Daniel returned to his room and slid the grimbook inside his leather satchel, burying it deep among other arcane books and sat on the edge of his bed and thought of ways to gather the first main ingredient, hair.
Blood was powerful, but hair was everywhere, unnoticed, ordinary and perfect.
He walked to his parents bedroom and eased open the door. Marnie lying on the bed, eyes closed with a blanket covering half of her body. The thin cream chemise beneath doing little to hide the swell of her breasts as she breathed.
"Mom" he called her with a neutral expression. "are you alright…"
She turned her head slow and steady, her eyelids fluttering as they opened in a slow motion.
"Yes… son. It's just a fev-"
*COUGH… COUGH…*
The people of this village are so obsessed with magic that they fail to see the value in nature's own gifts. They place all their faith in healers to heal their bodies, yet each treatment demands at least a gold coin, which is a lot of money.
"Umm, mom… I'll be back in a few minutes, just wait for me,"
Then he ran straight towards the kitchen.
Daniel filled a small clay pot with water and set it on the earthen stove. Coals were still hot under the gray dust of ashes, with a few wood sticks, the fire came back to life.
He grabbed a knob of raw ginger and slice and diced it in the pot, mixed with a generous drops of lemon and a pinch of salt. Within seconds, a basic survival remedy was prepared for Marnie's fever.
The aroma of ginger filled the kitchen. Being generous, Daniel put extra ginger for his stepmom.
Few moments later, the brew was ready, and he poured a good amount in a clay cup. And hurried back to his parent's bedroom.
"Mom… here, drink this…"
She looked at him for a second and said with a faint voice "What did you make, son".
"It's a medicine for your fever…" Daniel replied with a neutral expression.
She pushed herself upward, and took the cup and blew across the surface.
*Fuuu…*
'Hmm… what is this, it smells really good.' Marnie murmured in her mind and took a cautious sip.
*sip… sip…*
"Are you feeling better mom…" he said with a neutral expression.
"Ahm… mmm" she nodded.
Her room was twice as big as his, two sided bed for two people, windows with white curtains and a sturdy wardrobe made with wood, a wooden table with a chair and a small Mirror hung above the a three drawer dresser.
He remembered from Daniel's memory that marnie suffered from constant hair fall. His gaze locked on the drawer, searching for a comb, and walked towards it quietly.
Somewhere in there had to be a comb.
He opened the first drawer.
*grrrkkk*
Didn't find the comb.
Next handle.
Didn't find it either.
Third handle.
Empty as well.
"What are you looking for, son…" she said with a soft curious voice.
Daniel froze for a heartbeat and said "Umm… the comb, mom…"
"Comb… why?"
"I couldn't find my comb, so i want yours… for now" he replied with a neutral expression.
*shfff… sip…*
"Then just ask for it… come here" she gave a sign to come close by a nod.
Her left hand slid beneath her white pillow.
"Here…"
He took the dual-sided wooden comb, and began running it through his hair.
'What kind of woman would hide comb under a pillow. Wait… does she know i was after her comb all along… no this can't be true. It must be a coincidence.' He murmured stepping behind her.
"Mom… how are you feeling now?" He asked, tilting his head a little bit.
"I'm feeling much better now"
"Here… lemme help you comb your hair too" Daniel said quickly looking at her dry hair.
Daniel didn't let her say anything and combed her hair from the narrower side.
"Agh… careful son"
"Oh… my bad mom, I didn't realised your hair would tangle this much" He switched to the wider side but three strands of hair were already in his pocket.
His eyes dropped. While she coughed, her chemise slipped lower, and the soft swell of her breasts pressed up against the thin fabric, nipples stiff and visible like they were begging for attention.
His cock gave a hard, involuntary twitch.
'Man… these boobs, i want to suck, i want to squeeze and play with them like a basketball and shoot my three's all over her mou-' before he could fantasize his desires, he was interrupted by marnie.
"Son… what do you think about your future. Will you become a warrior or a shaman…?" She asked with a neutral expression.
*sip…*
In this world, a young teenager faces three main paths into adulthood. Warrior, Shaman, or Craftsman.
Most villagers sneer at craftsmanship, dismissing it as the fallback of failures. Tools and houses are everywhere, so the trade feels common, almost beneath notice.
Those who lack the gift for magic or the raw strength for battle usually drift back home and end up carpenters, masons, or builders.
Becoming a shaman demands rare, inborn talent.
Becoming a warrior demands something beyond talent, something fiercer.
Once schooling ends, every youth must undertake the Trial in the distant Kingdom of Dreams known as Eagle. Only there, under its strange skies, is a person's true path revealed.
"Umm… I haven't thought of it much… but i always aim for the top" Daniel said with a neutral expression,
"That's my son… I pray you become a great warrior" she said with a soft warm voice.
While she spoke, daniel already harvested six strands of hair from her while leaving only couple of tangled in the comb teeth. Feeling satisfied with the amount he stopped combing her hair.
she drained the last of the cup, and put it on the floor, near his leg.
"Rest well mom… If you need anything just lemme know" he said and left her room with the cup.
The moment the door clicked shut, his lamb mask dropped.
'Hell like i give a damn about this warrior or shaman thing. I just want to live in the present and pin you to that bed and fuck you senseless until you're screaming my name, Marnie.'