《The Mystic Healer》


 Chapter 1

    It was the year 3011 on the World Calendar and the Sun Dynasty was bustling with crowds in each city across the empire. Recently, the king birthed a son who was said to be the one to take the throne in the future, and so in celebration, the king allowed businesses to receive several cuts in their taxes. With such a wild thing occurring, not just the locals, but even big business owners stationed in neighboring empires made their way over, hoping to make more money.


    This did not just boost the Sun Dynasty''s wealth, but it also made other empires around the world concerned enough to keep a closer eye on them. The Sun Dynasty''s royal family had been in power now for over two thousand years, but they allowed a particular religion to be allowed within their borders. The Church of Light, although taking some influence away from the royal family, boosted the Sun Dynasty''s overall strength allowing the empire to flourish and gain a foothold on the world stage.


    Normally, an empire would not allow a religion to exist in order for the royal family to hold complete power, but the Sun Dynasty was a different story. Plagued with high crime and wars, the Church of Light was formed originally assisting the poor citizens across the empire. However, once the royal family found out that the leader of the religion was a 9th rank mystic, things changed immediately.


    Usually, an empire wouldn''t have anyone whether in their military or part of an organization ranked that high as a mystic, but rather, warriors were a little more common in this regard. Mystics were individuals who were able to utilize a particular element to cast techniques unavailable to warriors.


    With a 9th rank mystic now in their grasp, the Sun Dynasty became closer with the leader of the Church of Light and used its leader to politely urge the other empires to think twice before launching any more attacks. And with the help of the royal family, the Church of Light was able to expand quite a bit and slowly became a truly fearsome power.


    In a small township called Granite Township located on the border of a rather big city within the Sun Dynasty was a ruling noble family. Using the granite mine located right outside of the town, this noble family was able to slowly gain some power and wealth utilizing the citizens of the town who had no combat ability to train to become even a 1st rank warrior.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    A ten year old child by the name of Lance, was the next soon to be leader of his noble family, but there was a rather big issue, and that was the Yellow Serpent clan. This was an influential clan within the nearby city that was considered one of the three top rated powers within it.


    Lance''s family, who was named the Sacred Ember clan, had a dispute since their founding with the Yellow Serpent clan. Originally, when the Sacred Ember clan found the granite mine, the Yellow Serpent clan tried to soak their clan into their own ranks so that they could control the mine and the endless wealth it offered.


    Lance''s ancestors refused the Yellow Serpent clan and took all of the wealth created by this granite mine for themselves. Since they couldn''t do anything to the granite mine in order to hurt the Sacred Ember clan, the Yellow Serpent clan just made it extremely difficult for them to sell these resources within the city and surrounding area.


    With one of the top rated powers suppressing them, the Sacred Ember clan was still able to make ends meet, but not a single power wanted to even ally themselves with the clan. It was even to the point where very little merchants who had headquarters in other cities, chose not to do business with them. So only able to deal with those who were on the lowest tier in both power and wealth, caused the Sacred Ember clan to barely grow and remained as a noble family only in name within this town.


    Even in an empire such as the Sun Dynasty, the strongest of powers were still able to suppress and bully the weak. Knowing that his family''s future rested on his shoulders, Lance could only work as hard as he could since he was able to lift a sword, and to train to one day become strong enough to finally lift his family to the heights that they deserved to be.


    With hard work and determination, Lance since he was only the age of five years old, vowed that he would be a worthy successor of the family and would make his ancestors proud. And so with this, he was known as a caring but strong willed child by those who cared for him as well as the normal villagers who would run into him every once in a while.

 Chapter 2

    In a small field behind the Sacred Ember clan''s headquarters, Lance stood with his sword in hand as he swung it in a chain of strikes in the air. He was wearing some leather type armor that allowed him to keep his maximum speed while still allowing him to block very basic attacks against those of his skill level.


    With his short spiked hair and his blue eyes, Lance looked like a very cute child who had the potential to grow up and look very handsome. Beads of sweat continued to form on his face as he continued swinging his sword.


    Earlier in the morning, Lance began his brutal training daily regiment by running two kilometers with several ten pound weights covering his body. For a child so young, it was unexpected for even those who loved training to go through with this level of difficulty just to warm up.


    Even with having more strength than the local peers of his in the area, Lance still chose to practice with not just a much heavier sword, but a lighter one as well. He would practice with both a heavy and light sword, so that his speed and abilities would continue to increase regardless of what type of weapon he had in his possession.


    This way, if he found himself in a pinch where he could only use one of the two, the potential disadvantage would be smaller. Even the army trained soldiers in different weapons so that as a unit, they could outmatch their opponents.


    Sitting on a comfortable chair was his combat instructor who Lance begged his mother and father to hire for him. Not many people in the village knew who this instructor was, but to Lance, he was the absolute strongest expert that he had ever met besides his own father who was the Patriarch of the Sacred Ember clan.


    Lance would normally receive a small allowance every month, but he chose to exchange this allowance in order to convince his parents that he wanted to become a strong warrior. He told them that this was so that he could lead the family down the right path in the future. Hearing his determination, his parents supported this fully.


    Originally, his father felt that he should have been the one to guide his son Lance down this path of the warrior, however, because he was the Patriarch of the entire clan, he barely had enough time to eat and sleep while handling all of the major affairs of the Sacred Ember clan, and even other things in Granite Town when he could.


    Since Lance was still too young when he approached his parents about this, he was only able to receive training in swordsmanship and building up his physical strength. To Lance, if he were to become a mystic, it would be possible for other powers to treat him a little more respectfully instead of him walking down the warrior path.


    It was unfortunate, but Lance could only be tested after he turned ten years old to see if he had what it took in order to become a mystic and to learn powerful elemental techniques that could possibly allow him to overtake warriors of the same rank who lacked enough experience. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Since he wanted to become stronger before he could even test his elemental affinity, Lance had no choice but to follow the path as a warrior. There were several cases of individuals who excelled at both the mystic and warrior paths, but it was clear that eventually, one would fall short of the other over time.


    These individuals were considered to be dual masters, but unless one were to reach the 3rd rank of both a mystic and as a warrior, they wouldn''t be classified as such. This reason was because over time, if someone were to pursue both paths, mystics would need to be able to utilize nature to continue increasing their elemental power, while warriors would need to be able to utilize the qi in their bodies to continue increasing their physical power.


    However, by the 3rd ranks, the difficulty of building both at the same time made it so that unless completely necessary, those with the ability to pursue both paths, would choose to only pursue one. In this way, whether it would be as a mystic or as a warrior, the individual would find it easier to excel at one and would be able to achieve greater heights in a much smaller amount of time.


    Knowing all of this, still made Lance choose to start pursuing the path as a warrior because he realized there would still be benefits even if he were to eventually switch over to pursuing the mystic path. Many mystics would rarely work on increasing their physical strength, and because of this, they were unable to truly be on the front lines of a battle. However, if Lance were able to take a hit, it would allow him to potentially flourish as a mystic with some physical ability.


    This couldn''t be helped because the path of a warrior and the path of a mystic had two different types of training methods. Therefore, if a mystic wanted to reach the highest possible heights for themselves, they would normally disregard working on their physical strength just so that they could keep up with their peers.


    Over these four years, Lance worked on his swordsmanship because it was one of the more widely available types of weapons. Coming from a noble family that was still struggling to stay afloat financially, Lance understood that if he needed to purchase newer weapons in case of an emergency, at least he could pick up a sword for fairly cheap compared to more specialized weapons.


    The wonderful positive of specializing in using a sword, was that there were many more techniques available to those on the path of the warrior who had this specialization. It couldn''t be helped, because it was usually the most common of weapons distributed which held the most amount of techniques.


    This did not bother him because whether his path would lead him to a top rated organization, the Church of Light, or even the Sun Dynasty''s military, said powers would try to train him in using many different types of fighting styles, techniques, and weapons even to the point of covering the bills to equip himself properly.


    Knowing all of this, all Lance wanted was to be able to learn the basics of wielding a weapon and his teacher taught him other types of techniques such as footwork among others. For a ten year old child, Lance was well above the average warrior and almost reaching the 1st rank as one. Usually unless a child was considered extremely talented, it would take until the age of twelve to reach the 1st rank as a warrior.

 Chapter 3

    "Very good, if your father had the level of determination which you have now when he was your age, he wouldn''t be stuck at the 3rd warrior rank. You are on a very good track right now to surpass me before you are even half my age." Lance''s teacher told him.


    "As you know, I am only of the 4th rank myself, but if I had as many resources and chances that you will most likely have in the near future, I might have reached even higher heights such as the 5th warrior rank."


    "Now, since you have properly warmed up both your daily exercises for your footwork and have gotten used to the new sword I''ve given you to use, how about we have a little spar?" Lance''s teacher asked him before standing up.


    "Teacher Kong, don''t you think that it would be impossible for me to take you on?" Lance hearing this recommendation from his teacher felt a cold shiver running down his spine. Even if Kong took it easy on him, it was very likely that he would be sent flying backwards even from a flick of his finger!


    "If you are to become a feared and beloved leader in the future, you must realize that you must never cower in the face of danger. Those who are willing to push back against those who oppress them are the same individuals who have gone on to lead countless men and fellow experts."


