Zerine woke the next day to find Ava already sitting next to her bed with Varino in her lap playing with tiny rings of condensed lightning!?

That’s new, she thought, and stretched.

“Morning mom, Varino,” she said.

"Morning," Ava replied with a smile.

Varino chimed cheerfully, dispelling her rings of lightning, and hopped on to the bed to give Zerine a hug.

“Morning, awesome looking spell,” Zerine said.

Varino burble and whistled.

“So that was the spell you used to explode the training area, huh? Can't wait to see-”

“No, she will learn control before showing off,” Ava said, shaking her head with a small smile as Varino complained with a loud splashing sound.

“You know you will be able to really show off once you get better control. But I suppose Zerine you have lots of questions,” Ava said.

Varino sighed disappointed, but smiled as Zerine began trying to braid her drifting hair.

“Oh, so many. I don’t even know where to start,” Zerine replied. “I know my first one though, where is Raith? She usually has medicine for me.”

“She is getting you proper food for breakfast.”

“Oh nice! Then my second is about dad. What is his actual story? The dragons here last night respected him completely and treated him like their own. They tolerated the rest of the household apart from you, Ratih, and us.”

“Hmm, there is only so much I can say, but will gladly explain parts,” Ava said, leaning back in her chair. “So, you remember your father has that tail about how he was saved by a dragon when he was out at sea during a storm?”

“Yeah, his ship had sunk, and his crew’s lifeboats got scattered,” Zerine replied.

“That story isn’t entirely true. He tells it to have people not be too afraid when they meet dragons. But you know how when a ship goes on a long voyage sometimes the crew brings their families, especially if they are moving to a new land?”

Zerine nodded.

“Well, he was seven. The ship was attacked by a group of pirates. His parents died along with most of the people aboard. He was adrift on a large shard of wood and eventually was found by dragons and a dragon rider.”

“Are you going to tell me he was raised by dragons because that would be crazy and explains a few things!?”

Ava chuckled, “No, he was raised by dragon riders and dragons,” Ava said with a grin.

Zerine chuckled. “So yes, absolute crazy,” she muttered, Varino chimed in agreement. “Let me guess, Dad is a dragon rider, and his familiar is a dragon in disguise,” Zerine said.

“His bonded partner, to be exact, but yes.”

No wonder why his familiar, no, his partner seems grumpy all the time. He is in disguise and dragons would loath such a thing, Zerine thought.

“Alright then, my next question is why do you know so many fairies? And is Marigold their leader? She seemed nice by the way. Oh, and how am I supposed to write to the friends I made last night?”

Ava smiled, “I’m glad you made friends, and I can pass along any letters. As for Marigold, she is a leader of the fairies that will move back to this region. Not all of them, but many will return to an ancient location. A location that will remain secret,” Ava said, shutting down Zerine’s question before she could ask.

“You aren’t going to reveal that your half fairy and Celarian? Your adventurer nickname was thunder fairy after all,” Zerine said titling her.

Ava laughed, “No, no, I am a Celarian. I know them because of several things I did with Raith and my team that made our paths cross. Later, I helped them and became friends.”

“Ah, secret stuff, I see. Then explain more about the Trevel family and why, when I was younger, Gary wasn’t allowed to tell me everything?”

Ava sighed. “Alright, that I can do for some parts,” Ava said. She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. “So, the first Trevel was the First Empresses. Zeron’Nyo, called Nyo by those close to her.” Ava smiled. “I actually got the inspiration for your name from her. But getting back to it. She was the dragons chosen for that era and conquered two contents. She came up with our family name after she had become the ruler of her homeland.”

“I really hope you're going telling me she had a normal amount of children and the family just scattered over time,” Zerine said.

Ava chuckled, “nope. she had many lovers and consorts. She officially married two. When she had a child, she ensured the lover would keep the family name and followed the rules set by the family. Many branches were started that way. Nyo was the empresses for only fifty years, but ran the family for over a thousand before she ascended. She ensured our family’s values were engrained in our very core. The goal for Trevels is to get stronger, to protect innocents, and fight for the people to hopefully one day ascend. We stay neutral on all the contents for that reason, so we can help without politics or greed getting in the way. In fact, we became one of the core groups that formed both the magical and adventurer guilds globally, guided by Nyo.”

“Then why do I have to use Dad’s family name literally ever where?” Zerine asked.

It should have been more of a surprise to find out the First Empresses was some sort of ancient relative, but it didn’t. Zerine had read enough books to know those who were strong had many children, all to pass one’s legacy forward. But she remembered that there was another reason. But what was it? Something about records, magic, and souls. She made a mental note to look that up again.

