Ren awoke slowly, his eyes silently refusing to open. The light from the window broke through to him, moving him from his struggle. He groaned as he sat up and, realising he was alone, moved in an attempt to get out of bed. His legs felt like stone and every move was a chore, but he eventually managed to stand up. He took one step and stumbled, barely catching himself on his bed. “Why am I so weak?” he thought to himself. His stumbling and groaning must have been loud as while he was musing to himself, his father walked in. Shocked that he was awake, his father rushed to his side, supporting him as he let Ren sit down on the bed. “What happened? You have been asleep for almost a week!” His father exclaimed with a smile on his face.

“I’ll tell both of you at the same time, so I don’t have to repeat myself. Where is Mom?” Ren replied curiously, looking around, trying to peer around the door.

“She’s in the library, I'll take you there.” his father replied. With that, they were off, hobbling along as his father supported him, holding him up to make sure that he didn’t fall down.

Ten minutes later, they reached the library, where he immediately slouched into one of the armchairs next to the fireplace. By the time he got himself comfortable, his parents were staring at him expectantly.

Ren told them what had happened, leaving out anything related to the Sphere that had gotten the Administrator so scared. When he told them that he had started his Path, their eyes widened in shock and disbelief, both of them sitting upright. When he told them of the Administrator, they stared at each other, as if they were having a private conversation in their head. Whilst he waited for them to finish their silent conversation, he held his freezing hands out to the fire, trying to warm them up. After what felt like an eternity, they looked back at him and his mother spoke. “Show us your Status.” She said hesitantly..

Ren complied, but he didn’t show them everything, hiding his Soul Fragment and his [Prodigy of the Dao] and [Unyielding] Achievements as they would’ve drawn unnecessary questions.

Status

Race - Human

Age - 8

Stage - Body Foundation

Layer - Small

Titles - [Child Of Heaven]

Stats

* [Power]: 4.3

* [Speed]: 2.8

* [Vitality]: 3.5

* [Mind]: 7.1

* [Energy]: 4.9

Available points: 5

Dao:

* Sword - High Dao Fractal - 25%

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Achievements:

* [Child Of Heaven]

Begin your Path before the age of 10.

Reward:

Increased chance to achieve Perfection

Audible gasps followed as the both looked from him to his Status, eyes growing wider as they read, until they began to think. The cracking of the fire broke them from their stupor and his father spoke excitedly. “How did you get your Sword Dao? And why is it already at the High Layer?”

“it was there when I opened my Status for the first time.” Ren replied, technically not lying. He knew that he had gotten it from those brief Insights of one of Hendrin’s Cores. “Why am I so weak that I can barely walk?”

“Your body just needs time to get used to Energy flowing through it. The best way is to get some exercise. Come, I'll take you on a walk and we can get some lunch while your father prepares the training room.” His mother, Hywn, replied quickly.

With that, they all stood up, his father rushing off, laughing giddily and his mother taking his hand, making sure he didn’t fall.

*****

As he walked out of the front door, he finally saw what this world looked like. It was lush with grass and rolling hills, with mountains covered in trees looming on the horizon. The village was large, with numerous wooden houses and wooden houses. Of the four hills within its walls, Ren stood upon the tallest, while the other three all held grand houses, similar to the one he had just walked out of. His mother set off down the hill, with him following right behind. As they passed the gates at the bottom of the hill, the guards on patrol stopped and bowed to them, before walking off. They walked through a few small streets before entering a giant one, overcrowded by people going about their business. Thousands of shouts from merchants shoved into his ears, demanding he pay them attention. From the stench of fish that assaulted his nose, to the inviting pastries drenched in honey, Ren felt overwhelmed. Despite this, his mother took his hand and pulled him along, the crowd parting in front of her. Once, they passed a cart selling something that smelled absolutely divine and, when he pulled on his mother’s hand to stop, she turned around and took one look at him. Less than ten seconds later, they were both smiling contently with honey cakes in their hands.

After a few minutes of scoffing their faces, they finally reached what seemed to be their destination. It was a small hole in the wall restaurant covered in vines and flowers, giving off an enticing aroma. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a lovely, smiling face that seemed excited to see them. “Welcome you to The Jade Phoenix, Mear’s finest restaurant! Is this your first time dining here?” Said a heavily sweetened voice. She was about to lead them to a small table in the far corner when a small, black card appeared in his mother’s hand. When the attendant saw the card, her tone immediately shifted and became more respectful, with a little fear mixed in with it. “F-follow me, Master.” she managed to stutter out before rushing to the stairs, snapping something to one of the waiters as she passed by. The man seemed to tense up and instantly ran to the door to the kitchen, trying his best to not disturb the dining customers.

On the ground floor, it was packed, with waiters rushing back and forth. On the top floor where they stopped, there were only three people, all of whom looked surprised that someone else was joining them on their secluded floor. However, when they saw Ren and his mother appear, they seemed shocked and started whispering to each other.

The attendant brought them to their table, where they ordered their food and waited. As their food began to arrive, one of the people already on the floor stood up and approached their table. It was a young man, who would’ve been handsome if not for the smug grin that covered his face. He whisked away the attendant and stopped, facing Ren directly. “It’s good to see you walking around, Young Master.” The man said with clear disrespect. His arrogance didn’t seem to bother Ren as he wanted nothing more than to start eating the delicious looking food that was in front of him. His mother, on the other hand, didn’t take the young man’s attitude well and released her Aura to teach him a lesson. However, in her moment of anger, she forgot to focus it directly on the man. Instead, her Aura filled the room, pushing everyone down to the floor and for the young man in front of her to start bleeding from his orifices. Realising her mistake, she moved her gaze to fixate on Ren, horror clouding her thoughts, but when she looked at him, her mind went blank. He was sitting there, devouring a plate of meat, as if nothing was wrong. He looked up and saw that everyone was on the floor and his mother’s bewildered eyes fixated on his own. “What? Did I miss something?” Ren asked innocently. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘WHAT’”?? His mother screeched back. But before he could answer, she spoke again. “Nope, never mind. Not in front of all these people.” With that, she contained her Aura, letting everyone in the room breathe. They left without paying, which the establishment seemed not to care about. Ren was the most upset as he had to leave behind all of that magical food. They walked back home quickly, with his mother basically dragging him along by the arm.

When they reached the top of the hill, they didn’t stop, charging right into the house and down to the basement. In all of Ren’s memories, he couldn’t remember a time when he had gone down to the basement. He had never needed to. However, when the door opened and revealed his father, who was grinning madly as he held two practice swords, he knew he would enjoy the basement.