    "I will not be using a weapon, just do exactly what I have taught you and keep your heart and mind in check. As long as you are able to force me to take one step back, it would be equivalent to finally reaching the 1st rank as a warrior." Kong told Lance as he slowly walked towards him.


    "Fine by me!" Lance shouted out before charging at Kong in a strange movement. It was almost as if he was riding invisible waves of energy as his movements became slippery, but directed towards his target. This was one of the footwork type techniques that Kong taught Lance how to use.


    With one swing of his sword, Lance''s blow met with Kong''s left arm. What was strange in this moment, was that Kong chose to block Lance''s strike with his bare hand, rather than using a piece of the armor which he was wearing.


    Kong after arriving at the Sacred Ember clan in order to teach Lance, was gifted a rather decent set of armor. Since Kong had enough savings in order to take care of his family, what he made in wealth from serving in the military for so long, he lacked proper equipment. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The Sun Dynasty was known to loan both armor and weapons to those who served in the military depending on said individual''s power rank. However, if one were to leave the military whether to retire or otherwise, the military would take back the armor and weapons they loaned to said soldier.


    In some cases, if the individual earned a great reputation and contributed significantly to the Sun Dynasty during their service, even in retirement the military would normally allow said individuals to keep the armor and weapons. Unfortunately, this was only for those who have reached the 5th rank as a warrior.


    In case a war broke out down the line to where retired military personnel had to go back into the military, it would be easier for the highest ranked individuals to still have these weapons and armor so that the military could spend the extra money elsewhere. This also allowed the Sun Dynasty to not fear any enemy invasion from within their borders.


    Unlike warriors, mystics did not necessarily need any armor or other forms of equipment. In most cases, if a mystic was part of the military, they would be given many techniques for their element and would be in the back of a squad, far away from any danger that would hurt or kill them.


    Some mystics liked to wear very light armor that had some form of resistant type runes embedded into it, but for the most part, it was always the warrior class who would be forced onto the front lines. This was a tradeoff that was accepted, because most mystics who served in the military, would be asked to serve a much longer term compared to the warriors.


    It was rather rare, but if a mystic was willing to, they could also attempt to halt their training by using a demonic elemental core to build themselves a staff which could boost their overall combat potential. However, mystics usually chose not to go this route because if they found a demonic elemental core from a slain opponent, it was worth just selling them back to the empire in order to purchase other things they lacked but needed.


    "Very good, but not good enough!" Kong shouted at Lance before he started to control his battle qi in his body. Although he was only giving off a 1st rank level of battle qi, it still caused Lance to sweat in the face of this before he realized he had no choice but to meet this battle qi with his own.


    This would mark the first time that Kong used a small portion of his battle qi while sparing with Lance, and this caused him to carry a worried expression on his face as he tried to figure out what he needed to do next.


    Being pressed back slightly, Lance still was able to stand up straight before charging at Kong once again while yelling and pushing out all of the battle qi in his body. But before he was able to get close enough to swing his blade once more towards him, Kong raised his hand and told Lance to stop.


    Hearing his teacher, Lance halted his advancement, but it was still difficult for him to stop right away since he put the majority of his battle qi force into his footwork to try to gain an advantage against Kong. Taking deep breaths, Lance was finally able to calm his body down as Kong gestured for them to sit and relax now that the spar was over.

 Chapter 4

    "It is clear that it may take just a few more months, but you are very close to stepping into the 1st rank as a warrior. The fact that you still decided to point your sword towards me even with the bloodlust I shot out towards you, proves that you are ready for more advanced training." Kong told Lance as the two sat down to drink some water to replenish themselves.


    "I''ve received word from your father that a mystic from a small school in Bitter Falls will be arriving soon. Even if the Yellow Serpent clan holds great power in the city, it is forbidden for any fighting within the walls of it. You would not only be safe, but you would also be able to try to swim in that ocean full of sharks."


    "Normally, I would recommend sticking to just a single path, but since your aspirations are clearly to regain that of which you feel your family has lost, I would tell you if possible, to pursue both the mystic and warrior path."


    "It will be a much harsher path to take, but it is one that I feel if you are patient, you will be able to cause a golden age for your clan to a level that would rival the Yellow Serpent clan. Even in Bitter Falls, there are only two dual masters, and they have yet to surpass the minimal requirement needed for that title."


    "Now, the mystic only cares about recruiting as many citizens in our town as possible that meet his school''s own set of requirements. I am sure that you will pass whatever test is given as long as you do have some level of elemental affinity with any element."


    "So what will you decide to do, Lance?" Kong finally after advising Lance, wanted to hear exactly how he would respond to said advice.


    "I agree that I should aim for the heavens, otherwise there would be no point in having such big goals that I have. Unfortunately, there are very few techniques available for dual masters to combine both their battle qi and elemental power into their attacks."


    "However, up until now I have faced the wrath of a top rated clan so I have nothing to fear. Teacher is right and I will work towards my goal of resurrecting my family to greatness, no matter how much I suffer through it."


    "But teacher, if I end up getting accepted by that mystic into the school, what will you end up doing?" Lance still a child at heart, didn''t want to leave his family behind, but he also worried about his teacher. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The main reason for this closeness, was because out of all the potential teachers for him, Kong was the only one who didn''t ask for very much and only wanted to help Lance grow into a powerful figure one day. Being denied by everyone else, Lance took Kong as not only his teacher, but in many cases as his savior as well.


    Due to the threat of the Yellow Serpent clan''s wrath, many possible teachers who came to meet with Lance chose against teaching him. This couldn''t be helped since the Yellow Serpent clan''s influence covered the entire region. However, Kong really didn''t seem to mind since he retired from the military and due to his achievements, still received compensation for it every month.


    If he didn''t mind at least something to do with his spare time, as a soldier who has lived through war and many battles against life and death, there was no telling what he would end up doing. It also helped that Kong was actually one rank higher compared to the Sacred Ember clan''s Patriarch.


    "Oh, you do not need to worry about me. Your parents did not tell you, but after seeing your progress over the years, they wanted to recruit me as a trainer for your clan. I guess since the Yellow Serpent clan threatened everyone else, there hasn''t been a trainer outside of your clan willing to come in to shake things up."


    "Since I am a retired military soldier and have a family, my goal is just to raise my two little daughters in a peaceful place. So starting this upcoming week, my family will officially be moving in with your clan and I will start training your clan members along with you." Kong told Lance as a large smile appeared on his face.


    Hearing this news made Lance smile as well. It was clear that Kong wanted exactly what he and his parents wanted for the clan. And since he would be teaching some more advanced techniques to the members of his clan, their strength could begin growing in the right direction.


    The military of the Sun Dynasty was rather strict when it came to distributing techniques, but there were at least a handful of more basic techniques for those under the 3rd warrior rank, that they allowed their soldiers to distribute to their families and clans.


    Unfortunately, Kong''s family only consisted of his wife and children since he had come from a commoner''s background while crawling himself up to where he stood today. So the fact that he decided to make his home the Sacred Ember clan, was more than just a kind gesture, it actually meant quite a bit to both the clan and Kong;s family.


    Since the Sacred Ember clan needed all of their members present in Granite Town to make sure no one would cause too much trouble, they never had the chance to send someone off to serve. In this way, it was very difficult for them to have any new techniques available to help their members flourish on their paths.


    But now that Kong decided to make this deal with them, it guaranteed that Kong''s family would be taken care of if anything were to happen to him. This also allowed the possibility of a big transformation for the Sacred Ember clan which would one day allow them to stand on even ground with others such as the Yellow Serpent clan!

 Chapter 5

    "Alright Lance, just put your sword back where it belongs, and you are free to head back in to get ready for dinner soon. As for me, I am going to start heading back to help my wife pack our belongings." Kong told Lance as he stood up to make his way out of the training grounds.


    Hearing that his training was finally over for the day, Lance felt a sense of accomplishment, while some fatigue was still present. He was only ten years old, but he was still training for many hours during the day in order to become stronger.


    Usually noble families would rather their youngest generation use different herbs and such in order to build their strength while waiting until they became ten years old to start allowing them to try to follow the path of an expert. It was unfortunate, but the Sacred Ember clan did not have such resources at their disposal to give to their youngest generation.


    It did not matter much to Lance, since over the years, it was clear that he was making quite a bit of progress, even compared to some of the older generation clan members who were considered the core of the Sacred Ember clan''s strength and pillars that held the sky.


    Lance after putting away his equipment realized that he was full of dirt and so he made his way into the Sacred Ember clan''s mansion. The mansion was indeed massive and able to fit over one hundred rooms for the pure blooded members of the clan. As for Lance''s room, it had a personal bathroom attached to it.


    Asking a maid to fill the tub with water, Lance quickly undressed and grabbed a soft towel before making his way inside. After taking a quick bath and putting on a regular and comfortable blue robe, Lance started to make his way down to his clan''s dining hall.


    The dining hall of the Sacred Ember clan was rather large, but there were barely any treasures within to give it a sense of nobility. It couldn''t be helped, since Lance''s father needed to make ends meet on occasion, these treasures would be sold to merchants and collectors over the years.


