It's been a year since my new training method with Master began. I've been making steady progress, but I couldn't help but feel limited. I knew I was only 8, but I felt like I was missing crucial information.

I want to learn how to use battle-casting I resolved. Battle casting was the name Master Rajin gave the technique that allowed him to have enough focus to cast spells even in melee combat.

After we finished the day's training session, I brought it up to him nonchalantly. "I want to learn battle-casting."

"Oh, and where do you get the idea that you could even begin to comprehend the basics, young one?" he said with a mischievous smirk on his face. Dunno what that face is about I thought to myself.

"Well, I grasped flow style rather quickly, didn't I? What's to say I can't learn battle-casting just as quickly?" I replied, matching his playful energy with a retort of my own.

"Okay, Megamind, I'll give you a shot. In fact, I'll make a wager," he said, his smirk becoming a full-on grin "If you can learn battle-casting by the end of the month, I'll help you become an adventurer. I'll even pay your license fee." he finished.

"Hmm, advent- wait WHAT!" I responded, his words were a startling realization that hit me like a freight train. "How did you know I've been trying to get one?" I replied stunned

It was true, I had been trying to get an adventurer's license. I planned to go behind my parent's backs but it turns out that if you're below the age of 18 you need a parent or guardian's permission to sign up. On top of that, there was a 10-gold license fee, and I had no money of my own.

Wait this is a good deal! I can learn battle-casting, and he'll vouch for me to start adventuring! It almost seemed too good to be true.

We started the training immediately. "The trick is to trust your body completely to dodge incoming attacks by itself while concentrating on a spell," he explained. It sounded simple in theory but was much harder in practice.

We began by having him attack me. After about 5 minutes of dodging, he'd give me the go to try to cast a spell. The reason we waited those 5 minutes was to get my body warmed up. Once I began the casting process, though, I lost my touch, letting blows glance off me. Thanks to healing spells though, we could keep at it as long as we wanted.

I mastered it within 2 weeks.

Master Rajin was devastated. He kept mumbling to himself incoherently and shut himself inside his room for 2 days straight. It seemed he was in a deep depression. Sorry, Master, it is what it is! Adventurer's license here I come!

That night, over dinner, Rajin swallowed his pride and dropped the bomb. "I think little Alexander here is ready to try his hand at adventuring," he said so nonchalantly, my parents barely seemed to hear it at first.

Of course, my dad was elated. "Baha hahaha, that's my son alright! He's tough as nails! A little dungeon delving couldn't hurt!" he said as he slapped me on the back. It knocked the wind out of me.

While I was still catching my breath, my mother stubbornly rebuked the idea. "Absolutely not! I will not have my 8-year-old son anywhere near a place as dangerous as a dungeon!"

"Miss Victis, with all due respect, he's not exactly your ordinary kid. He's obtained the ability to cast biotic spells in melee combat, and at almost half the age I was when I picked it up. Keeping him cooped up here is gonna stunt his growth. Young boys need to stretch their legs." Rajin added, trying his best to drive his point home.

Unfortunately, this only seemed to irritate my mom further. "I WILL NOT HAVE MY SON ADVENTURING AND THAT IS FINAL!" she replied emphatically.

After that, we all ate our dinner quietly. I felt something bubbling up inside me, and it was ruining my appetite. Unable to hold it in any longer, I let it out.

"You know, I put in so much effort to grow stronger and stronger every day. I have a goal that I want to attain, and I have been nothing but well-behaved. Up to this point, I've listened to your every command without protest. I excel academically and I'm twice- no three times as strong as the other kids my age. You'd think I'd have gained a modicum of trust." Then, my face red with anger, I put my utensils down on my plate, got up, and tactically retreated to my bedroom.

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I'm not sure what happened after, but later that night, I could hear my mom crying in the next room over.

"I know he's strong, I know he can handle it," she said, sputtering. She seemed to be talking to my father. "But he's still just a kid. He's my baby boy. He's so strong and always treats us with nothing but respect and admiration. Even so... I can't help but want to keep him here. He already seems so grown-up, it's scary." she continued, each word tearing into my heart.

