Almost two months into his training after Lindle arrived back home from the dungeon, he got a date for his milestone rite from one of the shamans under the Glacian elders.

Considering how close it was getting to his birthday, this would be considered pretty late, but it was understandable considering his circumstances. The milestone rite was a rite every child in Glacerhine went through when they were 14, coming up on their 15th birthday when they received their class and would be considered an adult. It also acted as graduation from the general schooling they received from the shamans and Soarian priests.

Each generation of 14-year-olds would go through the rite together as one large group, where they would complete the trial, and would then engage in celebrations and enjoy themselves free from most responsibilities, until their birthdays. The issue though, was that Lindle was the only 14-year-old in the village who would be turning 15 this year to take it.

In Glacerhine, the one thing everyone lived to prepare for was the migration. The grove they lived in would keep out the bitter cold of the Reach and let them sustain a population despite the climate, but its power never lasted. Every few years the grove's power would wane, and everyone would pack up, dismantle their spell-grown ice homes, and as one they would migrate across the Reach to the next grove to reform Glacerhine, moving in a long cycle around the Reach.

It was a harsh journey, one that infants were almost always guaranteed to not survive. To avoid constant tragedies, Glacians refrained from having children unless right after they finished a migration so they would have time for the child to grow as old as they could before the next migration. Because of this, Glacians tended to congregate into very distinct age groups, with everyone in a generation having their births all within just a few months of each other.

Lindle’s mom, however, was not a Glacian. She settled in Glacerhine in the middle of the lifespan of the grove the village was using at the time, while she was pregnant with Lindle. This led to Lindle being born ‘out of cycle.’ Apparently no one had believed he would survive experiencing his first migration as young as he was, but opinions had shifted after he grew to be just as big as children twice his age when it rolled around. Giant blood, if not for anything else, made for tough babies.

This made for an awkward spot when it came to where to place Lindle in the village's social structure, as each generation tended to be treated as a collective for events such as the milestone rite. He was as big as the children in the generation older than him, and he had proved to possess an above-average talent when it came to developing his Int stat, so they grouped him with them.

Growing up around children all 2 years older than him had been a confusing time, especially when it came to schooling. The lessons hadn’t been the difficult part, even if he was younger, compared to the average he had done very well. It was the social aspects that had the other children run rings around him, giant’s blood didn’t make him mature any faster after all.

Most people didn’t want to make friends with the strange alchemy-interested child who was both younger than them and a foot taller at the same time. Especially some of the warrior boys, who, after discovering his instinctive distaste for violence despite his size and high Strength stat, had found him an easy target. The girls… the less said about the girls the better. They were simply too confusing to Lindle. It was a miracle he had earned a single Charisma point at all.

He had still made some friends, by a loose definition of the word, such as Humphrey.

That is all to say, Lindle couldn’t exactly go through the rite with them all when they approached unlocking their classes. So for the last two years, he had been left in a strange kind of limbo, attending lessons with the younger generation but not being apart of it. When it came to his milestone rite, Lindle honestly wasn’t even sure he would get one. They were intended to be large group affairs, as the youth of that generation were sent out into the Reach and given a task to prove themselves, forming strong bonds as a community. As time passed, he essentially gave up on receiving one and forgot about it. He had thrown his focus into learning as much alchemy as he could, forming plans to earn high-power feats.

This meant that Lindle and his Mom were both surprised when he was told he was being summoned to the White Hall to be told the details of his ceremony. He was still covered in clay from his practice that morning as the shaman left and he turned to look at his Mom.

“Did you know anything about this?” Lindle asked.

His mom shook her head. “First time I’ve heard of it too.” She paused. “Well, I’m happy that they finally came up with something for you, even though I’m not happy it took so long. You’re a part of this community too, and you deserve a ceremony just as much as anyone else.”

Lindle shuffled awkwardly, not really knowing how to feel about it, nodding mutely.

His Mom sighed. “Go clean up, you can’t meet the elders all messy like this.”

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“Oh yeah, good idea.” He rushed back to his workshop where Nothing was waiting for him curiously in the fireplace.

So? What was it?

“I’m being summoned to the White Hall. I’ve got to meet the elders about my milestone rite.” He grabbed a rag off the wall and wiped himself off a bit before he started putting away his supplies. “Sorry, I think we’ve got to cancel practice for today.”

That’s a shame, you’ve been showing real improvement. I think you’re really getting somewhere with your sculpting.

They both looked where a malformed half-finished sculpture of a miniature Sickle Lynx slumped sadly on his table. It looked at Lindle forlornly, as if it was asking its creator why it had been forsaken.

