Dirk continued to read the book, documenting every image. He learned more information as he did, and he didn't only read the section on dungeons.
He spent over an hour flipping through every page from front to back. By the time he went through the last of the information, Rita was already fast asleep on her bed.
Dirk learned that this world was known as Gaia. This name was given to the world by the elves, who were most attune with nature. The world was actually only a single continent. Dirk likened it to the theoretical Pangea continent from Earth. However, the continent wasn't totally solid. In the middle of the continent was a sea. This made the whole landmass look like a donut.
On this continent, there were several different dominant empires. Each empire was controlled by a different main race.
First, there were the humans who resided primarily in the Horizon Empire. Dirk and his noble household lived in this empire's capital. This empire was known as the most diverse empire since the humans didn't actively prevent other races from entering and settling here. However, humans still outnumbered every other race by far. The Horizon empire was located on the northwest corner of the continent.
Second, there was the Dwarven Haven. They were located east of the Horizon Empire, on the north section of the continent. Their Empire was built into a mountain. From the textbook, the dwarves sounded like a very rugged but money savvy group.
Then, there was the Unity Empire, home to the beastkin, or hybrids. This Empire was located to the right of the Dwarven Haven. The Dwarven Haven actually separated the Unity Empire and the Horizon Empire. Because of this, the Dwarven Haven was a trade hub, which made them very rich. As for the Unity Empire, they were located among dense rainforests, giving them vast supplies of natural resources.
Fourth was the Dark Kingdom. They were located to the south of the Horizon empire, on the western section of the continent. This kingdom was home to the Vampire race. Upon seeing this, Dirk thought it was ironic. The human empire was neighbors with the vampire empire. Were the humans enemies with them? If these vampires sucked blood, then he would guess so.
Lastly, there was the World Tree, home to the elves. This world tree was literally a massive tree, and it could create other sub-trees known as trees of life. These smaller trees of life were used to expand the elven territories, so they took up vast amounts of land. The World tree was located on the south section of the continent, rather distanced from all the other Empires.
As he read, Dirk referenced the map that took up a whole page. While it wasn't exact or incredibly accurate, it did enough to give him a general overview. He could see the vast donut continent, the ocean surrounding it, and the sea within its center.
Then, there were the dungeons. The dungeons were separated into different types based on their size, or so it said in the book. There were the 6 major dungeons, and one dungeon was controlled by each of the empires. Then there were the lesser dungeons that surrounded those major dungeons. There were hundreds of them throughout the continent.
Dirk quickly found a problem though. There were 6 major dungeons, but only 5 empires. Where was the 6th? The book didn't give the exact locations of the dungeons, only telling him that they were controlled by the empires. He eventually just shook his head though. This was a book for a children's school. He couldn't expect the most accurate or in depth intelligence.
When Dirk was done scanning through the world studies book, he went for the science book. He wanted to know what level of basic academic knowledge this world developed.
And upon flipping through it, he was pleasantly surprised. The biology field seemed developed. The book talked about the various systems of the human body. While it didn't go into extensive detail so as to know about cells or even deeper concepts, the understanding of the body was more than enough to establish good medical practices.
Then there was the engineering. Mathematics were almost identical to Earth's as Dirk had seen from his own books, and upon looking at the science book, he saw that there was some semblance of engineering expertise. It talked about geometry and carpenting, as well as how some machines worked, the most popular of which was the printing press. Because of this, books weren't so expensive. Even the paper making industry was developed, so this world must have made advances in chemistry and such.
It seemed to Dirk that this world was headed on a track similar to Earth, only less reliant on engineering to advance. From the science book, he saw that magic played a huge part in discovering the functions of the body and in engineering. There was this process called enchanting that could strengthen materials, so this made people less worried about architecture and such. Naturally, this would stunt the progress of the engineering and physics fields since they could compensate with magic, but there wasn't much of a way to avoid that. Also, it meant that only people without magical ability had the inclination to advance the sciences, making progress even slower.
Unfortunately, Dirk wasn't a scientist or an engineer, so he wasn't able to contribute much in the way of science. The knowledge he knew was what he was taught so as to further his ability to kill and adapt. This encompassed a lot, but knowing the how of something didn't mean you knew the why. Dirk really only knew the how. He wasn't concerned with the why.
