DAY.

So what the hell had I got myself mixed up with?

I was on the ground, drenched in sweat, hot coals in my chest as the rush wore off. I couldn't move my limbs, my ears not able to hear anything over the loud pounding, my throat tight as if to burst with the intense pressure. I was a step away from blowing up and everything felt weighted down. The pain a slow torturous flame ravaging the insides of my body to my mind.

There wasn't much to see from the ground.

Not that there was much to see anyways.

Her face hadn't changed at all. I felt it all shock, rage and the shame as I finally acknowledged I was out classed. In as much as I told myself that I wasn't a fighter, there was always this small part of me that said I'd win either way. Why wouldn't I?

I have over a 1000 years of science to back me up. So what If I wasn't the best swordsman, I could make a gun, maybe not. Impossibly high strength crossbow that could punch through steel plates if I really felt like it. From nukes , biology to computers there was always something for me tor draw inspiration from. I'd squeeze out a win either way.

Not anymore.

Wonder if this is what fighting superman would feel like?

On the bright she didn't seen to want to kill me.

"Disappointing. " she said so matter of fact as she stepped closer.

I closed my eyes unable to meet her gaze.

Unbelievable, thanks to her I had come to grasp a deeper understanding of the word empty. Like it was no big deal to shatter boulders or even survive being punched through one.

That's something you write home about.

Like everyone's lining up to punch boulders.

I was far from making dimensions, definitely sure I wasn't even in the same zip code. I'd be a big name if people knew I could do that at the drop of a pin.

I opened up my eyes and found her still looming over me. Like I owe her an explanation or something? Where were we even?

I tried to give her one. I pulled on every excuse I could think of, everything I'd learned over the years about magic to try to explain why I failed whatever it was I failed. What else could I say, curse the over powered girl.

I quickly ran out of steam as my pulse plunged, out of steam. As I hear the string of incomprehensible sounds lengthen on my part I shut up and waited.

Silence.

I have never felt so confused in my life. I wasn't sure what to do let alone what to feel at the moment.

"I'll make you a hero."

I laugh at that.

"Show me a hero and I'll show you a tragedy." I said getting to my feet."I'll pass."

"Won't be a hero and yet too repulsed with the idea of being a monster. Does commitment scare you or is it something else, fear of failure or is it success?"

"If training is over then I'd like to go back now."

"Quick to run from problems. Sadly for you time is on my side. I'll get my way soon enough."

I breath a sigh of relief as the world around me shatters.

"I'm sorry."

"This her idea or yours?"

"I didn't come to fight, Lord knows that's the last thing I want. I'm sorry for being an ass."

She dropped a bowl of food on the table.

"Well? I didn't put food just so that you stare at it."

I grabbed the spoon and shoved the stew down. Definitely not telling her I already ate.

"Am I forgiven for being a pain? I really didn't think much of us staying in the forest, by the time it all came to me it was too late I had to see it through."

"Must have been something important?"

"They didn't tell you?" More importantly you didn't drag it out of Becca I know isn't that good with secrets.

My mother laughed at me. "Didn't ask, I was too angry at you then. There isn't a lot they would ask your help with anyways, I always suspected."

Kinda obvious in hindsight.

"Didn't know how you'd react to it really. "

"You're my son, William. My blood flows through your veins. I'm happy with you, what would make you think otherwise. "

I shrugged. "Nick's necklace."

"Is this why she ways you're more trouble than you're worth?"

Not going to deny any thing?

"That and I ask way to many questions." I offer a strained smile.

"How do I make it right?" She asked pulling me into a hug."I'm your mother you hear? I will always be there for you."

She held me close. I let myself believe she meant it, because I couldn't believe otherwise. She was my mother, The very least I'd be able to give her was a little bit of trust.

She started to hum maybe a song. It sounded nice.

If only she truly could love me. Hope I'm not a secret love child too.

"When you were young you were so sickly I didn't think you'd survive throughout the winter. But you made it, and the next one." She whispered , "everyday I'd hold you close afraid if i let you go I'd lose you. I don't even know when I stopped watching, now I don't even know what you do half the time you're not here. "

"Not much to do in the wood sadly. You didn't miss much."

"I'm not letting you go." She said with finality.

"Okay?"

So what now?

"Sister of mine you do know what it is you are doing?"

