Chapter III : A Child Unlike the Others

The days, months, and seasons passed quickly, and Elwyn reached the age of four.

The little boy had evolved remarkably in so little time, largely thanks to his nature as a half-Entity.

His physical development was that of a six‐year‐old, while his communication skills and intelligence were on par with a child twice his age…

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Over these past three years, I learned to speak, to stand, and to walk on two feet, which greatly helped me in my explorations.

Even though so much time has passed, my vision problems persist. Fortunately, now that I can speak, I can call out directly for help—“Mother-Ophélia” or “Father-Volden”—even if the latter is less often around because of his duties with the village guard.

As for Mother-Ophélia, I find her very kind and caring. She often takes the time to teach me new things, like reading adventure books that she used to read to me before.

She also taught me how to use the magical engravings on the bathtub so that I could wash by myself. According to her, these magical engravings are very simple to use.

All one must do is recite the incantation corresponding to the engraving you wish to activate. There are two for the bathtub in the house: one to create water—“Water, come to me”—and another to heat it—“Water, warm yourself.” You simply say “Water, stop” to end the incantation.

It is important to know that only one engraving can be activated at a time.

As for Father-Volden, I find him to be a reliable and serious person—especially when it comes to training.

Of course, he encourages me to continue my “physical and martial training” every day in the house.

Moreover, not long ago, Mother-Ophélia granted me permission to join him in the garden under her supervision.

Now that I can move with agility, flexibility, and balance, Father-Volden can correct my posture and movements.

He even gave me a pretty carved wooden sword to practice imitating his sword movements as best as I can. Thanks to this training, I feel that books are becoming lighter in my hands and that my endurance increases over time, allowing me to train for longer periods.

However, there is something I do not understand.

After several training sessions with Father-Volden, one day he told me that I possessed extraordinary physical abilities.

What is it that makes me so different?

During my other daily activities, I love watching Mother-Ophélia prepare meals. She has great skill with a knife and a delicate finesse in her gestures and cuts.

I also enjoy watching her do the cleaning, as it is one of the activities where she uses magic. Just seeing dust being sucked up by a whirlwind of air emanating from her silver wand makes the task seem so simple and quick.

Magic, after all, is something that simplifies everyday life considerably. A mere wave of a wand can dry freshly washed clothes, or even levitate a piece of furniture so that one can clean right underneath it.

Unfortunately, I am unable to do the same as she does.

And it is not for lack of trying…

One day, when Mother-Ophélia was napping, I borrowed her wand without permission, but no matter how many times I tried to mimic the gestures I had seen countless times, no magic came out…

Otherwise, over these three years, I have seen the Deity Ogme at each of my birthdays. It is an Entity endowed with unimaginable power, yet it is not mean. And at each of its visits, it gifts me new books.

They are generally writings about the various species that populate the world and the monsters that inhabit it. But among all these books I have received, my favorite remains the first one it gave me. That one is devoted entirely to dragons and their variants and subspecies. Even though I still struggle to read on my own, the different illustrations, drawings, and detailed sketches help me understand certain things.

For Mother-Ophélia, these three years were very eventful. At the same time, she is the only magician and healer in the village.

Moreover, to prove her role and level of mastery in healing magic, she wears a silver pendant representing a tree of life.

In addition to healing people, she uses magic to help with the village’s daily tasks. For example, she has made it rain over the fields during dry spells. Or she has repaired valuable objects that were accidentally broken or damaged.

And finally, she takes care of me. I accompany her every day in her work, since Father-Volden handles matters far too dangerous for me at the moment.

But from what I understand, he is in charge of the village’s security and helps train the guards. He also hunts the monsters in the vicinity and sometimes assists the hunters in tracking game.

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For some time now, I have noticed a change in the general atmosphere of the house and the village.

Personally, I find that Father-Volden has grown much closer to Mother-Ophélia than usual. He leaves for work as late as possible and returns as early as possible. Moreover, the villagers behave in a much warmer and friendlier way toward Mother-Ophélia, and I even sometimes hear phrases like “Congratulations,” “When is the big moment?” or “I will pray to Deity Akeso for you” when we pass by an acquaintance or a patient.

And sometimes, after such phrases, people look at me with a big smile and congratulate me.

Yet, I do nothing to deserve such words…

I feel that something is happening with all these messages, but I do not know what… Perhaps, I think, Mother-Ophélia is waiting for the “right moment,” as Deity Ogme so aptly puts it.

— Some things require patience. Others, a certain maturity of mind. And finally, some require a certain openness of spirit. To acquire knowledge, one must respect all of this, for some information requires that its possessor be ready before sharing it with others. Of course, some also require that the listener be ready in order to hear and accept it. But the most important thing in all this is the words used to convey the message, because each word carries its meaning, its sense, and its power over people’s minds. One must choose one’s words carefully to be understood properly and to avoid any misunderstanding or misinterpretation. And so, the “right moment” comes when all of that is in place. So, be patient a little longer, Elwyn. Grow up; you have all the time in the world before you truly understand. And once you have acquired that knowledge, you will have even more time to learn much more…

I remember he told me this after I asked him for information about my real parents.