With that, Dirk finished documenting the science book. Lastly, he moved on to the history book. There wasn't much to learn here though. There was definitely some interesting information, but he didn't think it would help him that much, especially since he was only 6 years old. He still documented every page though, just in case.
Dirk looked at one of the clocks on Rita's night stand. This was one technology that had been developed mechanically. It was already past midnight, and Rita was snoring away. Seeing that, he put the books back in her bag before rearranging things to the way they were before. He then left without making a sound, something he was very good at.
............
Time passed, and it was now 10 months past the start of school. Dirk was now 7 years old.
'Concentrate...'
Dirk mumbled with his eyes focused on his palm. A red circle appeared above it as the fire mana solidified quickly. Dirk had worked extensively on his magic circle, and now it was fluid. He never failed anymore. Now though, he was practicing the next step. His mother had already taught him the runes for this chore magic spell, so he just needed to focus and apply them.
As he focused on his palm, lines began to appear around the magic circle. One rune was formed, and then two. Dirk formed each rune line by line until there were 6 runes.
'Last one...'
When he got there, he focused harder. Gradually, the 7th rune took shape. As it did though, the whole circle threatened to disperse.
'No!'
With a surprisingly competitive spirit, Dirk moved all his mental energy and formed the last line. He couldn't even count how many times he had failed here. While he was mostly numb to failure, he still got annoyed after failing hundreds if not thousands of times.
He was close now though. And with one last push, the final line was formed. Once it was, the instability instantly disappeared, and Dirk's mana cycled through the circle.
"Hah... Haha..."
With a rare smile, Dirk chuckled. He looked at the finally completed spell above his hand and appreciated the fruits of his hard labor. He had drained his mental energy countless times for this single spell. It took nearly a year. But he had done it. Even without the results though, Dirk still appreciated being able to work toward something. Both his workouts and practicing magic were two productive things he could do for several hours each day.
Not long after the spell formed though, something happened. Dirk saw a notification pop up in front of his eyes. It wasn't the magical system, but his AI.
[Alert! Completed magic formation detected.]
[Would you like to save the formation?]
Seeing this, Dirk averted his attention. Meanwhile, the spell above his hand was activated and created a tongue of flame. He didn't notice even as it started burning his mana.
'I can save this? Wait, this AI can detect magic? But it's cybernetic. Wait...'
As Dirk thought, he suddenly realized. This AI had even detected when someone else's mana was invading his body. Now, it could detect this spell formation. He didn't realize until now that this wasn't the same AI he knew, one that was implanted into his brain.
'So it really can... But what would saving this formation do? I guess... Oh well, let's just say yes.'
Dirk stopped thinking about it and gave the okay.
[Confirmed. Saving magic formation...]
[Formation saved. You can now cast [Chore magic: Spark].]
[Note: Casting spells requires set amounts of mana. You cannot cast spells that you do not have sufficient mana for.]
Dirk read the notifications and was surprised. It said he could cast it. Did that mean instantly? Would the AI do it for him? Or did he just unlock the ability to do so?
Dirk questioned, but suddenly, he felt incredibly weak. He looked at his hand and the tongue of flame that had been burning all this time.
"Dammit!"
Cursing, Dirk shook his hand and dispersed the spell. That didn't do much to help his now throbbing head though. He had burned too much mana.
'I forget. Once you form the spell, it sustains itself until mana is cut...'
He thought with a sigh and sat down. It was nighttime, and he had just been doing his last practice of the day. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to test what this new function of the AI was now. He would have to wait until morning.
'Oh well.'
Shrugging, Dirk crawled under his covers. In only a minute, he was out cold.
.........
The next morning, Dirk quickly woke up. He didn't even clean himself before sitting up and bringing up his palm.
"Interface."
[Awaiting commands...]
Dirk smirked when he heard that familiar robotic response.
"Cast the spark spell."
[Confirmed.]
As soon as the AI responded, Dirk could feel mana congeal around his palm. It moved very quickly, and in only one second, the mana had solidified into the circle and written the runes. Dirk was shocked as the completed spell appeared above his hand. He hadn't thought it would be so fast. Not only that, the spell was made perfectly.
'I worked so damn hard to even cast it once. But this thing can just instant cast it?'
