《The Madec Legacy》


 The Arrival - Part 1

    Emotion.


    Who would have guessed that emotion was the key to making a real functioning AI? At the turn of the 22nd century, the most popular AIs were just extremely complex cases of "if" and "then". No AI was able to think appropriately, and even the most expensive ones were unable to look beyond numbers. The coldness of their decisions did not shine a brighter light in the public''s eyes. Corporations and some governments used it as auxiliary tools, never letting it run the show by itself. No matter how much time programmers invested, it took a tenth of that to find a fault.


    AIs lacked what humans took for granted. The truth was, no computer program could make an independent decision, everything had to be programmed beforehand somehow as it always lacked agency. If an action happened outside the scope of the scheduled routines, all would fail, or the machine would behave unexpectedly.


    Even the advent of consumer-oriented quantum computers did not change this scenario, the routines got more complex, but there would always be situations where the AI would crash or not do its duties as intended.


    The solution to this problem came in the form of a pioneer project called "Eve". The idea was simple in theory: instead of a full-fledged AI, whose emotion could not be artificially generated, an AI would be implanted inside a human brain, using the subject''s own emotions, principles, and values to make complex decisions while the subject would be getting a personal assistant that could perfectly manage his body functions and help him in all tasks.


    A consortium composed by most of the top tech companies in the world heavily invested in the Eve project, there was the idea floating in the offices that the results obtained from Eve would finally break the wall to an everlasting youth body. Humanity seemed hardwired to get old, no matter how much time and money was invested, there was no way for living forever, and with an ever declining population, humanity was desperate for a way of living in the prime of their bodies for as long as possible.


    The few living two hundred years old were like living mummies, all they could do was interface with the internet and try to enjoy life from that connection, but it was never as good as living in reality. Therefore, the interest in Project Eve increased exponentially.


    Tests on animals were performed and showed promising results, the quantum chip containing the first generation of the modified AI was not rejected by any of the subject''s bodies, prompting the consortium to skip standard procedures and jump straight into human tests. The first subject did not wake up after the quantum chip got installed in his brain, scans showed that the AI fried it after running for a few seconds. The second and third subjects entered into a deep coma and died a few days later. The fourth subject survived and woke up, but was devoid of any emotion, the AI identified all emotion-related reactions of the body as harmful, immediately releasing chemicals that countered all of them. The subject was put down silently to avoid harming the public opinion of the project.


    After a few months of additional research, the fifth generation of the Eve chip, codenamed "Friday", was successfully implemented in an 18-year-old subject called John Fields. The researchers were ecstatic but managed to keep the news contained.


    The subject showed promising results in the following year, his cognitive functions improved beyond the established human limits, and his body was at the absolute highest biological efficiency, even the most skeptical researchers were getting anxious to have a chip installed in their brains.


    The researchers'' happiness was a stark contrast to John''s feelings. Since he woke up from the AI''s implementation in his brain, he had to endure tests that ranged from harsh to inhumane, at first he had to memorize long and complex equations and verbalize the correct answer while training all forms of martial arts they could find a teacher for, but soon enough he was made to run for hours on a treadmill while being subjected to Saharan followed by Arctic temperatures and be literally tortured to test how his mind would react to pain that would render the average humans completely mad.


    Thanks to all the data they got from the previous iterations, Friday had so many safety protocols, that she was unable to prevent John from feeling pain or frustration. In fact, as she shared a deep connection with him, she felt the same. By sharing the same burden, a deep relationship blossomed between the AI and her human.


    There was nothing John could do to stop it as he relinquished most of his rights when he accepted the deal. In hindsight, it was idiotic to sign the contract with the terms set, but he was so captivated by the fat check that he skimmed through most of it.


    After a year of this maddening life, John was absolutely miserable, on the surface he showed no signs of resentment thanks to Friday''s help in keeping his facial muscles in check, but his mind was dead set on escaping this lab and somehow getting back at the researchers, and with his trusty AI he formulated the perfect revenge plan.


    All he needed was for researchers to accidentally bring with them some device connected to the internet, once his AI hacked its way into the machine, he would be able to control almost any piece of tech in the whole world.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It so happens that after decades of uneventful cloud storage of data, physical backup protocols became obsolete even amidst the top tech companies, the longer the servers ran without incidents, the harder it was to justify the increasing costs of keeping an up to date physical backup. John counted on this fact to make sure that Project Eve would die.


    Six months after John''s resolution about revenge, a new intern entered the building using an atypically insecure smartwatch, which Friday promptly hacked. Without raising any alarms, Friday tampered all data related to the research, making seemingly harmless modifications that would lead the research team into dead ends. Unbeknownst to John, there was a very well hidden safety protocol that was accidentally triggered when Friday had just finished tampering the project and downloading information from the internet to update its database, prompting his room to be engulfed in flames and purged of all life.


    And just so, John''s life on earth came to an abrupt end.


    <hr>


    "Hello? Friday? You there?"


    John felt his body floating in some kind of dense liquid, incapable of opening his eyes or moving his limbs, the first thought he had was to search for his only friend during the last year and a half.


    [I''m here John, but we might have a problem.]


    "Where are we? Why does my body feel so weak?"


    "What a curious thing I stumbled upon." A deep baritone voice resonated around John, he could not pinpoint its origin, but he felt himself trembling at each syllable spoke.


    "Who are you? What is happening?" It took a few seconds for him to formulate his question after the bizarre experience proportionated by the mysterious voice.


    "Oh, you even managed to keep yourself awake in the soul void? My my, humans outdone themselves this time." The entity spoke without causing the same vibrations as when it last tried communicating. "What I am or not is of no relevance, you only have to know that I''m the manager of the universe you once lived, what is relevant in this case is that you, Mr. John, are an anomaly, and not the fun kind of anomaly I usually deal with." By the end of his words, the entity showed deep concern, and John again felt the vibrations around himself.


    "I''m sorry sir, but can you elaborate on what anomaly am I and what will happen?" Although John felt emotions, they were heavily dampened, which allowed him to keep his calm and ask what was troubling him.


    "Hmph, I guess I can entertain you while I decide what to do. Very well, this reality is not supposed to have any form of interaction with aether; whatever your fellow humans did to you, your soul got altered in a fundamental way. Right now, you are in the soul void, the only common ground between realities. The reality you were in had very, very strict rules, and absolutely no aether manipulation should be possible, needless to say; soul modifications should be impossible. Your existence defies all rules set, and the reality rejected your reincarnation. Now it''s up to me to erase your existence or find shelter for you in another reality and world."


    Unable to process the info dump, John''s mind came to a stall for a few seconds, prompting the entity to follow up on his confusing explanation:


    "Ah! I know just the place to send you! You see, it has to be a reality that allows for worlds with higher complexity souls and allows for aether manipulation, and it has to be one of the newer worlds, for the older ones have managers that are not accepting of foreign souls. TEMELTH, I HAVE A FAVOUR TO ASK!" The vibrations when the entity called for Temelth made John grit his non-existent teeth in pain.


    "Oh, the mighty Elohim have a favor to ask from this puny god?"


    "Tsk. This generation of yours has now been referring to itself as gods? Have you no sense of professional propriety? The upper management would be glad to have grounds to investigate your kin."


    "If you want to lecture me on the ways of the ancients I will take my leave, I may be strong, but there are many contenders for my position in my reality, I can''t afford the luxury of wasting time here." Temelth seemed bothered by her slip of the tongue.


    "Very well, I will ''forget'' the fact that you believe yourselves to be gods, but only if you take this soul here to your world. It broke my reality''s rules and cannot return to the reincarnation cycle."


    "Broke your reality''s rules? As in the all-mighty Elohim had his face slapped by mortals? HA HA HA HA HA!" Temelth acted as if she was expecting this moment for a long time. Needless to say, the proud Elohim was not happy.


    "SILENCE YOU WENCH! I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH LACK OF DECORUM TO YOUR SENIOR!" Elohim`s rage was so intense that John`s soul took severe damage, and he slipped into unconsciousness. Somehow, Friday was still able to listen to everything.


    "Oh c''mon Elohim, you know I have been expecting this moment for eons! Don`t be a bigger asshole than we all know you to be!" By the end of her words, Elohim was fuming with rage.


    "Take this little piece of garbage out of my reality while I fix this mess or I will be sure to not only report you to our superiors but will pull all favors I have to make sure you and your reality ceases to exist."


    "My my, someone needs a very long vacation, although I`m pretty sure you are more of an observer than an interventionist, I doubt you work that much. But ok, I will say no more, you almost erased this poor soul with your anger."


    Elohim calmed just enough to see that he really did a number on John''s soul, he felt apologetic to him and sneaked a little change in John''s soul to help him in the future.


    "One last word Temelth, this boy has not suffered as much as many people in this world, but it was more than enough for an innocent soul, according to my records his karma was astoundedly positive for some reason. Please give him some leeway in his first cycle in your care."


    Temelth said nothing and just nodded, she knew Elohim only asked for this last favor because he saw how much he damaged this poor soul.


    "Goodbye, Temelth, I hope I never have to see you again."


    "Oh, don`t count on it, don''t forget that now you owe me a favor ha ha ha!" And with these words, Temelth blinked back to her reality while cradling a dying soul in her arms.

 The Arrival - Part 2

    "Phew! Elohim was not kidding; his soul''s karma is way too high! I have never seen such positive karma since the Ten Great Saints in Azula. Hmm, I''m pretty sure there is some hidden agenda behind Elohim''s decision of giving this soul to me, as far as everyone knows, that old prick loves to meddle with his mortals'' lives, someone breaking the rules under his watch should be impossible."


    Temelth had to trim a lot of John`s soul essence to allow it to reincarnate in her world, which took a lot of her power to be done. The higher the karma, the less malleable the soul, and more considerable influence this being will have on the fate of the world he lives.


    "Done! Now that you are all trimmed up I can send you down to live, but before that, let`s tone your karma down a little, shall we?"


    John abruptly woke up floating above a blue planet similar to earth, he was still in his incorporeal form but felt somehow lighter, as if something was missing. Before having enough time to unravel the mystery of this strange feeling, a bright light obstructed his vision, should he have eyes he would most definitely have flinched.


    "Hello, little one! Welcome to the world of Azula!"


    Although John could understand Temelth, he had no recollection of learning this specific language, much like it happened when he spoke to Elohim before. It felt akin to knowing the meaning of a word but having no idea how to write it.


    After an awkward minute without any response from John, Temelth took the initiative and went on a raving.


    "Well, I will keep it short. I had to trim your soul to make it fit into this world; the most obvious effect is that you have lost a lot of your memories. You will reincarnate into Azula as a newborn human boy. As you have a lot of spare karma I took the initiative of granting you a powerful blessing that has 5 major effects, 4 of them you will have to figure out during your life and the last one grants you the power to talk, write and read any language you stumble upon, if you manage to upgrade it you may even be able to understand divine languages."


    John was unable to understand anything.


    {Blessing? Trim my soul? Karma?}


    "A blessing is a small fragment of a God''s power that he can grant to mortals. The trimming of your soul was very tame as I just removed some unnecessary memories from you without affecting your personality. Karma is the sum of a soul''s positive and negative actions through all his reincarnation cycles."


    {Is Azula different from Earth? I mean the laws of physic and such.}


    "It is both different and similar at the same time. Here you have the same fundamental laws that Earth''s reality had, but there are some extra ones as well. You have no cause for worrying; here there is what we call The System balancing all of them."


    {What do you mean by System? Like a videogame RPG system? What is the main difference between Earth''s reality and this one?}


    "That''s a good yet unprecise analogy. There are levels, skills, blessings, curses, and a bunch of other stuff like videogames from your old life, but it''s just the logical side of one of the System''s many facets."


    She gave him a few moments to gather his thoughts before continuing.


    "Back on your reality, there is only one kind of energy from which everything derives from, like light, mass, time, etcetera. For the sake of simplicity, let''s just call this energy ''matter'', which would not be wrong but is far from being precise."


    "In this reality, you too have the ''matter'' energy, but there is a second and much more volatile one; we call it ''aether''. From which things like mana, soul, divinity, and a few others derive from."


    "Aether and Matter coexist and are inherently inert toward each other. However, they will intertwine under special circumstances. For example, when matter gathers in the form of a living being, a phenomenon occurs that draws aether, that''s how a new soul comes to be. The sum of living matter and soul is what we can properly call Life."


    "Life, which is matter and soul united in one being, provokes yet another reaction from the extremely volatile aether, creating mana."


    "The living being keeps producing mana by merely existing, flooding the surrounds with it. Soon, the entire planet is drenched in mana."


    "Life notices that they can command mana to change their surroundings. They wish for something to happen, and the mana in their bodies moves to do their bidding. Magic is born."


    {Matter and Aether does not interact; matter naturally gathers around for billions of years and one day becomes something alive; aether reacts and gives this living thing a soul, turning it from merely something alive to Life itself; Life existence provokes a reaction in the aether, creating mana; mana keeps getting generated and spreading; Life learn how to command mana, magic is born. Did I get everything right?} This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Yes, you did."


    {What about the System? How does it fit in the picture?}


    "The System is a foreign existence that operates with yet a different kind of energy. It invades a reality, reads their particularities, and creates a set of rules adapted to it. Then, it chooses the strongest form of life and assigns it the role of an ''Administrator'', granting it the power to tweak the rules if needed to fulfill its only order: push life forward. I can''t share anything else about it until you get stronger."


    A strong wave of energy passed between the two interrupting Temelth''s explanations, it was as if a big explosion had happened somewhere and the shock wave produced strong vibrations. Temelth then wrapped up their meeting.


    "I said my piece, and now it''s time to send you down, I hope you grow enough in a lifetime to one day stand by my side in the coming war, meanwhile, have fun!"


    {Wait! I have a lot more to ask! Temelth!}


    A strong force pulled John down, and his vision started spinning and then blurring, he barely had any time to register the moment he passed through a roof and collided with a woman`s belly when darkness enveloped his consciousness.


    <hr>


    Inside a wooden hut in the middle of a forest covered by snow, a couple was trapped inside as soldiers moved to surround it. The bearded man was sweating despite the freezing temperature, his hands gripping tightly to his halberd as he faced the door, waiting for it to be breached at any moment. The woman was sweating profusely as her baby chose this moment to be born.


    "Dammit! We can`t leave now! Can`t you hold it inside a little longer?"


    "By the gods Geralt! It''s not something I have any control over!"


    Geralt knew there was nothing to be done. He could either face the seven soldiers outside or surrender himself.


    "Fuck me! Ok, ok, calm down, I know what I have to do" Geralt lowered his lance and looked into his wife`s eyes, he couldn`t hold his tears as he spoke.


    "I love you. Gods, I love you so much! Since the moment I laid my eyes upon you, I knew we were meant to be, you gave me so much, and all I did was bring you trouble! Please honey, all I have is you and our unborn child. Whatever happens now, do not move, do not make any noise, and I beg you, do not seek revenge in the future. Tell my child that I¡­ that I¡­" Tears flowed freely from Geralt`s eyes, his mind racing as he searched in vain for what he wanted his future kid to know about him.


    "Tell my child that I abandoned you before he was born" He wanted his son or daughter to hold no hatred towards the Ilex kingdom, no good would come of that. In Geralt`s mind, he was better of thinking that his father was a coward who bailed on his wife when she got pregnant. "It''s safer that way."


    "Geralt? What are you saying? We can still fight! I can still fight!"


    Before his wife could get up from the old bed, Geralt cast a weak |Petrify| spell followed by a camouflage one. As he laid her head on the pillow, both her and the bed turned invisible.


    "You taught me those well; I tried hiding from you that I learned them to surprise you on our next mock battle. They are weak and temporary, but will get the job done."


    The woman kept shedding tears even while petrified. On any other day, these spells would not even scratch her skin, but during labor, a woman would not be able to muster any mana to resist spells or cast some of her own. She could not even move her head to look at her husband before he rushed to his death.


    Mustering what was left of his courage, Geralt cast one last illusion spell and rushed outside with his trusted halberd in hand, the soldiers took a moment to process the fact that their target chose to face them instead of surrendering, but as Ilex Kingdom''s elites, they quickly surrounded Geralt to complete their mission.


    <hr>


    The fight was as bloody as it was intense, Geralt swiftly moved in the battlefield deftly dodging all attacks while striking with his halberd all the soldiers'' exposed skin. They wore high-quality armor that protected most of their vitals, making it hard to deliver a killing blow, and it soon delved into a fight of attrition.


    Geralt was known as one of the best melee fighters of this age, his martial prowess and his proficiency in the use of a halberd set him apart from others. His strikes were so fast that his halberd produced sonic booms every time he moved it. The enemies, however, also possessed vast training and inhuman powers.


    By the end, only two soldiers were still standing as Geralt laid in a pool of his own blood, his halberd by his side. Most soldiers ended up dying of blood loss from the myriad of cuts that Geralt managed to inflict.


    "Shit captain, that was one tough son of a bitch! He killed all of them! What do we do now?"


    The soldier who spoke had a few cracked ribs, a broken leg, and a deep cut to his arm, he took pride in his combat skills, but the man they went up against was a monster, even while outnumbered 7 to 1 he took the other soldiers down as if they were flies.


    "I will check inside the house, take this high-grade potion to heal your most severe wounds and bring our horses, I will go check the hut."


    The captain of this unit was not faring better than his soldier. He too had a cracked rib and a few deep cuts around his body; the damage to his shield was beyond repair, and if not for a stroke of luck he would have lost his head to Geralt''s halberd at one particular moment.


    "Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir!" The soldier was shocked; high-grade potions cost a few months of a soldier''s wage, only a few could afford such luxury.


    The horses were about a kilometer and a half away (~1 mile), as soon as the soldier left the captain shed a tear for his old master and friend, his expression shifted into a mix between sadness and anger.


    "You mad bastard! Look what you made us do! If you only had surrendered! You knew I would not hurt you! Dammit! You knew it! Why, Geralt!?"


    The captain took a few minutes to get a hold of his emotions, he went inside the house, and his eyes widened, what he saw made him understand why his friend had opted to fight till his last breath.


    "By the gods! What have you done?!"


    In his eyes, the hut was empty, no furniture inside, only the pale body of Geralt`s pregnant wife with her throat wide open. He did not need to look any further to know that she, along with the child, had been killed by Geralt so they would not be captured.


    "FUCK! What did you do, Geralt! Fucking fuck! What will I tell Kovadyn?"


    The captain could not contain the anger he felt for his old master and punched the hut`s door with so much strength that it practically exploded.


    "Sir, the horses are ready, and I got his body strapped in one" The soldier arrived just in time to witness his captain outburst.


    "Good job, soldier. Help me pay our respects to our dead companions and torch the hut. The smell of blood will attract some creatures over."


    The sound of people running through the woods reached their ears before they could round up the bodies.


    "Soldier! To the horses, NOW!"


    Captain and soldier mounted their horses and left the place just as a group of hunters arrived at the scene. One of them had heard the fighting and went back to get help, they came rushing to the place and found only 5 dead soldiers outside and a dead woman inside the hut, but as they were about to loot the bodies and clean the area, the spells wore off, and a woman started screaming as she immediately went into labor.

 Riwall Madec - Part 1

    "Shit, she is in labor! Tim, go get Erika, she is scouting around, go, NOW!" The veteran hunter quickly ordered the newcomer to get the only hunter with them that could cast healing spells, he had watched two of his kids being born, and he knew something was off.


    Tim ran out of the house, shouting for Erika, who heard him from a few dozen meters and rushed to see why Tim was calling for her from the top of his lungs.


    "Shut your mouth, Tim! You could have attracted some monster with all that shouting!"


    "Quickly, Erika! She is in labor, go help!"


    "Wait. What?!" Before Erika could make any sense of Tim''s words, she heard a cry from the hut and rushed inside.


    Erika rushed to the woman`s side and began using some weak healing magic to ease her pain a little, but the woman`s womb was quickly absorbing all of her spells. She increased its potency little by little until hitting her limit. Erika felt her mana reserves emptying and was about to faint when the veteran hunter put a hand on her shoulder and started sharing his mana with her.


    "I`m not good with mana transfer, but I think it will help."


    "Thank you, Ed. Her womb is absorbing all the spell; I never saw something like that. Something must have gone wrong. Her body is showing signs of a |Petrify| spell, and if someone petrified her while she was going into labor, it will not be a smooth birth, that much I can tell."


    "Do your best Erika. I have plenty of mana to spare."


    She nodded and focused on her healing spell. After a few minutes even Edward, the veteran hunter, was getting winded by the depletion of his mana reserves, both were at their limits when the womb seemed to hit its limit, ceasing to absorb the spell. The woman felt immediate relief as Erika''s spell began to ease her pain.


    As soon as she stabilized, which took only a couple of seconds, Erika turned to Edward and hushed him out of the hut.


    "I can take care of her now, go set a perimeter while I help the baby and the mother."


    "You sure you can do it alone?"


    "Please, you know I was a healer for almost a decade before becoming a hunter, I helped to deliver more than a dozen children, I can manage this one after she got stabilized."


    Edward got the message and hurriedly left, there was a lot of blood that had to be cleaned out before it attracted monsters to their position.


    "Ok sweetheart, the danger is past. Let''s bring your baby into this world, shall we?" Erika put her best smile and tried to put a front of someone brimming with confidence and energy, but the truth was that she was almost fainting because of the excessive use of the healing spell.


    "Geralt, have you seen my Geralt? He went outside to deal with the soldiers, please, find my Geralt" The woman was crying copiously while speaking, but the childbirth pains came back in full force, and she screamed.


    <hr>


    John woke up to complete darkness, a few minutes ago he felt a warm and soothing feeling spread through his body, he could hear Friday trying to talk to him, but he could not understand her words. He tried moving but did not have enough strength, and he felt as sluggish as someone who has just been awoken in the middle of his sleep.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    After a few more minutes, he felt cold and took his first breath in this new world. His chest hurt so much because it was the first time he was using his new lungs; the pain was so intense that he could not keep himself from crying. John quickly controlled himself and looked around with his new eyes.


    His vision was blurry, but he could see enough to know he was in a hut, he felt hands moving to check his body, but before he could take a look at the giant handling him, he was passed over to another giant.


    This giant brought him closer, and he could see that it is not that they were giants, it`s just that he was a baby. He looked to the person holding him, and he felt something deep inside of his chest getting warm. The woman holding him was tired with bags on her eyes and her auburn hair stuck to a thin layer of sweat. She had a triangular face almost perfectly proportioned, with deep green eyes that made her even more beautiful. No words he knew could describe both her appearance or what he was feeling.


    For him, it was just moments ago that he was in some kind of lab, and he did something that made it explode. He clearly remembered meeting a goddess named Temelth and something about reincarnation and losing his memory. What he immediately noticed was that he could not remember his past life''s relationships, family, and social interactions. He knew he had a mother and a father, but that was about it. No face, no name, nothing.


    Only one name came into his mind.


    {Friday, you there?}


    [Always.]


    He felt relieved when he heard her answer, for some reason, all memories related to Friday were coming back to him. Friday`s voice that just barely had a hint of emotion always managed to calm him down.


    {You know where we are? Or who are these people?}


    [I had just come back online when you called me, but I think this woman is your mother.]


    {My mother?! I really reincarnated?}


    [It does seem like it, I am starting the self-diagnosis protocol, stand by.]


    {Take your time, it''s not like I can do much anyway. By the way, I can''t remember my name.}


    [Information relating to you were never stored in my database as I always had access to your memories.]


    {That Temelth lady sure did a job on my memories. I think I will get a new name soon. I will not fret over my old name. Although I can`t remember my family, I don`t feel empty or missing something, in fact, it feels like the life that I remember belongs to someone else.}


    [Self-diagnosis complete, no physical anomaly detected.]


    [Attention! External force detected, attempting merge.]


    {What the hell?}


    [Successful merge. The System is now accessible anywhere, anytime.]


    {The System? Is it the same one that Temelth told us about?}


    [It does seem to be the case]


    {So this system is like an RPG system or more like a subroutine running on the background?}


    [For us, it''s like an RPG system, by merging with it I can pull the raw data and translate it into a HUD (Heads Up Display), which will most definitely give us an edge in this world. For others, it will look like a subroutine in the background. I speculate that they treat the system as just another natural phenomenon, it''s unlikely that they know about aether as profoundly as we do after Temelth''s explanation.]


    All this banter between Friday and the nameless boy barely took a second, a perk of instantaneous communication between him and his AI.


    The mother smiled widely looking at her son, at this moment everything else became irrelevant, she looked in the baby`s deep green eyes and found his frown to be very cute, it felt like he already knew the situation he was in and what was happening, she always noticed how babies were usually reactive to stimulus, but her son was different, she knew something about him set him apart from others of his age.


    Meanwhile, Edward had already sent Tim back to get a wagon from the village, the woman and the baby would need a safer and more comfortable mean of transportation to get there, and they could not carry all the pieces of equipment from the dead inside their bags.


    Erika was shocked. The baby briefly cried when taking his first breath but soon stopped. His small and feeble head moved to the sides as if he was trying to understand where he was and who were these people around him. But what shocked her more is how the baby was leaking strong and pure mana, she never saw any being capable of refining its mana to such extent, not even the grandmasters she met at the capital were capable of that.


    "Welcome to this world, my son. May Temelth bless you, who shall be known from this day until the end of the world as Riwall Madec."


    Not a second after his mother finished saying his new name, a bright light covered Riwall.


    [New name received! Panel unlocked! Want to access your personal panel now?]


    {Hell yeah!}

 Riwall Madec - Part 2

    ------------------------------------------------------


    ------Panel------


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 0


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    -Mana purity: 100% (Prismatic)


    -----BLESSINGS-----


    ---Temelth`s Blessing---


    -Languages MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -----ATTRIBUTES-----


    --- Mental Attributes---


    -Intelligence:1


    -Wits:1


    -Resolve:1


    --- Physical Attributes---


    -Strength:1


    -Dexterity:1


    -Stamina:1


    --- Social Attributes---


    -Presence:1


    -Manipulation:1


    -Composure:1


    -----SKILLS-----


    --- Mental Skills---


    -None


    --- Physical Skills---


    -None


    --- Social Skills---


    -None


    ------------------------------------------------------


    {Friday, elaborate on each aspect of the attributes.}


    [No data available, apart from necessary information, the system provides nothing else. From what I can assert, it seems likely that most people would not even have access to this much information. The very way you can see all this information is a result of our connection.]


    {Judging by the fact these people are all carrying swords and spears, we need to get our hands on books ASAP.}


    [Agreed.]


    Erika attentively looked at the baby in his mother''s arms while using a |Diagnosis| spell. Luckily, he was perfectly healthy.


    "Congratulations! The gods have really blessed Riwall, I have never seen such a healthy and well behaved newborn. My name is Erika. I''m a hunter from the village of Marsastor. How are you feeling? Can you tell me your name?"


    Only after Erika spoke did the mother noticed her presence. Between her grieving, Riwall`s birth and the aftereffects of the |Petrify| spell, she was unable to focus on anything else. With her baby safe in her arms, she could afford to think more clearly.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "My name is Hellen, my husband and I are from the Ilex Kingdom. We were following the road to Marsastor when we found this hut to rest, but bandits ambushed us. You know better than me what happened after that." Hellen took a few seconds to gather the courage to ask what worried her more at this moment. "Did you find any corpse using a dark green breastplate?"


    "Hellen, let''s make a deal here. I will tell you all I know about what happened, but before that, you will have to tell me the truth. Not only do all of the dead have Ilex Kingdom''s ring insignia, but their weapons and armor are of high quality. Do we have a deal?"


    Hellen did not even have to think much, she was too debilitated, and she needed Erika''s help more than Erika needed the information.


    "My husband is the infamous White Bear, as he was a noble, and I, a commoner, our union was forbidden. After we discovered that I was pregnant, we run from the kingdom. If he were just a noble, they would have let us escape and not give chase, but he was also a general of their army. Because of his extense knowledge about Ilex''s strategies and training regime, they sent the White Ghosts squad to either bring us to them alive or just our heads. As months went by and the pregnancy proceeded, we got slower. The battle outside was the result of them finally catching up."


    "You omitted a lot of information in there, how did you get here all the way from Ilex in just seven months? How did you cross the illusion forest? Why not going for Azurehall for asylum?"


    Hellen bit her lips as she pondered about what to tell Erika, she was afraid of revealing too much and putting her savior in danger. Erika broke her thoughts as she noticed Hellen''s reluctance.


    "Ok, I guess you have told enough for me to know you are not criminals, not in this kingdom at least. As for your husband''s whereabouts, he is not among the dead. There are trails of someone being dragged for a few meters, but they seem to have escaped using horses. The only thing that does not matches the dead''s equipment is a white halberd, is that your husband''s wea..."


    Erika stopped talking when she noticed that Hellen shed silent tears, she hugged her baby close and just let the tears flow with her eyes closed.


    A few minutes went by with no one speaking a word. Edward broke the silence by opening the old door.


    "Sorry to interrupt girls, but we need to move, the sun is about to set, and the wagon is ready."


    "Thanks, Ed. Do you mind helping Ms. Hellen and her baby? I will cast a heating ward to keep them from freezing."


    "Sure."


    Erika quickly chanted a ward spell, and Riwall felt the temperature rising around him and his mother. He had been listening attentively to all the conversation but could not understand anything apart from the fact that his parents were runaways from a kingdom that was pretty far from here.


    Mother and son sit at the comfortable wagon surrounded by all pieces of equipment and possession of the dead soldiers. Meanwhile, all other hunters got on their horses and deftly organized in a formation around the wagon.


    <hr>


    The journey back was quick and uneventful. The village was really close to the hut''s location, which made Hellen feel even more guilty because if she were a little stronger, they would have reached a safe haven.


    Unaware of her regrets, Riwall was fighting a losing battle against his body, his fully developed soul and mind put a massive strain on his newborn body, according to Friday predictions it should take about a year for him to be able to hold his consciousness for more than a few minutes every day.


    Before drifting off to sleep, Riwall had Friday do whatever she deemed necessary to help his body develop to the full extent of his potential. He was not yet sure of what he wanted to do in his life, but with an AI with him, he wanted to be sure of being able to face whatever his new life throws at him.


    <hr>


    Erika was the only one who got to hear Hellen''s tale, and both agreed that, for the sake of Riwall, it was better if they said that Geralt died fighting instead of being captured. Otherwise, Riwall would either resent Hellen for doing nothing to rescue her husband or try to find him in the future, which would spell troubles for him.


    While Riwall was sleeping, Hellen met with Marsastor''s Fiefdom Lord, a man named Kester, and got authorization to live in his lands if she agreed to become a serf. As a serf of the Marsastor family, Hellen would have to work as a healer and farm mage. In exchange, she would be entitled protection, justice, and, should she demand, land for her subsistence when her son got older.


    According to Erika, the Marsastor family was honorable and would not abuse their position. They were more worried about safety than pleasure or wealth, so they would spare no expense or effort to make everyone safer and well-fed.


    The truth is that the Marsastors were not saints, life in their fief was full of dangers, from orcs and goblins raids that threatened the survival of the serfs responsible for food production, to harsh winters that ravaged the farms itself. Should they abuse their position, a single rebellion would be able to throw a wrench in their structure and kill everyone. Many other Lords did not face such harshness, so they were laxer on their responsibilities and grew up to become conceited, often treating the serfs as cattle and doing as they pleased.


    Erika managed to convince Hellen to move to her house. She was already set on this idea after felling pity of Hellen''s circumstances, but when she heard Hellen telling Kester about her healing and earth magic prowess, Erika had to get close to the woman. As a healer and a hunter, Erika worked double shifts. In the morning she would hunt in the forest and the afternoons and evenings she would need to work as the village solo healer.


    Healing magic was extremely taxing and required multiple sessions to be useful. Basically, the healer would pour vast amounts of light mana in the patient''s body, boosting his natural healing capacity and speeding up recovery. The major flaw of this method is that severe injuries and sickness would require the healer to work on a patient for as long as his mana pool allowed. So every day after a tiring hunt, Erika would come to her home to find a line of people waiting for her to perform healing magic on them.


    As her home doubled as the village''s infirmary, having Hellen living with her would ease her burden by a lot. Should Hellen be proficient in healing magic, it may even be the case where Erika could finally retire from being a healer altogether.

 Infancy - Part 1

    Riwall consciousness was too erratic. Sometimes he would wake up only to be breastfed and feel extremely sleepy, other times he would be awake for enough time to hear Erika''s stories. He would barely have any time to check on Friday if anything unusual happened. As he was a baby, and it was winter season, he spent all the time home, going from the cradle to his mother''s or Erika''s arms.


    Erika took a liking to Riwall, during afternoons she would come back from hunting and take care of him while Hellen would leave to help the farmers with her earth magic. In the beginning, she did not enjoy the arrangement; all babies she knew were poop factories that would cry all the time, but not Riwall. He slept most of the time and drank a lot of milk, but when he was awake, he would attentively listen to any story she told and would laugh or frown as if he understood everything she said.


    Riwall loved these stories for two reasons. First, Erika was just great at telling them; she nailed dramatic pauses and intonation, making it an enjoyable experience. Second, he learned a lot about this world and its rules.


    Apparently, it was common knowledge that there was a system regulating the interaction between mana and matter. The System, as it is called, has been studied by countless scholars, with one among them being especially worthy of notice. Julius Muller. He was one of the first in the world to prove the existence of the System, creating a tool called the Muller''s Tablet. This tool allowed a person to see his level, race, attributes, skills, blessings, and curses in a slab of stone.


    Julius Muller amply spread the method for crafting a Muller''s Tablet, and as it was pretty simple, most of the world ended up adopting it. Its use was equally simple; pour some of your mana into the tablet and voil¨¢, a panel similar to the one Riwall had access to would appear.


    The continent they were now is called Frostlands, where all the seasons range from cold to freakishly cold. Only its northern part had distinguishable seasons and warmer climate overall.


    A few hundred years after Frostlands discovery and shy colonization of its northern part, a heaven-defying ritual spell was cast somewhere else in the world, bringing noticeable changes to water currents and the climate. The seas to the west and north used to be calm throughout most of the year, but they suddenly became unnavigable with dozens of hurricanes forming during 11 of the 12 months of the year.


    Suddenly the continent was cut off from the rest of the world. The colonists then ventured south to expand their lands, and by the turn of the fifth century, four kingdoms shared the Frostlands.


    The Ilex Kingdom to the northmost had a temperate climate and inherited most of the infrastructure left by the colonizers; their borders stop where the Illusion Forest begins. They are the most populous among the four kingdoms, but their attention is turned continuously inward as they would rather bicker among themselves than conquer the rest of the continent. The ruling family has managed to hold its power since they were no more than Governors appointed by the colonizers.


    On the south border of the Ilex Kingdom stands the Guan Kingdom, its lands stretch all the way from the northern part of Illusion Forest to the Neck Trees at the south. According to Erika''s stories, a triumvirate composed of the three oldest families shares the power. They are at constant war against the sentient beasts that rule over the Illusion Forest since centuries before the colonization began.


    After the small forest called "Neck Trees", lies the Azure Kingdom, a feudal society that holds no real power over the various cities and villages. They are in an eternal war against the monsters from the Azure Forest and the southern border. The capital, Azurehall, and the town of Branwatch are the only places where the royal family has any real power. With no standing army, they have to raise their banners and count on the support of the various lords of the kingdom when facing significant threats.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The land in the south of the Azure Kingdom is where used to be the only pre-colonization kingdom, its name long lost by the time the first colonists arrived. All the mana in the region is aspected to death, with all kinds of dark creatures lurking in a forest of dead trees. The few adventurer parties that managed to reach some of the old ruins came back with relics that put any modern creation to shame. But no one has been able to find out the history of this lost kingdom so far.


    Every fifteen years, an explosion of unaspected mana happens in the southernmost region, spreading all over the continent. This tsunami of mana forces the evolution of most of the monsters that it touches, increasing their levels and accelerating their reproduction cycles. This event is called Evobomb.


    That''s why the Azure Kingdom had to resort to a feudal organization, by decentralizing power, they managed to defend the territories better from the threats from within the woods and hills.


    Erika''s tales were full of stories of heroes who faced all kinds of adversities for the sake of the Azure Kingdom. Often such stories would end with the hero marrying into the royal family, which Riwall noticed would help keep future generations looking at the royalty in a good light.


    <hr>


    After about one year, Riwall''s body and soul finally synched, letting him be wholly conscious and make full use of Friday''s capabilities. The only downside was that his mindset was being affected by his body. A seemingly obvious thing but that was often overlooked by the isekai novels he read back on Earth.


    Although he had plenty of agency over his behavior, his body would trigger feelings and actions that were out of his expectations. Like one time when Hellen came back early and interrupted a very engaging story she was telling. A wave of disappointment and sadness washed over him, and the adult Riwall couldn''t help but cry in response.


    Friday speculated that a way of getting a better hold of his own emotions would be by increasing some of his attributes, after discussing it among themselves, they concluded that there might be some similarities between the System and some RPG systems from Earth that he could take advantage.


    The two more likely to be related to the problem at hand were: |Composure| from the Social Attributes and |Resolve| from the Mental Attributes.


    After discussing possible methods of training both attributes, Friday suggested creating a few mental stressful scenarios and have Riwall complete them. In these scenarios, a restriction would be but in his memories, and he would have to either defuse the situation entirely or resist giving in to his emotions for as long as he could.


    With a goal set, Friday spent a few days in silence creating the simulations that would help Riwall grind his first stats.


    <hr>


    Riwall was walking back home after another tiring day of work. He had his eyes on the ground as he lamented his life choices.


    "Man, I really need to find a better job, I fucking hate working for Mrs. Tucker."


    THUMP!


    "YOU FUCKING IDIOT! LOOK AT WHERE YOU ARE WALKING!" A man in a suit screamed at Riwall after spilling coffee in his suit because of the bump.


