Okay... so... This would be my third attempt at a multichapter fic and I say attempt because I never managed to finish the other two because of frustrated efforts at writing them or plain losing inspiration. I don't want this one to end up the same. I want to finish at least one multichaptered story, sincerely I do. Now normally I would never ask this of my audience but I need help. I just want some encouragement or prods or something to help me along the way. It doesn't matter how you do it but it would help my morale immensely if people were there with me as I try to finish this story.
Thank you.
It had taken five days of the most nerve-wracking and frustrating sulking and moping he had ever had the misfortune of experiencing before Phantom finally caved in to the boy's silent demand.
The brat was homesick.
He had to pat himself on the back for lasting as long as he did but even he cannot withstand the supreme annoyance of the boy's five-second-interval sighs, his teeth-grindingly aggravating dumb spacey looks, his distractibility during studying and training, and setting his beautiful fifty million meso carpet on fire!
That had been the absolute last straw which was how he found himself miserably trudging along a dirt country road behind an annoyingly bouncy boy and a large dragon loping happily alongside them.
They had arranged for Evan to stay for about a week or so at home before Phantom came back to pick him up.
The cheer he practically oozed was enough to make Phantom feel slightly queasy.
Yes, he'll be going home to his happy little home with his happy little family and his happy little pigs. Never mind that he had found a dragon he would have to explain and never mind the fact that he just abruptly disappeared during an ordinary outing in town that could have easily been read as a kidnapping and worrying his parents into heart attacks. Never mind that he must inform them of his new role as Dragon Master which came packaged with the duty to defeat the Black Mage, the most evil tyrant in the history of Maple World.
Nope it was all going to be just peachy.
Phantom growled and resisted the urge to throttle something.
Of course he hadn't taken any of that into account! Obviously the only thing that filled his head right now was going home!
Speaking of which, the small dot of brown in the distance among the sparse trees of the forest eventually started to resolve itself more firmly into a quaint-looking wooden house with a pleasant-looking creek bubbling along cheerfully in front of it and Phantom quickly intercepted Evan before they could proceed any further.
"Sir?"
Phantom pointed towards Mir and said dryly, "Now, unless you want to rush in and create an even bigger fuss than the one you're about to receive by parading in with that dragon, I suggest he wait somewhere else until they're ready to see him."
"O-oh… Right…" the boy mumbled. He turned towards his partner and asked, "Mir, is it okay if you wait a few minutes outside? My folks might freak if they see you without me splainin' first."
Okay master, Mir replied. Whenever you're ready, you just call me!
"You'll be okay right?"
Of course! Don't worry about me! Mir exclaimed, puffing up confidently and snorting, releasing a small cloud of smoke from his nostrils.
Evan nodded and they continued on their way as Mir parted from their side and traipsed over to a copse of trees.
As they got closer and closer to the house, Evan started to grow more and more nervous.
Now that he thought about it, he has been away from home for an awfully long time without telling his mom and dad. He hadn't even told them he was going did he? He'd just been so caught up with everything that they just never came into mind and he felt a sinking sense of shame and guilt.
How would they react when they see their wayward son returning home? They were going to be so angry with him for worrying them…
He remembered a conversation he had with his dad in what felt like forever ago about how he would get an Adventurer to kill Mir if he was a dragon because dragons were dangerous.
What if his dad wanted to kill Mir for being the reason why he had strayed away in the first place? But Mir didn't mean to! He just wanted to help! And he wasn't dangerous! He was his friend! His dad wouldn't kill his friend would he?
Suddenly returning home didn't seem like the brightest idea but he couldn't turn back now. He had to tell his parents about this eventually and he might as well do it now and get it over with since he was already here after giving Sir Phantom so much trouble.
A quick glance towards the man confirmed that he was still displeased over this whole incident. He'll make it up to him by being extra studious with Mir.
They could make out more details about the house now and the trees had receded until only an occasional cluster dotted the pasture it was located in.
To the left, a figure emerged from around the corner the house, carrying a few bags of chicken feed in his arms and whistling a merry tune while he made his way over to the henhouse beside their home.
"Utah?" Evan called timidly.
Utah stopped, looking towards Evan upon hearing his name and his jaw immediately dropped, wide eyes staring at him as slack arms dropped the bags he held.
"Holy heavens above," he whispered disbelievingly. "Evan, is that you?"
Evan nodded jerkily and he only managed to offer a tentative smile before Utah was bearing down on him and giving him a bone-crushing hug, lifting him slightly off the ground as he did so.
"Oh my goddesses! Evan! You've come home! You've really come home! Where were you? Mom and dad—Oh geez! MOM! DAD! IT'S EVAN! EVAN'S COME HOME!" Utah hollered behind him.
The front door of the house immediately banged open and a woman with brown tresses up in a loose bun wearing an orange apron over a white dress rushed onto the front porch.
"Evan?" she asked frantically, wildly searching for her youngest son. As soon as she spotted him, her features lit up like the brightest lantern in the world with ecstatic joy and she instantly rushed over, smothering Evan in her own embrace.
"Oh Evan! You're back! Oh you're back! Where have you been? I thought you were kidnapped and your father and I searched absolutely everywhere for weeks but we couldn't find you! We were so worried!" she sobbed, holding her son in a tight grip that promised to never let go. "I thought you were gone for good! Oh Evan! Oh my baby is home safe! Thank the goddesses! Thank the goddesses!"
