Itoî looked confident, chest leaning forward, hands on his hips, but when you looked at his legs, it was a different story. They wouldn't stop shaking. Vars, seeing this, chuckled softly before shouting to his brother:
"Come on, Itoî, give it your all!"
The boy jumped at his brother's encouragement; instead of giving him courage, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Nevertheless, he didn't turn toward Vars.
I don't want to get caught off guard like Vars. I need to stay focused.
"Alright, let's go, my boy, we're starting," Grandpa said before taking his stance.
He had his right arm forward, raised with his fingers pressed together and bent downward, like some kind of crane, and his left arm extended back.
Vars was surprised by this stance, but he understood one thing:
Grandpa seems to be running this little test differently for each of us, since Itoî hasn't set foot in the academy yet and no one has taught him magic: he's going to test him in martial arts.
Itoî was anxious. He swallowed hard, briefly wiped the sweat from his forehead, then lunged at his grandfather, fist forward.
"HAAAAAA!!!" he screamed.
Meanwhile, Uyan had woken up. He looked at the small living room clock: it read 7:20 AM. He rubbed his eyes, went to the bathroom, washed his face, then used the toilet.
"Pff... Can't they make less noise?... They're so annoying," he muttered in a small voice.
While doing his business, he remembered something: a particularly interesting idea had crossed his mind.
Kaelle is sleeping in Grandpa's room. Given how we were woken up less than two hours ago, I might have my chance to get into the cellar. I just need to play on my sister's tiredness.
He finished up and flushed. He quickly washed his hands, slapped his own cheeks to wake up, then hurried to his grandfather's bedroom door.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Big Sis? Can I ask you something?"
Knock, knock, knock!
"Kaelle? Please, it's Uyan."
"Yes, Uyan, what is it?" she said, her voice a bit raspy.
"Can you make me breakfast, please? I'm really hungry."
There was a moment of silence. Uyan thought:
Stolen novel; please report.
Damn, did it not work? Usually, Kaelle has the same personality as my—
The door opened. Kaelle had messy hair and eyes still half-closed. She yawned, then said:
"I'm going to use the bathroom before you, Uyan. Do you think you can wait 10 or even 15 minutes? You can wait for me in the kitchen if you want."
"Yes! Thanks, Kaelle," Uyan said with a smile. His eyes were shining, but for a different reason.
Fuck! It worked! I love you, Big Sis!
He watched his sister head to the bathroom. She closed the door.
Click.
The bathroom door was locked.
Wasting no time, Uyan bolted into his grandfather's bedroom.
He started scanning everywhere very quickly: he checked the drawers first. Nothing. The wardrobe, maybe? Nothing there either. He grew impatient.
5 minutes gone already. Shit, shit, shit! Where is this damn key?
He stopped for a second, eyes wide, then thought:
Fuck, if he made a magically locked door, I'm screwed!
Then, in his haste, he looked at a photo: it was his grandmother. She had passed away several years ago; only Kaelle had known her, when she was 6. He noticed the picture frame was very slightly raised. He quickly stacked a few books and stood on them. He took the frame off the wall, then flipped it over.
What is... It's a key! It's actually a key!
He pulled the key from the back of the frame, set the photo on the bed, and crouched down. Sure enough, his intuition was right: there was a trapdoor, but a fairly sturdy old padlock kept it shut. He inserted the key and turned it.
Click!
There, he'd unlocked the padlock. The trapdoor was accessible. He quickly patted his pockets.
Damn, I don't have a flashlight, this is gonna suck. But... there are matches in the kitchen!
He rushed out of his grandfather's bedroom and went to grab the matches in the kitchen.
I think Kaelle put them in this drawer... Bingo! I have to be quick though, I've got 5 minutes max.
Uyan grabbed the matches from the drawer and, right next to it, there were candles; he took one of those too. He slipped the matches into his pajama pocket and tucked the candle under his pajama waistband. He then sprinted back to the bedroom door.
Kaelle heard the racket and asked:
"Uyan?"
The boy, who had his hand on the doorknob, froze.
Shit!
"Y-Yes?"
"What are you doing? I hear a ton of noise."
"It's... It's the others, you know, they're doing their training..."
"Ah, right, true. In Grandpa's room, you can't hear much, it's pretty well insulated."
"Makes sense. Kaelle, take your shower if you want, I'll start setting the table."
"Sounds good, Uyan, thanks!"
"You're welcome, Big Sis. Thanks to you, and sorry for waking you up."
He opened the door gently and hurried to the trapdoor.
Okay, Kaelle taking a shower is at least another 15 minutes minimum, but the others could come back any second, so I can't dawdle.
He crouched down again, slid under the bed, cracked open the trapdoor, and slipped through little by little.
Ah! I almost fell. Ah, there's the ladder. Alright, I'm going down slowly, I can't see a thing, and I can't light a match while climbing down...
So, Uyan took his time climbing down slowly. The ladder's wood creaked, which spooked the little boy, who figured if he went too fast, it would give out. Reaching the last rung, he wobbled and stepped into what he thought was empty space. His hands, slick with sweat, were about to slip at any moment.
Crap, I'm gonna fall...!
But the instant he pushed his foot lower, he felt a hard surface: it was the floor. He let out a big breath.
"Phew... We're good."
He pulled the box of matches from his pocket and struck one, then took out the candle he'd tucked in his waistband and lit it. It was a cellar covered in cobwebs, including a massive spider the size of a tennis ball sitting right there.
Uyan jumped.
"Eeek!"
Then he clamped a hand over his mouth.
I can't make noise, damn it.
The cellar was fairly large. There were casks filled with alcohol, water, and other liquids. An old shelf filled with jam jars, pouches, potatoes, and whatnot. Uyan was disappointed. He moved a little deeper inside. And there, his eyes filled with wonder.
"Whoa...!"