The Bonds of Life and Death
Their faces remained awestruck for quite some moments as Akuji mantained a serious, cold and straight face, as he mostly did. Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by an rather strange question by Dora. "... Did you kill it?". The boy tilted his head right looking at her, quickly making a surprised face and containing himself.
He maintained silence, hastily looking through his family members, that seemed to actually expect an answer. "No, it just happened to die close to me and I used the timing to test if I could actually Rise something." Akuji said as he stared them, as they still tried to get a grasp of the situation. His sister looked like the first to change her posture, and seemed to have more then just surprise in her, perhaps it was some kind of admiration
Soon, his mother took a deep breath, as if a heavy weight finally left her back, and stared at him. "But are you sure you can handle it?... You know, you nerd to be outstading out there... If not, they are not foing to aprove you, and if you are not aproved now, maybe the doors will be closed to you forever, and being a Necromancer isn't easy, even more for someone that couldn't get in the Academy, and... hm... And do you have more powers to use? Is this all? Can you Rise more? Can y-" Aria said with anxiety, worried more about his future than the path he chose. Akuji was her beloved son, after all, and now all the thoughts she had were gone, with her mind now getting full of new thoughts and worries for their son. But, before she could ask all of it, Klaus interrupted her.
"Don't worry, he can handle it. I always said that this boy can find his way around things." His father said, walking to him and putting his hand on his shoulder, staring down to his eyes with their fierce look. "Be sure to get in that academy. You have been studying for a while, I'm guessing. Do not confuse bravery with foolishness, you don't have a backup plan... But I trust your gut and confidence in it, maybe you should have gone to the military instead."
Akuji stared his father and nodded, maintaining his face. The family now had an approving atmosphere but the fear still resided inside it. Not of what the boy can do, but what will happen if he can't? A Necromancer that didn't get inside the academy, living exposed in society, it didn't seem like a bright future. And his efforts won't cease once he is inside, as he will need to train more and more to get a respectful position and fight repproval and personal attacks.
As the matters where meddled with, and his family got more comfortable with the ideia and some doubts where answered, mainly the one asked by his Mother Aria, it was time for all of them to go and rest. Akuji raised from his chair, preparing to go to his room, he let his final words about the matter clear. "I have more powers that I learned, and I have many more to discover." After this, he left the table, the first one to leave, as it was common procedure around there.
"Out of himself to talk like some hero of the Old Tales." Dora said, as she helped her father take care of storing the food. "He would fill the missing space of a story about Necromancers, then." Aria said, and silence maintained itself for while, being swiftly broken by friendly giggles. "Doesn't sound much like Akuji, I don't think he would have the patience to write or tell someone about his whole story. It may as well just be considered a secret already." His sister said with a brief smile.
"He will find a Bard for himself. Well, the Bard will find him, and it's going to write without his permission." Klaus said, coming back from the storage room. They laughed about it again, and continued their gimmicks about Akuji. It was cheerful, even though the boy wasn't much of a present person around them, he brought joy, and for them, it was all that mattered.
Now, Akuji had to finish his ongoing self taught training of 8 years, or, at least, refine the skills he learned among all these years. His training needed to start with the most basic rituals he had written down and developed. The boy searched through the Book he had found long ago, now with some translations and additions of his own, of which he used to train and understand more of the Death and Darkness which he was so interested in.
His time was now focused on what he had, which made him quite sad for being unable to learn more but he knew that perfecting his current skills would better his understanding of the concepts and language he had, and would add more details and strength for his rituals. Akuji now got a better gradp of the amount of time he had, and so he trained until the end of the year, where he would finally go to the Magus' Imperial Academy to demonstrate his aptitude to magic.
Akuji kept his efforts during his remaining time, now supported by his family, which came to an end all so quickly for him, and before he knew it, the boy was outside his home, walking through the streets of his city, now thriving with chariots, horses and people that only grew in density as he approached the city's Gate, a portal that connected major places with magic, that was now free for everyone who was heading to the Admission Test in the All-Imperial Capital, where the test would be done, and all of those who passed would live during their lives as students.
As Akuji walked to the line, walking past the many families that gave good luck to their younger members, seeing some familiar faces of his past before leaving the magic schools to go after the understanding of Necromancy, he understood a feeling that walked him for many moons: solitude. It wasn't bad, but he grasped that path he chose to path himself was harsh, lonely and foggy, to be left to his own devices and studies. The Academy would only provide the Fundamental Axioms of the Magic and its language and equations, and after that, he would need to carve it alone.
Even so, Akuji noticed he had already been doing that for eight years. He knew the comfort of being accepted, but that it was one of the few exceptions he could get, and maybe it was the only one. His thought mended together. Maybe he coukd change it? A place where Necromancy was not feared nor rejected, but noticed as one of the many ways of manifesting magic. A knowledge that wasn't forgotten or marginalized, but embraced to be known and to better the lives of the Living through the help of the Dead.
It would be known more of the nature of what bounded things and what took them away. Akuji got filled with inspiration, he found more reasons to go after his goal and maybe reach further beyond into the grasp of all things and the well being of the world. Of course, he knew he would put his need and hunger for knowledge and discovery above everything else, but if it was possible, maybe he coulde Rise through everything.
As his thoughts flourished, his place in line finally got in front of the Gate, quickly he took a deep breath, closing his eyes, passing his hand on his bag, where he heard a baffled and friendly chirp, Akuji felt ready, and stepped through it to go head on to his future, prepared to confront head on with whatever was needed to reach his goals.