"What's all the yelling? What's happening?" Gustav called, running in from behind the house where he had been tending to the animals.
"Evan's back dear!" Anna called back, still clutching her son close to her bosom.
Gustav stared at Evan in shock, a look of pure relief sweeping over his face as he quickly made his way over to his wife and enveloping his son in yet another hug. "Evan! Are you okay? Where were you? Your mother and I have been worrying nonstop for days! What happened? Did someone take you? Were you injured? No one knew where you disappeared off to!"
"I'm sorry for worrying you mom, dad," Evan apologized through the hard lump in his throat, voice teary and eyes starting to fill.
"Hey what about me squirt? Your big brother's been worried too y'know. Disappearing like that alluva sudden doing a simple errand. I have a weak heart you know so don't go scaring me like that," Utah joked a bit feebly, ruffling Evan's dark chocolate locks affectionately.
Evan offered him a weak smile. "Sorry for worrying you too, Utah."
Eventually, the charged emotions winded down and Anna and Gustav pulled back and looked sternly down at their son.
"You have a lot of explaining to do young man," Anna said firmly and Evan dropped his gaze to the ground.
"Yes mom," he mumbled, scuffing the dirt underneath his shoes.
Anna's eyes softened and she lifted his chin with a hand. "But we'll do that inside over a nice tall glass of milk and some pie. How about that?"
Evan smiled. "Okay."
Phantom thought that would be his cue and he turned to leave when he heard Anna call after him.
"Oh? Mr. Fancy-Pants Gentleman too good to stay with us?" she asked good-naturedly, amused.
Phantom whirled back around and spluttered, "No, madam I—"
Anna chuckled. "I was just teasing dear." Then in a more serious tone said, "You brought our little boy back home and for that we can't thank you enough. The least we can do for you is to show you our hospitality and allow you into our home."
Phantom put on his charming mask and said, "I do thank you madam. Your wonderful thoughtfulness is most gracious but I'm afraid I'm simply here to bring young Evan back and nothing more. I would hate to intrude upon your reunion with your son and I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on with him."
Anna seemed taken to this well-mannered gentleman but nonetheless she persisted.
"Nonsense dear," Anna said, brushing him off. "I'm sure you can spend at least an hour with us for lunch."
"Yeah!" Evan cheered, popping up into their conversation. "Mom's food is the best! You've got to try it! Please?"
Considering how his three square meals a day consisted of nothing less than gourmet food, he doubted this would be the best food he would ever taste. The boy has eaten it so he would know. But before he could decline a second time, Gustav interjected.
"It's no trouble at all. As my wife said, this is the least we can do to pay you back for bringing back our son. What's your name? I want to spread word of your good deed to the rest of Henesys."
Phantom smiled a tad uncomfortably at that, almost laughing outright at the irony. Whoever heard of a thief who did good deeds? His reputation would be in tatters. Good deed indeed!
"I am known as Phantom. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir and madam," Phantom greeted pleasantly.
"Phantom eh? Unusual name you got there. The pleasure's all ours. I am Gustav and this is Anna and Utah, our oldest son. I'm sure you already know Evan here," Gustav introduced, gesturing to each person in kind.
"Hello sir," Utah said politely. "It's good to meet you."
"Likewise."
"All right enough of this standing around out here. Let's go inside where we can get some food into our stomachs. Come on, move along now," Anna ushered, shooing her family in the direction of the house and even Phantom was herded in with the rest before any more protests could leave his mouth.
The interior of the house was warm. A fire crackled merrily in its fireplace to the right of the room, its mantel top cluttered with framed pictures of the family, some of which hung on the stone chimney protruding upwards through the house. A comfy red and orange tartan-patterned couch along with an armchair sat facing the fireplace and a half-set large round table that Anna had obviously been preparing before she heard Utah's calls sat close to one of the two wide, open windows shedding ample sunlight into the room. A grandfather clock stood in a corner counting the time away with merry ticks beside a large glass cabinet displaying some fine china. A simple wooden staircase wound up to the second floor at the back of the room next to a circular archway beyond which sat a kitchen.
The house had a rather homey feel to it with its welcoming warmth; its charming, old-fashioned feel; the bright, carefully-placed decorations and mementos; and the pervasive smell of homemade food wafting throughout the room.
"You all just sit right down and I'll be out in a minute with our lunch," Anna said, bustling into the kitchen.
"I'll help you mom," Utah offered, following her in.
The rest of the family took their seats on wooden chairs and Phantom awkwardly moved to take a seat too.
Despite the whole-hearted welcome and hospitality, he couldn't help but feel out-of-place and at a loss as to how to act after all, these people were still complete strangers to him and their overeager friendliness only served to make him warier. What does one usually do when a well-meaning family forces you to lunch with them against your will?
"Those are some nice clothes, Evan. Did Mr. Phantom give those to you?" Gustav asked, eyeing the pricey red material of Evan's outfit.
"Oh, yeah. He um… also gave me a place to stay and food," the boy admitted, squirming in his seat.
Gustav broke into a broad smile. "Well, you better make sure to show your appreciation to him!" He turned to Phantom. "It seems we will always be in your debt for your kindness."
Phantom waved him off, smiling modestly. "It's simply a matter of my duty towards him as my temporary charge."
"How noble of you!" Gustav exclaimed.
