Chapter 1: Streaks of gold

Chapter 1: Streaks of gold

Streaks of the golden morning light illuminated the room peeking in from behind the blinds, thin fine particles of dust visible as they danced in the light. The faint sounds of birds singing melodiously in the distance could be heard through the open window, which allowed some of the cool morning breeze into the room. Regardless of the time of year, the breeze was always cool in Aetherpeak.

The fresh air had done the room some good, though its only occupant, who was sleeping like the dead, would hardly notice.

There was a set of folded clothes laid out neatly on the room's only chair, though right beside them, on the floor, some old clothes lay crumpled into a ball, the scent of sweat wafting off of them. There was a pair of sneakers near the bed with an unusual bulge near the middle, where a pair of worn socks had been shoved into them.

On the plastic bedside table, beside a notebook filled equally with scribbles and notes, were a couple of devices and a rectangular, metallic case. One of the devices was an unusual metallic tray with a hand imprint made on it, while the other seemed as if it was made entirely from glass.

The device made of glass suddenly lit up and began playing energetic music extremely loudly. The room's occupant, who had moments ago been sleeping deeply, was startled awake and slammed his hand down on the phone, abruptly turning the alarm off.

Nero, who only realised he was awake after the cacophony that was his alarm had been shut off, groaned as he fell back into bed. He had spent another night studying up the history of Kolar, trying to trace the origins of its many noble warrior lineages, and so he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. Oddly, as if aware of what happened, a woman yelled from outside the room.

"Wake up Nero! If I'm late to work again because of you, I'm going to wax your armpits!"

The teenager, who had thrown himself back into bed filled with feelings of reluctance and regret, trembled at the threat and forcefully opened his eyes to ensure he did not fall back asleep. His mother never made false promises, and she never exaggerated.

Nero let out a remorseful wail as he forced himself to stay awake.

"Threats and blackmail are a violation of my human rights!" he yelled at his door.

The door swung open to reveal a tall, beautiful woman dressed formally, in the middle of making her hair. The long, blue hair needed constant tending due to how silky it was - a source of eternal regret as well as pride for the woman. Her fair, unblemished skin gave her a timeless grace, and an agelessness one could only envy.

"In this house, kids don't have human rights," she said as if it was a matter of fact. "Now wake up, and quickly get ready. There should be some warm water for your shower, and we can grab breakfast on the go. I have an early morning today, so we can't waste time."

"Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep here," yelled someone from across the hall, though his voice sounded too excited, as bragging rather than complaining.

"Shut up Edward!" the woman yelled back with a fierceness only a wife could show towards her husband. Yet, instead of being offended, the sound of chuckling could be heard from the bedroom. Edward seemed most pleased at the fact that he could sleep in while everyone else had to get up early.

"Marilyn, you're the one screaming!" he yelled back, laughing all the while.

Nero, by now, was completely awake, and the last vestiges of his comfortable sleep could only be seen as grains of sand beside his eyes. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a sigh as he rolled off the bed and jumped onto his feet.

He opened the door and found both his parents, his mother standing there in her suit, his father in his pyjamas, looking at him with overly animated expressions.

"What is it?" he asked as his heart dropped. He suddenly feared the arrival of a certain piece of bad news they had all been dreading. But then he noticed the green shade on the wall behind them, and his sight fell on the device on his bedside, causing him to freeze. It was still flashing a green light. It was the result Nero had been waiting years for.

"Wait, is that..." he never got to finish his question as his father suddenly hugged him and lifted him off the ground!

"You finally did it, kiddo! You finally stabilised your aether! Forget the shower, just put on your shoes, we'll take you to the Arcane Affairs Bureau now!"

"Edward, don't be ridiculous! At least let Nero get dressed properly. You know he's aiming for the academy, what if someone spots us? He has..."

His parents' excited bickering faded into the background as Nero's gaze remained fixed on the green light. Finally! It had finally happened! The day he had been waiting for so long!

His right hand clenched into a tight fists, his nails digging into his hands, and his eyes wandered to a closed door down the hall. From where he stood, he could only barely see the beginning of a door frame. For the briefest of moments, the childish, overzealous Nero who had just been fighting with his friends disappeared, and in his place stood a youth with incredibly cold eyes.

But the moment flashed by, and Nero returned to his usual self. A massive grin plastered on his as he hugged his father back.

"I did it! I finally stabilised!" he yelled, before letting go and hugging his mother as well. The entire family was celebrating this pivotal moment, yet for some reason, their celebrations seemed just a little forced. Their voices were just a little too high pitched. They hugged just a little tighter than normal, and their smiles just bordered on being forced.

All of them had the same thing on their minds, yet no one wanted to say it or acknowledge it. For now, they just wanted to celebrate this moment between their family, before the realities of life came crashing in.

But Nero did not dwell too long enjoying this rare family moment. He had planned for this day many times in his mind, and he knew exactly what came next.

"Mom, you should go on ahead without me. I'm going to shower and get ready properly before heading to the bureau, and I'll head to school from right there. Dad can take me. It's not like he has anything else going on in his life."

"Hey, I have a job!" his father protested, but it was clear he felt more smug than offended.

But instead of arguing against him, as he expected his mother to do, she smiled at him and placed her hand on his cheek, softly playing with his sideburns with her finger.

"Nero Grant, I know you better than yourself. I carried you with me in war zones, and when you were born I knew exactly when you wanted to dirty your nappy by the way you scrunched your eyebrows. When the Poaceae epidemic hit when you were five, I knew exactly what thoughts were going through your mind even as I rushed you to a hospital. When you liked that Kimberly girl at 9, I knew before you did, and when she broke your little heart I knew it too, even though you tried to hide it. You cannot keep secrets from me, little one. But just this time... tell me what you're really thinking."

Nero could not help but clench his fists as the need to carry on with the facade dropped. Even if she said she knew, he could not bring himself to say it. So...