Morning

Lucas came home one day- it was the day of his wife's first time back at work. He had expected to smell a lovely aroma, for it was around this time that his wife cooked. He was reminded of the fact that maternity leave was over when he did not smell anything. She had probably been with Grey since the moment she got home.

Suddenly, a blurred object crashed into his legs, its arms wrapping as far as they could around him.

"Daddy!" It cried.

Lucas pat its head before bending slightly, gripping its waist. Hoisting, he brought the thing into view. It was his son, Grey. Pulling the boy towards him, he placed a kiss on his forehead, eliciting a giggle. 

He questioned, "What have you done today, mister?" He did not expect a response, for his child was only 1, yet after a few short seconds, it came. 

"Train! Learn!" The boy looked him dead in the eyes as he spoke, and Lucas watched as his mouth moved, confirming that it was indeed the boy who talked, not his wife pulling a prank.

It was at that moment that Samantha had come into the hallway, a long corridor with furnished wood on the floor, a mirror on one of its white walls, adjacent to a shoe rack. There stood a coat stand to his left. 

Walking to him, Samantha's mouth was agape with shock. She soon spoke and stood right in front of the boy. "I just taught him the alphabet now. How did he?"

Unfortunately, the only one who could give an answer was currently unable to. Leaving the matter aside, labelling it the work of a genius, Lucas focused on more important matters.

"You just taught him now? How long did he take to learn the alphabet? Also, what's for dinner?"

Samantha gave him a light smack on the arm in response to the last question, before saying, "Yes, and he took only an hour to learn it. Also, it's stew." 

Grey looked back and forth between the two, before butting in with a word of his own. "Dinner!"

---

Grey sat on his booster seat, eating his mana rich paste, as he listened to his parents talk. He did not know any of what they were saying, but with Fallen Star's help, that was not a problem. Grey had his eyes closed, focusing on the sounds and trying to match them with what he knew.

"… tomorrow… teaching Grey?"

- What are we doing tomorrow? It's the weekend, so we are both off work. Should we spend it teaching Grey? - Fallen Star translated.

"I… learn… speak… birthday."

- I think we should. At this rate, he might just learn to speak basically by his next birthday. -

After his mother finished the conversation with a mention of his growth rate, Grey found a chance to butt in with the words he had gleaned from their conversation.

"Grey. Learn. Tomorrow."

Jumping at the sudden words, his parents turned to face him. Every time they thought the boy had nothing more to surprise them with, he pulled something like this. 

Samantha turned to Lucas and said, "It seems we have our plan." Or so Grey assumed. It was what he would have said.

---

The light shone through the window, illuminating parts of her figure. The fluffy duvet did little to hide it. Samantha's eyes opened slowly, her eyelashes fluttering. She proceeded to close them, thinking, 'Today's Saturday, right? 5 more minutes.'

Regrettably, before she could fall back asleep, she heard a small creak, and then a pitter-patter of steps. 

Pit Pat, Pit Pat

The sounds stopped just before the bed frame, followed by a short grunt.

Rustle, Rustle

The bedsheets moved, a cold air rushing under the covers as they floated down. Samantha found herself wrapped in a hug and chuckled slightly. She lay there in silence, and the surrounding hands gradually grew limp.

Silence followed, and an occasional snore permeated across the room. She fell deeper into the bed, her eyelids growing heavy.

The mattress unexpectedly sprung up, preceding further movement. Her eyelids followed suit, opening widely once more.

Yaawwnnn

"Good morning," a handsome voice said, "How are you on this fine morning?" Lucas spoke, the hope of having a little 'fun' before starting the day evident in his provocative tone.

Samantha shot him down without hesitation, "Grey is here." She spoke in a soft whisper, afraid to wake the boy. Unfortunately, he had already stirred from his slumber.

As the boy rose, he spoke in a sluggish tone, "Morning." Following the greeting, he froze for a second, as if pondering upon a problem, before saying, "Today. Learn."

---

They settled at the kitchen table; sausages, bacon, eggs, and hash browns for two were plated nicely. Grey stared at his paste, comparing it with the breakfast for his parents. In comparison, their food looked lavish. Grey knew that this was merely the phenomena of wanting what he did not have, a desire he did not have as a demon. 'The grass is always greener on the other side' as the saying went. Grey had known of that phrase as an actual phrase, but was informed by Fallen Star that for humans it was an idiom for greed.

