Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Elixia held her son throughout the entire ride home, she still did not fully understand what he was or what he would come to be, but she loved him, and she knew she would protect him no matter the circumstances or the consequences. Elixia's mother informed her that they were finally home, her mother helped her out of the carriage, and they made their way inside. Their house was average for the area, nothing special. They had a small farm in the back for growing food and a small pen for their horses. The house was small yet sizable for three people. Previously, only Elixia, Elixia's mother, and Elixia's father had been living in the house, now, there was one more mouth to feed. Considering the area they lived in, they were privileged to have the small plot of land that they did.
Although they lived in a more neglected part of Denomi, the Esfan region, they were still happy to receive what they could. Elixia's father walked out from the front door, he had stayed behind to defend the house and their farms in the case of something happening. "Pauline, is Elixia okay?" Elixia's father was extremely worried about Elixia since he knew the circumstances behind the baby's father. No one had ever seen a half-demon, half-demi-human before. Everyone, including Elixia herself, was afraid the child would perish at birth due to no one knowing what the child's physiology would be like. There were of course also the issues of what kinds of powers and bending affinities the child would possess, or if the child would possess any affinities at all. Demons are known to have natural affinities for dark bending, and demi-humans are known to have natural affinities for light bending. However, these two types of bending can cancel each other out. Because of this, everyone feared that the innate energy in the child would cancel itself out, leaving nothing behind.
"Yes, Roman, she's okay." Roman, Elixia's father, ran up to the carriage and helped Elixia down. "Thank you, father," it was clear that she was exhausted. "It's okay Elixia, walk slowly now," Roman held his daughter's hand helped her down the carriage, and walked her into their house. Elixia held Toranto in her grasp and walked down to her house with her father. "So, is that my grandchild?" Roman asked Elixia as they approached their front door. Elixia gave a soft laugh before answering his question, "Yes, it is, his name is Toranto." "A boy huh, well I look forward to teaching him how to farm," Roman said in excitement. He had secretly hoped the child would be a boy so that he would have additional help on the farm and maintaining the house and yard. Elixia smiled, she was happy to know that both of her parents accepted her child. Finally, they stepped into the house and Elixia was able to sit her child down into the baby crib that they prepared for him before she left for the hospital. Toranto lay quiet in the crib, as he slept all three of them gathered around to watch him. He was the newest addition to their small family; he was a gift. Elixia looked down at her son and observed his horns once again, although they were small, they were visible on his head. "Father, I know you can see his horns," Elixia said with a slight trace of disappointment and regret in her voice. "Of course, it'll be interesting to watch him grow up. I'm sure those horns will grow to be huge!" Roman spoke with excitement in his voice, he could tell that Elixia was still upset about the situation, and he wanted to assure her that he accepted Toranto as a part of their family. He knew that Toranto was of his blood, and he would raise the newborn as such. Elixia uttered a small laugh, "I suppose you're right; the horns of demons can grow quite large when they're fully grown." She paused for a moment, looking down at her child and wondering how she would even begin to raise a half-demon. "I hope you're okay with this," Elixia said with a sad look on her face. "I am Elixia, he's a part of our family now and we'll raise him together," Roman said with a smile on his face.
Elixia thanked her father for his kind words, she felt a little better now. She feared that Toranto would not be accepted by her family because he was a half-breed. She desperately wanted to protect him from the truth of the inequality and injustice that faced the demi-humans. But she knew that would be impossible. All she knew for certain is that for what it's worth, she would be by her child's side until the day she died. She had begun to resolve herself to help him face every possible situation that could arise in his life, she knew it was her responsibility to ensure that he had a fair shot of making it in this world, a world that was already against him. Suddenly, he began to cry and reach for his mother. She immediately noticed and picked him up, she sat down with him in her arms and cradled him until he began to calm down. Pauline came in from one of the other rooms, she had prepared a bottle of milk and gave it to Elixia. Elixia sat and fed her child, Toranto had stopped crying and began to drink. As for the rest of them, they were happy. They were happy to have this new edition to their family, a child they could raise and call their own. They saw it as an opportunity to teach him about all the wonders that the world had to offer and instill in him the will to become whoever he wanted to be. They wanted to watch him learn and grow before their eyes, and they were going to do exactly that.
Over the coming years, they continued to watch over and protect Toranto. Pauline, Roman, and Elixia did exactly as they said they were going to: they raised him as one of their own. They caught every precious moment of his development, his first words, his first steps, and his first time learning what everything was around him. Almost as soon as he began to walk, he began to run and run into things as a result. They had to take extra precautions to baby-proof the house and their front and back yards so that he wouldn't hurt himself when exploring. They bought him all kinds of toys to play with and Elixia always kept him company, she enjoyed listening to him trying to speak since everything that came out was gibberish, she thought it was cute. Elixia was right in front of him when he said his first word: "Mama." When he said this, her heart sank into her chest, and she immediately teared up and hugged him. This later became his favorite word. They also learned that he loved to experiment with anything he could get his hands on. He was a mischievous child and loved to explore everything around him, just like his mother when she was young. He had even burnt the tip of his tail playing with a match. Despite the hardships of raising him, the family was happy and Toranto remained safe.
Soon enough, the time came around for Toranto's first day of primary school. The child was now six years old. Elixia had decided that until Toranto was twelve years old, she would ride him to school and pick him up on their horse. On Toranto's first day, he was excited and nervous, his mother had dressed him well and they arrived early, it wasn't a far ride from their home and this school was the best in the area. Elixia dismounted the horse and helped Toranto down, "have a good first day of school sweetheart, I can't wait to hear all about it when I come to get you," she said before hugging him. Elixia got back on the horse and began to ride home, Toranto waved to her. When his mother left, he turned around to face the school. It was a big building with lots of windows, he turned to his sides to see all the other children walking into the school. They were all demi-humans like him, many of them were wolves since many of the wolf demi-human families inhabited the nearby area, Toranto's family included. He had his bag and all the supplies he needed, he was ready to begin the next chapter of his life and, for now, he was happy.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone