This was only supposed to be a first part of longer chapter and second part would have contained a festival. But I didn’t manage to write the festival part this weekend. Also apart from working I am studying where u need to take a 2 week course and a few months later have a written examinations. So it's time for my examinations (5 of them in total. Each every Saturday plus I need to make a report for each of them).

In other words I will be so busy that I am afraid I won't be able to write the festival part for like a whole month (will try to make it faster but who knows...).

So in the end I decided to put this. And sorry beforehand if another chapter will take a bit more time to wait.

Chapter 25. The black rock.

"How much more of this torture I must suffer?" I ask my mother with a huge irritation in my voice.

"At least for one more day." Answers my mother calmly.

"Tick!"

"Did you hear that?" I ask her.

"What?"

"You didn't hear as my points are going down the drain?" I ask in a silent voice while my eyes are running around the room as if searching for something.

For a moment, though, she looks at me wonderingly and only says: "Huh?"

"Ah! Never mind..." I answer her a bit dispirited.

"Anyway it's only a fourth day. No need to make this to be a big deal. On the contrary you should thank me for not grounding your sorry ass for coming home half dead..." After saying this with her hands on the hips, she gives me a stern look.

"Stop your whining! Today you stay in bed and I don't want to hear anything else apart from: Yes, mother!" She continues in a harsh voice, but the moment my mother finishes, she turns around and finally leaves my room. Not even giving me a chance to say anything.

"Well I have to admit... It really is a miracle. From that state to an almost full health in just three and a half days. I guess this is where vitality shows it’s value. But this doesn't change the fact that I'm still simply laying around in my bed!" I begin to get annoyed again knowing that festival is rapidly closing in.

"And what’s more that black thing is still where I fount it. Even thought I was too weak to dig it out, at least I had enough strength to hide it under few layers of dirt.” I add in a hushed voice, which shows how worried I am.

“I guess… In this situation I can only wait and pray to the higher powers…”

****

The next day came as it should have and brought a new, and bright morning with only a few small clouds in the air.

“Ah… I swear to God, I can smell it in the air. The intoxicating aroma of FREEDOM!!” I shout the moment I step outside through the door.

Since only a few minutes ago my mother lifted the ban to leave a room.

“Well it’s time to check what Santa has brought for me. He, he, he…” With a smile from ear to ear, I start running.

On the road like always I pass people going one or the other way. Normally I would say at least ‘Hi!’, but at the moment I’m so focused that I hardly notice them and keep on using my full speed.

It still takes some time, but in the end I reach my goal and stand on the edge of a hole, I made before.

“Huhh…” I breathe heavily, while scanning the ground.

“Huhh… Looks like…”

“Huhh… Nobody touched it…” With these word I finally fall down on the ground and lay there still for a few minutes.

“Damn, it’s been ages since I ran so hard…” I say getting up.

“Hmm… But I should have taken something to dig with… Well whatever.” I say jumping into my little crater.

First I start by cleaning the dirt, which I put in to hide it.

“I didn’t have much strength to inspect it before, but now that I look closer it isn’t perfectly round. Also this thing doesn’t look like it’s a manmade… More over this black rock is giving of a feeling that it’s out of place. Hmm…” I talk to myself while taking a moment to look at my finding.

“It might be a meteorite.” This is the only explanation I can think on what it is.

‘…’ After simply looking at it for a moment I shake my head and begin to dig around it.

Since I’m doing everything with my hands it takes about 5 to 10 minutes before I free it completely from the bonds of the earth.

And what I hold in my arms is a somewhat round rock, only a bit bigger then a basketball ball, which might weight about 20 kilograms.

“It’s definitely an asteroid… It might contain something rare, since I got that title... But sadly I don’t have any knowledge about minerals and things like that.” I’m becoming a bit angry, since all I see is a simple black rock. And I have no way to tell if it’s made from gold or from just some cosmic shit…

“I should take it home and ask my parents for their advice.” Finally with a plan in mind I don’t waste even a second for anything else and start running home.

‘He, he… Others might call me paranoid, but the less eyes see, what I got here, the better.’ I think while avoiding the road and people traveling on it.

