ã€ŠThe Emotionless Soldier&#x27;s Reincarnationã€‹


 Chapter 1: The emotionless soldier

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 Chapter 2: New life

    A woman was looking down on me with a smile that gave me a strange, unfamiliar feeling I couldn¡¯t explain. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and she looked like she was in her 30''s.

    What¡¯s happening? Didn¡¯t I just die? Where am I¡ªand who is this woman? I tried to push myself up, suddenly aware I was lying down. But no matter how hard I tried, my body refused to respond.

    I tried to move my hand, but only my fingers twitched faintly. Am I paralyzed? No¡ªthis wasn¡¯t paralysis. I died... or did I? Could someone have saved me?

    The woman, still smiling, said something in a language I couldn¡¯t understand. Her gaze shifted to the left as if she was talking with someone, and I, with great effort, managed to turn my head in the same direction.

    Turning my head felt like the hardest thing I¡¯d ever done, but I managed it. A man was there, smiling at me. He had grey eyes and black hair. He, too, appeared to be in his thirties.

    What is going on? I had died, hadn¡¯t I? None of this made sense. The words they were saying were just noise to me, incomprehensible sounds. Worse still, I could barely control my body¡ªit felt like moving through thick mud. Despite it all, these two seemed happy, maybe even a couple given their similar age.

    As I pondered about this, I heard a loud creak. Forcing my head to turn again, I saw a small girl, perhaps four or five years old, entering the room.

    The girl spoke to the couple, who smiled warmly at her. The woman gently lifted the child onto her lap.

    Suddenly, everything around me became unbearably loud. I felt something warm sliding down my cheeks¡ªtears.

    Huh? I was crying, why?

    This was followed by a powerful headache-Then everything blacked out again.

    -------------------

    Weeks passed after this confusing scenario but I understood what was going on. I had been reincarnated. From what I remembered of the fantasy novels I''d read to my kids, reincarnation meant dying and being reborn into a new life, often in some fantasy world. It sounded absurd, but here I was, living it.

    Over the weeks, I learned more about the people who had first appeared before me. They were my family¡ªmy mother, Lora Ashford, my father, Gale Ashford, and my older sister, Elara. I had been named Kael Ashford and I had been showered with love these past weeks, especially by my mother and sister. Every time they smiled at me, I would feel an unexplainable warmth in my heart. Maybe this was what was called happiness?The foreign language they spoke began to make sense over time, as if my mind was gradually absorbing it. Though I couldn''t speak yet, I could understand much of what they said.

    My mother and sister rarely left my side, constantly doting on me, telling me how cute I was and how I''d grow up to be strong. My father, when he returned from work, was just as affectionate. My father, I soon learned, was a mage. A mage was someone who could use magic. Not the kind of magician you¡¯d see in a stage show back on Earth¡ªhe wielded real magic, controlling elements like water, fire, and even healing injuries. There were many kinds of magic, some unique to certain races and clans, but my father¡¯s magic was tied to nature and healing. He often used his magic to help the village farmers by watering their crops, but he also took on other jobs suited to a mage. Adventuring, he called it¡ªguilds would assign tasks like guarding important people or hunting dangerous creatures.Since adventuring sometimes required travel, my father preferred to stay close to home for our sake. He mostly hunted monsters and animals around the village¡ªthese creatures were the primary source of meat for villagers.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Happiness was the first real emotion I¡¯d felt in this new life. The only other time I¡¯d felt something so powerful was when I died. That moment had somehow unlocked a floodgate of emotions, but I needed more experiences to trigger them.

    Although it was weird that my parents were younger than me, I didn''t mind it. I actually was happy that I had parents who cared for me because I didn''t have that kind of care and love I had right now in my past life. Surprisingly, it was easy to accept this new life, and the love that came with it.

    My sister Elara had learned basic magic from dad and would sometimes show me the spells that she learned.

    For a person to conjure a spell they need two things, mana and the incantation. Although it was rare, some people didn''t have mana and unfortunately, I didn''t have mana. Those without mana, however, often developed abilities around the age of three to five that would be checked by a doctor with a defining ability. There were some unlucky souls who had neither, but I hoped I wouldn¡¯t be one of them.

    I was actually excited to practice magic but when I heard my father say that, he couldn''t feel mana in me and I wouldn''t be able to use magic, I was a little sad but I was also happy because I could experience these two emotions after all I had made a goal to experience emotions to the fullest but that may be a bad idea. But I was still excited for what kind of ability I would get.

    www

    Half a year had passed, and yesterday I finally managed to crawl for the first time. The frustration of not being able to move my body as I wanted was unbearable at times. I¡¯d spent months trapped, my limbs sluggish and uncooperative. But now, at least, I had a little control over my body, though not enough to be fully free. I still couldn¡¯t control my basic bodily functions, which was another strange frustration. Imagine being a grown mind in a body that can¡¯t even handle something as simple as bladder control.

    Today is Elara¡¯s birthday, and my mother was planning a small birthday party for her, and now she was going out to the shop to get the last few things. I had never left the house before, so she decided to take me with her, putting me on her back and securing me with a scarf. The thought of getting outside thrilled me¡ªI¡¯d finally get to see more of this new world.

    We lived in a village called Rivenwood. From what I had overheard, it was a small, peaceful place tucked away near a quiet river. As soon as we stepped outside, I was struck by the clean, fresh air. The scent of the air felt so much more alive than the polluted air of the world I had left behind. The houses were simple, made of wood and stone, giving the village a rustic, timeless feel. It reminded me of the countryside villages from my old world, where people lived freely unburdened by the hustle of city life.

    As my mother carried me through the village, I took in everything around me. Children played games and merchants called out, trying to sell their goods to passing villagers. Farmers were hard at work in their fields, their hands stained with soil as they tended to their crops. It was simple and I could sense the peaceful life style here.

    My father was among the villagers, performing one of his spells. He stood near the crops, his hands raised as a soft rain fell in a specific area, watering the plants. It wasn¡¯t a downpour, just a light drizzle, controlled perfectly by his magic. As soon as he saw us, his face lit up with a smile, and he waved enthusiastically. I still found it fascinating how seamlessly people here used magic for everyday tasks. Back on Earth, magic was just a fantasy¡ªa trick. But here, it was part of life, and my father wielded it with ease. Other villagers waved at us too, calling out friendly greetings to my mother.

    Eventually, we reached the marketplace. My mother began picking out items for the party¡ªfruits, vegetables, bread, and even some sweets for Elara¡¯s birthday. I watched as she interacted with the vendors, always with a warm smile on her face. Everyone seemed to adore her, and it wasn¡¯t hard to see why. Her presence brought light and warmth wherever she went. It was in these moments that I truly understood how emotions had the power to connect people. The way my mother¡¯s smile brightened the faces of those around her showed me just how much joy a simple gesture could bring.

    As I observed the marketplace, something else caught my attention. Groups of people walked by, carrying weapons on their backs as if it was normal. They looked rugged, confident, and ready for battle. I guessed they were adventurers, the same as my father but they were different, they surely weren''t mages. Something about the lifestyle of adventurers intrigued me, and for the first time, I felt a spark of ambition. I wanted to be like them and the idea of becoming an adventurer took root in my mind.

    As my mother continued shopping, I noticed something else. The monetary exchange of this world. I thought people would trade object but villagers used three types: copper, silver, and gold. Gold was the most valuable, and from what I gathered, just one gold coin could sustain a family like ours for weeks. The system''s of this world wasn''t that complex but it was fun learning them.

    With the shopping finished, my mother and I began the journey back home. I couldn¡¯t help but feel excited for the future. I had a loving family, a safe home, and an entire world to discover. It was a strange feeling¡ªcontentment. But it was also something I wanted to hold on to. For the first time in either of my lives, I felt like I belonged.

    That evening, we celebrated Elara¡¯s birthday. The house was filled with laughter, the rich scent of delicious food, and the warmth of family. I watched as Elara opened her presents, her eyes wide with excitement. My father even performed a small magic show for us, he made different small earth statues and with some fire and water magic performed a small magic trick. It left everyone in awe, even me, though I was beginning to understand how magic worked.

    As the night came to a close, I lay in my crib, staring at the ceiling. This new life, this new world¡ªit was a gift. I didn¡¯t know what the future held, but I was determined to embrace every part of it. From learning about my family and magic to understanding emotions and connections, I felt like I was starting over in the best possible way. And I was ready for whatever came next.

    CHAPTER END

 Chapter 3: Ability

    </a>CHAPTER 3: Ability

    Three years passed in a flash with small but meaningful things happening. The first time I truly felt a sense of belonging was on my first birthday¡ªa simple celebration, but it filled me with warmth. It showed me that this family had accepted me and it gave me a big sense of belonging.

    Learning to read and write in this world¡¯s language was another milestone. At first, the symbols and grammar felt foreign, but with time¡ªand a little help from my parents¡ªI began to grasp it. Every new word felt like a small victory, a step closer to fully understanding this new life.

    Now, at three years old, I found myself eagerly counting the days until my ability appeared. Every child awakened their ability between the ages of three and five, and the waiting was excruciating. It wasn''t exactly known when an ability would appear but when it was near there would be some symptoms that would appear and recently, I had begun feeling the telltale symptoms¡ªwaves of fatigue, a lingering heat in my body, and bouts of nausea. It was a strange, uncomfortable sensation. It felt like the worst kind of cold and stomach bug rolled into one, but I knew it meant my ability was on its way.

    In my free time, I had taken to reading the old books scattered around the house, hungry for knowledge about this world. The more I read, the more fascinating¡ªand dangerous¡ªthis world seemed. One particular history caught my attention...

    This world was once unified. It was a place that every race used to live in together but, approximately 2000 years ago a fight happened between the 10 strongest fighter in the world, they were called ¡®THE 10 JADES¡®. They had divided into two groups of five each and the it is said that the battle was even until, one of the jades became neutral. No one knows why they fought, but the battle was so fierce that it split the world into six continents...

