Chapter 68: The Fog Island [8] Cedric’s POV.

It was the morning after our sorry selves were forced to sleep like baby siblings. No fire; ruined provisions; soaked and dirty just like street dogs. I won’t lie and pretend that at first I wasn’t mad at Aldrus. Even if it wasn’t his fault, I couldn’t just sit there cursing at the fog, our reaper.

The truth is, humans often need an equal to blame. We’re hypocrites, self-centered, and irresponsible. Or maybe that’s just me; maybe I’m the one who should know best, but as much as I was conscious of it, improving upon it was an entirely different thing. I, as a human, was too prideful to let it make a better person out of me.

I had been grumpy all night up until daybreak, and Alice’s mocking was... well, it certainly didn’t help. Aiden chimed in to shut us up every two minutes or so, and Aldrus had given up quicker than usual. Eventually we all went silent, and Aldrus’ voice checking on us was the only exception. He sounded nervous, so much so that his questions almost felt annoying. However, at some point he stopped talking, and I felt Alice’s grip let loose at the same time.

"Hey, blondie. What are you doing? Don’t let go, or you’ll get lost."

"..."

"Alice? I’m talking to you. Keep the formation!"

"..."

"Damn it, Aldrus! Do something about her—eh...? Where—"

Before I realized it, just like Alice, I had let go of my partner as well. And then...

"Cedric," someone called me. I knew that voice.

"T-That’s...!"

I turned at the voice of my brother, not even thinking for a second that it wasn’t actually him. Instincts and feelings act faster than reason, after all. I should’ve cleared my head sooner; maybe I could’ve avoided getting knocked out by something I couldn’t see.

***

"...dric?"

"Cedric, wake up, idiot! We’re going to be late!"

Ugh. How annoying. "Alright! Alright, I’m awake now. Get out, Ren."

"No. If I leave, you’re just going to fall asleep again. Get up; we’re running late, damn it!"

"What for? Stop bothering me..."

"The academy, dumbass! We start today!"

The academy...? Ah—"Shit, what time is it?!"

"We have twenty minutes left; hurry up. Get dressed quick and meet me at the door; you’ll eat something later."

Right... Don’t fuck this up now, jeez.

It was my first day at Rowy’s Academy, the day I had been waiting for years, and I was late.

I took the quickest shower of my life and put on my new uniform—gray slacks, a pristine black coat, and a white, short-sleeved shirt underneath. Despite the elegant finish of the clothes, though, I might as well have looked like an urchin the way I handled them. I wished I could make my way up to the front door without Mom or Emma noticing.

My wishes were spat on.

"Don’t tell me you’re planning on showing up like that," As I came rushing down the stairs, I heard a sweet tone say.

"Sis..."

"You’re not even saying goodbye? We won’t see each other for a while, right?" Emma said, blocking my way.

"I’m running late, sis," I mumbled, looking away.

"So?"

Ugh.

"Sigh... Goodbye, sister. I’ll call you, so don’t worry so much. Damn."

I gave in and did as she asked, but as I tried to get past her, I felt her tugging at my sleeve.

"What?! I gotta g—uck!"

Suddenly I was trapped in her arms, and I felt as if I were going to suffocate. Her golden locks tickled my nose, and a sweet scent flooded my senses. Just like Mom’s, the scent of home. I felt safer even though I was leaving, and I felt stronger even though I was being squished like a child. After some time, Emma finally let go.

"Damn it! I thought I was gonna die! You’re way too old to be treating me like a cat."

"Good luck, Cedric. I trust you’ll call. Have fun, okay?"

I wanted to keep complaining but couldn’t find the words.

"Where’s Mom?" I asked.

"Sleeping. Don’t resent her; she stayed late to make sure you had everything ready. As always, she suspected you’d be late."

Now that she mentioned it, I did have my uniform and everything else at hand... I nodded.

"Alright, goodbye," I said as she waved at me by the door, but before I fully left, I stopped walking and turned back to see her one last time.

"Oh, and you should eat less, sister. You’re way too big; if you keep hugging people like that, they’ll seriously die," I said, then turned to Ren and walked away, leaving hysterical curses echoing behind.

Of course, Emma wasn’t really eating too much, nor was she ugly; quite the opposite, in fact. However, she was unusually tall, and even if I hated to admit it, my bones could be snapped in two by her bare hands. Most of all, I enjoyed making fun of her. I would’ve never admitted it back home, but I was going to miss her as well.

"You don’t seem annoyed at her," I said, glaring at Ren.

"Why would I be?"

"Well, you were complaining about the hour, and she held us up more than I did."

"She had a good reason."

"Breaking my spine?"

Ren shook his head, then pointed at my chest. "You’re finally presentable."

Staring down, I realized my clothes were properly adjusted; not a single wrinkle in sight.

Hah. That girl...

"You should look inside your bag as well," Ren added.

"What?"

"She said something about, uh, was it ’packing your toys’?"

My face went blank for a second, not understanding what he meant. I opened up my backpack and peered inside.

W-What is this doing here?!

There, ten glowing objects, each crafted out of a different material, lay with the sole, apparent purpose of further weighing down my bag. And stuck on one of them, a small handwritten note caught my attention. It read:

"Cedric. I know you think of these little ’artifacts’ as ’trash,’ or so you’ve said several times. However, I’m letting you know that I will be using your room to invite some friends over when you’re gone, and I don’t want scrap lying around. I thought you’d like to carry your first projects with you and show your friends how smart you can be, so I packed them while you slept. I hope you won’t hate me too much. I wish you the best of luck. Your sister, Emma."

I’ll slap you when I’m back...