    It was even to the point where the Sacred Ember clan did not even have any extra items in their treasury other than decorative heirlooms passed down for generations of their ancestors. Not a single person within the clan was willing to argue against this, because it went towards prolonging their survival.


    "Well son, it looks like you had a good day. Did you learn a new sword technique?" Lance''s father asked him as their family sat down for dinner. Lance''s father being the Patriarch of the clan was able to sit on the throne while his immediate family sat beside him along with Lance''s uncle and grandfather who assisted him.


    This throne was made of very simple wood, but was covered in cracks after decaying for so many years. There was no reason to swap this throne out for a newer and more expensive one, because there just wasn''t enough money to make such arrangements. However, every Patriarch continued sitting on this throne which gave it a sense of glory and love for the clan rather than one''s self.


    There were roughly only thirty clansmen present in this dining hall and only a handful of maids and servants who helped serve food and drinks to everyone before sitting down to eat themselves. It was rather common for even nobles to not spend too much of their wealth on feeding their members during ordinary dinners. Therefore, the Sacred Ember clan wasn''t criticised by anyone for following that route.


    The Sacred Ember clan''s numbers have slowly dwindled over the years, and only recently, have they decided to possibly recruit some citizens within Granite Town to add to their numbers as a branch type family. However, they would only begin this process when Kong officially moved in and was ready to train others. Not too many people knew this transition except for those who held some type of decision making position within the clan. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    This was not an uncommon practice for clans, rather it was indeed extremely common whether a clan was a noble one or otherwise. As long as the pure blooded members remained in charge and continued to have more children, it was still good to find potential outside experts to take in as well.


    With a setup like this, commoners as long as they showed promise, would always have some type of path in order to move up in society if they had a high enough potential. In the Sacred Ember clan''s case, they were willing to recruit normal civilians.


    If the Sacred Ember clan was able to invest some of their extra funds to train potential experts, it would allow them to make better deals with those who they continued to do business with. Granite was a type of ore that the majority of statues were built from, and so it was a very lucrative business to remain in for the clan.


    The only issue was that for the most part, they could only try to negotiate with merchants who were willing to take trips to personally pick up their share to purchase, or to rely on hiring a local guild. If the Sacred Ember clan minimized this, they would be able to not only make much more, but they could expand their clientele.


    Even if they had to bring in individuals who had yet to reach the 1st rank as a warrior or even as a mystic, the Sacred Ember clan needed to try something new. According to their current predicament, the Sacred Ember clan needed to increase their numbers. if they were to hope to survive even as a fallen noble family.


    Therefore, bringing in a trainer such as Kong who could train those even with low potential, would at least add some type of quality to their forces, even if it would be mainly quantity. It was about survival and the only method they had now, was creating a way to increase their strength from within.


    Still, the Sacred Ember clan were more than happy to make such a decision, because if enough outside citizens were to join them, it would possibly give the clan enough leg room to eventually send the pure bloodline members to schools and into the military. This would cause their clan''s reputation to skyrocket and would help them solidify themselves in the region more properly.


    "Father, I wish you and mother told me about Kong living with our clan." Lance told his parents as he gave them a shy look. Since his father was the current Patriarch of the Sacred Ember clan, their family of four were at the head of the dining hall. And since his father was teasing him, it was clear that everyone within the dining hall could hear this conversation.


    "I also learned that a mystic will be coming over from Bitter Falls to test some of our Granite Town''s younger generation." Lance after getting over these chuckles from his clan about receiving the news about Kong, told his father.


    "Oh is that so? You do realize how much we have given up to Kong to make sure that you can start your path towards becoming a warrior properly, right?" Lance''s father replied before Lance was able to get another word in.


    "I will only approve of you taking the elemental affinity test, if you promise that you will only pursue the path as a dual master if you have a high level of affinity. Otherwise, you must become the strongest warrior that you can be and pour all of your time and energy into it."


    "I know that the path of a dual master is alluring, but our clan is just starting our rebuilding phase. We are unable to afford anyone pursuing a much longer and harder path in gaining power, when so much is at stake. Do you understand my boy?" Lance''s father said as the dining hall became silent.


    Some of the clan members present did not realize that their Patriarch had already taken steps in order to build the clan back up to where they should have been ever since their ancestors chose to stand their ground against the Yellow Serpent clan. It was even to an extent, that he was willing to make his own son possibly sacrifice his future potential on behalf of their clan!


    "I understand father, and will agree to what you just said. However, even if I have an average affinity with whichever element it may be, I will be pursuing the path of a dual master. My little brother here can make up for anything that is unsatisfactory from me pursuing the path, but I will one day make the Yellow Serpent clan pay for what they have done whether I have the support of our clan or not!" Lance shouted out before exiting the dining hall.


    The remaining clan members did not make too much of a fuss about Lance''s words since he was still a young child who hadn''t experienced many hardships. Deep down however, they would want nothing more than for Lance to be accepted into the school for mystics. Even if he were to flunk out, it would give him the ability to try to make some connections with other powers and organizations in the area.

 Chapter 6

    Later that night, Lance''s little brother Nathan walked into his room. Nathan was only six years old, but to him, Lance was his strong and untouchable big brother. Seeing his brother training hard for so many years, Nathan was in awe of him and wanted to also start training.


    However, Lance''s father had other goals for Nathan. Instead of spending his days training like Lance, Nathan was slowly being groomed in literature and business practices. As Lance''s father saw it, if Lance could be the enforcer of the clan in the future, Nathan could control both the business and growth of the clan.


    This was decided the moment that Lance approached his parents wanting to start training to become an expert. If he hadn''t done this, Lance would have been in the shoes that Nathan was now in. His father understood though, that those with enough potential shouldn''t split their focus, or the heights they could end up achieving would fall short.


    If the two brothers were able to tag team in the future like this, the Sacred Ember clan would be able to prosper between their hard work. And so, although Nathan felt a little insecure with his father always comparing him to Lance, he still admired and wanted to fully support his big brother.


    With their father being extremely busy during the day, and their mother supporting him, Lance and Nathan for the most part had to fend for themselves in between their studies. Since there were plenty of maids to assist them, their parents chose to concentrate more on their work for the clan.


    Instead of driving the family apart, this allowed both Lance and Nathan over the years to become rather close and very supportive of one another. They were not just brothers, but they had an unbreakable bond with one another which would last a lifetime.


    "Hey Nathan." Lance said as Nathan entered his room. Lance was laying down on his bed and only looked over after hearing Nathan opening the door. Nathan may have been intelligent for his age, but he still didn''t realize that Lance was crying all of this time.


    "Big brother, you need to prove father wrong!" Nathan after closing the door behind him shouted out as he rushed over to hug Lance. Hearing this from his little brother warmed Lance''s heart and even gave him a sense of passion which lifted his mood almost instantly.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t plan on falling short tomorrow." Lance replied as the two brothers talked about their day until it was time for Nathan to retire back to his room to sleep. With confidence now brewing inside of him, Lance fell asleep as he was ready to cause shock around all the spectators. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Even as he continued to sleep through the night, Lance as usual, dreamed of becoming a powerful expert who was peerless as both a warrior and a mystic. A smile bright and full of hope, was unable to remove itself from Lance''s face as this child slept without waking up until morning.


    The next day, since Kong knew that Lance would be attending the mystic''s test to see if Lance had any sort of elemental affinity, Lance took more time in the morning to get up once he felt fully rested. After eating some breakfast and getting ready, Lance''s focus was keeping his unyielding confidence that he would be doing very well on the test.


    It was unclear how exhausted the test would make him since his family never had the test done to themselves or their members. The reason was because there was no way for them to get their hands on even basic techniques given their current set of circumstances. However, Lance still put on his blue robe as he made his way over to where Kong told him the tests would be held.


    Although the Sacred Ember clan''s members only amounted to about thirty, the population of the town was upwards of five thousand. Due to so many citizens living here, it made for today to be a large spectacle. Every few years, a mystic would make his way over to test everyone in the town, but there hasn''t been anyone who really showed an average level of promise.


    This did not allow those willing to take the test to falter, as over fifty children at the age of ten years old were put into a small group before the mystic. Lance was one of the last of the children to arrive before the time the tests were said to begin, so he just joined the crowd with a proud look on his face.


    "Today will go down in legends as the day that I Lance, began my journey down the path of a mystic. I just hope that at least one other person here can join me." Lance thought to himself as he smiled at the thought.


    It would be very acceptable for Lance to possibly be the only person out of this group to move forward and to start the path of a mystic. In retrospect, if there was another individual as well who met the requirements, then Granite Town would be looked at a little differently when it came to the Griffin Academy.


    "Ok since everyone is here, I will be introducing myself and explaining everything about this examination we will be conducting today on all of you. To begin, my name is Thomas and I am a 3rd rank mystic. I am here on behalf of my school to recruit prospects that show enough promise to join our ranks."


    "This test will not cause any of you to lose energy, but some of you may become rather lightheaded if you have a small amount of elemental energy within you and are not used to tapping into it. Those of you who show at least an average level of elemental affinity with your element, will technically pass this test."


