Hey there everyone and welcome my very first fanfiction. I started writing this fanfiction after reading a very addicting fanfiction, another self-insert fanfiction, and got inspired by it to write my own Tales of Symphonia self-insert fanfiction.
I hope you all will enjoy this story written by me. This chapter will take place before the story begins. I had to improvise a lot and maybe many things are not in sync with the original Tales of Symphonia.
Feel free to write any reviews or be a grammar nazi and point out every mistake you find. English isn't my native language after all.
So please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia
"Ugh…" a boy moaned. He was lying half-conscience on the ground. His eyes were closed and he could feel the hard ground beneath him. It was probably evening, as he could feel a bit of light falling on his eyes and it was getting cold. The boy couldn't move. His mind was blank and he was in pain.
"Hey. I see something lying on the ground." he could hear a girl say. After a while he heard footsteps getting closer. "It's a boy! A boy is lying down on the ground. It looks like he's hurt." The girl sounded excited at first, but that went away as she saw the boy wasn't moving.
"Are you okay?" He could hear a man say. The boy let out another moan. He couldn't speak even if he wanted to. "Don't be scared. I'll carry you someplace safe." the man said. The boy got lifted up in strong arms.
"I wonder what his name is?" the girl asked out loud. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Don't worry sweetheart. The wounds don't look so bad. I'm sure some rest will do him good. I just hope he doesn't get a fever. He's lucky we found him this close to the village." After that there was silence. The boy fell unconscious in the man's arms.
The boy woke up. He opened up his eyes and he saw he was inside a house. The bed he was lying in felt hard, but it was way more comfortable than the ground. He looked around the room filled with only his eyes, as the rest of his body refused to move. The whole house was made of wood. There wasn't much furniture in this room and the only closet that was in the room looked half rotten.
The boy tried to move, but he couldn't. His mouth was dry and he was really thirsty. He mustered all his strength, but the result was that he could move his fingers a little bit. Sleep came over him again.
The next time the boy woke up a girl was sitting on the bed looking at him. The girl had blond hair that almost reached to her shoulders. She had clear blue eyes which almost seemed to look right into the soul. She was wearing some kind of white dress with weird blue patterns on it. The sleeves of the 'dress' reached to her hands. She gasped as she noticed the boy was awake.
"Water" the boy weakly said. The thirst was unbearable.
"Hold on a second. I'll go and get some." The girl quickly walked out of the room. As he waited the boy looked around the room again. It was the same room, but now there was sunlight shining through the window. The girl reappeared with a glass of water. She almost tripped, but she luckily regained her balance. The boy tried to get up to sit, but he still couldn't. He even felt weaker than the last time he woke up.
"Don't force yourself. Just open your mouth a bit and I'll give it to you bit by bit." The girl looked concerned at the boy. With only a bit of water a time the girl let the boy drink the water. Although she looked kind of clumsy at first, she was a natural at this. The boy wondered if she had done this kind of thing before.
"Thank you." the boy said after the glass was empty. His voice was still weak, but at least he could now speak without too much effort.
"You're welcome." the blond girl said with a smile. "Can I have your name?" Her voice was filled with curiosity. The question had been on her lips for a long time.
"My name?" The boy asked himself as he said it out loud. "My name… I think it is Dean."
"Dean, huh? That's a nice name. My name is Colette." She girl smiled again, happy now that she knew his name.
"How old are you Dean?" The girl continued to ask.
"I don't know. My mind feels hazy and numb. My name is the only thing that comes to mind." The words came out slow. He was, however, glad to be able to speak for a little bit.
"Oh, wait. I should have told Frank that you woke up. I had forgotten about that. I'll be back in a moment." The girl quickly started to walk away.
"Please wait." Colette stopped. "Can you bring me some more water please. I'm still really thirsty."
"Sure." And with that, she walked away. Dean tried to move again. Getting up to sit was impossible, but he did manage to turn his head a bit. He looked around the room once more. His name was the only thing he knew and the rest of his memories weren't around. He could think more clearly right now and he wondered where he was and what had happened.
As he looked around the room some more, more and more questions started popping up in his mind. He thought really hard to try to remember something, but it was all in vain. Dean sighed as he tried to clear his head. He hoped answers to his questions would come soon. At that moment a blond short-haired man came into the room.
"Ah, you are finally awake." The face of the man had been quite tense the moment he walked in, but relief seemed to wash that away as he saw that the boy was awake. His voice was low, but kind. "We feared that you would never wake up again. We almost lost all hope and were discussing what we would do with you. Luckily you woke up."
"How long was I asleep then? I remember waking up one time before and I was already in this room, but I fell asleep a few moments after I had woken up." Dean noticed that his voice had once again become hoarse. "Excuse me. Can I have some water first before we talk some more?"
"Of course you can." Frank said. Dean had seen that Colette had filled the glass with water again and was now looking with an asking face if she could help him again. Seeing his longing face she picked up the glass of water and let him drink it bit by bit.
"Thank you again, Colette." Dean said after the glass was empty again.
"I know you just woke up and that you are really weak, but can I ask you how you got here? Colette and I found you just outside the village." The man had walked over towards the bed and was squatting down, so he would be able to hear the boy more easily, since the words still came out soft and weak.
"I don't know. I remember that you found me, but besides my name, I can't remember a thing. I was hoping you could have answered the same question, but it seems that is not the case."
"Well, you don't look much older than Colette, but you sure sound like you're older. You don't remember anything?" The boy shook his head. "I see. Well, if you remember anything let us know. For now, you can rest as much as you want. This is a small village and everybody knows each other. We don't have much, but you're welcome here to stay."
"Thank you, Sir. That is most generous."
"Now don't call me sir. I'm just a simple man. Call me Frank. Everybody does that."
"Then, thank you, Frank." Dean let out a yawn.
"It seems you're still very tired. Sleep. You need it."
"Can I stay?" Colette asked Frank. She looked at the man with an innocent face.
"All right then, but don't force anything on the boy and let him sleep." Frank said. The blond girl smiled.
"Yay. Thank you, Frank." The man then walked away with a look on his face questioning whether he had decided the right thing.
"So, Colette was it?" The girl happily nodded. "Can you tell me a bit about yourself and this village? I don't feel so sleepy just yet."
"Well, you already know my name. I'm six years old. I'm the Chosen who will regenerate the world after I grow up."
"Wait, what? Regenerate the world? Why would you need to do such a thing? Is something wrong with the world?" The idea that a planet would die was absurd to the mind of Dean. Even if he couldn't remember anything, the things this girl just said sounded crazy.
"I guess you really don't remember anything, do you? I just know what Frank and Phaidra told me. Let's see... um... It was something like this." The girl tried to look really serious as her smile disappeared and eyebrows got lower.
"They told me that long time ago there was a war. This war used up all the mana in the world and the Great Tree, the source of all mana died. So the Goddess Martel went to the heavens, because she was really sad that the tree was dead. She went to sleep. She was that sad." The girl paused for a bit, lost in thought. She was fidgeting with her hands while doing this.
