Volume 1 Chapter 1: Part 2: Fates Changing

 

The next day, 

 

"Uggghh." As the sun shines down on Onyx's face, the boy begins to wake up from his slumber. Well, the sun did play a role. But there was something else. 

 

"Onyx! Get up!" The constant shouting of his mother downstairs made it impossible for him to go back to sleep. 

 

Can't I get a break? Onyx has a big headache from yesterday's event. The amount of food he ate and how crazy they were going, the after-effects kicked in now. Instead of getting out of bed like a proper human, the man rolls out like a bug. It took him a few minutes to pick himself up from the ground.

 

As Onyx walks down the stairs, he wonders why his mother shouted so loud in the morning.

 

"Mom, why did you call me out so early?" From how the sun looked, Onyx knew it was too early for him to get up. He should be in his bed, snuggling into it and having a good sleep. 

 

But when he got downstairs, he understood why his mother kept calling him. 

 

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?" The person who was waiting downstairs was Irene.

 

But that wasn't all. Onyx didn't answer her as he continued to stare at her. Irene was wearing an apron! Instead of having her usual angelic aura, she has the housewife aura while holding a spatula.

 

"Uhh yeah." Getting hit by such a sight so early, Onyx's brain couldn't handle it. The smile just made it worse. 

 

Seeing how Onyx is staring at her so hard, Irene blushes,

 

"Does the apron look good on me?" Twirling herself around, this just made Onyx spellbound by her even more.

 

"Y-yeah, it looks really nice on you. Too good, to be honest. You look like a real wife." The moment Onyx says this, he instantly regrets it. The atmosphere turns increasingly awkward and embarrassing. 

 

"Really? Then I don't mind becoming a real wife. But who would be my husband?" Irene makes a mischievous smile. She already knew who she wanted. Before the scene could turn into a pink one, Emilia came out of the kitchen with a bunch of boiled eggs,

 

"Onyx, Stop staring at Irene with those googly eyes? Come and set up the table." When she says this, the two blush in embarrassment. 

 

Taking the eggs off Emilia's hands, Onyx places them on the table and sets the table up. Irene helped him as well. 

 

"Why did you come here so early?" Besides the boiled eggs, there was already a lot of food on the table. Irene should have come to his house an hour or two ago.

 

Irene puffs up her chest and tells him, "Of course. I came here to wake you up. I can't let you be late for our skill check."  Emilia came out of the kitchen and heard what she said. She couldn't help but praise her,

 

"Irene, you're such a wonderful girl. My son is so lucky to have a childhood friend like you." When looking at Irene right now, you have the homely and kind-hearted angel helping her out with the cooking. 

 

While on the other side, Onyx is still half-asleep.

 

If it weren't for the girl in front of him, he might have even slept on the floor. Comparing the two, Emilia couldn't help but shake her head at how useless her son was.

 

Irene smiles brightly, "Aunty, I'm happy being friends with Onyx. He's somebody that always helps me when I'm in trouble."

 

But Emilia didn't believe it. She shakes her head, "Irene, you're too good for my idiot son. If he could marry you, then his life will be set."

 

Hearing this, Irene almost shouted out that she would marry him if it was ok. 

 

While the two act like mother and daughter, Onyx finishes setting up the table. He asks, "What else do I have to do?"

 

"How about you change first before you start eating?" Onyx was still in his pajamas, and that ruffled-up bed hair will also need some good tidying up. He looks like a wild lion.

 

"Ok." Onyx went back up and got changed. 

 

And when he came back down, Emilia looked at her son so strangely.

 

"What?"

 

"What are you wearing?"

 

"Huh? These are my everyday clothes." Onyx was confused why his mother was looking at him like he was an out-of-place animal.

 

"Why are you wearing your everyday clothes?! Go wear your nicer outfit!" Emilia can't believe how carefree her son was acting for today.

 

"Ehhh. Do I have to?" They all have formal wear. It's for special occasions and celebrations. But Onyx didn't like the clothing one bit.

 

"Of course, you have to wear it. I bet everybody going there will be dressed formally. You'll stick out like a sore thumb if you dress like that." 

 

Today was the most special day for anybody. Emilia wasn't going to let his son look like a country pumpkin. 

 

"Go get change now!"

 

Onyx didn't want to change. He tries to change the subject. He asks, "Mom, where is Irene?" There was no sound coming from the kitchen, and he couldn't see her either.

 

Did she really come all the way here just to cook for us and then leave?! If she did that, then Onyx owes her one. 

 

"Unlike you, your little sweetheart knows how important this day is. She went back home to get dressed. She will come back in a few minutes." Emilia shakes her head. Just a slight disappearance from Irene was enough to shake her son up.

 

"So go get change. Do you want to embarrass Irene? Also, call Wyatt and Lily to come down as well. Your father and brother will be back in a couple of minutes." Emilia didn't let Onyx say anything else as she pushed him by the shoulders and up the stairs.

