Bab 16: Chapter 16: 3 Years
Five days had past after we had arrived — we were currently staying in the castle.
During this time, my guess was correct as we met a sub class of mages called a diviner which could let us communicate with our parents who was residing in Sapin.
The diviner was called Rinia. She had helped me and Arthur immensely, allowing us to talk to our parents in their minds so I was very grateful. However, I felt somewhat bitter and guilty when I saw their appearance, especially mother. She had very pale skin and seemed to be in deep sorrow.
Both her and father looked to be in a terrible state of mind. Our supposed deaths had affected them extremely negatively.
If mother wasn't pregnant, I wasn't sure what would've happened...
It made my heart ache.
These emotions I'm developing in my new body still perplexes me. In my previous life, I certainly had emotions. But as a human in this life: they felt much more prominent, more difficult to control.
I felt uneasy when I had first met Rinia. I had learnt that she could read one's thoughts and someone's past and future.
Fortunately, it seems she wasn't able to glimpse into some of me and Arthur's past, most likely during the time from Sylvia.
As for me, apparently she couldn't see anything whatsoever, simply stating that it was as if she was looking at a black canvas.
Other than that, I've discovered why Arthur decided to become a disciple of Virion — due to Sylvia's will that she gave to Arthur, he had become a beast tamer.
Being a beast tamer was extremely rare and provided many benefits, however, such a powerful will like Sylvia's meant Arthur was at risk of dying.
I was quite anxious when I found out, but luckily, elder Virion was also a beast tamer and knew of a way to help Arthur out.
Everything just seemed to align so perfectly.
Honestly, I certainly felt as if Sylvia planned everything. Dragons, no matter in what life, always were very strong and capable.
As such, Arthur now has to go through a process called 'assimilation' if he doesn't want to die.
This is how Arthur can resolve his problem, which made me sigh in relief.
However, with this process, it was going to take a while: a few years which meant I had to stay here until Arthur is fully assimilated with his will.
Despite letting our parents know we were alive, I still wanted to go to them as soon as possible. I wasn't too interested in becoming a disciple. After all, I use to be a commander that led armies into battle, fighting against evil beings, dragons and other strange creatures — there wasn't much I can learn.
But elder Virion said he could give me knowledge over mana.
After contemplating for a while, I decided to stay. I think it would be better if both me and Arthur arrived at the same time. Furthermore, I can also become more proficient in this strange energy that governs this world.
As I was going to be staying here for a while, I decided to train my body. I quickly realised the disparity in strength between a child and an adult quite clearly from that man that I killed. Despite being half asleep, it had still taken a lot of my energy to kill him.
I've become rusty...
With my training, I might as well practice my swordsmanship. I was unmatched with my greatsword in my previous life. With my countless years of battle, I have honed my skills through immense bloodshed.
A sword and a greatsword were similar. I just had to change the weight distribution of my steps, body and blade. The weapon you wield should be like an extension of your arm. A tool used to slash, counter and defend. The movements should be seamless with no opportunity for your enemy to find any weaknesses.
With my human body, I realised using a greatsword like how I did in my previous life would prove to be a challenge. Thus, in this life, I might as well learn swordsmanship to compensate for my lack of physical capabilities.
Perhaps when my body becomes stronger, I would pick up a greatsword once again.
...
The sun hung high in the sky, casting sharp shadows across the grassy clearing.
Thwack! Thwack!
In the midst of this clearing, two boys who shared similar traits clashed with their wooden swords, the dull thuds of their strikes echoing through the air.
Eventually, their battle reached a climax as one of them lunged, attempting to shatter his opponent's guard.
However, with a swift and a precise movement, his opponent eyes had suddenly flashed gold as he swung his weapon.
The two wooden swords collided, but it was clear that the sudden attack had more power behind it as the other sword bounced back from the impact.
The boy that had his attack parried felt a looming threat as he tried to immediately recover his guard.
But it was too late. He felt the tip of a blade touching his neck, forcing him to admit defeat.
Sighing, he spoke, "It's your win again."
"You've improved, Arthur." I lightly spoke, as I removed the weapon away from his neck.
Dropping on the ground, Arthur had an exhausted expression.
"This is just ridiculous! Your eyes are too overpowered!" He muttered with a hint of bitterness. "No matter what I do, you can effortlessly counter my attacks without breaking a sweat. I'm really envious!"
Seeing my brother complaining, I casually spoke.
"I guess this was my gift from Sylvia. Apparently I already had very unique eyes. She just hastened its growth."
