by Naosu N R
But that made him scowl more. Maybe because the others don't say stuff like that to him.
"I can see a 'but' coming. I've been around. Don't patronize me," Dad said.
"Dad I'm not. Really. Its amazing what parents go through for their kids. But I'm not ready yet to go further. But I appreciate you and mom. Well if that's all, I have homework..." he interrupted me and then changed the subject.
"Son. Its time we tested you for magic compatibility," he said.
Oh. I thought it was another recruitment speech.
Magic compatibility does interest me.
And it interests my parents also. Part of that is because compatibility testing shows if I'm worth investing in or not. So this has me both excited and nervous at the same time.
"I thought you usually wait till after the 18th birthday?" I asked nervously, but trying to hide it.
"Well that's only a day or two away. We need to do it. The earlier the better. Already other relatives are worrying about it also. Actually, a lot of us thought that we should wait until only the 16th birthday, but this world has different laws and common sense than our old one. The physics of it only require you to be 16. Its just that with having magitek, a ton of other things sort of start to...well the 'temptations' involved make it so its better to test around 18. Let's leave it at that," he said, sort of purposely vague and obviously not wanting to talk about certain things.
"What...what are you talking about?" I asked.
"I'll explain. Come with me," he said, with a 'you can't say no' type of demeanor.
We began walking together across the mansion. It ends up that we're headed towards the library. And then he takes me inside it.
Our library is pretty cool actually. Its as big as the high school's library. Having a library and a gym both, also is one of the reasons that mom and dad really wanted to have a big mansion for.
They also like having knowledge. But not because of being researchers, but so they can acquire more power and wealth.
They are really uptight about discipline and work also. So even though we have TVs in the house, they don't really like us to use them, as they are for guests and when we are entertaining guests.
We also have a pool also, which mom and my sister use a lot.
But right now what I'm interested in this testing thing that dad's going to do.
Even though I don't want to join 'the company', I'm pretty interested in magic. I'd always been since I found out it was real by accident a few years ago, when they slipped up in hiding it from me.
Dad pulled me over to the wall.
"So you're mom will also answer any questions you may have about this. I will to. But her point of view might help you more than mine will. I just thought I should tell you that," he said.
"OK."
"OK? What do you mean? Its the first time hearing about magic and you should be freaking out. Why aren't you?" dad's eyes narrowed as he's looking at me funny. He's giving me a scrutinizing look right now, but not entirely displeased either.
"Well, the truth is I've known the family had magic since I was about 13. You guys just aren't very good at keeping secrets. You guys blab about it constantly when you think I'm not here, and often I really was," I said.
"Did your brothers have anything to do with this?" dad asked, looking like he's about to enter punishment mode.
I looked down.
"Answer me please," he said.
"Well, I don't want to get them in trouble," I said sweating it.
"..."
"Maybe a little. But sometimes you and mom screwed up too," I said.
"I guess that's reasonable. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep the secret forever also. Its just too big and we use magitek or magic as some people call it in everything we do," he sighed.
"Do you know anything else other than that?" dad's trying to read me again.
I began to worry. "Th-that's about all I know."
"Are you sure?"
"Should I know more than that? I'm not falling behind am I?" I asked sheepishly.
"Well that's OK. You're a good son. And I'm actually relieved you know something. That way I don't have to prove to you that 'magic is real'. That's such a pain in the ass. My brother had to prove it to your dumb cousin. It didn't go over well," dad shivered.
We both laughed.
But then dad got serious again. "OK, well we need to test you. I confess I know you have high latent magic power, but I don't know your element specialization. And that's important, half the battle even. But also I need to tell you the family history. The real family history. And that's part of why we have to keep a lid on everything, until people are old enough to know keeping our secrets is life and death. And there's a reason why we wait so long to tell it to you."
"OK...?" I started to worry again. (I already know they are evil but I have to hide it. And I was hoping to avoid this conversation.)
"Please bear in mind, I am entirely very serious in every way and of sound mind, son," I said.
"Right..."
"Do you know where our family comes from?" dad asked.
"Uh, Wales right? Weren't they Celtic people? Maybe druids?" I asked.
Dad shook his head, facepalming. "No. Jeez, what the hell are they teaching in schools now days. Where did you hear that blush...nonsense from? That sounds lame also. At least make us sound cool. You make it sound like our clan was some kind of bull shit medieval tree hugger types that should be put down." He spat in frustration also to the side in disgust.
