“Good morning, Son. Have you come to join me?” my dad asked with a refreshing smile as he wiped his forehead off with his arm.

I started taking off my shirt so as not to dirty it. After all, I only had so many shirts that fit me at my disposal. I’d have to make sure I went ahead and bought plenty of extras when we went shopping.

Not that I planned on wearing any of them while training…I just preferred it this way. Always have. And come to think of it…it appeared Dad was the same way.

We always did train without shirts back in Owlkirk. I mean, it was just far too hot to be wearing anything, and I always felt stuffy. Manaweave could only do so much.

Meh.

“Of course. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been far too long…far—”

Dad stopped talking, and his smile faded away. His eyes seemingly glazed over as he looked at the scars on my chest. I felt a pang in my chest, but I knew there was nothing to be done. I could only reassure my parents so much.

Perhaps it will just weigh heavily on them for the rest of their lives, regardless of what I say.

I sighed internally. “Snap out of it. You are a bit too young to lose your mind, Dad. Anyhow, did Uncle Janos end up seeing you last night?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

Dad sighed to himself and forced a smile while he shook his head from side to side. “Ah…nothing much. He just asked for forgiveness for failing his quest and all that. I told him it wasn’t a big deal, but he just wouldn’t drop it.”

Dad met my eyes and quickly looked away. “Say…Kal…have you…spoken to the Shadow Clan?”

“I have not. The only member I’ve spoken to at great length is Aunt Illyssia. I did go to school with Terstus and Sededa, but we rarely spoke. And, of course, I met Parhen and Janos.”

“I see…” Dad muttered under his breath.

“Is there going to be a problem that needs handling?” I asked.

My dad chuckled bitterly. “I hope not…but hope isn’t going to stop that man. It’s only a matter of time before my survival reaches the clan. By then—”

Dad stopped himself and looked beyond worried. I felt terrible, and seeing him like this didn’t help. He looked about ready to rip his hair out from the stress.

“Don’t worry about it, Dad. If need be, I’ll be more than happy to help you when the time comes,” I said honestly.

My dad raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “You may not have a choice regardless…” A genuine smile crept at the corner of his lips. “But I’m happy to hear that. I don’t want your mother or Dallin to get involved more than they already are. So thanks….Kal.”

I did my best to return his smile. “Anything for the family.” I stretched my shoulders high above my head and let out a satisfied yawn. “Now then, I have a favor to ask.”

Dad tilted his head to the side. “A favor?”

“Yeah, remember way back when you promised to teach me some magic? I’m taking you up on that offer right now. It can be our little warm-up.”

My father’s smile returned in full force. “Say no more! That’s something I can do!”

—

“Sorry, Kal. I just can’t do it,” Dad said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

I shrugged. “It’s honestly not a big deal. I simply can’t use shadow magic.”

When I first saw my aunt use shadow magic, I knew I had to try it. But there weren’t any textbooks or guides on how to perform it. Not even any base spells. Whenever I learned about a new magic school, I tried to replicate what I read or saw. And for shadow magic…

I tried imagining myself as the shadow…then me moving through shadows…then me moving through shadows as a shadow…manipulating shadows…I tried it all.

But I couldn’t figure it out. I thought maybe I was lacking insight, and I hoped my father could fill in those gaps. Dad was a fantastic teacher and had decades of experience training Shadow Dancers. He explained everything in a multitude of ways and walked me through every step.

But I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t have an affinity for shadow magic.

“I was surprised that you could use lightning magic. A part of me was hoping you would inherit my magic instead,” Dad said with a fond smile.

“Both would have been nice.”

Dad chuckled to himself and tossed me a waterskin. “Don’t you think you are being a bit greedy, Son? You can already use four types of magic, and two of those are super rare! Most people are lucky if they can use two or even three schools of magic…let alone four at your level.”

Dad tilted his head to the side and looked me over. I wiped my mouth off and raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong?”

Dad kept staring at me intently. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just wondering where you are at now, that's all.”

Where I’m at? I—oh…

I felt a smile creeping on my face. “Wanna find out?”

Dad returned my smile while letting out a deep laugh. “Finally! The time when the son challenges the father in a feat of strength only to learn he still has much to learn! I’ve been waiting for this for years! Everybody always talked about it, and I never imagined it would get me so excited! I see why ol’ Whitehelm was raring to go against Padraic!” he said while pumping a fist into the air.

“I wouldn’t get too excited. You still have to beat me.”