Dirk didn't know if he should be happy or mad. Regardless, he could simply use the AI to cast the spell now. It would definitely be easier. Unlike when he did it, the cast was fast, precise, and it only used a set amount of mana. While he could also feel a mental energy draw, it wasn't nearly as bad as him doing it himself. He would need several tries to get it right once. This thing could do it on command.
'Well, this should be useful. Wait, but can it cast spells directly? The maids don't show the spell circle when they cast, going straight for the fire. Interface, can Spark be directly cast?'
Dirk asked his AI.
[Negative. Casting that bypasses the formation can only be done by the caster. This interface is not yet capable.]
'Yet? What are the conditions to enable direct casting?'
[To be capable of direct casting, the caster must supply a sufficiently capable platform. Current platform does not meet requisites.]
'Hmm...'
Dirk went into thought. By platform, the AI meant his body. Dirk guessed that he wasn't powerful enough so as to enable his AI to do more. Though, he was confused as to how his AI knew that direct casting would be possible.
'Interface. What's the source of information for the direct casting requisites?'
[Alert. Unable to answer. No relevant data.]
'Huh. That concerns me.'
Dirk frowned, but he couldn't think of anything that could explain this AI's expanded abilities. Maybe just the fact that it was now a skill instead of a cybernetic component meant it would be different. In fact, as he used it, he found it speaking and responding more fluidly, and not as rigid like a robot. That wasn't to say that it was anywhere near being sentient and such, but he noticed the changes.
"Oh well..."
"Dirk!"
Suddenly, a voice came from his bedroom door. Dirk dispersed the spell still hovering above his palm as he watched Rita fly through the doors.
"Hi Rita."
"Hey! You ready for your last day?"
Rita jumped excitedly onto his bed, and Dirk remembered what he was doing today. It was their last day of school, so they would be graduating today. There was going to be a ceremony and everything, though Dirk wasn't so thrilled.
The whole school year had been very slow for him. He was just glad to be moving on. But when he remembered that he still had three more years, his head throbbed.
Dirk didn't respond to Rita as he pulled himself out of the covers. She instead moved to where he just was, indulging in his lingering body heat and falling back asleep.
After Dirk cleaned up a bit and made himself presentable, he grabbed Rita, who moved to piggyback on him. Him carrying her down to breakfast was practically a daily routine now. The only thing weird about it was how she was still bigger than he was. But with his strength that's been continuously improved for a year now, carrying her wasn't a problem.
After the two went down and ate breakfast, they eventually made their way to school. This time, Dirk, Rita, and their mother went to the school together. They were dressed in nice clothes befitting the luxury afforded by a Marquess, though not so much that they stuck out like sore thumbs.
"Dirk."
As they walked onto the grounds, Dirk heard his name. He turned and saw Ava approaching him with her parents in tow.
Compared to the beginning of the year, Ava had changed greatly. At first, she was a constantly paranoid and shy girl who wouldn't so much as make a peep if nobody paid attention. Now though, she had become more confident, and she walked around with her head up. She also made a couple of friends in the class, though Dirk still remained her go-to for some reason unbeknownst to him.
Both of them had grown. They were still growing children after all. For Ava though, her antlers had gone past being stubs and were now like little sticks coming out of her forehead. Dirk likened it to two horns. At first, he thought it was weird. But over time he stopped noticing and got used to it.
"Hi Ava."
"Hi."
The two greeted each other, but that was about the extent of their usual communication. Normally they would just greet each other and then simply be in each other's presence, going about their days. But now, there was family here, and they expected more than just two simple hi's. They stood there awkwardly as they thought of what to say, but with Dirk not being a social person and Ava being even more reclusive, no words came out.
"Truly a man of few words. Hey, why don't we attend the ceremony together."
Cecilia spoke as she stood behind Dirk. Ava nodded, as did her parents. The two families went on to go about the last school day.
The 'ceremony' was simply going around the classrooms and presenting the big projects that all the students completed. Lots of the projects were art pieces that the students enjoyed showing their parents.
Upon seeing Dirk's art though, Cecilia was surprised. His stood out from the others quite a bit. The art was of a portrait. For this particular assignment, every student had to copy a portrait as best they could onto their own canvas. Most of the students' pieces were messy, inaccurate, or just plain crazy. But Dirk's was strict, and it was almost a perfect replication. The only reason it didn't match exactly was because the coloring scheme given to Dirk was different than that of the portrait.
