The trip home was a sobering one, as he had new perspectives on how things were.
The berries were on the porch, still filled to the brim with the prize of his earlier effort. It felt less like a victory now after the events of the day…
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“Wow, brother, you weren’t kidding… How do you get so many? The amount seems impossible!“ She went rushing to the berries.
“I think it is from nobody gathering them for a while and new bushels growing in the area.” Feeling a bit of pride in her praise.
“I see,” she replied, marveling at his effort.
He watched as she lifted it with a little struggle at first but still seemed fine once secured in her hand. “Come on, brother, let’s put them in the kitchen and find Mom.”
After placing them inside and wandering the yard for a bit, they found her nearby, enjoying the weather.
“Mom,” they both happily rushed and hugged her.
“Oh, my, she startled both of you at this hour, isn’t it a bit early? Is your father ok? Leena smiled.
“Yeah, he hasn’t needed us as much thanks to the added help. He will be going into Crossroads soon for trade and restocking of a few things. I asked him for a new blanket."
“I see,” Mother replied. “Well, we did need help, son. Are you ok? She saw he looked different but wasn’t sure what it was.
“I’m fine,” he said, not wanting to say the whole truth, and felt little shame hiding it from his mom, who was only showing love and concern.
“I gathered berries.” He tried changing the subject.
“And you need help getting them?” Mom asked, unsure where this was going.
“Not gathering them… I got too many and needed help getting them home. Nina helped me with that.” He looked away before going on, “But I still needed Len's help with something else and stuff,” he finished quickly. Mother looked at Wolf, knowing he was hiding details, but let him be; she did not pry.
Lena, sensing the mood was about to turn awkward, spoke up.
“He did gather a lot of berries. I thought maybe we could take turns as a family helping with making the jam. It will teach him about responsibility, and he wants to share the jars with others.
“Really?” Mom asked. “How many jars is he planning on making, three or four? She asked, mildly amused, and Leena spoke up before he could.
“We’re thinking close to 20, maybe 30 or more; it depends on how we blend them.
“O, my!” Mom said, shocked, “How in the name of the gods did you manage that? He beamed with a bit of pride.
“I gathered them!” Mom was exasperated at the non-answer and sighed defeated…
“I see, well, that will take a while and a lot of work. We still need to do other things, and it could take a few weeks, depending on how we do it.
He was worried, “Will they last that long? I thought we would do it in a few days tops…” Mom laughed at that.
“Sweetie, did you forget the amount of work last time we did it? That was only a few jars, and you want many more this time.”
“But how will they stay fresh? I tried before they went bad after a while, and I never saw them last a week.”
“Well, there are a few ways, but the easiest is magic jars.”
“WHAT?” he screamed. His mother gave him a dirty look, shouting in her face… Even Len looked disapproving; he covered his mouth. He needed to stop; he wasn’t a child anymore. “Sorry, Mom, please tell me about magic jars. Can I see one?” Lena spoke first.
“You see them all the time?” She looked at him, confused.
“Uh…” wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Mom giggled at that.
“Son…magic is always part of our life. Those jars are common, and there can be non-magic ones made. Those are very rare."
"It is much easier to make items infused with magic than to try to make anything without." He thought about the things he had seen before, and they seemed well-non-special…
“But magic is special; it should be magical, not plain…” He knew he was right. His sister sighed.
“Little brother, your view on magic is too rigid; it is like water, always plain to see, giving life to all but also nothing fancy, no matter how important it is. He didn’t like that answer; magic was special, he knew it. He didn’t know why everyone saw it as mundane when it was so important.
After heading back, his mom saw the berries and was amazed; she started getting batches ready, and she said we should barely have enough extra supplies for the batches of jam.
He looked at all the jars they had; he could see… nothing… The jars were like clear glass; they did have a light blue hue glow in them, but that was always there, so to him, that was normal. Was that magic? He tried licking the jar, and it tasted like glass. No power was given to him; his sister laughed, watching him.
“Are you ok, Wolf? If you’re that hungry, we can make you something,” she said, amused.
“No, I was trying to taste magic, he said defensively. "She laughed at that.
“You’re always getting magic; we all are; it’s part of our world, silly.”
“Len,” Mother said sternly, “be nice to your brother; he's learning he doesn’t know how everything works.” It annoyed him trying to learn about magic, and being mocked, he knew he had to let it go…
His sister apologized and kissed his cheek. His mother also rubbed his head and thanked him for thinking about the family.
