《Adventure of Chance》


 Chapter 1: Combat Genius

    On the plains of Delano in the kingdom of Antrim there is an orphanage for children who have lost their families to war. However this is no ordinary orphanage as the caretakers are all trained warriors. Though they are not trained for the sake of protecting the children but to train them into becoming future warriors, knights, and soldiers.


    Though this is an orphanage it¡¯s structured as if it is a school. A school to train children who have lost their loved one to become strong enough to protect others loved ones in the future.


    The children will grow up training and in turn have the choice of becoming an officer in the kingdom¡¯s army once they become strong enough.


    Currently a group of children of this orphanage are on a field with one of the caretakers. They are awaiting what exercise the caretakers have in store for them today. All in the group are at the age of 7 and about to have a taste of their first fight.


    ¡°A¡¯ight now kids it¡¯s about time you felt how it is to fight for real. Today we gonna have ¡®ur first sparring lesson¡±, yelled the caretaker, a slim man but tall man.


    All the children in the group looked up to the man in awe as if they couldn¡¯t believe what they just heard.


    ¡°Finally something real!¡±, ¡°Yes no more drill training!¡±, ¡°Woho! Don¡¯t have to run laps today!¡±, All kinds of excited shouts came from the little crowd as they heard the words of the slim man.


    ¡°Now kids don¡¯t get to excited, there will be a punishment exercise for those who lose more matches than they win in today¡¯s session so don¡¯t think you can get away from the hard work¡±, laughs the slim man in a cheerful manner.


    ¡°Yes teacher Romano!¡±, the children called out in unison.


    ¡°Okay, now first start with one lap around the campus as warmup¡±, Romano said smiling at the boy who earlier exclaimed his happiness over not having to run laps. The boys former ecstatic grin disappeared and was replaced by sadness, only sadness.


    ¡­¡­..


    As the children ran around the vast campus grounds it became clear who the most driven for victor in the group are. Twenty of the children are running at a fast pace that would put most adults to shame but they don¡¯t look like they will ever run out of energy. However they are far from where those who are competing for first place are as they had gained a distance another three hundred meters ahead after only running for five minutes.


    This little group of try-hards is filled with 6 children who are all running at a blistering pace. On their faces you can tell none of them can allow the other to win. Or to be exact none of them can allow a certain someone to win. However it is fruitless as this certain someone has been running 5 meters in front of them since the race started. And no matter how much energy and spirit they put into it none of them can get any closer to him. He is Aias Geno a wellbuilt boy with rough hair and a tough looking face.


    ¡°Damnit Aias I¡¯m going to win this time you¡¯ll see¡±, screams a burly boy behind Aias.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re the only one aiming for number one¡±, shouts a girl with dreadlocks and a tall frame next to the burly boy.


    All the other children in the group mustered more power into their steps trying to get closer to Aias however he only put another step into it and remained 5 meters in front of them.


    Aias was running with a wide smile on his face as if without a care or worry in the world, he knew he wasn¡¯t going to lose. He was the child with the fastest and toughest body in the group, it would be impossible for the others to match his speed if he was to run with all he had. However he enjoyed the others competition so he always kept at a certain distance from who was second in place. Making them strive further to beat him, to win!


    Aias and the other children had grown up together for many years, some had come to the orphanage earlier than others and Aias was one of the first in this group. He had always been in the orphanage training and learning, he had always been there to meet the new kids when they were registered. He was everyone''s friend, and rival in training.


    ¡­¡­...


    The perimeter of the orphanage is roughly two kilometers which goes to show how big of a facility it really is. And it has to be as it is a large institute that has over a thousand children training in it, the youngest being less than a year old and the eldest being under eighteen year olds.


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    It took Aias and the group in first place only ten minutes to run a whole lap around the circumsphere of the orphanage then the next group of children who weren¡¯t as fast around twelve minutes or longer.


    ¡°Damn it! Why can¡¯t I be in the limelight for once?¡±, cried out the bulky kid who had just finished in third place.


    ¡°Ha! J¨¦r¨¦mie i told you i would win in the end¡±, said the girl in dreadlocks proudly as she had just finished the race in second place.


    All the other children after getting through the goal went up and congratulated her as if she had won the whole race and Aias wasn¡¯t apart of the group. To this all Aias could do was pout as he was used to this treatment by now, during all competitions they had gone through till now he had always been the winner and now everyone else in the year instead congratulated the second place winner for being the best of the other five exceptionally talented kids.


    ¡°Well then children gather ¡®round i¡¯m about ta explain the rules of the sparring session¡±, Romano yelled looking at the children''s routine of congratulations with a smile.


    ¡°The rules are simple, you will try to grapple down the opponent and make their stomach touch the ground, then ya win. I repeat, once your stomach touches the ground you lose. Now you are not allowed to use punches, kicks, tackles, or any other method to knock the opponent down. Only through grappling will you be given a point, violate the rules and there will be a deduction of points¡±, Romano explains to the group gathering in front of him.


    ¡°You will all have a match with one another at some point to make it fair, the loser of the most matches will have to finish one hundred handstand pushups before they can eat breakfast. And the winner of the most matches get to go into town with uncle Laue and help him with an errand three days from now¡±, Romano exclaimed with clear enthusiasm in his voice. Hearing this causes the eyes of the kids around him to light up in expectation.


    Normally helping with errands with an uncle may not be much fun for a seven year old. However this meant they didn¡¯t have to attend the lessons of that day, which happens to be war history, something no one in the class enjoys. And whatsmore uncle Laue is a very kind old man. He is known to spoil the kids when he can with candies and other fun things, so going on an errand with him could mean they would get something great.


    ¡°Alright then this will be the matchup list¡±, Romano tells the class as he takes out a large sheet of paper with 26 names written above and to the side of a grid.


    As all the kids look at the grid they see who their first opponent is going to be. Suddenly J¨¦r¨¦mie yelled out ¡°Yes i will fight Aias first!!!¡±, and all the other kids looked at the large sheet of paper in front of them with expectation in their eyes hoping for it to be true, they had all wondered what would happen if the two ever fought.


    Who would win in a fight between the kids is the one thing that couldn¡¯t be discovered before as they had been forbidden to ever hurt one another or even so much as test combat skills with each other.


    This had caused a great question to spark in the minds of the whole group ¡°who is truly the strongest?¡±, this question was especially important to the six top students as they all know that their physical strength means nothing if they don¡¯t have the aptitude for combat. Even for Aias who had always been winning their different competitions was wondering if he could actually beat the others in a real fight.


    ¡°Haha, well you have all been taught the grappling basics, and tricks from your caretakers so you should be able to handle yourselfs. But i think a particular match should be held first to show everyone how it should be done is best. So the two who have the best record at the moment will come up and demonstrate how it¡¯s done¡±, Romano said with a hopeful smile on his face towards J¨¦r¨¦mie.


    It was obvious that Romano was cheering for J¨¦r¨¦mie to win against Aias, who wouldn¡¯t cheer for the underdog. J¨¦r¨¦mie had been working long and hard to win against Aias and everyone wanted him to succeed. Obviously they also knew Aias was working just as hard in order to not lose to anyone but he had already showed everyone his strength so they were hoping for a new star to be born, one that would succeed against Aias.


    ¡­¡­..


    The two were standing on the stage looking fiercely at each-other, their battle intent was bursting out of their eyes like two wild beasts. Neither dared to make the first move as they didn¡¯t know what the other had to counter them.


    In truth neither really had anything in mind, all they knew were some grappling techniques, and holds. They didn¡¯t have any experience with how to utilize them in combat other than training they had done on dummies. They couldn''t size up the opponent''s form, or anything a real fighter is capable of. All they could rely on was their combat prowess in hopes for a victory.


    The first to make a move was J¨¦r¨¦mie. He charged forward with his hands close to his body in a style resembling peekaboo from boxing, he did this so his neck or clothes wouldn¡¯t be grabbed and used to make him fall. He was hoping to get close to and use his large body to hold onto and drag Aias down to the ground.


    For a moment Aias was dazed at the sight of J¨¦r¨¦mie charging at him in the way he was. Right before he started charging Aias had thought he would do something like that.


    As J¨¦r¨¦mie got closer Aias was still standing there motionless as if he hadn¡¯t noticed J¨¦r¨¦mie running towards him.


    Suddenly when J¨¦r¨¦mie was but a leap from Aias, a movement as quick as lightning came from Aias. He lunged forward, reached his hand into the small gap between J¨¦r¨¦mie¡¯s arms, grabbing the forearm from the inside. At the same time he used his other hand to grab onto the humerus. Then using his full body strength he pulled J¨¦r¨¦mie in a sideways motion down to the ground.


    However J¨¦r¨¦mie wasn¡¯t weak, he managed to stay on his feet. However his upper body was lowered far too much compared to his legs which were pushing up making his body''s angle obtuse.


    Aias pulled away his arms but instead grabbing at the back of J¨¦r¨¦mies neck. He then jumped back with his legs causing his body to be in a horizontal line to the ground, putting all of his bodyweight on J¨¦r¨¦mies poorly balanced abdomen and neck.


    They fell to the ground together and there was nothing J¨¦r¨¦mie could do to stop it, he was about to lose. But at least Aias was going to slam into the ground after him.


    Then suddenly in the last moment before J¨¦r¨¦mie hit the ground Aias tucked in his legs and landed with his feet on the ground while J¨¦r¨¦mie could only cough as his stomach and chest hit the ground. He did try to stop the fall with his arms but the momentum from falling together with Aias was far too much. And so ended the first match of the day.


    Everyone was awestruck, whether it was the children in the group or the caretakers who were standing by watching. They couldn¡¯t believe something like that happened in the first fight of these kids lifetime.


    Even J¨¦r¨¦mie who would usually say something about getting back at him in the next challenge was too shaken to say a word. He couldn¡¯t comprehend what had just happened to him even though he saw it all with his own eyes.


    ¡°W, winner Aias!¡±, after a few moments of intense staring from the viewers Romano finally got his bearings together and announced Aias as the winner.


    ¡­¡­..


    The day contained six hundred and fifty matches, which took about an hour as several matches were held at a time. In the end the result was unimaginable by all who had been viewing and participating. Aias had achieved 25 consecutive victories, beating the whole class, something no other child had ever done since the founding of the orphanage.


    No one could deny that this child was a genius.

 Chapter 2: Catching Swallows

    Aias had for a long time been training his body, he knew its limitations and how to move it in order to balance himself. However he didn¡¯t think fighting would be such a natural feeling to him. The moment the battle began he could tell everything from his opponent''s movements, when, where, and how he should attack in order to bring his opponent down.


    Aias was currently eating breakfast in the dining hall with everyone while pondering over how natural fighting had felt to him. What was that feeling of understanding that had flown into him as he entered combat. It wasn¡¯t only in his fight against J¨¦r¨¦mie that he had pulled of complex movements, most matches had ended with him doing something that made the eyes of any spectator pop with astonishment.


    However after the matches were over everything went back to normal. Everyone congratulated the second place winner for the hard work, which happened to be Midae, the dreadlocked girl. She got a total of seventeen victories which if it weren¡¯t for Aias winning all his matches, was astounding, it was high even when compared to other years standards for best student.


    J¨¦rmie also got a high score with fifteen won matches, however unlike during the race he didn¡¯t voice any annoyance or even a challenge for next time to Midae. He instead looked as if he had gotten some enlightenment from today¡¯s exercise and was organising his thoughts.


    As Aias was sitting there wondering, a commotion started in the dining hall.


    It appeared a dispute had begun with two of the older students. The two of them were around fourteenyears old and it seemed they were fighting over a bet they had made in the wilderness a few days prior.


    ¡°You were the one who said it, ¡®if you can catch a rainbow-tailed swallow I will give you this Sunsilk bowstring and if you can¡¯t you must give me your Korgew potion.¡¯ Well I have it now so give me the bowstring!¡± one of the seniors yelled at the other while waving a tiny bird in his hand. The bird was tiny fitting completely within his enclosed hand, and if carefully inspected you would notice its tail-feathers were set up as if in a rainbows color pattern.


    ¡°Pah! You think i¡¯m going to give you my Sunsilk bowstring when you only claim you caught it, do you have anything that can prove you caught it yourself¡±, the other senior argued in a condescending and arrogant manner.


    This caused the first senior to feel such fury that he almost crushed the little bird in his hand in rage. ¡°You dare claim that I would ask for the help of others to win my bets!!¡±, the first senior bellowed out of him with the loudest voice he could muster.


    Most of the children around at the moment where frightened stiff by his scream and started to back away while other older children got closer hoping to see a duel between the two.


    Though the orphanage does have rules that prohibit fighting between students it starts allowing duels once children are over the age of eleven. The rules of a duel must be followed otherwise you may be thrown out of the orphanage and have to survive of what you¡¯ve learned prematurely to when you would usually leave.


    In order for a duel to begin two judges must be appointed. This means someone from the caretakers, which isn¡¯t hard to get a hold of since they enjoy watching the children''s duels. The rules of the duels are very easy, as long as you don¡¯t aim with fatal or crippling attacks most methods are fine. There are obviously rules against sexual or perverted attacks since the children are going through puberty and doing something like that during combat would tarnish the honor and pride of the assaulted in a crooked way.


    The judges are to make sure these rules are kept and also to see to that there isn¡¯t any bullying happening during or after the duel. Some bullying is always part of losing but the judges will overlook that as something the kids have to experience in order to grow stronger and learn that when you lose it¡¯s going to hurt.


    ¡°Fine then I will give you a chance to prove to me that you can catch a Rainbow-tailed swallow, here in front of everyone you must catch my arrow before it hits you¡±, the arrogant senior laughingly challenged the already angered first senior.


    The first senior took a moment to calm himself down then asked, ¡°How will that prove that i can catch the swallow?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The arrogant senior mockingly smiled as he began to explain, ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple! I will regulate my arrow to have the same speed as that of a Rainbow-tailed swallow, and before you ask we will have the judges discern whether the speed is the same or not. If it¡¯s above the swallows speed they will simply hit it out of the way from harming you and if it¡¯s the same or below they will leave it for you to try and catch¡±.


    Everyone seemed impressed by his reasoning. This would prove whether he could catch something as fast as a Rainbow-tailed swallow, a creature well know to be far faster than an arrow leaving the bow. Its max speed is recorded to be a hundred and fifty meters per second so if he can catch an arrow at that speed with his bare hands most will have to believe he could catch the bird.


    And similar to an arrow the swallow¡¯s wings and beak are sharp enough to cut on touch.


    ¡°And of course if you aren¡¯t able to catch the arrow not only will you get hurt you will have to give me that Korgew potion and speak no further of trying to win my Sunsilk bowstring¡±, the arrogant senior added.


    ¡°Fine, we have a deal¡± was all the no longer angry but instead calm and focused senior responded with.


    ¡­¡­


    Quickly a shooting range of only 8 meters had been made, and two judges had been found to make certain all rules and promises were kept.


    By now most of the younger children had left the hall as they didn¡¯t want to see the bloody showdown between the seniors, some of the other seniors also felt the same as it wasn¡¯t going to be pretty if the first senior was hit by an arrow going at the speed of a hundred and fifty meters per second.


    The arrogant senior and the now calm senior were standing ready one with a large bow almost as tall as his own body and the other with protective gloves to help stop his fingers from being cut while catching the arrow.


    ¡°You may begin!¡±, one of the two judges which were standing ready to engage if the speed or trajectory were against the rules shouted out with extreme focus in his eyes.


    The arrogant senior began drawing his bow, and as the bow was slowly being drawn so was the arrogant smile on the seniors face disappearing and was replaced with fierce, menacing concentration.


    Before he had started drawing the bow many in the audience thought he may try to cheat by making the arrow change trajectory when getting close to the opponent or something else that was within the rules however seemed like cheating. However they could now tell that there was no way he would do something like that, what was in his eyes no longer appeared as arrogance but instead showed confidence. He was not going to do something like tarnish the name of his opponent, all he said earlier was to make his opponent get into this duel for the Sunsilk bowstring against the Korgew potion.


    ¡°T¡¯chi¡±. The arrow left the bow with a sound that pierced the ears of those nearby, and but a moment later the arrow had passed the judges without them touching it.


    Most in the crowd couldn¡¯t even react to the arrow being fired much less see it. Even Aias who had trained his eyes for a long time couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed and understood that if he was in the line of the arrow''s trajectory he wouldn¡¯t even be capable reacting to it much less dodging it.


    But the first senior appeared different, he was still calm. But then as soon as it got within a meter of him his face and body turned fierce and he made a clawlike grab with his hand at the arrow¡¯s tip. He had caught the arrow however now his hand was no longer at the tip, it instead had slid down to the middle of the arrow and the tip was only a few centimeters from piercing into his shoulder.


    ¡°Impressive! So you could catch the arrow, I didn¡¯t expect that! It is my loss. You have won¡±, the senior who had just moments earlier been arrogant instead became very amiable and appeared to take it all as a simple fun show.


    Of course no one of the children in this orphanage are especially rich so losing a Sunsilk bowstring would definitely be a hefty cost.


    The two bowed to one another and seemed to have become a little closer after the duel. All the spectators also enjoyed the sportsmanship that was displayed and were applauding for the both of them.


    Everything slowly went back to normal. People started getting ready for different lessons, or now after the excitement getting to eat their meals in peace.


    Aias was a little confused at the end of the match so he decided to ask one of the caretakers who had just been a judge to the match, ¡°Excuse me mister, but what is a Korgew potion?¡± he said in a very curious manner. Though Aias had studied a lot during his time at the orphanage he didn¡¯t know much about potions so he had to find out its worth in the bet.


    The caretaker looked at him, smiled because he was happy over the enthusiasm Aias showed for wanting to learn and the respect he was shown from the young child so he bent down and explained, ¡°a Korgew potion is a low quality stimulant for your eyes, it helps archers see clearer. It¡¯s only side effect is that it will cause tiredness 5 hours after use, and if overused will make your eyes turn red and become itchy¡±.


    ¡°I see so that¡¯s why that senior wanted it so much he would bet spun Sunsilk¡± Aias pondered to himself with a serious expression.


    Sunsilk is something spun by a wilderness beast known as Sunlight-moth, though the silk isn¡¯t rare it is hard to spin into a proper bowstring so it can become quite pricy, plus killing Sunlight-moths isn¡¯t without danger as they are wilderness beasts after all. A Sunsilk bowstrings price can definitely be compared to a low level stimulants.


    This was a very interesting battle to Aias as he had never seen someone catch an arrow before nor had he ever been interested in archery so he didn¡¯t know much about the power a bow can contain.


    Most regular arrows fired from longbows are shot at a speed of sixty to a hundred meters per second, the reason this arrow was capable of gaining a speed up to one hundred and fifty meter per second was not only because of the quality bow and the power needed to pull it. But mainly from the energy technique used before the arrow left the string.


    Energy techniques are not something Aias had practiced yet as he wasn¡¯t old enough and it would hurt his body if he did. Aias could only wait longingly for the day the orphanage allowed his class to start training in special energies.

 Chapter 3: The Wilderness

    During a child¡¯s upbringing in the orphanage there are three stages of training. The body refining stage, the energy locating stage, and the specialization stage.


    During a child¡¯s upbringing in the orphanage there are three stages of training. The body refining stage, the energy locating stage, and the specialization stage.


    Aias and the other children of his year were currently on the body refining stage which is to train the body so their muscles can withstand the power of the different special energies. In the orphanage they also train regular bodily techniques to help the children get a feel for combat.


    Then at the age of 8 the children will start learning about different energies in the world and how to use them. The reason why they start at the age of eight is because before then their soul isn¡¯t fully formed. It takes around eight years from when you¡¯re born for your soul to be ready to exert the special wild energies that exist in this plain. If a child whose soul isn¡¯t ready for the energy tries to train in energy refining then they may if unlucky become a cripple, or worse.


    The reason it¡¯s called the locating stage is because during your life your soul will naturally take in the different energies, then you have to do is be able to sense the energy in your soul and make use of it.


    Last is to choose a specialisation for which energy you want to learn how to use. This stage starts when the person is ready for it and when a teacher has accepted them as their student. During this stage you usually won¡¯t just choose an energy type to use but also what combat style you will be fully training in.


    For example the senior with the bow before was specialising in ki energy and trained in the bow.


    Ki is an energy innate to the body and often easier to learn than other energy forms. Ki¡¯s basic abilities are very simple, ki can strengthen the body or objects that have been in touch with the person. More advanced ki abilities can be manipulated outside of the body. When entering the high levels of ki control you will be able to materialize ki, making weapons. These weapons are made from pure ki with unlimited combat possibilities as they can become anything and be renewed when broken, dulled, or chipped.


    Aias had always been dreaming of using a ki weapon as then he could fight in any way without having to prepare different weapons beforehand.


    Just as there is ki there are other energies one being mana, mana is an energy that unlike ki isn¡¯t innate to the body and is more flexible outside of the body, the weakness with it is that it can¡¯t enhance the body or objects. Instead it can use special spells for defence and attack which can carry with them extreme destruction at the higher levels of mastery. Mana unlike ki can¡¯t materialize itself into weapons. However using spells the mana can form weapons from different materials.


    There are many other energies in the world like nature, cursed, chi, and heavenly energy. All which have special characteristics that make them a good choice for a practitioner to decide on training.


    However choosing an energy to train isn¡¯t entirely up to the person it also depends on how talented you are at sensing the power. If it takes too much concentration for you to sense the energy you will not be able to fight opponents of your own level in strength.


    There are also levels to each type of energy. The levels don¡¯t particularly mean to show how much stronger one is compared to the other but more of how high the output of energy the person can muster.


    Each energy type have different level systems so one on the first level may be equal in power output to another in the third level as the energy is stronger but not as flexible or as destructive.


    Humans are a species that have many troubles with the higher levels of training as the energy isn¡¯t innate to them, therefor ki has for a long time been prioritised in learning as it is the only known energy which humans have been able to get to its pinnacle in mastery without any help from another source. However due to ki¡¯s limitations in versatility and explosive power it isn¡¯t very useful on a larger scale, however can help individual warriors.


    ¡­¡­..


    Aias who was still inspired by the duel was suddenly struck by a thought. He was going to the city in three days. This was a fairly big deal as he had never gotten to leave the orphanage before.


    The orphanage is about a hundred kilometers from the small city of Canastota and leaving the orphanage is only allowed with the permission of a caretaker. And they are not allowed to enter the city without some special reason.


    This was not like some kind of prison rules but to make sure nothing happened to the children. Once they turned 13 though they would be allowed to venture to the city whenever they pleased. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Before the next lesson started Aias thought it would be a good idea to gather some money for while he was in town.


    Aias decided he would go out into the wilderness and check for medicinal plants and fungi that he could sell to his seniors and caretakers.


    The wilderness is what is referred to a forest, plains, or other location where wild beasts have their habitat. It can be very dangerous for regular people. This also includes Aias as he hasn¡¯t begun training in special energies. Even the tiny swallow the senior had caught could easily kill Aias using its fast speed and powerful innate energy.


    However Aias knew it could take some time before he would next have the opportunity to be able to enter town. And he really wanted to buy something new and exciting.


    Aias went to the front gate of the orphanage and asked to be allowed to enter the wilderness. Though the caretaker he asked knew he may be killed during this exploration he still allowed Aias to go. This wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t care, he to was a caretaker and loving person, but he knew the children needed to experience the dangers of the world as early as possible or else they may be killed from arrogance or pride.


    The guard did however decide to help Aias by giving him a dagger made from blood-steel, a steel that has been bathed in magical blood and turned reddish black from the iron in the blood.


    This knife would certainly be useful if he met an enemy without a hardening techniques or an exoskeleton.


    ¡­¡­..


    As Aias was traveling to a forest nearby he took in the beautiful scenery of all the terrain he was passing by while jogging at a brisk pace.


    On this trip Aias had brought with him a book on different mushrooms, herbs, and berries that are used in medicine or poison. Aias had never had much interest in creating potions or crafting weapons so he had to bring the book with him which took some convincing of the caretaker in charge of the library, in the end he had to sign an agreement that if the book got dirty he would have to pay for a new one, which would cost a hefty sum for a kid like him.


    On the other hand Aias didn¡¯t need a book for the monsters that lived in the forest as he had always had a high interest in beasts and enjoyed thinking about how he would go about fighting them. He had read most of the books in the library about monsters that live in this region.


    Other than the herbalist book he also brought with him his own set of throwing knifes, the blood-steel dagger, and a Flametongue herb. things he had been given after being number one in so many of the competitions.


    The knife set he had gotten in the past where all made from decent quality steel, not as good as blood-steel but still of good enough that they will be able to puncture the strong skin of most of the creatures in the area.


    Flametongue is a small herb that when mixed with saliva and is in contact with the air will be set ablaze, the fire it spreads are elemental flames which are far more powerful than the flames of regular wood and even some alcohols.


    The Flametongue was another thing he had gotten from winning a test. This time however it wasn¡¯t during a physical test but instead a herbology exam where he only got first place because he had found some special herbs like the Flametongue interesting.


    If Aias where to sell these items of he could probably make some money to buy something far better in town however he didn¡¯t want to lose something he could use when he instead could gather things that were useless to himself but of value to others.


    ¡­..


    Aias arrived at the outskirts of the forest after traveling for roughly four hours.


    This forest was one of the six wilderness locations that the student at the orphanage were allowed to travel to in order to train and gather materials. It was named Baigia-chami forest, for the elven words for bug and infestation. The reason for the name was obvious, the forest was filled with bug type wild beasts.


    For Aias this could be very bad as he didn¡¯t bring any antidotes for if he was bitten or stung. However he had a plan for how he was going to make sure he wasn¡¯t caught off guard and attacked by the beasts.


    Aias started searching for herbs immediately, within two hours he had found what he was looking for. There was a small rootlike plant growing along the ground as if it was a path for ants. Aias followed the plant for ten meters before he found where it had sprouted from. He remembered the spot and decided to continue searching until he had found a few other herbs which this time he had picked and brought with him back to the rootlike plant.


    What Aias had in mind was a trap for wild beasts that could possibly lead to him turning up quite a nice profit from this trip.


    He started by covering up the long plant that was stretching across the earth. While covering it he made sure not to put any pressure on it as it was going to lure the predators away from him. He then prepared a hiding place in a tree nearby which he sprinkled with the juices he pressed from a fruit he had found on the tree. Lastly he mashed some berries he had picked along the way and stuck it all around the area close to the long root-like plant.


    As he sat waiting he double checked to make sure he had found all the right berries and fruits to make this work. This was a plan he had been working on long before he had decided to traveling to the forest. Hopefully it was going to work otherwise in the worst case he would die due to the many beasts that should now be approaching.


    Suddenly a huge beatle appeared from behind a tree. The beatle was about 1.3 meters in height and 2 meters in length. It looked tough with an iron like shell around all of its body and a pair of huge pincers coming out from its grotesque head.


    Before the beetle could get to the mashed berries suddenly from behind it a large wasp flew down and tried to pierced into the large beatles back however its stinger was rebound by the hard shell of the beatle.


    The two wild beasts went into a frantic battle over the mashed berries and only a few moments after starting another three beasts had joined in on the action, all the beast were large and dangerous, ether one had strength that could kill Aias in only a moment if he weren¡¯t hiding in the tree at this moment.


    At this moment one of the creatures accidently stepped on where the root-like plant was hidden and suddenly from beneath the earth a heart wrenching cry chrilled.


    The loud cry made all around it rendered paralyzed from fear. The beasts cowering in fear from the cry could do nothing as several spikes pierced out cutting straight through all the giant bugs in a ten meter radius.


    The large beetle''s powerful shell was nothing to the spike piercing into it from underneath the earth.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Aias hiding far up in a tree he to would have been pierced through by a large spike.


    The ground where the earth was pierced through started to shake and crumble away. From the earth came a huge tree-like beast with dozens of tentacle like branches coming out of its mouth, at the end of each branch was a large tooth piercing into a bug beast.


    The tree beast began pulling in one beast and started chewing on it drinking up the blood of the giant bug.


    Now Aias could finally begin searching through the area for plants and herbs without to much fear for a close by beast. Aias had hoped he could scavenge some of the leftover carapaces from the tree beast¡¯s feast however now that he saw the large creature he understood that something so dangerous should not be approached by him.

 Chapter 4: Visiting the City

    Classes continued and every morning they had different bouts such as swordplay, hand to hand combat, and sumo wrestling. In the end the result was the same for all different forms of combat, Aias was the winner in all his matches making him revered by both the other children and their caretakers as a genius.


    Every day after eating lunch he went to the wilderness to gather more herbs to sell.


    Now was the day Aias was going with uncle Laue into town to help with an errand. Aias had for the past days diligently worked to gather things he could sell. He also managed to sell most of it making himself 14 silver and 8 copper.


    In the Antrim kingdom they use the currency called hameri, which is divided into five different values. Copper, silver, gold, platinum, and gems. The first four go up in worth with 100 of one can be converted to the next. Gems however are different, it takes ten thousand platinum coins to make up for one gem.


    Gems are though not something even nobles will handle without care. They are only used for large business transactions.


    Hameri is a currency used in many countries and kingdoms but its worth is different in each one. So a silver in Antrim may only be worth a few coppers in another kingdom.


    ¡­¡­


    Aias was waiting by a cart him and uncle Laue were going to use for traveling into the city.


    He saw an old man walking towards him, as the old man got closer he greeted Aias, ¡°Hello there little Aias it¡¯s time for us to go¡±, Laue came up to Aias with a smile on his face.


    Uncle Laue was kind to the children and trusted by the institute as he is the second strongest warrior in it.


    Laue was once a strong warrior who fought for the Kingdom and had a high rank in the army however now he was a simple caretaker in an orphanage. Though all in the institute knew why he chose to stay in this orphanage instead of fighting for the kingdom. It was because during a kampaign he fought in in the past his family¡¯s hometown was attacked by bandits and destroyed. The destruction and killing was brought on his own beloved children, so he chose to help train the future generation of those who lost their parents to war.


    ¡°Yes uncle Laue, I will help with what I can¡±, Aias replied knowing full well there was nothing he could do to help in any situation. If enemies came his strength would be insignificant, if it was a business deal they were going to he would be of no help as he had no clue about those transactions, all he could do was be there and try his best not to get in the way.


    ¡°Good, good¡±, uncle Laue said with his smile broadening, he was happy to see Aias reply in such an honest way.


    ¡­¡­.


    As they were traveling into the city on the cart, they talked about current events in the orphanage.


    ¡°Did you hear that senior Bartal was promoted to lieutenant in the Redblade corps the other week?¡±, uncle Laue asked Aias wondering if the information had spread to the younger classes yet.


    ¡°What! He¡¯s already a lieutenant for an army that big?!¡±, Aias exclaimed in awe and admiration.


    Aias knew who Bartel was, he was another child from the orphanage who had left at the age of sixteen to become an officer for the army. Now three years had gone by and he was already a lieutenant for an army, and the army wasn¡¯t small ether it was the Redblade corps. They were well known for being strong, and elite among the different army bands.


    They continued talking until they had finally come to the gate of the city. Uncle Laue stopped the cart and began presenting himself to the guards. The guards at the gate recognised him, but they still had to go though a quick look at his traveling papers to reassure that everything was accounted for, and document who was traveling into the city.


    After Aias and uncle Laue had entered through the city gates and were traveling on the streets of the city Aias finally decided to ask, ¡°Uncle Laue where are we going now, what is it we will be doing today.¡±


    ¡°We will be buying something very special and I want to hear your judgement on it¡±, uncle Laue said as he was looking around at the different store¡¯s windows seeing what they were presenting.


    Aias became excited but he also heard on uncle Laue¡¯s voice that he wasn¡¯t expecting Aias to do anything. He was of course fine with this, Aias was but a young boy, what could he help with anyway.


    After a few minutes of traveling uncle Laue stops the cart.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Here we are, the Harahan beast shop¡±, uncle Laue called out looking at the gigantic building they had stopped by.


    Harahan beast shop was a well known store for buying monstrous beasts, something done in order to train against beast attacks while in a safe environment and also for, ¡°Alright Aias we will be buying some beasts in order for training beastmasters¡±, uncle Laue explained.


    Aias knew what a beastmaster was, they are people who have beasts fight alongside them. Normally you can¡¯t befriend a beast however beastmasters use a special soul connection inscription which allows them to either gain control of a beast¡¯s mind or connect with it.


    As they walk into the store and were about to start looking around one of the clerks working there comes up to them and asks if they would want a guide to give explanations of each beast. Uncle Laue agrees and so they begin looking around in the different enclosures.


    ¡°My name is Khasan and I will be your guide for the day. Any questions you may have concerning the beasts, you can direct towards me and I will do my best to answer¡±, the guide presents himself respectfully to both Aias and uncle Laue.


    Khasan began by asking what they will be using the beasts for and started marking down on a clipboard what Laue requested.


    After Khasan had gotten a full explanation of the type of beasts the institute was looking for Aias and uncle Laue were brought to an enclosure which was like a large pit deep into the ground with a metal grate covering it.


    ¡°Down here at the bottom of this enclosure there is a beast known as Kjil serpent, they are not very hostile or wild and are fairly easy to train with while still being quite strong, how do you feel good sirs?¡±, Khasan enquirers eagerly.


    Deep in the pit they could see a large serpent with a body length of roughly thirteen meters, its thickness looked to be almost a whole meter, the white scales which covered its body appeared strong like thousands of small shields unbreakable even to the mightiest of blades.


    ¡°How do you feel about it Aias does it seem like a strong beast?¡±, uncle Laue asks Aias in a somewhat joking manner.


    But to his and Khasan¡¯s surprise. Aias was looking intensely at the large serpent lying deep in the hole.


    ¡°This beast seems to be going dormant. It will most likely be docile for a while. So it should probably be easy to tame it¡±, Aias finally responded after a good minute of observing.


    Both uncle Laue and the guide Khasan were baffled that he could tell something like this from just observing the serpent for a brief minute. Understanding that shouldn¡¯t be possible for a child especially when the target was a serpent in a deep hole. Serpents are cold blooded creatures so when the temperature goes down they will cease movement and become sluggish like the one in the encapture.


    Being able to tell that it was also beginning its dormanting period was something only someone who had a long time of experience with serpent beasts should be able to tell.


    ¡°You are correct it is about to begin its dormant period, may I ask how the young master was able to tell the serpents state?¡±, Khasan asked with great respect as he was puzzled over how Aias could observe something most experienced warriors couldn¡¯t.


    At the same time uncle Laue listened carefully as he also wondered how this young child had such powerful analytic ability.


    ¡°Well I have read a lot about Kjil serpents so i know the average feats of a Kjil however this one seemed kind of slow and sluggish in comparison so I deduced that it was ether bearing an egg or about to enter dormancy. And I don¡¯t think you would sell a creature as it was about to lay an egg¡±, Aias claimed in a calm and collected manner.


    Again the two men looked at Aias in astonishment wondering how it was possible for a child to have such an keen sense and also have taken the time to read about a specific beast.


    They continued on with the showing of different beasts, every time asking for Aias opinion, and he would reply with his own analysis. Aias analysis were all fairly shallow in the eyes of professionals but this was a seven year old child without any real experience, so every time his reasoning was correct both uncle Laue and Khasan felt a need to gasp in awe of the boy.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    After the tour of roughly 33 different beasts Khasan decided to show them into a neatly decorated office.