    "The only way for one of you to enter into our school directly, is if you have a high elemental affinity for your element. Otherwise, anyone who tests low will automatically be disqualified while those who test average will be able to move on to another test within the city and if you pass that one, you will be accepted into our school."


    Hearing this made almost every child who was ready to take the test shudder. There was a fine line between passing this test and failing, and even if they showed some level of talent as a future mystic, it barely qualified them to move on to an additional test!

 Chapter 7

    "Now before we begin, I will explain to you about each of the main and special elements that we understand exist today." Thomas told the children as well as the adults watching. It was rather obvious that everyone present listened very closely to his words.


    "As you all may know, there are a total of five common elements that are known in our Sun Dynasty. These elements are earth, wind, fire, water, and of course lightning. You will see that the majority of mystics specialize in one of these five elements. There are some who specialize in a more hardly ever seen element, but don''t worry, I will explain all about those as well."


    "The earth element is considered to be the one that is the best defensively. Many mystics who use this element focus more on not just building armor for themselves, but also have the ability to create golems which could be used to overpower their opponents. Of course there are other ways to utilize this element in battle, but those techniques are a little less common."


    "The one weakness with the earth element, is until a mystic reaches the 5th rank, it is nearly impossible to find a very good offensive technique to use. Still, there are many well known earth element mystics and many found a way to use defensive techniques such as covering their own bodies with the earth in order to make themselves similar to a golem to attack their opponents."


    "The next element I will explain is the fire element." as Thomas said this, ten fireballs appeared over his head before circling around him. "As you can all see, this is the element that I am the most proficient in using."


    Before continuing his speech, Thomas expanded the fireballs, made them merge with one another to create one big fireball, before causing it to shrink to a palm sized flame before flicking his finger causing it to disappear. The crowd seeing this presentation couldn''t help but to clap.


    "The fire element is known to be an element that is best used while in group type battles focusing more on crowd control. Although there aren''t many defensive type fire element techniques that exist, the fire element boasts itself as one of the most offensive types of elements out of the five most common."


    "There is quite a bit of a mystic of the fire element could accomplish in the field of battle or even as much as exploring areas that may have hidden treasures. It is definitely an element which requires a creative mind."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Next, you have the lightning element which is feared due to its offensive nature, but the majority of mystics use techniques that increase their speed or that can hit multiple targets at a single time. The lightning technique is very good for those who are willing to be placed in scouting type missions."


    "The only weakness with the lightning element, is that although there are domineering techniques for if one were to reach the 7th rank as a mystic, for the most part, offensively what it succeeds in speed, it lacks in raw power."


    "Then you have the wind element which allows the user to not just fly, but also speed themselves up similar to the lightning element. However, the main difference between the two, is that the wind element also boasts the best single target offensive techniques once the mystic surpasses the 6th rank."


    "You may already know this, but by the time an expert reaches at least the 5th rank as either a warrior or a mystic, the expert would be able to use their battle qi or nature power to fly. However, those who are of the wind elemental affinity, do not need to wait, and so they specialize in this aspect."


    "And last but certainly not least is the water element. This element is known to be one of the more useful elements because the techniques a mystic could use has the most range including some healing type techniques. Between having the most variety of techniques, the more well known water element based techniques are creating illusions as well as memory water balls."


    "With the ability to watch a scene and record it into a memory water ball, mystics of this element could showcase any findings to their peers, including a big battle. Unfortunately, the majority of water element users are women, otherwise this so called common elemental affinity, wouldn''t be dead last as far as mystics who specialize in this."


    As he looked towards the crowd, Thomas could only feel sorry for everyone present. If they were located in the city, such basic information would already have been known. However, they were indeed a small town that lacked this type of knowledge.


    Even so, Thomas still wanted to be able to recruit at least a single prospect from the town, even if it was only one child who would be considered average. The school sent him over as a mission to him and depending on the results shown today, Thomas would receive a little bonus from the dean himself in both payment as well as another opportunity.


    What drove him insane, was that those who had previously made their way over to the town to test everyone, would always end up going back to school empty handed. This meant that unless there was a miracle today, that Thomas would only receive the bare minimum payment for coming all this way.

 Chapter 8

    "Now before we begin these tests, there is one more thing that I must mention." Thomas said before a more serious expression appeared on his face.


    "There are three rare elemental affinities that currently exist which we know of and two of them pertain to any of you moving forward. These three elements are light, dark, and destruction."


    "The light element is fairly common to see in the Church of Light and is what helps them continue to prosper even up until this point in the Sun Dynasty. The light element can be used in different ways, but its focus is more on healing as well as offensive maneuvers that could change the outcome of any battle."


    "Those who have a high elemental affinity for the light element, could be said to others to be equivalent to the best type of doctors one could hope for. Not just that, but if possible, every single squad whether military or otherwise try to have at least one mystic who specializes in the light element."


    "That being said, if any of you show a high level of affinity for the light element, it is fair to say that our school will be unable to necessarily accept you into our organization. Rather, I would be forced to have our dean report such a finding directly to the Church of Light."


    "If power and influence is what your goal is, the light element would bring you there. Since the Church of Light seeks out those with that elemental affinity, they would pour all of their energy and resources into making you as strong as possible. Along with this, there would be countless opportunities to make your way up the ladder in that organization which would allow anyone''s family to stand toe to toe with the top rated clans even back in our city."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Now, the opposite could be said if any of you specialize in the darkness element. This element is one that most assassins use because it is easy to blend into the shadows of the night to both kill a target or to simply keep an eye on them."


    "Our Sun Dynasty frowns upon mystics who specialize in the darkness element, and therefore we have chosen to make a deal with the Moon Kingdom which is the next nearest empire. Like our Sun Dynasty seeks light element mystics, the Moon Kingdom seeks darkness element mystics."


    "So not too long ago, it was decided that any child who goes through our testing that is of the darkness element, would be transfered over to the Moon Kingdom and to their Church of Darkness or one of the many assassin guilds within their empire. However, if any light element mystics would appear in their empire, they would transfer them to our Church of Light."


    "Because of this arrangement, our forces no longer openly fight against their empire and both their forces as well as ours have been able to flourish. They may be considered to be our enemies, but since there is an open truce between us, we lower leveled experts have no choice but to follow that lead."


    ''The positive part about this if it were to occur here today, would be that the Church of Darkness would treat you just as well as the Church of Light would treat light element users. The one negative though, is you would want to move your family along with you to the Moon Kingdom at that point."


    "Lastly, there is the destruction element. There is not much to say about this element since only about twenty three years ago, it was discovered among individuals who had certain traits and blood. Therefore, if any of you even have a low elemental affinity for the destruction element, you will simply be considered to be one of our empire''s top priorities."


    "Now, who would like to start us off?" with his speech done and over with, Thomas was ready to begin these tests so that he could quickly call it a day. He was still rather frustrated that such a mission was given to him where he personally had no way of increasing the odds of someone with high potential appearing.

 Chapter 9

    Afraid that if they were the first and failed, none of the children present including Lance wanted to begin their test. Seeing this, the mystic felt a sense of dread as well, because it showed a lack of confidence in these children to pass.


    "Alright, then I shall choose you all one by one. You with the blonde hair, come over to start us off." the mystic told the group while pointing at one of the children. This child was dressed fairly nice compared to the rest of the normal children around him.


    There was no telling what the child was thinking since it took him a moment before he realized that he was chosen. He only looked at an adult near him that seemed to be his father before walking up to the mystic.


    "Now, all you need to do, is to place one hand onto this crystal. If the crystal shows a faint glow it means that you have failed, if it shows a big glow it means you can move past this round of testing, and if it nearly blinds all of us here, you have passed and our school will make arrangements to take you in immediately." the mystic told the child in a friendly manner.


    Hearing these instructions, the child took a deep breath before reaching out and placing his hand onto the crystal in front of him. Unfortunately, the crystal had a faint glow. Seeing this was not surprising to Thomas, but he still felt rather bad.


    "I am sorry little one, but you did not pass the test. You might be able to get your battle qi test to see if you have what it takes to at least go down the path of a warrior." Thomas told the child before gesturing for him to leave the area.


    If Thomas''s school back in Bitter Falls had a program for warriors, it would be possible for him to bring along someone else to conduct a test and to potentially select more students. However, some schools such as his chose to specialize in one path. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    This did not necessarily mean that a school would be better by focusing on training their students in one path instead of two, rather, it was so that more schools could actually exist making the balance of powers within the city easier to manage.


    If a school within Sun Dynasty or any other empire around the world were to both train students in the mystic path and the warrior path and became the most renowned school, it would make it harder for other schools to be created, and it would make it much harder for the royal families to control their population.


    "Alright, you there with the red ponytail, please come up to take your test." Thomas called out after the child made his way back to his parents. Hope for the child was not lost, but if possible many commoners if given a choice, would rather walk the path as a mystic rather than the path of a warrior.


    The girl which Thomas chose this time looked like it was the opposite of the child before her. The child who had just failed the test was clearly better dressed and more put together, while this girl''s face still had some dirt on it.