    Riwall froze at the guy''s snap and could not formulate any words


    "What? Have nothing to say? You are going to fucking pay for it! You know how much it cost?!"


    "I... I''m sorry, I didn''t see where I was walking, I mean, I was just walking straight, you could have dodged."


    "How can you say I had to dodge if you were not even paying attention?!?"


    Riwall did not know what to do. His words got stuck in his tongue, and his thoughts came to an abrupt stop. People were gathering around them and pointing their fingers, making him even more nervous. All he could do was look at the angry man''s eyes and babble some nonsense before taking a sucker punch to the face and blanking out.


    [End of simulation. Result: Disappointing conclusion. 5% increase in |Composure| exp, 2% increase in |Wits| and 1% increase in |Resolve|.


    Suddenly he remembered where he was and what was happening. As soon as Friday lifted the restraints on his memories, he felt disappointed at his performance. His current body clearly influenced his behavior. For he faced situations much worse back at the lab on Earth and did not freeze like it just happened.

 Infancy - Part 2

    As soon as Riwall''s body and soul synched, he managed to speak his first words, much to the surprise of Hellen and Erika. He played it safe and said ''mama'' to Hellen''s delight. But the surprises would not end with just saying ''mama''.


    In the following days, Riwall spoke both Hellen''s and Erika''s name and a few more words. He was trying to raise their expectations of him, so in the future, they would not be so surprised when he accomplished things sooner than the other kids.


    {There is no way I will not be regarded as a genius, at least till adulthood. Might as well use my time to get as stronger and smarter as possible, judging by how much my stats improved with the simulations, it seems much more straightforward to grind stats and skills the younger one is. What do you think Friday?}


    [I agree to some extent, I was expecting to see diminishing returns the more simulations we ran, but the gains are still progressing at the same pace. As soon as we get |Composure|, |Resolve| and |Wits| to 10 we should investigate your mana, then we can proceed to start physical training.]


    {Don''t you think it''s too soon to start training my body? Won''t that harm my physical development?}


    [With me guiding your body''s development such risks are completely mitigated, and if my theories about the uses of mana prove to be accurate, then you can expect to be much stronger than anyone in your age.]


    {Oh, do you mind sharing these conjectures of yours?}


    [Only if you command to, if you know about it, it may change the results.]


    {Well, if you say so, just don''t be reckless, please. Your thought process is too much dependant on my own, and I know I tend to be impulsive at times.}


    A couple of weeks went by, and Riwall capped the three attributes, by the time each stat hit level 5 there was no change in his behavior, Friday theorized that a shift in personality and behavior would only happen until the person natural limit, any extra stat would only unlock a potential future change. That means that should he have a level 5 |Composure|, he would never be able to demonstrate any higher control of his emotions than the level 5 allowed. Much like when his stats were only on level 1, he was unable to behave as he did back on Earth.


    {It was so simple to cap these attributes at level 10 that I''m suspecting I may not be able to rise much above others.}


    [Don''t say such nonsense. First, no one else can train in simulations like you did; they were so complicated that there wasn''t a single instance where you noticed it was a simulation before its conclusion. Secondly, no baby can have the same level of consciousness as you.]


    Friday continued.


    [Whoever or whatever created the System may have put some kind of bonus to allow for kids to develop their consciousness during this phase of their lives. Should they struggle to raise some basic attributes, it''s likely they would be unable to be functioning adults in the future.]


    {Makes sense, but it can''t be that the System is that simple, these numbers have to be something more than an indication of potential.}


    [Don''t rule out the possibility that the attributes may have two different effects, one internal and another external. Internally it may dictate the limits of your personality, as it is something subjective. I can only theorize about its practical effects. Externally the attributes may manifest in your interaction with the environment and other people. It may be so that you will only see its full effects if combined with some skills.]Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    {Well, we will gain nothing speculating about things we cannot check immediately. What do you suggest we do now?}


    [Your favorite activity, physical training.]


    {Ha ha ha! Imagine mom''s face when she sees her one-year-old doing push-ups!}


    [It may be wiser to avoid such situations. Let''s stick to simple things for now. I need to check how much your attributes will progress for a variety of activities before making a training schedule.]


    Much to Erika''s dismay, the previously quiet and obedient toddler became a daredevil after learning how to walk. Long was gone the peaceful moments she would spend a few minutes telling stories for a baby that would sleep before the end. She now had to keep a close watch on the boy. He ran around the house doing laps around all furniture, climbing on everything, and picking up all objects he could get his hands on.


    At the start, Riwall was just following Friday''s instructions, but when he saw how desperate the fearless Erika would get, he found absolute joy in it. To make it funnier, he would wait for Erika to get close to him and would try to dodge.


    The first few times he tried to dodge Erika, she would easily catch him. Much of his inability to escape from Erika''s pursuit was because his body was too weak and clumsy, but that changed as the combination of Friday and attributes turned the tables. In just a few weeks he capped his |Stamina|, |Strength|, and |Dexterity|, making Erika sweat and use her skills to catch him.


    Hellen was getting confused by the day. She came home every night to find her son sleeping soundly in his cradle while Erika was completely exasperated on a chair.


    "This son of yours is a demon! He is driving me nuts!"


    "Shhh! He is sleeping, Erika! You must be getting old if a one-year-old can tire you out." Hellen mockingly said while trying to hold her laughter.


    "I swear Hellen, this boy is not human, today he managed to climb on the cupboard, call my name, and when I arrived, he jumped to the dining table and taunted me by showing his bun and slapping it! The worst part is that he evaded me for almost an hour. An hour!"


    "HA HA HA! That''s my son!" Hellen could not hold her laughter anymore, to make a veteran hunter sweat to catch you at his age was an unbelievable feat.


    "Don''t laugh about it! I tried to tell Edward and the other hunters the other day, and they laughed telling me to find better excuses to be tired every morning, they even spread the rumor I have been seeing someone every night!"


    "Oh gods, it keeps getting better!" At this point, Hellen was having trouble breathing amidst so much laughter.


    "Humpf, laugh all you want, one day it will be you in the receiving end, and me laughing. Trust me when I say it, I am a patient woman."


    After so much noise, Riwall woke up and heard almost all the conversation. As much as he loved his mom, he would not deny Erika her revenge.


    <hr>


    {So, what''s next Friday, I have all Physical Attributes, |Composure|, |Resolve|, and |Wits|, capped}


    [I think we can try focusing on |Intelligence| for now, the attributes seem to be interconnected, it''s just a hypothesis, but if we cap at least intelligence we may be able to get better results when trying to study mana and magic. As it''s now, the System seems to be blocking my access to your mana reserves just like I couldn''t improve your body at all before increasing some of your attributes.]


    {So the attributes can limit even you? I wonder how do people usually develop with so many limitations.}


    [There is nothing to wonder about how people develop in this world. The System seems alien only to us, remember that everyone else has grown as if the system was a part of nature itself. The existence of aether, mana, and magic defies all laws of physics that we know about, not that they do not exist here at all, because we already tested them and they still apply. But mana allows for actions that should be impossible. By Erika''s stories, people can conjure giant balls of flames or raise walls of stone from the ground. No one on Earth would be able to do it without using the proper tools.]


    {I know, I know. But it does not make any sense, how can a number define my behavior to such extent? This whole attribute thing is a simplification we create in games to make it fun and easier to interact with, it should not dictate how an organic being behaves.}


    [There is much we don''t know about yet.]


    {You know what? Let''s just worry about capping my attributes before worrying about magic and skills and everything else. I have a new shot in life, and I''m in a world with magic, dragons, heroes and all sort of awesome stuff. I will not waste my time worrying about things I don''t have nor want any control over.}


    And on that note, Riwall set on to cap his |Intelligence| attribute, utterly unaware of how impossible it was for anyone to cap his attributes.

 Toddler

    Riwall took another year to grind his |Intelligence| attribute to level 10. He was now a three-year-old, and the bonus seemed to wear off at some point, with each attribute level taking longer than the one before to increase.


    {Finally |Intelligence| capped too! Formerly, the progress rate was completely flat, it took precisely the same amount of time to get each of the attribute levels, be it from level 1 to 2, 5 to 6 and so on. But now I had to spend four months only to go from level 9 to 10!}


    [Even so, I think there is still a bonus in play, I had not reached the most difficult exercises before you capped this attribute.]


    {Oh, cmon, I doubt anyone in this world would be able to complete them, even people on Earth would take at least one decade in the field to achieve this same level of proficiency! Cut me some slack, will you?}


    [Fair enough, I still have not been able to get a glimpse of what mana is. We are still not allowed to watch Hellen or Erika working with magic, so we don''t even know what to look for.]


    {As much as I want to be able to use magic, there may be a reason for our inability to perceive it. Maybe it''s some kind of hard limitation imposed by the System?}


    [It''s either this or we are missing something important.]


    Despite Riwall frustration about not being able to use magic at all, he kept living leisurely. He had no responsibilities and could not even leave the house. At first, he thought it was because of the temperature or something like that, but after asking Erika, he finally learned the reason for not leaving and why he could not feel his mana at all.


    "It''s not only because of the cold out there, but there are also lots of different kinds of sickness that can kill a child that has not even developed her mana core yet."


    "A mana core? What is that?"


    "A mana core is like the second heart of any living being. It is essential to wield mana and works like a heart, but instead of blood, it pumps mana. Without it all the mana in your body is dispersed and uncontrollable, it is by forming his mana core that a person can feel his mana and circulate it in his body to cast magic or improve himself."


    "And how can I develop my mana core?"


    "It''s not something so simple that can be done on your own. Usually, you have someone cast a channeling spell in you. Although it''s impossible to feel and interact with your mana, being subjected to a channeling spell makes you temporarily ultra-sensitive to mana. Then it''s a long and arduous process of choosing a place you want to form your mana core and focusing on redirecting all your mana to it. There is a tradition that the father will help his kid and it usually takes a year for the mana core to form, then there is the matter of meditating and creating the paths through which your mana will flow, most people follow a mana path design provided by their lord or one that his family passes down through the generations, in your case it will have to be a design provided by the Marsastor''s Lord, but it''s a matter for the future Riwall to worry about."


    "So a mana core is like a deposit of mana made physical?"


    Erika furrowed her brows in thought. Riwall would usually speak only a few words, which was already a lot more than his peers at his age. But this simple question showed a deeper understanding of the world than he could know, and she was pretty sure that neither she nor Hellen used these words before. He was extraordinary both in physical and mental prowess to his age, but something else was in play, and she knew that there was only one explanation to this.


    Erika''s silence was not a good sign. She noticed something and Riwall got scared that she would somehow discover he was not a simple three-year-old. He always made sure to act and talk like a child, but his curiosity betrayed his previous efforts, and Erika did not let it slip.


    "Riwall, I will ask it once, and I want you to be honest."


    He gulped.


    "You may not know, but your development is already leagues ahead of kids of your age, your vocabulary is already very well developed, and you are never unsure of something me or Hellen said. No matter what word we use, you always understand it."


    If not for Friday interference he would be drenched in sweat by now.


    Erika went to a trunk beside her bed and took a stone tablet from inside. She whispered a few words that Riwall was not able to hear, and the stone tablet started emitting a weak but perceivable green glow.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She kneeled in front of Riwall and extended the glowing tablet in his direction. Erika noticed how anxious and nervous he was, but she needed him not to take this whole thing lightly.


    "Touch the stone and do not let it go for a minute."


    Riwall did as commanded and felt nothing for a minute. Then he felt something prickling him inside his brain, suddenly Friday screamed in his head.


    [Release the stone now!]


    It was too late, the glow dimmed, and Erika''s eyes widened. The prickling sensation and the fact that it was a tablet had him immediately guessing that it was a panel like the one generated by Friday to check his stats and skills.


    "By the Gods!" Erika''s hands were shaking hold the tablet. Riwall could already imagine his mother''s face when she learned how most of his attributes were capped.


    "What? What is it?"


    "You... you are blessed by Temelth herself! And a grade 5 blessing at that!"


    {Wait, the blessing is what drew her attention?}


    "I am what now?"


    "This ancient tablet is a family heirloom, different from Muller''s Tablet, this one can identify blessings and curses."


    Riwall let go of the breath he didn''t even notice to be holding.


    "A Muller''s what? A blessing?"


    "Oh, sorry, I got caught up in the moment.". After three years, Erika could not help liking the boy; it was impossible not to feel happy for the boy that she raised with Hellen. "A Muller''s Tablet is an artifact that shows you your current level and an estimation of your attributes. One day you will learn all about it, it''s literally everywhere. As for what a blessing is, you can guess its something positive by the name, but usually, one is only blessed by a Lower God, which means that the blessing effect is singular and weak. You, on the other hand, is blessed by a Higher God."


    Erika took a breath and continued.


    "The power of each blessing''s effectis directly proportional to the number of those. So, as you have five different effects, it means all five of them are really strong. Almost everyone with more than three effects has one of them being related to languages, which manifests in the form of the person having a fast early mental development because the blessing helps them understand the world around them easier."


    {That was close, if she was shocked by the blessing, imagine how she would feel about the attributes}


    [I think I may be able to prevent that from happening again, I got caught off guard this time, but with enough practice, I am sure I will be able to block any attempt to check your information. Maybe even change the information provided and trick the tablet into showing lower numbers or hiding the blessings existence altogether.]


    {That would be for the best, now let''s focus on the mana core thingy, she seemed serious about diseases that could hit beings with no core.}


    "Aunt Erika, can you try casting a spell on me? I want to try to feel mana" He made the best toddler begging face he could.


    "Oh cut it you devil, you don''t need to make false faces to convince me. I will tell your mother about having her help you out in the next months, but for now, I will satiate your curiosity."


    Riwall did not argue and had a smile from ear to ear.


    {Finally we will know what mana is Friday!}


    Erika did a quick chant and put her glowing green hand on top of his head. A feeling of calmness washed over Riwall, and he felt his muscles relaxing so much that he would fall to the ground at any moment now. Meanwhile, Friday finally managed to feel the mana inside his body, although it resembled Erika''s in concept, it was far more fluid and light.


    Riwall could not help but drift to sleep after a few seconds, Erika just chuckled at the cuteness of the boy and put him on his bed.


    A few hours later, Riwall woke up feeling refreshed. But he did not have even a minute to enjoy the sensation before Friday, in a rare and unusual happy tone, called for his attention.


    [Riwall! It''s incredible! It''s marvelous! The way mana changes the world and bends reality exceeds my expectations by far! We can theoretically do anything with it!]


    {Calm down Friday, I have just woke up, and you are already bombarding me.}


    [Oh, sorry, got carried away, but nevermind, you have to listen to what I discovered.]


    {It''s not like I can avoid it.}


    [Ok, first, mana is all over your body, from your hair to your saliva, everything is imbued with it. Without some stimulus, it''s inert as it can be. But when Erika used that spell, your mana reacted and followed the spell like if it was magnetically attracted to it. Now that I know what we are looking for, even I can control it alone.]


    {That''s handy, I can have you automatically casting spells while I do other activity.}


    [Let me finish before planning on another training schedule.]


    {But you are the one that comes up with the schedules.}


    [Hush! Let me continue. Your mana is like pure water, while Erika''s is like mud. The amount of mana she spent in that spell alone was absurd. By my estimations, we could do the same thing using only a 1000th of it. Once I knew what mana should feel like, I saw Erika''s core on her belly, right where the uterus is. The mana core acts as the commander of a person''s mana, ordering it around and absorbing mana from the outside.]


    She let Riwall take a few moments to digest what she told him before continuing.


    [After forming a mana core, it is imperative to quickly develop pathways around the body to make the mana flow to all extremities. The spell is created at the core, travels to the extremity that is supposed to exit, and finally manifests itself in a physical form. As soon as we decide where to form our mana core, we will be able to do it in just a couple of months. After that, it will take around one or two years to develop the pathway plan I created. By my calculations, it should be the most optimized way of making mana travel in the body. Which would translate in faster spellcasting and reducing the waste of mana.]


    {Ok, you seem to have it all figured out, what''s the plan?}


    [First, we convince Hellen and Erika to drop the whole helping develop the mana-core thing, they cannot assist us in any way. Second, I made a training schedule for the next two years, look forward to it!]


    Her enthusiastic tone sent shivers down his spine.

 SS+ Potential?

    Hellen was delighted after Erika told her that Riwall had a grade 5 blessing. No mother would not be happy at something like this. She knew that her son would be able to work safely inside the court of some lord or maybe even in the royal court.


    When she approached him about helping in forming his mana-core, she was initially surprised by his refusal, but after he told her about how he could already feel mana without further stimulus, she thought it was related to another of the blessing''s effects.


    He diligently worked on forming his mana-core following Friday''s guidance to the letter, and on his fifth anniversary, he had a clean as marble mana-core inside his brain.


    Friday opted to form the core in his brain for two significant reasons: security and responsiveness. No one was usually able to change its brain without serious repercussions, so to think someone''s magic-core was inside the head was an absurd thought, if the core is somehow damaged, the magic casting can become erratic or completely cease to be possible, by having his mana-core in an unexpected place, the only way of stopping his magic was to kill him. And by having it so close to his brain, there was no communication delay, cutting the already fast casting time even more.


    <hr>


    Another three years went by, the carving of the mana pathways took longer than anticipated, mostly to accommodate a false core Riwall created in his belly, this way he could eventually fool someone into thinking they managed to disable his mana core. The upside of so much time spent on the pathways was the fact that he leveled his first skill, |Mediation| all the way to level 15.


    Riwall was ecstatic after Friday announced the end of both the mana pathways and the training. By now, his status page looked as follows:


    ------------------------------------------------------


    ------Panel------


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 8


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    -Mana purity: 100% (Prismatic)


    -----BLESSINGS-----


    ---Temelth`s Blessing---


    -Languages - MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -----ATTRIBUTES-----


    --- Mental Attributes---


    -Intelligence:10


    -Wits:10


    -Resolve:10


    --- Physical Attributes---


    -Strength:10


    -Dexterity:10


    -Stamina:10


    --- Social Attributes---


    -Presence:10


    -Manipulation:10


    -Composure:10


    -----SKILLS-----


    --- Mental Skills---


    -Meditation: 15


    --- Physical Skills---


    -None


    --- Social Skills---


    -None


    ------------------------------------------------------


    "Mom! I finally finished making my mana-core!"


    Hellen was so used to Riwall making impressive things, that she did not even take notice of how weird it was for someone to finish his mana-core without constant guidance.


    Nevertheless, she stopped washing the dishes and inspected his body for any abnormality. By now his body may resemble that of an eight-year-old on the outside, but internally he was a beast, packed with extremely flexible and strong muscles.


    She circled her mana through his body and saw that he not only finished his mana-core but also made an extremely efficient path for mana to flow. As blessings were rare and had bizarre and undocumented effects, she did not think much of this achievement.


    "Congratulations sweetheart! Now you should be safe from all mana related sickness. Although you certainly took your time, most of the kids begin forming their mana-cores when they are five or six years old, while you started at three."


    "No worries, I just wanted to make sure I did everything right, so, when am I going to leave our house?"


    "I will make arrangements with Erika and have her cover for me tomorrow, and then we will spend the whole day outside."


    "YES, FINALLY!"


    Hellen laughed at her son''s enthusiasm. She knew he was way more mature than other kids, which should have made staying inside the house for eight years an uncomfortable experience.


    The real reason for his resilience was that Friday could make simulations about anything to entertain him, from mundane things like a summer festival to grandiose stuff like fighting alone against demons. If not for that, Riwall would have certainly escaped the house after four years locked up.


    <hr>


    The village was by no means big or crowded, but it was bursting with activity. The houses were close to each other, and most were made of stone, it certainly had the medieval vibe that Riwall expected and it reminded him of many of the animes he watched when he was younger.


    Hellen looked over to her son and was happy to see his eyes shining while looking at the village of Marsastor. She hoped that Riwall would opt for working as a crafter, provided she could find someone willing to take him as an apprentice. This trip to the town was not only to have him knowing his surroundings, but to get the Adventurer''s Guild to evaluate him, and then bring him to masters of different crafts to see if one of them would accept him.


    {Look at that Friday! A lizardmen!} He was looking at a 2 meter tall hunched blue humanoid creature with very prominent lizard characteristics, its entire head was that of a lizard, while the body was of a human, except that it was covered by tough and thorny scales. He was wearing heavy armor with a heavy fur coat to protect him from the cold, a very plain tower shield strapped on his back and a big sword by his side. He was talking to a human woman and had a very bizarre accent because of the format of his mouth.


    [I saw] Friday said unenthusiastically.


    {Wow! Look at that! there are all kinds of beastmen too!} Now he was pointing to a group of 3 beastmen talking by the road.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    One was a gigantic 2,5 meter tall polar bear-men, his face was that of a bear, lacking the traces commonly seen on humanoid races like dwarves, elves, and humans, his body was bulky and covered in white fur and his posture was slightly hunched forward. He was boasting a flashy heavy armor and a huge hammer on its back.


    The other two seemed to be a male and a female of the same species, they were a mix of lizards and humans, but their human side was much more prevalent than the lizardmen he saw before, they had a light green color, a straight posture, and bodies covered by spiked scales. They did not have a nose, only two slits. Their faces had some kind of bone that resembled a mask and gave them a fearsome appearance. Somehow they seemed even more dangerous than the lizardmen he saw before.


    [Yeah yeah, I see it too] Friday was making it clear that she was not impressed by what she saw. AIs like her were created and programmed to develop with their hosts, at the start they would be mechanical in their behavior and make decisions solely based on numbers, but as their bond with the hosts deepened, they would develop their own personality in a way that would counterbalance the host''s shortcomings.


    Obviously they would never go against the hosts, but they would most definitely not indulge them in their bursts of excitement. They were there to bring psychological stability and push their humans forward in all their skills, Riwall knew that he could count on Friday being the voice of reason when he was too emotional or provoking when he hesitates.


    Riwall''s attention, that was focused on the multitude of different humanoid species, got captured by an astounding building they saw when turning a corner. It was a stone building three-story high that occupied an entire block, on top of that there a huge banner that showed in glowing letters the name he heard from Erica''s stories many times: "Adventurer''s Guild".


    They were an autonomous entity that operated differently at each nation they were based on. There was a council that made sure each branch stuck to the core tenets their founders drafted, but every other matter was to be solved locally. In Azure Kingdom, the Adventurer''s Guild was partially independent, they were free to do as they pleased, but were obligated to answer to any Lord call to arms in matters regarding monsters and dungeons. Riwall did not know how the Guild operated in other kingdoms.


    His mind was racing picturing a tavern-like interior like the ones from fantasy worlds, but when he got inside, he was beyond disappointed.


    {It seems like they take a spartan approach, this looks more like a fort than a guild!}


    [That was to be expected, they are not an entertainment institution, as far as Erica''s stories are reliable, they are responsible for dungeon delves and monster culling countrywide.]


    {I know, but a part of me was still holding tight to the concept of Adventurer''s Guild from RPGs and animes.}


    He could swear he felt Friday''s disappointment at his nerdiness through their connection.


    "Mom, what are we doing here?"


    "We are going to have your ID card made, and it is the most important proof of identification you can have on yourself."


    {Friday, are you sure you can trick any form of prying?}


    [Yes. I mean, probably.]


    {Why am I not reassured by your words?}


    [If they make a reading attempt like the one from Erika''s tablet, I am 100% sure I can trick it. The success will be tied by the % of resemblance between the two readings.]


    {It''s not like we can refuse it. Everything will work out in the end, we just need to stay positive!}


    "Mom, Erica already told me about Muller''s Tablet and attributes and such. Do you think I will have good attributes?" He was fishing for some information about the range of attributes he ought to have.


    "I am sure you will have great attributes, honey! It''s possible to increase them with items and some spells, the only reason for testing at such a young age is because it''s a good indicator of a person''s potential. If you can get physical skills around 4 or 5, you will be able to get a good master for learning a craft."


    "Wait, a master for what? You are planning on making me a crafter?"


    {What the hell is she up to?}


    "Oh, look! It''s our turn! Cmon Riwall!" She quickly dodged his question and pulled him to the reception desk.


    {I''m so not going to like what she has planned.}


    A grumpy older man with wrinkles all over his face and a Santa Claus white beard barely looked at their faces before getting to business.


    "One Adventurer Card right? What''s your name?"


    "Uhhhh... It''s Riwall sir, Riwall Madec" Riwall took some time to answer because he was gawking at the man.


    {He is a dwarf! A dwarf Friday!}


    [Yes, I can see that. Are you going to react like that to every new race you find? You didn''t show half of this enthusiasm when I was telling you about magic!] She still felt offended by his dull reaction to her discovery of mana possibilities.


    {Oh my god! That means there must be elves and orcs and goblins and all Tolkienesque races!} Her jab at his lack of enthusiasm for magic went over his head.


    [Yeah, I guess so.]


    {Erica never said there were this many humanoid races among us! This is so awesome!}


    [You really need to pay more attention to the world you are living in, some of her stories spoke about orcs and elves. It''s just that this society is so plural that people don''t waste time carefully describing each race. You should have noticed she took great care when talking about the spells and the equipment of the heroes.]


    Friday''s words struck a chord and he remembered that the stories did in fact prioritize the description of legendary spells and equipment of the heroes. His way of thinking was still too much Earthly.


    "Madec huh? So you must be Hellen Madec, I didn''t know the village healer had a kid."


    "Well, nobody ever asked about it, so I did not feel like sharing." Her tone made it clear that the dwarf should not follow up with more questions on the matter.


    {Well, it seems Hellen has been hiding me from the others, I will have to ask her about it later. It may be that my isolation was not so much about diseases related to mana, but to something more dangerous.}


    "Sorry for prying, I was just surprised." The dwarf quickly apologized and followed with his job.


    "Riwall, put your hand in this tablet and pour some of your mana in it, don''t let it go until the glow start dimming."


    {Time to shine Friday.}


    [I will do my best!]


    Riwall did as instructed and expected the same sensation he got when Erica made him use her tablet. Except that it now felt like someone was inserting needles in his head using a warhammer.


    [I can''t hold all the pressure!]


    Again, Riwall had no time to stop the process before it was completed, the grumpy dwarf looked at the tablet without interest before widening his eyes and gaping at what he saw. His eyes darted from the tablet to Riwall multiple times before he excused himself.


    "You two stay here, I need to call the Guild Master, I have never seen anything like that!"


    Before Hellen or Riwall could protest, the dwarf ran to the stairs at an incredible speed and disappeared.


    Soon he was back accompanied by a tall and slender black haired elf, he was using robes so beautiful, and that exuded so much power that Riwall took a few seconds to stop admiring it.


    "You are Riwall, right? And you are his mother, the current village''s healer?"


    "Yes, my name is Hellen, and I''m Riwall''s mother."


    "Follow me to the meeting room. We have some important things to discuss."


    Hellen reluctantly followed the Guild Master while firmly hold Riwall''s hand.


    He led them to an ample room with a circular table surrounded by chairs and some couches by the sides. He led them to one of them and sat in a chair looking directly at them.


    "Introductions are in order. Nice to meet you Hellen and Riwall, my name is Hector, and I''m the Guildmaster of Marsastor''s Adventure''s Guild. I will be as direct and honest as my position allows." Hector said with a frown.


    Both Riwall and Hellen gulped.


    "Hellen, your son is the first kid with a potential ranked as SS+ in Marsastor since its founding a few hundred years ago. Are you familiar with what that means?"


    "No, I''m not, is he in danger?" Hellen was cold sweating of fear for her son''s safety.


    "It would be more correct to say that we are the ones in danger, his attributes are all 7, be it physical, mental, or social."


    "WHAT?" Hellen shouted while jumping out of the sofa.


    "Seven in ALL stats? how is that possible!?"


    "The tablet got a positive indicator for the presence of a blessing, which explains the high attributes. The way of the gods is beyond us mortals, a god or goddess found it wise to bestow great gifts to your son."


    "But why did you say we are the ones in danger?"


    "Because your son will most definitely become a master or even a grandmaster of any field he chooses to pursue, should he develop as much as his potential allows, he will be unstoppable in any city but the capital. But it will not come to that, his aura, as it is now, is kind and pure, if it was twisted in any way I would be obligated to end his life right now, as per the Guild''s first tenet."


    Both mother and son were too shocked to talk, Hector took this opportunity to continue.


    "As per Marsastor''s Lord decree, every kid with a potential of A or above shall be trained for combat by the Lord''s instructors and need to choose at least one craft to occupy their free time. The Marsastors will make sure he is well treated."


    "But he will still live with me, right?" Hellen was smart and knew this was the best for her kid, but her emotions got the better of her. She hoped in vain to keep him at her side longer. Should he get a master the usual way, he would still live with her for a few years before moving over to the master''s house to continue the teachings.


    Hector sympathized with her struggle, but there was nothing he could do to avoid it.


    "Unfortunately he needs to move over to the castle grounds the first thing tomorrow morning. Coincidentally tomorrow is the day the castle had already schedule to send guards to move the commoners with high potential to their new home. You will be allowed to visit him as many times as you want, as long as it does not hamper his training. I will be his master in fields related to magic, so you can always ask the guild clerks for information about your son, I will make sure to keep them all informed."


    "I... thank you, we need to go now, have a good day."


    {Shit, the drama at the house will be huge, but I''m actually anxious to learn new things. Although I have the feeling that I may end up a prisoner of them. This whole "move to the castle grounds" stuff sounds fishy.}

 The Castle and the Trio

    The tears shed by his mother and his aunt were a mix between sadness and happiness. They knew it was the best that could happen to him, but they wanted to be part of his development too. Unfortunately, it was common knowledge that the Lord was very protective of the children he trained, they were rarely seen walking the streets, usually leaving the castle only to buy materials needed for some research or to help their training.


    Riwall was unceremoniously taken to the castle the next morning, two of the lord''s personal guard arrived with a carriage and did not utter a single word, grabbing Riwall by his arm and tossing him inside and locking the door. Hellen took a step forward out of reflex to protect her son when one of the guards pointed the tip of his sword on her throat. Riwall tried opening the door, but with no success, he was not strong enough, all he could do was to put his best reassuring smile and try to ease Hellen''s heart.


    It did the trick, calming Hellen enough for her to rationalize better and understand that there was nothing she could do now, all attempts of resisting the lord''s will would only make Riwall position weaker among the other children.


    The carriage finally began its slow journey to the castle and only now did Riwall notice how he was not alone in this situation. Together with him, there was a small girl and a boy of his size, and they were probably commoners like him that got a potential of at least A.


    The girl was of a race that seemed to be a mix between humans and foxes. She had bright red hair, long fox''s ears of the same color, hazel eyes that had vertical slits, giving her a predatory look that sent shivers down Riwall''s spine, and a bushy tail that he caught a glimpse.


    The boy was as plain as someone could be, brown hair and eyes, unkempt hair and a scared look stamped on his face.


    "Well, hello guys, my name is Riwall Madec and I am 8-year-old, what about you?"


    They both took some seconds to answer.


    "I''m Gregory, 8-year-old too..." The boy almost whispered.


    "Nice to meet you Gregory, and you fox girl? What''s your name?"


    The girl snarled when he called her fox girl, but he was not flustered.


    "Anna, my name is Anna Kendric, also 8-year-old. If you call me fox girl again, I will rip you apart."


    {All have the same age? I have my doubts if it''s just a coincidence.}


    "Sorry, Anna, I meant no offense. Let''s get along from now onward. I think we commoners need to stick together when near the nobles." She frowned after his wordy apology.


    "Why do you say that?" Anna''s interest was picked.


    "We are riding in a very uncomfortable carriage and being escorted by two very rude guards. I doubt noble kids are being treated like that."


    He wanted to elaborate more, but he felt like most of anything he said was being ignored by the two kids, not because they were uninterested, but because they were only eight and lacked a rich vocabulary.


    {I may have to instruct them on some basic things if I want us to band together.}


    The way the guards treated the three kids made it clear for Riwall that the nobles had some prejudice against commoners, which meant that Anna and Gregory would most likely be his only friends for a while as they were most likely the only ones at his age with at least A potential and from commoner origins.


    <hr>


    About one hour later, they arrived at the castle, and it was a sight to behold, few buildings on Earth could rival it in size or grandiosity. Its walls had a gray color and were 7 meters high, which is the height of the Great Wall of China''s. The castle itself was huge and beautiful, following an English design that made it resemble Conwy Castle, but bigger, the streets around the main building were bustling with activity as if it was a self-contained city.


    {It does seem like magic affected this world''s architecture; the sheer size and beauty of the buildings could not be achieved on Earth during the medieval age. Despite the existence of magic, it seems like humanity is fated to segregate itself, be it based on wealth, race or societal status, for the castle grounds are like a self-contained city of much better planning and infrastructure than the village, with houses, shops, and roads that make one mistake it for a town and not the grounds of a military building. The village of Marsastor is clearly nothing but a hub for commoners and foreigners to live and prosper under the watchful eyes of the ones living in the castle.}


    The carriage went past the residence of Lord Kester Marsastor, which was surprisingly not among the biggest, and arrived at one that struck to Riwall as the barracks or something close to that. He could hear some distant sounds of metal clashing and some people shouting commands.


    "Ok you three, move out!"


    The three commoners wasted no time in jumping off the carriage.


    "You see that white-haired fellow?" The rude guard said while pointing to another guard that was by the door of the barracks.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "His name is Joshua. You follow him in silence and obey his orders from now on. He is the one responsible for all commoners that are raised by the good grace of the Marsastors."


    {So we will not be living with the noble''s sons and daughters, that''s a relief.}


    The trio silently made their way to Joshua and just blankly looked at him, waiting for orders or at least some sort of introduction.


    After a few seconds of awkward silence, Joshua frowned and sighed.


    "So you don''t even know how to greet nobles, huh? First lesson kids, do at least a short bow when seeing a noble, I thought commoners knew about it. Well, your files say you are all eight years old, your parents should be punished for not teaching you basic manners before your better. Don''t worry, I won''t pursue this matter, as long as you don''t let it happen again or disobey me in the future. Do I make myself clear?"


    The three nodded.


    "I see your files make no mention about a few things, your masters will see to it in the future. Now, out of curiosity, do any of you have a complete mana pathway?"


    Only Riwall raised his hand.


    "Do the two of you without pathways have any family design?"


    Both Anna and Gregory shook their heads, which did not surprise Joshua as commoners rarely had any kind of heirloom mana pathway design.


    "Let''s get to it then, my name is Joshua, a member of the Dewbrook family, and I am the supervisor of the students from more humble origins. For now, follow me, I will show you the building and your room, and then you will have the day off, I still need to finish the draft of your schedule. Go to bed early today so you can all be ready to begin your training tomorrow."


    The trio followed Joshua in silence while he showed the place for them. As Riwall suspected, this building was indeed one meant for the training of soldiers, but much to his surprise, it was only one of three that existed. The Marsastor family opted for organizing the soldier''s training in three levels.


    The first building specializes in the training of low-level soldiers, usually new recruits, or drafted commoners during periods of war.


    The second one, which was the one they were in now, was meant for the training of commoners with high potential like the trio, which had not appeared in the last fifteen years, and mid-level soldiers with solid combat skills and levels ranging from 15 to 35.


    The last one specializes in the training of officials and high-level soldiers, whose levels were all above 35.


    Riwall take on this system was not positive, he speculated that the ones from the first building would be meat-shields, meant to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers or to at least tire the enemy out for the other two classes of soldiers to finish the job.


    {And the whole thing about the village having only two healers is also strange, I am sure I saw more than three healers during our tour in this building. I may be overstretching my imagination, but with healing magic, I think there should be problems of overpopulation among the commoners, maybe they keep their numbers in check by regulating the availability of healers?}


    The more he saw, the more skeptical he felt about the ruling family.


    {Erika has clearly overstated the Marsastor''s honor and worry for the serfs. Judging by the striking difference between the castle grounds and the village, they are barely doing the minimum!}


    <hr>


    Joshua quickly ended the tour and dumped the three kids in a small room with a single wardrobe and a bunk bed with a trundle. Being gentlemen, Riwall and Gregory let Anna pick her spot first, which ended up being the top bunk. None of the boys wanted to sleep in the trundle, so they agreed to take turns each week.


    They chit-chatted for a while and soon went to sleep, Gregory and Anna were still kids, both physically and mentally, so talking to them was tiresome for Riwall who had a 25-year-old mind. From the few things he knew about this world, lone adventurers would always find their way to the grave sooner than parties.


    Riwall could not sleep before sharing his worries about the future with his always present friend. The longer he spent with Friday, the more he saw that most of his mistakes in life happened because of his impulsiveness.


    {If we can somehow shape Anna and Gregory''s personalities and skills to go well with mines, we may be able to make a good starting point for a reliable party. Worst case scenario: we each go our separate ways after this whole ordeal.}


    [A sound plan, but you are overestimating your influence on their personalities. They are eight-year-old like you, and their personalities are practically set in stone. It would be wiser to build an honest bond and help them mature sooner. What you need is psychologically mature companions, not people you think are cool to have a drink with.]


    {Hmm, I think you make a good point, as long as the person beside me in a fight is emotionally stable and have a good head above their shoulders, other things are of little importance.}


    [I will devote more attention to their behavior and progress, should I find they are developing habits that would endanger our future party or us, I will let you know and suggest a course of action.]


    {Reliable as always, thank you Friday.}


    [Don''t mention it Riwall, we are in this together.]


    Both Riwall and Friday were changing through their connection. Her machine-like behavior was becoming more human by the day while he was learning to act more rationally and plan for the future instead of going with the flow like he used to do on Earth.


    <hr>


    On the following morning, Joshua woke them up a little bit before sunrise and handed them their schedule. Neither Anna nor Gregory knew how to read, so he made Riwall, the only one literate, responsible for explaining to them their daily routine every morning until one of the teachers taught them how to read and write.