    ¡°I have shown you the beast we have that are good for beginners in beast taming. I hope you have found some of them satisfactory for your institutes training¡±, Khasan expressed with a large smile. His words should have been directed to Laue, a warrior who was well respected by even nobles and royalty in the capital. But when he said it his eyes and body were turned towards Aias a young boy of seven years with no experience in battle and no titles to his name.


    Of course uncle Laue didn¡¯t take it as disrespecting him but instead as appraisal of Aias, someone who wasn¡¯t expected to be talented or knowledgeable.


    ¡°Oh we did find many good beast, I¡¯m thinking quite a few of them should be good¡± uncle Laue told Khasan while dotting in on a paper which they were planning to get and what price he was willing to pay.


    Meanwhile Khasan looked to Aias, ¡°Little sir Aias, you seem to know a lot about creatures caught within the kingdom''s borders while when we asked of beasts caught outside it you weren¡¯t as sure, I¡¯m guessing you have read up on beast in the institute''s library? From what I hear there aren¡¯t that many books concerning other kingdoms in it.¡±


    Aias gave Khasan a polite nod and replied, ¡°I do wish we had more books of beast, thinking of how it would be fighting them is so much fun.¡±


    ¡°How about I tell you something interesting?¡± Khasan said with a smile on his face.


    Aias got intrigued wondering what could be regarded as interesting to someone in charge of caring for dangerous beasts daily.


    Khasan saw the look in Aias eyes and began to explain, ¡°You see recently there have been sightings of a Divine beast around this region.¡±


    Aias didn¡¯t know what a divine beast was but by the tone in Khasans voice and the powerful sounding name it was bound to be impressive. However just as he was about to ask what a Divine beast was uncle Laue stood up with a fearful look in his eyes.


    ¡°D. Did you say Divine beast.¡± uncle Laue stuttered out in a panicked voice.


    ¡°Ah yes but you don¡¯t have to worry it¡¯s not here to cause trouble, it seems to only be resting while on a journey.¡± Khasan told Laue with a reassuring voice. It didn¡¯t stop Laue from trembling at the thought of the beast though.


    After a moment of silence Aias decided to ask, ¡°Um, so what is a Divine beast?¡±


    ¡°Ah I guess you don¡¯t know about beast types or bloodlines?¡± Khasan wasn¡¯t surprised, most books don¡¯t cover the typing of beasts but only the descriptions of what they are, why to, and how hunt them. ¡°You see we have divided every type of beasts into a list that goes: Wild beast, Magical beast, Monstrous beast, Great beast, and finally Divine or Demonic beast. Divine and Demonic beasts are the strongest beings in this world, some being able to destroy kingdoms all on their own!¡±


    Hearing such claim Aias felt like his world was going to be flipped upside down. One beast that could destroy a kingdom filled with knights and warriors, armies and castles. And something like that was in their region at this moment. All his body could feel was fear, the little confidence he had gotten through the years of being number one in his class was instantly washed away by only hearing of what a divine beast was.


    ¡°Though you don¡¯t have to worry. Divine and Demonic beast have intelligence even greater than humans and don¡¯t have any interest in hurting humanity, the only time someone is in danger of it is when they offend it. They are often very prideful!¡± Explained Khasan reassuring Aias that there was no danger.


    Aias quickly calmed down though he did begin feeling as if there was a greater presence looming over him, larger than life, greater than even the heavens.

 Chapter 5: Madmans Locket

    Uncle Laue and Aias left the Harahan beast shop after a few minutes of discussing the price of the beasts Laue had decided to buy. In the end uncle Laue bought twenty five out of the thirty three shown beasts and another four beasts for combat practice, this wasn¡¯t a small deal it took a whole seven hundred and fifty gold to settle the exchange.


    The beast they had bought weren¡¯t of high quality but are rather pricy as their temper with humans isn¡¯t as bad as other beasts making them perfect for beginners in beast mastery.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Uncle Laue decided to show Aias around the town as he thought Aias might enjoy the differences between the institute and a city like Canastota. Though the city was small and not especially luxurious it was still a completely different environment than the orphanages school like and homely sweetness where everyone was trying to learn and improve. Here the people instead focused on succeeding with what they already knew. Of course it wasn¡¯t as if the people weren¡¯t kind and sweet, all across the long streets there were smiles on peoples faces showing affection and care for eachother. But it was a different, not as close affection as the kids in the orphanage had for eachother and their caretakers but still a close kindness.


    Aias had told uncle Laue during their travel to Canastota that he wanted to buy something that could help him in the future, and so Laue had decided to take him to different shops that could have something good for him.


    They first visited a blacksmith who crafted well made smaller weapons and equipment. Such as knives, daggers, hooks and chains. All forged from bloodsteel or exoskeletons of beasts. It was fairly high quality stuff and even if Aias wanted to buy something he would have to use all his money and still only get something ¡°cheap¡±.


    Uncle Laue told him he was willing to pay the rest of the money if he wanted something special. Even though that would equate to around fifty silver. Aias wanted to accept it but he felt it wasn¡¯t something he could do. At least not until he had seen what else the city had in store for him.


    They continued on to a bookstore. In the bookstore there were tomb and parchments for sale ranging from books on gardening to scrolls concerning demon summoning. Aias interests were peaked, he couldn¡¯t stop searching for different material on beasts, demons, and energy manipulation. He had never seen so many different books. And as someone whose highest joy came from envisioning himself fighting what he was reading about. This store was like coming to heaven before dying.


    At the end he still wasn¡¯t sure what to buy, he had found eight books and three scrolls that he found interesting. At the end their price would be ten silver, which he could buy on his own without loaning from uncle Laue. But he felt he still needed to see more of the city before deciding what to buy.


    The last shop uncle Laue recommended they visit was a magic crystal boutique. In it there were plenty of different crystals that contained different special properties. Uncle Laue suggested he buy a training crystal for his energy location training that was to begin around a year from now. Some magic crystals can help boost your senses for energy. And as the crystals aren¡¯t cheap the institute can¡¯t buy a crystal for every child.


    An energy training crystal would at least cost around fifty silver, that was similar to how much he would have to pay for a decent weapon, but it was far more worthwhile if you look at the results it could give you while training energy location. However in the end he started getting a bad feeling like buying this would only lead to misfortune so he decided that maybe it was better to buy the books.


    ¡­¡­..


    While walking back to the bookstore uncle Laue and Aias came across something strange in the streets. It was a fight between three men, two of the men were arguing with a very old man. The old man was constantly looking down on the ground beneath him as if he had dropped something.


    ¡°The master demands that you sell it to him if you don¡¯t we will get it through other ways are we clear?!¡± one of the two men yelled at the old man while shaking him around as if holding onto a rag.


    The old man suddenly stopped being shaken about and stood firm, ¡°Ya¡¯ little shits have nothing to trade with and i have nothing to trade to ya¡¯ so how about ya¡¯ stop trying to shake me down already, ya¡¯ ain¡¯t scary!¡± The old man''s eyes had changed, they weren¡¯t disorderly looking for something, they were heated with anger and madness. The old man gave of a feeling of being a feral beast ready to strike at any time.


    ¡°You crazy old coot! That was your last warning!¡± The two men screamed at the old man before beginning to attack him.


    The old man was ready and evaded them, after that all Aias could see was illusions and every now and then a fist hitting a nearby wall or crashing into the pavement. This battle was at a far higher level than the duel between seniors he had seen a few days prior. He simply couldn¡¯t keep up. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Next to him stood uncle Laue looking at the fight as a spectator, fully aware of what was happening, he could tell every attack and every movement of all three parties.


    Suddenly the old man was flung into a wall nearby. The other two men appeared immediately after, they on the other hand came out elegantly without a trace of damage on them or their clothes.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t someone stop this¡± asked Aias in a concerted manner to Laue.


    ¡°Not at this stage no. The two of them are working for some noble and though they are roughing him up they haven¡¯t done any harm to him, only inflicted some pain. Of course if they tried to kill him or steal whatever it is they are trying to get, then i would step in.¡± The confidence in Laues voice told Aias that uncle Laue was far stronger than the two men.


    ¡°You better reconsider before tomorrow, otherwise we will come back!¡± One of the two men screamed at the old man as they were leaving.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get going¡± uncle Laue was about to start going when he saw that Aias was beginning to approach the downed old man. ¡°Wait what are you thinking this isn¡¯t our business¡±, uncle Laue whispered to Aias before he got close enough for others to notice.


    ¡°The old man was hurt by a noble family so normal people can¡¯t help him as it may be disrespectful to the nobility! However I¡¯m a war orphan what i do can¡¯t be mocked or persecuted in the same way!¡± Aias reasoned with uncle Laue.


    It was true, in Antrim the honor of a fallen soldier in war is often placed higher than that of a noble, and a war orphan is considered the grave of a warrior''s legacy by most regions laws. If one was to sneer at actions of kindness or righteousness by a war orphan then it would be the same as sneering at the grave of someone who died for the kingdom. The punishment for this wasn¡¯t light even for nobility, prison sentences and shamings by other families and even by whole cities. Antrim is a country built on the spirit of warriors and making sure every warrior is able to fight for their country without worry for the lives of the ones they may leave behind.


    Aias walked to the old man. Everyone who looked could see his clothes and recognised the institutes attire he was wearing, many felt relieved that someone would help the old man as they weren¡¯t able to.


    As Aias began helping the old man up, he saw into the eyes of the old man. It was truly like an inferno of madness and hatred, Aias wanted to look away but simply couldn¡¯t, he felt the spirit of a warrior from the old man and knew he was in front of a man who had been through hell but then returned to yet another hell.


    The old man at the same time looked into Aias clear kind eyes filled with hopes and lust for adventure, and just as the abyss will look back at you, so will the light. The old man looked away and started walking to an alley while holding onto Aias sleeve.


    Aias saw in the last moment before the old man looked away a clearness in his eyes showing not madness but sadness like no other. He felt the old man was worth trusting and followed him to the alley.


    Uncle Laue followed stealthily from a short distance just to make sure nothing happened.


    ¡°Child ya¡¯ seem to be a kind soul so i will trade my locket for anything you have in your pocket¡±, the old man mumbled out while trying not to get into eye contact with Aias.


    ¡°Gladly¡± Aias gave the man all that was in his pockets, 14 silver, 8 copper, and a small steel dagger.


    The old man put a small locket in Aias hand then started to walk away. ¡°If you ever open it I¡¯m sure you can find a good use for it¡±, those were the last words Aias heard before the old man disappeared into thin air.


    Only after the old man disappeared did uncle Laue appear next to Aias again. ¡°How odd, that man was far stronger than those two punks but he didn¡¯t use any of his strength when fighting them. Even i wasn¡¯t able to tell how he disappeared just now!¡±, uncle Laue explained with a look of perplexity on his face.


    ¡°That locket he gave you seems special, i believe it¡¯s sealed using many different energies. I doubt you¡¯ll be able to unseal it in a long time.¡± Uncle Laue looked at the locket in Aias hands with a sad smile. ¡°How about i buy you those books we looked at earlier, you can¡¯t go home without something to show off to your friends afterall!¡±


    Aias didn¡¯t objekt and let uncle Laue pamper him with books and scrolls.


    The two had had a long day of both traveling and buying things so they decided to stay at an in during the night.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Before the two were to travel back to the institute uncle Laue had an appointment he had to take care of. Aias was during this time asked to help ready the waggons. They were going to be transporting 29 beasts after all, it would take a caravan of 30 or so carriages to hold the beasts, food, and guardians needed along the road.


    Aias was tasked with helping carry large sacks of vegetables for the beast food supply during the journey.


    But as he was carrying the sacks into their respective carriages several men came up to him. ¡°Kid are you the one the old man gave his locket to?¡± one of the men asked in a strong but respectful manner.


    ¡°Yes i bought a locket from an old man¡± Aias respond to the man''s question.


    ¡°I see it¡¯s good that you are honest. We are willing to buy that locket for a far higher price than what you bought it for.¡± The man smiled at Aias and began taking out several gold coins from his pouch.


    But before he could give them to Aias, Aias responded with a firm ¡°No thank you!¡± And continued with his work.


    The many men couldn¡¯t believe what they heard. In the man¡¯s hands were twelve gold coins, that wasn¡¯t a small sum of money. The only reason they were carrying it and giving it in such a nonchalant manner was to make the kid think they didn¡¯t regard the locket with much meaning.


    ¡°Alright kid how about 20 gold?¡± but there was no response from Aias, ¡°Fine, 40 gold?¡±, ¡°Okay okay we will give you 1 platinum¡±. But there was no response from Aias, not even a shudder in his step as he was carrying the sacks of vegetables.


    The men weren¡¯t going to take this, the amount of money they had offered was far more than they made in a decade but even so the kid hadn¡¯t given them his time of day. In truth though Aias heart was beating so hard it felt like he may collapse at any moment, he understood the amount of money at stake here but because of that he couldn¡¯t take the offer. Whatever is in the locket was without doubt of a higher value.


    ¡°Kid i didn¡¯t want it to come to this, you are a war orphan after all. But you will either give us the locket or be taken with it, so what will it be kid?¡± The man had put the gold back in his pouch and was now standing in a daunting manner, his veins were popping out of his skin giving him a fearsome look.


    Aias eyes were darting around trying to find a way out of the situation, there weren¡¯t many people around the carts as most of the preparations were finished and the ones there weren¡¯t in a position where they would notice him before he ¡°disappeared¡±, finally when he couldn¡¯t find a better solution he did what he knew wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    Next to him was the carriage holding the Kjil serpent. Aias calmed his heart and as if taking a normal stroll on an average day he walked up to the cage holding the serpent, he casually unlocked the hatch to the large serpent and climbed into the hold of the beast. This took almost a minute but the men weren¡¯t able to react to it at all. It was so normal, as if that was what Aias should have done all along.

 Chapter 6: Truly Strong

    The men were shocked to say the least. In front of them in a cage holding a Kjil serpent satt a small 7 year old boy who hadn¡¯t even begun learning energy localisation. Even the beast was confused over the boy who had entered into its strike zone as if it wasn¡¯t even there.


    The Kjil serpent appeared to allow the boy¡¯s presence. ¡°Dammit kid get out of there, we won¡¯t hurt you we just want the damn locket¡± The men started fuming with anger over the boys rashness and furthermore over how hard it would be to get the locket back if the beast decided to eat him.


    However Aias only sat there, calmly petting the scales of the large Kjil serpent.


    The men began walking to towards the cage getting ready to go after Aias. However unlike when Aias walked up to it, this time the beast reacted, it¡¯s body began moving showing of its large size. It was staring down the men as they started approaching.


    The Kijil serpents piercing gaze was truly terrifying to the men, they were used to either guarding important people or shaking down thieves. They had never fought wild beasts before, and had no idea how strong something so big could be. But they also knew leaving without the locket wasn¡¯t possible, so they continued forward towards the still open hatch on the cage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with screaming kid, we already have a spell of silence set up¡±, one of the men called out to Aias in a mocking voice.


    The hatch was only big enough for one man to enter at a time, so instead they circled around the cages sides where they could easily kill the serpent by simply cutting between the bars. The men stood at all sides of the cage getting ready to go wild cutting down the snake.


    ¡°RAAAAH!¡±, suddenly one of the men lunged his sword into the cage. The sword hit the snake''s side, it didn¡¯t cut deep and the serpent wasn¡¯t fazed but blood had been drawn. As the first man had struck now they all began.


    In the beginning the large serpent simple held together protecting Aias from all sides making sure he wasn¡¯t harmed by the men, however after about a minute had gone by and it was covered in wounds the serpent gave out a loud ear piercing shout. Then it fell down, no longer able to hold its body up anymore.


    ¡°There we go finally brought down that damn thing¡± the men sighed in relief glad to finally be able to finish their work. ¡°Now come here kid let¡¯s go already¡± After getting their breaths back they also started concentrating on Aias again.


    ¡°If you want me i¡¯m right here¡± Aias sat calmly stroking the Kjil serpent as if nothing had changed.


    ¡°God damn it boy you are getting on my nerves¡± one of the men was about to break a nerve as he jumped up on the carriage holding the cage. He stepped into the cage held his sword to Aias chest right before his heart. ¡°If you don¡¯t give us that locket i will kill you right he-¡±.


    But before he could finish his sentence the Kjil serpent sprung forth with its large jaws agape biting into the vulnerable stomach of the man. As the beast retracted its fangs large holes could be seen go into the man, blood pouring out, guts showing. Kjil serpents weren¡¯t only large and strong they also carry a potent hemotoxic effect making wounds almost impossible to heal unless through powerful magic or the right antivenoms.


    The man stood there with a stupefied look on his face as if not realising his guts had been pierced by the serpent''s fangs. Even though the Kjil serpent was big it¡¯s leaping speed was far faster than your average ki user. Aias knew this was what the Kjil serpent was waiting for. Kjil serpents are ambush predators capable of killing enemies far stronger than themselves by using one quick leap and a single bite, after that they would bind their prey until enough of its blood had been drained from its body, only then would it start consumption.


    ¡°You fucking bratt¡± the men screamed all sharging to attack again but before any sword could reach the serpent. Up from the heavens came down a large blazing inferno of fire almost like a tornado but instead of wind there were powerful flames burning anything they came in touch with to cinder. The blazing tornado was centered around the cage killing the men who encircled it immediately.


    ¡°Aias are you alright?¡± Uncle Laue jumped out from the inferno standing before Aias and the serpent. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, now we will protect you.¡± Laue reassured Aias of his safety.


    ¡°Now what do we have here?¡± Into the inferno walked an old man with clothes colored in gold and themed with dragons. ¡°Who dares try to harm guests of my city?¡± The old man scowled out into the inferno.


    ¡°I apologize grand master lord Meleth¡± From within the blaze came a whimpering voice. It was one of the men who had attacked. However his face and body were charred black from the fire. It appeared that lord Meleth had spared his life but still decided to punish him for his crimes. ¡°Master Orion needs the locket the boy has no matter what.¡± The now burned man screamed out. He could do nothing but scream as his body was in too much pain to speak normally. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Orion? why would they want a locket?¡±. Lord Meleth responded in great surprise ¡°I. I don¡¯t know we aren¡¯t told anything!¡± the man responded trying his hardest to remain conscious. But it was too much, his body crouched over collapsed.


    ¡°Boy we are going to need to talk¡± Lord Meleth called out to Aias. As he then let the inferno around them dissipate leaving nothing behind not even ashe. The only evidence of a battle was the wounded Kjil Serpent laying its head on Aias lap trying to recover.


    As people poured into the courtyard trying to find out what had happened, the staff in charge of the beasts began healing the Kjil serpent. Uncle Laue held onto Aias and carried him off after lord Meleth.


    ¡­¡­


    Aias had been taken into a large office. The room was poorly decorated when compared to the room they sat in at the Harahan beast shop. The office was mainly decorated with medals or heads from different beasts, and a small bookshelf with at most 20 books. One noticed immediately that there was no thought put into the design of the office. But the man sitting in a high chair behind the desk in the middle of the room was a far to powerful person to be criticised for his sense of fashion. This was also told by the many medals, most seeming to concern war, and obviously the heads of intimidating beasts decorating the walls were to show what he was capable of.


    ¡°So boy what is your name?¡± the old man, lord Meleth spoke out to Aias. His tone was disgruntled and with no respect. It wasn¡¯t often you would see someone speak disrespectfully to a war orphan as that was punishable, however Aias had heard of lord Meleth before, he was the guardian of Canastota and also born a war orphan. He had the right to say as he pleased as long as he wasn¡¯t mocking something righteous.


    ¡°My name is Aias Geno, lord Meleth¡± Aias cleared his throat and responded. Aias had no qualms with not being respected as he didn¡¯t feel he had earned any right to be respected by lord Meleth.


    ¡°Well Aias let me see this locket they were trying to take¡± lord Meleth held out his hand waiting Aias to give it to him.


    Aias understood the situation was different from before and placed the locket in lord Meleth¡¯s hand.


    ¡°So this is what Orion is after. Hm, what are these seals? THERE ARE SO MANY SEALS, WHAT IS THIS?¡± lord Meleth now screamed unable to contain his surprise and astonishment over the seals cast upon the locket.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t feel that many seals on it lord Meleth please tell us what you are sensing¡± uncle Laue was surprised by lord Meleth¡¯s sudden outburst, he had sensed the other day that there were several seals placed upon the locket and that they were without a doubt powerful, but not to the extent that lord Meleth would become like this.


    ¡°I can understand that you wouldn¡¯t be able to sense the many different seals, many of them are similar to each other but contain a slight difference in power, what i don¡¯t understand is how there can be so many seals of a level where even i can only barely break them. Haah, haah, haah¡± lord Meleth couldn¡¯t stop panting after having tried to sense the many seals placed on the locket. ¡°Laue Sheveu, you know what level i am in heat elemental magic do you not? Eight rank. I am the strongest heat elementalist in Antrim and most other places in this wide world. But on this locket i can sense an elemental seal with fire as its base, if i was to break this seal it would take at least sixty days of full power unsealing, that¡¯s how strong the average seal on this box is, so strong it could actually kill me to try opening even one seal¡± lord Meleth explained with a voice and look filled with genuine fear.


    Uncle Laue couldn¡¯t believe it, a locket Aias had only stumbled upon had turned out to be stronger than anything he or even lord Meleth, one of Antrim¡¯s strongest, had ever seen before.


    ¡°Aias, i will give this back to you, it may kill you as the people who are after it are very powerful, but this is yours to bear and i also don¡¯t want to get involved with Orion more so than i have to¡± lord Meleth reached out his hand holding the locket back to Aias, this time his tone was of sympathy and sorrow for the future he was bestowing upon the young boy.


    ¡°No i will take the locket¡± uncle Laue stood before lord Meleth taking the locket from him. ¡°I won¡¯t allow Aias to be hurt while i can stop it¡±


    ¡°Who are Orion?¡± but from behind uncle Laue Aias asked what was on his mind. ¡°Who are they?¡± As uncle Laue and lord Meleth was sitting there baffled by the sudden question Aias asked again.


    ¡°Well, Orion is an organisation led to serve a single person, Master Orion. No one knows anything about Orion other than that the leader is revered as a god to his followers and that they will bring him interesting objects, people, and monsters to try and appease him¡± lord Meleth explained to Aias.


    ¡°I see¡± was all Aias responded with as he took the locket back from uncle Laue then walked to the door where he stood waiting for uncle Laue and lord Meleth to finish with their talk.


    ¡°You can wait outside in the corridor, there should be a couch to sit in¡± lord Meleth told Aias as he looked at him standing there by the door waiting as if a servant. When Aias had left the room lord Meleths eyes began to change, ¡°That boy, he is very odd, i wonder what potential he has?¡± he looked to Laue with expectation.


    ¡°Aias is only seven he hasn¡¯t started any energy training yet¡± Laue stated, somewhat depressed by also not knowing yet.


    ¡°Well shall we continue our earlier conversation. So about the Divine beast-¡± they continued their meeting while Aias sat obediently outside in the hallway.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Aias and uncle Laue were sitting on their carriage with 36 other carriages in tow. They were the transportation of the beasts they had bought and all the food which would be required both during the journey and while proper holdings were made for the beasts in the institute.


    Aias was sitting reading one of the scrolls uncle Laue had bought him, while Laue was cleaning the blade he kept with him during his travels. As Aias finished reading the scroll and was about to take out a new one uncle Laue decided to ask ¡°So Aias would you like to hear more about Divine beasts?¡± uncle Laue wanted some more time to speak with Aias before they got back to the institute and wasn¡¯t sure of a good reason why he should get his attention.


    Aias eyes shined at the sound of Divine beast and immediately sat down next to uncle Laue wanting to hear more about the powerful creatures capable of destroying kingdoms.


    ¡°Well as I¡¯ve heard from lord Meleth, there really is one in our region at the moment and apparently it¡¯s close by, last time it was spotted was by Svordie castle¡± Svordie castle lies around two hundred kilometer southeast of the orphanage, though that was a long distance it was still small compared to the size of their region and tiny compared to Antrim. ¡°However we don¡¯t have to worry it actually greeted the guardian of the castle and swore it wouldn¡¯t do any harm to humans living in the country, as long as they don¡¯t give it any trouble¡± uncle Laue explained to Aias who was sitting with his ears perked up listening intently on every word he said.


    ¡°What kind of creature was the Divine beast¡± Aias was quick to ask as he really wanted to know what a Divine beast was.


    ¡°The lord of Svordie couldn¡¯t tell, apparently the Divine beast shrouded itself in a thick mist only letting out a portion of its almighty energy so the lord could tell it was actually a Divine beast¡± uncle Laue looked at Aias with an apologetic look as if saying sorry for not being able to answer his question.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright uncle Laue, just hearing a little about something so grand and powerful fills me with determination, one day i want to fight a Divine beast¡±

 Chapter 7: Taming the Serpent

    Aias and uncle Laue came back to the institute late in the day when most of the kids went back to bed. Uncle Laue let Aias head to bed as he and the caravan personnel took care of the beasts.


    Before Aias left for his dormitory he went to check on the Kjil serpent. He had been saved by it after all, he felt it was his responsibility to make sure it had been treated. Beasts have a powerful life force compared to humans, some beasts even being able to survive their heart or head being destroyed. Even so a Kjil serpent isn¡¯t very strong and can¡¯t be expected to withstand the harm it was put through.


    Aias walked up to the large cage that was used to transport the serpent but the large snake was nowhere to be seen. Aias saw one of the people they had hired from the Harahan beast shop and asked if something had happened to the serpent.


    ¡°Ah yes the Kjil, it was getting weaker and weaker from the journey so we had to move it into its new habitat immediately. Don¡¯t worry we are healing it to make sure it doesn¡¯t have any problems in the future¡± the man answered trying to cheer up Aias as he had heard what the the boy and the serpent went through together.


    Aias was glad to hear it wasn¡¯t to badly hurt but still wanted to see it so he asked where its new enclosure was located. After getting directions he thanked the man and went to see how the Kjil serpent was doing.


    He arrived at the field the man had specified him to go to. He had been to this field many times during his upbringing, it was used to train knife throwing, archery and any other activity that was required to do over a long distance. But now many large pits had been dug in the field. He came up to one of the pits in the ground. It looked to be around 10 meters in diameter and 15 meters deep, over the pit was a steel grid to make sure nothing could get out. Down in the deep pit laid a large serpent and around the serpent were both guards to hold it down and healers trying to help it.


    The serpent was struggling to try and get the guards off it. Every movement from the serpent was like getting pushed by several tons of power but even so the guards managed to hold it down. The serpent was getting agitated and started trying to get its mouth free from the grip of one of the men holding it down. The man was holding on with all the strength of his body, for if he were to let go then no doubt would he die.


    Suddenly another hand was laid on the serpent''s head, it was Aias hand. The moment the Kjil serpent saw Aias its entire body became relaxed and was no longer trying to resist the guards.


    ¡°You can let go now¡± Aias said to the guard holding onto the serpent¡¯s mouth.


    The guard without even realising it let go of his grip and the serpent calmly put its head to the ground beginning to rest.


    Both the guards and the healers became surprised. Not at the serpents behavior but that when Aias asked, their bodies felt a natural reaction that what he said was correct. To them it was terrifying, a child could make them react like that.


    Aias stayed with them and the Kjil serpent until the healing was complete then went back to his room for sleep.


    It had been a long day. Probably the longest day in his life. He had went into the cage of a wild beast, had men trying to kill him, met one of the strongest people in the country, and learned that one of the strongest beings in the world was now very close to his home, the Divine beast.


    That night he couldn¡¯t stop crying. Not out of fear for his life, frustration for his weakness, it was out of happines. During his whole life he had never once felt close to death, not once been in a situation he could feel fear during. He had always been protected and sheltered, but not today. He felt now more than ever that this was the life he wanted to live and couldn¡¯t wait to become old enough to leave the orphanage and start his own adventure.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Aias was awoken from his sleep by cheers as several of his classmates came rushing through the door to his room, they were all eager to hear what he had seen in the city. Leading the class was J¨¦r¨¦mie and Midae, they had for a long time been seen as the classes representatives, as they were the strongest. Midae was also the smartest in the class, she often went on meetings for decisions concerning the institute where she would argue with both caretakers and upperclass students.


    Everyone sat with expectations in their eyes hoping for a story, Aias could tell that they had already heard something before coming here. Most may be interested in what happens in the city but not to the extent that they would swarm his tiny cramped room.


    Aias began retelling the events that had unfolded during the last two days. He didn¡¯t embellish the story with any grandeur as it did by no means need him to. He told the children about the creatures know as Divine beast and how one such being was currently close to their orphanage. All the children could hear on his tone that he was serious, and all shuddered at the thought of a beast so strong.


    He told everyone of the fight between the old man and the two men working for Orion. The children all thought of Aias as someone strong so when hearing that he couldn¡¯t even react to their speed they all started to long for the day they could learn energy control.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He showed them the locket and told them everything he had heard about it. Most probably wouldn¡¯t believe him but the kids knew he wasn¡¯t one to lie, especially not to his friends.


    Finally he got to the fight between the Kjil serpent and the five men. Several of the kids started to cry or get teary eyed as they heard of the beasts sacrifice. Some in the room had been through situations similar, but in their case it wasn¡¯t a large serpent covering them, it had been their parents trying to not let bandits hurt them. Only because of their parents sacrifice could someone else get there in time to save them.


    Aias looked at the many who cried and those who silently mourned, among them were both Midae and J¨¦r¨¦mie.


    Midae was originally the child of farmers who were raided by deserters after a battle, only because her parents hid her away was she able to survive until a detachment from the army came to deal with the deserters.


    J¨¦r¨¦mie was a child of nobility whose family oversaw a small town, however one winter the town was attacked by a large force of bandits, they killed his family, servants, and all the other citizens before leaving. Luckily his mother and father were well trained in magic and had a protective field ready for J¨¦r¨¦mie to hide in. None of the bandits were able to break through the energy bubble and so they had to retreat before the army arrived, they still hadn¡¯t been caught till this day, they are hunted everywhere for the many inhumane actions they have committed, they are known as The Bitten¡¯s Bone.


    Aias reassured everyone that the serpent was healed and was now in an enclosure on the field before continuing his story.


    Everyone knew who lord Meleth was, so hearing that Aias had seen his strenght, been saved by him, and even talked to him, was incredible to them. Lord Meleth was one of the strongest warriors in the kingdom, and was in control of a large force which served to protect the large region of Goijbi, where they lived. Many of the children there had been saved by his forces before being brought to the orphanage, to them and many others in Goijbi, lord Meleth was a hero who they looked up to.


    When the story was finally finished all the kids sat in awe. It was truly unbelievable how so many things could happen, and that Aias could survive a situation like that. But they all believed in him, for they knew he wouldn¡¯t lie to them.


    ¡°You guys wanna go see the Kjil?¡± After a long pause of silence Aias decided to ask everyone. They all wanted to see the magnificent beast so the class began to move to the fields.


    As they got to the field they saw many other kids standing around the many enclosures, most of them had gathered around the Kjils enclosure. ¡°There he is, the one who got into a cage with a wild beast!¡± one of the kids standing around the enclosure pointed at Aias, the sudden exclamation caused all the onlookers to turn around and see for themselves who it could have been to do something as crazy as going into a wild beast¡¯s cage.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Aias huh? I wonder is it true, did you really go into the Kjil serpents cage?¡± one of the older kids walked up to Aias and the class, he looked mature and was probably around fifteen or sixteen. He had a very snarky and condescending attitude, he appeared similar to the senior a couple days ago who had challenged another student to catch an arrow.


    Many of the older students had gotten used to taking what they want with strength through duels, and so those who were victorious often became proud of themselves. The caretakers didn¡¯t care if their attitudes were that of pompous bratts, as long as they had respect during battle, and knew how to handle defeat without shaming their remaining honor then they saw it as fine.


    ¡°What you don¡¯t believe me? Want me to prove it?¡± Aias gave the senior a smug smile as he walked up to the steel grid atop of the pit. ¡°How about we make a bet? If I go in and the snake allows me to pet it, I win. If it attacks me, I lose. How about it?¡± Aias wore a mocking smile on his face, showing no respect for his senior, and no fear for the serpent.


    ¡°Oh and what are we betting?¡± The senior student didn¡¯t waver before Aias confidence but instead asked what would be gambled with.


    ¡°If the serpent attacks me I will die, so of course you¡¯ll get everything I have, meaning you¡¯ll get...¡± Aias began listing everything in his possession, all the many items that he had gotten from his competitions, explorations of the wilderness, and his latest trip to the city.


    Everyone around were surprised by the many items a young boy like him owned and couldn¡¯t help but feel that the senior student would have to gamble on something big.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot you own, i remember winning similar things when i was growing up¡± the senior students arrogance had almost vanished, he now knew that Aias wasn¡¯t just some kid, but still there was no correlation between being the best during training and getting close to a wild beast. ¡°Seeing as you¡¯re also throwing away your life i will put my two greatest weapons in this gamble. I swear on my name Rishi Lowdo that if you aren¡¯t attacked by that snake then you will get my Katra Needle Estoc and Blood Steel Buckler!¡±.


    Katra are large wolfs with a single metal horn coming out of their skull, this horn is what was used to make the Needle Estoc, a weapon made for the sole use to pierce through the hard shells or hardening techniques of monsters. Or in human cases, shields or hardening techniques.


    This was no doubt a high stakes bet, the senior had offered items whose worth was so much more than Aias¡¯s that Aias actually began to feel ashamed that he was swindling them off of the senior.


    The bet was on, all the spectators were watching as Aias was getting ready to climb down the pit. Many were concerned for his safety, other believed the stories to be true and had faith, then there were those who felt obligated to make sure nothing went wrong so they stood ready to jump into the pit at the slightest hint of trouble.


    Aias had climbing down into the pit, he walked up to a large rock where the Kjil serpent was resting on. The serpent noticed him approaching and looked up directly at him. As the snake reacted to Aias so did all the people who were ready to jump to his protection. Their nerves were twitching, waiting for if even the slightest movement of the snake appeared to be aggressive. Even Rishi who was only trying to scare Aias with a high reward but the danger of getting killed by a wild beast was getting ready to save him if the situation came to it.


    To Aias none of this mattered, he continued to walk up to the Kjil without pausing, he was finally less than a step from the serpent and extended his hand. Everything was quiet, everyone was holding their breath in suspense. Aias hand touched the head of the large serpent. It could be heard throughout the field, a large gulp from all the spectators, several of the smaller children fainted as their nerves couldn¡¯t keep up with the intense situation. The Kjil serpent finally gave its reaction, it simply laid its head back down and created a little more room on the rock for Aias to lay on.


    The crowd was in awe. No one knew how to react to the scene, the only beasts that would acknowledge and understand humans were great beasts and above, but the Kjil serpent was only a wild beast, it shouldn¡¯t have the understanding to allow Aias near it. The only other instance of a wild beast not harming a human who it could easily kill would be if its soul was linked to a human, but this was a newly bought beast who shouldn¡¯t be tamed yet. Everyone watching wondered, how can this be?


