"Milord! Please be careful!" Byran and the other old Knights began surrounding Duke, rushing towards him, after they saw the chaotic Aura Duke had emitted.
*GRUMBLE GRUMBLE* Loud echoes of energy began chaotically merging within Duke.
But after a harsh struggle, Duke managed to calm the two Auras that began fighting within his body and a great calm filled with enlightenment soon followed after.
But then his body suddenly felt as if it was robbed of all energy and Duke was forced to lie on the ground.
*Huff Huff Huff* Duke sudden feeling of extreme fatigue came after the initial calming enlightenment washed over him.
Although Duke still had a hard time catching his breath, he still instinctively knew the combined Auras he made were something incredibly special. But as he was mulling over the feeling he had, he was suddenly confronted by Byran:
"Milord! Why did you suddenly rile up your Aura like that?! What you did was there dangerous!" Byran shouted filled with concern, worry, and with a tint of anger.
"Huh? No, I... I was combining the two Aura manuals I knew but then suddenly-" Duke began explaining. But because of the shock from what he heard from Duke's words, Byran began lecturing Duke furiously, saying:
"Duke! Combining two different Auras is impossible! What you did there was dangerous and reckless!" Byran began lecturing Duke.
"That's right, young man! If the Knights weren't here to stop you in time, your body wouldn't have been able to take in the pressure! You might've exploded into a gazillion pieces! I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the one to present your liquified body back to Vivian!" Galleo, still sweating from the shock of seeing the wild and chaotic energies that were flowing inside Duke, also chimed in on the scolding after quickly rushing over to where Duke was along with other concerned folk as the Chaotic Aura made quite the noise.
"But I think..." [That these two Aura manuals might've been originally one...] Duke wanted to retort. Wanting to say that he got it all under control as Duke felt something happen to him for a second there. It felt as if his surroundings were telling him he was onto something... But then as he remembered the Chaotic energy he felt coursing through his body, and the extreme fatigue that came next, Duke began to wonder:
[Did I really feel something?...] Duke's eyes began to worry.
But as Duke began to even start to think of doing it again, Bran on the sidelines recognized Duke's expression, shouting like a concerned nagging older sister: "Milord, please don't go thinking of something dangerous again..."
"Ughh, I-I wasn't thinking of doing it again! I promise!" Duke tried to lie but was immediately met with the gazes of Byran and the others.
"Milord, please don't put your life in danger like this... If you wish to test out a manual, let us old men be the lab rats! Your life is a thousand times more important than these old bones..." Byran pled.
"I know you have that itch to experiment and test your theories, Duke. But please put your life first before your curiosity! A lot of men have died because of their curiosity, you know!" Galleo insisted.
The faces of the old Knights and even the newly recruited middle-aged hunters, Rudon included as he joined in the war effort despite the nagging of Cynthia, were filled more with genuine worry than anger.
Seeing this, Duke finally relented: "Huu, fine... I won't do anything dangerous again, ok?... I promise!"
[Was that feeling I had just a fluke?] Duke began wondering...
...Though he still felt the intense gazes of the people around him.
"ARGH, I already told you guys I won't do it again! Now get back to training!" Duke shouted out as the crowd surrounding him dispersed.
[Now it was back to peace and quiet...] Duke thought... Except for the fact that Bran was still not quite convinced as he kept a strict watch on Duke.
"Hmmm... Bran? What are you doing?" Duke asked, stumped at how Bran was acting.
"Watching you milord, I still feel you might do something reckless..." Bran responded, uncompromising in guarding Duke.
"Haaa, Bran o Bran, I don't think you have the time to worry about others, you know. It's been like what? 2 days, and there's still no signs of your Aura, tsk tsk tsk" Duke began pretending to be worried for Bran's aptitude in Aura control... Hiding the fact it took him 2 weeks for Duke to release his Aura. (Which is already quite fast by the way. Fast enough to be called a once in century genius in fact...)
"Ah!" [Milord's right! I don't have time! I need to practice now!] Bran hurried and began meditating again...