    What Thomas did not know, was this girl''s name was Samantha and her life up until this point had been very tragic. After losing her father before she could even walk, her mother fell into a drunken state and barely had any left over money to feed her and Samantha. It wasn''t clear to Thomas, but deep down everyone including Lance in the crowd wanted Samantha to pass so that she at least had the chance to change her life for the better.


    After getting over the shock of being picked, Samantha quickly walked up to the testing table, but tripped on her way there. Now embarrassed, Samantha could only wipe her face off before finally appearing before Thomas and the test crystal.


    Placing her hand onto the crystal, it started to emit a big blue glow. An excited expression appeared on everyone''s faces including Thomas''. "I see, let me explain something to you before I send you off." he told her as he handed Samantha a bronze token.

 Chapter 10

    "There are actually two pieces of good news. The first is that you have passed and could go to our school in order to take one more test. The second, is being of the water elemental affinity. Due to the lack of water elemental users out there, even if you only are able to become a mystic of the 2nd rank, your future looks rather bright."


    "So unlike the others who come to our school with only an average elemental affinity in a different common element, since yours is the water element, it also gives you the ability to become a temporary student for one year."


    "As the others would be forced to take an actual test before even being taught, you on the other hand will be able to bypass that test. This means that if in one year you are able to break the barrier right now and enter into the 1st rank of a mystic, our school will work very hard to make sure you reach the heights you wish to achieve."


    "Please stand to the side over there so that when we end the tests for the day, I can give you proper instructions. On behalf of our school, I wanted to tell you that you have done a great job and hope that you remember that this is only a dream unless you work diligently." Thomas told Samantha as the crowd cheered.


    Even if she would be the only one which was chosen, this still marked the first time in a long while that one of the villagers of Granite Town was chosen by the mystic''s school who came trying to recruit.


    Thomas deep down was rather excited as well because originally he wasn''t expecting to even find a decent prospect, let alone one that the dean instructed him to keep a close eye out for. With this, the entire mood shifted as the testing continued on.


    Child after child took their tests, however, since Samantha shocked everyone present, each child after her failed miserably. This caused the atmosphere to change slightly, even though everyone was still happy to be part of this fine moment.


    "Alright, you there please come up to take your test." Thomas finally pointed to Lance. The amount of children left to take the test were only four, so the villagers over time finally recognized Lance of the Sacred Ember clan and this excited them even more so.


    It was clear since the beginning, that Lance was the one child out of the bunch that most likely was a descendant of a noble family in the area. Wearing a nice blue robe and his hair done rather nicely, Thomas felt to save his test until close to the very end.


    It was not uncommon for those with a much better background to end up succeeding where those with a more commoner based background fell short. The main reason for this, was because noble families and top rated organizations became this way, due to the original founders being stronger compared to their peers.


    Therefore, even though Thomas knew that the Sacred Ember clan was a struggling clan, it still gave him extra hope that this child in front of him would come out of the gate swinging and would even surpass Samantha''s score. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Without even the slightest hesitation, Lance quickly rushed forward onto the platform in front of Thomas, and his speed surprised him. "Have you already begun walking the path of a warrior?" he asked Lance, because his speed almost matched his.


    "Since the age of six years old, I have been training very hard but I haven''t reached the 1st rank as a warrior, and therefore, I believe it is still fine to take a test to see if I have what it takes to walk the path as a mystic." Lance replied with determination written all over his face.


    "Well said child, please place your hand on the crystal. Even though you have some battle qi coursing through your veins, it does not actually mean you will not test as high as you would with none."


    "Truth be told, many mystics have some battle qi as well, it is just that a path of a mystic is more fruitful so no one tries to become a dual master given the small amount of battle qi. Please consider this before worrying that other training may get in the way of this test." Thomas told Lance as the crowd remained quiet with their hearts filled with anticipation.


    As Lance reaches out, the crystal in front of him already showed a faint glow. Seeing this, Thomas was very surprised, because it would only normally react like that towards those with a high elemental affinity.


    Finally with his hand now on the crystal, Lance''s thoughts spiralled out of control as a large blinding light came out of the crystal, causing everyone in the crowd to go temporarily blind. However, the mystic was still not phased by this as his large smile started to fade.


    With these results, Lance couldn''t help but shout along with the crowd because at this moment, he was officially the first child who would be able to attend the school without any sort of testing throughout like Samantha would.


    The crowd seeing Thomas''s demeanor change from extremely pleased to one of confusion actually caused them to quiet down once more as Lance also realized something seemed off before turning to face Thomas once more.


    "So there is good and bad news about these results, and instead of sugar coating them, I will just outright tell you and the crowd because this isn''t necessarily a first, but this is to be remembered by everyone."


    "Now, it is clear that you have a high elemental affinity for the light element. Normally as I''ve mentioned before, this would mean that you would be immediately brought to the Church of Light in order to start your training."


    "Unfortunately, you still fall short of that opportunity because of your current limitations which will more than likely remain throughout your life. I was able to deduct this because the light was indeed bright, but it did not radiate a small amount of red within the light."


    "When it comes to the light element, the focus is on both healing allies and of course dealing attacks to enemies. The red symbolizes a small amount of elemental affinity for the fire element which is what the light element normally uses as a combination to deal any form of damage to enemies."


    "In your case, as it stands now and possibly for the rest of your life, you will only be able to focus as a mystic on healing both yourself and others. The reason this is not that great, is because besides healing potions, an expert could also use the assistance of a water element mystic to help heal their injuries."


    "So if you were to walk down the path of a mystic, your overall value as one would be lower compared to every other mystic in the area. However, this still gives you the ability to join our school because you have a high elemental affinity with not just a common element, but a rare one."


    "The Church of Light has possibly the biggest collection of techniques for light element mystics, but their power comes from their offensive techniques which is undoubtedly some of the most powerful techniques available to learn within our Sun Dynasty. So please come stand to the side since you have still passed the test and await further instructions."

 Chapter 11

    The crowd became silent once again, but today could still be considered to be when Granite Town was finally on an upswing with potential future experts coming from the town. After so many years of waiting, they finally had two children who have enough potential to become future mystics.


    Therefore, even though Lance''s results were rather abnormal, the fact that he still passed the test gave the rest of those present hope. The Sacred Ember clan''s success, meant the success of Granite Town since even if the clan were to move, their main business was located within the town.


    Usually those in noble clans who were located in towns like this, would treat the other locals rather poorly for many reasons. However, the Sacred Ember clan was always very fair and polite to the rest of the population. In some ways this was good because the commoners could expect to be taken care of properly, but in some ways it was bad such as their feud with the Yellow Serpent clan.


    The remaining three children who took their tests also failed, but this was not unexpected by even the onlookers. It was clear that the fact two miracles ascended here today, that asking or wishing for any more would even in the future, bring bad karma onto the town.


    And just like that, Thomas told both Lance and Samantha to follow him after he politely told those present that it was wonderful meeting them and how the school looked forward to continuing this testing every year.


    Since Granite Town never showed any children with potential, Thomas''s school chose to only test them once every two to three years. But because two children who passed showed up today, the dean would begin sending someone out yearly so they wouldn''t miss anyone.


    Understanding the meaning behind his words, those present quickly dispersed as they wanted to share this news with their friends and family. The rumors of the Sacred Ember clan getting ready to bring in commoners with potential along with this news would shake the entire town.


    "Lance was it?" Thomas now alone with the two children finally turned towards them before sitting down back on the chair at the table he conducted the testing on earlier. A weird expression was on his face. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yes!" Lance replied with his chest out. This scene caused Thomas to show a slight smirk on his face because it was rare to see such a confident young child replying to an adult in the manner which he just did.


    "As I have mentioned, there are both positives and negatives in pursuing the mystic path in your current predicament. So I must ask, have you made a decision on which path you will be taking in the future?" Thomas asked him as Samantha just stood there silently watching.


    "My goal is to become a dual master, therefore I have no choice but to join your school for mystics." Lance without hesitating replied with a fierce look on his face as if he was battling against a worthy opponent.


    "Oh? If that is the path you are choosing, I suppose there is no harm in explaining things more clearly to you about your light element. The mystics who are able to reach at least the 5th rank in the mystic path even in your case, are widely sought after by the strongest of powers."


    "If you are willing to spend all of your youth and adulthood training very hard as both a warrior and mystic, reaching that peak before you die is definitely possible. Do you know why even the strongest of powers want those with potential to pursue the path of a mystic?" Thomas asked Lance before continuing.


    "It''s because instead of living until three hundred years old and dying of old age, it increases to one thousand years old once you reach the 5th rank as a mystic. With the path of the warrior, it is the same, but only goes up to two thousand years old in the 6th rank, as the 6th rank mystics can live upwards of five thousand years."


    Hearing this caused both Lance and Samantha to almost drool as their minds went off in a day dream like state. They didn''t even want to know how many years one could live if they reached a higher rank because just reaching the rank that Thomas spoke of was good enough for them presently.


    "Since you are pursuing both paths Lance, it is absolutely doable to reach those heights since you have a high elemental affinity and you''ve already started to train on the path of the warrior at such a young age."