    Finally the crowds reaction came in the form of a roaring cheer from Rishi, he was clapping his hands while his eyes were crying. Everyone could see he felt great admiration for the bravery of Aias and also the sadness of losing his precious equipment. The rest of the crowd joined in his cheers. Aias standing in the middle of such praise and cheer was overwhelmed and started reddening up. In the end he felt more at ease walking into the cage of a wild beast rather than standing before a crowd praising him.

 Chapter 8: The Headmaster

    Everyone was still cheering for Aias as he returned up from the pit. When he got out the pit he was immediately jumped on by his classmates, they were crying, happy he hadn¡¯t been hurt. Even though they had faith in him it was still a dangerous wild beast.


    Before Aias in the middle of the pile his classmates had created stood Rishi waiting for him, ¡°Well a bet is a bet, you will get my estoc and buckler. I hope you use them well!¡± Rishi was about to leave to get them but Aias had gotten out of the pile of crying classmates and stopped him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that¡¯s a fair deal¡± Aias said with a straight look on his face. Aias didn¡¯t want to take too much from the senior¡¯s mistake so he wanted to change the deal as much as he could.


    ¡°No no i can''t go weaseling out of a deal¡± but Rishi knew he was beat and simply wanted to leave the matter with as much honor remaining as possible. He wasn¡¯t about to be known as someone who would back out of a fair challenge. He had heard before that Aias had been in the beast''s cage without being attacked, so why would Aias fear going in again. He felt stupid now after he had lost his most precious equipment but he had to take the loss and move on.


    ¡°I still want the estoc and buckler, but as of now i¡¯m only seven years old. I have no use for their strength before i¡¯m strong enough to use them. You on the other hand! I didn¡¯t recognise you as i haven¡¯t seen you up close before but i know the name Rishi Lowdo. You are the second strongest student in the institute and you''re going to leave next month to train as a knight are you not? You will need these if you want to be of use as a squire to one of the knights¡± Rishi had stopped and listened to his reasoning, he glanced at everyone listening and saw that they all seemed to agree with Aias argument. Rishi turned around to answer but was answered before he could ask. ¡°You have till six years from now to give me the estoc and buckler. At that time you should have achieved a position where you can obtain a better weapon and i will be able to use energy¡±


    ¡°I accept your proposal with a small condition. You will be given any one item in my position other than the buckler and estoc, do you agree?¡± Rishi answered. To which Aias could only nod and smile. He had gotten a really good deal.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Later when everyone was together in a classroom again ready to begin a lesson on war history the teacher forced them to sit through a four hour long lecture to then get a test which if they failed they would have to sit through another four hour lecture. This was to be their punishment for allowing a challenge like that to take place. Most likely would Rishi go through even worse as he was an older student and it is up to him to set an example for younger students to follow.


    Later during the night after all the lectures were done did they find out that Rishi was forced to sit with a rock placed on his head for 6 hours, it was obviously not a normal rock, it supposedly weighed 200 kilo.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    The next day as Aias was sitting down to eat breakfast Rishi came by and sat next to him. It seemed Rishi wondered about Aias trip to Canastota. Aias began retelling the events that had ensued during his trip once again. Many sitting at other tables began moving closer to hear the story, they all had similar reactions to the same parts as his classmates had had.


    After the storytime Aias and Rishi went to Rishi¡¯s room to take a look at what Aias could want. His room was a lot larger than Aias and it contained all kinds of different objects, from swords made from different monsters to herbs of decent quality. Of course none of them were like the estoc as that was truly like a diamond among golden nuggets, it¡¯s value was far higher.


    It took a long time as the room was covered in treasures that hadn¡¯t been sorted in any way but finally Aias found something he found interest in. It was a Demon Summoning Contract, it appeared to only be that of a minor demon but to him anything new excited him far more than a strong weapon. Rishi didn¡¯t mind Aias taking it as he had no use for a minor demon, and summoning magic wasn¡¯t his style.


    Demons are creatures originally from another plain than humanity but through summonings they could come into this domain, Aias had during his trip to Canastota bought a book on demons and in it there was information on what they are, where they come from, and how summoning works. The Demon Realm unlike the Cordinal Realm, where humanity resides has very little energy running through it, as such demons take contracts with humans. The demons will take a contract, giving strength and serving the human who is bound to the contract and in return they will be allowed to live in the Cordinal realm.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Many centuries ago the demons created a kingdom in the Cordinal realm, that kingdom''s ruler was very powerful and commanded many other mighty demons in his army. The demon king began trying to taking control of the world starting a great war. This war went on for more than a century until finally another demon king took the throne by force and put an end to the fighting.


    However since then many have been fearful of demons and some countries even ban demons that aren¡¯t under servitude of a human. Demons in servitude have horns, a demon will gain horns covered in rune like inscriptions upon being put in the demon summoning contract.


    Aias could only tell from the contract in his hands that it wasn¡¯t a powerful demon, though that doesn''t matter as when a demon passes through dimensions it uses the power of the summoner to keep its ethereal body together. If the summoner is weak the demon will become weakened until the summoner is able to provide it enough energy to manifest properly. A weak demon won¡¯t become stronger than it was in the demon world because the summoner is stronger, as the summoner only provides passage for the demon to enter into the world.


    Aias wasn¡¯t sure if the contract would be of use to him, and it didn¡¯t really matter either way since he got it for free. To Aias the strength of the summoned demon wasn¡¯t what he was after but just a simple way to satiate his curiosity for the unknown. Now that he had the contract in his hands he couldn¡¯t help but look forward to learning to control energy, when he could channel energy into the summoning contract the demon would be able to manifest into the world and there was no way he wasn¡¯t interested in demon kind and all the special abilities and energies they could control. Just thinking about it made his hands tingle.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    After classes had ended for the day Aias went to see how the Kjil was doing. As he was going to the field he met with uncle Laue. ¡°Hello there little Aias, are you going to see how the Kjil is doing?¡± Uncle Laue asked inquiring about what Aias was doing up when the other children was heading of to bed. Aias nodded, there was no curfew in the institute but most children would go to bed early to make sure they had energy during the day, classes were hard and important for them so obviously they wanted to have as much energy as possible during them.


    ¡°Someone wants to meet you, come with me¡± Uncle Laue began walking of. Aias could only follow so he did.


    The two walked into the main caretaker building where most of the caretakers resided. Aias was brought before the headmaster''s office and was told to wait until permitted to enter. The headmaster was an odd individual, she was known to be very powerful but never held any position in the army, knights, magicians council or any other position where the strong reside. She had been a teacher in a school out by the border during wartime. As invaders came to attack her village in a terror attack at the kingdom, she alone stopped them. She was said to have used holy magic to seal the entire enemy armies every movement, the only ones who were able to resist where their generals and knights, which tried to fight her but her power was still immense even after sealing an entire army and so they were struck down by the holy power.


    She was believed to be of similar strength as lord Meleth, however she didn¡¯t protect the people like him, she only protected the children who were under her guidance and so the king put her in charge of the institute. No one knew anything about her from before she was a teacher by the border, she didn¡¯t even given her name to the king. The kind of power she possessed was not something attained easily, she no doubt had a grand past.


    After almost an hour of waiting outside the office Aias was finally called in. This was his first time in the headmaster¡¯s office, looking in it he saw long bookshelves filled with different tomes and scrolls all arranged neatly and categorically, it was like a hallway of bookshelves up to a desk where a tall slender young woman sat waiting for Aias to come to her, though she didn¡¯t seem to mind him gawking at the books, she seemed rather happy that he took an interest in the many books lined up. Aias noticed that most of the books there could be found in the library, the books in the library had most likely been copied from these books.


    Aias walked up to the headmaster and awaited whatever he had been asked to come for. ¡°I have heard a lot about you this the last week. You appear to be a combat genius, never losing no matter what you are tested in. You are also an academic, reading whatever subjects that interests you. You even appear to be kind and truthful to the ones around you¡± The headmaster gave her analysis of Aias then continued, ¡°The only thing i don¡¯t understand is how you were able to tame a wild beast without using any kind of energy or strength, and you don¡¯t have to tell me you don¡¯t know, i figure it¡¯s something you did naturally because of the situation. Either way the Kjil serpent is now tamed by you so i have decided to let you have it¡± Aias was surprised by the headmasters sudden gift leaving him speechless, he had suddenly gotten yet another great asset for the future.


    ¡°In the case you are going out into the wilderness or when you finally leave the orphanage you can can bring it with you, there is no use in us keeping a beast we can¡¯t use for training¡± The headmaster bluntly stated not caring about the gold they spent buying it.


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t it still possible to establish a taming contract with it? If i didn¡¯t use any energy when taming it i shouldn¡¯t have any connection to its soul, correct?¡± Aias asked, as he knew a connection between master and beast was formed with the contract.


    ¡°No it appears that the Kjil¡¯s soul has changed, we don¡¯t understand what has happened or how but it would appear it¡¯s now different from other beast. No one is able to establish a connection with it but even so it doesn¡¯t seem to want to hurt humans. Well as long as they don¡¯t touch the Kjil or it¡¯s you¡± she looked to Aias and he could tell she was speculating what it was that he did.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Aias was allowed to leave the office so he headed to the Kjil¡¯s enclosure where he sat and enjoyed the moonlight atop the rock in the comfort of the large serpents cradle like body. He accidentally fell asleep and in the morning everything continued like normal. Classes went on, training continued. Everything was the same.

 Chapter 9: Conviction

    Aias was laying atop his trusted Kjil serpent, which he had decided to name Varja. More than a year had gone by since he got Varja, it was soon to be time for his class to learn how to use energy. The last few days Aias had been on edge, he felt like something was wrong, as if any moment he was going to collapse. But he held on, he had went to the infirmary to check if his body was getting sick but apparently it was only anxiety. He thought as much himself, only a few days ago their class had been told that they were going to be getting into the energy locating stage soon.


    This was something he had waited for since the first day he began training. When he was only tree one of the caretakers showed off his power to the class Aias was in then. The magnificent display of strength, agility, and techniques was an eye opening event to Aias and he has always wanted to do the same, he always dreamed of fighting using the many energies of the world. Why wouldn¡¯t he be nervous, any day could be the day he started the true journey of training he had always been waited for.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Classes were about to begin so he left Varja to bask in the sun and went to see his friends before class started. Most of his classmates were nervous like him, others had been so excited since the day they announced energy locating classes were going to start that they couldn¡¯t help outpacing themselves during training. Two of these cases were Midae and J¨¦r¨¦mie, they saw this as a chance to beat Aias. Energy locating had nothing to do with a person''s physical body meaning Aias and their potential was still unknown.


    They were going to have a herbology class outside today so most in the class felt ready to go back to sleep even before class had begun. Everyone followed their teacher to the field usually used for any lectures outside but as they got there they saw several more teachers waiting for them. The children weren¡¯t idiots they knew what this meant. ¡°It¡¯s finally starting!!¡±, ¡°Oh my god we¡¯re going to learn energy locating today!!¡± These were the roars coming from the class the moment they saw the group of teachers standing by.


    ¡°Settle down kids, yes we will begin teaching you energy locating today. Now settle down, we¡¯re starting with a lecture!¡± A stern looking old man yelled at the rowdy bunch of kids. He was Rubin Ludwin, a chi master in the institute and fifth strongest amongst caretakers.


    Everyone quickly settled down and gathered in front of the teachers, the class sat as a large group in front of Rubin eagerly awaiting the lecture to begin. Another teacher came up, this teacher wasn¡¯t a warrior like most in the institute he was a professor and researcher of energy who came once per year from the capital to give a lecture on the energy in the soul. He had become famous in the orphanage as the slow speaking doctor, this was because he would have very small sentences and after every sentence he would take a small breath of air before beginning his next sentence.


    ¡°Energy exists throughout this world. All living things have a consciousness. Inside our consciousness we have a core. Our core are what connects us to the energy surrounding us. When we are born our core is empty of this energy and through our entire lives energy is slowly stored in our core. This is a natural phenomenon known as being alive. If your core were to not have any energy in it you would naturally die. If your core takes in energy it isn¡¯t used to it may either kill you or you would become corrupted. This is why most humans aren¡¯t able to survive in other worlds as our cores aren¡¯t accustomed to the energies in them. There are some cases of humans who are able to survive taking in energies normal humans can¡¯t. For example the founder of the Kokubusha empire to the south. He had the unique ability to support demon energy without becoming corrupted. Because our world has very little of it he created a constant connection to the demons realm giving him immense power¡± The lecture went on for about an hour going into deep history of how the soul works and how much research had gone into it.


    Finally when it had ended did the almost sleeping students become energetic again. It was time for Rubin to teach them about the process of how they would be taught to locate the energy within them. ¡°We teachers are going to come to each of you and insert a small bit of energy into your consciousness, learn how it feels and then try to locate the similar power you have within you. It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t manage to find it by the end of the day we will have another class tomorrow where you can continue trying. After you find where the energy in you is you can start learning different techniques. You will be searching for the ki or chi inside you as they are originally created from you¡±


    All the students in the class spread out on the field and started meditating trying to heighten their focus. Each teacher went from one student to the next sitting down behind them touching the back of their head, asking if they could feel the energy, some couldn¡¯t feel it immediately but after a moment they noticed the energy. Then the teacher would move on to the next student. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Aias sat waiting for a teacher to come by, his body had finally become relaxed. This was the day he had been waiting for for five years, he was about to feel what energy was. As one of the teachers came up behind him he continued his meditation, then suddenly he got an od feeling. It was as if a thread of strength was inside him, it was small but he felt it there. ¡°Can you sense it?¡± when the question came he realized it had been inserted into him, he simply hadn¡¯t felt the teachers hand touching the back of his head. But he wasn¡¯t dejected he knew he couldn¡¯t be a genius being able to learn energy location without someone else''s help first.


    Aias and all the other kids had now gotten a chance to feel the energy running through their soul. Now they continued to meditate constantly searching for something similar to that little thread.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Many hour passed until finally someone stood up. ¡°I GOT IT!¡± it was so sudden most around the boy got scared and almost fell over by the surprise from hearing him scream. The boy was an average boy in the class who didn¡¯t stand out much but at this time everyone in class congratulated him as he was the first to find his energy. But the congratulations were short as everyone wanted to continue, many felt they were close to finding it and only needed a little more time.


    Just a few moments later another stood up, he didn¡¯t scream like the first he simply walked to the teachers and asked what he should do now. As he was asking the teachers another student found his energy¡¯s location.


    More and more students began finding the energy within them until everyone in class was now sitting learning about what to do with the energy instead of locating it.


    ¡­¡­..


    As evening came the teachers were wrapping up their lectures on different energies and how to differentiate them. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you all, to think a whole class was able to do it in their first day. Tomorrow we will continue learning the fundamentals of techniques, you¡¯re all dismissed¡± Rubin stood proud of his students smiling at the hopeful future of the class.


    The kids went back to their dorms went to sleep and couldn¡¯t wait until the next day.


    ¡­¡­..


    It had been a stormy night but that just made the day more beautiful and perfect for being outside. All the children and teachers came back to the field. The sight they all saw when returning scared them. Aias sat there covered in the rain from the night, he was still meditating.


    Everyone now realized that yesterday Aias had never stood up to go to the teachers, he had sat close to the teachers from the beginning so while everyone else had to walk to the teacher all he would need to do was stand up. Him meditating had blended into the crowd of listeners for the lecture. Aias hadn¡¯t been able to locate his energy yet.


    ¡°Boy what are you doing here? You should have at least went back and slept in your room, you¡¯re going to catch a cold, c¡¯mon let¡¯s get you to the infirmary¡± Rubin was about to help Aias up but when Aias opened his eyes in them a sadness and fear could be seen.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel it¡± Aias voice was weak and whimpering, it wasn¡¯t like the normal strong willed voice he normally carried. ¡°22 Hours of meditation, it does NOTHING¡± It was as if he was about to cry but held in his tears.


    Everyone in class looked in horror as someone they had great respect for was sitting there broken down and about to cry. They themselves felt ready to cry for him. He was like a hero to them, always stood strong, always won, always so cool. But now he sat there looking so small looking as if a gust of wind would carry him away. They couldn¡¯t bear to see him like this, to them he had been an idol of strength, the entire class turned around and ran as fast as they could away from the painful sight of Aias sitting there.


    Rubin and the other teachers didn¡¯t know what to do, they had heard that Aias was unbeaten in physical activities. But they didn¡¯t think he had pride that when broken would turn him into a husk like this.


    ¡°I will not stop!¡± Finally Aias spoke again. The teachers were surprised, his voice was no longer whimpering and weak. It was filled with determination and conviction. ¡°Until i can sense my energy i will not move from this location!¡± And with those words as his last he continued to meditate.


    The teachers around him didn¡¯t know what to do, they heard on his voice that he wasn¡¯t going to back down, the storm from last night could tell them he wasn¡¯t going to be moving any time soon. ¡°Have someone bring him his food here instead¡± Rubin commanded the other caretakers, he had heard Aias conviction and allowed it.


    Aias continued sitting there, not moving, always meditating. The days went on without him being able to feel anything, the headmaster came to see if there was anything wrong with his core but found nothing. More days passed and rumors started of a student going insane after not feeling his energy. In the beginning Aias classmates would defend him, but as the days turned into weeks, they couldn¡¯t help but admit that it was enough. There are other things in the world but fighting, Aias had always been intelligent and would do fine even if he wasn¡¯t a fighter. He could just become a researcher or something instead, he wouldn¡¯t have to sit there like a maniac covered in mud and filth barely living his life.


    Months had begun to change and his classmates had given up, he was no longer human to them, his conviction was too great. He would only open his eyes to eat food when it was served to him, any other time was spent trying to locate the energy inside him. He could feel it if someone were to insert it, but he couldn¡¯t sense anything while alone.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible for him to become a magician while still not being able to freely sense his own energy but it would mean he had to become a long range caster. That was not his dream. Long range casters are almost only in the army, something he didn¡¯t want to join, he had always wanted to travel and see the world. He wanted to know what was out there, something you didn¡¯t get to do in the army.


    Three month had passed, Aias sat there covered in mud and filth while deep in meditation when suddenly he felt a tiny little ball of strength, this wasn¡¯t like the tread he had felt when the teachers helped him, the more he focused on the ball the more different powers he felt from it, one of these were similar to the thread. This was it, this is his energy. His core.

 Chapter 10: Constant Improvement

    Aias had finally found it. This was his energy, he didn¡¯t know what to do, he was even more afraid now then when he was first unable to find it. What if when he left meditation he lost it again. What would he do then! He tried to find something to distinguish his core with but what was there that wasn¡¯t there before. To begin with a person''s consciousness is just one large black space filled with nothing until you notice it, then POW there it is.


    But Aias quickly calmed down. He continued for the rest of the day getting used to the feeling of each of the energies that made up the little ball, he wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he was looking for when trying to find it again.


    He stopped when a caretaker came to bring him his supper. Aias was surprised to see that the caretaker to bring him food was the same one who had lent him a blood steel dagger when he ventured to the wilderness, his name was supposedly Rainar. After eating he decided to ask Rainar to help him back to his room. Rainar was baffled, he had been there to bring Aias food every day for three month now, Aias had never even said a word or even acknowledged that he was there during that time, he had only sat there concentrating on meditating, but now came this question out of nowhere. Obviously he agreed, why wouldn¡¯t he help Aias, he knew what he had been through during the last three month and had only respect for the conviction Aias showed.


    Aias had been sitting for three month in one position, the only movement he had done during that time was hold a bowl and fork, his legs had been paralyzed by time. Aias noticed this the most now that he began moving again, though he himself didn¡¯t move a muscle it didn¡¯t change that his body was now in motion from the caretaker moving. The pain was severe, with every step Rainar took it made every muscle in Aias body screaming with pain. His body was as if dying from the long time it had stayed inactive, and now suddenly that half dead body was moving again. It was far too painful for Aias to suppress but he held in the screams he wanted to shout out.


    Aias was on the verge of passing out when he thought of something, ¡°Please bring me to the Varja?¡± And with that he was now passed out sleeping on Rainar¡¯s back.


    Rainar knew Aias was the owner of Varja, infact that was one of the reason he had offered to be the one to bring him food every day. He already held Aias in quite high regard all the way since he had lent him his knife. Aias didn¡¯t know it but the reason he hadn¡¯t been attacked while scavenging in Biagia-chami forest was because Rainar had stayed close by and taken care of any dangerous beast without Aias knowing. All this while observing what Aias was doing and planning.


    Rainar wasn¡¯t sure what to do, sure he should bring Aias back to the infirmary so healers could help him but so could the Kjil serpent. A serpent like the Kjil could massage Aias body to increase the natural healing factor along with regulating the blood flow to the body. Leaving Aias with Varja wasn¡¯t a bad idea, and to think Aias had thought of that made it all the more impressive.


    In truth however Aias just missed Varja and wanted to be close to his lovely snake.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Rainar brought Aias down into the Kjil serpents pit, there he saw the giant snake eagerly awaiting Aias. When he handed Aias over to Varja he noticed the kind almost human eyes it looked at Aias with, Varja then looked over to him and gave a short bowing gesture with its head. To see a large serpent beast bowing to a human was such an odd experience that Rainar couldn¡¯t help bowing back to it. Varja wrapped itself around Aias body slowly tightening then letting go, it clearly knew what it was supposed to do to help him. Rainer knew he had made the right decision to leave Aias with Varja.


    This was the first night Aias had slept through after three months. Because he was meditating his body hadn¡¯t needed rest the way it normally does, same with food, though his body did need food it wasn¡¯t in the same way one would need it when not meditating. The institute had taught its students a meditation technique which made the body give almost no energy to parts of the body that aren¡¯t in use. In Aias case this was almost every part except the vital organs needed to survive.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Aias awoke two days later in the middle of the day, his body was still being massaged by Varja, but now he could feel his legs. Varja let go of Aias so he could try walking again. In the beginning Aias wasn¡¯t able to keep his balance, not moving for three month had not just affected his body but also his mind, his sense of balance and distance were completely out of control. Though he was sitting straight up it felt as if his body was on a steep slope, things that were only a meter away looked to be either only a centimeter or an entire mile of. Aias continued to stumble about for almost an hour until he could finally walk like a normal human and even then his body could barely keep him standing.


    Aias let Varja continue massaging him and then started to once again concentrate on meditating. He couldn¡¯t feel the little ball anywhere, but this time he wasn¡¯t as dejected. He knew it was there, and he knew every practitioner had a hard time finding it the first few times. Seeing as the first time he found it it took three month, he speculated it would maybe take between a day to a week to find it again.


    Aias continued searching for it, and just as he predicted it took only about seventy eight hours. He saw the progress right away. It had went down by about thirty times. Of course a real warrior was able to find their core in less than a second while in combat, it was second nature to them. Aias felt he had to improve more before he could return to class. Now that Aias thought of classes he began wondering what his friends were doing, how far had they gotten? Did they notice that he changed location, what was it like for everyone else.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡­¡­..


    <Four days before>


    As morning shined on the orphanage a commotion started. Aias disappearing was big news, he had sat there long enough that most people forgot the reason for it in the first place. He had become like a statue for the institute, getting offerings during dinner time. Outrageous rumors had even started to spread, one was that if you pray for love to him you will be brought together with the one you like. And many of these rumors were not only talked about but also carried out. It was well known that some students would pray to him for good luck before heading out to the wilderness.


    Now that he was gone everyone was freaking out, they began looking everywhere, and because Aias was currently inside a bundle of snake, being massaged while passed out. No one could find where he was. Caretakers ran out into the fields and forests surrounding the institute trying to get his tracks. But it was to no avail. Some began to mourn him as if he had passed away. Some theorised that after constant meditation for three months he had obtained a revelation and ascended into a higher plain. Everyone was confused, it was the topic of every conversation in the institute and it simply wouldn¡¯t die down.


    Long into the day when the sun was beginning to set the shifts for guard duty were about to change, and with that Rainar woke up to begin his shift. He thought it would be a normal day but when he began hearing rumors of Aias disappearance he knew something was wrong. After checking in Varja¡¯s enclosure he understood why everyone was panicking. He had to put a stop to everything so he went to several caretakers explaining the situation, slowly stopping the hysterical rumors from continuing to spread and get bigger than they already had become.


    It appeared however that quite a lot of people had gone out to search for Aias, the headmaster, Laue Shevue, Rubin Ludwin, along with several other powerful figures in the orphanage. It was a mess, there was almost no caretakers left to defend if something happened all because one boy disappeared. Rainar kind of wanted to see how things played out if he didn¡¯t tell everyone where Aias was but refrained as that could do actual damage to not only the orphanage¡¯s reputation but also the students training.


    With everyone now knowing what had actually happened they all went to see the Kjil serpent, looking at the way the large snake moved its body as if massaging something they could feel a bit more relieved.


    The day was about to come to a close when suddenly another student asked, ¡°So why did he chose to move?¡± Now the situation was more hectic than before. After having something like this happen they had all started remembering why Aias was sitting there in the first place. Most believed he simply gave up. It was a logical conclusion, who would need three whole month to find their core, a normal person would need at most twelve hours let alone a day. Others did believe he had succeeded. And the last few were already trying to come up with conspiracy theories, one was how Aias had already found his core three months ago and during this time he had been cultivating the power in it and now was as strong as a full grown warrior.


    Either way most were happy to see he was no longer stuck in the ground covered in mud. Those the happiest were his classmates who had missed him since he began his meditation, they had so many things they wanted to talk about with him.


    ¡­¡­..


    As Aias opened his eyes after having found his core again he noticed that several students were standing above the pit looking to see how he was doing. Aias stood up and began getting ready to go back to his own room, it was right around time for dinner to be served and he hadn¡¯t eaten properly with others in ages. Luckily while he was asleep Varja had cleaned him up so he wasn¡¯t covered in mud, his clothes still reeked quite a bit though as a serpent isn¡¯t suited for cleaning. He really needed to go and get some clean clothes and a shower.


    As he left the pit many students began asking him what had happened for him to stop his meditation, if he succeeded or gave up, or if there was something else. Aias wasn¡¯t going to hide it, he had succeeded and he was proud to finally have entered the stage for energy cultivation. All around him gave their congratulations even if it wasn¡¯t anything special to sense your own core. To them Aias conviction was impressive enough to deserve all the praise in the world.


    Aias entered one of the dining halls, he got himself a bowl of vegetable soup and began to chow down on the meal. Aias didn¡¯t want many people to see him as he didn¡¯t feel confident in himself yet so he sat in a corner of the hall and kept his head in the bowl. He really didn¡¯t want to meet his classmates before he had some strength to show.


    Because of the bodily restriction from the meditation technique he had used, he hadn¡¯t actually tasted anything the past three months. So now that he finally got that nice light vegetable soup on his tongue it felt like bliss.


    He just sat there eating his soup he listened to everything happening around him feeling the cozy atmosphere. He also hadn¡¯t been using his ears for the past three months so now hearing the clammering and loudness of people made his heart warm. He finally felt happy after such a long time stuck in the endless abyss that was his conscience.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    That night he didn¡¯t sleep either, instead he meditated trying to find his core again. Aias had gone to bed earlier than everyone else as he didn¡¯t want to meet anyone until he felt confident he could feel his core after at least only one minute. That may not be impressive for others but Aias felt he needed a clear goal in mind.


    It took eight hours for him to find his core the third time. It isn¡¯t all that easy to find your own core. Aias was taught during the lecture three months past that a person¡¯s core is in their own consciousness, and as a person''s emotions change so does their consciousness making it harder to find it the longer it¡¯s been since you last looked for it. As a person becomes more aware of their own self they get better at finding it even when their consciousness has gone through change, that is why warriors are able to summon their energy immediately. However as the consciousness changes with a person¡¯s emotions they could easily lose their power if any strong emotion goes through them. Though for a strong warrior that strong emotion would only make them lose their power for such a small moment it wouldn¡¯t even be considered an opening.


    Aias looked at the time and saw he still had five hours till it was time to go to class. Aias was currently nothing compared to who he once was so to regain what was lost in the last three month he decided to start training again. He went out to try and train. It turned out his body was in even worse shape than he had originally thought. He was out of breath and hurting after less than ten minutes of slow jogging. His body had regressed so far that even if he trained for another three months straight without bothering with anything else it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to be like he once was.


    Instead of continuing to jog he decided to sit down next to a tree nearby and meditate. He no longer used the institutes taught methode as his entire body needed energy to replenish itself. Aias had walked quite far out into the forest before beginning to attempt training, he was roughly two hours away. This wasn¡¯t especially far away from the institute but for him whose body was in ruins it had taken far longer than it would normally.


    Aias was sitting there meditating, he felt he had become more familiar with his conscience and it only took one and a half hour to find his energy this time. But when he opened his eyes again to his surprise there sat a little fox before him. The foxes fur was golden and tail was red. It sat there playfully looking at him.

 Chapter 11: Private Teacher

    Aias took a long hard look at the fox, he had never seen a fox like this. Its bright golden coat of fur, the sharp red tail. No fox beasts in Antrim had that coloration, no normal foxes either. Aias extended his arm and grabbed the fox by its scruff, held it closer trying to remember if he hadn¡¯t read about it somewhere before. The fox didn¡¯t seem to mind, Aias was only a child just like the little fox, it didn¡¯t feel any malice from him and he didn¡¯t carry any toward it.


    Aias though he knew of all the animals in the Goijbi region but apparently this fox was different. Maybe this race of fox hadn¡¯t been found yet and he was the first, either way he wanted to bring it back to the institute.


    However along with that though came a wave of disgust for himself. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it, it¡¯s family might be close and taking a little child away was not something he was comfortable with.


    The little fox started getting uncomfortable hanging by its neck scruff and it made that apparent by whimpering to Aias. He immediately let it down to make sure he wasn¡¯t harming it. When the fox was let down on the ground Aias expected it to run away from him but it instead got closer.


    The fox stood with its front paws on his leg getting its head closer to his, in his mind a picture came up. The fox would rip his throat out and kill him, but looking into the little creature''s eyes he realizes that this was only a prediction his mind made based on battle. As its mouth was now by his throat it opened its jaws exposing the many sharp teeth in there but instead of feeling a painful bite he felt a gentle lick.


    There was no hostility in this fox, it had no wish for his life, it only wanted to show a gesture of kindness, and probably steal some salt from his sweat.


    As Aias had rested up enough he decided to go for another jog, the little fox arose to followed him, jumping along the side while he ran. As they ran Aias couldn¡¯t help but wish he could have the fox come with him. Aias just found it so cute, he found weakness lovable, he had always wanted to be strong and protect others. This fox caused all his senses to peak, he felt he had to protect it so he was constantly on the lookout for a stray wild beast.


    Because he was constant staying alert it made him run out of energy far faster than before making him only able to run for six minutes without his whole body beginning to scream in pain, he had to sit down and meditate again.


    As he readied his mind to enter his conscious the fox laid down on his lap like a little golden furball. Aias gave it a gentle stroke before entering his conscious and searching for his energy again. This time he felt like something was different though, he couldn¡¯t put a finger on what it was but something inside him was different. It only took half an hour to find his core, Aias was happy he had already improved so much, but he still had a feeling something was different, and so he decided to find out what was it that had changed in his conscious.


    All the meditation he had done left him with pretty gooddirection inside his conscious, he began looking for the change and after another hour had passed he found it. There was a second ball inside him. In this second ball there was only one variant of energy and comparing it to his regular core made him realize two things, the energy in the new core could not be found in his old, and it was also a considerably bigger. He had no idea what this could mean. No one was supposed to have several cores, there were those who could separate energy from their core. But he felt this was different, this energy felt foreign as if it wasn¡¯t his own.


    Aias wondered how he obtained this little ball of energy, nothing was different about now and the last time he went into his consciousness, he stopped meditating and sat there pondering what could be different. He couldn¡¯t understand what had been different, he had sat in this same spot after exhausting himself. Nothing was different. No something was different, the fox in his lap. Aias stroked the fox and started wondering, ¡®could the fox¡¯s core have entered my consciousness¡¯. What type of fox was this to be able to enter other¡¯s consciousness. He really wanted to bring the little fox back now, but even so he simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to potentially take it away from it¡¯s family.


    The fox had now fallen asleep making it kind of awkward for Aias, looking at its cute little face made it impossible for him to wake it up and he didn¡¯t want to leave it as he didn¡¯t feel it was right to leave the fox while it was sleeping. Something could happen to it. Someone who didn¡¯t think about its feelings may find it and bring it away from its family.


    Aias sat there for another hour waiting for the little fox to wake up. Aias said goodbye to the cute little fellow, this time time the fox didn¡¯t follow him. It was as if it knew he was leaving, it gave him a little howl as a farewell and then ran off into the forest. Aias smiled hoping to see the little fox again. Before he continued going he decided to see if its core was still inside him or if that had also ran away with the fox.


    Because only an hour had gone by and not much had happened during that hour, his consciousness was similar to when he left it last. So were the two different cores inside him. Aias became confused, was this the fox¡¯s core or did he just not notice it until now. As he couldn¡¯t understand how this second ball had appeared he decided to simply ignore it until he was better versed in energy control. As of now he had no idea how to control any of the energy inside him so it didn¡¯t really matter if how many cores were inside him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Aias came back to the institute an hour later than he had anticipated, he was hoping to start attending lessons again but having realized that he didn¡¯t know energy control while his classmates did would mean needing special attention during class, and he felt that was break both his honor and spirit.


    However Aias believed there was someone that may help him. He went to the main caretaker building and found the office of uncle Laue. Technically Uncle Laue wasn¡¯t a teacher at the institute but he was the second strongest. He should be well versed in energy control and may at the very least be able to help Aias in controlling the energy inside him. Aias had tried to use the energy of the ball but couldn¡¯t do anything, it just floated there in the vastness of his conscious like a balloon just out of reach.


    Aias knocked on uncle Laue¡¯s door and announced himself. It only took a moment before the door was slammed open. ¡°Aias I have been so worried about you¡± Uncle Laue was basically crying as he hugged Aias, making sure he was alright. ¡°I went to see you earlier but you weren¡¯t anywhere to be found, where have you been?¡± Aias told uncle Laue where he had gone and what he had been doing the past day. He had decided against telling anyone about the golden fox he found so he left that out, similarly he didn¡¯t want to tell anyone about the second core in his conscious.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad your alright, so how has it been going for you, rumors said you succeeded in finding your energy¡± Uncle Laue was happy for Aias, the fact that Aias was now able to find his energy meant he wouldn¡¯t be sitting outside every day and night.


    Aias explained to uncle Laue that he was now able to find the energy in thirty minutes or possibly less, he knew it didn¡¯t sound impressive but to Aias the difference between having to search for more than a day, and less than an hour was something he wanted to brag about. ¡°Oh you sure have improved!¡± What uncle Laue said may have sounded condescending if said in any other tone than the one he used. He was like a proud father looking at their child winning first place.


    Uncle Laue was kind and helping to all children, that was why they all called him uncle. No matter which child it was they couldn¡¯t resist wanting to be praised by uncle Laue.


    Aias decided to ask if uncle Laue could teach him the basics of energy control, just so he could come back to class not having to be taught and treated differently to the others.


