It had been another month. It was almost my birthday.
Shadowboon and I walked deep into the woods behind my family's estate, far enough that nature tuned out any semblance of civilization.
"Alright," I said, drawing my wooden training sword. "Ready?"
We took our stances. The wind rustled the branches overhead.
We clashed.
Wood cracked against wood. The shock traveled up my arm. Shadowboon was as fast and strong as me.
Wood hit wood, each impact sharp and controlled.
Our style - if it can be called that - mirrored each other.
It was kind of uncanny.
We broke apart after a few exchanges, catching our breath.
"Maren is progressing quick," I said. "Father invited someone to evaluate her. Guard-Captain Sera from Astar. She just arrived today."
"Guard-Captain? Captain of the guards of Astar? That's a pretty high-ranking person. Just to evaluate Maren?"
"I'm not sure that's the only thing. She and Dad have a sort of relationship but want to keep it under wraps."
"Dad's dating? Saucy Rick."
"I don't think it's gone anywhere that far, but I think they kind of like each other. I think they really hit it off during the coronation, but Mom's death wasn't that long ago. I guess they think it's inappropriate."
Shadowboon shrugged.
"She tested Maren's swordwork, archery, discipline - all of it. And she told Father that Maren could qualify for the Royal Guard after graduation. She even discussed preliminary grooming for the role."
He absorbed that with a slow nod. "How does she feel about it?"
"She's excited. Focused. Determined. It makes sense. She's always had that drive."
I stepped back into stance. "Ready for another round?"
He mirrored me. "Of course."
We clashed again.
After a longer volley, both of us lowered our swords.
"She'll do well," Shadowboon said, looking toward the branches swaying overhead. "Maren always had the discipline. And it would be interesting to have a sister in the royal guard, right? I mean… we could try to nudge her in that direction, couldn't we?"
"Manipulating our own sister?"
"It seems like she already wants to, right? It would just be familial encouragement."
We moved on from sword fighting.
"Magic next?" Shadowboon asked.
I nodded and stepped back, opening my stance. "Let's keep it simple."
He mirrored me. There was nothing ominous or aggressive about it - we were just focused. Two identical souls tuning into the same wavelength.
I raised my hand. "Sol."
The spark flickered and shot out.
He conjured his own spell, the exact same intensity, but it was "Tef," a water spell.
The fire and water more or less canceled each other out.
And so, we shot each other with spells, mostly trying to counter them at a moment's notice or dodging them when we couldn't think of any others.
Sometimes, we took the blasts head on, which we healed soon after.
"How's Jakob?" Shadowboon asked.
"He's… doing incredibly well." I let out a long breath. "Almost too well."
He waited.
"Remember the palace visit during the coronation," I said. "All the nobles, the mages, everyone?"
"Yeah. How could I forget that?"
"Well, Jakob made an impression. A very positive one. A lot of mages and businesses approached Father afterward. They either want him to study under them or work for them when he's older. Some even asked if they could financially sponsor his education early."
"Wow."
"And that's not all. The Imperial Academy's archmage already said he'd consider Jakob for the Imperial Mage Corps someday. If he keeps the pace up, he could be under direct service to the next ruler. Either Io, if she becomes queen in about ten to fifteen years, or King Deimos, if he lasts that long."
"That's a lot of expectation for a boy his age."
"There's a lot of pressure. For him. For Maren. But honestly, we should be proud of them. I mean, I really am. They're rising so fast it's like watching side characters in a story suddenly become main characters."
Shadowboon tilted his head. "You think they're going to have some interesting stories?"
That was in my mind too.
"Yeah. They're gonna have some pretty good ones, I imagine. Their training, relationships, their mentors, and their own stories. But their future roles seem to be already determined, which I find kind of sad. Their lives are already predetermined: Maren as Royal Guard and Jakob as some prodigy mage."
"I mean, it's impressive anyway you look at it. A little terrifying too. But mostly impressive. Not like those are bad career options. What about us? When we're not Father of Light and Child of Darkness?"
