Was palace Astorayt drowned in chaos non-familiar. The orders scatter in the regions, and the servants move with haste confused, all that under supervision Celia which was trying with all her effort organizing the matters, but the situation seemed bigger than her, and as if the order itself had decided to step aside.
I stood observing the scene silently, then I sighed with boredom, my eyes following Celia and she moves with tension clear. She was moving as who carries the world above his shoulders, and this is understood completely... so she is the mother in the end, and from the natural that she feels with this amount of the tension.
I said with calm, trying the alleviating from her:
"Celia, no need for all this trouble."
She turned towards me with eyes tired, and had reflected in them threads of the worry more than any time passed, then she exploded saying:
"Silence! You eat well this period, but your body is not strong as you think. And I... I mother bad, is not that so? How for me that I leave my son goes to place teeming with the danger? Any mother in the world does that?"
Were her words bleeding pain more than being an accusation. She was not blaming me as much as she was drowning in her internal conflict, between the love and the fear, between the duty and the desire in the protection.
I smiled at her a smile calm, carrying what she could from reassurance amidst the storm which rages in her heart, then I said with voice low, and as if I promise her a promise no returning in it:
"Do not worry... I told you that I will return in good condition."
My words were not just an attempt at the alleviating, but they were a belief deep floating amidst her doubts, despite that her eyes the trembling did not manage that they believe him completely.
She threw herself in my lap suddenly, and her two arms encircling me with force as if she fears that I escape from her in any moment. Her tears poured silently, heavy and full of the fear, as if her heart collapses with a sound not heard.
She whispered between her sobs the trembling:
"I trust in you, my dear."
But I realized in the moment itself... those words were not for me. That trust, with all its depth and its warmth, was directed to Kyle, not to who stands in front of her now.
I extended my hand and I patted on her head lightly, not because I was certain of what I do, but because I did not find words enough for her comforting, nor a way real for her rescuing from the vortex of the fear which swallowed her.
Entered Andrew with calm, as his custom, his voice low but it is clear, carrying tone of the respect and the strictness the usual:
"The Lord Astorayt, everything is ready for the journey of the Mister young Kyle."
I felt with her two arms slipping from around me slowly, then she moved away from me and she wipes her tears quickly, as who tries hiding pain no time for it now. She straightened in her stance, and returned that hardness the usual to her features, then she walked towards Andrew with steps steady.
She asked with voice closer to the worry than to the orders:
"Well... did you make sure that the food suffices for his journey? And the weapons which he will take with him?"
"Well... let us go to the place from which Kyle will depart to his journey,"
She said it with voice faint and she casts on me a look short, a look tired and weak, quickly she changed it with a mask of the hardness. The look of the power that did not hide from me anything, but it confirmed that she tries hard that she does not collapse in front of me.
She walked in front of us, I and Andrew, with steps faster than I expected, and as if she escapes from her weakness... or from me.
I did not say anything, only I followed her silently.
When we exited from the palace, the carriage was waiting for us. It was not luxurious nor simple completely, more like a mixture strange between the eras, it keeps beauty old and it carries glimpses of modernity shy. But it was not distinguished with something mentioned... just a means for reaching the farewell.
I sat in my seat with calm, and the silence was sufficient for creating heaviness strange in the atmospheres. Celia did not utter a word since the carriage moved, and had appeared on her that she is drowned in her thoughts, fighting a feeling no escape from it possible. As for Andrew, so he chose the sitting beside the driver, as his custom when he feels that his presence inside the carriage is not necessary.
I was staring from the window, observing the world which passes from around me slowly. The nature the virgin, and the cities which carry a character mixing between the ancientness of the Middle Ages and touches shy from the modern era... a mixture unique for a long time I loved it in this game.
The voice of Celia cut my reverie suddenly, a voice low but it is loaded with heaviness not hidden from me:
"We must exit from the carriage... we have arrived."
