Khal woke up at 5am to the sound of his alarm clock. His father had gifted it to him for his 8th birthday. It was addressed to him from mom and dad. He remembered hugging his dad and crying his eyes out as he grabbed on to the clock. It was a magical clock that used maginite ore to provide energy for its function. His father boasted that the special maginite ore was refined by the best clerics in Cormac to supply the clock with energy for 100 years. Maginite ores were made of condensed world energy. It's application on Valeria had revolutionize the way in which people interacted.

Khal washed his face in the face bowl while remembering Sergeant Michael's weird ability. He could only imagine himself learning the special skill and defeating any who would challenge him. He quickly shook himself out of his daydream as he prepared for his morning ritual. Today's ritual would have to be cut short since he had to be at the barracks in an hour. He started his exercise running around the village then lifting a sack of stone up Tempest Hill. At the top of the hill he walked up to his mother's grave then said, "Today begins my journey, mother. Today begins the journey that will make you proud." Khal took a moment of silence to give a short prayer to his mother. He hoped Sumitra, the Goddess of love, heard his prayers and delivered the message to his mother.

---

Using some straw as a makeshift sword belt, Khal adjusted his wooden sword at his waist with his shield snuggled in a strap on his back. He slowly walked towards the barracks as he heard the warriors chanting and running around the field. Sergeant Michael had his hands clasped behind his back as he watched on with a frown on his face. Khal took a deep breath as he shouted, "Reporting for duty, sir!"

Sergeant Michael slowly turned around until he saw the young boy approach him. "We'll work on your salute, boy, but this will have to do for now," Michael responded as he began walking towards his small office next to the warrior's quarters. "Follow me," he added as he walked with even steps. Khal had to half walk, half run, to keep up with the veteran as they approached his office.

"Today I will teach you about the basic structure of the Knighthood order, how to earn merits and a little about world energy," the Sergeant said in his monotonous voice as he took a seat at his desk. Khal was following attentively until he heard about world energy. World energy? Sagdel had already explained that world energy was the energy around us. What use was learning about world energy? Sergeant Michael continued, "Firstly, you did well yesterday." Khal was surprised to hear the man's praise. He could even make out a little smile hidden behind the cold, stern face.

"The Katarian knighthood is made up of four tiers of warriors. The tier 1 warriors consist of Squires, Knights, and Senior Knights. The bulk of the order contains warriors in this tier. Squire is the highest rank a warrior can attain without learning to manipulate energy. The lowest of the Tier 2 warriors consist of Knight Sergeants. They are usually the highest ranked warriors you will encounter in the barony."

Khal listened intently as the sergeant gave him quite a lot to think about. If Sergeant Michael was the lowest of the tier 2 Knights but beat him as easily as yawning, how strong are those Knights in the higher tiers? Khal became excited just thinking about the possibilities. Noticing the smile on Khal's face, Michael gave a knowing nod while he evaluated the boy. Lord Tommel said he was an intelligent boy above his years. He used Erik's bright light to hide his intelligence in the shadows. Lord Tommel never understood the reason but it was clear as day to Michael. The boy was a warrior, not a noble. Those who have never wielded true power could never understand the meaning behind Khal's actions. What confused Michael was the fact that the boy displayed traits similar to those geniuses he'd met from powerful military lineage.

"As for the merits," he continued, "Katar is constantly at war with its neighbors. The bloody Gusto Empire to the North and the Burg Kingdom to the East both continue to vie for our bountiful resources. The only ways to move up in the ranks are by defeating high ranking enemies or by developing your personal strength and requesting a position from high command. Those using the second method have to perform a series of test to prove that they're capable of contending with Knights of that class. Most Knights prefer to earn it on the battlefield like real men. Which brings me to the last topic for today, world energy." Michael then got up and walked outside signaling Khal to follow. He then asked, "What do you think about the energy you felt yesterday?"

Khal had already begun suspecting the connection between this 'world energy' and his weird experience yesterday so he responded confidently, "Most likely you used some method to manipulate energy. If I had to guess, you used some sort of battleforce manual to control world energy." Michael smiled at the logical response from the 8-year-old boy. It was too easy to forget his age because of how mature he always acted. "That energy you felt yesterday is just one way to control world energy. It's called cognizance and one can only develop it by constant meditation and practice. You can use the spirit energy in your body to force the world energy outside to respond to your will. A warrior capable of this will be able to anticipate attacks from different distances depending on their ability. They would also be able to project their fighting spirit to cause the opponent to flinch or even lose their balance. There is no way to teach someone how to use it. You will need to figure it out on your own."

