"Aerth. Sit down, we have to talk."

  Calling me by my first name? This is something serious.

  I immediately stopped making pottery, wiping my hands quickly before heading inside the cottage. My birthday was in a few days so this talk is probably about my future.

  "What is it mom?"

  "Sit down."

  She sighed as I sat down. Hesitation fshed across her face as she opened her mouth.

  "Do you want to leave Demacia?"

  Disbelief and shock ran through me. This is completely out of the blue. It was supposed to be something serious, like what I was going to do in the future, or even a job offer she found for me.

  Instead, it was about leaving home!? And not just home, outside of Demacia. How am I supposed to live out there?

  A single word left my mouth.

  "Why?"

  "Your magic... it's growing stronger. Hic*. I can't cover for it anymore. Every night, the ground shakes to your breathing. Even if we live at the outskirts, what about one year, or two years..."

  She looked guilty, as lines and furrows streaked her face. She looked older than she ever did, shoulders hunched, frail body shaking. Hot tears welled up in my eyes. I hugged her.

  "It's fine mom. We can leave together right?"

  "No, no we can't. I only have enough for one. You remember how mages are treated here right?"

  Trembling, she brought a hand to my face. Cold. I raised my hand to cover her hand, to warm it up.

  In Demacia, magic is synonymous with fear. Anyone that was discovered with magic had the mageseekers visit them the next day. Praise surrounded the mageseekers as the child was taken away from their parents. Only a seldom few come back, but only as new mageseekers. Hypocrisy enveloped them as the oh so hated magic was used by the mageseekers themselves.

  She trembled, because if we were found to be harbouring magic, I would be captured, never to see the light again.

  She asked me once again.

  "Will you leave Demacia?"

  "What about you? How are you going to live? You're getting older. Who's going to take care of you?"

  "I will be fine. Promise me you'll stay safe. Ionians know magic, learn from them. Learn how to control your magic. Promise me!"

  A rush of emotions surged in my chest, as tears started flowing out my eyes.

  "NO!!! I don't want to leave!"

  "You have to! It's the only way for you to be free!"

  She hugged me as I bawled my eyes out, tears streaking down my face. She pulled away after a bit, as a resounding sp echoed in the air. My face burned as I turned towards my mother. She harshly spoke with tears in her eyes.

  "Man up. Your gone father has told me of what cruelties happen in the prisons of the mages. I will be sending you to Ionia."

  Sniffling, I nodded, before heading to my bed to sleep away the pain.

  The following days were dull. The sky was grey and the trees grew verdant without a care in the world. Tomorrow is the day.

  On the eventful day, I rose before the sky brightened. Rustling noises were heard in the dark. A candle lit up, as I faced my mother who has become more and more haggard over the past few days. She had packed up everything for me. Recognizing I was awake, she tensely spoke.

  "I have arranged for you to meet Henry. His crew is a subsidiary of the Illuminators. On the surface, you will work as a ship boy on a voyage to bring cargo to Ionia, where you can learn to control your powers and live a free life."

  She handed me the sack along with a dagger in the flickering light of the candle. Looking inside the sack, I could barely make out some of my clothes, a pouch, as well as my favourite pottery piece. Silently, I removed the pottery to look at it. Then, I pced it on the table, as my mother's eyes shook.

  After a quick meal of stale bread and heated cheese, we set off. In the slight cover of darkness, we walked down towards the city of Terbisia, where the docks were. By the time we got there, the first rays of dawn were shining over the mountain, painting the white city in a golden hue. The dock was bustling, as workers feverishly loaded the stock of fruit and grain onto various barges.

  The wooden barges were made from the trees of cloudwood, south of the Great City of Demacia. Each were wider than two men lying down, some longer than the buildings were tall. Where we were walking was the calm of the storm, as a wizened old man sat idly smoking a pipe. Noticing us as we made our path towards him, he stood up, stretching a little before remarking.

  "So this is the child? Doesn't look like much."

  Grinning, he seemed like a kind elder. I had only seen him once, when someone I knew left to go to the capital to find 'work'.

  "Thank you for helping me."

  Bowing, I remembered the times my mother would after receiving gifts and support. Those days were a distant memory, as I never understood why she did so. Now, I think I understand a little.

  "Hmm, hmm."

  The old man nodded. My mother bowed as well.

  "I will leave him in your care."

  He started walking away, so I hurriedly followed after giving a quick hug to my mother.

  He started speaking after a bit.

  "It's okay to cry. You have to live well for her, you are the only one she has left."

  Shaking my head, I whispered.

  "I already cried, I cannot anymore."

  Feeling warmth on my back, I raised my head to see that he reached his hand to pat my back. Seemed like he couldn't reach my head. Stopping in front of a barge that was almost filled, he spoke.

  "This is your first day, follow him and learn."

  I awkwardly stood in pce, as the flow of the workers passed by. The world was monotone, all noise blending seamlessly into an indistinguishable blur. He then proceeded to sit me on a crate, speaking to a nearby worker that was in charge of steering.

  When I looked at the city again, I spotted my mother, slowly walking away. Her back was small and fragile, as weakness seemed to overtake her body. The dawn drew a long shadow in front of her.

  As I bnkly stared away, the barge started moving, steered into the slow currents of the river. Shaking my head, I broke out of the trance, focusing my eyes to look ahead. I asked for instructions.

  "What do I need to do?"

  "Just sit there, watch how I move the pole, ter, you can try it. Also, when we reach Jandelle, you will need to help me move these boxes, I will hand you them, as some still need to go to the capital."

  The senior seemed like a chatty person, however suppressed slightly to not disturb me too much. The river flowed, as all what I know is gone. My dream is coming true, but at what cost?

  lirvothethird