It was already lunchtime when Cody and Rei had finished preparing.
"Elder lunch is ready" discreetly the little boy walked over to the door where student and teacher were standing.
"Oh? Looks like the boys are done, come on, today's fish I'm sure will be great!" said the old man on a high.
"Umh!" nodded Rada with anticipation.
Arriving in the dining room the Cody and Rei followed by the Elder and Rada, took their seats, with student and master facing each other and the two brothers on either side.
Before beginning, Rada paused to admire the unique culinary spectacle. Plates of different colors and smells were arranged all over the table, which was not exaggeratedly large, but left room for more seating.
"Wow! Did you two do everything?" he asked looking at the siblings in amazement.
"I helped clean up, but everything else was done by Rei" replied the younger one. He didn't hesitate to point out his sister's cooking skills with pride.
Rei on the other hand, remained silent listening to the comments she received, she was a bit embarrassed, but a shy smile covered her face.
"Taste today's fish Rada, but don't get used to it, it's especially hard to catch this kind of fish ohohoh" the Elder handed him a plate with the main course.
It was a medium sized fish, but it was particularly different from the kind of fish Rada was used to seeing. The scales shone like diamonds and there were a multitude of different colors running through the body of the fish.
"Extraordinary... I had never seen anything like this in my life, what is the name of this fish?" asked Rada stunned.
"Rainbow Fish. In spite of its heavenly appearance, it's really a tough nut to crack, don't let it fool you kid" replied the Elder, pleased with his feat.
Rada took a portion and gave a taste without hesitation "Mmm! But it's so good!"
The fragrant taste of the fish had a unique flavor, he stood for a few moments as if in ecstasy.
"Rei, I'm sure this isn't just the work of the fish, I must compliment you it's really delicious!" he didn't forget to compliment the cook.
He was used to cooking at home, he knew that even if the ingredients were of the best quality, it was nothing without the skills of the cook.
"Thank you..." Rei replied almost shyly, avoiding the boy's gaze. His face was beginning to blush more and more, it was the first time anyone complimented his cooking, aside from his family of course.
The Elder watched the whole scene amused, while Cody puzzled, not sure what to think of his sister's strange behavior. After all, it was still too early for a kid his age to understand such things.
"But what...? What is this strange feeling..."
Suddenly, after finishing eating, Rada felt a strange sensation run through his body, but it was a sensation that was far from unpleasant.
He somehow felt that he had become stronger, his muscles vibrating with tone and his skin shiny and supple.
Not knowing what was going on, he looked in the direction of the master for answers.
"Ohohoh, it's okay, what you feel is the energy of the rainbow fish that is strengthening your body, it's a very rare fish after all. Besides strengthening your body, it gives nourishment to your spirit. But in your current state, you can only feel it through this sensation running through your body," replied the Elder to the pupil's amazed look.
"We'll work on it don't worry eheheh" chuckled the Elder with anticipation in his eyes.
"I've been hearing about it for a while now, but what do you mean when you talk about spirit?" intrigued more and more by the topic, Rada continued to ask for explanations.
"The spirit, it's the energy that every living being possesses, but it doesn't stop only there, everything around us is composed of a material part and another spiritual one. It's still early to talk about it, but you'll understand in time. Sometimes to find the answer you are looking for, you just have to pay attention to your surroundings," the master replied.
He didn't want to give too much knowledge at once, plus he didn't know what the boy's background was yet.
"It sounds like a concept, which I'm not used to thinking about, but I think I've guessed what you mean."
Despite the abstractness contained in the words, Rada had his own particular flair for understanding certain things.
"It's not intuition, but perception my dear pupil! Ahahaha!" replied the master bursting into a thunderous laugh.
He felt more and more right that he had chosen him as his pupil.
"Wait a second! M-master?! A-pupil?!" the conversation between the two was suddenly interrupted by Rei.
"So that's right, you chose big brother as your Elder student!" said Cody, his eyes wide.
In truth, the two siblings had already sensed something, but they didn't expect it to happen so soon.
"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, I've taken Rada as my one true student, sorry I didn't mention it before."
There was a reason why the Elder specified with "only true pupil."
Although he never chose a personal pupil, he never hesitated to give helpful advice or help those who possessed particular talents. An example was Cody, even Alcas received advice in his time, these people were not true pupils, but not far from being.
Only the Elder, continued in his decision not to take pupils, a decision that was inexplicably interrupted with the arrival of Rada.
"Unbelievable! Congratulations big brother!"
"Congratulations."
Both Cody and Rei, expressed their sincerity without any hesitation, there was no envy or resentment, on the contrary, they were really happy for him.
When they had almost finished their lunch, little pointy ears came out from Rada's shirt, followed by a little furry head, it was little Kiba who had just woken up from his long sleep.
"Oh! Big brother big brother, Kiba has finally woken up!" Cody was the first to respond.
Rada bent his eyes to the puppy, pulled him out of his shirt and picked him up saying, "Well awake sleepyhead!"
With his hand he stroked his white fur.
Little Kiba in response allowed himself to be cuddled by Rada's loving attention, it was evident that their bond was growing stronger and stronger.
"Oh right! Rada did you form a spiritual bond with this puppy?"
Clapping his hands lightly, the Elder immediately brought back to mind something he had forgotten.
The pup of the divine wolf clan.