Not noticing what was happening around him, the children of the orphanage had gathered at the door and sides of the orphanage, all in time to see Garrick get dragged away unceremoniously by his reptilian guardian who looked to be on the verge of biting his head off.

[ What if he disobeys his guardian? ] Alaric wondered.

[ Then we’ll expose him. Just like Marla keeps her problems with him to herself, many others do the same in fear of what he might do. He’s oppressed many to get where he is today. It’s not hard to send everything he’s built tumbling, ] Alia replied with a satisfied humph.

Alaric was only partly okay with all this. One last detail didn’t sit right with him, [ What about him? ]

Was it worth it to foil an evil man in a way that made Alaric no better than he was? Justice had always been a difficult concept for Alaric to envision even with all the lessons Alia had given him. Taking revenge was an idea that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

[ Hahaha! ] Alia suddenly laughed, [ Nothing about this is revenge. Revenge would involve emptying his coffers of all the money he’s taken from the Five Hills, then sending him to toil in the fields for years until every last nickel of his treachery has been paid off, at which point he’d be exiled from this village with his guardian making sure he stays as far away as possible and yet even then, such revenge would be merciful. But that’s not what we’ll do. ]

Alaric swallowed, [ Alia, you can be frightening sometimes. ]

[ Meh! I try ] as their conversation drew to a close, Alaric’s mood began to improve and the world returned to normal. The clouds cleared and the wind continued to blow, almost as if life was returning to the world.

“That’s an interesting punishment you gave him. I doubt he’ll go through with it,” LionHeart spoke as the tension dissipated.

Having been on the receiving end of Alaric’s bizarre authority, he was aware of the punishments Guardians demanded of masters that went against Alaric. It was six months since his punishment had been issued and thinking back on it now, he couldn’t consider it one. It benefited Alaric with whom he had no quarrels, so it was all good.

However, unlike Garin and Gunther, he wasn’t able to leave the Five Hills and stayed here for the whole duration of Alaric’s Tempering Ritual. Then again, it was only because he’d accepted his punishment that he wasn’t hurt by its restrictions.

“If he values the bond he has with his guardian, he’ll do it,” Alaric replied, “And besides, his guardian is a smart one. There are many ways he can carry out that task without ruining his reputation. Can we go now?”

“Right. This way,” the pair walked off, leaving for the Forest Hill. Only this time, they wouldn’t be activating the Protection Spell surrounding them. Without it, there was no chance of ever finding the Ritual Room but that was okay. It had served its purpose.

As Alaric and LionHeart left the orphanage and vanished down the hill, Sister Marla let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding… “Sir LionHeart had told me… about…”

“Yeah… It’s frightening to watch in person,” Garin replied with a light chuckle, “Now that he’s Wood Level, there is no doubt about it. He’s stronger. I’m glad he held back his anger.”

“Did you… find out why Alaric can do that? Command Guardians, I mean,” Sister Marla asked, still shaken by what she’d just witnessed. Thomper had told of similar oddities surrounding the boy but nothing nearly so frightening. To be able to command a guardian other than one’s own was unprecedented.

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“Yes, I looked into it. There isn’t much information on such a power… except for an old legend of Kings and Pillars. I asked only those Seekers I could trust and even they didn’t have the full details. It’s a myth so old that its records are not revised anymore,” Garin explained, “The only Seekers that have heard of it are the ones that enjoy speculating on the variety of Inborn Abilities the world has to offer.”

Sister Marla was interested in hearing about this even more. Seeing her expression, Garin continued, “Then again, he could have just been born on a very special day. You know what they’re calling the Aspirants this year, the Generation of the Black Sun, born within the year when the Day of the Black Sun occurred, fifteen years ago. You do know his birth date, do you not?”

“That’s classified information. No orphanage gives out the birth dates of their orphans. You of all people should know that,” Marla hissed quietly.

“Yes, I know. I know… and I wasn’t asking to try and get that information out of you,” Garin raised his hands.

Sister Marla took a deep breath, then turned back to the orphanage, “I’m sorry. He’s just got me worked up. Not to mention, I don’t know when he was born.”

“What?” Garin was by her side in an instant.

“You heard me. Out of all the orphans here, he’s the one whose origin isn’t known. Fifteen years ago, I found him on my doorstep with a sheet of paper written in the old tongue… It spelt his name,” Marla replied.

“How old was the baby and during which month did they turn up?” Garin tried.

“It was during the Month of the Willow and he looked much older than a month so I wouldn’t know when he was born exactly,” the woman replied.

“Did you ever think perhaps that he could have been born on the Day of the Black Sun?” Garin tried.

Marla chuckled humourlessly, “I’m not sure I would be happy to find out he was born on such a terrible day. It would certainly explain everything… but it would be far more dangerous and… sad. From what I know, every child born on that day died. That tragedy is why people don’t hunt power through the Constellation births anymore.”

“Yeah…” the man sighed.

For now, Alaric’s astonishing powers would remain a mystery to everyone who knew him. An orphan with no family, origin or knowledge of birth. The first S-class guardian in fifteen years as well. It was only natural that everyone would be asking questions.

“It took us two months to finally shake off the self-serving nobles who wanted something to do with Alaric. I’d hate to add rumours of a child born on that day to the pool of reasons they want him so badly,” Garin sighed.

………………

Deep within the woods was a familiar barren field, the ground battered from the heavy footfalls of training slayers and battling guardians. In the shade of a tree was a stall equipped with water, towels and a rack with a few training weapons for those who needed them. The trees here were surprisingly thick as though obscuring the activity that would happen here.

Alaric and his friends had come here plenty of times to train. When there was no one using the Training Grounds, they had Alia train them and when there were other people, they would train themselves in the Dance of the Sword.

Today, there seemed to be a few people training. A group of four men were sparring in the heat of the sun, their shirts off and sweat glistening off their muscular bodies brimming with vitality.

These were also the only members of the Village Watch. They had fairly decent guardians and were paid by the Village Chief to carry out their tasks. For a remote village like the Five Hills, they were sufficient protection.

‘Four? Shouldn’t they be three?’ he wondered… then his eyes opened wide in shock when he recognized the extra person.

Alaric knew the men here well… but what surprised him was the presence of a newer face among the four men. This man wasn’t like the other three. His body was a bit smaller but his movements were far more refined.

The white armour neatly stashed at the edge of the clearing affirmed his identity. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail swishing every time he dodged an attack from his opponents.

Together, the four men blurred, three attacking one in coordinated efforts to bring him down. Alas, Gunther was a lot swifter than the average human.

The talented archer darted between the men, weaving between their strikes with immaculate skill all while commenting on their weak spots at the same time. When Alaric and LionHeart arrived, he was on the defensive… or at least that’s what the battle appeared to be. In truth, Alaric could see all too well that he was holding back against the warriors.

“Sharpen your senses. Anticipate your opponent’s movements. Don’t assume your opponent won’t be able to dodge. That’s what leaves you open. If I was being serious, then you’ve all died three times already,” Gunther’s voice roared through the clearing.

Alaric watched, entranced by the graceful dance of the man’s movements, “He’s good.”

LionHeart’s eyes widened. He looked between Alaric and Gunther really fast, then scoffed, “Pfft! Gunther’s alright.”

“You are better, right?” Alaric turned to him.

The burly knight cracked his neck a few times, “P-probably.”