Alan was leaning against a tree with his attention centered on a book. The branches spread out like a mushroom cap and provided him with an escape from the midday sun. Undeterred by the obstacles, sunlight weaved through the branches and danced on the book's surface.

Wind carrying cold air from the nearby pond ruffled his perfectly combed hair and staved off the summer heat. Sweating maids and soldiers scurried along with their jobs while casting envious glances at his relaxed posture. The cold water provided the castle's avian lifeforms an escape from the heat. They landed on the pond's edge and happily chippered in delight, but the clashing sounds of metal suppressed the noises.

Ignoring the surroundings, Alan intently studied the pentagonal diagram depicting the elements Ki could manifest. His eyes raked over the paragraph detailing the functions and advantages of each one.

Apart from the skills, every elemental affinity provides the user with a separate attribute. At 100% affinity, the user's body is comprehensively enhanced.

Fire: Enhanced Power

Water: Enhanced Flexibility

Earth: Enhanced Defense

Wind: Enhanced Control

Lightning: Enhanced Reflexes

Every individual is born with an affinity for one or more elements. The majority of people have compatibility of less than 10%. The maximum recorded value anyone has ever been born with is 54%. Through constant practice, an individual can increase his affinity towards the element.

Turning the page, he saw the descriptions of the two high-tier elements.

Holy and Shadow are the two high-tier elements Ki users have access to. In most cases, an affinity for these elements is inborn and cannot be attained through training. Unlike the basic tier, they provide two attributes.

Holy: Enhanced Healing. The second attribute depends on the user.

Shadow: Enhanced Decay. The second attribute depends on the user.

Only a rare few have compatibility with these elements and they are cornerstones of national strength.

Reading the description, he grinned. If having the affinity for a single one was rare, then individuals with both must be few and far between. Even though the holy element was temporarily suppressed, he always had the option of unsealing it. His problem was the lack of understanding of how the two elements interacted. Before having a better grasp, it was better to leave the holy element untouched.

"Is that all you got?" Lily's taunt distracted him. Out of the corner of his eye, he observed the fight between his sister and Kora building up in intensity.

Lily jumped forward and brought down her two-handed longsword in a massive swing from the top of her head. Even with her variant ability, Kora found it difficult to brace against the attack. She slid back from the force of the blow while Lily lunged at her with the sword.

Kora tried to deflect the move using her shield while preparing for a counterattack. Reading the gesture, Lily pivoted on her foot and swung at Kora's weapon. Her slice overpowered Kora's thrust and knocked the sword out of her hand.

An out of balance Kora tried to stabilize herself, but Lily grasped the shield and a sweep of her leg sent Kora sprawling to the ground.

Adrianna clapped her hands. "Nice fight!"

Kora snorted. "I hope you’re talking about Lily. I was on the back foot the entire time and barely did anything worthwhile. A training dummy would've put up more resistance."

"You can't look at it that way. Lily's a complete variant, and matching her training speed is next to impossible. Why don't you try sparring against someone else?"

Alan immediately centered his attention on the book and acted like he was engrossed in it. He knew what their conversation would lead to. Ever since Adrianna and Kora arrived at the Maetrine castle six months ago, Kayden made them train together. In the beginning, he always bagged victory.

His boastful attitude caused the three girls with diverging personalities to band together and become bosom friends.

At 9 years of age, Adrianna was the oldest and had all the markings of a refined lady. She had a polite smile on her face and was respectful to others. The friendly vibes made her easy to get close to.

Kora was a year younger than Adrianna and the second oldest in the group. Their personalities were polar opposites. She constantly glared at people and put them at a distance.

Finally, Lily was .... Lily. Troublesome, naughty, and got into trouble every other day.

The common feature among the three of them was their highly competitive nature. In his ignorance, he paraded his victory in their faces. After that, he didn't have a single moment of rest. No matter what he did, someone was always ready to challenge him. Sometimes, he deliberated losing to get them off his back.

Sure enough, the girls turned their attention towards him.

"Alan, why don't you come and join us?" Adrianna asked.

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"You guys continue. I'm busy right now."

A whistling sound made him roll to the side. A dagger ominously vibrated near his shoulder's previous location.

Dusting off his shirt, he glared at Lily. "Nice of you to invite me so politely."

"There's no way that attack's going to hit you."

He rolled his eyes. In a way, what she said was true. Alan constantly practiced [Precognition] and tried to develop new ways of using it. In a recent discovery, he noticed the ability could be used with his other senses apart from sight. Though the effectiveness was sub-par, it rapidly improved his senses and [Precognition]’s skill level.

What worried him wasn't the attack itself but Lily's tendency to grab his attention using pointed objects. "What if I failed to dodge?"

"You won't, so there's no need to worry."

Her explanation left him speechless. Scowling, he went back to his previous posture. "Can't you train among yourselves? I'm busy."

"Don't you want to improve?" Kora unhappily asked. "In the monthly spars, none of us have won a single time. If this keeps up, we won't be part of the top five."

