A young boy with silvery grey hair, and a toned, shirtless body glistening with perspiration stands on a single foot in the middle of a dilapidated garden, his mind deep in focus with his eyes closed. In his hand a sword held horizontally across his body while the other is straight out to the side

A moment later his eyes shot open sparks crackling within as his elevated foot was planted in the ground and his body driving the sword forward before his body twisted to swing it back in a sweeping cut where he grabbed the sword with both hands delivering a devastating strike that caused trees several feet away to lean away, their bases slightly uprooted.

His body stopped harshly, it seemed to be one with the world around him. It was almost as if it was trying to whisper all its secrets into his ear and he was just on the cusp of actually understanding the language they spoke.

That was until a set of light fluttering footsteps came running into the garden shouting his name.

"Crius, Uncle Cedrick is looking for you. Says he can't believe you're missing again."

"Hey Cordelia. Let's head back then before he completely blows his top."

Cordelia was a slim girl with dark brown hair and emerald eyes, who was best friends with Crius' cousin, Vesta. She pretty much lived on the estate with them. Like him she had one parent after her father had died at a young age and her mother was a travelling merchant.

"It always falls on me to come and get you. I don't know why nobody else thinks to look here."

"I'm sure they do. It's just not somewhere they like to intrude."

"Oh, should I not be here?"

"You are always welcome Cordelia. It should be a happier place. Unfortunately, only this and myself remain of my parents' love." The garden had been a present from his father to his mother on an anniversary from before he was even born. It used to be filled with flowers of bright reds, vivid oranges, and dazzling yellows to symbolise the passion that burned in Henrick Aldan for his wife Eluna. The centre of the garden was a fountain with a statue of his parents’ likeness, his father holding his mother in an embrace, mere moments from a fervent kiss.

As they came out of the garden and headed back up towards the house, he immediately saw his Uncle Cedrick, surrounded by a contingent of the house's elite guards. His armour allowed his ruined arm to be locked in at his side so it wouldn't get in the way as he trained or battled.

"Ah finally, Crius. Thanks for tracking him down, Cordi, Vesta is back up at the house if you want to go meet up with her."

"Cheers Uncle C. I'll see you later, Crius. Make sure you save some energy to walk back for dinner."

"There will be no saving of energy. He will be giving at least two hundred percent."

"Sorry, you may have to send help for me Cordelia." He chuckled as he shrugged.

"So where have you been?" Cedric inquired his eyebrow raised.

"You know where! I was working on my swordsmanship. I feel like I'm close to something, it just seems to remain out of grasp each time."

"Ah, well maybe we should start today's session with me watching you. I might be able to point you in the right direction."

A short while later in the training grounds, Cedrick and the two elites acting as his personal guard stood staring, mouths agape as once again Crius slipped into a trance.

"Is he?" Guard number one, Alfie queried, completely distrusting his own eyes.

"Yes. That fourteen year old nephew of mine is in a state of enlightenment, and to make things even greater. That enlightened state is in relation to him developing sword intent. Only two people in the Kingdom have developed sword aura and become sword saints and the youngest of those was Grand Duke Zelos at thirty eight years old. This is absolutely incredible."

"Should we help him?" Sylvie, guard number two followed up.

"No, talking about it could make it disappear altogether. Just act like we have nothing to offer."

“That’s not wrong. None of us can instruct him on sword aura. Maybe it’s worth mentioning to the Grand Duke, perhaps he’d be willing to help instruct Crius.” Alfie responded.

“The Grand Duke is currently off touring the many battlefields ensuring the troops have everything they need and that our defences aren’t vulnerable anywhere.” Cedrick declared.

“Has he been to see Grand Duke Aldan?” Sylvie inquired.

“Not that I’ve heard yet although I believe he intended to visit my brother last and ride back to the Duchy with him for Crius’ fifteenth birthday. It’s crazy to think that Crius has finished his basic education and is about to join the Tempest War Academy.”

“Crazier than him touching on sword intent?” Sylvie chuckled.

“Okay, maybe not that crazy. But that means that his father has been away at war for fourteen years.” Cedrick said smiling at the comment. “But it does seem like my brother loses a bit more of his soul each year. Sometimes it seems the only thing keeping him going is seeing Crius each year.”

“You mean when that snake Drax isn’t pulling stunts to prevent him leaving the frontlines.” Sylvie spat.

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“Careful not to say that in front of nobles. I won’t be able to protect you. At least he isn’t at the furthest point away now. It is now only three weeks to ride from that battlefield to here. Still, you’re not wrong.”

“I’m surprised the King hasn’t done anything about the stunts that Drax pulls.” Alfie semi thought aloud.

“My brother isn’t daft, and neither is the King. It is probably the very reason that Grand Duke Zelos is performing an inspection at this moment. If Drax’s followers were daft enough to do anything with Arien there then they’d all be court-martialled and executed on the spot! Not that they don’t deserve it.”

“So, what’s the plan then?” Sylvie asked.

“We train Crius as we have been doing. Well as soon as he leaves his trance we do.”

