Chapter 139: Burdens

"It never ceases to amaze me how young boys can grow into such stout men in such a brief period..." remarked a tall woman with scarlet hair and hazel-brown eyes, sporting the characteristic black and fur-lined clothing of an Oirthear, leaning at the entrance of the training hall Will was using to make progress on his [The Spirit of Perseverance Part IV] Quest.

"Dame Agrias...it's a pleasure, as always..." said Will, looking over to the woman, his mother's younger sister, a pinnacle Third-Grade Practitioner, and a Knight Commander in service of the Oirthear Constellation.

"It's a tragedy your path invariably leads you back to the Capital..." said Agrias, approaching and unabashedly sizing Will up as she stated, "I still recall the insight you showed all those cycles ago when your Lord Father called upon you. And to reach the Fourth Grade at such a young age...you could have been precisely what we need to address and remedy the crisis at our borders..."