    The world was now split into six vast continents. The Human Continent, with its sprawling cities and kingdoms- located south, was a place of constant political maneuvering. The Elves inhabited their own lush forests on the Elf Continent which was to the east, while the Dwarves crafted their homes deep within the mountain ranges of the Dwarf Continent which was above the Elf continent. The Demon Continent, wild and untamed, was ruled by scattered demon clans and it was located to the west. Above them all was the Sky Continent, home to the dragon folk who soared through the clouds. And at the center of it all was the Central Continent, a neutral ground where all races could gather.

    The Sky Continent floated above the others, home to true dragons and humanoid dragons which were called dragon folk, winged beings that ruled the skies.

    The Central Continent, situated at the heart of the world, was a neutral territory where no single race held dominance. It was the crossroads of trade, diplomacy, and adventure, where anyone could enter without needing permission¡ªmaking it a melting pot of cultures and intrigue.

    While it was possible to visit other continents with special permission, most chose not to, fearing the prejudice they might face. They also preferred to live on their own continents for the same reason. Humans, elves, and dwarves shared enough similarities to avoid much of this, but the Central Continent remained the preferred meeting ground for all. As for me, the thought of seeing every continent stirred something deep inside me. The urge to explore, to uncover the secrets of this vast world, was overwhelming. Perhaps it was a passion carried over from my previous life¡ªa desire for adventure that I couldn¡¯t ignore.

    Each continent, except the Central Continent, was governed by its own rulers. On the Human, Elf, and Dwarf continents, kings and queens maintained order through established monarchies. The Demon Continent, however, was ruled by scattered demon kings¡ªpowerful, but few in number. In contrast, the Sky Continent had no permanent ruler. There, the strongest warrior claimed leadership, but power shifted often, as new challengers constantly rose to the throne.

    And that was the gist of it.

    After days of feeling drained and feverish, the symptoms finally subsided, and with them, the hope that my ability had awakened. My parents noticed the change too and wasted no time¡ªthey took me to a local doctor, one said to have the power to recognize abilities. The doctor we visited was no ordinary physician. He was an elf with a unique ability of his own¡ª¡®Recognition.¡¯ A former adventurer, he''d traveled through the Central Continent and seen countless abilities during his journeys, lending him a wealth of experience. My parents seemed to be good friends with this doctor. Maybe he was also the one who delivered me?The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Sitting in the doctor¡¯s office, my parents and I waited in tense silence. The doctor examined me carefully, his eyes narrowing in concentration. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "I¡¯ve identified Kael''s ability," he said, his tone thoughtful, "but before I explain, I need a quick test to confirm my findings first."

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± asked my father with a little worried but he relaxed fast. Probably a sign they were good friends.

    "It¡¯s nothing serious, just a quick test," the doctor reassured us. "I promise, there¡¯s nothing wrong with Kael." He led us outside to a small field nearby, where he used some earth magic to set up a stand of some kind and placed an apple on top. Handing me a rock, he said, "Now, Kael, aim for the apple and throw this with all your strength."

    I wasn¡¯t sure what the test was for, but I nodded, ready to find out. As I aimed at the apple, something strange happened. A glowing circular mark appeared on the fruit, like a target, its center perfectly aligned. Instinctively, I knew that¡¯s where I needed to throw the rock. The target wasn''t that far and I was sure I could hit it if I threw the rock with only little force. Drawing on memories of my past life, where I¡¯d honed my aim countless times, I steadied my hand. With a deep breath, I threw the rock with all my strength to the target, trusting my instincts.

    The rock shot through the air with a speed I expected, striking the apple dead center. It split cleanly into two perfect halves, the force of the impact sending pieces flying. My parents gasped in astonishment, while I stood frozen in awe of what I¡¯d just done. The doctor, however, only smiled, as though he¡¯d seen this outcome before.

    "Impressive, Kael. It seems you¡¯ve got an ability called ¡®Precision Sight.¡¯ Apologies for the sudden test, but I couldn¡¯t resist¡ªI''ve never come across an ability with a name like that in all my travels."

    He explained that his ability couldn¡¯t fully identify what ''Precision Sight'' could do¡ªjust the name. That¡¯s why he had to test it. His ability only identifies things that are already known in this world. He gave an example: if he came across a plant, his ability might only reveal its name, not whether it was poisonous. That usually meant the plant hadn¡¯t been discovered yet by the world. The same happened with my ability¡ªit gave him the name but no details, so he needed to test it out. He explained that if he had even a small clue about an ability, his power would fill most of the details automatically.

    "That¡¯s why I needed the test. Now, let''s move on to what I¡¯ve discovered so far. Now, as I mentioned, your ability, ''Precision Sight,'' is something entirely new to the world. I¡¯ve managed to uncover a few things about this ability, but it¡¯s not much. This is the first time I¡¯ve come across such limited information, so I¡¯ll tell you what I know. You¡¯ll have to discover the rest on your own.

    "One clear use of this ability is in combat. It would be particularly effective for an archer, though even as a swordsman, Kael could pinpoint his enemies'' weak spots with precision. It also has potential applications beyond combat. It can be useful in any situation where accuracy and focus are needed. With training, Kael could develop this ability even further, perhaps to see things at great distances or even detect minute details others might miss." He spoke to my parents, assuming I wouldn¡¯t grasp the details. But I understood every word, and my mind was already racing with ideas about how to use this ability. It opened up so many possibilities. I didn¡¯t want to be an archer¡ªsupport roles weren¡¯t my thing in my previous life. I was always a frontline fighter, so naturally, I leaned toward becoming a swordsman. Still, learning archery could be useful too.

    My father took a moment to absorb everything before nodding. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure he gets the best training possible. Thank you, Doctor.¡±

    What did he mean by that? We couldn¡¯t afford ¡°the best¡± training. We weren¡¯t poor, but hiring a tutor would cost at least five silver coins a month. If we only had ten or so gold coins¡ªthat¡¯s about a hundred silver¡ªthen training for two years would wipe out our savings. Oh, right. I forgot they could probably earn that money back in a year or two. Maybe the lessons Ela gave me on math were paying off after all. Well, I¡¯d leave that to my parents.

    ------

    Back at home, the atmosphere was celebratory. My sister, Ela, was particularly excited about my ability after my parents briefed her about it. "Wow, Kael! You¡¯re going to be amazing! You¡¯ll be able to hit anything perfectly! Maybe you¡¯ll become a famous adventurer¡ªor even a knight!"

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her excitement. The idea of becoming an adventurer did sound appealing¡ªit had always been my dream in this life. But that would have to wait at least 10 or 15 years. For now, I wanted to understand my ability better¡ªand maybe get a deeper sense of myself along the way.

    Over the next few days, my father started teaching me more about the world and its history (even though I already knew most of it). Meanwhile, my mother left saying she would find me a teacher. It¡¯s been three days since she went.

    He also shared stories from his time as an adventurer, telling me that if I ever followed the same path, I should come to him for advice whenever I needed it.

    That evening, a carriage pulled up to our house. I was outside, practicing my aim by throwing rocks at birds (an old habit). I had hit three in a row with the help of my new found ability when I noticed the carriage.

    It''s door opened, out of it came my mother with one other person. I couldn''t make out if it was a man or a woman because they were wearing some kind of armor but it seemed the person was a knight who ever it was. I thought that this was probably who will be my teacher since that was why my mother had set out.

    "Hey, Kael! Mommy¡¯s back with your new teacher," she said, lifting me up in her arms. Right, I¡¯m still just a kid, aren¡¯t I? As she held me, she said, "Say hello to your new teacher¡ªmy sister, Bett Lucidea.She¡¯s a knight from the kingdom nearby and an excellent swordsman." As my mother spoke, the knight¡ªmy aunt¡ªremoved her helmet and gloves, smiling warmly at me. That gave me the same feeling I felt when my mother and Ela smiled at me.

    "Hello, Kael. I¡¯m your aunt Bett, and I¡¯ll be your new teacher," she said, her smile never wavering. She looked like she was in her twenties and resembled my mother closely , with the same hair and eye color, but she was a bit taller and had a stronger build.

    I responded the way I thought a normal kid would. ¡°Hello, Auntie. I¡¯m Kael Ashford.¡± As I said it, a strange feeling ran down my spine. I didn¡¯t realize until later that it was embarrassment.

    That night, my mother told my father she had brought Bett to be my tutor. He accepted it happily, as did my sister. And just like that, Aunt Bett became my teacher.

    CHAPTER END

 Chapter 4: Master

    </a>CHAPTER 4: Master

    BETT¡¯S POV

    ********************

    My name is Bett Lucidea, and I serve as a knight in the kingdom of Instasia. It¡¯s a small, obscure kingdom you likely wouldn¡¯t even find on a map.

    I was doing my duties as usual when my sister suddenly showed up.

    "Hey Bett" she said

    "Umm, hey? What are you doing here" I asked in confusion

    My sister smiled and said, "Well, Kael needs a teacher and I thought-who be better than you"

    "Kael?"

    "Oh, right," she added with a hint of sarcasm. "You only visited for a day and barely saw him sleeping, so of course you wouldn¡¯t know." Her tone suggested I should have stayed longer. She was clearly referring to her child¡¯s birth, which was nearly three years ago. "Well, Kael is my son," she continued, "and I need you to train him. Swordsmanship, archery¡ªwhatever works.

    "Wait, hold on¡ªyou just show up and expect me to leave with you? I need to get permission first."

    "Come on, you were a captain once here, weren''t you? I''m sure they would give you permission if you ask for it"

    She had a point. I may have resigned as captain, and despite my young age I¡¯m still one of the most respected knights in the kingdom, and getting permission wouldn¡¯t be hard.

    "Fine, but how long would I be training him?"