    "Now, tomorrow morning I will be escorting both of you into the city to show you both around since it is clear neither of you have been to it yet. After lunch, I will bring you to the school so that you can both get your rooms and class schedules. On that note, please go and prepare and I will meet you both tomorrow morning right here." Thomas instructed as he sent the two children off.

 Chapter 12

    Heading back to the Sacred Ember clan''s mansion, Lance had a fire within him that was burning brightly. Thanks to his results, he would still be on track to become a dual master and he knew it was only a matter of time before he could bring his clan to prosper.


    It was strange to him that his elemental affinity is that of the light element, and wondered how he could use his healing abilities in order to defeat enemies alongside his swordsmanship. Still, something like this could be thought about at a later time, because right now he needed to update his family.


    Such problems to solve, could wait until later on since he was still technically only at the beginning stages of following both paths. However, the fact that healers were considered very physically weak even compared to other mystics, meant that Lance stood out, even if he couldn''t use any offensive type techniques concerning his elemental affinity of the light element.


    Before he could go inside the mansion in order to tell his father who might have a positive opinion on the results of the test, Lance was actually stopped by his teacher Kong and two guards that worked for his clan.


    "Hey Lance, I heard the news from some villagers on my way in about your results. Before you go telling others about it, I wanted to talk to you for a moment." Kong told Lance as the two guards besides him split up to make their rounds around the property.


    "Actually, is it possible to discuss this later on?" Lance interrupted Kong because although he was sure his teacher had some advice for him, he was still eager to report everything to his family first.


    "Very well, run along then because right now I need to set up some things in the training ground area anyways. Your father was kind enough to send over some movers to help move my family here and so in the meantime, I am going to begin testing everyone in the town to see where we stand for recruiting potential future experts." Kong replied before letting out a sigh and walking back to the training ground area.


    Finally arriving in the Patriarch''s office, Lance knocked on the door and waited for a response from inside. During the day his father would take meetings with other members of the Sacred Ember clan to make sure that everything was running smoothly with not just their businesses, but other affairs as well.


    After some time had gone by, the door finally opened up and one of Lance''s uncles and his grandfather exited the room. However, seeing that it was actually Lance who had knocked earlier, the two instantly had a concerned look on their faces. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Lance looked very similar to the two, and the only real differences were their ages and facial structures. This could be said when comparing the clan and Lance concerning their looks and features. His grandfather was very old at this point, and his uncle was around the same age as his father.


    "Actually, father, brother, both of you please stay. It is very unusual for Lance to be coming to my office during the day." as the two paused, they heard the Patriarch speak as the three went into the room and closed the door behind them.


    "Please make your report my son." Lance''s father told him after gesturing for the three to sit down on the chairs near his desk. After hearing about Lance''s plans the previous night, his father was rather eager to hear what had occurred.


    "I have a high elemental affinity for the light element." Lance told his family, even though he looked down as if he was giving them bad news.


    The three men in the room''s mouths dropped down as if they were given the most amazing news that they have ever heard. It was obvious that they understood the underlying meaning of all of this. However, before they could speak, Lance continued.


    "The test may have shown that, but I only have the potential currently to use more of the healing type of techniques. The mystic told me that since I am unable to use any offensive elemental techniques, that the Church of Light would be unwilling to accept me. Therefore, I can still attend their school as a student, but unless I reach a high enough rank as a mystic, my use to others wouldn''t be very good."


    After listening to Lance''s explanation, the room fell silent once again as his father looked at him while thinking about something. As the atmosphere in the room seemed to become heavier by the second, Lance''s father finally began to speak.


    "In order to rebuild our clan to the heights which it hasn''t seen in many years, we must look at every single option available and to make the most out of them. The fact that you can attend that school in the city is actually something that I couldn''t ask more for presently."


    "Your teacher may have told you that we will be recruiting many potential experts within the town in order to grow our influence and to combat the Yellow Serpent clan enough to dig ourselves out of this hole which is the right path. However, it will take more than having a handful of additional experts in our clan to do this."


    "You are not old enough to realize this yet, but only by building relationships with others, can a clan like ours hope to not just survive, but to also flourish. Since you will be a student at the mystic school, you will meet others your age and will create bonds which may help us later on. I am proud of you son, just remember to continue working hard."


    "Today must have drained you quite a bit, so go and rest until dinner tonight. In the meantime, I am sure your uncle and grandfather will help deliver the message to everyone that we will celebrate your success and we will hopefully be able to invite that mystic over as well."


    Hearing his father speak in such a way, made Lance tremble in fear and excitement. This was the first time in his life that his father not only complimented him, but also gave him a small lesson for him to think about concerning his future development. And with that, Lance left for his room now knowing that today was a wonderful day for him.

 Chapter 13

    That night, all of the clansmen regardless of what remaining work they wanted to get done, all attended this small banquet in celebration of Lance being accepted into the mystic school. Everyone was excited for many reasons, but also because the dean of Griffin Academy was said to be a very well respected expert even in Bitter Falls.


    The dean has earned this reputation because it was said during his youth, he was one of the strongest experts in one of the top rated guilds in all of the Sun Dynasty. Due to this reputation, the dean long ago decided to retire and to build a school of his own. It may not have been the best school within the city, but no one was able to bully the students who attended.


    Just because Lance was attending Griffin Academy, did not mean that the threat that the Yellow Serpent clan would disappear, only that before acting against the Sacred Ember clan, they would need to at least think a little more.


    "With all of you gathered here tonight, I believe it is time to introduce one of our newest teachers who will help build our forces. You may not have heard of Kong if you haven''t paid much attention to my son''s growth, but my son''s early success is because of his teaching." Lance''s father told the room as his face became very serious.


    "Now, I understand all of your frustrations about how the Yellow Serpent clan has made things very difficult for us. But, with Kong in our corner, we will be able to bring in some of the commoners and adopt all of the potential experts into our branch family."


    "The Yellow Serpent clan has made it clear that negotiations could not be spoken about between us, and so we must treat this very realistically. Our ancestors were correct in protecting what they have found, and we must remember to keep the same thoughts as we continue onwards into the future."


    "The plan, will be to recruit these experts to increase the strength of our forces in order to show merchants that visit the area, that they do not need to fear doing business with our clan. And as long as we can continue recruiting more experts, our time will come in the future when we will be able to finally openly stand against the Yellow Serpent clan!"


    Cheers filled the room as a young female child and her mother was escorted into the dining hall by one of the guards that the Sacred Ember clan hired recently from Kong''s recommendation. Seeing this girl, Lance recognized that it was that Samantha from earlier in the day.


    "Everyone, this child''s name is Samantha and this is her mother Marna. The two have been in the village for many years, and Samantha''s father unfortunately passed away quite a few years ago. Today, though I would like to give my son all of the praise from the elemental affinity test, Samantha has proven herself worthy to also attend Griffin Academy."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I would like you to remember these two, because if they are willing to, I would actually be humbled to accept them into our branch family." the Patriarch of the Sacred Ember clan announced as both Samantha and her mother''s faces became very red of both shyness and embarrassment.


    "Thank you Patriarch!" both woman and child hurriedly accepted the offer as they were escorted to one of the tables with others to join in on the celebration. Seeing how the two reacted, the others in the dining hall chose to give them some space so that they could soak in this moment for themselves.


    "I want to make it clear that even if Samantha were to fall short in her studies at Griffin Academy, we will continue trying to give her a proper education within the clan and hope that along with my son, she could be one of our pillars in the future."


    Suddenly, the cheers finally settled down as Lance''s father finished explaining some other small changes to the clan such as building another building close by in order to house the new branch family once it would be done.


    Many hours went by until the celebration finally ended. Lance was going to take his brother to bed and to give him the last of his goodbyes, but he remembered that Kong wanted to speak to him earlier about something important.


    Seeing that Kong had finally finished introducing himself to the other members of the Sacred Ember clan, Lance signalled Kong that he wanted to finally have that conversation with him as both exited the dining hall and headed towards the training ground.


    "First off, I want you to remember how your clan reacted when they heard that you would be attending Griffin Academy. It may have made you feel very good, but that does not mean you will always be praised for your hard work and dedication as you become stronger."


    "There will be more bad than good times especially since you are trying to become a dual master. You must remember that even if you are not praised by others, you must continue down your path until you eventually reach the peak of the expert we all feel you can become."


    "Now, I have several scrolls with fairly good sword type techniques for those of the 1st rank of the warrior path to learn and use. My prediction is that in less than three months from now, if you continue your daily training, you will be able to step into that rank and could start learning real techniques."


    "As of right now, you are far ahead of where I was your age, so it is very possible that you will be able to surpass the 4th rank of the warrior path in the future. If I had your drive as well as those techniques to form a proper foundation for my own swordsmanship, I would have also more than likely stepped into the next rank."


    "The only thing that I will ask of you, is that you should practice these techniques in a private setting. 1st rank sword techniques may not seem all that powerful, but these are all at least medium grade. If it wasn''t for me giving you these, you must understand that it would be very difficult for an organization such as the Sacred Ember clan to get ahold of these." Kong told Lance as both teacher and student spoke a little more until it was time for Lance to head in and call it a night.