    For one year, their routine would not change much. The trio would go every morning to the training grounds to do some light exercises meant for raising their stamina and some stretching to prepare their bodies for the future.


    As they would be warmed up, each would go to a specific instructor to take lessons about combat skills that were more aligned to their current stats.


    Anna was going to take lessons on edged weapons, more specifically on how to use daggers and shortswords. Her stats were not disclosed to Riwall, but Joshua said she had more potential to fight as a harasser.


    Gregory was going to take lessons on edged weapons with Anna, followed by archery. Their supervisor told him he was far more suitable to ranged fighting, both physical and magical, so his routine would revolve around catering to his strengths, the edged weapons training is meant to teach him how to fight in the eventuality of finding himself in close range to his opponents.


    Riwall was an all-rounder, he was going to take lessons with both Anna and Gregory in edged weapons, with Gregory on archery, then, while they were away being taught on how to write and read, he was going to be trained on fist fighting and the use of blunt and pole weapons. After one year, they would allow him to specialize in one or more physical combat.


    Every other day, they would have basic lessons on magic in general. According to Joshua, the Adventurers Guildmaster, Hector, personally asked the Lord to teach them so that he would be their first and only master for now. All the other lessons would be supervised by different soldiers each day, for all of them were overqualified to teach the basics to kids.


    Riwall got exempted from the magic classes during the first three months. Hector would be devoted to helping both Anna and Gregory in creating their own mana pathways, and it would demand all his attention.


    To not let him be idle during the evenings of magic classes, Hector would bring books related to magic theory with him. Riwall would have to do his best to read them in his room, learn the contents, and write a summary of it to the best of his understanding.


    Needless to say, Friday was ecstatic.

 First Training

    The trio received their schedule from Joshua, changed into clothes more appropriate for their training that was already in the only wardrobe of the room. It consisted of a bland and undyed woolen tunic with long sleeves and leather trousers. It was enough protection from the cold if you were to spend some time training, but if a person went outside with it, they would freeze to death.


    They soon made their way to the grounds where their physical exercise would take place. This particular barracks had more than a dozen courts for the specialized training some soldiers had to do every day. Joshua briefly mentioned how one of them was permanently reserved for their use only.


    He complemented this piece of trivia by saying that this was not a normal thing. It so happens that his superiors got orders to give the three more attention, as they had greater potential than the last batches. However, he was sure to make it clear that nobles would have better gear, instructors and training areas, and that in no hypothesis they should consider themselves as worthy or important as the ones with better origins.


    {It feels like he is trying hard to hammer in our heads the notion that nobles are superior to commoners. Judging by Anna and Gregory''s expressions, they will soon start falling for this indoctrination.}


    Upon arriving, they noticed a sleepy soldier as he was finishing converting one of the training courts for their use. He finished putting the last obstacle in place, finally noticing the arrival of the trio.


    There was a rack by the side with weapons together with dummies and targets to be used in the combat training that would follow.


    "Welcome kids, my name is Edward Farsteel. I will be your instructor for physical and combat training every other day. The other days your training will be overseen by my sister, Eleanor Farsteel. Although we are the instructors, don''t expect us to be here every day. We will always oversight your training when we make changes to the routine to see how you will adapt. The rest of the time, a soldier will be here to make sure you stick to the plans we made and don''t slack off."


    The three nodded.


    "Good! Joshua, you can go take care of your things, I got this."


    "As you wish my lord." Joshua bowed and left.


    Riwall was surprised, according to what Joshua said the day before, ordinary soldiers would train them, and this one was clearly not a simple soldier.


    "As you may have noticed, I am a noble from the Farsteel house. The Lord Marsastor is putting a lot of faith in your future, and if not for the other nobles'' fierce opposition, you would all be training with the elite by now."


    {Ha, so it''s like that! He must be from one of the families that are more pragmatic when it comes to who deserves to be trained with the best resources.}


    "You see, the Farsteels are one of the youngest noble bloodlines, we were raised to nobility three decades ago, and we are from a commoner origin, so, naturally, we have no contempt for commoners like most of the other bloodlines."


    Edward sighed after he noticed how only one of the kids was understanding the implications of what he was saying.


    "Huh, nevermind. Let''s get to the training."


    Edward was no amateur when it came to training, and he had no qualms about pushing kids to their bodies'' limits. By the end of the physical exercises, he had made notes about each of the kids and designed a routine for each of them. It was clear that he was focusing on building their stamina.


    As soon as he noticed that Riwall was breezing through his course, he made changes that made Riwall almost faint of tiredness by the end. Friday was constantly guiding his body recovery to prepare for the upcoming combat training. Anna, and especially Gregory, were not as lucky.


    Edward gave them some water and a bland ration composed of beef jerky and a loaf of stale bread and after about one hour of resting, he began their combat training.


    Riwall asked for Friday to hold off her movement correction function. Not because he wanted to learn it entirely by himself, but because he was afraid Edward would notice his skills and ramp up his training.


    Close to the end of the edge weapons training, Riwall got rewarded with his first combat skill:


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Melee Combat - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Edged Weapon Combat> - Level 1


    The changes to his movements were so minimal that only Friday could precisely point them.


    {It feels like I have understood some of the things I was doing wrong. Honestly, I can''t precisely say what I am doing better, but I have this feeling that moving like this is better than the way I was moving before.}


    [Your movements are slightly closer to what would be ideal, the change is barely noticeable. It is hard to define what this skill advancement really did to us. I can''t state precisely if you had a small epiphany and corrected your movements, or if the system recognized your efforts and rewarded you with the knowledge to do better.]


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    {Maybe its a bit of both? You said before that the system is part of nature here, the mental attributes even had some influence in my psyche. If not for my otherworldly soul, we would have never noticed the limitations imposed by it.}


    [I want to make a test, please authorize me to resume correcting your movements.]


    {What if Edward notices?}


    [I have been monitoring him since we first laid our eyes on him. He did not make a single microexpression of disgust or anger when any of you made any mistake. And when he noticed you got better, he even smiled proudly. It''s a bet, but I think we should try getting the Farsteels backing, or at least get on their good side, and he is making clear that seeing you guys improving makes him happy.]


    {Absolutely no Friday, there are many factors you are not taking into account. He may be a good person, but what if this is the influence of some item or skill? What if he is kind but extremely loyal to the Lord and decides to spill the beans of how I can improve my skills overnight? I won''t take the chance.}


    Riwall found Friday shallow analysis to be worrying. It did not make sense for her to jump to conclusions in this scenario. They lacked too much information to make any critical decisions now. And besides, there was no rush to get high skill levels or to test her theory. Suddenly a bulb lighted in his mind.


    {Was this a test to gauge my impulsiveness?}


    He felt like something inside of him felt happy and proud. Was his connection to his AI progressing further to the point he could feel her emotions?


    [Yes. If you had accepted without giving it proper thought, I would have explained to you your oversights. When we are at ease and have time, never blindly trust any suggestion I make. I am far from foolproof. I will make mistakes and oversights that you will be able to notice quickly. But when we are in a fight or flight situation, trust me, my reflexes and spatial awareness are much higher than any humans''.]


    {That is some food for thought. I will meditate about it later, as soon as we get spar partners, we have to get into training ourselves to react during combat appropriately.}


    [Agreed]


    <hr>


    Hours stretched by and they got into the next step of their schedule.


    During the archery training, Riwall unlocked yet another combat skill:


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Ranged Physical Combat - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Archery> - Level 1


    Again, Riwall could not pinpoint which came first, his mini epiphany that allowed him to get slightly better, or the skill level.


    He discussed it with Friday, and they opted to do a small test that hopefully would not make Edward notice anything suspicious.


    Friday would slowly but steadily correct his movements and improve his accuracy. It took him almost two hours to get one level of <Archery>. Should the improvement precedes the skill level, he will reach level 2 before the end of the training. But if a certain amount of effort was necessary to raise it, regardless of his de facto handling of the bow, then he will not get level 2 before wrapping up the training.


    {Is it a system based on results, effort or both? Ready Friday?}


    [Ready]


    <hr>


    Edward noticed how Riwall stopped firing his bow and gave the target a serious look. The boy then corrected his posture, which was amateurishly wrong before. It was still far from that of apprentice archers, but an improvement nonetheless.


    His first arrow flew faster and more accurately, but still far from the bullseye.


    The next ones got closer and closer to the target, by the fifth arrow, the boy stopped and sat on the ground to meditate. Edward noticed how he spaced out for a second after the last shoot, and he quickly recognized the signs of the epiphany that came with a skill level up. This feat was a sign of the boy being a prodigy of archery, but as he was young, it could be nothing but a knack for archery that would not develop further in the future.


    <hr>


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Archery> - Level 1 -> 2


    {That really narrowed down the search for the truth. It took what? 10 seconds to get to level2?}


    [7 seconds and 17 milliseconds to be more precise. Now we know that the results matter more than the effort by a large margin. I am extrapolating a few formulas that may describe how the skill gain is calculated, but I don''t think it will be that easy. It may be that this result centered approach only works on lower skill levels.]


    {Makes sense, we still need so much more information about this System thing. There have to be books and research papers about it somewhere. We need to ask Hector about it. Maybe we can try fishing Edward for information, what do you think?}


    [Let''s wait a few more days before doing so, we still know nothing about this guy.]


    Riwall shrugged and kept on his training. Soon, it was time for Anna and Gregory to excuse themselves for their reading and writing classes.


    Edward gave Riwall a few minutes to rest before moving on to blunt and pole weapons training.


    "Tell me Riwall, how did it feel to reach level 2 in <Archery> in less than 3 hours?"


    {Fuck!} Riwall was surprised by Edward''s sudden comment, but luckily Friday got a hold of his facial muscles before he answered with his face.


    "I don''t know what you mean, Mr. Farsteel." Riwall confused expression and calm tone almost fooled Edward, but he had a high <Interrogation> skill level, which helped him notice how the boy briefly shuddered before controlling himself.


    "Are you sure boy? It would be unwise to lie to your combat master."


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Negotiation - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Bluff> - Level 1


    --Skill Levelled Up--


    <Bluff> - Level 1 -> 5


    {Holy crap, We have been spinning small lies to Erika since I learned how to talk, and never got a skill for that.}


    [It may be related to the why and how we lied to her, which was a no-risk scenario against a subject that was not seriously scrutinizing our behavior. While now we did it to protect information that we judge to be very important against someone who was fishing for information.]


    {What do we do? Risk lying again, or tell the truth?}


    [He already know we raised <Archery> skill up, what else can we say?]


    "Ok, my <Archery> got to level 2 after I realized some mistakes I was doing. But how did you notice it?"


    "Hahaha! I knew it! You see, I have been training youngsters for the last ten years, they all get the same blank look whenever they level up a skill and get an epiphany. And as it happened twice, I deduced you must have reached level 2."


    "Wait, are you saying everyone experiences the same thing?"


    "Of course they do! How else do you think a should a skill level up should feel? In the future, I will teach you three a spell for accessing a panel with your information for keeping track of your progress. It is like having a Muller''s Tablet inside your head." Edward promised with a smile. He loved to see the face kids made when learning about the |Panel| spell.


    {Did you know about it Friday?}


    [How could I know? No one ever said anything about it.]


    "Then what''s the use of the Muller''s Tablet if everyone could just use this spell you mentioned?" Riwall still had limited knowledge about the tablet and magic.


    "I am truly surprised by how little you know. Before Muller created his tablet, the System did not show itself, everyone felt something strange when they got a skill level, but they could never translate their progress into numbers. Once a mage knows what he wants, getting it is just a matter of time and mana, the spell |Panel| was created not much long after Muller spread his creation schematics."


    {Did Erika did not know about this when she told us about the tablet?}


    [Or she oversimplified the story because she was telling it to a toddler and thought he wanted to get to the part where the hero killed the villain?]


    Edward continued.


    "The Muller''s Tablet was a true revolution for two reasons. First, he proved that there was a higher force of nature guiding us, people referred to it as the System, and the name stuck. According to books from that period, it was truly liberating for the masses of that time to finally understand what was that they felt when they leveled up or raised their skills level. Second, we can now safely ID people, few skills can fool a Muller''s Tablet, and even fewer can fool a higher quality one. As soon as a child forms a mana core and interact with a tablet, they get to keep track of their progress, and the Lord gets to know more about his subordinates."


    {And the only reason I did not know about it is that you have always provided the means for me to keep track of my information even without the tablet.}


    [I am awesome like that.]

 Fridays Library of Heavens Path?

    By the end of the day, Riwall got the skills related to blunt and pole weapons.


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Melee Combat - Level 1-> 2


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Blunt Weapon Combat> - Level 1


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    - Level 1


    As soon as Riwall finished the last routine, Edward said a few words about how Riwall needs to keep his high-intensity approach to the training and excused himself.


    Riwall made his way to the shared bath, which resembled the ones made by the Romans, and got rid of all the sweat and red clay. He took notice of how the bathwater got slightly red-colored when he entered but in a few seconds became pristine again. According to a soldier that was there, it was thanks to an enchantment done on the floor titles.


    He left his clothes in a trunk in the change room and was already dreading the fact that he would have to use it again after taking a bath. However, he was pleasantly surprised to open the trunk and find out that it was also an enchanted piece and that his clothes were as clean as possible.


    Immediately he noticed one of the limitations of it: the clothes would be clean, but any damage done to them would not be fixed.


    {I will have to ask Joshua for a few spare sets, this one won''t last a week if today''s training is the parameter.}


    After asking for directions, he found his way to Hector''s classroom. The Adventure''s Guidmaster was already there taking notes of a book in front of him. Riwall had to cough to get his attention.


    "Oh, welcome, Riwall! Please take a seat." Hector said with a smile.


    {His demeanor is the complete opposite of what he showed in the guild, he is all giddy and full of smiles now. Back in the Guild he barely had any reaction when mom cried!}


    "First, let me tell you how happy I am to be the teacher of you and your companions. I work as a bureaucrat because I am good at it and someone has to do the job, but my passion lies in researching magic and teaching it to the next generations."


    He continued.


    "According to your files, I have to help the other two develop their mana pathways. I expected this much anyways. It''s extremely rare for commoners to have heirloom designs like most noble houses. Imagine my surprise when I read that you already had a pathway! Give me your hand. Let me check it for any fixable problems."


    Riwall was reluctant to let a stranger circle their mana through his body. Hector noticed it and said reassuring words.


    "Don''t stress yourself. Even if I had any ill intentions, you would not be able to do anything. Hellen came to the guild an hour after Joshua left and asked me to check you, she said you designed your pathways alone and without any guidance. As you are still young and the pathways are fresh, I will be able to fix anything done wrong."


    Riwall nodded and let Hector perform the check-up, he told Friday to keep her guard up, but she rebuked him by saying that she could not even imagine what she would be able to do to stop a mage as strong as Hector.


    Hector''s mana was much more fluid than Erika''s. It made him feel cold and relaxed at the same time.


    [In some ways his mana remembers Erika''s, but this coldness stands out. It is a theory, but I think each person may have their mana attuned to specific concepts.]


    Hector finished cycling his mana through Riwall''s mana pathways and immediately started taking notes about something.


    "Excuse me Mr. Hector, but is everything ok?" Riwall voice snapped the Guildmaster out of his trance. He had a happy smile as he started sharing his findings.


    "It''s more than ok! I don''t know how you did it, but your pathways are perfect. I have to give the merits of that to your Bless; your mother told me it was a high-grade one, so I can only assume it was responsible for this. No way someone without a deep understanding of magic could come up with such an ingenious design. We will talk more about it later, but I will give you some books about techniques to hide your pathways from other mages."


    He got serious before continuing.


    "Never let others know about your design. Anyone would kidnap you and hurt you to get their hands on a design like yours. Even the Marsastor''s best design pales when compared to yours. As soon as I can, I will personally instruct you in ways of hiding and disguising it. You have my word."


    Riwall gulped at the idea of being tortured again. Of the few things he clearly remembered about his previous life. Nothing was as clear as his memories of the pain he suffered.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The private session with Hector came to an end when Anna and Gregory arrived. Hector dismissed Riwall, but not before giving him ten books about magic and two about pathways-hiding techniques.


    <hr>


    Back in his room, Riwall looked disappointed at the books in front of him.


    {These things can barely be called books, the handwriting of half of them is abysmal, and only one has more than 200 pages!}


    [Well, these are the very first books thaught to children, what did you expect? A dissertation made by a master to his peers?]


    {I expected at least something that would take us more than an hour to finish!}


    [You know very well that you will only take one hour because of me. No one else can memorize a book with a single glance. On top of that, I will cross-reference the texts between them, rule out inconsistencies, fill the gaps, and finally, create a new and improved book on the subject using techniques from Earth.]


    {Ok, fine, you won.}


    [Get to work then! These books won''t open themselves and turn the pages.] She said with a commanding voice, making Riwall flinch and salute the air.


    {Yes ma''am!}


    <hr>


    It took only 10 minutes for them to fill Friday''s database with the books'' contents and another 30 minutes for her to create a new one. Using the Earth''s modern take on pedagogical techniques, the result was a book that used a simple language to convey complex concepts, making the harsh learning curve of the original texts something that could be easily absorbed even by kids.


    Each of the kids received a big stack of parchment, a quill pen, and a small bottle of ink from Hector. Riwall went for the only desk of the room and got right into transcribing the book compiled by Friday.


    He browsed the book in his mind and requested her to create some drawings to make some concepts even more accessible, which she promptly complied with.


    She let go of all restraints they put together not to draw Edward''s attention during training and guided Riwall''s hands with mechanical precision.


    In only 1 hour the 50 pages book was fully transcribed with impeccable handwriting. If someone from Earth were to look at it, they would say it was printed from a PDF. The drawings shared the same quality, but Riwall let himself be more creative and, with Friday''s help, produced pieces that were both educational and beautiful to look at.


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Academics - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Scribing> - Level 1


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Arts - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Drawing> - Level 1


    <hr>


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Academics - Level 1-> 3


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Arts - Level 1-> 5


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Scribing> - Level 1 -> 8


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Drawing> - Level 1 -> 15


    <hr>


    {By Odin''s beard! Look at those gains!}


    [That was unexpected. We now know for sure that our previous assertions were correct. The System does indeed rewards results more than effort.]


    Suddenly Riwall felt a migraine starting to take form in his head.


    {Uh, Friday, should I not be immune to migraines with you here and all?}


    [The System is sending a massive influx of knowledge related to <Scribing> and <Drawing>, I am already intercepting it to make it easier for you to absorb.]


    True to her words, Friday took only one minute to make the pain go away, and Riwall got to experience the feeling of learning dozens of drawing techniques and a handful of scribing techniques in the blink of an eye.


    {What the hell was that? So scribing is the skill that allows someone to write spell books, enchantments, and glyphs? The System only taught me a few techniques on how to avoid minor mistakes when making those three, but nothing more. The drawing techniques are kind of useless. Everything it taught me cannot produce better results than our shared efforts.}


    [Don''t dismiss it so quickly. Not only does this knowledge complements what I have in my database, but it offers us insights that artists have on drawing that cannot be put into words. With only this much, I am already confident we can produce drawings even better than the ones we just made.]


    {Well, if you say so. Now, do you mind imprinting the content of your book in my mind?}


    Friday helped his brain absorb everything in the book they made. According to it, magic casting revolves around providing a spell with three things: intent, information, and mana.


    The intent dictates the nuances of the spell. If a healer wants his spell to heal, he needs to wish for it to heal the patient. Should the healer harbor ill intention, the spell will be twisted and can make a broken bone heal in the wrong way or heal the exterior of a wound while leaving the inside damaged.


    Information is directly related to how mana-efficient the spell will be. If the mage visualizes how his spell needs to change the reality around him, it will take less mana and time to achieve the results desired. For example, if Riwall wants to make a flame, he can do it in two different ways. Either he plainly wishes for it to manifest, or he visualizes all the physics behind the existence of the fire. In the first scenario, he will have to expend vast amounts of mana to achieve what could be done with a fraction if he used the second method.


    And finally, the third requisite is mana itself. This mysterious energy is what fuels changes in reality. The clearer the mana, the more efficient it is as a fuel. Take Hector cold mana for example, according to the book and Friday''s observations; his mana is attuned to water, which means he will have an easier time using it to cast water spells than if he tried to use it for casting fire and dark ones.


    The book then goes a long way into showing how to cast your first spells. As all ten books were made with kids as the target audience, they still lacked much information. But it was more than enough for Friday to begin researching it.


    [Want to try casting a spell or would you instead go to bed?] Friday taunted him.


    {Like hell I would sleep after learning how to cast spells! Call my family and tell them I will be late for dinner! I will not rest until I can blow up an entire room!}


    <hr>


    <blockquote>


    A glimpse of the future:


    "When I step into that arena to fight against the families that did us harm, the first thing I do will be to cut their tongues out so they won''t be able to give up. You can just sit by the side, I won''t hold it against you later."


    Anna looked right into Riwall''s eyes and said with a malicious smile.


    "You make sure they can''t give up, I will make sure they never forget the experience."She was so angry that her hand could not stop shaking.


    Riwall was too emotionally invested at this moment to understand how wrong it was for a XX-year-old to say something like that.


    "And what about you, Greg? Are you with us?" He asked.


    Greg looked at his two friends and showed a hint of a smile before answering.


    "You two are all I have left in my life, of course I will be with you all the way. Riwall will make sure they don''t give up, Anna will make sure they regret what they did, and I will make sure to bring you two back home alive."


    </blockquote>

 Commander Eleanor Farsteel

    Riwall went to the training court that was reserved for his group. Even without Friday''s taunt, he would have still tried to cast some spells. Who with a sane mind on Earth would not be anxious to try experiencing magic?


    {Good, no one is here. Now, should we start by trying to cast a flame on the tip of my fingers?}


    [I was going to suggest something even more tame, like condensing water from the air or making a pebble float, but it''s your call.]


    He wasted no time and started the process of spellcasting described in the book.


    First, he emptied his mind from thoughts not related to what he was doing now, which was helped by his <Meditation> skill.


    {Ok, first the intent. I want the flame to be warm and not to burn anything.}


    After a few seconds, he had a mental picture of a tiny flame on his palm, it danced with the movements of the wind like a regular flame but did not burn his palm.


    {Information. The process of combustion. Friday, pour all information from all textbooks from Earth about the matter.}


    Friday did as commanded, granting the System access to all she had on the science behind a small flame.


    Riwall felt that a pulling force was growing in his stretched palm, his mana was attracted to it, but he held it for a while longer. He extended this step as much as he could because it provided him with a window of opportunity to get used to the feeling of having your mana pulled. It was through this exercise that he would learn how to regulate the flow of mana of a spell correctly.


    Once the pressure started to feel overbearing, he let a small stream of mana to flow towards the forming spell.


    An absurdly massive stream of fire flew from his palm. In just a second the entire training court was engulfed by flames and he quickly dropped the spell. Luckily the spell was true to his intent and did not burn anything, although the sudden consumption of the oxygen in the area created a gust of wind that covered him in red clay.


    {Holy pasta! Did you see that Friday? It was huge! It looked like high-level spells from games like Firaga!}


    Friday muttered something along the lines of "you could have died." but he was too happy to pay it any mind.


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Branch Unlocked--


    -Elemental Magic Casting - Level 1-


    --New Skill Unlocked--


    <Fire Magic Casting> - Level 1


    <hr>


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Elemental Magic Casting - Level 1-> 4


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Fire Magic Casting> - Level 1 -> 25


    <hr>


    Just like it happened before, the System tried to impart knowledge directly into Riwall''s mind. Friday intercepted its contents and found them lacking anything about fire and elements that he did not already know from Earth''s science, so she discarded all of it.


    {Wow, there was nothing about ways of casting magic or some cool spells?}


    [No, it seems like, of the three steps, information is indeed the most important one. This, together with your pure mana, made the spell much bigger than we wanted it to be. If not for the strong intent put behind it, we could have got seriously hurt.]


    {Well, we have about 2 hours before the end of Hector''s class. I want to try condensing water next.}


    He followed the same steps as before, with Friday providing all the science needed to back the second step. The moment he let his mana flow to his palm, a massive stream of water shot through it and the air around them got noticeably drier.


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --New Skill Unlocked--This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    <Water Magic Casting> - Level 1


    <hr>


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Elemental Magic Casting - Level 4-> 6


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Water Magic Casting> - Level 1 -> 20


    <hr>


    {Friday.}


    [Yes?]


    {I think I am in love.}


    [If I had hands, I would be slapping you, oh wait, I do!]


    And she did, using Riwall''s own hand.


    [Let''s get the four basic elements done and wrap things up, you need another bath.]


    Riwall went on to cast a mini hurricane to pop the wind element skill, and then he forced some red clay together to form a solid and dense brick.


    These simple spells got the Elemental Magic Casting branch to level 10, which was the cap, and Wind and Earth Magic Casting to 20 and 15 respectively.


    {Tomorrow we will need to get more creative to increase these skills. And if possible I would like to show Hector our book, and maybe he would be willing to give me more advanced books for us to make a new one.}


    [No harm in trying.]


    And so, Riwall had another bath and went straight to bed. Anna and Gregory had not even finished their classes yet, and he was already asleep.


    <hr>


    Eleanor arrived at the training court one hour before her new students. She wanted to get everything ready for them to show the professionalism she got to be known for.


    When she saw the state of the court, she closed her eyes, convinced herself it was all an illusion, and opened them. Yet, nothing changed.


    The weapons were spread all over the place; there was a 2 x 2 meter brick of red clay in the center; everything was wet; the obstacles were scattered, and the walls were painted with red mud.


    Her eyes twitched, and a vein was bulging from her forehead. She swore to herself that Edward would pay for pulling this prank on her.


    <hr>


    Joshua awakened the three kids and led them to the training court.


    "Today your training will be overseen by one of the best military instructors of Marsastor. It is a pity that she refuses to teach nobles, so you three should feel honored."


    "Excuse me, Mr. Joshua, how is her personality? Is her like her brother Edward?" Riwall got curious.


    "It''s either Mr. Farsteel or Master for you. They may not like it much, but they are nobles, show some respect."


    Riwall rolled his eyes but luckily for him, Joshua did not see it.


    "Now, to your question, she is not like her brother. Commander Eleanor holds military dignity in high regard. The control of her posture, the impeccability of her uniform, the maintenance of her weapons, and her knowledge about etiquette are only behind that of Lord Marsastor himself. You will find no one in these lands who better represents what any commander should strive to be than Commander Eleanor."


    As soon as Joshua opened the door, his jaw almost hit the floor.


    A woman in her mid-forties, dressed in a white military uniform, utterly drenched in sweat and red clay, was hunched in a wall removing hardened mud from it using her military knife with an inhumane speed while shouting.


    "THAT SON OF A WH0R3 WILL PAY! I WILL GUT HIM AND WATCH AS HE DROWNS IN HIS OWN BLOOD! HE WILL NOT ESCAPE ME THIS TIME! OH FOR TEMELTH''S SAKE, WHY IS THIS MUD SO HARD TO CLEAN!? I ASKED FOR A MAGE CLEANER OVER HALF AN HOUR AGO, AND YET NO ONE IS HERE BUT ME! WHEN I GET MY HANDS IN THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE, I WILL MAKE SURE TO PUNISH HIM IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE LORD HIMSELF WILL HAVE TO INTERVENE!"


    Riwall gulped seeing the scene. He was really impressed by how much she fixed the court. She managed to destroy the red clay brick and spread it evenly around the place; the obstacles were all in place, the weapons were in the rack, the only thing out of place was the mud on the wall. He thought Joshua would be the one cleaning, so he made sure to harden all the mud on the walls before leaving.


    Without him saying a word, Friday was already in control of his facial muscles in case he got questioned.


    Joshua carefully approached the madwoman while sweating and trembling, for he was the one who should have checked the place before the instructor arrived. He lightly coughed to caught her attention. She snapped her head in his direction. The scene got even scarier as her gray hair was all haggard; the white of her eyes was red, and some prominent veins were bulging in her temple.


    Her expression went from one mad with anger to a stoic military commander in the blink of an eye. The four spectators were surprised by how noticeable the changes were.


    "Kids, we will have to, unfortunately, delay our scheduled training. To not waste your time, I would like for the three of you to run laps in the main course outside. Your supervisor and I need to talk about some issues I found in the maintenance of the place."


    They may have been kids, but they were not stupid. The three silently and hurriedly left the place to do as they were ordered. Some soldiers tried asking what happened for them to be running outside, but the three refused to make any comment about what they saw.


    After almost one hour of running laps, a healer came to them and said their training would begin as soon as they got to the designated training court.


    The three got to the door and kept staring at it. None of them had the guts to open it.


    "I vote for Anna to open the door" Riwall broke the silence.


    "What? Are you crazy? She will kill me!" Desperation was stamped all over her face.


    "But you are the cuter of us, she would not hit something as cute as you!" Riwall insisted.


    "No no no no no! I won''t open it! Greg, you do it!"


    The poor boy was shaking from head to toes.


    "Riwall, you are the stronger, you open it!"


    Riwall turned his back to the door to face Gregory, who was a few steps behind Anna and him.


    "Don''t be a coward Greg! She is just an old hag who is having a bad day! She won''t hit any of us! Grow a pair of balls and show Anna and me that you are not afraid to face a witch, no matter how scary or crazy they may look like!"


    {I think its working. As soon as I started talking, Greg went white all over his body. I think I managed to put him on the spot and he will now rise to the occasion.}


    "An old hag and a witch, huh? Anything else, young man?"


    As soon as he heard the calm and composed voice behind him, it was Riwall''s turn to go white.


    Gregory was still frozen while Anna was muttering a praying for the boy who was about to leave this world.


    "You two, today you will only run laps outside until your reading classes. I think this one is in dire need of some private lessons."


    Riwall watched the backs of the fox girl and the scared boy as they ran away as fast as they could.


    {Traitors!}


    He sheepishly followed the old woman inside and not a second after she closed the doors, he dropped to his knees and cried his eyes out while apologizing.


    "Save the performance, boy! You are in the presence of Commander Eleanor Farsteel!"


    He immediately jumped to his feet and got into an attention stance.


    "State your name!"


    "It''s Riwall Madec, ma''am!"


    "Mr. Riwall, do you plan on disrespecting your superior again?!"


    "NO, MA''AM!"


    "Do you plan on trying to throw your companion to the fire to save your own skin again?"


    "NO, MA''AM!"


    "Will you put your life in the line to prove you mean what you just said?!"


    Riwall gulped before answering.


    "Yes, ma''am."


    With an evil grin on her face, she said.


    "Then let us begin!"

 A Boon Disguised as Torture?

    The sound of someone running and wooden weapons clashing in the training court could only be interrupted by the Commander herself.


    "Are you tired, soldier?! Do you want to rest?!"


    "No, ma''am!"


    "Oh, look! It''s time to step up the rhythm again!"


    Riwall had been running around the obstacle course while having to deflect all the attacks she would throw at him.


    If he tripped, he would be hit at least five times before getting up.


    If he failed to deflect or dodge an attack, he would be hit until he was able to do so and keep running.


    Eleanor was relentless, she held herself to avoid breaking the wooden weapons, but she quickly learned how to use more strength to hurt Riwall without damaging them.


    At first, Riwall made the call to deal with it alone. He did not want to raise his skills and get her attention. But as the training went on, he had to ask Friday for help.


    Even his trusty AI was worried, the woman was a monster disguised as a human, Friday started by making his movements slightly more precise to avoid hurting himself, but the commander would immediately notice and "step up the rhythm" as she called it.


    Both Riwall and Friday were 100% focused on the task of surviving this training. They even ignored the various notifications that popped up and kept on dodging, deflecting, and running.


    When it was time for archery, she threw him a bow and scattered arrows all over the place. His new task would be to run around the obstacle course with his bow in hand, pick all arrows along the way and shoot them at the bullseye. If he missed it, she would just throw the arrow back in the court.


    But things would never be so simple. Her job was to hamper his progress, so she would alternate between hitting him with the wood weapons and deflecting the arrows he shot at the wrong time.


    That pushed Riwall and Friday to their limits. They had to think fast to snatch an arrow in a position that would favor the shoot while using the obstacle course to kit her around.


    If Riwall moved too far from her, she would position herself to deflect his arrows. If he got too close, she would hit him and make him miss the target.


    The blunt weapon training was just as ingenious, Riwall had to hit her with the slow two-handed wood hammer as she harassed him using wood daggers.


    The pole weapon training was as hard as the archery one. She blindfolded Riwall and rushed to land a hit on him before running away. His job was to use his senses and the long reach of his weapon to strike her before she came in for another attack. The trick was to make use of the obstacle course to limit the angles that she could use to launch an attack, which was only possible to do because Friday had memorized the whole area.


    <hr>


    "Good job, soldier! I am proud of your progress today!" She said while putting the daggers back at the rack.


    Riwall just dropped to the ground panting and couldn''t even muster enough strength to remove the blindfold. He heard her steps getting closer and that she was saying something, but before he made any sense of what happened, he lost consciousness.


    <hr>


    Eleanor looked at the kid sprawled on the ground and reflected on what she did.


    "Dam! I think I dropped all my frustration on the kid''s training. He progressed so fast, that halfway through the training, even I was having a hard time keeping up with him without activating my skills."


    She let her stoic behavior slip for a few moments as she looked kindly at the mess of a human on the ground.


    But it was just for a moment. Eleanor put back her commander persona, got out of the training court and called a healer to save what was left of the kid.


    <hr>


    Riwall woke up in a strange bed. His body was all covered in bandages, but he felt no pain.


    [Finally, you are awake! Five more minutes and I would have forcibly woken you up!]


    {G, calm down Friday, what''s the hurry?}


    [What''s the hurry? You have been sleeping for 16 hours! We need to talk today with Hector!]


    {Oh crap!}


    He hurriedly got up from the bed while removing the bandages. Friday had already healed all his wounds exerting her control over his bodily functions.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What do you think you are doing! Back to bed, now!" A female healer heard some noises and came in to check on the patient. The boy suffered the full might of Eleanor''s training and had multiple bruises and fractures all over his body.


    "How can you even stand up!? We could only cast some minor healing spells; the fractures in your leg were going to be healed tonight!"


    "But I am ok! Mama always said I healed quickly! You can check yourself!"


    The woman instructed him to lay on the bed while she cast a diagnosis spell on him. She was surprised to see that he was not lying; he was indeed wholly healed.


    "By the gods, you aren''t lying!"


    "See? Now can you please let me go? I can''t miss today''s magic class!"


    She wanted to keep him in the infirmary to have her superior check on him, but she could always go after him later, it''s not like he could leave the place.


    "Ok, but after class, you have to come back here, the healer on the night shift is one of our best. I want him to check up on you."


    "I promise!"


    <hr>


    On the way to his room, Friday updated him on his progress during the training.


    [I know you suffered a lot. But the training was fantastic for us! I have never been challenged to keep up with your surroundings like when Eleanor was going after you!]


    {You mean when she was torturing me?}


    [It''s not torture, not even close to it, we both know it.]


    {Ok, fair enough, it doesn''t change the fact that it hurt like hell. Tell me, was it worthy?}


    [Ha! Worthy? Judge it yourself!]


    -------------------------


    ------Panel------


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 8


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    -Mana purity: 100% (Prismatic)


    -----BLESSINGS-----


    ---Temelth''s Blessing---


    -Languages - MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -----ATTRIBUTES-----


    --- Mental Attributes---


    -Intelligence:10


    -Wits:10


    -Resolve:10


    --- Physical Attributes---


    -Strength:10


    -Dexterity:10


    -Stamina:10


    --- Social Attributes---


    -Presence:10


    -Manipulation:10


    -Composure:10


    -----SKILLS-----


    --- Mental Skills---


    --Academics Branch - Level 3--


    <Scribing> - Level 8


    --Wellbeing Branch - Level 4--


    <Meditation> - Level 15


    --Elemental Magic Casting Branch - Level 10--


    <Fire Magic Casting> - Level 25


    <Water Magic Casting> - Level 20


    <Wind Magic Casting> - Level 20


    <Earth Magic Casting> - Level 15


    --- Physical Skills---


    --Melee Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Edged Weapon Combat> - Level 16


    <Blunt Weapon Combat> - Level 18


    - Level 20


    <Footwork> - Level 26


    --Ranged Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Archery> - Level 22


    --Physical Finesse Branch - Level 5--


    <Acrobatics> - Level 19


    --- Social Skills---


    --Negotiation Branch - Level 1--


    <Bluff> - Level 5


    --Arts Branch - Level 5--


    <Drawing> - Level 15


    <hr>


    Riwall stopped walking and spaced out. He did not know what to think about all this progress. On one hand, he was happy to have grown so much in only one day. On the other hand, if word got out, he may end up getting more attention than necessary. He could read the mood, and it became clear that nobles held a lot of power and did not think much about commoners.


    {In less than 48 hours we went neck-deep in all this bullshit, if we are not careful, even Hellen and Erika may end up in danger.}


    [I was listening to all the gossip the healers were talking about while you were out cold. If their stories check out, our best bet would be to affiliate ourselves with the Farsteels. They hold no prejudice against commoners and are politically influential, Eleanor is not any commander, she is the highest-ranking commander and has the loyalty of more than half of the army''s soldiers.]


    {I suspected she was someone important, just not THAT important.}


    {I missed Edward''s training already, and Eleanor will most likely be here tomorrow to instruct the other two, I just hope she has forgiven me. If she has, I will talk to her about getting protection during the next years.}


    [Don''t worry, she has, I overheard one of the healers saying how she came by twice during the night to make sure you were recovering fine, she only relaxed after a high-level healer came by to diagnose you himself.]


    He chuckled to that. He could not imagine that demon worrying about his safety after the hell of training she put him through.


    Soon enough, he made his way to Hector to show him his book and return Hector''s.