    "About four or five years, give or take," she answered casually.

    Sheesh, if I take this job, the pay will probably be low, but at least I¡¯d get to stay at their place, which is pretty nice.

    Well, because there wasn¡¯t any wars and things I needed to do, I accepted. Plus, I also wanted to see my nephew.

    Two days later¡ªone spent getting permission and preparing, and the other traveling¡ªwe arrived in Rivenwood, which thankfully wasn¡¯t far from the kingdom. As we approached my sister¡¯s house, I spotted a young boy tossing rocks in the yard. It had to be Kael. She had already told me about his ability¡ªPrecision Sight, a rare ability that let him pinpoint weak spots with remarkable accuracy. It was intriguing, to say the least, so I assumed he was honing his skills.

    Kael Ashford was a cute little kid, with his father¡¯s dark hair and his mother¡¯s bright blue eyes. That evening, I met the rest of the family, and we agreed to begin his combat training the next day. Ela wanted to join the training as well, though I thought she should focus more on learning magic from her father. Still, her curiosity about how people use magic in combat made me reconsider.

    The next morning, I prepared three wooden swords¡ªone for Kael, one for Ela, and one for myself. Kael¡¯s sword was short, suitable for his small frame, as he was only four years old.

    I planned to teach them the basics of swordsmanship for the first week. After that, I would train them separately. I would teach Kael some basics of combat and change to actual combat when he becomes five years old while I would teach Ela how to fight with magic and a sword. Although Kael was very little to learn actual combat, learning and developing an ability will help the person to be able to master it and use it to its full potential, or so the doctor said.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The first week flew by. We trained for three hours each day, and I was genuinely impressed with Kael''s progress. For a 4 year old he was a genius. Although his sister got hang of the basics before him, it was only a difference of some hours.

    By the fifth day, they had grasped the basics, so I gave them the rest of the week off to prepare for the next stage of training.

    -----------

    Today was the start of the second week of training day. My sister had taken Ela to the shop so I was gonna train Kael alone. First I though we should start by testing how his ability would work and how to utilize it. With Gale watching us, I asked him to craft a simple training dummy using earth magic. Then, we tested how many hits it would take for Kael to crack it. At my signal he started attacking the dummy. He was only attacking one place and after five hits the dummy cracked. Although Kael had already achieved the goal, I instructed him to keep attacking the dummy until it completely broke apart. He struck the same spot again, and after two hits, the dummy split cleanly in half.

    After that we sat down to discuss what happened and maybe understand more about his ability to help us for the training in the coming days.

    ¡°So, Kael, tell me what you saw and why you attacked that one spot only¡± I asked

    ¡°Well, when I thought about attacking the dummy, I saw three spots that I thought I should attack. Two of them were glowing yellow while the other one was glowing red. I thought I should attack the red one because it was different than the other two. I did and it broke¡±

    Ah, so that¡¯s why he attacked that one spot, I thought.

    With the information he gave me I thought of something. The three spots he saw were probably the weak points of the dummy. They glowed differently according to what an attack would do to them. We tried this with two other dummies and another color emerged: Green. With this, we deduced the meaning of each color.

    Red- The most critical point.

    Yellow¡ªalso critical, but would likely require twice as many hits as the red spots to cause the same damage.

    Green- Better than attacking blindly

    I told Kael about it and it seemed that he understood. With this new understanding, I concluded the day¡¯s training, feeling satisfied with our progress. Later, Ela and Lora returned, and the day ended uneventfully.

    KAEL¡¯S POV

    *************************

    It has been quite sometime since my aunt became my teacher. It''s been a full year of training, and my progress is finally showing. I had become able to use my ability in a flexible manner. I often have slight duels with my aunt and father, as she believed real combat experience would help me grow.

    I was also nearing the age of 5 which seemed to be a big deal in this world and so was the age of 10 and 15. Elara, too, was nearing her milestone age of ten. Today was my rest day, and my father asked me to join him at the farm. I wasn¡¯t sure why he wanted me to come along, but I followed him anyway.

    The farm was close to our house so we arrived rather quickly. When we arrived, we saw a group of people gathered around one part of the field. My father entered the small crowd, and I followed close behind. They seemed to be discussing something and my father interrupted by saying, ¡°Did it happen again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this is the eighth time this happened this week only¡± one of the farmers said.

    I didn¡¯t know what was going so I looked at the ground where everybody was looking at hoping to get some cluesOn the ground, I saw crops that looked as if something had sucked the life out of them. That gave me an idea why my father had brought me here. When I got my ability for the first time, the doctor had said that I could see details that others could miss so, maybe that was why my father had brought me here.

    ¡°Kael..¡± said my father and stopped, Yeah my guess was probably right.

    ¡°Sorry, but can you wait outside? I thought we¡¯d spend some time together, but it seems I need to deal with this first.¡±

    Huh? Didn¡¯t he bring me here to ask me to help him. Well guess I wasn¡¯t correct.

    Hmm?¡­.What the¡­ I was smiling, although it was faint I was smiling.

    It was the first time I felt he genuinely cared for me, not just using me for my abilities.

    But still¡­ I should help him, right?

    ¡°But dad, I can help.¡± I said. My father turned around with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Remember what the doctor said, I can see details that others could miss¡± I pressed, hoping to persuade him.

    My father put his hand on his chin and started thinking as if trying to remember. ¡°Hmm..Okay, but don¡¯t stress yourself okay¡± he said, kneeling to meet my gaze with worry etched on his features.

    Let¡¯s do this right the first time so we can have our bonding time, I thought, determination fueling me.

    I turned my attention to the plant, studying it closely, searching for any signs of what could have caused this. I examined the surrounding area for a while, and then something caught my eye near the plant. A weed. I pointed it out, and my father knelt to pull it from the earth.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?" he exclaimed with a surprised face "I have never seen a weed like this before!¡±

    It was a large weed, its roots tinged with a deep purple hue, unusual and striking, much like everything else in this world.

    ¡°It has mana flowing through it, seems like it is absorbing the mana and minerals from the soil, and it seems to be in an absurd rate seeing how much its grown¡± said my father in a worried voice.

    Hmmm?¡­. It seems like the soil in this world doesn¡¯t have only minerals but also some mana inside of it. That explains why the fruits and vegetables looked a bit different. It struck me how little I truly knew about this world.

    ¡°Alright, everyone, go and pull out every weed you find. We need to solve this problem, and fast. Don¡¯t let any slip by!¡± ordered my father and the farmers scattered.

    He turned around to me and said, ¡°Well thanks Kael, I¡¯m gonna help the farmers and we will have some time together later.¡± saying that he turned back around and went into the farm. I settled onto a nearby rock, watching him work amidst the sun-warmed fields, feeling a mix of pride and longing. I used to do some farm work to get cash as a soldier so it was oddly refreshing and familiar to see people do farm work. I actually wanted to join in but my body won''t probably be strong enough to pull out a lot of weeds.

    Overall, it had been a good day. I felt my father''s care for me and discovered one of my abilities¡¯ unique attributes¡ªthough part of me wondered if someone else would have found the weed eventually.

    CHAPTER END

 Chapter 5: 5th Birthday

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

 Chapter 6: Rumors

    Several weeks had passed since Ela and my aunt departed for Thaloria. In their absence, I focused entirely on mastering the forms and footwork of the four sword styles. Although I had memorized the movements over the past two years, putting them into practice was an entirely different challenge.

    The first style I wanted to learn was the water style, this was because I had experienced the power of the fire style first hand and I wanted to learn how to counter it. There was another reason as well: The water style was mainly composed of smooth footwork and I thought it would complement my ability well.

    My ability was designed for landing critical hits, but without a bow, long-range attacks weren¡¯t an option for me. That¡¯s why I aimed to combine the water style¡¯s fluid movements with two key aspects of my power: the precision for critical strikes and the ability to slow down incoming attacks in my vision, allowing me to dodge them. With these combined, I could deliver devastating counterattacks¡ªa dodge-and-strike technique that would give me an edge in close combat.

    Today, I asked my dad to help me train.

    ¡°Sorry Kael, I was summoned by the adventurer¡¯s guild, it seems like there is some kind of mission. It has been a long time since I was called to the guild, I really need the money, well I will help you some other day¡±

    He had been helping me train every day since Ela and Aunt Bett left, but it seemed he couldn¡¯t pass up this opportunity. He looked genuinely excited, and I couldn¡¯t blame him. Money had been tight for a while. Our household relies heavily on the money my dad earns from guild escort jobs. While the farm work brings in some income, a single guild mission pays ten times as much. It¡¯s been six months since the guild last called him, and nearly a year since he had an escort job.

    I waved goodbye to him since I understood the severity of the situation after all, I too had worked to get money for my family though our motives were completely different.

    With my father busy, I decided to put sword training on hold for now and head to the village instead. Since turning five, my parents had given me the freedom to visit the village and farm fields¡ªa privilege Ela never had. I wasn¡¯t sure why, but I guessed it was because my fighting skills, especially in self-defense, were stronger. At my age, Ela only knew a few basic spells, and being a girl, they probably thought she was more vulnerable to attacks.

    I left the house and began my stroll to the village. Passing the farm, I noticed familiar faces waving at me. I smiled and waved back.

    I passed by the house of the elf doctor who had once told me about my ability. I¡¯d heard he had just returned from a four-year journey to the elf continent. He left shortly after diagnosing me, but there hasn¡¯t been anyone with abilities since then, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Besides, any illnesses were handled by normal doctors.

    Sometime after passing the doctor¡¯s house, I arrived in the village. I carried the sword my aunt had given me, safely strapped to the hilt I¡¯d bought a little later after receiving the sword¡ªjust in case.