"So other angels appeared and said that The Chosen of Regeneration must wake the Goddess Martel. If the Chosen One doesn't do this, the world will die. So that's my job." Colette tried to explain in her own words. Now Dean had even more questions that he wished to be answered, but he also knew he had to wait. Colette couldn't possibly know.
"So there was a great war and now there is almost no mana, right?" The blond girl nodded. "So what is mana?"
"You don't know what mana is?" Dean shook his head slowly. "Well, I don't know really, but everything has mana you know. The trees, the animals, the monsters and even you and I. Without mana we can't live. Without mana, magic isn't possible as well."
"Wait, magic? You mean creating fire from nothing? That kind of magic?"
"Yes, but all kind of things are possible with magic. Even healing people is possible with magic."
"Wow, that sounds fantastic! Can everyone use magic?"
"No. I wish that was true, but only elves and half-elves can use magic. I've heard that some humans can use magic. Oh yeah, angels can use magic as well."
"Angels? Messengers from Heaven? They exist?"
"Yep. They say the Chosen One was born from angels." Colette looked kind of sad when she said this.
"So, since that, you're the Chosen. You mean that you're a child of the angels?" Disbelief could be heard from the voice of Dean.
"That's what they say. It's kind of the reason I don't call Frank my dad."
"I don't understand. You're the child of angels and you must wake the Goddess? Why can't the angels themselves wake the Goddess?"
"I don't know. Nobody ever asks these kind of questions. The prophecy tells us that only the Chosen One can wake the Goddess. Nobody ever questions why that is so."
"I see. Sorry for asking such a thing. It all sounds so weird to me."
"No, I'm sorry that I can't answer your questions." The girl shook her head. "It makes me kind of wonder why myself." she added softly
"Don't be silly Colette. You're really helping me. You know a lot about this kind of stuff."
"Well, I'm the Chosen One. I'm supposed to know these kind of things." Deal yawned again. Hearing all those things made him sleepy again. "Feeling sleepy again?" Dean slowly nodded. "Aw. That's too bad. I wanted to talk to you some more." The girl really seemed disappointed.
"Don't be sad. Tomorrow is another day. I may have to ask you to help me drink again. I'm sorry I can't do such a thing on my own."
"Oh no, I'm sorry for keeping you awake." The girl got up from the bed and walked towards the door. "Good night Dean."
"Good night Colette." Sleep came as soon as the blond girl walked out of the room. Strange dreams full of monsters haunted the boy that night, but at the end of the dream Colette appeared as an angel and she chased the monsters away. She looked so beautiful the desire to protect her came over Dean in his dream.
Even as he woke up this feeling remained. It was night when Dean woke up. Dean then decided that he wanted to come along with Colette on her journey of regeneration. As this thought remained in his head he peacefully fell back to sleep.
The next morning Dean was feeling a lot better. He noticed that this time he had the strength to sit up in bed. All his muscles felt stiff and sore. He slowly tried to move all his arms and legs one at a time. Moving them felt heavy, but he could at least move them.
A chill then ran over him. He noticed that the window was open. Someone must have opened it as he was still sleeping. He could hear the birds singing from inside. As he closed his eyes to enjoy the peace an older woman walked into the room.
"Ah, you're awake. You must be Dean. I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I'm Phaidra." The older woman smiled as she spoke. She was wearing a simple robe which had some decorations on it. It looked like a robe for a priestess.
"Thank you for all the things you have done. If Frank and Colette hadn't found me, I don't know whether I would still be alive right now." Dean tried to bow while he was sitting. For some reason, he taught this was polite.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. The Goddess Martel has taught us to help others in need. We all live here by the teaching. We're happy to help you. In such a small village you learn to help each other and live in harmony." The older woman smiled kindly at him. She kept standing while she was talking
"Well, I still want to thank you."
"Do you remember anything? Frank told me you have amnesia." Dean shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. Colette told me a lot yesterday. About the Great War, about the journey of Regeneration and that she was the Chosen One who needed to wake up the Goddess one day. She also told me about mana. I have to say nothing of it sounded familiar." Dean pulled his arms over each other and shook his head as he tried to recall anything. Nothing but a void filled his mind.
"Well, don't worry too much about your memory. You should focus on recovering first. Your memories will come after that. Are you hungry?" Dean nodded to this. He hadn't noticed before, but he felt hungry as the older woman asked him this. "Then I'll make you some soup. After that, you should rest a bit more."
Dean wanted to go out of bed, but he didn't want to go against the wishes of this kind woman. So he stayed in bed and waited. He first listened to the birds, but after a while he was getting bored. Luckily for him, Phaidra brought him the soup.
"The soup is still hot, so you should let it cool first. You don't want to burn your mouth." Dean just nodded to this. He blew the stew away from the bowl of soup to pass the time. After the soup was cooled off a bit Dean began eating it. It was delicious. He had to resist the urge to eat really fast. The soup was still hot, so he couldn't do that. After the bowl was empty Dean still wanted more. Phaidra had just watched him eat with a smile on her face.
"Can I have some more?" Dean almost didn't dare to ask.
"Ho ho ho." The laughed in a weird way. "Although I admire your appetite, you should take it easy. Your body is still recovering. If you eat too much, you'll regret it later."
"I guess so. I don't really know. I guess you know much more about these things than I do." Dean shrugged it off.
"You amuse me boy. You talk and act like an adult, but you look like a boy. I've never seen someone like you." The woman kept smiling at the boy.
"I don't know whether that was a compliment or an insult…" The boy looked questioned at the behaviour of the older woman. "But thanks for the soup. It was really good." Dean smiled back at the woman.
"Oh, Colette has been asking all time when you would wake up. The girl doesn't have many friends of her age. I guess that's the burden that comes with being the Chosen." Phaidra glanced downstairs as she was talking about the girl.
"But she's such a sweet girl. I can't imagine that someone like her can't make any friends. She's so kind." Dean honestly answered.
"Oh my. Do you already have a crush on that girl boy?" At that remark, Dean had to blush. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"I don't know… She was just so kind to me yesterday. Wait, I didn't sleep for another three days did I?" Panic seemed to overtake the boy.
"Oh, I was just teasing you boy. No, you can relax. It is the afternoon now." Dean relaxed again. "I'll see if I can find Colette. You be good to her now."
"I will." And with that Phaidra left the room. Dean didn't feel tired at all anymore. He felt awake and he really wanted to explore the house and the rest of the village. He pushed himself so that he could sit at the side of the bed. He then carefully tried to stand up. After a few attempts he managed to get up. It was really hard and he was already breathing very hard.
"Wow, you can stand already?" Dean looked up. Colette was standing by the door opening.
