Sharia's Dawn

[Rudeus's perspective]

By the time the carriage stopped at Sharia's gates, the sun had begun to sink in the west.

The gate was small, barely wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side. The guard glanced at the pass Paul handed him, then waved us through.

The carriage continued onward.

Sharia and Rapan were worlds apart. The air in Rapan was extremely dry, but here it carried the damp scent of grass and trees. Trees lined the streets, and fruit sellers called out beneath their shade. A child ran past, chasing a dog from another street with half a piece of bread still in his mouth.

The carriage turned a few corners and stopped on a quiet street.

Paul jumped down from the carriage and used his right hand to unfasten the reins from the shaft. His left sleeve, pinned to his shoulder, swung emptily.

"We're here."

He glanced back at me. The corners of his mouth lifted, but his smile looked a little awkward.

"This is it."

I stood in front of the carriage, looking at the house before me.

It was a two-story stone house, with ivy climbing halfway up its gray-white walls. A low stone wall enclosed the yard, reaching about as high as my waist. A crooked tree stood in one corner, its trunk bent like an old man stooped by the wind. The iron gate was half open, and an old wooden plaque hung from one of its posts, with nothing written on it.

"From today on, this is home."

I stood there for a long while.

It had been exactly three years since the night we disappeared from Fittoa Territory. A lot had happened, and we had lost a lot, but my family was still here. That was enough.

I looked at the house before me. It wasn't grand; it could even be called a little old. But it was a home that could hold all of us.

Eris jumped down from the carriage. She landed lightly, making almost no sound. She looked at the house, then at me.

"Going in?"

"Yeah."

I pushed open the iron gate, and it creaked.

There was a small open space in the yard, covered with gravel. Two wooden chairs sat beneath a crooked tree, a layer of dust on their seats. On the right side of the yard was a stone well, with a wooden bucket beside it.

Talhand jumped down from the carriage with three large chests on his shoulders, carrying all three by himself as though they were sacks of cotton. He set them down in the open space and said in a muffled voice, "I'll move the big things first."

The first thing Aisha did after jumping down from the carriage was rush into the house. A few minutes later, a window opened. Aisha leaned out, her wine-red hair tied in a ponytail and a smudge of dust on her cheek.

"Big brother! Sister-in-law! Come on in! I've opened all the windows!"

Her voice came from the second floor. I looked up and saw three windows, the middle one the largest. Aisha was leaning halfway out of it, a rag still in her hand.

"That's our room. Paul said that since Eris and I are engaged and would be living together, we ought to have the biggest room."

I looked back at Eris. She stood in the middle of the yard, gazing up at the crooked tree. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling her crimson hair.

"Come on, let's go see our home," I said.

"Yeah."

We went into the house.

The living room on the first floor wasn't very large, but it had enough space for a long table and a few chairs. A coarse pottery vase stood at one end of the table, holding a few dried flowers. Lilia had probably put them there earlier and hadn't had time to replace them. A door on the right side of the living room led to a south-facing room, where sunlight poured through the window and filled the space with warmth.

Zenith was settled in that room.

Lilia held Zenith's hand and slowly led her to a chair by the window. Zenith gazed at the sunlight outside, its light reflected in her eyes. She didn't speak or look at anyone. But after Lilia let go, her fingers slowly rose and came to rest on the arm of the chair.

Paul sat down beside her. His right hand rested on the arm of the chair, very close to Zenith's.

After a while, Zenith's fingers moved.

Very slowly, as though it took a great deal of effort. She lifted her right hand from the armrest and gently placed it over Paul's.

Paul lowered his head and looked at her hand without speaking. But he turned his right hand palm up and clasped hers.

"She's here. She's been here all along."

I stood in the doorway without going in. I didn't want to disturb them.

There was a small room on the other side of the living room, its door ajar. I pushed it open and looked inside. There was only a desk and a chair, with several magic tomes piled on the desk. A study. It was a little small, but it was enough.

An envelope lay on the desk.

I walked over and picked it up. There was no signature on it, but it bore a wax seal stamped with the emblem of Ranoa University of Magic: an open book crossed with a wand.

I opened the envelope.

Inside was a sheet of parchment, bearing neatly written words:

"To the esteemed Rudeus Greyrat: In recognition of your outstanding contributions to the field of magic, Ranoa University of Magic hereby invites you to enroll as a special student for the spring semester of Armored Dragon Year 422. Please bring this letter of invitation to the university's academic affairs office at that time to complete your enrollment."

It was signed by the dean of academic affairs at Ranoa University of Magic.

I placed the invitation on the desk and stared at it for a long while.

"Ranoa University of Magic, spring of Armored Dragon Year 422. That's next year, a year from now... That works."

I folded the invitation and put it in my pocket.

Then I left the study.

In the living room, Aisha was getting dinner ready. She brought a pot of stew out of the kitchen and set it on the long table, then brought out a basket of black bread. She moved briskly, her apron neatly tied and her hair bound behind her head with a strip of cloth.

"Big brother! Sister-in-law! Sit down and eat!"

She brought another plate from the kitchen, with sliced cheese and a few tomatoes. Norn came in from the yard, carrying an old wooden sword she had found somewhere. When she saw Aisha carrying the plate, she hurried over to help.

"I'll take it!"

"Careful, Norn, it's a little hot."

Norn set the plate on the table, then saw Zenith sitting by the window. She went over and sat beside her. Zenith's gaze shifted from the window to Norn. The corners of her mouth lifted.

