Aaron Leoxses liked to travel.
He didn't remember when he started liking it, but it is the thrill of seeing what the world has in store and what is new to him that brought him to like it.
His little brother, Darius had also been the same, but their father's refusal had put his love of traveling down. And so one day, at the age of fourteen, he did what many in Sasan would deem impossible without a permission of the knight king.
He ran away, away from the boundaries of Sasan.
He did tell Darius beforehand through a letter, but suffice to say, he missed him during the course of his earlier days of travel, but to be assured, he regretted nothing out of it.
He saw many sights, and many kinds of people. And most certainly, he found a good friend in Firuz whom decided to move to Sasan with him.
His father's punishment, that is, training of knights from hell, is the only sore side. But he figured that it's worth it. He could always travel again.
Being a seasoned traveler has it's perks.
Such as knowing if a storm is to come by smelling and looking at the direction of the wind, how to survive outside the towns. And know if a disaster is to come soon.
He learned through experience that animals can sense natural disaster better than normal, and the smell of soot meant that there was fire.
Like how he currently found a complete wreckage of what used to be a village in front of him at one of the boundaries of Kou.
The fire didn't come from one of the houses, but it seems to come from above. Which meant an attack.
He knew that the residents of the village won't be able to survive from such attack. If the dead, burnt corpse around aren't an indication to that.
He soon heard groaning from nearby. Naturally, he went after the source. He found a little boy, passed out, but still breathing.
His raven hair is rather untamed and covered in dirt, likely in an attempt to escape from the attack. There are also burns and some cuts in his arms arms and legs.
A person in their right mind normally would look for more survivors, but a person of experience like Aaron Leoxses knew that no one else but this boy survived.
And so he brought the boy along with him out of the village and treated him for as best as he could.
The boy woke up roughly an hour after he brought him out. As that was when he noticed the boy's body twitching and looking around.
"Are you awake there boy?" He asked, catching the boy's attention to him.
The little boy shifted out of the cloth made from his cape to keep the boy warm from the still cold temperature of the morning. Dawn has yet to reach the land.
"You're lucky you survived the fire there. There are no other survivors there asides you."
The boy looked downcast hearing that. He could relate to that thought. Knowing that you're an only survivor can be a harrowing thing.
He noticed the boy looking down at the bandages. And told him. "That's the best that I could heal you up with. Sorry."
The boy soon looked up to stare at him. He decided to ask. "Do you have a name?" The child's reply was unexpected.
"I don't need a name."
"Hm?"
"My name is an attachment to my family. Why bother telling or even remember it when they're already gone?"
Well, that wasn't what he expected for the child's reply, so he snorted. "You sure are interesting boy."
He knelt down to his level and patted his hair. Something that he missed doing ever since both he and Darius grew out.
He introduced himself. "I am Aaron Leoxses. A knight from Sasan."
The boy's response was silent, he noticed the void of energy in his eyes. But decided to ignore that for a while. He knew that this boy had nowhere to go, he knew that the boy needed a family more.
"Can you walk?" The boy nodded.
"Well, get ready boy. I'll be taking you to my homeland."
When they finally arrived in Sasan, the boy was in awe at the sight of the mountains.
He can quiet agree from a child's perspective that Sasan's sight can be awe-inducing. Especially during the dawn and dusk. It was a beautiful sight that he could agree.
The soldiers nearby the gates had noticed him and greeted. "Welcome back Sir Aaron!" From the large voice, the young boy was, needless to say, overwhelmed by the strangers. He shrugged them off. "Hey now, no need to greet me..."
"But Sir Aaron!"
"No buts, now where is Darius?"
"I'm here."
Speak of the devil. The man in question had just arrived with his two nephews. "I thought you are yet to finish the special mission brother." Darius had inquired.
Ah.
Darius knew him too well. The moment Darius was given the throne of the knight king, he gave Aaron a special mission in hopes of letting him get better and not think about home due to the bad memories of the civil war.
He does come back occasionally to see his nephews.
He admitted to himself that traveling can get tiring regardless of the thrill. A reason why he come back to sasan from time to time.
He decided to answer. "Pretty much so, but I'm going to postpone that for a while." He knelt down and gave a gentle shove to the boy with him. Placing him into the center of attention for the guards, his brother, and nephews.
