Arriving back in the hotel room, Arannis was going to put his son to bed when he heard a knock at the door. It was Rhea. Arannis thought for a bit, there was likely no use in concealing his son’s presence from the woman. Were he to ignore her or attempt to lie, she was likely capable of revealing the auras in the room. It is what he himself would do. Aran yawned and Arannis looked down, concerned. The boy was obviously very tired. Arannis made a decision, “Stay awake just a little bit longer Aran. I’m going to introduce you to someone. I believe we can trust her.”
Arannis left unsaid that if he was wrong, they were in a fair bit of trouble, as the woman was stronger than he was. That line of thought caused Arannis to be lead down another concerning path. Was he training his son to be overly paranoid? He did not want to teach the boy to live jumping at shadows and coldly presuming the worst of others. At the same time, he did want to teach the boy caution too. Arannis worried how he could teach Aran to strike a proper balance. Arannis had faced down the demons of Inferno, traveled to planes beyond the comprehension of most mortals, prevented an apocalypse, and revolutionized the study of magic. However, Arannis realized, he was far from prepared for parenthood.
Aran picked up on his father’s nervousness. He hugged his father again and said, “It’s okay dad. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Arannis’ face lit up in a smile as he returned the gesture. He calmed instantly as he embraced his son. The boy had been good for him. Despite his dedication to his research. Despite his fame, his power. Arannis’ life had never felt nearly as fulfilled nor as directed as it had since Aran had come into it. Arannis then thought about what Aran had said. He laughed a little. His son certainly had his priorities straight.
Aran released his father as Arannis walked to the door and opened it. “Hello Rhea. I assume you felt the magical disruption. I was merely picking up my son.” Arannis hoped there weren’t too many sensitives of her level in the city. The teleportation was a relatively minor spell. If everyone could pick up on arcane signatures like Rhea could, Arannis would wake the city each time he cast. Perhaps he should find a way to mask his signature. Arannis had toyed with the idea of such an enchantment in the past, but never bothered researching it too deeply. He never had a reason to hide before.
Aran beamed up at Rhea and said, “Hi. My name’s Aran. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Aran was always excited to meet new people. Usually people were just as happy to meet him. He would grow up to be quite the charmer some day. There was one incident a year ago, but it had been easily remedied. However, that was when Arannis was at his full strength. Arannis felt vulnerable once more. Despite his powers returning at a healthy rate, he still felt his weakness. He would need to continue to strengthen, gain back the arcane prowess he had become so famous for so long ago. He would need to start enchanting again. Arannis hoped the binding of magical forces worked similarly in this world to his own. He needed to be able to remake the protective charms his son had worn practically since birth. Arannis calmed himself. With time, it would all be alright. He concentrated back on the scene and his son’s wide grin.
Arannis chuckled a bit at his son’s antics, “This is Rhea, Aran. She was nice enough to help us find this inn.”
“Thank you for helping my dad miss Rhea,” Aran amended, still smiling at the enchantress. Arannis knew the woman possessed enough power to kill the both of them that very instant. However Arannis felt that she would do no such thing. This woman seemed honest in her eagerness to help, and Arannis was usually not wrong about such things. He hoped that this wouldn’t be the incident to buck the trend.
Now that Aran was safely at the inn, Arannis would need to find a way to ensure the boy’s safety when he left on business. An idea came to mind, a potentially dangerous idea. It was doable, though Arannis was unsure how successful he might be with his current limited capacity. Arannis briefly reached inside himself, felt the magic that stirred deep within. He thought of his son, his desire to protect Aran, and felt that power grow. Yes, he could do this. He would do this. Tonight. Arannis began thinking through the list of Names he had acquired. Thinking of which would do. He thought back to his travels across the planes. Thought of one plane in particular. And eventually settled on a particular Name. Yes, it would do. It would be perfect. Tonight, Arannis would attempt the ritual.
Arannis refocused himself on the moment at hand. Rhea could easily go down a line of questioning that he was not ready to answer. He began to discern the best ways to discuss certain subjects without giving away any true details. Arannis hoped Rhea wasn’t perceptive enough to pick up on any of his half truths, should they become necessary. Arannis didn’t want to overtly lie in front of Aran. The boy was too young for lessons on the justifications of deceptions. Better to speak parts of the truth and hope that his answers did not bring about more questions. Perhaps Arannis would be lucky. And perhaps the Jotun tribes would be at peace when he returned home. Best not to put one’s faith in luck. Arannis didn’t dare an outright lie, especially not in front of Aran. He didn’t want his son to then start asking questions too. This night just became far more troublesome than Arannis had planned. He had hoped his difficulties would not begin until he attempted his ritual. He was not looking forward to this evening if his fortune had already taken a turn such as this.
