Marcus, sitting in meditation, was disturbed when he felt a hateful energy in the air. It was not still and free-flowing. It was directed towards him.

His eyes snapping open, he stretched his neck and bounced up from his meditation mat.

I must tell Master that a challenger is approaching! He thought as he rushed out of his room and went to inform his master.

This would be fun!

----------------------------------------

Though Augustus had suppressed Marcus’s image, he had yet to conquer and uproot him from within his heart. All things thought of in mind in preparation for action, only show their true power once encountered in the physical world. All thoughts of experiences are weak imitations of the real thing.

Like swimming upstream in a river, his body fought with everything it had against what his mind told him.

It remembered.

For brief instances, his mind shielded away from the challenge and rationalised. Yet his iron will, the very strength that separated him from everyone else, refused to die. It killed all struggle ruthlessly without hesitation.

The inner resistance was extinguished.

He ran down the street towards a wooden, four-story hall. Wide and intimidating, the front entrance was left completely wide open for all who dared enter Shi’s School.

His gaze was focused and strong.

As he came to the entrance, his heart was beating out of his chest, its rhythm sounding like a war drum in his ears. Never before had the anticipation of a fight caused him to feel so intensely.

He could already visualise himself facing down his opponent, blade unsheathed.

For a few, dreadfully long moments, Augustus battled with himself on a single dilemma.

To fight or not to fight?

Just down the road was an ordinary old man. He walked by himself with his back hunched over and hands behind his back.

For everything he looked upon, his gaze was gentle. He was enchanted by the beauty of reality as he felt its vibrant colours, in awe of how sound touched his soul, and how seamlessly time passed in the present moment.

But then, amongst all the colour and sound, and the people walking past him, he spotted a single green leaf floating through the air. At times, it whirled and spun in chaos, while at others, it found a calm wind to ride upon unhindered, its leaf still and seemingly motionless as it glided downwards ever so slowly.

This leaf, at the end of its journey, landed upon the head of a youth, his hair dark and back straight. He looked just like him when he was young.

Yet despite his strong outward appearance, he sensed an inner turmoil beneath the facade. One that showed very strongly on the youth’s face. His face was contorted into a stiff, teeth-gritted frown.

He was in need of help.

He didn’t hesitate to help as his heart goaded him to walk over.

“You seem lost,” the old man said, knocking Augustus out of his inner battle and back into the present moment.

The old man gulped, surprised by the boy’s powerful gaze.

“Excuse me if I am out of place, but are you okay?”

Augustus gasped in heavy breaths a few times as he replied, “I’m fine. Just…thinking…really hard.”

To the old man, this was not merely “thinking hard”, but a fierce battle with the self. One that he knew very well, one that he had observed in others extensively.

“Could you care to tell me what it is that has you so challenged?” The old man asked with concern.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

At this moment, Augustus’s guard against others was down. The stress on his mind had deteriorated his distrust and defensive attitude against others. At another time, Augustus would’ve profusely refused to answer this question.

But in that very moment, it felt cathartic to answer.

“For the first time since forever, I feel exposed. As if I have just been born. I know my strength is true and great, yet something deep within me acts out in resistance.”

The old man grinned, empathising with Augustus.

“Your words are well said. Fear…” The old man paused, trying to find the words.

Augustus waited.

“Fear is merely resistance against one’s fate,” The old man stated.

“Your strength may be true and great, but is that not the reason you are here in the first place? I sense that you have gone astray from your original purpose,” The old man casually mused, stroking his hand against his chin.

For the first time in his life, Augustus felt that someone understood him. The old man’s words were strikingly accurate and hit deep, causing him to reflect on the past few days.

“Who are you?” Augustus asked.

“My name is Kamrin. I am just another old man,” Kamrin smiled.

“Kamrin, thank you. I need to talk to my mom,” Augustus made a firm realisation and bid Kamrin goodbye.

For a few more moments, Kamrin observed Augustus as he left.

He smiled.

His heart did too.

----------------------------------------

Anne stared at the chapel floor.

Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? She thought as she tapped her foot on the ground continuously.

Anne’s mind was in chaos as all her emotions overwhelmed her. Just last night she was screaming into her pillow, and now a priest was asking her if she was possessed by a devil and offering—almost threatening—to exorcise her.

If it weren’t for her trusted bodyguard, Thomas, she would have caved in.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Augustus and all her past interactions with him over the holidays. She didn’t offend him, disturb him, or cross any boundaries. It would’ve been difficult to anyway since all he did every day was train outside in the heat, getting his clothes all sweaty and dirty.

She wanted to talk to him. He was her son. He literally came out of her!

She did her best to show her how much she loved him. She would tell the others not to annoy him, she always made sure he had extra portions, and she always, always, healed his wounds with her magic whenever he gets injured. It was an everyday process that left her exhausted. But it was always worth it.