"This is impressive, Dirk."
Cecilia praised as she picked up the picture. The portrait was actually of the Emperor, though the kids didn't particularly care about that. Not even the adults were sure if that was the emperor's real appearance. This was just the widely accepted image. The man looked rough, but valiant. Strong and grounded. The portrait was truly the image of a king. Dirk had captured the image almost exactly on his canvas. Just by itself, the picture looked perfectly fine. One could use his image as the portrait as well.
"I simply tried to copy the picture, like the teacher told us. If I were given more colors, I could copy it better."
"Right..."
Cecilia wasn't sure how to respond. Did he not know how impressive his project was? He didn't seem happy at all, as if doing this was something expected of him.
Sometimes, Cecilia wasn't sure how to handle this stoic child of hers. He was so strict, stricter than her husband or any other of her children. Both her and Ryker were troublemakers as kids. That was normal for every child, especially those on the path to power. Arrogance and pride were common as children couldn't help but be boisterous over their achievements.
But Dirk was quiet. Really quiet. He didn't ask questions often, and even the few times he did were the result of Cecilia's urging. Besides that, he only spoke when spoken to and observed from afar. He never sought comfort or attention, just going about his days with only productivity in mind. Workouts were the only times that Cecilia saw any form of emotion in the form of determination, and even then she couldn't understand how he could put himself through such discomfort so easily. He had never once complained about anything. It wasn't normal.
But what could she do? She just continued loving that son of hers. She was able to learn some things though, at least. When he was younger, Dirk never quite enjoyed skinship or anything intimate. But over time, she noticed how he came to tolerate it, and then enjoy it a bit. Now whenever she wanted a hug from him, he would lean in and relax. It was small, but she came to know that that was his way of accepting her love.
Thinking about that, she smiled lovingly and pulled Dirk into her embrace. He didn't resist as she kissed him on the forehead and held him tightly. Sure enough, she could feel his taut muscles relax, a sign of his trust. That made her even happier, and she held him for a little while longer.
Dirk continued to read the book, documenting every image. He learned more information as he did, and he didn't only read the section on dungeons.
He spent over an hour flipping through every page from front to back. By the time he went through the last of the information, Rita was already fast asleep on her bed.
Dirk learned that this world was known as Gaia. This name was given to the world by the elves, who were most attune with nature. The world was actually only a single continent. Dirk likened it to the theoretical Pangea continent from Earth. However, the continent wasn't totally solid. In the middle of the continent was a sea. This made the whole landmass look like a donut.
On this continent, there were several different dominant empires. Each empire was controlled by a different main race.
First, there were the humans who resided primarily in the Horizon Empire. Dirk and his noble household lived in this empire's capital. This empire was known as the most diverse empire since the humans didn't actively prevent other races from entering and settling here. However, humans still outnumbered every other race by far. The Horizon empire was located on the northwest corner of the continent.
Second, there was the Dwarven Haven. They were located east of the Horizon Empire, on the north section of the continent. Their Empire was built into a mountain. From the textbook, the dwarves sounded like a very rugged but money savvy group.
Then, there was the Unity Empire, home to the beastkin, or hybrids. This Empire was located to the right of the Dwarven Haven. The Dwarven Haven actually separated the Unity Empire and the Horizon Empire. Because of this, the Dwarven Haven was a trade hub, which made them very rich. As for the Unity Empire, they were located among dense rainforests, giving them vast supplies of natural resources.
Fourth was the Dark Kingdom. They were located to the south of the Horizon empire, on the western section of the continent. This kingdom was home to the Vampire race. Upon seeing this, Dirk thought it was ironic. The human empire was neighbors with the vampire empire. Were the humans enemies with them? If these vampires sucked blood, then he would guess so.
Lastly, there was the World Tree, home to the elves. This world tree was literally a massive tree, and it could create other sub-trees known as trees of life. These smaller trees of life were used to expand the elven territories, so they took up vast amounts of land. The World tree was located on the south section of the continent, rather distanced from all the other Empires.
As he read, Dirk referenced the map that took up a whole page. While it wasn't exact or incredibly accurate, it did enough to give him a general overview. He could see the vast donut continent, the ocean surrounding it, and the sea within its center.