Bran is currently a squire in training under Byran. Given by Duke a full squire scholarship too! That's why Bran really didn't want to disappoint Duke and the other Knights... Sadly for him though, Duke was still a little jelly with him thanks to his oddly close friendship with Vivian.
And so, constantly pressured by Duke, and also led to believe it was normal to awaken your Aura in 2 weeks, Bran began meditating hard...
Too hard actually!
An hour, then two, then three hours finally passed until it was already night! Bran kept meditating non-stop. Even the hardworking Duke had to take a rest.
"Uhh, Bran? Two weeks is actually quite fast already... No need to feel that pressured haha... Ughh maybe I shouldn't have lied about the time..." Duke mumbled as even he began feeling a little guilty from watching Bran meditate as if there was no tomorrow...
But as Bran was too focused on his task he could not hear Duke's words.
Fat beads of sweat began dripping from Bran's head, the sweat made Bran's brown hair wet. But not soggy though, it only served to make his hair shimmer in fact. Thanks to Bran's innate dashing good looks.
[Che, if I was the one sweating, I'd look like a fat pig getting roasted over a big fire! Oh~ Where's the equality in this world?!] Duke cried out, filled with PAIN and ANGER towards the world...
"Huuu..." Duke kept sitting next to his buddy since it WAS his fault Bran was working this hard in the first place.
But as the night grew darker, a sudden great explosion of light and Aura burst forth from next to Duke!
"W-What?!" Duke gasped as everyone in the camp began rushing towards the sudden beam of light.
"A-Amazing! An Elemental Aura user! By the Gods! What great luck to see one in my final years!" Galleo shouted.
"By the Gods! By THE GODS! An Avatar of Light has been born to Maine and in the Pendragon Dragoons too! The forefathers have not forgotten our Knights order yet!" Byran began loudly shouting followed by the other old Knights as they began carrying the glowing Bran up and down like a hero.
"Eh?..." Silence echoed through Duke's brain as he did not understand what was happening right now.
"Oh, Duke! You're here too!" Galleo shouted next to him.
"Uhh, yes... What's everyone shouting about? What's happening?" Duke asked, visibly confused.
"Ah, well you see. You're quite the lucky young lord aren't ya! To get an Avatar as your first squire! We just witnessed the Aura awakening of someone blessed by the God's themselves!" Galleo congratulated Duke.
"A-Awakening?!" Duke finally realized what had just happened as Galleo continued his explanation:
"How do I explain this... Ah yes, you see Aura is known as the purest form of raw physical strength, and each man must train his/her own Aura through hard and rigorous training. But once in a while, there are some who were blessed by the Gods, or maybe even the Elements themselves, and so their Aura leans towards that special Element. Whether it be Earth or Fire, it's quite common actually. You could say my Aura is probably Earth, despite me not being an Aura practitioner, I know it's Earth since I'm more suited to Earthen type Magic, and my Mana, a different form of manifestation from Aura, also leans towards Earth. But there ARE even more special cases where their inclination is so strong, that their element practically gushes out of their bodies since their Mana and Aura are practically MADE OF that element. That's why no matter what form of Magic or Aura training they do, it normally their Auras and Manas do not change. We call these talented people: Avatars, just like what you saw happen to Bran with that great beam of light and whatnot. See, even right now the Light isn't leaving his body! A Holy Avatar of Light, I say! The rarest Element! My god Duke, you're quite the lucky young Count! To have befriended the next Pope or Saint, GAHAHAHA! Plus achieving Aura in only two days! A once in a million years Aura Genius AND an Avatar of Light?! Bah! This boy has a limitless future ahead of him! Even the Emperor might be wary of Bran now hahaha" Galleo happily congratulated Duke.
"P-Pope?!! Saint?!" Duke's jaw fell to the floor when he heard what Galleo just said.
[A-And the Emperor?! Doesn't that mean he has to marry a Princess to be Emperor?!!] Duke questioned to himself as he remembered the scene of Vivian and Bran hugging on the balcony that night. (They weren't hugging! This is just Duke's wild imagination...)
