Ryan climbed the small stone steps, stopped in front of the crystal, looked at his reflection, then placed his hand...
One second...
Two seconds...
Nothing.
People began to whisper, Liara thought to herself.
'He doesn't seem to have an element.'
But suddenly the air began to cool; there was a sudden drop in temperature.
People's breath began to turn into white steam escaping from their mouths.
Ari stared in astonishment at the air before her and tried to catch the steam.
The crystal began to glow, first pale blue, then a deeper blue, then a pure blue.
A thin layer of ice spread from beneath Ryan's palm, moving slowly across the crystal's surface.
The symbols engraved around the base have frozen edges.
The guard shivered, feeling the cold.
"Ryan Darvin, ice"
An old man muttered,
"There seems to be a talented person here."
Liara was looking at her brother. She knew this phenomenon wasn't normal, but it wasn't rare either; it happened between 1 and 20 children in a single city, and it had happened to some children before Ryan, but no one had noticed because its impact was minimal.
'He will become strong with good and serious training.'
After a few moments, once his temperature had returned to normal, Ryan withdrew his hand and headed towards his family. Liara was the first to ask him, her hands in her pockets,
"How did you feel?"
He looked at her and replied calmly,
"Well... I felt a little cold."
Liara smiled.
"That's normal, but it seems you haven't noticed. You've made the atmosphere a bit chilly here; even the old man is coming our way."
He heard the sound of a wooden cane, and a voice was approaching. Ryan turned to see an old man with long, gray hair that reached his shoulders, tied back with a simple leather cord. His eyes were cold and gray, and his sharp, angular face was deeply wrinkled. His gaze was fixed on Ryan for a few seconds, then he bowed to the family.
"I am Master Valis from the Orifan Private Academy of the Kingdom."
Liara replied with a smile,
"Hello, old man. Are you interested in my brother?"
He looked at her and smiled too.
"You seem to have grown stronger."
He then continued:
"Of course I will interested i him. It cooled down for three seconds without collapsing. This proves that its spark amplitude is large compared to average."
He looked at Ryan, then at his parents, and said,
"I want him at the academy in two years, and I'll supervise him myself."
The mother clung to Ryan's shoulder, while the father's expression was sad, but he knew he shouldn't stop his son if he wanted to go.
"This is Ryan's decision, so it's up to him to make it."
Ryan looked at his mother and saw the fear in their eyes, then spoke coldly, as usual:
"I'm not going. I'd rather stay home."
The mother smiled happily, but the father felt bad because his son had made this decision because of them.
Although the teacher felt bad about refusing, there weren't many students who could be offered the opportunity to be supervised by a teacher, and this was only possible for teachers of his stature.
"Well, that's your decision. I thought you were as strong as your sisters, but you're just a little kid in the end."
Ryan looked at the old man, his face still calm as usual. He smiled slightly and said to his mother:
"Mom, can we go home now?"
The family turned around and started walking towards the house.
________________
That evening at the dinner table, the mother was excited that her son was staying home.
"Now all we have to do is find a tutor for our son, right, dear?"
The father spoke, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Yes."
He looked at Ryan and said,
"Why didn't you agree to go to the academy?"
Everyone around the table was surprised.
"Although I thought about it, it was our wish, your mother's and mine, but we haven't heard yours yet."
Ryan thought for a moment, then answered
"I don't know anything about the academy, but for me, it's a place to train soldiers for the queen."
Then he looked at Lyara and continued,
"I don't want to become a servant of the royal family. I want to be with the people I love, so learning at home isn't a bad thing."
In his previous life, Ryan didn't have a family, so he became attached to his mother and father who gave him love and affection. He didn't want to disappoint them, and he also didn't want to leave Ari.
Liara shook her head and said,
"You seem to be a child after all. I'll get you a teacher. I have a friend with the same element as you; she might arrive in a couple of days if you call her."
Liara waited a few moments, looking at Ryan.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Did I ask you to get me a tutor?"
'That naughty kid.'