"Just barely. I'm supposed to be resting right now, but I couldn't resist the urge to go and explore the house and the village. I wanted to surprise you so we could walk around in the village instead of just sitting on the bed."
"Oh, don't try so hard just for me. I'm fine with sitting on the bed and talking about things."
"Don't you want to play outside with the other children?"
"No no no, I'd rather talk with you" Colette let out a giggle. Dean noticed that this giggle sounded a bit forced. She was probably lying. She was trying not to upset him he thought.
"If that is what you want. Can you help me with something?"
"Sure. Just tell me."
"Can you help me walk around the house? I can just stand. We don't need to go downstairs. That would be too dangerous for now, but can I at least see the rest of the upper floor?"
"I don't mind. Although the rest of the house is the same as this room."
"I don't care. I just want to walk around for a while, even if it is really hard to do so." And so Colette helped Dean with his selfish request. He was leaning a bit on her shoulder in case he should lose balance. Step by step they moved around the upper floor of the house.
Colette was right. The rest of the house looked the same. It all looked so poor. Dean was surprised by this. He wondered whether they had enough to eat. The state of the house didn't let him feel better. Dean had to focus on the walking all the time. When they got back to the room where he had been sleeping he was breathing really hard. Colette let him sit down slowly. She then sat beside him. She looked like she didn't mind helping him.
"Thank you." Dean said as he was resting. "I never thought that walking could be that exhausting." Colette let out a giggle as he said that.
"You've been sleeping for three days! Nobody can just run around after that."
"You're right."
"So, is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Well, I can't really talk about myself since I can't remember anything yet. Last time you told me that monsters live in this world."
"Yeah. That's why it is really dangerous to go outside the village. I go to temple every day to study the angelic language. The priests have to come and guide me to the temple every day, because there could be even monsters lurking on the way to the temple. It is not that far away, but it is still dangerous."
"Aren't you afraid that the monsters might attack the village?"
"Well, we do keep guards at the entrances of the village. I don't think they are there for nothing, but at least we don't have to be afraid of any Desians attacking us."
"Desians? What are Desians?"
"I don't really know." The girl closed her eyes and folded her arms as she was thinking really hard. "They are bad people? Granny told me that they attack and kidnap the people in the other villages. They bring them to... what was the word... ranches? Granny always says to stay away from the Desians."
"That's horrible. Can't the people fight back?"
"The baddies are really strong. They also wear strange clothes and have strong weapons. Granny told me they don't attack our village because I live here. I told you I'm the Chosen One, right?"
"Because you live here? Strange. Do they gain anything after you have regenerated the world?"
"What do you mean?" Colette looked surprised now.
"What happens with the Desians after the regeneration of the World?" Colette just looked at him blankly as she had no idea how to answer it. She thought really hard about it for a few minutes though.
"I think the Goddess will make all the bad people go away. I think the Desians are bad people, so I think the Goddess will chase them away."
"Strange…" Dean said.
"Why do you ask?"
"Nothing you should worry about. There are just some things that don't make sense to me at this moment. I think that will go away after a while." There was silence for a while. The boy was wondering about a lot of things in the meantime.
Dean meant what he had said. The Desians protect the Chosen, but they will be chased away after the world is regenerated. What do they gain from it? If he were part of the Desians, he would kill the Chosen One. If the Chosen One dies, they wouldn't be chased away. Although, if they did that, the world would die. Nobody can live in a dead world, so if they instead protected the Chosen and made sure the world wouldn't die, this world would be saved.
They could try and defeat the angels and the Goddess if the world was regenerated. That would make sense. But what about those ranches. Why would they attack humans and keep them in ranches? It all seemed so complicated. Dean decided that now wasn't the time to worry about these things. "So, what do you want to do?" Dean asked after thinking about those things.
"I don't know. Normally I go to the temple and study the angelic language. I play by myself and try to help Frank and Phaidra with all kind of things. The other kids avoid me because I'm the Chosen. I guess they don't know how to act around me." There was that forced giggle again.
"But I don't mind. There is one boy. His name is Lloyd. He is always wearing a red suit and he is carrying two wooden swords with him all the time. He also has a pretty gem on his hand. He always plays with me, but he lives outside the village with his dad, so he has to leave on time before it gets dark. His dad is a dwarf. Isn't that so cool?" Colette smiled the whole time she was talking about this Lloyd. She really seemed to like this kid. Dean was glad that at least someone would play with her.
"Oh yeah. A little while ago a woman and a kid came to this village. She's an elf and really smart. She is going to become the teacher of this village. The last teacher of this village died of sickness. We were really sad about that. We also had nobody else who wanted to be a teacher. We're really glad that she came."
"That's wonderful. Is she the mother of the kid?" Dean asked curiously. He felt he needed to keep asking questions or else his head would explode.
"No, it seems that kid is her brother. Her name is Raine by the way and the name of the boy is Genis."
"I hope we can be friends with the boy when he grows up. Maybe by learning things I can remember my memories."
"Oh, that would be great. I have an idea! I'll invite Lloyd to meet you."
"That's a good idea. It's always better to have more friends."
"Does that mean you don't mind being my friend?"
"I thought we were already friends. I mean, you helped me with so many things already. I totally want to be your friend."
"You really mean that?" The girl started to get tears in her eyes.
"Are you hurt? Why are you crying?" Dean was startled by the behaviour of the blond girl.
"No. It's just that I'm so happy. I'm sorry for crying." The girl wiped away her tears. "I know. I'm trying to learn to protect myself. I've been learning to fight with these rings called chakrams. I'll show you." The girl almost tripped as she ran out of the room. She looked really happy.
The rest of the day passed really quick. Colette showed her 'skill' with the chakrams. Dean was happy the rings were made of wood. One of the rings had accidentally flown against his head. If they were sharper or made out of metal he wouldn't have been so lucky.
The girl couldn't stop apologising after it had happened that it was kind of funny. Dean forgave her as soon as it had happened. Although she had hurt him. After that, they had talked about all kind of things. Colette looked really cheerful and Dean started to really wonder whether he was developing some kind of crush for this kind girl.
When it was dinner time Frank helped Dean with walking down the stairs. During the day his strength had returned a bit more. He and Colette talked what they had done that day during dinner. Frank and Phaidra looked really happy as they saw that Colette had made a friend. After dinner Dean started to feel asleep. Frank had to carry him up the stairs. The boy fell asleep with a smile on his face.
"Good morning." A voice called. Dean opened up his eyes. Frank was standing in the room.
"A good morning indeed." Dean replied. His dreams had been pleasant and he felt that the day smiled at him.
"How are you feeling? I was really surprised that you were able to walk yesterday. We were afraid it would take a long time before that would be possible." Dean sat up. He noticed that this almost cost him no effort. He then stood up which went perfectly. Dean smiled as he carefully tried to walk. "Do overdo it." Frank warned him.
"I'm feeling really good. I feel like I'm walking just like before." Being able to walk again really felt great.