"Grub's here!" Utah announced, walking in with a large bowl of soup in his hands followed by Anna, who carried a tray upon which sat some sandwiches and two extra sets of plates, bowls, silverware, and glasses.
"Now don't be shy and help yourself to as much food as you want," Anna told Phantom as she set the dinnerware in front of him just as Utah placed the soup down and walked back into the kitchen to bring in the rest of their meal. "There's plenty more where that came from! But make sure to save some room for the pie at the end."
"Ah, thank you madam," Phantom said a bit weakly.
Anna waved a hand as though to brush aside a fly. "Oh don't give me that. Just call me Anna. I won't mind."
"Anna then," Phantom corrected, feeling more uncomfortable than ever at the sphere of familiarity he was suddenly thrust into.
Utah returned with a glass pitcher of milk and a bowl of salad. "Let's get eating!" he said happily, plopping himself down on a chair.
Anna also took her seat and without much more ado, everyone started to load food onto their plates, the pitcher of milk passed around to fill empty glasses.
Phantom eyed the simple fare in front of him.
It wasn't that he disdained it, although he was used to gourmet food by now, rather it was simply the fact that he had never really had these kinds of food before.
Sure he had eaten soup and salad before but they were high-end foods made from premium ingredients prepared by a professional five star chef, much different from the simple fare made by an ordinary woman he was provided with now and he had certainly never eaten ordinarily prepared food during those many, many years ago as a child…
"Go on dear don't be shy," Anna encouraged, loading his plate with some sandwiches and salad.
Phantom blinked. "Uh…"
"And you Evan! You look so thin! I'm sure Mr. Phantom has been feeding you but you still look way too thin! You're a growing boy, Evan! You need to eat more," Anna exclaimed as she heaped some food onto his plate too.
A faint noise of weak protestation left Evan's mouth but Anna didn't seem to hear it or rather, wouldn't hear of it.
Was this how mothers usually were? They seemed kind of… overbearing.
Nonetheless Phantom ate what was in front of him and even helped himself to some of the soup. One did not waste food, a lesson that was firmly rooted into his very soul by now.
When everyone was relatively satisfied, the leftovers were cleared to make room for the pie.
Anna hummed cheerfully as she retrieved the dessert and cut it in equal portions of eight, distributing a slice to each person's plate.
Evan's face in particular lit up considerably when a slice was placed in front of him.
"Thanks mom," he said gratefully.
"You're welcome sweetie," Anna replied warmly.
He picked up his fork and popped a piece into his mouth.
The heady flavor of sweetened apple immediately flooded his senses and emotion suddenly overwhelmed him.
He remembered this taste, eating this pie while he spent lazy afternoons sat beside Utah on the front steps of the porch gazing out towards the surrounding fields and forests with nothing but the fresh scent of earth in the air, the feel of the warm sun on his skin, the sound of twittering birds, the burbling of the stream, and the taste of this apple pie on his tongue. And it suddenly hit him like a sledgehammer just how much he had missed home.
"Wow… It's been so long since I've eaten mom's homemade pie that I've forgotten how good it tasted," Evan choked, tears gathering in his eyes.
Anna and Gustav exchanged soft glances before redirecting their attention towards their son.
"Would you like to tell us what happened, Evan?" Gustav prodded gently.
Evan swiped an arm across his eyes and nodded, taking a few more moments to order the dizzying amount of emotions and thoughts darting hectically through his head before beginning.
"It's kind of a long story and uh…"
It suddenly struck him that he would have to introduce Mir some time during his dialogue before any of what he was about to say would make sense.
Evan gulped, anxious about how his parents would react to knowing he had been travelling around with a dragon by himself for the past several weeks.
He glanced helplessly towards Phantom who heaved small inaudible sigh but nonetheless complied to his silent plea for a push.
"If I may start off since Evan here doesn't seem to know where to begin," Phantom cut in, "He has been travelling for several weeks under the wish to do benevolent deeds for people whilst he helped a rather unusual friend discover his origins. From the way I understood it, it was thanks to the protection of this friend that he has remained safe while travelling."'
"An unusual friend?" Anna prompted.
Evan took the opportunity to explain further. "Yeah actually, he's more than just a friend. He's sorta like… I dunno a half of my soul and uh," he floundered for a bit before rushing through his next sentence. "He'sadragon."
Gustav's brows rose up to his hairline in surprise. "A dragon you say? You don't happen to mean that lizard you showed me all those weeks ago do you?"
Evan nodded miserably, looking more and more apprehensive. "He's not a bad dragon really he's really nice and he's my best friend and everything and I dunno how I could've been able to go on without him I mean he likes helping people and he's nothing like those dangerous dragons that burn down towns or eat people he would never do something like that and he's helped me so much and—"
"Evan, sweetie, calm down," Anna soothed. "We aren't going to judge you just yet without hearing the full story."
Evan slumped visibly in his chair in relief. "Okay."
"Wait, wait, wait hold up," Utah interrupted, holding up a hand and effectively pausing the conversation before it could continue. "A dragon? Really? Mom and dad might buy that but you expect me to believe something like that?"
"Well it's true. Mir's the reason why I left in the first place," Evan said defensively.
"Yeah okay short stuff," Utah said dismissively. "Are you sure you didn't just leave town because you were chasing a frog or something and got lost?"