He was happy things were moving forward even though it wasn’t really what he wanted; he thought of how magic is always around me, but out of my grasp.
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A few days passed, making jams with Leena and Mom, swapping, helping, and needing to work. He tried helping where he could to speed things along, but it was exhausting doing so much in a short time. He also was wondering what happened with Nina and asked his sister.
“Len, where is Nina? She's been missing…”
“ We talked, and she's okay, just not sure how to meet you; she said it was awkward since how it ended last time.” He nodded. The ending was weird, but not knowing how she was doing bothered him a lot more, and the fact that she just wanted to help him make a lot more than just him apologizing…
Leena spoke up while he lost himself. In thought, “I have been trying to get her to come with me, but she kept saying she was too busy. Maybe tomorrow she was much chipper today vs. the last couple of days.”
“Ok, let her know I’m sorry. I didn’t mean whatever upset her; maybe I do need to grow up just a little bit.” Leena smiled at that.
“Don’t rush it; when you do, you won’t be able to be a child again, so be happy with it while you can,” she expressed her view.
“Bah, I’m not a kid,” taking back his opinion…
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More time passed, and Mom and the shop were busy. He offered to help, but they let him rest. He, for once, enjoyed the lull and calm of home. He did wonder why Nina wasn’t showing up; she seemed spontaneous, and this felt out of character. While being lazy in his room, he heard Len's voice calling out to him.
“Brother, where are you?” He got up, wondering what was wrong.
“I’m coming. I was just in the room.” As he ran to meet her, he stopped dead in his tracks and froze in shock. Nina was there looking around the living room, calm and relaxed. She turned and saw him smiling and spoke.
“Hey, kiddo, it's been a little while, no?” He wasn’t sure what to say, drawing a blank, so Nina ran up to him, hugging him. “Miss you, little guy. Did you miss me?“ From the corner, he saw his sister Len smiling, and she spoke.
“I’m going to the kitchen to start a new batch of jam. Meet me when you’re ready.” He was exasperated and pushed the fox girl away.
“ I, I didn’t,” Nina pouted at that, ears dropping…
“I meant that little you did not even want to see me?” She looked like she was going to cry…
He was burning with shame for showing indifference now, memories flashing of how he left things.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “Magic means a lot to me, but I do understand not to you… So again, sorry, I did not think about your feelings.”
Nina smiled and hugged him again.
“Little wolf~” she sang his name then spoke, “All I want is just friends and family to me; that’s the gravest magic.”
He let her hold him. She was warm and nice. He hated it also, as it made him feel like a child, but he remembered what his sister said; she just wanted a family and a little brother. He hated what he said next but felt it was for the best.
“Len told me you wanted to be closer to our family. I don’t mind being your brother and you…"
"can be my…. "
"Second big sister," he choked out the words, burning cheeks of shame; he felt her go stiff holding him and tremble; did he do something wrong? The way she held him, he couldn’t tell…
“Ok,” a soft, lovely voice said in sadness and near tears.
“Thank you.”
Gentle drops touch his skin as she held him. Did it really mean that much? He thought how bad was her life to feel this way that all it took was a few words of comfort to break her…
He had never been in this situation and was not sure how to act, so he thought, what would you do for your sister?
He held her back and said, “It’s ok, sis, we’re family."
"I'm not going anywhere…"
"Not even the day I learn magic." She laughed at that.
“You really love magic, huh?” She said, still sounding sad, “Ok, kiddo, I promise if I can help with that, I will.” The silence went on for a little while, her holding him and him, her.
If his real sister had shown up, he would have run in shame being seen this way, but he thought she knew already, and Nina did need this even if he didn’t understand what it was she needed…
“Give me a few minutes in the bathroom, and I’ll help with jam, ok?“
“Sure, he said as she left. He met Len in the kitchen, smiling and cooking the jam, slowly swirling the jam in the pan while it cooked.
“Did you have a good visit?” she asked.
“No,” Wolf said slightly annoyed, “a lot of things I still don’t understand, but I guess that’s part of being family." Len smiled at that and brushed his hair.
“You are indeed growing up, little brother, and I’m proud of you.”
“Whatever,” he said, uncomfortable with the praise. A few minutes later, Nina joined them, full of life, as if nothing happened. The only sign was slightly red eyes hidden by the smile that drew the eyes.