"She said it and she looks towards me with eyes she tried in them hiding everything, but she did not succeed. Behind her look there were clouds of the sadness, silent, but they are present with force no denial of it possible.
"Well,"
I muttered it with voice faint and I open the door of the carriage and I step to the outside.
Followed me Celia after moments, and she stepped gently with the help of Andrew who extended to her his hand, keeping his calm the usual. Were her steps slow, as if she wishes that the distance lengthens before the moment of the farewell.
As soon as landed our feet the ground, I felt with those looks. Eyes many were following us silently, some of them curious, and some of them carrying something of the challenge, but in the end... all of them were on me. And this what I did not love ever. I was not ever from those who desire the looks or the anticipation, nor that I be in the center of a moment full with this amount of the heaviness.
But there was no space for the escape. Everything was happening already, as if the scene had been written previously, and what on me only performing my role in it.
Slipped a smile light to my face, I do not know if it was mockery of the situation, or an attempt desperate for breaking the tension. I placed my hand in my pocket and I walked with steps calm towards the entrance, to the side of the Lord Celia who was walking with steadiness majestic, despite all what stirs in her of pain.
Everyone who saw her on the road bowed with respect. She was not in need of words, so her position alone was enough for imposing the prestige. And I, only I walked silently, observing all that and realizing more and more the heaviness of what I undertake.
When we arrived to that room, we stopped. The door was closed, but it was not needing that it opens for me to feel with what is behind it. Aura strong from the mana leaked from inside it, as if the room itself was breathing energy old, deep, it almost touches the soul.
Advanced the head of the servants Andrew with steps confident, then he knocked the door with calm imitating his respect for the place and who is in it. Did not pass time long until came the reply from behind the door, with voice calm composed
"Come in."
Opened Andrew the door with lightness, so opened the scene in front of me all at once.
Fell my eyes directly on the man standing there... a man carrying features Astorayt with all clarity.
His two eyes the golden gleam with steadiness and penetration, and his hair the black falls with smoothness light above his shoulders. He was standing with aura no mistake in it the eye, aura no resemblance to him, and as if the mana which I felt with it a little while ago was an extension natural to his existence.
The man smiled, and drew on his face calm warm not devoid of the respect. Then he said with voice carrying tone of friendliness hidden
"Oh, it is the daughter of my uncle... the Lord Celia,"
"Welcome to you."
He said it and he bows a little with a bow short but it is elegant, in it from the respect what suffices for showing her position, and from the friendliness what suffices for breaking the ice of the situation.
Celia did not respond immediately, she only sufficed with a slight nod of her head, her gaze steady but tinged with a silent caution. As for me, I was watching
silently, trying to grasp the nature of this encounter that seemed to have a history I did not yet know.
His gaze shifted towards me, fixed on my eyes for a
few seconds, then he said in a calm tone, without
averting his eyes from me:
"Is this Kyle, your son, Celia?"
Although his eyes were on me, the question was directed to Lord Celia, as if he were asking for a formal confirmation and nothing more.
She replied in a brief voice, devoid of emotion:
"Yes, it is he, Gilbert."
His smile widened instantly, and he advanced towards me with confident steps, extending his hand towards
me for a handshake, saying in a cheerful, unforced
tone:
"Welcome, son of my cousin."
I hesitated for a moment, for no clear reason, perhaps just because I was not accustomed to this type of encounter. Then I extended my hand and shook his, trying to match his smile with a faint smile that
appeared on my face:
"Welcome... So you are my mother's cousin Gilbert, it seems."
We finished the handshake, so he lowered his hand calmly, then turned again towards Celia, as if my presence here was just a first step in a series of questions that had not yet ended.
He stared at her for a moment, then said in a tone that
mixed jest and surprise:
"And what are you doing here then, Lord Astrayte?"
His words were lighthearted, but behind them was a genuine question. He did not expect to see her here, or perhaps he did not think she would accompany me to this extent. He seemed to know her well enough to feel that her presence was not just a procedural formality.
