Rall looked at the village from a small room on the second floor of the chief's house. It was a simple wooden two-story home with a pitched roof, one that was very common in the countryside, especially in the Alcian Kingdom where winter snowstorms were a common occurrence. A humble stone chimney appeared smoking on the house roof, but that night its fireplace struggled to keep the house.

A homey smell of soup came from the kitchen downstairs, but Rall did not feel at home. His father had died a few hours ago, and he felt lost, filled with all kinds of questions that nobody could answer. Darkness invaded the room as the last rays of sunset disappeared through the black clouds. The storm was about to hit the village.

With reddened eyes, he looked down at the old scroll he had been holding for a while.

"If at any point I die, there is a scroll hidden under my desk in the study. Remember to take it and read it carefully." Those words were like a mantra that Rall had repeated for years under his father's direction, but he always hoped he would never have to follow them.

A speck of magical golden glow cautiously exited his forehead, just enough to illuminate the contents of the piece of parchment - it was his Fairylight. The first thing Theodore had taught his son was to hide his Fairylight, and, at some point, it had become like second nature to Rall. Until he had mastered hiding it on his own, his father had kept him close so he could use his bigger Fairylight to overlap onto his smaller one. Thus, nobody in the village knew that he was also a potential light mage.

Rall scanned the contents of the scroll and was not surprised when he saw that the entire page was filled with an irregular geometrical pattern.

It was written in the Ancient Code, a lost language of the ancient people of the Kingdom of Theorzea.

The Code was said to have been inspired by the language of dragons and was able to convey large amounts of complex information through millions of combinations of a massive set of symbols. One full page in Ancient Code could contain hundreds of pages of words, mathematical formulas, and even geometrical shapes - one book in Ancient Code would be the equivalent of a whole library. Theodore had been teaching his son the Code since before he could speak so he could read it even better than he did Alcian. Rall had often interrupted his father's long lessons, asking to teach him light magic instead of a boring dead language. But Theodore had persisted, saying that this knowledge was the most precious thing he possessed.

Rall noticed that the first part of the scroll contained a preface, a letter directly from his father.

Dear Rall,

if you are reading this, it means I have died. I am sorry, I thought I had more time, but the past always finds us in the end. When I ran away with you in my arms, I promised I would gift you a simple life, one without the fortunes and dispair brought by our powers. Now that you are alone that can't continue, it is my responsibility to teach you everything I know so that you can fend for yourself in this ruthless world. I hope these notes can help you in your way to becoming a powerful light mage because I know you have talent beyond my wildest imaginations.

You are already able to hide your Fairylight, something even experts struggle with. You will learn that to be a most invaluable skill. Light mages are always in high demand, and many look at them with envy, greed, or even hate, emotions that often lead men and women to commit unspeakable atrocities.

What you have to do now is survive. I am sure Thork will take care of you, but Korn is not safe anymore. Train with your Fairylight whenever you have the chance, and once you've become an adult, go to Telessia and search for a woman named Alyssia Bright. If you show her your magic, she will surely help you. Before you have received proper training, avoid the Fog at all costs - even with Lighthouse, it would be dangerous if you are not ready. And remember: Darkness is the safest place for a light mage. Seek it, train in it, make it your friend. The Goddess only knows how much light mages tend to forget that these days.

I will always be with you, looking over from the stars. Your father who's always loved you,

Theodore

PS. if you ever meet your mother, tell her that I am sorry about the Golden Hour.

Under the letter were further instructions, notes about training, theories and speculations, and finally, a chapter on spells. Unsurprisingly, the first spell on the list was Lighthouse, famously the most effective way to repel the Fog.

The sound of knocking broke Rall's attention. "Rall, can I enter?" Asked a feminine voice from beyond the door.

"Ah- yes," Rall said, tucking the scroll under his shirt and hiding his Fairylight back in his body. Darkness returned in the room, soon replaced by the flickering dim light of a candle coming from the slowly opening door.

A puffy woman with a gentle smile entered the room. She wore a comfortable green housedress, with white flowers embroidered tastefully all around. A white apron covered the unusual roundness of her belly. Dorothy Haddok was carrying hers and Thork's first child, and judging from the shape, the wait would soon be over. "Dinner is ready if you are hungry," she said tenderly to Rall, "it's nothing fancy, but any warm meal is a blessing during this cold winter."

He had never met his mother, but his father's letter had made him think about her for the first time in years - in his current state, his heart was vulnerable to the gentleness of a soon-to-be mom. "Y-Yes... thank you..."

Together they got down the creaking stairs and reached the humble kitchen. A simple but solid wooden table was prepared for dinner, three inviting bowls of fuming soup rested on it.

"Thork should be here soon. Please, sit down and eat while it's still warm," Dorothy said to break the awkward silence. Rall nodded and sat down. In his mind, he could see his father preparing a quick dinner in the break between his lessons. The smell of Theodore's 'cooking' was never appealing like the one emanating from the soup in front of him, but it felt like home - his home. And he would never have that again.

One tear escaped from Rall's tight hold and went splashing into the tasty soup.

"My dad died when I was around your age," Dorothy said in a low voice. "He was a humble farmer here in Korn - regardless, he garnered the respect of everybody. After he died, the thing I missed the most was his smile. Now that is all I can remember, not even his face - just a smile."

Rall lifted his gaze, the woman's image blurry through the tears. "Theodore was a mysterious man, but I know for a fact that he was wise and generous and that he loved you. Relish the memories of your dad, and he will stay with you forever."

He was not able to answer without crying more, so he just nodded.

"Good boy." She said.