Then, there were the dungeons. The dungeons were separated into different types based on their size, or so it said in the book. There were the 6 major dungeons, and one dungeon was controlled by each of the empires. Then there were the lesser dungeons that surrounded those major dungeons. There were hundreds of them throughout the continent.
Dirk quickly found a problem though. There were 6 major dungeons, but only 5 empires. Where was the 6th? The book didn't give the exact locations of the dungeons, only telling him that they were controlled by the empires. He eventually just shook his head though. This was a book for a children's school. He couldn't expect the most accurate or in depth intelligence.
When Dirk was done scanning through the world studies book, he went for the science book. He wanted to know what level of basic academic knowledge this world developed.
And upon flipping through it, he was pleasantly surprised. The biology field seemed developed. The book talked about the various systems of the human body. While it didn't go into extensive detail so as to know about cells or even deeper concepts, the understanding of the body was more than enough to establish good medical practices.
Then there was the engineering. Mathematics were almost identical to Earth's as Dirk had seen from his own books, and upon looking at the science book, he saw that there was some semblance of engineering expertise. It talked about geometry and carpenting, as well as how some machines worked, the most popular of which was the printing press. Because of this, books weren't so expensive. Even the paper making industry was developed, so this world must have made advances in chemistry and such.
It seemed to Dirk that this world was headed on a track similar to Earth, only less reliant on engineering to advance. From the science book, he saw that magic played a huge part in discovering the functions of the body and in engineering. There was this process called enchanting that could strengthen materials, so this made people less worried about architecture and such. Naturally, this would stunt the progress of the engineering and physics fields since they could compensate with magic, but there wasn't much of a way to avoid that. Also, it meant that only people without magical ability had the inclination to advance the sciences, making progress even slower.
Unfortunately, Dirk wasn't a scientist or an engineer, so he wasn't able to contribute much in the way of science. The knowledge he knew was what he was taught so as to further his ability to kill and adapt. This encompassed a lot, but knowing the how of something didn't mean you knew the why. Dirk really only knew the how. He wasn't concerned with the why.
With that, Dirk finished documenting the science book. Lastly, he moved on to the history book. There wasn't much to learn here though. There was definitely some interesting information, but he didn't think it would help him that much, especially since he was only 6 years old. He still documented every page though, just in case.
Dirk looked at one of the clocks on Rita's night stand. This was one technology that had been developed mechanically. It was already past midnight, and Rita was snoring away. Seeing that, he put the books back in her bag before rearranging things to the way they were before. He then left without making a sound, something he was very good at.
............
Time passed, and it was now 10 months past the start of school. Dirk was now 7 years old.
'Concentrate...'
Dirk mumbled with his eyes focused on his palm. A red circle appeared above it as the fire mana solidified quickly. Dirk had worked extensively on his magic circle, and now it was fluid. He never failed anymore. Now though, he was practicing the next step. His mother had already taught him the runes for this chore magic spell, so he just needed to focus and apply them.
As he focused on his palm, lines began to appear around the magic circle. One rune was formed, and then two. Dirk formed each rune line by line until there were 6 runes.
'Last one...'
When he got there, he focused harder. Gradually, the 7th rune took shape. As it did though, the whole circle threatened to disperse.
'No!'
With a surprisingly competitive spirit, Dirk moved all his mental energy and formed the last line. He couldn't even count how many times he had failed here. While he was mostly numb to failure, he still got annoyed after failing hundreds if not thousands of times.
He was close now though. And with one last push, the final line was formed. Once it was, the instability instantly disappeared, and Dirk's mana cycled through the circle.
"Hah... Haha..."
With a rare smile, Dirk chuckled. He looked at the finally completed spell above his hand and appreciated the fruits of his hard labor. He had drained his mental energy countless times for this single spell. It took nearly a year. But he had done it. Even without the results though, Dirk still appreciated being able to work toward something. Both his workouts and practicing magic were two productive things he could do for several hours each day.
Not long after the spell formed though, something happened. Dirk saw a notification pop up in front of his eyes. It wasn't the magical system, but his AI.
[Alert! Completed magic formation detected.]
[Would you like to save the formation?]
