Chapter 51  

Finally, the day had come. The seventh birthday ceremony was the whole reason he stayed in Greenside for so long. Kai couldn’t say he cared too much for it, but it was an important milestone. Going from a carefree child to a kid looking to find his vocation in life. Or something like that. It didn’t really apply to his case.

It seemed so long, but it had only been a little more than a year ago when Kea had her ceremony and refused to share any details. Today he would see for himself. With no official religious position or texts to study, it was quite hard to learn more about the beliefs of the archipelago.

He put on his nicest clothes. Alana had bought him a new shirt just for the occasion. It was nothing that luxurious: plain white, like most of his clothes, with dark green symbols on the sleeves, that traditionally signified the favor of the spirits and health. That was what his mother told him at least.

Colorful dyes were expensive and not common in the archipelago. This was already more than he would have paid for a shirt. If his mom didn’t smile every time she saw him, he would have argued against it.

Checking himself in a palm size mirror, he got ready for the big day. His clothes, if not extravagant, were pristine, his light hair cut short for practical reasons and to avoid attracting attention. Kai nervously played with the green pearl from the bracelet hanging on his left wrist.

He would do his best not to mess up whatever was going to happen. If not for him, for his mother’s sake.

Kea had already gone out. A week had not been enough to fix their relationship and she was continuing to avoid him. Her apprenticeship with Moui seemed to be working, so he didn’t worry too much.

From what the hunter told him, she was putting all her efforts into training, never complaining but asking for more.

Kai sighed.

She’ll be fine.

Alana and Ele were waiting for him in the living room. They accompanied him to the main square of old town. It was an hour after dawn, the sky was spotless and the heat of the day had yet to build up. Even the ever-present humidity felt slightly less suffocating in the morning breeze.

Only three other families were already present with their respective seven-year-old children. One boy and two girls, all from new town judging from their modest clothes.

The other families were cheerfully chatting amongst themselves. To Kai’s great displeasure, Alana dragged them to join in. In the blink of an eye, the parents started talking about their children, all eager to share their kids' accomplishments.

Kai awkwardly stood to the side, not knowing where to put his hands, switching the weight between his two legs. Thank the spirits, his mother remained vague about him. The last thing he wanted was to be the center of attention. Most likely no one would believe the truth even if Alana told them.

The other children appeared equally uncomfortable with their parents talking about them. Kai shared a knowing look with his fellow seven-year-olds.

He might have seen them before; the town was only so big. Judging from the whispered words and looks they threw at him, they certainly knew about him. He must have accrued quite the reputation for being the weirdo who trained with a wooden sword on the beach. Amazing.

To his surprise, they appeared more curious than mean about it. The excitement for the day or their parents’ presence might have something to do with it. Maybe he should have tried to make some friends, but he was going to leave in a couple days anyway. What was the point?

Time moved slowly as Kai wished he could be literally anywhere else. Even Ele started speaking with a teenage boy who had accompanied his younger sibling here. The boy had a stupid smile plastered on his face as he talked to Ele, giving Kai a race for the most awkward person in the group.

Resigned to his fate, Kai joined his fellow children.

“You can truly do that with your status?” The boy was asking one of the girls, the tallest of the group. Taller than him.

Everyone knows girls grow up faster.

“Of course, you just need to…” The thin girl looked to be enjoying being the center of attention, letting the other two hang on her lips. She gave simple tips on how to manipulate the Guide as if they were some big secrets.

It was all simple status customization, not delving into programming what-if scenarios. Kai reminded himself most of them had recently unlocked their First Seal and were still in the phase of exciting new exploration.

Kai was happy someone else took the burden to lead the conversation. He could stand there a bit less awkwardly and occasionally nod.

“Actually, the best part is changing the color of the paper...” The girl was saying as the other two boys listened with big eyes. She waited for a couple seconds to enjoy their praying gazes, before revealing what she knew.

Her eyes repeatedly moved to him, as if expecting him to say something. Kai had no intention of stealing her spotlight. He gave her another nod, hoping it was enough. She seemed about to ask him something, but the shorter girl pressed her with questions, saving him from talking to another human being.

That was a close one.

As more families arrived at the gathering, a chubby seven-year-old with a bowl haircut joined their group. He was more knowledgeable about the Guide and started fighting the tall girl to be the focus of attention.