 Chapter 14

    The next morning, both Lance and Samantha arrived to see the mystic along with two Sacred Ember clan guards. These guards were told to make sure that they would both be safely escorted to the Griffin Academy by the Patriarch. So whether they wanted to or not, these two guards made sure to wear their best armor and to bring along their strongest and most high quality weapons.


    They were both only 2nd rank warriors, but coupled with the 3rd rank mystic that would be leading the group, there was a very small margin of anyone giving them much trouble, especially in these particular parts of the Sun Dynasty.


    Although for the most part, cities across every empire including the Sun Dynasty were rather equal in strength and wealth, it could be said that Granite Town was in a region of the empire that was considered to be the weakest. Therefore, even the bandits and other types of group who had enough experts in them, chose to leave this area alone.


    The reason for this, was because the weaker the area was, the harder it was to make any kind of living raiding unexpecting individuals. There were still groups that were too weak to move to a better region, however these groups posed no threat to a 3rd rank mystic, let alone additional support.


    On the way towards Bitter Falls, the group stopped for a quick breakfast since they had left the village very early in the morning. Thomas decided on this so that they could arrive in the city before the afternoon hit. If they were even a little late, it was possible for the group to get separated among all of the crowds.


    As they were traveling, Lance and Samantha were talking to one another about themselves and what they''ve heard about Griffin Academy as well as the future of Granite Town. Samantha''s mother was in the dark about mostly everything, so Lance spent some time going over things with Samantha. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Alright everyone, up ahead is the entrance to the city. Just stay close to me and we will be able to go in fairly quickly. Since I am not just a resident of Bitter Falls, but a recruiter for a mystic school, the guards should allow us entry without any problems." Thomas explained to the group as they slightly changed their formation and remained focused.


    "Ah, Griffin Academy''s tokens? Very well, you may all come inside without paying any tolls." one of the gatekeepers told the group as a path opened up for them to walk through. Seeing this scene, Lance realized that if he wasn''t accepted into an organization which was located in Bitter Falls, he would need to pay enough gold just to enter.


    "You two will not have to worry in the future about coming and going into the city once we reach the academy and you are both bestowed tokens of identification. The ones you currently are holding are good enough to enter one time for free, but until you both are officially accepted, those will be of no use."


    "Also in the future, as just normal students, you could only bring in one additional person at a time. As you earn higher ranks in the Griffin Academy, Bitter Falls will also reward you with additional perks. Every organization operates this way and the requirements and promotions are all the exact same so that there are no favorites." Thomas explained to the two children as they made their way towards a restaurant to eat lunch.


    The quality of food that were brought to the group, were top of the line dishes compared to even the feast that they had during the celebration the night before. To Thomas, such a meal was affordable by the average student given their monthly allowances, but it could be said that the Sacred Ember clan didn''t have the additional wealth to eat so well.


    This completely stunned Lance and Samantha, to the point where they understood by Thomas''s demeanor that this meal was rather low quality when compared to the highest rated places around the city. A burning desire to work even harder towards their goals filled their heads as the group finally finished eating and began to make their way towards the academy.


    "Hello Professor Thomas!" some students who were sitting by the Griffin Academy gates called out as they saw the group approaching. Instead of stopping to chat with them, Thomas just politely waved as he continued leading the group towards the dean''s small building.

 Chapter 15

    "When facing the dean, you may feel some pressure due to the mana which he would be emitting self consciously. It can''t be helped because he is close to breakthrough into the 7th rank as a mystic. If it wasn''t for the fact that he needs to meet with all new prospects every year to approve them, he would still be in closed door training."


    "The dean''s demeanor is one of a tyrant, but he cares deeply for all students and teachers in the Griffin Academy. However, any personal matters must be solved with your own strength, he will only serve as a protector while within the city itself." Thomas told Lance and Samantha.


    "Before we go in, you two will have to remain outside of the dean''s chambers. This is a rule that everyone not close with the dean or affiliated directly with the Griffin Academy must follow. Do not worry, I alone would be more than enough to protect these two children if something were to occur."


    The two guards who helped assist Thomas in escorting Lance and Samantha into the city both looked at each other hearing this before turning back towards him and nodding in agreement. Even if a meteor came crashing through the sky, it would be difficult for either one of these two given their low ranks as warriors to do anything that either Thomas or the dean couldn''t accomplish.


    Finally, outside of the dean''s chambers, the two guards quickly each stood in place as Thomas accompanied the other two children towards the doorway. Two seemingly powerful individuals were standing outside guarding the entrance. The two looked to be extremely battle hardened as if they just came here after serving countless years in the military.


    When they spotted Thomas walking over with two children, their mood seemed to lighten up before one of them lifted a hand to gesture for the three to halt their advancement. "So, Granite Town actually blossomed two children who are fit to join our ranks?" the guard asked Thomas before cracking a slight grin.


    "Master Nathan, these two children actually scored rather high during the test as well. This here is Lance who has a high elemental affinity for the light element. And this here is Samantha who has an average elemental affinity for the water element. However, before you ask, Lance''s test did not show any hints of the fire element, so being that he could only use healing and supporting type elemental techniques, we can accept him into our academy." Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Lance, Samantha, these two guards are the two top experts of our academy behind the dean, and they are both at the doorway of reaching the 6th rank as mystics. They may not be personally teaching either of you, but all students and teachers still refer to them with the title of master."


    "Do not worry about this, because most of the teachers in the academy are high enough ranked to take on students and guide them through their journey. The Sun Dynasty ruled many years ago that in order to teach in any academy, a warrior or mystic must reach the 5th rank. This is because once you reach such a level, you can be considered to be able to teach those who have yet to reach it themselves."


    "The reasoning for this will be explained later on as you continue to develop. But all you need to know is that your teachers for your elemental studies and general studies are all top notch so you will not necessarily fall behind those in bigger academies." Thomas explained to the two children. "So Master Nathan, may we see the dean?"


    "The moment you set foot through the gates, the dean gave us orders to at least ask you about these two children''s tests. Since he now knows how the situation is for these two, he has ordered both of us to allow you to pass." Master Nathan replied to Thomas''s request before the two Masters gave the three more room in order to pass through.


    "Come along children, it is not polite to keep the dean waiting any longer." Thomas told Lance and Samantha as he led the two inside of the dean''s chamber. The chamber was rather dark as only some light came through from the ceiling. Other than a normal looking office type room, the only difference between this chamber and some high ranking official''s chambers, is that there were several statues scattered about that resembled an ancient griffin.


    At first, the two children couldn''t even feel a presence inside. This worried them slightly, as they continued to scan the room before finally locating a desk at the end of the chamber with a small altar next to it. Emanating from the altar was a small light brown flame that continued to slowly expand.


    "Hello Dean Griffin!" Thomas bowed towards the altar as the two children continued to watch the flame becoming larger and larger as it slowly took a strange shape. What started as a small ball, started to sprout wings, a large beak, and legs before the flame could finally be made out by both Lance and Samantha. It was actually a griffin shaped flame!

 Chapter 16

    "You have done well Thomas, even though I was not expecting you to bring back two prospects from that small township." the dean told the mystic before gesturing for Thomas to stand up in attention once more.


    "Hearing you explain these two outside, I have decided to waver the one year test for this little girl here and to fully accept both of these children as students. However, you two should not take my decision lightly, I have only just received news that even our academy must take seriously."


    "Every once in a while, our city Bitter Falls throws two different tournaments for children between the ages of ten and thirteen. The tournament our Griffin Academy is interested in, is of course the one for experts walking the path of the mystic."


    "Usually, we would be much stricter when it comes to new students, but we have a very limited amount of time to come up with our school''s representatives. Therefore, even if you two are only prospects right now, we will give you enough training resources until the tournament to see if either one of you could help represent our academy."


    "I do not see this as a risk, but rather an investment since you both have somewhat rare elemental affinities and are still both rather young. The worst case scenario, is that you both will only stop your progress after the 3rd rank as mystics."


    "Thomas, you are in charge of showing these two to their rooms. If they have any questions, please do your best to answer them. As far as their schedules, you can place them in our most basic classes for now and we will change according to how quickly they grow."


    Waving his hand, the dean suddenly disappeared once more into a ball of flames. Thomas took this as being dismissed and led the two out of the room. From beginning to end, Lance was absolutely blown away from seeing such a powerful individual in front of him for the first time. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Although the dean was only a 6th rank mystic, he completely outclassed even his own teacher by just his presence alone. This made Lance wonder if he would also have such a presence if he were to ever reach the same heights as the dean.


    "The reason the dean''s presence may have made the both of you even sweat, is because he used a very special technique us mystics learn later on that allows us to take part of a demonic beast''s essence and merge its bloodline with ours in order to further increase our power." Thomas told the two as he brought them towards the male and female dorms towards the other side of the school yard.


    "In his case, the dean was able to come across an ancient phoenix type demonic beast on one of his travels, and with his great karmic luck, he was able to defeat it and take part of its essence. However, Lance you may find it difficult to find a demonic beast who is of the light elemental affinity, so I wouldn''t worry about such matters until you are strong enough to eventually leave the Sun Dynasty."