    When I arrived at the village, I decided to head toward the shops. I still had a few silver coins¡ªgiven to me by my father¡¯s colleagues on the farm. Three years ago, when their crops were dying, I had used my abilities to fix the problem, and it seemed they hadn¡¯t forgotten. On my fifth birthday, they¡¯d pooled together five silver coins for me, unsure of what else I¡¯d want as a gift. These were good people, always kind and grateful, and I like to help them in the farm, though they¡¯d often ask me not to work with them in the fields. I¡¯d give them the excuse that my master wanted me to train by helping them.

    As I started looking around, I couldn''t help but recall my first visit here. It was when I was a baby and when my mother took me out to get some things for Ela¡¯s fifth birthday. If I remember correctly this sword, the hilt and the fire resistant robe my parent¡¯s got me for my fifth birthday was all bought here. Today, though, my focus was different. I was searching for knowledge, hoping to find books about sword techniques that didn¡¯t rely on mana or the established styles I had already learned.

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    I went in to the shop but after skimming around a bit, I got out without buying anything. There were two reason¡¯s for that. The first was that I didn¡¯t find the book I was looking for while the second was that the book¡¯s in this shop were all one gold or more. I asked the shop keeper if there were any books less than half a gold( one gold is ten silver and one hundred copper) but he said that every book in the shop area was more than one gold and in some rare chances it would be one gold. He also told me that if I went to more civilized places than Rivenwood like the Bell kingdom, two months from here , the lowest priced book I would find would be two gold.

    I stepped into the shop, hopeful that I might find what I was looking for, but after browsing through the shelves for a while, my hopes faded. Not only was the book I sought nowhere to be found, but every title here was priced far beyond my means.

    ¡°Is there anything under half a gold?¡± I asked the shopkeeper, already guessing the answer.

    He shook his head. ¡°You won¡¯t find anything less than one gold around here. In more civilized places, like Bell Kingdom, books might start at two gold, if you''re lucky.¡± I left empty-handed, my dreams of learning new sword techniques temporarily dashed by the reality that there wasn''t much techniques without mana.

    After giving up on the books, I wandered through the other shops, casting glances at weapons and armor that glinted in the late afternoon light. Everything I looked at¡ªswords, shields, even simple armor¡ªwas well beyond my price range. I sighed, disappointed, until something caught my eye in the swordsman section of an armory: a pair of black leather gloves. They were designed for handling swords, the shopkeeper explained, and priced at just two silver coins. Not much, but useful. I thought of how they could help me grip my sword better during training and decided to buy them.

    I kept browsing the market for a while longer, but aside from food, nothing fit my budget. After buying the gloves, I was left with only three silver coins, and even the simplest items cost more than that. With nothing else in my reach, I returned home with just the gloves in my bag.

    As I made my way back from the village, something caught my attention¡ªa familiar figure rushing along the path ahead. It was the elf doctor, and he was carrying an enormous bag. It seemed like he was heading off again on another journey, which struck me as strange. He had only just returned a week ago, fresh from a four-year trip across the elf continent. Seeing him now, in such a rush, raised all sorts of questions. Why leave again so soon?

    I tried to wave or call out to him, but before I could even greet him, he took off running, his bag bouncing on his back. It was as if he didn¡¯t want to be seen or was in too much of a hurry to stop for anyone. Maybe he was late for a carriage or a meeting. I wasn¡¯t sure, but there was no mistaking the urgency in his steps.

    I watched him disappear down the road and shrugged it off. A few moments later, I passed by the farm. This was one of my favorite places to unwind. On quiet evenings like this, I liked to sit on a small hill near the edge of the fields and watch the sky. The sight of the vast horizon always brought me peace, as if the worries of the world faded into the clouds. There was still time before sunset, so I decided to sit for a while, soaking in the silence.

    After about thirty minutes of enjoying the calm breeze, I figured it was time to head home. The day had been long, and my mind was still buzzing with the things I¡¯d seen and heard. As I approached the house, I noticed something unusual. From a distance, I could hear voices. They weren¡¯t loud enough to make out clearly, but they were definitely coming from the direction of our home. Curiosity prickled at me, and I slowed my pace, careful not to make a sound.

    I crept closer, staying low to the ground, until I could tell the conversation was happening right at the front door. Two of the voices I recognized right away¡ªmy mother and father. But there was a third voice, one that felt familiar but I couldn¡¯t place immediately. Instead of barging in, I ducked into a nearby bush, using the cover to get a little closer without being seen. The foliage was thicker than I remembered, almost as if this bush had sprung up out of nowhere, but it served its purpose.

    I strained to listen, catching fragments of the conversation.

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± my father asked, his voice tense, more serious than usual.

    ¡°When do you think they¡¯ll arrive on this continent?¡± my mother added, sounding equally concerned.

    The third voice, the one I couldn¡¯t quite place, responded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. But I can¡¯t tell you exactly when they¡¯ll get here. If I had to guess, it¡¯ll take them around six years, maybe longer. The vampire race is powerful, no doubt, but even for them, taking over an entire continent is no easy feat. They¡¯ll have to move through the central continent first. It could take them ten years, maybe more, to reach us.¡±

    I could hear the heavy sighs of relief from both of my parents. The tone of the conversation shifted slightly, but I was still left with more questions than answers. Vampires? Taking control of a continent? What were they talking about?

    ¡°Thank you for telling us, my friend,¡± my father said after a pause. ¡°Safe travels on your journey.¡±

    My mother chimed in with a soft farewell, ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±

    From my hiding spot, I peered out just as the door swung shut. The man standing outside was none other than the elf doctor. So that¡¯s who my parents had been speaking to. It made sense now; I¡¯d almost forgotten he and my father had traveled together years ago. But why were they discussing vampires? And what did that mean for us?

    As the doctor hurried off down the path, I stayed crouched behind the bush, turning the conversation over in my mind. There was something ominous about the whole thing, and it left me uneasy. Eventually, I shook off my confusion and stood up, dusting myself off as I headed inside.

    When I stepped into the house, my parents were already inside, trying to act as if nothing unusual had happened. But even though they smiled and greeted me, I could see a heaviness in their eyes, a faint shadow that hadn¡¯t been there before. I decided not to press them about what I¡¯d overheard. Instead, I simply nodded, made my way to my room, and went to bed with a head full of questions.

    The conversation about vampires, the doctor¡¯s mysterious travels, and my parents¡¯ worried expressions¡ªall of it weighed on me as I drifted off to sleep.

    CHAPTER END

 Chapter 7: New student

    Although it was just a rumor my parents seemed to believe that the vampires were coming. After all, the source was one of their dear friends.

    The rumor quickly became reality as my father had gotten an escort job to the central continent and there he saw a lot of demons asking people to help them. Normally demons didn¡¯t get along neither with other species nor themselves. Though this time some were asking for help from those they didn¡¯t get along with, according to my father¡¯s testimony.

    This was around two years ago and it seems things have calmed down since then. Was it a calm before the storm? No one was certain.

    Although they hadn¡¯t told me what the elf doctor had told them right away, they told me after father returned from the escort job and told me they may consider moving away in the coming years.

    This was probably due to Rivenwood being the closest to the demon continent. Although the vampires need to cross through the central continent to get here, they thought that they may have some other way to cross here.

    The focus now was my tenth birthday. My aunt and teacher, Bett, said that she would be coming to my tenth birthday when she left two years ago. She also sent a letter reassuring us that she will come. She also said that she had found a partner and a new student as well, though she didn¡¯t get into detail.

    According to the letter she sent, she said that she would arrive after two weeks or so. She said that she would come with her new student but that her partner wouldn¡¯t come with her. My parents seemed to want to meet her partner. Maybe my mother wanted to approve of him? I wasn¡¯t sure .

    Because she wouldn¡¯t be arriving for two weeks, I decided to start on a new type of style.

    This past two years I managed to learn and execute the forms and footwork of three of the four sword styles. Every style had ten forms each with different footwork and moves.

    Out of the four, the one I didn¡¯t even bother learning one form until now was the earth style. This was due to the requirement of a heavy strong body, kind of like my old body. So instead of focusing on something I didn¡¯t have I decided to learn the other three. I had started with the water style as I deemed it the most useful to me, I had learned seven of the ten forms. While for the other two, I had managed to learn five from the wind style and three from the fire style.

    Learning the fire style was by far the second hardest task I had after coming to this world. The first being, trying to move my body as an infant. This was due to me learning the water style first.

    As my aunt had said, she couldn¡¯t learn the water style after learning the fire style first. The same thing happened to me. I first learned the water style therefore, making the fire style hard for me to learn. The reason why I had been able to learn two opposite styles was mainly because I had no mana.

    The forms and footwork of the elemental styles were originally designed to complement the flow of mana. For those who wield mana, learning a style meant not just mastering the physical movements, but also internalizing the corresponding magical principles. That''s why learning opposing styles was so difficult ¨C it required a mage to essentially rewire their internal mana flow, to reconcile fire''s explosive nature with water''s fluid grace, for example. But for me, who lacked mana, the styles were purely physical exercises. I could learn the movements without the added complexity of managing the magical energies, making it akin to learning dance steps rather than conducting an orchestra. I wasn''t trying to bend fire and water; I was just mimicking their movements.

    For now though, I had decided to develop my body. Although it would be hard to get the same type of strength as I had in my old life and older people from this world in a short time, it would be enough to learn some of the forms of the earth style, or so I hope.

    *******

    Two weeks passed in a haze and a carriage just pulled up near our house. I was out training on my body when the carriage pulled up. I could guess one person who would come out.

    My aunt.

    She said that she would bring her student with her, and I felt a thrill of anticipation. Maybe her partner had come along, though I found that unlikely since she mentioned in her letter that he wouldn¡¯t be joining them.

    The door to the carriage opened and a girl seemingly younger than me opened the door. She jumped down out of the carriage and took out a wooden sword which resembeled a rapier, but was a little wider and seemed heavier than the usual designs.

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    She had long blue hair and blue eyes.

    ¡°All clear, you can come out now master¡± she shouted.

