Michael

A couple of weeks had passed since his father and older brother had left on their hunt. There hadn't been any word about their progress, but no news is often good news, at least according to Geron.

Michael's schedule had settled into the daily routine of magic classes in the morning, martial classes at noon, and general education in the evening. His free time was mostly absorbed by studying and hanging out with the siblings he didn't despise.

Talking of siblings he despised, the twins had tried multiple times to goad him into trouble. He quickly understood that he could ignore them safely as long as Sir Geron was present to prevent any advances they could make. To be honest, he wasn't scared of them too much anymore after their fight, and seeing them stomp around frustrated every time he ignored their insults amused him immensely.

He was currently sitting in the sun in a corner of the training square and trained his mana well. He was getting close to reaching it as the light grew and grew with the weeks of training. Sola had concluded a while ago that his mana well had to be massive with the description Michael had given her and the fact, that he hadn't even reached it yet.

His thoughts were calm as he slowly inched closer to the light within him. It had resembled a candlelight at the start of his training was now a huge bonfire. He was so close he could nearly feel the energy radiating out from the well. Actually, why not, he raised a metaphorical arm and reached out for the light.

Suddenly a warm energy erupted from his chest, and he tensed up with the feeling. Inside him, the energy began to flow through his body into every limb and part of it. He opened his eyes wide and looked at his hands as if they changed into something entirely new.

“You did it, didn't you,” Geron asked knowingly while standing a couple of meters away from where he was sitting. He generally put in his own training while Michael was meditating.

“It feels like my whole body is filled with warm water,” Michael explained while still inspecting himself.

“Interesting, for me, it is just a cold feeling. Hmm hard to explain, but I guess different affinity mana feels different." Geron gave him a hand in standing up. "Well done, milord. Now your real training will start." The grin he had on his face concerned Michael a little and at the end of training his worries were confirmed as he was lying on the ground trying to catch his breath.

“What, are you done already,” Geron commented with a slight smile on his face.

Normally Michael would have had time to recover after physical training with meditation, but now Geron made him train moving his mana in the breaks. Moving mana is more mentally challenging than physically, but Michael tended to tense up a lot while trying to force his will upon his mana and with that his recovery time it became more of a second training.

“Good thing is I don't feel anything anymore,” Michael grunted while breathing heavily.

Geron laughed at that. “Good, then we have done it right."

“Kill me please."

The day continued without much happening; Sola was very pleased to hear him having gained control over his mana well, but magic training would have to wait for the next day.

Michael used his free time roaming the castle today, his brain too fried to continue studying. The castle had been quiet since the hunting party left, the training court only used by the remaining knights and many nobles having left for their estates or the hunt with the lord of the land gone for a while.

He strolled into the small garden, that is currently being tended to by an older man, he looked up from his work when the boy came around a corner.

"Welcome, milord,” the old man greeted him respectfully.

“Greetings, Tom, how are you doing,” Michael replied with a smile.

“Oh, you know, milord, the pains of age.”

Michael sat down on the bench while Geron took position at the entrance and closed his eyes, enjoying the shade of the lonely oak tree.

Michael had started visiting the garden a couple of weeks ago in his search for a quiet place, with the walls seemingly not being safe and most other places not giving him the peace he was looking for.

He heard steps in the hallway and opened his eyes. Two servant girls walked into the garden, probably using it as a shortcut somewhere else but when they saw him, they turned around quickly and left. Michael sighed and closed his eyes again. He was getting used to the weird treatment he was getting from most people, but it would be a lie if he said that it didn't bother him.

Someone sat down next to him, he looked over and it was Tom.

“Why are you not afraid,” Michael asked him interested. “Most people seem to be."

The old man rubbed his hands slowly and took a couple of seconds to answer. “Years ago, at the time of the Twin Mountain Kingdom's civil war, I was still a soldier” - he grinned - “an old soldier. I fought for my land and the ones that I believed to be right. Towards the secession of the Kingdom of Telios I was wounded in battle,” he tapped on his leg. Michael had seen him limping often enough to know what he meant.

“I wasn't useful anymore as a soldier and I looked for my place in life, but I was turned away from the very people that I fought and suffered for until I reached your father's doorstep and he took me in as a servant,” the old man smiled while reminiscing.

“That doesn't really connect with my question though,” Michael pointed out.

The old man laughed loudly, “True, I forgot the important part."