"I came here to open a gate that leads to the Araxes Islands."
Celia said it calmly, but in her voice was something hidden... as if she was expecting a sudden reaction.
And indeed, his eyes widened in the next moment, as if the name alone had awakened much within him. He stared at her with clear astonishment, then asked in a
tone that did not hide his tension:
"And why... do you want to do such a thing?"
A short silence hung in the room. Celia seemed to be searching for suitable words, but when she spoke, she did not look at him... as if his eyes were a burden too heavy to face:
"Because Kyle... wants to go there."
"And what does he want to do there?"
He asked me in a more serious tone, his eyes fixed on me, as if he were trying to read what was behind my words before I spoke them.
I replied without hesitation, putting my hand in my pocket and looking away from Celia, whose heavy gaze I felt on me every few moments:
"Nothing important... I just want to fight, and make myself stronger."
My words were simple, but I deliberately downplayed their significance. I did not want to talk much, nor to justify anything. I just wanted to end this part of the conversation quickly... without needing to explain what even I could not fully understand.
Silence prevailed for a moment, a silence filled with unspoken thoughts and hidden hesitation, as if everyone was waiting to see how the man would receive my answer.
But suddenly, he smiled, a calm smile that carried something of understanding and something else I
could not quite read, then said in his dignified voice:
"Well... if that's what you want, I will open a gate for you."
His words landed like a decisive decision, not open to argument. And although they came easily, I felt that what lay behind them was not that simple.
"Follow me."
Gilbert said it simply as he left the room, and we followed him without any further words.
We walked behind him in a long corridor teeming with life, crowded with people. Some were practicing fighting, others were sitting in their places watching silently or exchanging conversations. The atmosphere seemed familiar to him, but strange to me... this place was not just a hall, but a center that included members of the sub-families of the Astrayte family.
Eyes turned towards me wherever I walked. Their gazes carried different layers: some were staring with curiosity, and others with a faint hint of jealousy or caution. As for the girls' gazes, they seemed different... they were surprised, but I could not understand why. Was it because I was new? Or because I belonged directly to Celia's branch?
I walked beside Gilbert, who seemed confident in every step, and on my other side, Celia walked silently, but I could feel her tension.
We stopped in front of a huge gate, with a design that suggested antiquity and strength. Two girls stood before it, looking like twins... their features were almost identical, except for the only difference being the color of their hair: one with black hair, and the other with pure white.
As soon as they saw Mr. Gilbert, they bowed respectfully and said in unison:
"Welcome."
"Open the gate for us."
Gilbert said it calmly, but his voice carried a tone that did not tolerate delay. His words were like an order that everyone was accustomed to carrying out without discussion.
The twin girls bowed with a slight nod, then each raised her hand towards the gate, and in a moment strange symbols began to glow. After a few moments, the girls spoke:
"Please come this way."
The two girls opened the huge gate with complete calm, and with the sound of the iron moving heavily, we entered a larger hall, different from everything before it. As soon as we crossed the threshold, they closed the door behind us silently.
Gilbert turned towards me, stared at my face for a moment, then asked in a more serious tone, without any attempt to hide his concern:
"Are you serious about this decision?"
I replied coldly, the tone of my voice calm but firm:
"Yes, I am serious."
He shifted his gaze to Celia for a moment, as if searching for objection or hesitation in her eyes, then looked back at me and said in a tone that carried a clear sarcasm, as if trying to push my emotions to the edge:
"Well then... since you are not concerned about your mother losing you again."
His words were calculated, designed to make me back down, but they did not penetrate my certainty. I understood his intention well, and I bypassed the sarcasm to reply confidently, without hesitation:
"I am not concerned, because I promised her that I would return... and Lord Astrayte trusts me."
I paused for a moment, looking directly into his eyes, then added in a firmer voice:
"And that is enough for me."
"Alright, I understand you..."
The man Gilbert said in a decisive tone, then gestured with his hand:
"Step back a little so I can open the gate."