    When Aias asked however he was met with a sad smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aias, I can¡¯t teach you anything, however there are many others who could help you in the institute. I¡¯ll ask someone to tutor you, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything!¡± Uncle Laue gave Aias a reassuring smile then went back to work, he was sitting behind a mountain of paperwork that surely required him to attend to during most of his days.


    Aias was disheartened but he trusted uncle Laue, Aias couldn¡¯t wait to get his new teacher.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    During the days of waiting for the new teacher to arrive, Aias spent away from the institute, he didn¡¯t want to meet his classmates yet. Aias continued to train, slowly getting more and more used to finding his core, well cores in this case.


    Aias had told uncle Laue that he was going to be staying in the woods while waiting for the new teacher, he had told him around which region he had planned to stay so when the new teacher arrived he could find him there.


    Aias had stayed in the woods for five days when suddenly a large man came. The large man looked like an animal. Not as a wild person but an actual animal, his face was that of a ram with large horns growing from above his eyes. He had a thin coat of brown fur covering his body. But his body was shaped like a person''s, and not just any person. His body looked sculptured with muscles. He looked truly strong standing tall and mighty. His eyes were also that of a human, pupils round and irises green.


    Aias had heard of this man, he wasn¡¯t a teacher at the school but a special protector who worked to make sure beasts didn¡¯t come close to the orphanage, his name was supposedly O¡¯jghar. O¡¯jghar was of a different sentient species than humans known as the Klenod.


    Aias hadn¡¯t been taught much about Klenod but knew they are similar to humans with the biggest exception being that their origin didn¡¯t come from evolution but was that of magic. Legend has it that once upon a time there was a god that decided to consummate with animals, their children were the origin of the Klenod race. No one knows if this is their true origin though.


    ¡°Boy, I heard you needed a teacher and you had an affection for beasts, will you accept me as your teacher? If you do I will teach you everything you need to know to fight or tame beasts!¡± O¡¯jghar spoke in a soft and tranquil voice as if he was in a constant dream not being affected by the world around him.


    ¡°I only want to learn to use the power in me, I have no special care for beasts in particular. I want to experience combat and for that I have read up on beast as it¡¯s interesting to think of how they would fight and how I would face them¡± Aias respectfully bowed to O¡¯jghar, ¡°If you would teach me to use the many powers in me i would gladly be your disciple until i turn sixteen, then I must go to explore the world¡±


    O¡¯jghar looked into Aias eyes. Both Aias and O¡¯jghar had clear eyes, clean and serene. ¡°Aias Geno you are now my disciple, until you turn sixteen i will teach you as much as I can¡±


    Aias had gotten himself a personal teacher. That wasn¡¯t something most students of the orphanage had, only those who showed great promise and had a chance to become a squire, or general were accepted into a master student relationship with a teacher. Aias didn¡¯t fit either of those rolls yet, however O¡¯jghar wasn¡¯t a teacher but a guardian of the forests and plains around the institute so he was free to take disciples as he pleased.


    ¡°First you must go back to the institute and get your belongings ready. You will live with me from now on, though first I believe you should go to class once more¡± O¡¯jghar explained.


    ¡°Why do you want me to attend class again, and only once more?¡± Aias asked, he couldn¡¯t understand what he could attain by going to a lecture he didn¡¯t understand. Or train with people he couldn¡¯t match.


    ¡°You must gain experience in feeling what it¡¯s like to fight as someone weak. Tomorrow your class will have combat practice, you will attend and try to win whatever fight you are assigned¡± O¡¯jghar calmly explained to Aias. Their eyes met and Aias could feel the kind nature in O¡¯jghar. He had no reason to decline.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Aias got back to the school late that night, after O¡¯jghar had left had he started meditating then went on a jog and repeated it over and over again. He was now able to find his core even when not entering meditation, however it did take thirty minutes to find it while just walking. As he was now he wouldn¡¯t be able to find it during combat at all, no matter how much time he was allowed.


    Aias got everything he had together and packed it into several bags and a backpack. He couldn¡¯t wait to see where he was going to be living. Aias didn¡¯t have a problem with sleeping out, he loved the fresh air and bright night sky, filled with stars. He had gotten used to it from his many nights spent next to Varja.


    Aias began wondering what tomorrow would bring, he hadn¡¯t seen his classmates in three month. How would they have changed, how much stronger had they become. He already knew how weak he himself now was, what would he have to do to win?

 Chapter 12: The Undefeated

    Morning came, the sun was shining, the birds were twittering, and Aias had gotten a long night of rest. He had wanted to get as much of his exhaustion from training recovered before the day started.


    Aias would usually start his days early to give his body a good workout long before the sun had even come out, but today he needed every bit of energy possible for whatever challenge he was about to take on.


    There was only about an hour until class started so he went to the dining hall for breakfast. Aias entered the dining hall and was overcome by hunger.


    During his say in the forest outside the institute he had to hunt for his own food, however his body hadn¡¯t been up for much so he had to rely on simple snares to capture rabbits. Which there didn¡¯t appear to have been all that many of since he was only able to catch two during his whole stay.


    To survive he had to scavenge for edible roots and herbs, in hindsight he probably should have stayed in the institute, food was essential for recovery. ¡®Damn pride!¡¯ was all Aias could think as he smelled the powerful aroma of the institutes cooked meat. Aias mouth began to water as he started picking out what he was going to eat. Though in the end it was almost pointless, he had put a sample of everything on his tray.


    Today there seemed to be an increase in chicken dishes as almost his entire plate was covered with it. There was chicken wing, grounded chicken, chicken fil¨¦, chicken pie, and even some fried chicken. With it there was both rice, and diced potatoes. And atop all he had covered it in an extra thick layer of sauce.


    Eating it only made him hungrier. It was just so good compared to the poorly made rabbit he had tried to grill. Staying outside the orphanage for a few days had made him realise that he really didn¡¯t have any survival skills.


    His class had taken several courses on survival, how to build fires, how to make simple snares, and how to prepare the animals caught. But he hadn¡¯t gone through it in reality, it was only a small course they had three years ago and after it they hadn¡¯t used that knowledge leading to it not becoming experience.


    He sat there eating the hearty breakfast, taking in as much flavor as possible. When he finally finished he realised that his class was about to start. He hurried to the field where it was supposed to be held and waited in a shady corner for the teacher to get there. He still felt anxious about meeting his classmates and wanted to see them only when class had started to avoid any awkward smalltalk.


    Aias sat there feeling out his body and his current condition. His body was now operating at one hundred percent efficiency. This was his current top form, it was still nothing compared to what he once was. Even if Aias is only eight and his body is very small, now only weighing twenty five kilos, it had still been effected harshly by the many months of not moving. He had weighed almost five kilos more when he began learning energy location. That was all muscle made into fat or lost altogether.


    He felt weak, miserably so, even his senses were duller than they had ever been before. Meditating had caused much damage to every part of his body, Aias felt it would take a miracle for him to be able to beat anyone in class as they all had stronger bodies, more knowledge, and more experience. As well as the power of energy, most likely knowing a few ki techniques.


    However Aias mind was collected, he thought of every technique they could have learned these past three month. They had probably began learning strengthening and hardening techniques in ki, and maybe some control of mana. He was without a doubt unable to take any hits, even if they didn¡¯t use strengthening techniques his now brittle body would crumble at the weight of anyone''s fists. His now dull body wasn¡¯t even going to be able to quickly dodge his opponent. Aias wasn¡¯t able to block or dodge, he had no idea what he had left.


    His hits wouldn¡¯t do much damage anyway with the way his muscles were broken down. Although his opponents were children and hadn¡¯t began properly developing muscles, meaning he might be able to do some damage if he didn¡¯t hit directly on bone or muscle.


    Aias had thought of a way to win but it wasn¡¯t something he was willing to do, not for a lack of principle but because it wasn¡¯t a match where it should be done. His mind had told him the only way it could theorise his victory, take out the eyes. This wasn¡¯t something like poking them and dealing a little pain to make the opponent flinch. What his mind had thought of was actually crushing his opponents eyes, permanently disabling them.


    Aias shuddered at the thought of hurting his friends like that. He wasn¡¯t going to hold his pride as undefeated over a friend¡¯s sight. But he would definitely attack with everything he had.


    Until the teacher came all Aias could do was theorise many different scenarios and ways he may be able to counter them.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    When the teacher finally came to start the class did Aias leave his shady spot and greet his classmates.


    ¡°Aias!¡± The whole class reacted to his return. Everyone swarmed around him, wondering where he had been the past week. Aias only gave them a brief explanation that he had been training.


    ¡°Teacher i have been told to participate in today¡¯s combat practice, may i?¡± Aias asked his teacher wondering if he would even be allowed.


    ¡°Yes i heard you would be joining us today, class don¡¯t hold back when fighting him!¡± The teacher gave a quick response. Aias hadn¡¯t met this teacher before, he was most likely someone who taught beginners in energy control.


    All the children in class became concerned for Aias, they looked at him and saw how meager his body looked compared to how they had remembered him. They had wished to fight him when he was at the peak of his power, he had left such a mark on them that it was impossible not to still compare themselves to him and feel inferior. Even if three month of training had passed!


    But because they had such great respect for him it made them have to take this fight seriously. They wanted to not just test their strength but to give a statement to Aias, ¡®Look at how powerful we have become!¡¯ was what they were going to convey to him, not in words but in actions.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Out of the crowd came a powerful voice, ¡°Please let me go first!¡±J¨¦r¨¦mie stood ready, he had the resolve in his eyes to fight Aias with all he had. He had always been there trying his hardest to win against Aias no matter what competition, but he was never strong enough. Now before Aias was beaten by anyone else he had to do it, he had to be the first no matter what.


    The teacher looked at J¨¦r¨¦mie with pride but at the same time rolled his eyes. He clearly didn¡¯t think Aias was worth this. ¡°Very well, i will do a quick change in the fighting order. Now let me explain the rules. First, there is no ring. All of the field is your fighting area.¡± He gave a quick gesture with his arm to show the expanding field where they were standing on.


    ¡°Second, all forms of bare handed combat are acceptable. So no weapons! Third and last, once you win a fight the next will start immediately, I will call out a name and that person will be your next opponent¡± The teacher explained then asked if there were any questions.


    Midae had one to ask, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the last of us will only get one match?¡± It was a reasonable assumption, and only getting one match meant not getting as much experience, which was just what the class needed. Aias looked at the atmosphere of the class and it seemed most were stuck at something. Combat practice is a great method for forcing yourself to learn something you weren¡¯t sure of through reflexes.


    The class was told that they would continue through the next week to have one class a day involving some sort of combat practice. That would indeed mean that even if you didn¡¯t get much time training today you would certainly get it though the rest of the week.


    As the teacher continued to explain what they would be doing for the next week Aias started to stretch his body. J¨¦r¨¦mie came up to him, ¡°Aias i hope you will get better soon, i want to fight you properly. I have trained tirelessly for the last three month. Now I¡¯m able to win against anyone in class in any physical competition, even Midae isn¡¯t even close to beating me anymore. You are the only one i still haven¡¯t beat and i won¡¯t consider today a real match. Once you have your real body back then I want to fight you again!¡± before Aias could say anything he had already turned around and begun preparing himself.


    J¨¦r¨¦mie however wasn¡¯t preparing to face Aias, he was readying to fight the rest of the class. Clearly he also wanted to show off in front of Aias, maybe he even wanted to take down Aias record of beating a whole class.


    Aias thought he would feel nervous for the fight to come but now after seeing everyone he only felt serene. These were the friends he had spent his life with, why be concerned if they saw him as weak or strong. None of that mattered to him anymore now he only wanted to see the results of their training and how much he could do to the new strongest.


    The teacher looked over the two, he slowly became more concerned for Aias safety. Looking at how rearing to go J¨¦r¨¦mie was made him certain, Aias could break a bone or two if he took a bad hit, he had to be ready to intervene at a moment''s notice.


    ¡°Get ready¡­. Start!¡±


    As the match began all the spectators looked at Aias. He stood there, not even in a fighting stance, eyes closed, just smiling to himself. J¨¦r¨¦mie became slightly concerned that Aias may be about to die. But when Aias opened his eyes the atmosphere around him changed. He was ready, and serious, far more serious than he had ever been before. It was as if the whole world stopped for everyone on the field, Aias eyes shined with a hunger for battle.


    With the opening of his eyes his body shot out, they had started with a distance of five meters but it was rapidly shrinking.


    J¨¦r¨¦mie held his hands out in a tiger stance ready to grab Aias once he got close. Aias felt something strange from J¨¦r¨¦mies hands, it was similar to the energy in his core. It must be ki. It seemed J¨¦r¨¦mie had learned to strengthen himself with energy during combat. Aias felt his disadvantage growing, but his mind was still working hard trying to find countermeasures.


    As they were only a step from each other Aias let out a fierce attack towards J¨¦r¨¦mie¡¯s throat. J¨¦r¨¦mie began pulling back his body and retracting his arms to try and catch Aias arm, however the attack was only a feint to lead J¨¦r¨¦mie¡¯s attention away. His real attack came with his dash, he dropped his whole body down to the ground in a low altitude dropkick. With all the weight of his whole body combined with the speed he had gained from running four steps he kicked J¨¦r¨¦mie¡¯s ankle. A sound was heard throughout the field, it was like a balloon suddenly went pop. J¨¦r¨¦mie¡¯s ankle had been broken.


    J¨¦r¨¦mie fell to the ground crying in agony and pain. Meanwhile Aias just stood there, thinking.


    The whole class stood in awe. J¨¦r¨¦mie had through the last three months spent every hour trying to become stronger, his body had far surpassed the physical records Aias had left behind. But now in only one move had he been beaten by someone whose body wasn¡¯t even capable of running a mile or throwing a full strength punch.


    Even their teacher stood in awe. He had completely forgotten to call out the next participant, now he could only stand there looking at Aias who was getting ready for his next challenger.


    Aias stood there observing the rest of the class, he understood the moment he came within one step of J¨¦r¨¦mie that he couldn¡¯t lose. J¨¦r¨¦mie may have been faster and stronger than him, but he had no fighting experience or pure talent. When Aias went for the throat J¨¦r¨¦mie had given his hand full attention and didn¡¯t look at where his body went.


    And as his ki techniques weren¡¯t actually fast enough to be applied as defence in combat it left him with dodging, something J¨¦r¨¦mie most likely wouldn¡¯t do as he saw it as weakness. Or block it, which wouldn¡¯t look cool. Leaving grabbing the arm before it hit him, something which would both look cool and be seen as strong.


    Then there was if J¨¦r¨¦mie had been faster in strengthening himself with ki, Aias attack to the throat would be meaningless as he doubted he had the strength to break through ki. So if there was no chance of his attack to the throat doing damage then J¨¦r¨¦mie could ignore it and focus on Aias, making him unable to use his dropkick. He would also most likely have lost if J¨¦r¨¦mie wasn¡¯t fighting to learn or impress and simply dedicated the fight to winning.


    Aias noticed as the teacher actually showed some frustration on his face, the teachers aren¡¯t supposed to show special affection or disrespect towards any student but it was clear he didn¡¯t like his best student being beaten by someone whose body was like paper compared to his students who were like steel.


    The teacher finally started getting composed but he was clearly still somewhat mad, ¡°Midae you¡¯re next!¡± He clearly didn¡¯t want Aias to get any more of the spotlight so he sent in his second best immediately.


    Midae was hesitant but after seeing Aias standing there ready she knew she had to do it.


    Midae ran in with all her might, unlike J¨¦r¨¦mie her stance was low, far to low, she looked like a tiger ready to pounce. Aias could feel ki coming from her too but now it was through her legs. The ki started to change fast, it was as if it was going to explode inside Midae¡¯s legs. Aias could tell something was coming, and like lightning Midae leaped from five steps away to being only a brief moment away.


    Aias had seen it coming. Her stance made it obvious she was either going to attack his ankles in retribution for J¨¦r¨¦mie or pounce on his body. Out of the two the second was a better choice, Aias may not be as fast as he used to but he could still easily jump away if his legs were targeted, but the body is the center of gravity of a person, moving it quickly is much harder. And not only that but Midae¡¯s eyes were clearly focused on Aias stomach.


    Now Aias was about to be hit by Midae moving at high speed, bracing, ready to hit anything. Aias knew he couldn¡¯t avoid it from the start so instead he moved slightly to the side so he wasn¡¯t hit by her head, then he relaxed himself letting his body be hit.


    He didn¡¯t take much damage from Midea¡¯s ramming pounce but it did send him flying together with her. The push behind it forced his body to cave in into a v-shape, and the sheer momentum of his sudden switch gave him whiplash. The feeling of not feeling was strange but also useful, it didn¡¯t hurt at all when he and Midae hit the ground, which was nice.


    While tumbling on the ground together with Midae he let his reflexes take over to begin the counterattack. He grabbed onto Midae¡¯s wrist holding onto it with his whole body¡¯s strength, he and Midae was bouncing of the ground constantly rolling around and switching positions. Finally when they came to a stop could everyone see what had happened. Midae¡¯s wrist was bleeding, twisted, and a piece of bone was piercing out. She appeared to have fainted from the pain.


    Aias slowly stood up, his eyes were still a bit hazy from taking Midea head on but he was still able to hold a fighting stance.


    This time not only were the onlookers in awe. They were horrified. They had always known Aias was holding back during most competitions because he enjoyed seeing the challengers striving for victory. But now he was serious, he wasn¡¯t going to be beaten and they all felt it. Even so they felt themselves obligated to try to battle him, even if they knew they couldn¡¯t stop him from setting another record.


    Aias kept going, challenger after challenger, without any breaks. In the end when the last student was falling to the ground he stood there broken, bruised, and bloodied, but not knocked down. Most who had been beaten now sat there being treated while staring at him, wondering what kind of monster he was. They couldn¡¯t understand how a human could be able to endure so much and still continue fighting his opponents one after the other. There was still only one word to describe him. Genius!

 Chapter 13: Broken Body

    Aias woke up feeling hazy, he could barely open his eyes, his eyelids where just too heavy. He tried to massage his eyes but couldn¡¯t feel anything, had he lost his arm, or was he just too tired to feel it.


    Aias memory felt foggy, he had no idea what had happened. Last thing he remembered was fighting in the training exercise against the other children of his class, but he could only remember fighting ten or so opponent. Was this defeat, had he finally lost. It felt odd, like something was wrong. Before coming to acceptance with loss he first wanted to know how many he had actually managed to beat.


    Aias used some effort and got his eyes open. He looked around to see where he was. It appeared to be a normal room but the walls designs seemed different from the ones the orphanage use. The orphanage used marble walls with inserted earth elemental mana for protection, these walls on the other hand appeared to be made from stone. However though the walls may be of simple stone Aias did noticed a small trace of energy overlaying them, this was most likely a fortification spell to make them harder to break if something attacked.


    Aias had for a long time read books concerning energy and how its can be used, one use that almost all energies share are inscriptions. Inscriptions are patterns to make a spell be used long after the caster had left it. Looking at what an actual inscription looks like in both form and energy made Aias realise how complicated they really were. In all the books and scrolls it only looked like squiggly lines and dots but now looking at the real inscription was like seeing the difference between day and night.


    After inspecting the walls briefly Aias remembered that he didn¡¯t actually know where he was. Aias tried to stand up to leave the room but there wasn¡¯t so much as a twitch from his body, even his head couldn¡¯t move around making him unable to even look down at himself. The only parts of himself he could see where his cheeks and nose, and he noticed something was wrong, the color. His normal rose colored cheeks now appeared to be dark blue.


    He had clearly taken a hit to the head and that was most likely why he had been knocked out. The damage from the hit might have even hurt his spine enough that he wouldn¡¯t be able to move for a while. Hopefully it wasn¡¯t anything worse.


    As Aias came to terms with his inability to move he decided to take the opportunity to study the complex formations on the walls while waiting for whoever had placed him in there.


    Three hours later he still couldn¡¯t grasp even a part of the complex inscriptions on the walls but now he heard footsteps outside the room.


    In entered O¡¯jghar, he brought with him a tray with soup. ¡°So you have awoken. You are far stronger than I expected¡± O¡¯jghar said expressionlessly as if it wasn¡¯t a compliment but just a fact. ¡°However you have hurt yourself far too much, it took sixteen surgeries to repair all the damage that was done to you!¡±


    Aias eyes widened and he couldn¡¯t believe it, just how badly was he hurt. ¡°From what the headmistress told me, you even died three times while she operated on you.¡± O¡äjghar added.


    Aias didn¡¯t doubt him, his tone, the look in his eyes, the corners of his mouth, all of it pointed to him being serious. Just how badly hurt was he! Aias tried to ask a question but found that even his mouth was unable to move.


    O¡¯jghar noticed how Aias appeared to want to say something and decided to give a thorough explanation.


    ¡°After you beat the last of your classmates you still stood there unable to move, or even think, at that point you were confirmed dead. The teacher noticed your condition far too late and didn¡¯t stop the fights in time, he has now been fired and given capital punishment for risking a student''s life in a situation like that.¡± O¡äjghar looked to see how Aias would take the news of the teachers punishment and was surprised at the calm look he got back.


    ¡°You were quickly brought into a medical room and the headmistress began a surgery trying to essentially resurrect a dead person. Luckily she managed to make your heart beat on its own again after six hours of infusing energy and reconstructing it. It was short lived however as you were only alive for about two hours before your heart failed again. It took her another three hours to make you stable again and she continued for another six just to be sure¡± O¡äjghar¡¯s usually tranquil uncaring face now became pained after thinking back.


    ¡°That also was a short lived success as your heart only lasted one hour without her energy supporting it, at this point she gave up on restoring your heart and instead focused on finding other problems with your body, and there were several. Your lungs had pieces of rib bone piercing them, your liver, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, intestines, spleen, all smashed. Basically every part of your body was destroyed except the brain. The headmistress is currently in an especially bad condition herself after being forced to use all her power to heal you¡± The look O¡äjghar gave Aias wasn¡¯t one of resentment or any type of hate, he just looked sad.


    Aias had expected himself to be hated for having the headmaster use everything she had to help him. But it appeared as is O¡äjghar was more concerned for him.


    ¡°The headmistress could only get you out of critical condition before going into a coma of her own, you have also been in a coma for about a month now. Also as you have noticed you can¡¯t move, she only got you out of the critical state, your muscles and bones haven¡¯t been healed one bit¡±


    Aias wasn¡¯t very surprised, his whole body had been destroyed, what was he supposed to expect, magically everything would be healed and everything would be fine, a coma and a lot of lingering damage, he was really lucky.


    ¡°I will be helping you take care of the damage to your body so none of it becomes a lifelong disability but it will take some time till you can move normally. Im expecting it to take about four years till everything is back to normal.


    F, four years. Aias mind couldn¡¯t handle the sudden news. There was so much more he wanted to know but it all disappeared with the words ¡®four years¡¯. ¡®That¡¯s far too long a time to not train during¡¯ was all he could comprehend in the end. What was he to do, he didn¡¯t want himself to waste away laying in bed while others were becoming stronger. ¡®Is there anything i can do to recover quicker?¡¯ Aias had to at least ask.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    O¡äjghar noticed the look in Aias eyes and understood what he wanted to convey ¡°Sadly the damage to your muscles, bones, and nerves are far to severe for any healing found in the Antrim kingdom to help with. What you did was far too much for yourself to handle. No, for anyone to handle! Fighting against twenty five people who are all physically stronger than you is insane!¡± O¡¯jghar¡¯s voice carried with it concern but also fear for what Aias would do.


    This wasn¡¯t the type of fear that one had for someone with potential, or someone strong, it was meant towards those who you can¡¯t understand, or those who are actually able to risk their life without a reason.


    ¡°Either way you are now my disciple and i will teach you everything i know, academics, energy, and techniques. You will be taught as much as i can teach you before you turn sixteen, then you are free to leave¡± O¡¯jghar had changed his tone back to the almost emotionless state it was with before.


    Aias became somewhat confused, what can he be thought if his body is in a constant state of paralysis. Sure he could read books, well, be read books unless someone turned the pages for him. And so he could become an academic but that wasn¡¯t why he decided to become O¡¯jghars disciple.


    However he quickly realised that he had never been lacking in physical prowess, on the other hand now that he had tried out energy location he could tell that he himself compared to anyone else was a mile apart. When it came to anything related to energy, he was a failure.


    Now that he couldn¡¯t train his body he instead had to train his energy. Aias definitely wasn¡¯t going to let himself waste away, he was going to get back his strength but first he would learn to control this new power!


    Energy location was considered to be a very easy step in the process of training with energy however it took him three months to find it the first time. So how was he going to handle the next step, manipulating the energy he had found.


    The energy manipulation stage was considered far harder than the energy location stage, most people would need months to make considerable progress and the time it takes to progress just keeps getting longer as you get stronger.


    Energy location and energy manipulation both continue improving as you gain more experience however time is needed to work on them yourself. And the hurdle that is the first step of moving the energy of your core through your body is a huge experience. Aias remembered some of the fights he had had during the other day¡¯s combat exercise and it seemed some of the other children could still only summon some energy to their fingertips and that was while using all their attention to energy manipulation.


    All Aias could do was hope that he wasn¡¯t as bad at energy manipulation as he was with energy location.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Aias was told to rest for the rest of the day. They were to begin lessons the next morning as O¡¯jghar appeared to wish for Aias to start learning as soon as possible.


    When Aias awoke the next morning he sensed energy seeping into his muscles. The feeling was faint as he wasn¡¯t able to feel anything from his body, only his core was able to sense the energy. He knew the energy was coming from outside himself but he had no id¨¦a where as his head was still pointed towards the ceiling.


    Aias had now gotten a proper rest and with it came more clarity of the situation, everything he had done, and the consequences it had brought. But he didn¡¯t regret anything! No matter how long the recovery took, or how long it took for him to learn to control his energy, he definitely wouldn¡¯t give up.


    If what O¡¯jghar had told him was true then he hadn¡¯t lost to any of his classmates. He had remained victorious even when the odds were against him.


    Aias saw O¡¯jghar in the corner of his eye, he appeared to be sitting by a table on the other side of the room.


    O¡äjghar appeared to be concocting a potion, whether this was for him or something else Aias couldn¡¯t tell as he had no never properly learnt alchemy, chemistry, or herbology.


    After roughly an hour O¡¯jghar finally finished fiddling with ingredients and sat the potion on a brewing stand to let it heat up. O¡¯jghar walked over and sat next to Aias.


    ¡°Before i begin my first lesson I will tell you what you will be learning under me¡± He sat there contemplating how to tell Aias. It was clear that O¡¯jghar had never taught anyone before, at least not on a personal level. But Aias remained patient as he wanted to get any information he could as clearly as possible.


    ¡°Your body shouldn¡¯t move at all for another three years, so during that time I will concentrate on teaching you about energy. I will teach you the three steps of energy control and help you master them as best as i can. After you have begun being able to move around again then you can start learning important academic subjects like alchemy, herbology, geology, astrology, cartography, history, mythology, inscription, and smithing. Smithing you will start learning when your body is fully ready¡± When O¡¯jghar finished explaining what he was going to teach he looked to Aias and saw how he didn¡¯t seem enthusiastic about learning the many subjects.


    ¡°Alchemy, inscription, and smithing are all useful if you are ever in a situation where you don¡¯t have the necessary equipment to handle a situation and there are no close towns to get what you need¡±


    ¡°Herbology, and geology are obviously used for alchemy but can also be needed for basic survival. Knowing what is and isn¡¯t poisonous and how to safely determine if it is are all good skills for a traveler!¡±


    ¡°History, cartography, astrology, and mythology are all useful if you explore unknown lands, and ruins, or come in contact with countries where you have no ties. They can all help greatly during a transaction or contract¡±


    O¡¯jghar briefly explained what merits each of the subjects would give someone who wishes to travel the world. Aias knew he had to learn some academic subjects but to think so many would be useful for something other than officials work.


    ¡°I will be giving you some lectures on the different subjects while you are still bedridden but i feel it¡¯s better if you focus on learning energy manipulation first¡± O¡äjghar quickly pointed out before continuing.


    O¡¯jghar once again began to ponder over how he was going to explain his next lesson. ¡°We should begin with learning about the three important steps of utilizing energy. First energy localisation, you have already learned how to do it and without this no one can use the energy they have¡±


    ¡°Though you do already know it i will still explain it before continuing. Energy localisation is to enter one''s deeper consciousness where everything that your being is is contained and find your energy. In this space the most bare thing you will find is your core¡± He paused to think, it appeared he wasn¡¯t sure which parts he should explain and which parts were unnecessary.


    ¡°A person''s core is comprised of many different energies, some have special energies and some don¡¯t have certain normal energies. The only energy that is known we all share in common is ki. This is because ki is something created inside us humans as we live. Most monsters don¡¯t have ki unless they have managed to absorb it from a human¡±


    ¡°Energies that are created inside a creature or plant are called internal energies and are often contained inside the being that created them, not seeping out to the environment around them. Then there is energy that is created from the world itself. Water, fire, earth, and air all create mana. The mana in nature always mixes with other mana making it neutral, which is why the mana inside us doesn¡¯t naturally have any affinity, however we can remake it inside us to become the elements they were originally made from¡±


    Again O¡¯jghar paused wondering what to explain next but Aias had a question, ¡®You said the core is the easiest thing to find but what else is there in my consciousness?¡¯ Obviously he couldn¡¯t ask it, but he tried his hardest to focus his eyes to convey what he wanted.


    O¡äjghar noticed and wasn¡¯t sure which part Aias wanted to ask about so he went through the speech again this time looking at Aias reaction. When he came to ¡®most bare thing you will find is your core¡¯ Aias eyes flared up trying to convey his message.


    ¡°Are you perhaps wondering what else there can be inside a person''s consciousness?¡± Aias eyes again flared up to give his approval.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be explained, every person has a different consciousness so we all have different things contained within. The only thing known to always be in there are a person''s soul and core. And even if you were to go through your entire consciousness you would most likely only find your core, this is because you aren¡¯t strong enough to feel anything else yet¡± he waited to see if there were any other questions from Aias but he had understood.


    Aias also came to the realization that maybe the ¡®other core¡¯ he had found maybe wasn¡¯t the foxes but just some ¡®special¡¯ energy that he had found because he had gotten slightly stronger. He had no idea if that was the case and no way of testing it. He would have to find out when he knew more about energy.

 Chapter 14: Energy Control 1

    O¡¯jghar continued his explanation, ¡°After finding your energy you will need to make use of it. The most important part of energy manipulation is to reform the energy inside your conscience to make it enter the physical world. As there are many different energies there are also different ways to control them. Some energies require certain tools or techniques to be operated¡± He looked to see if Aias had any questions but there were none.


    ¡°There are several ways to manipulate each energy and then there are more ways to utilize the energies. For example if we look at mana, mana can be used to create runes, inscriptions, enchantments, or spells. The difference in their creation is how we manipulate the energy before it leaves our conscious¡±


    ¡°All the different forms have their own methods in order to be put in effect. The process of using energy is quite lengthy but when you get used to it you should be able to create spells and techniques in the moment¡±


    ¡°Before you use a technique you need energy, however energy is held in the core and isn¡¯t naturally usable by most humans. So to get the energy you will need to put up a formation in the energy you want to use, then you will be able to freely control the energy inside your conscious¡±


    ¡°After you have the energy you may need to change it into the appropriate form, sometimes the energy inside your core isn¡¯t usable for the technique you want to use. As an example, if you want to create an ice spell you would pull neutral mana out of your core then pull out all element out of it except the water, that leaves you with ice. If you add a slight bit of fire elemental energy then it becomes water¡±


    ¡°In many cases of energy manipulation this becomes the most important step, like creating colder ice, the water element without any other element creates ice at the temperatures of absolute zero. However because of how difficult it is to perfectly separate the different elements that mana consists of, it makes it so it is almost always diluted to some extent¡±


    ¡°With fire elemental mana, or as it¡¯s commonly referred to heat elemental mana, it isn¡¯t all about separating the different elements but also adding more fuel to it. Heat elemental mana requires more energy to become stronger while water elemental mana will always be at absolute zero as long as it doesn¡¯t have impurities. With more energy water elemental mana does take longer to isolate all the energy but it will make the area affected become larger¡±


    ¡°You may observe that one is referred to as ¡®heat elemental¡¯ while the other is still ¡®water elemental¡¯ and not ¡®cold elemental¡¯, that is because what it creates is water, only in its different stages. You can¡¯t create different types of liquids or ice with only water elemental mana, and heat elemental mana¡¯s main power is to heat things up, not to burn¡±


    ¡°I went on a little tangent on separation of energy, but let us get back to the main subject. When you have your processed energy you will need to move it outside your consciousness, for that you have another formation. Formations for transporting energy vary depending on what type of energy you use, as well as what way you want it to act while in the outside world¡±


    ¡°For example if you want to use it for an enchantment, or if you want it for an inscription. They both need their own formation for moving outside your body, and if you use the wrong one then the energy would simply move outside you and then dissipate as you aren¡¯t able to maintain it¡±


    O¡¯jghar had gone on for quite a while, explaining as much as he could think of and now Aias laid there feeling as if he was going to go cross eyed in confusion! When O¡¯jghar finished to look over Aias he saw the confusion on his face and realised he hadn¡¯t gone through it with Aias properly.


    ¡°Aias do you know what the formations i talked about are?¡± O¡¯jghar asked Aias trying to get his attention back after leaving him confused.


    Aias moved his eyes from side to side trying to make it look like he was shaking his head. O¡¯jghar seemed to understand as he started explaining formations.


    ¡°A formation is like a template for how energy should function or move and it will stay inside your consciousness unless you were to disassemble it. Some create formations for each individual spell and other create simple ones and then move their energy on their own¡±


    ¡°When energy goes through a formation it will be twisted and changed according to the formations design, we could do this ourselves but it would take far more time, something we don¡¯t have during combat¡±


    ¡°In truth you could use your energy without creating a formation, you could actually do everything energy related without any use of formations or techniques but the talent to do it naturally isn¡¯t normal. There are barely a hundred people with that type of ability and most of them gained it through a god¡¯s blessing¡±


    ¡°Do you think you understand the fundamentals of formations?¡± O¡¯jghar asked wondering if he hadn¡¯t been thorough enough. Aias moved his eyes up and down in a nodding motion to show his understanding.


    ¡°Next you may have understood that the separation of energy can be very important, and also time consuming. Most of the time users of energy that can be separated separate the energy long before they decide to use it¡±


    ¡°To make sure the energy is safe from becoming diluted again they create new ¡°pockets¡± in their core for the separated energy to be stored, this way they can use techniques without having to spend time preparing the energy¡±


    ¡°I will have future lessons on anything else you didn¡¯t understand but now we continue to a new step!¡±


    ¡°Once you have gotten to using energy you will need to start strengthening it. The energy ball inside you is often referred to as your core however in reality the core is something in the middle of that ball of energy holding it together¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°To become stronger you either need to exert energy you don¡¯t want and then replace it with energy that suits you better, that way you have more energy to use that you can use well. The other and more time consuming way is to strengthen your core making it able to hold together more energy¡±


    ¡°Most often will people begin by taking out what they don¡¯t need then train their core so it holds more power as they will want to focus on one style¡±


    O¡¯jghar realise that Aias was going to need to make his own decision of how he wanted to become stronger, ¡°If you wish to learn only one type of energy and discard the rest that is fine, on the other hand if you feel like learning many types of energy and how to use them then I will teach you that¡± O¡¯jghar didn¡¯t seem to care for what Aias choice was, he simply planned to train Aias the best he could.