Evan bristled. "Shut up Utah! I'm not some stupid little kid!"
"Boys! No fighting in front of a guest!" Anna scolded over their loud argument. "Utah, let Evan explain first and Evan, please continue."
"But mom! You can't honestly just believe what he said just 'cause dad saw him with a lizard! How do we know he didn't disappear because he just was being stupid and just wanted an excuse to get outta trouble?" Utah protested.
Ah, this boy was a mite smarter than he looked.
"It's not an excuse! And I can prove it!"
Phantom decided this would be a good time to intervene before Evan went through with his rash declaration. It would do no good to introduce Mir so abruptly lest he scare these people who were grossly unprepared for him.
Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, he said calmly, "I would like to provide my confirmation that Evan does, indeed, have a dragon."
Silence reigned over the room at Phantom's assertion and he let it draw out to allow the information time to sink in.
He continued. "If you would like, perhaps you could meet the dragon after all, he is a central part of Evan's story without which it would make no sense. It would be best to dispel any skepticism now in case it leads to confusion and doubt later on. He is a rare species, one of the last of his kind actually, but I can assure you that he is quite intelligent and perfectly harmless."
There was a moment of hesitation as the family members glanced at each other.
"Please? I promise he won't hurt you guys. Just trust me?" Evan pleaded, looking imploringly at each of his parents and brother.
"Well, I suppose we could give it a shot," Gustav finally said.
"Alright then Evan."
"This I would love to see."
Evan's face brightened with a smile. "Let's go outside then."
The rest of the table followed, looking slightly anxious yet curious at possibly meeting a dragon.
Evan led the small group out on the porch but before he could call for Mir, Phantom walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Once the man had his attention, he said quietly, "I suggest you tell Mir to fly in slowly and land a little distance away. They're prepared but they're wary."
Evan nodded in agreement and proceeded to call Mir through their mental connection along with instructions for his arrival.
Not a few minutes later, a dark shape flew up from the forest in front of them and glided towards them, gradually growing bigger and more distinct as Mir drew closer.
Phantom could tell that the people behind him were astonished at the sight and a bit uneasy at the dragon's growing bulk and shrinking proximity but otherwise, they stood their ground and watched as Mir finally touched down gently on the other side of the wooden bridge.
Evan ran up to Mir and hugged him around the neck before turning towards his parents and brother.
"Mom, dad, Utah, this is Mir, my friend."
Hello! Mir greeted, blinking large eyes at his master's family standing a distance away. It's nice to meet you!
"Come on, Mir won't hurt you," Evan encouraged, beckoning the others with one hand. "I promise."
Yeah, Mir agreed. It's nice to finally meet my master's family.
Phantom took the initiative and strode forward. The rest of the family hesitated for a moment longer before following behind him.
"Here, pat him on the head," Evan urged.
I won't bite, Mir promised, lowering his head docilely and peering at each family member in kind with eager eyes.
It was Utah who stepped up first and bravely placed a hand on top of the dragon's head.
Mir purred happily, a low, contented rumble from deep within his throat, and nuzzled the hand, causing Utah to smile broadly. "Wow."
"Evan, where on earth did you find something like a dragon on our farm?" Gustav asked, gazing at the large creature in awe as though not quite believing what he was seeing.
Mir and Evan exchanged glances. "Well…"
And Evan recounted his entire journey with Mir, his partner adding in details as he went along, starting from his dreams and ending with how Phantom found him although he was extra careful not to mention how close to strangling him the thief was when he first met him.
At the end of his story, Evan concluded by saying, "What I did was wrong and I know that now and I won't ever do it again so please don't get mad at me."
"But son, why didn't you simply write us a letter to let us know where you were at the moment and what you were doing or at least to let us know you were safe?" Gustav asked.
Evan flushed. "Oh… I haven't thought of that…"
Phantom sighed softly, resisting the urge to massage his forehead.
So he hadn't even thought ahead enough to alert his own family about his whereabouts as he ran around brainlessly halfway across the world nor did he think enough to at least drop by sometime during his journey before he destroyed his carpet!
Anna shook her head slowly. "Evan, you were foolish for leaving town with a dragon without our knowledge, being thoughtless with strangers, and wandering through a monster-infested world by yourself! You are smarter than that young man but you chose to waste your smarts by doing something so reckless and dangerous! What baffles me most is why you didn't come to us first before you decided to do this!"
Evan dipped his head miserably, feeling his eyes burn with tears.
If there was one thing he was most fearful of, it wasn't the countless monsters he had encountered during his journey or the treacherous terrain he had trekked through or even Hiver and the Black Wings. No. The one thing in the world he was most afraid of more than anything else was disappointing his parents. Nothing in the whole wide world could ever feel as bad as letting his mom and dad down when they cared so much about him.
"But dad said he'd kill Mir if he was a dragon," he mumbled tearfully.
"Yes, I do vaguely remember saying that," Gustav mused. "And I regret not having heard you out first but it doesn't justify leaving town like that."
Anna knelt down and gently took his face in his hands, lifting it up so he could look into the soft caramel-brown eyes of his mother. "Sweetie, we're not angry at you because you wanted to help people. That's something good and admirable. What we're angry about is why you would put yourself in such danger like this and not tell us what you were doing. You know you can talk to us about anything, don't you?"
"Yes'm," Evan replied, voice wobbly with tears as he swiped a hand across his eyes. "M'sorry. M'really, really sorry."
