Nagan | Broken Time Series: Book One

Chapter 6

There was a long pause once the door closed, and both boys began to change into their uniforms. Nagan had no problem changing in front of others since he grew up with little privacy. Back when he was part of a caravan, they would live in a single large tent that only held a divider between the women and men's side. However, Az seemed hesitant and kept glancing in Nagan's direction.

"Have you...never changed with someone else in the room before?" Nagan asked curiously, pausing after pulling on the plaid trousers he was given. The material was sturdy and a bit thicker than he was used to, but significantly more comfortable than anything he'd worn in years.

Az looked at Nagan wide-eyed to his question and blurted, "No—I mean yes! I mean...no, but that's—" his mouth clicked shut, and he made a face while thinking about what exactly he was trying to say.

Nagan observed Az as he stared ahead with the same pinched expression for nearly a minute. Ok...? Deciding to leave Az alone, Nagan continued with what he was doing and shucked off his torn shirt. He was just about to slide an arm into the sleeve of the button up when he heard quick steps approach him and a hand grasp his upper arm. Not expecting the sudden grab, he almost instinctively punched Az in the face. "What the hell?!"

"Why do you have a shackle on your arm?!" Az exclaimed and held his arm up to see if there was a way to take it off. "It looks like it's embedded into your skin!"

"Calm down, Az! It's an armband!" Nagan had to stand on his toes to prevent his arm from pulling too much from the socket. Az was stronger than he looked, but Nagan was also not very heavy to begin with. With the simple explanation, Az still continued to attempt taking the armband off. "Are you always like this?! And it's not embedded into my skin, I just had to make it tighter so it'll stay on properly!"

That seemed to get through to Az, and he finally let go. He looked at it in concern. "Isn't it cutting off circulation though?"

Nagan couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation. "I have enough brains to not amputate my own arm. Here. Since you're so inclined to panic at simple jewelry, here are the others so you don't grab me and nearly get a good knock to the head."

Ok, maybe his words were a bit harsh, but he proceeded to tuck his hair behind his ears to show two mismatched earrings and lifted his pant leg to reveal two anklets.

"Oh." Az looked embarrassed and took a step back to give Nagan space. "I'm sorry. It just...after what you said, I just kind of...jumped to conclusions."

Nagan huffed out a sigh but understood where he was coming from. "I guess the armband is quite a bit tarnished from being worn all the time, and we both overreacted a bit, but maybe next time don't grab me without warning. I really did almost punch you in the face, and I don't want to explain to Madam Arcloven why her son has a black eye."

Az let out a sheepish laugh before going back to his side of the room.

Once again, it was silent.

...

The awkward type of silence.

...

Then Nagan heard a small "pft" from across the room and completely lost it.

It was something about the oddness of the previous events that made the boys end up in stitches, to the point of even needing to hold on to something to keep themselves upright. Both boys would never admit to how long they laughed, but it was an absurd amount of time before the two of them could proceed with their original task. It was a miracle that Madam Arcloven hadn't barged in and told them to stop fooling around yet.

Now in much lighter spirits, Nagan thought it would be a good time to learn a few things about his new situation. "So, what did Madam Arcloven mean about how I'm at a higher social standing than herself? She didn't really explain."

Az paused for a second and thought about what were the most important pieces of information Nagan should know immediately. "Well, to start with, do you know what the three base magics are?"

"About the drakons, elvas, and dwarns right?" Nagan asked slowly and received a nod of confirmation.

At least he knew that much. The three base magics were categories mages were placed in by what they excelled in. Drakons were commonly referred to as the warriors of the three, since those were the ones who excelled in combative spells and other talents that were used for offense. Their magic was powerful but hard to restrain. At the other end of the scale sat the dwarns. They were known for large-scale barriers and other defensive tactics. Their magic was controlled, but rigid. Elvas stood in the middle as they were considered the jacks of all trades of the magics and were quite good with delicate spells such as healing. Their magic was versatile, but tricky to fully master. The ideal would be the three of them working together.

"As the story goes, long ago three mages learned the art and secrets of taming dragons. Somoro Dagmire, Miri Warven, and Leika Elvar. That's where the terms drakon, dwarn, and elva came from since they each had their own style. Ever since then, their descendants continued to lead the Dragonmage world and are known to be powerful. Until now, at least. Not that the original three families aren't powerful, but now there's another triad taking the top. The Honoria's as drakons, the Totari's as dwarns, and Arcloven's as elvas." Az looked to Nagan apologetically. "So in a way, my family is overshadowing your family. But we'll always see you as the original elva family."

Nagan waved his hand dismissively. "No need to beat yourself up over it. I think it'd be good to knock down those stuffy Elvar's down a peg or two. Honestly, the only reason why I haven't completely dropped the name is because it's one of the few things I have left of my father. Other than that, it's not like the Elvar's accepted me and my mom as family."

A thought struck him, and he sent a sly grin in Az's direction. "Now that I'm here, I think it's the perfect opportunity to show those stuck ups that I didn't need their help to push the family name back to the top."

Az laughed. "So does that make us rivals then?"

Nagan hummed in feigned thought as he stepped towards the door. "Friendly rivals. Now hurry up. I don't know what this whole welcome ceremony is, but I'm getting the feeling that we shouldn't miss it. That, and I don't want Madam Arcloven to skin me alive."

"She's not that extreme." Az paused and wrinkled his nose. "Then again, I wouldn't put it past her either."

"How comforting."

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Guys I am on a ROLL here! XD

Courtesy of cancelled classes due to heavy snowfall hehe