Going home

Just like he always did, Al let go of all the worries on his mind with his uncle by his side.

He cheerfully strolled along the road, humming to himself, while old man Joseph's loud footsteps echoed in the empty alleyways. Every time that the familiar smells of cigar smoke and alcohol reached him, it felt like home.

Even in the earliest of his memories, his uncle never spoke much. It was as if he weighed every word with its weight in gold, so every time that he said something, Al always perked his ears up, ready to memorize whatever nuggets of wisdom he was going to be graced with.

He didn't know much about his uncle's background, except that he had been a distinguished officer in the military. He had only recently found out that the man had been a marine due to a get-together he had visited, and Al hadn't been surprised, at all, that he was such an expert.

His skill in electronics was unrivaled, and he had jumped into the world of magic as soon as it had started to proliferate into the general public. Al knew that there was a hidden section in his shop where he was probably tinkering with gadgets that would combine magic and technology, and the only thing he resented was that he was never allowed to take a peek inside.

'I hope that will change when I become an accomplished villain…'

In his hand, he held the marble that had returned to him from the hero. It shone, dimly, even now, and he tried to figure out what it was from the markings that could be felt if one ran their finger over a certain spot on its surface.

Right as odysseys started becoming popular, the world's leading corporates had jumped into the business and begun manufacturing magic charms. At first, each charm had been so exorbitantly priced that only the richest individuals in the world could afford them. It was only recently that mass production had begun, and the speculation of the news media was that a secret method had been found to tap into the energy of the world without needing the help of someone Blessed.

The initial cost was justified as each charm had to be made with the concentration of a mage skilled in the spells needed for such a task. Hence, the entire world had been shocked when a company emerged out of nowhere and started to sell charms for a hundredth the price.

No one knew what happened behind the curtains, but the other companies quickly caught up. Still, they were unable to stop the meteoric rise of the first producer, and even now, it was a powerhouse that competed with the companies that were at the peak before the descent of the gods.

Realizing that his thoughts were wandering, he brought them back in line and held out the marble.

"I tried, but I've got no experience… can you identify which charm this is?"

His uncle seemed to have been in deep thought, but he didn't say anything after being interrupted. Taking the marble, he caressed it in his hands for a few moments and ruminated on the indentations he was reading with his fingers, and then, as Al's eyes widened, he closed his fist around it.

There was no sound of the glass cracking. Instead… he heard the thrum of energy being released, and a moment later, a blue, glowing orb appeared around his uncle.

It disappeared in the next second, but Al still stared, aghast.

"Y-y-you wasted it!" He sputtered, but his uncle knocked him on his head and said, "No. I was confirming whether it was what I thought it was. The indentations had almost disappeared completely, which meant that this was an inferior product. There was only a one in three chance that it would actually activate."

Al listened to his calm voice while massaging the spot where he had been knuckled. His uncle tended to do it quite a lot, especially when he was giving instruction, and every time he tried to dodge, he would always fail.

"It's a charm of protection. I suspected that that might be the case. It protects the user—"

"from all incoming projectiles, I know. It can even stop gunfire. I was going to use it in my next odyssey!"

He fumed while he was handed back the marble, which was smaller than before. His uncle only smiled in response, and Al put away the charm carefully, before thinking on an idea that had appeared in his mind just now.

He had to stop, though, when he looked up and saw that they had reached his building. Unable to stop himself, he ran to the stairs and took them two at a time, but even then, old man Joseph was calmly beside him when he was opening the door.

Bursting into the room, Al first ensured that everything was in its proper place. There was nothing amiss, so he bent over his mom and excitedly took out the two healing wards in his pocket.

Both of them were in the form of small, medical crosses made of a silvery metal. He had already read up on how they were supposed to be used, so he didn't hesitate before placing them both on his mother's forehead and pinching their corners.

An instant later, they melted. As he watched unblinkingly, the silvery liquid was absorbed into his mother's skin, and with bated breath, he waited.

A minute passed, and then another.

Yet still… nothing changed.

Hopelessness began to creep into his mind, and suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Healing wards are used only to improve the overall health of an individual. They can heal scratches and small cuts, and they can increase the vigor of a person… but that's about it. Your mother is suffering from something far worse, Al. I don't think that even a thousand healing wards would be able to make her wake up."

Tears welled up in his eyes.

'I knew it. I knew it in the back of my mind, but I kept ignoring it! Didn't I read that it was useless for terminal patients? Yes, there was a very small percentage of comatose individuals waking up due to the shock of magic… but it only happened once in a thousand cases. Bad luck has become a part of our family… so how did I expect that it would not be the same, even now? Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

He berated himself repeatedly, remembering all the excitement he had felt after earning just one measly healing ward. Everyone knew that awards for initiate odysseys were only to encourage heroes and villains and as such, weren't very valuable, but still… those few cases had given him hope.

And that hope had now being crushed.

He recognized the familiar signs of a breakdown coming his way, and he struggled to keep the sorrow at bay.

It didn't work. Like a flood, grief swept over his mind, threatening to drown him in its caliginous depths…but a sound reached his ears, and it froze in its tracks.

"Ow! Owww!"

The puppy ran into his arms before he could understand what was happening. It licked him, and Al felt the despair recede instantly.

He smiled and hugged the little thing. He felt its wish to help its master, its determination to lick all his worries away.

It was such a perfect moment that he wished that it would last forever…but it was suddenly shattered when he heard his uncle shout for the first time in his life.

"Al! Where did you get that thing? It's cursed! Get away from it, right now!"