    "Hello Riwall, having trouble with the books, I suppose? I think I can help you for some minutes before Anna and Gregory arrive."


    "Oh, it''s not like that Mr. Hector, I already finished all of them and I brought them with me to return to you."


    "Wait, what? You say you finished all 10 of them?"


    "Yep, but I found them not to be didactic enough. I cross-referenced all the information that matched up and tried to get rid of all the noise generated by incorrect statements or pure speculation by the authors. I compiled the results of my research in these parchments. I would be honored if you could spare some of your time to evaluate it."


    Hector was shocked. This boy''s vocabulary and demeanor are not of an eight-year-old at all! Instead of growing suspicious, Hector attributed it all to Riwall''s blessings and dropped the matter.


    He accepted the bundle of parchments made by Riwall and felt like his world was turned upside down. The impeccable handwriting that made it easier to read; the direct and concise language used; the reliance on examples; the careful and correct use of analogies and the beautiful and informative drawings made this one of the best readings he had ever experienced in his life, and he was already over a century old.


    Hector was so engrossed in his reading that he did not even notice the arrival of Anna and Gregory. But at this moment, discussing this book was much more critical.


    "What you did here is nothing short of a miracle for an 8-year-old. No scholar who has this level of knowledge about the basics would waste his time writing a book for starters. Do you allow me to publish it? As you are too young, I can do it in my name. Of course, at least 70% of the royalties would go to you, and I would give a hardcover copy to you and your friends here. What do you think?"


    [Take the deal, you would never be able to publish it on your own before completing your training. And you could use the money to cement your position in Marsastor Castle.]


    "I would gladly accept these terms, Mr. Hector, but may I add a request of mine?"


    "Sure, name it."


    "I want you to continue lending me books, the more, the merrier."


    The elf scratched his chin while thinking.


    "Hmm, it should be possible, but I will not be able to lend you books that thread on subjects like massive scale spells, mind control, and other prohibited subjects, and I want to reserve the right of revoking your access to my books if I think you are straying away from a path of virtue."


    "I accept these conditions." They shook hands, and Riwall excused himself to his check-up with the healers. He left the room with one delighted teacher and two kids who could not make heads or tails about what just happened.

 Life Oath

    The check-up found nothing wrong with him. Even microfractures that should be present for some days after healing were not there. This left the high-level healer confused, and he insisted on keeping track of Riwall''s health for a few months, which he obliged to try and get on the good side of the healers.


    On the following morning, he woke up before the others to go and talk alone with Eleanor. As expected, two hours before the sunrise, and she was already there, making sure everything was in order.


    "Good Morning, Riwall! I heard you recovered in record time, that''s good! Do you want to begin your training before the others?" Eleanor had a teasing smile stamped on her face, which made Friday tag her as a sadist on her notes.


    Riwall flinched when she said the word "training", but recovered quickly.


    "Good Morning Master Farsteel. I need to talk to you about matters related to the safety of my colleagues and I, can you spare some minutes?"


    "Safety, you say? Have you been threatened in any way? Please, speak freely."


    "No, it''s not like that, at least not yet. I couldn''t help but notice how many soldiers and guards have... reservations, toward the training we are receiving here."


    "Yes, there are many who put nobles on a pedestal and quickly get on their knees to worship them. I am not one of beating around the bush. Cut to the chase, what do you want, and why should I help you?"


    {She definitely is not like the other nobles. If the rumors are true, they seem to love their word games.}


    "You may have noticed during our training that I quickly got many skill levels in everything we trained." He scratched his arm while considering if he should keep talking, he was still unsure about telling her so much about himself.


    "I will be frank, I don''t know if this information is public, but my potential is SS+, I am an all-rounder with 7 in every stat, and have a high grade bless that exponentially increases my physical and mental prowess." He said all that with a straight face in the end.


    Eleanor had a hard time hiding her surprised expression. She now understood why the Lord did not allow even her to peruse the files of the three commoners. He had made a quick but very believable excuse to the nobles, saying that the kids barely had enough potential to deserve the right to be trained and that no commoner would ever be as good as their sons were. All noble houses easily absorbed this simple lie. Except for the Farsteels, for they were of a very recent commoner origin.


    "This... was not shared with anyone, only Hector and the Lord may know about it. I see no lies in your words. But you have not said what do you want of me yet." She would not give him the pleasure of her begging for him to join her family, despite how much she wanted to do it now.


    Riwall lamented that she did not rush to invite him, but he cared more about the results than anything else. He bowed 90¡ã and said.


    "Please, if you can find it in your heart, let me, my colleagues, my family, and their families your household. We would gladly pledge our services to you for as long as I am under the Lord''s care."


    It did not escape her how this whole pledge would only hold true for as long as he submitted himself to Marsastor Lord''s care.


    "Your mother and aunt are the Village''s healers, right?" Her family was always in need of healers, as they were relatively rare even among nobility.


    "Yes." He was still bowing.


    "It may be possible, but I cannot make a final decision on my own." She spoke slowly. "For now, I will grant you all the status of temporary affiliates. Only my father would be able to overrule this decision and kick you out, but no one in Marsastor''s land would dare lay a hand on affiliates of the Farsteel family, even temporary ones. I will bring this to my father, who is the head of the family, but you should know that the affiliation is not something that can be revoked."


    He was still bowing.


    "Can you at least hold the permanent affiliation process for a few years, I dream of traveling all over..."


    {What is the name of this world?}


    [Azula]


    Cough. "All over Azula."


    "An admirable and yet childish dream from someone who is more mature than his looks would say." Riwall had the impression she was teasing him for some reason; he could swear she was trying to hold off her laugh.


    He was still bowing.


    "Childish? Why do you think so? I am young, I will work hard to get strong, and then I will spend my life expanding my horizons and experiencing new things." His back was already starting to ache, but he persisted.


    "Contrary to popular belief, no journey is ever worth without a destination. You will understand it in time. I won''t fight you on this subject now. I can promise to hold off the permanent affiliation process until you turn 16-year-old. After that, I will let it run its course, which should take at least two more years."


    "I accept your terms."


    "After our training, I will go deal with all the bureaucracy."


    He was still bowing.


    "Thank you."


    "Ok, it was funny in the first minutes, but it''s getting embarrassing. You can stop bowing now; even my back is starting to hurt just by looking at you." She chuckled. Friday changed her notes from sadist to SADIST.


    {She kept talking slowly all this time on purpose!}


    "And don''t think you will get any different treatment from me, soldier!" She said in her customary stern voice.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    He snapped to an attention stance immediately.


    "No, ma`am!"


    <hr>


    The process of granting a temporary affiliation to the Farsteels was purely bureaucratic. There was no ceremony of any sort.


    As the three kids were not allowed to ever leave the barracks, they had little to no contact with the outside, and no one bothered to explain to ten-year-olds the political consequences of a mass temporary affiliations that happened to the most influential noble family.


    Riwall had a suspicion that some schemes were on the works against him and the Farsteels. For all he heard from other soldiers, the nobles were a bunch that genuinely believed to be chosen by the gods to lead. The idea of someone rising from among the commoner rabble and standing by their side was preposterous.


    Nevertheless, none of his masters ever let them in on the political aspect of the society they lived in. They were, for lack of better wording, being raised in a bubble. Anna and Gregory did not mind it that much as they lacked ambition from the start and saw themselves as inferiors to the nobles.


    Despite Riwall''s insistence on asking questions about what was really happening around them, he had to drop the matter entirely following a harsh reprimand from Eleanor. He was neither blind nor deaf and thought that the better way for not be taken advantage of would be to get strong quickly.


    <hr>


    About a week after the Lord officially recognized the temporary affiliation status, the kids were called to a soundproofed room a meeting with Edward and Eleanor.


    "First of all, congratulations to you three on your new status as members of our family, even if it is still temporary." Eleanor began.


    "I will be as direct and honest as I can be. Inside these barracks, nothing will change. I, Edward and Hector will remain your only masters for now, and you will have to pick a craft to learn after your tenth anniversary."


    {I had forgotten entirely about the crafting stuff, I think Hector mentioned it when mom and I went to the Guild for the first time.}


    "Originally, you would only be able to choose simple crafts that could be taught here, like tailoring, leatherworking, scribing, drawing, or cooking. But our family will build any necessary annex buildings if you want something more advanced like smithing, enchanting, alchemy or any other."


    <hr>


    {What do you think we should go for, Friday?}


    [All of them, of course.]


    {Haha, you sure are greedy. But I don''t think we will have time for all of it.}


    [Do you have anything scheduled during your nights? Because every day you just lazily lie down in a bed.]


    {That''s called sleeping, and you know it is important for my body.} He thought she was joking and was surprised by how far she has come from a simple AI.


    [Tsk. If you allow me to, I can make you get the benefits of a 10-hour sleep in just 40 minutes.]


    {Are you serious? And why didn''t you do that before?}


    [Why would we do that? It''s not like you had anything to do! But now we can practice the craft they teach us! Imagine if you get good at enchanting and spend 4 hours on making your gear better every day. You will be unstoppable!]


    She always knew how to taunt him into doing things her way, and he would always fall for it.


    After mentally sighting. {Ok, you win, we will do that. But if I feel tired after sleeping for just 40 minutes, you will not hear the end of my complaints!}


    [Deal!]


    <hr>


    All this banter between Riwall and Friday took only a second.


    Edward took the lead and said some things of his own.


    "Look, kids, I know you want to leave this place, run around, play with others, and do the things kids usually do. But this won''t happen, and there is nothing I or anyone else can do. You better get used to it now and not dwell on this matter. When you get older, and we deem you ready, we will ask the Lord to take you to the Azure Forest for some real battle experience. Until them, carry on your training."


    Eleanor and Edward looked at each other before nodding. Both fumbled with strange black bracelets they were wearing, and Riwall could feel mana flooding the room.


    After a few seconds, Eleanor started talking again.


    "We have just cast two powerful spells meant to make it impossible for anyone to listen to us. We will now disclose information you should not have access to until you get older. To make sure you won''t tell anyone about it, we will have to make you swear to keep it a secret. But not a simple verbal oath, you will have to swear it by putting your life as collateral."


    Anna and Gregory both had shocked and scared expressions on their faces, while Riwall did not understand why swearing something on your life should scare them so much.


    Anna, who rarely spoke a word, surprised everyone by raising her trembling hand.


    "Mama used to tell me that I should never, ever, make a life oath."


    "A smart woman. But unfortunately what I''m about to say cannot leave this room. Ever." Eleanor had a conflicted expression. She hated the idea of binding a kid with a life oath.


    "What is a life oath?" Riwall couldn''t help but ask.


    Edward was the one who answered.


    "It''s something simple but dangerous. If you break an oath, the worst-case scenario is that people will hear about it and not trust you in the future. But if you offer your life as collateral, an acolyte of the God of Death Falvth will manifest in front of you and take you to a court where you will be judged."


    He continued hesitantly. Edward was not comfortable in pushing a life oath down some kids throat, an opinion shared by Eleanor, but their father insisted on it for some reason.


    "If they find out you broke the oath by your own will, you will be tortured for years and then killed. If you broke it accidentally, you will be tortured for a few years and released back to the place you were before. It all revolves around intent, depending on the situation you may just be killed after the sentence. The person whom you swore the life oath will be informed through a System Notification about what you did, why you did it, and what happened to you."


    {Man, this is harsh, what if the words of the oath are prone to misinterpretation? And what if the parties have two different understanding about the central point?} How to not be worried about something so vague with such consequences?


    Riwall voiced his concerns, and Eleanor felt a little better knowing at least one of them was asking the critical questions. She decided to answer it herself.


    "You are right, that is the thing about life oaths: make it simple, and Falvth won''t even bother binding the parties involved; make it too complicated and a judgment will be triggered at a random act. That''s why we came prepared and brought an offering to Falvth."


    Eleanor took a palm-sized blue sapphire from a hidden pocket in her coat. There was an intense light emanating from it, making the kids all squint their eyes while the Farsteels did not even react to it.


    {By Zeus''s happy rod! Look at the power emanating from it! Friday, can you get a reading on that?}


    [The mana emanating from this gemstone is just 10% less pure than your mana. But there is as much as 1000x your entire mana pool in there. It''s amazing.]


    "This, kids, is also something you will not be able to talk about because of the oath." She put the sapphire on the desk and put her palms together as if praying.


    "Oh Mighty God of Death, we, underserving mortals, offer this soul to your Magnificence. All we ask if for is an intermediator to draft and oversee, in no uncertain terms, a life oath!" By the end of her words, Riwall felt a strange energy surrounding them. He was sweating buckets by this time, and all his senses screamed danger.


    #YOUR OFFER HAS BEEN FOUND SUFFICIENT FOR WHAT YOU REQUEST!#


    A booming voice sounded inside everyone''s head. Suddenly, the light in the room flickered, which is strange if you know that a torch would never flicker in a closed room like the one they were now. When Riwall looked around for any changes, he noticed a humanoid creature made of shadows standing in front of Eleanor. The three kids had the living shit scared out of them, Gregory even wet himself. The Farsteels did not even flinch at that.


    "LeT mE ReAd YoUr InTeNt!" The creature spoke with a voice that made all hairs on Riwall''s body to stand up.


    Eleanor closed her eyes and gave it a slight bow. A shadow tendril shot out from the creature''s torso and touched her head. Seconds later, similar tendrils appeared and unceremoniously touched the kids'' heads.


    In a fraction of a second, Riwall understood everything that Eleanor wanted. In short: they were to never discuss what will transpire after the oath with anyone, not even among themselves; no situation, no matter how precarious, would allow them to disclose the information to a third party; and only the head of the Farsteel family would be able to free them from the oath.


    A lot of essential details were also transmitted. Things that seem inconsequential at first but that could be the source of misinterpretation were all covered in it. For example: if the information becomes public because of someone else''s actions, or the Farsteels loses their nobility or ceases to exist, the oath will be void.


    The creature dissolved into the shadows as soon as it could feel through the connection with all the parties that they accepted the terms. The sapphire was nowhere to be found.


    "Ok, with that you don''t need to fear the oath that much. If you are about to do an action that would break it, you will receive a notification from the System."


    The trio let out a synchronized breath of relief.


    "Now, let''s start."

 The Fourth Wave

    Eleanor organized her thoughts in a moment and began a long lecture:


    "The three of you are being trained to fight a war in our Lord''s name. Every time that the concentration of dark mana in the air hits a certain point, an army of the dead march north from the Whispering Forest, killing every living being and tainting the land with their mana."


    {I never heard about an army of the dead coming from the south. And I don''t remember Erika''s stories ever mentioning it.}


    [We can ask her about that, but it could be that the last event is so old that there are not many stories about it, or that the stories were too dark for a toddler]


    "Few people in the Azure Kingdom know that there were no Lords and Fiefdoms for more than a century after our founding. Something happened in the southern part of our continent that raised the first wave of undead. The Azure Kingdom almost ceased to exist altogether, achieving a pyrrhic victory in the end when a party of heroes found the undead base and exterminated their leader."


    "On the dawn of the last battle, the survivors understood that it was impossible to fight the undead with only one big army. The reliance on a single authority back at Azurehall doomed thousands of lives in the west, as all the villages and towns had sent their soldiers to the capital. The Marsastor family at the time only managed to survive because they moved all their population further to the west after allying with the dwarves from the Yelling Mountain Range. The combined forces of the Marsastors and the dwarves held the undead until their demise."


    "The survivors at the time devised a new political system. They theorized that the division of the land in fiefs and the decentralization of power would allow the Azure Kingdom to hold the undead without as many sacrifices as when they first attacked. A century passed, and another wave of undead came from the south. This time the Azure Kingdom lost less than a third of its forces and a negligible number of castles and forts."


    "Back in Azurehall, the group of scholars that set on studying the event after the first wave announced that the second wave came when the dark mana concentration in the air hit the same level as the first. The third wave came and proved that the scholars were right. The kingdom, that time, was ready and faredeven better."


    "We are on the verge of the fourth wave. All Lords of the Kingdom have been preparing for this war for the last forty years, smoothing out the preparation cost over a long time period. But as we get closer to the dark mana threshold that will trigger the fourth wave, we now know our preparations will not be enough."


    {Why wouldn''t it be enough? If they knew the size of the wave and the probable date, what could have gone wrong?}


    [I think I know. Remember the story Erika told us about that event that forces monsters to evolve?You even complained at how silly the name was,Evobomb.]


    He gulped at the possibility that Friday was right.


    "The dark mana concentration rate of growth had a sudden spike a few years ago, which means that the fourth wave will hit us a few years before the previously estimated date. This time, the fourth wave will happen in the same year as the Evobomb."


    {I hate when you are right.}


    [Then you must tell me how you manage to live feeling hateful 24x7]


    He pretended not to hear her failure of a joke and raised his hand.


    "How long do we have before the fourth wave? Where will we be deployed? And why did we have to take an oath before hearing about it? We should tell it to everyone so they can prepare for the worst." He failed to understand why the secrecy. In his opinion, people should be informed of anything that threated their lives.


    Eleanor let out a sigh and Edward shook his head. At times Riwall showed a maturity that could compare to adults, other times he showed the naivety you would expect from a child.


    Friday had noticed how much he changed after the reincarnation. In his previous life, he was very impulsive, so much that he relinquished his rights to make quick cash. But after what Temelth called a ''trimming'' of his soul and his birth on Azula, it was as if his older and modified soul was at conflict with his young body.


    The increase in his attributes lessened the discrepancy, but it was still noticeable. Friday had protocols that prohibited her from making any drastic change tohis personality, otherwise, she would have already tackled the problem by forcing his brain to reach maturity sooner. All she could do was hope that he stabilized as soon as possible.


    "We have something between 15 and 17 years before the fourth wave if nothing changes. You took an oath because should this information leaks, do you see the population banding together to fight the enemy or running for their lives? Should we just hand half the continent to the dead then? And what if having more land makes them stronger and even harder to defeat?"


    He conceded, people would run for sure, which would make the problem even harder to solve in the future.


    "Now, for your second question, I don''t know the answer. All I know is that the Lord is not telling anyone about your role in it. We know it won''t be in the main force, because he would have no reason to withhold the information if it was the case. Our family thinks he plans on either sending you to the Whispering Forest to investigate it as a party, or making you join one of the elite regiments, but it is all pure speculation. He is a cunning man, and his plans are undecipherable."


    "That is all for now. You may return to your rooms. Keep all you heard to yourself and train as hard as possible in the following years. If not for Marsastor, do it for your families."


    The kids just nodded and did not dare utter a word about what they heard, Riwall, as he was mentally older, was the one who got more worried about the future.


    <hr>


    After this whole affiliation and oath ordeal was dealt with, Riwall''s life fell into a comfortable yet demanding routine. Hellen and Erika got authorization to visit him once every month, but could only do so under the watch of a guard.


    The first significant change was their status; all the people Riwall mentioned to Eleanor gladly accepted to become temporary affiliates of the Farsteels.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Their new status forced all factions to tread carefully around them, no one in the barracks wanted to be the reason for Eleanor''s rage, they all saw how poor Joshua had to stay in the infirmary for three months after angering her for some reason no one knew about.


    Meanwhile, the Farsteels were growing more prosperous and stronger by the day. Their loyalty to the Marsastor family was adamant and ingrained in every member of their family. They never refused a task, always overperformed their duties, and more often than not, they would do something for their Lord that would strengthen the ruling family prestige among the population, like purging a pesky monster''s nest or destroying a bandit camp while telling everyone they did it on the Lord''s order, even if he never commanded them to.


    <hr>


    Both Edward and Eleanor pushed Riwall to his limits, and they even taught some advanced combat techniques that allowed him to cap all of his combat skills at level 50 after two excruciating years. If not for Friday''s use of the nights to create a simulation for Riwall to train these techniques, capping the skills would have been impossible.


    They shared with him that a person''s real strength was not on the skill level alone, but in a mix of different factors. Some were more relevant than the others, and they stressed a thousand times that he should watch for them.


    First was his level, the higher it was, the more his attributes would show their worth. If a person with a Strength of 5 could lift 50 Kg at level 1, he would be able to lift 75 Kg on level 2. The formula had a diminishing return aspect, so the difference between higher levels would fade. But there is a catch; the higher the attribute, the longer it will take for the diminishing returns to show its claws. If you would compare two people at level 50, one with a Strength attribute of 6, the other 5, the former could lift as much as 10% more weight than the latter.


    Then one should look at the person''s battle experience. Usually, people with high skill levels would have fought for years, so they would not lack in battle experience, but this did not apply to Riwall. In the long run, he would definitely be stronger, but for now, he would have his ass handed to him by any experienced fighter with skill levels as low as half of his. No skill would teach a person to read the flow of a fight. When do I push forward? Should I back down? When should I start playing dirty? Only a vast experience in these scenarios could answer these questions.


    A person''s equipment was another critical factor. The wrong armor or weapon for the place or the weather could spell doom for a person. Try fighting goblins in a cavern using a greatsword, or maybe try exchanging blows with a far away mage using only a short bow, or try wearing heavy armor in a swamp. No skill level will help you in these scenarios. Adaptability beats specialization in 9 of 10 fights.


    And the last important tip they shared was. Never go alone. The party system exists to cover for all your deficiencies, be it a lower level, a low attribute, the wrong equipment, or a bad matchup against an enemy. A good party with above-average synergy and teamwork can take down foes that are many times stronger than them. Otherwise, no human would have ever downed a dragon.


    <hr>


    Things with Hector progressed even better. He took a liking to the boy and his ability to produce high-quality books by reading dozens of bad ones. Their relationship went beyond matters related to magic, often Hector would debate with Riwall about a myriad of subjects, like philosophy, math, economics, and others.


    Per Riwall''s request, he was allowed to train his magic skills in a specialized training court under Hector''s supervision. At first, the elf was astounded by his seemingly unlimited mana reserve when casting big spells. But soon he understood that Riwall lacked the finesse required to cast small but potent spells, as that was not a problem that took priority when compared to everything else, he barely tried to address it. In his mind, the boy already had his plate full.


    Much to Riwall''s disappointment, he did not let him try Light and Dark spells, much less Negentropy, and Entropy aspected spells. He had read about them in some books and asked his teacher, this was one of the few subjects that the elf absolutely refused to let him dabble before having what he called ''the right mindset''.


    From what Friday could put together from the occasional fragments she found, the two ''duos'', Light/Dark and Negentropy/Entropy had the force of exponentially powering up spells.


    Light and Dark powered spells produced different effects based on the compatibility between these concepts and the intent from the first phase. These two would usually become more prominent during the third phase of spell casting, the "mana" phase.


    Negentropy and Entropy were a more complicated case. The first was related to order; the second was related to chaos. By tapping on these concepts, it is possible to enhance the strength of the first phase of spell casting, the "intention" phase. It is the most advanced application of magic in the world, and only masters with decades of research can safely use spells powered by these two concepts. Not much else was mentioned, as most authors from the books he read were far from being capable of studying it.


    After analyzing more than 100 books on magic and combining it with philosophical concepts from Earth, Friday was confident in handling both duos of "advanced magic", Light/Dark and Negentropy/Entropy.


    Nevertheless, Riwall would not endanger his relationship with Hector to get a new skill, no matter how positive the gains could be. He focused all his attention on improving his finesse, which was much worse than he initially thought it was. And, by the end of the second year, he had capped all his elemental magic casting skills as well.


    <hr>


    The trio of kids was not much close at the start, but as the months went by, a strong bond began forming. Edward and Eleanor quickly took notice of their potential as a party and changed their schedule to accommodate training sessions that would improve their synergy and deepen their bond even more. They even taught the three how to cast the |Panel| spell and keep track of their progress. Although Riwall found the whole process of chanting bothersome, so he just memorized it, never intending to actually cast spells through chanting.


    Anna took a liking to melee combat and began specializing in fighting using short weapons and a buckler, with a couple of daggers as backup weapons. Her fighting style was more akin to that of an off-tank, she could use her buckler and hold her ground for some time, or she could dart through a fight hitting as many unaware opponents as she could. She said she would rather be a pure harasser, but understood how being an off-tank would be more useful to the party.


    Gregory was a ranged all-rounder. His use of all kinds of ranged weapons and proficiency in quick casting spells was uncommon. Edward theorized that this would take most enemies by surprise, as most physical ranged fighters rarely would be good spellcasters, and that he should capitalize on it to deal some serious damage before focusing on keeping the enemy at a comfortable distance. He couldn''t pack a punch in close quarters, but his spells were more than enough to let him widen the gap to the enemy and recover some stamina in prolonged fights.


    Riwall was the most extraordinary of the three. His battle awareness, focus, skills for close and long-range fights, leadership and strategical planning, made him the central pillar of the party. He excelled in baiting his opponents in ways that would leave his friends in very advantageous positions, usually by providing Anna with different angles of attack and keeping the enemies within Gregory''s optimal strike range. And he did all of that coordination without leaving the fright as he always led his companions from the front.


    After two years, he had a proud smile on his face while checking his panel.


    -------------------------


    ------Panel------


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 10


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    -Mana purity: 100% (Prismatic)


    -----BLESSINGS-----


    ---Temelth''s Blessing---


    -Languages - MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -----ATTRIBUTES-----


    --- Mental Attributes---


    -Intelligence:10


    -Wits:10


    -Resolve:10


    --- Physical Attributes---


    -Strength:10


    -Dexterity:10


    -Stamina:10


    --- Social Attributes---


    -Presence:10


    -Manipulation:10


    -Composure:10


    -----SKILLS-----


    --- Mental Skills---


    --Academics Branch - Level 5--


    <Scribing> - Level 26


    --Wellbeing Branch - Level 6--


    <Meditation> - Level 25


    --Elemental Magic Casting Branch - Level 10--


    <Fire Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Water Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Wind Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Earth Magic Casting> - Level 50


    --- Physical Skills---


    --Melee Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Edged Weapon Combat> - Level 50


    <Blunt Weapon Combat> - Level 50


    - Level 50


    <Unarmed Combat> - Level 50


    - Level 50


    <Blocking> - Level 50


    <Dodging> - Level 50


    <Footwork> - Level 50


    --Ranged Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Archery> - Level 50


    <Axe-Throwing> - Level 50


    <Spear Throwing> - Level 50


    --Physical Finesse Branch - Level 8--


    <Acrobatics> - Level 50


    <Stretching> - Level 50


    --- Social Skills---


    --Negotiation Branch - Level 3--


    <Bluff> - Level 8


    --Arts Branch - Level 8--


    <Drawing> - Level 42


    --Leadership Branch - Level 3--


    <Small Group Leading> - Level 29


    -------------------------

 Smithing

    "So, have you decided on what do you want to learn as a craft? Choose ONE!" Edward impatiently asked the boy. Riwall had been insisting on learning literally every craft mentioned by Eleanor years ago.


    Edward admired how the boy was a sponge for knowledge, but he knew everyone had a limit. The fact his schedule was already full was an even greater issue, even fitting one craft class in it was already a challenge.


    "Please Master! I told you I don''t need to sleep that much, and I don''t want to specialize in ranged combat or blunt weapons! We can reduce my training in these areas to accommodate more crafting lessons!"


    "How can you prefer craft lessons instead of combat?! You are wasting your potential by limiting yourself to crafting!" Edward knew it was a weak argument, but he ran out of them hours ago and was almost out of patience as well.


    "But I want to try it! Let''s make a deal. Once a month, you will test me in blunt weapon combat and archery. If you think I don''t perform well enough for your liking; I will drop the crafting classes until I improve again."


    "Ok! Ok! You won! By the gods, sometimes you are as stubborn as Father!"


    {YES!}


    "Ok, for now, choose three crafts."


    "But I..."


    "Shut it! Don''t push your luck, or it will be ZERO!" He snapped.


    After going over his options with Friday, he narrowed the list down to three.


    "Smithing, Enchanting and Woodworking"


    "Care to tell the logic behind these choices?" Edward got very curious; the boy did not even waste a second before choosing these three.


    "Smithing will let me create my own weapons when I have access to a forge and some time. But its the secondary benefits that really convinced me, being able to see the weak spots of enemy armor and weapon can change the fight while being able to perform the party weapon''s maintenance on the field will save us a lot of time and money."


    "Hmm, the secondary benefits are really interesting, with your precision I can see you exploiting all weak spots of your enemies. But keep in mind that this won''t apply to high-quality gear or monsters. And the rest?"


    "I briefly talked to Hector about enchantments. My high level <Drawing> and <Scribing> skills, combined with my affinity for working with numbers will give me an edge over most enchanters. I may be able to progress enough to disarm magical traps with ease or even change my equipment''s enchantments before a fight."


    "That is an excellent reason. I once traveled with a mage who was also a great enchanter. She gave our party an edge in all of the fights that we could afford some minutes to prepare beforehand. And Woodworking?"


    "Greg is a monster at using a bow, he is fast and accurate, but wastes a ton of arrows in his fights. By learning woodworking, I should be able to supply him with arrows and even bows in case he loses or breaks his one. But woodworking brings other benefits as well, like making improvised traps or detecting rudimentary structures weak points. The Azure Forest has thousands of tribes of humanoid monsters with wood structures."


    "Your reason for taking woodworking is not wrong, but it''s not as logical as the other two. Don''t hesitate to contact me if you want to change to another one. Greg is already going to learn it, so he will be able to craft his ammunition. I will get everything ready, and the three of you will start your crafting lessons in a month."


    "Thank you, Master! I won''t disappoint you!"


    {Now I just need to ask Hector for books about the other crafting areas to prepare for them. Once I master these three, I will have a headstart when starting the others.}


    [It is a pity Hector refused to lend you books on enchanting, he probably felt it was a subject you could easily try on your own. I think it''s cute how he thinks you would blow yourself up by trying to enchant something without a master.]


    {He doesn''t know I have a glorified calculator inside my head; if he knew, he would lend me all books he has.}


    [Ho! Glorified calculator, huh? I will put you through a horror simulation that you will never dare call me a calculator again!] She pretended to be angry, but he could feel she found his jab at her funny.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    <hr>


    One month later, inside the newly built forge annex.


    "So you are the kid Ms. Eleanor has been talking about for the last two years? By what she says about you, I pictured someone at least twice your size ha ha ha! By the gods, you are so small! ha ha ha!"


    Atwo-meter-tall elven wearing a black leather apron laughed loudly and took a minute to compose himself. If he dressed in fine clothes and straightened up his posture, one would mistake him for the stereotypical proud elf. Riwall tried to keep his composure as Eleanor taught him, but a huge vein was bulging in his temple.


    "Well, mini-human, my name is Theodas Farsteel. The Head himself adopted me when I was a kid, which makes me brother to that wannabe hunter called Edward and the crazy Commander Eleanor. I will be your smithing master for as long as you insist on wasting your time on it." He waved his hand dismissively while speaking, which bothered Riwall a little.


    {Huh? Wasting time?}


    "Nice to meet you, Master Farsteel, mind if I call you Master Theodas? It''s hard to keep track of so many Farsteels with the same title haha!"


    "No problem, shorty!" Riwall flinched at the new nickname he received.


    "I think I misheard you before, Master. You said that I am insisting on wasting my time on smithing?"


    "You are just like all other fighter students I get ordered to teach. They all think they will pick up a crafting skill easily to complement their combat skills. But crafting is not a part-time job; it''s just like combat! If you treat it as a hobby, it will be useless! I say the same thing to everyone, they make a beautiful speech of how it will be different with them, but all end up abandoning smithing in two months." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.


    "I won''t make an inspiring speech or a ludicrous promise. I will listen to you and let my dedication to smithing speak in my stead."


    "Ha! This one is among the five best I ever heard! Maybe you will be different Stumpy! Now tell me, what do you know about smithing?"


    Riwall immersed himself in a lengthy and precise description of smithing in general, all thanks to Friday''s enormous database on all subjects ever studied by humans on Earth. After about 10 minutes, Theodas interrupted him.


    "Enough! Enough! Ok, I may have underestimated you a bit, you genuinely seem passionate about the craft. Many techniques you described are unknown to me; we will get to them in the future. But why did you not mention the pathways? They are the base of smithing after all! You just described how to make a beautiful well-crafted monster''s toothpick!"


    "Huh?" Riwall made a confused expression.


    "Wait, you know all that but don''t know about mana''s role in crafting? I have a report stating that your <Drawing> is at least Level 20 and <Scribing> at 15 right? Did you get them that high without ever, EVER, using mana during your creations?"


    {What is he on about?} He was not aware of how his masters were trying to gauge his skill levels based on what he did.


    "Yeah, I never spent a gram of mana while drawing or writing anything, was I supposed to?"


    Theodas facepalmed himself. This kid was too obnoxious about skills.


    "I guess no one ever told you the three crafting steps, right?"


    "Crafting steps? Never heard about it, is it something like the casting spells steps?"


    "Precisely! You see, crafting is like casting a spell. First, you need intention, what do you want a dagger to do? To be sharp, that''s a given, but what else? Maybe have its sharpness increased when attacking monsters? Or maybe to vibrate as it cuts the target? The choices are endless."


    Riwall widened his eyes, and a smile began forming as he imagined all possibilities. Theodas noticed his expression and started getting excited himself.


    "The second step is the forging itself, the better your technique, the better the end product. But just like in the second step of spell casting, your forging needs to be compatible with your intention. If you intend it to be sharp but craft it without an edge, you will have ruined the end product."


    "The third step is the most important; in a spell, you would feed it mana, but you can''t just pour mana into the metal and hope for the best! It needs to circulate freely. Otherwise, the weapon will dry its user clean of his mana to activate the special effect. Think of the user as the mana core and the dagger as an extension of his arm. You want the mana to flow into it efficiently and activate the effect you desired for during the first step!"


    "If you forge a weapon without the first and third step, you will have a piece of metal that will only damage weak creatures. To stand against mighter foes on equal grounds, you need to have a magic weapon and a magic armor!"


    Theodas was pumped to start the classes right away. He noticed how engrossed and inspired Riwall got as he progressed in his explanation.


    "Tell me, doorstop, how is your finesse with fire, earth, and water magic?"


    "I got better at it in the last two years. But Hector said he was ill-suited to help me get better at it. It seems like I''m more proficient in casting wide-area spells."


    "Don''t worry, only healers and crafters are suited to teach people how to be more precise with their mana. Hold on a second; I have something that will help you to increase your finesse."


    He fumbled through some trunks before finding a gray plate and handling it to Riwall.


    It was an object similar to a ball-in-a-maze puzzle, but there was no ball in it, and the maze''s corridors got progressively tighter the closer to the center.


    "What is this thing?"


    "This, grass-scarecrow, is a mana-maze. It''s an enchanted training tool for healers and crafters. Most combat-mages don''t even know what this tool is. The corridors are mana pathways, but they get tighter the closer you get to the center. Your job is to guide your mana to the center as fast as possible. If it touches the walls, an enchantment will activate and disperse all the mana you put into it."


    {Such ingenuity! If I had one of these in the last two years, I would have already mastered precision casting!}


    "Thank you, Master! I will conquer this maze in no time!"


    He began channeling his mana into the apparatus before being interrupted.


    "Hold your drakes!"


    {Drakes?} Riwall never heard about drakes since arriving here. {Are they an alternative to horses in this world?}


    [You sure can get sidetracked easily.] She couldn''t decide between laughing or feeling disappointed at Riwall.


    "When you are here, we will focus on your forging and intent. You will have to master the maze in your spare-time. I will also lend you some books I have about mana pathways to supplement your knowledge and one about different types of ores, their mana affinities, and characteristics."


    {Counting on you Friday!}


    [I got it!] It took just the mention of new books to get her pumped for something. She was as simple as her host.


    Theodas used all the rest of their time to show Riwall around the forge and explain some rules to keep the workspace clean and organized. The talking had already consumed more than half of their time; what was left of it would not even be enough to get the forge to the right temperature. So Riwall was dismissed early.

 Woodworking

    Riwall went straight from the forge to the new woodworking room, which was conveniently built very close to Theoda''s Forge.


    As soon as he entered the new building, the pleasant smell of freshly cut wood made him feel relaxed and lower his guard.


    [Snap out of its Riwall!]


    Friday''s outburst broke him from his trance, and he realized he had been standing in place for over a minute.


    {What the hell?}


    Tsk!


    A feeble old man clicked his tongue when he noticed that Riwall escaped his spell. His posture was as straight as a soldier''s, but his receding white hair, thin arms, wrinkles all over his face and crepey arms were a testament of his longevity. Since coming back into this world, Riwall had not seen anyone who seemed to be as old as the man in front of him.


    "You must be the so-called prodigy that made my superiors order me to come here, right? Do you know how much garnecs I will lose by coming here every day?"


    {Garnecs?}


    [It''s the currency used in the Azure Kingdom, the name is a homage to King Garnec the Brave.]


    "Sorry, sir! I did not know that my request would be a hassle to the family. My name is Riwall Madec. I will work hard to compensate you in the future!"


    The boy''s readiness and enthusiasm made the old man regret his harsh words a little bit, but what he said was the truth.


    "You will have the honor of being taught by the best woodworker in these lands! My name is Hobb Farsteel. Who is the drolling fool beside you? Is he the boy Gregory?"


    Only now did Riwall notice his friend trapped in the same trance he found himself some moments ago, but Greg had droll running from his open mouth. He was about to slap the sh!t out of Greg, but Hobb intervened by holding Riwall by the wrist of his raised hand.


    "What do you think you are doing to your friend?"


    "I was... uhhh.. going to give him a weak slap to wake him up."


    Hobb said in a disappointed tone.


    "And you think slapping a hypnotized friend is something a friend should do?"


    "No, sir." He answered downcasted.


    "Now, let me teach you how to break a FRIEND from a hypnotic trance properly."


