"Once upon a time."
What is this voice?
"Everything was dark."
Are these thoughts his?
"But not empty."
It sounds familiar.
That's right, I remember now. It was the tale my mother once read to me.
What a soothing voice she had.
How I would love to hear it again…
"Once upon a time, everything was dark. Matter had not taken shape, and there was no such thing as life. But this darkness was not empty, for mana was present, and it was everywhere. From this mana came the beings of Good and Evil. Through their clashes, which caused endless destruction and rebirth, the three worlds were forged. At last, the fighting ceased. The Genesis of Good took their seat in the Heavenly Sphere; the Root of Evil, the Demon Realm. The Primordial Spirits—later offspring of mana—occupied Geenna, the land in-between."
Arthur leapt up, vibrating with energy. "Ooh! Ooh! That's where we live, right?"
"Is it?" Cedric asked.
The twin brothers stared at their mother, their wide eyes pleading for the answer.
"Yes, exactly," she said, pausing to wholly take in the wonder and passion burning in her children's gaze.
The boys' hearts numbed under the warmth of her sweet smile, and they hurried to seek the heat nestled in their mother's lap.
Arthur lifted his face, breathless. "We're ready. Continue!"
"Now, now. What is the correct way to ask for something?"
"...Please?" Cedric whispered, his voice so soft he could have retracted the answer had no one heard him.
"That's right," she said, suppressing the amusement threatening to spill into a chuckle.
Arthur stared with subtle discontent as he watched his mother reward Cedric with head pats before she continued.
"Those that retained their sentience prepared hurriedly, reinforcing their defenses so that they could have a higher chance of surviving the next clash. But it never came. The peace continued for a year, then a decade, then a century; but the entities known as Good and Evil never appeared again. Still, life sprung forth from the former Primordials, and the Dawn of Gods followed. The strongest of these new beings, born of concept yet made of matter, were called Gods. The Celestial God ruled over the Celestials in the Heavenly Sphere, and the Demon God ruled over the Demons in the Demon Realm. In Geenna, the Spirit God ruled the Forests, and the Dragon God ruled the mountains."
Sleepy…
…
No! I must stay awake to get my head pats!
"—and our ancestor, the Human God, ruled over the humans and demihumans. However, peace did not last forever. The Demon God began a war with the Celestial God, and Geenna was the battlefield where it all took place. The lands were razed by fire and lightning; buildings crumbled. No one gained anything from this war, as all the gods were critically wounded and are thought to have died. The human races that once ruled Geenna barely managed to survive the chaos, thanks to the Human God, who gave us the gift of magic and sacrificed himself, ending the Era of Gods."
"Are we not the rulers of Geenna anymore?" Cedric asked, truly inquiring.
"No. The monsters have pushed humans out of our land. But don't worry—Mommy will never let the bad monsters hurt you."
She turned the page.
"That is why we must always remember the Human God's sacrifice and thank him daily for giving Mommy the power to protect you."
"The end," she said, slowly closing the book.
Just like that, the boys' excitement revitalized.
Arthur extended his arms outward. "Will I be able to use magic like Mommy and Daddy?"
"And me too?" Cedric asked, attempting to match Arthur's energy.
Before she could reply, two large hands reached out from behind and grabbed both of their heads.
"Being able to use magic isn't all that important. What really matters is being healthy and staying disciplined."
She reached her hand out to cup both of their faces.
"That's right. Your dad and I will always love you and be proud of you no matter what you do, as long as you do your best."
Arthur used both of his arms to push the hand off of his head.
"No! I will become the strongest magic user and kill all the monsters!" he proclaimed, before running off, casting make-believe spells.
"Me too!" Cedric said, following after him.
Her smile dropped as they left. "Ah, what are we going to do? We tried our best to hide magic from them, but they still managed to find out about it. They'll be so disappointed if they don't manage to awaken."
"Well, we're both mages, so the likelihood should be higher."
Her jaw worked back and forth. "What if they end up like Taren? Cedric especially."
A darkness loomed over his face. He looked at her and saw his own dread reflected there—the scar of an old lesson on how easily a child could break under the weight of a dream.
A crash echoed from the other room—the distinct vibration of heavy furniture toppling.
A second later, two heads poked out from the doorway.
"He did it!" they shouted in perfect sync, fingers pointing accusingly at one another, before scrambling back to hide the evidence.
She sighed, a sound halfway between humor and prayer. "Then... all we can do is pray."
"To whom?" He scoffed, the sound devoid of mirth. "The dead god you just told them to revere?"
He braced himself for a reprimand, but it never came.
Instead, she pulled him close, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"I don't care who. If it means they won't end up... empty... I'd pray to the Celestial God himself."
He looked up at the ceiling, as if trying to see through the wood and stone to the Heavenly Sphere beyond.
The cynicism slowly drained out of him, leaving only the fear.
"Then let's hope someone is listening." He closed his eyes, listening to the silence of the house. "Five years old already. We're running out of time."
"Mom, look! I awakened mana!"
"Mom, me too!"
Arthur and Cedric stood with palms open, the air around their fingers shimmering with the faint, undeniable distortion of raw power.
"That's wonderful news!" Her voice cracked, the shadow of fear that had haunted her for years evaporating in an instant.
She rushed forward. "I knew it. My boys are going to be powerful mages!"
"Haha! You'll both become even stronger than your dad!"
A booming laugh shook the walls as their father swept into the room, his presence filling the space with the scent of pine and sweat. The sheer vigor of his pride radiated off him like heat from a furnace.
"This calls for a celebration!" he roared, throwing his arms wide. "We are not staying in tonight. We're going to the market!"
He seized their shoulders, his grip firm and shaking with contained energy. For the first time, he didn't have to look down quite so far.
"My two sons," he rumbled, his voice thick with emotion as he stared into their eyes. "Awakening on the very dawn of your thirteenth year."
He pulled them into a crushing embrace, locking them against his chest.
"Health. Power. Discipline. You have achieved it all. I couldn't be any prouder."