Placing his attention on the paste, he remembered that he needed to eat it to grow big and strong. Steeling himself and his stomach, he began to eat the paste. Today's breakfast seemed especially lacking in the taste department, but he ate it all without complaint.

He finished his food quickly, settling down to listen. 

Clink. Clank.

All he heard was the tapping and scraping of knives and forks, followed by barely audible chewing. Yet, in that silence that remained, Grey found a sense of happiness. He was at peace with his life so far, the 1 year had been a great boon to him. If not for the constant thought in his mind, telling him repeatedly that he must kill God, he might have settled, living in the moment.

Of course, he knew that that was not possible, he must always be planning for the future if he wished to take on God. 'Complacency prevents growth.' It was a phrase that Fallen Star had often spoken during his nightly training, one that Grey had made his motto.

---

Samantha brought Grey to the living room whilst Lucas head out. He had gone to get supplies to teach Grey.

The couple had had a late night talk in bed. Their plans originally consisted of having Adam watch over the boy for 2 years, whilst they were at work. Once they came home, they would teach him basic Maths and Language. Then, when he turned 3, they would send him to kindergarten to learn about friendships. 

This plan would have to be altered, however, for it seemed Grey was exceptional. They had decided to home-school him until 10, for the simple matter that they felt that he would learn more under Samantha's tutelage. The lady worked as a teacher for kids aged 5-10, and felt that with a little research, she would have no trouble adapting the course for Grey, after he finished learning the basics. 

Whilst Lucas was at the store, Samantha felt that instead of teaching the prodigy, it would be beneficial to introduce him to different media, allowing Grey to try to put into practice the alphabet he had learned. 

As she scrolled through the vast library of channels, Grey continued to climb up and down objects. He was not going to skimp on training simply because his parents were around. In fact, he felt that once he was able to express himself, it would make the most sense to ask them for advice. He was sure that they would agree, for the simple fact that it was for his benefit. 

Peeking from the corner of her vision, Samantha chuckled at his antics, thinking that Grey was simply playing. She finally settled on a cartoon for kids that involved blocks with letters making words; the most appropriate cartoon for the application of Grey's learning.

Grey, hearing the noises coming from the TV, looked towards it. Seeing the cartoon, he settled down on the big couch that faced the TV. His expression stiffened, focusing on the screen. He looked closely at the words, and listened intently at the associated sounds and pronunciations. He made good use of the alphabet that he had been taught just yesterday. 

Samantha seated herself next to the boy, staring at his face. She knew that she was quite the looker, and that Lucas was extremely handsome. Because of this, she had predicted that their child would also be good-looking. Yet, he seemed to exceed her expectations. His red eyes, deeper than blood, that danced across the screen. His one-of-a-kind ears, that twitched as she breathed out. His silver hair, moving as she stroked it. All of it was tied in rather majestically, for Grey seemed to exude a maturity and charm beyond reason. He was only 1, and for the most part his demeanour matched that. Yet, at times, when he became focused for example, he seemed to have become someone that had lived for centuries.

Samantha had briefly come across the thought that Grey may have been a reincarnated soul, for anything was possible. There was more than one story that supported that idea, too. However, she dismissed it, because Grey's childlike behaviour did not seem forced. If one was reincarnated, surely they had experienced childhood. None of the four races were capable of skipping it, either. It was impossible for someone to be born an adult. Therefore, her son could not have been reincarnated.

It was silly reasoning, but it assured her. She couldn't place her finger on why, but she didn't like the idea that she was potentially raising someone who had already lived another life.

---

Around 2 hours later, Lucas entered through the front door. As it had happened yesterday, Grey threw himself towards his adult version.

Picking him up, and spinning him round, Lucas greeted the boy. He carried Grey back to the couch, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Plopping the baby on the couch, he turned to Samantha, spoke a few words, and they both left the house.

When they came back, they were holding more than a few boxes. Lucas had to make a second trip, entailing that he had bought a lot of things. 

Unpacking the first box, Grey watched as many items came out from within. There were pens, whiteboards, an abacus and much more. 

He knew that he had a lot of work coming in the future.