The Night Before: Jan and Toru
"Jan?"
The word was so faint that Jan thought he might still be dreaming. In the silence that followed, he drifted back into the cozy fog of sleep only to be wakened again by a muffled sob. Jan kept his eyes closed. He heard the rustle of blankets as his brother rolled over.
"I'm scared." Toru whispered into his pillow.
With an exaggerated sigh, Jan threw down his covers and sat up.
"All right" he said. "Tell me."
"I might become a monster. Or carry diseases. I've heard of a hermit who is half shadowy darkness. What if I turn into something that hurts people?"
Jan wanted to say those things couldn't happen, but he had also seen people who were half animal or who had destructive magical abilities. His little brother wasn't just worrying over nothing. He got up and sat on the edge of Toru's bed.
"You're going to be all right." he said. "Mom and Dad would not do this if it was not going to help you. That's what they always do. They help people. They help people who are sick. They help people who are hungry, and they help anyone who needs it. Do you really think they would do something that would harm their own children?"
Toru shook his head. "Not on purpose." he answered. "But I don't know what my power is or how to control it. If it's not terrible, why was it sealed away to begin with?"
“So Lord Bishop wouldn’t try to use you.” Jan retorted. “Isn’t that what we’ve been told all along? Mom hid your Vrikt power so you would not become a political target. That’s all.
But Lord Bishop knows we’re here now, so we have to defend ourselves. That means you have to learn how to use your magic and I ... well, since I don’t have any magic, I have to learn to fight.”
Toru was silent for a moment.
“Trade you places.” he offered. Jan smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“Seriously,” Toru continued as he lay back onto his pillow, “You are going to be a great warrior. You are fast and strong and have good reflexes. You can be my bodyguard, okay?”
“Just try to stop me. Nobody messes with my little brother.”
The word was so faint that Jan thought he might still be dreaming. In the silence that followed, he drifted back into the cozy fog of sleep only to be wakened again by a muffled sob. Jan kept his eyes closed. He heard the rustle of blankets as his brother rolled over.
"I'm scared." Toru whispered into his pillow.
With an exaggerated sigh, Jan threw down his covers and sat up.
"All right" he said. "Tell me."
"I might become a monster. Or carry diseases. I've heard of a hermit who is half shadowy darkness. What if I turn into something that hurts people?"
Jan wanted to say those things couldn't happen, but he had also seen people who were half animal or who had destructive magical abilities. His little brother wasn't just worrying over nothing. He got up and sat on the edge of Toru's bed.
"You're going to be all right." he said. "Mom and Dad would not do this if it was not going to help you. That's what they always do. They help people. They help people who are sick. They help people who are hungry, and they help anyone who needs it. Do you really think they would do something that would harm their own children?"
Toru shook his head. "Not on purpose." he answered. "But I don't know what my power is or how to control it. If it's not terrible, why was it sealed away to begin with?"
“So Lord Bishop wouldn’t try to use you.” Jan retorted. “Isn’t that what we’ve been told all along? Mom hid your Vrikt power so you would not become a political target. That’s all.
But Lord Bishop knows we’re here now, so we have to defend ourselves. That means you have to learn how to use your magic and I ... well, since I don’t have any magic, I have to learn to fight.”
Toru was silent for a moment.
“Trade you places.” he offered. Jan smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
“Seriously,” Toru continued as he lay back onto his pillow, “You are going to be a great warrior. You are fast and strong and have good reflexes. You can be my bodyguard, okay?”
“Just try to stop me. Nobody messes with my little brother.”