Anna sighed, her heart aching at seeing her son look so miserable and she looked up at Gustav who quietly cleared his throat to direct his son's attention towards him. "Son, we're both just relieved that you've come home safe and sound. Nothing is more important than that. We're a bit disappointed but we forgive you because you had good intentions and because we believe you'll never make the same mistake again but we can't let this go unpunished. You still did something wrong and we can't look past that so starting tomorrow, you'll have double the chores around the farm for the next five days. Does that sound fair?" Gustav meted out firmly.
"Yes dad," Evan mumbled.
Gustav smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Now cheer up son. Everyone makes mistakes. We don't love you any less because you made one. You just have to learn from it is all."
"That's right sweetie," Anna coaxed, wiping the tears from Evan's eyes. "Now give us a smile."
Evan sniffed and managed to give her a small, hesitant one which Anna returned with a beam. "There we go! Now why don't we go back inside to finish off that pie? Does that sound good?"
Evan nodded and Anna stood and steered him back inside by the shoulders.
Utah sighed, looking after them as he continued mindlessly petting Mir's head resting on the ground where he could reach better. "Man, I wish I was let off that easy half the time," he grumbled but no ill humor tinged his tone.
Gustav shot him an amused look. "Well son, if you had run off with strangers at your age, I'd be a little worried," he chuckled.
"Ugh very funny dad," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "But we all know Evan's the favorite around here."
Gustav frowned. "Now son, you know that's not true."
Utah gave a pacifying gesture and said breezily, "Yeah I know, I know. I care for the little tyke too… even if he's a brat who likes to torture his dear older brother. No respect," he grumbled under his breath.
Gustav chuckled and gave a firm pat on Utah's shoulder before making his way back inside the house, leaving Mir, Phantom, and Utah outside.
Utah sighed again and turned to Phantom with a grin. "Sorry you had to see that. I was nearly gagging at the end too but nothing like a good ol' family drama to start things up," he joked, shrugging. "Why don't we head back inside before they decide to drag us back? You really don't want to underestimate the power of mom's ear-pulling."
Phantom chuckled. "Why not? There's no use dallying out here anyway."
"Okay but uh is he," Utah gestured towards Mir who simply watched him with one lazy yellow eye, "going to be alright out here?"
I'll be fine, Mir replied, yawning and making Utah jump at the unexpected voice and the rows of teeth suddenly presented to him. I think I'm just going to take a nap now.
"Oh uh sure I guess," he said a bit nervously and quickly set off towards the house with Phantom following behind him amusedly.
After dessert was finished and cleared, Gustav and Utah went back to work while Anna busied herself with the household chores, charging Evan with the task of entertaining their guest and giving him a tour around the farm.
Frankly, Phantom didn't particularly care much for wandering around looking at animals. It all seemed awfully drab to him but he held his tongue because he was under their hospitality after all and they had been nothing but courteous to him if not a bit overeager so he allowed Evan to guide him around.
They walked around a little as Evan showed him the henhouse, the pig pens, the barn, a field full of crops, and he had just led him to the fenced-in area where some cows were grazing in a wide open pasture when he stopped and climbed on top of the simple wooden fence and sat down, peering at Phantom with a somewhat sheepish smile on his face.
"I know this is probably boring to you sir," Evan said apologetically. "Sorry that my family forced you to stay like that. I know you were probably busy."
Phantom sighed and scanned the area disinterestedly. "It's quite alright. I understand that your parents were simply grateful to me for bringing you back to them and all things considered, they are good people."
Evan grinned wide. "They are aren't they? So are you going to leave after this?"
"Probably. We'll see."
Evan nodded and kicked his legs, humming a bit to himself as he did so and at that moment, Phantom thought he looked remarkably like the child he was instead of the slightly harried-looking boy charged with the task of learning everything he needed to learn residing in his ship. While he always knew Evan was just a boy, he had always treated him as an adult which might have been what lent to his frustrations at times with Evan since he was expecting maturity from a child. This was the first time he's seeing him through an entirely different lens. Against the simple backdrop of the pasture and the humble farm behind him, Evan's rather grandiose clothing caused him to stand out, making his childlike actions and his youth all the more apparent and somehow blaringly inconsistent to Phantom.
"I'm going to have to tell them won't I?" Evan asked quietly, snapping Phantom from his inner musing.
He frowned, immediately catching on to what he was talking about. "Well yes I would think so. This isn't exactly something you could keep from your family, Evan."
"When should I tell them then?"
"Any time you wish. You have a whole week to do so but I'd advise you to do it sooner rather than later."
Evan nodded again, falling silent and staring down at the dirt path beneath his feet before speaking again. "I'm actually… kinda scared sir," he admitted softly. "I mean, how am I supposed to tell this to my folks and Utah? How'll they react? Will they keep me from fighting if they found out? I'm… scared of fighting the Black Mage but… but…" His grip on the wooden planks tightened and he swallowed before continuing. "I know… I have to do this… 'Cause I'm the only one who can."
Phantom let out a breath.
Comforting was really not his forte, especially if it concerned someone else but he'll need to try for this one. He could partly understand why Evan was coming to him with this. Being his sort-of mentor and the one who knew the full circumstance that surrounded him as well as being the closest to him in regards to the situation of the Black Mage, it's really no wonder Evan decided to speak to him about this.