"Like before? Have your memories returned then?" Frank asked with a bit of surprise in his voice. He couldn't believe that the boy was already walking around like it was nothing. Dean tried to remember, but nothing came. His head felt like a void. He could tell whether something sounded familiar, strange of weird just fine, but the real fragments of memories weren't there.
"No, they don't seem to be there. I don't know. Maybe my body remembers, but my mind doesn't. It feels like there is one big void in my head. I have no idea why I am able to speak like this. It feels like I know things, but I can't remember anything. Like it is there and I only need grasp my hand and take it, but every time I do just that there is nothing. It feels like something is withholding me from remembering."
"I don't follow what you're saying Dean. You really talk like an adult. You worry too much about it. They will return one day." Frank was confident in what he was saying. Dean meant what he had said. He felt that he was able to remember everything, but that something was withholding him in doing so. For now, he had no other explanation. "Do you want some breakfast?" Frank asked after a while.
"Sounds great." Together they walked down the stairs. The rest was already sitting at the table. Colette smiled at Dean and waved, Dean waved and smiled back. Before they began to eat they said prayers to the Goddess Martel, thanking her for the food.
"Praying like that felt familiar." Dean said after the prayer was said.
"Maybe you used to live with priests before." Colette said.
"Maybe…" Dean started to eat. The breakfast was a piece of bread and some jam on it. It seemed like they didn't have more than this.
"I'm sorry we don't have more than this, but I'm afraid it is like this everyone. These are hard times and everybody has it rough. Most of the people can't even have three meals a day anymore. I wanted to talk about your future today." Frank said with a stiff voice. It was clear that he was nervous.
"That's okay. I don't mind helping out where I can. As long as I can stay in this village, I'm okay with everything."
"Don't worry. You won't have to leave the village, but I'm afraid we can't take you in this house. It is of the greatest importance that Colette, the Chosen One, will eat well. We'd love to take you in, but as things stand now, we cannot." Phaidra continued were Frank left off.
"Are things really that bad?" Dean asked in return. For some reason, he was more worried about the state of the villagers and the village itself than himself.
"They are. With each year we notice that the crops of the land give us less. The same crops, the same land, but each year the amount of food the land produces is less. The mana is slowly leaving this land. I'm afraid that in about twenty years it will all be gone. We can only hope the Oracle will come soon. I don't like to send Colette on such a dangerous journey, but we will make sure she will be well protected. We don't have a choice. The world is dying." Phaidra said all of this with a heavy voice, like a burden was on her shoulders. Sometimes when she looked at Colette, she looked sad all of a sudden.
"That soon? I understand, but what will happen to me?" Dean asked. He wasn't surprised that he couldn't stay here. He had hoped he could. He was a bit disappointed.
"There is a couple in the village, named Paul and Linda Woods. They are unable to have children on their own. They wish to raise you as their own. We were planning on introducing you today. Although we have some advice."
"Some advice for me?"
"Yes. They were told that a young child was found. However, your manner of speaking is that of an adult. Most people would find such manner of speaking from such a child a bit frightening."
"I see. So you want me to speak like someone of my age. I could try that. Shall we practice now?"
"Very well. Just pretend that I'm someone from the village who doesn't know you." Dean nodded. "So you are Dean. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?"
"Well, my name is Dean. I can't really remember anything about myself, but I was with Phaidra, Frank and Colette and they were so kind. I wish everyone in the village is so kind. Oh yeah, Phaidra made me some soup and it tasted really good." Dean made sure his voice sounded more childish.
"Wow, you sound like a totally different person Dean. How do you do that?" Colette asked cheerfully.
"Thank you, Colette. Do you really want to know? I try and imitate you. You always sound so happy. I was trying to mimic that."
"Oh really?"
"I hope you don't mind Colette."
"Oh no. If I can help you that makes me really happy." Dean looked at Colette and only found honesty in her words and her expression. He didn't want that her innocence would fade away at that moment.
"Can I at least talk like I want to when I'm around you? It is really tiring to talk like something that you aren't."
"Of course you can Dean. We don't know you any other way. You don't have to talk like that you know. I'm just afraid the people don't know how to act around you if you do talk like that." Frank explained.
"I can imagine that. What about you? Don't you find it hard to talk to me?"
"Oh, we like to accept people as they are. Besides, I enjoy talking to you." Phaidra said to Dean.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me. What about you Colette?"
"You're my friend Dean. You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not." Dean could only feel gratitude.
"I'll never forget what you all did for me."
"Oh, don't make it sound like this is goodbye. This is a small village. You are always welcome here."
"Now that we are finished with breakfast. Shall we take a look around the village?"
"Right now? Really? I was afraid you wouldn't ask?" Dean answered excited.
"I see you can be excited without faking it as well." Phaidra teased Dean.
"It isn't really exciting to stay in the same room the whole time you know." Dean answered. Colette took Dean by the hand. Phaidra said she had to go to the temple and left in a different direction.
They first walked around the village. Most of the village was of course made out of the houses where the people lived. Almost all the houses looked the same. Most of the houses had a small chimney, but some of them didn't.
There were two entrances to the village. One on the south side and one on the north side. On the north of the village was the school building. Classes hadn't started yet, but would the next day. They would meet the teacher after the walk around the village.
The building biggest next to the school building was the mayor's house. They met the mayor while walking around. He was a broad man with a look of authority in his eyes. He wasn't paying them attention. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. In the middle of the village, there was a shop which sold several items.
You could also buy bread from the bakery and meat from the butcher there. It was more convenient for the people to buy their groceries at one shop. Besides, only a few people could afford bread and meat. Almost all the people in the village were farmers. They lived off their own harvest and they traded among themselves.
Because of this, the shop in the village wasn't open the whole day. Only for two hours in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon on a Saturday. After they had seen the whole village they went to a house in the southeast of the village. In front of the house, a man and a woman were standing, holding each other's hands. They were smiling, but Dean could tell that they were nervous. They were probably his new 'parents'.
"Hello there Paul and Linda." Frank said as they came closer. "It's such a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Hello there Frank. Yes, it is." the woman called Linda answered. She was a head shorter than her husband. She had long brown hair and also brown eyes. She was wearing a simple dress. The man called Paul was wearing brown pants and a simple shirt. The clothes were dirty and were probably the clothes he wore while working on the land. "Oh my. Those two look cute together. You must be Dean." The woman now addressed Dean.
"Yes, madam." Dean just plainly answered not knowing what to say. "Um… Frank told me I couldn't live with them." Dean said with a sad voice. "I'm still looking for a place to stay."
"Well, Dean. My wife and I can't have babies. Our house is really empty and quiet. We were hoping you would like to live with us?" Paul said with a kind voice.
"I can stay with you? But I don't know you. It's not that I don't want to, but you want me to live with you even though we just met?"
"Are you afraid?"