    Aias had already decided what he wanted but felt like knowing more on the strengths and weaknesses were in this choice. Luckily his teacher decided to answer that without him asking, asking would be difficult without being able to talk.


    ¡°No one energy is perfect, so it may be useful to have several types for you to use in the appropriate situations and against the appropriate enemies. As an example we can use lord Meleth, he has taken out all energies except for heat elemental mana, and so he can only use techniques that use the heat element. Because he has spent several decades strengthening his core there is now almost no one with the power to extinguish his flames, however only a hundredth mana with pure water element would be needed to beat him, well at least in terms of raw strength¡± With the example Aias came to understand the importance of having different types of energy and learning appropriate techniques for them.


    ¡°Now for lord Meleth it isn¡¯t too much of a problem as it would be for you¡± Aias was surprised at hearing how using one energy could actually be bad for him but not for lord Meleth, how could that be?


    O¡¯jghar picked up on Aias confusion and explained, ¡°Lord Meleth is a soldier, he is meant to fight against armies who try to take on the country, but you, you said you wanted to explore the world and for that having many different options is far better¡±


    Aias could see how knowing and being able to use several different powers was probably more reliable than only having the ability to use one with more strength. He could think of many scenarios where only using fire would probably be useless.


    ¡°Something very important to remember is that energy doesn¡¯t make you powerful, some of the strongest warriors have been beaten because their opponent used special equipment. That is something you need to keep in mind when traveling, always keep yourself well stocked in different items and elixirs so when you are faced with someone stronger than you you still won¡¯t lose!¡± Aias took O¡¯jghar¡¯s advice as a warning. He knew he was weaker than others, and that was most likely not going to change, so if he wanted to continue winning in the future then he would have to get himself some better equipment than his opponents.


    The class finished and O¡¯jghar continued brewing his potion while Aias was to locate his core again. This time he was also given a goal, after finding his core he would try to only sense one energy and then try to pierce his consciousness into it. It was heavenly energy he was supposed to try and get into. If he was able to learn some heavenly energy techniques then he may be able to heal himself faster.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Aias suspicions were again confirmed, he wasn¡¯t good at any part of using energy. When he had finally managed to make himself able to sense only the heavenly energy it had already taken twelve days.


    Luckily he was improving every day and finally after having gone almost five month of learning to sense energy he was able to find his core at any time in only a second or two. And after a few days of perpetually only sensing the heavenly energy, he had gotten to be able to sense only it just as fast. Good warriors would sense it in a fraction of the time it took him though. He may now be able to sense only one energy but he also had to pierce into it.


    ¡­¡­..


    Another month went by before it finally happened. Aias had been lying for about eight hours trying to poke through the barrier that appeared to be around the heavenly energy when finally his consciousness started to push through it, entering it! It was as if he was being swallowed by the heavenly energy. Once inside he could understand why it was called heavenly energy, it was like he had gone to heaven, it gave of a feeling as if he had been swallowed by a bed of cotton and flowers.


    He stayed in the energy for the rest of the day, he couldn¡¯t get enough of the rejuvenating feeling it gave his mind as he stayed inside it.


    ¡­¡­...


    ¡°Good now you will need to put up a formation inside the energy using the energy itself, that way you can extract it in the future, think of it as tapping a tree for sap¡± O¡¯jghar explained to Aias.


    Aias didn¡¯t have a hard time learning the patterns for the formation however how he was going to move the energy was foreign to him. It took him a week to just learn to move it.


    After learning to move it he was to also maintain it in the position he had placed it until the full formation was finished, it was stressful and required Aias to use every bit of attention he had at all times. Every time Aias failed to move the energy inside him the rest he had already put up broke apart as his concentration broke over the disappointment of not being able to control anything.


    Even once he was able to complete the formation it began to crumble apart. O¡¯jghar explained that he hadn¡¯t gathered the correct amount of energy in key points of the formation causing it to not be able to hold itself together. The stress from failure caused him too need a day''s break where he stayed in bed and rested without having to think about energy.


    ¡­¡­..


    A whole four month spent trying to put up the formation until finally it was completed, he had now at long last established the formation. To take this much time was something even O¡¯jghar hadn¡¯t taken into account.


    Aias was far to awful at energy control, O¡¯jghar had obviously never said anything or even seemed to think of it, but Aias had during the last month been in agony over the conviction he placed on himself. Over and over again the formation had collapsed, never staying up no matter how well he had made it. But now finally he could rest easy, his formation was complete and he wouldn¡¯t have to do it again.


    ¡°You will have to set up a different formations for each energy you want control over¡± O¡¯jghar as if reading his mind stated when Aias reported his success.


    FUCK! Was all Aias could think.


    ¡­¡­..


    Aias had been given a few days as a break before his next lessons began. During this he wanted to know more about where he had been living.


    While staying there he had already gotten to know how his body was doing, and how it was treated daily. Because he wasn¡¯t able to move he wasn¡¯t able to take care of his own body and its needs. O¡¯jghar had built in a self cleaning toilet in his bed, it seemed to work using water magic inscriptions as well as a pipe going down underground.


    Clearly and understandably O¡¯jghar didn¡¯t want to be dealing with cleaning up after Aias, it was understandable, he was eight and shouldn¡¯t need that sort of treatment, O¡¯jghar was also not a parent or guardian, well he was a guardian but not for this type of situation.


    Aias had throughout his stay in O¡¯jghar¡¯s home been cared for with many different medical treatments. Acupuncture to help his blood flow and nerve system recover. Messages with medical oils for his damaged skin and veins to recover. Several potions to help in several different areas. And an od treatment using stones that looked somewhat like quartz. They had however felt very good laying on his body, they seemed to seep energy into his broken body, mending it.


    Now Aias was supposed to be able to move out of the cramped little room he had been lying in, he still couldn¡¯t move his body but O¡¯jghar promised to carry him around for a tour.


    O¡¯jghar gave him a tour of the house carrying him around atop his shoulders. The majority of the house was very simple and undecorated, the only real decoration was of monster teeth framed on the walls. There were many teeth, some the size of grown men, these types of teeth were often crafted into weapons however O¡¯jghar wanted to hold honor for the beast he had slayed and so he took one tooth from each hunt as sentiment.


    With the talk of beasts Aias remembered he hadn¡¯t meet Varja in a several months. He felt bad that he continued to leave his companion behind and wanted to see him. Aias had already been made aware that Varja was brought to O¡¯jghar¡¯s house and been released to wander around the forest nearby. Every now and then Aias would receive news that Varja appeared near the house looking to see how he was doing.


    When Aias was brought outside to look at O¡¯jghar¡¯s herb garden, there Varja laid, looking up at him with its large yellow eyes, and forked tongue smelling the air. The moment it set its eyes on Aias it raced into action, it twisted its body around O¡¯jghar, not to squeeze him but to pick up Aias sitting on his shoulders. Varja wrapped itself around Aias, he had also missed Aias just as much, if not more.

 Chapter 15: Energy Control 2

    During the rest of the break Aias rode around on top of Varja, exploring through the forests close by. Apparently Varja was the only beast around so there was no danger to Aias.


    Varja had made itself a large territory spanning over several forests and plains. He needed a lot of room as most creatures nearby were too small to fill its stomach.


    After having been out for a few hours they came across a little golden fox, normally Varja would have tried to hunt the little thing but he didn¡¯t. Instead Varja bowed its head to it. Aias was surprised by the sudden gesture, why would a Kjil serpent bow to a tiny creature like the golden fox.


    Aias was put down from atop of Varja¡¯s back and immediately the tiny fox jumped on him and started to rubbing itself up against Aias. The jump from the little fox hurt a lot but he didn¡¯t mind, the cute little fox noticed the pained grimace he had made and looked ashamed of what it had done. Aias couldn¡¯t be mad, it was so tiny and adorable.


    But as the fox sat there looking more and more ashamed it slowly began to glow, the glow quickly turned to a bright shine. The bright light the little fox gave of was intense and blinding, but also somewhat relaxing. The light hit Aias face and a feeling of rejuvenation and strength entered him.


    It felt as if the light pierced through his skull, it was powerful, like nothing he had ever felt before. He could feel it push through his mind, there there was like a storm cloud of pain, now quickly being broken apart leaving only himself. The constant headache he had been having was leaving him.


    Only when the light had faded could Aias opened his eyes again, he felt something. His face, it was healed. The light had somehow caused the injuries on his face to heal. Aias opened his mouth and began to hum, he would need to adjust to the sudden usage of his vocal cords but now he would finally be able to talk again.


    As he looked down at the fox and saw it large eyes looking at him, it seemed just as confused as him. When he finally managed to break eye contact with the adorable little critter, was he able to see a sight he hadn¡¯t expected.


    The little golden fox seemed the same but there was a difference, a not so minor one, it now had two tails. One was the sharp red one. But now there was also a murky green one sticking out next to it. The fox didn¡¯t seem to notice the change and just sat there staring at him, focusing on his now healed face.


    Aias sat with the little fox for the rest of the day. When the little fox finally noticed the new extension it had gotten it first seemed to be happy, spending most of the day playing around trying to chase its new tails, or waving the two of them around in a colorful display.


    During this Aias practiced trying to only sense another of his energies, this time ki. It was just as hard as before, even after six hours he hadn¡¯t been able to sense only the ki. It would most likely take just as long as before. Sigh...


    ¡­¡­.


    The break was over and Aias was to start his next lesson. He had went back to patiently laying on the bed while his teacher was brewing potions. And like always while the potion was placed on a brewing stand to heat, he was to listen to a lecture to learn.


    O¡¯jghar hadn¡¯t asked him how his face was healed, but seemed to have an inkling.


    He did seem glad that they were going to start new lessons now. For most of the past month Aias had been stuck with the only problem being himself. Because of that O¡¯jghar could do nothing but watch as he struggled to control the energy of his core.


    ¡°Now that you have a functioning formation inside your heavenly energy you will begin learning how to draw it out. This step shouldn¡¯t be to hard, as it is heavenly energy¡±


    ¡°Heavenly energy has a base form that we can make use of and so when pulling it out from our core we don¡¯t have to change it to create our different spells¡± O¡¯jghar stopped as he noticed Aias had a question.


    ¡°You say the base form of heavenly energy is usable, does that means there are more forms it could have?¡± Aias was happy he had actually asked a question, for the last few months he had been forced to just lay there and stay confused, as his questions weren¡¯t always so straightforward.


    ¡°Yes it is known that heavenly energy can take other forms, many are sadly still not known how to achieve by humans. For example the gemstones I have used to help heal your body, they are known as heavenly earth and can¡¯t be produced by humans. They are naturally produced in some crystals over time¡±


    ¡°There is only one known form we can change it to. It is used for heavenly crystal techniques, and those are not something I believe either of us will ever use in our whole lives¡± O¡¯jghar spoke with a sad look in his eyes. Aias didn¡¯t know why his teacher was so sad about the technique, it most likely held some importance to him but Aias was afraid to ask. However he did have other questions.


    ¡°Why would we not be able to use heavenly crystal techniques in our lifetime? And what even are they?¡± Aias had never heard about them and he had had some interests in heavenly energy as he wanted to know more about the institutes headmaster.


    ¡°Well heavenly crystal requires an enormous amount of heavenly energy to produce even a single shard of, so you would need to spend all your life focusing on gathering energy for it¡±


    ¡°The headmistress is actually one of the only people alive in the world who have made any. It was through the power of one of these shards that she took down an entire army. Its power was strong enough to keep five thousand soldiers in place and weaken a general and two knights enough for one person to beat¡± Aias could clearly see a proudfull look on his teacher¡¯s face as he spoke of the headmaster.


    Aias was impressed, thoroughly impressed, such a power was indeed something he couldn¡¯t even dream of creating. Using one crystal to break an army, that must surely place a burden on the creator to produce.


    Now it was time to learn the method of getting energy out of his core. ¡°It¡¯s really simple, in fact you know it already¡± Aias became dumbfounded, what did he mean he ¡®knew it already¡¯ Aias didn¡¯t know a thing, that had been proven time and time again when it took eight month for him to learn what others learned in a week! The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    O¡¯jghar noticed the annoyed look in Aias eyes and proceeded to explain himself ¡°During your time inside the heavenly energy you were moving it around weren¡¯t you. Well now all you have to do is that but from the outside and through the formation¡± Aias understood the process and started trying immediately.


    He didn¡¯t have much hope for himself, it had after all taken four goddamn month to just to set up the formation, which when thinking back made him quite vexed. However everything went smoothly, when he tried to move the energy from outside the core, it worked. The energy didn¡¯t go through the formation immediately but after only a few minutes did it start seeping out of it.


    Aias couldn¡¯t believe it. It made him emotional just looking at it. He had finished a step in less than ten minutes. Him, the person who took three month just to find his own core.


    But it wasn¡¯t the time to start crying over every success, he observed the energy that came out. It was like a golden mist floating around as he commanded it. It was still only within his consciousness so it had no effect on the rest of the world but the beauty of the golden mist was still captivating to him.


    While inside the heavenly energy he hadn¡¯t noticed the mist-like quality of it, but now that it was detached from his core this was what it was. Wait no scratch that, he noticed that though the energy had left the core it still carried a constant connection to it through a thin little sliver of mist. No matter how Aias commanded the energy the little bit connecting it and the core never severed so he had to give up on trying.


    Aias wasn¡¯t sure what to do now, he held a little mist cloud but how was he supposed to use it and what if he let it go. It was connected to the core so it shouldn¡¯t drift away but he was still scared that something could happen.


    Asking his teacher revealed that if he was to release the energy the little bit of energy holding it to the core would pull it back in, supposedly it was the formation that had ¡®spun¡¯ it that way.


    ¡­¡­.


    Having learned all the steps so far he was at long last going to start learning how to manipulate the energy into a technique. This was it, he was finally going to achieve his first goal.


    O¡¯jghar had also been planning what to do and how to introduce techniques, ¡°This will most certainly be the hardest step of the way¡± That was how O¡¯jghar introduced the lesson.


    Aias couldn¡¯t help himself, he began laughing, he was laying there in the bed laughing and crying from the pain of laughing. Up till now how much time had he spent compared to everyone else. He didn¡¯t care how long it was going to take, even if by the time he turned sixteen he had only learned one technique it would still be enough for him to call it worthwhile. This was his life, he wanted to spend all of it learning the mysteries of this world, energy and fighting went second hand. They were there to enhance the experience.


    O¡¯jghar had understood why Aias started laughing and let him laugh himself out before starting again. ¡°In order to use a technique you will need to pull energy out of your core then channel it into a second formation. That formation is the catalyst to draw energy out into the world from your consciousness. You will now need to create this formation, and I know you may be worried that it¡¯s going to take a while but it is similar to the first formation you made. The difference being you will be outside the energy and its somewhat smaller. Once it has been made you will have to search for it as well as your core every time you want to use the technique, but you should get used to that pretty fast.¡±


    Aias was taught the formation and quickly began trying to set it up. In the beginning it was quite hard to make the haze become the strukture he wanted it but after about a month of practise had he completed the formation for the technique.


    O¡¯jghar gave his praise, after living together for seven months O¡¯jghar had grown quite fond of Aias, he had after all seen how diligently Aias worked and couldn¡¯t help wanting to congratulate him when he did well.


    He then continued to the next step in their lessons. ¡°You have now created the base technique ¡®purity¡¯ it is very simple spell that only lets the energy go through your body, healing every part of it at the same time. Unless you use a lot of energy it will most likely not do any noticeable difference other than pain relief¡±


    Aias understood the principles of the spell but was confused about one term, ¡®base technique¡¯ what did that mean?


    ¡°Well observed. Base techniques refer to techniques that can be added onto to change how it works while still fully functioning on their own. For example you will learn purity, it is called this because it makes you pure of ailments. Then we can add on another formation to our technique and purity becomes ¡®purify¡¯ the difference being one only let¡¯s the energy go through your body while the new lets you control a spot for it to gather and heal, ¡®purifying it¡¯, this spot can even be on someone or something else¡±


    ¡°To use purity you will simply need to channel and guide energy through your new formation and into your body, when it reaches your body you don¡¯t have to do anything else, it will spread through you on its own, healing you¡±


    Aias had already learned how to guide energy through a formation however he was warned that this time it would be a bit harder, as the energy wasn¡¯t contained within a closed space like the core but instead flowing within his consciousness where he had to be in full control for it to work.


    This time it took far longer than when trying to guide the energy out of his core. It had only taken about ten minutes for him to do that while this. It took him two months for him to successfully guide it through for just a moment. And he was supposed to constantly channel this.


    The moment the completed technique passed through his formation and into his body it gave of a feeling, it was like drinking cold water on a hot day, like laying down after a long run, it was such a comfortable and relaxing feeling going through his body that it almost put him to sleep. The feeling was fleeting, only lasted a moment but knowing that this was how using energy felt. That was enough to elate his curiosity a thousand times. He had finally used a technique!


    Looking back at it, since he started energy localisation it had gone about a year and now he had finally used his first technique. The journey felt both long and short, he had barely done anything except lay in bed and concentrate on whatever training he was told to do.


    Seasons had passed, his birthday had passed, people had come by, but he had just stayed there in bed trying to improve. When thinking back it felt somewhat depressing, but also worth it.


    But now he was confused, his teacher had told him that this was supposed to be the most difficult part of energy manipulation but he had made the formation and used it in only three months, maybe he had improved. Or was there more to come.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well!¡± O¡¯jghar¡¯s praise came out of nowhere and gave Aias a scare. He had been so caught up in the moment that he forgot all about his teacher¡¯s presence. ¡°Now all you have to do is shorten your casting time and it will be useful¡± With the praise however came the next lesson.


    Now he would need to practice it over and over until he could use it on the fly, currently it took him around forty minutes to correctly pass his energy through once, there was no way an opponent would wait that long. He could understand where the difficulty came.


    ¡°Before you continue practicing controlling your energy I believe you should learn how to take in energy and how to block out energy. This will be so you don¡¯t gain energy you can¡¯t use in place of the energy you can. And so you don¡¯t have to wait to naturally gain back your power¡±


    Aias had learned that though he would be using power when he completed his technique that energy would eventually come back to him. With his current amount of heavenly energy it would most likely take six hours or so to gain it all back, and the problem was that not only heavenly energy would fill the void that had been left. Meaning he would slowly run out of heavenly energy.


    ¡­¡­..


    Aias was to put up a barrier around the whole core out of heavenly energy. This barrier was to be very thin and so it appeared useless. It seemed that even the weakest of pushes would break it, however it wasn¡¯t meant to hold against anything trying to ¡®push¡¯ through, just there to ward off any stray energy coming into contact with his core.


    His teacher had explained how people got their energy, ¡°Energy that is still natural to the world can freely pass through into the realm known as consciousness that each person has, when it comes into contact with a person¡¯s core it will be attracted to it like a magnet¡± If he had a barrier out of energy around his core then he could stop certain energies while letting other energies in.


    In order to create this barrier he now had to create another formation that would then be used to change heavenly energy into a barrier. The major difference with this formation and the purity one was that this one wasn¡¯t connected to the outside. The barrier created from it would stay in his conscious and only be used in his conscious, having no effect on the real world.


    Aias started working on the formation under O¡¯jghar¡¯s guidance. Aias had gotten relatively good at structuring formations after failing so many times, it only took him a week! After having finished the formation he got to working on guiding his energy through it.


    He had to be able to maintain a constant flow of energy through it in order for the barrier to be finished. If the stream stopped for even a moment then the whole barrier would be unfinished and he would need to dissolve it and start over again. This was however a very good practice experience as he needed to learn how to maintain a constant flow through a formation. And unlike purity this energy wouldn¡¯t leave him while he succeeded. Meaning he could practice forever.


    It took far longer to create the barrier than it took to learn purity, four months. Four months to learn how to make a barrier around his core. O¡¯jghar did explain that, ¡°The barrier has the special quality of allowing heavenly energy in so it¡¯s not as simple to create as purity which only makes the heavenly energy leave the conscious and then spread through the body.


    But it was done, he now had a barrier around his core. Wait but if he wanted other energies to make it into his core, then what?

 Chapter 16: Energy Control 3

    Aias was expecting to start training to guide energy through his purity formation, trying to master it. He was pretty confident in his ability after four months of constantly trying to set up the barrier. However O¡¯jghar had other plans for him.


    Now Aias was to learn of how to change a technique from its base to a new form. Namely he was going to learn the spell purify. ¡°A base formation is called so because it can be added onto. When adding onto it you will take the base formation and use it together with another formation. You will need to create this formation!¡± Was what O¡¯jghar had explained.


    Aias began working on the formation, this formation was fairly small and simple so it only took about a day to finish. Aias was getting good at setting up formations, of course he already had the complete ¡®blueprints¡¯ of how they were supposed to be structured, meaning he just had to follow them and a formation would be built. His teacher had explained to him that most of the time people would only be able to buy incomplete formation layouts and take time to finish the last parts themselves, which could either take a long time or a lot of money!


    ¡°Using purify isn¡¯t all that hard, you just have to make your energy first go through your new formation and then out through the first one. Remember how I said a few months back that ¡®this will be the hardest part¡¯, well I should have said it now. When the energy is outside your consciousness you will now be able to guide it yourself. Guiding energy outside your consciousness is very difficult, so much so that most create formations to guide the energy for them¡±


    ¡°The problem with using a formation for the control of energy outside your consciousness is that you don¡¯t actually have any control of it anymore. It instead becomes an automated system dictated by the formation!¡±


    ¡°There are however some techniques which require this approach, lord Meleth¡¯s fire tornadoes and other large techniques would be insane to try and control without a formation to move it on its own, however he is at the same time able to make the decision on who is burned by it. No one knows how he¡¯s able to do it. The same with Laue Sheveu, he has incredible powers but no one knows how he¡¯s able to control them so they don¡¯t harm his allies¡± O¡¯jghar explained while pondering over it himself.


    Aias hadn¡¯t heard much about uncle Laue¡¯s strength other than that he was the second strongest in the institute. He also thought of another person, ¡°What about the headmaster? How does she control her techniques?¡± Aias asked.


    ¡°Oh, her techniques are very simple restriction spells and strengthening techniques, she has no need for special control formations¡± O¡¯jghar answered, with a somewhat proud tone.


    ¡°How do restriction spells work? Shouldn¡¯t they need some form of control?¡± Aias could guess by the name of the technique what it did but also wanted to know their quirks and uses.


    ¡°There are many different types of restriction spells, some restrict people''s bodies while others restrict certain or all energies. It is true that some could use a control formation to make them usable faster, however most of the time they are used with touch making a control formation pointless! Other times they are like a net thrown out on the opponent, or a needle to pierce energy into them¡± O¡¯jghar finished his explanation and also the conversation, now Aias was to begin practicing.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    It took Aias a few hours just to make his energy successfully go through the two formations, and once it was out it just dissipated through his body as if it was a normal purity spell.


    Aias continued to over and over again try and get control of it but even after a month had he not gotten a grasp of it for even a moment. O¡¯jghar had been trying to advice Aias on how he was to get a hold of his energy while it was outside but it didn¡¯t make it any easier.


    After another 3 months of constant trying and failing had both teacher and student gotten quite annoyed at how the energy continued to dissipate, they needed some way for Aias to feel how energy felt while being controlled outside the consciousness.


    The two had sat down for a discussion on what to do, but neither was sure. O¡¯jghar thought having Aias try to grasp the energy in an heavenly earth crystal could do it. But because Aias body was still heavily damaged, could he not feel with his body. He could feel energy from the crystal, but he couldn¡¯t feel how the energy entered him. If he felt how the energy moved in him with his body then he may be able to grasp it, but his nerv system wasn¡¯t of any use.


    They had sat for several hours discussing methods that seemed possible but fell apart because of his body. Then suddenly a knock on the door and with it the voice of Rainar, ¡°Aias, O¡¯jghar, I come with news!¡±


    Rainar had often come to visit and see how Aias was doing, Aias had most of the time not noticed him come as he was usually deep in meditation, but was able to notice and appreciate his company every now and then.


    O¡¯jghar invited him in and so he also joined the debate. ¡°How about you first use a control formation for a place to gather the energy, then when you grasp that energy you can guide it from there!¡± Rainar came with a method the two hadn¡¯t thought of and it seemed far more sensible than their ideas.


    The two hadn¡¯t thought of using control formations at all, they had both wanted to not have to resort to using them, but Rainar¡¯s method wouldn¡¯t hinder Aias from being the one controlling the energy. And even if it didn¡¯t work it wouldn¡¯t be a problem as it didn¡¯t use any resources, something most their plans did.


    One of their many methods was to imbed energy crystals into Aias body to force the energy to move to them, like conductors. That would have been a waste of money, and it would most likely be a similar effect to just always using formations.


    O¡¯jghar was about to start teaching Aias again when suddenly, Rainar who had just left through the door then suddenly jumped back in flustered and annoyed, ¡°Damnit, I was supposed to come here and give you this!¡± Rainar handed over an overly lavished scroll with a large sigil on the front.


    When Aias saw the sigil his eyes popped and his heart jumped, that was the Antrim royal families crest! Why would the royal family send a message to O¡¯jghar, what could they need?


    ¡°I see thank you¡± O¡¯jghar said as Rainar left again. O¡¯jghar went to his own room and left Aias alone to train. Aias didn¡¯t have a clue as to what he was supposed to do while waiting, he had no knowledge on control formations so he just started channeling energy through his other two formations while waiting.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Several hours later. O¡¯jghar came out of his room to realised he had left Aias sitting in a chair . Because Aias was crippled from the neck down he couldn¡¯t control how his body would sink together over time. Now he was laying on the floor with only his neck left on the chair he was previously on. Luckily he couldn¡¯t feel any pain as O¡¯jghar had put a restriction for pain on his nerv system.


    O¡¯jghar apologised over and over to Aias as he helped him back into his bed. Aias hadn¡¯t really cared how his body had fallen, he had constantly been using purify to relieve the little pain that made it through the restriction making him barely even notice.


    As Aias was now lying in his bed, O¡¯jghar began to explain what the scroll detailed. ¡°I have been summoned to be a part of a defense counsel for the possible case of something happening to the divine beast that is in our region. Me and several other beastmasters in the kingdom are going to be attending to help them organise a countermeasure for if either the divine beast attacks or if it fights something else¡± O¡¯jghar finished his explanation and sat there looking at Aias for his response.


    ¡°And?¡± Aias was confused, so what did that mean, what was going to happen, where was he going, was he coming with him?


    O¡¯jghar realised he hadn¡¯t been very descriptive and continued his explanation, ¡°Next month we will be leaving for the royal capital to be a part of the council they are setting up. While we are there I won¡¯t have much time to teach you but before then you should have the control formation set up. Then you can just work on trying to get control over it while it¡¯s outside.


    ¡°Can I bring Varja?¡± If Aias was to be in the capital, alone, constantly doing repetitive training, then he could at least do it in the company of his lovely snake. He felt so bad for Varja, he couldn¡¯t play with the big snake as his body was, and even just spending time with him got hard as he needed to concentrate on getting done with energy manipulation.


    ¡°Certainly, Varja could help with protecting the carriage during the trip. That way I don¡¯t have to pull one of my beast of duty, although you will have to first get him branded at a guild otherwise he won¡¯t be let into a city¡±


    Aias had some questions. ¡°I haven¡¯t ever seen any of teacher¡¯s beasts, what duty do they have?¡±


    ¡°Just like how you don¡¯t have to constantly control Varja with orders, I to don¡¯t need to give any of my beasts orders for them to behave. That¡¯s why I can let them be on their own and still know that they will do what they have been ordered to¡± O¡¯jghar exclaimed proudly with a shine in his eyes.


    ¡°I have given them the job of hunting down any beasts that try to leave any of the wildernesses around this region of Goijbi. They are there to make sure villages don¡¯t suddenly get attacked by beasts¡± there was still that pride in his eyes for the work his beasts were doing.


    ¡°I see, so how does branding work?¡± Aias asked next.


    ¡°Branding of personal beasts is both to see who they belong to and also how well trained they are, the grading goes from F to A¡±


    ¡°If they are deemed F grade then they won¡¯t be allowed in a city at all.


    E grade are allowed in a city however must be placed under custody of a guild during their stay.


    D grade are also allowed in a city however must be in a cage or captive environment, the owner is however allowed to keep it with them.


    C grades are allowed to move around the city if they are under the guidance of their owner at all times.


    B grades are allowed to move within a city as long as they have some type of guardian along side them.


    A grades are fully free to move within a city and are treated as people by guards.¡±


    ¡°Most of my beast¡¯s are B grade and i¡¯m expecting Varja to be placed the same, you don¡¯t have to worry, it¡¯s just a few tests, we can do it while traveling to the capital¡± O¡¯jghar explained reassuringly.


    ¡°And which guild is taking care of this?¡± Aias asked as he had heard there were a few different ones.


    ¡°There are three guilds taking care of branding, the huntsman guild, and the adventurer guild, and the city guild. Depending on the city, the guild you chose may matter as they may have better more qualified personnel. If they don¡¯t have the personnel qualified to judge a beast as B ranked you won''t be able to get Varja that mark¡±


    Aias understood and was hoping he could trust his teacher for choosing which guild to go to.


    ¡°Well we should sleep now, we will go over the control formation tomorrow¡± O¡¯jghar yawned and headed back to his room. ¡°Good night!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Morning came and with it another lecture by O¡¯jghar. ¡°First we should think over how you want the control formation to function. As Rainar explained it you should have the energy gather somewhere you know outside you. I would suggest placing it in the palm of your hand as there it will be most useful during combat¡± O¡¯jghar explained then looked to Aias to see how he wanted it placed.


    ¡°I think the best place for now would be my forehead or jaw¡± Aias told his teacher. O¡¯jghar looked back confused, like he wanted to ask why someone would want their energy gathered in a place not used for combat, with the exception of a rare headbutt.


    Aias realised he would need to explain, ¡°I can barely feel any part of my body with the exception of my head. So placing the energy there should make it easier for me to feel it¡± O¡¯jghar realised he had been an idiot not to think of something so obvious and his head started to hang in shame.


    ¡°And it¡¯s not like you will be doing any fighting with the way your body is now¡± O¡¯jghar quietly muttered to himself, still somewhat disappointed in his own reasoning.


    ¡°Now then!¡± After shaking of the awkward mood he had created, O¡¯jghar began to explain what a control formation was.


    ¡°The formation you have within you to remake purity into purify is somewhat like a control formation however also the opposite. A control formation will set up how a spell is carried out while the purify formation lets you carry it out exactly how you want it¡±


    ¡°The similarities with the two is mainly in how they are structured in the beginning, but the contents of a control formation will always vary depending on the energy you are using as well how you want it to act¡±


    ¡°For you the energy is heavenly energy and it should gather in your forehead. That won¡¯t need a complex formation, let me look through some books and find a good formation¡± Aias was left to continue to train on his own, still just channeling energy through the two formations, slowly healing himself.


    After roughly three hours O¡¯jghar came back from his room with a few pieces of paper detailing a formation.


    ¡°Alright this should work!¡± O¡¯jghar exclaimed as he sat down with Aias. The two began going through the structure of it and how Aias was to structure specific parts.


    ¡­¡­..


    There were still ten days left when Aias finished the new formation, during his time trying to structure the formation him and O¡¯jghar had gone through teaching how to structure formations on your own. This was so Aias wouldn¡¯t have to rely on others, or buy techniques, but instead create them on his own.


    They came to the conclusion that he should learn it now and also train that while they were in the capital. This started because O¡¯jghar¡¯s first schematic for the control formation had been a failure.


    It did gather energy, however it didn¡¯t hold it like it should, instead it sent it in a straight line through Aias body, the gathering started at his left shoulder and went to around his left buttock.


    O¡¯jghar wasn¡¯t actually a master at heavenly energy and what he had taught Aias so far was all found in books, complete, without need for change.


    O¡¯jghar had through the twenty days also been studying, he had been constantly trying to improve his understanding for control formations. He didn¡¯t use them himself and had never had an interest in them. But knew Aias needed them so he should learn them first so he could teach them to Aias.


    Control formations were an arduous learning experience as the slightest misjudgement could make the energy go in the entirely wrong way. If he wasn¡¯t using heavenly energy, an energy meant for healing who knows what damage could be done. It could have sent a fireball hurling back at the caster, in lord Meleth¡¯s case.


    But now Aias had a fully functioning formation and he could feel the energy gathering somewhere behind his forehead. This felt completely different from trying to grasp the energy from purify alone.


    That had come out of somewhere he wasn¡¯t sure of, it was like trying to find a breach of water while underwater. And it wasn¡¯t like the heavenly earth energy, that had also entered in a way he wasn¡¯t sure of, and then traveled to somewhere he didn¡¯t know of. Trying to grasp it was just confusing.


    Grasping the gathered energy was hard but it didn¡¯t take long for him to be able to move it around a little.


    ¡­¡­.


    After a few days of practising to move his energy while it was outside, he had become able to move it as he pleased around his head. Anything below his neck was uncontrollable, if he moved energy below there it would simply stop and start healing. This meant he would have to heal himself from top to bottom, or everything at once.


    Aias had planned to begin by healing his joints so that he may be able to move earlier than expected but it seemed that wasn¡¯t going to happen.

 Chapter 17: First, to Svordie!

    It was the last day before Aias was to journey to the capital with O¡¯jghar, his stuff had already been packed and sorted, this included basicly everything he owned.


    This was the first day in about three month that Aias had gone outside, and now he found out that winter was coming.


    One winter had already passed by as he was laying there training indoors. Winters varied in the Antrim kingdom. Sometimes they would be harsh and destructive, ruining the lands and forcing people living on farms to move into the cities to survive the storms. Apparently this was one such winter.


    The powerful snowstorms were predicted to come in about a month. After that the whole kingdom would be in complete shutdown, most beasts would be hibernating, most people would try to do the same. No one would be able to travel in the storms that were to come.


    Aias was currently spending the rest of his last day riding around on Varja. The two hadn¡¯t been meeting much in the past half year, Aias had mainly been training, and from what O¡¯jghar had told him, Varja been going to hunt in the close by wilderness.


    From the look of the giant serpent he had been very busy the past few months, he looked far larger and his body moved far quicker through the forests. O¡¯jghar had predicted that the Kjil serpent was going to begin hibernating soon and after that it may end up transforming.


    Some beasts have the possibility of transforming themselves once they have become strong enough. Kjil serpents have two ¡®evolution tracks¡¯ they can go down. One is the physical transformation that changes their scales to become like sharp spikes. The other is the spiritual transformation which will change both their core, making it far more powerful, and their bloodline making them into a magical beast. Their bodies will change depending on the transformation, a physical transformation will make them larger, while a spiritual will often make them smaller.


    The two were heading for where they could usually find the little fox. Aias had wanted to say goodbye to his little forest pal before going of for a winter.


    When thinking back it had actually been longer since his last visit to the fox than it would be until winter ends. Aias couldn¡¯t help getting angry with himself as he rode Varja through the forest. ¡°Why do I have to take so goddamn long to finish these simple techniques! I wish I was more normal!¡± Aias thought to himself.