“Real funny.” Lindle disposed of it, putting the thing out of its misery as Nothing chittered mirthfully through the bond.

Oh I apologize. It’s really not that bad for how long you’ve been practicing, you’re getting a good grasp on anatomy.

Since one of the first things Lindle was planning to tackle was finishing Nothing, it was important that he knew how to sculpt his body so that the homunculus didn’t die immediately of structural errors once they were no longer made out of Ethos.

So I assume this is a coming-of-age commemoration of some kind? Congratulations. I would be happy to attend if I can.

Lindle paused. “I… well the first part is a trial of some kind, so I don’t think I’ll be able to bring you along, but afterward there is an actual ceremony. Maybe Mom can hide you and bring you along somehow? It’ll probably be private enough.” He added that it would only be that way for him in his head. He could see Nothing turn their head as they sensed his emotions.

I see… I will be happy to do so then. I will see if your Mother has any ideas.

Nothing hummed to themself as Lindle finished putting everything away. After taking a shower and putting on a slightly nicer outfit, he left for the White Hall.

Guided by years of habit he made his way out of the Crafter's corner, he could see the White Hall long before he arrived. It was the largest building in town, a massive snaking hall of ice that surrounded the heart of the grove, creating a U shape.

The shamans held lessons here, but Lindle had only rarely been in the elders section at the head of the White Hall. Walking inside he saw the various leaders of the village walking around, conversing with each other, the room was abuzz with activity. Usually, that wasn’t the case at this point in the Grove's lifespan, but the adventurers had informed Glacerhine about the coming dungeon raid after they had sent off their report along the Wolven Caravan back to Soarstrum.

When Lindle had asked how they had reacted, he had been met with various grimaces and winces. The elders had not been happy about the fact that they would be receiving a large influx of people, especially adventurers.

There usually was a few parties of them in the village at any one time, engaging on dungeon runs and monster hunts depending on where in the Reach Glacerhine was that year, and trade was a constant between them and Soarstrum, not to mention the missionaries, but the raid would represent a sizable amount of powerful people coming in all at once and putting a strain on resources. They still had a few months to prepare, but Lindle was happy that they had decided to keep his involvement in the dungeon's discovery quiet.

“Ah, there you are.”

Lindle flinched a bit as the old woman next to him spoke, not having noticed she was there. He really needed to pay more attention to his surroundings, being snuck up on constantly by Theodore whenever he was with the adventurers was enough. She peered closely at him, narrowing her eyes and clutching a weathered nobbled cane.

“Lindle Kyte yes? The half-giant boy.”

Lindle frowned, but he nodded respectfully. “Yes ma’am, I was called about my milestone rite?”

She chuckled with laughter, her wrinkled skin creasing, hobbling away to a side room and gesturing for Lindle to follow her. “Ma’am he says, so polite to a frail old woman. I suppose you’ve never met me before. You may call me Madam Holly.”

Lindle paused before falling into step before her. “Madam Holly… the Madam Holly?”

“Oh none of that.” She wagged a finger at him playfully. “I am simply an old woman who is here to talk to you about your milestone rite.”

Lindle bit his tongue. He supposed if one of the only Veterans past level 50 in the village told him not to ask her why she was the one to talk to him, then he supposed it would be rude to do so. Even if she was famous for single-handedly fighting off Apex monsters half the size of the village by herself, but maybe that was even more reason to listen to her requests.

They both entered a small room where the buzz of the main hall quietened down. Madam Holly turned back to him and took a seat on a chair with an exaggerated sigh. “Much better, best to relax these old bones.”

… Lindle just nodded again. “So… about my milestone rite. What’s going to happen?”

She smiled at him. “Ah, it is quite the predicament you’ve put us in. None of the other old codgers were really sure what to do with you, most were ready to simply allow your birthday to pass by and pretend all was well. But bah! Traditions are important, we can’t have you gain your first level without becoming an adult first, it would make you some kind of overgrown child. Well…” She arched a brow and looked up at him. “More of one at least.”

Lindle frowned again. “That’s… kind of you? So… will I be taking a trial by myself then?”

“Of course not!” Madam Holly scowled at him. “The entire point of the trial is that it represents us surviving in the Reach as a community and being responsible for one another. Doing it by yourself would miss the entire point.”

"Oh. But everyone from my age group already took it, and there isn’t anyone else in Glacerhine old enough to take it with me. ”

Madam Holly gave him a big toothy grin. “Of course there is, silly boy, you can take it with me.”