"Right. Sorry..."
"Its OK. Don't worry. We're proud of you as good parents," dad said.
"So Wales is a no then? And druids are out too? Which is it, or both?" I asked.
"If we were playing darts, your answer didn't even hit the wall the target is on," dad said.
"Well Europe works right?" I asked.
Surprisingly dad shook his head no. "No. Actually we're not actually Europeans, even though we look like them."
"Really...?"
"Where do you think we came from?" Dad asked me. He's in a playful, I'm smart mood, showing off.
"Well...if we look European, but didn't come from Europe then how...? And I'd thought druids was the only option that explained anything," I asked.
Dad chuckled.
"Russia?" I guessed.
He shook his head no. "Forget that druid bull shit also. Those guys are... right your mom doesn't want me to swear around you," he coughed into his hand.
"But Williams is a name from the British Isles right?" I asked.
"We picked Williams because its one of the most common family names in the world when we came here. It lets us blend in easy. So that's why we're 'Williams-es'. When you look through a phone book in the US or Canada, for example, you'll see certain names fill the pages, like Williams, Johnson, Brown, or Smith. So with a name like that we can blend in, get it?" dad said.
"OK..."
We this is a lot to take in. I just listened while processing it.
I'd never considered the rabbit hole was so deep that even our names were fake too!
What's our real name then?
!
He didn't tell me that, however.
"All right, all right. I'll explain it clearly," dad chuckled, clearly enjoying this too much.
He then reached out for an old leather bound book on the shelf. This one is rather large and black with a coat of arms on the front that I'd never seen before. Its also covered with dust.
It looks kind of cool, for an old book. Well made, and thick, and with a nice beautiful cover. Obviously also expensive with super craftsmanship.
This means also the family secrets are big to have cool books like this that held them.
But its not a Bible, like I'd expected.
He opened it and I see its written in an odd language of interesting script, full of text that looks sort of cursive and weird with the letters chained together with beautiful calligraphy.
What beautiful script...
though I can't read it. And its a very old book, well made but old and cool looking like you'd see in a treasure hunt.
"That's not Latin. And not English," I said right away.
"That's right! Good job! You are already smarter than your brothers," dad chuckled.
"But I didn't guess it," I said.
"You came closer than they did. You already had some exposure seeing other languages enough to at least know what it wasn't. What else can you tell about this script?" dad asked, showing me a few pages in the book.
Weird.
Most of the old book is picture less. But on a few pages there are black and white pencil drawings of stuff like creatures.
I frowned, confused.
But on one of the pages I was surprised when I saw a...
"That's a wyvern, not a dragon," dad corrected. "They are very similar though."
"You're sure?"
"Look at the size. Dragons are much bigger, though the wyvern does look big, huge even to those who don't know much about them. They are also quite fantastic like dragons but people just don't notice the #2 spot much. In some ways wyverns are easier to work with, because they don't have as much pride from being caught in the #2 spot, yet still have tons of destructive power. That's why we liked them in the past as a clan," he added.
He turned the page.
But then I stopped him.
"Wait, how true to the actual creature is the art design? Do they really look like that?" I asked.
Dad hesitated a bit. "Your grandfather said they do look like that. But I haven't worked with one up close thoroughly like that myself. Some day I hope to." He glanced at me.
Weird...
Tricky wording like that, I don't know if he's being evasive or telling me straight.
The next page is turned, showing another rather well drawn picture. This one is showing a rather large ominous looking castle. This old book is so cool. The calligraphy and the art on the fine paper is beautiful.
"Wait go back to that drawing. You missed something obvious," dad said.
I turned back to the castle.
It took me a minute.
"OH!" I said, finally seeing it.
"3 moons, asteroid belt around the world visible in the day time sky, and a blood red sun," dad said while I was also noticing it.
"A-are you saying we're not from Earth?" I asked dad. "But that's impos-..."
"Bingo!" dad said loudly.
What...?
I stared in shock with my mouth open. I'd guessed that, but didn't really expect that it would be the right answer. I'd thought I was still eliminating possibilities when I'd said it, and thought it would be something else.
But dad's reaction shows its right. "Not from Earth," he said clearly and enunciated looking me in the eye.
"Y-you aren't serious," I said.
