Chapter 13

I rotated both of my hands and stared at them. They were the hands of a labourer, the hands of a farmer. They were layered with calluses and both had rough patches in various places.

Although they lacked a warm and smooth feel, they were evidence of the amount of effort and love I put into my craft. They were not the hands of some Warlock.

In spite of my reluctance to accept this revelation, I could not deny that it all somehow made sense. If I hadn't cut my finger, broken the seal on the wooden box and ended up here, then I probably would never have believed something as far fetched as this.

Seeing is believing. I pinched my arm just to make sure and sure enough, this was all real. This wasn't anywhere near my village, this woman was a Witch and I as her son, was a Warlock.

I wasn't completely convinced, however I'd get nowhere if I lived in denial. There were also a lot of questions that needed answering, so I decided to bury my awe and get some answers before deciding whether to wholeheartedly accept this news.

“I am a farmer’s son, that is all I know, it’s all I’ve ever known, yet now, you appear and open the door to a part of myself that I never knew existed...Why now? Better yet, why did you leave? Why did you abandon Father and I?”

My mother bit her lower lip and turned away as if ashamed. I could tell that this was the question that she wanted to avoid, but I wasn’t about to let her get away without answering it. I grew up with enough love from father, Gladus and the other villagers to turn out well enough, but I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if my mother had been around, especially when father passed away.

“Purrrrrr why you insolent little brat! Do you have any idea what my mistress had to go through? The responsibilities she has!?”

Cat Sith spoke, the atmosphere in the room became gaunt and I felt the hairs on my back of my neck stand on end. It seemed as if Cat Sith was eyeing my throat, I prepared myself for whatever was to come, but before he pounced, my mother spoke.

“That’s enough Cat Sith, you are dismissed.”

“Prrr, but mistress, I…”

“I said you’re dismissed!”

My mother glared at Cat Sith, who responded by flinching and scurrying away at full speed.

“...Forgive him, he is a good and loyal servant, but you have every right to be given an answer to that question Calcifer. Despite what responsibilities I had, my responsibility as your mother should have taken precedence over everything. You must hate me for abandoning you…”

My mother showed another look of despair. I tried to maintain a neutral expression but part of me couldn’t bare to see her make a face like that.

“No, how could I hate you? I hardly even know you. At this exact moment in time, I have absolutely no feelings for or against you.”

The pained expression turned to one of fruitless acceptance, it was as if she had expected this very answer, but it seemed that in spite of her preparedness for a response like this, it still hurt.

“However, I’m sure you had a good reason and it’s not like I grew up without knowing the love of a parent, so stop making that face, mother…”

My mother looked up at me with a look of surprise, I saw her attempt to hold back the tears but it looked like she was a few seconds away from letting the waterworks loose.

“N-now come on, there’s no need for that, plus you still haven’t told me why you left…”

“N-no, it’s just, that’s the first time you’ve referred to me as mother, I’m happy...”

Technically it wasn’t, but I think I’ll let her have this one. A few moments passed and my mother finally regained her composure, her expression brightened up and she refilled our teacups.

“It was a few weeks after I gave birth to you. Your father and I couldn’t have been more happy, you were even exhibiting evidence of being a Warlock. You see, the Sorcerer gene is not necessarily passed onto next of kin, especially if one parent lacks the gene outright, so when you displayed that you inherited it, I was happy.”

“I was displaying it? I don’t know much about a Witch or Warlock’s powers, but I’m sure that I’d notice if I had been displaying them.”

“Ah, you see, the second you displayed your powers, I sealed them. You were making a mess of the farm and your father wasn’t best pleased hahaha. So I sealed them away for a time when you were old enough to exercise some control.”

“So why did you leave? It sounds like everything was going so well.”

“I received a summons, a summons from the head of the Council of Sorcery. You see Calcifer, your mother was a free spirit, I spent the better part of my life traveling the Continents and seeing the world. While other Witches and Warlocks were living a secluded lifestyle, I trotted around the globe experiencing all that there was to experience. Normally I would have refused this summons, but I had just given birth to you and decided to finally settle down with your father, so I felt that this was the perfect chance to reconnect with my kin, in case you wanted access to that part of your heritage when you grew up. ”

“I-I see, so something happened when you went back?”

Silence befell the room, my mother took a deep breathe and spoke again.

“I was only supposed to have been gone for a few days, it was, a trap. Caliban and his cohorts had defeated the Council Elders, rounded up all the prominent Witches and Warlocks and gave us two options. Join his cause, or die.”

Caliban? This guy’s name was beginning to crop up quite a lot lately, just who was he?

“There is one thing that Witches and Warlocks value more than anything Calcifer, and that's freedom. The freedom to do and live however he/she wishes. We are unlike the Elementalist who attempt to control their own kind by restricting what they can and can’t do with their magic. We Sorcerers like to be left to our own devices.”

Being left to one’s own devices was something that even I valued. It also explained how Caliban was able to have the freedom to put his plans into action.

“So when Caliban gave his ultimatum, what happened?”

“The vast majority of us joined him. What choice did we have?”

“Nobody put up any resistance at all?”

My mother pondered over this question for a while. She seemed to want to word her answer very carefully.

“There are those among us...That agree with what Caliban has in mind”

So that was it. I wasn’t completely familiar with Caliban’s plan, however it was abundantly clear that it wasn’t world peace.

“So what does he want? What does he have in mind?”

“He…*thud* *smash*”

Before mother could tell me what Caliban wanted, the cottage began to shake, it started off with just one, but a few seconds passed and it was as if the cottage was being rammed from all sides.

“W-what’s happening!?”

“Damn! I thought we’d have at least a little more time. Cat Sith!”

My mother bellowed for Cat SIth and he appeared out of nowhere.

“Purrrr, yes mistress?”

“Change of plans, they seem to have tracked us down a lot quicker than I had expected. I will send Calcifer back to the Verdant Continent, you will accompany him. Ensure he arrives there safely and then take him to Granny’s house.”

“W-wait, I don’t understand what’s happening mother? Are we under attack?”

“...I’m sorry son, I wish I had more time to explain, but I don't, now that you’re powers have been unsealed, it won’t be safe for you to stay in the village, Cat Sith will help you when you get back, listen to him.”

“W-wait I…”

Before I could say another word, a purple myst excreted from the locket around my neck. The entire room became surrounded in a thick fog, I lost the ability to move and I felt light headed. A few moments passed and I felt as if I was falling through an empty lifeless void.

“Purrrr get up foolish boy.”

“...”

“Purr, I said get up!”

I felt something sharp dig into my arm and sat bolt upright. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I realised that I was back in my father’s bedroom. The orange sun hung loosely in the sky as I gingerly got to my feet and cleared my head.

“W-what was that...Mother!?”

I felt a chill go down my spine as I pondered my mother’s fate in the face of that onslaught. I was about to open the locket again when I felt another sharp pain, this time it was in my left leg.

“Prr, relax, opening that won’t do anything, my mistress will be fine, there isn’t a single person in this world that could give her any trouble. You on the other hand, you’re a liability.”

I finally looked down and spotted the source of the pain and noise. Cat Sith was standing there with a disinterested look on his face. I stared at the bemused feline for a few moments and wondered just what I was going to do from now on.