“Sword Mastery and Bow Mastery” Kai read the letters, his brow furrowing in thought. “So, she’ll be an expert with both weapons…” His looked at the rest, when he saw the stunned faces of the others. “Why is everyone so surprised?”

A heavy silence hung in the air until the high priest finally spoke. “Unbelievable… Two Mastery skills is unprecedented!” Hiro and Sakura were rendered speechless, their eyes wide with shock.

Elysia stepped forward, her innocent eyes filled with confusion. “Mom? Dad? What does this mean?” she asked. Sakura came forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Eli! You’ve got not one, but two Mastery skills!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. Hiro joined them, patting Elysia’s head affectionately.

Kai, still puzzled, turned to the high priest. He brought out his notebook and started to write, “What exactly are these Mastery skills?” he asked. The high priest stepped forward, a serious expression on his face.

“Mastery skills are the rarest skills one can acquire. As the name suggests, they allow you to master a particular weapon or skill. They also contain many hidden abilities. Acquiring even one is considered a miracle, but the young lady here has two,” he explained, gesturing towards Elysia.

“I can be as strong as Dad then?” Elysia asked, her eyes shining with anticipation. Hiro shook his head, a proud smile on his face. “No, sweety, you’ll be far stronger than me.”

Elysia’s face lit up at his words, and she began to jump around in excitement. The high priest watched her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “She has the Goddess of War: Bellatrix’s protection and blessing,” he added.

Kai watched Elysia, a smile tugging at his lips. He was pulled from his thoughts when Sakura approached him. “Now it’s your turn,” she said, guiding him to the center. The priest handed him the tablet. “Here you go.”

“I doubt I’ll get any skill. Let’s just get this over with,” Kai thought so, placing his hand on the tablet. As he did, the tablet glowed, and a bright light emanated from the statue of Amara, the Goddess of Love. Everyone turned to look at the text appearing on the screen. Their reactions were unanimous, confusion on their faces, except for one.

Kai stared at the skill name, disbelief etched on his face. “Is this for real?” he thought. Hiro turned to the priest, his voice filled with curiosity. “What kind of skill is that?” The priest, equally baffled, could only shake his head. “I’m sorry, your grace, but I’m not sure. Could it be a new skill?”

Sakura was deep in thought, her brows furrowed, while Elysia looked around in confusion. “Is there really a need of such skill?” Kai thought, glancing at the name again. “Matchmaker”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“The statue of the goddess of love glowed, so it must be related to her,” the priest mused, his gaze fixed on the glowing statue. The room fell silent until Sakura broke the silence. “I know this skill!” she exclaimed. All eyes turned to her as Hiro stepped forward. “You do?” he asked, surprise evident in his voice. Sakura winked at him, a playful smile on her lips. “Of course. This is the skill of matchmaking couples!”

Kai could only sigh at her excitement. “How does she even know that?” he wondered. The high priest looked puzzled. “I don’t quite understand…” Hiro nodded in agreement, equally confused. Sakura walked over to Kai, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Our son is a matchmaker! He can make people fall in love with each other!”

Hiro and the high priest exchanged awed glances, while Elysia looked on, still not quite grasping the concept. Kai could only facepalm. “Why does it always have to be me dealing with the unexpected?”

After some more discussion, the four of them decided to head back. As they rode in the carriage, Elysia fell asleep. Sakura turned to Kai, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Can you use the skill now?” Hiro chimed in, “Yeah, why don’t you try it out? Since your skill doesn’t have any requirements, you can use it anywhere.”

Kai sighed, feeling a mix of apprehension and curiosity. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this new ability. “It seemed so… personal.” But he decided to give it a try. He focused, recalling the high priest’s instructions. “You just have to concentrate on your eyes. When you feel a surge through your body, you will be able to use it.” As he focused, he felt a jolt of energy pass through him. When he opened his eyes, he saw different colors of aura around Hiro and Sakura. “What’s with this aura around them?” he wondered. As he watched, the auras merged into one, forming something. “Huh?”

“Oh! I get it now.”

He pulled out his notebook and started to write. “I was able to use it.” He showed them the note. Sakura’s eyes lit up. “So? How was it? Were you able to figure out how it works?” Kai nodded in response to her question. “Really? How does it work?” she asked, her excitement palpable. Hiro chuckled at her childlike enthusiasm. “I can see your compatibility with each other,” Kai wrote, showing them the note.

Hiro looked at Sakura, “So, how compatible are we?” Kai wrote again, showing them the note, “98%”. Hiro and Sakura both stared at the note for a moment, then they started blushing, stealing glances at each other. Kai just smiled, amused by their reaction. Suddenly, Eva spoke up, “You seem to enjoy it, Sir.” To which he replied, “Can’t be helped, they are fun to watch.” He thought, “They are married for more than 10 years, with a daily basis of small teasing, yet they still act like newlyweds.” He smiled as he looked out the window, with the rest of their journey continued in silence.

As he watched the passing scenery, Kai couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of his skill. His new skill was unique, and it could change people’s lives. “I have to use it wisely. But for now,” he slowly closed his eyes, “I will just enjoy the journey back home.”