It is actually worse. I don’t know how, but it is worse than I expected. How would you describe it? Maybe a bunch of highly educated dumb people? Or snobby children that believe to know everything, but truly know nothing?

The Sifgard family brought their two sons. They behave well enough, but keep giving everyone looks, as if to say everyone else is scum. Little pricks looked pretty weak to me.

Our Trygard family includes my siblings and myself. However my siblings are holding hands with my parents, while I’m meant to mingle on my own.

The family of Midheim has two daughters and a small boy. They seemed nice enough and I didn’t mind them. It is just that they are children… and probably not the brightest of the bunch.

The house of Nidavill has only one son. It appears their family has no wings, but what they lack in wings they make up for in muscle. The guy is suppose to be my age but looks more like a 30-year-old rugby player.

The Aschheim. Well, their family is probably the most weird. They wear very little clothes, where the men where shorts and the woman wear bikini looking things. Also they have more feathers covering the rest of their body. Not to mention that they have 3 sons and 4 daughters.

Myself, I am wearing a formal suit like everyone else. Somehow, they don’t hinder my wings, and it feels really comfortable. I’m not sure about the standards here, but from the yearning looks I have been getting I deduce that I am not ugly.

I feel cold sweat running down my back and turn around. My mother is staring at me from across the room. I guess I’ve been idle for too long. Suppose I’ll go talk to the midheim’s again. I walk off into the direction I had seen one of the girls running around with a half eaten piece of bread and crumbs all over her face.

***

My mouth gapes open as I sit up in my bed. A feat made harder by the three growing Amarok taking up the rest of my bed. That is the name of the species my three little wolfs belong to. I did some research this time to find out more about my new friends and limiting any surprises they might give me.

My mother wasn’t too happy with my conduct the other day. It would seem that she has taken it upon herself to re-educate me. You can’t blame me for being far ahead for my age. And some of the people at the gathering were serious freaks. In the end it was concluded that I was not to leave the house till I learn some manners.

The worse thing however is that my mom stopped making me the miraculous food she use to. Now all I get are the minimum nutrients I need in the plainest fashion. If my mother is one thing, it is merciless.

I move to get off the bed as I hear a creaking noise. I look at my door. It is slightly open. I close my eyes and feel the mana around me, probing for the would be intruder. Suddenly I duck my head and grab something out of the air with one hand. Then I twist around placing my other hand at an incoming projectile.

Now I’m standing in my underwear, holding my sister by the waist in one hand and holding my brother by his forehead so he can’t move with the other. I sigh and look at their cute little struggle.

“What are you two doing?”

They both look at me, eyes brimming with excitement. The little stunt they just pulled could have killed me, had I been a normal person. My siblings sure inherited allot of my parents physical strength.

““PLAY BROTHER!””

They both shout in unison. It has been little over a month since they were born; my siblings have started to say simple words. I don’t want them to end up like some of the other families’ kids! I better start training them soon.

Suddenly my door opens and my mother walks in. My father should be doing some official duties, so he has been busy as of late. Locking on to her target, she walks towards us.

“Icarus, drop Athena and Chronos”

I let go of my Sister and brother, who gently fall to the ground, standing next to me on either side. My mother squints her eyes at me.

“It is about time we start your real training”

She glances at the three Amarok lying on my bed.

“We’ll go and see what you are really capable of. Follow me”

She comes over to grab each of my siblings by the hand and starts to move towards the hallway.

“Um, Mom. My clothes”

Turning around and realising I’m still in my underwear, my mom shrugs her shoulders.

“You won’t need them, but you can change if you like. Meet me at the training hall. You know where it is”

Indeed I do. By now I knew every nook and cranny of our house. We don’t use most of it because it is so big, but how could I resist the urge to look anyway.

Running to the side of my room, I open a door that leads to my bathroom. I wash up, then go back to my room and grab some clothes. After that is done, I check myself in the mirror for a bit, before making my way towards where my mom and siblings are waiting.

The training hall is just a big hall, plated with marble looking tiles to absorb impact. It is filled with different training equipment and tools on one side, and empty space on the other.

Athena and Chronos are sitting in a corner poking each other. It seems to be some sort of game. My mother is standing in the centre of the far wall opposite the door I just came through.

“Alright, let us see what you can do first”

My mother points towards another wall with rows of training dummies along them. I raise an eyebrow, before I unfurl my wings and take flight with ease. If focus and raise my palms into the air as 44 packets of mana surround me.

The slightly shocked expressions on my mother and grandfather’s faces, is worth all the training I had been doing to have better control over the mana around me. At some point my grandfather had walked in and is now standing next to my mother.

I control the mana and convert the particles within into different elements at the same time. 11 spears of each; fire, compressed air, electricity and water, form around me. Then I wave my hands and they all fire at the dummies simultaneously. A torrent of chaos engulfs the place where the dummies were standing. I compress the gushes of energy with my mana, making sure it doesn’t spread to the rest of the training hall. Once done, I land back where I started and look at my family.

By now my siblings have stopped their own game and are staring at me with wide-open eyes and gawking mouths. My mother and grandfather have more complicated expressions.

“I WANT!!”

The silence is broken when Chronos jumps to his feet and starts running towards me. Seeing her brother’s actions, Athena soon follows. I can’t help but smile. Being admired by your siblings is a pretty good feeling. My mother is still standing where she stood with her arms crossed.

“Are you supposed to use your mana like that?”

My grandfather gives her a difficult look.

“I’ve never seen anyone use their mana like that in all my life. Not many people can control the mana outside their body to begin with, however even the once that do, do not have control like that”

“Well it isn’t good to be too confident”

Suddenly my mom starts walking over to me. I feel the mana around me being pulled towards her. She is absorbing insane amounts of mana. Pushing out the mana from inside her body, she sends two maelstroms of air to pick up Athena and Chronos. They slowly drift towards my grandfather, where they are both placed on the ground.

“Uh, mom… what are you doing?”

“Teaching you of course”

There it is. I should have known better. My mom is giving me a stunning smile while torrents of mana are gushing out of every part of her body. Fast! Before I know it my mother is standing in front of me. I try to absorb more mana to heighten my own senses and ability to move to no avail.

I have a slight panic as my mother just stands there. I’m like a sitting duck, not able to absorb mana or properly control the mana around me. Still quite a bit taller than me, my mom picks me up by the nape of my neck and starts walking towards the rest.

“You could have given him a chance, and trained him a little”

My grandpa makes a remark when we are within earshot. My mother just shrugs her shoulders.

“He’ll get better on his own, so what is the point. He already has better control than me. I just showed him that there are other ways to win a fight.”

I guess I did get a little full of myself. If I can’t even take control over my own mana, how am I supposed to beat someone? I thought I had learned from my previous mistakes.

“He is still young Hera”

My grandmother walks over from the entrance. She signs to my mom to let me go, and I stand up straight as my feet meet the ground.

“You are never too young to learn”

My mom retorts. But I feel the warmth rush through my body as she holds onto my hand. Slowly my mana is back to its peak and I’m no longer out of breath. I look at my mom who is pretending not to notice.