Dad’s smile turned mischievous. “Ah? Do you think you have a chance against your old man? Guess I just have to show you that you’re still a pup,” he said devilishly.

I just grunted in response, but in all honesty, I felt fired up and extremely happy. I felt that getting him to exercise with me would help lessen the strain. And seeing Dad’s stress melt away brought warmth to my chest. Even if Aunt Illyssia was right about Dad faking his mannerisms, I still prefer this version of him.

It feels like we are back home…training in the backyard again…when was the last time I felt like this?

“So bare-handed with a bit of magic?” I asked.

My dad suddenly looked horrified. “Bare-handed!? I’m not going to punch you. Are you insane?!”

Really? That’s the line he draws? Sweeping my legs out from underneath me with a staff and racing toward me with mana-enhanced steps is okay but fighting me bare-handed is too much?

Dad pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Don’t give me that blank look! I’m serious! I can’t just go around punching my son! Just think about it! Would you punch Mila in a training session!”

No…no, I wouldn’t. Not a million years.

“I…I guess you have a point. Then—oof.”

A wooden training spear materialized out of thin air, and Dad tossed it into my stomach. How that was any different from punching me, I’d never know. It also appeared that he had a Spatial Ring as well…

But I don’t see one? Oh…is it…around his neck?

“Do you have a Spatial Ring?” I asked.

“Oh yeah. I used to have one all the time, but then I sold it to make some money. Having a child is expensive, you know,” he said with a smirk.

He twisted the silver ring between his fingers. “So I picked this one up in Amoth after an uh…little tussle with a Wood Elf,” Dad said with a slight shrug.

Why do I have a feeling there is far more to this story than what he just said?

The ring was dangling from a pitch-black chain. Considering it was a Spatial Ring, it looked rather plain—just a simple silver band with a singular light blue gemstone in the center. I suppose Spatial Rings can come in a whole host of appearances.

“Dad, how does the ring work if you aren’t wearing it?”

He gave me a confused look. “What do you mean? A bit of Mithril chain looped through the ring lets you wear it like an amulet. Personally, I hate wearing rings… gets in the way of things.”

Am I going insane? I’ve never heard of this before…

“Oh! And speaking of children being expensive, are you going to get a job, Kal?” Dad asked.

“A job…” I muttered. “Probably not. I’m going to continue attending school for the time being. Besides, I have no idea what I would even do, and it’s not like I’m hurting for money.”

Sylvia and I have both amassed a fortune that could last multiple lifetimes. I’ve also been able to save most of my money, thanks to Bowen. He has kept his promise, and I haven’t had to spend a dime on food, housing, or even clothes for school.

And I’m not particularly a big spender, so the only costs I’ve had to cover are when I bought something personally for Mila, Sylvia, or myself. Not to mention I still had my cut from the Chaos Dragon to factor in as well as the entire sum of my Wyrm kill.

“Well, that’s good. I’m sure Padraic and Cerila will be happy about that,” Dad said nonchalantly. “Now then, before we start, warm up a bit. I want to see your moves considering you’ve been using a sword for a few years,” Dad said with a serious nod.

Right…I can do that.

I thought back to my time in Owlkirk, training with Dad as he taught me how to wield a spear properly. Martial weapons were all but phased out from war in my previous life. It was true some aliens used plasma or energy-based melee weapons, and they did have their uses, but they weren’t as common.

Besides, bolters and railguns were a far better choice for most situations. Why get close to stab someone with a pointy stick when you can fire a rocket-propelled bullet at them from a distance?

I started through the motions and tried to let muscle memory take over, but I immediately stepped on my own feet and had to catch myself. I looked up to see Dad just laughing at me. But his laughter petered out, and a sad smile appeared on his face.

“Guess you aren’t a little boy anymore. When was the last time you held a spear, Kal?” Dad asked me.

It’s true…I tried letting my body take over as I recalled the moves, but that was when I was a child. I hadn’t properly held a spear in years. But this spear…or staff in this case. It just felt right in my hands. Not that I didn’t like using a sword…it just wasn’t…this.

“Sorry…it’s been a while…I used a spear staff in Sandervile to escape but since then…I haven’t touched one. I—”

The words caught my throat as I looked into Dad’s swirling amethyst eyes. He wasn’t looking directly at me but just off to the side. His stare was a bit blank, and the second he felt my gaze, he snapped out of it.