“I was fighting for the opposing side and there were horrible stories told about the enemies, killing women and children, looting temples, being demon worshipers, and everything you could imagine. Every side of the war said the other ones are devils in human form.” He turned towards Michael with a satisfied expression, “And this man judged me not on what my lieges had done or what kind of rumors there were but what he thought of me as a person.”

Michael nodded, thinking about the story.

“And that is why I try my best not to judge anyone except with my own experience and you are a good boy. I would even go so far as to say, that you will become a great man as long as you don't drown in other people's fear and hate,” Tom put his hand on Michael's shoulder.

Michael smirked, “You've known me for what? Five weeks and you can tell?"

Looking up to the sky the old man replied, “When you are as old as me and have seen as much as I have you will also have a pretty accurate gut feeling.” An aura of experience and age radiated from the man to such an extent Michael had never felt before.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes then Michael asked, “Why do you tend to this garden when no one ever visits it."

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A hint of pain came over Tom's face. "Hm, this garden is a relic of the past. Lord Rowan's first wife Lady Talia started this garden, she planted this tree, that gives us shade with her own hands."

“Since her death, Lord Rowan never visited the garden ever again,” Tom said while shaking his head slowly. “And it is in a remote part of the castle surrounded by mostly the servant quarters, so the nobles never find their way here."

“Oh,” Michael looked up at the oak. “What about her children?"

“Lord Matthias visits once or twice every month, Lady Luciel most mornings and the twins come around from time to time as well."

Michael frowned at the mention of the twins.

Tom looked at him and said, “They are in pain, you know.”

“Who,” Michael gets torn out of his thoughts.

“Lord Harlov and Oska."

“What do you mean,” Michael asked confused.

“Their mother died while giving birth to them and I am sure they blame themselves, even if they would probably never admit it,” the old man explained.

“And that should wash away all the evil they have done, the pain they have inflicted,” Michael stood up and spun around in anger. “Are you telling me to not take it so hard or forgive them?”

Michael pressed his hands into fists and remembered all the hardship, he had to go through. “Should I forgive them for all the insults, for the beatings, for nearly tossing me down a wall, just because someone started a rumor, he stared at the man waiting for an answer. Tom looked at him with an amused face and Michael noticed how fast he got riled up.

“I don't expect you to forgive, I want you to understand,” the man looks him in the eyes with intensity. “Understand their motivations and the origin of their feelings and you can use this knowledge however you see fit."

Michael calmed down, his answer not what he expected. “I should use their guilt against them?”

“Sometimes you have to do harsh things to protect yourself and those you hold dear." Tom was fixated on the sky, and he could see the regret on the old man's face.

“I understand,” Michael replied with determination. “I will do what I must!”

His smile returned, and Tom nodded, “Yes, you will.”

Michael relaxed for a time longer and helped Tom tend the garden a little, his words still echoing in Michael's head.

With the sun lowering Michael left. These visits would get harder as the days grew shorter with the upcoming winter, but Michael would enjoy them as long as he could.

He went back to his room and ordered some food. After an hour of studying, he headed to bed completely exhausted and quickly fell asleep.

*Bum* *Bum* *Bum*

A rhythmic sound of metal hitting metal rang through the darkness.

Michael didn't know where he was, he couldn't see clearly, and everything was hazy.

A shimmer in the darkness pulled him in. He walked over slowly, his arms spread out to find anything to guide him. He closed in on the shimmer and could see a wall of rock, was he underground? He reached out his hand to the shimmer when it suddenly vanished.

*Bum* *Bum* *Bum*

The hammering continued, seemingly coming from all sides.

Michael could see a fire and a man next to it hammering at an anvil. It was hypnotizing, the man raised his hammer only to have it come crashing down in perfect rhythm.

*Bum* *Bum* *Bum*

Michael awoke, breathing heavily, the dream already fading from his mind.

His gaze wandered to his window; it was still dark. He got out of bed and walked over to his window. The moon was still high in the sky and there was no indication that the sun would join it anytime soon. He watched the little lights of the guards patrolling on the walls and thought about his weird dream.

The next days went past in a blur as his training intensified with his access to mana his body and mind could take way more punishment and fewer breaks. His vast mana well helped him keep up with the strain while automatically training his control over it.

The dream followed him every night, the banging, mine, and smithy invading his thoughts evermore, but he told no one about it. Having these dreams could easily be misunderstood and the people were hostile enough as it is. He had tried to talk with Sola about mining and the metal craft, but she couldn't help him there.

He grew frustrated with the situation he wanted to learn but no one would teach him the things Geron and Sola could not.

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Sola

“How does he learn so fast,” Sola said to Geron.

