Chapter 2 - Blades, Blasters, and Baby Steps

Act I: The Chill in the KitchenThe morning sun streams into the grand dining room, but the atmosphere is currently sub-zero. A massive, jagged spire of solid ice erupts from the center of the breakfast table, perfectly freezing a plate of pancakes mid-air. Five-year-old Hiria stands next to it, shivering.Eleanor: Standing tall, arms crossed, her face a mask of terrifying, stern maternal authority. Hiria. Look at me. Did you, or did you not, just flash-freeze the family breakfast because you didn't want to eat your broccoli?Hiria: Looking down at his tiny shoes, his voice trembling with genuine, past-life-induced guilt. I'm... I'm really sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to awaken my arcana like this. I'll clean it up.Eleanor: Instantly drops her stern face, her eyes turning into literal hearts as she lunges forward and scoops him into a suffocatingly tight hug. OH MY PRECIOUS LITTLE ICE PRINCE! HE APOLOGIZED! DID YOU HEAR THAT MELODY?! HE'S A GENIUS MAGE AND AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL!Hiria: Muffled against her chest. Mom... can't... breathe... lungs... freezing...Eleanor: Squealing in pure happiness, rubbing her cheek against his. That's it! Tomorrow we begin your intensive mana-manipulation training! You are going to be the greatest grand magus the kingdom has ever seen! My little prodigy!Act II: The Great Parental SchismArthur: Kicking the dining room door open, slamming his massive broadsword onto the floor. Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Eleanor! Mage?! Look at those shoulders! Look at that posture! He's built for the blade! He's going to be a swordsman, just like his old man!Eleanor: Glaring, still clutching Hiria like a stuffed animal. He literally just summoned a glacier to avoid eating green vegetables, Arthur! He is a born caster!Arthur: Arguing back, gesturing wildly. A swordsman can cut a glacier in half! Plus, mages don't get the ladies, Eleanor! Have you ever seen a grand magus pull a chick at a tavern? No! They're always brooding in towers with owls!Eleanor: Sparks of holy and lightning magic beginning to crackle around her hair. What did you say about mages, dear?Arthur: Sweating profusely but standing his ground. I said... uh... what if we train him together? Yeah! A spellsword! The ultimate combo!Eleanor: Instantly beaming again. Oh, honey, that's a wonderful idea! We can double his daily training hours!Hiria (Internal Monologue): Staring at them in absolute horror. Double the hours? I just wanted to skip broccoli. My past self sat on a couch for sixteen hours a day playing video games, and now I'm being drafted into a magical military bootcamp run by my overly enthusiastic parents.Act III: Terrifying Awakened GiftsLater that afternoon, the courtyard is set up for a family demonstration. Zora and Asher step forward to showcase their own newly manifested powers.Zora: Smirking, stepping up to a training dummy. Watch and learn, boys. The ladies love a man with... versatile appendages.Zora flexes his right arm. The skin splits open with a sickening, wet squelch, flesh and bone shifting, molding, and clicking together like a biological puzzle. In a matter of seconds, his entire forearm morphs into a grotesque, pulsing, organic gatling gun made of hardened bone and muscle tissue.Zora: Firing a barrage of hardened marrow bullets into the dummy, laughing like a maniac. HAHA! See?! It's creepy, it's fleshy, it's totally badass! I am a walking, talking piece of lethal art!Hiria: Gagging loudly in the background. That is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen in two lifetimes. Why are you smiling?! It looks like a medical nightmare!Asher: Stepping forward calmly, completely unfazed. Disgusting, Zora. Allow me to show you true elegance.Asher unsheathes his training sword. With a soft hum, two massive, pristine white angel wings erupt from his back, shedding glowing feathers. He raises his blade, and it erupts into a blinding, shiny, iridescent holy light that completely vaporizes another target.Asher: Striking a majestic pose. Pure. Holy. Magnificent.Zora: Shouting. Yeah, well, can your shiny bird-sword turn into a biological rocket launcher?! I don't think so!Act IV: The Heart of the DispossessedWhile Arthur and Eleanor eagerly drag Hiria, Zora, and Asher into a complex magic-and-swordplay drill, ten-year-old Yurto stands at the edge of the field. He grips his wooden cross, looking down at his completely normal, un-awakened hands. A heavy shadow passes over his face, but he quickly forces a bright, supportive smile.Yurto: Yelling out cheerfully. Wow! Great job, Hiria! Keep it up, brothers! You're all going to protect the kingdom one day!Hiria (Internal Monologue): Watching Yurto while dodging a wooden sword from his dad. Yurto has zero magical capacity. In a family of monsters, he's completely normal. He's trying so hard to be happy for us just so Mom and Dad don't look at him with pity. It's breaking my heart.A gentle hand rests on Yurto's shoulder. It is Mina, the maid, holding a beautifully balanced steel dagger and a leather-bound book on military strategy.Mina: Voice quiet, but carrying the weight of a protective mother. Let your parents focus on the flashy lights, young master Yurto. True power doesn't always come from the sky or the flesh.Yurto: Looking up, his eyes watering slightly. Mina... but I don't have an arcana. I can't do what they do.Mina: Kneeling down to his eye level, her expression fiercely maternal. You have a brilliant mind. You see the battlefield clearly. And while they rely on raw gifts, I will teach you the art of weapons, tactics, and survival. You do not need magic to be the leader this family will eventually need.Yurto: Wiping a tear, a new, sharp spark of determination lighting up his eyes. Teach me, Mina. I want to learn everything.From across the courtyard, Hiria blocks a strike from his father, his eyes locking onto Yurto and Mina practicing tactical maneuvers in the shade.Hiria (Internal Monologue): They think we're the special ones. But watching Mina guide Yurto... I have a feeling that when the dark days finally come, the boy without magic and the maid with a secret past are going to be the ones keeping us all alive.[Screen fades to black.]