 

"Alright." Onyx went back up to his room and changed into his formal wear. 

 

It took him five minutes. 

 

Coming back down, Onyx carries Wyatt and Lily in each of his hands. The two of them still looked to be asleep, forcing Onyx to hold them. 

 

Seeing how Onyx was dressed up, Emilia makes a smile, "See. You look so handsome now. Now come here and sit down."

 

Onyx didn't respond to Emilia. Actually, he didn't hear her at all. He becomes deadpan as he stares at Irene. She wore a beautiful light blue dress, amplifying her brightness ten-fold. He couldn't believe his eyes. 

 

I think I might go blind. Even though Onyx feels he'll lose his eyesight. Even though he sees her every day, somehow, she one-ups herself. 

 

The person to break the silence was Lily. She shouts out, "Big sister, you look so pretty." Getting out of Onyx's grasp, Lily ran up to Irene and gave her a tackle hug.

 

Catching her, Irene gave Lily the biggest hug ever, "Aww, thank you. You're so adorable right now too!"

 

Naturally, when Onyx and Irene are together, Lily would tag along with them from time to time. The two of them become so close together, like sisters. 

 

"Come now. Let's eat." Douglas says, causing everybody to sit around the table. 

 

While they eat, Irene asks Douglas, "Uncle, what will happen when we get our skills?" She wants to be ready for anything that will happen to her. 

 

"...It will be normal. That's all I can tell you." But what was really on his mind was that he didn't want to tell the child he forgot what happened when he got the skills. 

 

Noah adds to the conversation, "You two are definitely going to have the time of your life when you get it." 

 

Onyx was slightly curious as well. He asks Noah, "What's going to happen to us?" 

 

"You're going to get bammed, whammed, and then there's a big shazam!"

 

"....." Noah was the wrong person to ask about this. The more he adds, the more Onyx and Irene are confused. 

 

Before Noah could continue with his sound effects, William slaps him in the head.

 

"Stop confusing the kids." Even he was getting confused with the description. What kind of experience did you have?!

 

William turns to the two, "Onyx, Irene, I don't think we are the right people to explain it to you guys. When you guys get your skills, the head priest will explain everything. So just relax and don't get anxious." 

 

"Ok." That was a much better explanation. But even if Wiliam didn't say anything about it, Onyx still wouldn't care. 

 

"Thank you very much, big brother." Noah's and William's descriptions made all of Irene's worries go away. Nobody said anything anymore as they ate. 

 

Before Long, Irene and Onyx headed out. While the two of them walked, Onyx couldn't help but unbutton his collar. 

 

"Seriously. Why did mom make me wear this?" Gripping onto the clothing, Onyx couldn't stand being in the monkey suit. It was just too uncomfortable. 

 

Hearing him say this, Irene chuckles, 

 

"I get why aunty made you wear them. You look good in those clothes."

 

"Nah, these clothes don't suit me. You, on the other hand, look really cute in that dress."  Seeing how beautiful Irene looked in that dress brought a warm feeling to his heart. What's more, he can see the villagers staring at them.

 

Irene smiles brightly, "Ehehe, I have to look beautiful today. After all, today will be the day I will become the greatest."

 

Do you think I will wear my usual clothing for today?! Today is the day the two will be together forever. And she's ready to show it off to everybody.

 

Thankfully, aunty listened to my words and forced Onyx into those clothes.

 

Yes, the person who forced Onyx into those clothes was Irene. She wants Onyx to look his best. It's to show the other girls they will never have that.

 

As Irene thinks about how to monopolize Onyx even more, Onyx stops moving.

 

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

 

"Shouldn't the two of you come out now?" Onyx turns around and stares down at a house. Irene turned around, but she saw nothing.

 

Are people following us again? This wasn't the first time people had been following the two. Unlike Irene, who didn't think it was a problem, Onyx, on the other hand, thinks it's a problem. 

 

After a few minutes, nobody came out. Onyx raises his brows as he threatens, "If the two of you don't come out the moment I count down from 5, it'll be worse for you guys."

 

"5....4.....3.....2....." Before Onyx could finish counting down, the people came out from the corner of the house. It was Wyatt and Lily. From their expressions, they didn't expect to get caught so quickly. 

 

"Heh. Big brother is so amazing. I can't believe you caught us." Wyatt thought for sure they had hidden in the perfect spot. 

 

"Do you think you can follow us without hiding your shadows?" Onyx scoffs at his little brother. Onyx has always been on high alert whenever he walks with Irene. Trying to figure out who was following them. 

 

While the two walk, Onyx can see two little shadows following behind him. 

 

"So why are the two of you following us?" 

 

Wyatt's eyes shined, "We want to see what kind of skills you will get, big brother!" From what Noah said, it made Wyatt really excited.