“No!” She laughed “I meant is he having a party? Surely Grand Duke Aldan won’t have time to arrange anything?”

“Oh. Alicia is seeing to that. We just focus on giving him the best training possible ready for entering the Tempest Academy.”

“Looks like I need to find a fancy dress that pairs nicely with my swords.”

“Pretty sure you’re on duty that night Sylvie.” Alfie laughed.

“Noooo, you can’t do this to me General. Please swap my shift?” She pleaded with her eyes and hands.

It was at this moment that Crius left his trance. Seeing the almost kneeling Sylvie in front of his uncle puzzled him but he didn’t think anything of it, she was always acting oddly but she was one of the most lethal guards under the house banner.

“Guessing I tranced out again?”

“You did but it isn’t a bad thing. I imagine you feel a bit closer to something each time. Just know that while it’s something that we can’t help with but when you reach it, well all I can tell you is that it is enough to propel you to being one of the strongest in the Kingdom never mind the academy.”

“Thanks Uncle. I’ll keep training it in my spare time then.”

“Don’t work too hard. Sometimes understanding can come at the least expected moment.”

“Understood.”

“Good, because we’ve wasted enough time and for that you and Sylvie are going to run 10 hard laps of the estate this afternoon in full armour.”

“Me?” Sylvie looked over shocked.

“Yes, you want a shift off then you’d better earn it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Better. Now get going, Crius has a dinner date to make with Cordi.”

“It isn’t like that.” Crius exclaimed.

Sylvie rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath “Not for a lack of interest from either party. Clearly both have the hots for each other.”

“What was that, Sylvie?” Crius asked.

“Oh, that, just thinking of my plan for the run.”

“Hmm!” Crius’s eyes tried to focus in on her inner thoughts as Alfie and Cedrick smirked knowingly.

“Enough the pair of you. It’s now eleven laps for wasting valuable time.” Cedrick called out after getting his face straight.

“When are you going to tell her you already gave her the shift off?” Alfie laughed as Crius and Sylvie began their run.

“When I think she’s learned her lesson.” He joined in with the laughter.

Crius and Sylvie ran for the full eleven laps at what would be a blistering place compared to normal humans. Both had learned long ago to use their warrior energy to enhance their physiques so even when not actively supporting their movements with energy they were easily twice as quick as a standard person. The surprising part was that the veteran, Sylvie, was the one racing to keep pace with Crius.

Watching on from the side Cedrick noted how Crius had once again become faster and thinking that he had clearly broken through another small threshold to unleash more of his potential. Alfie at the side was just mouth agape for the second time in a short while. Only two days ago Crius had struggled to keep pace with him and now he was beating Sylvie who would have no issue whooping him in a foot race over any distance.

As soon as Crius finished his run, Cedrick put him to work on carrying awkwardly weighted sacks the length of a field. The weights he’d prepared barely seemed to even test Crius, so he had him carry them two at a time with Alfie helping to load the sacks on to his shoulders.

After finishing her run Sylvie grumbled to Cedrick. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“I had an inkling he’d managed to further his physique but for a small breakthrough the results are, let’s say surprising. I think for anyone else this would be the result of a full tier up.”

“That’s a small realm?”

“Indeed.”

“I can’t believe he is still in the first tier. How can a third tier like me justify this?”

“You can’t! You should be well and truly ashamed of yourself.”

“I am! Believe me, but there must be more in play. Isn’t there?”

“I think he has a physique that is just naturally suited to the energy he has been feeding it. As a result, his gains are probably four to five times more effective than our own.”

“So, he basically has a genetic predisposition to being better than everyone?” She puzzled rhetorically.

“It certainly seems that way. The King has checked on him a few times and he’s never mentioned of anything like this as a perk of the Tempest bloodline so it must be something else factoring in on top.”

“No wonder he’s the Crown Prince. At least he is down to earth unlike those half siblings of his.”

“Well, there is still the possibility that one of them will ascend the throne in his place. Especially if he remains unable to utilize the Tempest Magics due to his broken core.”

“I can’t believe they call him ‘The Broken Prince’ back in the Capital. If I find who started those rumours I’ll take their heads personally.”

“You already know it was Duke Drax. Anything like that pointing to the inadequacy of Crius as our future ruler helps to give his precious Oryn a step up.”

“Is he going to be okay when he goes to the Academy? None of us will be there to protect him.”

“Who knows. Unfortunately, that is a trial that Crius must weather alone.”

“Surely…?”

“Yes! I’ve asked Vesta and Cordi to keep an eye on him and help to keep him safe. No will you get back to making sure he trains hard.”

“Yes, Sir.” She half saluted before running over to join Alfie and Crius.

Another guard ran across the training field as Sylvie rejoined the training wanting to report to General Cedrick.

After being given the go ahead and a quickly thrown up salute the guard began to report the news that an army was approaching and was approximately four days away. “The scouts should have further details, but this is all we had to start with.” He concluded.

“Okay, have the first cohort join the guards on the wall although, if I’m right this is a friendly visitor.”