The air around Shaden glowed ever so slightly as he sat cross-legged on the stone floor. Instructor Reedock nodded in approval.

“Control your breathing. Make the mana flow into you.”

Shaden breathed in and felt a small stream of refreshing mana enter him, moving throughout his body.

“You need to rotate it. Concentrate, kid. Synchronize the flow of mana with yours.”

The glow around him grew brighter as he took a breath, but it diminished as he released it. The Instructor shook his head.

“Keep the mana inside of you circulating even when you are not breathing. During battle, you will not have the leisure to sit and rest.”

Shaden nodded. What the Instructor wanted was for him to keep the aura around him steady. The more it fluctuated, the harder it would be to control, and the less effective it would be.

Every day and before going to bed, he had tried to circulate the mana inside of him as best as he could. He had succeeded, but the results were still not satisfactory. His glow was too faint, and his presence too weak. The mana was rotating inside of him, but the strength was lacking—like a water hose that trickled water instead of spraying it. Something felt off. He was getting better at it, but the direction wasn’t clear.

He had to find that direction. The flow of mana was unique for everyone.

“Alright, that’s all for today, kid. There’s no need to force it.”

Shaden stopped his circulation and his body stopped glowing. He didn’t feel more powerful when he circulated, and the Instructor had said it was because the mana wasn’t moving fast enough. Usually, one’s senses would be heightened, and you’d have more control over your body.

“But for today, we’ll do something new. Can you endure pain, kid?”

Shaden didn’t like pain. But he hated being stalled. He nodded and Instructor Reedock patted his small head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. Pick up your stick,” the Instructor ordered. He, himself went to the side of the room and fetched a stick that was longer and thicker than Shaden’s. With one hand. And he was swinging it. How was that possible? The Instructor wasn’t even glowing.

“For now, you will practice sparring with me with both hands. Don’t think about swinging with one arm—you must hone your natural senses first rather than learning skills. Try to block and not get hit. Is that clear?”

Shaden gulped. “Yes. I’ll do my best.”

“Hm…you will need a handicap. I will refrain from using my right arm, but it’s best if you don’t think about hitting me.”

“Why so?”

“If you don’t concentrate, you’ll get smacked hard. You ready, kid?”

Just like this? Shaden hadn’t even learned how to properly hold weapons yet! He held his stick like a sword and faced it towards the instructor. Then he remembered Rother a few years back. Getting smacked and earning bruises. If this was the same method of training, then the Instructor would probably only aim for his upper body. They still had to run.

“Yes!” exclaimed Shaden as he prepared himself.

The Instructor held up his stick and walked towards Shaden. Not dashed, nor jumped, but walked.

Then he raised his stick and swung it down on Shaden. But…wasn’t it kind of slow? He could block this easily. He held up his stick and—

—gasped as his stick flew out of his hand and landed on the other side of the room. Suddenly, Shaden’s head was lightly whacked and he instinctively cowered to block any more incoming blows.

“Two lessons for you kid. Lesson one: never let go of your weapon. Lesson two: if you do, escape.”

Shaden instantly jumped backwards as the air he had been in was sliced with the Instructor’s stick. He glanced over the room, and after finding his stick, took off towards it in a flash. Then just as he was about to grab it, his back was smacked with something. It wasn’t painful, but it sent shivers up his spine.

“Lesson three: don’t expose your back to the enemy.”

Out of irritation, Shaden attempted a roundhouse kick from where he was and failed miserably as his legs struck nothing.

“Far too slow, kid. Far too slow.”

The Instructor had already gone back a few steps out of Shaden’s reach. Shaden frustratedly picked up his stick from the ground and attempted a stance, this time holding the stick more firmly. What was this feeling of powerlessness?

“Kid, just blocking and dodging won’t help you improve. What did I tell you all this time?”

Shaden wiped some dust off his mouth. “Always circulate during battle.”

“Exactly. You must attempt to make your mana flow during this time. The purpose of this exercise is to help you feel your mana better. All of this while blocking and dodging.”

Shaden nodded. “Please continue.” Like his Instructor had told him, he tried to rotate his mana within him, but with little success. The pressure of the situation made it vastly difficult.