“Well, isn’t this the perfect trio together! There's nothing we can’t do, and we are making jam, my favorite to boot!” Nina boasted.
Len smiled, and Wolf rolled his eyes. There was light banter, random gossip, and just… life. It was nice; Wolf thought Nina brought a spark he did not know was missing and regretted rejecting her so easily.
Eventually, things got into a comfortable silence, surprising him; he thought Nina would never lose steam, so he took this chance to ask.
“Where were you these last couple of days? I thought I’d seen you sooner?”
“O MY!” Nina said excitedly, You missed me that much? I’m embarrassed now.” She covered her face, giggling.
“You’re wrong…” he said flatly. “I just did not know what happened and was a little worried.” She rubbed his back.
“Missed you too, kiddo, but my brother needed me. The hermit had a batch of herbs he needed, and my brother wanted my help gathering them. “
“You guys are still doing that? I thought you were working for the shop?”
“We are, and we are not. It’s more part-time work in a lot of different places, you know, freelancing.”
“Free what? You don’t work for money…” he asked, unsure of what she was saying. Len and Nina laughed.
“No brother, they do jobs for money but can work elsewhere at the same time or turn down any job vs. trying to live off of one job.”
“Kind of like you, kiddo. You’re not always helping the shop; sometimes you help your mom or visit others. It’s the same for us, but just more work-related vs. playing.”
“I see… How the hermit?“
“Old, pays ok, same as before,” Nina said indifferently. He thought a bit and then spoke.
“I wanted to give a jar of jam to everyone I know. I forgot the hermit. Do you think he likes jam?"
“Dunno?” Nina said, “Never asked. Lena shrugged her shoulders.
“Will have extra where up to 20, so everyone should be able to get one as it stands, even if we stopped now."
“So who were you giving jams to, kiddo? I don’t remember you telling me if you did,” she asked questioningly.
“A bunch of random people, mostly friends and family,” he said indifferently.
“THAT INCLUDES ME,” Nina shouted and jumped up and down excitedly.
He smiled at that. “Yes, it does.”
“YEA! she said excitedly. “THANK YOU.” While hugging him, Lena smiled and shrugged indifferently. He noticed she loved hugging a lot; even his sister gave him more space, not that he was complaining; her joy could be infectious.
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The time went by much quicker with things being worked out; days passed in a blur with random bickering between Wolf and Nina, with Leena and Mom overseeing things.
Despite being older, Nina was not necessarily more mature, but she did seem like the eldest of the siblings lost and now found among the family.
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The day the jams were all done finally was a bit tragic to have it end for all, as it felt like a family bonding moment even though Dad could not be part of it.
Wolf was unsure what to do with his new free time; he still had to give out the jars, at least a few of them. His friends and his family could do the others, but beyond that, he was free. It was among that musing that Nebo, Nina’s older brother, showed up and surprised him at home; he rarely, if ever, visited, so it was a bit of a shock for him.
“Good morning, Wolf. I hope you have been well. Has my sister caused you any grief? Well, more than usual, I mean." He smiled as he said it. I laughed at that.
“ No, no more than normal. How have you been? Haven’t seen you in forever; I almost forgot what you looked like!" He joked with him.
“Pity you feel that way… I’m hurt that a small passing of time can make us grow so distant." Nebo said coldly.
"I suppose I won’t trouble you with those gifts I promised…" He now regretted his joke…
“Let’s not be so hasty!"
"Aha, I was playing; your face is remembered clearly as the lake I visit every other day!” He laughed at Wolf's panic; it seemed not only Nina could tease him, which annoyed him slightly, but he held it back.
“Sorry, Wolf, Niña can be a bad influence." Nebo said with mirth.
"She seems much happier lately, and it is infectious. I’m usually much more reserved, like yourself and your dad,” he said with a smile. Wolf nodded, not minding. After days with Nina, everything seemed calm compared to her energy.
Nebo opened a small bag at his side and pulled out 4 books. It took longer than planned, but I did manage to get the extra book for the trouble."
"They are not rare, but the city is having trouble mass-producing and shipping books all over the kingdoms and beyond, so stocks are limited."
"They tend to go to the churches first."
Wolf was surprised. “They had books in church?”
“ They do,” Nebo replied. “Since they’re valued for the teaching of the gods and helping others, they’re the third source of all knowledge, just behind guilds and the main kingdom’s libraries."