"Look here, Evan," Phantom began, making sure Evan's wide light-blue eyes were trained on him before continuing. "I understand you're scared, which is perfectly normal, and you can think about every possible reaction they will have at the news until you're blue in the face but the fact remains that you'll still need to tell them the truth. There's little sense in worrying about how they'll respond in light of that fact and you'll simply have to adjust according to the situation."
"But what if they don't want me to go?" Evan asked fearfully. "How can I just tell them no? It's hard to explain it but… I… I feel like this is something that I should do even though it's dangerous and I'm… I'm kinda scared but if they don't want me to…" he trailed off, gesturing vaguely in a weak attempt to illustrate his point.
That would be a problem wouldn't it? While Evan was still young, he had immense potential unlike any others in the world. He could grow to be a truly talented mage, one they needed in order to defeat the Black Mage. No one else in the entirety of Maple World could possibly take his spot.
At the same time, glancing down at Evan hunched over in his seat and gripping the fence so hard his knuckles turned white, Phantom noticed just how small he was.
Evan was but a mere child, naturally terrified of the immense expectations mounted on him and the impeding future held before him, especially since it involved going up against the most powerful and ruthless tyrant in the history of Maple World. Even he had some doubts sometimes as to his own abilities to go up against such a monster let alone a child such as Evan. They had barely defeated the Black Mage last time and this time, they were short one experienced member to be replaced with a young novice who probably wouldn't have the same amount of time to catch up to the level of his predecessor. The chances that he'll be killed in the battle were uncomfortably high.
So, it came down to two choices: Either Evan stays home or he continues his journey, neither of which, admittedly, seemed very appealing.
"Sir?" Evan prodded gently, staring up at him as Phantom contemplated the dilemma that had suddenly arisen.
Looking over at Evan once again, he offered him a winning smile. "If you have such fears, how about I accompany you when you tell your family? I suppose I'll have to give them a proper introduction of who I really am anyway," he sighed. Even if they have probably never heard of him before if the wretched Black Wings had done a thorough job of destroying every history book in Maple World. But even so, Evan's family was now involved in this chaos, however indirectly. They had a right to know everything. He'll have to remember to send a note to Gaston via messenger raven about his unexpected overnight stay.
Evan's face immediately brightened with both relief and joy, seeming to make his eyes sparkle in the noonday sun. "Really?" he asked excitedly, leaning forward eagerly on the fence.
"No Evan, I was lying," Phantom said humorously, somewhat amused by the reaction.
Evan huffed and leaned back again, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well I sure hope not because you already promised."
Phantom chuckled. "That I did."
Evan jumped down from the fence and pointed a thumb behind him. "Wanna go see what dad and Utah are up to?"
Phantom shrugged. "I suppose. We don't have anything better to do anyway."
"There're a lot of things to do out here! I just don't think you'll like a lot of them," Evan mumbled as he led Phantom down the dirt road that ran along the length of the fence.
They found Gustav squatting down in the back of one of the storage sheds near the stables where the cows were kept, rummaging through a few crates that sat there. All around him were various tools, equipment, and boxes typical of ordinary farms.
"Hey dad. What're you doing?" Evan asked, curiously, peeking over his shoulder.
"Oh Evan," Gustav greeted, looking up from his search. "And Phantom too! What brings you two around here?"
"Well we," Evan explained, gesturing towards Phantom and himself, "finished going around the farm so we decided to drop by and see what everyone else was up to."
"Ah, I see," Gustav hummed, standing back up.
"So what're you doing?"
Gustav sighed, scratching the head of jet black hair underneath his brown apple cap. "Oh, I'm just looking for the extra salt blocks. I can't seem to find them anywhere."
"The salt blocks?" Evan repeated, raising a brow. "Aren't they at the back of the stables? I mean I don't know if they're there anymore but I remember Utah moving them a while back."
Gustav scratched his chin. "Oh yes I do vaguely remember him telling me about that." He sighed and shook his head. "Your father's growing old, Evan. He's losing his memory already."
"Well good thing we're here to remind you of stuff," Evan said, grinning and tapping a finger against the side of his head.
Gustav smiled and ruffled his son's hair before turning to Phantom. "So how're you liking the farm so far?"
Phantom gave him a pleasant smile and replied, "It's very scenic and peaceful."
"It is isn't it? You'll never find this kind of peace and contentment in cities," Gustav sighed. "Live out here long enough and you really start to learn to appreciate the little things in life."
"Dad's big on nature," Evan explained to Phantom as they followed Gustav towards the stables.
"You got that right. Born and raised out here. This farm belonged to my father and my father's father. It's been through the generations and I could not be more proud of it and all the lessons it taught me that you can't learn in books."
Phantom nodded. "I see. I suppose it lends simpler perspectives on life."
And he supposed that's where Evan got his naiveté from, being so closed off from reality way out here.
Just as they reached the entrance to the stables, they spotted Utah running up to them, looking a bit out of breath from having to run the vast expanse of the farm, black hair disheveled from his mad dash.
"Hey what's the rush there son?"
Utah bent over and held up a hand as a signal for them to wait as he caught his breath before finally straightening up again and saying, "Damn foxes got into the henhouse again!"
"Utah, language," Gustav reprimanded disapprovingly to which Utah uttered a quick, "Sorry."
"Really? Why didn't you do anything Utah?" Evan asked.