    He had for some time known there were talents he was blessed with. He had an incredible sense for combat, it could probably rival the experience of some highly trained soldiers. He also had an unique sense for people, he could read people''s emotions and expressions better than most, he had no idea why.


    Lastly, somehow, he had a good sense for energy. Not the control of it, but sensing it. He had found out from O¡¯jghar that his ability to sense the energy around him wasn¡¯t something people simply got when they found their energy core, most had to actually train just to begin feeling that. And he was also able to pinpoint where the energy was. Sadly that didn¡¯t apply when the energy was inside him!


    ¡­¡­..


    After searching through the forest for a few hours had they finally found the little fox. It sat on a tree stump looking at Aias and Varja as they got closer. When Aias was put down the fox just sat there looking at him.


    Looking at the fox it seemed to be shivering with excitement from his arrival but the concern of hurting him again was holding it back. It seemed to have reflected on the accidents it had caused in the past. To Aias those were of little concern but the fox still seemed afraid that he would dislike it.


    However all it took from Aias was the short phrase ¡°It¡¯s okay¡± and the little fox jump onto his lap and began snuggle up against his stomach. It sure had missed him, and he had missed it.


    After about an hour of the little fox flopping around around him and it had finally calmed down. The fox then sat by his side gazing at him, sniffing his body, licking him every now and then. Aias wasn¡¯t sure what the fox now was up to, was this another game or had it gotten tiered.


    Then it suddenly stopped and wagged its murky green tail at his face, Aias still had no idea what it was doing but expected it to be just a silly little fox game.


    But then it shined, the light was back, it wasn¡¯t as powerful as when the fox had suddenly grown a new tail, this time he could keep his eyes open, the light was dazzling and beautiful like looking at a sparkling jewel. Colours of the rainbow entered his eyes, the beauty was to much and he felt as if he was about to cry.


    With the light also came that rejuvenating feeling, but it quickly changed, when the energy entered him it spread like a lightning bolt through his body, it gave of a painful feeling as if it was actual lightning.


    As the light subsided and the lightning bolt had disappeared a new sensation came, pain. Far more pain than he had felt before, what was this, it was as if his whole body had been ripped apart. He wanted to scream but when he saw the expectant look on the fox he stopped himself.


    There was no way the fox was trying to hurt him, right? He had to think this through, why was he in so much pain. The only feasible explanation he could think of was that the fox had healed not his whole body but only the nerv system throughout it.


    If that was the case it would explain both the lightning bolt like way the energy moved, and why he was in so much pain now. His muscles and bones were still in ruins and the only reason he wasn¡¯t able to feel it before was because his nervsystem wasn¡¯t strong enough to send a constant signal, it could only send signals when something changed. Like when something touched him.


    Biting through the pain he took his time and tried his best not to look hurt when he finally spoke up, ¡°Thank you!¡± it still sounded like a cry in pain but it had come with love and gratitude. The little fox seemed both concerned and happy, but before it could do anything it just slumped down and passed out. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Healing him had most likely taken on its core and it would now need to rest. The headmistress had healed him in the past, restoring several organs, and that had taken on her enough that she still needed to rest and restore her power to this day.


    Aias had planned to sit with the fox and wait for it to wake up but then he suddenly felt drowsy, he tried to keep himself awake, this was clearly not his body telling him to sleep, but a spell. He bit down on his lip trying to keep himself awake with pain but even when he drew blood there was no change in hi- ZZZZ.


    ¡­¡­.


    Aias woke up, he was being carried back home by Varja. Looking at the sun it had most likely only been a few minutes since he fell asleep. Who had done that, why did they make him fall asleep. Aias licked his lip to feel the wound he had inflicted on himself, but there was nothing there. He was sure he had bitten through the skin.


    Could it have been the little foxes parents. If the little fox could heal his nervsystem, which was still screaming at him with all the pain being drawn from his body, then surely its parents could heal something minor, like a bitemark.


    It was most likely not someone trying to bring the fox away as they would most likely not bother with healing him. They would probably kill him to make sure no one knew. A fox that can heal severe injuries would be worth a pretty penny.


    On the way back to his teacher¡¯s house he decided to try something. If his nerv system was repaired then maybe he could feel his energy easier or send it through the rest of his body. Aias first tried to send his energy through the purify formations without using the control formation.


    As the energy went through the formation and into his body he began feeling something, deep down in his gut, like a weak flow of water running through his stomach. Aias had already gotten quite used to controlling energy in his body and quickly got hold of it.


    As soon as he started pulling the energy around and channeling it into specific parts of his body he grew annoyed. He had for five months been trying to feel the energy in his body and it was all his nerves fault. Why couldn¡¯t he have been healed back then before spending so long doing something so pointless. Well at least he had learned a lot about formations because of it.


    Aias got back to O¡¯jghar later that day and explained that his nervsystem was now healed. The look O¡¯jghar gave him during and after his short explanation was priceless. After looking at Aias for about a minute or so he finally gave in and sighed, ¡°Well at least your body is getting better¡±


    Aias couldn¡¯t tell if that was some sort of joke or just a statement, either way he was still lying there in pain from his constantly screaming muscles.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    The two had to depart a day late as O¡¯jghar had to set up a sealing formation on Aias nervsystem to keep the pain from being constant. Aias still got a quick flash of pain every now and then when something bumped into him but it wasn¡¯t to bad.


    Aias was now on the road, their first stop was Svordie Castle, Aias had only heard rumours of the guardian who held it. He was a great warrior, wielding a hammer the size of a person. His strength was supposedly second in Goijbi, dwarfed only by lord Meleth. Aias however did believe that may not be true as the headmaster¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t very well known and may infact be above both of theirs.


    O¡¯jghar expected it to take three days to get to the castle with their horses and the waggon they were carrying. It was a fairly large waggon meant to hold cargo enough for a merchant to set up shop. In it Aias rested in a sleeping bag, constantly training. Around him there were several large boxes filled with both food and coin for their travels, along with valuable equipment O¡¯jghar couldn¡¯t leave behind.


    Aias had noticed that right behind where his teacher was sitting by the reigns, tilted to the side of the waggons frame, was a large spear. The spear had a long handle and at the end was a blade similar to a large axe, Aias had asked what the type of spear was called and apparently it isa Bardiche.


    The spear had sparked Aias interest since a long time ago. During the day O¡¯jghar was usually not in the house, he did have a job to do. It was to keep bandits and beast away from the orphanage, and he always brought the large spear.


    The blade was made from the carapace a magical beast, and from its magical power an inscription had been drawn. The inscription drew curse energy to weaken opponents struck by its blade, similar to a poison slowly spreading through their body, restricting them.


    Aias felt it was a useless power for a weapon like that. The axe blade was large and powerful enough that if it did strike the opponent, they should already be hurt beyond being able to fight back.


    The effect would be more useful on something like a dagger which was quicker but weaker.


    Aias wanted to know more about inscriptions. He knew he would learn it someday but it felt like an eternity as they slowly made it down the road.


    Varja was keeping up with the waggons speed, constantly looking out for any danger that could be coming up. Looking at Varja speeding, darting over the land was an amusing sight, a cross country snake. What would people think when seeing the giant serpent racing across the land.


    ¡­¡­..


    Days passed uneventfully, slowly traveling down the roads, every now and then passing by peasants hurrying to get set up in a town to hide out the coming storms. Every time they met someone they got quite the looks. Not just for the giant snake but also for O¡¯jghar, Aias hadn¡¯t seen much outside of the orphanage however knew that beastmen, or Klenod, weren¡¯t very common in Antrim.


    The two spent their days learning more about the fundamentals of formations and techniques. Aias was during this trip to learn how to restore a technique. He had been given an uncomplete blueprint for the technique ¡®heavenly boost¡¯.


    The technique is a simple body enhancement technique to make oneself somewhat stronger. From O¡¯jghar¡¯s explanation, Aias could combine the formation he was using to control purity with this, and he could then also use this technique similarly to purify.


    Aias had from the beginning of the journey to now been reading the scroll that contained how heavenly boost was supposed to be structured, however couldn¡¯t make any sense of if it was correct already or what could be wrong with it.


    He had tried to create the formation in his consciousness however it wasn¡¯t able to remain stable. It could be that he was portioning his energy incorrectly and that made it collapse, or the structure could be wrong. Either way, Aias knew he had a lot to work on before he could make the technique his own.


    In the middle of the fourth day of travel did they finally reach the outskirts of Svordie castle. Aias was amazed at the sight of its large walls, reaching up to what looked like thirty meters. They were truly impressive, not just in size but also energy. Aias noticed that across the long and tall wall was an inscription. The inscription gave of energy that felt odd, ancient, and powerful, like a mountain, standing tall and unbreakable.


    Although Aias realised that that didn¡¯t mean much coming from him. When he first saw Varja he thought his scales looked like unbreakable shields but the next day that had been proven wrong. Although during the almost three years since then he had learned quite a bit about energy and felt that his observation should be somewhat true.


    Before heading into town they would need to consult the local guilds on how to deal with Varja, therefore they first set up a camp directly outside of the town. O¡¯jghar explained that this was to show that they had something that wasn¡¯t allowed in town and needed it examined, that way they wouldn¡¯t accidentally break any rules.


    Several hours passed, night had come, shrouding the camp in darkness, they had set up a small fireplace and tent while waiting.


    However as further time passed O¡¯jghar realised they didn¡¯t have enough wood to go for the night and went to gather more. He knew he could leave Aias as he was, Varja was looking over him after all.


    As his teacher was away Aias spotted some shadows moving closer to the camp. From the look of it they were people from the city.


    As they got closer Aias could tell they were most likely the representatives sent to see what they needed inspected.


    The ones who came was a short red haired woman carrying a few books. Along with her were ten guards, all with light armour, half with swords and shields other half with lances. They all looked strong and serious.


    The woman and her guards stopped roughly ten meters away from the camp they had set up, ¡°The castle of Svordie is open for all, what business do you have?¡± the woman suddenly yelled after stopping. Her voice didn¡¯t seem to carry any ill will, however she did seem somewhat concerned.


    They had after all come a bit away from town and it had gotten quite dark, this was the perfect setup for an ambush.


    As O¡¯jghar had left Aias was now sitting alone to answer to the sudden intrusion.

 Chapter 18: Story By The Campfire

    Aias was sitting by the fire with his back up against Varja, which from looking at the newly arrived envoy they hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Both the guards and miss where looking around the campsite trying to spot whoever had set it up. They had already seen Aias however he was just a kid so they had overlooked him in hope for an adult to speak to. The guards were slowly tensing up in suspicion that it may be a trap.


    ¡°Excuse me miss!¡± Aias finally spoke out, he had had enough of sitting around waiting, he could at least have a conversation.


    ¡°Hello there! Who are you?¡± The woman responded, her voice was soft and kind. She also seemed to be looking to start a conversation, most likely to reassure her guards that nothing would happen.


    ¡°My names Aias, I came with my teacher from the orphanage by Canastota¡± Aias began explaining to the lady. Looking at their reaction when he mentioned the orphanage many of the guards began to relax.


    ¡°I see. Well hello Aias, my name is Laura, I work for the city guild at Svordie castle. The men behind me are city guards we have employed. So can you tell me why you are here Aias, why have you left the orphanage?¡± The woman and her guards went closer to the fire, the ones with spears now sitting by the fire with Aias, and the sword and shield wielding ones a little further out, guarding for if something attacked out of the dark.


    ¡°Well we came to get my beast branded, Varja say hello!¡± The guards and the woman got confused by his words but when the rock he had been sitting by suddenly started to move were they immediately on their feet again.


    Spears and swords were pointed at the large snake that had suddenly popped up behind Aias. ¡°What is a Kjil serpent doing here!¡± One of the guards exclaimed in a terrified and frantic tone. Many other guards had similar comments, all slowly backing up trying to get out of its strike range.


    By the sudden surprise however, Laura had been left behind, still sitting by the fire. She was clearly in more shock than the guards, she had sat closest to Aias and was most likely not a fighter by her reaction. Realizing the danger she was about to scream when Aias interrupted her.


    ¡°Miss Laura, you don¡¯t have to worry, Varja isn¡¯t going to hurt you¡± Aias calm, collected voice managed to soothe Laura¡¯s scattered mind, letting her collect herself before speaking again.


    She looked at the large snake towering over them, now that she had noticed the snake did she also see its enormous body. It was easily over fifteen meters long, thick as a tree, and a jaw so large it could most likely eat a person in a single bite.


    ¡°S- so this beast is yours A- Aias?¡± Laura gulped, still in trance under the serpent''s gaze. She clearly still had a hard time getting over the danger she had been under.


    He nodded and gave the best most reassuring smile he could muster in the situation. As he did Varja¡¯s attention drifted away and the large serpent coiled itself together again, still on the lookout for if something attacked, but now not looking as intimidating.


    The guards were still somewhat on guard with Varja so Aias took it on him to clear the tension a little, ¡°So as I said, I wish to get him branded in the city, what grade can the city guild give at most?¡± Aias asked the still somewhat shocked woman.


    Laura had been in a bit of a trance, looking at Varja lying behind Aias. When Aias asked his questing it took a moment before she registered that he had addressed her, ¡°A- Oh yes, um. The city guild currently has three specialists in beast mastery. The one with the most experience would be Hannes, he is an excellent beast master and is one of the ten beast masters in Antrim that can give a grade of A. We are very lucky to have him!¡± As she spoke of Hannes Aias could see a glint of pride in her eyes.


    Looking to the guards Aias could see admiration, they clearly held Hannes in high regard. He was most likely a good man, strength was often not only admired but also envied, but none of the guards appeared to have even a slither of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive, I wonder if teacher knows him¡± Aias mumbled to himself.


    Laura seemed to hear his mumbling and decided to ask, ¡°So Aias, you came with a teacher? Who is it you are traveling with?¡± Aias had expected the question but wasn¡¯t sure if they knew of his teacher.


    ¡°My teacher is O¡¯jghar, he guards the orphanage from beasts. He isn¡¯t one of the caretakers but he does work for the orphanage¡± While explaining Aias eyes had been on the forest to see if his teacher was coming back, but as he turned and looked at the little crowd and saw their expressions he was shocked. Because the guards and the woman were both in even more shock than when they first saw Varja.


    ¡°I- Im sorry, you said O¡¯jghar correct? And he is a Klenod correct? He looks like a ram correct?¡± Laura stuttered, she didn¡¯t seem to be afraid but more in awe than anything else.


    ¡°Um yes he is!¡± Aias didn¡¯t know much about his teacher but it appeared these people did, maybe he could hear something interesting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know much about my teacher myself, he doesn¡¯t talk much about himself¡± Aias changed his voice to appear more apologetic, as if asking for forgiveness for not knowing.


    One of the guards cleared his throat, it seemed he was going to explain but before he could begin another guard started, ¡°Oh, his story isn¡¯t one for kids after all! But I¡¯ll tell you about it!¡± It seemed he was setting up to talk about a grand tale.


    ¡°A long time ago, before you were even born, back when antrim was still in war. In those times battles were ramping across the border and death consumed this country. There in the middle of that giant mess one large battle began emerging, the Tivoli Alliance, then consisting of the Antrim kingdom, Motoman empire, and six independent states fought together against the Porte empires entire army.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The guard telling the story was an old man, his hair was gray and his face was filled with wrinkles and scars. He had most likely been a part of the battle.


    ¡°In that battle there were probably about two million people fighting to defend against those Porte invaders. That battle was the start of many legends, and end of others. For Antrim there were eight great warriors that made legends in that battle, O¡¯jghar ¡®bloodthunder¡¯, Georgio ¡®earthbreaker¡¯ our lord, Laue ¡®the ghost¡¯, and lord Meleth ¡®the black flame¡¯, are all warriors from Goijbi who became legends on that battlefield. Well lord Meleth and Laue were both renowned warriors from before then, but their infamy did become exponentially greater after that battle.


    And I¡¯m guessing you want to know how your teacher became known as bloodthunder, well you see during the battle corpses began littering the ground everywhere you looked, and blood covered everything. Your teacher used the blood from the ground and created an inscription that was like a tide of electrik blood. In the area it covered nothing was able to enter except for himself, thanks to that we were able to disrupt the enemy from getting to our medical encampment without using a larger force¡±


    As the story ended most of the guards listening had gotten unusually hard looks on their faces, Aias could guess why and so he asked, ¡°Did you all participate in the battle too?¡± it was a simple question however war wasn¡¯t something that most veterans would speak of lightly. They may be able to speak of others accomplishments during war as grand stories, however as for themselves, their memories may be more painful.


    ¡°Ah- well, almost anyone who was a soldier back then would have been a part in it, so yeah, all of us except for Michal here!¡± He pointed to a younger man, Michal appeared to be about nineteen, he at the time of the battle would only have been about Aias age so it was understandable that he hadn¡¯t participated.


    ¡°We were all a part of the same brigade under Georgio, we were apart of the vanguard during the battle so when we got injured we were sent to the rear. Then those Portians sent an army to try and attack us wounded soldiers, luckily Laue was in charge of the rear guard. If it wasn¡¯t for him and O¡¯jghar holding them away we wouldn¡¯t be here today¡± The men all sat there smiling to themselves, they seemed thankful.


    As everyone had quieted down now waiting for O¡¯jghar to come back Aias started to comprehend more of what he had just heard. He could guess that the Laue they mentioned was the same uncle Laue that took care of the kids in the orphanage. He could also guess that O¡¯jghar mainly used elemental energy, Aias did know that elemental energy wasn¡¯t the only energy type that could make electricity however it seemed most reasonable.


    After a few minutes of waiting could they hear footsteps approaching the camp. None of the guards seemed to be worried, they were completely ¡®off guard¡¯ as O¡¯jghar entered the light of the campfire. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m guessing you are all from the city guild. I am O¡¯jghar, I and my disciple Aias have come to get a beast marked¡± Immediately as he entered the camp he began explaining what he had come for, not wasting a second.


    After spending almost two years with his teacher he could understand why, O¡¯jghar wasn¡¯t very good with people and couldn¡¯t handle small talk very well. He and Aias barely spoke outside of when he was teaching.


    Laura having been quiet not getting a word in during the story now seemed to want to take the initiative however the old man took the word before her. ¡°Aie, we are from the city guild, but I have to ask you, why would you leave a small kid alone here? Don¡¯t you know what could happen?!¡± Aias could tell the man was clearly not angry or upset but simply wanted to screw around with O¡¯jghar. And it would most likely work as O¡¯jghar¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t very outgoing.


    ¡°I- I trusted Aias beast to protect him¡± O¡¯jghar was indeed not able to keep appearances, a great warrior, someone who had gotten his own title, bloodthunder, now being chewed out by the guards he once protected. To Aias laying there by Varja, it was hilarious, he could barely contain his laughter.


    ¡°Everyone please stop!¡± Suddenly miss Laura spoke out, she seemed to have gotten tired of waiting to get the word and so she took it.


    ¡°I- I apologize for leaving Aias unattended-¡± O¡¯jghar seemed to still want to apologize for his mistake but Laura had had enough of the guards farce.


    ¡°Mister O¡¯jghar we have already spoken to Aias and it appears his beast isn¡¯t of any high danger, I will give you a temporary C-rank mark so he can move through the city, however I will place you as owner of the beast until Aias has gone through the test! That will be all for today, I believe you personally know Georgio and so I will let you find stay on your own¡± As she finished her explanation she also got her guards together and left the camp.


    She left Aias quite confused, why was she so upset?


    O¡¯jghar began packing up the camp and prepare to enter the castle¡¯s walls. Aias continued to lay there waiting. He still couldn¡¯t get the image of O¡¯jghar apologizing out of his head.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    As their carriage approached the giant wall that separated them and the town they started getting all kinds of looks by the many lookouts standing guard. Older lookouts that were thirty or older would give a short bow when seeing O¡¯jghar, while those of the younger generation would look in awe. It appeared that they had heard the stories of O¡¯jghar bloodthunder.


    The carriage slowly approached a gigantic stone gate in the wall. Aias had never seen a gate so large, it was definitely over fifteen meters tall, and ten meters wide. The gate itself seemed impractical for humans to use, however to the sides of the large gate there were small doors for people to go through. And in the middle of the large gate there was a smaller gate, only about 4 meters in height.


    As they rolled forward Aias also noticed that the gate was built almost ten meters deep into the wall. There once past the exterior of the wall were guards and officials ready to inspect and greet them before they were let in through the gate.


    O¡¯jghar showed the paperwork he had been given by Laura, there was written about the beast they were bringing. If there was anything else they were bringing it would have been written there too.


    The guards briefly checked over the papers also looking over the large serpent. They performed a small check where a few guards would surround Varja and walk slowly towards him to see if it would act aggressive or not. Varja passed the test with flying colors, all the guards were able to walk up to and even touch Varja with him only looking at them slightly.


    The smaller gate began opening and they were let into the town. As they went through the smaller gate and Aias saw the other side he was even more shocked than he had been from seeing the walls height, just the thickness of the gate was about five meters, and then passed there there was another ten meters of wall before they got out into the town.


    The wall was about thirty meters in height, twenty five meters in depth, and from feeling it up close he could tell it was all packed with energy. This wall was unbreakable!


    As they left the wall behind them they saw a small encampment before the town, there were several tents and tables, many with guards sitting by them, eating and drinking.


    As they headed past the encampment towards the town Aias noticed some of the guards who had been with Laura were sitting there. The guards also noticed them and quickly a small commotion started. More and more guards began to gather to greet O¡¯jghar, it showed now more than ever the rule he played during the war. Many of these men may not have survived if it wasn¡¯t for him.


    Looking at O¡¯jghar on the other hand, he was sitting by the reins trying to look composed and cool, however his knees were definitely shaking from all the attention.


    Aias didn¡¯t want his teacher to suffer from humiliation any more and started acting as if he was very tired, ¡°Teacher--¡± *Yawn* ¡°Are we there yet? I need to sleep!¡± It was enough of an excuse for O¡¯jghar to be able to leave the little crowd that had gathered.


    When they had passed the encampment Aias heard O¡¯jghar whisper, ¡°Thank you¡± It wasn¡¯t loud however it was intentional that Aias heard him.


    Slowly Aias and O¡¯jghar made their way through the town up toward the castle in the middle. As Aias had acted as if he was being tired he had also began to feel how tired he really was. It was currently about two AM in the night, the streets were barely lit, no one were out except a few mercenaries or guards that had been drinking.


    O¡¯jghar was looking vigilantly around to make sure no thieves or bandits would try anything. Even if they were protected by armies by the great walls didn¡¯t mean anything to small timers out in the night.


    Slowly the sleepiness took over Aias and he began snoozing away.

 Chapter 19: First Meeting With Nobility

    The sun had risen just enough for light shining through a slit in the curtains to hit the eyes of a resting boy. The little irritation of bright light slowly awoke the boy from his slumber. ¡®Where am I?¡¯, was the first question that popped into his head. The second was, ¡®how am I sleeping on a cloud?¡¯.


    He could still barely see as the bright light was still shining at him, he had to use some effort. Slowly pushing past the pain he rolled slightly over so the light wouldn¡¯t get in his eyes.


    His eyes were slowly getting used to the dark room he was laying in. The only light that had made it into the room past the thick curtains was what had hit his eyes. When he could finally see the rest of the room did he only get more confused.


    It was an excessively decorated room, the walls had wallpaper plastered with beautiful multicoloured flowers, there was a dresser with golden edges and a large mirror. Even the candle holders were silver.


    The bed he was laying on was a mystery to him, he had never felt something so soft in his whole life. The mattress, the pillows, the covers, all so soft it felt like he would fall through them. He became more and more tired as he was feeling it.


    *Yaaawn* As he yawned, taking in the air of the room did he notice a vague aroma, it felt very calming, similar to everything else in the room, it made him want to sleep even more.


    However he knew he had to wake up, Aias remembered where he was. This was definitely the castle of Svordie, he had fallen asleep before they arrived.


    He was supposed to get Varja marked today, excitement flowed through him just thinking about it. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be sleeping! Aias again pushed through the pain to turn over to the light, letting it hit his eyelids, causing the sleepy feeling he was having from all the luxury around him to dissipate.


    Aias couldn¡¯t tell what time it was, but assumed it was quite late, he had been awake past midnight after all. Aias was still alone in the room and couldn¡¯t get up on his own thanks to his crippled body. Until someone came to wake him would he have to stay put.


    While waiting Aias started studying the energy in his core. For several month now had Aias been practicing sensing the different energies in his consciousness, O¡¯jghar had been teaching him how to use heavenly energy however Aias wanted to learn all the different energies. O¡¯jghar would indeed teach him how to use the other energies once he had gotten the fundamentals down, so he could just wait, but Aias had been getting impatient while trying to learn energy control and needed to put his mind to something else.


    While training to sense the other energies he had also learned what a few of them where, and how to distinguish what type of energy a certain energy is. Aias had asked his teacher how he was supposed to know which energy was which. He got a long lecture on the different energies that can be in a person''s body. During this lecture he had also been taught that there are ways to classify energy.


    There are four classifications for energy,


    Normal: for energies that are very common in people. And if you don¡¯t have an normal energy within you from birth you can simply integrate it into your core without worry as they are never dangerous to humans.


    Special: energy in this group is less likely to be found in the majority of people, and unlike common energy you aren¡¯t able to integrate it into your core unless you were born with it.


    Mythical: energy of this group isn¡¯t something you can get through a normal birth or a regular life, you have to either be blessed by the gods, or by some other special means. The powers that exist in this group is that of legends.


    Unknown: energy that can¡¯t be fully explained. More than calling it an energy, it would be more accurate to call it an ability that some people are born with.


    O¡¯jghar also explained what made up the different categories, or at least what he knew,


    Normal: Is composed of seven energies, heavenly, curse, mana, nature, ki, chi, and spirit.


    Special: From what O¡¯jghar knew where there four, demonic, beast, soul, and blood.


    Mythical: O¡¯jghar only knew of one energy that was considered mythical, heroic energy.


    Although knowledge on energy was often kept secret by those that knew it. Guilds, kingdoms and other organisations would always lock away everything they knew of energy, making it almost impossible for your average person or even soldiers and adventurers to get information on the power within them.


    The children of the institute were lucky to grow up in the orphanage where they had a gathering of great warriors that could teach them, and also plenty of books that detailed the use of energy. All brought together by the headmistress.


    Inside Aias core there appeared to be six different energies. O¡¯jghar had taught Aias how the energies he knew of felt and from the results four energies inside Aias were considered ¡°normal¡± energies, the remaining two being something different. They had confirmed that Aias had, heavenly, curse, mana, and ki.


    O¡¯jghar didn¡¯t know how every energy felt while in the core so it was to be expected that they didn¡¯t learn of them all. When Aias learned of the different energies he also got to know more about his teacher. From the start O¡¯jghar had only had four energies, mana, nature, ki, beast. He had gained some knowledge on all energy within the normal category in energy through his travels and had integrated a small part of each of them into his core.


    Aias also found out that beast energy is something very common within the Klenod race, it isn¡¯t like ki where everyone is born with it, however far more common than with other races.


    As Aias had discussed with his teacher about the six energies he had kept one thing out, he did still have a seventh energy that wasn¡¯t apart of the core. The energy he found while playing with the fox. That energy was an oddity to Aias, it was far larger than all the energies in his core combined and unlike the other energies he couldn¡¯t enter into it. It was like a giant bolder, he could roll it around all he wanted in his consciousness, but there was nothing he could do to get into it. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Aias had to leave the energy alone until he knew more about energy in general. Or if he could maybe learn something while in the capital, they did have high ranking researchers for energy there after all. Until then he would have to train the energies he had access to.


    Aias had decided to try to learn how to use Ki next, Ki was after all the fundamental energy for humans or humanoids. His teacher had told him he could learn it on his free time if he wanted however he wouldn¡¯t teach him any of it until Aias had learned all the fundamentals of energy. He had however given Aias a very important clue. ¡°The formations for using Ki are very similar to many of the formations for heavenly energy, once you find the difference you should be able to almost copy the formations from one to the other.¡±


    Aias had for the past two month been studying the formations of heavenly energy he currently had and had so far deciphered which parts were necessary for the formations to do their purpose. However in all of them there were some parts that were of no use to this purpose, which meant either of two things. Either they were completely useless and only took up space, or they were there to hold together the specific energy.


    For a while Aias had been trying to come up with a way to recreate these parts for use in Ki, however had no luck with it. Aias knew that the problem was his understanding of the energies and knew he needed to know more about the differences of the two powers. He had decided that the best course was to delve deeper into his core, finding and sensing the two energies on a deeper level.


    As he waited for someone to come get him he let himself sink deeper into his consciousness, every time he tried to get deeper into the energy he could only feel like its depth was infinite and he wasn¡¯t going anywhere. However today it felt different, he didn¡¯t know how long he had laid there meditating when suddenly the energy he was submerged in started to change. It was still the same old heavenly energy however there was a different feeling to it, another layer of energy.


    Aias understood the importance in the difference of energy. This deeper layer was going to be important to understanding how to create formations. If a formation was compared to a building then this deeper layer would be clay it was built from. And it was very possible that there could be another layer deeper than this. The understanding of this deeper layer would definitely be reflected in the quality of the formation created.


    ¡­¡­...


    Aias didn¡¯t know how many hours he had spent focusing on trying to understand the deeper layer of energy when suddenly someone knocked on the door.


    Though Aias had been in deep meditation he could still hear the knocks and quickly ended his meditation, ¡°I¡¯m awake, you can come in!¡± Aias answered the knocks.


    An older man¡¯s voice answered him, ¡°I will come in then.¡± The door slowly opened and in stepped the old man, though he didn¡¯t look all that old. At least not by skin and build, he wasn¡¯t wrinkly, and his body wasn¡¯t slouching, he reminded Aias somewhat of uncle Laue. The only part of him that made him seem old was his hoarse voice and grey, almost white hair.


    The man was clad in a dark suit with some kind of white shirt underneath. It looked incredibly clean and beautiful, was he a noble in the castle, or was this Georgio the guardian of Svordie. The answer came as the man introduced himself, ¡°Hello master Aias, I am Podrick! I will be your attendee during your stay at Svordie castle, I am a butler for master Georgio!¡±


    Aias had heard of butlers, they were essentially servants for nobles, however sing Podrick up close made Aias see it in a different light. This man had far more honor and pride in his work than a simple servant, and by looking into his eyes Aias could confirm that he was definitely well trained, probably stronger than most of the guards.


    ¡°Um- what do you mean you will be my attendee, mister Podrick?¡± Aias wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he was supposed to interpret the meaning behind an attendee, so he asked.


    Podrick answered while giving a short bow, ¡°While you are staying in Svordie I have been assigned to take care of your basic needs, and desires. If you need something, I will see if we can acquire it. If you want to go somewhere, I will take you there.¡± He shortly paused, he had picked up on the confusion Aias was feeling and continued, ¡°If you are wondering why I¡¯m here and not master O¡¯jghar, well it is because he and master Georgio are going to be discussing several important matter for a while and won¡¯t have much time to spend with you! During that while I will help you get around the castle.¡±


    He once again paused now standing ready to be ordered by Aias. Aias wasn¡¯t really sure what to do. He had never been in a position of control or authority. His word in the class during his time in the orphanage had always meant something however that was different. These were commands that he could issue.


    ¡°Um- well I guess first I would like to take a look around the castle¡±, Aias after a few seconds responded. ¡°Certainly sir!¡± Was Podrick¡¯s response as he began getting everything ready for Aias to leave the room.


    It seemed that a neat pair of clothes had been prepared for Aias while he slept. As Aias could barely move Podrick helped him get himself dressed. Currently Aias body had been doing much better than only two month prior. All because of the cute little fox, healing his nerv system meant he could use his muscles again, of course only to a minor extent as they were still severely damaged. Minor movements he could do, like rolling over, scratching himself, even going to the bathroom. Well not so much the ¡®going¡¯ part as he can¡¯t walk, that takes far too much pressure on his body.


    After getting dressed Aias was put in a chair, the chair however was somewhat different, it had wheels. Not like a wheelbarrow, this one had two tiny wheels in the front and two very large ones in the middle of its sides. It seemed to be made so if Aias had strength in his arms he could push the larger wheels himself to make the chair move forward. Behind the chair there also seemed to be a place for someone else to hold onto and push it.


    Aias wondered if he could keep this when they left. Sure he liked being carried around by Varja, however that was only outside. When inside he would need O¡¯jghar to carry him around, which had begun feeling very awkward.


    Podrick drove Aias through several look corridors filled with doors and paintings, until finally they took a turn and where out in a large garden. The garden wasn¡¯t very large however had a few trees and a fountain in the middle.


    On the fountain there sat another child, she looked a bit younger than Aias, around four or five. Next to her in a wheelchair similar to Aias there sat a lady. She was very thin, sickly so, most her bones were clearly defined under her skin. However her posture, and just the air about her felt refined, like royalty. The difference between her posture and Podricks was noticeable even to Aias.


    Podrick brought Aias closer to the pair, ¡°Pardon lady Permont, this is Aias, he came together with master O¡¯jghar!¡± Podrick¡¯s every word was filled with respect, whoever this lady was she was definitely of importance.


    When she looked up Aias could see her eyes, they were clean and beautiful. She looked to him and gave him a smile, ¡°So you are Aias, I heard of you from O¡¯jghar last night. So you grew up in the orphanage did you. How is it there now?¡± Her voice was weak but clear. Aias became confused, her wording made it seem as if she was displeased, but by the way she spoke them she sounded more concerned.


    ¡°Um- well sorry, it¡¯s been almost two years since I left the institute and started studying under O¡¯jghar. So I really don¡¯t know much of what¡¯s been happening recently, miss Permont.¡± Aias wasn¡¯t really sure how to deal with nobility or royalty, he had heard there were those that would kill whoever insulted them. And Aias knew better than to put his neck out for possible trouble.


    Lady Permont immediately noticed how nervous Aias was, ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay so much respecting to me, I¡¯m just the wife of Georgio, nothing more. And call me Sera!¡± Her words sounded genuine, she even seemed somewhat saddened by them. ¡°You see I¡¯m a bit close to the headmistress of the orphanage, so I just wanted to know what¡¯s been happening. I know she¡¯s still resting up her body from restoring yours, and I hoped to know when she might be getting finished.¡±


    ¡°Ah- from what I hear the headmistress will be getting out of her focused meditation after the winter. She has gotten better but apparently after healing me she felt close to reaching a new level in her energy. She should come out stronger than ever.¡± Aias was happy to be able to answer her, he hadn¡¯t had many to talk to and getting some contacts around could be helpful during his stay.


    Miss Sera smiled when hearing the news of the headmistress, it seems they were quite close.


    ¡°Ah of course, here is my daughter Sophia, she is six, I hope you two can get along.¡± She gestured towards the little girl sitting on the fountain''s edge, she was currently playing with some kind of toy. Aias had never seen this type of toy before, it was like a throwing star, except the edges were able to spin around the center on their own. And it was neither sharp or made of metal.


    When the girl looked up to see Aias she got a little scared and ran behind her mother¡¯s chair. Aias could get why, like the girl''s mother he too was very thin. Not to the point of looking sickly but he still looked somewhat like a ghost or skeleton. Being inside all day did terrible things to his skin.