They heard the sound of the door opening and heavy steps. "Oh, Thork is back."

With tiredness in his movements, the village chief entered his house. Dorothy got up from the chair to welcome him, they exchanged a quick kiss, and then she helped him out of his overcoat. She had been doing the same ever since he had married Thork, happy to replace his right arm in the mornings and the evenings to help him change.

As the man walked in, his eye landed on Rall. He noticed how his pale blonde hair shined in the warm light of the candle-like grain ripe for harvest, while his reddened emerald eyes, lowered on the bowl, radiated a profound sense of sadness. For a moment, he reminded him of Theodore. The hearts of many ladies would get broken by this kid's looks alone once he grew up, he was sure.

"Boy," Thork's deep voice started, "I am sorry. As the head of this village, I have failed to protect your father. Not only was he the savior of our village, the main reason for our recent growth, but I also considered him a friend."

Rall's gaze turned to the man. He had always admired him, someone everybody called strong even when he was missing an eye and an arm, someone the villagers relied on and trusted wholeheartedly. Well, most did anyway.

"I have already failed Theodore once. I swear I won't fail him twice. From now on, Dorothy and I will take care of you like we would our son. Then, once you are sixteen, we will support you on whatever road you will choose to pursue."

When the hunters had escorted Rall to the house of the village chief, he had already suspected that the Haddoks would take him in - then his father had confirmed it in the scroll, knowing well of Thork's sense of responsibility. Once again, the boy remembered that everything would be different.

Rall nodded, "village chief..."

"Please, call me Thork," the man said in a softer voice.

"T-Thork, D-Dorothy... thank you", the boy stuttered, once again unable to hold back the tears.

"Nooo, little Rall. Call me Dori!" The woman cried, running to the boy to hold him in a hug, one that contained all the tenderness of a mother.

Coincidentally, It was the first hug Rall had ever received, and somehow that made it harder to stop his tears.

At some point in the evening, all three sat down to eat dinner. Thork then informed them of his decision regarding the retrieval of a portable Lighthouse.

"I hope it will take less than three weeks, but I can't promise anything with how harsh this winter has been. I am sorry, Dori. I will probably miss the birth of our child." Thork said, clearly dejected. He recognized that he could not send anyone else.

"I know you don't want it Thork, but it's for the best of the village. We will be here waiting for you, so use it as motivation to come back faster." She said, caressing the bulge on her belly.

Thork smiled, defeated. "To be honest, even if I succeed, it is but a temporary solution. To avoid sacrifices, I really can't think of anything else in the long term. It sure would be easier if another light mage were to appear in our village..." Thork said, secretly casting a hopeful look at Rall with the tail of his right eye, "...but that is highly improbable. Still, there is no reason to despair yet! The world is big, and these things are hard to predict. Maybe we will find another solution before the portable Lighthouse has burned all its fuel."

Listening to him, Rall felt powerless. 'These people don't deserve all these hardships,' he thought, 'I could tell them that I have a Fairylight. I could tell them that I just need time - that, once I've learned, I will take my dad's place and protect this village!'

But then he thought better. He did not know how long it would take to learn Lighthouse and make it big enough to cover the village. He could not give them false hope. And what about his father's assassin? Maybe they were still around, ready to attack if he showed even a glimpse of his powers.

In the end, Rall decided to remain silent. 'I will train hard. Once I am ready, I will reveal everything. I swear I won't let them suffer in vain as long as I breathe', he thought, looking at Dorothy and her swollen belly.

The rest of the evening passed quickly as the three shifted the discussion onto lighter topics. Dorothy talked about their first child and how they had a bet around its gender. Thork then rattled on about how he would teach it 'the way of the sword' regardless of its gender, telling them that the current Captain of the Knights Corp was a woman. "I could never beat her, even when I had both arms and eyes," he said. "Never judge a book by its cover, Rall. Especially if that book is a beautiful woman - once inside, you never know what you could find..." the last comment earned him an annoyed elbow from his wife, which he laughed off.

After a while, Thork got up from the table. He would have to wake up early to depart at dawn the next day, so he ruffled Rall's hair and wished him good night. "You are the man of the house until I return," Thork said, "protect those two in my stead, will you?"

Rall nodded, "I-I will do what I can..."

"Good, now I can rest assured knowing that they are in safe hands."

"Enough now," Dorothy arrived to break the two exchanging promises, "it's time to go to sleep."

Rall bade farewell to the village chief, then followed the woman upstairs. Once in the bed, she tucked in the bedsheets to protect the kid from the cold night air.

"Good night Rall."

"Good night Dori."

She gave him a loving smile, then reached for the door and closed it behind her.

After darkness conquered the room, Rall tried to fall asleep but the image of the dark figure stabbing his father was still fresh in his mind.

Helpless, he slid out of the covers. Then, he took out his father's scroll and illuminated it with his Fairylight. Following the training instructions, he sat on the floor cross-legged, like he had seen his father do many times, and closed his eyes. The notes just said to sit in darkness and focus on 'emptying the mind while emitting more light' - so Rall tried, not knowing how to do either. To his surprise, he found it natural to emit more light - since he was used to doing the opposite to hide his Fairylight, it was like moving a well-trained muscle. Instead, Rall found emptying his mind to be particularly tough as the cold, the frequent sound of thunder, and the image of his father's corpse kept distracting him. For the first two hours, he did not feel any progress. But he was not discouraged.

At some point during the third hour, something clicked in his mind, and he fell into a state of trance. Unbeknownst to him, his Fairylight started radiating with a mysterious pulsing light.