He crudely raised his sword again as the Instructor slashed his sword in a slow, exaggerated manner.

*WHACK*

A painful shock went through Shaden’s arms as his bones rattled from the impact. He almost let go but barely held on and jumped back. His fingers throbbed from the impact.

“Good. But if you block the blow directly, it will hurt. You must let it flow through. Like the mana inside of you.”

Shaden grunted in frustration. The mana felt so groggy; it wouldn’t move at all. He felt it flow out of him as he cast a reinforcement spell, but nothing after that.

“Can you go on, kid? Or is that too painful for you?” asked the Instructor nicely.

He couldn’t give up so early. He didn’t even have real bruises. “Please. Go on.”

The Instructor whirled his stick in the air. “Very good. Persistence is the mother of success. Now that you have prepared yourself, we will begin the real training.”

What?

Out of nowhere, the Instructor sent a blow flying at Shaden’s side. Feeling the sudden shift in mana, Shaden raised his stick to the side and ducked.

“Keep the mana circulating!” the Instructor shouted as he smacked Shaden across the shoulder. The slash earlier had been a feint. “Feel the mana around you as you breathe!”

Shaden jumped to the side when suddenly he saw something above him. He barely lifted his arms up as the Instructor’s stick bashed against it with a dull thud. Then out of nowhere, he was swept off his feet with a tackle and fell on his bum on the floor. He rolled to the side just in time as he heard a thwack on the floor.

Circulate, he thought. He had to circulate. While keeping his eyes on the Instructor, Shaden tried once again to feel the flow of mana inside of him. Like a vibration. He felt his heart pumping blood desperately. His mana had to flow in the same way. He concentrated. He felt something inside start flowing groggily like a clogged sewage hole. But it was something.

“Keep at it, kid,” said the Instructor as he jumped towards Shaden again. Without pausing the flow of mana inside of him, Shaden raised his sword. His mind felt clearer, and his arms felt slightly stronger. The dull pain from his Instructor’s blows numbed even more.

A sudden confidence rose inside of him. He wanted to test this new strength out against the Instructor.

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He prepared to block—

—then got sent flying across the room.

〄 〄 〄

“Unfair!” Shaden complained. “Absolutely unfair!”

“What is?” asked Rother curiously. They had finished dinner, and Rother was reading some books on etiquette and order. Shaden was trying his best to meditate, but frustration kept filling him.

“It was my first spar. Couldn’t he have done it a little weaker?”

He felt like he had been humiliated. After being sent flying, the Instructor had called off the match, saying, ‘he was still too young, and overworking himself would be harmful’.

“Relax, Shaden. It was like that for me the first time.”

Shaden knew. His brother had worked very hard to reach where he was at now.

“And can you get me some water? I’m thirsty.”

“Can’t you get it yourself?”

“I’m reading. You aren’t doing anything.”

Shaden rolled his eyes. How did his brother even expect him to grab the water jar from the tall table?

“Fine. You owe me a favor.”

Rother shrugged. “Hurry up, your brother is dying of thirst.”

With a sigh, Shaden got up.

“Bring me something to eat too!” called Rother while Shaden neared the dining room. Gosh, he was being so lazy these days. But it was probably good to humor him. He didn’t want any unnecessary disputes happening between them. Children were easy to please but just as easy to anger.

His mother was holding Melany and singing a little song.

“Hey, Mom. Can I get a glass of water? And something to eat,” he whispered. Melany appeared to be sleeping.

“Of course~. There are some nuts in the cooler on the middle right.”

Shaden fetched the nuts as his mother poured a glass of water for him. She conveniently retrieved a small bowl too, which Shaden put the nuts in. After thanking his mother, Shaden returned to his brother’s spacious room and placed the water and food in front of him.

“Thanks,” he said while grabbing a handful of nuts. Rother was stuffing himself like a beast these days, and his hunger never seemed to be satiated. Shaden sat down and started concentrating again. His body let out a faint glow as the mana within him moved about. Yet, it paled in comparison to Rother’s. It was like a speck of dust compared to his father’s.