“Because a Trevel without a crest is a perfect target for kidnaping or assassination. Those that carry our name can change the course of a battle, fend off powerful monsters, root out those using evil magic, or just use influence to stop corruption when we find it. You can make powerful allies and even greater enemies. All of this was intended by Nyo to ensure our family never flagged in their pursuit to grow, never stop helping people, and never give up. Every Trevel on their sixteenth birthday is bound by a magical contract created by immeasurably powerful people for you to devote yourself to the family values.”

“Oh, that’s why we were attacked. Why, when Naro got his crest and had that party, you waited a few days to ensure he was ready. It brings a lot of pressure with it, I see. I guess I won’t use that name when I go to an academy if I don’t get my crest,” Zerine said thoughtfully.

“That’s fine. There are other reasons for not using your name, but those can wait. But to continue the family history part. When I married your father, he wasn’t a baron yet, but the family was rather mixed on him becoming one to begin with. Our family has the marquess rank and hasn’t taken other nobility titles to ensure we keep our neutrality.”

“How can we have a title for a kingdom and be considered neutral?” Zerine wondered.

“Because that rank is from the empire, not the Heartstone kingdom or anywhere else,” Ava said.

“Wait…the empire fell apart, so…I’m confused?” Zerine said.

“It fell apart, yes, but our nobility title stayed and is recognized by all. Meaning it’s symbolic, we won’t take another title and we can’t be pulled into politics.”

“But we are here. Doesn’t that break the rules? And what about the royal family?” Zerine said.

“For us, yes, and no. Yes, because we have to deal with politics and got a new title. And no, because the dragons, fairies, and Trevels wanted this region to recover. I can’t say more on the matter, but let me just say powerful individuals are watching this compound closely,” Ava said, looking up at the ceiling as if she could sense eyes on them.

Zerine and Varino shuttered.

“The royal family earned the throne, not given it, as is tradition,” Ava said. “There is a royal family, but they can't inherit the throne. There is a competition every time a ruler reaches the peak of gold-rank to determine succession. This competition is amongst the nobles and those invited by the current ruler. And every time the Travel family is invited to compete. We restrict it to only the Heartstone kingdom. Which is one reason why the Heartstone kingdom is seen as a neutral nation. It focuses on aiding the magical and adventurer guilds and makes trade deals with everyone. Nearly every nation that was part of the empire has a similar tradition.”

“Because Nyo was all about going up the ranks in power, so of course, she would want people to prove themselves if they were trying to rule over others,” Zerine said.

“Exactly. It makes succession interesting though,” Ava said.

And is one reason why Liliana gave you up. She saw you dying during the competition every time, she thought.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Silence fell for a few moments.

“Alright, so I guess you answered some things to a limited extent I-” Zerine said, but purple text appeared in front of her.

“A contract so you can’t disclose any information about our family, even under torture,” Ava said.

“Even though you barely told me anything?” Zerine said raising an eyebrow.

“Little details can add up quickly if spread,” Ava said.

Without any more questions, Zerine placed her hand on the text, which flashed purple before vanishing. She felt as if her entire body got squeezed from all angles for a moment before the sensation faded.

“That wasn’t you behind this contract, right?” Zerine wondered.

“Correct, that contract was created by someone who, if you reach silver-rank you will meet,” Ava said.

“Lovely,” Zerine said dryly. “Varino, your braid is done. Hopefully, it stays a bit longer this time.”

Varino had been listening intently and peeped in surprise as a contract appeared in front of her. Without asking questions, she formed the contract. She then whistled happily, admiring her braided ponytail. Zerine was about to ask some more questions when Raith came in with a platter of great smelling food.

“While you eat, I need to tell you something,” Riah said, taking a seat next to Ava.

“Hmm?” Zerine wondered, her mouth full of hash brown mixed with eggs.

“In a few days, I am going to leave for a while,” Raith said.

The fork heading to Zerine’s mouth froze.

“How long is a while?” Zerine wondered.

“Years, but I have made something so I can project a version of myself. It’ll allow me to catch up on the family’s craziness,” Raith said.

“Is this an adventuring job or-”

“No, I have found a disciple, something I have been searching for…for a long time.”

“Oh, that’s exciting. Will we meet this disciple?"

"Someday I am sure," Raith replied.

"Then as long as that magic thing lets us see you, and you don’t miss me getting into the adventurer academy or my eighteenth birthday, whichever comes first, and you stay safe, then I wish you the best,” Zerine said with a bright smile.

“Oh, I don’t plan on missing any of that. But this means you cannot get hurt so badly that Kelly struggles to fix you up,” Raith said.