"'Cause… there's too many of 'em," Utah replied, shifting slightly in his spot.
"Are you sure it's not 'cause you're chicken? Good thing the foxes didn't take you too," Evan snickered.
Oh, Evan can have quite the mouth there, Phantom thought amusedly.
Utah shot him a sour look. "You little brat! Show some respect to your older brother!"
Evan simply rolled his eyes. "You need help with them?"
Utah nodded. "Yeah that'd be good. C'mon let's go before they steal all of our chickens away!"
And with that, he turned and dashed back in the direction of the henhouse with Evan close behind, waving at Gustav as he ran. "See ya later dad!"
Gustav waved back and turned towards Phantom but to his surprise, found that he had disappeared. Looking around and scratching his head in confusion, he decided that he must have followed after Evan and went into the stables to continue his work.
When they arrived at the henhouse, the site was a scene of chaos with a wide, gaping hole in the wire fence, feathers flying everywhere, straw from nests littering the ground, and chickens and foxes alike running haywire around the space.
Evan summoned his wand into his hand and started to incinerate whatever foxes he could, causing them to drop their burlap sacks and freeing the chickens they had caught but now that they were suddenly faced with this new danger, the foxes that Evan hadn't managed to get all quickly fled out the hole and into the sparse forest beyond.
Evan growled in frustration and was about to teleport after them when a sharp whistle from the roof of the henhouse caught his and Utah's attention and they both looked up to see a smug-looking Phantom holding up the rest of the sacks the foxes had with them.
He jumped down and released the chickens inside before carelessly tossing away the now empty sacks somewhere in the enclosure.
Evan grinned up at the thief. "Thank you sir!"
"Wow thanks mister. How'd you manage to do that?" Utah asked wonderingly, looking somewhat admiringly up at the man.
Phantom smiled enigmatically, enjoying the awe that was directed towards him, and simply replied, "It's no big feat for someone like me."
Utah shook his head, muttering something under his breath as he walked over to examine the hole and immediately scowled. "At this rate our whole farm budget's going to go on these fences alone and they don't even do squat because those stupid things keep breaking in anyway!"
"Maybe I can do something about it," Evan offered, walking up to Utah.
Utah paused and looked up at his younger brother, regarding him from where he kneeled on the ground and Evan shifted slightly under his stare. "What?"
Utah shook himself out of it. "Naw it's nothing. Guess I'm just not used to seeing you like that," he explained, scratching the back of his head before gesturing towards the hole. "So what're you going to do?"
"I thought I could use magic to make a barrier. That way there's no way foxes could get in."
Utah nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Hope you know what you're doing though."
Evan huffed. "Course I do." He would like to think he at least knew how to make something as simple as a barrier by now.
He held up his wand, the sphere of blue at its end lighting up with his magic before a translucent blue sheen like that of a soap bubble surrounded the enclosure, blinking once before disappearing and Evan lowered his wand, satisfied. It's not the strongest but it should be enough to keep away those pesky old foxes.
"There. That should do it," Evan proclaimed somewhat proudly.
Utah simply raised a skeptical brow. "Really?"
"Why don't you just try it out?"
Utah turned back to the hole and attempted to put his hand through it only to be met with resistance, the air where his fingers would have otherwise penetrated rippling like water.
"Oooh. Cool."
"See? Told you so."
Utah sighed. "Fine you got me this time squirt."
"And the last time with Mir," Evan reminded smugly.
Utah scowled. "Fine that time too," he grumbled. He stood and turned to survey the mess behind him and groaned. "Now I'm gonna have to clean all this up!"
"Want help?'
"Thought you'd never ask squirt. Here." Utah tossed a broom over at Evan, who caught the handle with a somewhat grumpy expression on his face.
"You were gonna make me help you out anyway weren't you?" he asked but nonetheless immediately began to clear the pen anyway.
"Hey, isn't it the job of the younger sibling to help out their elders?" Utah shot back, sweeping another part of the enclosure.
Phantom watched the interaction with interest where he stood leaning against the wire fence to the side, unnoticed.
It was entertaining watching Evan and Utah together. Somehow, the way they acted around each other seemed so… novel to him yet not at the same time. They were brothers weren't they? Yet they acted remarkably like… ordinary friends. He didn't know what behavior to expect between siblings but he was under the notion that the younger was supposed to obey the older, like his maids on the Lumiere. But Evan didn't seem to be inclined to do anything he didn't want to even if Utah ordered him to do so and although Utah may push Evan around, it wasn't with the intention of forcing him into anything. It was just… interesting. Maybe it had to do with how friend-like their interaction was, reminding him somewhat of some of the bantering he himself often participated in.
Chicken coop cleaned and set back to the way it was before and with the rest of the day's chores done, Utah went to clean himself up before dinner, leaving Phantom and Evan alone with each other once again.
"Well, I guess it's almost time for dinner," Evan commented, glancing up towards the setting sun. "Wanna come in now? Mom might even let us taste test some of her cooking!"
"Why not?"
"Then let's go!"
The moment they walked in, they were immediately assaulted with a thick warmness, the air heady with the delicious smells of dinner. The house was lit up in a welcoming yellow light and from the kitchen was the sound of cooking and cheerful humming as Anna worked on the evening meal for her family.