I knew immediately that he was going to try and make an excuse, so I stopped him before he could even mutter a word. “Dad…”

“Ah…sorry…I just…got sentimental, is all. You’ve grown so much, Kal,” Dad said weakly.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

I ran my hand through my shoulder-length black hair. It was the same color as Dad’s, but his hair was much longer than mine. He probably hasn’t cut his hair in decades…I did promise I wouldn’t cut my hair. But unfortunately, that was one of the promises I couldn’t keep.

“I'm sorry that I cut my hair…I—”

Dad shook his head. “I know, Son, I know. You had to blend in and pretend to be a High Elf in order to survive. It’s the same reason you had to put down the spear for a while. I understand that you had to do what you had to do.”

“Dad…”

Dad put a smile back on. “Come on now! Could you not give me that look? You were practically grinning ear to ear earlier!” Dad placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. “Besides, we have all the time in the world now. Your birthday is coming up soon as well…fifteen…you’ll be a man soon. And now that I’m here in Luminar…I may be able to get everything for the ceremony.”

“Everything?” I asked curiously.

“Mhm, everything. I thought since we were so far away, there were some aspects of it that I would have to leave out because I couldn’t get the items. But now I should be able to procure what I need,” Dad said more to himself than me.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been waiting to fulfill that promise for a long time, Dad.”

His eyes went wide. “You…you remembered?”

“Of course. I’ll never forget that day,” I said fondly.

Dad let go of my shoulder and took a step back from me. A warm smile stretched across his face revealing his perfect white teeth. “Good…that’s good… that makes me really happy.”

Dad coughed once, then thumped himself in the chest. “Right! Training! We are here to train! Let’s run you through some light warm-ups and then a bit of sparring, yeah?!”

Light warms up… a bit of sparring? These words are not in my father’s vocabulary.

—

Hah….hah…

Dad poked my ribs with the end of his staff with a blank expression. “I guess you are a bit rusty…this wasn’t as fun as I was hoping.”

“No…no, I’m not even that rusty…you—you are just that much better than me,” I groaned while pushing myself off the ground.

My dad’s face turned a light pink as he scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “Ah? You think so?”

This guy…

I sighed. “Yeah…with a spear and no magic. You are still leagues above me.”

It’s just the truth. In a sparring environment with no magic, maxed-out mana enhancement, and a spear, my father is league—no, centuries ahead of me. I just couldn’t keep up with the man in spear-to-spear combat.

I’m not even holding back, either. My father wasn’t a Shadow Dancer for nothing, his technique was immaculate, and if anything, it seemed even better than I remembered. With his mana enhancement, he was faster and stronger than me. Not to mention he was physically bigger than me. I couldn’t help but look my dad up and down in amazement.

Just how has Dad managed to maintain such a cut physique?

This man was living the life of an adventurer for years, yet he looked even bigger and more in shape than he did in the village. Is this simply his natural physique? Is my father just that gifted? I know for a fact he isn’t on a strict regimen and eats whatever is in front of him.

I hoped that my hard work would at least close the gap between us. But my High Elf blood may never allow me to have a physique like his…sigh…

“Why the long face? You did great, really!”

“Yeah…what was the final score again?” I asked.

“Like thirty to three or something?” Dad said with a shrug.

Yeah, that’s right. And those three hits were minor hits because you felt bad for me…

I ran my hands along the smooth training staff until I reached the end. This staff was excellent, something my father made in his downtime, so it wasn’t anything spectacular—just a finished piece of wood shaped.

I brought the staff over my head, stretched my shoulders, and then brought it forward. “Now…are you ready for the real deal?”

Dad gave me a curious look. “The real deal?”

“If that was light sparring, then you could call this the real deal.”

Dad looked over my shoulder and around the yard, almost like he was looking for someone. Then, his eyes slowly drifted toward me, and he pointed a finger at himself. “You want…to fight me? Like, for real? Kal, I’d rather not have your mother murder me in my sleep…”

I waved his concerns away. “I’m fine, it’s fine. I’m not some kid anymore, Dad. If I can kill a Dragon, I think I can fight against you for a few minutes, going almost all out.”

“Kal, that’s really not the problem. I—”

“You could put all the blame on me if you want. I promise to take full responsibility with Mom, and if we can help it, we won’t tell her a thing,” I said, doing my best to reassure him.

Testing my mettle against Dad would be worth the scolding.