“I think the best way to improve is by sparring. One day when I was sparring with Dad, something clicked in me and I felt the mana flow like, boom! Like an awakening of some sort?”

“I see.” His brother often offered helpful advice. That was great to hear. “But the Instructor seems so half-hearted.”

Rother let out a smirk. “Dude, I know.”

“What? What do you know? Was Dad—never mind. He was, right?”

Rother shrugged. “I’m not supposed to tell a kid.”

Shaden inched to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Brother…I even got you nuts. And water. Can’t you tell me? Please?”

“Well…”

While forming giant puppy eyes, Shaden sent a pleading look to his brother and shook him slightly.

“Please? Pleeeeeease?”

“Alright! Alright, I got it. But it’s a secret, okay?”

Shaden nodded. Children were so easy to convince.

After making sure the door was closed, Rother sat up in front of Shaden.

“Okay. So basically, they act like they’re going easy on you on purpose. I mean, they are actually, but they make themselves seem more superior. It’s like the habit among the Instructors.”

Shaden tilted his head. “Why?”

“They try to irritate the students on purpose. Something along the lines of, ‘teaching students to keep a cool head during combat’. Well, I was so good that they had to be serious.”

Rother stuck his nose up in the air with pride.

Ah…so that’s what it was. The irritation he had felt. It had all been planned? He hadn’t even realized it.

“We’re also taught to do the same with the younger classmen. Helps them understand how important keeping a cool head during combat is. And hey, it works like a charm. You can find so many exposed points once they lose their nerves.”

Interesting. It made perfect sense, but it was very interesting. Learning both to irritate your opponent while keeping a cool head.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you. You only learn it once you reach ten.”

“Of course!”

Rother returned to his books and Shaden continued to meditate, breathing in and out steadily. He was having a lot of fun lately. Learning new things, actually beginning to fight. Maybe, just maybe by the time he entered tenth grade, he would be trained enough to fight.

He had a promise to keep.

〄 〄 〄

“Ach—”

Shaden let out a pained cry as the sword in his hand flew away and crashed off the stone wall. His fingers felt like they had been zapped.

“That will be all for today,” stated the Instructor.

It had been two weeks since Shaden began sparring. And yet, he was hardly improving. Perhaps he was getting better at dodging, but his blocking still failed every time. He couldn’t ‘flow it over’ like his Instructor had told him.

And circulating his mana? It felt more like going through a straw than a clogged pipe, but the difference was meager. He hadn’t experienced the ‘awakening’ yet.

“Just a little more, Instructor?” Shaden pleaded.

“No. Kid, your basic physical strength must improve first. You need a solid framework to base your sword on, or else you will crumble.”

“Got it…”

Shaden faked a sullen look and went to pick up his sword. Maybe if he kept on showing his eager side to Instructor Reedock, he would provide training that was more intense. He always criticized Shaden’s lack of physical ability and did not go over a certain threshold. Surely, Shaden’s body was much above that of a normal five-year-old in his reality. But in Exarria, young children possessing extreme physical prowess were not uncommon. Shaden was above average, but he was by no means at the very top.

Perhaps he had to train harder by himself. But how? Run? He was already doing that. Lift weights? He was also doing that too. He couldn’t think of anything more than just repeating what he was already doing.

Shaden was dissatisfied at his slow rate of growth. With magic, things had been so fast and convenient. But then again, he was five years old. His body had many, many more years to grow.

“I’m ready, sir! Will we be running around town today or climbing the towers?”

“No…today will be a little bit different. But for now, do some squats or swings. Whatever you’d like.”

That was a new reaction from his Instructor. Usually, he always had something planned. But currently, his hand was on his roughly-cut beard, supporting his chin while he was deep in thought.

While he was curious, Shaden obeyed and started doing some squats. If it hurt, he would heal and continue. One thing he had realized was that even if he healed himself, his stamina would not recover. His body started getting numb if he pushed himself too much while using healing magic. So, while it didn’t hurt, he felt weak. If there was a spell to improve stamina, he didn’t know of it.

“Show the progress of time – Chronometer.”