Seeing this, Dirk averted his attention. Meanwhile, the spell above his hand was activated and created a tongue of flame. He didn't notice even as it started burning his mana.
'I can save this? Wait, this AI can detect magic? But it's cybernetic. Wait...'
As Dirk thought, he suddenly realized. This AI had even detected when someone else's mana was invading his body. Now, it could detect this spell formation. He didn't realize until now that this wasn't the same AI he knew, one that was implanted into his brain.
'So it really can... But what would saving this formation do? I guess... Oh well, let's just say yes.'
Dirk stopped thinking about it and gave the okay.
[Confirmed. Saving magic formation...]
[Formation saved. You can now cast [Chore magic: Spark].]
[Note: Casting spells requires set amounts of mana. You cannot cast spells that you do not have sufficient mana for.]
Dirk read the notifications and was surprised. It said he could cast it. Did that mean instantly? Would the AI do it for him? Or did he just unlock the ability to do so?
Dirk questioned, but suddenly, he felt incredibly weak. He looked at his hand and the tongue of flame that had been burning all this time.
"Dammit!"
Cursing, Dirk shook his hand and dispersed the spell. That didn't do much to help his now throbbing head though. He had burned too much mana.
'I forget. Once you form the spell, it sustains itself until mana is cut...'
He thought with a sigh and sat down. It was nighttime, and he had just been doing his last practice of the day. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to test what this new function of the AI was now. He would have to wait until morning.
'Oh well.'
Shrugging, Dirk crawled under his covers. In only a minute, he was out cold.
.........
The next morning, Dirk quickly woke up. He didn't even clean himself before sitting up and bringing up his palm.
"Interface."
[Awaiting commands...]
Dirk smirked when he heard that familiar robotic response.
"Cast the spark spell."
[Confirmed.]
As soon as the AI responded, Dirk could feel mana congeal around his palm. It moved very quickly, and in only one second, the mana had solidified into the circle and written the runes. Dirk was shocked as the completed spell appeared above his hand. He hadn't thought it would be so fast. Not only that, the spell was made perfectly.
'I worked so damn hard to even cast it once. But this thing can just instant cast it?'
Dirk didn't know if he should be happy or mad. Regardless, he could simply use the AI to cast the spell now. It would definitely be easier. Unlike when he did it, the cast was fast, precise, and it only used a set amount of mana. While he could also feel a mental energy draw, it wasn't nearly as bad as him doing it himself. He would need several tries to get it right once. This thing could do it on command.
'Well, this should be useful. Wait, but can it cast spells directly? The maids don't show the spell circle when they cast, going straight for the fire. Interface, can Spark be directly cast?'
Dirk asked his AI.
[Negative. Casting that bypasses the formation can only be done by the caster. This interface is not yet capable.]
'Yet? What are the conditions to enable direct casting?'
[To be capable of direct casting, the caster must supply a sufficiently capable platform. Current platform does not meet requisites.]
'Hmm...'
Dirk went into thought. By platform, the AI meant his body. Dirk guessed that he wasn't powerful enough so as to enable his AI to do more. Though, he was confused as to how his AI knew that direct casting would be possible.
'Interface. What's the source of information for the direct casting requisites?'
[Alert. Unable to answer. No relevant data.]
'Huh. That concerns me.'
Dirk frowned, but he couldn't think of anything that could explain this AI's expanded abilities. Maybe just the fact that it was now a skill instead of a cybernetic component meant it would be different. In fact, as he used it, he found it speaking and responding more fluidly, and not as rigid like a robot. That wasn't to say that it was anywhere near being sentient and such, but he noticed the changes.
"Oh well..."
"Dirk!"
Suddenly, a voice came from his bedroom door. Dirk dispersed the spell still hovering above his palm as he watched Rita fly through the doors.
"Hi Rita."
"Hey! You ready for your last day?"
Rita jumped excitedly onto his bed, and Dirk remembered what he was doing today. It was their last day of school, so they would be graduating today. There was going to be a ceremony and everything, though Dirk wasn't so thrilled.
The whole school year had been very slow for him. He was just glad to be moving on. But when he remembered that he still had three more years, his head throbbed.
Dirk didn't respond to Rita as he pulled himself out of the covers. She instead moved to where he just was, indulging in his lingering body heat and falling back asleep.
