The Inheritance

It was night. The big old garden, just like the forest, has calmed down all its little inhabitants. The noises from the streets outside the House of Valarians were only too faint to be heard around the place.

But between the tall grasses and weeds two men stood facing a tree unique to the rest of the trees in this old herb garden. Both were silent for a while.

"What's with this tree?" Glin asked in his low voice.

"You'll see," replied Theian as he approached the tree trunk. He placed his hand on its rough dark-brown surface as he closed his eyes. A small magic circle with a yellow-green glow soon appeared between his palm and the tree. Suddenly, the entire tree showed signs of vibration. Not long after, the tree trunk made the cracking sounds as it broke into smaller ones along the visible lines on the tree trunk, unwinding themselves and moving away from each other.

Theian was a plant mage.

Glin was astonished as the tree was torn apart very slowly. Something was revealed inside it that instantly caught his attention. This thing was hidden inside the body of a living tree, while the tree was hidden in this old garden. He couldn't help but wonder how special this object is.

Theian took out the object. It was long and completely sealed by layers of dirty old clothes. The item looked old, as if it wasn't taken out for a long period of time.

"Take it. That's yours," said Theian and tossed the long object towards Glin, "you'll need it soon."

"What is this?" Glin started unwinding the stripes of clothes covering the object.

"That's a special kind of Magic Relic which Ginn once owned. It's certainly a Peerless-grade Magic Relic. Your mother brought it with her when she came here. But when she died, I decided to hide it here due to some reasons."

"Peerless-grade relic, hu…" Glin very breathed deeply.

When Glin finished removing the cloth wrapping the magic relic, he found out it was a sword sheathed in a smooth black scabbard embedded with four sky-blue gemstones. There were also words in the scabbard that seemed too hard to be erased: "A gift to the bravest hero."

"This sword was my real father's Magic Relic?" he asked as he stared at it.

"Indeed, it was once his." Replied Theian.

Glin didn't mind his reply at first but he suddenly realized something. He immediately got confused and glanced at Theian. "Wait, you said my father was a non-mage just like me. Why would he wield this special Magic Relic?"

"Indeed, your father was a non-mage. But that relic is 'strangely' not for mages," Theian sighed and chuckled a bit. When he glanced at a sword, there was a trace of fear in his eyes.

"A Magic Relic… not for mages?" Glin had his head tilted out of confusion. His eyebrows were also raised, his face hinting the unwillingness to believe. "Never read about that."

"That's what made it very special and peculiar. What else would you expect from a Peerless relic?" Theian momentarily tilted his one brow. "It's a real relic custom-made for people without magic. Furthermore, there is a high possibility that it's the only one of its kind."

Theian didn't sound like joking, Glin could tell. He once again glanced at the sheathed sword. "There's actually such a relic?"

His doubts could only be vanished if he sees it himself so he quickly pulled out the blade.

"Careful!" Theian warned Glin when he saw the latter's hurried action. However, he was too late as Glin has already pulled out the sword from the scabbard completely.

The instant it happened, the sword's sharp edge sparked at a fraction of a second then a violent fire ignited out of nothing, enveloping the entire obsidian-black blade.

"Ahh!" Glin startled. He unconsciously lost his grip on the hilt. At that moment, he really felt the hot flames from his face and from his hand holding it.

The sword dropped on the ground, turning the healthy grasses on it into ashes in a few seconds. But the fire soon died down and the blade like ember slowly restored itself back to its dark color.

He was very much surprised. But before he could start recovering from it, he felt something else from his other hand which held the black scabbard. When he turned his glance towards it, he was once again startled. The scabbard wasn't burning; it was doing the opposite: The scabbard was forming sharp ice, turning itself into a deadly sharp icicle. He quickly let it go upon realizing. The icicle thrusted into the soil and froze the grasses nearby.

"This relic is insane!" Glin exclaimed, astounded.

"You believe me now?" Theian smiled and placed his hands behind him. "This relic is often called 'Ice-Fire Sealed Sword.' As a relic, it has two parts as you can see, both can exist alone. One is the 'Ember Sword' while the other is the 'Frost Scabbard.' Each can only be wielded by those with no magical energy or mana. Otherwise, the wielder's mana will be devoured at a ridiculous speed, exploding the Mana Core, and causing fatal injury or even death."

