As the birthday party soon came to a close—the neighbors slipping away like ghosts into the treeline—Kael and Elara stood by the dying fire, the weight of the future heavy between them.
After tucking Aether into his small, straw-filled cot and ensuring he was deep in sleep, they began to argue silently, their shadows dancing fitfully against the walls.
They were arguing about sending him to the academy. After the Great Downfall, the Coalition of species had established the Nexus Academy, a mandatory special education program for every child on Sylvaris at the age of six.
It was designed to categorize and mold the next generation—and even the "lowly" human children were expected to attend, though it was less for education and more for registration.
"He is a child, Kael! He's our child," Elara hissed, her hands white-knuckled as she gripped a dishcloth.
Her voice was a sharp whisper, trembling with a mother's instinct. "You know what they do to humans there. He'll be bullied, or worse. And we won't even be there to pull him out! Humans aren't allowed past the outer gates of the Utopia. He'd be all by himself."
Kael leaned heavily against the wooden table, rubbing his face with his palms. He sighed, the sound weary and hollow. "Elara, do you think I want this? To send him into the lion's den? But we don't have a choice. The Spectrum Measurers will come for the census soon. If we hide him, they'll burn this entire grove."
"We can hide him in the mountains! I'll teach him, Kael. I'll take more breaks from the foraging parties," Elara insisted, her voice rising just a fraction, her eyes wide with desperation.
"More breaks?" Kael stepped toward her, his expression pained. "Elara, if you stop working, the village doesn't eat. If I stop, the defenses fail. We can't self-educate him because we know nothing of the extent of this new world."
Stepping closer to her, just an inch away from her. "We are living in the dirt, clutching at memories of the past, while the world moves on with magic we don't understand."
He reached out, taking her hands in his. "If we enroll him, then maybe, just maybe, he could learn a thing or two about the loose ends of this new world. He needs to understand the Spectrums—how to hide his weakness, or how to find a way to survive."
Kael glanced at Elara, his gaze a mixture of sadness and determination. "I know the risk. I know the Elves will look down their noses and the Orcs will shove him. But he needs to be smarter than us."
Elara tried to pull her hands away, her jaw set. "He's too young to be 'smarter' than a world that hates him."
"He's a human on Sylvaris, El," Kael said, his voice dropping to a somber, steady tone. "He was born a target. The Academy is a cage, yes, but it's a cage with books and knowledge. If he stays here, he's just a boy in the woods waiting to be found."
Kael paused for a moment, as if catching his breath before continuing, "If he goes there; he has a chance to see how the enemy thinks."
Elara looked toward the corner where Aether slept, his chest rising and falling in peaceful ignorance.
Her shoulders finally slumped, the fight draining out of her as the harsh reality set in.
She finally gave in, a single tear tracking through the soot on her cheek.
"If they break his spirit, Kael... I will never forgive us."
"They won't," Kael whispered, though his own heart felt like lead.