After Dirk cleaned up a bit and made himself presentable, he grabbed Rita, who moved to piggyback on him. Him carrying her down to breakfast was practically a daily routine now. The only thing weird about it was how she was still bigger than he was. But with his strength that's been continuously improved for a year now, carrying her wasn't a problem.
After the two went down and ate breakfast, they eventually made their way to school. This time, Dirk, Rita, and their mother went to the school together. They were dressed in nice clothes befitting the luxury afforded by a Marquess, though not so much that they stuck out like sore thumbs.
"Dirk."
As they walked onto the grounds, Dirk heard his name. He turned and saw Ava approaching him with her parents in tow.
Compared to the beginning of the year, Ava had changed greatly. At first, she was a constantly paranoid and shy girl who wouldn't so much as make a peep if nobody paid attention. Now though, she had become more confident, and she walked around with her head up. She also made a couple of friends in the class, though Dirk still remained her go-to for some reason unbeknownst to him.
Both of them had grown. They were still growing children after all. For Ava though, her antlers had gone past being stubs and were now like little sticks coming out of her forehead. Dirk likened it to two horns. At first, he thought it was weird. But over time he stopped noticing and got used to it.
"Hi Ava."
"Hi."
The two greeted each other, but that was about the extent of their usual communication. Normally they would just greet each other and then simply be in each other's presence, going about their days. But now, there was family here, and they expected more than just two simple hi's. They stood there awkwardly as they thought of what to say, but with Dirk not being a social person and Ava being even more reclusive, no words came out.
"Truly a man of few words. Hey, why don't we attend the ceremony together."
Cecilia spoke as she stood behind Dirk. Ava nodded, as did her parents. The two families went on to go about the last school day.
The 'ceremony' was simply going around the classrooms and presenting the big projects that all the students completed. Lots of the projects were art pieces that the students enjoyed showing their parents.
Upon seeing Dirk's art though, Cecilia was surprised. His stood out from the others quite a bit. The art was of a portrait. For this particular assignment, every student had to copy a portrait as best they could onto their own canvas. Most of the students' pieces were messy, inaccurate, or just plain crazy. But Dirk's was strict, and it was almost a perfect replication. The only reason it didn't match exactly was because the coloring scheme given to Dirk was different than that of the portrait.
"This is impressive, Dirk."
Cecilia praised as she picked up the picture. The portrait was actually of the Emperor, though the kids didn't particularly care about that. Not even the adults were sure if that was the emperor's real appearance. This was just the widely accepted image. The man looked rough, but valiant. Strong and grounded. The portrait was truly the image of a king. Dirk had captured the image almost exactly on his canvas. Just by itself, the picture looked perfectly fine. One could use his image as the portrait as well.
"I simply tried to copy the picture, like the teacher told us. If I were given more colors, I could copy it better."
"Right..."
Cecilia wasn't sure how to respond. Did he not know how impressive his project was? He didn't seem happy at all, as if doing this was something expected of him.
Sometimes, Cecilia wasn't sure how to handle this stoic child of hers. He was so strict, stricter than her husband or any other of her children. Both her and Ryker were troublemakers as kids. That was normal for every child, especially those on the path to power. Arrogance and pride were common as children couldn't help but be boisterous over their achievements.
But Dirk was quiet. Really quiet. He didn't ask questions often, and even the few times he did were the result of Cecilia's urging. Besides that, he only spoke when spoken to and observed from afar. He never sought comfort or attention, just going about his days with only productivity in mind. Workouts were the only times that Cecilia saw any form of emotion in the form of determination, and even then she couldn't understand how he could put himself through such discomfort so easily. He had never once complained about anything. It wasn't normal.
But what could she do? She just continued loving that son of hers. She was able to learn some things though, at least. When he was younger, Dirk never quite enjoyed skinship or anything intimate. But over time, she noticed how he came to tolerate it, and then enjoy it a bit. Now whenever she wanted a hug from him, he would lean in and relax. It was small, but she came to know that that was his way of accepting her love.
Thinking about that, she smiled lovingly and pulled Dirk into her embrace. He didn't resist as she kissed him on the forehead and held him tightly. Sure enough, she could feel his taut muscles relax, a sign of his trust. That made her even happier, and she held him for a little while longer.
