A few days had passed in river mount city and Aildris had used them to explore the mountain paths, as of now he could proudly say that he knew them like the back of his palms. Everything had been going well and the aurora borealis would occur in a few days marking the end of his stay.
He was currently walking along a forest path that led to the river, a circularly shaped device in his outstretched palm displayed the holographic image of a man.
"Aildris, how are you enjoying your stay in rivermount city?" the holographic man asked from the other end.
"It's going well, father," Aildris replied calmly.
"No brain-dead stepbrother to disturb my peace" he muttered after.
"I heard that," Alias said from the other end.
Aildris just chuckled as a response not wanting to stress on the matter with his father.
"Have you taken into thought what we talked about before you left?" Alias asked in a serious tone.
"Oh, that!" Aildris exclaimed, a clear sign that he had forgotten. He could bet anything at the moment that a vein was throbbing on Alias's forehead.
"What's the point?" he added in a solemn tone.
****
A day before Aildris had left for rivermount city, Alias called him to his study. Although Aildris had been to the study several times after Isla's death the room still held a strong memory for both the father and son.
Today in particular seemed worse than ever, his legs felt like they weighed a ton despite them being normal. He had arrived at the door to the study, hand outstretched to knock but he hesitated for a moment. Images of that night playing in his head like a horror movie on repeat.
But he steeled his resolve and brought down his hand to the door.
Knock knock
The sound reverberated around the hallway before he heard a response from the other side.
"Come in".
He proceeded to open the door, as he walked inside he saw Alias standing facing the snowflaked shaped window, arms crossed behind his back.
"You called for me father" Aildris voiced out.
Alias turned his head slightly, his sapphire blue eyes staring at aildris before he responded.
"Come, son".
Aildris walked forward till he stood beside alias looking out the window and staring at the city. Highrise buildings that displayed advertisements by their side and flying vehicles that zoomed past each other in the busy city streets. All this belonged to their family, this was their city.
"Elysian academy have recently announced that they would be admitting first years soon" Alias voiced out, breaking the silence.
"Just like Luther and Tyler both you and Jasmine would be attending the academy" he added.
"Jasmine…and I" Aildris said, eyes wide from realisation.
"You want me to attend the academy, have you forgotten it's exclusively for gifteds" Aildris asked his father, by this time he had already lost all hope of awakening a gift.
"I had found a way to bypass your situation, the current headmistress of the academy owes me a favour from our younger days and I have decided to cash it in on you" Alias explained to him.
"She promised to create a training scheme exclusively for you," he added.
"And did you take into consideration whether I would be willing to attend" Aildris asked him, gaze still focused on the city.
"That's why I called you here, would you be willing to attend" Alias asked him, deep within him he wished that Aildris would accept but he could imagine it, the pressure he would feel as the only void among remarkable gifteds.
Silence lingered among them for a short period before Aildris responded
"I'll think about it and give you an answer when I'm back from my trip, if that's okay with you" he said, not directly rejecting the offer but at the same time not accepting it.
"That's fine….very fine" Alias responded, he was delighted even though his commanding face didn't show it.
"We shall postpone this conversation till after your back then" he voiced out.
"If that's all father I need to continue packing the essentials I shall need for my trip" Aildris said, his gaze no longer lingered on the city as he turned around to leave the room.
"Are you sure you don't need any of the family guards to follow along" Alias inquired, slight worry etched in his tone.
"No father, I'll be fine" Aildris responded with a chuckle.
"Plus we don't want to the people of rivermount to die out of fear when they see a small army of gifteds standing outside their city gates" he joked.
Alias let out a hearty laugh, although he knew Aildris was just joking he could understand his point as the gifteds who served as the family's guards where by no means weak.
****
"What's the point?" Aildris asked in a solemn tone.
"You said you would give me an answer when your back from your trip" Alias reminded him.
"Well I'm not back from my trip…..so no answer" Aildris responded, a slight smile on his face from what he was about to do next.
"Bye father" he voiced out before ending the call.
Alias who was about to say something was cut short as the call ended.
"If I didn't end the old man who haven't left till I answered" Aildris muttered to himself with a sigh. He pocketed the device as he had arrived at the lake.
He took of his shirt and hung it on a neat by tree branch, thin but perfectly trained muscles on full display. He waved his had mid air and a silver blade appeared from thin air before he grasped it's handle.
'The spatial ring father got me those come in handy unless carrying this around would have been a pain" Aildris said, looking at the silver coloured ring with a blue pearl at its centre that wrapped around his index finger.
"Well it's time to train" he voice out as his gaze turned serious and the sound of metal reaping through the air reverberated around the lake.