"No. I'm not afraid. I'm a big boy, but what if you don't like me?" Dean tried to sound really nervous and uncertain, although he didn't even have to try. He was feeling really nervous. These people would be really kind or really did have a big wish to have children if they were willing to take him in just like that.
"Well, it might be strange at first, but why don't we try to get along? We're no scary monsters." Linda was holding out her hand to Dean. Appearing nervous, Dean slowly reached out his hand to Linda. She smiled as she took his hand.
"Do you have anything that is still at the house of Frank?" Paul then asked Dean.
"Um… No. All I have is the clothes I am wearing. I don't have any memories. I don't even know if these clothes are mine."
"They are clothes of mine when I was a child. I always thought that they would come in handy one day. You can keep them Dean." Frank answered. He wondered about what kind of clothes he had been wearing when they had found him.
"Thank you, Frank. For everything." Dean was really getting emotional right now. He had to fight back tears. It was kind of frightening moving to people he didn't know and leaving people from whom he knew were really nice people.
"Bye Dean." said Colette. "I hope you will come over to play again."
"I will!" Dean said. With that Colette and Frank left and Dean was left with two people who he didn't know at all. He kept waving at Colette and she kept looking back at him, still smiling but also fighting back tears. For such a young girl, she knew what was going on.
"Come on Dean. Let's take a look around in your new room." Linda pulled Dean inside. "Don't be afraid now. This is going to be your new house." Dean looked forward and entered his new house. The inside of the house looked even poorer than the house in which Frank, Phaidra and Colette lived. The house had two floors though. The living room and kitchen were in the same room. There was one toilet, which was a seat with a hole in it.
The door was shut close so the smell wouldn't escape. There were two bedrooms. The largest one was the bedroom of Paul and Linda. The other one was upstairs and would be Dean's new room. The room looked almost exactly the same as the room where he had slept in the other house. The difference about it was that Paul and Linda had painted the room with a blue colour. It was the only room in the house which was painted. Dean could still smell the paint. He realised that they had painted it for him to make him feel more at ease.
"How do you like your new room?" Linda asked Dean.
"The walls are pretty. I like it. It's prettier than the room I was staying before." At this, the couple smiled even more.
"We're glad you like it. We want you to feel at home."
"But it kind of smells. Will the smell stay? I don't like it." Dean said honestly like any other child of his age would say.
"I guess it does smell, but that will go away with time." Paul tried to reassure the boy. "Have you met the new teacher yet?" Dean shook his head.
"I wanted to meet her. She must be really smart. I heard that she's an elf. I've never met an elf before."
"Do you want to go together with us? If you want to we can go right now." Dean nodded happily after they asked that. They went to the west of the village. They heard some crying from inside when they came close to the house. Paul knocked on the door.
"Just a moment. I'll be there shortly." They heard a woman say. After a while, the crying stopped. The door opened then. A woman with a bit messy silver hair which reached to her shoulders and sea blue eyes was standing at the door. She was wearing dark pants with white boots and a simple white blouse. She looked like a beautiful young woman. "Yes? What can I help you with?"
"We're sorry for bothering you. We heard you were the new teacher of this small village and we came to say hello."
"Ah, the mayor told a boy who suffered from amnesia would come to meet me in advance before I started teaching tomorrow. I just thought he said that Frank and Phaidra would bring him. They were here shortly. I got the chance to meet the Chosen One." A sparkle was in her eye was she mentioned Colette.
"Well, my wife and I have decided to take this child in. Our house was getting too quiet anyway." Dean was just listening while the adults were talking. They treating him like a boy who really didn't understand what was going on. He got bored with waiting before his new teacher would address him and was trying to look inside the house through the door, although he couldn't see much.
"So you must be Dean." The beautiful woman finally said something to Dean. Dean had forgotten where he has for a short while so he was startled a bit.
"Yes, that is my name. It's a pleasure to meet you, madam." Dean said as he regained his composure. He even bowed to her.
"I'll be your teacher from tomorrow on. I know you don't remember anything, but that doesn't mean you can slack off. I expect you to work really hard in order to catch up with the older kids in class." She seemed like a kind person, but also like a strict teacher who respected hard work. Dean had a feeling they would be able to get along just fine.
"I will do my best. Excuse me, but may I have your name?"
"Oh my, I forgot to introduce myself now did I? My name is Raine, but you will be calling me Professor Sage from now on."
"Yes, professor." The professor now addressed Paul and Linda again.
"I'm really looking forward to start teaching tomorrow. The state of the school building looks fine as well. I just have one problem. I don't know what to do with my little brother Genis. I can't take him to class with me, but I can't leave him at home as well. As things stand now I won't be able to teach."
"If you don't mind, I can look after your brother while you teach." Linda then offered.
"You would do such a thing for me?" The professor was surprised by this offer.
"I just love kids, no matter how old they are. It would be my pleasure to look after your little brother."
"I don't know how to thank you."
"Well, there is one thing." Paul then said. Both the professor and his wife looked at him. "We're kind of short on money. We don't know if we can pay for the education fees. Could you please teach Dean in return for us looking after your brother? When your brother is old enough himself to go to school we hope to have saved a bit more money."
"It's a deal then." The professor said. "Although I don't need much money to live anyway. I wouldn't mind teaching a student of mine for education. Education is too important to miss." With that, they said their goodbyes and went back home.
Paul went back to the land to work after grabbing a snack while his wife wasn't looking. Dean offered to help Linda to help in the house. During the cleaning Dean learned that Linda had had an accident at a young age. She had barely survived, but she had paid a great price. She wouldn't be able to bear any children on her own.
She got a bit emotional when she was telling that and started to hug Dean out of nowhere. Dean hugged his new mother back, knowing that she needed this hug at that moment. After she was done with telling that, there was no more talking. Linda seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. After a while, Dean asked if he could check if Colette could play with him.
Wanting not to take away the happiness of her new 'son' Linda agreed, but Dean had to make sure he would be back before dinner. Luckily for Dean Colette was home. The girl was really happy to see him, even though they had seen each other before the same day. Dean felt the same. It felt really awkward to just move in with Paul and Linda.
Dean did already like them. Colette and Dean played for the rest of the day until Phaidra sent him back home. At his new home, Dean noticed that it wasn't a problem to act like someone of his own age. The day passed quickly.
"Wake up Dean." Linda said to the boy.
"Good morning mom." Dean said without realising what he had just said.
"What did you just call me?" Linda asked. She was really surprised to hear such a thing.
"I guess I called you mom… Is it okay if I call you mom?" While he was asking this the woman who he was living with began to cry. "I won't if you don't me to." Dean was startled by this sight.
"No, I'm just so happy. You have no idea how I've longed for someone to call me that. Oh Dean, I would love it if you called me 'mom'." Dean started to get dressed. Linda had given him something to wear during night time. It was a bit too big for Dean, but he didn't mind. The love these people had given him from the start was overwhelming. It was because of their love that he had called Linda 'mom' without realising it.
