His father placed a firm hand on his son's head.
"You should probably go find your mother," he advised.
"She's been looking for you. And if you make her wait much longer, no one will be able to help you when she gets angry."
Draven chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, I'd better go find her, then."
He turned and walked away, with Alex following close behind.
As they disappeared into the crowd, Kaelen finally broke the silence, addressing the man beside him.
"I sent you an invitation, but I didn't think you'd actually come."
Ivan shrugged.
"How could I miss the first birthday party of my only nephew?"
Kaelen raised an eyebrow.
"I never thought of you as someone who cared about things like this."
Ivan gave him a cryptic smile.
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think."
Kaelen studied him for a moment before nodding toward the edge of the forest.
"Are you really okay with giving him something like that?"
Ivan's gaze lazily drifted back toward the spot where Draven had disappeared.
"It's just a Spirit Egg," he said lightly.
"Nothing too important. I don't think much of it."
He turned to leave.
"Why don't you stay a little longer?" Kaelen offered.
Ivan shook his head.
"I came to deliver a gift. Now that I've done that, there's no reason to linger."
Without another word, he turned and began walking away, quickly blending into the shifting crowd.
Kaelen watched his brother disappear into the distance, a thoughtful expression settling across his face.
"He's always so... inscrutable," he murmured.
"I never know what he's really thinking."
---
### Scene Shift
Somewhere deep in the forest outside the castle, Ivan moved between the trees with practiced ease.
A small, amused smile played across his lips.
"That kid," he muttered to himself. "He's not as simple as everyone believes."
"They say he can't use mana... but I felt something inside him."
"Something odd."
He paused beneath the shade of a tall, ancient tree.
"Kaelen must have sensed it too."
Ivan looked back in the direction of the village and smiled faintly.
"Keep my Spirit Egg safe, kid. I'll be back to retrieve it soon."
With that, he melted into the shadows between the trees.
---
Back at the castle, Draven had finally found his mother.
"Mom," he called out, slightly breathless. "I heard you were looking for me."
She turned toward him with a mock glare and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Where have you been?"
Draven gave her an awkward smile.
"Uh... around?"
Her eyes narrowed playfully.
"Where the hell have you been?