Dad looked defeated, but he eventually signed. “Fine…not that it’s going to work that way in her eyes, but…” A grin appeared on his face. “I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing what my amazing son can do. Maybe the pup can challenge the father after all?”

I returned his grin. “That’s the spirit.” I took a few paces away from him and turned around. “Just to be sure, you aren’t going to be mad at me if I try hard, right?”

“I think I should be saying that to you,” Dad said with a chuckle. “But I expect nothing less!”

“Good. Then let’s begin,” I said as I lunged forward.

Dad typically fought against me in one of two ways: with a fully defensive approach or an outright attack. Typically, the goal of a spear user was to keep the person at bay and kill or maim them with your superior range. But that was from my old world. Unfortunately, there weren’t many textbooks or techniques for spear users with the strength and speed of ten men.

I kept my spear high to protect my face and block a quick strike, but nothing came. I went for a short stab at the center of his body. Of course, I was well aware this strike would never land. My father was far too good for that.

As if my strike was nothing more than a nuisance, he expertly countered, and I found myself facing down the speeding tip of his training staff. This was normally where I would try to avoid it so as not to give my father a point, but points didn’t matter in this fight.

This was a fight. A fight I intended to win. And if I was to win against a superior opponent like a War God or Shadow Dancer, I had to make a sacrifice.

I might as well do it when he least expects it.

I took the blow straight to my shoulder. A quick pulse of pain spread throughout my body. If that spear had a tip, it would have easily run through me. But it didn’t have a tip.

And now I was within range.

My father’s eyes went wide as my hand struck out for him. He tried batting me away with his free hand that moved at blinding speed, but I never wavered. My fist connected with his windpipe, and he let out a gasp mixed with pain and surprise.

I brought my staff around, fully intending to bash him in the head, but I was met with a swift kick to my stomach that sent me flying backward. My body skipped across the ground with not one but two bounces, where I managed to find my footing.

Dad tried to breathe normally again, but his eyes never left me despite his state. I extended my hand and launched a Lightning Bolt straight at him.

The air crackled, and a bolt of yellow lightning arced straight for my dad. I blinked for only a moment, and my jaw dropped. He didn’t even use a spell or any magic. He simply just dodged one of my fastest spells with ease.

Damn, he really is that fast. Was that his full speed? Of course, it had to have been to dodge that…also maybe lightning magic is a bit dangerous…

I prepared another spell core, but suddenly my father vanished from sight. I knew he just used shadow magic, which meant—wow, his shadow magic is way faster than his sister's!

I couldn’t activate my Dragon eye since I didn’t want to go blind from peering into my dad’s War God-level soul. But the familiar feeling of an encroaching spell core tickled at my mind and sent warning signals blaring.

Instead of wasting time, I instantly formed spell cores. The ground shook and exploded outwards as Earth Spears covered the space behind me.

When I managed to turn around entirely, I couldn’t help but be surprised by the wooden staff that was inches away from my face. I had felt my father’s spell core coming from behind me, just like Aunt Illyssia did during the ceremony. But it appeared that she learned that move from Dad.

Because he was just that much quicker than her.

Dad was crouched on top of my Earth Spears like a cat, his eyes devoid of emotion, and a full-speed attack was headed my way. I formed a spell core for gravity magic and changed orientation. I started “falling” toward the side at a rapid pace, barely dodging the strike.

I thought I had a moment, and an Earth Lance was already on the way to meet my father when a blue ball filled my vision. The water ball burst against my upper chest and knocked the wind out of me. I was drenched in bone-chilling cold water and sent flying across the backyard.

I remember Dad said he was an Expert water and wind mage…it appears his water magic got even better.

That thought entered my mind as I crashed into the dividing wall. I even made a nice little Kaladin-sized dent in it as I fell out of it and onto my feet. That blast hurt like hell, but I knew it wasn’t intended to kill me. If my dad wanted to, all he had to do was keep the water ball concentrated, and it would have gone straight through me.

I think I broke a rib, but he’s holding back, huh? Well, I’m not done. And neither is he…

I watched the shadows in front of me wobble, and a plan formulated in my mind. I had a feeling that despite being in whatever shadow mode my father was in, he could still see me. I sent the end of the staff behind me and launched another row of Earth Spikes to convince him that I thought that attack was coming from behind.

Either I had successfully tricked Dad, or he took the bait for some reason. I watched as my father melded out from the shadow in front of me. The second he materialized, his eyes went wide. And then a roaring pillar of orange fire consumed him, or at least that’s what I tried to do.

