As we walked through the hallways, I couldn't stop observing the surroundings. I noticed details I had previously overlooked: the heavy, dark curtains to keep the warmth, the chandeliers adorned with wolf figures, and the servants who came and went silently, all fulfilling their duties. The feeling of recognizing everything I saw was very strange. Despite having many memories of this place and finding it familiar, I felt like I didn't quite belong. I must get used to this; after all, I don't know if I'll be able to return to Earth, but it's not like I want to go back. I have nothing to hold on to besides my lonely life, completely dependent on the internet and video games.

I felt something touching my leg and saw that it was Strom, who was following us closely and seemed to sense my change in mood.

"Howl." My mood improved a little when I saw his tail wagging enthusiastically.

We arrived at one of the castle's three training areas, a very spacious area covered by a light layer of snow. Training dummies made of straw and wood were distributed randomly in some corners, while others were aligned uniformly.

"This is a good place to start," Riun said as we reached a rack with various training weapons, including spears, clubs, bows, halberds, and other weapons I didn't know the names of. He picked up a bow and walked many meters away from one of the training dummies. "First, I'll show you the posture for holding the bow."

Riun positioned himself with his feet slightly apart, his stance firm and confident, and his movements precise as he prepared the bow and an arrow. Strom, his wolf, sat by his side, watching intently. Riun drew the bowstring, aimed calmly, and released the arrow. It flew through the air and struck the center of the training dummy, making a sharp sound upon impact.

"See? The key is to stay calm and focus on your target," he explained, drawing the bow for another shot. "It's not just about strength but also precision and control. Though it might be a bit difficult for you since you haven't started training and don't have the necessary strength to draw the bow."

This time he positioned himself in a different spot and shot several arrows consecutively. All of them ended up hitting different training dummies placed at various distances, one of them twice as far as the first dummy he used as an example.

"Now it's your turn," he said, handing me the bow he had used. "Try to mimic what you saw. Don't worry if you don't get it right the first time; we all start the same way."

I tried to imitate him, but it was impossible. I could barely hold the bow he handed me because of its great weight, let alone draw the string. My hands trembled, and the string barely moved. Riun watched silently with a serious face, so I kept trying until he suddenly burst out laughing.

I looked at him angrily, feeling frustrated, only to hear him say, "It's okay, don't worry," and he went to a more distant rack with wooden weapons, much smaller. He selected a bow that was much smaller than the previous one.

"These are more suitable for young children starting out for the first time." As soon as I heard him say that, I looked at him with a desire to hit him, but I could only see myself losing and didn't want our relationship to worsen, so it's better to stay calm.

"Why didn't you give me this weapon in the first place?"

"Because I thought it would be fun to see you try to use a bow you can't handle." I felt a bit frustrated by his childish behavior, but I couldn't blame him. We're both kids, and if I were in his place, I would do the same if I had a younger brother.

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I took the lighter bow and, with his guidance, adjusted my posture. This time, the string drew a bit more easily. I aimed at the nearest training dummy, took a deep breath, and released the arrow. To my disappointment, I wasn't even close to hitting the training dummy.

I had to try six more times before I managed to hit a low part of the training dummy, and I think it was just out of luck.

"That's it! Good job, Ziom," Riun said, encouraging me. "Keep practicing. Precision and strength will come with time and constant practice."

We spent the next hour shooting arrows. Riun corrected my posture, the way I held the bow, and how to draw the string. Slowly, my shots began to improve. Strom, the wolf, stayed close, watching each of my attempts with his bright eyes.

"That's enough for today," Riun finally said after I managed to get an arrow closer to the center of the training dummy. "You've made good progress. We'll continue tomorrow because if we keep going, it might be harmful to your body."

I put away the bow, feeling more confident and less clumsy than before. "Thanks, Riun," I said, feeling a mix of gratitude and annoyance.

"You suck." We heard a voice coming from behind us, and it was our two sisters with their wolves, who seemed to have been watching the archery practice.

"It's surprising that you missed so many arrows. Even my sister, who is worse than me with the bow, only needed a few attempts the first time she practiced with it," Asli said proudly.

"I'll show you how it's done." When she finished saying that, she started making snowballs, which she handed to Aiza before picking up one of the bows.

"Throw them whenever you want." When Asli finished saying that, Aiza started throwing the snowballs into the air, and just before they hit the ground, Asli proceeded to shoot arrows consecutively. We watched as she pierced all the snowballs in the air.

"Don't you think I'm amazing?" she said with a very proud smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you're amazing." I said it sarcastically, though it was very impressive. I didn't want her to get too full of herself.

"So, I'll be in charge of your archery training from now on. Just because you compliment me doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." After hearing her, I now realize they don't understand what sarcasm is.

"By the way, aren't you forgetting something?" Riun said.

"That's true; I think it's time for our history lesson," Asli said, but before she could leave with Aiza.

"No, I meant that." Riun pointed at me and the bow in my hands, and my sisters exclaimed at the same time as if they had remembered something.

"That's right! We lost the bet!" they said with much regret.

"What bet did you make?" I was curious to know what they were talking about.

"Whoever managed to get you out of your room to train without forcing you would be the one to stand by father's side at the next big hunting festival next year." I was speechless when I heard that.

"Well, I'm tired now, so I'll head back to my room," I said before walking away from them, and when I was far enough, I met my maid Marcy.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you since breakfast with my family." I asked her a bit curiously. She was supposed to take care of me most of the time until I grew old enough like my older siblings.

"I've been following you since you accompanied your brother. It's good that you're interacting with your siblings without my presence making them uncomfortable." I raised an eyebrow at what she said. I didn't understand why her presence would make them uncomfortable, but it didn't matter much.

"Well, never mind. I'm planning to go to the library, can you guide me? I don't quite remember where it was." When she heard me, she started touching my face.

"Young lord, you should go to the court physician. You might be sick. You didn't go back to sleep today, and instead, you went to practice with the bow, and now you want to go to the library." She looked very worried.

I just sighed and thought of an excuse to tell her so she wouldn't suspect too much.

"I'm not sick, I just had a nightmare where I repeated the same routine of sleeping, eating, and going back to sleep every day without experiencing any excitement, while I saw my sisters enjoying their lives having adventures or my brother ruling the county, and I just got older without breaking that routine every day. I don't want to spend my life the same way, so I want to try to change and stop being lazy." This should convince her for the moment.

"Young lord, don't worry. If you really don't want to live that lifestyle, I will guide you on the right path, making you a person admired by future generations." She said all that with such conviction that I felt a chill run down my spine when I heard her.

"Don't take it too seriously." We kept walking to the library. I need to know more about this world.