Michael smiled as he noted Khal's disappointment before continuing, "However, once you're able to project spirit energy outside your body, you will be able to control it. All you need to do is control it long enough outside the body before it converts to world energy. I can teach you how to meditate so that it will be easier for you to feel your spirit energy. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, maybe you will awaken it on your 10th birthday."

Khal's head started spinning. This was the first time he'd ever heard about using spirit energy to control world energy. He looked up at Michael and asked, "If controlling energy is so powerful, why are most warriors stuck at Squire rank for most of their lives?" Michael answered, "Boy, how easy do ya think it is to manipulate energy? Increasing the amount of spirit energy in your body is the easy part. Most squires only find difficulty after 190E, the closer their spirit power is to Knight class. Most Squires are unable to control the energy outside the body long enough to show any noticeable effects. Spirit energy's natural nature is to convert to world energy. Only 1 out of every 100 Squires will be talented enough to reach an acceptable level when using spirit energy." Khal listened attentively as his quest for greatness became more and more daunting.

"Enough questions. Sit and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes and make no effort to control your breathing. Just breathe naturally. Focus on every breath...the movement of your body as you inhale and exhale,' Michael instructed as he watched the boy sit. Khal closed his eyes and followed the instructions, albeit a little slower. His father had reminded him on many occasions to hide the fact that he was able to manipulate elements or even meditate. "Good, just like that," Michael said as he continued, "feel the air go in and out of your lungs. Eventually, you will be able to feel the energy of the world enter your lungs as well. Follow it to your stomach then try to gather it there and allow it to condense into a liquid. The more energy ya can gather in your stomach, the stronger your spirit power. When you achieve that, we can begin your manipulation training."

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Michael was watching Khal expectantly. Khal, unaware of the man's real motive had gotten comfortable meditating and accumulating spirit energy. Michael noticed the smooth transition the boy exhibited when converting world energy into spirit energy. With this much practice, there was no way the boy had not awaken already. Michael withdrew a gauge stone from the table and stared intently at the numbers rising.

100E.....

120E.....

140E.....

149E.

Michael was shocked by what he saw. In 2 years, the boy had progressed to the peak of the 1st class Squire, needing just a single energy to become a Master-class Squire. With a training talent like this that rivaled the most talented, there was little more to debate on whether he was a Vulcan or not. He only hoped that Lord Tommel knew what he was doing by raising a Durmondae. If word got out, Lord Tommel, as well as his entire household, would receive a punishment worse than death.

Khal didn't know how long he spent in his meditative state. When he opened his eyes, he could see Michael standing at the door signaling him to follow. Michael walked outside until he met up with a man in a blue shirt and plain white pants. Khal instantly recognized him as Ser Roth. Ser Roth was a thin man of average height, a head shorter than Michael. His blue shirt was decorated with the Katarian crest showing 1 star next to a black rock, indicating his allegiance to House Black. Michael had asked him to teach Khal a bit about world energy since he was off duty till noon. He was not experienced as a tutor and felt Khal would better benefit under Ser Roth's tutelage. "Strange," Khal thought, "Sergeant Michael's crest never showed that he belonged to a house. Was it because Lord Tommel wasn't a landed noble?" He would ask Erik later.

Ser Roth was the first to greet Khal, "Well met, Khal." He always was the most pleasant out of all the Knights Khal interacted with. "Sergeant Michael here says you are trying to be a Knight." Khal nodded excitedly as the man ruffled his hair with his hand. "Good lad, I'm honored to teach you whatever I know. Now, there are 2 ways to control world energy in Valeria that the creator Berilin chose to bless us with. I'm sure Ser Michael has already taught you a bit about cognizance. The second type is called Cladding. It uses your spirit energy to manipulate world energy into becoming a physical substance that coats any surface of your choosing. In the initial stage, it can harden any surface to 10% of its natural state. Many knights use it to clad weapons and shields to enhance their attack and defense to new levels." Ser Roth said as he grabbed Khal's wooden sword and a metal sword from a nearby pile. Taking the wooden sword in his right hand, it glowed orange while he lifted it and casually swung it towards the metal sword. Khal watched on in absolute shock as the wooden sword cut cleanly through the metal one like a knife through butter. The Knight erupted with laughter as he noted the look of shock on Khal's face.