    Hmm is she maybe the new student that my aunt mentioned. I considered it but I didn¡¯t think she would take this kind of cheeky girl. Is this carriage another person¡¯s carriage perhaps? I thought.

    ¡°It was all clear to begin with, you can stop acting as my body guard. People will think I am not a capable teacher.¡±

    A familiar voice came from inside the carriage and some moments later a person I knew very well came out. It was my aunt.

    I was a fair distance away from where the carriage had pulled up, but I could hear what they were talking about easily. I approached them and as soon as I did my aunt saw me and was about to greet me when.

    ¡°Who are you? Mysterious boy. Don¡¯t approach my master¡± the girl that my aunt had brought said, jumping between us with an exaggerated stance.

    I could hear my aunt let out a long sigh and after that she held the girl¡¯s left shoulder.

    ¡°Trix, don¡¯t jump head on when I¡¯m about to talk, and this ¡®Mysterious boy¡¯ is your senior because he is my first student. Meet my nephew, Kael Ashford¡±

    ¡°Oh, so he is the kid you brag about¡±

    Trix, looked at me with some kind of side eye and then hugged my aunt tightly and shouted, ¡°You have finished your session already, she is mine now¡±

    My aunt sighed again holding her head, ¡°What am I gonna do with you?¡±

    Hmm, seems like, this Trix always acted like this. If that¡¯s the case, what she had said made sense. She seemed wary of me.

    My mom, who was inside came out to see what the commotion was. As soon as she saw who it was, she immediately invited them inside.

    We went in and since it was around lunch time, my mother who was already preparing lunch for the two of us, started making other portions as well.

    Some time later my mom came out with five plates of rice and meat. I could understand why there were four but why a fifth. Maybe my father was coming home. That was the only reasonable explanation right?

    As I was thinking about that my father returned from farm work. He had helped some of the farmers and returned at this time. Apparently, he had already met my aunt when she was on her way here. After all they should pass by the village and the farm to get here.

    After that we eat lunch and we talked about some things. My aunt told us how Trix came to be her student. Her full name was Trixina and apparently, some bandits were about to sell her to slave traders. My aunt saved her after Trix had asked her for help.

    Trix was fascinated by the moves of my aunt and started following her and mimicking what she did, which included swordsmanship. My aunt feigned ignorance at first but as she saw that Trix had some skill with the sword she decided to train her. She gave her a wooden rapier to learn swordsmanship but, Trix insisted that she wanted a sword like my aunt¡¯s. That¡¯s how she had a weird looking wooden rapier when I first saw her and also how she became the student of my aunt.

    ¡°But what about your partner, how did you two meet and why didn¡¯t he come with you?¡± my mother insisted to know.

    ¡°You will meet him when the time comes. I won¡¯t tell you anything till then¡±

    Anyways, seemed that Trix had a painful time with the bandits. Maybe she was a gloomy girl at first but it seemed like my aunt had influenced her very much as to be this cheeky.

    After we finished lunch I wanted to get some fresh air and then train a bit. As I went out, I could feel someone following me. Trix was behind me, I don¡¯t know why she was following me though.

    I walked to a nearby hill, a place I often went when I wanted to be alone¡ªEla had told me about it before leaving for Thaloria.

    Trix kept following me, and I couldn¡¯t figure out why so I decided to ask her about it.

    I turned around and asked

    ¡°Why are you following me?¡±

    She turned her head as if to not see me eye to eye and said, ¡°I am free to do whatever I want.¡±

    She was right and I didn¡¯t have the authority to send her back. Although I was a year older I was still a kid so she wouldn¡¯t listen to me. The only way to send her back was if I used violence but I would absolutely not do that. It wasn¡¯t just about the idea of ¡®never hitting a girl¡¯¡ªwhich I¡¯d ignore if I had to¡ªbut because I knew I¡¯d get in trouble for it.

    From this hill, you could get a cool breath of air and look down on Rivenwood. I decided to sit down and make the food I just ate settle down as to not cause problems to my stomach later.

    I started thinking-- The past two years of rigorous training had honed my skills, but there was always room for improvement.

    A few moments later, I got up and began moving through the forms of the water style I had learned, my motions fluid and precise. The rhythm of the practice usually calmed me, but today, I couldn¡¯t shake a sense of unease. My mind wandered back to the conversation I had overheard between my parents and the elf doctor. Six years, he had said, maybe ten. But what if it was sooner? What if the vampires were already on their way?

    As I was lost in thought, a voice interrupted me.

    ¡°Boring.¡± Trix said from behind me, rolling her eyes.

    I turned around, my eyebrows raised ,¡±What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Why are you only moving the same forms over and over again? I thought the ¡®G~R~E~A~T¡¯ Kael¡¯s training would be more, let¡¯s say interesting¡±

    This kid is really frustrating. And what did she mean by, ¡®The GREAT¡¯ Kael. Whats so great about me.

    I could hear her sigh.

    ¡°Anyway, I thought that you would be using a real sword, since your so great.¡±

    Uhh, she is really infuriating me.

    ¡°I do, just not for training. And what about me is so great that you are always calling me something like, ¡®The GREAT¡¯ every time you talk to me¡±

    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t really mean anything by it. It¡¯s just that master always say that you were a great student and that I should look up to you¡± she said flailing her hands.

    I sensed a hint of jealousy and anger in her words. Although I didn¡¯t share those feelings, I could understand them from observing others. I wasn¡¯t sure if I deserved the title of ¡®great,¡¯ but I believed Trix had the potential, considering she was trained by my aunt.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I am great as you claim but if I am, I think you can be too, after all we have the same teacher.¡± I said as I extended my hand to her.

    She looked shocked for a second but then, I could see her eyes watering a little.

    ¡°You are the second person to believe in me¡± she said as she took my hand and wiped her watering eyes.

    ¡°Oh, so I could guess the first one is my aunt¡± I said teasingly

    ¡°Yeah, she is¡±

    I guessed she would be but I didn¡¯t think she would accept it so readily.

    ¡°Anyways, clouds are gathering, why don¡¯t we head home¡± I said, noticing that some clouds were gathering near the village.

    ¡°Oh yeah, seems like a storm¡±

    I collected my stuff and we started heading home. The unease I felt before, although a little bit, had decreased.

    We arrived home and my aunt slept in the room she had been living here before while Trix slept in Ela¡¯s room.

    That concluded the day and my tenth birthday was only a week away.

 Chapter 8: Echoes of wings

    Some days passed and there was a day left until my tenth birthday. The day started like every other day. I woke up, ate breakfast then headed out for practice. Today, my aunt and Trix decided to join me, which they haven¡¯t done this past week.

    We warmed up and did some practice swings. Although we were only warming up, I could see why my aunt said that Trix had talent. She had strong form and an excellent stance, probably better than Ela''s when she left.

    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s enough for warm up,¡± said my aunt clapping her hands, taking control of the session. I could feel a sense of deja vu when she did this.

    ¡°Since Trix and I joined you today, why not have a light spar?¡±

    Yep, that was the feeling. Around five years ago, when I was about to reach the age of five, specifically on my fifth birthday, my aunt had proposed that I have a spar with my sister. Even though today wasn¡¯t my birthday and Ela wasn¡¯t here, the way she did it was kinda the same.

    ¡°So I am gonna have a spar with Kael?¡± said Trix her voice brimming with excitement. It seems that she wants to fight me

    ¡°Oh no, you and he are gonna spar with me. It would be good to see how my students had grown myself¡±

    She was being cheeky. While I liked the idea of sparring with her, I didn¡¯t think I could work well with Trix¡ªor anyone, for that matter.

    We decided to use wooden swords since this was just a spar. I still had the sword I used to train with when I was a kid but, it didn¡¯t suit me since I had grown. Fortunately I found Ela¡¯s wooden sword that she had used when training with us. It seemed like she didn¡¯t take it with her when she went to Thaloria.

    My aunt also had the old wooden sword that she mad for herself back when she made ours.

    Moments later we took position to start the spar.

    We began the spar, with my aunt standing opposite Trix and me. My grip tightened around my wooden sword, trying to anticipate Bett¡¯s first move. I hadn¡¯t seen her fight before so I didn¡¯t know what to expect. Without warning, she dashed forward, her speed blinding. Trix reacted almost instinctively, raising her rapier to block, but the force of the impact pushed her back a few steps.

    ¡°Keep your stance strong, Trix!¡± Bett called out, her voice both encouraging and commanding. ¡°Your sword, although a little heavier is still a rapier so you have to keep up with agility and keeping your stances.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡± she shouted as she stood back up.

    I tried to find an opening at that time, but Bett was too fast and had already noticed my attack. She pivoted smoothly, deflecting my strikes with ease while still keeping Trix on the defensive. It was clear she was holding back, but even so, her skill was miles ahead of ours.

    I hadn¡¯t yet used my ability so I decided to go full out. I activated my ability and I saw two red dots, one near her leg and one near her torso. To attack her torso, I had to get behind her without her noticing, which is impossible at the moment, or that¡¯s what I would like her to think. If I use my ability¡¯s other features and add some moves from the water style, I could dodge the attacks that she would throw at me and get behind her.

    I charged with this plan in mind. Trix seemed to have noticed I was going for a decisive blow and tried to attack Bett with all she had. She headed her sword head on but due to the difference in weight between the swords, she was thrown back but, that had given me the time to get behind Bett and it seems that she hadn¡¯t noticed me yet. I was about to attack when, I felt danger. I jumped back and tried to know where this sense of danger was coming from.

    ¡°Oh! good choice¡± said my aunt. ¡°If you had carried on with that attack you would have surely been out of the spar by now.¡±

    ¡°.¡­.¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond, I was trying to figure out what she had meant.

    Without waiting for me to respond, she started doing the footwork of one of the ten forms of the wind style, Wind blast. This form was when the person does footwork that looks like a runners although a little higher and then add wind magic to their body and sword. This would make them faster and the attack would be a huge blow.