Darius raised a brow and asked. "Who is this?"
"A boy I found who lost all his family from a village fire. You don't mind if I take him in to the family, do you?" Both guards whispered.
"Sir Aaron adopting a child from outside-"
"Zip it. I know most of us are still wary of outsiders, but kids can't do a thing bad to Sasan, can they?" "You do have a point-"
He tuned out the rest after a while. Adopting children to Sasan royalty isn't exactly welcomed and rather unspoken. But with his father and many of the older members of the council dead from the civil war years ago before Mistoras was born, he was sure that the rule was uplifted and he could adopt the young boy.
Darius sighed. "Be my guest brother."
His mental translation after having to know his brother well is that it's a verbal yes.
Darius approached and gave him an affectionate pat at his shoulder. "Welcome back."
"I'm home." He greeted back and reached over to his newly christened son. Urging him, "Go on and introduce yourself to your new brothers. They won't bite."
He nodded and nervously walked over to Mistoras and Spartos. The unnerving emotion soon dissipated as Mistoras greeted him.
"What would his name be, brother?" Darius questioned.
"From today on, boy, you will be known as Fai Leoxses."
"His name will be Fai Leoxses."
"Yo Aaron, I heard you're in town."
"It's been a while Firuz. How's business?" He inquired his old friend.
"The usual. Kaya's doing well too, if you want to ask. Little Rana's bit of a monkey sometime, but nothing that I can't handle pal." Firuz replied. Looking out at the roads.
"Even so, it's been how long? Twenty years or something since we met? Time really past in a blink. It's been fun, with you getting me out of Parthevia."
Firuz was a Parthevia native. At least before the country fell to a tyrant. Blacksmith was a family trade that he came to love but he wanted to expand more than just being in Parthevia, Aaron's offer in the past is just an icing to the cake for him.
Firuz was welcomed for being a blacksmith willing to stay to help create Sasan's weapons and settled since.
"By the way, old pal. I heard about you adopting a little kid."
"You mean Fai?"
"Yeah him; it's rather weird ever since what happened years ago… y'know? I didn't think you'd ever want to start your own family."
He chuckled softly at that. "You know me too well old friend. You know me too well…"
"Uncle Aaron?"
A small voice of a girl called out to him, it was Rana, who started to dash towards him and hugged his leg.
"Uncle!"
He knelt and greeted the little girl. "How are you doing? Have you been good to your father?"
"Of course! Uncle, play with Rana!"
He looked over to Firuz, who gave him a gesture which meant to be an okay.
He chuckled to Rana. "Alright, what do you want to do?"
"Ah! Rana want..."
It did help him to forget some of the painful memories. Firuz knew him too well, indeed.
The civil war years ago brought bad memories for Aaron Leoxses.
To put it simple, it was a fight of who shall be the heir to their father. In tradition, the eldest should be the leader, but he had no interest. Of course the council thought otherwise.
He was valued for his leadership. But Darius was more dutiful than he was. And the argument escalated.
Some of them, including his father wanted him to be the knight king. While the rest wanted Darius to be one.
To put a long story short, they won. But of course, nothing comes without a price. One of them was his beloved wife whom he met during his earlier travels.
"Wife" maybe a bit of a stretch given that their father and the rest of the council didn't acknowledge her for being an outsider. And it didn't really solve out even after the civil war.
She was actually patient. One of her beloved qualities for him.
His first meeting with her was when he browsed a fruit stall at the caravan she worked with. He still remembered what she said to him as they part ways.
"We may never meet again."
"I'm willing to wait Sir Traveler; traveling meant that there are chances of meeting old faces, no?"
They would talk by every time they met. Eventually growing into something more.
"Sorry about that, they don't accept outsiders that easily."
"I don't mind, I can wait."
She could never wait again, for she died in the strife. Her death had hit him the hardest.
Her dripping blood, dying breaths, her loosing grip on his hand-
"I can still wait for you even after death, right?"
He never got over her out of love. He felt that there won't be anyone else who would be like her, who would wait no matter how long he will travel out of home, and someone who is patient enough for a free-spirited person like him. And he feared forgetting his beloved. So he vowed to never marry anyone else simply out of grief and love.
They say action speaks louder than words, but words hurt more than actions.
