Chapter 8: Headed to the Academy
Training with Estes had ended late in the night. This was, after all, the last day Finn had to prepare for the harrowing life of the military Academy.
He hurried back home from the fields, the ancient crude sword resting in its scabbard, knowing his mother would be worried sick about his whereabouts.
Entering the house with a quick, loud barge of the door, Finn stared around the dimly lit interior, expecting to see his mother’s worried face.
Instead, things were quite... different.
He did not meet with the worried face of his mother. Instead, he stared at her seated at the dinner table in the distance. Her empty expression slowly transformed into a prideful stare the moment she saw him.
The next thing that came crashing down on Finn was the rich, savory smell of his favorite dish.
Two bowls of hot, steaming Green Mushroom stew sat on the table, with wooden cups placed neatly beside the plates.
Finn shut the door and walked over to the table in mesmerization.
"Welcome back, my mighty hero," his mother Tera said, her voice warm with praise.
Finn’s lips curled into a smile. "What’s the celebration for? You don’t need to give me a send-off dinner for the Academy tomorrow. If you had told me, I would have refused all this."
Making Green Mushroom stew was a lot of hard work, especially the cooking process, which was far more sophisticated than simply throwing ingredients into a pot.
Aside from that, there was the cost.
He felt bad for putting her under so much pressure just to see him off properly.
Tera narrowed her eyes, tilting her head playfully. "Oh my sweet boy," she giggled. "Always caring for others while not looking out for yourself. I chose to do all this of my own accord."
Finn grumbled, "Sure, but next time ask."
He took a seat at the table, removing his scabbard and tossing the sword onto the ground close to his chair.
He could have sworn he heard an angry growl when the sword hit the floor.
But he swiftly dismissed it, picking up his wooden spoon and dipping it into the thick, custard-like surface of the Green stew. He scooped a sizeable amount of the Green mushroom along with the strange custard, then put it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring every inch of the sweet, meat-like flavor the mushroom gave.
"No matter how many times I taste this, it always turns out more amazing than the last. Hmmmph," Finn stuffed another spoonful into his mouth, causing his remaining words to come out in a muffled tone.
While he ate, Tera Vaywill simply watched, her hand resting against her cheek and her proud smile unwavering.
"That woman you were with in the fields—is she your Guardian?"
Finn gagged on the pieces of savory meat. Then, reluctantly, he answered, "Yes."
Tera kept the same smile for a lingering moment. "I see."
Finn swallowed hard, watching his mother’s reaction. If it were any mundane human, he was sure they would have freaked out by now. A Human Guardian—or at least one that seemed humanoid—was something that had never occurred before.
With the way Tera remained calm, maybe it was not that big of a deal, Finn imagined.
"It’s nice to see you have improved thanks to your guardian," Tera continued.
She must have left the house before Finn had concluded his training. Worried and anxious, she had gone out to find him, fearing the worst, only to discover him training with Estes instead.
"I have improved a little, I guess," Finn said, his voice low and unsure, his eyes staring at the half-devoured plate of Green Mushroom stew before him.
"However, Finn, I would like to ask something of you," Tera said, her tone changing all of a sudden.
Finn stared at his mother. Her countenance now held a cold yet dangerous expression as she spoke.
"I don’t know much about Guardians, but having a human being as a Guardian is something I have never heard of before," she paused, her eyes narrowing further. "Keep that a secret unless it becomes necessary. I don’t know what I will do to myself if anything bad happens to you."
Finn nodded. "I won’t. I swear. I’ll keep Estes a secret."
Tera’s lips curled slightly. "You might not like it, but you have the same fighting spirit your father possessed. Strong, just, and always finding a way to solve all problems. You are even as reassuring as he was..."
She stretched her hand over and caressed Finn’s cheek. "Don’t let anyone take that part of you away from me."
"I won’t," Finn replied firmly.
Tera smiled once again, pulling back from Finn. Then she rose from her seat, stretched her arms, and yawned.
"I’ll be off to bed. You made me stay up so late," his mother said with a playful voice as she walked away from the dinner table.
Finn paused, his eyes drifting from his mother back to the table, where her food still lay untouched.
He hurriedly turned to speak. "Mum, your food?"
Tera giggled, a hand over her lips as she continued walking toward her room. "Don’t be silly, Finn. I stayed up late, but I didn’t starve. Besides, let our visitor have it. She deserves that much."
With that, his mother climbed up the stairs and disappeared onto the next floor of the house.
Finn sighed, turning back to the table.
"..."
Munch!
Munch!
Munch!
There, on the other side of the table, Estes was already devouring the other bowl of Green Mushroom stew with greedy delight.
"Oh my! Oh my! Now I see why you love this thing. Who would have known mushrooms could evolve into such good meat over time!" Estes commented between bites.
Finn reluctantly smiled, his eyes falling back to his own dish and slowly searching its contents.
"Do you think I am ready for the Academy in my current state?"
Estes paused for a second, dropping the wooden spoon back into her plate and thinking carefully. Before she finally replied.
"You have grown more significantly than you can tell," she began.
"But I can see it. You are already halfway there to surpassing them all. Just wait and see, Finn Vaywill. Your potential is limitless."