"That still doesn't change the fact that I still got the short end of the stick. While you got an immediate power boost, I was at risked of dying! This is clear favoritism!" Arthur mumbled.
I just helplessly shook my head.
"I'm sure that isn't the case, Arthur." I deadpanned. "Although you were at risk of dying, didn't elder Virion explain the benefits of having a will. Not only that, you got a will from a Dragon. Although you 'were' at risk of dying, now you aren't. I'm sure once you've made the beast will your own, it would become something that would greatly help you."
"I know." Arthur sighed before continuing, "The only reason I'm so annoyed is because I still haven't beaten you! We've fought eachother at least a hundred times! But not a single time within these 3 years have I even landed a direct hit on you!"
Seeing my brother like that, I couldn't help but be amused.
"Heh."
Seeing my indifferent expression holding a slight smugness, Arthur couldn't help but feel his veins popping in his forehead.
"Tch, I've known you long enough to figure out when you're mocking me, you know," he grumbled, picking himself up from the grass and brushing off the dirt.
"Maybe you should focus more on your footwork than on figuring out my expressions," I suggested, twirling my wooden sword lazily.
Arthur narrowed his eyes, before suddenly lunging at me again with his sword with renewed determination.
My eyes flashed gold instinctively. With a sidestep, I watched as he managed to stop himself from toppling over a second time.
"Good attempt." I said.
"Seriously?" he huffed. "Are you secretly part cat or something? Or maybe even see the future? How are you so nimble?"
I chuckled whilst giving a small shrug. Although I still would have been able to evade due to my combat experience, my unique eyes had definitely made it easier.
After Sylvia had 'awakened' my eyes, I've been able to enter a state where time was at my mercy. In this state, I'm able to comprehend attacks and abilities with unfathomable speed. It allows me to find weaknesses and even allows me to learn their movements with almost perfect accuracy. I even felt the manipulation of the strange energies in this world had become easier.
However, I mainly use this state to react to my opponent's attacks and find their weaknesses. Using it this way allowed me to be in this state for longer periods of time. If I used the other abilities, my mind would feel immense fatigue. If I overexert myself, the pain would be unbearable — like getting your head slowly split open by an axe.
Although I haven't loss once to my brother, I was still amazed by his skills. When we first fought, it seemed he had held back, going easy on me. But after losing and losing, he decided to go all out. Now, if I were to estimate, his skills would be on par, if not, greater than some of my higher ranked soldiers in my previous life.
I couldn't be prouder as an older brother.
Once we finished our spar, I said, "Let's go to elder Virion. He said today he will make you a true beast tamer."
Arthur smirked. "Alright."
...
We walked back into the castle. It was relatively early, so it wasn't yet time for me, Arthur and Tess's training. In these three years, I've been training my body and practicing my swordsmanship quite early in the day.
Arthur realised I had been training quite early and decided to do it with me. However, he couldn't train his body due to the assimilation, so we only practiced our swordsmanship with eachother.
Seeing one of the elf maids, I approached her and asked with a slight bow, "Pardon me, kind lady, but might you inform me of Elder Virion's whereabouts? My brother and I seek his guidance for our training."
The elf maid, with an appreciative smile and graceful curtsy, replied, "Young master, Elder Virion is presently engaged in the grand library."
"Thank you very much," I responded, my tone sincere.
The maid's eyes twinkled with fondness as she spoke, "It is always a pleasure to help you, young master. If there is anything further you require, please do not hesitate to call upon me."
With a nod of gratitude, I turned towards the direction of the grand library, Arthur following closely behind.
Arthur's eyes had a mischievous glint from the interaction.
"I didn't know you were this good with the ladies," Arthur remarked as we walked. "Usually, they always wear a cold and indifferent expression. But every time I see you talk with them, they seem to light up."
I glanced at him with slight confusion, my face remaining expressionless. "It's just being polite. I suppose I treat them with the same respect as anyone else. Don't they also give you the same reaction?"
Arthur chuckled lightly. "Yes, but not as much as you."
"Is that so?" I replied, unsure of what he was implying.
Seeing my perplexed expression, he laughed heartily.
"Haha, you're really clueless. Well, it can't be helped. You still haven't reached that age yet." Arthur said with a teasing grin, as if he had countless years of wisdom.
I frowned slightly, feeling a hint of annoyance. "You're the same age as me..."
Arthur nodded sagely, as if he was imparting profound wisdom. "True, but I'm more... worldly-wise."
