A year had passed since his sisters left, and he'd even forgotten what they looked like.
They were supposed to return in six months, but they stayed at the academy to study even more.
'Are they really studious or what?'
His mother forbade many foods, so he decided to go to the yard.
During his time in this world, Ryan learned nothing about it. Even when he sneaked into the classroom, he couldn't read or write the language, and he also had to learn to speak it.
'Strange, I understand the language when someone speaks to me, but I can't read or write it.'
Therefore, Ryan decided to wait until he was two and a half or three years old to ask his mother or father to teach him.
The evening was quiet as Ryan sat in the yard until he heard the sound of the front door opening.
When he heard the door, Ryan quietly raised his head.
Three girls entered the courtyard wearing academy clothes that still bore the dust of travel.
The garment was a long coat that reached below the knee, dark navy in color, with silver-embroidered cuffs and a high collar that gave a military appearance.
There was a metal badge on his chest bearing the academy's emblem. The emblem was a silver circle with an nine-pointed star in the center, and a small red gem in the middle. There was a slogan written beneath the symbol that Ryan could not read.
'That's why reading is a good thing'
His blue eyes were fixed on them; he wasn't pleased to meet them, but rather gave them a long, silent look.
Liara stepped forward, and when she came face to face with Ryan, she stood up straight. Her features were more stern than Ryan remembered. She turned to him with her hands behind her back.
I noticed he'd grown.
He could walk.
He was taller.
But she didn't bend down or open her arms; she simply said, in an almost formal tone,
"He Grown up."
The word was not cold, but it wasn't warm either; something stirred within it.
Mira, however, was the most affected. She bowed slightly, offering a tender smile.
"Ryan...do you remember us?"
He didn't reply; he simply looked at her steadily.
Celine couldn't bear the silence any longer, so she ran over to him and laughed.
"You've grown taller!"
Upon entering the house, the mother welcomed them and began preparing the dinner table. Candles illuminated the wooden room, and the aroma of bread and meat filled the air.
The mother sat at the head of the table, the father beside her, and the three sisters next to each other, while Ryan sat in his small chair.
As Mira tried to force a piece into her mouth with a smile, Liara and Celine noticed Ryan removing the peas one by one from the plate.
Liara raised an eyebrow and said,
"Ryan, what are you doing?"
Ryan slowly raised his head with his clear, light blue eyes, and then the sisters heard their brother's voice for the first time.
Ryan said in a low but clear voice,
"I hate her..."
It was a simple word, but it made the technicians pause for a moment.
Celine laughed.
"Haha, you finally spoke! I thought I'd never hear your voice again."
Mira smiled and said to her mother,
"Mom, why do you give him things he doesn't like?"
The mother looked at Ryan and said in a voice that made him shudder,
"If you don't eat it, you don't get any dessert."
'This woman does this on purpose. She knows I love dessert, but she makes me eat things I hate.'
Liara looked at Ryan, raised an eyebrow, and said,
"Looks like you can talk too."
He looked at her without saying anything.
Then, while they were eating, the mother brought up the subject and said in a sad tone,
"So when will you be returning to the academy?"
Liara replied,
"Next month."
"Liara, you have one year left. What will you do after graduation?"
Liara swallowed hard and said hesitantly,
"I... I'm going to join the army."
Her mother was so shocked that she dropped her food and exclaimed,
"What?!"
"Wait, why the army? You're superior. You can teach or do other things. Why do you want to fight?"
Liara didn't say anything.
The father demanded to speak.
"My dear, speak to her."
The father looked calmly at his daughter and said quietly,
"Liara, why do you want to join the army?"
Liara thought of an answer for her father, then looked into his eyes confidently.
"Because someone has to do it."
The father asked her again,
"Why you?"
She answered, smiling,
"Because I'm the strongest."
The father didn't say anything after that, and his silence meant he agreed.
The mother was upset.
"Are you kidding me?"
She turned to her sisters for help, but was shocked by their response. Mira was the first to answer sadly.
"I'm leaving home too. I might not be able to come back for years."
The mother was surprised.
"Why? You still have time to graduate!"
"He suggested I work as a teaching assistant and I will accept. In this job I can study hard to find a solution to my illness."
Then Celine spoke immediately afterward.
"I'm leaving too."
her mother said angrily.
"You're thirteen,"
"I know, that's why I'm staying at the academy until I'm sixteen and becoming a mercenary or joining the army."
She breathed and continued,
"For the next three years, I'll be training for my second element, so I need to concentrate. Sorry."
Ryan's eyes were brimming with curiosity at that moment.
'Element training? , what is the element?'
The mother sat on a chair, completely exhausted.
"You're all just stupid. Even if you don't think about me and your father, think about your brother."
Mira was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry, Ryan. But I have to do this."
Then Celine spoke.
"I want to become stronger too."
As for Liara, she just looked at him.
________________
That night, when everyone was asleep, Liara passed by Ryan's room, opened the door, and kept looking at him... for longer than she expected.