"Well of course! The Church of Light won't let such a fine specimen go just like that, he'd probably be scouted by the Paladin's Order or something..." Galleo continued.
"..." Duke was speechless when he heard Galleo's words. Remembering his Dream where an oddly antagonistic Gaiseric was squabbling against a Dragon.
[Phew! I knew this Bran was really Gaiseric's descendant! Maybe my vision was some sort of sign!] (No it wasn't! Gaiseric and the Dragon Finfrir really were just squabbling to each other, Duke...)
[Yes, maybe it was fate... Thank god I was kind to Bran... Wait...] Then Duke suddenly remembered the past few days where Duke began cracking harder on Bran during training because of his jealousy against him.
[Oh no... Bran won't hold that against me, would he? I knew I should've told him two weeks were short!] Duke began sweating profusely.
[Guh! What if Bran takes it out on Maine because of my stupidity!] Duke began crying to himself.
"Bran! Bran! Bran!" The men around them kept shouting as the innocently ignorant Bran was speechless at what had just happened.
His body was starting to become incredibly weary because of Aura training.
But then as his eyes slightly opened, he saw his newly found Lord, Liege, and friend still sitting next to him despite it being night time already...
The Count of their region himself that Bran never thought he would even meet in his lifetime as the son of a small farmer suddenly became his friend and even gave him the honor and chance to become a Knight as a squire-in-training. Even the Countess (Vivian) herself treated him like a sister as she got a hunch of his true inclinations from their constant interactions...
Bran could not describe in words just how grateful he was towards his lord and friend, Duke.
As the Light Aura he was emitting began to dim down, and Bran was put down by the crowd on the floor, Byran asked him:
"So Bran, what are your plans next?" Byran happily asked.
"What plans?" Byran was still unaware of what had just happened.
"Well, as an Elemental Avatar, you won't be staying a squire for long, heck, I don't think Maine could even tie you down boy. But always remember, the Pendragon Dragoons are always proud of you. And you are always welcome back here anytime you want!" Byran suddenly began becoming sentimental.
"Eh? Y-You guys are kicking me out?!" Bran slightly became afraid.
"Of course not! Did you saw that great beam of light? You're an Avatar Bran! You're an Avatar! And of Light too! You could become a Saint, or even the next Pope if you wanted to!" Byran explained.
Realizing the gravity of what had just happened and how lucky he truly was, Bran began to kneel sincerely in front of Duke, saying:
"Milord! I, as a simple farmer boy, could've never dreamed of becoming a Knight. I thought I would've probably died in some corner somewhere hungry and malnutritioned. But you did not let my fate become so bleak, and even gave us farmers the chance to enter the Army and even become Knights with hard work..." Bran began making everyone around them teary-eyed as what Bran said was indeed true, and it was truly thanks to Duke's kindness and the previous Pendragons before him that a lot of peasants like Byran could become distinguished Knights.
"And even in training you made sure to give extra care and effort since you knew I was still an ignorant farmer and was all too new in training as a Knight, you motivated me and selflessly helped me grow stronger!" The people around hearing Bran's words began becoming emotional and thought this was actually true.
Duke, on the other hand, thought to himself: [I-I did?! Wait, OFCOURSE I DIDN'T! Goddamit Bran, why are you such a nice guy... Dammit, if this was a novel, I'm 100% sure Bran's the hero...]
"Even now that I've found my true talents... Please let me continue in my service for the Pendragons... I may not be a Knight yet, nor am I worthy to make an oath. But I swear that from now on, my sword is your shield, and your blood is my own, let none of it spill so long as, I, your shield stands!" Bran emotionally made the Oath of Shield and Blood, it's the final oath a Knight makes to his liege or anyone really Brunesfolk really when they are offering themselves fully to the servitude of a benefactor. This oath is only normally done when another person has saved one's mother, father, or children. It speaks magnitudes of how faithfully Bran saw Duke as his liege.
Watching Bran swearing his oath, the other Knights too began becoming sentimental as they shouted:
"Way to go Bran!" Byran proudly cheered.