Some things are always easier said than done.
Especially now, when there are people who wanted Fai out simply for being an outsider;
It is to be expected that paranoia never truly fade, even with time. They have a right to be worried, but sometimes, he felt that it's needless.
He is facing the council, all whom were upstanding knights in Sasan's court.
A replacement of the older members who held a seat in the council are usually when most of the elders wish to retire, or when one of the elders die, in which most of them did from the civil war.
He wasn't exactly privy of the process of the choosing of the council members, but he knows that Darius would choose those whom he could find trust-able.
"This is unacceptable! What if that child brought bad omen to Sasan?" A surviving councilman shrieked at his decision.
"What can a mere child do to Sasan, tell me." He retorted.
"Y- You…!"
"Sir Aaron is right." Another, likely, a newer member of the council stood and supported. "While your worries are well placed, sir, a mere child can do nothing to Sasan. The worse they could do is cover you in mud."
Voices of agreement to said councilman soon grew.
Aaron smirked at the flabbergasted objector internally in glee.
At least that took care of the other issue of adopting Fai into the family.
It's a few weeks after, that he decided to ask.
"How about a walk around the city today?"
Fai seemed reluctant at the thought of going outside. "The people seem scary dad." He replied.
"None of that, we're going to take a walk to see a good friend of mine. How about it?"
At that, the young boy agreed. Though he still seems nervous at the prospect of seeing new people.
Sure, he got along very well with Spartos who warmed up to him quiet well and Mistoras also finds him a good person, but he needed to talk with more people.
And so he decided to bring him over to see Firuz and possibly, get him to be a friend to Rana.
The people's whispers at them made the boy more nervous as they finally walked out of the castle and headed to Firuz's smithery.
Evident that the boy gripped on the fabric of his pants tight.
He couldn't complain about that, actually. Any child could be nervous meeting people without an adult's supervision.
It was a good thing that Firuz's smithery didn't take long to reach and the man didn't have customers for the day.
"Oh, if it isn't Aaron! What brings you here for the day?" Firuz asked, but when he looked over at Fai, he seems to understand why he came here with the boy and answered. "If you're lookin' for Rana, she's out with Kaya."
He gave him a nod. When he looked down, Fai didn't hold onto the fabric any longer, his son's eyes went over to the weapons around the smithery.
"Fai, you're not allowed to play with them, they could cut your finger." He called the young boy.
"I know dad... but they look amazing." The boy's breath hitched as he look at the metal weaponry in awe.
The rest of the day was spent with the young boy asking about weapons to his old friend.
It was a rather strange sight to see the boy taking interest in weapons, but he wasn't one to judge what an individual likes.
There's a little interesting meeting with Rana and Fai when Kaya returned home which brought giggles coming out of Kaya's mouth, and suffice to say, both he and Firuz decided to see how the two children get along.
While he didn't say it out loud, he too, was amused at how Rana and Fai's meeting turned out to be.
As the years passed, Fai grew more comfortable with the people of Sasan and the rest of the royal members.
That old councilman is still skeptical of him, but he could care less.
The nobles are rather affable of him due to being polite and humble.
The people loved him for a similar reason.
His brother grew rather fond of him as well, seeing him a son as much as he see's his own sons.
Mistoras and Spartos view him as a brother instead of just a cousin and outsider.
And him too, grew to care and love him as a son.
He often wished that his beloved would be here to see him.
Aaron blinked once.
Twice.
The eaglet is still at Fai's arms.
"Do you think I can keep him dad? I'll promise I'll take care of him."
"Alright son, just be careful and take care of him well, okay?"
The boy nodded, a big smile on his face as he left and went over to Spartos and Mistoras to show the eaglet.
He's a seven year old, he knew that Fai could take care of the little bird well. It does help that Fai is much more well behaved than most of the children around. So the worries are rather off-putted.
Many boys who would train to become a knight in Sasan would wait until they are ten at minimum, or older than that, but Fai decided to start at eight.
Quiet strange to see for many experienced knights who started around an older age.
Fai simply stated it as a training instead.
That decision brought many to consider the idea of having Fai as the one to take Darius's position once he retires instead of Mistoras, who recently started to have his rebelion phase as he is now a teenager.
He only feared that it will turn into a repeat in history like the civil war years ago.
