Silence filled the room with only a bit of murmuring from the children. Learning of Alaric’s Temper Rank had shaken the adults, “That’s not possible, LionHeart,” Garin broke the silence of the adults.

“See for yourself,” the large man shrugged, turning part of his attention to his food.

Uncomfortable under the gazes of the Tower Knights, Alaric tried to pay more attention to his food. He placed the potato on a plate and went about filling it with food…

[ My appetite’s ruined. ] he sighed.

[ Just suck it up. You’ve not eaten in a long time so your mood doesn’t matter today ] Alia retorted.

[ I hear you ] the boy replied. Despite the absence of his excitement for the food, Alaric was quite hungry. Looking up at Garin, he caught the man squinting at him silently.

Before he could ask, a nearly imperceptible wave of aether blew past his body and then Garin’s expression grew pale and defeated, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What did you just do?” Alaric asked.

“Appraisal. It’s a harmless technique,” LionHeart stated, “Still, this explains everything. The staggering change in appearance, his height, the aether surrounding your Temper Ritual.”

“Boys, how about we talk about this after breakfast?” Sister Marla butted in, “Alaric, you’ll have all the time you need to get to know about Temper Ranks later. For now, however, eat your food and try not to overdo it.”

Alaric nodded, “Yes, Sister Marla.”

With that, the discussion had come to an end. While it had indeed come to an end if only temporarily, it didn’t stop Alaric from thinking about it. He’d been a bit disoriented after waking up from the Tempering Ritual that he hadn’t noticed the numerous changes to his body.

And while he was still disoriented, he was stable enough now to think and experiment. Now, he noticed the ground was a lot further than it used to be. His joints were a lot smoother… which was an odd sensation considering he’d never thought there was anything wrong with them.

Now that he’d risen in Temper Rank, he could feel as though each movement he made was several times easier and his body was lighter. Not only that but he was a lot more sensitive to aether now. His vision, sight and hearing had grown much sharper while at the same time, his mind had grown to accommodate the added information coming from his senses.

It was one thing to have all these upgrades but another to know how to use them. Without even realising it, Alaric had already started experimenting with his newfound capabilities. He tried to find out just how much information he could capture separately.

As stories flew about the breakfast table, catching Alaric up on the different things that had been happening around the Five Hills and the orphanage, Alaric paid attention to smaller details like whoever was being left out, the quiet conversation the adults were having as well as the faint sounds of the bustling town in the valley.

As a part of him marvelled at these newfound capabilities, another part of him focused on engaging the table in conversation so no one would notice he was absentminded.

As it turned out, in the six months during which had been asleep, the Five Hills had changed faster than they ever had in his whole life.

Ben and Nina had finally got proper books on alchemy and were even allowed a few harmless ingredients to experiment with, as well as a small aether crystal to replace their lack of an aether source. As children with no connection to aether through, they were limited in what aether they could achieve.

In any case, they seemed to be having more fun with what they were learning even without a connection to aether. This one time, Nina had been caught trying to sneak an unorthodox ingredient into the potions meant for Alaric’s Tempering Ritual. An ingredient that was, in her opinion, supposed to make someone(Alaric) more manly, like LionHeart.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

This bit of information was both good to hear and a little… frightening. In the end, all that mattered was that Alaric was safe now.

Lia, a quiet shy girl had got excited to the point of bringing a large drawing book to the table, filled with many pictures she was drawing.

Alaric’s smile was wiped clean off after turning a few pages. The formerly childish doodles had transformed into more professional-looking pictures. She was still having trouble with faces but that didn’t matter when the artist in question was still over four years away from turning fifteen.

Max, Jasper and Cody had finally gotten themselves real practice swords and were steadily getting better under Cody’s instruction, sometimes with a little intervention from Garin and LionHeart… at least that’s what they told Alaric. He would have to see for himself to know if they really did improve. Then again, that would be tricky to ascertain seeing as he wasn’t sure of his capabilities himself.

The stories went on even after breakfast, only ending when Marla stepped in and shooed the kids away from the table so she could tidy up.