    Although I knew what was coming, I wasn¡¯t sure how to counter it. But would she hurt her nephew. No it must have been a bluff, right?

    ¡°Dodge!!!¡± a loud scream came from Trix.

    At that time even though I knew I had to dodge, I couldn¡¯t move. My aunt attacked and it hurt like hell. It seems that she doesn¡¯t hold back while training but this showed me that I still need to get stronger. I had this realization when I was about to be five but this was a good refresher as well. I didn¡¯t get knocked out though, it seems like she had still been holding back.

    Although Trix was still standing Bett finally called the spar off. Some minutes passed, and we both collapsed to the ground. We were both out of breath, while she hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat.

    ¡°You both did well,¡± she said, her tone softer now. ¡°But remember, a sparring partner isn¡¯t an enemy. You need to learn to trust each other¡¯s strengths.¡±

    I glanced at Trix, who was panting but grinning. She looked like she enjoyed the challenge, and despite my initial hesitation, I had to admit it felt good to train alongside someone else, even if it was just for a spar. Maybe there was something to be gained from working with others after all. I also discovered that she uses the wind sword style. With a rapier, that is probably the best choice for her.

    The rest of the day passed quietly. We returned home, and after lunch, my aunt took Trix aside for a private lesson, leaving me with some free time. I decided to head back to the hill, wanting to clear my mind and reflect on the day. The sky was beginning to darken,and the sun was setting. Shadows started gathering and the unease I was feeling this past week returned.

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    I moved through some water style forms to refresh my mind but some moments later I decided to stop and sit down. As I sat there, the cool breeze ruffling my hair, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was coming. The sense of unease that had been gnawing at me for weeks was only growing stronger. I tried to push the thoughts away, focusing instead on the idea of my birthday tomorrow. But it was no use¡ªthe feeling lingered, a constant, nagging presence at the back of my mind.

    I returned home where I only found my mom. She was preparing dinner and because she said that she didn¡¯t need me to help her, I decided to sit down. Some time passed and my father returned. Shortly after Bett and Trix returned as well.

    My dad had brought some alcoholic drinks for the ¡°adults¡± and since my mom was preparing dinner, my dad and Bett started drinking.

    ¡°So how was this last two years?¡± asked my dad. Since my aunt has been secretive about a lot of things that happened this two years, I thought they were trying to get her to tell them by making her drunk. Maybe.

    ¡°I told you. You will know when the time is right.¡±

    They just started drinking so she probably would be in her normal mindset. But why go through all this. Trix was probably with Bett all this time, right? So why not ask her. Since Trix and I were sitting alone I decided to ask her.

    ¡°Do you know anything about her partner?¡±

    ¡°No. Every time she went to meet this mysterious guy, she would ask me to train or something.¡±

    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you travel together with him?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t even meet him once but, if I remember correctly she started leaving me alone when we were staying in the Bell kingdom. Maybe that¡¯s where she met him. Though I want to know what kind of guy took the heart of my master¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I would like to know what kind of guy he is as well¡±

    I really don¡¯t know why this guy is such a mystery but, I am sure Bett has a good reason to hide him.

    My father and Bett stopped drinking for a while when my mother told us that dinner was ready. We all went to the table and ate dinner. The air felt slightly festive, probably because tomorrow was my birthday and every one was being nice to me. Even Trix didn¡¯t tease me once, which she always did this week. Everybody seemed to be looking forward to tomorrow.

    After finishing up dinner Trix and I were sent to sleep while my father and Bett went back to drinking. They will probably have a bad headache in the morning tomorrow. My mother joined them as well but I didn¡¯t think she would drink that much.

    Some time past midnight, everyone was asleep including me. The house- No, all of Rivenwood- was silent but it was woken up by a sound that seemed like flapping. The flapping was loud. In legends, only a dragon''s wings could make such a high-pitched sound. Though, there was no way a dragon would be here. After all, when the world was divided into six, all the dragons went to the sky continent and they weren¡¯t seen after. People did tame dragons in the past and according to what I heard, the last person who had tamed a dragon was a demon king that died around two hundred years ago. The dragon should have probably survived since dragons and dragon folk live way longer than any other species. If not killed, a dragon can probably live five thousand years while a dragon folk can live around three thousand years. Some demons can also live as long as a dragon folk. But still the dragon used by that demon king hadn¡¯t been seen escaping from the demon continent so people assumed it was dead.

    I had also assumed it was dead since that was written but this sound gave me a bad feeling.

    My room had a mirror that showed straight to Rivenwood . Although the sound was coming from the opposite direction I could see lights going off from the village. Everyone was probably wondering where the sound was coming from.

    Although Rivenwood is the last place that will be seen in the north west of the human continent on a map, there were still about some dozen houses farther than Rivenwood.

    ¡°AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±

    A loud scream was heard from where the flapping sound was coming from. It startled me and I turned around as if the sound was right there. Then-

    ¡°AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±

    Another loud scream even louder than the last was heard. The flapping sound was also getting louder and another sound was also being heard. A marching sound. I went down the stairs with my sword and I found my parents, Bett and Trix there. My parents had a tense look on their face while Bett was holding her head, probably because she drank a lot and Trix was still sleepy and was yawning. Bett had her sword while Trix had her wooden sword.

    Bett had called Trix and asked her to come with her sword as a defensive measure after hearing the shouts. My parents were in a room on the ground floor and they thought that Trix and Bett, who were in the first floor but these two had though that my parents would call me so no one called me and I just came down on my own.

    Moments later another scream was heard, even louder than the two before it and the two other sounds were also getting closer as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What is all this noise?¡± said Trix still sleepy and rubbing her eyes.

    Another scream was heard again, even louder.

    ¡°Whoever or whatever it is, is getting closer¡± said Bett, her face starting to tense up.

    Hearing that my parents face became more tense. Are they maybe thinking about what the elf doctor had said before. But wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for them to get to the here without crossing the central continent.

    As I was thinking this, an arrow came through one of the mirrors breaking it. It was aimed at my parents and Bett quickly reacted and cut in half.

    I was sure my parents could have easily dodged the arrow given that they were former pro adventurers but, right now, they are in a state of confusion. Probably thinking that they should have moved when the elf doctor had told them that the an invasion might be coming.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡­ didn¡¯t hit¡±

    Although it was not that hear able I could hear someone say that. Was he trying to say that it didn¡¯t hit. I turned to the window which the arrow had came from and I saw a vampire flying.

    As soon as I saw him, I knew the answer for the question I was thinking about before. Vampires had wings. They use mana to fly and they may reach here if they preserved their mana for a long time. But that won¡¯t make sense either. They would probably be depleted of their mana when they arrive so they will need at least months to gain their lost mana back. That means they have been hiding for months right beneath us or they used a boat to get here which is highly unlikely since this world isn¡¯t that civilized and I don¡¯t think they know how to make boats yet. But I could be very well wrong.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s your turn now¡± said the vampire that had been flying, looking down at the ground. He was shouting so I heard him clearly Then-

    BAAM!!

    Our front door came down and another vampire got in. He had a scary face and had some armor and a sword. Bett upon seeing this, went in her shirt and pulled out something circle almost like a necklace. She then pulled it and the rope broke. She put it somewhere around her chest and then- an armor started spreading out of it covering her body. She had always wear this armor when she stayed here for my training. But when she returned, she was wearing normal clothes but then yesterday she had been wearing the armor when we sparred. What was that about?

    The vampire started running towards us aiming his sword at Bett. Bett reacted and blocked his sword then instantly went on the offensive. She slashed the vampire¡¯s head cleanly which killed it. No one really showed fear. Except for Trix, I¡¯m sure everyone here had killed a monster before but even Trix wasn¡¯t fazed so she had probably killed once as well. Surprisingly, I had a moment of disgust as the head separated from the vampire but it was only for a second.

    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sure this isn¡¯t the end of the vampires we should retreat to Rivenwood and warn the villagers as well.¡±

    We got out of the house using the freshly broken door and the vampire that had shot the arrow at us before seemed to be surprised. Bett had her sword in her hand and some blood was clearly visible. As soon as he saw the sword he started retreating probably fearing that he would be killed as well.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape,¡± Bett said, her voice firm. She shifted into a stance, fluidly moving through the steps of a wind style technique, followed by the footwork of a fire style.

    In an instant, she launched herself with Air Steps, a technique that uses wind magic to propel the user forward at incredible speed. Her sword followed with Fire Strikes, sending five flames arcing through the air¡ªjust like Ela had done years ago. It was a devastating long-range attack.

    The five flames cleanly hit their target and we saw him fall down. We didn¡¯t have time to check if the vampire was dead or not as the marching was getting more closer so we decided to head for Rivenwood.

    I glanced at the house I had been living in for ten years and wondered if I would come back.

    As Kael and the other¡¯s left the marching and flapping sound arrived at their house. They were about a hundred vampires in total and there seemed to be someone leading them. This vampire could see another vampire on the ground, gravely injured. This was the flying vampire that Bett had just shot down.

    ¡°The humans¡­¡­ they have got¡­¡­.a strong person¡± said the injured vampire struggling.

    ¡°Oh so you lost to a pesky human¡± said the leader. He was a vampire general. Only second to the demon king. There were three others who had the same title as him but he was the best out of them.

    The vampire was still struggling and couldn¡¯t reply. Even the words he mustered up before were probably his last.

    ¡°Well, I guess the other one also got defeated. I would have killed you if you weren¡¯t already about to die so, enjoy your last moments¡±

    The two vampires that had attacked first were ordered to clear out humans before the main forces arrive.

    The general sighed,¡± Well guess I have to kill every person in the village here. Wouldn¡¯t want them to tell other people about the invasion starting. I wouldn¡¯t want all the planning we did for the past three months to go to waste.¡±

    Kael¡¯s guess was right. The vampires have been hiding near the border for about three months after depleting their mana after flying from the demon continent to the human continent.