"Everyone tries to support them as they give back to the people. It’s a positive loop; everyone wins."
"Well, in theory, there are greedy people hoarding the supplies, and some still suffer depending on the region.
Wolf nodded while grasping the books held out to him and reading the titles.
Herbs and You by the Church.
The Dungeons and What They Bring by the Church.
Monsters and Legends by the Church, and the last book,
Magic Theory Helping You Grow Your Magic by the church.
He was happy with the gifts but was surprised by all of them from the church.
"That Is… odd? ... Why all by the church?" Nebo laughed.
“There are many authors, but the church still has to control information to the public. The kingdom’s books, or even guilds, have more knowledge but also more requirements to read them than just grabbing them off a shelf.”
Wolf thanked Nebo for the gift and gave him a jar of jam in exchange for a thank you and a personal gift. Nebo was happy with the gift, though confused; he did not really like sweets; his sister did, and she would devour them easily. He was sure Wolf would not mind.
Nebo visited for a bit longer, chatting with him and his mother and having some tea before he left once more. In his talks, he spoke about how he would be helping the church and his old tribe for a few weeks, teaching other kids and part of a sponsored learning as they’re a bit short-staffed with those with knowledge of certain things.
As he left, Wolf was excited to start reading his new books but realized, how could I forget my friends even if they're busy! He put the books away in his room and vowed to visit everyone today with a few jams as gifts.
His mother approved and told him to be safe when he tried Coby first since his brother was closest, but he was out hunting again. Mrs. Crow mentioned they stopped back frequently, but since he was busy and their time was short, they tended to go off hunting again. Surprised, he kept missing him and asked her, “Why do they hunt so much? You need that much food?”
She laughed at that. “No, dear, they hunt monsters in the forest.”
“THEIR MONSTER!” He covered his mouth… Ashamed he already was going back to old habits of shouting, but this was a major shock for him; he did not see anger from the outburst but a sad smile from her.
“Yes, dear, I’m afraid it’s true. Why did you think his father hunted daily or even for weeks straight?”
“I thought food was rare, so he was trying to feed us all.” Guess I am still a child with this lack of knowledge…. She broke his thought by speaking, not noticing his self-defeat.
“Monsters are bound by dungeons, so they are rarer as they can’t leave those. The tales I was told were old monsters of forgotten times never left, just were thinned down to a few numbers."
"They can still breed, and some are born by magic, so the more distance from the city, the more land they can roam, and the more likely we are to find monsters, she explained.
“How come I've never seen any or anyone talk about them here?"
“They do, but they tend to be weak and scatter; anything stronger tends to be hunted. How do you think you got your name, Wolf? It was a great magic beast that looked like the wolf your father hunted."
“My dad’s a hunter?!”
“He was before this village; he hunted dungeons regularly. Meeting your mom settled him down."
"That wolf was his last hunt. When they were still founding this village, he helped clear the area, and the rest is history, as they say.” There were a lot of new things he needed time to process, but he had more people to visit…
“Thank you, Mrs. Crow; let Coby know I tried to visit.”
“Ok dear, stay safe,” as he left her with some jam and went off to the church, he gave them a few jars, which they thanked him for the gift; he made a stop at home for more as he could only carry so many, and rested for a bit before he went off once more to the inn.
It was busy for a change, and Icarus was still a little scary but was happy to see him, and the gift Teva wasn’t there, so he set off to her house. All the running around was bothering him as he was dragging his. Feet near her house, a gentle voice drew his attention.
“I lost a wolf wandering to my home? I wonder if I can keep it.” He could not react much, not feeling motivated after all that happened; he smiled the best he could anyway.
“Is Teva home? I got her a gift." She smiled and narrowed her eyes; tail swishing behind her from the door, she watched him from.
“Ignoring the mother and still trying to court my daughter? Very bold little wolf… "He wasn’t sure what she was implying, much less what a court had to do with anything.
“Sorry, a lot of running around, a little worn down. I can leave it with you if she's not here,“ she sighed, opening the door.
“Come inside, child; you’re no fun. If you can’t see a cat’s mood, you’re ignoring its tail… "
He nodded slowly. He did watch the beastkin’s tails at times; it was fun, but what did that matter? As he passed her, he noticed she smelled nice, like flower perfume; she was wearing a simple, loose robe with a pretty dark blue that made her white hair and tail stand out.
