"Mom?"
His call was greeted by a moment of silence, but then as if to spite his nervous thoughts, a clear, female voice was heard.
"Zeke?! Is that you?"
Zeke's eyes grew moist at the sound of his mother's voice. Only now did he realize how much he had missed hearing her call to him, with that caring undertone only a mother could have. The moment she spoke, Zeke felt at peace.
"Hi, Mom," he said, a feeling of complicated feeling settling in his heart.
"What's going on, Zeke? Are you back? What happened to you? Are you alright?"
"I'm not back yet, but I've found a way to contact you from afar," Zeke explained, deliberately avoiding her other questions. He didn't want to go into detail about his recent experiences or share his advancements with his mother. For one, he didn't want to worry her unnecessarily. Also, she wouldn't fully understand what it meant to become a Grand Mage at his age, and he certainly didn't want her spreading word of it. Such a rumor would only serve to make his enemies wary of him.
"That's great! My son is such a genius!" his mother responded. Her voice was still cheerful, though she wasn't able to fully hide her disappointment that he hadn't yet returned. However, it didn't last for long. "It is so good to hear your voice!"
"You too, Mom," Zeke said, his lips naturally curling up. "Is everything alright at home? You didn't say much in your last letter."
His mother scoffed. "Letter? That was months ago, Zeke. Do you even care about your family anymore?"
Zeke's smile quickly turned wry. It had taken his mother only moments to go from tearful reunion to gentle nagging. She really never changed. Although, he could understand why she was upset—after all, he hadn't replied to any of her letters during his time in isolation, leaving only a brief note that he'd be busy for a while.
"It couldn't be helped, Mom," he said evasively, "something important came up…"
"Important?" his mother replied scornfully. "Do you even know how worried I was when you didn't contact us in so long?"
Though the words sounded harsh, Zeke could hear the concern in her tone. It must have been grueling not to get any more replies for such a long time. "I am sorry Mom," he said, genuinely miffed to have caused her such worries. "But we'll be able to talk a lot more from now on."
"…That better be the case," she said, her voice a mix of concern and relief. "Are you doing alright now? You didn't do anything reckless, did you?"
Zeke paused, unsure how to answer. 'Reckless' hardly captured the magnitude of what he had done. He had rushed his advancement to Grand Mage to help a Progenitor combat one of the deadliest poisons known, all while preparing to assist in a war that could obliterate an entire population. But that wasn't something he wanted to share with her.
"I've just been busy with training," Zeke said, offering a half-truth. "What's been happening back home?" He quickly changed the subject, hoping she wouldn't press further.
Luckily, his mother didn't seem to expect more. She launched into a lively recounting of events. "A lot has happened since you last reached out and now, business is picking up again," his mother said. "When the war began, many merchants held off on buying, but now that the situation has shifted, they're starting to spend again. At this rate, we can barely keep up with demand."
"Shifted? In what way?"
"…You didn't hear," his mother asked. "The alliance is starting to push back the empire at the front. If things continue like this, they'll be able to expel them completely in a matter of months."
Zeke's brows furrowed. That easily? How could that be? The emperor of Arkanheim—the most powerful Mind Mage on the continent—couldn't have misjudged his opponent's strength so drastically, could he? It seemed unlikely. If the alliance was truly winning, then it was more probable the emperor was aiming for something else entirely. Instead of making him relax, the news of their success only worried Zeke.
"…That's great, Mom," he said, not wanting to bring down her spirit. "How is Jett doing? Is the old man still healthy? It must be hard on him to handle the increased workload."
"He's doing fine for now, but…" his mother started, though she seemed a bit hesitant. "He has started to delegate some of his responsibilities lately. I think he's trying to ensure that the operation continues to run smoothly even after he's gone."
Zeke grimaced. He was aware that his lead engineer had almost reached the end of his lifespan. It was the very reason the man had agreed to his patronage in the first place. But seeing it come to pass now felt different. The clear signs of Jettero's mortality hit harder than any words ever could, making it all the more undeniable.
"How's Lue holding up? Is she worried about her Granpa?"
"She's doing fine," his mother reassured. "She is spending most of her time with Maya these days. I am not even sure if she has noticed his condition."
"Ohh?" Zeke was intrigued. What could the two girls be up to that kept them so busy? "What are they doing?" he asked directly.
