The House of a brave adventurer and a stable businessman was very busy this morning.

The Adventurer in question, Leslie Genfor, woke up early today. She had to prepare her kids for school and clean the house. Her daughter returned from a hard mission recently, and today, after resting for a few days, they wanted to celebrate.

After all, it was about a month into Monica's job, and it was a prestigious one, celebration was needed.

Leslie's husband just woke up and came to the kitchen where his wife prepared some food, for them both and their oldest daughter. The younger children already left for their lessons.

"Good morning honey...Ahh," He yawned then continued to question his wife. "What are you cooking? It smells delicious."

"Pancakes, Monica should be rested now, so I thought we could celebrate her first month in the army, even if somewhat late.." She confessed.

"Good idea, I don't have any meetings today, so we can go watch a play, or maybe go to the lake, the weather is perfect to slide around." He proposed. His name was Henry, by the way.

"Go wake her up, the food will be ready in a minute, then, you can ask her which option she prefers." The housewife answered.

The man did as he was ordered to. He left the spacious kitchen, modernly equipped and properly furnished. Then he went through a room meant for eating and socializing, in which a few couches stood next to a big table, surrounded by chairs. In the centre of the room, by the wall, a fireplace stood and heated up the room.

From then on, Henry walked up the stairs, and by a few pots filled with lively plants on his way to his daughter's room. They were quite a wealthy family, and their house was definite proof of the money they had, mostly obtained by the man of the house through his skin business, but a considerable part of it also came from the time when his wife was a famous adventurer. As such, nearly every member of the household had its own room, with the exception of the young children, who shared a room together.

The house was big and well-maintained, mostly because of the constant presence of Leslie, who after getting pregnant, abandoned her adventuring career and became a housewife.

"Monica, wakey-wakey, the sun has risen!" The man announced as soon as he entered his daughter's bedroom.

The woman in question was lying in the bed, sprawled on the bed. Various body parts stuck out from the bedsheets, as the archeress slept peacefully, her expression was of pure bliss if you omit her open mouth and wet pillow.

"WAKE UP!!!" Her father neared the bed and bellowed, while simultaneously shaking her awake.

"Could you please shut up??" The girl covered her ears and pleaded.

"No, get up and come downstairs, your mother made us breakfast. And you know, it's called breakfast because you are supposed to eat it fast after it's done." He ended the lecture.

The man went down, where he in pair with his wife waited for their daughter to show herself. Eventually, she did. But only after she put something on.

The trio started to eat, as the food was slowly getting cold, They exchanged a few words, but only after a while Monica's mother started a true conversation.

"So, do you have any plans for today?" She asked her daughter.

"Not, really. I planned to maybe go to the shooting range, and practice a bit. By the way, when can I ascend to the elementary realm? One of my teammates is already there, though, he is older so it's not surprising." Monica asked.

"Well, there isn't really anything holding you back from taking the ascension ritual. The first ascension is purely about you feeling good in your body, and having good control over it, of course, if you aren't a monster like The high Commander, Clemens Estron, who went hardcore and ascended only when he could already created an aura core. So, it depends on whether you feel ready, or not." Explained the mother.

"Can I try to get a core first?" Asked Monica.

"No." A definitive answer fell on the girl.

"Why?"

"For once, we don't have a technique that makes it possible, but the bigger reason is that it's simply dangerous and unnecessary."

"Ohh..." Monica sighed in defeat.

"What, were planning on impressing your team members? If you want, I can teach you how to make a great stew in the wilderness, that's something that would help you a lot in making a mage like you." The mother suggested with a playful smirk.

"No, no. No need." Monica replied with a blush.

Silence ensued for a few moments, broken only after Henry made the conversation return to its rightful tracks.

"do you want to go out with us today? You could tell us about the mission a dinner, then we would go the the lake. I heard that the ice is incredibly smooth this year." Asked the man.

"Yeah, I can't wait for you to tell us about the monster you faced, I heard it was quite terrifying." The mother put in a piece of her own.