“I do not plan on it. The broken bones and cuts just are part of the training. And those training dummies do not hold back. Hopefully, I get back to where I was before all of this, so I can keep progressing,” Zerine replied.

“Your recovery is going smoothly. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a week or two, you’re back where you left off,” Raith replied with a smile.

“Let's hope,” Ava said.

***

A month later, Ava watched Zerine warmup before fighting against a training dummy. Zerine had recovered after only another week, but instead of going back to classes, Ava had her focus on training taking up the rest of the month.

During this time, the rest of the children in the household had joined their beach and forest training. Currently, they were off with Shiya and Gary, working on magic. Zerine was the last child in the entire household without a crest and so was alone with Markilo practicing.

“You know, when I gave Gary the idea to include some interesting weapon selections, I didn’t expect her to pick one of them,” Ava said to Markilo.

Zerine was dual wielding scythes. The weapons resembled axes, but instead of an axe head, there was a curved blade that was roughly six or seven inches in length. For training, the weapons were made of heavy wood-like material.

Markilo snorted out a laugh. “Just wait and see. Zara was ecstatic when Zerine wanted to work with those after she demonstrated them,” Markilo replied.

“Ah, her Beastkin tribe is very impressive with their close quarters fighting and if I remember correctly, she specialized in knives, scythes, spears, and bows,” Ava said.

“Yep, we settled on me and Zara, taking turns with Zerine. I teach her swords and two different types of hand-to-hand fighting, while Zara teaches her bow work, knives, scythes, plus her four types of hand-to-hand fighting. Zerine wanted Zara’s extra training to be a bit of a surprise for you and I’ll add their training sessions are impressive to watch,” Markilo replied.

“Hmm,” Ava said, thinking.

“Alright Zerine, square off against the dummy and show your mom what you can do,” Markilo called.

Zerine moved to stand across from a training dummy, who was lying on the beach. With a wave of his hand, Markilo activated the dummy. The dummy got to its feet. Its blank, worn leather face turned to a cluster of wooden weapons.

“Zerine, this will be a sword and hand-to-hand fight, so be ready,” Markilo called as the dummy grabbed a long sword from the pile.

Zerine took a fighting stance, the scythes dark wooden blade glinted from the sun’s light. The dummy followed suit, taking its stance, holding its sword with both hands in front of its body.

“Begin!” Markilo shouted.

The dummy took quick steps toward Zerine, who didn’t move. The dummy suddenly rushed forward going for a downward strike. Zerine moved in a blur, blocking the blade with the wooden haft of the scythe, producing a crack. In the same move turned the scythe blade facing outwards, hooking and shoving the blade aside. She took a step closer to the dummy and lashed out with the other scythe. With a satisfying thunk, the top wooden haft of the weapon smashed into the side of the dummy’s head, which fell to the ground before going limp. The entire sequence had taken only a second or two.

“That attack would allow you to take someone alive, so good job. But not all fights will go that easily. So again! This is still the same training session, so the dummy will learn,” Markilo called.

“Good! I want a challenge,” Zerine said with a fierce grin.

Ava was impressed. Zerine had moved fluidly, confidently, and with precision. These weapons weren’t common pretty much anywhere, which would probably result in far more fights ending just as quickly, but Ava didn’t comment on Markilo's words.

There were reasons why other weapons were far more popular all around the world. Swords, staffs, axes, hammers, and spears were the most common. They worked seamlessly with a majority of magical fighting styles and techniques. But there was value in selecting different weapons. It could throw off opponents who can’t adapt fast enough. They could also make for a rather unique interaction with one’s magic, making it even more formidable to face. There was only one problem.

“If her crest comes, that will influence her fighting style far more, so have you discussed that with her?” Ava wondered.

The dummy got to its feet once again, taking a fighting stance.

“Begin!” Markilo called. “I have. She has been working on five weapons. Knives, her bow, and swords, using one blade or dual welding. Plus, a ball and chain and the scythes. Those are the weapons we have focused on, but she has worked with staffs too. Her reasoning for such a diverse selection, was that this way she could adapt quicker to whatever her magic will be even if that means to stop practicing with certain weapons. And I agreed.”

“I guess that is fine,” Ava said. She wished for Zerine to receive her crest soon, as she worried that her fighting style might become too ingrained, making it challenging to adjust to her magic. But she had to reminder herself that magic wasn’t always so rigid and to trust that they could handle whenever she got her crest.

During this time, the dummy had been circling Zerine occasionally, using probing slashes or stabs that Zerine either blocked or parried.

“Come on! Commit to an attack,” Zerine taunted.

“You know the dummy is…well, dumb,” Ava teased.

"It's mean to taunt when it can't taunt back," Markilo added with a grin.