    Hobb had a mischievous smile that sent shivers down Riwall''s spine. He said a silent prayer for Greg and followed the excentric master with his eyes. The old man got some ink from his drawer and painted all Greg''s face. Then, he cast some water magic to wet the poor boy''s pants as if he had wet himself. To top it all off, he used wind magic to cut Greg''s hair in a mohawk.


    {Dam! That''s too much overkill! Poor Greg.}


    He ordered Riwall to stay in the room, looking over Greg while he went out to get some other things. As soon as he closed the door, Greg woke up confused.


    The boy looked around confused, felt his the wetness on his pants, looked down, saw all his hair on the ground, felt his mohawk, touched his face in surprise, felt something on his hand and finally noticed he had paint all over his face. He saw Riwall there and threw him an accusatory glance. Before he could say anything, the door opened, and an old man with a gentle face walked in.


    "Hello my new students, my name is Hobb Farsteel, and I will be your BY THE GODS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU??"


    Greg got red all over his face, at least the parts that could be seen, before excusing himself and running to the baths to clean himself.


    {We have been tricked, we have been backstabbed, and we have been quite possibly, bamboozled.}


    Riwall was not mad, just amazed.


    [He is good, I will give him that.]


    Hobb was laughing out loud by now. Riwall could not help but laugh too.


    "You are good, Master Hobb." He said amidst his laughs. "But you know Greg will take at least an hour before coming back. IF he comes back."


    After laughing for a few more seconds, he got a hold of himself.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Worry not; this class was only for us to get to know each other. I needed to test each of you before starting our lessons. I specialize in the crafting of magic bows and arrows. You have no idea how much mind resilience is required to keep your focus in this craft. This statement holds true to all crafts, but is even more important when you are woodworking."


    "And why is that?" Neither Theodas, the smithing master, nor Hector gave any warning to Riwall on this matter.


    "Because the wood we work with was once part of a living being that developed small tricks to survive in the woods. Some trees develop hypnotizing charms, others a repulsive aura, and some create an illusion field around itself. Both lumberjacks and woodworkers need to be mentally resilient to resist these powers. The older the tree, the stronger their defense mechanism will be. The act of striking the wood is enough to activate these effects, regardless if the tree is alive or not."


    "That is very impressive! I had never heard about it before."


    "You only get to experience these things when you get to work on expensive wood, it takes a very skilled lumberjack to down an old tree, and even our family have just half a dozen in our ranks."


    Hobb continued.


    "Go do our things, you are dismissed for today. I will explain these things to Greg when he comes back. Have a nice day!" Before Riwall could even thank him for the lesson, Hobb was already working in a wood bracelet and ignoring his student.


    {I still have a couple of hours before the next training, I will go back to the room and read Theoda''s books.}


    <hr>


    In just one hour, Riwall and Friday had already compiled new books on crafting pathways and ores.


    {So, do you think you can improve on these designs? They are excessively straightforward, in my opinion. Look at this one meant to make a blade sharper; it''s literally only one patch running over the length of it!}


    [I have been running simulations of each of them, and they are indeed too amateur. The mana efficiency is abysmal, and the desired effect is many times weaker than it should be.]


    {So? Can you improve them or not?}


    [Easy peasy. But to make use of my designs you really need to improve your finesse. The mana output relies too much on intent, and I can''t influence your brain to help you because it''s too invasive, my protocols won''t allow me.]


    {Nah, don''t worry, you keep working on these designs and simulations to help me train my crafting skills. I will deal with the mana-maze.}


    <hr>


    Just as he was getting ready for combat training, Greg came back to the room, and he was still sporting the mohawk Hobb gave him. He looked directly into Riwall''s eyes and beamed him a mischievous smile. That, combined with his mohawk, scared him a little.


    "Hey man, how are you? You know I was not the one that pranked you, right? That old man is shameless; he planned it all to put the blame on me."


    "He told me you would say that. You got me well this time, but revenge is a dish best served cold. Keep your guard up, will you?" Greg winked and went on to change to his combat training attire.


    {I should not have let him stay alone with the old imp. Greg can hold a grudge, and he is very patient. Whatever he is cooking up for me, I know for a fact it won''t be funny.}


    <hr>


    A few hours later, it was time for Riwall''s enchanting class. The new building was placed close to the magic training court where Hector ministered his lessons and training.


    The place was evenly divided into three rooms. One had two large drawing tables and was fully stocked with high-quality parchments, bottles of ink of different colors, and quill pens of various sizes.


    The farthest room was full of racks meant for storing the drawings, while the last one was similar to a magic training court. Riwall theorized it was the place where they would test the final products.


    There was a woman hunched over one of the drawing tables. Her hands were moving all over the place as she was making some kind of complex geometrical drawing. Every now and then she would change the quill pen or the ink bottle, but Riwall could not make any sense of why she was doing things this way.


    He did not want to bother the focused woman, so he just waited by the door and watched her. After a few minutes, she stopped drawing, using one of her sleeves to wipe some sweat on her forehead. She looked over to the stranger by the door and locked eyes with Riwall. He froze.


    {I will be dammed, she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen!}


    The woman had a very fair triangular face, which reminded Riwall of his mother, a pitch-black long, wavy hair parted to the side, her nose was small and elegant, her skin was very fair, and her eyes were of a bright purple that he did not know humans could have.


    "Nice to meet you! You must be my new student, Riwall Madec, right? My name is Lilacoris Farsteel, but you can call me Master Lila" She did a slight bow by the end of her introduction.


    He remained with his mouth opened and with a dumb look staring at her. It took a few awkward seconds for him to control himself.


    "So... Sorry! My name is Riwall Madec, nice to meet you, Master Lila! I promise you I will work hard. You will not regret taking me as your student!" He rushed through all his introduction, making Lila giggle before getting to her lessons.


    "I checked your schedule and see that you have already met Theodas and Hobb. Theodas is a gentle but very demanding smith, if you are not up to his expectations, soon he will go back to the family land and send one of his apprentices to be your teacher. As for Hobb, trust him only on matters regarding woodworking, don''t grow comfortable around him, he is a master of both woodworking and pranking."


    "Yeah, Robb pulled a prank on a friend of mine and put the blame on me."


    "That is him alright. You will all get over it in no time, and his pranks always seem to be designed to provoke a reaction to help the victim fixing a bad behavior or habit. He can read people like few."


    She beckoned him over to one of the design tables where a parchment, some bottles of ink and a quill pen waited for him.


    "I want to see the depth of your <Drawing> skill, draw anything you want, as long as it is not something simple like a fruit or a chair. I am not interested in your technique yet, only on the results you can achieve. I will be finishing my work right over there, call me when you are done."


    "Will do!" He gave her a mocking salute making her chuckle all the way over to her table.


    Riwall did not even have to think too much. He already knew what he wanted to draw. Friday did not share his opinion but helped him to the best of her capacity.


    ---------------------------


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Level Up--


    -Arts Branch - Level 8-> 10


    --Skill Levell Up--


    <Drawing> - Level 42 -> 50


    -------------------------


    {It took me almost an hour, but I think this is my best work to date, I even capped my skill in one go!}


    Friday thought something was wrong but could not detect anything different in the picture.


    He called his master, and she came over to check her student''s work.


    <hr>


    Lila was almost done with her work when her student called.


    ''Done already? I asked him to show me the full extent of his skills, and he thinks only one hour is enough?''


    ''I may have been too trusting when reading Eleanor''s reports. According to her, this boy has unbelievable potential, so much that she threatened to leave her post as a Commander of the Marsastor family if her father did not send their best crafters to teach him.''


    She was getting closer to Riwall''s table while the boy had a bright smile stamped on his face.


    ''I will have to make up an excuse to stop teaching him. Maybe I can try reasoning with Edward, although he is as fond of the kid as his sister. Hmm, maybe Hector will do som...''


    Her train of thought derailed when her eyes landed upon his drawing.


    <hr>


    Riwall was looking expectantly to his master. The truth is, he knew some things about her. Edward loved to tell stories about the Farsteel family, but it was always about the combat-oriented personnel.


    There was only one crafter who he ever shared a story about. An enchanter who received a title that all adventurers can only dream of getting: The Dragon-Slayer Lilacoris

 The Dragon-Slayer [Reworked]

    Lilacoris was wearing her fully-enchanted spellsword armor, slashes and torn pieces were a testament to the might power yielded by her enemy, her left hand was raised and glowing white as she was casting the strongest light spell she knew. On her right hand, a sword so beautiful that put most treasures from the royal treasury to shame was in flames.


    Behind her, two of her companions were severely injured, a trail of dirt and blood made it clear that they managed to drag their bodies from afar to reach each other''s hand, their expressions as they locked eyes sent a clear message: not even death will take us apart.


    In front of Lilacoris, one of the strongest dragons to have ever made a nest on the Yelling Mountain Range, Benir, The Black Death. A 30-meter tall black dragon, his wings spread wide open, absorbing all the light and color from the place. Benir had his mouth wide open, charging his most potent attack to face Lilacoris'' head-on, it never thought that a measly human would ever be able to contend with him. His whole demeanor gave the impression he was enjoying it, maybe even laughing. Pride goes before the fall after all.


    Silent tears rolled down her face, but she was still smiling. Her hand moved on its own accord and gently touched her companion''s drawing. As the memories surfaced, the smile receded. The tears were no longer full of nostalgy and love, but hate.


    On that fateful day fifteen years ago, she lost those she loved the most.


    <hr>


    15 years ago:


    They did not travel to hunt a dragon. It was supposed to be just another job about reducing the number of monsters close to the roads. How would they know that the Dragon Benir would show himself there?


    The first of theirs group to die was her partner in combat and life, Lukas. He and Lilacoris had just married.


    He died while trying to tie Benir down for long enough for his companions to run. The Black Death, as people called Benir, ate him whole in one bite and laughed loud enough for the three others to hear him.


    The woman was her sister. She cast hasting spells on Lila and the man, followed by a potent wind spell that sent them flying away from the monster. She tried casting the same spell on herself to push herself away, but the Black Death was faster and did not let her take another step; he impaled Lila''s sister with his claw and threw her body in their direction. He laughed loudly once more.


    The last man alive was her childhood friend and brother in law. He snapped after his wife was hurt and rushed to attack Benir head-on with his combat daggers. With a swing of his claws, Benir cut off both of his legs; the attack was just too fast for him to dodge. The more the men screamed, the louder Benir laughed.


    Lila felt despair and anger fighting for the control of her body. The latter won.


    She burned her mana and pushed her core to the limit; the enchantments on her armor glowed from being overcharged while her sword resonated with her feelings, enveloping itself in flames.


    She rushed to Banir so fast that sound explosions woke the whole forest. Each time her feet touched the ground, it would push against it with so much strength that made the entire area shake, speeding her even more.


    Her sword touched Benir¡¯s chest faster than he could react, spilling blood all over her. It was not the end though; cuts were appearing all over the dragon''s body as he did all he could to distance himself from her and take to the skies.


    Benir eventually landed a lucky hit with the back of his paw, sending her tumbling for a hundred meters, only for her to jump back to her feet and resume the suicidal rush.


    Meanwhile, the couple were still breathing and painfully dragged themselves toward each other to share one last smile, to say one final goodbye.


    The Black Death noticed the survivors and saw the perfect chance for forcing his opponent to sacrifice herself. He jumped back with all his mighty while spreading his wings. Lila too had noticed her companions and saw how Benir looked at them.


    The Dragon started charging his strongest attack, drawing so much mana from the area that the colors around him became somewhat dull. Lila did not even hesitate to take a final stand and protect her family; she forcefully pushed every spec left of her mana to power a beam of light, her strongest spell, finally breaking her already damaged mana core.


    The couple knew Lila would not make it; they exchanged a knowing and affectionate last look.


    Lila raised her left palm to release her spell at the exact same time Banir released his breath of death.


    A fraction of a second before the two powerful spells met each other; two new mana cores entered Lila¡¯s body. Her sister and childhood friend had used a spell called |A Will of Love| to gift their mana cores to her. There was no guarantee that it would not damage her body in the future, but at that moment, the burst of mana coursing through her body was enough to make her spell rival a dragon¡¯s one.


    Two beams, one as black as the deepest abyss, the other as white as fresh snow, collided. The resulting explosion was so loud and so big that villages many kilometers away saw it a full minute before being hit by the following blast wave.


    Lila opened her eyes and saw the dragon with a massive hole in his chest. By her right, a vast crater, the beam missed her by just a couple of meters.


    (We won!) Lila thought.


    She turned to look at her family, and they were smiling at her, but their souls had already left this world. They succumbed from their injuries and the sudden loss of their own mana cores.


    Benir laughed weakly. He had but few seconds before passing away.


    "In the end." He said. "I won."


    The lifeless body of the dragon collapsed to the ground at the same moment that Lila felt her will to live shatter. She embraced unconsciousness while wishing to never wake up from it again.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Riwall opened his eyes at the same time Lila did. Both had fallen into a trance and relieved her memories of that day.


    He felt something on his cheek and touched it. Tears, he was crying. He felt Lila''s pain throughout the event, and his chest was hurting too much because of it. It was the first time in this life that he was grieving; the death of Lila''s family felt too real to him and he did not know how to deal with these feelings.


    Confused, he looked at his master.


    She was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees and crying her heart out. The pain in his chest spiked, he instinctively moved closer to her and gave her a strong and tender hug.


    The mighty warrior who faced The Black Death and won, died that day. The woman in front of Riwall was just an empty husk of the mighty warrior he just saw.


    They stayed in the same position for almost one hour. Lila eventually stopped sobbing, and both of them silently went to sit on chairs facing each other.


    None of them wanted to break the silence, but when it was about to get awkward, Riwall did it.


    "I''m sorry, so, so sorry.¡± He felt apologetic and tried his best to put his feelings into words.


    ¡°I did not mean for this to happen. I just wanted to draw the warrior of the story Master Edward told me. And then I decided to try putting some mana into it and I just..." He was already crying again.


    "Stop! Just stop for a second!" She snapped at him. She was having a hard time making sense of things.


    Lila reached for one of her pockets, took a small gemstone from it and poured some mana. The stone briefly shone, before becoming dull again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    After no more than two minutes someone bashed on the door with so much strength that almost broke the lock and the hinges. Lila calmly opened it, revealing the haggard figures of Edward and Hector.


    Both of them entered the room in high alert, Edward had his daggers drawn, and Hector''s hands were glowing dangerously.


    "Hey! Put away those daggers! You almost stabbed me!¡± Edward rushed inside so fast that he almost hit her with one of his daggers. At first she got angry, but soon realized how she had just activated a distress signal.


    ¡°We just need to talk, it''s kind of urgent." She was very apologetic about the whole incident.


    ¡°Shit, Lila! You sent a distress call over a talk?! Do you know how..." Edward snapped at her, but when he saw her face full of dried tears, he knew something serious had happened.


    Hector had already let go of the readied spells and made sure to lock the door and protect the room from eavesdroppers.


    They settled in the room with the picture Riwall draw and Lila showed it to them. Both Hector and Edward gasped at his work. It was too beautiful for something drawn using a few quill pens and half a dozen inks of different colors.


    Lila pointed to it and said.


    "Touch and pour your mana into it." Hector furrowed his brows at that, but did not object.


    They did as she commanded. Just like Riwall and Lila before, both fell down to the floor. Their expressions reflected the rollercoaster of emotions of her battle.


    The whole thing took almost two hours; they relieved the unabridged version of the battle after all.


    When it ended, both of them cried silently. Hector was someone who had lived for over one hundred years, but he had never felt as much pain as he just did while reliving her memories.


    Edward had an empty look, tears rolled down his face, and he made no effort to stop them. Riwall felt that something was not right with Edward¡¯s reaction, his reflection about it was cut short by Hector.


    "So, it''s like that¡­" Hector mysteriously commented.


    "What do you mean ''like that''?" Riwall had to ask.


    "Huh? Oh, I forgot that you don¡¯t know the whole story.¡± Hector looked at Lila, as if asking her if it was ok for him to tell Riwall what happened. He only continued after she gave an affirmative nod.


    ¡°Lady Lila had lost her memories from that day. A few hours after she passed out, adventurers from the closest village arrived at the scene, it took her a few months to wake up, and when she did, she could not remember anything about that day." Hector¡¯s dropped shoulders were a testament to how he felt about the whole ordeal.


    Lila noticed it and told her own accounting of what happened after she was rescued.


    "I have been trying to know how my family died for the last fifteen years. Do you know what''s like to wake up one day and learn that everyone you loved has died? And that for some reason you are a hero?" Her eyes got red as if she was going to start crying again, she bit her lower lip before continuing.


    "I always knew that there was something wrong about me having two mana cores when I used to have only one, but the others insisted that it was a blessing from the gods, that I got it from a higher force to stand up and face the Black Death alone.¡± A tender look began forming on her face.


    ¡°These two cores always made me feel so comfortable, now I know why." She looked fondly at her abdomen where the two cores were and basked in the feeling of love spreading through her body.


    "Riwall, you gave the one thing I desired the most since that day. You gave me closure." She bowed deeply to him, and when she got up, she had a broad smile on her face.


    Lila jumped forward and hugged her student before he could think of something to say.


    The tactless elf coughed and broke the sweet atmosphere, he kept replaying the battle in his mind while Lila was thanking Riwall and finally noticed an anomaly that. When he saw her hugging his student, he felt they were getting sidetracked and intervened.


    "You called us here for another reason, right Lila?" The anomaly he noticed made his sadness turn into anger, and he could barely keep it from showing on his face.


    Edward still had the same empty look on his face, as if he was oblivious to what was happening around him.


    "Riwall, about Lila''s lover¡­ His name was Lukas Farsteel, he was Edward''s and Eleanor''s older brother.¡± Riwall eyes widened and he was about to say his condolences to his master when Hector raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°But Edward is not reacting this way because he saw his brother''s death. Try replaying his death in your head." Hector was trying but failing to hide his shaking hands at this point.


    Friday felt Riwall¡¯s confusion and spoke.


    [I was waiting for this emotional stuff to blow over before showing it to you. Close your eyes.]


    He did as commanded and found himself watching the events unfold through Lila''s eyes again.


    <hr>


    Lila¡¯s group was walking around the area, killing some mutant plants and a few other weak monsters. There was a lot of banter and they were very relaxed, they knew that nothing in this area was strong enough to hurt them.


    <hr>


    {So far nothing suspicious Friday, care to fast forward a little?}


    [Just pay attention to Lukas'' body language.]


    The first time he was in the memory, he had no control over his emotions. During the whole thing, he felt as if he and Lila were one and the same; her feelings and thoughts made him unable to objectively watch the transpired events. Now, he was not affected by her perspective.


    After Friday''s observation, Riwall noticed how Lukas was somewhat tense; he barely interacted with anyone or reacted when Lila tried kissed him.


    Riwall knew that Lila found Lukas¡¯ behavior strange too, but as he was the oldest of them, being 32-year-old while Lila was the youngest, a 20-year-old at the time, she thought he was just keeping his guard up to compensate for the others¡¯ negligence with their safety.


    As the group chatted while walking on the road, Lukas increased his pace and widened his distance.


    The dragon showed up right when he was too far to get any kind of help from the others. Lukas shouted for them to run and Lila hesitated long enough to watch the scene of Benir''s mouth snapping shut after enveloping Lukas'' body.


    Friday noticed that her host failed to see what happened, so she replayed it in slow motion, highlighting a few key moments by further slowing down the scene.


    Lukas shouts for them to run; Lila hesitates and keeps looking; Benir''s mouth descends upon Lukas; he closes his mouth; Benir laughs and then looks at her.


    Riwall finally noticed the anomaly.


    {Wait, what the hell?}


    [Took you long enough. What Lila saw at the time, but not notice, was that Lukas¡¯ death was an illusion.] Friday began detailing the conclusion of her analysis, corroborating each of her observations by replaying the important scenes for Riwall to watch.


    [First, observe Lukas'' feet are not inside Benir''s mouth when the dragon snapped it shut. In this case, there should be the two amputated foot lying on the ground, yet, they are not there. The feet mysteriously disappears.] She played it again and zoomed at that moment.


    [Second, when Benir laughs, he slight opens his mouth. No blood, no armor scrap, nothing. Lukas was wearing an enchanted heavy armor, how can there be absolutely nothing left?] Again, she zoomed at the right time.


    [Third, while he is laughing and Lila was completely shocked and focused on him, look at the far right corner of her view.] A shadow, barely noticeable, moves from one tree to the other.


    [Fourth, Lila thought that her sister failed to cast a spell to distance herself before Benir impaled her, but that was not the case at all.] A zoomed view of her hand showed the spell leaving her palm, only for it to scatter in the air and Benir''s claw to impale her. Riwall immediately recognized this phenomenon from his classes with Hector, it meant the spell¡¯s physical manifestation was nullified. It was related to the Entropy/Negentropy concepts, so the elf did not elaborate much on this subject.


    [Fifth, her childhood friend''s failed to dodge a discernible and slow attack. He is a harasser, dodging is what he can do better, he should have no trouble dodging it. Look closely at his feet.] Benir attacked in a very wide arc, the man bent his legs to jump, but his feet did not leave the ground when he extended his legs. The claw amputated his limbs, but they took a second longer than they should before tilting to the side and falling as if the soles of his feet were glued to the ground.


    [Sixth, during the frenetic fight at close range between Lila and Benir, his eyes keep darting in some random directions, as if searching for something or monitoring someone.] She replayed some key scenes, and it was all true.


    [Seventh, his beam attack was not diverted because of a stroke of luck. He missed on purpose.] The scene repeated in slow motion, Benir slightly turned his head to the side, changing his attack''s trajectory on purpose.


    [Eighth, look at his eyes.]


    <hr>


    "In the end."


    His eyes were not looking at Lila anymore. He was looking at something or someone that was behind her and to her left side.


    "I won."


    <hr>


    [Nineth and last reason, before he said his last words, Lila rotates clockwise to look at the damage Benir''s attack did] The scene repeats itself, and Riwall notices some drips of blood a few meters away from her, right at the edge of the crater created by Benir¡¯s beam.


    [Lukas, or an accomplice, knew that Benir would not kill Lila, someone needed to survive to tell the tale of his demise after all. Not only the safest spot was close to her, but he also knew Benir would have to redirect his attack or risk killing the only witness left. By hiding behind Lila, this person could move in to finish her sister and her friend in case they somehow survive. Benir noticed it and managed to injure this person, who then moved to Lila¡¯s left side and probably escaped the scene by going in that direction.]


    {But why would Benir betray them right at that time?}


    [He had been betraying them since the start, all his actions exposed Lukas somehow. He could have killed Lila''s sister and friend in one attack, but he chose not to. The other person even had to intervene to guarantee their deaths. Otherwise, both of them would have survived.]


    [Think about it, what caused Lila''s sister to be impaled? What made Lila''s friend fail to dodge? He always positioned himself in ways that made some clue show up in Lila''s field of vision.]


    {But why did Benir let himself die in the end?}


    [How else could he escape from the consequences of breaking a life oath?]

 What. Is. The. System?

    "So, Riwall, what did you notice?" Hector asked after the boy opened his eyes.


    Riwall went on in his explanation. Friday was really a cheat. He would have never noticed half of those things if not for her.


    The three listened silently; Hector even ripped a piece of parchment to make notes. Riwall''s descriptions of the scenes were terrifyingly precise, each of them had noticed one or two anomalies immediately, but the boy had noticed nine.


    As soon as he finished the last one, the three spent some minutes making sure they remembered all the moments they needed to pay special attention, and then dived back into the memory.


    Two hours later, they woke up with feelings much different than their first experience.


    Edward was livid, barely able to control his anger as his hands were trembling and his mana leaked from all over his body.


    Lila''s retirement was clearly over. As soon as she woke up, she excused herself and went to a desk to work on what she called ''a very personal project'', before leaving, she promised to teach him enchanting to the best of her abilities from now onward.


    Hector was the scariest of them all. While on the Guild, he acted as a stoic, dignified master; when teaching magic, he acted as an overenthusiastic teacher, which was how he truly felt. But now? He was walking as a God, the space distorted around him as if trying to avoid him; his posture was that of a mighty commander. He managed to look scarier than Eleanor ever did on her bad days.


    Riwall quietly escaped to his room; he would have only one hour of sleep before Eleanor''s training in the morning.


    <hr>


    The next morning, Eleanor sent a proxy to oversee her training session, which was not unusual, as she still had her responsibilities as the Commander of the Marsastor''s Army.


    After the last class of the day, Hector asked for Anna and Gregory to go back to their room and for Riwall to accompany him.


    As they entered the enchanting room, a furious Eleanor was taking deep breaths trying to control her emotions.


    Hector asked for Riwall to describe to Eleanor the anomalies he found. She listened to all of it intently before diving back into the memory to check it herself.


    Lila called him in a very courteous and calm way.


    "Riwall, come here, while she is revisiting my memory, I want to teach you some enchanting."


    He sat by her side in the drawing table, waiting for further instructions.


    "I won''t follow a standard teaching method with you. I discussed the matter with Hector, and he agreed that you deserve to have your training rhythm speeded up a little." He just nodded, doing his best to control his jubilation.


    {Finally the recognition I deserved!}


    "He told me about your knack for reading complex books as if they are child stories. So I will bring here everything I have on the subject, it will take some time to do so, I don''t want to raise any flag back at the manor, but we will manage it. I expect you to read at least 20 books between our classes." He just nodded, doing his best to control Friday''s jubilation.


    [Finally the recognition I deserved!]


    "For now, I will give you a very basic explanation about enchanting. You already know the three steps methods. You have seen it in spell casting, smithing, and woodworking. The intention, the information, and the mana."


    He nodded.


    "Tell me, what does an enchantment do?"


    The question took him by surprise, but Friday got his back.


    "It''s an autonomous spell; you create rules, explain the effect, and give it means for absorbing mana from the ambient. Then the desired effect will manifest when the conditions you have set are triggered."


    "Congratulations! Y..." He interrupted her.


    "Thank you!"


    But she ignored him and continued.


    "As I was saying, Congratulations! You got it all wrong!"


    {What?}


    [What?]


    Even Friday was confused.


    "What you just described is a glyph rune, a rustic use of enchantments. Enchantment is the art of cheating the System!"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Glyphs, wards, formations, curses and blesses are all branches of the enchanting tree! I will teach you about them in the future. For now, I need you to understand the principle that regulates how enchanting works."


    "I don''t get it." If even Friday was having a hard time, how would he fare any better?


    "You still think the System is completely natural right? Like a truth that we cannot change?" She did not even imagine that Riwall knew for a fact that the System was not something natural.


    "Maybe." He played it safe.


    "The System is not just a set of immutable rules. It is always adapting to new circumstances, every now and then someone reports the appearance of a new skill or an item that has a never-seen-before special effect. So, what do we do now that we know it is something malleable? We shape it to our liking!" She was extremely excited as she spoke.


    He was still confused, and it showed in his expression.


    {Friday, what does she mean about shaping the System? Wouldn''t you have already noticed this possibility?}


    Riwall felt emotions of embarrassment coming from Friday before she began speaking in his mind.


    <hr>


    [I never approached the System with this mindset before. For me, it was just a piece of code that I would one day be able to crack open and make changes, even if none of my tests yielded any result, I persisted. This stubbornness of mine has cost us years of potential development.]


    AIs were not infallible things; the access to emotions made them just as prone to make judgment mistakes as humans. Friday felt sure she knew how the System worked, it was not a feeling born out of logic, as you would expect of an AI, but of emotion.


    A purely rational AI would have wasted decades running tests until it was 100% positive of how the System worked, which was not something desirable to Riwall, this indecisiveness was the whole reason for the advent of Project Eve, which led to Friday''s creation. The emotion connection she shared with her host allowed her to push forward with her job of helping him, despite not being sure of anything.


    {Don''t stress over it Friday, all these years you had to commit to one interpretation of how things worked, otherwise we would not be able to move forward as we did. I too presumed that our take on the System was right. We will do better in the future. Together.}


    How could Riwall bash his AI after all these years where she got everything right and helped him?


    [We will do better.] She promised both Riwall and herself.


    <hr>


    With a new take on this matter, new questions appeared.


    "How do we shape the System to our liking then? Does mana have any influence over it? I mean, doesn''t the use of mana triggers a response from the System in the form of a skill?" He pondered out loud.


    "That may be one way of shaping it, but in this example of yours the mana target was not the System itself; it was just the case that it was looking at the mana and decided to recognize it and grant a skill. Tell me, what is the System? What is it made of? Is it a higher form of mana? Is it a manifestation of the will of the gods? Is it a life form that governs everything?"


    "Hmm, I honestly have no idea." There was no point in trying to come up with some smart comment to look more intelligent. He was better off by just accepting her teachings and letting go of his pride.


    Lila let him work the answer himself. Riwall and Friday were each trying to think of something on their own, but could not reach any conclusion in such a short time. To further hinder Friday''s progress, she did not know how to deal with the frustration and regret she felt. Emotions did not come with a switch after all.


    What was supposed to be just another crafting class sent the duo in a contemplation about what they knew of this reality''s rules.


    "I know I''m pushing you a lot by demanding you to answer these things. To be honest, you will find only a handful of enchanters in all the Frostlands who get what we are discussing now." She said apologetically.


    "So we could be learning enchanting even without understanding the System?" He was surprised by what she said.


    "Of course you can, but the ones who push forward with weak foundations are bound to hit a limit that no effort will get them through. Do you think all mages waste years on mastering the three steps of casting before moving to more advanced magic like Light and Dark? Many of your age can easily kill you using spells that you have no way of countering."


    Once he heard about how he was defenseless against people of his age, he could not help but get angry.


    {I have been pushing so hard for so long for what then?! She is telling me some kids can kill me, and there is nothing I can do to prevent that?!}


    [Calm down, I''m just as frustrated as you, but she already told you why they are teaching you this way. They are making sure you will not end up creating insurmountable limits to your potential.]


    A light bulb went on in his head.


    "So, that''s why you all have not been letting me, Anna and Greg leave the barracks? You are protecting us from having contact with more advanced stuff before we have a solid understanding of the basics! So many things are making sense now!" He said it so loud that even Hector heard them from the other room, a smile formed on his face.


    Lila felt proud of her new student as he was starting to understand the world around him by himself. Among many reasons, their isolation from the outside world was the way they thought to be the best to drill habits and principles that would make them both powerful and responsible in the future.


    "You are right, and now that you know it, act accordingly. Curiosity is healthy to the mind, but if you let it cloud your judgment, you will pay the price. Once you leave these walls and venture the world, our actions will make more sense."


    {We barely caught a glimpse of the truth though. A lot of things still cannot be explained for the sole reason of not limiting our potential. What harm would there be in just walking around shops or eating in a restaurant once or twice?}


    [Your guess is as good as mine, but except for Joshua, only the Farsteels interacted with us. Even the soldiers we interacted with over the years seemed to be loyal to them.]


    {Hmm, maybe they are hiding us from the other families for some reason.}


    [If that''s the case, then we are nothing but pawns in a political game.]


    Lila noticed how this realization distracted him. She called him back to the more pressing matters.


    "Hey, focus on the question I asked you. I won''t be giving any more tips today. Hector reported how you lack magic finesse, and I happen to have a mana-maze here. Go sit anywhere and train it while pondering about what we discussed."


    Riwall just acquiesced and went on to train his magic finesse, while his mind was still trying to decipher what the System was.


    {Any ideas Friday?}


    [None, the concept seems to be just too abstract.]


    {We will get it eventually, don''t worry. For now, care to give me a hand?}


    [Sure.]


    <hr>


    He did not progress much in his training despite Friday''s help. His mind was still trying to understand what Lila was talking about. Luckily, Eleanor woke up and wanted to speak to the people present.


    "Thank you Riwall, both for your keen insights on the matter and the Immortal Memory you crafted."


    "Sorry, did you just call it Immortal Memory? I thought it was something new and unnamed."


    He had hoped in vain to have created something never seen in this world. Truth be told, people would rarely answer his questions, so he lacked a lot of common sense. There was simply too much he did not understand to keep bothering people day and night for answers.


    "Oh, sometimes I forget you are just a kid. What you created is a product of a high level in an Arts Branch skill combined with a strong resonance effect. Basically, you had such a strong intention of drawing Lila, the true Lila, that the System granted your wish. It is not my area of expertise; crafters are the ones you should talk about these things."


    Lila looked to Riwall and whispered:


    "What. Is. The. System?"


    {I will lose the entire night of sleep worrying about this question.}


    Cough. "Attention, please. I will be consulting with my father about this, it is his son, and there is some hidden agenda surrounding this incident. Lila, your loss of memory after the battle worries me now, at first we thought it was because of the traumatic experience you went through, but Benir may have forced their hand by saying those last words. The person that escaped could very well have arranged for someone to erase your memory during your recovery. For now, Riwall, and Lila, your orders are to pretend nothing happened while doubling down on your efforts to get better and stronger. Stand by for further instructions in the future. Dismissed."


    After saying her piece, Eleanor put the drawing in a bag and left to the manor. She needed to talk urgently to her dad about Lukas'' betrayal.


    <hr>


    Riwall went back to his room and straight to bed. He lost a few more hours trying to decipher the System question to no avail. Friday had to intervene and help his body relax and drift to sleep.

 The Answer!

    Riwall woke up the next day to find Greg and Anna looking expectantly to him.


    "Why are you two looking at me like that?" He asked.


    "Why? Don''t think we haven''t noticed how late you come back some nights and how our masters keep calling you for private meetings! We want in on whatever is happening! Or else." Anna said while looking menacingly at him and pulling her sleeves up. He learned the worse way that she would back her words with action without a second thought.


    "Yeah, what she said!" Greg, on the other hand, was not cut for intimidation. She was not even speaking to him, and he already had a scared look on his face.


    "C''mon guys! You know I can''t talk about it! I never pester you about your private classes. I don''t see why I need to talk about mine."


    {A weak argument, but it should get them out of my back.}


    Surprisingly, it was Greg that insisted on this interrogation.


    "That''s not fair, and you know it, Mad! You are our friend, and the three of us have been living together for the last two years. We can always tell when something is bothering you."


    They gave him the ridiculous nickname of ''Mad'' after Edward called him a ''f~cking madman'' in one of their party combat training. On that particular day, he was fighting using a halberd, and as his hands were holding a weapon twice his size, he began casting offensive spells with his eyes and his mouth without stopping shouting orders for his party now and then. As his surname is Madec, it was a fitting nickname.


    "Tell me then, how do you know when I am bothered by something?" He raised an eyebrow to Greg''s certainty about his state of mind.


    Anna answered before Greg.


    "That''s easy! Look at yourself!" She said happily while pointing to him.


    {Shit, I slept with my dirty clothes again.}


    "That''s your best, Anna? It just means I was distracted, nothing more." He came up with another weak rebuttal. He was finding this whole situation pretty funny.


    Anna was getting ready and seemed ready to jump at him at any moment. Greg decided to try using words before letting the two fight each other.


    "Anna just pointed at the most blatant sign, but there are many others. Your posture gets a little hunched while walking; you stop trying to teach us new things; your fighting style during training gets a lot more defensive; you stop writing books or drawing in your spare time, and you keep rubbing your chin all the time. Like you are doing this very moment."


    [He is right, this kid is good! I never noticed how observant he was.]


    "Ok, you got me, I am bothered by a few things. Some I can''t tell you about because Master Eleanor ordered me not too."


    He proceeded to share with them about the hard time he was having with the finesse of his magic, and he even showed them the mana-maze that Theodas lent him. Anna was mesmerized and began trying it herself. He then told them about the importance their masters put on their foundations and how they were still weaker than many of their age. Finally, he shared with them the question Lila asked, Greg loved these questions and sat on his bed to ponder about it.


    They got satisfied with his explanation and did not annoy him after that. He went to take a bath and change into clean clothes. A few minutes later, he came back to the room to find Anna looking to the mana-maze while pouting cutely.


    "What got into you, Anna? I can''t complete this maze too, it''s no big deal, although it is very annoying."


    "I don''t understand, why can''t I just make my mana go directly to the center?" She was still pouting.


    {It''s so cute! If I didn''t know that she would rip my arm off, I would be petting her right now.}


    "Of course you can''t go directly to the center. The pathway is meant to be followed."


    "I know that, but why can''t I just force my way to the center? It is stupid to take all these turns if the goal is right there!"


    "Wait, you mean directly infusing your mana in the center? Without following the pathway?"


    "Yes! I tried it, but it just won''t work. My mana just bounces and dissipates without getting a hold."


    "Here, let me try."


    Riwall focused on the mana-maze and tried to manifest his mana directly inside the center, but it bounced off just as Anna described. He then tried to break through the walls of the maze and force his mana to reach the center; he felt the maze walls resisting his mana and dissipating it at a steady pace, he increased his output a little and felt the tool in his hand getting hotter.


    Curious about the heat, he opened the back of the tool and found the enchantment inscribed directly in the wood. He touched it and felt nothing; it was cold.


    He started channeling mana in the maze and probing the walls again, but this time he was looking directly into the enchantment. The moment his mana touched the walls and began dissipating, the inscription started emitting a faint glow. As he increased the mana output, so did the glow gets brighter and emit some heat. He felt something else as well. He could not put his finger into it, but knew that he had felt it before.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    <hr>


    {Can you feel it too Friday? When did I get this feeling before?}


    [Yes, it''s a feeling that is similar to what you felt back in the Guild when you put your mana in the Muller''s Tablet.]


    He and Friday both gasped at the same time.


    {This! Friday, explain to me, how did you manage to intercept the System''s imprint of knowledge when I raised some skill levels?}


    [It''s hard to put it in words. Since I merged with it back when you were born, it''s like every information that goes to you is in a binary form, I can clearly see it. That''s one of the reasons I was so sure the System was a piece of code.]


    {Did you try to send something to it to see if you got any response?}


    [I thought about communicating with it but found no way of doing so. It''s not like we have an antenna that can broadcast what I want to the System.]