“Sit wherever; I’ll get us drinks. My daughter is running an errand and will be back soon.” She said that… but there was nowhere to sit, just a bunch of random pillows and a table. As she was walking away, she looked back and saw his confusion.
It seems he lacks beastkin tribes culture. She wanted to tease him more but took pity instead since he was a nice boy. “ In my tribe we move around a lot, so we tend to use little furniture pillows to offer comfort and easy to transport.”
He nodded, sitting near the table; it was indeed soft and nice to the touch, but still awkward being so low to the ground. The house itself was nice, with a lot of plants and flowers. He thought he might need to get a plant for his room. When she came with the drinks, the quiet was a bit awkward, so he broke the silence.
“Do you like flowers?“ She tilted her head sideways, tail curling.
“It’s memories from home. I don’t travel anymore but miss the flowers…” He saw what seemed a bit of longing in her eyes and wasn’t sure if he should ask that, but she turned and smiled, surprising him how she changed her moods easily…
“How’s the tea?“
He forgot to drink it; more focused on trying to talk about something, he drank it and was surprised it was really good. It had a flower taste, almost like her perfume smelled a little sweet and smooth.
“It’s good, thank you.” He felt stiff trying to talk to her, but she seemed so casual and free he saw where Teva got it.
“Moooom, Auntie says she needs another potion; her cramps are coming up. I think it’s her time of the month. You better get extra; I think I’m due too.”
As he heard Teva's voice, her mom never stopped watching him, smiling as if waiting for a certain response.
He wasn’t sure what to say or do, but more for Teva's private talks being exposed as part of his overhearing a private moment than trying to appease the mom.
It didn’t take long for her to turn the corner into the living room and see her mother sitting but staring at him with her tail swishing, which caused Teva to stare at her mother curling her tail in wonderment and then shock as she indeed saw him looking blank-faced before he started speaking…
“Hey,“ he said lamely.
“Hey…” she replied weakly. The mother felt validated to know she was getting this event to unfold better than she ever hoped. She wanted to surprise her daughter with the boy she went on about in her home but to confess family personal affairs to him too. Oh, so tasty…
“Daughter, sit. He brought a gift and came to see you, isn’t that nice?”
He watched Teva fidget, unsure how to act; she was wearing loose leather that was much nicer than the robes and even showed off her stomach, but he could see by her hand she felt exposed and wanted the robes to hide… He felt bad as she rushed to sit.
“I should go.“ Not wanting to make it worse, he wanted to give her a happy memory, not a tragic one.
“Nonsense, I know it’s been a while since you both met; don’t waste this time, enjoy yourself, I’ll leave you be…” She got up to leave but was secretly staying nearby; she wasn’t letting this go!
He couldn’t change what led to this, but he could change how it ended, so he buckled down and tried to mend the awkwardness like she would have done for him.
“ I like your home; it smells nice.“ She was still fidgeting under the table, and he could see her arms moving.
“ I did miss you,” he said, watching her .
That got a blush from her and a gasp in the distance, but he ignored that and went on.
"While I was away, I made jam for all my friends and family. I wanted you to have some too… and your mom too, I guess, if she likes sweets.”
“She does,“ she spoke in a low voice, cheeks still red; the color just added to her complexion, making her stand out more even as she wanted him to look away.
He felt better knowing she was well and got his gift but felt out of place in her home, so he decided once more to leave.
“I’m glad I got to see you again; it has been a long day. I will see you around, ok?
“Ok…”
She wasn’t willing to look at him, but her mind just kept repeating, but not her voice, don’t go, don’t go, don’t go…
even as he got up, handed her the gift, and left…
It was a berry jam, her mother's favorite treat besides her teas.
“Child, you’re supposed to be bold or at least sly, not just wait for him to pounce."
She was disappointed that her daughter was not more into the game. Pity it was fun while it lasted.
“It’s not like that…” She heard her mother barking a laugh, annoying her.
“Dear, everything is fun and games; you’re just not smart enough to play it yet… “ She was tired of her mother’s antics and summoned water to splash her but was shocked when she lost control and it hit her face instead.
“Don’t forget who taught you how to use that magic…”
Her mother proceeded to sigh and walk away, annoyed. She pulled the water from her face and faded it away as easily as it came.
