him no wrong after all. Not to mention that his Ama had far more experience with talks of love than he did.

"I did���, Obrecht confessed.

"You did? And? What did they say?"

"I don't think they liked my offer."

"What do you mean? What did you offer?"

"I asked the other person to marry me but they tried to run away." Obrecht pouted, reverting back to acting like a child.

Odeti laughed a lot. "Oh my, I didn't expect my son to be this… this…" She started laughing a lot again.

Obrecht frowned. "Stop laughing at me", he discontentedly said.

"Sorry, sorry", Odeti laughingly apologized. When her laughter faded, she smiled and patted Obrecht's head. "My son sure has grown up." She directed a proud affectionate at him. "You just have to take your time with them, like how you do with your sword practice at school or with your magic practice with me. You can't just start today and then expect to be an expert swordsman or magician tomorrow. It's like that in the matters of the heart as well. You have to slowly learn about the other person; get to know them, their hobbies, their mannerisms, their likes and dislikes, and their experiences in life. You have to be constantly subtly attacking." Odeti smirked.

"Attacking? Like in practice?" Obrecht listened carefully to his Ama's words like he would to her magic lessons. It should be said that to this day forward, he would start studying hard on how to win Videre's heart, as well as learning the actions of an adult that he could use for masking. He wanted to look cool and composed in front of Videre too, and not completely baffled why the other person started running away at the mention of marriage.

"Not like that kind of attacking. The kind of attacking where you say and use affectionate things to whittle away at their heart; slowly making them think of you more frequently until one day they realize, you're all they think of, and yearn for. That, my son, is how you attack with love."

"Attack with love…." Obrecht committed Odeti's words to memory. He then smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Ama."

"You'd better grab that person quick and bring them home so I can meet them." Odeti patted her son's shoulder blade as she laughed in delight. What unexpectedly delightful news this was! Maybe she was to gain new in-laws soon, and expand the family tree. "Hihi~"

Obrecht grinned. They walked towards the door of their house as Odeti gave more advice to her son. Halvalt turned to their direction and asked, "What took you so long? I thought we were in a hurry?"

Obrecht subtly shook his head, leaving Odeti on the verge of laughing.

"Nothing", Odeti happily said as a faint blush on Obrecht's ears were noticeable. He didn't feel as comfortable telling his Apa that he had someone he liked. It felt entirely different from telling his Ama. He wondered about this too for a short while.

Feelings sure are hard to decipher, Obrecht thought.

They hurried over to the fourth bridge on the left of their home's front door. They crossed over to the other side of the canyon as if it were two building built side by side and connected by numerous bridges in every level. They entered an open stone doorway and into a maze of ups and down before they see a big circular door on the wall.

It was the entrance to the ceremonial hall. Halvalt knocked a pattern to the door and it opened by itself. The inside of the hall was huge that it made one wonder how the people who built it had maintained its structure without letting it collapse, given that there were countless homes that were dug up in the canyon's wall.

"Halvalt, good to see you", a merry voice greeted the new additions to the hall.

"Amos, it's been a while", Halvalt greeted back, nodding at the others who were also walking towards their direction.

"What were you up to these days? I haven't seen you in the last meeting."

"My apologies", Halvalt waves his hand. "Obrecht asked me to craft his self-made sword design instead of asking another sword smith, though I am honored both as a weapon's master and his Apa." Halvalt shows a proud look as if to subtly imply, Did you know, my son designed his own sword?

Amos smirked. "With his Apa as one of the most sought out smiths in Lumea, I don't see why Obrecht wouldn't ask you to craft his sword. Which reminds me, my younger daughter, Vera, asked me to teach her how to shoot arrows recently. I feel so tired thinking how about we just finished talking about how to make them the other day." Amos sighed, hiding the proud gleam in his eyes by looking upwards. How about that! My daughter is a fast learner and a genius!

An invisible rivalry flashed between the eyes of the people.

Odeti ignored them both as it was a usual occurrence, with both families quite close. Odeti glanced at the just-arrived figures of the members of the Batrani, that which governed the city of Lumea.

"Salutari, Kali, Vita, Rohati, Kaivalya, Amisha, Nehal", Odeti greeted the ladies. "Where are Kivn, Sagitta, and the rest? Did you all come here together?"