    ¡°Well let¡¯s go¡±

    Hearing that, the one hundred vampire soldiers along with their unnamed leader started their march to Rivenwood.

    CHAPTER END

 Chapter 9: The Burning Hero

    We arrived at Rivenwood after some running. The villagers were out of their houses, gathered at the center of the village. The villagers¡¯ eyes darted nervously, and uneasy silence settled over the crowd as fidgeting hands and whispered exchanges betrayed their anxiety as the tension was apparent.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming ,but we should get ready to defend the village.¡± It seemed like they had been discussing the current situation until now.

    ¡°No, we should escape!!¡±another argued, his hands curling into a fist ¡°Nobody here knows how to fight and since adventurers stopped coming to this village, there is no way we could defend the village¡±

    A few murmurs of disagreement stirred, but quickly died down.

    None of the villagers seemed to have noticed that we had arrived. Bett cleared her throat as if to signal we were here.

    The villagers turned toward us, the tense expressions on their faces subduing a little by our appearance.

    ¡°Oh Gale, thank goodness to see that you and your family are safe¡± said one of my fathers¡¯ colleagues in the farm, letting out a sigh of relief, ¡°We thought something had happened too you guys since the screams were coming from the direction of your house.¡±

    ¡°We are safe for now, but I¡¯m not sure how much time until the vampires arrive here¡± answered my father

    ¡°Vam¡­..pires?¡± said the farmer, his eyes along with everyone present widening and looking at my father in disbelief.

    ¡°It seems that the estimated time we predicted for the start of the invasion was very off. We had just been attacked by some vampires at the house-probably scouts. As we talk right now, the main army must be heading here¡± explained Bett.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The crowd fell into a stunned silence, their eyes breaking their gaze with Bett.

    ¡°Damn, so we can¡¯t survive, huh?¡± said one person with an almost broken voice.

    ¡°Losing a fight before it began, huh? Well, I am also not sure if we could beat them as they outnumber us, but at least try to save your families and yourselves and get out of Rivenwood as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Silence again.

    A hand was thrown up, followed by a hesitant voice, ¡°I have around five carriages. There are around a hundred people here, so assuming five or six people on one carriage, we need about fifteen more carriages.¡±

    After a brief silence, others started speaking up.

    ¡°I have two¡±

    ¡°I have two as well¡±

    ¡°I have one¡±

    In no time, we had twenty carriages. If we wanted to survive, this should be the best course of action, right?

    ¡°Ok, everybody start getting ready with the needed necessities. Mount two horses on each carriage, that will give us more speed. Until then, we will try to hold the vampires off.¡± Even though she was in her late twenties, Bett was clearly a natural leader.

    ¡°Gale, Kael, Trix, come with me.¡±

    ________

    After a little walk, the four of us arrived to the entrance of Rivenwood¡¯s main village.

    ¡°Gale, I need you to put up a tall wall at the entrance. I am not sure why the vampires haven¡¯t arrived yet, even though the sounds are getting closer, but that works for us. Since they can fly over and change their entrance, make it as high and wide as you can.¡± She rummaged through a small bag, taking out something and threw it to my dad.

    ¡°Here take this, it will boost your mana.¡± She went inside the bag again and took out two things, ¡°You too kiddo¡± she said, keeping one for herself and throwing the other one to Trix.

    ¡°Oh a high-level mana potion, these are rare. This will probably double my mana.¡± My father gulped down the potion, so did Trix and Bett. I understood why she didn¡¯t give me one, it wouldn¡¯t do anything to me.

    ¡°Ok, Trix, Kael, we will take down any scouts that may come our way, be alert! We don¡¯t want them to relay information to their allies, do we?¡± her voice was calm and composed, but it was sharp.

    We both nodded, readying for a battle that never came.

    My father worked and finished the wall but no vampires came. The sounds had also stopped for some time. It was very weird that they still hadn¡¯t arrived, but, that would give us more time so it was a great win for us.

    We returned to the village center which was only two minutes away. The wall my dad has made stood tall, clearly visible.

    Everyone was ready and my mom was giving out blankets to people. It was probably her way of helping.

    ¡°Alright everyone, good job, but, we aren¡¯t done yet. We still have to escape. Since the vampires had stopped moving, we should use that time to escape.¡± Said Bett.

    The tension that had been felt when we first arrived couldn¡¯t be really felt right now. The villagers had gained hope to survive and with Bett commanding us, I think we will. And, seeing how she took care of two vampires before, I thought she may take on more than a dozen or even more with our help.

    Almost every person in the village had already gotten on a carriage and we were the only one¡¯s left. The carriage was too tall for my own good so my father had entered first to help. He first helped my mother in and as I was about to enter-

    ¡°Oh good, you have not yet separated. This works in my favor. I will just kill you all painlessly¡± said a figure¡ªno, a vampire¡ªstanding on the wall, closing opened wings that stuck out his back.

    ¡°What the, we couldn¡¯t hear the sound of their marches and flapping. I didn¡¯t also feel anything. How did they get up there without me sensing them?¡± Bett turned around looking at the vampire.

    Everyone gaped and watched the figure with horror in their eyes, including me.

    The vampire, standing there looked down at us, his eyes sharp and dangerous. My father shouted, ¡°Kael get in!!!¡± but I couldn¡¯t. My legs were stuck, this was fear, the first ever feeling I had felt, it came back at me. This guy was dangerous.

    He then turned his attention to the carriages, ¡°Oho, so, you are trying to escape.¡± He smirked raising his right hand, pointing his index finger towards us, ¡±Don¡¯t dream of it. Squadron 1¡­¡­.attack¡±

    This guy seemed like a maniac and he was surely the leader of the vampires. At his command, a few dozen vampires started flying towards us exuding a lustful killing intent. The horse probably sensing the vampires killing intent, panicked. They turned around and started running out of the village.

    Although that was the plan, we had been left here and if the vampires got them, this would have all been for nothing.

    I could only watch as my parents and every other villager left me, Trix and Bett to fight of these vampires.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡­ I won¡¯t let you through¡± shouted Bett.

    Even though I couldn¡¯t sense mana, I could see it materialize and I knew a big move was coming.

    She didn¡¯t do any footwork and just added magic to her sword. She used two types: Wind and fire magic. Then she boosted herself with wind magic to increase her speed and did some swift footwork from the fire style then-

    ¡°IGNITE!!!¡±

    Her sword ignited with fire and on with the wind magic acting upon it, it was set ablaze. I could feel the heat on my skin from where I was standing. I could feel sweat forming on my face and I could see sweat on Trix¡¯s head as well.

    ¡°Kael!! Wear the cape that your father got you and cover yourself and Trix. This is gonna be hot¡± she shouted.

    I jumped over to Trix, covering the two of us with my cape.

    I couldn¡¯t see anything but could hear a lot of slashes and fire burns. And a few moments later Bett told us to stand up.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe now, get up¡±

    We got up and the sight in front of me was unbelievable.

    Most of the vampires have been burned while the others had been cut in half. It was incredible¡ªa one-sided massacre of fifty vampires.

    The vampire that was up opened his wings and started descending slowly clapping his hands.

    ¡°Wow, you really are strong. You might have made it to the rank of a jade one day. But sorry to tell you that you will die by the hands of one today¡±

    ¡°One of the Jades?¡± said Trix with a soft hesitant voice.

    Yeah, it was surprising, he was one of the ten strongest people in the world.

    ¡°Let me introduce myself. Vampire general and fifth in the jades ranking: Drazor Velyx, at your service¡± he said, bowing down as if he had just finished a show.

    If he was telling the truth, we were doomed.

    ¡°Damn¡­ to think I would fight one of the ten jades. I have to go all out or I will lose¡± said Bett, smiling but gritting her teeth.

    ¡°Oh, you think you will win, how interesting¡±

    I wanted to help in this fight, but considering her opponent, I would probably be more of a nuisance than help. Trix should know that as well or else she would have charged in by now. Damn it, all we can do is watch.

    ¡°Ok then. Entertain me, human. Don¡¯t let this end fast if you don¡¯t want your friends that just escaped and those kids over there die faster.¡± He spoke with a lazy grin on his face. It was as if the idea of killing us all was just a game to him.

    With a click of a tongue, Bett was on the move ¡± Here I come.¡±

    She did the fire strikes form footwork and released five flames on the vampire. Some smoke built up but when it cleared-

    ¡°Is that all you have. I though you were strong to kill most of the squadron¡¯s soldier¡± Drazor was unscathed and he yawned, clearing the left smoke with his hands.

    I could see Betts¡¯ eye brows furry. Maybe she was thinking that she would lose here. It was plausible against this opponent but we have to find a way to escape from this guy.

    Damn, if only I could share my ability with her. She could probably be able to damage him if she used ignite with his weak point. So where is it?

    I activated my ability and looked at Drazor. There were three points I could see. Two greens and one yellow. Next to red, the yellow one was the most critical one but still, I wasn¡¯t sure if anything other than red can inflict damage to this guy with our attack power right now.

    ¡°Master, I am not sure if you will believe me but, strike him near his waist.¡±

    She seemed confused, but I pointed at my eyes and she seemed to understand.

    ¡°What¡¯cha doing there?¡± asked Drazor, as if amused by what I was doing.

    He zoomed up to me and said, ¡°Oh interesting eyes you got there, what do they do?¡±

    He was staring right into my eyes and I felt a lump in my throat, I was afraid of him, again.

    I stumbled back and landed on the ground.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m your opponent here¡± shouted Bett as she swung at Drazor, separating his gaze from mine.

    She continued, ¡±Kael, Trix, get out of here.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure why or where she wanted us to go but there was probably a good reason for that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get away from here Trix¡± I said, holding her hand.

    She wouldn¡¯t move looked at me dumbfounded.