"That's the thing," I said. "I'm not sure. We're barely four, so the world is pretty much our oyster. I don't think we have to worry for the moment. We could be a slob, a pervert, a shut-in, a genius, a jock, or a nerd. Anything, honestly. We'll just see where things go from here and then decide."
He shrugged. "I just don't want to repeat someone else's role. Maren already has the 'warrior rising through the ranks' thing. Jakob has the 'gifted mage' thing. Don't wanna copy their thing."
"You got any ideas?"
"Not yet. But we can choose two paths, two tropes and clichés, because we're two guys. It should be easier to find our niche."
We did nothing for a moment, just resting, and then I asked something that had been on my mind for a while.
"How did Woodborn feel during the coronation?"
"How'd you think? Bad. Even pissed. He really wanted to be king, but because of my promise of more, he got over it. He's really a greedy guy. I threatened him multiple times, and he's still completely fine working with me. If there is ever a time where I have to call my allies or those who work under me after the deadly sins, it's going to be greed. One-hundred percent. I feel like if things go on like this, we'll have to kill him before he does the same to me."
"Damn."
I dropped the sword and lifted up my fists. Sword fighting and magic weren't going to be the only things I would be training.
He raised his own. "Ready whenever you are."
Training with Shadowboon was the only thing I did that day. And I was sore in the morning.
It came slow.
My muscles hurt all over.
Shadowboon's must be hurt by now too. Wonder what his mornings are like.
But in any case, I still had to train, even alone.
I needed power - not to crush everything in my way, but to have the option to. To choose when to win and when to lose.
Because sometimes losing is better for the narrative.
Sometimes it moves people. Sometimes it teaches them. Sometimes it sets up something bigger later.
It's strange, being aware of that. Aware of tension, pacing, arcs.
But awareness doesn't change the fact that I still need to be strong enough to survive my own story. Or that I wasn't the best storyteller - I never was - and now it was real life from which I had to tell a compelling story.
I sighed and pulled myself out of bed - legs dangling off it for a moment before they touched the floor.
And then I made my way through the halls.
I heard her before I saw her.
She was humming a soft melody.
Light and airy, but it didn't sound made up.
Sera. She was tall, with short hair - shorter than my father had.
She was built very well, even compared to a man, and had a few scars over her body, but in the morning light, she still had a femininity to her that couldn't be denied.
She'd stayed the night, apparently.
There was no need for her to do anything, but still, she made a home-cooked breakfast for my family.
When I stepped into the dining room, she glanced over her shoulder. Her expression, which had been filled with strict discipline even while humming, immediately warmed.
"Morning, Caleb," she said with a smile. "What are you doing up so early?"
I gave a small nod. "Good morning."
That was all of my performance. As a small child, and as unfamiliar as Sera was with me, I didn't have to have the best reason to do anything.
Sera set aside bread and a knife.
"You look tired," she said. "Did you sleep well?"
I shrugged.
What could I do with Sera? Or, in general, should I interact with her much?
I had one idea - one awkward, borderline reckless idea. But it was the only one that would give me any real information, plus seeing her reaction would be kind of funny.
If she was going to be part of our family's story, I needed to know where she stood emotionally. How invested she was. What direction her arc might go with Dad.
I stood up straight and looked her directly in the eyes.
She stopped what she was doing and looked back, expecting me to say something.
I prepared myself.
"Are you going to be my new mommy?" I asked.
Every emotion flashed across her face in that moment - shock, panic, embarrassment, and something softer she immediately tried to hide.
It looked like she wanted to answer but didn't know how.
Her face went red like a tomato, and she left the room so fast the air shifted behind her.
Inside, I cringed. I don't know. I always hated the word "Mommy."
But… if nothing else, it showed Sera cared. That was clear. Maybe it was a good sign.
Maybe a bad one.
Or maybe I had just ruined a relationship my dad had.
That would be bad.