PftA Book 5 - Chapter 48 - Just a Day at the Park

Amie and the others present when we arrived were thrilled to learn about Raymond’s gains during his time with me.

When Zavira had learned about Raymond’s feat, she jokingly mentioned having me do the same for Xanin if he ended up with a weak affinity. Though said lightly, I could tell she was deeply worried about her youngest child’s prospects.

Her older children had all started manifesting hints of their affinities early. They’d also all happily joined the Hephaistos Sect, having grown up learning Smithing from a young age.

While Xanin had shown some capability in the craft, he seemed to have a lackluster interest in actually pursuing it to the same degree as his siblings.

Those two factors had combined to make Zavira worry that Xanin might have a harder time than the others. Motherhood had changed her in a lot of ways, and her obvious concern for her youngest only highlighted that.

As the ceremony approached, Zavira’s stress levels increased. It got so bad that she actually asked Amie to use her Mind affinity to help her stay calm.

When it was finally his turn to place his hand on the affinity crystal, Xanin manifested an upper-standard Earth affinity. The exact measurement of his affinity wouldn’t be known until he was tested further, but based on the illumination of the crystal, I felt confident in my estimate.

The element itself was a surprise since nobody in Xanin’s immediate ancestry had an Earth affinity. However, it was close enough to Metal that it wasn’t considered too strange. Even if it had been something totally different, it wasn’t unheard of for newly awakened youths to manifest a completely unexpected affinity.

The youth himself seemed almost relieved at the news. It only took a bit of coaxing to discover why.

“I never really liked Smithing, Aunt Emie,” he said quietly, clearly not wanting anyone else to overhear. “Now that I have a different affinity, they probably won’t care if I do something else instead.”

Though we weren’t related, Zavira had encouraged all of her kids to call me that. At this point, I was used to it.

“I was really worried that I’d be expected to do like everyone else and join the sect to become a Smith if I got one of the sect’s primary elements,” Xanin continued. “And though I appreciate all of the advantages I’ve gotten, I really don’t want to join the sect. I just worry that they’ll think I’m ungrateful or something.”

“I doubt anyone will think that,” I said. “You know, I’m almost certain your family would have been fine if you wanted to pursue a different path in life, even if you had one of the elements the sect specializes in. Nobody wants you to be unhappy.”

We chatted for a few minutes longer before I stepped away to allow one of the others to chat with the newly awakened youth. The evening was still young, but there were a lot of people who’d come to celebrate Xanin’s first real step into adulthood.

= = =

Mom kept the details of the gathering she planned secret until the very last minute.

From me, at least.

To my surprise and amusement, Mom had booked our gathering at a resort connected to Disney World. She said she wanted me to experience something distinctly American before I ascended, even though the United States of America no longer technically existed.

It was a fun idea, and one that I wouldn’t have considered on my own.

The first day of the gathering was dedicated to reconnecting with everyone. There were no trips to any parks. Instead, we just hung out at the resort and shared good food while catching up with people that many of us hadn’t seen in ages.

A few people left after the initial gathering, not even staying for a night. I didn’t mind. I was just honored that they were able to take the time from their lives to attend in the first place.

When the second day rolled around, the remaining guests split into groups and headed into one of the fifteen parks under the Disney umbrella.

I remembered that there used to only be six parks. Two were waterparks, with the rest being themed.

Now, there were five waterparks, including one that was completely underwater and required a special band that allowed one to effectively become a merfolk of their choice for the day.

It didn’t actually change the person, though. It was just a temporary magical effect that would end as soon as the band was removed.

Obviously, the bands could not be removed while in the park for safety reasons.

The other parks had similar themes, though the original parks were kept as close to their roots as possible for a more authentic feel.

We started with the Magic Kingdom – one of the old-school theme parks that had been updated heavily with magic, but still emulated its original design.

I didn’t bother with a disguise at first, which meant I was pretty quickly recognized once we went through the gate. Had there been a line like before the reintegration, I probably would have been recognized before we even made it inside.

I wasn’t exceptionally well-known, but enough people knew who I was to cause a stir. And once word of my identity went out, I was practically swarmed by curious youths who’d heard of the famous Trinity Mage from Earth.

It felt weird being treated like a celebrity, but I forced myself to enjoy the attention for once in my life.