    The girl slowly mustered the courage to walk out from behind her mother. ¡°H-h- Hello, my name is Sophia Permont! I- I¡¯m delighted to make your acquaintance!¡± She stood next to her mother, grasping her skirt, looking very embarrassed.


    Her mother and Podrick both looked very proud of her, her introductions seemed like one thought to be used towards other nobles. All she needed was a formal pose to go with it and it would be complete.

 Chapter 20: A Tour Around Svordie

    Aias rolled through the castle grounds together with Podrick as well as Sophia. The castle was far larger than he had anticipated.


    It covered far more than even the institutes grounds, they could just keep going and it didn¡¯t seem to end. Every bit was well decorated, lit, and attended by servants, to Aias it truly felt like a palace. However the way Podrick spoke of it, it seemed as if this was nothing.


    ¡°You are going to the capital correct, master Aias? When you get there you will understand why this can¡¯t be considered grand. Of course, this is far more than most other forts or castles throughout Antrim!¡± The look on his face spoke to Aias more than his words, he held great pride over it. Most likely that pride was for his master, Georgio.


    From what Aias knew, Georgio was a hero to the people. Obviously he would be rewarded for his great efforts.


    The group finally made it to their last stop in the castle, the beast pits. Here was where Varja had been placed while Aias slept. Varja¡¯s large size wasn¡¯t very handy when inside buildings, thirteen meters in length and almost a meter in diameter of a body. Corridors and smaller rooms were definitely out of the question for the large serpent.


    Upon looking down into the pit that held Varja they saw both the large snake, and a person.


    ¡°Sir Hannes!¡± Sophia gasped in excitement when she looked into the pit.


    So this was the Hannes Aias had heard of the other day, he had most likely come on request of O¡¯jghar.


    Even though Sophia had screamed into the pit Hannes inside it didn¡¯t react. He was standing in front of Varja and seemed to be gathering energy, for what Aias couldn¡¯t tell.


    The group climbed down the ladder to enter the enclosure. Podrick was an older man however he easily picked up Aias together with the wheelchair he was in and carried them down the ladder on one arm. Aias felt ki running through his body as he carried him.


    The difference when comparing the energy of Podrick and any of the children in the orphanage was astounding. The children couldn¡¯t measure up to even his pinky. The control of its flow, the amount, the distribution, and its reaction to sudden changes, were all superior. He was using energy as if it was a side thought, as natural as breathing.


    As they got down to the floor of the enclosure and Aias was put down, the energy within Podrick dissipated as if it had never been there before. Aias had never felt the energy of someone other than his classmates before, so this felt like an important lesson for him in how to handle energy. O¡¯jghar could have shown him however neither of them had ever thought about it and so it never occurred.


    Now that they were in the pit they could see that Hannes was standing and meditating, it appeared that he was trying to use some sort of spell. Aias could feel an energy he wasn¡¯t familiar with swirling about Hannes, from the feel of it it somewhat matched O¡¯jghar¡¯s description of nature energy.


    Sophia was about to go up and greet Hannes however was held back by Podrick.


    Aias didn¡¯t know what spell Hannes was about to use and neither did Podrick. However Varja seemed to trust him, as the large serpent had noticed Aias but hadn¡¯t moved to greet him, only acknowledged that he was there.


    After three minutes Hannes stopped his meditation. Now in his hand was a gathering of energy like none Aias had ever seen. The clump of energy intensely swirled and shined, as if a twister of green flame. He held out the ball towards Varja, it quickly began to shoot out small rays of green light that went into the serpent. Varja didn¡¯t react to the lights as they hit his scales, which greatly calmed Aias minor worry.


    After a few moments all of the green energy had broken apart and entered Varja, only then did Hannes turn around to greet their group. ¡°Hello Sophia! What brings you here sweetheart?!¡± He opened his arms in a large hug for the little girl.


    She jumped into his arms and shouted, ¡°Uncle Hannes, that was so cool! What did you do?¡± Something Aias also wanted to know.


    Hannes carried the child into the air and onto his shoulders. ¡°Its called Nukitu, a spell to gather information from live animals or plants! As you saw it shot out green energy into the beast which will then be shoot back out in different colors. I will analyse the energy coming back out which will let me know more about the beast¡±


    Sophia didn¡¯t seem to comprehend what that would lead to or what it really did, Aias was also somewhat confused on how much could be gained from the spell.


    Sophia did however understand one critical point of the spell, ¡°So when it¡¯s done more sparkly light will come out?!¡±


    Hannes smiled, ¡°Yes and this time in many different colors!¡±


    Aias started to understand why others spoke highly of him, he was indeed a kind man, and he did seem to be strong. Looking at him, Hannes was a shorter man, only around one sixty in height, he didn¡¯t have a large wellbuilt body. But when Aias looked at him he could tell that Hannes was experienced, his stance was steady and from the look of it ready to grab Sophia and protect her with his body.


    Although his intentions were clear, there was nothing an opponent could do to harm her unless they were way more powerful than him.


    ¡°So when-¡± Aias began to ask but when he began to speak Hannes reacted by almost falling over in surprise.


    ¡°W- wait, who are you?¡± Hannes confusion made the entire group confused, Aias had been there the whole time. Hannes should have seen him as he went to hug Sophia.


    Hannes quickly got his heart settled, his stance of protecting Sophia hadn¡¯t disappeared even when caught off guard by Aias, so the respect Aias held for him didn¡¯t crumble.


    ¡°Sorry about that! When I heard you coming it sounded like lady Permont so I didn¡¯t expect another voice.¡± Realisation emerged on all their faces as they could understand why he had expected something else.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Well, I should still introduce myself. I am Aias, student under O¡¯jghar and owner of Varja, this serpent!¡± Aias felt it was time they addressed both the question of why Hannes was using a spell like Nukitu and when they would begin the test to determine Varja¡¯s grade.


    A large smile emerged on Hannes face as he realised who Aias was, ¡°I see, of course you are, should have realised honestly! Well Aias, I have already been doing several tests this morning to see how Varja is on request of the lam. Varja is incredible, so I just had to use Nukitu!¡±


    Hannes began to explain himself as he saw that no one in the group could see his logic, ¡°Varja is a very odd specimen, in all my tests he scored perfectly. It was as if he could understand everything I was saying. That is to say he seemed almost human. The only way that is possible is if he has an A grade connection, which is impossible with today''s techniques.¡±


    The group still stood there not entirely sure in what he meant. Clearly there were beastmasters with A grade connections, Hannes wouldn¡¯t be praised for being someone that can discern connections as A grade if people couldn¡¯t attain them.


    Hannes continued, ¡°Well it is true that people can¡¯t create A grade connections, however beasts can! Many beast are capable of creating connections with people or other beasts if they trust them, these connections are far more advanced than the ones we humans have created, however are also in some ways dangerous shackles.¡±


    Hannes dramatically paused before continuing, ¡°See our techniques only either create a link between us which will let the beast understand our intentions, or let us subdue the beasts mind making them slaves to our wishes. However beasts can create a link between themselves and a partner that give more than just that, it can let the other gain energy, physical strength and many more benefits, while also giving the creature its own benefits.¡±


    Podrick and Aias began to understand and so did Sophia to some extent, however she seemed to have gotten bored from the explanations.


    ¡°So what are you trying to find out from the spell?¡± Aias still hadn¡¯t gotten a firm answer to why the spell was needed.


    ¡°Oh well I¡¯m trying to find out if the serpent has made such a connection, and what it has gained from it. And as I said, these connections are in a way shackles to the beasts. Some strong enough where they will share their lives and deaths with their partners. It is very odd magic and I need to study it carefully so you aren¡¯t somehow in danger.¡±


    He looked to Varja, ¡°The spell should take effect sometime during the day, until then we just have to wait. I will need to stay nearby to collect the energy when it emerges, you should take Sophia and see the town!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­


    The group entered a small restaurant in the town below the castle and began to chat away the end of the day.


    Aias had been rolled through most of the town while Sophia described all her favorite stores, most which were either cafes or fancy clothing stores. They had entered a few of them to both look and buy more clothes, or occasional pastries for energy.


    Sophia seemed very happy to help Aias choosing clothes for his trip to the capital. Aias didn¡¯t want to impose on them as he didn¡¯t have any money but Podrick insisted that he had to look good as he did ¡°represent¡± Goijbi.


    In the end they had bought a neat black and white checkered shirt with dark blue jeans. Aias didn¡¯t understand the fashion choice however couldn¡¯t say no to their insistent praises. He had also been given a small ruby brooch, it had the pattern of a bear head, with the ruby to decorate its eye. The bear was the sigil for Svordie castle.


    During lunch Podrick told a story of an old fable about Svordie castle, supposable Svordie castle and a large vicinity around it was all built upon the back of a colossal beast that looks like a bear. No one knows if it¡¯s true, digging only revealed a thick layer of hard minerals that could barely be dug through, and was useless to use for anything. Underneath that, who knows, the layer of mineral was thick.


    After shopping Aias had been brought to the top of the wall surrounding Svordie. During the night he hadn¡¯t been able to get a proper view of the massive wall.


    At the top there were two types of mechanisms, large stone orbs with inscriptions over them, and large catapults.


    ¡°This stone orb is named Styx elemental canon mark three, and is a powerful artillery unit that can both attack flying and ground units. It works by having a person pilot inside it and that person can fire large blasts of energy in all directions around it without delay.¡° One of the guards standing next to the large ball explained when podrick rolled Aias up to get a closer look.


    They were very expensive pieces of equipment, Svordie¡¯s wall had seventy of them. There were similar but much smaller balls around the wall as well, they were the Styx elemental canon mark one. Which worked the same way but had considerably less power.


    Looking out over the wall had given Aias a serene feeling of wonder, his parents had been guards over a wall like this, only smaller. He wondered over how they must have felt as they fought to protect their homes. Him standing here now was proof of their success.


    ¡­¡­.


    The group headed back to the beast pits, it was now late in the evening and Hannes should be finished with his investigation of Varja, considering that it had been eight hours since the spell was cast.


    The group entered the pit where Varja was currently laying about. Hannes sat on a small chair by the enclosures wall, in his hands there was a ball of energy similar to the one he had held when they first met. The ball this time however was of several different colors, twirling around, occasionally lighting up then dimming back down.


    Sophia was the first to speak up, ¡°Uncle Hannes, what are you doing?¡± she seemed a little concerned for him as his face looked more than a little pained.


    Hannes didn¡¯t look to her however responded, ¡°Sorry dear, I¡¯m still reading through the information I got from the spell. I will be done in about an hour.¡± His concentration didn¡¯t waver for a moment, his eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn¡¯t blinked in hours.


    ¡°How long have you been reading that for mister Hannes?¡± Aias had to ask as he grew both concerned, and intrigued over how impressive the spell seemed to be.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, but I began at around twelve!¡± It was currently about seven o¡¯clock, he had been intensely reading that clump of energy for seven hours and he still had another hour to go. Aias could only respect this man.


    They didn¡¯t want to disturb Hannes by playing with Varja so Aias only patted his lovely serpent shortly before heading back to the inner castle with Sophia and Podrick.


    They sat down to eat and were joined by Sera. Sophia began to retell the whole day to her mother.


    It appeared that O¡¯jghar and Georgio had been stuck in Georgio¡¯s office the whole day discussing plans for the countermeasures unit that O¡¯jghar was to be a part of. And they would be stuck there for dinner as well, seeing as they had food sent to them to eat during the meeting.


    Before the food came out a maid brought in the cutlery, which were beautifully painted ceramic plates, painted with bears and flowers, in bluish and reddish colors. Aias had never eaten on ceramic before, in the orphanage and at O¡¯jghar¡¯s there was only wooden cutlery. Looking at the shining plate and the metal knife he had beside it he began to fear that he would accidentally cut it apart.


    His fears were quickly replaced by another feeling as the food came in, the smell from the plates alone was enough for his mouth to start watering. Another, smaller, plate was placed on his plate, similar to the first, very beautiful. But it wasn¡¯t the plate that mesmerized him now, on the plate was a set of thick juicy ribs. The amount of meat on them told Aias that they weren¡¯t of any domesticated animal, only beasts could have bodies this large.


    Aias wasn¡¯t sure what to do, the large piece of meat and bone was laying there in front of him. Instincts told him to bite down on it, but his little bit of common sense told him that he was with nobility and that may not be appropriate.


    Aias began by looking over to Sera, she seemed to be the most ¡°noble¡± one around the table but looking over to her only disheartened him, she was sipping some soup from a spoon. Obviously someone sick wouldn¡¯t be eating thick meat.


    Afterwards he looked to Sophia, she however was eating something that looked like a large onion, Aias had never seen one of those and was now left wondering what that tasted like.


    Podrick and the other servants had left the room so there wasn¡¯t anyone in the room to answer his question on how he should eat the meat, so he would need to ask the ladies.


    Aias prepared his voice by making a small cough but before he got the words out a man behind him spoke up, ¡°Boy don¡¯t worry about the formalities, just grab the food and stick it in your mouth!¡± As he finished his sentence a hand came down from behind Aias and grabbed the ribs in front of him. The hand disappeared over his head again and in less than two seconds, six clean picked bones were thrown down onto Aias plate.


    Before Aias could retort, or even consider what had happened Sera spoke up, ¡°Honey what are you doing to the guest?! Don¡¯t take others food! And stop sneaking up on people!¡± she didn¡¯t seem angry or annoyed. Instead it seemed that she only wanted to set an example before Sophia.


    The man behind him sat down on the chair beside Aias. He was a very large man, Aias didn¡¯t think about it when he only saw his arm but it¡¯s muscles were defined to the point of looking disturbing. Same with his chest, the muscle structure seemed to be sculptured by the gods themselves. But when Aisa eyes went a step lower he felt like they would pop out. The man¡¯s belly was a large clump of fat mounted on a set of powerful legs. This man¡¯s disposition confused Aias.


    Sera called this man ¡°honey¡± so that could only mean one of two things, either this was Georgio, or her son. And by the rugged look of the man¡¯s face, Aias couldn¡¯t believe in the second option.


    ¡°Daddy¡± Sophia yelled after swallowing her odd food.


    No, yupp, this was the infamous Georgio ¡®earthbreaker¡¯. Aias wished something was wrong with his eyes or Georgio was just messing with him because that stomach did not belong with this legend.

 Chapter 21: Central Antrim

    Aias woke up to now open drapes. The night before he had asked Podrick to keep them open while he slept so he could grow accustomed to the light. He also used it to know at what time he woke upp.


    Looking back at the other day, not much had happened. He had been served a new set of ribs. Tasted them and been elevated to a higher plain by the glorious taste of the honey glazed meat.


    Podrick had come shortly after dinner to inform Aias that both O¡¯jghar and Hannes were too exhausted to meet him before bedtime.


    Georgio had chuckled and told Aias that they had been sparring for the last four hours, apparently O¡¯jghar had been losing.


    Aias had been caught off guard by Georgio¡¯s stomach, however after getting used to it he started to notice the real strength behind him. He had an intense air about him. As if a typhoon that could devour everything around it.


    The comparison was especially true when he was eating. During the night Aias had gotten to know what monster the ribs he ate from was, not by asking but by seeing Georgio eat through almost every part of the beast.


    While eating it Georgio had told the story of himself hunting. He named the story, ¡°Georgio¡¯s conquering of the deadly Shoucho Lion¡±.


    Shoucho lions are huge three meter tall lions that can discharge electricity through their mane and tail. They are considered to be an apex predator that even travel out of the wilderness to hunt down caravans and people.


    They usually required a skilled group of hunters to bring down, or even a large squad if they were to hunt it down in its own territory.


    If Georgio could hunt down one of these and best it in single combat then it showed that he was worth his legend, even if he had an odd stomach.


    Aias had now woken up, by the look of it it seemed to be seven o¡¯clock already. In an hour Hannes was supposed to come and speak to him concerning his A grade beast.


    Until then Aias decided to continue trying to understand the depth of his heavenly energy.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    A while had passed when Podrick knocked on the door, he helped Aias get dressed and ready for meeting Hannes. In Aias room there was a small table with two sofas surrounding it, there they would be holding the meeting.


    Aias had gotten comfortable while waiting and Podrick had left to get Aias breakfast ready.


    A knock came from the door, Aias responded, ¡°You may enter!¡±, and in came Hannes.


    Hannes was like a completely different man compared to last night, before he was like a corpse, sitting staring into the abyss. Today there seemed to be a jump in his step as he made his way through the room to Aias.


    ¡°Well Aias, I have great news!¡± He began with as he sat down in the sofa facing Aias.


    He cleared his throat and began, ¡°You are now indeed the owner of a beast with an A-grade connection to you. I believe I explained to you yesterday that A-grade connections aren¡¯t forged by the master, you, however made by the beast themselves. And with an A-grade connection also comes benefits and dangers.¡± Hannes put an emphasis on the possible danger of the situation.


    ¡°Your Kjil serpent, Varja, appears to have linked its life to yours. If you were to die so would it! However if it dies, no harm should come to you.¡±


    Aias grew concerned for his lovely snake, dying together sounded poetic however in reality it¡¯s only sad! ¡°But why did Varja do it?! Why would he create a connection with me?¡± Aias felt like he had wronged the beast, he was always thrilled to live life on the border of life and death, the high it gave him of being in a dangerous situation was something he couldn¡¯t stop. But now, now he wasn¡¯t just risking his own life, he could end Varjas.


    Hannes could clearly see the sadness in Aias eyes, he was ready to cry for his beast. ¡°Beasts don¡¯t choose these connections, they are forged by trust and love. Only through powerful emotions do the beasts forge this bond. They do it without even realizing it.¡±


    ¡°Well no need to worry Aias I¡¯m sure everything will be fine. Now let me tell you what the connection created!¡± Hannes clearly wanted to cheer up Aias the only way he knew.


    ¡°Varja himself appears to have gotten your full vocabulary, he can fully understand the Katorian language. The connection also seems to have triggered him to begin evolving which if I¡¯m correct will be the more rare, spiritual transformation.¡±


    The spiritual transformation of a Kjil serpent would make it considerably smaller however it would instead become a magical beast. The abilities of magical beasts were far more dangerous than wild beasts.


    Wild beasts have to survive with their natural abilities and only have minor use of energy, like strengthening techniques. While magical beasts can use larger and more complex techniques.


    A wild beast may be able to breath fire if it has heat mana inside its core, however a magical beast can not only breath fire but also naturally control it, similarly to lord Meleth.


    Aias couldn¡¯t wait to see how amazing Varja would become!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Now we come to you!¡± Hannes spoke up again after having noticed that Aias mood seemed to have been lifted.


    ¡°From my research there are three possibilities that could have been given to you. First and most common, inside your consciousness there is now a special formation. You may not have found it yet however it may be deep within you, waiting for you to find it. I wouldn¡¯t know what this formation does as all formations given by beasts are different.¡±


    Aias felt that this wasn¡¯t enough of an explanation and interrupted, ¡°Why would I have gotten a ¡®formation¡¯ from my connection with Varja? How could the connection build a functioning formation?¡±


    Hannes seemed amused by Aias clear disbelief of how the connection worked. ¡°We don¡¯t know much about how these connections work either, if we did we would try to create them ourselves. However it happens, sometimes an A-grade connection will build a formation within you, this formation will be a single technique that uses a certain type of energy. It will be up to you to find out how to use it if this is the case.¡±


    Aias accepted his explanation however didn¡¯t like not knowing how a formation could be created by the connection. He had now been studying formations and understood that making a new one from scratch was extremely hard.


    ¡°For the second possibility, you may have within you a portion of the Kjil serpents energy. In this case you will just have to find out what energy it is and then find ways to use it like any other energy.¡±


    Aias immediately got that this was it, the energy he had found while playing with the fox wasn¡¯t given by the fox, he had simply found the energy Varja had left within him.


    ¡°Then the third and least likely, almost impossible, the serpent imparted its soul into you. If this is the case then within your consciousness there would currently be a Kjil serpent made out of perfectly pure energy, which you should have noticed as the soul would be alive and constantly moving within you.¡±


    No, Aias had never seen a Kjil serpent within his consciousness, however there was the large ball of energy. ¡°Are these the only things you can get from an A-grade connection?¡± Aias felt he needed to ask as it seemed to be a short list. Sure the perks weren¡¯t bad, however were few.


    Hannes laughed, ¡°No no no, these are the possibilities that you could have been affected by, you could have gotten all kinds of things. Mutations, that made parts of your body more similar to that of a Kjil serpent. A closer connection to the Kjil serpent, something like the two of you being able to communicate telepathically. Transformation, you may have even been able to transform fully into a Kjil serpent over a short period of time whenever you chose.¡±


    ¡°Similarly there are many different perks the serpent could have gotten but I don¡¯t have time to go over everything. I have to go and sit in a four hour meeting with the city guild at nine.¡±


    Hannes got up from the sofa and walked to the door, before leaving he turned back and smiled to Aias, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll meet anytime soon again so I hope you will have a good life.¡± Before Aias got to say goodbye the door had already closed.


    Aias shortly fell into confusion over why he would say goodbye like that but quickly figured that O¡¯jghar would most likely come to pick him up for leaving the castle soon.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Aias had been correct, after eating breakfast O¡¯jghar had come to get him. From what O¡¯jghar had been told the winter storms were far closer than he had anticipated and they would need to hurry.


    Before leaving Aias went to say goodbye to Sophia, Sera, Podrick, and Georgio. It was a short farewell as they barely knew each other, however Aias felt that it was something important for him to do.


    Sophia seemed to have been happy having a friend around and made Aias promise to come back once they were done in the capital. Both Sera and Georgio were happy to see their daughter had made a friend and told Aias that he was welcome anytime.


    He waved goodbye while riding the carriage through the castle gates into the town.


    They slowly made it down to the large gate towards the outside. Aias looked to the shops he had visited yesterday and was even recognised by some of the townsfolk he had been served by. Smiling faces passed through the streets and Aias felt at peace, an exciting life was what he wanted, however this was also needed along the journey.


    This time they weren¡¯t going through the same gate as they came from. There were two gates, one south gate and one north gate, they had come from the northern gate and were now about to pass the southern one.


    The gates looked identical to one another and the only difference was that there were no tents for festivities and instead a proper barrak for training. Aias could see thirty or so men standing together practicing sword swings. Ah morning exercises, Aias could only wait for the day he could do them himself again.


    They slowly passed through the large gate to now leave for the capital. On the way out there was no security check or inspection whatsoever, only guards waving them goodbye.


    Aias hoped to see the guards he had meet when they arrived however they were nowhere to be seen.


    Exiting the gate and following the road Aias was greeted with the view of the land ahead, a single large field as far as his eyes could see.


    Svordie is the castle that sits before the edge of central Antrim, a rich land that¡¯s used to grow seventy percent of all Antrim¡¯s crops.


    Goibi the northeastern region of Antrim is comprised of mostly wildlands, which makes farming to dangerous without personal guards and so it¡¯s main exports are beasts and herbs from said wildlands.


    Aias had never seen proper farmlands before, only small patches outside of Canastota that were barely the size of archery ranges.


    ¡­¡­..


    They had traveled a whole day and night before coming across their first different landscape, it had been nothing but large open hillside with rocks littering the land until now. In front of them now there was nothing but yellow.


    Nothing but an ocean of yellow, wheat, wheat everywhere. Only after Aias looked really hard could he see a house long in the distance.


    After slowly making their way to the house could they see another house equally far away from the first one. O¡¯jghar explained that this large field of wheat wasn¡¯t owned by a single farmer but a group that worked together to protect it from beasts, bandits, and disasters that could bring harm.


    As the sun started to set O¡¯jghar brought the carriage up to one of the houses on the road. Unlike many of the houses they had passed thus far this one had a large stable and was more close to an estate that a simple house.


    Aias could tell that this place wasn¡¯t a part of the farming community by the lack of farming equipment and by how appealing the place looked. This was most certainly a tavern of some sort, most likely for traveling people like themselves.


    O¡¯jghar got of the coach of the carriage and entered the establishment, leaving Aias with Varja. Aias and Varja hadn¡¯t spent any time together since leaving Svordie due to Aias constantly training to understand energy.


    Aias looked to Varja and said, ¡°Sigil¡±, a symbol appeared on Varja¡¯s forehead. The sigil was of a dark purple with an outline of red, it was an A. If anyone said the word ¡®sigil¡¯ in front of a branded beast its rank would appear.


    According to Hannes there are many who create fake brands for beasts, however if a person from a guild were to inspect the brand they could tell it¡¯s authenticity.


    Aias stroke his hand over the mark, feeling Varjas large powerful scales. To Aias they still felt like small shield¡¯s that couldn¡¯t be broken, even if he had seen it before.


    The dark loomed over Aias and he felt a presence behind him, ¡°Who is it?¡± Aias wasn¡¯t concerned, but did get a feeling of danger.


    ¡°Do you still hold the pendant?¡± The voice from behind him was someone he remembered very well, the old man!


    Aias felt an odd need to respond, ¡°Do you want it back?¡± It didn¡¯t feel like he was trying to ¡®take¡¯ it from him, but that he would lift a burden of off Aias.


    He had never since getting the pendent given it a single thought, however now that it was mentioned to him his neck felt as if it was being dragged down into the ground. He had always had the pendant around his neck, it had never bothered him and he hadn¡¯t bothered thinking someone would try to take it from him. Even though he knew someone from Orion would try to he had still not worried, so why now!


    What gave him this unease? ¡°No, no, I can never hold it again!¡± The old man as if terrified of even the thought of touching the trinket took a step back.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m carrying it!¡± Aias gave a quick response back.


    ¡°Good! But you will have to watch out, the imposters will come back soon. Now that you aren¡¯t under that woman¡¯s protection anything could happen!¡± And just as suddenly as he appeared he was gone into the darkness surrounding them.


    Aias was left laying there wondering what he had meant. After a brief while O¡¯jghar came out from the tavern, he seemed angry. ¡°Damn racist peice of shit, can¡¯t sleep in your shitty little tavern for a night because I have horns.¡± Aias could hear him muttering under his breath. He had never seen him this emotional, he was usually serene and calm, explaining energy as if he knew all the answers of the world.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be sleeping under the moon again tonight!¡± Finally O¡¯jghar raised his voice and spoke to Aias. Aias looked into the sky, where there was a clear lack of a moon. A truly dark night.

 Chapter 22: Ambush

    Aias had slept well through the night, he had enjoyed being nestled up against Varja¡¯s large body. The hay in the stalls was also quite comfortable, he had slept on worse back when he stayed outside the orphanage.


    O¡¯jghar didn¡¯t seem to complain about sleep deprivation either however did go on through a part of the day lecturing Aias on the racism throughout Antrim.


    Antrim is a large country however it is mainly populated by humans. Most other species are feared or despised by Antrim due to wars and skirmishes throughout history.


    The Klenod have never directly been to war with Antrim however many Klenod mercenaries had sided with Antrim¡¯s enemies in the past. Antrim¡¯s nobles didn¡¯t help the issue either, many directly oppose allowing other races to pass the borders, while others help spread propaganda to the populace, issuing warning of the dangers that other races can bring.


    These views were now common in the north as there is almost no civilisation further above Antrim. This leaves the humans of northern Antrim alone to hear the nobles propaganda without the possibility to meet other races and see that they aren¡¯t what the nobles say they are.


    Four days passed traveling down the large wheat fields until finally they came upon a large forest. Going into it reminded Aias of when he first entered Baigia-chami forest to gather herbs, the trees around him were very similar. The trees were short but had branches that stretched out all around them.


    This however unlike Baiga-chami forest is not a wilderness. The only wildlife around should be animals, if any beasts appeared it would signify that a beast from a wilderness had gotten passed the guards that are regularly making sure nothing gets out, then traveled to this forest.


    Now after several days of traveling on dirt road could Varja finally ¡®run¡¯ free. Varja had been forced to travel the path together with O¡¯jghar and Aias and couldn¡¯t move freely thanks to the large farm fields surrounding them. But now here in the forest could Varja move as he pleased, upp the thicker trees, around and over the large rocks. Nothing was holding the serpent back from moving as it pleased.


    Aias layed there looking over every now and then from his training, smiled in delight at the view, then continued his training.


    ¡­¡­.


    It was starting to get late, Varja had come back after a few hours of disappearing into the forest and O¡¯jghar had gotten off the cart to begin setting up camp.


    However then from the silence it came, a single ¡°T¡¯chi¡±, followed by many more. Aias and O¡¯jghar both recognised the sound, the release of a bowstring. O¡¯jghar as if flying jumped over Aias and grabbed one of the sacks lying in the waggon.


    O¡¯jghar twisted his body around in a flash, three arrows hit the sack but only bounced off, another four pierced where he had stood before jumping onto the cart. It had only taken a moment, if not for his teacher¡¯s quick reaction Aias would now be a pincushion for those arrows.


    O¡¯jghar pulled a short buckler out from within the sack and stood ready. But before Aias could even get a chance to thank him he was thrown into the driver seat by O¡¯jghar. ¡°RIDE!¡± O¡¯jghar screamed at both Aias and the horses. Neither without delay began working, the horses started galloping and Aias did his best to steer their reigns.


    Holding the reigns took some strength, Aias felt the burn in his still recovering arms, it was tough but Aias bit down and held together. Aias looked back to the campsite to see Varja quickly slithered after them.


    However behind Varja was a more worrying sight, ten men were riding after them, three of which were on top of large wolves. The wolfriders were quickly catching up to Varja, however they appeared sceptical of getting close to the far larger serpent.


    The men that weren¡¯t on wolves rode regular horses, they didn¡¯t seem to want to catch up to Aias and O¡¯jghar¡¯s waggon but instead held a distance and readied bows to shoot from further behind.


    O¡¯jghar dug through a sack near his feet and pulled out his own bow, he sat the arrows down next to him to quicken the reload. He also set up a position where he could quickly reach for either his buckler or bardiche.


    As the three wolfriders surrounded Varja to deal with the serpent O¡¯jghar let loose an arrow that almost hit one of them if not for the wolf halting its step. The moment one tried to go for an attack on the beast O¡¯jghar would fire another arrow. However the defense was short lived, the enemy archers were ready.


    All together they fired a volley of arrows at the waggon. The whistling sound of the arrow, as a signal let the wolfriders know to attack. All three jumped onto Varja¡¯s body. Varja managed to whip his tail at one of them smashing him to the side of the road. The other two however managed to get onto Varja¡¯s back, where they bit into the hard scales. Once the wolves fangs were in place the riders also joined in and began cutting with their own weapons.


    Aias eyes began to tear up as he saw his beloved Varja getting hurt. He didn¡¯t even notice as the seven arrows rained down at him, O¡¯jghar did however. He pulled the shield to his side onto his arm and stood to protect Aias. Five arrows hit the shield and were of no danger. One of the remaining arrows pierced into O¡¯jghar¡¯s left legs shin.


    The pain was severe, O¡¯jghar barely managed to stand after feeling the intense stab of the arrow through his tibia. However when looking at Aias he couldn¡¯t help but force himself to keep it together. Aias right shoulder had an arrow piercing straight through it. His eyes however were no longer looking back, he was looking at the road ahead to make sure they could make it away.


    O¡¯jghar turned back to his own task, with an arrow in his shin he could no longer stand and fire the bow. He got onto his knees, nocked an arrow into the bow, drew and fired it in a single swift motion. The arrow was infused with both ki to give it more power, and a curse energy spell to paralyze his opponent. The arrow was far faster than his last one, he shot it at the same moment one of the wolfriders was about to swing down his axe.


    O¡¯jghar¡¯s archery was excellent, the arrow pierced into both the rider''s foot and the wolf he was riding. The curse spell activated, the rider¡¯s leg became hard as stone and he was unable to move it whatsoever. The arrow had lodged into the wolves ribs making the paralyzes restrict it¡¯s left lung. Without a leg it was hard for the rider to balance on both the wolf and the constantly resisting snake, he could no longer attack and had to hold on for his life. The wolf without it¡¯s full lung power was no match for the intense action and had to let go of its jaw. The wolf and rider rode to the side of the road and stopped. Both were now out of commission from combat.


    O¡¯jghar was far faster at reloading than the opposing archers, he fired another arrow towards the remaining wolfrider, he however was ready. He pulled up his large cleaver and parried the incoming arrow. But the moment the metals hit each other the arrowhead exploded, the force was enough to blast the rider off his wolf, now he laid only a short bit away from being hit by the oncoming archers horses.


    Because of the sudden man in the way three of the archers had to veer their horses out of the way and were unable to fire their arrow. Four arrows were now incoming, O¡¯jghar had had to sacrifice time to take out both of the wolfriders and was late on his shield, he would be unable to protect both Aias and himself. He jumped towards Aias to try and at least shield him from the oncoming danger.


    Now the arrows were approaching but Aias was ready, he pulled the reigns of the horses and quickly the waggon moved to the right. All four arrows got lodged into the crates and chests loaded on the waggon. Aias had already been aware of what was happening, from when he saw the first volley. He had been counting the time it would take for the next to come.


    O¡¯jghar didn¡¯t miss a moment to surprise, he drew his bow once again and let loose more arrows. He ignored the wolf still biting into Varja and aimed for the horses, he managed to hit one of his two arrows, since he no longer had to aim carefully at the evasive wolfriders he still had time to get the buckler over their heads before the arrows came. Thanks to Aias previous evasion with the waggon all the arrows now fired were aimed slightly to the side of them, this to hit once they tried to dodge. Aias however didn¡¯t try to dodge, he simply went straight. Not even a single arrow hit O¡¯jghar¡¯s shield, or their targets.


    O¡¯jghar let loose another two arrows, both hitting their targets. The horses hit collapsed immediately, they were hit close to the heart, it getting paralyzed wouldn¡¯t kill however would be similar to a weak heart attack. Now there were only four targets left, ¡°Stop the waggon, I will deal with the remaining ones!¡± O¡¯jghar commanded Aias. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Aias slowed down the waggon to a halt. It hadn¡¯t been long since the combat started but he was exhausted. The arrow in his shoulder had further burdened his already sore muscles. The horse archers kept themselves at a distance, still letting loose arrows whenever they could, however O¡¯jghar easily parried them with his buckler. When an opportunity struck he would fire an arrow back at them. Being on a horse and dodging arrows was very hard, however they managed every shot. But they had forgotten something very important, O¡¯jghar wasn¡¯t alone! As they drew their bows after O¡¯jghar¡¯s third arrow missed it came from the woods. A jaw so large it could swallow a person in a single bite, Varja¡¯s bite killed immediately. The surprise from seeing Varja up close was also a moment where they left themselves open for O¡¯jghar. Another fell to his arrow.


    And as the two remaining archers tried to escape a last arrow pierced into one of their backs. There was only one alive now, ¡°We will come back for you!¡± Was all he said, there was clear anger in his voice, not fear. He quickly rode away on his horse back to where they first came from.


    ¡°Humph, think you can beat me!¡± O¡¯jghar clearly wasn¡¯t having their threats. ¡°Teacher we should hurry, they will most likely gather more men!¡± Aias felt uneasy, after losing a ten vs two there shouldn¡¯t be such hostility in someone''s eyes. One would normally be more fearful of their opponent.