 

Lily nods to it as well. 

 

However, Onyx shakes his head, "You two go back home. It's going to get really boring." But Wyatt didn't budge.

 

"No! I wanna, I wanna!" Wyatt throws a huge fit, not wanting to leave. Onyx's expression turns strained from the temper tantrum. He knew this was going to get annoying. As he was about to pick him up,

 

"How about we just bring them with us. It's not like these cuties are going to be a bother. We'll just go in one by one, so one of us could watch them." The moment Irene said this, Wyatt immediately jumped into her arms!

 

"Yay! Sister Irene is the best!" Irene smiles from the compliment as she strokes his head. The two didn't seem to care about the expression Onyx made.

 

Onyx was going to tell them to go back still, but Lily tugged on his sleeves,

 

"Big brother, can we really not come?" No mortal can say no to those eyes. With Lily, it became 3 to 1. Onyx is in a losing battle

 

"...Fine. Let's go." Rather than wasting his breath even more, it's just better to let the children come with them. The three of them smile so cheerfully. While Onyx's the only person shaking his head. 

 

The two continue to move on to the church, this time plus two. As they walked through the village to get there, everybody greeted them like yesterday. The handouts they were getting were too much.

 

When the four have got to the church, Onyx couldn't help but sigh,

 

I knew it. 

 

In front of the church, there was a large number of people. All these people waited in line for their skills. From what Onyx could see, there should be at least 50 or so people. Some waited around while others had already gotten their skills. They were showing it off.

 

Some of the kids broke bricks with ease, showing off their strength. Others jump around a few feet high. Peer joy was on their face.

 

However, others weren't so lucky. Some are crying because they couldn't get a good skill. 

 

This is going to take a long time. With how many people still needed to check for their skills, it would take hours to be their turn. That alone could make Onyx sigh all day. 

 

That's why I didn't want to come here so early. 

 

The moment he goes home, Onyx decides he will nag at his mother for making him come so early.

 

While Onyx gripes over this, the children have the opposite expression to Onyx. 

 

Wyatt has an exciting look from seeing how other people use their skills. It was super cool to him. He wanted to go closer to see it up close. 

 

While Lily stays close to Irene: scared something will happen if she gets too close. But her expression couldn't hide her curiosity. 

 

"How about we go somewhere else after Irene and I sign in?" Given the amount of time they had to wait, Onyx didn't want Lily and Wyatt to be tired from waiting too long. 

 

Lily nods her head, and Wyatt just ignores Onyx. Onyx sighs as he picks up Wyatt in his arm, 

 

"Hey! Big bro! What are you doing?" As Wyatt squirms around, Onyx doesn't care as he carries him like a bag. The four walk over to the front desk.

 

"Hello, are the two of you having your skills checked?" Nodding their heads, the priest continues,

 

"Please put your hands onto this orb and say your age and name." Onyx was about to ask what the orb does,

 

"Sorry, but you aren't 15-years-old. Please leave." 

 

"No! I am 15 years old! That orb of yours is making an error!" Turning to see the commotion, Onyx saw the guy. His expression turns weird, 

 

Are you serious right now? The guy looks nothing like a 15-year-old. And he isn't alone as the rest look at him weirdly too, 

 

What the?! How could you be shameless enough to say that you are 15-year-old! 

 

Anybody with a good eye could clearly tell that he was a middle-aged man. 

 

But Onyx isn't focused on the guy as he's more focused on the orb. The color of it changed to red. 

 

"Hah, there are always people like that. Trying to sneak their way. Even though it doesn't matter if they get their skills checked again. It's still the same." 

 

"How dare you!" The guy was about to punch the priest's face for denying him. Before he could do it, an arm grabbed his fist, and immediately, the guy went flying through the air!

 

"Nobody will be hurting the priests." The person was dressed all white, with bits of iron armor covering his vital points. On the iron armor, there were ceremonial markings. 

 

"Did that fool forget we have the knights from the Espoir kingdom here to help bodyguard us?" Besides the Holy Land priests being at the village, the Espoir kingdom sent some knights to help keep security.

 

When Wyatt saw what the knight did to the guy, his mouth went wide. Irene's eyes were sparkling,

 

I want to have power like that.

 

The priest continues to shake his head at how foolish the adult was. Turning back to Onyx and Irene, he explains,

 

"This orb will tell you if you are lying about your age. If it glows red, then you are lying. If it's blank, then it's the truth." Hearing this, Onyx and Irene got a clearer picture of what the orb does. They said their name and age.

 

When the orb was blank as they said their name and age, the priest handed them a piece of paper,

 

"When these papers shine dimly, please return back here." Given the number of people, it will definitely take till noon for it to be done.  

 

The four of them were about to leave, but then they heard something,

 

"Well, if it isn't the farmer boy!"