"Okay, but I choose the place,- and you pay! I won't be scammed by my own parents, twice!" Exclaimed the archeress, to the amusement of her parents.

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At the same time, in a different part of the city, a wealthy mansion stood.

It was similar to the mansion of Mrs Gertel, but much more decorated, after all, royal descendants lived here.

It was made entirely out of stone, with decorations such as pillars and bas-reliefs on every corner. The roof was made from hardened wood and painted with a reflective lacquer.

The building's main entrance just closed, after a man in grey robes entered, uninterrupted by the staff.

While Max wasn't a regular guest in the mansion, he was more than welcome to visit. It was his second home, after all. Or maybe third, now that he lived in the tower.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Here, he spent the first few years of childhood, before his father took him to Ferston. His mother and the rest of his siblings stayed here though, Edgar took only the oldest of his sons with him, to make him a worthy heir.

They returned frequently to the capital, to bond with his mother and younger siblings, but the amount of time he spent with his father didn't leave him unaffected, to his mother's displeasure.

"Why can't you go with us to the cathedral? You should reconnect with the goddess and attend masses more frequently, haven't I told you that? Don't you know that nonbelievers will face eternal damnation?" She roared at him in the presence of the staff, an unusual sight, but not very surprising. Miss Steelarm had a reputation as a pious believer of the goddess, and her husband's indifference to faith was equally known to the public.

"Mum, I told you before, I don't really believe in that. Dad always told me that we are the smiths of our fate, including the afterlife. Which also sounds rather suspicious if you ask me. how am I supposed to believe in god, if I can create a piece of metal out of thin air??" Max responded, to his mother's pain, he supported his father and his belief in nonbelief.

"Ahhh... You two and your magic, looking at things like that only complicates life. Arthur, Fiona, Don't listen to your brother, not everything is supported by logic, and that's fine. Now let's go to the mass, we will pray for your brother's and father's return under the Goddess's wings." She announced, after which the trio left the mansion with few guards.

Arthur was Max' younger brother, this year he will turn thirteen. he resembled his older brother and father, but still was shorter, and had longer hair.

Max's sister, on the other side, was nothing like their brothers. Fiona was a blonde girl, with brown eyes. She was about to turn nine this year and was still somewhat chubby. Child-like chubby, not fat.

While his family headed towards the church, Max went into the library, reading a book was always a good way to pass some time.

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On the main square, stood a big restaurant famous for its soups. inside there, a trio sat beside the window, staring outside at the nearly empty square, and sipping on their soups in silence.

"So," Leslie spoke between spoons full of hot soup." your friend got hit by the monster's whip-like tail, is he badly hurt?" She asked.

"I think he will be fine, he told me he planned to get into his research yesterday. So he is probably sleeping right now. He talked about it with such fervour and curiosity that I doubt he would be able to stop himself after starting." Monica explained, also talking between spoons.

"Do you know what he was researching? magic stuff is always fascinating." This time, it was Henry, Monica's father, who asked.

"Something about creating his own absorption technique. he told me he would cut into monsters, but I haven't asked for further information." The daughter said.

"Oh, ambitious." Commented Leslie.

"Do you think he will succeed?" Monica asked her parents.

"I wouldn't be sure, but you never know. Be sure to stay positive thou, no point in worrying about him. if he doesn't succeed, I'm sure that the Steelarm family will gladly take him in, and share an Absorption technique with him." Reassured her mother, while her father just shrugged his shoulders, not even stopping his spoon movements.

"Back to the topic, what happened afterwards?" Followed up Leslie, curious about her daughter's mission.

"Well..."

The women talked, while the man sipped on his soup in peace, looking out of the window and observing the snowy, nearly empty square.

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In the meantime, the mass has ended and Max's family returned to the mansion.

They found him in the library, where he spent all this time, and brought him to the back of the mansion complex, where an inner courtyard was located.

"How are your studies going?" Max asked his younger brother, who attended the best local school.