Ironically, the last people to arrive were all from old town. Confident gait and colorful clothes. With an unsaid agreement, the square got divided into two halves depending on the part of Greenside they lived in.

Kai couldn't care less about the small-town drama if he tried. Sweeping his gaze over them, he felt the face of one child was familiar. It took him a moment to remember. He was one of the kids who confronted him when he was learning to judge people’s race grades. Not the boss, but one of those who ran away almost immediately. From the way the boy paled and avoided his gaze, he was confident he was the same person. Soon all the kids from old town were throwing him weird glances.

I. Don’t. Care.

As the last family arrived, an old man stepped forward, putting an end to this impromptu gathering. He clapped his hands once and got the crowd's attention. Kai took a moment to recall the name. The mayor's office was renewed every five years, so he should still be elder Soluli.

“I’m glad to see all these promising young sons and daughters about to take their first step toward adulthood. Our town is truly blessed…”

The elder was pretty good with words. Kai could have almost considered listening to his speech, if the mayor had not chosen to stand in the center of the old town crowd, forcing all the new town families to scuttle closer to hear him.

So glad I’ll be out of here soon.

The speech didn’t last long. But still enough for Kai to wonder why there was a need for one anyway. They all knew why they were here. Couldn’t they just get on with it?

As if on cue, his mom and sister bid him goodbye, leaving him and the other seven-year-olds in the care of the elder.

“Gather up, children.” Elder Soluli called. He had a surprisingly powerful voice for his age.

With a little scuffle, the group formed up. Somehow the old town kids were all in the front. Another man had stepped up beside the mayor. Kai recognized his face, even if he didn’t know his name. He was one of the hunters Moui greeted once.

The man stayed a step behind the mayor as elder Soluli began another speech.

Not again, please be short.

“As you’ve reached your seventh year and opened the First Seal of the Guide, we need to thank the spirits that made this all possible. As you’ve asked for the blessing of Kahali, the great spirit of the sea, it’s now time to thank Yatei, the great spirit that guards all the islands of our archipelago.

“Kahali is a powerful spirit and grants us the blessing of our plentiful waters, but Yatei is the one who gives us the land we call home.” Soluli made an emphatic pause, moving his gaze through his young audience.

“Greenside always had a special relationship with the great spirit of the land. Our ancestors chose to settle in this place exactly for that reason.” The mayor smiled fondly as the children of old town puffed their chests proudly. “So close to the Veeryd jungle, the presence of Yatei is especially strong. Now follow me and be mindful not to offend the spirits.”

Elder Soluli directed the small group. The hunter watched them sternly from the side to make them behave. That gaze seemed to be the staple of every hunter, even if it was a pale imitation of uncle Moui’s.

Curious, Kai inspected both adults. As he suspected, the hunter had only reached Orange ★★ and a type 2 profession. The true surprise was the elder. Despite his hunched back, he possessed an Orange ★★★ race and a type 3 profession. The only other islander at that level he knew of was Moui. The elder, who had been quietly talking with the hunter, suddenly turned around in his direction.

Shit. Did he realize I was peeking?

Kai immediately deactivated Inspect and Mana Sense, cold sweat ran down his back. He stepped closer to the thin girl from earlier, who was still arguing with the bowl-cut boy. He used Sneak not to stand out and Acting to look like he was part of the conversation.

The urge to see if the elder was looking at him was strong, but he suppressed it. There was no sign of guilt more obvious than that.

A minute later Soluli was back to talking with the hunter. He wasn’t so naive as to think it was all a coincidence. The movement had been too quick and abrupt. The old man must have felt something. Hopefully, he had been unable to understand the reason.

I didn’t even know that was possible.

The children got in line and they started walking. Kai fell back towards the end of the group. From the mayor’s speech, and the presence of the hunter, he guessed they were heading somewhere into the jungle.

“You’re Kai, right? So… How far are you from your next enhancement?”

Kai looked over his shoulder. The chubby child with the funny haircut was looking up at him with curious eyes. The rest of the group was a few steps ahead, as if they weren’t totally eavesdropping on the conversation.

“It’s rude to ask,” Kai responded.

The chubby guy didn’t appear deterred by his curt answer. “Come on. I can tell you mine first. I reached Red ★★ and I’m more than halfway through the next enhancement.” He gave a glance at the rest of the group, who were still faking to have a conversation, and leaned closer to him to whisper. "They are the same too.”