    {Wait a minute, the simulations! The System could read my progress even while inside a simulation and increase my attributes accordingly. Did you notice anything different while I was inside them?}


    [No, they ran its course and by the end, I would...]


    She suddenly stopped talking, worrying Riwall for a second.


    {Friday? You there? Are you ok?}


    [THATS IT!]


    {What? You figured it out?}


    [It''s so obvious! So simple! Temelth told us the answer a decade ago, and we ignored it!]


    {Calm down and explain it slowly to me.}


    [The System is a byproduct of another form of energy, not matter, nor aether, something much more powerful and sophisticated.]


    {Are you telling me that the System is something akin to a soul? As in a soul is a byproduct of aether?}


    [Exactly! The System seems to be the embodiment of rationality itself, a byproduct of something higher. Whatever it touches, it tries to make sense of it with numbers and names.]


    {And what if it can''t make sense of something?}


    [Then it reforms itself in a way to make it possible! Lila called it malleable, remember? When you are left alone and raise a skill level, you get the knowledge directly into your brain. Not in a binary form, but in an organic one.]


    [However, if I am actively interacting with you, then the information is transmitted in the form of a piece of code, which I translate and imprint in your brain.]


    {That''s it? The System is an embodiment of rationality? Then how can Lila say that enchantments cheat it?}


    [The enchantments are most definitely not cheating the System at all, her misconception comes from the fact that the drawings they do seem to force the System to behave in opposition to its core functions.]


    {I am not following.}


    [Think about the System as a computer. You can make incredible things inside of it, and provided you have an excellent OS; it can be adapted to accommodate any change you make.]


    {So the System is a computer, and we are some programs running on it?}


    [More like it is a computer and we are AIs inside of it. As long as we know the code language that it speaks, we can make changes up to a limit.]


    {Doesn''t that means that we are in a simulation?}


    [Don''t take this analogy at face value, Temelth herself said that the System intruded this reality. So, everything we are now, precedes it, not the other way around.]


    {Please tell me you can crack this language.}


    [Unfortunately, it''s not that simple. A good start would be reading Lila''s books on enchanting. By crossreferencing shapes with the effects they cause to the System, maybe I can make a manual or something like that. I can''t be sure until I try.]


    <hr>


    Riwall suddenly jumped to his feet and kissed Anna''s cheek.


    "THANK YOU! I owe you one!" It was thanks to her childish approach to the mana-maze that led him to investigate the enchantment behind the tool.


    "What? What did I do?" She was as red as her hair at this moment. He found her to be even cuter.


    "You, Anna, are a genius! Please never change!" He then squeezed her cheeks like he always wanted to do. Before her embarrassment turned into rage, he made his escape to see if he could find Lila on the Enchanting room.


    Greg saw all of it and burst out laughing. Riwall''s prediction proved to be accurate, for Greg''s laughs turned into screams of pain as soon as the fox-girl reverted back to her usual behavior.


    <hr>


    He knocked at the door. No one answered.


    He knocked harder. There were some rustle noises, but no one answered.


    He knocked even harder, and finally, he heard someone moving to answer the door.


    A very sleepy Lila answered the door. She had bags under her eyes, and her hair was messy and had some spilled ink on them.


    "Uh, yeah? What is it? Is it lunch already?"


    Her appearance worried him very much.


    "Master, it''s Riwall, are you ok? Did you pull an all-nighter?"


    "Riwall, what are you doing here? Today is my day off, and our class is only tomorrow."


    She started closing the door on his face, but he interrupted her.


    "Wait, Master, please! I found the answer to your question!"


    "My question?" She was still disoriented from her interrupted sleep and could not understand what he was on about.


    "The System! You asked me what it was. I think I get it! Can we talk a little bit? I still have some time before Edward''s class." He was empathic enough to see that it would be better to discuss it later. But both he and Friday were too anxious to check what they discovered.


    She just kept staring at him, slowly digesting what he was saying. When she got it, her eyes snapped wide open, and she pulled him inside.


    "What do you mean ''you got it''? You were not supposed to figure things out for some time! It''s just like Hector warned that would happen!"


    "Huh? What does Master Hector have to do with anything?"


    "He said, and I''m quoting: ''If you ever imply that some piece of knowledge is important, the boy will shower you with questions for hours, this is his nature. Whatever you do, never, ever, plan your lessons with his failure in mind, he will surprise you and disrupt all your plans!''." She even made an impression of Hector. She nailed it so well that Riwall was mentally clapping for her.


    "Ha ha! Yeah, he did it twice actually." He felt proud of these two occasions, so he told her the stories.


    "The first time it happened was when he asked me to melt an adamantium coin using my fire magic. He had planned a whole month of classes to help me get my <Fire Magic Casting> up to the task, but I did it on the first try and in just a few seconds."


    She was never that much knowledgeable in combat magic, but she knew adamantium had one of the highest melting points, Theodas always complained when told to work with it in a project.


    "The second time, he asked me to do a tetracast demonstration, I didn''t know that he counted on me failing to teach me that there was a limit to how much differents intents and information streams a mind could handle. There was a six-month training program already planned to help me master the multitasking techniques necessary for a tetracast."


    She could not believe this second story.


    "A 10-year-old tetracasting? Nonsense." She said with apparent disdain in her tone. As with all the other masters, the reports they received on their students were limited to information regarded as essential to their specific classes. So she did not know about half of the impossible things the three kids pulled in the last two years.


    Riwall just smiled, opened his arms, and conjured four birds, one of each element, and they started circling around him. He even added some dust to the wind element one; otherwise, it would be invisible to the naked eye; this feat only made the display more impressive.


    He took a mental picture of her expression at this moment, promising himself to immortalize it in a drawing later.


    "So, Master, about the System."

 You Are Just a kid!

    Lila recomposed himself from the shock of seeing a perfect tetracast and started to treat things more seriously.


    "Sorry, Riwall, please, go on about what you were going to say."


    "After thinking a lot about it, I think I know what the System is."


    "Which is?"


    "Rationality. The System is a manifestation of rationality. It can both react to an action or provoke one. Nothing is out of the scope of rationality, so it adapts its behavior to accommodate new circumstances."


    Lila heard many people try defining something as abstract with so few words. Riwall''s was among the best she ever heard.


    "And where does enchanting fit in your theory?"


    "You called it cheating, but I think its an oversimplification. Enchanting is the art of turning the System''s rationality to your own benefit. Rationality relies on patterns, predictability. An enchantment makes use of the language of rationality to make the System react in the way you programmed it to do."


    Lila smiled at his brief yet precise explanation. She would use a few different words here and there, but the core of his understanding was more than enough to proceed in their teachings.


    "I gotta say, since I met you, there has been no shortage of excitement. You certainly lived up to the fanfare Eleanor made about you back at the manor ha ha ha!"


    He felt delighted whenever his masters praised him. None of them had a personality that would give praises without merits.


    "Follow me. I have some books that I want you to study before our next class."


    Riwall had to run back to his room while balancing over 30 books. If he opted for more than one trip, he would be late for Edward''s training. Since his hellish first training under Eleanor, he really missed living in a society with a Child Protective Service.


    <hr>


    His day progressed without incidents worthy of note. He even managed to get his first crafting skills on smithing and then woodworking, albeit only on the first level as both Theodas and Hobb did not let him craft anything on his own yet, only take part in a few steps while working as an assistant for them.


    As soon as he had some time alone with Lila''s books, he and Friday began their usual process of reading all of them and compiling a new one.


    Friday''s assumption that she would be able to start a compendium about enchanting was right. The books had a lot of incorrect and imprecise information about many things, but there was enough for her to start understanding the mysterious language that could manipulate the System to do their bidding.


    Its complexity was off the charts, even for Friday''s mighty processing power. For now, all she could do was come up with designs that could only provoke simple, yet powerful, effects. Most of them consisted of flat % increases in a chosen thing, like armor resistance, body reaction speed, mana efficiency, and a few others. They had already come up with some combinations to complement their fighting style but opted to do it only after checking things with Lila.


    The next day was the same thing, Eleanor training was as hard as ever, and the crafting classes were still theoretical. The only thing he was looking for was Lila''s class.


    "Hello, Master! You look stunning today!"


    That elicited only a light chuckle from Lila.


    "So young and already trying to charm his teachers? Hmm, I wonder what Eleanor would think of this behavior." She said while pensively rubbing her chin.


    The mere prospect of having to talk to Eleanor about something like that sent shivers down his spine.


    "No need for that Master, it was just an innocent compliment, no ulterior motives."


    "Ha ha, I''m just kidding. Now, time is of essence, did you read the books I told you to?"


    "Yes, and I also started a compendium on the subject."


    The compendium picked her interest. Hector seemed to love the books he came up with and even had some of them published under his name with Riwall''s authorization.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Master and student sat beside each other, and he began showing her what he learned.


    "... and this intersection here sets off a reaction that results in the rounding of a number to always be up, regardless if the fraction should be rounded down under normal circumstances." He concluded.


    She already knew about this phenomenon and its causes, but to see a 10-year-old learn about it alone was too shocking.


    Lila was no beginner on the subject. Although Riwall''s compendium was a great work, it was very far from perfect. At first glance, she saw dozens of mistakes that had already been noticed and rectified by enchanters of the past. He had no practical experience, so everything he wrote came from books meant for beginners.


    Riwall took no offense when she started to pinpoint every incorrect assumption or effect he wrote. Her remarks were followed by lengthy explanations that Friday would include in her next revisions of the compendium. It was a truly enlightening experience for Riwall and Friday.


    With all he was learning, he knew that few would be able to stop him if he played his cards right in the future.


    <hr>


    Things were progressing well on the kids'' life. Although they lived and trained together, they still kept hidden their own stats and skill levels. Not that they distrusted each other, but because there were only downsides in doing so. If one of them was captured or for some reason spilled the beans, their potential enemies could be better prepared to fight them. But as they lived and trained together, knowing each other stats and skills would add absolutely nothing to their synergy and strategies.


    As taught by their masters, the numbers were not an accurate representation of someone''s prowess. For example, Riwall had a capped <Archery> and <Edged Weapon Combat>, yet, Greg and Anna would wipe the floor with him in their respective fields. He soon accepted the truth that his strength lies in his adaptability, not in any specialty.


    Although they settled on the interpretation that the System was the epitome of rationality, it surely did not look like it in some aspects. Take the numbers representing attributes and skill levels, what good were they if someone with a lower skill level could still demonstrate higher prowess than someone with a much higher level?


    None of their masters answered this question, not even a random soldier that he approached and asked about it. But this experience was enlightening in its own way, for this seemingly innocent question led to several others that changed his perception of his surroundings.


    As they were kids, Riwall attributed others'' unwillingness in teaching them or giving a few tips as simply not caring for these children or being afraid of repercussions from their masters. What he found out instead, was that they were under strict orders or oaths to not interact with them above a certain level of friendliness.


    The soldier he randomly questioned was a new face around the barracks and happened to be on his way to his first briefing meeting. He was a kind and well-mannered fellow that told Riwall that it would be unwise for him to answer any question related to his skills, for this was the role of his masters. The follow up to this question is what shocked Riwall the most.


    "But why would it influence my training? I mean, are there any consequences if one learns something before a certain age?" Riwall asked after the man refused to tell him more about skill levels.


    "The consequences are not directly related to the System or anything of the sort. The problem is that knowing about it will change the student''s mentality and severely cripple his development speed. Nobles usually don''t care much about it and teach their kids everything as soon as they learn how to read and write, but they have the best resources, equipment, and teachers to make up for the loss."


    "So a noble will never realize its own potential?"


    "Oh, I said the exact opposite of that. A noble''s job is different from a commoner''s. They are meant to rule since their birth, their sole responsibility is to know more than the others and be able to guide them in the right direction. Their skills will be on the lower spectrum, true, but with the best teachers, equipment, and elixirs, they can push their attributes higher and compensate for the low skills by combining the former with high levels. Nobles are always organizing levelling caravans during summer and fall seasons."


    "I see..." Riwall had a thoughtful expression and was stroking his chin. "You told me a lot of things no one ever said before, not even our masters. Why would they hide it from us?"


    The soldier scratched his head with a regretful expression.


    "I think I was supposed to learn about the reasons in the briefing that I was just going right now, I vaguely remember someone recommending me to not talking to any of the kids before being briefed by the commander." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I think I may have disobeyed an order that I was just about to receive. Well, as my papa used to say, ''what is a fart for someone who already shat their pants?''. Bring your next question, kid!" The soldier suddenly had a determined expression and seemed to be enjoying his little rebellious act.


    Riwall was not one to miss an opportunity like this.


    "I know you will not answer questions about things that could impact my training, but can you tell me if you have ever heard about three kids being trained here?"


    "Can''t say I have. These barracks were not meant to be active anymore. A few years ago, they built new ones and moved most of the personnel to it. From what I heard, the Lord himself assigned this build to the Farsteels and gave them free rein. There were rumors at the time about a secret project going on, but no one could get in here and everyone working and training here were oath-bound to not share any information."


    Friday quickly prevented Riwall''s face from showing his surprise.


    "And no other noble made any attempt to investigate it?"


    "Kid, I''m just a common soldier, all I know about here came from gossip I heard on taverns and brothels. There were some whispers about a few failed attempts to infiltrate here, but this place has as many enchantments as a fortress. I''m sorry, if I don''t leave now, I will not hear the end of it. See ya, kid!" He noticed how much time he was wasting and rushed to the Commander''s Office.


    {The more I learn about this world''s magic or my situation, the more confused I get.}


    [You seem to always forget that you, Anna and Gregory are only 10-year-old! Why bother any of you with problems too complicated even for adults. Yes, there is a hidden agenda around here, and yes, they are hiding some things related to the System from you. But is it any different from what they did to kids back on Earth? In my opinion, even the whole life oath stuff and the fourth wave were disclosed much too soon.]


    {Here I am worrying about things outside of my control again, you are right Friday, I''m still just 10-year-old. I will just go play with Anna and Greg and enjoy what''s left of my childhood.} There was no arguing around this fact, he just had to suck it up and let things happen on the due time.


    And so he went to his friends to pass the time before their next training session. Greg was lying on his bed reading one of the books Riwall had compiled while Anna was snoring on the top bunk.


    {Tsk. She is still as lazy as ever. All she did all day was training, eating, sleeping, and reading fairy tails. I still can''t understand her decision to not take any crafting classes.} He thought while shaking his head.


    "Who''s up for a tag game?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


    As kids, both Anna and Greg jumped to their feet immediately.


    [Enjoy it Riwall, you have the privilege of enjoying a childhood for the second time. Many live their entire life wishing for this.]


    Friday did not give voice to these thoughts of her. The truth was that she managed to save all of Riwall''s memories from Temelth by compressing them and hiding in her database. She knew that John, Riwall''s previous life, loved his family above all else, remembering about them would only bring him pain and keep him from enjoying what he wished the most as John. To be a child again.

 Infusing

    Riwall did not see the kind soldier again, probably because he screwed up the moment he stepped inside the barracks. Riwall felt guilty about it but shrugged off the feeling quickly; it''s not like he knew of his orders before engaging in a conversation with the man.


    He shared with Anna and Greg about what he learned. Both made no effort of hiding how much they did not give a single shit about it.


    "And? They feed and train us while protecting our families. Why would we complain?" Anna let a hint of threat lingering after the last question. Clearly, she believed they owed a lot to their benefactors. Greg agreed.


    "Anna is right. We can''t complain about our lives after all. Just look around us. We have a sturdy roof above our heads, masters that care about us and, most importantly, each other."


    Riwall felt touched by the importance Greg put on their friendship, even Anna nodded with enthusiasm after he mentioned it.


    "Look, I get it guys, they are doing a lot for us, just please don''t let it blind you about the future. They are not running a charity; all this debt we are accruing will be due one day."


    Both adopted expressions of pensiveness for a while before Anna raised her hand while blushing.


    {What the hell is she thinking about?}


    "Yes, Anna?"


    "Uh... What means ''accruing''?"


    His mind blanked, and Friday practically screamed inside his head.


    [THEY ARE KIDS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT THAT?]


    <hr>


    Another two years passed in the blink of an eye.


    No matter how much he pushed, his skills could not break the cap of level 50, but his use of them improved by leaps and bounds. At times he could even pressure Edward or Eleanor, but they were always able to suddenly increase their speed or precision somehow. He knew levels had an influence, but after some months of this same situation repeating itself, even Friday began suspecting something else was in play.


    Since talking with the unknown soldier, Riwall had been feeling anxious about the future, their homes felt more like a prison day after day. Friday had to remind him daily to not dwell on these matters and, most importantly, to not drag Anna and Greg into it aswell. He even ended up developing the habit of meditating daily in order to rein in his anxiety.


    For some reason, he even got to reach the cap of his crafting skills. All his masters told him never to share the numerical value of his skills to anyone, so he did not. But Theodas ended up sharing with him that there were five ranks to let someone know a little more about your skill level, without sharing it directly.


    They were: Beginner (1 to 9), Journeyman (10 to 19), Expert (20 to 29), Master (30 to 39), Grand Master(40 to 49), and Legend (50).


    {Wait, doesn''t that means that I am a Legend in literally every one of my skills?}


    [According to this classification, yes. But it does not make any sense.]


    "Excuse me master, but could you share with me your rank on smithing?"


    "Sure!" He proudly raised his chin and hit his own chest. "Never forget little chipmunk. You have the honor of being taught by a true Master!"


    [That makes even less sense now! Even on your best days, you can''t craft anything close to what he does.]


    {No need to rub it on my face but you are right. I feel like being a ''legend'' in any skill is not something common, and I doubt Anna and Greg have any skill capped. So how can they be stronger than me in some areas?}


    Contrary to Theoda''s expectation, Riwall did not have the face of someone surprised. If he did not know better, it looked like Riwall was even pitying him for some reason.


    The elf just clicked his tongue at the boy''s underwhelming reaction and moved on as if nothing happened.


    Riwall found himself back in his own room after the smithing class. Since Anna had her first period, each one of them got a room for themselves.


    As of now, his panel was like this:


    -------------------------


    ------Panel------


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 12


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    -Mana purity: 100% (Prismatic)


    -----BLESSINGS-----


    ---Temelth''s Blessing---


    -Languages - MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -----ATTRIBUTES-----


    --- Mental Attributes---


    -Intelligence:10


    -Wits:10If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    -Resolve:10


    --- Physical Attributes---


    -Strength:10


    -Dexterity:10


    -Stamina:10


    --- Social Attributes---


    -Presence:10


    -Manipulation:10


    -Composure:10


    -----SKILLS-----


    --- Mental Skills---


    --Academics Branch - Level 8--


    <Scribing> - Level 50


    --Wellbeing Branch - Level 6--


    <Meditation> - Level 32


    --Elemental Magic Casting Branch - Level 10--


    <Fire Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Water Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Wind Magic Casting> - Level 50


    <Earth Magic Casting> - Level 50


    --- Physical Skills---


    --Melee Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Edged Weapon Combat> - Level 50


    <Blunt Weapon Combat> - Level 50


    - Level 50


    <Unarmed Combat> - Level 50


    - Level 50


    <Blocking> - Level 50


    <Dodging> - Level 50


    <Footwork> - Level 50


    --Ranged Combat Branch - Level 10--


    <Archery> - Level 50


    <Axe-Throwing> - Level 50


    <Spear-Throwing> - Level 50


    <Knife-Throwing> - Level 50 (NEW)


    --Physical Finesse Branch - Level 8--


    <Acrobatics> - Level 50


    <Stretching> - Level 50


    --- Social Skills---


    --Negotiation Branch - Level 3--


    <Bluff> - Level 12


    --Arts Branch - Level 10--


    <Drawing> - Level 50


    <Sculpting> - Level 50 (NEW)


    --Leadership Branch - Level 3--


    <Small Group Leading> - Level 29


    --- Work Skills--- (NEW)


    --Crafting Branch - Level 10--


    <Smithing> - Level 50


    <Woodworking> - Level 50


    <Enchanting> - Level 50


    <hr>


    By now, the trio got into the habit of celebrating their birthdays. Their masters heard about these celebrations and decided to take part in it. Riwall was the oldest, and his birthday was only one day before Anna''s. Greg''s birthday was almost five months later.


    The day after Greg''s party, the first major change in their lives since moving to the barracks was announced in a meeting in the training court where all their masters took part.


    As the Commander, Eleanor took the lead on breaking the news.


    "First of all, congratulations are in order. Every single master in this room has deemed you worthy of taking the next step in your training. At this point, I''m sure you all harbor some doubts about a few things. The truth is simple; we have been hiding quite a few things from you. Edward, please show them." She was wearing her Commander Persona, so there was no hint of emotion in her voice.


    Edward took a step forward and surprised the trio. They hadn''t even noticed him in the room until now. Immediately Riwall found out the reason. He was donning a snow-white hunting gear that seemed to make him imperceptible.


    Riwall expected that hunting gears would be made of leather or cloth, with a more practical design like skin-tight. But Edward''s reminded him of Monster Hunter armors, and although there was a skin-tight single piece covering his body like a diving suit, you could barely notice it below the beautifully crafted armor on top of it. Its hard parts were made of bones and were strategically placed to protect the wearer''s vital points, and everything else was made of grey leather. Completing the set, he was wearing a beautiful white fur coat.


    {How could we not notice it? It''s a completely inconspicuous look.}


    [He is probably going to explain it now. Otherwise, there is no reason for him to wear it today. I checked your memories and your eyes passed over him many times, but for some reason we both just ignored it.]


    "Goodmorning, kids! I know you have many questions, please hold them for the end of our explanation, we will be talking about many things today. First, none of you noticed me until now and the reason for that is this armor. This is only to show you the power of a good piece of equipment."


    After this little unnecessary flexing on their faces, he went on.


    "I''m not one to play with words, you all know that, so I will get straight to the point. Until now, you have learned the many things you can push your mana into. You can activate a weapon or armor special effect; activate an enchantment; cast spells and so forth. But you have been naive and uncreative in your use of mana. Tell me, Riwall, is mana bound by matter?"


    "I think so..." His uncertainty reflected on his voice. If Edward asked this, it is because they had a misconception about mana.


    "The answer is NO" Anna and Greg gasped while Riwall was busy trying to get his head around this.


    "You have been treating mana as an entity bound by the physical world. The thing is: everything can be influenced by mana, even the System."


    He let that sink in for a few minutes before continuing.


    "I know you have felt like skills are only a numerical representation of your prowess in some areas, but it''s much more than that! Tell me, have any of you infused your mana into one of them?" He said the last question with a smirk; he loved the face they made when he told them something new.


    Riwall''s mind came to a halt, and even Friday took some seconds to process this new information.


    [Riwall, this is the missing link we have been searching for all this time! How could we be so blind? That''s why you managed to level up so many skills till the cap, and yet lose fights against Anna and Greg in their specialties.]


    {Huh? What do you mean? They did not know about infusing mana into skills too, and what is that about the reason for me capping my skills? Was it not because of your influence?}


    [As you know, we have total control over our mana, it only leaves your body when we want it too. Anna and Greg are not so lucky, so their mana must have been interacting with their skills since day one. And you are right about my influence on how you were able to cap your skills, but it seems like the System rewards a person when they do not infuse their skills with mana. Think of it like an exp bonus for playing on extra-hard mode.]


    The analogy did the trick, and everything fell into place. He did not even have time to think about the implications when Edward continued.


    "Let me demonstrate the difference between using a skill''s passive benefits vs using the active ones. Riwall, get a sword and shield and attack me. Refrain from infusing your skill with mana yet. It should take some effort because you have always done so unconsciously. Then, attack me with all you got!"


    Edward and Eleanor had been under the impression that he was always feeding his skills with mana unconsciously. They were in for a very big surprise.


    Riwall attacked as he always did and Edward expertly dodged. The hunter felt something was wrong because Riwall''s attack was as fast and strong as usual. It should have been weaker if the boy had cut the mana supply.


    Before he had time to verbalize his worries, something unusual happened.


    {Friday, can you feed mana to my skills?}


    [It''s surprisingly easy! I can even visualize how the more mana I put into it, the closer I get to the max level.]


    {What do you mean ''to get closer''?}


    [Just picture the skill as a drinking glass. The higher your level, the taller is the glass. Now, I can just pour some liquid into it, which is mana by the way, or I can fill it to the brim. The more mana, the stronger the effect.]


    He was elated to hear that.


    {Ha ha ha! Time to get some payback on this old hunter for the harsh training of the last four years!}


    [I think we should proceed with caution, so I recommend using only enough mana to activate the effects of a level 15 skill.]


    Edward felt a shiver down his spine when he saw how Riwall was smiling at him. He only felt that when facing mighty monsters.


    Friday reluctantly began slowly pouring mana into the skills she thought would help him out in the fight. They were: <Edged Weapon Combat>,


    , <Blocking>, <Dodging>, <Footwork>, and <Acrobatics>. She noticed his mana pool would not be enough to keep up all these skills at the max level for more than a few minutes, but Riwall''s command came before she could warn him.


    {To hell with caution! We are going all out!}


    She let go of all restraint and his mana flooded to the chosen skills.

 Limits?

    Riwall''s body began emitting a golden glow that made all masters take a step back and gawk at the kid.


    Edward''s instincts were screaming for him to drop everything and run, but before he could process what he felt, the boy closed the distance between them.


    Riwall was experiencing a rush like never before. His movements were perfect in every sense of the word, but he immediately felt they could still improve if his level were higher. He was finally feeling what capping a skill meant, his attributes became the only limiting factor to some actions he knew that could be theoretically pulled out, but he would need to increase his level for that.


    The hunter infused all his skills right on time. Riwall''s blade was closing in on his face, and he had no time to block. He dodged to the left and escaped by a hair length.


    He spun his body counter-clockwise to use the spin''s force to hit Riwall with the shield on his left forearm, but before completing the movement, a wooden sword exploded after hitting his left knee. If not for his armor, he would have got very hurt by this attack.


    Edward''s mind was still trying to understand how Riwall moved fast enough to strike him with such strength on his left knee when a wooden shield hit his face and exploded.


    Friday quickly channeled mana from <Edged Weapon Combat> and


    to <Unarmed Combat>.


    The spectators all had dumb looks on their faces, even Eleanor. The boy was trashing his Master with the same intensity that they pushed him during training.


    Edward let the battle run its course for a few minutes before deciding to make full use of his level advantage to overwhelm Riwall. There was no way around his low level and diminished body, so his master quickly took the lead and immobilized Riwall to bring an end to the fight.


    Anna and Greg cheered for Riwall throughout the fight and kept on doing so even after he got immobilized. They too had a few grudges about their combat master''s harshness and felt elated seeing their friend avenging them, even if he ended up losing anyway.


    Despite his masterful display, the boy was barely able to hurt his master thanks to his armor and high level. But it was undeniable the former''s superiority on close combat skills. Edward may be good enough to teach close combat, but his specialty was on ranged combat. Should they be fighting from a distance, not even Riwall''s infused Legend rank skills would be of help.


    All masters were doing their best to not laugh at their colleague, but two of them made no such effort. Hobbs and Lila were laughing their asses off.


    It took a few minutes for the laughs to die off. Eleanor tried to speed things up by giving them a stern look to no avail. As soon as they calmed down a little, she addressed the trio.


    "You did an excellent job Riwall, but the only reason I''m not reprimanding you for disrespecting your master is that he gave you an explicit order to go all out. Remember that when no such order is given, you fight to improve, not hurt."


    He just nodded. There was no much room for arguing, and he indeed went overboard.


    "The act of infusing a skill with mana is what we call ''The Fourth Step'', although the name implies otherwise, it''s meant to be used before any other action."


    Theodas then added a few words of his own.


    "Don''t think this is limited to physical combat, the act of pushing a skill to its limits using mana applies to all branches, including crafting."


    Hector, who had been silently watching everything, had somethings to tell too.


    "From here onwards, you are officially in your last year of tutoring."


    That announcement made the three kids wide their eyes in surprise, a complex mix of emotions rising in their chests. Hector continued.


    "This year, your training will be different. My classes will now take place every day, there will be a rotation between advanced concepts classes, which includes light/dark and entropy/negentropy lessons, and other methods of spellcasting, like chanting and grimoire casting."


    Lila was the next.


    "As for what I''m about to say, this only applies to Riwall and Greg. You will both move away from working as assistants, and the roles will be reversed. We will be the ones assisting you on your crafting."


    Eleanor spoke in hers and Edward''s names.


    "Your combat classes will go through a significant overhaul too. First of all, to accommodate the changes in the other courses, we will meet for fewer hours every day. Except for Anna, as she does not partake in any crafting. Secondly, Edward will now teach you survival techniques and a few other useful skills, like basic tailoring, cooking, tracking, and a few others."


    The three just nodded. There were too many changes happening all at once, so they were still processing it all.


    Eleanor brought this meeting to an end with a few parting words.


    "That''s all for now. You are all dismissed. Except for you, Riwall."


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He gulped while Anna just chuckled and gave a few encouraging pats on his back.


    "Good luck." Greg just whispered in his ear.


    The crafting teachers also took their leaves. Edward, Eleanor, Hector, and Riwall were the last ones. As usual, the Commander was the first to speak.


    "As the de facto leader of your group, there are things you must be aware of."


    Eleanor produced a map from one of her pockets. She put it on a table that was set by the side of the training court and waited for everyone to position themselves.


    "This point here is Marsastor, as you can see, the only things left of us are the Yelling Hills and the Yelling Mountain Range. The Lord has issued a mission for your group. You and your friends are tasked with being the Marsastor''s representative in a tournament that will happen in one year and a half."


    "A tournament? Then why not send someone stronger? We are only level 01, after all." He voiced his doubts about this odd order.


    "If that was possible, we would do it. The tournament has an age restriction of 15 years old. The Lord thinks the journey to there will temper the skills you built with your training and make you strong enough to have a shot at winning it."


    "And what is so important about this tournament?"


    "The dwarves from the mountain praises strength above all. By showing that the Marsastor''s future is as strong as its present, future trade deals will be more beneficial, and there is a chance they will help usin our future struggles."


    Hector saw how Riwall was still doubtful and decided to reinforce the importance of this mission.


    "Riwall, these people have a culture that orbits around strength. They know we are strong today, so they trade with us occasionally. But they would never step out of the mountain to fight side by side with people who had a weak future. What we need right now is to show them that our future is worth saving. I know it sounds like they are primitives, but once you get to know them, you will understand how they came to be like that. It''s imperative we can count on them to help in the future battles, if not to fight by our side, at least to provide shelter if we need to abandon this place."


    "I understand, Master Hector. I will hold my preconceptions at bay and experience their point of view before judging."


    Hector felt proud every time one of his pupils showed understanding above their age.


    Edward coughed to get his attention.


    "You have your mission and the deadline, that means you and your party will have one year to train and six months for the journey. I suggest you keep that in mind and make full use of your crafting classes to prepare suitably."


    "I understand, sir."


    "No, you don''t. This is far more serious and hard than you think. This tournament caught us unprepared, and it will not be possible to hide you from the other nobles for much longer."


    "Are we in danger, sir?"


    "Not yet, but this can change without much of a warning. Keep that in mind."


    "I will. Thank you for the heads up, sir." Riwall felt truly thankful.


    Eleanor was not graced with much patience, so she quickly dismissed them after relaying the mission to Riwall.


    <hr>


    Back in Greg''s room, where he and Anna were waiting for him, he told them about their first mission. Anna was ecstatic, she was anxious to test the fourth step and jump into action as soon as possible.


    Greg had a more tame reaction, he did not panic as Riwall expected.


    "Do you think we can do it, Mad?"


    "Honestly, I don''t see why not. For now, we know nothing about anything. But as soon as Hector provides me with books about these things, I will dive into them and make detailed plans for us. Then, every night, we will study it together. I am confident we will be more than ready by the time of our journey."


    Greg had read almost all the books Riwall had written. He knew that their leader would not treat things lightly.


    "I trust you, Mad. If you say we can do it, then I have no doubts." Greg had a determined expression. Riwall had already noticed how Greg and Anna looked up to him as their leader both in and out of battles. It made Riwall feel good, but also apprehensive, as he was responsible for keeping his friends alive.


    "Thank You, Greg. I will go to my room, I need to process everything we learned today."


    The three said their farewells and Anna and Riwall went to their respective rooms.


    <hr>


    {What a day!}


    [Tell me about it, I have so many things I want to test! This fourth step thing is a gamechanger.]


    {I''m just glad we finally got around the skill conundrum. Being weaker than the others while having many skills capped was bugging me. But tell me, what do you want to test first?}


    [Something simple at first, what about a drawing?]


    {It''s been a while since I last drew for fun, let''s do it!}


    He quickly made way for his desk and prepared the parchment and ink.


    {Hmm... What do we draw?}


    [What about the three of you? You can gift it to Eleanor later, I think she would appreciate it.]


    {Good idea! For intent, what do you think about ''hope''? She is always talking about how we are Marsastor''s future and all.}


    [I think it would work! Ok, prepare yourself!]


    His mana reserves had already recovered, so Friday did not hesitate to push <Drawing> to its limits.


    Riwall''s mind went into a trance. Friday had created a mental visualization of what he wanted to draw to work as the ''information'' step, but in his stupor, he found ways of better fusing the drawing with the intent.


    The changes were starking, from the positions of the trio to their facial expressions, lighting, and scenario. Everything changed to better suit the desire to convey the feeling of ''hope for the future'' that Riwall set as his intent.


    He ended up working on it for almost four hours despite his machine-like proficiency. As soon as he left his trance and looked at the drawing, a fanfare sounded in his head.


    <hr>


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    ---Temelth''s Blessing Effect Unlocked---


    -Languages - MASTERED


    -Limitless Potential - MASTERED


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    -Unknown (locked)


    ---CONGRATULATIONS!---


    --Skill Branch Upgraded--


    --Arts Branch - Level 10--


    IS NOW:


    --Transcendent Arts Branch - Level 1--


    --Skills Upgraded--


    <Drawing> - Level 50 -


    IS NOW:


    <Transcendent Drawing> - Level 1 -


    <Sculpting> - Level 50 -


    IS NOW:


    <Transcendent Sculpting> - Level 1-


    <hr>


    He did not even read the messages, his entire focus was on the drawing in front of him. Three kids with bright faces were standing side by side, looking at something behind the viewer. Behind them, the Marsastor Village had many signs of going through an expansion process, with new houses being built, new lands being prepared and some trees being cut. Dozens of wagons could be seen moving toward the village from the east.


    His drawing really made him feel like the future was good, and on its way, it was a very comforting feeling.


    He forced himself to look away from his new masterpiece and finally read what the System was telling him.


    {By Lila''s breasts!}

 Wrapping Up - Part 1/3

    {It does not have the same effect as the Immortal Memory I accidentally created for Lila, but the effects are almost as surprising.}


    [I agree. To think that items could have this effect on someone''s psyche is both fascinating and scary. Imagine if you can craft a shield that makes the enemy feel fear or indecisiveness?]


    {That would indeed be awesome. Judging by how Edward''s armor made us ignore his presence, it is probably the case that crafters make use of this to elevate the quality of their work. And what about this ''transcendence'' upgrade?}


    [As the Temelth''s Bless caused it, I think you should not mention it to anyone else until you learn more about what is normal and what is not.]


    Riwall could not help but admire how Friday was always thinking about applications to anything they learned. He let a feeling of gratefulness flow into their connection, making Friday feel proud of herself.


    <hr>


    The reveal of the Fourth Step really brought some changes to their training. Although the combat classes got shortened, they became more frantic and unpredictable.


    Friday''s delicate control of the mana infusion allowed him to fight with frightening efficiency, but it soon became clear how Greg and Anna had a long way to go before being able to pace themselves to have enough mana to last an entire fight.


    Eleanor intercalated short battles with lessons on how to properly manage your mana reserves while fighting. As Riwall had no need for her methods, he usually used this time to keep training inside the simulations Friday created.


    Edward''s new classes were a breath of fresh air in their lives.


    Every other day he would bring carcasses of monsters from the Azure Forest and teach them how to properly identify the creature, what to watch for when fighting them, and how to harvest their bodies for resources. He even showed them how to properly handle a monster''s mana core, which was a gemstone like the one he saw Eleanor offering to the God of Death, albeit much smaller.


    His knowledge came from hunting in the forest for years before returning to the castle for his responsibilities as a Farsteel, so his lessons were never theoretical, much to Anna''s delight.


    They learned how to maintain their equipment, how to fix small damages to their clothes and gear, how to light fires, track monsters, how to hide their tracks, cook food with ingredients from the forest and how to judge an enemy power without the help of a spell.


    <hr>


    The first class with Hector after the changes was the most interesting, at least in Riwall''s opinion.


    "Hello, kids. We have a lot of ground to cover in only one year, so I will have you study as much as possible during your off hours."


    Anna groaned to that; she hated magic and studying. Hector did not miss his student''s reaction.


    "That doubles for you, Miss. You are barely qualified to attend this class, so I will be keeping a close eye on your progress."


    He continued.


    "So far, you have worked to solidify your foundations to different degrees of success. Riwall has shown us how equally proficient he is with any of the four most basic elements. Greg has shown us how his mana is slight more attuned to earth and wind elements. And Anna has shown us how her mana seems to be strongly connected to the fire element."


    "As you have probably noticed already, my lessons helped you become so used to casting using the three steps, that you barely need to focus on the ''information'' step to cast a spell of the elements you have more affinity. This, however, does not mean that you have no need for this step, it means that your mind is so used to it, that you don''t even need to focus and it will send the necessary ''information'' forward."


    {Just like muscle memory. Interesting.}


    "There are two other major ways of casting a spell. Through a grimoire or other item, we creatively decided to call it item casting, and by chanting."


    "The first is the easiest. A mage will give physical form to the process of casting one specific spell, and all the user will have to do is provide the spell with manafor it to manifest with the ''intention'' and ''information'' that the first mage provided."


