5 month time skip

For the next 6 months, I train every day. With Mia counting on me, I am determined to become a great adventurer now. Be the very best, like no one ever was.

I continue being able to face more difficult monsters in the forest. Challenges that I used to need Mia’s help for, I can now do by myself. I did however once suffer a nasty blow which caused serious damage to my armor. I had to leave my gear with the village blacksmith, Drogan, to be repaired. As a result, I had to do my next day’s jogging without armor. Man, such a difference. It was almost like I could jog around the village for the whole day. It really made me feel I had improved a lot.

As I am training, some of the younger people in the village start getting ideas of becoming adventurers as well. They often come to my mother and ask her to train them just like she trained Kase. I guess they believe it is my mother who made him the S rank he is today. Mom however steadfastly refuses to train them. Even when students from other villages come around to get trained by her, she keeps referring them to Jax and tells them to learn the basics under him. That still doesn’t stop them from spying on us when mom is sparring with me however. In a way, I think it’s cute.

A few of the hopefuls do listen to my mom and start training under Jax. There are even a few who join me on my jogging routine. Before I know it, I got a couple of guys and even some girls looking up to me. I guess this must be how it was for Kase when he first got here. But when I think like that, it just pisses me off. I do like the appreciation people show me, but I don’t want to be like Kase. So, even though they are nice to me, I try to keep them at a distance. Even the girls. After all, I’ve got Mia waiting for me in Riledo.

Eventually, the 6 months were over and it was time for me to go to the capital. Receive my rank, my class and join my friends and my lover again. On that day, I dressed in my adventuring gear and so did my mother. She wanted to send me off, not as son and mother, but one adventurer to another.

Before we left the house, I noticed it was getting hard on mom. I can imagine. She’s a single woman and now her only child is leaving the house. She’ll be all alone now.

“Hey, mom.” I say. “I don’t want you to be lonely while I’m in Riledo. So please, don’t be afraid to fall in love with someone.”

“Don’t you worry about that, my boy. I’ll be fine.” Mom replies.

“I’m serious, mom. I want you to be happy.” I say. “So, feel free to fall in love again.”

Mom then sighs deeply and looks melancholic.

“Love. That takes me back, you know. To when Azriel was still alive.”

“Azriel?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s your father’s name.” Mom then says. “I’m sorry for not talking about him before. I just mis him so much.”

“You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to.”

“No, I should.” Mom says nervously. “You have waited long enough for me to be ready.”

“The first time I saw your father was during the awakening ceremony. If I recall well, the first thing he ever said to me was a joke. He liked making people smile. We quickly became friends and we both joined the Dark Dragons at the same time. He didn’t look like anything special, but when it came to combat, he was both a talented mage and incredibly brave. It didn’t take him long to start asking me out one dates either. It didn’t even bother him how many times I rejected. I wanted to focus on being an adventurer. But eventually, he kept chipping away at my refusal until eventually I gave in.”

As mom is describing my dad to me, I see her smiling. He must have been a really great guy. I wish i could have met him.

“Once I had my first kiss with him, I did start getting a bit scared though. See, I knew Azriel would want to have a family one day and, well, when I was a little girl, I got into a serious accident which left me unable to get any children.”

“Wait.” I interrupt mom. “If you can’t have children … then how did I get here?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get to that.” Mom says. “Anyways, I didn’t want to have any secrets between me and Azriel, so I told him. Honestly, I was ready for him to leave me. Instead he told me he never wanted to let me go. That is also when I fully accepted him as my lover.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but since I was barren, we never used protection. This kept going until one day there was a quest to go into a dungeon. It was a hard one to get to, somewhere up north. One that even adventurers rarely visit. Alice and Helena tagged along with me. One of the rooms there was full of carvings that we later discovered were Zrephian. While exploring I got to the center of the room and all of a sudden there was a bright mark underneath me which bathed me in white light. I also heard a woman screaming, but it was neither Alice or Helena’s voice. Then I lost consciousness.”

“And then?” I asked.

“Sometime later I woke up. I didn’t feel too well, so we decided to end our quest and go back to the city. After being checked, I was told I was pregnant. I guess the light was part of a magic spell and cured me. Azriel was absolutely thrilled that we were having a child. I decided to put my adventurer life on pause for the moment. I didn’t want to risk anything during my pregnancy. Even though we had only been adventurers for a little more than a year, we were making plans for living together, just us three.”

Then my mother’s face darkens.

“When I was in my final stages, Azriel went out on a quest to a dungeon. He was trying to make the money necessary for us to buy a house. The day that you were born, was also the day that he died.”

So that’s how. I always wondered.

“At first, when I had you in my arms for the first time, I was so happy. Then I heard about Azriel and I was so sad. Fortunately, Alice and Helena were there to help me through. Azriel’s best friend, Jason was there for me as well. And all the other guild members. Aelbrecht himself even traveled to that dungeon and cleared it out to bring Azriel’s body back. Later I also discovered that I hadn’t actually been healed. I was still unable to have children. Nobody, not even Aelbrecht, could discover why I had you. Which means that you are a miracle, Darx.”

Mom then hugs me and says,” You are my miracle, and I will always love you.”

I never knew i meant this much to my mom. I hug her back and way, “I love you too mom. But please, let someone else love you too. You are much too wonderful to be all by yourself.”

After our talk, we both walked to the village entrance. There the caravan of wagons, ready to take me to Riledo, was waiting. A lot of the new hopeful adventurers were there, ready to wave me off.

After I got on the wagon, mom still had a few more warnings for me.

“The city is going to be much different from life in this village. There is a lot more crime there. People will try to steal from you, both through strength of ****, through deception and manipulation. And the reasons they do so is because they themselves are **** for a better life. You will have to be skeptical of almost everybody there, Darx. If someone makes you an offer which is too good to be true, it usually always is. You understand?”

I nod and say, “I do.”

“Now, Darx. One last thing.” Mom tells me before the wagon leaves. “If you get a high enough rank, be sure to try joining the Dark Dragons. From what I recall, my old friend Helena, is still with them. She will help take care of you. The guild has a policy of working like a family, so I’m sure you’ll make a lot of friends there. And please, don’t be afraid of their guild master. I know Aelbrecht can look scary being an undead mage and all, but he is really very kind.”

I know mom just wants the best for me, but I had already decided that no matter what, I would join Mia’s guild. It would be the easiest way for us to be together again. But I also don’t want to keep my mom worried.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go check them out.” I reassure her.

After that, the wagon leaves and I wave goodbye to my mother and the others. As I am leaving, I look back at mom and suddenly I wonder. Is this how she felt, almost two decades ago, when she left for Riledo?