"I'm afraid that if he leaves to start going off on adventures when he comes back, what little of my baby boy remains will be gone... I rarely ever get to see him acting like a child. He's just so... ahead. Sometimes I find myself wishing he'd talk back to me, or do something dumb and immature. I find myself wanting him to act childish, even if I have to scold him for it. I know it's selfish of me and I'm so sorry. But I can't allow this. I don't want to lose him." she finished, still sobbing.

I sat up in my bed huddling close to my blanket. She was right. This whole time I'd been acting so grown up. I'm gaining strength rapidly, and I'm always so mature. It didn't really hit me how that might have affected the people around me. I didn't realize how distant my parents must feel from me.

Maybe adventuring can wait a while. I thought, resolved. Tomorrow, I'd try to be a bit more childish. It might hurt my pride a bit, but I think mom needs it.

After about half an hour, the noise of my mom's crying subsided. I came up with an idea.

Sneakily, I crept out of bed and exited my room. I walked over to my parent's door, and slowly opened it. Then, I crawled into their bed, laying beside my mom. My dad was snoring loudly, and sleeping like a rock, but my movements woke my mom up.

Her face was still a bit blotchy from earlier, but when she saw me she smiled.

"Sorry I woke you... I had a bad dream." I lied. I knew it was probably wrong, but she needed this. I could let her have it for tonight. I could be a weak child for one night, so long as it meant she would smile like that even more.

She said nothing, but her smile got a bit brighter, and I saw a single tear fall down her cheek. "That's alright, my love. Come here," she said as she reached out to grab me and pulled me close to her chest.

She pet my head as I lay there in her arms. It was really warm, and I felt my own tears begin to well up. "I'm sorry, mom." I croaked out. "I'm sorry I don't rely on you guys very much, and that I act so mature. You guys mean a lot to me... I want to get strong so I can protect you all. I'm sorry for being so blind." I sputtered, my tears falling even faster.

At first, she didn't say anything. She just kept stroking my head. Then, after a while, she sighed. It wasn't a sigh of exasperation or spite, but one of satisfaction and resolution. "It's okay. No matter how grown you get, you'll still be my baby boy, Alex. Forever and always."

After that, neither of us said anything further. At some point, I fell asleep, and she drifted off too.

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was already seeping through the blinds. My mom was already up, but she didn't want to wake me so she didn't move. She just lay there, continuing to stroke my head.

"Morning sleepyhead," she chuckled. As I looked up to face her, I realized her complexion was a lot better than it had been the day before. She really was beautiful. "don't stare at a girl like that Alex, it's bad manners!" she said with a pouty face.

I got up and was about to leave when I felt a gentle hand wrap around mine. "Hold on a second, Alex," she said, her voice cracking. I turned and faced her and she yanked me toward her, pulling me into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" I asked, confused. Had she caught on to my lie about the nightmare? I thought, fearful.

"For being born. Thank you," she said. As she pulled me away from her I could see another tear screening down her cheek. "I'll sign your Adventurer's card," she said, her face somewhat sullen but resolved. "but you have to promise me, Alex. Promise me you'll come back okay, and that you won't bite off more than you can chew."

"Alright, mom," I said, trying to hide my excitement. I wanted to jump up and down and thank her profusely, but now wasn't the time for that.

"One more thing too. Promise me that when you come back you'll still be my baby boy," she said. It sounded silly, but the way she stared at me, the desperation in her eyes, I knew she was clinging to this promise more than anything.

"I swear, mom, I'll always be your baby boy." I let out. I couldn't help but crack a smile and giggle a little. It sounded ridiculous. Suddenly, I heard a small "pfft..." from my mom. She was stifling a laugh as well. We looked at each other for a second, our eyes locked. Then we both burst out into laughter.

That day, she took me to the nearby Adventurer's guild, paid my license fee, and signed my waiver.

Unfortunately, because adventuring wasn't exactly a "Noble job" I had to go under a false name. This wasn't necessarily for the protection of my family's name, but more so for my own protection. The world of nobles was pretty cutthroat, with everybody trying to grab a piece of the power.

Because of this, having a notoriously named adventurer like Magnus or Victis would make me a prime target for other families. Worse, if I besmirched our name, I could find my own family coming after me.

In the end, we decided upon the name "Zephyr" and we bought a mask to hide my identity. It was a half-face mask that covered everything from the nose up, leaving only my out exposed. It was shaped like the head of a crow, with the beak where my nose was to go. And thus, the Adventurer Zephyr's story began.