They arrived at school without problems. While they were at its gate, Shinpatsu was dumbstruck and was amazed as he saw its splendour.
"Whoa, it's so big!"
"Of course it's big!" Stephen replied.
"Look at yourself, you're smaller than before," Mistiban said to him.
"Let's enroll you all to be freshmen students to the office and Stephen you go to your class," Isabella instructed him. Stephen waved at them and he went to his class. He walks to the hallway and then found Patrick outside the room.
"Hey, Patrick how are you?" He waved his hands and replied to him, "I'm fine!"
"So what's the news?" Patrick asked.
"Don't be surprised but I have brothers now!" Said, Stephen.
"Huh! when?" He asked.
"Just yesterday bro!" Stephen replied.
"Huh! How?" He asked.
"Uhm I found them being beggars so I helped them. But don't be surprised, they have the same names as the heroes," Stephen said to him.
"Oh! So your mother has named them after the heroes when she adopted them?" Patrick concluded.
"Yeah right! Hahahahaha," Stephen scratches his head as he laughed low.
"Okay let's get inside! Our teacher's coming!" Stephen said to Patrick.
Stephen walked inside and there he was waiting for Stella to arrive. He sat while waiting for her then he scanned his books about the introduction of Magic that his teacher gave.
He was reading and then Stella surprised him.
Stephen closed his books and then he looked at her.
"Hey did you hear the news? We have new students in the section next to us, they were in section B, in Hanna's room! They have names like the heroes! I thought they were the descendants of the heroes itself!" She said as she smiled at him.
"Oh really? They're at the next room?" Stephen said in astonishment.
"Yeah! So how about we meet them later!" She requested.
"Yeah, let's meet them later," Stephen said with assurance. When Stephen and Stella were talking, their teacher arrived and started the class.
It was Sir Maldous who will teach them swordsmanship. They went outside for they will practice with swords then some sparring sessions with each other.
Stephen fell in line as they were arranged by Sir Ernstine. They formed like a platoon while holding swords.
Sir Maldous was holding a claymore in his hands and was making instructions.
"Hey buddy what do you think will sir make us do?" Asked someone beside him.
"I don't know what, but I think we will practice swings and trusts using these sticks," Stephen answered.
"Oh really! So we will be practising the basics huh? By the way, I'm Gerson Baltros, an Earth element! Nice to meet you," He said while he offered his hands.
"Well I'm Stephen, a Holy Elemental class," replied Stephen.
They shook hands and chatted about their backgrounds.
Well, Gerson's father was a businessman and his mother was an officer at the army.
He was trained by his mother who casually insists him to train hard while she's gone to work.
They laughed about how his mother and father met and how they ended up together.
While they were talking, Sir Maldous gave them a cold glare and scolded because they were not attentive.
"I'm making instructions here and you're not listening, as a punishment you do a thousand swings at the back!" He said to them.
"Yes sir!" They replied.
"Now for the rest, you copy my swings as I make an example of my moves," He said while he gave instructions to the students.
They started their practise with a left to right swings then right to left accompanied with trusts and vertical swings.
Gerson and Stephen started their thousand swings, enjoying it instead because of a companion.
"One hundred one,"
"One hundred two,"
They swung until they arrived at five hundred.
"Hooah! I'm getting weary my friend but we're still halfway there," He said to Stephen while he's still swinging.
Upon hearing him, Stephen cast [Minor heal] on him and he was amazed.
"I didn't know that Holy magic is this useful! My fatigue is gone! You've gained my respect friend!" He said then they continued until they finished a thousand.
"Hey, Stephen and Gerson come here," Sir Maldous called them upon to join them at their practice.
Sir Maldous lead the swings and they followed his movements. They followed him for two hours and next was to do sparring by pairs, so they need to find their partner.
"Hey let's pair together Stephen," Gerson asked him.
"Okay, sure!" He replied.
They arranged themselves and Stephen found a good spot to do sparring with him at the side of the training ground.
"Okay let me draw a circle and the one who steps outside will lose," said Gerson.
He made a circle with a ten-meter radius while Stephen helped him too.
After they finished, he stands facing Gerson then he swings his wooden sword left and right with his right hand. Getting ready for the spar with him.
"Hey Gerson, don't hold back fighting me okay!" Stephen said to him.
"Okay don't blame me with the outcome," He replied.
He wields the sword and then he cast earth magic [Weight gain] on the sword, making it heavier and harder to the enemy who will receive but was light as a feather to the user.
He trusted it to the ground and then said, "Come!".
Stephen approached him hastily making the ground caved-in because of his sheer force and then he swings his sword at him.
He evaded Stephen's swing then he lifted his sword from the ground, trying to hit him. Stephen blocked it with his sword and he was blown away.
'Gerson is a [Heavy hitter]!' Stephen exclaimed.
His weapon was packed with a hundred kilograms of weight.
Stephen attacked again but he was knocked back, he was still inside the line and he trusted his sword to the ground when he was thrown. Leaving an unearthed ground on his path.
Gerson again trusted his sword to the ground.
"Hehehe you're strong friend, it's my mistake for not being serious in this match," Stephen said to him while he removed his weights.
Clang!
The weights made a sound that even Gerson heard from where he stands.
"You're using weights!?" Gerson was dumbstruck to Stephen.
Stephen then sprinted to him and makes a vertical slash.
Gerson responded with a horizontal slash, but Stephen made a feint and ducks, evading his strike and turned while he landed a strike.
Stephen was faster now and he can land a strike to Gerson. He clashed his sword with him several times but can only parry it in the last seconds.
