Awakening from ashes

The next day came by much quicker than Lucas had expected. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he had woken up a bit earlier due to his constant nightmares or the fact that he couldn’t sleep again from the sheer excitement of the impending proposal.

He got up from his bed as soon as the sun’s rays filtered in through his windows, put his long hair in a ponytail, and went to his mother’s room. Normally, she was the one who woke Lucas up even before his alarm did but today was a special day. He didn’t have time to waste. He rapped his knuckles on her door to try and wake her up.

“What?” Her voice echoed through the door, giving him the permission to go in.

Lucas turned the handle and opened the door before poking his head through the gap and smiling at what he saw. His mother, although fifty years of age, was the epitome of beauty. Long brown locks paired with honey-colored eyes and a petite face. She yawned as she sat up straight, her hair a bird’s nest.

“Why are you waking me up? Isn’t it normally the other way around?” she asked in disbelief as she rubbed her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock.

“We need to start working so that we can prepare for tonight.”

“Prep? For what?” she questioned Lucas, taking the sheets off her legs.

“The dinner, ma. Remember? Nicole’s coming over with her family. For us to meet them,” he reminded her, raising an eyebrow at how she forgot.

“Oh. That dinner,” she said with a small smile. She stood up and stretched.

“All right. Give me ten minutes to wash up.”

“Be quick,” Lucas told her as he walked out and shut the door behind him.

“I will. Get out,” he heard her shout with a laugh.

Lucas chuckled and made his way to the back of the house which overlooked the large farmhouses and ranches they had. The land they had managed to get a few years back stretched out as far as the eye could see, filled with various crops. It wasn’t a corporate job but it did the job of feeding Lucas and his mother, especially when they lived in such a remote place. Both of them were practically the farmers for the town.

Lucas rolled up his sleeves, prepared to work a bit before he would have his bath, and then joined his mother inside for the rest of the household chores. Lucas headed over to the ranch first to feed the cows, horses, and chickens. The cacophony of caws, neighs, and moos he got from the animals filled his ears, making him smile.

He headed over to one of the horses and touched it. She brayed and moved under him, making him pat her. It was something she only did when she needed water.

“I know you’re thirsty,” Lucas said before he stretched his hand towards the feeding rack. His hand glowed an iridescent blue hue before water flowed out from nothing and went into the trough. The horse made a beeline for it, leaving him alone. He flexed his hand and watched her.

That’s right. Not only did he have the gift of flames, but he also had the gift of water among other things. He had five gifts in total. Lucas never really knew how he got more than three gifts since his father had a fire gift and his mother a water one but it was unheard of especially when he had shown no signs of them during the ceremony on his fifth birthday.

Normally, someone without any gifts was said to be giftless. They were the lowest of the low. Some of them were even beggars on the road or people trying to make ends meet.

The people with one gift were the common folk. They were everyday people just going around with their business like store clerks or even hairdressers.

People with two gifts were the people who had their whole lives set out. They were the middle and upper-class citizens just like businessmen with a company or so.

People with three gifts were the cream of the crop. They were the elite of the country. Royals, billionaires, hell, and even mafia lords with that many gifts were considered functional parts of society. All because they had been blessed.

Lucas, on the other hand, had just woken up one night and had somehow set a large part of his room on fire. His mother had put it out and was happy that he had gotten his gift but even after that, he kept on discovering that he had more than he needed.

Even though Lucas knew that he would have been respected or even revered for his gifts since what he possessed was only a thing of legend, he still kept them to himself. He never even told his own mother. It was better to keep them hidden. Who knew what would happen if the world found out about what he could do? The fame might be nice but there was no shortage of people who wanted to bring someone down when they reached the top.

With that in mind, he went on with his work, using his gifts as sparingly as he could to avoid anyone finding out. Soon enough, a few hours had gone by and he was finally done with work.

Lucas’s body was covered in dirt and the smell that he whiffed coming from himself showed that he needed a shower immediately. He walked back to the house just to see his mother in their modest kitchen cooking up a storm. The aroma of the food wafted into his nostrils but by the time he got close to a plate of food, a wooden spatula slapped him on the wrist.

“Take a bath first, Lucas and when will you cut that hair? If I don't like it, I'm sure Nicole’s parents won't either. You need to look like a respectable man, not a ruffian.” his mother warned him with those three words and a look.

Lucas raised his burly hands up in surrender and backed up, knowing that under this roof, his mother’s word was law. He smiled and caved to what she wanted.

“Fine. I'll cut it after dinner ma.” Lucas replied before he headed back to his room and had a shower, feeling the water wash the grime and sweat off his body and bring back his excitement.

•••••

After hours of cooking elaborate but modest dishes, arranging the table, and setting up the dining table to give off a homely but satisfying effect, Lucas was finally ready.

He wore his best clothes and even slicked his hair back to make himself look more presentable. He fingered the small black velvet box in his hands once he was done dressing up, then flipped it open to reveal a ring. It wasn’t big by any means but the pink rock that sat prettily in the middle was worth a fortune. Lucas knew that because he did his research and tried his damnedest to create it with his earthly gifts.