We retreated as he asked, just a few steps, but they seemed to distance us from a dividing point between two worlds.
Celia was close to me, her shoulder touching mine, and her hands gripped her dress with clear tension, as if she were trying to hold onto me before the gate snatched me away.
I turned my face towards her and smiled, trying to reassure her:
"That's enough, Celia... don't you trust your son?"
She looked at me with her sad eyes, the same look that had always carried everything: fear, love, and a silent plea not to leave. She did not utter a word, but she said everything through her eyes.
I looked at her for the last time... then turned my gaze back to the gate.
And as it slowly opened before me, I felt that aura... the mana that emanated from within was dense, piercing, almost penetrating the body before it penetrated the place.
My eyes widened unconsciously...
That feeling was real. A feeling of destruction... and that what lay behind this gate was unlike anything I had ever known.
The man finished formulating the last incantations, and a faint light emanated from the edges of the gate, surrounding it like a curtain of transparent energy that glowed softly, then he said in a reassuring voice:
"The gate is ready... and don't worry, no monsters will enter. It is protected by magic that completely separates the Araxes Islands from this world."
I nodded silently, then advanced towards the gate without saying anything. Each step was heavier than the one before, but it was also more decisive.
"Stop!"
I froze in place when I heard Celia's voice calling me, I turned around slowly... and as soon as our eyes met, she rushed towards me quickly, throwing herself into my arms and bursting into tears, as if she had been holding all that in her chest the whole time.
"Please... please come back safe..."
She said it in a trembling voice, clinging to me as if she feared the gate would snatch me away before her words ended.
I froze for a moment, not knowing how to comfort her, then slowly, I extended my hand and patted her head, it being the only thing I was good at, in a voice filled with that indifference with which I hide my weakness:
"Alright... how many times do you want me to promise you that?"
Then she raised her head, wiped her tears quickly, and took out a small necklace from her clothes, handing it to me:
"Take this necklace... it will give you at least some protection."
And before I could speak, she turned towards the servant standing near the door:
"And you, Andrew... did you bring the bracelet I asked you to bring?"
Andrew, as if he had been waiting for this moment, bowed respectfully and said:
"Yes, Madam... here you are."
Celia took the bracelet from Andrew's hand herself, as if she did not want to leave any detail to chance at this moment. She approached me with calm steps, holding the bracelet as if it were a priceless treasure.
"Run as you wish, fight as you like, but at least... let me prepare you properly."
She gently raised my hand, and she steadily extended her other hand, and began to fasten the bracelet around my wrist herself. Her movement was slow, precise, as if she was trying to engrave her touch on my skin before I left.
When she finished, she looked at the bracelet, then at me, and said:
"It has everything you might need... food, drink, and vials of healing elixir. Just... don't make me regret letting you go."
I did not answer, I just looked at her for a moment, then at the gate that awaited me silently, glowing with a mysterious aura of mana, as if it were an open mouth to a world unlike anything I had ever known.
I looked at her again... at Celia, who stood there, watching me with eyes filled with everything that was unsaid.
Then I began to move. Step by step towards the gate.
And before I crossed, I said, without turning to see her:
"Alright... as you wish, my Lord."
My words came out calmly, carrying between the lines gratitude, bitterness, and a promise... a promise that would remain hanging until I returned.
I entered the gate.
The moment I stepped inside, the world closed in around me.
I could no longer see anything. Not Celia, not Andrew, not the hall, not even the light I had passed through.
Everything disappeared, as if I had been cut off from everything that was.
I did not see what happened next,
I did not witness Celia's tears as she began to cry again,
Nor how she closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back tears that were futile to suppress.
I did
not hear Andrew's voice as he whispered softly,
Nor their slow steps as they left the hall that had become empty of everything...
Except for the trace.
All I knew at that moment...
Was that I had begun a journey unlike anything I had ever known.
A journey from which I would not return as I was.