    ¡°Huh?, what do you mean get away? How could you leave your master and aunt alone to fight a monster like this¡± she shouted pointing at Drazor.

    Huh? Yeah, what was I thinking? If we go away now, she would die. We may die together anyways but maybe we can help even a little bit. But still¡­. Ahhhh, damn it ok we have to stay. I won¡¯t be losing someone I care about. But this kid... she thinks like an adult, doesn¡¯t she?

    ¡°Sorry master, but we can¡¯t leave you¡± it was a little stiff but this was the best I could say if we wanted to stay.

    There was a little frustration on her face but she couldn¡¯t do anything, we had made up our minds already.

    With a sharp inhale, she charged at Drazor once more, her sword blazing with magic. But again, he didn¡¯t even move. No dodge, no flinch. He simply raised his hand, his expression bored.

    Every one of Bett¡¯s strikes met with his index finger, each attack effortlessly parried. He wasn¡¯t just winning¡ªhe was toying with her.

    ¡°I¡¯m bored, maybe I should just kill you all.¡± said Drazor

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Bett said. She started attacking again and again. She was getting desperate.The only thing that can probably inflict high damage on him is attacking his waist using ignite. There were other moves in the fire style that may have been able to damage him a lot as well but the amount of mana she need for that is very high.

    As I was thinking about this, I could hear the sounds of a horse. It was coming from behind us. I turned around and saw a horse and a figure on it. The figure started being more visible and the figure was my dad.

    ¡°Kael, are you okay?¡± said my father mounting off his horse and approaching me.

    ¡°Yeah, I am fine but I don¡¯t know for how long we are safe¡± I replied implying him to see Bett.

    She was still desperately attacking and Drazor was effortlessly blocking.

    ¡°What the-, even Bett can¡¯t do anything to that guy. Who is he?¡± asked my father a little composed for the situation.

    ¡°Drazor, from the Ten jades¡± I replied

    ¡°TEN JADES!!!???¡­¡­If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not sure that even if all of us helped we would win.¡± said my father who was clearly very surprised. Even though he was very scared when he heard about the vampires before, it seems that he got calm but still, some sweat come down from his face, reminding me that the situation was very bad.

    Well, we have to get out of here,¡± my father said, his voice low and tinged with a chilling calm. His eyes flickered briefly toward Bett, locked in her desperate stand against Drazor, and for a heartbeat, I wondered if he was already weighing the cost of leaving her behind.

    Trix¡¯s voice sliced through the tension, sharp and unyielding. ¡°No way are we abandoning Master to fight alone!¡±

    I nodded fiercely, words rising in my throat to back her up¡ªbut before I could speak, Bett¡¯s voice rang out, steady and deliberate. ¡°Hold on, Drazor.¡±

    The vampire cocked his head, his lips curling into a faint, mocking grin. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re here for a show, aren¡¯t you?¡± Bett said, her gaze narrowing as she measured him. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one¡ªeverything I¡¯ve got, one last strike. Just give me a moment to prepare.¡±

    Drazor chuckled, a low, amused sound that sent a shiver down my spine. ¡°A final gambit? I¡¯m not fond of desperate ploys, but if you¡¯re offering your full strength¡­¡± He shrugged, his dark wings twitching. ¡°Fine. Five minutes. Impress me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Bett replied, her tone clipped and resolute. She turned to us, her eyes finding Trix and me in an instant. ¡°Trix, Kael¡ªI didn¡¯t want it to end like this, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, what do you mean¡ª¡± Trix started, but Bett was already moving. In a flash, she slipped behind Trix and brought her hand down in a swift, precise chop to the neck. Trix¡¯s protest died mid-sentence as she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

    ¡°Bett!¡± my father barked, stepping forward, his face a storm of shock and dread.

    ¡°Get them out of here,¡± Bett said, her voice firm but threaded with a quiet ache. ¡°I¡¯ll hold him off as long as I can.¡±

    Her words crashed into me like a tidal wave. She was giving herself up¡ªfor us. ¡°No!¡± I choked out, shaking my head. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving you!¡±

    Bett turned to me, her expression softening into something tender and pained. ¡°Kael¡­¡± She hesitated, her hand hovering near my shoulder before falling away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this happened right before your birthday. I¡¯d planned to find you something special tomorrow¡ªa real gift. But since I won¡¯t make it¡­¡± Her voice faltered, just for a fraction of a second.

    She pressed her palm to her chest, and her armor shimmered, retracting like liquid metal folding inward. It gathered into a small, ornate orb, its surface etched with faint, glowing runes. She held it out to me, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. ¡°This is a magical implement from my partner. I told you you¡¯d meet him someday¡ªwell, that day¡¯s now. Take this to the Bell Kingdom. Show it to any knight, and they¡¯ll take you to him.¡±

    I stared at the orb, its weight heavier than it should have been in my hands. My chest tightened as I looked up at her. ¡°Bett, I can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Happy birthday, Kael,¡± she cut in, her smile warm yet heartbreakingly fleeting. For a moment, I felt my guard slip, lulled by the kindness in her eyes¡ªbut I snapped it back, tensing my neck against what I knew was coming.

    She turned to my father, unclipping a small leather pouch from her belt and tossing it to him. ¡°Thanks for letting me borrow this. There¡¯s about thirty gold pieces inside¡ªenough to get you by.¡±

    He caught it, his fingers closing around it as a sad, wistful smile crossed his face. ¡°You kept it all this time, huh? Ten years.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bett said softly, a faint echo of fondness in her voice. ¡°And don¡¯t come looking for me. I¡¯ll burn it all¡ªmyself included. Just¡­ take care of the kids.¡±

    Before I could brace myself fully, her hand struck¡ªa quick, merciful blow to my neck. The world faded to black.

    <hr>

    I woke to the rhythmic thud of hooves against packed earth, my body swaying gently with the motion of the horse. My father¡¯s voice, tense but steady, cut through the fog in my mind. "You were out for about three minutes, Kael."

    Blinking against the haze, I realized we were riding away from Rivenwood, the village shrinking in the distance. Trix lay slumped against my father¡¯s back, still unconscious, her small frame limp like a ragdoll. I twisted in the saddle, my gaze drawn to the horizon where thick plumes of smoke clawed at the sky, and flames danced wildly from what had once been our home.

    Bett had done it¡ªshe¡¯d set the village ablaze, just as she¡¯d promised. And that meant¡­ she was gone.

    The weight of it settled over me like a lead cloak, pressing the air from my lungs. I tried to speak, to ask if there was any chance she¡¯d made it out, but the words tangled in my throat. My father¡¯s silence mirrored my own, heavy and unbroken, as we rode toward the distant flicker of lanterns where the villagers had gathered.

    When we arrived, the air was thick with grief and disbelief. My father dismounted first, gently lifting Trix¡¯s still form and carrying her to the carriage where my mother waited, her face pale and drawn. I slid down from the horse, my legs unsteady beneath me, and wandered away from the murmurs of the crowd. I couldn¡¯t bear to hear the questions, the condolences¡ªnot yet.

    I found a spot on the edge of the camp, where the ground sloped just enough to offer a clear view of Rivenwood¡¯s smoldering remains. The sun was beginning to rise, its pale light spilling over the horizon, but it did nothing to warm the chill that had seeped into my bones. The fire raged on, fiercer now, as if fueled by the loss it had claimed.

    I sat there, staring at the flames, my mind replaying Bett¡¯s last words, her warm smile, the weight of the orb she¡¯d pressed into my hands. My fingers tightened around it, the runes cool against my skin. She¡¯d given me a path forward, even in her final moments¡ªbut it didn¡¯t make the ache any less suffocating.

    Footsteps crunched softly behind me, and Trix lowered herself to the ground beside me, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening. For a long while, neither of us spoke, the silence thick with shared sorrow.

    Finally, Trix broke it, her voice small and raw. ¡°I just heard from your dad. She¡¯s really gone, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to breathe. Bett had been more than just a mentor to Trix¡ªshe¡¯d been her savior, her anchor. And now, she was ash on the wind.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I managed, my voice sounding distant, almost detached. It felt wrong, too casual for the gravity of the moment, but I didn¡¯t know how else to respond. This was the first time I¡¯d lost someone I truly cared about in this life-no, in both lifes, and the ache was sharper than I¡¯d expected.

    Silence stretched between us again, thick and oppressive. Beneath the grief, something darker stirred inside me¡ªrage, hot and unrelenting, curling like smoke in my chest. I clenched my fists, the urge to scream, to lash out, nearly overwhelming.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± Trix said suddenly, her voice icy and resolute, cutting through the quiet like a blade.

    I¡¯d been thinking the same thing, the thought circling my mind like a vulture. It struck me then that in all my years¡ªboth in this life and the one before¡ªI¡¯d never sworn off killing. Now, I was glad I hadn¡¯t. Some debts demanded blood.

    ¡°Me too,¡± I said, my voice hardening. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°We need to get stronger first,¡± Trix finished, her gaze locked on the burning village. ¡°I know.¡±

    For a moment, our shared resolve hung in the air, fierce and unbreakable. We were of one mind, bound by the same purpose: Drazor would pay, no matter how long it took.

    Trix shifted beside me, her voice softening. ¡°Oh, and¡­ happy birthday, Kael. I¡¯m sorry it had to be like this.¡±

    She stood abruptly, her back to me as she walked away, but not before I caught the glint of tears on her cheeks. She didn¡¯t want me to see her cry, didn¡¯t want to show weakness¡ªnot now, not when the path ahead demanded strength.

    I stayed where I was, staring at the flames until they blurred through the tears that slipped down my own face. Bett had been my master, my aunt, my family. And now, she was gone. But I wouldn¡¯t let her death be in vain. Drazor¡ªno, every vampire who¡¯d dared to invade our lives¡ªwould answer for this.

    I¡¯d make sure of it.