"That's our Bran!" Bardis chimed in.
"I helped that boy swing his sword once..." Another Knight already became emotional as if he's watching his son go to war, or his daughter marry.
"Bran..." Duke felt a little guilty that he thought Bran might retaliate against him or something, Duke already even made backup plans on the back of his head if ever Bran was to take out his revenge against him...
Duke thought to himself: [Goddammit Bran. You are just too pure for this world... I'm not worthy to be your liege] Duke guiltily thought to himself, but nevertheless, seeing Bran's fierce determination in front of him, Duke just didn't have the heart to deny Bran's oath.
"It would be my honor to take your oath. F-From now on let your family be mine, and my family yours. And as long as I live, I swear to put family above all" Duke responded the response to the oath as everyone started to celebrate and cheer.
The Army ate lavishly that night. For that night a great hero was born in Maine...
On the other hand, Duke grumbled to himself that night:
"Uwaa... So Bran was even more talented than me, huh... I knew that guy was special... Awe, I wonder if Vivian would leave me for him... I mean I'm just a small count anyway... And half the fortune Maine earned is hers... Huh, if this was a novel, Bran would DEFINITELY be the hero... And I, the gay sidekick..." Duke remembered his past thoughts of being the stereotypical gay sidekick always next to the Heroine, who, in this case, was Vivian...
"Wait! Or maybe worse! I might've been the Fat Evil Count who antagonizes the hero and is brutally slain at the end! Phew, thank god I was respectful to everyone I met... I guess Gramps was never wrong in that regard... Not that everyone was nice to me though... Huh..." Duke began sighing to himself again as he closed his eyes and flashbacks of how intimate Vivian and Bran were during that night at the feast...
"Maybe they're already a couple... Ughh that sucks... This sucks... Everything sucks..."
As Duke was about to cry little tears of jealousy, a sudden whisper came to him:
Gaiseric: "If you really like that Woman, why not just steal her away?! Why do you have to much around like that..."
Duke: "Yeah... Yeah, I mean, they're not married yet right?! All IS fair in love and war..."
"Even though my Aura might not be special, I could still do this and that, yes yes... And finally" Duke became immersed in his own thoughts as he started changing the formulas to the Pendragon Aura again...
Gaiseric: "No what?! Who told you your Aura isn't special?! Hey?! You still listening to me?... Goddammit, the connection was lost..." Gaiseric grumbled.
"Yeah... Combining the two different Auras might be too dangerous, but I can still fully use the Pendragon Aura Manual!
If I just do what Byran and the others are doing to handle the chaotic Aura the Pendragon Manual produces, but on my level, maybe I can achieve something no other Pendragon in history has!
As Byran said, since I'm a Pendragon, our bodies are special, so I could probably take 100% of what the manual tells me to do...
So if normal people can only take 25% of the original Pendragon Manual, and Byran and the others are able to achieve a full 50% of the Aura's full force thanks to the technique I gave them.
Since I am already a Pendragon and could achieve a 100%, if I drive my Pendragon Aura to its limit, maybe 125? No 150%! Yes, I could probably take 150%, I just have to do what I said in my technique...
Insert large amounts of Aura into the body, but stop at the point just before the pressure explodes, and thanks to my innate body, I am able to take 150% and maybe more.
If I do this at large frequencies. My Aura should heal my body fast enough for the next batch of large Aura to come!" Duke thought to himself.
Basically, if Pendragons could do a full 100, normal people can only do a 25. But thanks to Duke's technique, normal people could now do a full 50.
> Pendragon = 100
> Normal People = 25
> Normal People with Technique = 50
Using this simple equation, Duke hypothesized to himself that he might be able to surpass the Pendragon Manual with the technique he had.
> Pendragon with Technique = 150-200
And so Duke's self-imposed rivalry with Bran started... A rivalry, though only inside Duke's head, so fierce and intense that the world might've just been changed by it.
And so, on the night of the 9th of Craving, Year 09-435 Duke's training to become the best:
Started...