The officials from the Retired Companions Home were coming in to town. It had been two years since the rebellion in the neighboring province had been pacified. The men who had lost their lives had left behind companions who needed to bond to someone to remain within human territory and each year children at the age of two were brought forth to bond protectors for until they were old enough to bond partners using the Bond of Equals. This was basically a mental link which allowed the protectors to guard the children’s mental capacities and to help train them. Depending on the companion the children might improve quicker or slower in proportion to the wisdom of the companion. The child, the parents or the guardian would pick. Either party, save the child, had the right of refusal of course, but such was rare indeed as the bond was extremely short-lived.
This year there were eleven children who had reached two years of age and were eligible for bonding. There were another four who sought to establish permanent bonds after having turned twelve. Three of the two year olds in particular stood near the front where the best variety could be available for the picking.
The animals available for bonding ranged from lions to owls to a particularly large frog which could easily fit a rabbit within its mouth and was eying a nearby bunny thoughtfully. The officials gave each of the children an armband with symbols. As each armband was secured the symbol would gradually change color. Next, the children and animals were given free rein to interact and become acquainted.
The first companion to choose was the lion. He chose the boy at the front whose band had turned green. The official wrote down then called out, “Jiang Xia, Tempest lion, any objections?” When no one objected Jemba Xia came forward and escorted his son and the lion to the nearby office to complete the bond and to pay the fees.
Next was a white wolf. It chose the girl second in line whose armband had turned white. The man once again called out, “Sisi Chen, Tundra wolf, any objections?” As before, no one objected although another girl looked somewhat disappointed. Touma stepped forward and brought Sisi to the side, not choosing to leave yet.
Third was a boy who looked similar to the girl before him. Two animals came forth for his turn, a serpent and a hawk, each one glaring toward the other. His armband was half blue, half black. The official scribbled for a moment with an irritated expression then called out, “Saiko Chen, Flame serpent or Clay hawk, double the fee for both, any objections.” Touma who had no objections lead his children away with their protectors after the crowd remained silent.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Once he was out of earshot one of the twelve year olds asked one of the adults nearby in confusion why one kid had gotten two companions. The adult answered, “It is because he has two attributes and they may allow him to use one of the side elements. Of course with two protectors his cultivation will be slower in the beginning than most others at his age, so it is a give take situation.” He glanced at where the kid had left with his father and silently bemoaned the trouble the kid would endure in the future.
In the office, Touma was wryly thinking the same but for another reason. I gave my brother hell before he died over cultivating so much slower than me and now my only son will have to go through the same thing. Talk about go around, come around. Sisi will be alright, she didn’t have any particular elemental affinity but that just means it will be that much easier when increasing affinities in the future.
Touma’s daughter had a white symbol on her band so she could easily bond with any partner she or it wanted and could develop affinities through her bond, but Saiko would have to struggle with two affinities bleeding into every cultivation session, bad enough when just increasing affinities but worse when getting started. With two protectors the pressure on his mind would also increase exponentially especially with the attitude they had toward one another.
Most would choose to pick one protector in light of these circumstances but Touma knew that more pressure would mean a more stable foundation for future cultivation. Some rich families would even intentionally pick two protectors for their children and would supplement the kid with medicinal pills to better prep the kid for future breakthroughs. Touma on the other hand could not afford to do any more for his son than to accept the second protector which was necessary since the protectors were able to offset the affinity for each kid and prevent them from becoming overly dependent on their original affinity.
Historically affinities were strengthened as were since it was faster for cultivation until it was judged to imbalance the children’s minds and prevent them from ascending to master stage in cultivation. There were some holdouts that still held to the old ways and boosted their kids cultivation speed but generally it was known as a given that mentally unstable kids like that were not trust worthy and even the protectors themselves usually avoided putting themselves into such partnerships. After paying the horrendous fees Touma met up with Jemba and the five of them left together.
A quarter hour after they left, the last of the two year olds was the only one left. As he stepped forward the large toad suddenly pounced upon the Lily Rabbit nearby and swallowed it whole. The officials were infuriated and tried to make the frog regurgitate the rabbit in vain. The boys dad nearby smiled and before the officials could do any significant damage to the frog stalled them and picked the frog to protect his son. After agreeing to pay double the usual fees the officials relented and the man led his son to the office to pay up. As they walked away the official in charge realized something which caused him to blanch. The band on the boy that was walking away was half green half brown.