"Salutari, Odeti. Rohati, Nehal and I came together. We met up with Kaivalya, Kali and Amisha along the way", replied Vita.

"As usual, the males are always so tardy in this types of things", Kali haughtily said, garnering the laughter of the other ladies at her impatience.

"What, do I no longer exist?" Amos raised an eyebrow and silently did a staring competition with Kali.

As the friction between them slowly built up, Ruzha came in together with Mortimer and Otis before Kivn appeared with Sagitta. This completed the attendance of the rest of the Batrani. Laughing and talking together, the governing individuals of Lumea had taken their place at the thirteen points that scattered along a large circular seal. The seal covered almost all of the hall's floor space.

Obrecht was asked to kneel in the middle of the circle. As Halvalt was his parent, he was excluded from staying in his circle and had opted to stand in front of Obrecht's kneeling form, along with Odeti. With Halvalt right hand and Odeti's left hand both holding out the sword, the rest of the Batrani start singing and chanting blessings for the new life Obrecht was to lead. In consideration for his wife, Halvalt slants the sword so that most of the weight ends up on his hand. Odeti gives a small smile as she notices the small things that her husband has done for her.

Thinking of this, Odeti prays to God and Aovialutre that whomever Obrecht loves, will be a person worth of their child, and that her child may be happy and safe in this life.

It has always been seen by Lumeans that the coming of age gave way to a new life that the person must trek. And for this, the Batrani hold ceremonies to let the child obtain the blessings of God and Aovialutre. A mother's prayer can never be belittled.

Once the chants have been finished, Obrecht raised his head and held both hands out. Halvalt unwraps the cloth around the heavy sword. Odeti grabs the scabbard and Halvalt pulls the blade out, the light from the illumination crystals embedded around the hall walls, reflected over the grey penumbra and the black umbra of the sword.

"May your heart never falter, your body always strong, and your mind continuously getting sharper." Halvalt wished for his son, placing the heavy sword on his open hands. "May God guide happiness and peace into your life."

Obrecht almost let out a grunt at the sheer weight of the sword. Halvalt's smirk grew larger upon seeing it. Sure enough, his son had a long road ahead of him.

Odeti moved forward to gently ruffle the hair of her child. "May you find what you seek, and be sought by what you need. May Aovialutre bless you with love and health so that you may lead a life full of contentedness and gratitude." She leaned down to kiss Obrecht's forehead, her hair falling to the side of Obrecht's face as she did so.

Obrecht scrunches up his nose a bit at the itchiness brought about by his Ama's hair. Odeti sees this and suppresses the laughter bubbling in her throat.

The circular seal grows bright blue and a small rune appears on Obrecht's forehead and somewhere near the hilt of his sword, as a sign of blessing from Aovialutre. All who are deemed worthy are blessed by Aovialutre.

And with that, Obrecht's coming of age ceremony ends. After saying his farewells to the Batrani and his parents, he dashed to the canyon grounds, the blue glare of light shining at the entry way. He didn't bother to run to the bridge this time, he straightforwardly jumped just as he yelled warnings to the people below.

Landing on his feet, and then leaning forward to roll forward and then using that momentum to run, those who saw Obrecht's stunt didn't even so much as flinch. A few who knew him, simply shook their head with a smile, thinking that Obrecht was still as impatient to use the stairs and passageways as ever.

Obrecht didn't pay attention to these people, all his attention was busy with the thought that he wanted to see Videre. He wanted to show him his new sword. Thinking of this, he sprinted to wherever Videre was, the smile on his face never diminishing its brightness.

Arriving at his safe haven, Obrecht called out, "Videre." He walked further inside, and the illumination stones lighted upon sensing his presence. Obrecht wanted to say a lot of things first but at the sight of light illuminating the darkness, he felt as if something was wrong.

If the cave was dark, then that meant that there was no movement inside.

Quickly, he looked to the bed and found the still body of Videre, just as he had left it in the morning.

"Videre", Obrecht called out much louder, as he leaned his sword over the bed. Not answering to his call, a new sense of worry enveloped his being and made him feel unwell. It felt like when Videre had jumped into the cold pool of water yesterday; as if your heart fell and swallowed by your stomach or as if breathing was the most laborious task yet you only now realize.

He tried shaking him, but regardless of what he did, Videre just didn't wake up.