But she didn’t understand Augustus anymore. Why didn’t he ever give her anything back?

She knew that he was fond of the sword and liked training plenty, but what exactly happened at Andre’s wedding that had him so upset? What did he run away for?

He had been so happy when he was a boy, just frolicking around the vineyard without a care in the world.

He looked so serious nowadays. She wondered when it all took a course for the worse.

She wondered if it was him hearing her father-in-law talk to Augustus about his golden days, when he first picked up the sword, or when she first hired James to protect the vineyard. Or when he…

There were too many points of no return for her to count. Maybe it was just fate.

“ ’Madam, Augustus has arrived,” Her bodyguard reported.

“He has!?!” Anne jolted straight up from her seat and when she looked at the entrance of the room, he was there.

Her son’s face was cold as he marched straight over to her. She met him in the middle of the room and she gave him a big hug, one that he wasn’t too receptive to. Augustus held his mother loosely and once his mother finally let go, he looked her up and down, re-evaluating her.

Anne was speechless. Augustus spoke first.

“Mother, I apologise. I shouldn’t have made you worry. I should’ve told you in advance what I was doing. I’m fine. I was just a bit angry. That’s all,” Augustus said as he held direct eye contact with his mother.

“What were you angry about?” Anne asked as she groomed a stray hair from out of Augustus’s right eye.

“I have to defeat someone. It’s my mission. I can’t live if I don’t defeat them,” Augustus firmly stated.

Anne’s jaw dropped slightly as she took in what he said. Just as she was about to ask who this person was, she held her tongue.

“Ok,” Anne smiled.

Augustus had it under control.

For now, though, she wanted just one more hug.

Augustus pursed his lips as his mother embraced him, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

----------------------------------------

“For Anyel’s sake, it was all for naught! He came back of his own volition! I look like a fool now!” Gladway leaned against the pillars guarding the entrance of the chapel.

Yawning, his friend and fellow brother-in-arm were mildly amused.

“Uh-huh,” He nodded.

Just in time, Augustus walked out of the chapel with his mother by his side.

As his mother chatted away, Augustus spotted Gladway at the same time as the latter did.

Augustus reflexively stopped but relaxed an instant later as he realised that they weren’t trying to capture him anymore.

As his mother walked down the steps and neared the two, Gladway gave him a word.

“Hey, kid, was it worth your valley’s signature wine?” Gladway smirked with his hands crossed.

His mother was noticeably surprised.

She blinked twice as she asked, “What do you mean by that? Augustus?”

She looked at Augustus. The expression on his face was criminal.

Gladway answered her question for her before she voiced it.

“Madam, your son here owes Klacoch “The Abomination”, a bottle of your signature wine. I swear on Anyel’s blade I speak the truth,” Gladway swore.

Hearing Gladway swear on Anyel’s blade, any doubt she had disappeared.

“Augustus, why did you promise him a bottle of wine?” She asked.

“Oh,” Augustus looked away, unable to look her in the eye.

----------------------------------------

Anne left after an hour-long lecture and a lot of laughing from Gladway and his brother-in-arm, who watched the entire thing unfold. After giving Augustus one last big hug, she left on a horse-drawn carriage.

Augustus had also been surprised to see Dyon in front of the carriage pulling it along.

Apparently, he had just stood still after he had let go of the reins.

What a silly horse, Augustus thought as he chuckled.

“What are you going to do now?” Gladway asked out of boredom.

“That’s none of your business,” Augustus replied with a hint of aggression.

This guy had punched him in the face just a few hours ago! Why would he tell him?

“Hey, what’s with you all of a sudden? I was but asking a simple question,” Gladway gestured his palms outwards.

Augustus felt his sword swing as he turned around to face Gladway, the blond-haired knight.

“Don’t kid with me. I will cut you down right here and now,” Augustus rebuked.

Gladway’s brother-in-arm whistled in surprise.

Gladway was not amused. Instead of drawing his sword he marched right over and got into Augustus’s face.

He looked down at the lanky teenager and said with great emphasis on his words, “Kid, you are nothing. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to. Just because I’m a sworn knight of Anyel doesn’t mean I can bruise up or hurt a kid here or there. I don’t care if the church has a stake in your little vineyard. If you ever disrespect me again, I will beat you, bar any of the consequences.”

Augustus’s heart sped up.

Augustus didn’t answer and continued to stare back with an unfazed expression on his face. But underneath the surface, a wave of fear arose from his stomach.

“You’re filled with fear, and your arrogance is plain to see. Whatever you plan to do in life, overcome those two things and you might just stop being a little brat. I’m not going to stain my gauntlet with your blood. I’m done here,” Gladway eyed him with an intimidating look before turning and walking away.

Augustus’s shoulders, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed.

He stared at Gladway’s back as he went further and further away, thoughts churning in his head.

Then, he had a realisation.