FF Chapter 29

Alex returns to the library, but finds something unexpected.

Chapter 29

      Future took Alex a ways away from the town. He summoned a large tree and commanded the branches to form a private room, just as he’d done when Alex was little, and again in the library. Alex sat in the branches, and ran his fingers through the comfortable leaves, vines, and moss Future had summoned to surround them. The Hand waited for Alex to speak, and listened as the boy explained everything that had happened at Yanus Academy.

      “I didn't mean to hurt them.” Alex whimpered, before looking Future in the eye and tearfully asking “Did-did you know this would happen?”

      Future shook his head sadly “Not when I rode to Sanel, no. I learned only on my way back, and even then, it was a possibility, nothing more. This is actually the fifth time I’ve come out here. I used supervising the repairs on the town as an excuse to check on you.”

      “So Fate knew.”

      The Hand sighed. “Your future is a lot like playing cards. You only have so many options, and the order you play them in is up to you. Play the right card and good things happen, play a bad card and things go wrong, but what card you play is up to you. Fate knows what everyone’s cards are, and tries to guide us to play the right ones, but we can ignore him.”

      “But I-!” Alex started to argue, but in his frustration his arms flared up and ignited the wood around him.

      Thankfully Future was experienced at dealing with fires from his many encounters with Evil, and the flames were quickly extinguished.

      Alex huddled in a corner, staring fearfully at his arms. “Why can’t I be normal?”

      Future thought for a moment before speaking. “Did your mother ever tell you what your first word was? It was ‘no’. Your mother was playing with you and set you down to check on something she was baking, but you put your arms up towards her and cried ‘no’; you wanted to play more.” He wiped a nostalgic tear from his eye “I watched you grow, and you've become a fine young man. You saved your father, and Eira. You couldn’t have done any of that if you were ‘normal’.”

      Alex understood what his Uncle was trying to say, but he still cried “But then why can’t I have a nice power, like yours?”

       Future put an arm around his shoulder, and smiled consolingly. “Do you remember when I told you about the first time I tried using my powers? I grew a tree under my feet and launched myself into the air. Couldn’t walk for a week and cursed every blade of grass I stepped on. I swore I would never use those powers again, now look at me. I used those powers to save you when you were eight.” He touched Alex’s hands “This fire is you. It’s an extension of your will and who you are. If you want it to hurt, it will hurt; if you want it to protect, it will protect. Any power that can be used for good can also be used for evil...or by Evil.” He chuckled. “Power is power, knowledge is knowledge, skill is skill; nothing is inherently good or bad.” He shrugged.

      “Not even people?” Malent came to Alex’s mind.

      “Especially not people! Everyone has gifts, some stand out more than others. You can fight like a master, which many cannot; you can even enter Yanus Academy while neither myself, nor the others at the library can. Yet you will never fly. Does that make you less than a bird?”

      Alex shook his head. “Frey and Eira can dance, and Indol knows how to make bombs.” He thought about his friends.

      “Exactly.” Future smiled, as Alex seemed to be calming down. “You have a family at the library. Come on…let’s go home.”

      With that Future banished the tree and summoned the wooden carriage to carry them back to The Capital.

 

      The sun had set when they stood in front of the big doors, a large ‘closed’ sign hung on the knob, but that was meant for strangers, not family. Future snapped his fingers, and Alex couldn’t help but remember the first time he’d entered the large library, as the main doors swung open and the duo walked in.

       “Welcome back.” Lo immediately called from the balcony, but then she saw Alex and jumped down to hug him tightly. “Everyone, Alex is back!” She called out.

      From all over the base emerged Erald and Winchester, but to Alex’s surprise Eira, Frey, and Indol also greeted him with kind words and warm hugs.

      “Wha-What are you guys doing here?” He asked.

      Future: “They’re here for you. They’ve been coming here almost every night to train, waiting for you to return.”

      Eira smiled slyly. “We’ve been sneaking out of the palace almost every night and coming in through the side door to train. Erald’s been teaching me swordplay, while Frey’s been sparring with Lorane.” They beamed.

      “They’re not bad either.” Lo smirked at her student, and Erald nodded in approval.

      Indol practically dragged him downstairs with excitement, and brought him down the infinite staircase to a new room; her new lab. She excitedly showed him a large table with metal containers on it, all her new prototypes and designs, before explaining that she could experiment all she wanted since nothing could damage the infinite basement. All the while Winchester watched over her, his methodical approach tempering her excited demeanor.

      The old man explained that he’d learned quite a bit from Teacher, Hand of Knowledge, who Alex would know as ‘Yanus’, founder of the Yanus Academy. He had an assistant named ‘Meimei’, and the two had often met, especially with their masters being such close friends. She was even the first to give him the nickname ‘Winnie’.

      Alex couldn’t help but smile, as his Uncle reminisced happily about the woman, before realizing just how wistful he looked. With a nervous cough he excused himself from further embarrassment. This left poor Alex all alone with Indol, who began to explain in detail all the improvements she made. As far as Alex was concerned, she might as well have been speaking another language.

      “It was something Winchester told me that got me thinking. He said ‘fate is like energy; it cannot be destroyed, only changed.’ So I figured out that rather than just trying to contain or constrain the energy, I would let it play around a bit.” She showed him the inner workings of a newer and smaller model. “This one has a few more coils and spirals that all loop around each other; sort of like the infinite staircase. This allows the energy to constantly flow without interruption, until a timer breaks the signal and makes an explosion.” She offered to demonstrate, but Alex decided to take her word for it.

      Finally done hogging him all to herself, Indol allowed Alex back upstairs where Future was waiting for him with a letter. “This arrived a few days ago. It’s from Brig.” He handed the unopened envelope to Alex. It was addressed ‘little wolf’. The old nickname Sanda had given her son so many years ago. He clutched it close to his chest, before climbing up to the roof to be alone with his parents.

 

      Winchester and Future watched him go. Once he was out of sight Winchester privately asked Future. “So how was he?”

      “He had a good cry before we arrived.” The Hand explained.

      “Good. It is alright to know when and how to fight, but it takes wisdom to be able to stop fighting and cry.”

      “Agreed. Although it is a lot of pain at once, it’s so much less than keeping it all in and stretching that pain over a lifetime.”

      “He’s becoming a man.” Winchester nodded proudly.

      Future paused for a moment. “…Then Fates’ prophecy might be ready for fulfillment.”

      Winchester sighed. “Soon…too soon, I suppose.”

      They both wore solemn faces, but put on masks of happiness for their friends and students.

 

      Up on the roof, Alex finished reading the private letter. Tears stained his face as he looked up at the sky. He touched the cards in his pocket. His parents were alive and well. From his perch, he looked down on his other family. Aside from the small group who’d trained and raised him, he also felt blessed to have friends who were as strange as him. As he thought about it, he mulled over an idea in his head. 

      He wanted to give them beast marks.