With a glance at the mayor far ahead, Kai activated his skills for a moment, being careful to keep the elder out of his range. Children were many times easier to Inspect than adults. In a second, he was able to confirm the bowl-cut kid at least wasn’t a liar.

“Red ★★★.” He answered, hoping he would get rid of them faster if he satisfied their curiosity.

“No way! He must be lying.” The know-it-all girl exclaimed aloud, giving up all pretense of not eavesdropping.

Kai shrugged, he wasn’t interested in arguing his position. It was indeed a lie, but not in the sense the tall girl thought.

With his lack of reaction or defense, the group lost interest and went back to talking amongst themselves, for real this time. The chubby guy, unfortunately, stayed behind, looking at him with a glimmer in his eyes.

“You’re telling the truth, right?” He asked.

“Yes?”

What does he want now?

“I knew it!” The bowl-haircut child congratulated himself.

Kai narrowed his eyes. “You seem to know a lot about me…”

The kid grinned. “I’m Telu.” He said, offering to shake his hand.

Kai looked at him weirdly, making the confident smile falter. “Isn’t this how people present themselves in the Republic?” Telu muttered confused.

“I lived all my life in the archipelago,” Kai said flatly.

“Yeah, I know. I just… never mind.” Telu tried to get back his confidence. “You are quite famous in town.”

“Really?”

Telu nodded vigorously. “Yes. People often see you wander around and train on the beach. There are also other rumors…” He hesitated, lowering his voice. “That you started a fight and beat up a bunch of kids.”

Kai stopped in his tracks. “Who said that!?” He didn’t care about his reputation, but it grated on his nerves knowing that someone had accused him of instigating a brawl when, in reality, the opposite happened.

Telu’s eyes widened. “I obviously don’t believe them. It’s the kids of old town that repeat that. I knew they were lying.”

Suddenly the glances he received made more sense. Kai was about to ask for the names of exactly who started the rumor. But then what? Find them and beat them up? That would not work.

Just two days and I’m out of here.

Kai hurried to catch up to the group, before the hunter or the mayor saw them fall behind.

Telu kept walking beside him. “I also know something else,” Telu said with a conspiratorial air. “Are you truly an alchemist?”

Kai stared at the kid. “Where did you hear that?” It wasn’t exactly a secret, but even most adults at the market thought he sold potions made by someone else.

“I have my sources,” Telu said with a half-smile he probably thought looked mysterious, waiting for a prompt from him to continue.

Kai rolled his eyes. “And do pray tell, who is your source then?”

Telu looked at him weirdly for his strange choice of words, but finally answered. “It’s my grandma, I think you know her.”

His grandma? And I know her…

“Don’t tell me it’s old Selly?” Kai said with disbelief.

Telu smiled cheekily. “Yes, she told me to ask you if you had more potions to sell. She said she would offer you the best prices.”

Kai couldn’t believe the thick skin of that woman. She had tried to shortchange him at every turn, taking advantage of the fact most people would not buy from him, while she had a large clientele even with her reputation.

“I don’t think I’ll sell any potions for a while,” Kai said with some satisfaction. “I’m leaving town after the ceremony.”

Telu’s head hung low. “That’s too bad. Wait, you're leaving town!?”

Damn, my mouth.

“Why don’t you answer a question of mine first,” Kai interrupted him. “If old Selly is your grandmother, why do you live in new town?”

One of the reasons why the old hag had so many contacts was because she had lived here from the beginning.

“Oh… that. We lived in a village on the road to Sylspring, before the governor took our houses and moved us here.” Telu said, looking sad for exactly three seconds. “Anyway, where are you going to go?”

Kai sighed. He had answered his question, so he could indulge the small guy’s curiosity a little.

For the rest of the walk toward the jungle, the bowl-cut kid pestered him with questions. Kai remained vague on the exact details, being careful to not let slip anything else.

It was a relief when they finally stopped. Kai noticed they stood in front of a tiny path going deeper into the Veeryd jungle. They were on the westernmost side, close to the coast, the exact opposite of where the path to the estate started.

“From this point on, we will continue without our shoes to be closer to Yatei.” Elder Soluli announced. “This is a sacred place. No more talking allowed unless you want to disrespect the spirits.”

Kai wasn’t thrilled at the idea of walking into the jungle barefooted, but at least there was some good news.

Thank the spirits. A bit of sacred silence.