It couldn't be compared to the education Adam has received, it was a prestigious facility in which noble descendants learned everything they were supposed to know, from mathematics and poetry to politics. With martial arts in the middle. No one wanted their children to be unable to defend themselves, so the fighting lessons were of utmost importance.

Adam on the other hand, learned only the basics of the basics in school, he knew how to count write and read, but hadn't learned more than that in the public facility he attended.

Just like most of the children in Derdania, he learned the trade and how to fight from his parents, so while noble children could potentially be everything they wanted too, if they tried, he would be a hunter just like his guardian.

Of course, becoming an Adventurer is the exception from this rule, those only needed to know how to fight, nothing more, nothing less.

"It's okay, I guess," Arthur replied.

"He got the highest score in class from martial arts class!" Fiona interjected, proud of her older brother.

"Oh? That's nice. Do you want to show me what you learned?" Max asked.

"There is no point, you will win either way," Arthur replied defeatedly.

"Don't be so pessimistic. I haven't had a sword in hand for more than two months, magic occupied all my attention." Max tried to encourage his younger brother.

"Yeah! I want to see you fight!" The young Fiona was eager for some spectacle.

Their mother was silent the whole time. She sat on a chair, near the wall, under a blanket, and watched as the events unfolded.

Eventually, after persistent persuasion from his younger, and older siblings, Arthur broke his resolve not to spar and went to the middle of the courtyard with his older brother.

the courtyard was surrounded from all sides by the mansion and was swiped clean from snow. The floor was made of stone, and a few plants were planted in wide roofs spreading from the buildings. Well, pots with no plants inside, the greenery was brought inside so it wouldn't die from the coldness of winter.

The mother announced the start, and the brothers neared, with swords in hand.

Both of them had a wooden longsword, and while shields were necessary for a battlefield, there was no fun in striking wooden planks repeatedly. Striking your brother, on the other hand, was hilarious.

At first, Arthur tried to advance on his brother, and make him lose the distance advantage. he was shorter, so his reach was also smaller.

That tactic didn't prove to be very successful, as Max's sword reached behind Arthur's defence and hit him in the thigh.

The young Steelarm didn't falter, he strode forward, advancing on his older brother, who mercilessly attacked him in return.

A few blocks and counterattacks later, the younger brother's sword finally reached its destination.

Max got hit in the arm, quite painfully, but he also didn't falter, not after his younger brother performed so well.

A few more strikes followed, after which, an unexpected happened.

Arthur staggered forward, lost his balance and fell in the direction of Max's sword, which in turn hit him in the head.

Arthur fell down, unconscious. And his brother stood over him.

Fiona cheered in the distance, while their mother smirked at the events that unfolded.

'Huh, he does fight well, but coming to a sword fight against a metal mage in a uniform with metal parts is kinda crazy. I hope he doesn't figure it out, that would make all the fun disappear.' Max thought while picking up his younger brother and putting him in the arms of a servant, who in turn took him inside.

Max went after the servant, together with his sister and mother, smirking.

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Adam layed in his bed.

It was very late, and only now did he wake up. It was somehow undetectable as he spent the previous day, and part of the night in the laboratory, but still, he hadn't expected to wake up after dinner.

Now a question appeared in his mind.

Was it worth it to get up? He would come back here in a few hours either way.

After a moment of deliberation, Adam opted for the more logical option and stayed in bed.

He fell asleep again, but it wasn't a fantastic sleep like before, now it was more forced, less refreshing.

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A commotion woke Adam up, in the middle of the night.

Various sounds were heard in his chamber, many people shouted something, but none were distinguishable from the young mage's perspective.

He stood up and walked to the window.

On the streets, many carts were being prepared, filled with goods of various kinds and purposes. People were bustling around nervously, shouting at each other.

Some carts already departed, in the escort of the guards they were led to the main gate.

Everything was visible as if it was a day, and only after a while, did Adam notice a huge object in the night sky.

A sun had appeared, travelling across the horizon.

The object moved towards the north, casting its dreadful light at the plains of Derdania, and nervous residents of it.