In the end I’m back in our yard, dripping wet with a cold river water and breathing heavily from a much longer and harder path, which I took avoiding the road.

Never the less a small grin creeps on my face: “Still unnoticed…”

Suddenly my mother runs outside from the house: “What happened to you?”.

“Ah nothing serious, I just decided to play a spy. More importantly do you know what this is?” I say directing here attention to the asteroid.

“This… Is…” She says slowly, while looking at what I got. “A rock?”

“Don’t tell me you are asking me? Because I’m the first one who asked.” I’m becoming irritated. After all the bushes I hid in and all the mud I crawled through to avoid people and monsters alike… I admit, I expected more.

“No need to get angry. Sheesh… What kind of kid have I raised…” She says shaking here head.

“Anyway I don’t know much about those thing, but your dad might know more. So come, let’s go inside. You can ask him about it yourself and at the same time I will get you some new, dry clothes.” After this she signals to me with her hand to walk first.

‘I guess she won’t let me go anywhere before I change my clothes.’ I think while walking inside.

“Dad! Dad! Do you know what this is?” I immediately charge to him the moment I get through the door.

“Huh?” He’s a bit dumbfounded by my sudden attack. So I repeat myself: “This! Do you know what this is?”

“Hmm… Let me see it.” He only said while taking it with his big arms.

“Completely black…” Only murmurs my dad, as he spins it around in his hands.

Suddenly he pulls out a knife and hits my asteroid a few times. “Tough…” he murmurs once more.

‘I guess he also doesn’t know.’ I think to myself, while noticing the frowning face of my father.

I’m about to curse this damn rock, as I notice a change in my dads face. Like he just though an idea.

Instead of hitting it he scratches the surface with a blade of the knife and then immediately sniffs the rock.

Not able to contain my excitement any longer I ask him:” So, what do you think?”

“Hmm… It’s hard to tell. But this particular smell is something my father described to me in one of his stories, when I was young.” He says still looking at the rock wonderingly.

“What story?” I also add in my head: ‘For Pete’s sake, can’t you just tell it?’

“Well my father always was and is a blacksmith till the end. So even his stories always circled around metals or forges. He especially liked to tell me about Narilium, or more commonly known as a ‘Tear of the heaven’.” He pauses a bit before continuing.

“It is an extremely rare material, only found in rocks that fall from the sky, which requires a special melting method, only known by the best blacksmiths. By the way that old fool also learned it.” The last part he says with a small disdain.

“Anyway legend says that equipment made from that metal is practically indestructible, as it can’t be damaged by even a dragons breath. And this is not the end. Somehow it is naturally imbued with magic, which increases the wielders power and control over his inner energy. In other words Narilium is the most desirable material in the world by magicians and fighters alike.” With this he finally goes silent.

“And you think this is that Narilium?” I ask almost shaking from all the excitement.

“Well the smell and color is just like my father told, but… Narilium is so rare that there is maybe like a few hundred items made from it in the whole world. So to believe that you found some is really hard…” He says with a huge doubt in his voice.

“So… What should I do with this ‘Not 100% sure that it’s Narilium’?” I ask him.

“For now just hide it. Later if you still want to find out, you can travel to one of the Dwarven kingdoms or in worst case go and meet your grandfather…” From the tone of my father it sound that he would rather travel to the Dwarven kingdom than meet the grandfather.

‘I don’t know at this moment, am I supposed to laugh or cry?…’ I think to myself.

“Haaa… So where should I put it?” I ask my dad in a dispirited voice.

“Put it behind the chest under the stairs.” He says while pointing with a finger.

I take that, for some reason way heavier than before, lump back and walk to the wooden chest under the stairs.

As I’m putting it down behind the chest, I hear my mother climbing down the stairs. Most likely with a new set of my clothes.

I get up and for a few seconds still look at that black rock.

“Fuck this shit I’m going back to training.” I murmur under my nose before I turn around.

== End of chapter 25 ==

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P.S.: I will put only the nicknames from forum. So you will have to pm me to not stay anonymous.