But with Darius declaring that Mistoras is to be successor instead of Fai, and in compensation, Fai will be the successor to Mistoras should the older boy die early.
He can be glad to say that history isn't repeated.
Kaya died in her sleep.
All that he knew of from Firuz is that Rana screamed the moment she went over to her mother that day.
Many would notice that Kaya hasn't been feeling well in the last few weeks, and the fact that she had a weak body doesn't help and so her health deteriorates.
Little Rana cried for hours.
She was dearly missed for being a good wife and mother to Firuz and Rana, and also a good friends to the ladies who had sons.
It was a few days later that he noticed Fai buying something red. He didn't think about it until he would later visit Firuz to see Rana showing her new red bandana to him.
Strangely, that act was seen by the civilians, to the point that some decided on subtle match-making with them.
He's amused at the idea, but he wouldn't do it until Fai is older enough.
He loved him, sure, but he would rather like to see Fai make his own choices.
"Say... dad?"
"What's wrong with you, son?"
"Have you... ever regretted adopting me once?"
He find that question ridiculous and ruffled his hair. "Nonsense; I would never Fai." He laughed, continuing, "Even if you're actually the son of some madman, you'll still be my son and cousin and brother to Mistoras and Spartos."
Fai didn't ask that question again. He took it as a sign that he was convinced.
It was months after the strange child's visit (Sinbad, was it? He wasn't exactly around when he visited.), that Fai decided to ask.
"Dad?"
"What is it?"
"Is it alright if I traveled?"
He had been too young to actually start traveling, but he trusted Fai well enough to take care of himself. The boy is mature enough to travel.
A year after Fai left, and he hadn't heard anything about him for months.
He decided to head out with Cyrus as a guide to find where he had last been.
His departure brought quiet a panic towards the knights but he knows that his brother could handle them.
It took at least two months that he finally found where Fai had last been, Reim.
When he asked the owner of the inn, he was told of the dungeon.
He knew about them due to the dangers he heard of, he couldn't help but worry of what will happen to Fai and this new friend he made.
But he knew that all he can do right now is wait.
Fai finally returned three years later, through a letter that Spartos finally received which caused said boy to cry out in glee that Fai had been alright.
Cyrus had flown over to Reim for once a year to see if the boy had come out.
Cyrus had truly grown attached to his son ever since he was seven.
But thinking back of the years the eagle spent with the family, he felt that the eagle won't be living very long.
Eagle's lived around ten years or so at most, from his experience, and he only hoped that Fai won't be too sad when it's time for his friend to go.
And also for the knights who grew rather fond of it in the past three years Fai was absent.
Dropping that subject, he is currently feeling happy hearing the news that his son is alright.
The reunion between him and Spartos never happened as the young prince decided to join his brother after that.
And neither did Mistoras dropped by and stayed long, so they went separate ways.
Speaking of which...
"So they're your new friends?" He asked.
"Ah, yeah. Amber used to live in Qishan and is now a performer. Zaire sticked with me in the past years. And Ion decided to join along with us."
He left the two teenagers with him be, he approached the little girl who had been a bit older, but close enough to Fai's age when he brought him over to Sasan.
"Aren't your parents worried about you for going by your own?" He couldn't help but ask, even if it seemed insensitive.
"...I don't have one." She replied.
And so he decided. "Fai, what do you think of taking her into the Leoxses family?"
Fai raised a brow at that. "Are you sure about that? I don't think we want it to be official, remember that old guy who had been completely against in letting me in to be part of the royalty?"
Well, he did have a point at that. He was surprised that the old man hadn't even died of old age yet. He never really liked him due to how uptight and superstitious he was.
After a long talk, it's decided that the girl, Ion will be adopted to the Leoxses in an unofficial way.
And a week after that, Fai decided to head out to travel again, this time, with his friends and a rather whiny Rana who wanted to leave and see the world.
He could understand Firuz's worry.
Strangely, again, it seemed more people grew to add up match-making Fai and Rana.
Well, he decided to play along with those people's whims.
He had only met the dark Magi Judal once.
He knew him as the one who almost killed his eldest nephew if not for his interuption during Sinbad and his friend's fight against the group who called themselves Al Thamen.
