As he watched his father pack for the trip, Aron noticed the moment he paused and looked at him.
"It's ten times bigger than this village."
"The roads aren't dirt—they're made of blue bricks, built with mortar and sand from the river."
"The houses are tall and beautiful."
"The city receives goods from many kingdoms and merchants from different races."
"All races? Even dragons?" Aron asked, excited.
Arthur laughed, clearly amused.
"Kid… there are two types of dragons. Purebloods, born from eggs… and hybrids, born like you."
Aron frowned slightly.
"Dragons don't walk around in their true forms. They appear in humanoid shapes."
"They can transform into humans?" Aron asked, surprised.
"Of course. All races evolve into humanoid forms… but they still retain their primal ones."
Arthur paused for a moment, then smiled in a suspicious way.
"By the way… the city has something you're going to like a lot."
A chill ran down Aron's spine.
'Nothing good ever comes with that kind of smile…'
"The city has an academy."
"When you turn five and awaken, you'll be able to study there too," Arthur said, finally giving up on packing his bag.
'Just the academy? Then why that weird smile…?'
'There's something more to it…'
"What's the academy like?" Aron asked, trying to get more information.
"Hah. Already curious?" Arthur crossed his arms. "I'm not telling you. You'll find out on your own."
'Damn…'
"Dad, what's the Shadow Forest?" Aron asked, changing tactics.
'If he won't talk about the academy… I've still got other questions.'
"You've seen the forest east of the village, right?"
"Yes. The trees are really tall and thick," Aron replied.
"The trees there are about eight to ten meters tall."
"But in the Shadow Forest… they reach sixty or seventy meters."
"Imagine a massive forest, with trees so tall that almost no sunlight gets through the canopy. That's why it's called that."
"That must be incredible…" Aron murmured, picturing it.
"It is. But if you think it's just beautiful, you're wrong."
"Every flower could have deadly thorns."
"Since it's very dangerous to enter, dungeon breaks happen frequently… and the forest fills with monsters."
'That's a new term…'
"What's a dungeon break?" Aron asked, curious.
Arthur glanced out the window. The sun was already higher.
"Your mother explained that dungeons have two mana reserves, right?"
"Yes."
"You're still not done?" Sabrina said, walking into the room and finding Arthur sitting there, barely having packed anything.
"Can you help me? This little guy is too curious," he replied, shifting the blame onto Aron.
…
'Seriously?'
"Fine," Sabrina said, quickly organizing everything.
"Thanks," Arthur said before turning back to Aron.
"When the reserve that creates monsters is almost full, the dungeon starts producing more."
"But each floor has a limit."
"When that limit is exceeded… it expels some of the monsters outside."
"That happens every month if no one clears the dungeon."
"Many kingdoms use this to train soldiers."
'An efficient method… dangerous, but efficient.'
"But if a dungeon breaks near a village like this…" Arthur paused, his tone serious. "It would cease to exist."
"That was one of the reasons we removed that dungeon."
"By the time the lord of these lands was notified and sent a transposer… it could already be too late."
"And the city wouldn't send help?" Aron asked, a bit frustrated.
Arthur shook his head.
"You underestimate the value of a dungeon."
"They're rare… and practically infinite resources."
"If news spreads, someone from another kingdom might come to steal it."
He looked straight at Aron.
"And you can imagine what would happen to the village."
"Yes…"
"There's no one strong here?" Aron asked.
"No. Most people just want to live in peace."
"The average level here is low, and almost no one has combat abilities."
"They could delay a break for… at most six days."
"But you're strong," Aron said firmly.
"We are," Sabrina replied, stepping in. "But we're hiding our identity."
"We came to this village after I ran away from home. We've been here for two and a half years."
She gently ran her hand through Aron's hair.
"You ran away from home?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes. My family didn't want me to stay with your father. So we ran away," she said with a smile.
Aron looked at his father.
Arthur lifted his chin proudly.
Aron gave a mental thumbs-up.
"Don't you miss them, Mom?"
"Of course I do. But I'll only go back when your father is strong enough not to die."
"Maybe get beaten… but not die," she added with a smile.
Aron looked at his father again, now with a slightly defeated expression.
He gave another mental thumbs-up.
'You're brave…'
'You seduced someone important's daughter and ran away with her to the edge of the world…'
'How are you still alive?'
Arthur noticed the look, dropped the sad expression, and went back to acting proud.
"All set," Sabrina said.
Arthur picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"Take care of your mother while I'm gone, alright?"
"You can count on me. I won't let anyone hurt her," Aron replied.
"That's my boy."
"I'm heading out," Arthur said.
"Be careful," Sabrina replied, hugging him.
While they said goodbye, Aron quietly grabbed a book from the bed and slipped away.
He went to the kitchen and opened it on the table.
He couldn't understand anything… but it seemed to be an alphabet-based writing system.
As he examined it, he tried to find similarities with languages from Earth.
"Found you."
Aron nearly jumped out of his chair.
"Sister Mada! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Rerere… what are you up to?" Matilda said, looking at the book.
"Hoo… Advanced Concepts of the Light Element?"
She laughed.
"Isn't that a bit too advanced for you, little genius?"
"Sister Mada… what's the difference between mana and elemental mana?" Aron asked quickly, changing the subject.
She smiled.
"Smart. Let's walk your father to the village exit. I'll explain on the way back."
She picked him up and carried him outside, where Sabrina and Arthur were already waiting.
"Where did you go, Aron?" Sabrina asked.
"He was in the kitchen with your spellbook," Matilda said, handing him over.
"Stubborn boy. Arthur, buy materials for him to learn how to read. My books aren't suitable for him," Sabrina said.
"Alright. This kid wants to learn ahead of time, while other children run from studying," Arthur replied with a laugh.
"Let's go, or are you going to keep everyone waiting?" Matilda said, crossing her arms.
"You're practically kicking me out… don't you feel bad separating me from my family?" Arthur joked, making a dramatic face.
"No. But don't worry… if you don't come back, I'll take very good care of your son and your wife," Matilda said with a mischievous smile.
"I knew it! You want to steal my family!" Arthur shot back, feigning outrage.
"Alright, that's enough," Sabrina interrupted, a slight frown on her face. "We're already at the village exit."
Arthur sighed, adjusting his bag.
"I'll get going then. If everything goes well, I'll be back in a month."
"Bye."
"Bye."
The caravan began to move slowly, carrying the summer harvest with it.
Aron watched in silence as they drifted away, the wheels creaking against the road and the voices fading into the distance.
"Mom… why is there a child with them?" Aron asked.
"That's David. He turned five last month and is going to the city to awaken," Sabrina replied.
"The one who broke his arm climbing a tree and you healed?"
"Yes, that's him. Now come on, it's time to head back."
Aron nodded silently.
They began walking back home.
Even so… Aron turned his head one last time.
The caravan was already far away.
Small.
Distant.
'That kid is going to awaken…'
'And take his first step into the extraordinary world.'
He clenched his fists slightly.
'I'm curious to see what class he'll receive…'
'And what mine will be?'