Aiden lay in his bed, covered by a warm feather quilt. In the room, there was only a single strand of light— a floating orb beside the book, emitting a pleasant glow just bright enough for reading.
Vivienne, who sat beside Aiden, was reading him a bedtime story he kept asking for over and over.
The tale was about a man traveling in search of a mysterious tree. Along the way, he encountered the bravest creatures one could not even imagine. Some resembled mutated animals, others were like several different beasts fused into one. There were those no one had ever heard of, some he couldn't even touch because they were like ghosts, and others seemed to be made entirely of bones.
Some he had to fight, others he had to speak to and offer something in return, and some he simply had to flee from—until, at the very end, he reached the tree.
This tree was known as the Tree of Truth, though that was not its true name. Its name was Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
It could not be seen from afar, despite its size, towering above the clouds. Only when someone got close enough and was accepted by the tree could they see it.
The tree was so massive that parts of it were hidden by clouds. Its roots were enormous, overshadowing all the surrounding trees.
But near its roots was a small path leading up the tree. After walking for days and nights, following the spiraling trail around the trunk, he reached a city.
A city on one of the tree's branches. The mere sight of it took one's breath away, not because of its beauty, size, or the knowledge that it sat upon a tree.
The city was destroyed—collapsed, burned buildings, rubble scattered on the ground, making it hard to pass through. Walking among the ruins, the boy couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen marked villages, attacked and burned to the ground, but this was something else entirely. A whole city, considered one of the greatest in some regions—and the bodies of millions of its inhabitants were gone.
Nothing. Not a single soul, body, or any sign that a civilization had actually existed there, aside from the buildings.
Vivienne looked at Aiden, who was already asleep. She thought for a moment, Good that you fell asleep, maybe you're too young for this kind of story. I'll tell you the rest another time. She leaned in, kissed his forehead, and left.
...
A few weeks later, Aiden was walking with Sebastian and Cedric to the second floor of the building where he trained. Unlike the last time, he entered the first door on the left.
The room was similar to the previous one. The kids, dressed in dark blue pants and long-sleeved shirts that allowed for a wide range of movement, were older— the youngest around seven, only a few of them, and up to ten, though there were fewer ten-year-olds than there were eight- and nine-year-olds, who made up the majority.
In the room were a few parents and children who were about to start training.
They approached the coach and greeted him. The coach smiled and welcomed them, then turned to Aiden, extended his hand, and said, "Congratulations on the double promotion in such a short time. Your family must be proud."
Aiden, like an excited child, nodded eagerly. "Very much."
They exchanged a similar conversation to the ones with previous trainers. Sebastian talked with the coach for a bit longer, while Cedric took Aiden over to a tall man with a muscular build, short black hair, and slightly above-average looks, with blue eyes.
They walked up to him, shook his hand, and Cedric introduced him to Aiden. "This is your distant uncle on Selenne's side—just call him uncle."
Aiden greeted him, and Sebastian turned to him. "Thalor, where's your boy?"
Thalor looked around, whistled, and raised his hand, waving slightly. After a moment, a boy slightly taller than Aiden approached. It was clear he was seven, compared to Aiden, who looked about five.
The boy had short, slightly dark blonde hair and a pretty face with bright blue eyes. His slim frame showed he had been training despite his young age.
Thalor turned to his son and introduced him. "This is Aiden. He's Elowen's brother, daughter of Aunt Selena—ahh, he's your distant family, basically," he laughed lightly.
He turned to Aiden. "This is my son Lioren. You'll be going to school together."
Aiden got a bit nervous and didn't know what to do. Lioren smiled and confidently extended his hand. "Come on, let's train together." When Aiden took his hand, Lioren pulled him along, and they headed to the center of the room.
Sebastian smiled, watching them. "Maybe they'll become friends. That would be good— we've kept him a bit too sheltered."
Thalor glanced at him and joked, "If he's a good training partner, I'll let them hang out."
Sebastian laughed. "And vice versa." They continued chatting for a while.
Lioren introduced Aiden to a few of his friends, and Aiden, still a little nervous, struggled to remember their names.