"But as you witnessed, it only activates when a non-mage person wields it and when the two parts are separated completely." Theian explained how unique was the sword.

Glin was trying to pick up the Frost Scabbard and the Ember Sword but he hesitated as he recalled how it reacted violently when held.

"Pick it up. You can control it on your own will," Theian told Glin.

Glin nodded. He finally picked the two things on the ground: one hot, one cold. The moment he held them again, the burning and icing effects revived. But as told, it didn't hurt him, though their temperatures were extremes.

On his right hand, a red-orange fire burned undyingly on the sword's blade. Excitement filled Glin's eyes as he stared at it; it felt like he could command the fire with a gesture of his sword.

Whilst, on his left hand, the deadly sharp icicle has stopped growing. But just looking at it, it sent shivers down his spine. It would certainly freeze his flesh if he stabs himself with it. It would be a great weapon when facing strong beasts however, it didn't seem like he could hold it for too long because he already felt his palm and finger getting numb out of the coldness.

After his astonishment, he inserted the Ember Sword back inside the Frost Scabbard. As he did, it was like two equally powerful Magic Relics neutralizing each other. The burning and icing effects faded very quickly, leaving no tracks behind.

"Later, learn how to control it. Otherwise, you won't be able to display its full power and you will also get hurt while using it. According to Ginn, that weapon mainly depends on your will. The stronger your will, the better the control," Theian explained. "Let's go back."

"I never thought there was something like this. Where did this relic came from?" Glin asked curiously as he followed behind Theian.

"According to Ginn, that relic was given to his ancestors during the Ancient Era by the most talented Enchanter in the continent as a reward for saving the life of a king friend whom he served with loyalty. It's actually an heirloom of the Hiyerman family so don't lose it." Theian explained.

"Very old, unique, made by a genius. This thing is just too amazing!"

"That's why you should take care of it. Don't show it casually. That's the only thing your real parents have left for you."

Glin nodded and smiled. With the special Magic Relic, he would no longer be like before.

...

Three days have past and Glin has been preparing a lot for his long journey. He has been studying a lot of things and concepts. As a normal human with no magic, he is basically the weakest to explore the Great Woods but he firmly believes that knowledge is the great key for his survival.

Apart from gaining lots of knowledge about the Great Woods, he has also been training himself regularly. At midnight, he would sneak to the garden and familiarize himself with his new Magic Relic. The dark garden would constantly be disturbed by the flashing yellow light emitted from the Ember Sword.

Sometimes, those nocturnal members of the family would wonder what's happening in the herb garden at every midnight but most of them wouldn't dare check it out personally. Some who were not afraid of forest-like appearance of the herb garden at night did came to spectate, but they soon thought they've been seeing some random things when they find no one nearby the pond; of course, it was Glin who quickly left to hide after discovering someone going his way. For now, he has to hide what he has and wait for the grand payback time.

During the day, Glin would often see hateful Valarians sneering at him. He even hears them purposely raising their voice just to make him hear their hurtful words and insults. What can he do? He's only one and they are too many. Fortunately, there were still a few who are really kind to him while in the midst of dejection.

These three days, he mostly spent his time alone: He strolled around the big city, visited the market, the huge stores and libraries, and ate alone in any food house he liked. And the main reason he had for that was because, he's avoiding the Valarians. Many Valarians had very hateful personalities that influence many others; he didn't want to socialize with them even a bit.

...

The next morning, when Glin was still in his living chamber talking to Theian, a nobody clad in warrior outfit suddenly knocked on the door. He was very calm when he came inside and bowed. But before speaking, his glance swept across the room. When he saw Glin, he quickly turned his eyes to Theian.

"Fourth Elder, Lord Darius has summoned you to the meeting hall," the Valarian warrior informed.

"Only me?" Theian asked wonderingly.

"No, all the Elders have been summoned."

"Okay, I'll be there. You may go now," Theian said.

"Thank you," the guy bowed again before he left the chamber.

"What do you think Darius wants to talk about with you elders?" Glin suddenly asked.

"Be careful when you address the House Head," glared Theian.

"Tch!" A trace of hatred appeared in Glin's eyes.