It was only for an instant, but Norn saw it.

Norn reached out and took Zenith's hand from her lap.

"Mom..."

Her voice was very quiet. Zenith didn't answer, but her fingers curled slightly in Norn's palm.

Paul stood nearby, watching it all. His right arm was around Zenith's shoulders, his chin resting on top of her head. Their blond and brown hair rested together.

Eris sat beside me. She picked up a piece of black bread and tore it into small pieces. She did it deftly. During her three years on the Demon Continent, she had learned to do many things she hadn't known how to do before: tearing bread, starting fires, dressing wounds. She still had a few old scars on her fingers, left by the labyrinth.

"Here, big brother, try my stew." Aisha set a bowl of stew in front of me.

I picked up a spoon. My left hand, the prosthetic made of earth, clumsily held the edge of the bowl while my right hand scooped up a spoonful. The stew tasted good. The meat was tender, and the broth was rich. Aisha's cooking was much better than it had been at the inn in Rapan.

Talhand sat at the other end of the long table, with a large bowl of stew and a whole piece of black bread in front of him. He ate heartily and mumbled through a mouthful, "The little lass can cook."

Aisha blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Talhand."

Master Roxy sat in the middle of the long table, with a bowl of stew and a small piece of bread in front of her. She ate delicately, chewing each bite for a long time. Her gaze moved from one person at the table to another.

"Mm... everyone's here," she said softly.

Paul pushed the bowl of stew in front of Zenith a little closer to her, but she didn't move. Her fingers did tap lightly on the tabletop twice, though.

Paul smiled. "Eat if you want to. If you don't, you don't have to."

After dinner, it was already dark.

The yard was quiet. The leaves of the crooked tree rustled in the night breeze. In the distance, I could see the spire of Ranoa University of Magic, with a pale blue magic lamp casting a faint glow from its peak into the night sky.

Eris stood in the yard, looking up at the lamp.

I walked over to her.

"What's next?" she asked.

I looked at the pale blue light in the distance.

"Next... I'll make the most of the life I have now. Then I'm planning to enroll at Ranoa University of Magic, and then... get stronger."

Eris glanced at me.

"No matter what we run into from now on, as long as you're there, that's enough."

She took my right hand in hers. Her hand was warm.

The magic lamp in the distance flickered in the night sky.

I stood beneath the crooked tree, holding her hand.

"This is home. The word 'home' feels so far away from me, yet so close. I hope I can spend the days ahead with my family."

"Dinner's ready!" Aisha leaned out of the window. "Big brother! Sister-in-law! Come on in!"

I glanced at Eris, and she smiled at me.

"Let's go."

We went into the house.

Light spilled from the windows onto the gravel in the yard.

In the distance, the light atop Ranoa University of Magic's tower still shone quietly in the night sky.

[Eris's perspective]

The house was smaller than I'd imagined.

But this was home, whether it was big or small.

The long table in the living room was covered with food: stew, black bread, cheese, and tomatoes. Aisha ran back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, flour on her apron. When she brought the last dish to the table, there was a white streak on her cheek too.

"Everybody sit down! Time to eat!"

She shouted so loudly that she didn't sound like a maid at all. She sounded more like a housekeeper.

I sat beside Rudeus. He picked up a spoon, his left hand-the prosthetic made of earth-clumsily holding the edge of the bowl while his right hand scooped up some stew. His movements were slow and steady.

I picked up a piece of black bread and tore it into small pieces.

Across the table, Norn sat beside Zenith. She held Zenith's hand with one of hers and ate her bread slowly with the other. Zenith didn't eat, but her gaze shifted from the window to Norn. The corners of her mouth lifted.

It was brief, but Norn saw it.

Norn's eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. She lowered her head, hiding her face behind her bread.

I glanced at Rudeus. He was watching Norn too. His expression was calm, but the fingers of her right hand tightened slightly around his spoon.

Norn is crying. She's holding it back. A seven-year-old girl who hasn't seen her mother in four years, and now her mother is right beside her but can't speak.

Paul sat on Zenith's other side, his right arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything, but he rested his chin on top of Zenith's head, and the two of them leaned together like that.

Talhand slurped noisily at the other end of the long table. His bowl of stew was already nearly empty. He wiped his mouth and said, "Another bowl."

Aisha hurried to get him more, nearly tripping over the threshold as she ran into the kitchen.

Roxy watched Aisha leave, the corners of her mouth lifting. "That girl... she really is capable."

"Yeah," Rudeus said.

I looked at them, a family sitting around a table and eating together.

This was already good enough.

After dinner, I went out into the yard.

The night breeze passed through the leaves of the crooked tree, carrying the damp scent of grass and trees. A pale blue light shone in the distant night sky, at the top of Ranoa University of Magic's tower.

Rudeus came over to me.

"What's next?" I asked.

He looked at the pale blue light in the distance.

"Next... I'll make the most of the life I have now. Then I'll enroll at Ranoa University of Magic. Then... get stronger."

"No matter what we run into from now on, as long as you're there, that's enough."

He reached out his hand, and I took it.

His hand was warm.

The pale blue light in the distance flickered in the night sky.

I can be with Rudeus. Wherever she goes, I'll go. His home is my home.

Aisha leaned out of the window. "Big brother! Sister-in-law! Come on in! Dinner's ready!"

I glanced at Rudeus, and he smiled.

We went into the house.