"I will admit that it has been a while." Says Rebecca. "It's not supposed to be this difficult, don't just sit there! Come over and Finn help."

"I can only offer you my support I'm afraid." Says Finn making a show of resting on the ground.

"Finn! William?!" She leaps away from the fake tree stub. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking mother's cloth, she wants to make dresses for the two of you. You forgot again?"

As I sweep my magic, I feel the spell is still in place. I need to get runes down. "You could have asked me before you left."

"You are not angry with me?"

For what?

"Something I should know?" I ask Finn.

This only get me nothing. How strong am I magically anyways? I can run circles around most people with the complexity of my spells even when they are traditional magic based. I just don't think I'm anything special outside of that. There are or will be way more scarier and OP individuals in the world soon enough.

Vamps beat me on speed and strength hands down. Those fangs of theirs an added bonus, their over reliance on them as weapons is not an effective use in my books.

"We didn't stand with you when mother caught us?"

That's says a lot and still doesn't explains much. While she looks for more to say I quickly check out the spell.

A variant of evergreen labyrinth, smaller and more focused. There is whole lot I can do to it to make it better. The spells areas of effect is way to small for the magic it feed of, the illusionary effects need to be more subtle, maybe anchor it something?

I pull at the whole structure base, looking about a nice tree is close by. I remake the spell tightening what's loose while weaving it into the tree. More compact and with redundancy built into it. Blue mist swells around my hand as I plant it inside the tree trunk.

"Much better?" I smile as I feel the spell take hold. Now effectively part of the tree it will potentially be here for a 100 years or so.

Pretty good alarm system in my books.

"No much you could have done, I'm not mad."

"So do I get to see the famous vault?"

While I'm curious as why these two are suddenly chummy, Rebecca and I have an agreement of sorts on not meddling too much with the other. Intentional at the very least.

"It's not a vault, safe. " I correct him stepping to the large cut tree truck shaped rock. Pressing down and a twist the top comes off.

"You don't mind? " She asks already checking what's inside.

"It's okay."

Its one of ten, a few interesting things but the good stuffs not here.

Leaving Rebecca to return with our mother cloth I find a nice place to sleep. The fights still in my head and I don't like it.

That and the way to get stronger and maybe a goal while I'm at it.

"Would you mind some company."

Her voice brought me back to the present.

"Yours I'd welcome all the time."

"You don't look rested?"

"I'm not, but I'm happy you found me Eleanor. Would you mind if we just stay here, my minds full of chaos."

She seats next to me, before placing my head in her lap. She's got a blue dress and is predictable I can't seem to keep my eyes of her.

"Sorry for messing up your plans."

"You'll make it up to me," she says with a smile."I didn't take you for a craftsman?"

I smile at that, finding the safe still open. "Tinkering is more like it."

"You're humble enough as it is, why hide your talent?"

I like the feel of her fingers as she plays with my hair.

"Magic."

I answer realizing as I say it, that's its rally true.I'd thought it was because I didn't want attention but there were ways to trade the stuff i had to other villages, the wolf's didn't seem to have a lot of crafting. Fuck! I'm really scared.

"You can't hide who you are forever." She says her brow raised, "I don't hide from my problems and neither should you."

"I feel like a lot of work and hardship awaits me on that path? Why can't I choose the easy road?" I'm asking but plans are already forming, magic users are in effect a different species and hiding away isn't what I'd want to do. With magic wee can do lot of good in this world.

I do have a sister being raised by a power hungry witch looking for revenge and a family curse to deal with. Something resources and a lot of talented people could help with. If the travellers could survive I have a magical civilization too.

"I'll stand with you, through it all. I do like a man with ambition."

"Then I better start of by being king."

"Queen sounds a lot better than princess."

"You're not scared?"

"If i was that easy to scare off, I wouldn't be looking for my husband in forest. Besides promising a woman to be royalty will not scare her away."

I drink her in, thanking whatever God's there are for her. I definitely do not deserve her.

"Hmmmm, I'm going to have to give you the world."

"I will be waiting for you to do so."

"Maybe pluck a few stars while I'm at it as well."

"Why do you yield to me so easily William." She whispers, "don't you fear I may be misleading you?"

"The only thing I fear about you is that I'll lose you. I'd do anything I could and more to have the chance to earn your love."

I draw on my power moulding little figure dancing ballet around us. I smile as she watches it all wide eyed.

Go big or go home. I'm going Big!