Chapter 52: The new beginning
Three more days pass as William treasures every moment with his family. Then, at last, the day he both anticipates and dreads arrives with a knock at the door.
Rob opens it to find Mark standing on the threshold, wearing his usual lazy expression.Rob's face instantly turns serious. “Is it time?”
Mark simply nods. His gaze drifts past Rob's shoulder, where Gretchen is glaring at him from inside the house. He answers it with the same unbothered smile.
Gretchen disappears into the house for a moment before returning with William. A travel pack almost too large for his frame hangs from his shoulders. Trailing behind him are Emma, Craig, and Matt.
A heavy silence settles over the doorway as everyone, including William, realizes that he is truly leaving.
Rob is the first to break it. He walks over and gives William's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“Don't worry, we'll all be just fine.” Rob smiles, though the weight in his eyes never leaves. “You should just focus on yourself.”
William looks up at him, swallowing past the knot in his throat before giving a quiet nod.
“Dad is right,” Matt says, stepping forward with his usual calm, steady presence. “We'll take care of things here. You just worry about yourself.” He gives William a firm, reassuring nod.
Beside him, Craig nods in quiet agreement, meeting William's eyes with a look of unwavering support.
Emma fidgets with her fingers, looking up at William with wide, anxious eyes.
“I will learn how to read and write,” she says, her voice small but determined. “So make sure to send me letters every month, okay?”
“I promise,” William answers softly.
At last, Gretchen walks up to him. She pulls him into a tight embrace, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead before resting her hand against the side of his face.
“Don't stay up late at night, or you'll catch a cold,” she whispers. Her eyes drift over the heavy travel pack on his back as if making sure he hasn't forgotten anything.
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William looks at each of them one last time, committing their faces to memory. Carrying the warmth of home in his heart, he turns, steps through the doorway, and walks into the morning light.
Following Mark, William walks through the valleys beyond the town. The morning breeze brushes past them, but neither speaks for a while.Noticing the somber look on William's face, Mark lets out a quiet sigh.
“Kid, they'll be fine. The only person you should be worrying about right now is yourself.”William looks up at him before lowering his gaze again.“I know... but...”
“Well, I can't say I don't understand,” Mark says with a faint smile. “I've been in your shoes before.”
He was a student once too, William thinks. And from what he told me, he was born a commoner. There was no way he could've known anything about magic before someone from the academy found him.
The thought reminds William of something that had been bothering him since Mark visited his house.“Is your name really Mark?” he asks. “You signed a completely different name on the agreement.”Mark glances at him from the corner of his eye.
“Being a mage requires a flexible identity. Most mages have several of them—a clerk, a merchant, an artist... whatever best suits the job they're doing.”William's eyes widen.“So you have other identities too?”
“I do.” A smug smile spreads across Mark's face. “Want me to tell you about them?”William nods eagerly.Mark's grin grows wider.“Too bad, kid. We've reached our destination.”William looks ahead to find a single carriage waiting outside the town gates.
“Is that it?” he asks. “Aren't there supposed to be more people?”“There are,” Mark replies as he climbs into the carriage. “We'll meet them once we reach the main road.”He pauses before looking back at William with a mischievous smile.
“And you're not the only student in this carriage. There's another kid inside.”
Mark chuckles.“Fair warning—he's even more annoying than you. I'm pretty sure he's physically incapable of keeping his mouth shut.”
William steps into the carriage with a skeptical look on his face. Inside sits a portly boy about his own age. Judging by his clothes, he looks like a noble—or at least what William imagines a noble should look like. He wears a bright yellow shirt beneath a finely tailored golden coat, polished leather shoes, several silver rings, and a thick gold chain draped around his neck.
The moment William appears, the boy's face lights up with excitement. He immediately leans forward until their faces are only a short distance apart.“Hello! I'm Edward. What's your name?”
Caught off guard by the boy's blunt enthusiasm, William instinctively leans back. Maybe Mark was right, he thinks.
After a brief pause, he takes the seat opposite the boy.
“Hello. My name is William.”Before either of them can say anything else, the carriage lurches forward, signaling the start of their journey.