He can sympathize with the magi as he is a child influenced by bad people. But that doesn't exactly mean he'd forgive the dark Magi for almost killing his nephew, or taking joy in seeing and hearing the screams of fear and pain from the victims either.
So when Fai brought the mask down when he returned home less than a year, as he talked with Darius and Mistoras that day, shock didn't even begin to describe it.
Black hair asides, his facial features had grown to be alike to the dark Magi. Though distinctively, Fai's eyes had a much more gentler look than Judal's own. Less sharp, if you could call it.
"Fai… you're…" Mistoras trailed out.
"I know. It's why I had been keeping this mask on." Fai replied.
"I was wondering why you wore that mask when you returned two years ago… I didn't think it would be because of this." He spoke out.
"I'm sorry your highness." He felt a twang of pain hearing that. He remembered an old question Fai had once asked as he was younger, and questioned. "Was this why you ask me if I ever regretted adopting you all those years back?"
"…Yes. I never realized my birthright at least until recently." He replied.
"I will not be coming back to Sasan. Thank you for your hospitality."
That did it. He gritted his teeth and gave the boy a punch.
He could hear both Darius and Mistoras's gasp of shock at this action, and he didn't want to do this either, but his son needed it.
"I told you before didn't I? It doesn't matter if you're actually the son of some madman or some threat, you're my son! You're already part of this family the moment I brought you here!"
Fai was speechless as he stared at him like he was some kind of monster.
And then, Mistoras spoke. "It was hard for me to say after this kind of revelation from you… but you're not him. You never will be. I know that I wasn't that close to you as Spartos was. But one thing for sure, is that I know you enough that you won't turn into some kind of heartless bastard, brother."
Finally, it was Darius's turn to speak out his opinion. "I may not be good with words like brother, Fai. But I would agree with Mistoras. You are not him. You are Fai Leoxses. My nephew and son; no more; no less;"
"You guys…" He had heard Fai murmur.
Mistoras kneeled down to him and lightly hit Fai's head. "You're a part of this family already Fai. So stop thinking some stupid nonsense again."
Fai soon laughed tearfully at Mistoras's revelation.
Darius looked over to him. "I'm going with Mistoras to get something to compress the punch."
Mistoras nodded over to him and left them both alone. He took the chance and placed a hand at his hair, ruffling it. "Sorry for the punch there son; but you really need it."
"…Yeah. Thanks dad…"
"I knew we shouldn't have brought him into Sasan! He's the harbringer of omen!" The nosy old councilman shrieked in fury at the revelation.
He knew there are bound to be people who would hate Fai simply because of who his blood brother was. And this old man was someone he knew to be one of them.
Fai exhaled a sigh.
He couldn't blame him for being tired of this. He was the one that suggested Fai to tell the whole country, after all, he couldn't blame him for sighing in front of the people, especially when a crow is cawing at them.
"Is that all, Sir Aaron?" Another councilman asked. He remembered him to be the same one that had backed him up years during the arguement of Fai's adoption to the Leoxses.
"That's all." He replied curtly.
"Then, I suppose you have nothing to worry of."
Now the old man is flabbergasted.
"We maybe knights that still followed the old ways that your father had done, but we are chosen for a reason. While he is chosen for experience," They pointed over to the old councilman, continuing, "We are chosen for the fact that Sir Darius trust us to see through logic and sense."
A pause, and they continued. "Logically speaking, Fai Leoxses, whose real name has been left forgotten, hasn't brought harm in any form to Sasan in his years of being a prince. And you only recently found this out, yes?"
He nodded. "So to say that fact, young Fai had done no wrong."
"His kin tried to kill Lord Mistoras! An omen I tell you, an omen!" The old councilman shrilled.
"And that's where you're wrong. That magi who almost killed Lord Mistoras, likely, has no idea that his own living kin existed. And, if I may add, Lord Mistoras was traveling with Sinbad when he attacked. Young Fai, on the other hand, is far away and has yet to ever meet Lord Mistoras ever since he left a little to five years ago until recently. And he was also trapped in a dungeon for four years, so your reasonings are flawed. No external interference can shut off a dungeon. While entrance is possible, it is impossible for the Magi, who may still be young, to travel all the way to the dungeon young Fai was trapped in." They retorted calmly, and analytically.