    "As for you Samantha, if you become strong enough and either join a guild or the army, you will have an easier time. Water element users are very rare, but water element demonic beasts aren''t very difficult to find even in our Sun Dynasty. So as long as you train hard, such alluring benefits of joining a strong organization will automatically come with each offer."


    "Now, Samantha this is the female dorms and here if your room''s key and information. The dean may be open to accepting students that reach a smaller requirement, but until we recruit enough students, you can actually have the room entirely to yourself." Thomas told Samantha as he handed her a key and a piece of paper.


    "As for you Lance, here is yours and the male dorms are right over there. As for your schedules, classes will start tomorrow morning. For new students such as yourselves, it is mandatory to attend every class. As you both show more promise, a special training regiment will be provided by the dean and the teachers which may allow for attending less classes and focusing more on other aspects of training."


    "Food will be provided for every meal at the cafeteria which is that building over there. So on that note, you both can start unpacking your things in your rooms and I will see you both at breakfast tomorrow. At that time, I will be giving you both class schedules." after taking the time to explain these things, Thomas finally took his leave so that he could receive his reward for recruiting two students.

 Chapter 17

    Once Thomas left, Lance and Samantha both decided to part ways here for now so that they could handle some of their personal matters. Both children were very excited because even Lance sometimes had to only eat two meals per day back in the township.


    As he continued walking towards the male dorms, Lance couldn''t help but to notice some of the other students around the area who were all giving off a level of pressure which he was not used to. This however, made him feel pleased because it truly showed the level of competition he would have while attending this academy.


    Finally making it to the male dorms, Lance felt even more humbled as he opened the front door and saw how the inside of the building looked. He was used to seeing the Sacred Ember clan''s mansion which was lacking in material items to brighten up the place, but this building was magnificent.


    Many big animal-like statues filled the place with many paintings of experts that Lance did not recognize. There were several rooms on the first floor that seemed like recreational type rooms where students could hang out and spend time with each other.


    From what he could tell, the second floor was where each student''s room was located and visually seeing this, it looked like each room would be rather spacious since the doors were widely separated.


    Before heading up to check out his room, Lance''s curiosity got the best of him as he noticed on the first floor an entire room dedicated as a library. In the middle of the room, was a table with a big note that stated that each student was allowed to read only two books at a time within this library.


    Scanning the different shelves of the library, Lance noticed that each row was categorized by a mystic rank needed in order to take out a book from the area. Not even reaching the first rank as a mystic, Lance''s only option was to check out two books in the general area. Still, the amount of books available even in this small area was numerous.


    Seeing that each section was categorized first by elemental affinity based techniques, and the rest more geography and historical based, Lance felt that he should focus his attention on books that were not of his light element.


    He felt that if he were to try to study on his own, his current foundation would become flawed, and that he should wait to consult with his teachers the next day before taking on any additional learning outside of his classes. Therefore, he took only one book that laid out the Sun Dynasty in a well detailed map. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    There were some more famous places around the Sun Dynasty which every citizen would hear about, but there were still many unknown areas to those who were rather sheltered in a weaker region of the empire such as Lance and his clansmen. With learning more about the landscape of the empire, Lance would be able to even update his clan''s maps back home which would be considered a great contribution.


    Feeling rather pleased with himself and his choice, Lance quickly left the library and headed up to the second floor. It was still the middle of the day, and so there were hardly any students within the dorm. Still, Lance could feel some pressure coming out of several rooms as he continued walking down the long hallway.


    Making it to his room, Lance used the special key provided to him which had a small seal attached to it in order to open up the door. He was still nervous about how his room would compare to his room back in the clan. If it was anything like the difference just from the landscape and what was in the buildings, Lance would enjoy his stay in the academy even more.


    The room was rather spacious as Lance hoped it would be and had quite a few things set up around it. In the corner of the room was a very comfortable looking bed that would only be available to the Patriarch of his clan. Throughout the rest of the room was a small desk, an area with a very nice looking mat that would be used for training, and even a small cauldron for the students interested in alchemy along with several basic alchemy books!


    It was rather common knowledge that mystics that specialized in any element would be able to learn some of the basics when it came to alchemy. However, unfortunately for Lance, those of the earth and fire elemental affinities would have a much easier time picking up the trade. There were of course other trades that did not require an individual to be a warrior or mystic rank. That included being a blacksmith, crafting expert, among others.


    Lance wasn''t the type who wanted to spend his years away from just becoming stronger in order to learn one of these trades, but if he was able to learn at least the more basic alchemy based recipes and how to make particular pills, he could help raise his clan''s strength much faster over time since it was much more cost effective to purchase ingredients than it was to purchase pills.


    Therefore, without wasting any more time, Lance unpacked his things and quickly started reading this small stack of alchemy books. There was still quite some time left before it would even be dinner time, so Lance felt that there was enough time to dive into this small project. Plus, Lance wasn''t even hungry since lunch and had some snacks one of his maids helped pack for him, so he was in no rush to leave his room.

 Chapter 18

    After studying both the alchemy books and the geography book of the Sun Dynasty, Lance felt very worn out mentally as he decided to lay down in his new bed, which indeed was extremely comfortable to him.


    He did not dive too deeply into each book, but he at least learned quite a bit, especially about how massive the Sun Dynasty actually was. To his estimations, if he were to travel by foot, it would take him at least two years to walk from one edge of the empire to the other.


    Lance was unsure of when he would be able to either take on a mission from an organization, or would be able to be a traveling expert, but he was still excited to become strong enough in order to begin the journey to see the entire empire from top to bottom. With these thoughts in his head, he quickly fell asleep knowing that this was only just the beginning.


    The next morning, Lance was woken up by the noise outside of his room. It seemed that the students of the Griffin Academy liked getting up rather early every day which actually did not bother him one bit. If anything, this gave him an even better impression of his fellow classmates as well as the academy itself.


    Exiting his room, Lance could now see roughly thirty male students on the first floor all talking among themselves in small groups. Luckily for Lance, it did not seem like the students in this academy allowed the competition among each other to dictate how they would treat one another. Sighing with contentment, Lance chose to walk down to greet some of his fellow students.


    "Ah, fresh blood!" a student that looked to be only twelve years old shouted out as he started to walk towards Lance. This student had a buzzcut hairstyle and wore a red robe with a strange looking design on his back. Shaking Lance''s hand immediately, this student seemed to be very welcoming of Lance.


    "My name is Lance, and I was just recruited. It is a pleasure to meet you." Lance feeling somewhat nervous responded as the other students in the area turned his way. He was not the nervous type in a large group setting, but all of the attention was now on him.


    "You can call me Martin, I am a 2nd rank mystic that specializes in the earth element. If you ever need anything, be sure to come find me and I will help you out for a small price." Martin told Lance as he smiled very brightly.


    "Nice to meet you Lance, why don''t you tell us your rank and elemental affinity. Do not worry, we would all find out regardless soon because we all introduce ourselves in our classes by our name and elemental affinity." another student told Lance as all of the other students nodded their heads. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Alright, as you know, my name is Lance and I am an unranked mystic. But my elemental affinity is the light element, it is a pleasure to meet all of you." Lance told the group as he cupped his hands. The smiles on the faces of every student present changed slightly hearing that Lance''s elemental affinity was the light element until they realized what this meant since he was able to attend Griffin Academy.


    "Since that is the case, I will give you some free advice instead of charging you!" Martin told Lance to break the strange atmosphere while lightly slapping Lance on his back. "We are all about to head out to the cafeteria to eat breakfast, so why don''t you come and join us?" Lance was asked by another student.


    "Yeah, that would be wonderful." Lance responded as all the male students started to head out towards the cafeteria. Although it seemed like the students were treating Lance nicely due to his rare elemental affinity, it was really because they were treated the same way when they first came to the academy so this was normal. Still, Lance felt rather satisfied because the last thing he wanted was to deal with any bullies.


    Spotting Thomas right outside of the building, Lance was handed a piece of paper with only two classes on it. The first was the general mystic class and the description read that the class was to teach students the basics of training as a mystic as well as other information. While the second class was one specifically for those of the light elemental affinity.


    Thomas explained that this was the usual class schedule for students who have yet to reach the 2nd rank as a mystic and if Lance were to reach that rank, his class schedule would most likely change depending on both his grades and how quickly he picked everything up. Thomas also handed him a notebook so that Lance could properly take all the notes he needed to take, including a second notebook for alchemy since Lance asked for one.


    It was not unusual for an academy even on the lower tiers like the Griffin Academy to give their students basic resources such as notebooks among access to other things like the library and the ability to learn a trade like alchemy. Therefore, Lance still feeling pleased that there was no hesitation from a teacher to give him some notebooks, continued into the cafeteria.


    Quickly grabbing a tray of some high quality food, Lance quickly found a seat at one of the larger tables and sat with some of the students he met back in the dorms. Compared to the breakfast he would be able to eat back in the township, the breakfast he was eating here in the academy was at least one step higher in both quality and quantity.


    Lance was able to learn a little bit about some of his fellow students and also told them his background. It was a little strange to him, but it turned out that the majority of the students in the Griffin Academy came from similar backgrounds as Lance. This meant that he fit in even more with his fellow students. "Am I dreaming?" Lance thought as he finally set off to his first class.