Sorry, Dad, I’m not a kid anymore. I can control my fire magic now. Bowen might get pissed about Dad and me ruining his backyard, but it’s just a bit of burnt grass.

My dad had expertly dodged my spell but jumped backward and was in mid-air. A loud crack rang in my ear, and so did a grunt of pain. Blood trickled down my father’s arm as my Earth Bullet connected with his forearm.

I had been aiming for his right shoulder, and I even got the jump on him. To think he nearly brought his staff up to block the spell. A combination spell of this caliber was no match for him.

What frightening speed.

The thought crossed my mind to launch a plasma-based spell at him, but I tossed that idea away in the trash the second it reached me. This was a fight. And I was taking it seriously. But plasma-based or even my intense white fire magic was incredibly deadly, and I had a feeling my dad could handle it if I chose to use it.

But the spell wasn’t just deadly to the target. It was dangerous to those nearby as well. My family in the house behind us might not be so lucky, or the yard for that matter. And if I were to kill my father over a backyard sparring match accidentally…I’d never be able to sleep at night.

Instead, I opted for two standard Fire Lances. The spell dripped hot orange flames onto the grass and sped toward the man, but they were extinguished by well-placed arrows of blue water. Steam exploded into the yard and rapidly expanded.

The warm air carried over to me and sent chills down my spine. It was oddly soothing, considering it was rather cold out today, but sadly it blocked my view. I heard the woosh and the sound of running water as a spell cut through the mist. I formed a gravity spell core, and the arrow of water warped and went flying off in a random direction.

Ah…crap…that might be a problem later. But I’ve got—

Bash.

Wood splintered as I blocked my father’s strike just in time. The two of us traded blows, and I was immediately put on the back foot. How did he get so close without me hearing? Did he jump out of the shadows just out of range of my senses?

Crack.

Dad’s training staff smacked me in the forearm with enough force to break a bone and break a bone it had. I could no longer close my right hand into a fist. A numbing pain shot up my arm, but I had no time to worry about it. Besides, pain like this barely registered for me anymore.

I swept Dad’s spear thrust to the side and formed a sharp needle of earth on my broken hand. I didn’t need to make a fist if I could create one with magic. The needle cut through the steamy air, and I was mere inches away from stabbing my father when I stopped dead in my tracks.

And I wasn’t the one that stopped me.

It felt as if something had grabbed me from all over. My arms, legs, and even my joints were locked into place. When the steam rolled away, my father stood before me with a gentle smile.

“That was amazing, Kal! Absolutely amazing! If this was a fight to the death, you might just be able to beat me! But sadly, I decided to end it here. Any more, and I’d actually have to start going hard.”

Decided? Hah…

I felt a bit of freedom return to my neck, which let me look down at my body. Tendrils of shadow had warped themselves around my body, constricting me. Dad had mentioned that shadow magic was much more than just using shadows as a medium of travel. It appeared that he could manipulate them and form them into physical entities.

I nodded once, and I felt the shadows release me. Oddly enough, I wasn’t frustrated at all. Although there were some limitations, this was a good fight. I didn’t feel entirely out of my depth like my match against Professor Garrison. Dad was right. If this was a no holds barred fight, I may be able to beat him.

That’s good. That doesn’t mean I’m entirely helpless against a War God. Or maybe Dad was just holding back that much?

It’s just that I haven’t been able to fight one with no restrictions. My fight with Dad and with Professor Garrison all had a certain amount of limitations to them. That being, I had no intention of killing the person I was fighting, amongst other things. These two individuals were indeed stronger than me, no doubt about it.

But in theory, I should be able to hold my own in a real fight. Now I need some more practice…

Dad gave me a pained smile. “Ah…sorry about your arm… I’m sure Grandpa can fix it up for you.”

I just laughed at his concern. “What about you? My spell nearly took your arm off.”

Dad just laughed as he looked at the blood dripping from his wound. “It just missed the bone. A few spaces to the left, and it would have crippled me for sure. That was a great spell, Kal! I’ve never seen an earth spell move so fast before!”

“Thanks, but it wasn’t just an earth spell. It was a combination core with fire magic,” I said.

My dad made an O face and nodded. “That was a combination spell?! Awesome, I’ve never heard of anyone combining earth and fire magic before! What a—”

“Kaladin! Kaladin what are you doing?! I smell your blood! What happened to the yard?!”

Ah, crap.