"Yes, and also, regardless of who his blood relative is, first and foremost, Sir Fai is a prince of Sasan. He is nothing like the monster of a Magi that tried to kill Sir Mistoras!" A knight hollered in support.
"He's right! Lord Fai is a kind and patient prince, never a monster!"
Voices of support resounded throughout the area, one by one.
He wasn's sure how, but he was sure that it's because Fai's much more affable nature had won out the hearts of many long before his relation to the dark Magi was found out.
He then saw the old man moving in blind rage and promptly reacted faster, knocking him out before the man could do anything that would harm a person, or worse, his family.
He wasn't going to lose another family after what happened to his beloved years ago.
"Have I ever told you about your mother?" He questioned Fai one day in the month that Fai returned, and a few days after the spectacle of having annoucing Fai's blood heritage.
"Not really, all I heard is that she died before you found me." Fai shrugged in response.
"I suppose I could tell you about her right now. Do you know of the civil war that occured years ago?"
He shook his head.
"It started long, a few years after I returned from my travels. Your grandfather is about to retire, but he was presented with two choices, Darius, who had been dutiful, or me, who had more talent than Darius did? Some wanted him to choose me, some others wanted him to choose Darius, needless to say, it turned into a war to decide who shall win."
"...Who won?"
"Our side, where we chose Darius to be the next one to inherit your grandfather's position. But of course, like many wars, it's without a price."
"...Mom died in the strife, did she?" His son guessed.
Trust him to be able to connect so easily.
"...Yes. She took a blow that was meant for me."
Inhaling a sigh, he continued. "She's not exactly beautiful, nor was she ugly, but she had an unlimited patience. It was strange with how we wound up meeting each other from time to time during our youth, and before I knew it, I fell in love. I couldn't ask for her hand in marriage, because of Sasan's law regarding outsiders, but she's willing to wait."
"The war had to end that." Went unspoken.
"The last thing she said to me is that she'll still wait for me in the afterlife... it truly hurt me to know that she's still willing to wait. And I felt that I could never marry anyone else, she's the only one that I will ever love. No one will have the same patience as her..."
"Dad..."
"But if we were to have a child, that child would be you."
There was a momentary silence, and he declared. "You're my son, Fai. That will never change."
He was soon surprised as Fai had done something he never had done ever since he grew up above ten. Hugging him.
"This is probably the few times I would do this..." He heard the younger one murmur before he spoke up.
"I don't think I will ever remember what my real parents are like, and I won't even know what kind of person they were, but to me, just having to know about you, brother Mistoras, Spartos, Uncle, Rana, Uncle Firuz and Aunt Kaya is just enough. You're my dad, and everyone I get to know since then are my family. That won't ever change dad."
He smiled a truly genuine one ever since the loss of his beloved years ago, and ruffled his son's hair. "Thank you."
"Oh, didn't think you'd be back to using Bifrons again pal." Firuz stated the obvious matter.
He opened his eyes and stared at his long and trusted friend. "I admit I wasn't planning to use it again after what happened to her. But I already found something else to fight for."
"And that is...?"
"For my son, and my family."
"...So, what kind of new vessel do you want? It's on the house old pal."
"A halberd would be nice."
Talking back with Bifrons hadn't been very pleasant, especially as he feared that the Djinn would have hated him for not using him for so long, but the result had been the opposite.
"I've been seeing what happened in the real world through my former vessel, my liege." Was the Djinn's reply before continuing.
"I understood the meaning of grief, though I was upset it took you long to recover from that grief. But I suppose it would be for the best. You require my help again, I presume?"
"Yes."
Fai may not be his blood son, but he is someone who grew well and proud to say that he is part of his family.
Amber and Zaire may not be related, but they are close enough to help Fai adjust to the outside world and help him out.
Rana may yet to be his daughter in law, but as Firuz's child, he thought of her as a daughter all the same.
Ion and Denzel may not be his children, legally speaking in Sasan, but hearing their past made him step up to be a good parental figure for them regardless.
They too, came to think of him as a father and part of their family.
He often felt that sometimes, blood hardly matters when your bond with the family is the strongest.
And he'll treasure such thought till the end.
Fai had been the best gift that fate has given to him.
"Rana, you're sure that you're going alone?"