Alaric chuckled as he saw the children rushing away. As he approached the table, however, the woman slapped it away, “You go with LionHeart and you train hard. Now that you’ve woken up, I’m sure the Tower will send a letter soon.”

The boy nodded, “I’ll get on it then.”

Before he could leave, she called back, “Alaric…”

“Yes, Sister Marla?”

“Take it easy for the first few days. Tempering Rituals can be disorienting. You’ll have to adjust to your new strength and find your new limits. Pace yourself,” the woman replied.

Alaric returned her advice with a warm smile, “I’ll do my best.”

Marla facepalmed.

Outside, LionHeart was stretching in normal clothes, “You’re ready, rookie?”

“I am in your care, LionHeart,” Alaric responded, then stood beside the man and started mimicking his stretches.

LionHeart chuckled lightly as he watched the boy mimic him. It was comical to see the boy’s eyes widen when he easily stretched into odd postures that shouldn’t have been possible for him.

Shortly after starting the mimicking game, Alaric was seated on the ground in contemplation, “This is bad.”

“Meh! You’ll get used to it. It will be harder for you though. Normally people go up one level at a time. You rushed past twelve of them, not to mention one of them was the barrier between the Glass Rank and Wood Rank. You’re probably not even sure how your legs work anymore,” the man observed.

LionHeart was right… but there was at least one thing Alaric could say for certain. He was stronger. Alaric felt the strength that now coursed through his body. Explosive strength waiting to be unleashed.

[ Was this how powerful Darth was? ] he wondered.

[ Darth was stronger. He was Stone Rank, which is still a whole rank above you. The only reason you could follow his movements was the omnipotence of Thomper’s power and the Dance of the Sword you had been practising ] the guardian explained.

Slowly, the reality of their situation back then was starting to set in. Alaric could have gone on with his observations if it wasn’t for his ears picking up on the sound of a carriage and the hum of aether.

The boy turned to the edge of the hill and watched as a luxurious creation of mahogany, engineering and magic rolled up the road and parked before the orphanage. Alaric skipped the fine details of the masterful craftsmanship and stared right at the door as it swung open.

He watched in anticipation as a man dressed in fine silk stepped out of the carriage. He had gem-like ornaments decorating his outfit, making him appear to come from a high-bred noble family… and yet, Alaric recognized him.

“Chief Garrick?” he exclaimed before he could stop himself.

The opulently-dressed man approaching the establishment flinched at the sudden mention of his name. His eyes scanned the boy sitting in the dirt, failing to spark with recognition.

What he did notice, however, was that the boy’s outfit was white and adorned with the sigil of the Tower of Seekers. Still, his clothes didn’t seem to fit him right which only made him wonder why he was dressed in such clothes, to begin with. Then there was the matter of his handsome face that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

It wasn’t strange to find a good-looking man in an orphanage. Many rich families hid their children in orphanages and obscured their identities… but taking them to the Five Hills would be overkill. The village was just too remote. Not to mention this boy was sitting in the dirt.

What sort of desperate noble would think to place their child in such a rundown… No, the orphanage had been doing well ever since the Appraisal Ceremony. Did this strange boy have something to do with it? Had he come along with the slayers that guarded the place now?

So many secrets…

“Yes, that is I. I guess my reputation precedes me,” the gaunt man responded with effortless flair.

Alaric furrowed his brows, ‘Reputation? Isn’t he the one that taxed the orphanage into its former rundown state… and when did Garrick get an expensive carriage?’

Alaric responded with a smile, “I don’t know about that… but you look well.”

“Why are you here, Garrick? Marla already gave you this week’s tax. I delivered it myself,” LionHeart growled.

“Straight to the point. That’s what I like about you slayers. Marla has been ignoring my letters for the past few weeks, so I came here personally to deliver an ultimatum. Either the boy be moved or the orphanage’s tax is tripled,” the man’s voice echoed.

Alaric’s heart thundered in his chest, “Ultimatum?”

As always, the air around him got a few degrees colder and the sun disappeared, covered by a cloud that hadn’t been there earlier. Alaric’s mood dropped, “Is Sister Marla in trouble?”