    ¡°You could be right, go, you handle the horses! I will prepare formations for if they attack again.¡± O¡¯jghar started creating a formation on top of the carriage. Aias got the horses to continue running on the road.


    During the fight Aias had been forced to use all his attention on the road and the archers, not being able to concentrate on the wound in his shoulder. Now that the enemies were gone could he begin channeling heavenly energy through his body. Aias energy wasn¡¯t much but it was enough to halt some of the bleeding, he had sensed O¡¯jghar circulating heavenly energy in his leg throughout the fight. In that fight his teacher had used three energies at the same time, curse, ki, and heavenly. Aias couldn¡¯t even use one energy while concentrating on the combat around him, he felt weak, what was he to do with himself, even his classmates had been able to fight to an extent two years ago during their sparring.


    After an hour of continuing their escape O¡¯jghar finished the last of his formations, he had made three in total. Aias didn¡¯t know what their functions were but could tell the energy used, one was of curse, another of mana, and the last and most powerful was of an energy he had never felt before. The energy felt wild like a roaring inferno ready to be set on a rampage.


    They continued rushing through the forest, O¡¯jghar began properly treating his leg, Aias would have to wait. For now getting O¡¯jghar to prime condition would be important, if someone attacked he was the one who would be fighting. O¡¯jghar pulled out several creams, lotions, powders, and potions from the sacs in the waggon. He sat down and began treating his wound. Another hour passed before he was finished, but now when Aias looked there didn¡¯t even seem ever have been a wound to begin with.


    The arrow had never gotten deep into O¡¯jghar in the first place, ki, bone, and leather armor were enough to stop it from breaking the bone or harming the muscle. O¡¯jghar began treating Aias wound, it was far worse, he had not wore any armor, not used any energy to protect himself, and worst of all his bone structure was already weakened by the years of not moving and only recuperating.


    Fully healing the wound like his own would be difficult for O¡¯jghar, it had gone all the way through Aias shoulder after all. As Aias was told this he realised a better option, O¡¯jghar only needed to stop the bleeding, after which he could heal Varja¡¯s wounds. Varja would be a far better companion during a battle than Aias. Varja is a powerful beast, even now as they traveled through the forest and he had large cuts from the wolfriders attacks was he not slowing down at all.


    O¡¯jghar agreed that Varja was a better option, Aias was given a potion to slowly drink while O¡¯jghar began treating Varja. The serpent''s wounds may be large however it is a beast, beasts unlike humans, animals, and all the other races, can use the energy within them freely. As they had been traveling Varja¡¯s wounds had already been regenerating considerably fast. There wasn¡¯t much left for O¡¯jghar to do however he balanced himself on the quickly slithering snake and began applying his many treatments on the wounds.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    It was already night, the forest was dark, O¡¯jghar and Aias had been traveling for roughly seven hours since they were attacked. Even Aias shoulder had been mostly healed since the encounter, however now more than ever was the fear setting in. They could hear it in the distance, the storming sound that was a stampede of horses riding after them.


    They had heard it about an hour ago, more riders were coming, then the sound was far away in the distance. They had hurried their horses, however after a whole day of rushing the horses could barely go any faster than they already were. Now they were right behind them, it would only take a few minutes for the army like horde of riders behind them to catch up.


    Aias looked at the horses galloping in front of him, frothing from the mouth, crazy eyes, they would most likely die before the enemy reached them. ¡°Teacher, we should stop.¡± O¡¯jghar looked to him, he also understood their situation. Trying to fight like this would kill them. If it was five hours ago he could use his formations while riding to cause some major damage to the enemy and maybe force them back, but if the horses collapsed he would simply get run over by the cavalry after using his first formation.


    ¡°Damn, do we have to die like this?!¡± O¡¯jghar cursed to himself. ¡°Could we set up a trap?¡± Aias asked as if pleading to his teacher. But he just shook his head, ¡°I dont have the materials for something practical, or time to build another formation. Just stop the horses for now¡±


    Aias stopped the horses, which upon stopping collapsed. All they could do now was wait.


    It didn¡¯t take long, they now saw it in the distance. As if a long caravan was coming many lights were traveling in a long row. As they got closer Aias began seeing the figures of riders, counting them all there were about fifty riders incoming. Ten wolfriders, around thirty horse riders, and lastly seven waggons. Normally one would think it was just a caravan, however no caravan would be rushing in the dark like this.


    O¡¯jghar went out and started lighting up the path that they were going to be coming on. There was now a hundred meter stretch lit up and the large horde was riding in through it. Aias could now see it, all the waggons carried the same two flags, four riders were also carrying the flags as well. One of these flags Aias had learned since he could first see, a white flag embroidered with large red teeth on top. The flag of the Bitten¡¯s bone!


    From eastern to northern Antrim they were the largest most destructive bandit gang around. Many of Aias friends from the orphanage had lost their families due to the raids of the Bitten¡¯s bone¡¯s many divisions. The second flag underneath the first signified the division, this one Aias wasn¡¯t familiar with, it was a skeleton hand holding a gold coin.


    Aias wasn¡¯t sure what they could do, now that they were on the brightly lit path he could see them all. Ten wolfriders, two of which he recognised from earlier in the day, the one O¡¯jghar had shot with the explosion arrow wasn¡¯t to be seen. Thirty six horse cavalry, some wore heavy armor and had large weapons while other wore leather armor and had short swords and bows. Then there were the waggons, each had two men onboard heavily armored and holding large crossbows. This troop of bandits were well armed, they weren¡¯t just one of the smaller divisions under the Bitten¡¯s bone¡¯s banner.


    The large horde of bandits stopped about twenty steps from their waggon. Aias could get a good look at their expressions, vicious and violent people. These people hadn¡¯t gone mad, they simply led themselves by their desires and would do anything to get what they want.


    One of the riders rode his horse forward, he was a large man, far bigger than any other in the crowd surrounding him. The man also rode a horse far bigger than the other horses, it was geared up in full chainmail armor, with a black helmet. The horse alone looked intimidating enough but the man on top made it look terrifying to a new extent. The large man carried a great sword the size of a person. It looked to weigh more than any man should be able to carry, however he held it in one arm while letting it lightly rest on his shoulder. Only through use of energy should that be possible however Aias sensed none.


    The large leader like man cleared his throat before speaking, ¡°You have hurt and killed my subordinates, now there is only death in your future! Any questions?¡± The whole gang of bandits started laughing. He was toying with them, his words carried no emotions for the dead or damaged. He just wanted a taste of blood.


    Aias however couldn¡¯t speak up, what was he to say, how would he say anything to someone flaunting such cruel killing intent. ¡°If you want to die then come here, doesn¡¯t look like you will take long to deal with.¡± O¡¯jghar however wasn¡¯t fazed, he wouldn¡¯t go out lying down.


    The crowd stopped laughing, the large man¡¯s smile quickly turned into an angered frown. No one was going to talk down to him, ¡°I am Morgor, fourth division leader of the Bitten¡¯s bone, come out and I will destroy you myself.¡± Morgor jumped of his horse, his large body looked even larger once he was standing. He looked gigantic, he had the build of a wrestler, with the height of a mountain, far above two meters tall.


    O¡¯jghar grabbed his bardiche, he was ready for combat. Before going out he activated one of the three formations, the one made of mana. A bubble appeared around the waggon, it didn¡¯t look strong enough to take a lot of damage however did seem capable of dealing with a few arrows. After he stepped of the waggon Varja coiled his body around the waggon and stayed in a defensive position in case the bandits tried to make a move for Aias.


    O¡¯jghar and Morgor slowly walked towards each other, the spectators lined up, all wanting to see the spectacle. As the two combatants now stood face to face Aias noticed something he hadn¡¯t acknowledged in a long time, his master was ripped. The opponent was far larger than his teacher however Aias eyes could see the immense strength emanating from O¡¯jghar¡¯s back, he couldn¡¯t lose!


    Both at the same time swung their weapons, the large great sword came down as if from the heavens to cleave the world in two, but O¡¯jghar¡¯s axe was in the way. A match of power, both weapons clashed, sparks flew, and as if thunder roared a bang was heard from the strike. Both men stood there holding their weapons, neither pushed back or damaged. A flurry of strikes began, both parties skillfully parrying and blocking the opponent''s blade as it came for their life. However neither took even a step back or tried to dodge, this was a competition of strength and pride, and only one could survive.


    O¡¯jghar barely parried a swing from the greatsword and got cut across his shoulder. Morgor guard was too slow and his neck took a deep cut to the blade of the bardiche. Either side could win, they were an equal match.


    Minutes passed, the spectators could barely breath to the suspense in the air. Both sides were a mess, O¡¯jghar had several large cuts over his body but worst was his left arm, it was barely holding on to his body, only a small bit of the muscle and less than a string of bone. Morgore¡¯s body was also covered in wounds, the biggest was in his stomach, it had been cut open and his bowels were clearly visible. Still neither side had taken a step since the fight started, now both were exhausted and could barely hold their weapons. This would be the last strike that decided it.


    O¡¯jghar gritted his teeth readying his axe to pierce into Morgor¡¯s exposed internals. Morgor¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t focus, he was at death¡¯s door, as if reflex he dropped his sword and pulled his arms to his body to defend against the incoming steel. It was enough to stop the blade, his arms had been pierced through but his guts were still safe from the tip of the blade. ¡°RAAAGH!¡± O¡¯jghar screamed out as he tried to push the blade further in.


    Morgor coughed in pain from his arms getting further cut apart. He could barely stand, if he fell O¡¯jghar¡¯s victory was certain. Then that sound came again, ¡°T¡¯chi¡± One arrow was enough, O¡¯jghar body fell to the ground, no longer breathing.


    Aias mind went blank, him and all the other spectators looked to the sound of the arrow. Aias remembered him, he had been the one to tell Aias and O¡¯jghar that they would come for them. Aias whole body began to shake but before he could even mutter a word someone else bellowed, ¡°SNVA BTCH TH MI KLL¡± Morgor lying on the ground screamed at his subordinates barely able to speak due to the pain.


    Aias anger had exceeded his rational mind, ¡°Varja. Kill¡± In an instant Varja was was on top of Morgor. Morgor who couldn¡¯t move layed there looking up at the large serpent as its jaws opened, in an instant he was bitten down on, but that wasn¡¯t the end. Varja like an alligator dragged Morgor¡¯s body around thrashing it across the ground, even hitting some of the spectators. Morgor¡¯s arms and legs came off of his body as if a ragdoll that was being played with by a dog. The spectating bandits quickly drew their weapons and started fighting the large beast.


    Aias could no longer keep conscious, the stress and pain was too much.

 Chapter 23: First Blood

    Laughter all around, howls and cries of excitement. His eyes slowly opened to the commotion around him, a large roaring pyre of flame stood before him. Around the massive flame men danced naked, holding the skin of a large serpent, its skin stretched in a ring all the way around the fire.


    Other men danced around the fire holding their weapons, some with a jug of ale in hand.


    He layed there watching them, it was amusing, as if crazed animals that could only understand the material things in life. He could smell the stench of alcohol, sweat, and blood covering the whole camp. The young body couldn¡¯t even handle the strong smell of alcohol, his mind faded into another slumber.


    ¡­¡­..


    Bright light shined on Aias face as they left the woods, he retracted his gaze forward but was met with an unpleasant sight. Aias had woken up a whole day after his teacher''s dual, he was still lying in the same carriage surrounded by the same boxes. But teacher wasn¡¯t there, neither was Varja. Aias turned his eyes forward and let the sun shine in his eyes, the sight around him would make him cry again.


    Those bandit scum had hung the large skin of Varja on the carriages surrounding him, this was to torment him. Aias was still safe from harm, he hadn¡¯t noticed it while tired two days prior, but O¡¯jghar had connected him to the powerful formation of raging energy. The bastards around him couldn¡¯t touch him without first dissolving the formation, or who know what could happen.


    ¡°Now ya wee little shit, tell me, how is it upp in Delano now a days?¡± Leading the carriage Aias is sitting in is an old drunk man. He was the first Aias met waking up, and had been a displeasure since.


    Aias didn¡¯t want to answer, but unlike some of the other bandits who would do sickly things towards Aias to taunt him, he was an alright man, only very rude. ¡°I have lived in the orphanage my whole life, I don¡¯t know much of anything that¡¯s going on¡± Aias truthfully responded.


    The drunk man spit on the seat next to him and made an annoyed face, ¡°Ah, yeah, that orphanage! You kids are lucky, you kno¡¯ hau much the cuntry talks ¡®bout honring the warriors! Well look at mee! Im sitting here with a bunch a savages, all cuz a war!¡± The man could barely speak, he was drunk and angry, and had lost all control.


    He had however intrigued Aias. ¡°Did you fight in the war?¡± A simple question, but it seemed to sting the old man like a bullet. ¡°Yeah, I fought in it. And I lost this!¡± He pulled up his leg over the railing of the cart, however instead of a knee and foot there was only a large pegg. ¡°Yah, this is what happns t warriors ho com back broken. We become nothin, forgotten¡±


    He burped and smashed his fist into the wood of the cart. ¡°You kids are lucky, born after the war.¡± He mumbled before going back to slowly managing the road.


    It took several hours and several miles of travel before the old man began to speak again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your teacher, he was a great man¡± The old man had sobered up and calmed down.


    ¡°I know, he was O¡¯jghar, you should know of him if you were a soldier!¡± Aias was proud of his teacher, but he felt detest for these scum if they would praise him after killing him in such a cowardly way.


    ¡°Of course I know who he is, we all do. One of our men saw him while at the in by the farmlands. We barely managed to catch up to you! Although we didn¡¯t think he would be as strong as he was¡± The old man sighed, ¡°To think he could take on Morgor in a dual, amazing!¡± By the tone in his voice Aias could tell he was sincere.


    But why, ¡°Why is that amazing! O¡¯jghar was a hero on the battlefield, a great warrior, of course he would win against a lowly thug.¡± Aias snapped at the old man. The old man again spit in the seat next to him, ¡°Pah! Little shit don¡¯t know shit! A great man he was, NOT a great warrior. If it was Georgio ¡®earthbreaker¡¯, or Meleth ¡®the black flame¡¯ we wouldn¡¯t even had considered trying to attack, those are real great warriors. O¡¯jghar was definitely a hero in that battle, but not by his fighting strength, it was because of his large scale formations that held back the enemy forces. That was what made him into a hero. That¡¯s also why we haven¡¯t touched you, if that formation you are tied to would go off, then who knows, maybe a hole will be created in the landscape.¡± He scoffed and swore under his breath, ¡°He was never known for being a great fighter, but he sure showed us!¡±


    As the old man started to sit back and relax he seemed to recall, ¡°Ah! You called our boss a lowly thug, didn¡¯t you! Little shit, you really don¡¯t know a damn thing about a damn thing, what do they teach you at that orphanage? Morgor is the eight strongest man in the whole Bittens bone, you think the biggest and most powerful bandit band would be weak? We have fought against the army damnit! Knights, lords, generals, you name it! Sure he would be nothing compared to Georgio, but who could fight that monster!¡± The old man went on a tangent on how little Aias knew, and of how ¡®bullshit¡¯ both Georgio¡¯s and Meleth¡¯s strength were.


    Aias was forced to sit there and listen until he felt like his ears would fall off, it was only interrupted when the bandit in the cart next to them screamed, ¡°Leif, for FUCK sake could ya shut the fuck up! I still have a headache from last night and you ain''t making it better!¡± the old one legged man was apparently called Leif, Aias noted. Leif hearing this responded quickly, ¡°No you shut up, this dumb kid don¡¯t know shit, he¡¯s underestimating our strength!¡±


    An argument between waggons had arose, well maybe not an argument, more like a contest of who could curse the most and loudest. There were so many words that Aias had never heard, or even knew could be used in a demeaning way. However it ended with Aias hearing something he wish he hadn¡¯t, ¡°What does it matter what the dumb cunt knows, he¡¯s gonna be sold to sum old filthy man in the end anyway!¡± the bandit in the other cart said in defeat. Aias could fully understand what that meant, the world definitely had some fucked up people who would prefer the ¡®young¡¯. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Aias was stuck in this situation, there was nothing he could do. Feeling his body he could tell that there was no way he was sneaking away from them in the dead of night without getting caught a few hours later. Aias didn¡¯t know what his future would entail but he had to persevere, he still had things he wanted to do.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    They had traveled far to the east during the day and were now stopping in a small grove filled with large boulders. The many bandits got together to discuss how they would set up camp, this gave Aias the chance to recount them. Forty six, Aias hadn¡¯t been sure how many there were while they were attacked but he was sure they had lost at least ten to Varja. Aias remembering his beloved snake began to silently weep, he was now alone so he didn¡¯t have to keep up a facade. Tears streamed down his face, he sat there crying for about an hour until the bandits came to set up where his cart was going to be.


    Time passed, Aias observed the bandits building a pyre in the middle of the camp. Large tents had been set up to the sides, sleeping bags had been placed around the fire. Most of the men had already gone to sleep when the sun went down, but others sat up until late in the night. Every now and then they would switch guard duty, guards had been placed on top of the large boulders, to keep a lookout for any possible patrol.


    Aias remained awake through the night, both focusing on what was happening around the camp and training his body. He didn¡¯t dare try using his energy, as he had no idea what the formation he was attached to could do. There wasn¡¯t much Aias could do for training however he did what he could. Aias easily grew exhausted from the training however simply stopped, rested, and began again.


    When daylight came he stopped and went to sleep instead, he didn¡¯t want to speak to the bandit group so he wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡­¡­..


    Several days had passed, Aias had stuck to trying to sleep through the day, it had somewhat worked, there were times he had been forced to converse with Leif or look at the provocative nasty taunts of the other bandits.


    It was in the middle of the night and Aias was resting after some of his training, then it started, the ground began to shake, sounds of thunder came closer and closer to the camp. All the sleeping bandits quickly got up, curses were heard, ¡°Shit is that Georgio!¡±, ¡°Dear god where all dead!¡±, ¡°W-We have to get out of here!¡± Confused screaming throughout the camp until suddenly the shaking, and sounds stopped. Everyone started to slowly settle down however none let down their guard.


    They stood around the fire with weapons drawn looking out into the darkness. There was no moon in the sky that night, the complete darkness of the forest surrounding them had never felt so terrifying.


    ¡°HYIIIII!!¡± a scream came from one side of the fire. Aias looked into the darkness where he also saw it. Two large eyes reflecting the light of the pyre, slowly they approached. When finally within the range of the fire''s light what was first shown was a large weapon. A stone club that appeared to be larger than a person. The wielder of the massive weapon slowly walked out from between the trees. The body of that person was massive, far larger than any Aias had seen. Muscles the size of tree trunks, a bulky mass of muscle unlike any other. Not wearing any armor, only skin, and a loin cloth around the waist. This wasn¡¯t Georgio, as given away by the lack of stomach. But what gave it away the most was the skin color, green.


    As the giant man walked out into the light the many bandits roared at the incoming creature, ¡°What it¡¯s just an orc, and we were all scared. What are you doing here you dumb ape, got lost and wandered to our fire. HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Mocking laughter and jokes came from all the bandits. The fear that Georgio was coming had completely disappeared.


    However as the many bandits laughed and made jokes a large frown appeared on the orcs face, ¡°Truly no honor in this land!¡± The large orc sighed to himself. It surprised the crowd of bandits, they had clearly believed it wouldn¡¯t be able to understand their language. As one of the bandits was going to say something to the large orc he jumped forward. The distance was cleared in a moment, the bandit¡¯s sword was already by the large orcs knee in the time it took for Aias to blink. However then he was gone! Everyone looking blinked several times in surprise, where was he, where did he go! They all looked towards the orc and slowly noticed the blood splattered along the ground, and its giant club. Then a crash was heard. A tree to the side of the camp fell over, looking at it they saw the cause. The bandit¡¯s body had crashed into it at an incredibly high speed. It was a gory scene, mangled or severed limbs, a distorted mess.


    One massive gulp was heard from the bandits in unison. Then the darkness lit up. Behind the orc another man appeared, a man much smaller, a human. He wore long dark robes and held a ball of energy. Aias sensed immense power from the orb, it felt similar to the walls of Svordie, ancient. Aias eyes became used to the sudden light and could clearly see the man, it was the madman he got the locket from, the madman he met a few days before.


    The old man cleared his throat, ¡°Dear gentlemen, you are in possession of something we need. And unfortunately you will have to die as we take it.¡± With the end of his short announcement the orc roared and charged.


    All the bandits came together to defend against its charge, the giant stone club came down in a swing. Ten bandits together brought up their shields to defend against the massive club. They all propped each other up, their strength combined however wasn¡¯t enough, the club touched the shields on the top and pushed down, squashed them to the ground. Seeing the massive difference in power all the other bandits who were about to surround the orc stopped. They could tell in a moment, there was no way they could win this. As they turned to flee the old man fired beams of light from his orb, annihilating any who turned their backs and ran.


    In a span of five seconds twenty men had died. Five seconds later another fifteen, the orc was about to bring down his weapon to kill another five who were cowering together when a clear voice came through all the screaming, ¡°Stop!¡± The stone club was resting at the top of of one of the bandit''s head. All the fleeing bandits stopped in their tracks when they heard it. The old man also paused his firing of beams.


    Slowly through the small camp a child walked over the dead bodies of bandits heading towards the orc. The child¡¯s body trembled and shook with every step it took, after what felt like an eternity to the onlooking bandits he had made it to the group the orc was about to kill. ¡°Well, do you want to save them, is that it?¡± The large orc smiled towards the child and his efforts to make it there.


    Aias looked deep into the eyes of one of the men in the group, ¡°No, this one is mine!¡± Aias pulled out a knife from the man''s belt. Everyone was paralyzed in fear, the bandits, the orc, the old man. An aura of unquestionable might was exuding from Aias. His blade was resting at the bandit¡¯s throat. ¡°You killed my teacher. You are mine!¡± The blade slowly pushed into his throat. Aias pulled at the collar of his shirt to prop the bandit up, they maintained eye contact as he slowly bled out. The paralyzing fear in the bandit was slowly replaced with frantic fear and pain. His life was ending. His fingers clawed at Aias face, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to push Aias away. Only a small cut was left on Aias cheek from his unkempt nails.


    Aias watched the life slowly drain from his eyes, when all light was gone Aias started feeling the weight of that one life. His heart felt as if it was being grabbed and squeezed. He felt as if a hand was clutched around his throat, he could barely breath. His skin started itching all over, as if bugs crawled beneath it. Every sense in his body was acting up, he started seeing double, everything was twisting and turning, nauseous. He barely managed to stand and was about to fall, however he had had enough of himself. He was done with being weak. Aias stomped a foot in the ground and punched his stomach. The nausea and pain disappeared. The indomitable aura he had given off had disappeared after killing the bandit and experiencing the weight of taking a life.


    During that moment most had gotten their bearings together. But then a far more powerful aura appeared. Aias had given of the aura of a tyrant who couldn¡¯t be reasoned with, now he seemed more like a man, a man with great power. Quickly all the remaining bandits started trying to flee, however the orc and old man wouldn¡¯t allow it. And in only twenty seconds were the remainder of the bandits taken care of.

 Chapter 24: New Companions

    Aias breathed out, then in. Closing and opening his eyes to take in the view around him. The bloodied horrid bodies surrounding him made his heart tighten once again. His eyes subconsciously glanced towards the still bleeding bandit who he himself had taken the life of, he staggered. Aias heart began racing again, killing wasn¡¯t something easy. In the moment, sure, he hadn¡¯t felt any hesitation or fear. And now there weren¡¯t any regret however he was left with a sense of disgust for himself. As if he had been dirtied.


    However Aias didn¡¯t want to be weak, not now, not anymore. He once again steeled his heart and soul, he wasn¡¯t about to puke, cry, or faint from this. As he stood there calming himself the old man who had first given him the special pendant came walking towards him. ¡°Boy, I¡¯m glad to see you!¡± The old man reached out his arm and patted Aias shoulder.


    Aias looked into the old man¡¯s eyes again, the first time they met they had been a storm of madness but now no matter how deep Aias looked he could only see serenity and happiness. It reminded him of looking into his teacher''s eyes, those large green knowing eyes that he had gotten so used to seeing every day. Now gone, he had to calm his heart again to make sure he didn¡¯t begin crying.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Aias had to say something as his heart wasn¡¯t settling down. ¡°Weren¡¯t you hiding from Orion¡¯s men?¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what to ask and said something he thought would be a normal question, however the look he got from the onlooking orc told him his question was strange.


    The old man also started looking somewhat uncomfortable ¡°Ah, um yeah, ha ha.¡± He laughed uncomfortably before answering, ¡°You see son, I work for Orion¡± Aias gave him an odd look back now, he had clearly been trying to keep the pendant from Orion''s men the first time they met.


    The old man understood the look he gave him and continued, ¡°Well you see, there are enemies after Orion who use his name to try and get those who may know something about master¡¯s whereabouts to spill their secrets. And there are others who will use his name to try and steal things using his impressive, well known name. As I knew they weren¡¯t actual followers of Orion I knew not to give them the pendant.¡±


    Aias began understanding the meaning behind Orion as an organisation and the amount of enemies it had. But he remained with questions, ¡°So why did you give me the pendant?¡± Aias first and foremost wanted to know. The old man scratched his small scruffy beard and gave a short answer, ¡°Well, you looked trustworthy, I didn¡¯t think you would give it away, and you were a part of that orphanage. If someone tried to attack the orphanage to get to you they wouldn¡¯t make it far.¡±


    Aias could understand his reasoning, there was the headmaster, who could immobilise an entire army using heavenly crystal. Then his teacher who could use large scale formations to hold back the enemy. Also uncle Laue who was another war hero. And then there would also be the many caretakers who all have extensive experience as warriors, mercenaries, or adventurers. Who would want to attack a place like that. Even if they did succeed, the orphanage is sits right between Canastota where lord Meleth resides, and Svordie castle that Georgio guards.


    However there was one other question that came up with him giving away the pendant, ¡°Why did you give the pendant away in the first place? Orion wants it right, what if I didn¡¯t want to give it to him, and I stayed in the orphanage so he would have to fight to get it?¡±


    The old man looked deep into Aias eyes, then smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that I thought you looked trustworthy, I believed you wouldn¡¯t keep it for yourself if the rightful owner came to claim it. As for why I gave it away and didn¡¯t continue protecting it myself.¡± He gave a small pause and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s simple, I was tired. I had for the last ten years been on the run, protecting that small pendant from those who would try to take it. My many treasures had been used up in fights against those who wish to harm my master. I needed time to contact him properly while they weren¡¯t searching for me. You gave me that, it took almost four years but now my master has come for me, and the pendant.¡± He looked to the onlooking orc and gave him a large smile.


    ¡°W-Wait, that¡¯s Orion?¡± Aias questioned in disbelief. The old man looked to Aias and affirmed that he was serious, then fell over laughing. The orc got a sour look on his face and turned away. After a moment of intense laughter, that Aias believed may have been the first the old man had had in over fourteen years, he finally stood up again and wiped away the tears left from laughing.


    ¡°Ah, that was quite something. No he is Braum, he was sent here by Orion to fetch me. Oh I don¡¯t believe I have introduced myself, I am Lyopold Borderick, but you may call me Leo!¡± He then bowed deep to the point his head was at knee level.


    Aias was surprised at how agile the old man was for his age, however he quickly snapped out of his surprise to introduce himself, ¡°My name is Aias Geno, you may call me as you¡¯d please!¡±  As he couldn¡¯t bow deeply like Leo he instead placed a hand above his heart and nodded once with his head. This was a sign he had heard nobles used towards those they placed as equals. Aias had a hard time seeing himself as an equal to Leo or Braum however didn¡¯t know any other appropriate gesture he could use with his current body.


    Leo smiled at the gesture, he then began to study Aias intently. After a short minute he resumed speaking, ¡°I sense part of a very powerful formation placed on you, was that your teachers defence towards the bandits?¡± Leo asked rhetorically. ¡°Let us go to the full formation, let me take a look at it.¡±


    As they walked towards the original cart Aias had laid in he spotted a familiar face, Leif¡¯s body, smashed underneath a crushed shield. Aias emotions had gotten numb from before and he couldn¡¯t feel to sad, he had enjoyed that old man¡¯s banter but he couldn¡¯t mourn him. He was a bandit.


    Leo got to the cart first as Aias was still limping forward to walk. As he placed his hand on the cart he quickly withdrew it again. ¡°To think he had this kind of ability.¡± Leo gasped. It peaked Aias interest, he most likely understood something, ¡°Do you know what it does?¡± Aias asked with high expectations. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Leo looked to Aias with large eyes in an almost crazy stare, ¡°Your teacher created a soul connection to you with this formation!¡± But Aias had no idea what that was. Braum however seemed to as he screamed from behind Aias, ¡°WHAT?! How can someone who can create soul connections exist out here?¡± Immediately Leo responded by describing what he knew of O¡¯jghar to Braum. Aias obviously listened in, he learned of even more battles that his teacher had been through with uncle Laue.


    Finally when the story of O¡¯jghar was complete could Aias ask what a soul connection is and why it¡¯s so important. The two men didn¡¯t look surprised that he didn¡¯t know and so Leo began explaining, ¡°A soul connection is quite literally a connection with the soul, this lets the formation or whatever it is connected to use a person''s soul as energy to power up. I don¡¯t think you know this but the soul is literally the most powerful source of energy in any, and I mean ANY body. I don¡¯t entirely know what this formation does however with the amount of energy it has supplying it, who knows, maybe it could make you into a god, even if for just a second!¡± Leo put a lot of emphasis on the power of the formation and of what the soul could do.


    Leo then paused and looked at the formation again before speaking, ¡°There are many risks in soul formations, I don¡¯t know if this formation is fully functioning. If it isn¡¯t properly made we don¡¯t know what could happen once i sever you from it, or if I deactivate it in the wrong way. We will have to bring you along to Orion, there Shaisha will take care of this, she is far better with formations than almost any other.¡± Leo gave Aias a reassuring smile to make the possible danger seem less likely to happen.


    ¡­¡­..


    After a while of looking around Braum and Leo had gotten a few things together that seemed of worth, and so they were off. They continued traveling on the same cart Aias had been on the whole trip. This time he had two new interesting companions, after less than an hour of traveling Braum began to speak up to join Aias and Leo¡¯s conversations.


    Through the trip the two men seemed to have a contest over who could tell the most extravagant story, to Aias the epic adventures they told was everything he had ever dreamed of doing himself. Sadly they were all poorly told, the men were clearly no bards.


    In the end the most intriguing story was from Braum: ¡°This was almost forty years ago, back when I was a young lad. I had just gotten a new axe from my father, so I went to test it out in a cave by our village. I cut through probably sixty or so wolves that resided through the long cave system.


    But then the strangest thing happened, I had just been pounced on by one of the larger wolves. My back was pushed to the wall of the cave but instead of stopping there, the wall crumbled. I fell through the broken wall into a wide deep chasm. At the time I believed I would die, but then when I hit the ground there was a far too soft feeling. After lighting a torch I discovered I had landed on probably a hundred mushrooms growing on top of eachother. I was truly lucky, if I had landed only about a meter or so to my right my head would be cracked like an egg.


    Then as I walked further into the depth of the abyss I was in, there was a large structure. Living in a village I had never seen such structures before. Large fine marble decorated with gold everywhere, I could sense the enchantments running through the place. I was terrified of what going into the structure would do, however I didn¡¯t know any way out of the chasm other than climbing, and I didn¡¯t even know where the hole I had fell from was.


    I opened the door and immediately traps began springing. First fireballs hurtling towards my face, then ice, lightning, metal, and all kinds of weird energies I had never felt before. I had to use all my strength just to take a single step through that hell. Finally after about a hundred steps of constant fighting I fell through another door. This time I was in an open room with a single jar in the middle. I was left speechless, the energy I felt from that jar was unlike any I believed possible. It was clearly demonic, however greater than any demon I had ever felt before, or even any I could have imagined.


    I walked to the small altar it had been placed on to feel the energy closer. And I tell you what, I have never been as afraid as I was that day! When I felt the energy up close I also noticed that there was nothing holding it inside the jar, it simply decided to remain in the jar of its own accord. I was about to leave when whatever was in the jar spoke up. It asked me if I was planning to leave empty handed. I had never been so confused before, the very thought that there could be something to gain from that place didn¡¯t cross my mind after seeing the jar.


    I turned back around to look at the jar, it looked the same as before, I sensed its energy again, it was as terrifying as before. I knew this could be an opportunity so I risked it and walked back to the altar and asked what it meant.


    It explained to me that it needed a body, not my own body but a diamond body from one of the Crystalline race. If I or any other could bring it such a body then it would give them a treasure worth more than any country could provide. I didn¡¯t know what the Crystalline race was at the time but was in no position to raise my voice. Just the pressure from standing by the altar and gazing upon the jar was enough to paralyze me in fear. I agreed to find what it wanted. The moment I had made the agreement I began feeling dazed, quickly my body began to give way to a powerful slumber. When I finally woke up again I was in the outskirts of my village. To this day I still haven¡¯t found a Crystalline body, not to mention one of diamond.¡±


    Aias had wanted to ask about several points of the story but had been cut of by Leo beginning to tell one of his own tails. And at the end of that story he had already forgotten what he was planning to ask Braum.


    After they had traveled for another two days did they come upon a large mountain. According to Braum the castle was hidden at the top of the mountain. Aias expected that they would need to climb to the high peak however then Braum pulled out a small brass bell. Though he looked to be ringing the bell there was no sound, Aias expected it to be magic and waited.


    After about ten minutes of waiting a bird came flying down from the peak. The bird appeared normal when far away however as it got closer its size became more apparent. It was a raven, it began landing in front of the cart, the horses carrying it became scared and was about to escape, so Braum cut them loose. The wind of the raven¡¯s wings caused the tree¡¯s to shake and the dust on the ground to fly away.


    It landed in front of the cart, Aias eyes widened. It stood so tall, looking down on them. It was easily the size of a large house, and it¡¯s wingspan four times that. It reached its large beak down to Braum, who pet it. ¡°Aias, this is Noz she is lord Orion¡¯s personal pet. Would you like to pet her?¡± Braum smiled and asked.


    Aias reached his hand forward and placed his palm on the large beak, easily the size of himself. The large beast¡¯s eyes looked deep into his own. They stayed like that for a minute then the raven lifted its wings, grasped the cart in one claw and began flying up to the peak.


    The ride was quick to the top, the raven¡¯s speed was above any animal he had ever seen before. However once over the clouds and above the mountain there was nothing at the top, only the tip of a mountain. The raven slowly descended down towards the small plateau that made up the mountain''s top, and as Aias got closer and closer he felt something was strange. Finally he began feeling it, there was a barrier placed around the mountain''s top, and they were about to hit it. Aias braced himself for impact but when he opened his eyes what he saw in front of himself was a gigantic castle. It¡¯s size was similar to the inner castle of Svordie. However this was far grander, walls that looked to be made out of marble, however were far too clean in color to be so. Gold that outlined any crevice between walls or corners. Large statues that looked as grand as the statutes described to be in holy places.


    Aias felt as if he was going to faint from the glamorous, glorious, palace he had suddenly walked into, however he held on. He wanted to see everything that was there to be seen.