He heard a knock at the door and quickly shut the box, putting it into his back pocket before leaving his room and going over to the front door. He looked out of the peephole and saw Nicole standing with her bag in hand and a nervous look on her face. Then he opened the door.

“Lucas,” she said before she came in and gave him a hug. Her strawberry blonde hair smelled like coconuts and her small frame fit his perfectly. She pulled away and smiled.

“New choice of hair?” She poked at him, always used to seeing him with scattered shoulder length hair.

“Where are your parents?” Lucas asked her when he saw no one coming in after her, disregarding her question completely.

“Sorry. My parents had to check up on something. Business related as usual. I don’t think they’ll make it,” Nicole explained with an apologetic look.

Lucas closed the door behind his girlfriend and shook his head. He had only seen Nicole’s parents just once and when they found out that he didn’t have a mansion with twelve different cars, they flipped out. They didn’t necessarily show their disgust towards him but it was evident.

“It’s fine. Maybe next time.”

“All right,” she replied just as Lucas’s mother walked towards them with her arms outstretched to greet Nicole.

“It smells great here, Ms. Cole,” Nicole complimented.

“Thank you, dear, and it’s just Marrisa. You’ve been with my son for some time now, so it’s all right to call me by my name. I insist,” she said then added, “Lucas helped out.” Marrisa gestured to her son after speaking to Nicole.

“I doubt that,” Nicole said with a laugh.

“Come on. Give it here,” Lucas told Nicole as she removed her jacket, then she handed him a bottle of wine and followed his mother into the house and towards the kitchen.

He could hear their giggles and part of their conversation as he hung the coat on the coat rack and found his way to them.

“Her parents aren’t coming, ma,” Lucas told his mother from the dining area as he placed the bottle in the middle of the already set table.

His mother frowned but wiped the disappointment off her face immediately. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll be fine,” she said as she rubbed Nicole’s back. “Now, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

They all gathered around the dining table and took their seats, with Lucas at the head and his mother and Nicole by his side. Although they were incomplete, they ate as a family, sharing stories and laughing. It was a nice night and Lucas was determined to make it a memorable one.

When the table went quiet, he cleared his throat and turned to Nicole. “I have something to say.”

His mother and Nicole both turned, their focus settling on him.

“Um,” Lucas began as he shifted in his seat and went on one knee.

Nicole, who was taking a sip of water, choked and dropped her cup, wiping her mouth afterward due to the shock she was feeling.

“I have known you for the past three years now and I have loved you for the last two. You have been such a light in my life and after very little consideration, I’m sure that I want you to be by my side forever. You’re the girl of my dreams and now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to ever let you go,” Lucas said, stopping to catch his breath and also to bring out the velvet box from his pocket.

He turned it towards a gasping Nicole and opened it, revealing the engagement ring within.

“I want to share my future with you. So, here goes nothing. Nicole Anderson, will you marry me?” he asked, his breath hitching in his throat after the question left his mouth.

Nicole grinned from ear to ear and bobbed her head in a yes.

“Yes?” Lucas asked her, smiling.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Lucas,” Nicole answered without hesitation as she brought her hand for him to place the ring on. He picked up the ring and put it on her before she leaped from her seat and hugged him tightly. He was the happiest man on earth.

Marrisa clapped from the sidelines, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of them.

Nicole pulled away and ogled the ring, a gleam in her eye before grabbing the bottle on the table and popping it open. She grabbed their glasses and poured the red wine before setting them back down and raising her own glass.

“A toast,” she started. Marrisa and Lucas raised their glasses, joining her.

“A toast to one of the best nights of our lives. A toast to a long and loving family.” They clinked their glasses and took a sip of their drinks.

Lucas sighed and took his seat, the nervousness in his chest dissipating since Nicole had said yes, but to his surprise, something unexpected suddenly happened. His chest felt tight like someone was sitting on it and his eyes felt heavy. He blinked a bit, his vision swimming and a sharp pain resonating in his head.

“Lucas, are you okay?” his mother asked as she dropped her glass and looked at him with worry.

“I’m fine. I just have a headache, I think,” he replied, not really sure what was going on with him either. The pain increased by ten folds making him wince and groan as his hand shot up to his temple.

“I’ll get you some Tylenol,” Nicole said before getting up from her seat and disappearing into the house.

His mother came to him and placed her hand on his shoulders, slowly rubbing them in circles.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” she whispered to Lucas before it all went to hell.

“Nicole, who are these people?” Lucas could hear his mother ask as she looked in the direction of the door. He turned as fast as he could, and was met with a strange sight.

Four men all dressed in black with the same oni mask, stood behind Nicole whose face was no longer as caring and delicate as it had been a second ago.

“Get away from her,” Lucas managed to say through gritted teeth, trying to protect his woman. He stood up and stumbled, ready to fight through the pain to save Nicole but her next words stopped him cold in his tracks.

“Sit back down and die, worm.”