"Is everything alright honey?" He could hear Paul ask from the living room.
"Oh, darling you won't believe this. Dean called me 'mom'."
"Is that true Dean? You don't have to force yourself to call her that." Paul was happy for his wife, but was still concerned for the boy.
"No, I called her like that without realising it. You two make me feel at home so much." Dean answered.
"We're happy to hear to say you such a thing. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast. The professor will be here shortly. She will be dropping off her little brother. I have to go now. I see you two at supper tonight." Dean wasn't really hungry that morning, but he ate anyhow. He was kind of nervous about his first school day. Right when he had finished his breakfast someone knocked at the door and entered. It was the professor.
"Thank you again for helping me out." The professor said to Linda. She handed her a child with the same hair and eye colour as the professor. "Come along now Dean." Dean hopped off his chair and went along with the silver-haired woman.
"You be good now." He could hear Linda say.
"I will mom!" Dean answered back. When the professor and Dean arrived at the school building there wasn't anyone yet. Dean decided to help the professor with setting things right before class started. After they were ready the other children dropped in one by one. The age difference between the children was big. Colette entered the building as one of the first and immediately started to sit next to Dean. Dean didn't mind this at all. The last one who came in was a boy dressed in red. Next to the boy was a short broad, muscled man with a beard. Colette waved at the boy in red and the boy waved back.
"Who is he?" Dean asked Colette.
"Oh, that's Lloyd. I told you about him before, didn't I? He lives outside the village. That's his dad. His name is Dirk and he's a dwarf."
"So that's how a dwarf looks like. He looks friendly." Dean said at first. He looked at the dwarf some more. "He looks a bit scary as well though." Dean whispered to Colette
"Oh, don't worry. Dirk is really nice." Colette said with a big smile on her face.
"Please everyone sit down. Class is about to begin." The professor said out loud. The boy named Lloyd sat on the other side of Colette. They smiled at each other, but didn't talk. They didn't want to make the professor angry already.
The professor started class by introducing herself and asked everyone to do the same. After the introduction round was over class started. Dean paid attention really well, because almost all the things were new for him. He noticed that the other kids weren't paying that much attention. They probably already knew all these things.
The professor sometimes asked the children some questions. All the kids knew the answers, except for Lloyd. He always kind of mixed things together. The professor sighed every time Lloyd failed to answer a question. It seemed that he would be the problem child of the class. Dean realised that the professor hadn't asked him a question yet. Only after they had begun with the basics of maths did she ask Dean a simple question. Dean had to think for a while, but was able to come up with the right answer.
The professor smiled at him when he answered the right question. Before class ended they professor asked everyone what they wanted to do when they grow up. Dean wasn't really paying attention to this. He had been paying attention the whole day and now his concentration just slipped away. When he heard the voice of Colette his attention went back to class.
"Well, I just want to do my best on the Journey of Regeneration. I will do my best as playing out my role as the Chosen One."
"That's really nice Colette. Just one more question. If you didn't have to go on the journey, what would you want to do then?"
"I don't really know. Maybe I'll open up a shop where I can sell pets to people. I just love dogs. They are so cute." The girl smiled at the thought of this.
"Now then. Lloyd Irving, what do you want to do?"
"Me? I wanna grow up and work like a craftsman just like my dad. He can make really cool things." The boy said with a big smile on his face.
"Interesting. What about you Dean? Do you know what you want to do when you grow up?" The professor now asked Dean. Dean hadn't thought about it at all. He started to panic a bit. However, he remembered his time with Colette just then and found his answer.
"I want to go along on the Journey of Regeneration and protect Colette. I can also see the world like that. I hope that will help me regain my memories."
"I'm afraid that will be a bit difficult Dean. The Journey of Regeneration is really dangerous. You need to be really strong to be able to go along on the journey."
"Then I will train really hard so I can become strong. Even if I can't go along on the journey, I want to see the world in the hope to regain my memories."
"You think they won't return on their own? You don't need to travel the world in order to restore your memories."
"Maybe they will… I just have a feeling that they won't."
"Well, class is over for today. I expect all of you will be on time tomorrow."
"Yes Professor Sage." Everyone in the class said. Professor Sage had given them a bit of homework for tomorrow. Dean grabbed his stuff and intended to go home. They Professor had given him all the books they would use in class. They were quite heavy. While he was outside Colette called out to him.
"Dean wait up!" Dean waited for Colette to catch up with him. "Why don't we play for a bit after we drop off our stuff at home. Lloyd said he wanted to show us something really cool."
"Sure. That sounds fun. Thanks, Colette." Colette smiled at that.
"Did you mean what you said back in class?" Colette then asked him. Dean looked at her confused. "Come on, you said you wanted to protect me during class." the blond girl continued.
"Yeah, I meant it. I want to grow strong and go along with you on your journey."
"You really mean that? I'm so happy! But it's going to be really dangerous. What if you get hurt?"
"That's why I have to grow strong. I'm going to start training from now on every day. I'm going to grow strong. Just wait and see Colette." Dean was serious when he said all these things. Ever since hearing of this journey, the desire to come along had been burning in his heart. "I'm going to drop my stuff off. Where shall we meet? Right here, before the school building?"
"Sure. We will be waiting for you here." Dean waved her goodbye. As he left he saw Lloyd leaving the building. The boy didn't look so happy. Apparently, the professor had scolded him a bit. He met another girl on the way home who he saw in class. He started to talk to her for a bit. Apparently, she lived in the building next to his. She seemed like a nice person as well. Everyone seemed like a nice person in this village.
"Mom, I'm home!" Dean shouted as he entered the building. Linda was talking to the professor just then. Dean hadn't noticed that the professor had been at his home faster than him.
"Welcome home dear. Can you clean the table for a bit?"
"Sure." Dean first put his things in his room and then cleaned the table. After he was done he returned to Linda. She was just finished with talking with the professor. "Mom, Colette asked me to come and play. Can I go? They are waiting for me."
"You've already become friends with her, haven't you? Of course you can go and play. Make sure to be home on time. I need your help with the house for a bit."
"I won't be late. Thanks, mom."
"Don't forget to do your homework." The professor said to Dean. She had been listening in.
"I won't Professor Sage. Today was fun at school. See you tomorrow." Dean left with a smile on his face. He ran to the school building as fast as he could. When he got there Lloyd and Colette were waiting.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. My mom wouldn't let me leave immediately."
"That's okay Dean." Colette said.
"You must be Lloyd." Dean said smiling. "I'm Dean. I haven't been around here for long. I hope we can be friends."
"Nice to meet you. I wanted to show Colette some sword tricks I picked up. Want to look as well?" The boy in red asked.
"Sure." And so the boy pulled out two wooden swords. For a boy his age he handled them really well. He was wearing gloves so his hands wouldn't be hurt by swinging around the swords. On one of his hands, there was a white cloth. Dean thought he saw something shining beneath the cloth as Lloyd was showing one of his sword clothes.