"Yeah, I've been there once dad. Don't worry."
"Oh, alright then. If you get to find some Anemone flowers, can you bring some?"
"Of course; they're mom's favorite flowers after all!"
Whoop. Done. Finished.
This is originally planned as an Omake for the 4000+ View commemoration for the story. I've decided to write the story of the OC Aaron Leoxses. Defining his overall character in tropes, "Heartbroken Badass", "Papa Wolf", and "Parental Substitute".
This is also an expansion some things:
1: What Fai's life is like in his first five years
2: More about Firuz and of course, Aaron.
3: Everything about Sasan in the World Calling , well, not all, but still some stuff about Sasan anyway.
Aaron Leoxses: Brother to knight king Darius and adoptive father to Fai, and unofficially, father to his orphaned friends. He was the king chosen by Bifrons, until his beloved's death put him to a shock which made him stop using the Djinn's powers for a long time.
Firuz: A man who once lived in Partevia before Barbarossa's reign and Rana's father. Prided in his skill as a blacksmith and settled in Sasan to provide his services to the country. Rather stubborn and impulsive, a trait shared with his daugher, Rana.
Bifrons: The Djinn of the 46th dungeon. The Djinn of freedom and spirit. He formerly resided in Aaron's sword before moving to a Halberd.
I'm sorry for the very late update. I could list lots of reasons but the short answer is this, life happened, and so many reasons that could be summed up to "Writer's block".
I've been working on some of my plans of the future chapters for the main story as it is, but as for writing the next five chapters or so, they're completely at stalemate at the moment due to reasons above.
That, and the lack of motivation + block made me decide that a break is for the best. And hopefully, this one about Aaron will be able to make up to it somehow.
Also, I decided to rearrange the chapters and put up an arc name for each. And edits, lots of them.
As for what I have to say of the recent revelations...
I'm not exactly surprised of the Arbakuei thing. I knew Arba won't be killed off so easily, though there's a bit of hesitation at the idea until I re-read Magi but called it in the end when it's in fact, true.
The whole Sinbad is David's vessel thing? Brought me to shock because this revelation made me had to change up some things about Sinbad I thought up for this fic in the future. Then again, this fic was an Alternate Universe setting already...
As for the final arc, hoo boy, I'm interested to see the state of the world and so many theories and thoughts for the conclusion... And what, in the flying fuck, was Budel doing there? (LOL) Might as well see Leila and Sahsa again, they're pretty cool characters if you ask me. Pretty sure Kougyoku's going to be a bit more... well, cynical than usual.
Some clarifications in order, I guess?
1: Aaron used to be a metal vessel user?
A: Well, this was a bit unplanned, he's just a normal guy with no metal vessel at first, but rethinking this just made me decide that yes, he was. He stopped using it after his wife died.
As for the Djinn, Bifrons, it's another of the commonly unused names among the fandom for original Djinn's. Though in mind, even without a Djinn, Aaron is still a badass guy.
2: So the whole group is part of the Leoxses royalty?
A: Unofficially, they're the Leoxses's extended family member (Amber and Zaire are the cousins to Fai, Denzel and Ion as adoptive kids like Fai is, and Rana as the daughter-in-law). Officially, Fai is the prince with the group as special guest due to their friendship with Fai, and Rana (Hilariously) being the fiancé. Even if the engagement wasn't official yet back then. Ion and Denzel are both Ion Leoxses and Denzel Leoxses by name. Unofficially. Officially, they don't have a surname.
3: Rana's baby gibberish?
A: That part was during the time Fai just arrived, and Rana's only one year old here, so of course she can't talk in full sentences yet.
4: Cyrus's lifespan?
A: He's around twelve years in the current time. I initially wanted to follow the usual lifespan of an eagle (At least ten years in the wild, more so when they are in care of people) but since this is Magi, I know for sure that Cyrus is going to live longer than a normal eagle with Denzel and Ion around to help keep his health in check, but mostly Denzel anyway. As for breed, Cyrus is a Greater Spotted Eagle.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of you who took the chance to review and also follow this story. Also, thank you Gold Sparrow for becoming my beta! I'll do my best to get the remaining chapters up somehow. But I'm taking my break for now. Oh, and enjoy the casual references to OST names in the future.
See you!
- TransparentAnswer