Aric glanced around the room again. Most of the women kept their eyes downcast, but a few stole uneasy glances at Lilia.
Their discomfort was evident.
Turning slightly, he looked at her himself.
Her cheeks were swollen and bruised a deep purple, her lip was cracked and clotted with dried blood, and her hair hung in disarray, tangled and unkempt. The darkened skin around her right eye left it nearly swollen shut.
Yet, when she caught Aric looking, she smiled.
Aric swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. He averted his gaze quickly, forcing himself to focus on something else, anything else.
The women cloaked in dark hoods raised their arms and chanted as Lilia ascended the stairs.
At the top of the stairs stood an old woman he had seen from a distance.
Her face was deeply lined, her wrinkles so pronounced they looked etched into her skin. Her long gray hair flowed down her back, while her black robe, trimmed with faded yellow patterns, hung loosely over her frail frame.
"I see it's ye, youngin'…" the ancient woman spoke as she slowly rose to her feet.
Aric blinked, momentarily dazed, as the elder's gnarled hand reached out and touched his cheek.
A faint smile crept across her weathered face.
Aric scowled, trying to free himself. 'Why does everyone keep touching my cheeks?'
Without thinking, he snapped his gums toward her finger.
The elder paused for a second, then chuckled.
"Yer' a feisty one."
She then turned to Lilia. "Youngin', have ye birthed tis' child?"
Lilia stiffened, her hands fidgeting by her sides.
"No, Matriarch… I-I have not," she stammered. "I found him in the edges of the Whispering Forest, outside the northern gate."
Aric noticed the tremble in Lilia's voice as she spoke. He could tell that the old lady was clearly questioning about him.
'Hmm...'
Aric suddenly got a thought. 'Are these guys... maybe like social services?' If so, it was clear that Lilia was clearly unfit to care for Aric.
'They might take me away...'
The idea wasn't entirely unwelcome.
He turned his gaze toward Lilia, narrowing his eyes in thought.
Her situation was precarious at best, and staying with her meant dealing with that bastard Resol.
Guilt washed over him as he watched, but it wasn't enough to outweigh the practicality of being placed somewhere else.
If this temple did decide to send him to a more stable family, he wouldn't complain.
It would make learning about this world and learning of his strange dreams with Ethan much easier.
For now, knowledge was his priority, and sticking with Lilia wasn't going to get him closer to that goal.
'Then again,' he glanced the hooded women all around, 'there's a decent chance they're just going to sacrifice me to some dark god.'
The matriarch's gaze lingered on Aric. After a long pause, she turned back to Lilia. "Youngin', tell me honestly. Can you care for this chil-"
"Yes, Matriarch," Lilia said immediately, not even letting the elder finish.
The old woman's eyes widened slightly, before they returned to normal, slowly smiling "I see… I'm guessing ye have brought him for me to check if his alright?"
Lilia slowly nodded as the Lady stretched out her hand.
Closing her eyes, the light in the room dimmed, light accumulating to her outstretched palm.
'Wait… Isn't this familiar..'
Aric felt the hair on his arms stand on end, remembering the scene from the throne room. Watching a small, glowing orb form in her hand, Aric held his breath. The light was faint at first, like a single ember in a darkened hearth, but it grew steadily brighter, casting soft shadows across the room.
Aric watched in awe, unable to tear his gaze away.
The ball of light began break, as a web of cracks spread all around.
Soon, the light shattered into countless shards.
Aric's emerald eyes widened as he watched the crystalline fragments drift toward him. Each shard seemed to catch and refract the faintest hints of light, casting a cascade of colors in every direction.
At that moment, realisation finally dawned on him.
'I'm in a magical world.'
The elder's eyes remained closed, looking as if analysing something. After a brief pause, her brow furrowed slightly before softening into a faint smile. "Congratulations, dear," she paused, looking at Aric. "He is a healthy child."
Lilia exhaled sharply, relief washing over her like a wave. Her shoulders relaxed, and she offered a small, grateful smile. "However," The old lady spoke, her was a bit voice a bit more serious, "The youngin's anatomy is... unusual."
Lilia's pupils dilated, her face paling as her grip on Aric tightened. "W-What do you mean?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but—"
The elder hesitated for a moment before placing a steady hand on Lilia's shoulder, her wrinkled face lighting up with a kind smile."Congrats Lilia, your son is going to be a mage."
Lilia's eyes widened in disbelief, her breath catching as she stared at the old woman. Her hands trembled as she looked down at Aric, then back to the Matriarch, gripping him tighter as though afraid he might slip away. "Matriarch! Are you certain?!"
The elder gave a slow nod. "I've never seen a child in this thorp with an anatomy so naturally aligned to house a conduit. It's extraordinary, almost unheard of."
Lilia's lips curled into a huge smile as she looked into the boy's emerald eyes, poking the child's nose, "You heard that Aric? Your going to be a mage!"
***
'Ok, let's see… Donald explained how every Isekai protagonist can just feel the 'mana' around them. I just need to…' Aric released his shut eyes as a let out a primal shout.
"EYAHHH!!!!"
.
.
.
"Oh my god! Mom! Look at Aric! He is acting so cute right now!" Nessa squealed as she reached out to touch Aric's nose. 'This girl…' Aric snapped a head sidewards, narrowly dodging the life-threatening attack as he counterattacked with his special move "WAAHHHHHH!"
His wailing was ear-splitting, a perfect baby counter
"Nessa!" Lilia's voice rang from the furnace. "Stop making him cry, or you're doing extra chores!"
Nessa froze mid-pout, glaring daggers at the baby.
Aric looked at the reaction, before smirking.
"You cheeky rascal…" she muttered through gritted teeth, her fists clenching.
It has been four months since Aric had visited the temple.
A lot of questions were raised that day, however, a lot of questions were also answered that day. Aric's main question was if he was reincarnated in the same world as Ethan's summoning. It seemed he was seeing how similar Athior's spell and the lady's spell was. Of course, it is very possible that that was an alternate verse but chances are Ethan is somewhere in this world right now.
That also meant that Aric was indeed in the flat world from before. That certainly raised a lot of elementary questions. How does gravity work here? What happens if someone falls off the void, reaches the end of the world? How does a day and night system work? His main question, however, was how he arrived here?
The details aren't too vivid but he remembered the golden lights. Perhaps he will never know what they were, but he was curious nonetheless.
"Nessa!" Lilia stepped into the living room, her face brighter and healthier than before. Of course she did. Resol had not come back yet after that day. Aric's eyes drifted to Lilia's lower torso. But something else caught his eye.
A slight bulge in her lower torso.
'Oh yeah… Lilia looks pregnant.'
Aric squinted.
Wait.
His brain screeched to a halt.