"Hey Lloyd. What's beneath that white cloth on your hand?" Dean asked after a while.
"I'm not supposed to show, but you can take a look." He pushed the cloth a bit away and it showed a gem underneath it. "Cool, isn't it?" Lloyd bragged.
"It's really pretty. What is it? Why is it attached to your hand like that." Dean asked. Nobody else had something like that.
"It's called an Exsphere. Its something that enhances your fighting capabilities my dad said. Although I don't really understand what that means. I think it makes you stronger." Lloyd explained.
"A gem that makes you stronger… I wish I could have one too!" Dean said excitedly.
"I think that will be difficult. Almost nobody has one. Besides an Exsphere on itself is dangerous. It needs to be embedded in something called a Key Crest. It can cause the mana inside a person go haywire if it isn't. Only dwarves know how to do such a thing." Lloyd continued with his explanation.
"Wow, you know a lot about these things. You couldn't even answer simple questions the professor told you, but you know a lot about Exspheres and Key Crests." Dean said as he teased Lloyd.
"Well, my dad taught me all about since I'm using an Exsphere. I don't understand everything about it, but it's cool to have an Exsphere. My dad did tell me to hide it though. I wonder why." Lloyd wrapped the white cloth around the Exsphere.
"Maybe they are wanted since they are so rare. People could attack you, because you have one. Although, I can't imagine anyone in this village attacking you."
"The people of this village seem to avoid me." Lloyd said.
"I don't avoid you Lloyd. I like you." Colette suddenly said. She had been quietly listening. This made the boy in red blush.
"Thanks, Colette."
"Hey, your face now has the colour of your clothes. It suits you." Dean teased Lloyd a bit.
"It doesn't." Dean grinned.
"Lloyd, I have a question. Your dad is a dwarf, right? You think he can make me a wooden sword?" I asked Lloyd.
"Why do you want a wooden sword?" Lloyd asked back.
"I told at class, don't you remember. I want to grow strong. In order to grow stronger, I will need to learn how to fight. I think fighting with a weapon is better than fighting with your hands and feet. So I wanted to learn how to fight with a sword."
"You can have one of my wooden swords if you want. I have a bunch of them back home." Lloyd said as he handed one of his swords to Dean. The sword was meant for an adult, so it felt heavy and it was long. Dean really respected Lloyd now that he felt the weight of this sword. He had just swung it around like it was nothing.
"Thank you, Lloyd. This means a lot to me." Dean looked at the stance of the sun. It was lower than he thought it would be. "Wow, look at how late it is." He said. "I have to go back and help mom and I promised the professor I wouldn't forget to make my homework."
"Ugh, that's right. We have homework after the first day of class. The professor is really strict." Lloyd said.
"I think she is kind." Colette said. Dean agreed with her.
"Today was fun. Shall we meet after school again tomorrow?" Dean asked with a smile on his face.
"Sure!" said Lloyd and Colette at the same time.
"Great. I'll see you guys tomorrow then." Dean ran back home with his new sword. His dream of becoming stronger was a bit closer now that he had a weapon. He was tired when he got home, although it was just a short run. He hadn't fully recovered is what he thought. He walked inside the house. "I'm sorry I'm late mom. It was just so much fun I forgot time." Linda was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner that she didn't turn around.
"I'm just glad you're on time for dinner. Paul isn't home yet. Could you help me with dinner?" the woman asked. Dean had taken this time to secretly put away his sword near the stairs. He then washed his hands and started helping his mother.
"So there was a wooden sword in your room Dean." Paul started to say during dinner time. Dean sighed. He had sneaked it upstairs after he was done helping Linda and she hadn't been watching. He had hoped that they wouldn't see it, but the sword was big and he hadn't hidden it in his room. He had just dropped it on his bed, hoping Paul and Linda wouldn't see. That hope was gone now. "Would you mind explaining to us how you got it?" the man asked the boy.
"I asked Lloyd if Dirk could make me a wooden sword and then he just gave me one of his, saying he had plenty of them at home." Dean said. He knew his parents were disappointed for bringing something so dangerous home.
"Why did you ask him for something like that?" Linda asked her son.
"Well, the professor was asking what we wanted to do after when we were older. So I told her I wanted to go with Colette on her Journey of Regeneration." Paul and Linda looked at each other with concerned looks when their son told them that.
"She said it would be dangerous. That's when I decided I had to grow strong. If I can become strong enough I will be able to go on the journey. Even if I can't go along on the Journey of Regeneration, I want to see the world when I grow up. Maybe my memories will return and I will remember where I came from. Maybe they won't return. If they don't return I want to look at the world with my own eyes. I'm sure that will help me remember." Paul and Linda looked at each other and Paul just nodded.
"We had heard from Frank and Phaidra you weren't like a normal boy. At first, you looked and acted like just one." Frank told Dean. Dean didn't know Frank and Phaidra had informed his new parents.
"The professor talked to me today." Linda now said. "She said you picked up things really quick. She noticed on the first day that you were different from the rest. You're smart for your age and you have the mind of an adult."
"So you figured me out." Dean just said.
"So, the decision you made today. It wasn't on a whim, was it? You mean to go through with it?" Paul asked the boy.
"Yes. I want to grow strong. Strong enough to defend myself. Strong enough to protect the ones I care off. Strong enough to protect you."
"Then it's settled." Paul then said. "I will teach you how to fight."
"What?" Dean was surprised by that. He had expected that you had to somehow convince his parents that he had to go on the journey no matter what. He even expected that he had to train in secret.
"But you won't only learn how to fight. You will go to school. You will learn how to cook. You will learn which kind of herbs you can use. You will learn what kind of food you can eat in the wild. It's going to really tough. It's going to be really hard. Do you really want all of that? You could live like a child." Paul was testing him Dean realised. Dean just smiled. He knew he wasn't just a child. He knew they would treat him like an adult on this decision. Still, the desire to go on the journey wouldn't go away.
"Yes. This is what I want." Dean answered with a burning passion in his heart.
"Okay. Remember this feeling boy. You're going to need it." Paul said. After that the man was quiet.
"There is only one last thing." Linda was the one talking now. "You will need to learn all of that and still make sure you will spend time with your friends. Friends are important in life. You will need them. You can't just stand by the sidelines."
"I will. Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad." It was fortunate everyone had finished their dinner. It had gotten late and the food would have been cold if they still needed to eat.
"Go to sleep Dean. I will wake you in the early in the morning tomorrow, before the sun will rise." Dean nodded. "And don't thank me just yet. I'll make sure it's going to be hard as hell." Paul smiled while saying this. Dean didn't like the smile on his face for some reason.
And that's how it all started. Dean got up before the sun rose. At first, Paul had to wake him, but after a year he was able to get out on his own. Paul had given him some gloves to protect his hands. Dean didn't complain once in all the years of his training. This was the path he had chosen.