She stared at her hand. Next time she would be bolder, not because of what her mother said…. Because they were friends, even the embarrassing thing he heard was just part of life…next time.
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After leaving Teva House, he felt drained. A random thought came to him about exploring a bit, but the allure of exploring the world was losing its luster each day.
It was the same scene, and he had work and books to read; he couldn’t keep putting it off on his family to work, especially learning Coby was more of an adult than him hunting monsters!
That evening at dinner, he could not hold back his curiosity about what he heard from Mrs. Crow. “Dad, I heard from Mrs. Crow that you were a monster hunter. Is it true?” He saw the surprise on his dad’s face, but after a moment, he nodded.
“It’s not really a secret, but it’s not something I care to be a part of; it was more necessary than fun.” His dad saw him look lost for a moment.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t like killing.” His dad looked at his food, cutting but not eating, as he went on, “I used to brave the dungeon to prove myself, and I hunted the edges of our lands for sport, but over time it lost its allure, and I met your mother.”
He smiled as he looked at her; she smiled back, patting his shoulder. “And that’s when I found what I wanted.” As he finished saying that, Mom leaned over, and they kissed. He rolled his eyes, and Len smiled at that.
Wanting to stay on topic and not watch his family kiss… he wondered what his sister knew. “Did you know, Len, that Dad hunted monsters?"
"Did you see any?!" He saw she was still smiling from before but then thought about his words.
“Hmm, no, not really. Though I did see the corpse of the wolf Dad hunted before you were born, that was the only time I remember anything monster-related.”
It was a boring topic to her, and she did not care. “ I was home with Mom mostly till Dad got the shop.” She saw her brother pout, losing his story for adventure, and she felt a little guilty about that.
Dad must have noticed too, since he spoke up, "Monster hunting is very common in cities; they even pay well for rare monster finds. He paused, watching his son. “I hope that’s not your desire. I would help you if you wanted, but it requires hard training, and no offense, son, but you don’t seem to like work…” Leena laughed, and Mom slapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“Be nice, dear; he is still young.” She looked at her son with love, letting him know he wasn’t alone. He took it in stride; he was indeed not lazy but lacking ambition, and fighting monsters would be a full-time job…
“No, just magic for me.” He saw his mom's smile turn sad and Dad frown; even Lena seemed lost for words. Why was everyone always against magic?
His dad spoke first.
“That’s a good dream, but magic is given by the gods, not our desires. Just don’t get your hopes up and be disappointed, son." He wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
“Why not? I can earn the right to use it.” He saw both his parents give a look. Len just looked slightly puzzled for once; it seemed she was not sure what they were about to say.
“Your mother and I are not blessed; we do have some magic, but nothing that allows what you understand as spells. The magic you want, son, is much stronger in beastkin; even their babies tend to show early signs of magic, but us humans, it’s more of a struggle as the gods don’t want us to abuse it like the past.” He wasn’t sure he was following why one race was ok but not another…
“But they let the beastkin have more magic? His dad was conflicted, trying to find better words.
“The beast tribes tend to worship magic as a gift and blessing and give back, while humans tend to take magic as power and use it to rule."
"It is not our place to tell the gods who can have magic that the god of balance, Job, and why they exist. He was still annoyed by everything he knew and wanted to hang off in the hands of a god of balance's thoughts and whims, but he sighed and relented.
“Thank you, Dad, for explaining it to me. I understand. “ It just means I need to try harder to push the balance in my favor, he resolved. He saw his son’s face come to some conclusion, so he changed topics.
“Nebo mentioned the other day he got you some books. I did not think you liked to read, son, but I would have made an effort to get you some adventure books.” His son shook his head.
“Research: I need to understand more about herbs if I want to do alchemy, um, magic, and creatures too so I know more about magic stuff." He finished explaining the books he acquired. He saw his dad raise an eyebrow.
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“No!” He spoke quickly, fearing his dad might try to take his books. “They were approved by the church; how would I get forbidden books?” When he thought about it, that made no sense…
“There are always ways,”his dad said, relaxing a bit. ” Lost ruins, old magic books, or even copies of those texts of people trying to sell forbidden knowledge.” He was shocked and not sure how to respond; Lena patted his shoulder and went to start cleaning up.
He got up to help as things were wrapping up. His mother and father showed concern for his mental health but did not push the issue, letting him find his truth.
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and then Add to home screen.