"What else?" his mother replied, and Zeke could almost picture her rolling her eyes through the telepathic link. "They spend all their time doing that strange meditation you used to practice. They've somehow convinced themselves it'll turn them into powerful Mages."
Zeke smiled unconsciously. His sister, like he had at her age, seemed to have fully embraced the meditation technique. He couldn't yet be sure how effective it would be for her, but judging by his own results, it certainly couldn't hurt. He would love for her to experience an awakening similar to his own. With his current knowledge and means, he was confident about turning her into a formidable mage in a matter of years if she had the aptitude.
Zeke suddenly remembered the group of children he and Maximilian had brought into the program. Wasn't it about time the oldest among them turned fourteen? Their day of awakening couldn't be far off now. He definitely needed to return to Tradespire before then. After all, the results of that day would be crucial to his plans, as they would reveal just how viable his strategy for building his own force truly was.
"Are the others also keeping up their meditation?" he asked.
Mia hummed for a moment. "It's a mixed bag with the rest. Some have given up on it completely, but their are a few who are almost as diligent as Maya and Lue."
Zeke nodded. That was good. He had never intended to force them into it. The discrepancy, between the diligent ones and the ones who had given up on it would allow him to infer a lot of new insights.
His current theory was that the technique worked better for those who already had the aptitude, like himself and Lilly. His best friend, Markus, had never been able to fully embrace the technique, even though he had tried his hardest. It certainly wasn't only linked to effort. Zeke was already looking forward to the results of the study. It was a way to further glimpse some insights into the workings of a Mages Core.
However, that matter wasn't very urgent at the moment. There was something else he was far more curious about. "Did you hear anything else about the state of the war?"
"Is there something so are especially interested in?" His mother asked, her voice gaining a teasing edge. It was clear that she already knew what he was curious about.
"Have you heard anything about how Leo is doing?" he asked directly.
His mother chuckled. "Don't worry, he's fine. Among the young scions that have changed the war efforts he and his companions have managed to make a bit of a reputation for themselves."
Zeke smirked. He had hoped Leo could adapt well to military life and was glad to hear that it had actually turned out that way. "What kind of reputation?"
"Well… There's the matter of their race," his mother explained. "Aside from Leo, the other members of his squad are all half-beasts, did you know that?"
"Don't call them that, Mom," Zeke said, a bit annoyed by the term.
"It's what people call them," Mia defended herself. I can only tell you what the rumors are."
Zeke quickly calmed his annoyance. His mother was right. She didn't have the same experiences with Chimeroi as himself, only relying on the words of other people. There was no way his mother would use such language otherwise.
"Did you hear anything else?" Zeke asked eagerly.
Mia chuckled. "Do you know what they call themselves?"
Zeke thought for a moment. "It's probably something about claws or fangs," he said with a smirk. Given the naming sense of Chimeroi, he couldn't imagine them picking a sensible name for their squad.
"Close," Mia said. "They call themselves the Fangs of the Blood King."
Zeke was momentarily startled by her answer. Blood King? Could they be referring to him with that title? It seemed unlikely, but knowing Leo, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Also, the Chimeroi had always shown him a peculiar reverence ever since he healed them. The thought made him grimace in embarrassment, so he quickly changed the subject. As long as they were doing well, that was all that mattered to him.
"Let's not talk about them anymore. Is there anything else I should know about?"
His mother paused, thinking. "I'm not sure how true it is, but there's talk that the empire is putting pressure on the king."
Zeke's attention sharpened. "The king of Tradespire? What kind of pressure?" he asked, his mind racing. "Are they trying to convince him to join the empire's side?"
However, Zeke's fears proved unfounded. "Not at all," his mother said. "From what I've heard, they're trying to pressure him into staying neutral."
Zeke fell silent. This news, though seemingly minor, confirmed what he had suspected. The fact that the empire wasn't trying to gain new allies was the clearest sign that they weren't concerned about the war's outcome. Instead, they seemed more focused on preventing any new variables from emerging.
It was almost certain now: The empire was plotting something significant behind the scenes. With that confirmation, Zeke reaffirmed his plans: He needed to return to Tradespire soon. Otherise, he wouldn't be able to react to whatever they were planing.
Just then, the door to his room opened, and Gravitas poked her head inside. Zeke gave her a questioning look, silently asking what she needed.
"You have a visitor," she said. Zeke was about to brush her off, as it had been far too long since he had talked to his mother like that, but his resolve crumbled when he heard her next words.
"…It's Snow."