It was a spell that the Instructor used often to check the time. A simple but very useful spell that told the user inside his mind what time it was. Shaden had used it once and was surprised to feel the time—similar to how one knew it was six when their stomach rumbled. Some very interesting magic. The full incantation was, “Seconds pass and minutes form, Time, the world shall, will inform – Chronometer.” Something that Saiton the Sage had come up with.

Instructor Reedock, with an air of slight irritation, tapped his foot against the floor. After a few seconds, he went to the door.

“Wait here, kid. I need to get someone. What are the servants doing?” Basalm muttered under his breath as he left the room. The wooden door closed shut with a small *click*.

Get who? Shaden resumed his squats. He was at his one-hundred and sixty-third squat currently, so his legs were a little sore. He placed his palm of his legs and cast a reinforcement spell, after which the pain went away. He continued to squat, and squat, and squat. Not those half-hearted squats, but the deep, painful squats that pulled all the parts of your upper leg.

He switched to swinging on his three-hundredth squat. And swung, swung, and swung some more. He was proud that he could stop the sword in mid-air now. Though a little vague, his Instructor had shown him how to hold a sword. Left hand behind the right hand, with the weight focused on the left while the right controlled the swings.

Maybe he had gotten much fitter. But he certainly didn’t feel that way. It felt like a small improvement.

The door finally opened on his seventy-sixth swing.

“Finally! Took you long enough—”

Shaden froze as two brown cat-ears popped out, followed by a pair of yellow eyes.

Huh? He was confused.

“Who is it?” he asked uncertainly.

The door fully swung open, revealing a young beastman girl with a mischievous grin. Her hair was dark brown, with streaks of light brown going through it. Her eyes inspected the new creature in front of her. She looked very young but was still a head taller than Shaden.

“Who are you?” she replied back. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. “And where am I?”

“Erm—” Who was this girl? Why was she here? “You’re currently in the training room for novice trainees. Excuse me but—who are you?”

“Me?” said the girl cheerfully. She was already going around the room, sniffing at different things. She spotted the Instructor’s stick and held it up. With one hand. “I’m Mistilia! And you can understand me?”

“Well…yeah?”

“Nice!”

The excited beastman girl jumped on all fours and landed in front of Shaden. Despite her looks, she had traveled over four meters with that one leap. Without a running start.

“Tell me your name! You have a name, right?”

“Me? I’m Shaden.”

“Cool! Nice to meet you, Shaden.”

“Nice to meet you…too?”

Her face displayed a mischievous grin as she swished her fluffy, brown tail. Like her hair, it was streaked with light brown. Now that he had gotten a closer look at her, her pupils were round and dark at the center, not split. This wasn’t a cat girl.

“Are you…a wolf?” he asked.

“Yep! A proud member of my pack.”

Just then, Instructor Reedock appeared from the door.

“There you are, Miss Lightmoon. Didn’t you get instructions to wait at the hall, not wander around? The servants were worried.”

“They didn’t understand anything I said!”

“Were you speaking the common tongue?”

“Ah, no.”

“Please do from now on. And please follow instructions, little miss.”

“Yes…” the girl replied sheepishly.

Common tongue? What? This didn’t make sense. Then he remembered he was in a dream. Ah, so basically, he could understand everything. Was that it?

Instructor Reedock placed his hand on his face. Shaden thought he heard him mutter, “Great, now I got two kids…”

The Instructor turned to Shaden.

“Shaden.”

“Yes, sir!”

“This is Mistilia. She will join you as a class member and also as a sparring partner. Though her sword skills are mediocre, I’ve heard that her ability in unarmed combat is considered excellent where she comes from. Mistilia, this is Shaden. He is two years younger than you, so don’t go overboard. Both of you, do you understand?”

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

“Great,” said the Instructor. “Class is dismissed for today. Shaden, mind showing Mistilia around? I have things to do.”

“Sure. But I don’t really know this place—”

“Eh. You know enough. See you tomorrow.”

With that, he just left.

It was Shaden’s time to place his hand on his face.

“So, Mistilia. Would you mind following me around?”

But the energetic wolf girl was already running out of the door.

Shaden never knew he could do two face-palms at once.

Now he did.