    Hector opened a beautiful book and showed them a specific page with a drawing that reminded Riwall of an enchantment.


    Then, while one hand held the book opened on this particular page, the opposite arm was stretched and pointing his palm to a wooden dummy. Hector slowly infused mana in that page in a way they would be able to see, suddenly, a bird made of fire darted from the palm of the stretched arm and hit the dummy, exploding on impact.


    {Curious, but useless to us.}


    [It may be useless to you, but think about how much you can help your companions by creating some spells for them to use during a fight.]


    {Ok, maybe not that useless.} Riwall could not help but chuckle, she always surprised him with some use for things he thought were useless.


    "The second method for casting a spell is one you see more often, chanting. A chant is necessary whenever you want to cast a spell that is above your capacity of providing enough ''information'' to the second step. Take, for example, the |Panel| spell you all know. It was created with the idea of emulating a Muller''s Tablet effects on the user, but few have enough knowledge to properly feed the ''information'' step."


    "You may be wondering, how does a chant come to be? Who writes them? How can these words elicit a specific reaction from mana?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He let those questions linger in the air for some seconds before answering.


    "Just like you learned that you can infuse the skills with mana, the same holds true for imprinting a spell to the System like you can do to grimoires and other items."


    "All the System demands in exchange is that you give this spell means of being activated. So, a mage goes through the three steps of casting a spell, he then has three choices: he can manifest the spell in the world, imprint this spell into an object, or imprint the spell into the System."


    {That seems more useful than the method of affixing a spell to an item.}


    "When a spell is imprinted to the System, it demands an activation phrase. The more complex the spell, the longer the activation phrase required."


    Riwall raised his hand, and Hector allowed him to proceed with his question.


    "Excuse me, Master. Doesn''t that mean that there may be many chants to cast the same spell? What if someone accidentally says a chant? Shouldn''t the System trigger the spell?"


    "You are right, there must be millions of different chants to the same few spells. But saying the words of a chant and chanting are two different things. To properly cast a spell through chanting, it''s imperative that you have the intention of doing so and have at least an abstract idea of the effects of the spell."


    "Are there any benefits to going out of your way to createchants? Apart from wanting to share a spell with someone, of course."


    "For one, you free yourself from the need to focus on a single spell during a fight. When things get frantic, you can''t always afford to properly cast with the three steps method. The second benefit is the possibility of creating strategic-class spells. These spells require so much mana that some need more than a dozen mages to fuel it. The only way of having that many people casting a single spell is if they are chanting at the same time. One caster out of sync can either make the casting fail or provoke a destructive reaction."


    "Thank you, Master."


    "Moving on. We will also dabble in advanced concepts and non-elemental magic casting. The advanced concepts we will be working on are Light and Dark, which influences the ''mana'' step of spellcasting, and Entropy and Negentropy, which influences the ''intention'' step of spellcasting. As the duo Entropy/Negentropy are too advanced, we will only briefly study them near the ending of our meetings purely for academic purposes."


    Riwall raised his hand again.


    "What are non-elemental magic?"


    "Elemental magic are those that work by feeding the ''information'' step with knowledge about how nature works, the more you know, the less mana you spend. To cast non-elemental magic, you provide the ''information'' step with knowledge about the results you want the spell to produce. It''s a blurry yet essential distinction."


    "Just to see if I get it right. Elemental magic needs raw information about how things work in nature, while non-elemental magic needs information about how to achieve the desired effects, like healing a cut and feeding the ''information'' step with knowledge of how a cut should heal under normal circumstances."


    Hector was already used to the boy''s knack for good simplifications, he wished to be half as good at this field.


    "Yes. To make the distinction clearer. If you tried to cast a fireball while providing the ''information'' step with knowledge about how the target''s skin should burn, the spell would either fail or waste a lot of mana. Likewise, if you were to try healing a cut while providing the ''information'' step with general knowledge about anatomy, the spell would either fail or waste a lot of mana."


    {Rule of thump. Elemental = how things work. Non-elemental = how the desired effect works.}


    "Just a warning. There are some gray areas too, some specific non-elemental desired effects will demand a lot of general knowledge too, but it will be obvious at the time, if you feel like you need to provide this information, just do it."


    "Moving forward. Another thing to be aware from now onwards is that casting spells using the two methods I just told you about will yield no skill level."


    {That''s a given, there is barely any effort in understanding any concept while casting that way.}


    "And finally, the last topic of today''s class before we move to practice some item casting. The existence of the System''s party function and a System spell called |Analyse|."


    {Huh?}


    "You may have noticed how the System seems to expand whenever we teach you new things. At first, you did not know about the panel at all, then, it became visible after you used the Muller''s Tablet and accessible after you learned a specific spell."


    "The party function is a tool created by the system to incentivize people to band together. The incentives are a faint sense of your companions'' location, their general health and stamina situation, and the power to share exp between the members of the party."


    As soon as Hector finished his explanation, Friday informed Riwall of a new change.


    [We have just received a stream of data about this party function. I am positive that we now can create a party to enjoy the benefits Hector mentioned.]


    "There is a limit of four people in the same party, the one who will be the leader need to mentalize the idea of forming a party and who would be the members. The others will feel something tickling inside their heads, all they need to do is picture themselves accepting the invitation. Go on, try it, and then open your panels."


    Riwall did as instructed, and soon Greg and Anna furrowed their brows.


    [I will show you just the party panel, no need to fill your entire view with the rest of your stats.]


    ------ Party Panel------


    ---Leader---


    -Name: Riwall Madec


    -Age: 12


    -Level: 01 (0%)


    ---Member 1---


    -Name: Anna Kendric


    -Age: 12


    -Level: 01


    ---Member 2---


    -Name: Gregory Marsastor (bastard)


    -Age: 12


    -Level: 01


    <hr>


    {WHAT? Gregory is the bastard of someone from the Marsastor family? He mentioned how he never met his father, but to think it would be a Marsastor was beyond me.}


    [Just so you know, this information would not show at the panel under normal circumstances. I saw a stream of data different from the others and translated it, probably all Greg can read in his own panel is his first name.]


    {So you are not only a glorified calculator, but also a glorified paternity test?} Shocked as he was about Greg''s family tree, he would not miss the opportunity of teasing Friday.


    [I''m also a prolific ravager of mana pathways. Want to see me in action?]


    That shut him up. Nothing like the fear of becoming magically crippled to make someone stop joking. Friday just laughed inside his mind when she noticed how he flinched when she joked about ruining his mana pathways.


    Riwall saw how Anna and Greg were chanting the |Panel| spell, he just pretended to do the same to not raise any suspicion.


    "I know it''s underwhelming, but the real merit of this panel shows itself in the thick of a battle. Now, for the System''s spell I mentioned, I will be teaching you |Analyse|."


    Hector taught them the chanting words and what were the effects of it once cast. That was enough for Friday to make a chantless version for Riwall.


    A dagger was positioned in front of them, Hector instructed them to use the new spell. As soon as Riwall did so, the item''s information appeared in front of his eyes.


    --------------------------


    -Name: Simple Iron Dagger


    -Rank: E


    -Physical Crafting Quality: Good


    -Mana Pathways Quality: Null


    ----Special Effects----


    -NONE


    ----Special Description----


    -NONE


    --------------------------


    {Again, just like a game. This will prove useful once I can craft my own stuff.}


    "Anyone had any trouble or have any doubts?"


    The three shook their heads.


    "Good, now follow me, time to get on with practical training."

 Wrapping Up - Part 2/3

    Hector''s class ended up with no other incident worthy of notice. As Riwall suspected, item casting was useless for him. Thanks to Friday''s help, he could cast any spell without having to divert his attention to it.


    However, he and Friday came up with dozens of situational spells that could help his friends in battle once they noticed how the duo seemed to enjoy mixing their own spells with some of Hector''s items ones.


    Before dismissing the kids, Hector lent them more than 200 books of different subjects, from stories told by the dwarves from the Yelling Mountain Range, to books on the anatomy of humanoid races and some creatures that inhabited the Azure Forest and the Yelling Hills.


    It took the trio a few trips to carry them all to Riwall''s room, they even used some earth magic to make improvised carts to help.


    -----------------------------------------------------


    During his next crafting classes, Riwall was afraid of repeating the process of transcending a skill limit like he did with the <Arts Branch>, so he played along as if he was at the Journeyman level. This still made all three of his teachers to raise some eyebrows, but at this time they were already used to him doing some impressive things.


    He followed his crafting masters'' instructions to the letter but felt like there was not much else they could teach him. Theodas and Hobbs were the first to notice it, so they just talked to Eleanor and graduated him early, which happened around one week after the three learned about the fourth step. It''s not like they saw Riwall at their own level, only that he was at a point where he would only develop further by making his own mistakes and learning things without someone''s interference.


    Theodas would be returning to the manor, as he did not have much else to do around the barracks now, but Hobbs would stay to continue tutoring Gregory.


    Surprisingly, the two-meter-tall elf got very emotional when saying his goodbyes, he even cried while telling Riwall he was the best apprentice he had ever had the pleasure of tutoring. He was demanding and loved to come up with nicknames to mock Riwall''s height, but was fair and would often give counsels in things like estimating stuff''s prices, finding suppliers and on how to understand a client''s often abstract and confusing demands.


    Theodas promised to give Riwall a present before he left for his journey to the dwarven lands, but for now, he gave his former apprentice authorization to use the forge as if it was his own. He even instructed the staff from the barracks to provide any materials the boy requested, as long as Theoda''s finances could afford them, of course.


    Hobbs allowed Riwall to access the woodworking room whenever he wanted to as well. The old man would only go to the barracks to give lessons to Greg, so Riwall would have almost all day to work alone.


    Although he could make progress on enchanting without anyone''s help, having Lila around speed things up by quite a margin. She would notice his mistakes and wrong misconceptions about enchanting right away, teaching him some ingenious solutions that often left even Friday baffled.


    Even so, Riwall wanted to try a few enchantment combinations on his own. Lila had already shown him how there were enchantments to create sub-spaces that worked like inventories. Unfortunately, differently from the ones found in games, these would drain a lot of mana to store or retrieve the stored items and took quite some time to be activated. This mana requirement made them useful only for transporting smaller objects, while the time necessary for the storing and retrieving functions made it unusable during fights.


    <hr>


    Hector''s class on Light and Dark advanced concepts brought even more complexity to magic in general. The names Light and Dark were misleading but had been used for so long that they stuck, much like the name "the fourth step".


    According to the elf, it was possible to give ''intent'' to your mana even before starting to cast a spell. With practice and enough time, a mage could imbue his mana with positive or negative intentions regarding life, which would have a catalyzing or inhibiting effect on the spell cast.


    For example, if Riwall imbued his mana with altruistic and benevolent intentions and cast a fireball spell intending to harm others, his "light" mana would be in conflict with his "dark" intent, significantly reducing the strength of the spell. However, should he try healing someone while his mana was in a "light" state, his spell would be multiple times stronger than usual.


    "If this is all Light and Dark concepts do, then why did you prevent us from learning it before?" He asked Hector at the time.


    "The act of imbuing your mana with Light or Dark concepts have some major side effects. If you keep your mana attuned to one of those for long enough, it starts changing your own mana core, turning what was supposed to be a situational boost to a limiting factor. The way I taught you during these years helped you develop your mana cores unaffected."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    [We are lucky you decided to not try your hand on Light/Dark spells like I suggested, some books mentioned the possibility of changing your mana, but as they were not focused on teaching it, there was no mention to these side effects.]


    Friday argued with Riwall on multiple occasions about trying to apply these advanced concepts on their own. Still, the latter was adamant about following Hector''s instructions.


    After letting the kids understand the repercussions of tainting their mana cores, he continued.


    "Most people with the potential to become mages are already familiar with the existence of these two concepts by the time they are 10-year-old, so they starting tainting their mana cores to speed up their progress, oblivious to the consequences to their futures."


    "Excuse me master, but we have been casting spells with the intent of destroying dummies for a while now, how did it not influence our mana?"


    "The act of imbuing one''s mana with Light and Dark concepts is not something that can be compared to providing a spell with intent. None of you has spent a single day meditating about making your own mana more harmful or beneficial to others, so they are still in a somewhat neutral condition."


    "Is it possible to reverse the changes?"


    "No. Unfortunately, the changes are permanent. As commoners, it was highly unlikely you had ever learned about the fourth step or light and dark mana, so we focused on strengthing your foundations before introducing these things to you." For some reason, Hector felt the need to justify their teaching choices at every opportunity since the kids learned about the fourth step.


    "And what about nobles? Do their families also hide these concepts from them? What about adventurers?" This time, it was Greg who asked.


    "Nobles are... a special case. Their priorities are entirely different, as soon as they are born, their life is already planned. If the family wants one to be a healer, he will be taught on how to change his mana to "Light" as soon as possible, the same holds true for "Dark" mana and combat or leading roles. Adventurers, however, are usually of commoner ascendency and learned magic on their own, they often end up attuned to one of these two concepts by necessity while ignorant to the consequences."


    {That means we start off weaker than nobles and adventurers, as they can cast spells powered by light and dark mana very early, but once we catch up, we can be more versatile than them.}


    [Just like Edward and Eleanor always said. Adaptability beats specialization.]


    {Do you trust yourself to change my mana attunement? Hector is making this seem very complicated. But if kids end up changing their mana by merely knowing about these concepts, I don''t think it''s tough.}


    [I did some experiments now, and it is not that hard to accomplish. Your mana is also very flexible, so it takes any shape we want it too.]


    They moved over to the training court and started to try some exercises Hector showed them. When it was time for casting spells powered up by Light and Dark mana, he told Riwall to cast a dark powered fire spell and destroy a dummy.


    Half expecting the differences to be subtle, Riwall did as instructed and almost fainted when the spell manifested in the world. He thought he had toned down the spell by a notch by fueling it with just a speck of mana, but a very dense ball of dark flames left his palm and hit the dummy to a colossal explosion that engulfed the whole court in the dark flames and almost hurt his friends. Hector''s fast reaction in casting a water shield around them is what saved their lives.


    There was an eerie feeling lingering in the room, and the three spectators were glaring daggers at Riwall. Anna''s gaze particularly sent shivers down his spine.


    {What the hell were you thinking when imbuing my mana with dark intentions?!} He was quick to blame Friday, she had complete agency over what purpose to feed his mana to attune it to the dark spectrum.


    She was flustered by the results and embarrassed of her oversight. She knew she had miscalculated something by quite a margin.


    [I did an experiment and pushed into your mana the stories written by holocaust survivors and tried to exacerbate the feelings of hate and helplessness they felt.]


    {You fucking pushed nazi stuff to my mana?!}


    [Technically, I pushed nazi hating stuff, which we can both agree is better. But I''m curious about the differences that would arise if your mana got pumped with nazi rubbish.] Riwall felt how she was legitimately enthralled by the prospect of testing these things, which pissed him off even more.


    Hector felt how the spell got powered by the bare minimum amount of mana, which meant the boy was genuinely trying to prevent any incidents like what just happened. He knew that the culprit of the bizarre phenomenon had to be how strongly attuned to dark Riwall''s mana got.


    "I don''t know how you managed to push so much dark intentions to your mana, but refrain from doing it to such extremes from now on. Otherwise, your mana core will turn completely dark in no more than a week."


    With Friday here, Riwall was in no danger of having his true mana core affected. Even his fake one was safe. He had no reason to share this bit of trivia with Hector though.


    After apologizing a few times to everyone, they forgave him, and the lessons continued. The only but was that Anna only forgave him after making him promise to forge a couple of what she referred to as "super-duper strong and sharp daggers" for her.


    The next thing they had to do was attune their mana to the light spectrum. As explosive results were highly unlikely to happen, Riwall gave permission for Friday to do her best.


    Riwall was instructed to cast the same fireball spell, he wanted them to see with their own eyes the changes that would happen.


    The fire this time was a stark contrast to the previous one. The flames burned with a white, almost holy, light, forcing everyone around to squint their eyes. When it hit the other dummy and exploded, the four had to cover their eyes, such was the intensity of the light produced.


    The court was now comfortably warm and evoked a feeling of coziness. Once Riwall opened his eyes, he saw the dummy in a pristine state and emitting a faint white glow. All the burn marks and scratches disappeared from it.


    "What you are seeing kids, is the result of light mana of in one of its purest forms. Usually, light mana would only reduce the power of offensive spells like the fireball, but if pushed to the extremes, you get a completely different result. As much as I pride myself in the magical studies field, I never had the opportunity to study the effects of what scholars refer to as Hallowed or Doom mana. So I don''t know how to explain what just happened."


    {Great, new jargons to further make a mess of how I thought magic worked.} Riwall felt like every step forward in his study of magic only brought more questions to the table.


    "I had a suspicion after seeing how powerful the dark fireball''s blast was, but now I''m sure of it. As with everything I taught you three about magic if you push it to the extremes, the rules change. Riwall, from now on, please refrain from pushing your mana to such extreme."


    Riwall just nodded, and the lessons proceeded without further incidents.


    Meanwhile, Friday was focused on trying to identify the unknown presence she briefly sensed when both spells were cast. Not wanting to disrupt Riwall''s concentration and bring unnecessary worries, she hid this fact from him.

 Wrapping Up - Part 3/3

    After Hector''s class, Riwall went back to his room and finished the process of reading all books and having Friday come up with better ones. He even made two copies of each to gift Anna and Greg. However, before wrapping things up and go to sleep, Friday had an unusual request.


    [Riwall, I think we shouldn''t sleep tonight. There are a few hours until sunrise, let''s go to the forge and craft a few of the things we were planning to. In case we need to flee from here, it would be better to have some supplies ready.]


    {Haven''t we agreed to do the crafting just a few months before the journey? Is everything ok?} He couldn''t help but furrow his brows and take her suggestion into consideration. It was not like her to act worried about their safety.


    [I fear we may not have enough time in the future. For now, I have dozens of theories and only a handful of circumstantial signs of problems.] She let some of the uneasiness she was feeling to flow through their connection.


    Now, Riwall got worried. He pestered her a little more about her worries, but she did not elaborate further on the subject.


    As soon as Riwall arrived at the forge, he smiled at the shelves full of pieces of cloth and leather, Theodas made good of his promise and supplied him with whatever he asked, even things that were not directly related to smithing.


    He grabbed some pieces of leather and made three reinforced backpacks in just one hour, spending another one to enchant them with effects that would help in the wilderness.


    While unsupervised, Riwall could make full use of Friday''s assistance and craft using only magic. If someone were to be spectating his crafting process, they would be shocked to the core, for Riwall did not even move a finger to craft the backpacks, he stood like a statue while tools and materials were magically moving on its own.


    --------------------------


    -Name: Reinforced Elk Leather Backpack


    -Rank: D


    -Physical Crafting Quality: Perfect


    -Mana Pathways Quality: Perfect


    ----Special Effects----


    -Weatherproof (Grade E)


    -Self-Repair (Grade E)


    -Weight Reduction (Grade D)


    -Scentless (Grade D)


    ----Special Description----


    -NONE


    --------------------------


    Unfortunately, the material could not withstand stronger or more varied enchantments, but this much already was something only masters would be able to craft.


    He did not even spare a second to admire his work before getting to the second most important thing he wanted to have on hand, quite literally in fact. Storage rings.


    Just like he did with the backpacks, he moved one small gold bar using earth magic and then heated it up using fire magic. Such was his degree of control now that he had no need for any smithing tool to work with weaker metals anymore, gold being among them.


    It took him just half an hour to have a dozen gold rings, but as enchantments on rings were too small, he had to use a needle to draw them manually on the inside part of the band.


    --------------------------


    -Name: Simple Golden Ring


    -Rank: D


    -Physical Crafting Quality: Perfect


    -Mana Pathways Quality: Perfect


    ----Special Effects----


    -Storage (Grade D)


    -Self-Repair (Grade E)


    -Weight Reduction (Grade D)


    ----Special Description----


    -NONE


    --------------------------


    By the time the sun was about to rise on the horizon, he had enchanted only 5 of the 12 rings. Just out of precaution, he decided to store some crafting materials inside one of them. Then, he hid all the rings in his backpack.


    Fortunately, nothing happened on that day, he even had the time to store his books in the rings just to be safe.


    Friday was still restless, he could feel her anxiety growing and leaking through their connection day by day. Sometimes Edward would say something seemingly irrelevant, only for her to have a spike of anxiety. Even the fact that Eleanor seemed a little tired before one of their training worried her for some reason.


    Lila was of no help; she spent almost all of her time in her room at the barracks creating new enchantments and working on her side project. Riwall tried fishing for information about the outside, but she was out of the loop and knew nothing.


    He made use of any time alone to craft a wide assortment of things they might need outside, he made tents with camouflaging enchantments, cooking pots, axes, daggers of all kinds, small bags for carrying herbs around, ropes, blankets, sleeping bags, etcetera.


    The last things he planned to craft was their armors and weapons, they already had some standard weapons made by Theodas and Hobbs, and he knew that most adventurers would die because of unpreparedness, not in fights against monsters. He missed his old smithing master, the elf had a knack for making him relax with his jokes, and he could use hearing a joke now.


    Every moment of rest was either spent crafting or running battle simulations in scenarios where his party was ambushed by other people. Friday''s uneasiness finally spread over to Riwall, and he too was starting to see shadows at every corner. He shared his worries with Greg and Anna, but both just shrugged and said he was imagining things. They felt safe around their masters and had no reason to think otherwise.


    On the fifth day, something unusual finally happened. The three kids got called to Eleanor''s office, which she used so sparsely that Riwall could count how many times it happened in one hand over the last four years.


    "Kids, we were betrayed, and now the other nobles know all about you and the plan of having you fight on behalf of the Marsastors in the upcoming tournament. Some felt very offended by seeing how our Lord would rather send a party of commoners than relying on the noble''s young members. The last few days have been chaotic. Hector tried to intervene as a representant of the Adventurer''s Guild, but his testimony about your potential ended up making things even worse. I won''t bother you with all the details, but they forced the Lord''s hand, and things will not go so smoothly from now on."


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The way she spoke made clear how serious was this situation. Her eyes were always darting around the room as if searching for something, while one hand was always resting on the pommel of her sword. In Riwall''s opinion, the best analogy to describe her behavior was to say that she looked like a bow with its string pulled to the limit, all the tension pressuring the body while being only one move away from unleashing all the force in the target''s direction.


    "Things will get hectic soon. In two days, you will have to fight in a tournament for the right of representing the Marsastor''s in the dwarven lands. The fights will be held at a small arena on the castle grounds; all noble families and wealthy merchants of the area will be present. Some will even have their members taking part in the tournament as well. The Farsteels pushed with all their might for rules limiting parties to 3 members, but as the tournament in the dwarven lands will follow the rule of 4 members per party, we failed. The fights will be until one party either gives up or dies."


    By the end of her words, Eleanor''s rage was palpable.


    [There is more, Riwall. Otherwise, she would not be so agitated as she is now.]


    Friday was right. Eleanor started speaking again while clutching the pommel of her sword with so much strength that it started cracking.


    "Some of these noble families previously had strong ties to the Lord''s family before the Farsteels were raised to the nobility. Their prejudice against commoners knows no bounds, they live by the creed of being a superior race. Yesterday, they invoked some ancient and long-forgotten laws to declare war against the Farsteels. Before we could even understand what was happening, they hit us hard." Her words were full of rage and sadness. "Very hard."


    "Six members of our family were ambushed and killed yesterday." She looked at Riwall and could not avoid letting a tear escape an eye.


    "Theodas was among them. He went to the village to discuss something with your mother, they got ambushed by assassins, and he held the ground for long enough for her to escape. Your aunt was not around at the time, we are still searching for her."


    Riwall''s mind blanked. He just stood there, not moving a muscle, in a complete state of shock.


    Eleanor was not over yet. She looked at the other two kids and could not hold her tears back any longer. Even after years leading Marsastor''s forces against all different threats, never she felt so powerless to face a situation.


    "Gregory, Anna, Your families were targeted as well, we could not save them, I''m sorry, I failed you!" She bowed deeply, not just out of respect for the kids, but of the shame she felt for failing them.


    No one moved or dared to break the silence with words for minutes. Anna was the first of the three to snap out of the daze.


    "Master, what is the name of the family that declared war on us?" Her voice was calm, but not the calm you experience after a good night of sleep or after filling your belly with food after a tiring day. It was the calm that preceded natural disasters.


    "There are three families that declared war on us, but the ones that lead the attacks are the Sunvalors."


    "Will they take part in the tournament?" Friday could detect small specs of dark mana escaping her body.


    "Yes, they will."


    "Good." Anna just turned around and left, she did not let a single tear fall.


    "Master." Greg was the one speaking right now. "Did my mom suffer? Did they hurt her before giving the killing blow?"


    Eleanor bit her lips. She was torn between telling the truth that Greg had the right to hear or hiding it to prevent unnecessary suffering. But it was too late, her hesitation was answer enough.


    "Excuse me, Master. I need to rest." He too left before she could utter a word. Differently from Anna, however, tears ran down his face. Yet, they were not out of sadness but of rage.


    Riwall and Eleanor stayed in silence for well over an hour. The Commander dared not move or speak before the boy. It was her oversights and hubris that led to this situation. In her mind, it was inconceivable that the nobles, after noticing how they could not hurt the commoner kids who made them feel ashamed, would choose to kill their relatives instead.


    "Six." He finally broke the silence.


    "What?"


    "You said six of ours got killed. Theodas, Greg''s mother, and Anna''s parents. That''s four, who were the other two?"


    "They were the guards escorting Greg''s mother and Anna''s parents."


    {It''s as I suspect.}


    "Theodas was not there to just talk to my mother, right?"


    Eleanor did not let the same thing happen where Gregory guessed the answer before she made her mind about telling the truth or not.


    "No. Somehow he found out that an order was sent to dismiss the guard escorting her and connected the dots. He called for help, but it would take some time to assemble the soldiers. He made his mind, got on a horse, and went straight to her house, he got there and immediately engaged the ambushers in a fight. Hellen ran and found shelter at the Adventurer''s Guild. By the time our forces got to the scene, he was already dead."


    "Who gave the order to the guard protecting my mother to leave?"


    "It was... Joshua. He is the one that betrayed us."


    Riwall looked directly into his Master''s eyes before speaking again.


    "Push for the fights to be held at the biggest arena around. I want everybody to see what will happen."


    Eleanor felt reluctant but nodded, it was the least she could do for them now.


    "And Master, don''t let my mother watch the fights. I don''t want her to think I''m a monster."


    He left the room with the same determination displayed by Anna and Greg.


    [Are you sure, Riwall? They are kids.]


    {So am I Friday, but childhood is officially over. Time to wrap things up and leave this shithole.}

 Tournament

    Riwall silently walked back to the forge and then to his room. He and Friday were aware that even the barracks were not safe anymore, so they got into a high alert state the moment they left Eleanor''s watch.


    He opened the door of his room to find both Greg and Anna expecting him, the former was sitting on the ground and holding his knees, he had an empty look and signs of dried tears on his face, the latter was leaning up against the wall with a calm expression.


    "Took you long enough." She said.


    "Got a few last things to get before the tournament."


    "What''s the plan, Mad?" Greg asked without a hint of emotion to his voice. He didn''t even look at Riwall.


    "What we do? I know what I''m gonna do. I came here to ask if you are in or out, I won''t pressure any of you to do something you would regret later."


    <hr>


    [Don''t do this Riwall, they are kids, you are trying to turn them into sadistic murderers.]


    {Look around you Friday! Do you see a police officer around the corner that we can report to? Have you heard anything about a judge in these parts? What about due process? This world speaks only two languages: fear and violence. I will show them how proficient I can be in both of them.}


    [Ah, I see, the world is a piece of shit, so everything is allowed now!] The sarcasm of her words was palpable.


    {And what do you suggest huh? We are going to fight in an arena because we somehow hurt the pride of an entitled piece of shit! You heard the rules, give up or die, if we give up, they kill us tomorrow or the next day! They won''t let us walk away. The Farsteels trusted their Lord and his rules, and now we have two new orphans who feel powerless to do anything. I''m giving them a way out of this mess.}


    [I can''t believe you are saying these things. You know what''s worse? My morals and values come from YOU! You are the one who holds these principles I''m speaking about in high regard. But I said my piece, go on, ruin the life of the orphans, I will watch in silence.]


    <hr>


    The banter between them took only a second, but it was more than enough to piss him off even more.


    "When I step into that arena to fight against the families that did us harm, the first thing I do will be cutting their tongues out so they won''t be able to give up. You can just sit by the side, I won''t hold it against you later."


    Anna looked right into Riwall''s eyes and said with a malicious smile. She was so angry that her hand could not stop shaking.


    "You make sure they can''t give up, I will make sure they never forget the experience."


    Riwall was too emotionally invested at this moment to understand how wrong it was for a 12-year-old to say something like that.


    "And what about you, Greg? Are you with us?" He asked.


    Greg looked at his two friends and showed a hint of a smile before answering.


    "You two are all I have left in my life, of course I will be with you all the way. Riwall will make sure they don''t give up, Anna will make sure they regret what they did, and I will make sure to bring you two back home alive."


    By the end, the boy who had his own mother tortured before killed was the reasonable one. Friday could do nothing but fear for the three of them.


    The trio slept in the same room for the first time in almost two years.


    <hr>


    The safety they felt from being around each other helped them drift to sleep after some time, and when they got up, there was not a hint of hesitation in their eyes.


    Riwall opened his room''s door to find Eleanor already up and waiting, making Riwall realize that they overslept by quite a few hours. She led them to her office. Once they sat at the chairs, she began.


    "During the night there was a new attack." Riwall''s heart skipped a beat. "No one you knew got killed, but we lost some good people."


    "In the face of such escalation of the conflict, we sent all non-essential and non-combatant personnel to the capital, Azurehall. A trustworthy family will give them shelter."


    "What about my mom and my aunt?"


    "We had reports of your aunt showing up at the Adventurer''s Guild. I went there this morning to check on her. The clerk said that both of them were not there at all, I then asked about Hector, the clerk said he left during the night but left a note for a boy named Riwall." She then handed him a letter still sealed with wax.


    When Riwall opened it, he noticed immediately how there was only one word and that it was written in some unknown language. He had made an effort to not depend on the blessing''s power, so he actually learned many languages, using the blessing''s power only to help in the learning process.


    This time he had to activate it.


    Dwarves. It was all that was written in it. He understood it immediately. Then, he burned it to a crisp.


    "Thank you, Master."


    "Tomorrow the fights will happen in the biggest arena of the fief. All nobles will be there to watch, including the Lord himself. As much as I wish to stay here with you, I need to make sure you will be safe there. Edward has been patrolling around this building since the first attacks. Today I want you three to rest. There is nothing I can teach you on time for the fights tomorrow."


    She let her stoic expression fade and adopted a worried expression, like the one a mother had for her kids.


    "I never said it before as it is not something professional to do, but I love the three of you as if you were my own children. I don''t consider you part of the Farsteels because of a piece of paper, but because I would throw my life away if it meant saving you. When you get into the arena tomorrow, do whatever it takes to survive. The Lord, his family, and all the other nobles be dammed! Come back alive, and we will sort things out. Please."


    This pulled the heartstrings of the trio, but they had a mission to accomplish.


    Eleanor broke all military protocols and hugged the kids. She said a silent prayer for them and left.


    The three just spend the rest of their day reading a few books about human anatomy as most nobles were pure humans, sharpening their weapons and meditating to calm their nerves.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    <hr>


    "Dewbrook, Icebeards, and Sunvalors." The trio heard from one of the soldiers of the barracks the names of the three families they were at war with.


    The three of them were finally going to leave the barracks after 4 years stuck in there. It was inevitable that they would feel reluctance and fear of what expected them outside, but none of the three dared to take a single step back or hesitate when stepping forward.


    Outside, a platoon of 20 heavily armed soldiers was expecting them with a fortified carriage. They all saluted the trio in the customary way of the Azure Kingdom, which was by pumping the left side of their chests with the right hand.


    The travel to the arena was slow, as all 20 soldiers were on foot in a defensive formation around the carriage. They were met with looks of scorn when the nobles, and wealthy merchants saw the Farsteel crest on the carriage.


    "The pricks are looking down on us." Anna said emotionless.


    "Ignore them, we won''t be seeing them again so soon." Riwall said.


    "Excuse me, soldier, what is the situation of the Farsteel family?" Greg was curious about how they were faring in the war.


    The soldier walking the closest to the carriage had no reservation about talking to the kids. They were also Farsteels, after all.


    "We took some heavy losses on the first two nights. But we have already reorganized and soon will retaliate. All I can say is, they won''t even know what hit them by the time we burn their houses to the ground." The soldier''s answer was full of contempt. Riwall could only imagine how Eleanor planned to deal with them.


    "Well, soldier. You adults make sure to kill their past and present. We will make sure to kill their future in the arena today." Anna added without missing a beat. It would not be an exaggeration to say that half of the trio''s bloodlust came from the fox girl.


    Instead of being shocked by hearing a 12-year-old saying something like that, the soldier showed a full smile.


    "I would never expect less from a Farsteel!" The whole platoon heard the conversation and got pumped to watch the fights now.


    When they got close to the arena, Riwall could hear a deafening noise from the crowd. Around twenty-thousand people were there to watch the tournament. It made Riwall feel nervous, and he even got a few shades paler, the soldier they were talking to noticed it and tried to soothe his nerves.


    "Relax kid, you have been trained by our best, it is your enemies that should be worrying."


    "Is it normal for this many people to come here?"


    "I almost forgot you didn''t leave the barracks that much. Actually, yes. There is not much to do around here during winter, so the Lord throws games every few days. It also helps in bringing people from other cities. You see, there is a big fight scheduled for the day after tomorrow and the village has been receiving many travelers who came just to watch it, once they heard about this surprise tournament, they couldn''t help but come watch it too."


    He gulped before thanking the soldier and trying to meditate a little.


    The carriage went inside the arena through a designated entrance for that purpose. The platoon transferred the kids over to the staff of the arena, who were all affiliate members of the Marsastor family, so no one would dare to pick a fight, as it meant challenging the Lord''s himself.


    The silent staff led them to a staging room where they had to stay until being called to fight. Thy briefly informed the trio that 8 parties would participate in a knockout bracket tournament.


    Round of 8 fights:


    Fight 1: Dewbrook vs Farsteel


    Fight 2: Sunvalor vs Amberstein


    Fight 3: Icebeard vs Mosswood


    Fight 4: Lockhill vs Berdieu


    Semi-Finals fights:


    Fight 5: Winner of Fight 1 vs Winner of Fight 2


    Fight 6: Winner of Fight 3 vs Winner of Fight 4


    Final:


    Winner of Fight 5 vs Winner of Fight 6


    The kids changed into their combat gear and felt pressure building up in their chests. After this first fight, they would not be referred to as kids anymore.


    Theirs was the very first fight, and by divine providence or manipulation by the nobles, they had the chance of fighting against all the families that had a hand in the death of their loved ones.


    The crowd went silent, and the trio could faintly hear that someone was giving a speech.


    "Who is that?" Anna tried to calm her nerves by chit-chatting.


    "Probably the Lord, I think his name was Kester or something like that."


    "You three! The Lord finished the introduction, time to show your worth!" The sudden outburst by one of the staff made all three jump to their feet.


    The trio walked silently through the corridors until stopping by the door that led to the arena court.


    The door opened, and they passed through it with their heads raised high, the commoners and the Farsteels cheered for them with all their might. The former only to spite the nobles, as they knew the kids were commoners too, the latter because they cared about the young ones.


    Riwall looked at his left. The fox girl was wearing a medium weight armor that he made. He had no time or peace of mind to worry about aesthetics, so it was a simple brigandine armor with steel plating sheets protecting her vitals and the places more likely to be hit in a fight.


    "Anna, are you ready?"


    "More than ready!" Her mana was so pumped with dark mana that Riwall even suspected it was on the verge of transforming into doom mana.


    Riwall then looked to his right. The shy boy was also wearing a brigandine armor, albeit much lighter than Anna''s to not tire him during prolonged fights, as he would focus on ranged attacks most of the time.


    "Greg, are you ready?"


    "As ready as I will ever be." His mana was not so different from Anna''s. He wanted to protect his friends at all costs, and for that, he pushed as much as he could to dark aspected mana.


    Riwall then looked inside himself.


    {Friday? You there?}


    [I''m here Riwall, and will always be.]


    Riwall''s mana got pumped to the extremes of the dark spectrum, and it spelled only one thing for the Dewbrooks. Doom.

 Broken Promises

    Riwall looked at his opponents and made use of his connection with Friday to do some analysis.


    {Three men, one woman, they are too far away, about 100 meters if I would guess. I can barely see their faces, but their height make it unlikely for them to be only 15-years-old, didn''t this tournament have the same rules as the dwarves''?}


    [Eleanor never said that.]


    As if to give further credibility to what Friday said, Eleanor jumped from the stands to the arena and faced the opposing group.


    "What is the meaning of this? The tournament is to see who will represent Marsastor in the dwarven competition, and you are clearly older than fifteen!"


    One of the Dewbrooks elders also jumped into the arena.


    "Oh, poor Eleanor, did you just assume we would be following the same rules as the dwarves? Of course we won¡¯t. The family that wins today will get the right to choose who will go there. There was no necessity for risking the lives of those we want to fight in the near future."


    He barely made any effort to hide the contempt he felt towards the Commander. To further enrage the Farsteels, he wore a mocking smile while waiting for Eleanor to answer.


    "Then, I will be taking the open spot of the Farsteels party." She was already unsheathing her sword when the elder began laughing loudly.


    "Unfortunately, you can''t do that for two reasons. For the first one, the Lord decreed just a few hours ago that no fighter could be older than 20-year-old. It made all families change everything at the last second, but no one complained. Secondly, the period for changing the parties is already over. Please leave the field so the fights can start. You can always instruct your kids to give up if you are so worried."


