Ten years had passed since that night we first really talked as kids, and not much had changed in Caldmere. The wheat still grew, the taxes still got collected, and the old well in the square still had the same crack running down one side. Life just kept rolling along like it always did, slow and predictable, exactly the way I liked it.
I was fifteen now. Tall enough that my pants were always a bit short by the time Mom let them out again, with calluses on my hands from helping Dad in the fields every day. Nothing special about me. Average build, average face, average everything. Just Eren Voss, the quieter twin who did his chores without complaining and did not cause trouble.
That was the plan, and I stuck to it like glue.
Aldric, though... he had filled out differently. Broader shoulders, sharper eyes, that same restless energy that never quite settled. He still helped around the farm, but I knew he slipped away most evenings to practice whatever Aether tricks he could figure out on his own. He thought he was being sneaky about it. He was not as sneaky as he believed.
We did not talk about the old world much anymore. Not out loud, anyway. After that first big argument when we were four, we settled into this uneasy truce. He chased his ambitions in secret, and I pretended I did not notice. Most days it worked. Some days it felt like we were two strangers sharing the same roof.
This morning started like any other. I was out back splitting firewood, the axe coming down in steady swings that sent chips flying into the dirt. The sun was already warm on my back, and sweat stuck my shirt to my skin. It felt good in a simple way. Honest work that did not involve saving the world or collecting hero points.
"You are going to wear that blade out if you keep swinging like that," Dad said as he walked up, carrying a bundle of tools. He looked older now, lines around his eyes from years of squinting at the fields, but still strong as ever.
I wiped my forehead with my sleeve and set the axe down. "Better than letting it get dull. Harvest is coming up soon. We will need it sharp for the scythes too."
He nodded, satisfied. "Good thinking. Your brother around? I could use an extra pair of hands moving some barrels."
I shrugged. "Probably down by the creek or something. You know how he gets."
Dad chuckled, but there was a hint of worry in it. "That boy has too much fire in him. Always has. You are the steady one, Eren. Glad one of you takes after me."
I forced a small smile and went back to the wood. Steady. Yeah. That was me. The background twin. The one nobody wrote stories about. Perfect.
Later that afternoon I headed into the village proper to pick up a few things from the market. Caldmere had not grown any bigger in the last ten years, but it felt comfortable, like an old pair of boots. People nodded at me as I passed. "Morning, Eren." "How is the farm holding up?" Nothing deep, just the usual small talk.
I stopped by the inn to grab some salt and thread for Mom. Mira was behind the counter today, wiping down mugs with a rag. She was the innkeeper's daughter, about our age, with messy brown hair she always tied back and a laugh that carried across the room. No secret bloodlines, no tragic past, no hidden powers. Just a normal girl who worked hard and joked around with everyone.
"Hey, Eren," she said, grinning when she saw me. "Come to rescue me from polishing these things again? They are never going to be clean enough for Dad."
I leaned on the counter and smiled back. It was easy with her. No pressure. "Just here for the usual. Salt and some strong thread. Mom is mending sacks again."
She measured it out and slid the small pouch across to me. "There you go. Tell her if she needs help with the big mending, I can come by tomorrow. Gets boring around here when no travelers come through."
"Thanks, Mira. I will let her know." I paid with a couple of copper coins and turned to leave, but she called after me.
"You and Aldric should come by sometime. We are having a little gathering after harvest. Nothing fancy, just food and some music. You know, before everyone gets too busy again."
I hesitated for half a second. A gathering meant people, talking, maybe dancing. The kind of thing where someone might notice if you were a little too quick or too quiet. "Yeah, maybe. I will ask him."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You always say maybe. Live a little, Eren. The world is not going to end if you have some fun."
If only she knew how close that joke hit sometimes. I just waved and headed out.
On the way home I spotted Aldric coming up the path from the other direction. He had that look on his face again, the one where he was clearly buzzing with some new idea. His shirt was a bit dirty at the knees, like he had been kneeling in the dirt practicing forms or whatever.
We fell into step together without saying much at first. The silence between us had layers now. Old arguments, things we both knew but did not voice.
Finally he broke it. "I heard something interesting today. That recruiter from the academy is coming through the province next month. Testing kids for Aether potential. Not just the obvious ones. They check everyone who wants it."
I kept walking, eyes on the dirt path. "And?"
"And I am going," he said, voice low but excited. "This could be the start. A real measurement of my core. If it is decent, I can get noticed without jumping straight into the main plot lines. Build from the edges."
I stopped and looked at him. "Aldric, we talked about this. The less we stick our heads up, the better. You start shining at some test and people remember the Voss twins. Next thing you know, we are tangled up in whatever shit that farmboy from the next village is supposed to deal with."
He crossed his arms, frustration clear. "That farmboy is probably still tripping over his own feet. We know how these stories go. Weak start, big comeback. Why let him have all of it when we can take some for ourselves? Or at least I can. You can keep playing farmer if you want. But do not act like I am crazy for wanting more than this."
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the familiar knot of annoyance and worry twist in my gut. "Because more usually means dead. Or worse. I like this. The farm, the quiet days, Mira laughing at stupid jokes. It is enough."
Aldric shook his head. "It is not enough for me. And one day you are going to wake up and realize you wasted your second chance being scared."
We started walking again, the argument hanging unfinished between us like it always did. The fields stretched out on either side, golden and peaceful under the afternoon sun. Somewhere out there, in another village, Kael Dawnmore was probably doing his own chores, completely unaware that two guys who had read his entire story were living right next door, one trying to stay invisible and the other trying to rewrite the script.
I kicked a pebble down the path and watched it bounce away.
Another normal day in Caldmere. I hoped it stayed that way a little longer.
But I had this nagging feeling in my chest that the quiet days were starting to run out.