---

Avery was the last to become alert as the guards unsheathed their swords. Brian signaled the others to draw closer to the horses as they protected Avery in a semi-circle. While they backed away from the bushes and were just a meter away from the horses, they heard another whistle. Avery wasted no time as he blocked a cladded arrow aimed at his forehead with the flat of his short sword. The sword was destroyed on impact as the arrow was deflected. Unarmed, Avery's arms glowed pale red as he cladded his fist, ready for the inevitable battle. "We don't know how many may be hiding in the bushes, be ready for anything," he whispered to the three guards. The guards began looking at the trees as Brian cut the rope of Avery's horse in preparation for their getaway.

"Oh, one of the sheep be at least knight level," Said a sinister voice as the man revealed himself. He was a tall, slender man with a green hood. "Ser Tal, our orders were to secure the road and scuttle all witnesses, quit dilly-dallying," commanded another man in the background. It was too difficult to see the speaker as there were too many bandits around. The one named Tal pulled another arrow from his quiver and prepared to fire again as he cladded his arrow. "Don't worry Sergeant, this will end quickly," Tal responded confidently as he tapped on his quiver.

Avery watched nervously as more men exited the forest in green hoods. The men formed a circle around Avery and his men before unsheathing their blades. One of the men lunged at him but was intercepted quickly by Brian. Avery's guards were all able to spirit clad their weapons with some effort. Their manipulation of world energy only offered a meager 5% at most but it was enough to deal with most bandits. Brian clearly outclassed his attacker in swordsmanship and power but that counted for nothing as they were outnumbered. As soon as Brian's sword clashed with his opponent, another bandit charged at him. Avery used his quick reflexes to stop the bandit's advance with a fist to his face, instantly twisting the man's jaw and knocking the front row of teeth loose. The man fell to the floor groaning as he bled profusely.

Two other bandits crowded Avery as another cladded arrow came his way. Avery cladded both feet as he used the added power to evade the arrow by a hair's breadth. His left foot, still cladded, connected with the forehead of the left attacker, sinking 1 inch deep into his skull. The youngest of Avery's guards, Jankins, ran his sword through the other's chest, saving Avery in the process. Avery looking at the boy in surprise. It had been 10 years since his last real battle and it was showing. Had he been his old self, he could have handled 2 mere squire class warriors. He stopped for a second to catch his breath. He could feel his lungs burn from exhaustion. He turned to see Brian finally finishing up his duel only for 3 more men to pounce on him. Avery frowned as he watched more men coming out of the bushes. There were at least 20 men surrounding his group. He knew that they would not make it out alive without him doing something.

Avery watched the guards struggling with their own fights, he took a deep breath before his fist changed from orange to black. He disappeared from the spot he was a moment ago and appeared on Tal's flank. Just before Tal was about to be crushed by the black hand, he pulled one of his men in front of him as he retreated. The unfortunate warrior met Avery's fist head on as his face corroded quickly. Avery turned towards the escaping Tal as the skin on his victim's upper torso slowly sizzled. Realizing that he missed his target, Avery grit his teeth as he grabbed Jankins then turned towards the horses. The bandits quickly backed away from him. His plan to prove to the bandits that he was a difficult opponent to deal with was working. At the same time, Brian, noticing the temporary retreat of the bandits shouted, "Avery, take the boy and get out of here!"

Avery jumped on the horse as he watched on helplessly for a moment. "Bzzz!" Suddenly, Avery saw Jankins receive a massive blow to his abdomen. "NO!" It was too late to help the young guard. Avery dodged a few arrows that were aimed his way before instinctively looking back. He saw a pale-faced man in a green hood with a flat red nose roaring angrily as he clashed with Brian. Realizing there was no more time to spare, Avery quickly rode off leaving the guards behind. He hated the fact that he could do nothing to protect the boy.

Avery cladded his horse as he heard the stretching of a bow. He quickly shifted the reins of the horse to the left, allowing his horse to dodge another arrow. The arrow sped pass his right arm as he continued to push his horse to its limits. After dodging the last set of arrows that came his way, Avery hurried his horse down the stretch towards Sydenham Town. By the time he rode out of the clearing and unto Saddleback road, he heard a groan as metal clashed behind him. He knew he was too outnumbered to save the guards. His only hope was to reach the town and send help.