"Hey mom! That smells awesome! What're we having for dinner?" Evan asked, coming into the kitchen and taking a deep waft of the aromatic smell in the air.
Anna turned towards the kitchen's two newest occupants and gave a warm smile. "Hello sweetie. Hello Phantom. How nice of you to drop by! I'm making chicken casserole, green beans, mashed potato with gravy, mac and cheese, and beef stew for tonight."
Evan brightened at the menu. "I love mac and cheese! But I love anything you make anyway, mom."
"Thank you sweetie. What about you Phantom?" she asked, turning towards her guest. "I didn't know what you might like so I decided to go for a bit of a variety today. Any favorites in particular? Don't be shy and speak up. I really don't mind. Cooking is one of my hobbies."
Phantom smiled charmingly. "Such consideration on my behalf from as wonderful and pleasant a woman as yourself truly fills me with happiness but I'm afraid I don't have anything in particular that I like or rather, anything that the madam makes me with her own two hands would never be something I would dislike."
Anna shook her head and laughed, the sound filling the warm atmosphere nicely. "Is that so now? Well in that case, thank you for your kind compliments!"
"Mom what about dessert?" Evan asked eagerly, almost bouncing on his feet.
"That's a surprise," Anna replied, winking at her son.
"Oh. Then can we try a bit of the mac and cheese?" he pleaded, directing large, blue eyes at his mother.
"Mm-mm. I'm afraid not. It's almost time for dinner anyway. Now put away those puppy eyes and wait."
"Aw," Evan groaned.
"It might work on your father but I've raised you practically from diapers. Don't think I can't resist that look by now."
"M-mom!" Evan squeaked, turning red with embarrassment and risking a peek towards Phantom who had a huge grin spread across his face, looking as though he was trying not to laugh and Evan turned a few shades redder.
Anna chuckled, smiling somewhat mischievously before turning back to the stove, lifting the lid of one of the pots and stirring its contents. "Are you staying for the night dear?"
"It would seem like I would have to intrude on you I'm afraid," Phantom replied because it wasn't likely Evan was going to come out with the news just yet, especially since it's only the first day and the family had already been introduced to enough surprising information for the day.
"Oh it's no problem at all! You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want to. Evan, maybe you can show Phantom where the rooms are," Anna suggested. "Dinner will be ready in a moment. Make sure you two wash up."
"Okay. Come on! I'll show you where everything is," Evan said, beckoning for Phantom to follow.
They moved towards the stairs and up to the second floor of the house where he was greeted by a brightly lit hallway. To his left were two shelves of books nestled neatly into an indent in the wall facing the stairway they had just climbed up along with two doors before the hall widened for the stairs that led to a third floor. To his right were four more doors before the hall widened once again to make room for some sort of lounge area where he caught a glimpse of a red and orange tartan-patterned couch similar to the one downstairs with a window above it as well as the chimney wall making its way up through the house.
"That," Evan said, pointing to the first door on his left, "is dad's study. It's where he deals with the farm's money and goods and stuff. The one next to it is my parents' room. That," he continued, now pointing to the first door on the right where the faint sounds of cascading water could be heard, "is the bathroom. It's going to be a bit rough in the mornings when everyone has to use it. There's another one downstairs but it doesn't have a shower." He pointed to the next door which was a lot thinner than the other three. "That's just the linen closet. That's Utah's room and the room next to his is the guest room where you'll be staying. I'll show you!"
He walked up to the last door on the right and opened it, clicking open the lights to reveal a rather modest-looking room. On the upper left corner sat a bed underneath one of two small windows, covers neatly made with a nightstand next to it holding a lamp and an antique clock. A rolltop desk and chair sat facing the bed on the lower left corner of the room beside which was a relatively large ancient-looking oak wardrobe. Pressed against the right wall of the room was a shelf filled with an assortment of colorful knickknacks along with two framed pictures of an orchard and a field of flowers underneath which sat a squat wooden dresser.
Not a speck of dust could be found anywhere, evidence that a careful hand had been cleaning it faithfully and the room would have been rather plain and maybe even a bit impersonal if it were not for the fact that someone had obviously taken pains to make it more homey and lively apparent in the yellow, orange, and red rug on the floor, the tasteful white curtains framing the windows, the vase of fresh flowers on the dresser, and the miscellaneous number of objects decorating any otherwise empty spaces.
"It's not bad," Phantom commented, eyes roving the room. He may be used to grandeur but that doesn't mean he couldn't appreciate the care put in this room and along with its own special aesthetics. "And where do you sleep Evan?"
"Me? My room's in the attic upstairs," Evan replied, pointing towards the stairs where Phantom could make out a skylight and a door in the shadows. "It's kinda small though 'cause it's more like a space put aside from storage but it's cozy anyway so I like it."
"Dinner is ready!" Anna announced from below. "Make sure to wash up!"
"Okay!" Evan called back. "Let's go use the bathroom downstairs."
They washed up and assembled at the dining table where a plethora of food was already waiting for them. Soon after, Utah, Anna, and eventually Gustav, joined them.
Dinner was an excitable affair full of loud conversations about the day, strange or funny things each member of the family had seen during the course of their time, a few more questions for Evan and Phantom, banter, and laughter.
Phantom still didn't know what to make of this group in front of him, sitting together around the dining table with not a care in the world but for the first time in perhaps his whole life, he was starting to get a sense of why people seemed so fixated on the idea of "family."