Wanderer

Even after three years, retracing my steps back to my village was a lot easier than I expected. Memories of my time spent doing this journey with Asthia flashed in my mind, illuminating my gray vision of the world. I kept my dagger along the back of my waist, keeping it hidden underneath the black tattered cloak that I had specifically requested.

I didn't want to stand out, and so I had three requests for stuff to take with me: A small bag, a tattered cloak, and black clothes. These items would hopefully aid me in my task of blending in until I could find my family within the massive city of Eloria.

How would I even find them? There were definitely various methods, but I'd wait until I arrived to decide depending on the circumstances.

I realized my return back to Eloria would take around a month if I just walked normally, so I decided to absorb the bind around me to boost my speed. There was no need to use lightning, which I had learned to manipulate without harming my body, especially considering an advanced element would simply drag me into the spotlight.

After a few days of bind boosting, I arrived in my village, and my eyes shivered at the sight in front of me. The fire had completely wiped out the village except for a few buildings on the outskirts. I trudged over towards the pile of rubble I had once called home.

My body instinctively started rummaging through the rubble, attempting to salvage even the slightest thing, the slightest memory of my happiest years.

My hand suddenly came into contact with a small object, its cold surface immediately notifying me that it was a metal.

I pulled it out and sighed in relief, a smile illuminating my somber face.

A golden necklace hung from my wrist. Even if it was made of gold, the actual design of the necklace was extremely simplistic. With an extremely slim and simple chain, a small circle hung from the end, the engravings J . J written on the oval.

Jane and Jay, huh? Bruce definitely didn't like that, I thought, chuckling a bit. I put the necklace around my neck, tucking it under my shirt to hide it from plain sight.

I then decided to check out the buildings that had remained unscathed from the flames, heading uphill towards a building made of dark stone, a metal door slightly open.

I entered the humble shop and immediately realized the kind of building it was: a blacksmith's workshop. The furnaces had run out of fuel long ago, and now the interior was just clogged with dust, rendering the entire scene dull gray.

I stepped in, coughing from the dust, and advanced towards the array of weapons that were out for display.

"Maybe I should use a cover weapon, and only use midnight (I had named my sword midnight because of its color) in case of emergencies?" I muttered, grabbing a sturdy-looking silver longsword. It was made for one-handed use, and its weight wasn't bad at all.

I grabbed its equivalent sheath and slouched it over my shoulders. I had to squirm a bit to make sure both the longsword and midnight didn't overlap behind me, but they eventually fell into place. I flapped the cloak, waiting as it slowly rested on top of everything behind me.

I sighed, not looking forward to the journey ahead of me. I wasn't extremely far from Eloria, but it was the first time I would be fully integrated into the alliance's society.

No point standing around here, I thought as I headed north towards the biggest city in all of Auroria.

My mind reminisced of my moments in Lares as I walked down the endless road that continued past the horizon, the winding path emphasizing the uneven terrain filled with hills and drops. People were supposedly considered adults at the age of thirteen in this society, which meant I still had five years to go.

When did school start again? I think it was twelve? So I had four years ahead of me before my days would be filled once again with training and studying. At least there was no way it would be as intense as my days with Selena.

I started to see occasional passerby's, all of them eyeing me suspiciously. I was still a seven-year-old boy, it must've been weird to see me walking around in what looked like adventurer's gear. I would definitely have to fix that.

I had decided to try adventuring a bit, experience combat first-hand before attending school. It would definitely be a good way to measure my own capabilities alongside other competent individuals.

But would anyone take such a young kid seriously? No, there was no way. I would have to find a way to fake my age, or at least appear older than I actually was. There were definitely possibilities with magic, I just wasn't well-versed enough to know them.

The passing crowds became larger and larger, occasional farms and houses appearing on the horizon. I could sense the overwhelming magical presence of millions of people a few thousand mels ahead.

By now dusk was starting to set, and I decided to set myself against a rock and sleep for the night. I was able to control how deeply I slept, courtesy of the constant risk of an assassination on Earth, so I wasn't afraid of something happening to me.

I set myself down and closed my eyes, sighing from the exhausting travels. Was I sighing more than usual? Maybe all this traveling had taken more of a toll on me than I thought.

"Nice spot you got there," said a voice.

I looked up calmly, not sensing any ill intent from the individual in front of me. An elf was standing there, dressed in formal clothes, which resembled a suit from Earth except without a tie. His blonde hair was nicely combed, but it didn't seem like he fretted over his appearances compared to other rich people in Auroria.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to analyze and understand the elf standing in front of me.

"My name is Alan Serlon, a Fei from the eastern kingdom, and you are?" he asked, extending his hand.

Fei was the equivalent of an elf from other fantasy stories I had read. Their physical appearances were identical, with long ears extending horizontally and a dignified look. This man named Alan had brown eyes that matched fairly well with his blonde hair, but why had he approached me?

Until I knew more about him, I wouldn't give him anything that could be used to trace my existence, or the fact that the supposed dead toddler named Jay Cadmium was alive and well.

"I'm Darck," I said, keeping my voice monotone and my aura under control.

Darck was the first name that had randomly popped into my head, and considering it was the royal dragon family's last name, I was more than happy with the outcome.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Darck," he said formally, but I could tell my age was deeply disturbing him. "May I ask how old you are?"

There it is, I thought. Should I lie? I don't think there would be any point in lying, and considering that this guy looked like an official or at least someone in a position of wealth, I could maybe use him to my advantage if I played my cards right.

"Seven," I responded, not showing any signs or indications that my age was abnormal for my current situation.

"S-seven?" he stuttered, bewildered.

I was getting tired of discussing useless things with this man, but I also didn't want to waste this opportunity. Was there a way to delay the conversation until I was more... awake? I just decided to close my eyes and wait until the next question arrived.

"What are you doing here-" he started before realizing my eyes were closed, "Oh, he's asleep. What the fuck is a kid doing out here?" he muttered, sitting down next to me.

"Guess I'll stay here the night," he sighed, laying his head back against the rock.

I smiled under my cloak. He was a nice guy from what I could tell, and I would capitalize on that tomorrow.