Surprise

At the in Kagura got to read her book in peace and after sometime, rest of her colleagues arrived and the shift went like any other time. Back in her house, her son had started his plan for better future.

Leo, the normal looking boy, whose mind is more mature and older than almost anyone else's on this realm. During his childhood as a genius, he had taken fire as his main element. His core was also big, bigger than normal humans.

Even if everyone gets a core, no one is still equal, some people are more talented in their elements, and some have bigger or more efficient cores, giving them more stamina or stronger magic. However, during the war, Leo had started to practice other elements. One was wind, it was a basic magic and he practiced it to support his fire magic. He also had an advanced one, darkness.

Darkness or the element of night is a rare element to practice. No one after all had truly used it to its full power, at least not on the realms that he had been, who knows how many there truly are. Leo found it hard to believe that there is nothing powerful to darkness, which could separate it from the rest and started to question it.

Now, because he had already wondered about darkness and studied wind magic to expert level, and fire to complete mastery, he decided to test his skills. His core was still healthy so his magic should be as good or even better than before.

Leo put on a robe to hide his fatty body and stepped outside, moving his hair behind his ear from blocking his view of the outside world, from when it was still peaceful. He walked behind the old and near breaking point house and found his mom's target blocks.

He did everything in his mind, he created a small flame and started made it grow but he didn't create anything more than a yellow flame. And a fire appeared on his hand, it didn't burn his hand or leave any marks. He looked at the yellow flame ball on his hand and threw it.

He however overestimated his younger body and the ball didn't reach even halfway of his mom's practice blocks. Resulting in the grass starting to burn.

"Oh shit."

Leo ran towards the luckily not quickly spreading flame and started to stomp on it, now that he no longer controlled it, it affected him as any other kind of fire. Sages and fire experts could not be hurt by almost any normal flame but because of his regression, he was now weaker.

"I'll need to practice my body first."

He would need to get rid of his body fat and get more muscle to support his magical capabilities. Healthy body helps to have a healthy mind and mind is important with magic. Because of this Leo walked inside the shelf that was behind the target blocks.

It was an old looking shelf, it was full of different gardening and building tools, some planks, bricks, and firewood. It was full of dust and spider webs. It was the size of a nobles clothing closet but it could fit anything that they needed.

However, Leo didn't need hoes or hammers. He took a black case. He knocked on it a couple time and only silent and hard noise was heard, like someone had knocked on a rock. Leo carried it outside but not any longer than that, because it weighted too much.

He put on the password, he isn't supposed to know it, but he saw when his mom opened it last time before she told him to run away. It was a painful memory and he quickly shook it away. The case had four different things.

A meter long stick, a belt full of knives, a larger dagger probably meant for skinning and making space. However Leo wanted the last thing in the box, a short sword. It was as long as the stick and still sharp. He closed the case again and put it back in the shelf.

He started practicing his swordplay, again with the target blocks. If someone who knew how to use a sword had to describe Leo's swords style only one word would be enough. Simple. It had nothing special to it, it looked like the core of every sword style.

The reason was, that the style was made in the battlefield. When he had to fight in the war, he realized that magic wasn't enough and was forced to use a sword. It was only meant for fighting and killing.

This would be the way, that Leo practices until his body is back in shape.

It's already noon and Kagura's shift is about to end. The manager finally let's her off, with no understanding that she had to do the morning by herself. Kagura puts her stuff away, grabs her bag and walks outside the inn. The village is now full of life.

There are children running down the streets after getting out of school. Market is full of merchants from all the parts of the country. The shops are full of people wanting their known items like the pastry chefs famous chocolate and strawberry inside a bread like thing and called croissant.

She also wanted to try something like that, but she had to save up for bad days, if she had to move away or her son needed something. So she walked and only imagined herself buying and spending time in those stores.

The walk back was fairly similar to the one in the morning. The wind was a little bit more louder and it was transporting leaves across the forest but it only made the forest seem more lively.

When she got back home, opening the door she dropped her bags on the ground. And just started dumbfounded, the reason? The house was clean, there were food ready on the table and her son was on the couch sleeping.

She had not seen anything even close to this for over 17 years and it had finally happened. She started tearing off from happiness but quickly wiped them off. She walked up to her son; he had taken a shower and had put his hair on a ponytail.

She shook him gently waking him up. He flinched a little bit and almost dropped off the couch but when he saw, that it was not an enemy but his mom he calmed down.

"What is it mom?"

"Why did you do all this?"

"Clean the house?"

"Yes, it's supposed to be a mother's job."

"Because you already need to work, I want to help around the house."

This light up Kagura's mood greatly.

"How thoughtful of you, but you can leave it to me and just do what you want, now let's go eat."

Leo couldn't answer that he wanted to help his mom but decided to just keep doing it and if his mother asked again, he would just say that he wanted to help her.

He stood up from the couch and ate with his mother for the first time in more than two hundred years.