"Look at all the signals. Genes that look like people from European genetics, but not from Europe or the Middle East, and no links to them. In fact, avoid DNA tests all together, because it will confuse people who have training in such fields, and could cause problems trying to identify who or what we are. A script in our book of family history that's not readable or identifiable to anyone from Earth and not matching any scripts used in this world's history. Magic that comes from a primal source, rather than the government regulated magitek system. And our magic levels are way beyond what a normal human can do even when they do have access to magic," dad said.
I knew what he was referring to.
The magitek system of the people and of this world was heavily regulated and controlled. It was thought to be only usable by a rare few talented and lucky people.
People also had to buy the programs also, which were expensive.
They could craft and acquire such things themselves through leveling up, but it wouldn't be easy.
And not many people had compatibility to be able to use it. It was thought to be less than 1 out of 1,000 people being able to have this time of special compatibility. This world also had only recently discovered magitek, by using cloning research off supernaturals, when they were discovered.
It was considered both to be near celebrity status to have any kind of magitek, despite the low compatibility with it.
"Its actually a good thing, no one has figured out our DNA haplogroup doesn't match with anything here on Earth," dad muttered something scientific to himself just then that I'd have to look up later.
"So if we didn't come from Earth, then..." I started to say.
"The truth is, the Hero tribe fought against our family clan ancestors on another world. We'd been using this time to regroup, train, and get ready to fight back and take our revenge. We need, no deserve to take back what's rightfully ours! We uh...didn't do well against the hero clan in the wars there, and had to flee after losses at that time, which was a long time ago. But that's in the past, we're smarter and more cunning than we used to be. We're leveling up and getting stronger. Although our weakness that caused our defeats wasn't our strength in magic and battle; we just didn't have as many allies and numbers as the hero tribe did. And they had better lands also to support their armies, to give them the infrastructure to rival us, which led to our having a harder uphill fight to keep up with them. At that time, there was an underground world on this world also, and our spies had known about this world also and done scouting missions here as a fall back position. So we did; the so called 'murim underworld', is hiding among the Earth peoples while we level up and gain back our stretch. That was how we fled here," dad said.
"What do you mean by underground?" I asked.
"You've heard of the idea how some people have certain abilities or skills? Or some stories about some underground 'murim' groups? Some people have created stories about this on the net, often associated with martial arts and magic. The problem is its real," dad said.
"What?! How can it be real?" I asked.
"Murim is more like saying a type of 'underground supernatural world'. The comic books copied it from the real thing, which is why sometimes those types of authors disappear without a trace, or when they stop writing a good story, its because they've been 'hushed up'. Some of them were wanna-be’s in this under world system also, having to rely on comic book income because they weren't powerful enough to support themselves by real dungeon adventuring. We don't like it when they write about us. Of course you didn't hear that from me, understand," dad sneered showing his true color.
(Best not to agitate him when he's like this...)
"So we're from another world..." I said aloud trying to comprehend it, shaking my head.
I never would have guessed that part on my own. It was too well hidden.
"I know it sounds hard to fathom. But remember, our clan also is one of the only types of people with both magitek compatibility AND we can do fire or offense spells with higher stats," dad said. "This is one of the biggest proofs we have that we're really not from Earth."
Technically Earth mages supposedly can do a machine-less magitek system also. But its quite hard to get up to the point of having really solid magic for them.
"Whoa. That's amazing," I admitted, now that I understood it.
"So what is the murim world anyway? And why were driven to this world?" I asked.
(I noticed he's avoiding saying our family is evil. Maybe he doesn't want me to be aware of it. He probably hopes to hide that underneath all the 'bling and riches', which worked on my brothers. But if a hero fought against our family, and if we're evil, it explains why some hero on another world would fight us? But that's also sobering, because it means our family has enemies also.)
"For starters, don't worry too much about it. We were driven to this world by losing a long war that lasted for many, many years. But we're still trying our best. We have a loving family also. We take care of each other. We have an edge in this world, since its mana is lower than the world we came from. This is why if you actually train hard, not many can fight you one on one. But beware, in the past the Hero tribe
made up for this by ganging up on us," dad told me.
He went into it for several minutes describing some epic battles in our history. We didn't always lose against the hero tribe for example. And many times we'd won on the other world, though that was centuries ago.
...
He could see I was having a hard time with it as we talked, trying to win me over. So he pulled out his cell phone and called mom.