    "That''s all right, Master. I''m actually relieved the opponents are not kids like us. After all, no one likes to hear kids screaming of pain." Riwall said enthusiastically. Making Eleanor frown and worry even more for the kids'' state of mind.


    She then looked back and saw how the trio was unaffected by this revelation, and they still had the same determined face they had before.


    "The change in the rules is still not valid. The Farsteels were not informed of this."


    "What you mean by ''not informed''? Your dear brother Edward was in the same meeting after all! Are you telling me he did not share it with the rest of the family? He must be passed out drunk in some alley. Hardly the fault lies with the other families." The elder spoke while faking his disappointment for the Farsteel by shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.


    Eleanor knew Edward had not been seen in the last hour, and her father had already dispatched soldiers to look for him.


    "What is the meaning of the delay? Start the fight now!" The Lord''s voice echoed throughout the arena, powered by magic to make it suppress all other sounds.


    "But my Lord! We have not been informed about the changes!" Eleanor tried to argue in vain.


    "The Dewbrook elder is not lying, Edward was at the meeting. We will investigate his alleged disappearance after the tournament." The Lord disregarded her allegations in such a way that made it clear how he saw it as a stalling move to postpone the fight. "Now, both of you leave the arena!" His tone had a sense of finality that left no margin for further discussions.


    Eleanor was about to keep the argument going despite what the Lord thought, but Riwall called her before she got herself in trouble and shook his head. She hung her head in defeat and left the arena with the elder, but not before whispering for Riwall to "Not dare to hold back"Riwall looked to where she went and noticed how she positioned herself in a way that made it easy for her to intervene in the fight if necessary. He was about to smile sweetly at her worries when Friday interrupted him.


    [Focus on the fight, worry about her later.]


    He focused back on his opponents right away.


    One was using a tower shield and broadsword while wearing heavy armor, one had a bow in his hands and a sword strapped to his belt as a backup weapon while wearing black leather armor, the third man had a long lance and wore the same black leather armor as his colleague. The woman had a wooden staff that had a gem at one end, and a blade at the other, probably to finish off downed opponents without the need of spending mana. They stood at a close triangular formation with the burdensome armor user taking the lead, the other two at the flanks, and the girl at the safest spot.


    {A tank, two damage-dealers, and one healer. Can it get more clich¨¦ than that?} Riwall relaxed a little. He had many plans on how to deal with parties that followed this setup.


    "Anna, Greg, we will go with plan A-4." They nodded and took a step back.


    "FIGHT!" The Lord gave the signal


    The Dewbrooks ran forward in concert. They were much taller than the trio, and the spectators began worrying about the kids'' safety. Eleanor got increasingly anxious the closer the Dewbrooks got, she thought the trio would play safe and strike from a distance before engaging in close-range combat, but they were not moving at all.


    When the distance between the parties reached the 15-meter mark, the archer left the formation and nocked an arrow. Before he could let it loose, the unexpected happened, an arrow pierced his left hand and exploded. Before his bow touched the ground, he was already screaming.


    The archer saw one of the kids that were further away with a bow on his hand and a mocking smile stamped on his face. (FUCK! How did he shoot an arrow that fast? I could swear he was not moving when I lined my shot!).


    After watching the damage done by Greg¡¯s attack, Riwall launched himself forward with unbelievable speed by pushing himself forward with wind magic while using a second spell to negate all wind resistance. This move would be excessively reckless if their ranged fighter could intercept him.


    The tank raised his shield and put it down to hold it in place, it was clear how he wanted for the boy to crash into an unmovable shield and hurt himself.


    Riwall had other plans. The tank¡¯s move was unexpected but welcome nonetheless, Riwall abruptly changed the direction of his advance by using yet another wind spell at his side. This brisk acceleration and deceleration movement was risky and put a lot of pressure on his body, and anyone else would have fainted trying to pull something similar. Friday stabilized his blood pressure in such a way that he could hold on to his consciousness and surprise even experienced fighters with these maneuvers.


    He flanked the Dewbrooks and slapped the healer, shocking everyone who was watching. The lancer thought he was unbalanced after his acrobatic movements using magic and thrust at him, but Riwall narrowly dodged the lance and slapped him in the face as well.


    The tank thought he was taunting them, but his two friends'' desperate screams immediately told him that was not the case.


    Both dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, screaming at the top of their lungs while clutching their throats.


    The commoners'' crowd erupted in cheers at the scene. The moves shown by the kid had the fluidity they could only see when masters fought while having the bonus of humiliating the nobles that some despised but could not challenge.


    The tank was about to ask what happened when he saw how the healer''s mouth was completely charred in the inside, and there was even smoke leaving it. The boy had burned their mouths and larynx. The slap was just the medium from which the spell left his palm, the thickness of their cheeks could not stop him from directly casting inside their mouths.


    The tank could not afford to overthink the matter. Deep down, he knew that such display of spellcasting was at the same level as his masters, but he also knew that close-combat mages'' bane were heavy armor fighters like himself. Few could cast anything powerful enough to damage thick metal plating, and in his case, he wore anti-magic enchanted heavy armor.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Riwall saw the tank''s broadsword swinging in his direction at high speed, but if he could dodge a lance thrust with ease, a broadsword in the hand of a slow fighter would never land on him. He carelessly began the motions to dodge the strike.


    However, the broadsword suddenly speed up, and he barely got his shield up in time to block it. The difference of weight between the two and Riwall''s wrong stance for blocking made him get sent away flying for a few meters until stopping.


    The tank couldn¡¯t help but smile at how his opponnent was easily fooled by this old trick. He was about to give chase when something pierced his lower back right at one of the few gaps of his armor.


    Immediately he fell to the ground, unable to feel or move his legs. Anna had an angry expression on her face while holding a bloodied dagger that was expelling dark flames. She had not only found a gap at the waist level, but angled the strike in such a way that it hit the tank''s spine while burning everything around to make sure he would not be able to recover before the next phase of the plan.


    Her heart skipped a beat when the tank hit Riwall and sent him flying away, at that moment she wanted to rush to his side to check on him, but her training kicked in and she focused on the more pressing matters.


    Riwall got up while being severely reprimanded by Friday for dropping his guard and thinking of himself as invincible. The tank''s hit was so strong that it crushed the bones of the arm holding the shield. If he had failed to block on time, he would have lost his head instead of breaking a few bones.


    "Change of plans! Plan A-1, now!"


    He sheathed his sword to free his working hand and began charging a potent spell to finish off at least the healer and lancer user, the tank would probably survive because of his equipment. The healer seemed not to be proficient at casting without chanting, so she had only just calmed enough to start the process of healing her throat.


    Anna went for the archer right away.


    The archer had already got a hold of himself and had a sword in his working hand. He saw Riwall casting a spell and had a bad feeling about it, so he decided to stop the boy. Greg distracted him by shooting a barrage of arrows in his direction, and the archer got busy deflecting some arrows and dodging the others. As soon as Anna engaged him in a one on one fight, Greg stopped shooting and repositioned himself in wait for an opportunity.


    Anna expertly blocked the archer''s attacks while moving around, leading him to think she was afraid of showing a gap for him to exploit. The fight then went on for a few minutes, with Anna solely focused on dodging and blocking.


    In his delusion, the archer failed to notice how he got so invested in the exchange that he had turned his back to the adversary archer who had stopped attacking him.


    Greg did not miss the opportunity and shot an arrow to his exposed ankle, pinning one of the archer''s feet to the ground. Anna did to him the same she did to the tank and disengaged.


    By this time, the crowd was at their limits of excitement. They kept screaming and shouting as if their lives depended on it, seeing the underdogs completely dominating the opposition made their blood boil. The fact that the underdogs were commoners only added fuel to the fire.


    Even Eleanor was feeling relieved. She had almost intervened when Riwall got hit and sent flying, but the boy quickly got back on his feet while Anna had already disabled the enemy with only one hit. Then she saw how the girl fooled her new target into turning his back to Gregory.


    Riwall finished preparing his spell and launched it toward the healer, she had already healed herself and was chanting a healing spell on the lancer.


    Everyone in the arena felt a chill run down their spines and looked to the source of their uneasiness. Only the fastest on the crowd managed to get a glimpse of a dark sphere before it hit the healer and disappeared inside her body.


    An aura of fear spread from the healer''s body in an instant, making the whole arena go silent. Even the soldiers could not help but put a hand on their weapons as if they were about to fight something dangerous.


    [Crap! Riwall, call for Anna and Greg to get behind you, now!] Friday was truly scared. She had underestimated the strengthening effect Doom mana had on his spells.


    "Anna, Greg! To me, now!"


    Both did not even hesitate and got behind him. Friday pushed his mana all the way to the Hallowed spectrum just on time for him to create a dome of the toughest earth he could produce. He had yet to learn any barrier spell, so he relied on the protection of his earth magic instead.


    There were dozens of mages around the arena to protect the crowd from the fight. They noticed the strength of the spell immediately and hushed to cast the strongest barrier spells they knew. A semi-transparent green wall manifested to keep Riwall¡¯s spell effects contained to the arena floor.


    The healer did not move for over one minute, the aura got stronger each second and many people started to shake in fear. Then, the healer''s skin began turning black while her hair started to fall, her body was rotting at a visible pace and the spectators could do nothing but watch and wait for what was to come.


    "What the hell is happening, Mad!?" Greg shouted at Riwall''s ear. He never felt so scared in his entire life.


    "I have no fucking idea." Even he was feeling the effects of the aura produced by his spell.


    The healer let out a brief but bony-chilling scream before her body exploded as if rigged with explosives. Instead of the customary red flames from typical explosions, this one was pitch black, consuming everything in its way. Riwall''s dome made by hallowed earth started cracking while the mages outside were pouring their entire mana reserves to hold the force of his spell.


    With nowhere else to go but up, the explosion turned into a beam of dark flames that traveled almost a hundred meters high before starting to dissipate.


    Everyone had a ringing in their ears from the noise while the temperature had risen to very uncomfortable levels. When the dust settled, there was a huge crater in the arena floor, one of the lower levels even partially collapsed at the spot.


    The temperature and pressure where the healer was standing got so high that small beads of glass formed at the crater.


    Riwall dissolved the earth dome and almost lost his footing when he saw the damage. The enemies were nowhere to be seen, he had disintegrated them.


    He was about to curse at Friday as she was the one that controlled the entire spell construction when someone started clapping slowly.


    Eleanor had a bright and proud smile on her face as she applauded her students. Her eyes briefly passed over the heads of the three families at war with them, they were completely pale.


    Her clap broke the crowd from their daze. At first, they were clapping slowly, but it built momentum in just a few seconds and they began cheering and shouting the Farsteel name.


    Eleanor looked again at the families¡¯ heads and they were briskly discussing something while gesticulating a lot. She furrowed her brows and felt something amiss with their behavior.


    Anna approached Riwall from behind and whispered.


    "You broke your promise. They didn''t suffer enough in the end."


    He turned to face her and was already coming up with an apology. But he saw both Greg and Anna smiling happily at him, and the latter even had watery eyes.


    "But once you got hit and thrown away, I realized no vengeance was worth the cost of losing the only family I have left." Seeing the fox girl giving an uncommon emotional speech brought tears to both Riwall and Greg''s eyes.


    Unfortunately, the sweet atmosphere did not last as Riwall rushed to the staging room to heal his arm.

 Where is my EXP?

    The three made their way to the staging room and got themselves immersed in their own thoughts. The drop in the adrenaline levels made the jubilation from the victory immediately disappear, and the death of the Dewbrooks started to weight heavily on Anna and Greg¡¯s psyche.


    Riwall did not get affected by it at all, both because his mind, albeit immature, was more resistant to sudden changes in hormone levels, and because he was currently immersed in a discussion with Friday.


    {How long do you need to heal my arm?}


    [I¡¯m doing my best here, it¡¯s not like Hector taught us how to cast healing spells. I can either do it the long and safe way by slowly healing it, or I can try pumping a lot of mana as if casting an attack spell. Your call.] Friday let some of her anger seep through their connection, taking Riwall by surprise.


    {Hey! What¡¯s that for? We just won the fight, why are you suddenly so grumpy?}


    [Because you almost lost your head, you idiot! We have been training for years! Years! And you almost died because of your arrogance! If you are so eager to end your life, just say the word, and I will make your heart stop.] Friday rarely let emotions cloud her speech pattern, but this time, Riwall could almost touch the bitterness she put in it.


    {I already said I¡¯m sorry, ok!? What else do you want!?} Now it was Riwall¡¯s turn to get angry.


    [Do you take me for a fool!? Did you forget that I can read your mind!? If you say something but don¡¯t mean it, I will know! You are clearly not worried enough about your mistake and is downplaying it to irresponsible levels!]


    Riwall was about to retort when Friday suddenly flooded his mind with a replay of what happened. He knew he had barely managed to block the strike, but looking at it again showed how close to dying he really was. If he was half a second later, he would be dead.


    {Ok, I get it, dammit! I¡¯m truly sorry!}


    [Humph.]


    Once his discussion with Friday was over, he noticed how Anna and Gregory were sulking and had gloomy faces.


    ¡°Hey guys, cheer up! We won our first fight!¡± He wanted them to share the happiness he did not find on Friday, but once they turned to look at him with confused expressions, he knew something was wrong.


    ¡°Cheer up, you say?¡± Anna said those words shook her head and turned to look at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world right now.


    ¡°What about you, Greg? We got them good, right?¡± It was Riwall¡¯s last chance of getting an ally, as it was clear that Anna shared Friday¡¯s mood right now.


    ¡°Mad¡­ They are dead, not hurt, but dead. Did you see that woman face before she blew up? By the gods, I think I will never forget it.¡± He said the last words almost as a whisper.


    ¡°But you know they took part in the attacks, this is called justice!¡± The last phrase left his mouth as a shout while he brandished a fist at his friend. For some reason that even he did not fully comprehend, he lashed out at Greg.


    Anna just got up and walked over to where Riwall was sitting. In a rare display of maturity beyond both her age and personality, she said a few words to Riwall in a flat tone, clearly trying to emulate how Eleanor would speak when imparting them with words of knowledge and self-reflection.


    ¡°Riwall, Greg and I are very happy about winning, but we are not like them, we are better. They would be out drinking and partying, just like our masters told us about them. However, we are neither nobles nor cold-blooded killers. I know what I said and what I wanted to do, but once you got hit it dawned on me that I care more about protecting what I already have than avenging those that I will never see again. What would Theodas think if he saw you gloating at another person¡¯s death?¡±


    This sudden confrontation and the feeling of being lectured by a child clouded Riwall¡¯s mind and, before he knew it, he found himself in one of those moments you would do anything to take back what you said. Friday pretended to not be involved and opted to let him deal with it on his own.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Anna, you may not have received the memo, but Master Theodas can¡¯t express his opinion anymore, I wonder why is that!?¡± She was about to retort while doing her best to not punch Riwall when he continued.


    ¡°And what got into you? You were the first to scream bloody vengeance when Master Eleanor broke the news, getting cold feet now? Maybe you were not so affected by what happened after all.¡± By this point, he was screaming at her with a red face, his immaturity trumped his rationality.


    The fox girl had disgust stamped on her face and slapped him with all strength she could muster, breaking his train of thoughts and calming him down just enough for him to see her tears.


    {Shit.}


    ¡°I¡­ Sorry, Anna, I was angry at¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I..¡±


    ¡°I SAID SHUT UP!¡±


    Riwall looked for Greg for support, but all that his friend had to show was a sad expression on his face. Anna turned away and was already walking back to the bench that she was sitting before, Riwall was about to follow her when Friday shouted.


    [Stop right now! Something is wrong, and you are in danger, get it together!] By now his arm was mostly healed, he still felt pain when moving it, but not enough to get in his way when fighting.


    Friday words made his training kick in, and he got a new shield from one of his rings while unsheathing his sword.


    Greg and Anna both noticed it and also got their weapons, they were well trained and could push their emotions to the back of their minds when needed.


    ¡°What is it, Mad?!¡± Greg shouted while the three kids had each other back to cover as many angles as possible.


    {Friday, explain!}


    [All our teachers stated that any EXP would be awarded once the enemy was dead, and no further threats to one¡¯s life were close-by.]


    ¡°Did any of you get any EXP at all? Check your panels! Now!¡±


    The two chanted the |Panel| spell while Riwall only pretended to do so as he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Shit! I got nothing!¡± Anna started attuning her mana to the dark spectrum as soon as she confirmed his theory.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Me neither!¡±


    The lanterns in the room suddenly went out, and they found themselves in pitch darkness.


    The three did not dare make a sound, all their focus was on finding who was targeting them.


    The minutes went on and on, and their heartbeat was frantic. They had not moved but were already covered in sweat as if fighting for hours. Riwall was about to cast a ring of fire around them when the sound of a knife burying itself in flesh broke the silence, and Anna¡¯s scream confirmed who the victim was.


    He cast the spell and saw the assailant backing away from Anna, who was holding her bleeding belly, even the steel plate he put there was not enough to protect her. Both he and Greg got distracted by the scene, and a second assailant took the opportunity to do the same to Greg, but the boy reacted on time and managed to deflect the thrust with his own sword.


    A third assailant jumped on Riwall, but Friday had his back. She did not take any chances and cast a thin, but sturdy and sharp needle that perforated the attacker¡¯s skull and ended his life immediately.


    It was not unheard of people at his age to be able to cast powerful and flashy spells, but the degree of control required for small and deadly spells would raise many flags if displayed in public. This, whoever, was not a situation where Riwall or Friday could afford to not show their hands.


    BOOOOOM!


    Before anything else could happen, an explosion opened a new entrance to the staging room, from where an enchanted arrow flew through and ended the life of Anna¡¯s attacker. The last surviving assassin darted to the exit that would lead him to the tunnels to the arena court, but a flaming sword pierced him in the back, and he was dead before knowing what happened.


    Riwall manipulated the wind with his mana and cleared the dust, revealing the figures of Edward and Lilacoris. She was donning a new set of enchanted armor that was clearly much superior to the one from the |Immortal Memory| he saw, while Edward was wearing bloodied peasant clothes and sported a black eye and cuts all over his body.


    Riwall noticed how hurt his master was.


    ¡°Master Edward! I can heal you, just lay down for a while, Anna, go watch the door to the Arena! Greg, you¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no time! Follow us. Lila, you got the back. Riwall, you close the passage behind us with your magic. Anna, Greg, get behind me and don¡¯t engage the enemy until I say so. C¡¯mon, double time!¡±


    He rushed back to the tunnel with Greg and Anna on his tail, Riwall followed after them, and Lila got the job of protecting their backs. Friday was the one responsible for casting spells to close the tunnel off. Her precision made it impossible for anyone to know which way they went, as she settled the soil in such a way that it was almost impossible to see where it had been disturbed before. Edward and Lila did not know about that, so they were worried the pursuers would employ some earth mage to reopen the tunnel.


    Suddenly Anna dropped to the ground unconscious, she had been trying to stop the bleeding while running, but it was not enough.


    ¡°I got this!¡± Riwall had no time to properly heal her, so he just cauterized it after making sure to treat the insides just enough to stop the internal bleeding. He berated himself for not doing so as soon as they entered the tunnels, but she had not complained in the last few minutes.


    ¡°Greg, carry her, and if you get tired, tell me immediately.¡± Edward commanded and resumed their escape.


    The five ran for a few miles before seeing the exit. Edward silently exited the tunnel and checked the surroundings before signaling for them to follow.


    They were now in the woods and, according to Friday, going northeast.


    Riwall and Friday were not idling, they were focused on using magic to remove as many traces as they could. As the running did not stop for a few hours, he had to cease his frantic casting of magic to preserve mana in case a fight broke out. He even carried Anna for a while for Greg to catch his breath.


    Their stamina was not infinite, and when Edward noticed them panting, he stopped for the kids to rest while he and Lila would patrol the area and make sure their tracks were hidden enough.


    Riwall took this opportunity to heal Anna properly, she would still be down for a while because of the loss of blood, but would not be risking going into a hypovolemic shock anymore.


    Edward made them start running again after 15 minutes, and this routine of running for a few hours and resting for 15 minutes stretched through the night. He only stopped for a prolonged rest when the sun was already rising on the horizon.


    They set up a campfire close to one of the many lakes of the Azure Forest, Lila took the opportunity to teach Riwall how to create simple wards to hide the smoke, and how to properly set alarms and some rudimentary defensive wards around them.


    By then, Anna was already awake, albeit still feeling weak. Once they were all sitting around the fire, Edward began telling his tale.


    ¡°As you are aware, the other noble families pushed for the change of some rules before the first fight, and I immediately volunteered to be the Farsteel representative. At first, some neutral families tried to make it an individual competition to choose the best 4 fighters who would represent the Marsastor Fief. Still, they were immediately shut down as teamwork is essential, and we don¡¯t have enough time to work on it. Then, they proposed the revocation of the age limit, which only existed to match the dwarven rules, but I opposed it and even got the support of some others. Kester, I mean, the Lord, could not directly oppose the other families¡¯ demands, as they own most of the mines around here since the foundation, so he settled for the middle ground.¡±


    ¡°On the way back, I and my retinue got ambushed, I barely escaped, and if not for Lila, who insisted on not leaving with the crafters, I would be dead by now.¡± He nodded to her and went on with his account.


    ¡°We were about to get to the Arena when an informant intercepted us and told about assassins hidden around to finish the job of the ambushers and to kill you three. Apparently, your display of magic got them worried about losing the tournament. He also shared some worrying information about the other families¡¯ endgame.¡± Edward uncharacteristically did not immediately continue, as he seemed to be pondering about whether to tell them something or not. In just a few seconds, he had a resolute expression and opted to share it.


    ¡°Their objective was never to attain the glory of representing Marsastor in the dwarven tournament, it was all a ruse to give justification to a change of the current leadership, not only in the Marsastor family, who holds the titles to everything around here, but of our family as well.¡± Although he tried holding his emotions from surfacing, it was clear how this situation had affected him.


    It did not take a genius to understand how the Farsteels fit into the picture. By what Riwall heard all over these years, the Farsteels had the authority to muster a sizable army, which they trained to exhaustion and had unwavering loyalty. Should they want it, the control of the Marsastor Fief would be theirs, but if they were the kind who partake in such backstabbing politics, they would have never grown to be what they were today.


    ¡°But what do they get from the changes they want?¡± Riwall, as always, could not wait for his master to finish before asking questions.


    ¡°What scares us the most is that we are not sure yet, could be more money, more power, or, and may the gods make it not be the case because they are following the agenda of a third party that we are unaware of.¡± The simplicity of Edward¡¯s theories, which he spoke as if sharing the results of exhaustive analysis, and the fact that Lila seemed to agree wholeheartedly as she kept nodding while he spoke, baffled Riwall.


    {What do you think, Friday?}


    [This is what we know from gossip all over these years: Lord Kester is not known for being a despot, the Farsteels are too tame to use their military power to push their own interests, and the other families hold the economic power. The status quo could not get more comfortable.]


    [They are either pushing for changes to somehow preserve this status quo, which may be the case if they feel that Kester is not up to the task anymore, and the Farsteels holds too much military power. Or they know the status quo is about to be broken beyond repair and they are preparing for what may come next.]


    {What about the involvement of a third party?}


    [We can¡¯t rule out that possibility, but we lack enough information to even make educated guesses.]


    ¡°Master Edward, if we rule out money, what could a third party get from this? It¡¯s not like they could hope to control old noble families for long.¡± Riwall sneered at the idea of a third party controlling these proud noble families. His extensive knowledge from Earth¡¯s noble families¡¯ history corroborated this point of view.


    [Oh no, not again! You have still not received any EXP! I thought it was from the fact you were running away, and there were multiple creatures in the woods, but we are in a relatively safe spot, by all accounts you should have already received the due EXP from killing the Dewbrooks.]


    {Wait, what?} As if waiting for Friday¡¯s remarks, a man¡¯s voice sounded from nearby.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong, young Farsteel.¡± Everyone turned to look at the man in dark robes that just came from behind one of the many trees. ¡°They have always been under our control.¡±


    The rising sun illuminated his face, and all but Greg and Anna could not help but stare at him with wide eyes.

 Chapter 30 - Live and Remember

    ¡°You¡­ You are alive¡­¡± All Lila could do was state the obvious. Her mind came to a halt the very moment she saw his face.


    ¡°Hello, dear wife.¡± Lukas, Lila¡¯s allegedly deceased husband, looked exactly as he did during the |Immortal Memory| ordeal. ¡°You are as beautiful as the day I met you. You know, I can pull some strings and get you in our group, what do you say?¡±


    Lila did not entertain Lukas¡¯s proposition, so he decided to taunt his brother instead.


    ¡°Hey, Little Ed, is everything alright? It looks like you just saw a ghost!¡± He laughed loud as if he had just heard a good joke, making everyone wonder if the man lost his mind since the dragon Benir¡¯s attack.


    ¡°I know, I know. You may be wondering: How are you alive! Lila saw you dying! The dragon Benir ate you whole! But guess what? It was all a ruse!¡± His last words were marked by him opening his arms wide, by this point, his performance was getting on everyone¡¯s nerves.


    Every word that left his mouth felt as if tailored to perfectly mock Edward and Lila¡¯s gullibleness for all the years since the event. ¡°Let me tell how things happened from my point of view. On that day, I¡­¡±


    ¡°We already know, traitor!¡± Edward got a hold of himself and snapped at his brother. Both he and Lila had reviewed the |Immortal Memory| dozens of times; they knew he was the culprit to her party¡¯s death. But once they saw him, they could not keep their emotions at bay and blanked out for a few moments.


    [Riwall, he has no reason to talk to us. Lukas is probably stalling for reinforcements to come or for some spell to be done. What do you want to do?]


    {I know it uses a lot of mana, but please send a steady mana pulse to check for any spell being cast in the area.}


    Friday did as commanded, and everyone felt some kind of mana disturbance pass through them. Including Lukas, who immediately dropped the lunatic act and turned to look at Riwall.


    ¡°Interesting, we seem to have a smart one in the family.¡± For a moment, Lukas seemed to be pondering about something before continuing. ¡°Unfortunately, I can only bring one person back alive. By the way, that¡¯s you, my dear wife. It took me a few years to earn the right of inducting someone else in the organization, so please, be a good wife and drop your weapons. Oh, and close your eyes for a moment, I promise your friends¡¯ deaths will be quick and painless.¡± His last words were spoken in a serious tone, as if he trully believed that she would obey him and do as he said.


    Lila¡¯s answer to such absurdity was to throw a fireball in his direction and set it to explode as soon as it got close to him.


    The explosion was weak but produced so much noise and light that Lukas could not see or hear anything for a couple of seconds. Once the dust settled, everyone had just disappeared.


    ¡°Fuck! Almenanj, get the troops and start looking for tracks of their escape! Euan! Why did you not lock the place as ordered? They stood still for more than enough time for you to cast the damn spell!¡± Lukas was livid, it took them the entire night to find his wife, only for her to escape in just a couple of seconds after disobeying him.


    A scrawny and bald man wearing the same dark robes as the others addressed Lukas as if unbothered by his anger.


    ¡°Hardly our fault. The moment that bitch¡­¡± He stopped when he noticed how Lukas reacted when he called his wife a bitch. ¡°I mean, the moment your¡­ wife¡­ cast the fireball at you, that strange kid used the opportunity to cast a much faster one in our direction, we had no choice but drop the casting and erect a barrier. The bastard is talented, I will give him that. We barely completed the barrier in time before it exploded.¡± He finished his tale by pointing behind his back with his thumb.


    Lukas looked in the direction pointed by Euan and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. A huge crater marked the place where the kid¡¯s spell went off.


    ¡°The kid did that? Alone and in a moment¡¯s notice?¡±


    ¡°If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe it. He sure is something special. Maybe we should capture him alive and bring him back to the base, I¡¯m sure he can be of help in the coming war.¡± Lukas found it strange for Euan to show this much interest in something or someone. The man was known to only act this way when facing something that truly surprised him, which rarely happened.


    The one called Almenanj, a short, black-haired woman wearing the same dark robes, got back to report her team¡¯s finding to Lukas and Euan, kneeling in front of the two before speaking.


    ¡°Sorry, sirs. We failed to find any clue about where they fled. It¡¯s as if they suddenly disappeared. We had scouts positioned all around the perimeter, but no one saw anything.¡±


    It was Euan who answered.


    ¡°Before Lukas here takes your head. I suggest you and your team return to base. They probably fled north, which means we cannot keep going after them.¡± He turned to Lukas before letting a smile show. ¡°Unless you want to try trespassing the fairies¡¯ territories again.¡±


    Lukas¡¯s anger spiked by the mention of the fairies, and he just roared an order for everyone to hear.


    ¡°Back to Marsastor, now! I have a family to take control of, and I intend to do it before noon!¡±


    Euan watched the back of troops rushing to leave the place, and once they were far enough, he spared a look to the location from where the group disappeared and chuckled.


    ¡°We will see each other again, Riwall.¡±


    <hr>


    Greg, Ana, Lila, and Edward were sitting together in a pitch-black cave while Riwall was sleeping soundly at Anna¡¯s lap.


    Both adults had already scouted the perimeter to any danger but found the place long deserted.


    The moment Riwall saw Lila¡¯s spell, he took the opportunity to disrupt whatever Lukas¡¯s mages were casting and to hide his group by having all of them fall in an underground tunnel that he felt with his mana pulse. Friday did not spare any effort into covering their tracks by making the earth seem undisturbed after ¡°swallowing¡± the group.


    The feat drained Riwall of his mana reserves, making him lose consciousness as soon as he was sure everyone was ok.


    <hr>


    After about an hour, Riwall slowly woke up from a dreamless slumber while feeling a migraine forming. Before he had the opportunity to open his eyes, Friday pulled him into one of their customary time-defying conversations.


    [I will save us some time and skip all questions about how you are feeling. I know how rich your vocabulary is, and I¡¯m sure you would describe the experience of suffering from mana withdraw using words like ¡°shit¡±, ¡°garbage¡± or ¡°like Erika¡¯s Cooking¡±.]Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    He could do nothing but send the equivalent of a humph through their connection.


    [Before you open your mouth, and get you, Greg and Anna into trouble, I want you to think about what I¡¯m about to suggest.]


    {By the looks of it, I won¡¯t like it, will I?}


    [No, you won¡¯t.] She took a moment to continue, which amused Riwall, as he knew she would only emulate human speech behavior when trying to convince him of something.


    [While you slept, I reviewed every memory related to the Farsteels and the Marsastors. I found nothing that could help us understand why Lukas betrayed them, who these people were, and why the families suddenly decided to band together and attack. Do you agree with this statement?]


    {So far so good.}


    [With that being said. All we know is that Greg maybe somehow involved, as he is a Marsastor in all but name; Anna is a prodigy in almost every kind of close-range combat and has high stats overall; you are an anomaly that could pressure your masters in every exercise while still being a meek level 1.]


    {Ok, strange choice of words to describe me, but I will let it pass, go on.}


    [I¡¯m not done yet. You have the maturity of an 8-year-old; you are so lazy, and your mind gets so empty that sometimes I feel like you will one day say that breathing is tiring and just drop dead; you are an overly optimistic entitled prick who thinks everything will work out to your benefit in the end; you¡­]


    {Ok! Ok! I get it. You don¡¯t have to continue, these last few days got me thinking about a lot of stuff, and I know you are right.}


    [What have I told you about lying to me? Seriously, how many times do we have to go over this? I can read your mind, dumbass.]


    {Shut up for a second¡­ Please¡­ I never cared about what you or anyone else expected of me, so I always ignored all your remarks of me being immature or lazy, and just carried on doing what I wanted to.}


    {Friday, I have been able to keep some thoughts hidden from you for a few years. Just like you can compartmentalize most of what you are thinking, so do I. Not to the same extent, but enough to have some ¡°me time¡± now and then. Please, understand that I never intended to keep it a secret, but I never felt like it was the right time to broach the subject with you.}


    He let Friday take a quick glimpse of his hidden thoughts and memories.


    {Before you get into analyzing these memories, let me show what this is really about.}


    Suddenly, Friday felt herself getting pulled into a simulation, just like she did with him almost every day.


    She found herself in Riwall¡¯s old room from when he lived on Earth as John. Differently from the simulations created by her, she was not an omniscient spectator with power to control everything, but just a harmless golden wisp floating behind an adult version of Riwall, who was watching a young John playing video games. No one spoke a word for a few minutes while young John cursed at the TV and started the same phase over and over.


    [What is this? How did you create a simulation of your own? Wha¡­]


    The adult Riwall turned, and she stopped talking. His face was drenched in tears, and he was smiling.


    ¡°I will answer all of your questions later. But first, I need to get some things off my chest.¡± He inhaled deeply before continuing. ¡°The older I get, the more memories from my previous life come back to me. They are never whole, probably because of that Goddess Temelth, but since I first started experiencing them, my priorities in life changed.¡±


    The scenario changed, and both found themselves in front of a building where many faceless kids were going into while carrying oversized backpacks. Friday immediately recognized it as the school where he grew up.


    ¡°Times were so simple back then. My only worry was about how I would spend my afternoons.¡± He said while giving a lovingly look to everything around him.


    ¡°I can not remember their faces, but I can feel that some of these kids were my friends. When I look into this memory, I feel so¡­ carefree? I don¡¯t know the right word for it, maybe light? What do you think?¡± He let the emotion he was trying to name course through their connection.


    [Nostalgic.]


    He just nodded in affirmation with a happy smile while the scene changed again.


    They were now in a park and were looking at a teenager couple sharing an awkward first kiss after an equally awkward first date. The woman, just like the kids, had no face, but the boy was clearly John. Riwall felt how lost Friday was, so he let the emotions from this memory carry on through their connection and felt like no words were needed.


    Friday concluded how shallow her take on emotions had been until now. To watch someone else¡¯s memories and to take part in it are two completely different experiences. To compare both perspectives would be like comparing the experience of watching a video of someone skydiving to skydiving yourself.


    Once he felt like it was time, he moved to the last memory he wanted to share. This time, Riwall did not want to just watch it as an invisible third party. He wished for something deeper, more personal.


    Friday and Riwall found themselves merged together with the John from this memory. Their thoughts took the backseat while they relieved this memory as if they were John.


    He was about to leave his parent¡¯s house when someone grabbed his arm and turned him around.


    ¡°Did you get everything you needed? Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to take you there? When will I be able to visit you?¡± A faceless woman was talking passionately to John, who was getting fed up by her questions.


    ¡°Jesus, mom! It¡¯s not the first time I take part in a study. They guaranteed me that the risks were very low, and you know that these are some of the biggest companies in the world. Besides, you know I want the money for college, the check they are giving more than compensate for the risks, and there is the bonus of getting a job with them after everything!¡±


    ¡°Me and your father already told you that we can lend you some money for tuition and try to find a loan to pay the rest. You don¡¯t need to do anything dangerous for it. And you did not answer my question, when will I be able to visit you?¡± At that time, John felt that his mother was being more reluctant to let him go than usual, but he attributed it to the fact she would not be able to visit him so soon. Riwall had rewatched this memory many times, and could not help but wonder if his mother felt something amiss at the time.


    ¡°I will give you a call when you can visit me, they said something about one or two weeks but could take a little longer. Relax, mom. Everything will be fine. Next time you see me, I will be wearing a suit and paying a 5-star dinner for you and dad.¡±


    The driver he called through the app arrived, but before he could leave, his mother embraced him.


    For the first time since signing the contract of the experiments, he wondered if he was doing the right thing.


    ¡°There there, mom. I will see you in two weeks, but I will call you as soon as I can.¡± He said while patting her back.


    The moment she let go of him, his father, also faceless, parked the car at the sidewalk and rushed to see him off. He was not sentimental like his mother but loved him just as much as her.


    ¡°Son, I won¡¯t try to change your mind or try to bribe you into not doing it like I¡¯m sure your mother tried.¡± John chuckled to that, she had just tried it a few moments before. ¡°You are now an adult who can make your own choices and deal with the consequences, and although I may not agree with your reasoning, I¡¯m pro¡­ You know what? I will tell you when we see each other again.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing, dad, relax.¡± He felt warm whenever his father would go on about him being an adult and responsible for whatever came after he made his choices.


    ¡°Look at yourself, 18-year-old, and already claiming to know what you are doing. Before you go, do you remember what your grandpa used to say about making big choices in life?¡±


    John answered with a smile.


    ¡°If the choice paid out: Live and remember.¡±


    ¡°And what if it turned out bad?¡±


    ¡°Just survive and forget.¡±


    No other word was shared between him and his parents before he got into the car and looked one last time to them, unaware of how this was the last time he would be seeing them.


    At this moment, Friday finally understood what made Riwall such an underachiever in the last years. He liked magic and was curious about this world, but since he started getting these memories back, his utmost desire became to live his new life to the fullest. That explained why his progress rate sharply declined the older he got.


    He did not want a childhood where all he would remember was the taste of dirt and blood. He wanted to one day feel nostalgic toward it just like he felt for the memory of his school years. He also knew that Friday would never sympathize with him, so he decided to just ignore her pleas for him to train and study more, and shut himself from the noble¡¯s politics, focusing instead on deepening his bond with Anna and Greg.


    Friday managed to backup his old memories duringTemelth¡¯s tampering but was afraid thatit would hurt him instead of helping. However, she decided togifthim the one thing he wished the most at this moment. The memories of his parents¡¯ faces.


    <hr>


    Anna felt something wet on her lap and looked down alarmed, only to see her friend crying while sleeping. She began caressing his hair just like her mother used to do to her, and soon, Riwall calmed down and seemed to drift back to a pleasant dream, but not before mumbling a few words.


    ¡°Live and remember.¡±