Alan didn't expect her to have hopes for the grand prizes after their disastrous performances. "You think we can beat the others? There's barely five months left, and the gap between our strengths shrunk by a small margin."

"I know it's difficult, but I can’t waste the opportunity.” Her stiff posture put her frustration on full display.

While Adrianna remained calm, Alan knew she was of the same mind. The two of them trained with single-minded determination, but their problem didn't have a solution. Overcoming such a large gap in physical attributes wasn't a matter of determination. It was a function of time.

"You shouldn't worry too much about the prize."

Alan jumped at the sudden voice and cursed when he noticed Arlo's wizened face. His butler had a flair for making sudden entrances.

"Why?" Kora asked.

"The prize is meant for older people." The blank faces staring back at him made him elaborate. "When you become a squire, the amount of Ki you gain is dependant on your body's dimensions. Having a larger body means you have a larger container capable of holding Ki."

Alan frowned. Doesn't it mean I'll have a smaller capacity compared to older people?

"Do you know how to increase the container's size after it's formed?" Arlo asked.

"How?"

"Answer is, you don't."

"What?!" Alan knew there was more to it, or his parents would've never done something so foolish.

"At least, that's how it is for adults," Arlo said. "Their containers are fixed. When it comes to children, the vessel grows along with their bodies. The increase isn't just in the size, but also in the sturdiness. You'll be able to hold denser energy."

The butler's words lifted both Adriann's and Kora's moods.

"That means we'll have higher quality energy?" Adrianna asked.

"No. The container example is an analogy. I meant to say you'll hold a larger quantity of Ki. The earlier you become a squire, the greater your capacity. Sometimes, the difference can be as dramatic as two or three times the amount of energy. The odds of the four of you becoming grand knights are astronomically higher than the other recruits. The prize is meant to reduce the gap, no matter how small."

His words gave Alan a different thought. "The one-month camp, it's mainly for the kids, isn't it?"

Arlo smiled. "As expected of Lord Alan. You're as perceptive as ever. The camp is mostly for kids below 10. The older recruits have a very small chance of becoming grand knights. It's an open secret in the noble circle."

"So you include older people to hide the secret?" It was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, they could've replaced the older students with younger ones.

Arlo burst into laughter. "I should be more careful with what I speak around the young lord and yes, you're partially right. During the first session, did Maur explain his preferred training method?"

"Very artistically." Alan vividly remembered the dreamy look on the instructor's face when he mentioned leaving everyone in the forest to fend for themselves.

"He tends to do that."

The reminiscent expression on the butler's face made Alan wonder if he took part in something similar.

"While the method might sound crude, it works," Arlo explained. "Nothing motivates a person like life and death battles."

Adrianna frowned. "You're talking about kids my age or younger. I don't think anyone will make it out alive."

"You'll be surprised by the results."

Alan sat up straight. "What do you mean?" Did they use the method previously?

"Do you know which power the delegation represents?"

The butler’s habit to answer a question with another question always threw him off, but he answered it nonetheless.

"Shizar Empire?" Alan didn't know much about it apart from knowing it was the only other human kingdom. Though Alaya tried to hide it, he knew a lot of bad blood existed between Shizar and Bodwen empires. The citizens in Pedro city staged large protests against the arrival of the delegation from Shizar. The other day, Kayden had gone to suppress the protests when the demonstration turned violent.

"Yes. In an effort to raise talents, they" —Arlo hesitated and glanced at the castle before continuing— "send thousands of young kids aged 10 and below to their deaths every year. A handful of individuals survive and become powerhouses of the empire. Our kingdom eschewed such barbaric methods and chose a safer approach. We use rewards and talented 'bullies' to motivate the children to work harder."

His words were met by stunned silence.

An uncomfortable feeling built up inside Alan's chest. It took him a while to associate the emotion with anger. Ever since the reincarnation, Alan felt a little lost. He was no longer the same person who suffered at the hands of the scientists. When he merged with the original Alan's memories, he also absorbed the emotions associated with them. They were so beautiful and different from what he was used to feeling, he subconsciously put greater emphasis on them while subduing his original memories. It changed him more than he would like to admit. He no longer knew who he was or what he wanted. Apart from enjoying the new life with his family, he had no goals, no motivation, and lacked the desire to achieve anything meaningful.

Arlo's words shook him and gave a painful reminder of Vetang. Shizar's disregard for life, lack of concern for the general population, and abuse of power to achieve goals had a lot in parallel with the professor. His blazing fury fed on his thoughts and turned into a massive inferno.

Alan didn't know anything about Shizar and knew it was unwise to hate something without understanding more, but emotions weren't logical. His hatred irrationally built up while he tried to calm down.

"Why don't the citizens resist?" Adrianna whispered.

"You think they have a choice? The nobility—"

"Enough."

Alan glanced at the castle and noticed Alaya walking towards them with narrowed eyes. Even from the distance, he could feel the fury in her steps.