It wasn’t bad…for about twenty minutes. After that, I teleported away and activated a disguise, reclaiming my anonymity.

A few people still followed my family members, hoping I’d show back up. But nobody connected my new look with my real identity. It was a reminder of how annoying fame could be sometimes, and only reinforced my mindset that remaining a relative unknown was often the better option.

Sure, I might miss out on shorter lines, free stuff, and the adoration of fans, but that was a small price to pay for peace.

“Was it really like this when you were a kid?” Raymond asked his mom as we walked through a much more realistic Cinderella Castle than the one I remembered.

“To be honest, I don’t remember,” Amie replied. “I was still pretty young when we moved to Hadier, and I can’t recall ever visiting Disney World before Earth joined the Alliance.”

Raymond’s gaze shifted to me.

“It’s pretty close,” I said. “There weren’t any magical effects back then. Everything was mundane.” I motioned around us. “I don’t think the castle was as real back then, though. I’m pretty sure it was just a shell with a tunnel through it.”

“How did all of the attractions work if there was no magic?” Raymond asked. Xanin, now effectively a year younger than the other boy, listened curiously from nearby.

“The technology of pre-integration Earth could do a lot more than you might think,” I answered as we stepped through the door leading out of the castle. “I don’t know the details about how most of it worked, I just know that it did. In some ways, I suspect that it was even more complicated than today’s enchantments.”

“That doesn’t seem right,” Raymond said with a frown. “How were they so advanced if they didn’t have access to mana?”

“They had access to electricity,” I replied. “Again, I don’t know the details of how most of it worked, only that it did. It’s pretty similar to how a normal person doesn’t understand the details of how enchantments work. They just know that they use mana and intent to create effects, if they even understand that much.”

Though unsatisfying, my answer seemed sufficient for now, and the two youths were soon distracted by one of the nearby golem characters that were designed to imitate the iconic Disney characters of my youth.

There were several new characters as well since Disney hadn’t stopped producing hits just because the apocalypse arrived. Though there had been a short period during the transition where movies and other such media were not being released, most of the world was quick to adapt once the immediate threat was dealt with.

Seeing a ride I recalled from my childhood, I shifted our trajectory. The best part about a truly magical Disney World was that the wait for rides and other attractions tended to be quite short.

I wasn’t sure what combination of magic they used to make the lines move so quickly, but I was certain Time was one of them since I could sense the notable mana in the vicinity.

I also noted Space mana throughout the park, though its presence wasn’t much of a surprise given how spatially expanded the parks were.

“We should go to the ‘Under the Sea’ park tomorrow,” Amie said as the sun crept toward the horizon near the end of the second day.

“You always did love mermaids,” I said with a grin.

“Who could blame me?” she said, matching my expression. “Mermaids are cool. You remember when we visited that mermaid village back during your first break from the dungeon?”

“How could I forget? You wouldn’t stop talking about mermaids after seeing them at the luau in Hawaii.”

Amie’s smile softened, and her eyes shifted to her youngest two children. They were following Raymond and Xanin like shadows while the older youths pretended not to notice.

There were other cousins and acquaintances spread throughout the various parks, but none had stuck with our group beyond the first half of the day. The rest had wandered off or taken the teleporter to one of the other parks.

“That was a fun trip,” Amie commented. “Simon and I took the kids to Hawaii back when they were younger. I don’t think Leslie remembers. She was only three or four when we went. Maybe I’ll take her again if she enjoys the underwater park.”

We paused a few times so the kids could play some old-school arcade games as we made our way toward the gates where we’d agreed to meet up with everyone just before the nightly fireworks started.

Since all of the parks stayed open overnight, the fireworks marked a shift from the normal daytime attractions to more night-oriented themes.

As soon as the fireworks ended, each guest started glowing softly in a color of their choice. In Magic Kingdom, ‘Tron’-style tracks complete with hoverbikes appeared throughout the park, creating a completely different atmosphere.

I watched with amusement as the kids cheered and ran off toward the access point that catered to their age group.

I wasn’t really worried about their safety, nor were their parents. Between the security measures in place and the Accords, they were as safe as they could be.

It wasn’t perfect, but nothing really was. I’d learned that the hard way when I’d gotten snatched by Cin’Specter while in a crowded location.

We only watched for a moment before Zavira, Amie, and I shared a grin and headed toward an access point of our own.