I suppose I will have to wait a little longer…

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The days, weeks, and months passed, and I noticed that Mother-Ophélia’s belly had begun to grow larger and larger, and with that, I saw her making fewer and fewer trips as time went by.

Then one day, when she was lying on the sofa with a book in hand, I wanted to know what it was that she had not yet told me, hoping that the “right moment” had finally arrived.

— Mother-Ophélia?

The young woman with short ash-colored hair recognized my voice and set her book against her chest, sitting up slowly before turning her head toward me with a big smile.

— Yes, my darling, what is it?

I, the little boy with crow-blue hair, stood straight facing her, my face showing a rather serious expression.

— Mother-Ophélia, may I know what has been happening to you for some time now?

Mother-Ophélia looked at me with a slightly confused expression. At first, she did not immediately grasp the meaning of my question.

But once she understood—after a few seconds of thought and a certain persistent glance at her belly—she smiled amusedly.

Indeed, it was rare for me to display such a serious expression, and the fact that I was worried about her, despite my very young age, made her very happy.

— Oh! Elwyn, you’re worried about me?

I nodded affirmatively in response.

Then Mother-Ophélia took the book from her chest and set it on the coffee table before settling comfortably on the sofa, motioning for me to sit right next to her.

I obeyed and sat just to her left, and then she began her explanation.

— You see, Elwyn, when a man and a woman love each other very much, sometimes they decide to have a child.

I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

— So… you’re going to have… a baby?

Mother-Ophélia smiled warmly and then gently took my hand and placed it against her belly.

— You see, for now, the baby is here, in my belly. It is warm and safe, just as you once were.

I gently caressed her belly in small circles with my hand.

— Will it be okay?

— For now, yes, and I hope it will remain so until the very end.

I stopped caressing her belly and stared at it intently.

— Do you know when it will come to us?

Mother-Ophélia thought for a moment before giving the answer that seemed most fitting.

— Oh… I would say there is at least a quarter of a year left for it to develop in my belly before coming into the world.

At that response, my eyes widened in surprise.

— That much time?

— Yes, it must take its time to develop and grow properly.

— I see… Do you already know if it will be a boy or a girl?

— Oh no, not yet. And besides, I would like to keep it a surprise for the big day, she replied with a broad smile.

— I see…

For a moment, I lost myself in thought before being interrupted by a question from Mother-Ophélia.

— But tell me, what would you prefer? A little brother or a little sister?

I stared fixedly at her belly for several seconds before answering as honestly as I could.

— I don’t know. I think… I have no preference…

At these words, a long silence fell over the room before being broken by a question that had been nagging at me since the beginning of our conversation.

— Mother-Ophélia, may I ask you a question?

— Of course, my darling, go ahead.

— You said that when a man and a woman love each other, they might decide to have a child.

Mother-Ophélia looked intrigued, for she did not quite see where I was heading with this.

— Yes, I did say that. What is the problem?

I then looked her straight in the eyes and fixed my gaze on her.

— What does “to love” mean?

At this unexpected question, Mother-Ophélia’s face slowly fell apart.

At the same time, I had asked her this question eye-to-eye, and she could see that the words were sincere.

However, I suppose that one of these questions was bound to come someday, for Entities are known to have great difficulty in understanding the feelings of others and in expressing their own. And this is even more pronounced in those whose governing Domain is not directly linked to a sentiment.

Seeing her expression change drastically, I began to worry.

— Mother-Ophélia? Did I say something wrong?

Mother-Ophélia quickly regained herself and hid behind a smile, in order to reassure me.

— No. You said nothing wrong. It’s just that… I did not expect such a difficult question.

My gaze then turned inquisitive.

— Difficult?

Mother-Ophélia nodded.

— Yes, it is very difficult to precisely describe what “love” is to someone.

I looked at her, perplexed.

— “Love” and “to love” mean the same thing?

This question surprised her once more, but she managed to remain as composed as possible.

— Yes. Well, in a way. They are both words used to define the same feeling, but not with the same intensity…

My questioning gaze persisted.

— … We use “to love” when we mean that we are attached to something, for example, flowers. I love flowers. Whereas we use “love” to say that we are very attached to someone. For instance, I am in love with Volden.

This explanation created a brief moment of reflective silence on my part.

— Mother-Ophélia, I’m sorry, but I still do not understand.

Those truthful words nearly brought her to tears, though she managed to hold back her tears, even if her facial expression betrayed her sadness.

— Mother-Ophélia, are you alright?

She nodded, trying to wipe away the sorrow from her face.

— I am fine… it’s just that… it is very difficult to convey with words a feeling that is experienced deep within one’s soul…

— Why is it so difficult?

— Because love is a feeling that is lived. When one is in love, the experience is different for everyone. If you will, we can say that everyone loves in their own way.

This answer left me even more puzzled.

Seeing this, Mother-Ophélia gave me a tender smile before taking me into her arms and holding me tight to reassure both of us.

— You know, Elwyn, I am sure that one day you will understand what “love” is. I am convinced of it.

— I hope so too…

This conversation allowed me to realize that I was not yet mature enough to understand certain things in life and that I had gaps in my knowledge on subjects I should already know or understand…