"Worldly-wise?" I repeated skeptically. "We grew up together, Arthur..."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Details, details. What matters is that you have this natural charm, and you don't even realise it."
I sighed helplessly at his antics, shaking my head slightly. "I still think you're exaggerating."
"Maybe," Arthur admitted, his grin widening. "But mark my words, Tori. One day, you'll see what I mean. You'll definitely grow up to be like those knights in stories, sweeping maidens off their feet without even trying."
I couldn't help but chuckle at his persistence. "If you say so, Arthur."
As we arrived at the grand library, Elder Virion greeted us.
"You're quite early, brats." Before turning to Arthur. "Are you ready?"
"Hey gramps. I'm ready to become a beast tamer." Arthur replied.
Elder Virion nodded. "Tessia should be ready soon. We'll start the lesson once everyone arrives."
...
"And that's the power balance between our three races. Was that explanation good enough?" Arthur spoke. He had been asked to explain the specialities of the three races and their affinities.
In this world, there were four basic elements: fire, water, earth and wind. Then, there were greater elements that branches off of them which are lightning, gravity, ice and sound. These higher elements can only be controlled by going beyond the mastery of their foundational elements. People that possess these greater elements are called deviants.
Races have their own unique specialties. For example, dwarves can only manipulate earth and fire, maybe even both.
But, dwarves have a more 'potent' affinity towards these two elements compared to other races. Their distinct trait lies in the fact that all dwarves can bend and mold metal, while talented dwarves can even conjure and manipulate magma if their mastery over fire and earth was good enough.
Unlike dwarves, elves are limited to water, wind and earth, but with much higher affinity than humans. In rare cases, elves can produce deviants that can manipulate plants, but can't be deviants that can use greater elements of water, wind and earth.
Unlike the four races, humans can possess the ability to manipulate any four basic elements.
They are also the only race capable of making deviants of those elements and also produce anomalies like emitters.
Elder Virion contemplated. "Hmm. It's passable."
At this moment, Tessia raised her hand up and asked, "I have a question. I know the assimilation thing is suppose to gets Art's body to be able to handle his beast will. But wouldn't it be better if he trains his body physically while using magic like me and Tori?"
Elder Virion replied, "What Arthur's been doing these three years is basically fusing his bones, muscles and organs with mana. He hasn't been training his body, but I assure you that once it is over, his body will be stronger and more resilient than a veteran warrior."
"Really?" Tessia said before continuing mischievously, "Then how come he's so sensitive when I hit him?"
Arthur rebuked, "I still feel pain, you know!"
Elder Virion chuckled. "It seems three years of fusion hasn't sapped away your energy yet. Are you ready?"
Arthur nodded.
I was looking forward to Arthur becoming a true beast tamer.
Elder Virion walked up to Arthur before placing his palm over where the will is.
"I'm going to ignite your mana core by inserting a large amount of my own mana. You'll feel a bit warm, but it shouldn't be too bad."
Arthur took a deep breath, bracing himself. As Elder Virion began channeling his mana, a vibrant glow surrounded his hand, and the air around us seemed to hum with energy.
I watched intently, my senses heightened, ready for anything.
Suddenly, I sensed a disturbance, a sharp spike in the mana flow. Instinctively, my unique eyes activated, allowing me to perceive the fluctuating energies. "Be careful!" I warned, but it was too late.
A powerful repulsion surged from Arthur, sending Elder Virion and Tessia flying backward. I reacted quickly, managing to catch Tessia as she flew through the air.
I guessed the explosion came from Arthur's awakening into a beast tamer.
As the dust settled, I saw Arthur lying on the ground, exhausted.
Elder Virion picked himself up, brushing off the dust with a rueful smile. "Well, that was a bit more dramatic than I anticipated."
"Thanks, Tori." Tessia spoke.
I gave a simple nod.
After making sure no one was hurt from the explosion, I turned my attention to Arthur.
"Arthur, are you alright?"
Arthur looked up at me, his face pale and tired. "I... I think so. Just... really exhausted."
Tessia arrived at his side and also checked if he was okay.
Elder Virion hadn't expected such a reaction as he spoke.
"I know you have your reasons for not telling me till now. But I must ask... What sort of beast gave its will to you?"
Arthur contemplated slightly before replying, "She... was a dragon."
As Elder Virion processed those words, an expression of shock quickly formed. "A d-dragon?! An actual dragon tamer?!"
However, as Arthur said those words he quickly lost consciousness.
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