Zerine rolled her eyes. The dummy struck, probably believing Zerine was distracted. Zerine smirked. Using her leading hand, she blocked with a scythe, hooking the blade and directing it off to her side, while simultaneously using the other to hook the blade of the scythe under the dummy’s leading leg. She moved forward, lifting the dummy’s leg into the air, while taking the other scythe and slamming the blade around the dummy’s throat. The dummy collapsed to the ground in a spray of sand and went limp.

“Brutal!” Markilo said, chuckling.

“Great job!” Ava called.

Ava had to admit that in a duel that restricted magic, Zerine would dominate her peers. As long as she could keep her opponent guessing and making mistakes, Zerine could fight those even with magic.

“Markilo, I believe it's time for her to start using our training dummies,” Ava said.

Markilo glanced at her.

“That would require a new training area and they use magic,” he said.

“I know. It's time for her to start fighting at a disadvantage. Without a crest she is going to be at a disadvantage, and she is hell bent on getting into an adventurer academy so got to get her used to it,” Ava replied.

“True, she can handle fighting two at once with the scythes and swords, but would struggle if both had magic. I think adding magic will just make it too one sided,” Markilo commented.

“Again! This time, the dummy will use two swords,” he called to Zerine.

“Limit it down so only one is using magic. If she is attacked by a group, there is always one focused solely on magical attacks. The others use magical enforcement or movement usually as they attack,” Ava said.

“Hmm, she will get hurt,” he remarked.

“Yeah, but if she doesn’t get used to fighting those with magic, something worse than broken bones can happen. Also, you don’t have to use the same difficultly for all the dummies. If she wants to pass the trials for the academy at sixteen, then she is going to have to get used to dealing with magic wielded against her. I was already planning on her moving to the actual training area so we can have her running through the obstacle courses. We can work on the finer details later,” Ava said, watching Zerine fight the dummy.

“She will need to spend more time training if that is the plan,” Markilo commented.

“Yep, we haven’t discussed the change in her routine, but I suspect time will not be a factor,” Ava said.

Zerine jumped back, avoiding a kick that the dummy shot at her after she had blocked both blades. They circled one another. Zerine knew she would have to find a way to disarm the dummy, but getting close was proving difficult. As she avoided two slashes, when an idea struck her.

She took several steps back to create space. The dummy tried to pressure her as she had anticipated. When the right blade flew to her side, she made it seem like she was going to deflect it, but instead she twisted her wrist. The scythe slid down the blade, while shoving it further away and down digging into the sand. The left blade now flew to slash her arm. Zerine twisted the other scythe for it to hook the incoming blade, while lashing out with a kick aiming for the dummy's right arm. Her foot connected, hitting the dummy’s right wrist with enough force that it would’ve snapped a normal person’s bones.

The dummy kept a grip on the blade, but it couldn’t use that arm to attack effectively. She avoided a kick and leapt back. When the dummy tried to counter with its good side, Zerine deflected it, while moving the other scythe whose tip slammed under the dummy’s chin. The force of the blow snapped the dummy’s head back, causing it to fall backwards into the sand, going limp.

Zerine stood panting for a moment, but smiled. She had done it. Since she recovered, part of her had been afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep with the others. These sparring practices remaindered her she could keep up and fight like she had before her injury. But she needed to practice with foes that could use magic to truly feel like she could handle herself.

“Hey nice job,” Markilo said, walking up to her.

“Thanks. I feel like I can handle F and E-rank people when they can’t use magic, but I need to fight monsters or training dummies that can use magic. I won’t know how I truly measure up to the others if I keep fighting foes who don’t use magic,” Zerine said, taking the offered towel that Markilo held out to her.

Markilo stared at her for a moment in surprise then laughed.

“What?” Zerine said, confused.

“I had different reasons, but I said the same thing,” Ava said, joining them. “So, I have good news on that front. As for the monsters, well, we will see how you do with your new routine.”

“My what?” Zerine wondered.

“So, you know that test you took at the temple before all the craziness happened?” Zerine nodded. “Well, that was the final exam for sixteen-year-olds. Congrats, you finished your education early,” Ava said with a smile.

“Wait What!? What about the work Neil has been bringing in?” Zerine wondered.

“That was Ai believing you would enjoy keeping your hands and mind busy while you weren’t able to train or go out,” Ava said.

“Oh, huh,” Zerine said. “That was nice of her. Then what about this new routine? Do I get to focus on alchemy and adventuring training instead of going to class? Because I really like the idea. Also, I would like to help at the temple too and not just because I want to read their books,” Zerine said.

Ava smiled, “we thought you would say that, then let’s discuss your new routine.”