『 Irvar, Nothran — 26 Everi, 12:10 PM 』
Noémie lost herself in her memories, simultaneously wondering about the demon's possible origins and its true nature. Could it infect or possess other people? Control Itoî at will? So many questions...
Ring, ring!
Noémie jumped. She glanced at her brown leather watch. It read 12:10 PM.
"Shoot! That must be Kaelle. I haven't even made lunch!" she told herself, jumping up to go let her in.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asked once the door was open.
"Phew... Yes, I'm fine, Mom, thanks. Sorry I'm late, I missed the first train," Kaelle said, out of breath from sprinting home.
"It's no big deal, don't worry. Go take a shower, I haven't had time to make lunch yet," Noémie replied, taking her daughter's bag and jacket.
Kaelle looked at her mother and noticed she was still deep in thought.
"Are you still thinking about what happened to Itoî?"
"I... Yes. I still don't know how it's possible, or how this all started or was triggered," Noémie answered, her brow still furrowed.
She seemed genuinely worried.
"Don't worry, Mom. You made us amulets, right? They're necklaces designed to stop a potential demon from popping out, aren't they?" Kaelle replied with a smile, tilting her head slightly to the side.
Noémie snapped out of it and smiled.
"How do you know they're already done?" she asked, surprised.
"Heh heh heh... I heard you go out to the garden once after saying goodbye to Dad. I followed you quietly. I heard coins dropping and, despite the smoke—even though you hid it well—I caught a glimpse of it and smelled a faint scent," Kaelle explained, smiling at her mother as she walked toward the living room.
"You little snoop!" Noémie exclaimed, laughing, visibly more relaxed.
"I still haven't lost my touch, you know. I used to help your father forge jewelry. Now that he works for a big company, I took 'early retirement,' so to speak," Noémie continued as she walked with her daughter to the living room.
"Alright, Mom, I'm going to take a shower. I'm starving too! Oh, by the way, where are the others?" Kaelle asked.
"In the yard. You could go check on them after your shower. Then, once we've all eaten, I can give you your amulets," Noémie replied.
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Kaelle nodded and headed to the bathroom.
Noémie went to the kitchen, washed her hands, and started prepping lunch. She glanced over at the bay window: the kids seemed to be having fun in the yard.
"Hey, Uyan, should we cut your hair? Can you even see anything with all those strands hanging over your eyes?" Itoî teased his little brother.
Uyan placed his hands on his head as if to protect himself, then replied, "No! It's part of who I am!"
"Maybe you could tie it back," Vars suggested right away.
Uyan didn't answer for a moment. Then he muttered, "Well... I don't really like people seeing my eyes, actually... I feel judged."
Seeing his little brother feeling down, Vars gently brushed the strands away from his face. He looked him in the eyes with a smile.
"But your eyes are super cool! It's rare to have a different color for each eye. You have one amber one, like Itoî, and the other one is completely black."
Uyan quickly swatted his older brother's hand away from his face, clearly embarrassed, then thanked him in a whisper: "T-Thanks..."
"Alright, guys! There's one thing I'm looking forward to! In a year, I'll find out what element I have!" Itoî exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Which one do you think it'll be?" Uyan asked.
"Honestly, I don't know... But something cool! Lightning, ice, or fire, maybe!" Itoî replied.
"Heh... heh... heh," Vars chuckled.
"What? Did I say something weird?" Itoî retorted.
"Guys, I already know miiine!" Vars announced, gloating.
"For real?!" the other two boys replied simultaneously.
"Show us! Quick, quick, quiiiick!" Itoî cried, bouncing with excitement.
"Alright, guys, ready? One, two... three!"
Vars summoned a pretty flower with pink petals in the palm of his hand.
"Woooow!" Itoî and Uyan gasped, their eyes filled with stars.
Itoî immediately followed up: "But how can you make a flower? I don't know a single element that can summon plants."
"T-That's second-rate magic," Uyan blurted out, intimidated.
Uyan lowered his eyes for a moment, thinking about what Vars had just done.
Is my big brother a monster or what? Nature magic is one of the most complex to master. Only a handful of people know how to control it!
Uyan looked back up at Vars, who was laughing with Itoî.
"Big bro, since when have you mastered this magic?" he asked, sounding anxious.
"According to Mom and Dad, I could shoot little jets of water from my hands and materialize earth by the age of four. Then, I think a year later, if I remember correctly, I was making bouquets of roses. I used to give them to Mom every day."
Uyan dropped his console, which crashed to the ground in shock.
But... But is this a joke? I don't know a single living person on this planet who has pulled off such a feat!
Seeing Uyan's console fall, Vars got worried and put a hand on his little brother's shoulder.
"Wow! Are you okay? You never drop your console. What happened?"
Uyan looked at his brother, trembling, then said, "You're a monster. I can't believe you've mastered Nature magic since you were five."
Vars laughed, a bit embarrassed.
"Heh heh heh... I get that a lot. I must have gotten it from Mom. She's really talented with magic, too."
"I thought Mom was an exception... Mastering Light magic clearly isn't something everyone can do. But then, Nature magic..." Uyan murmured, intrigued.
"Guys, I don't understand a word of your gibberish. What are you saying? It's a good thing big bro is such a hotshot, right?" Itoî chimed in.
"T-That's not the point, Itoî. I don't even know a supreme mage at that level. This means big bro, at only thirteen, knows Earth, Water, and Nature elements... No, you master Light too, right?" Uyan asked, turning to Vars.
Vars scratched his hair, looking sheepish.
"Yeah, heh heh. But guys, I'm not even in Mom's league! I do know those four elements, but I really only use Nature. So I'm not at the same level with the other three."
"And regarding your level with the Nature element... Do you think you could beat Mom in a one-on-one fight, for instance?"
Vars thought about it for a few moments before looking Uyan dead in the eyes, very serious.
"If I had to answer you seriously, I'd say—"
The bay window slid open and Noémie called out:
"Kids! Lunch time! It's already 12:40!"