They clashed several times and the ones who were around them stopped their fight and watched them.
Stephen slashed him with all his power but he suddenly felt extreme pain that made him stop his attack halfway through.
This was because of the strain of the impact of the sword on Stephen's body resulting in Gerson's fatal strike, making him blown out the line.
"Are you okay?" He asked while he offered his hand and then cleaned Stephen's clothes full of dirt.
"Woah, man! I didn't think that you have a secret ability hiding in your sleeves!" Stephen said in shock.
"Nah, it's just the weight of the Sword," Gerson said to him.
They gathered after their practice and sir Maldous made an announcement.
"Everyone, remember these practices and seal it to your mind. It will help you defend yourself in the future! Now class dismissed!" He ended his speech while hurrying to leave.
They finished their class and returned to their room. Stephen gained a new friend and eventually have a great experience that his acquaintance shared with him.
He was walking to his classroom and there, Stella was already waiting for him.
"You're late!" She said to him.
"Didn't I said that we will visit them later!" She said while pouting her mouth.
"Okay, I'm here now so let's go!" Said Stephen.
Many students were walking in the hallway and were bringing their snacks with them after they bought it to the canteen. Outside the classroom door, they were chatting nonchalantly with their friends about their new classmates. The Heroes were gathering in the back and were talking to other classmates. Hanna was one of them who was observing, sitting on the desk of the chair and her legs to the other.
"Hey Stephen come and join us, this is Frank and the others are Maldor, Branmoor, Snap, Arthras, Baggus, Mistiban, Shinpatsu, Deathbane, Saber, and Splinter. They have the same name as the Heroes! And they have the same family name with you?" Hanna said to Stephen while wondering.
"Ah it's because...," Stephen whispered to her and she shouted. Stephen told her to shut her mouth and that it's a secret. She nodded at him but Stella was furious.
"Hey what's the secret Huh? You're telling her but not me? Hump!" She snubbed him and never said a word again.
"Hey, Stephen let's all go home together," Mistiban said to him.
"Sure!" Stella replied to him.
In the afternoon class, they meditate to expand their mana until the end of time.
Stephen broke through the third stage of mana well as well as Patrick, and Stella, well she's in the bottleneck of the second stage.
Stephen and Stella, as well as Patrick, went to the other room to where Hanna was and they gathered together.
"Hey Patrick this is the new students of room B, they're acquaintances of mine," Stephen introduced them.
They were so popular on the first day of their class and the school was starting to have rumours.
"So they're the rumored grandsons of the Heroes? And they are from Burg family!" Patrick said while offering his hands.
"I'm Patrick, nice to meet you," He said while they shake hands.
"Um, we will be going in separate ways this time, we're going and I will have to send Hanna home," He said to them.
Hanna and Patrick said goodbye to their new friends and the Heroes, as well as Stephen and Stella.
"These kids have talents, I hope they will be someone big in the future," Deathbane said to them.
"Patrick and Hanna walked outside the gates, so we're going home together huh," Said Stella.
They walk to their home and Stella was questioning them one by one, showing her curiosity about them.
While they were talking, Baggus shared his experiences about today's lessons and said that the magic he has been thought was ancient.
The lessons were newly developed magic made for the convenience of the caster. He was excited to learn all these techniques for the first time in this life.
Then suddenly, the sky went dark and there the clouds began to whirl from the direction of the North where the seal was located.
"The seal has been destroyed," Said Frank and extreme sadness struck the Heroes' hearts.
The Heroes knew that the seal won't last long after the passing of their friend who was maintaining the seal.
She sacrificed herself for too long and she was the sole reason why the Heroes didn't come back for almost hundreds of years.
She was Naphtalie Selfyed, a Grand seal caster of the wizard realm. She was taken care of the Heroes while she maintains the barrier.
In her last moments, she sacrifices her remaining soul to make the barrier last longer, she said to Frank while lying on his feet, "Go to the Kingdom and warn the people, enjoy the rest of your lives and unite the people to arms when the time comes,"
This was the last words she said to the team and then her soul fused with the seal.
She can't partake in the [Rebirth] because her mana well has been already sacrificed for the seal. For them, the real hero was Naphtalie and because of her, the Kingdom has a peaceful time.
The Heroes cried and Stella didn't know why they're crying. The mood was somewhat different from before when they were happily talking with each other.
They arrived home somewhat sad and while Stephen opened the gate, Stella was shocked that they live in the same house.
"Sorry because I didn't tell you, but we're the Burg Brothers," Stephen explained to her.
Stella was shocked that they're brothers. Not knowing all this time.
"Surprise! You didn't expect it did you?" Stephen said.
"You cheater! I know now why you whispered it to Hanna," She said while punching him at his shoulders.
"Hey, I'm sorry! I surprised you didn't I?" Stephen said to her.
"How did you became brothers?" She asked.
Stephen then explained everything to her but didn't tell her that they were the real Heroes.
"Oh, so that explains it! You found them being beggars and you made them stay at your house, then your mother adopted them. So you have brothers now! Whoa, what a great story! It's like the story of the good Samaritan,"
"Stella it's not like that, it's just a win-win process, they help mom and mom help them," Stephen explained further.
"Oh! Okay let's meet again tomorrow, I have something to do, I need to go home first," Stella said as she waved to the heroes and the heroes said goodbye.
At the entrance, their mother was standing and Frank said out loud.
"Men line up!" He shouted and they lined up and blessed one by one. Stephen included and after that, they changed clothes.
They helped clean the house, others were sweeping the floors while others were cleaning the backyard. After that, they prepared for dinner and practised again until night.