Rebirth - Part 6
The Vale family home always felt warm—a place where the scent of baked bread, wood drying by the hearth, and small laughter merged into a calming atmosphere. But since the night the light emerged from Eryon's small body, that warmth began to crack. Not shattered entirely, but enough to make the air change.
Smiles still rested on Aeran and Mireille's faces.
Small laughter still filled the living room.
Warm hugs were still given to Eryon.
But beneath it all, fear grew silently.
A fear they didn't speak aloud, but felt in every heartbeat, in every averted glance, in every breath held too long.
When the House Was No Longer Quiet
Mireille was hanging laundry when something made her stop. She heard a sound… like a low tune that vibrated her ribs. Soft, almost like a hum, but it originated from inside the house.
She turned quickly.
Eryon?
She ran inside.
In the living room, Eryon sat on the floor, holding a small piece of wood Aeran usually used to make toys. Nothing was around him except for the faintly vibrating air.
The resonance sound came from the baby's body.
Mireille froze, feeling the skin on her arms prickle.
"Eryon…?" her voice trembled.
The vibration stopped instantly. Eryon looked up at her, smiling widely as if proud of doing something magnificent.
Mireille returned his smile.
A warm smile.
A gentle smile.
But her fingers were shaking.
Aeran Notices New Habits
Meanwhile, Aeran began to notice new patterns that he didn't like.
1. Eryon Was Never Afraid
Other children cried when there was a loud noise—a plate dropping, a door slamming, or the sound of thunder.
But Eryon… remained calm.
As if he knew what was going to happen before it did.
2. His Gray Eyes Saw Too Deeply
When Aeran held him, Eryon always looked at his face for a long, long time. Not the innocent gaze of a child, but the look of someone trying to remember something lost.
Aeran often felt as if he was being measured by an old soul.
And that frightened him.
3. The Energy that Followed Eryon
At night, the oil lamp sometimes flickered without wind.
The smoke from the fireplace formed circular patterns in the air.
And sometimes, the house felt slightly… brighter.
As if there were small lights coming from no fire at all.
The Conversation They Didn't Want to Have
One night, after putting Eryon to sleep, Aeran sat in the kitchen, staring at the almost-extinguished stove fire. Mireille came and sat beside him, bringing a blanket.
"He is different," Aeran finally said.
The voice he had suppressed for days finally escaped.
Mireille hugged her knees.
"You finally said it."
Aeran grasped his wife's hand.
"It's not just the resonance. It feels like… he carries something that doesn't belong to a child."
Mireille closed her eyes.
"I know."
They were silent for a long time.
Aeran then continued.
"If the village finds out… if they see something that can't be explained…"
He looked at his wife with heavy eyes.
"They will be frightened."
Mireille knew it was true.
Eldenbrook was a peaceful village, but also conservative.
The people there were not accustomed to the extraordinary, especially anything related to magic.
She glanced towards Eryon's room.
"I'm just afraid they will… take him from us."
Aeran took a deep breath.
"As long as I live, no one will touch that boy."
Mireille nodded, but worry still lingered in her heart—a fear that grew, which she could not discard even if she wanted to.
Because she knew: something too great cannot always be hidden.
The Village Begins to Whisper
Aeran and Mireille didn't know that they weren't the only ones paying attention.
Some villagers had already begun to sense the strangeness around the Vale house.
An old woman once said,
"I passed your house yesterday. The wind stopped right in front of me. That's not normal."
A small child recounted,
"I heard a tiny singing sound from your house direction. But there was no one singing."
And a man in the tavern said to his friend,
"My oil lamp dimmed every time I walked near Aeran's door. Magic? Who knows."
Mireille tried to smile when people threw these comments at her, but her heart always beat fast.
The smile she showed was a false smile protecting her fear.
The Incident in the Kitchen
One morning, Mireille was measuring flour while Eryon sat in his small chair. Suddenly, the wooden bowl on the table vibrated. Slowly. Then stopped.
Mireille did not blink.
Then…
CRRNg
The bowl hovered a few fingers high.
Eryon laughed.
As if it were a funny game.
Mireille covered her mouth, her breath caught.
"No… no… no…"
The bowl spun once in the air before landing softly back on the table.
Not broken.
Not loud.
Not natural.
Mireille hugged Eryon tightly, trying to smile, calling Aeran as if everything were fine.
But that night, she did not sleep.
The Fear That Does Not Change Love
Although fear grew, one thing never changed:
They loved Eryon.
Mireille still read fairy tales to him when he was going to sleep.
Aeran still made him wooden toys.
They still fed him porridge with patience.
But every time they looked into those gray eyes—eyes that shimmered as if holding the sky within them—they thought the same thing:
This child is not just a child.
He is something greater.
And something great… always brings its own consequences.
The fear made their smiles a little tighter, their hugs a little fiercer, and their prayers a little longer.
Because they knew:
If this was just the beginning, what would happen when Eryon grew older?
And the answer to that question would come faster than they imagined.
So fast that they were unprepared when the day arrived.
The day when the small resonance turned into a massive magical explosion that shook Eldenbrook.
The day that would be the beginning of the end of the Vale family's peace.
-- To be continued