Professor Sage wasn't happy with his decision. She had to wake him up almost every afternoon, because he had fallen asleep. She started to ask him questions more often. Dean knew the answer to every question, because he also made sure he studied enough.
Lloyd could learn from him. It was a wonder if the red boy answered a question with the right answer. Every day after school Lloyd, Dean and Colette played together. As the little brother of the professor became older, he joined the group. They were a merry band of friends. Like this the years passed. Dean grew older and stronger.
When Dean was fifteen years old his dad took him outside of the village. He hadn't been fighting real monsters and that day was the big day Dean had been waiting for. His father was also carrying a sword, although his one was a real sword. He had never told Dean how he had gotten it. He always told him that it was a secret.
They would fight the monsters together. Luckily for them, the monsters around the village were quite weak. They managed to beat them with ease. Paul even let Dean take care of the monsters on his own as he noticed that he was strong enough to do so. They went a bit farther away from the village.
They walked into the woods and ate some berries which weren't poisonous what Paul knew. They were relaxing for a while when they were suddenly surrounded by monsters. They slowly got on their feet.
"Relax Dean. Let's stay together and protect each other's backs." Dean just nodded as they moved into a position where their backs were to each other and started to rotate, weary that the monsters would attack any minute now.
There was nothing but silence for a while until a brave wolf lunged forward. Dean trusted his sword forward and hit the throat of the monster. After that, the monsters all attacked as one. Paul and Dean had to separate from each other, because they would hit each other if they didn't. They both suffered some attacks, but those weren't life-threatening.
The monsters just kept on coming and it seemed like there was no end to them. Dean fought for his life as he defeated monster after monster. After a while, he noticed Paul wasn't in his line of sight anymore. After trusting and slashing his sword at the monster that was closest to him he started to move towards the sound of fighting.
When he saw Paul things weren't looking so good for his father. He was facing a huge bear monster which towered over him. Paul tried to defend himself, but the monster just slammed the sword out of his hand and knocked him to the ground. Paul was now lying on the ground defenseless.
"Dad! No!" Dead screamed as he unleashed a power from the inside he didn't know he possessed. From out of nowhere a lightning bolt hit the monster bear and killed it. Having discovered this new power of his Dean used it to defeat the rest of the monsters while fighting the ones that came to close with his sword. He was unleashing both lightning and wind attacks. The monsters got scared of this new display of power and fled, knowing it was no use anymore to attack these people.
"Dad!" Dean screamed again and ran towards his father. Paul was lying unconscious on the ground and there was blood coming from his arm. Dean saw the sword of his father lying close by and picked it up and put it away along with his own sword. He might need to use it if the monsters noticed that their prey was weakened.
Dean tried his best to put his father on his back even though he was exhausted. Not only all the fighting, but that strange power had worn him out. After a few failed attempts he succeeded. Slowly but steady he carried his father back to the village.
As he was near the village the guards came closer to see what had happened. Dean was exhausted and almost fainted. The guards took over his weight and quickly carried Paul to the house of Professor Sage. One of the guards also guided Dean there. When Dean arrived there the elf was already healing his father.
"Is he going to be okay?" Dean managed to say as he sat down almost passing out. There were black spots before his eyes, but due to pure determination, he managed to stay conscious. Genis handed his friend a glass of water, trying to help. Dean smiled at the boy, saying thanks without words.
"It will take some time before his arm is fully healed. He's going to be okay. Rest is going to cure him of all his wounds. I have performed first aid. There is nothing else I can do." Just hearing his father was going to be okay was a huge relief for Dean.
"What happened?" The Professor then asked. Dean slowly told his teacher everything that had happened. "Do you have any idea what those attacks were Dean?" Dean shook his head. "You used magic, Dean. This is the first time I've heard of a human using magic."
"I didn't know how I did it. I panicked and the urge to save my father summoned forth that power. Now that I'm here I can somehow feel that power flowing through me. It had always been there. I had only never known how to use it before."
"You two are very fortunate to be alive. Even experienced fighters would have lost their lives if they would have been in the same situation as you have been." At that moment Linda ran into the house.
"Are they okay? Tell me they are okay!" The woman almost screamed.
"Relax Linda. They are fine. Your husband is wounded, but it's nothing that time cannot heal. Dean is right here. Your son just needs some sleep, that's all." Slowly the fear disappeared from the eyes of the woman as she saw with her own eyes that everything was alright. She gave Dean a big hug and started crying.
"It's okay mom. We're alright." Dean reassured his mother.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again."
"You know I can't promise you something like that." Dean softly whispered.
"I know." The woman whispered back. After a while, the woman regained her composure.
"I'm sorry for causing such an uproar. Thank you, professor."
"That's alright. I just did what any other person would have done if they were in my shoes." The elf just replied.
"Um… I don't want to disturb you like this, but Dean has fallen asleep while he was sitting." Genis then said. The young elf was pushing Dean back, trying to make sure he didn't fall on the ground. "Can you help me out here?" The two women took the boy under the arms and dragged him to a bed and laid him down.
"That boy is heavy." Rain said.
"Well, he has more muscles than Lloyd. That's for sure." Genis replied.
"We're lucky that his brain isn't of the same caliber as Lloyd." Raine said back at that.
"I concur. It's hard enough sometimes with one stupid person in our class. I don't know what it's like with another Lloyd. With Dean you can discuss some things that are a bit more complex." Genis started talking.
"Yes, but Lloyd can be relied on when you're in trouble." Linda said. She didn't like the negative atmosphere.
"Yes, that's true and his craftsmanship is flourishing lately. It's his forte." A silence then came over them. Linda then said she was going to bring some people over who could carry the two men back to her house.
After he woke up the next morning, Dean decided that he would work on the land until his father was better. He was feeling guilty over what had happened even though Paul had said that the decision to go into the woods was his mistake. Saying that didn't make Dean feel better.
The professor even agreed on his decision on the condition that he would keep making his homework and after work was done for the day he would have to come over to her place. She was planning to teach him to learn how to control his magic. Now both he and Genis were getting lessons in handling magic from the professor.
She herself was an expert on healing, support and light magic. She knew the basics of magic better than anyone and was even more strict when she was teaching Genis and Dean magic than in class. Dean probably thought she was more strict, because magic could be dangerous. Luckily for Dean, his father recovered more quickly than the professor had predicted. They even got the approval of the professor that the man could go back to work.
Dean went back to school and started playing with his friends after school. Genis and he even showed their friends a bit of their magic after they made sure the professor wasn't around. Time flew and the day of the Oracle came closer and closer.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. It is true that OC Dean thinks way too logical for a boy his age, but everything will be explained. The downside is that you will have to wait until the end of the story for the explanation. You will hang out with me until then.
Reviews are welcome, but I intend to continue writing this story even if I don't receive one.
See you next time!
09-05-2018: Changed some minor things in the chapter, corrected errors and changed layout.