They often ran into each other in the dining hall, and it had become somewhat of a habit for them to eat dinner together.

“I feel like he takes everything I say and just absorbs it into his very being, it is insane,” she continued.

“You sound like you are complaining," Geron noted while eating.

“Well, I am no teacher nor scholar, I can't sate his thirst for knowledge, today he asked me about how ships work and what did I answer? Well, wood floats, ..., ridiculous,” Sola threw her hands up and covered her eyes.

“Aren't you right though,” Geron said, her rambling amusing to him.

She opened her fingers enough to look him in the face. “He looked at me as if I thought he was stupid. That boy needs someone with vast knowledge in different subjects or just a ton of teachers.” She let her head fall onto the table with a little *bong*.

“At least you know your magic, so you should be able to entertain him in that field at least,” Geron changed the subject to raise her spirits.

She raised her head looking a little better. “True, we are still at the basics, and he is not as quick with learning magic as with the other things."

“Haha, you are happy about that,” Geron chuckled.

“He can't be a genius in everything, and it is good for my self-esteem that I won't be completely useless in a year,” Sola sighed.

“I don't want him to think that I am pushing him off to other people if I suggest he should get other teachers though.”

Geron shook his head. “He is a smart boy; he will understand if you explain it to him and it is not like you have nothing to teach him.”

“I really hope so.”

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Michael

The days were starting to grow cold when Lord Rowan finally returned from his hunt. Michael was in the courtyard when the party arrived. They all looked tired, with bandages and field repairs everywhere but they also looked relieved.

Michael looked for Matthias and quickly found him. “Welcome back, brother.”

Matthias smiled weakly at him and patted his head, “Thank you, I am glad to be back.”

Lira and Luciel appeared between the horses and joined them. Lira inspected her older brother all around, “it looks like you came back in one piece.”

A shadow came over Matthias's face and vanished again a moment later. “Had some close calls but I won't leave you so quickly.”

“You have to tell us stories later,” Michael was excited to hear about the monsters and the hunt.

“First I have to clean up and get some rest, I feel like I haven't properly slept in weeks.”

He looked so tired that Michael didn't ask further, Matthias left shortly after to do exactly that.

A couple hours later Michael was standing in his father's office, he had requested a meeting pretty much the moment the hunting party had returned. He hadn't expected to get one on the same day though. He was just standing in front of his table while his father skimmed over reports.

Michael didn't know if he should just start to talk or wait.

“So, what did you want to talk about,” his father finally broke the silence while still shuffling papers around.

“Sister Sola is a great teacher” - Michael began - “but there are things she has no knowledge of, so I wanted to ask you if I can hire more teachers.”

“Why?”

Michael was surprised by the question and began to stutter a little, “Be.. because I want to learn more.”

“But why?”

Michael was taken aback, he tried to think of a good answer. “Knowing more always helps does it not.”

His father sighed and put down the papers, “So what I am hearing is you want me to spend more money so you can learn things that you can't even give me a good reason why you should learn them. What kind of teacher are you thinking about?”

"I would like to learn about everything!" His declaration would surely impress his father with his vigor and determination.

“Request denied,” Lord Rowan said simply after a couple of seconds and returned to his papers.

"What? Why?"

"Because you have no idea what you want and why you want it, you came unprepared to a meeting you requested and list selfish reasons for the county to spend money on you." His father didn't even look up from his papers.

Michael gritted his teeth in embarrassment. "Thank you for your time."

He then turned around and quickly left, not noticing Luciel standing next to the door.

A couple of minutes later he was sitting in the garden by himself when Luciel found him.

“I didn't know you came here,” she said while sitting down next to him.

“It's the only place people don't bother me with their stares,” Michael wiped his nose trying to get his composure.

“There there, you don't have to be so mature you can let out your frustrations.” She put her arm around him and pulled him close.

“How can I prove myself if I don't get the education I need.”

“Why would you need to prove yourself you are just a kid,” Luciel asked him.

“Am I? Everyone looks at me like I am going to turn into a monster at a moment's notice. I just want to be treated with respect and all I can do right now is to learn as much as I can to be as useful as I can possibly be.”

“I didn't realize you cared about what others thought of you,” Luciel pulled him closer.

“I want to care for them, like it is my duty but how can I if they all hate me,” Michael lamented.

Luciel thought about that for a moment and then rose from the bench. “Go change into your training outfit and bring a cloak, we meet at the gate in an hour. Before Michael could ask more questions or protest Luciel was hurrying away.