Oswin had been in that world for long enough that he was excited to finally learn anything besides a language. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do in the long run. While heading towards the temple for his first day as a pupil, he gave it some thought.
'Obviously, becoming fluent in this language is first, that doesn't even need to be stated. But immediately afterwards I should focus on those paper tags and learn as much about spirits as possible. If my dreams are indicative of anything, tag imbuers are incredibly strong.'
And he needed to be strong. He had finally found his brother on Earth and he'd do whatever it took to escape this place. There was no doubt in his mind that it would be harder than anything he had ever done and most likely will do.
While deep in his thoughts, Oswin nearly slammed himself into the temple's shut door. He stopped with slightly annoyed eyes before letting himself in. It was just as he had left it the day before, basically empty besides the shrine. Allric was inside of the temple, taking care of the candles when he noticed Oswin.
"Ah, you're here." He turned and motioned Oswin over. He patted the hardwood floor and commanded, "Sit."
Once the two of them sat beside each other, Allric didn't say a word. Oswin frowned briefly but didn't say anything. That is, until a few minutes passed.
"…Sir?" He probed.
In response, Allric pressed a finger to his lips to silence his prospective pupil. Then Allric closed his eyes and the temple descended into silence once more. The only noise was the occasional flickering of the candles when the spring air flowed in the room.
'He's a monk so I guess the first assignment is testing my patience. If I was a regular kid, I'd understand. When serving in the military, I didn't mop up outside while a thunderstorm raged on just to be thought as impatient.' And so, Oswin's competitive and spiteful nature blossomed in full.
He mimicked Allric and shut his eyes, igniting the very boring fight between a monk and soldier. Who could remain the still the longest? Only time would tell.
The two sat their with legs crossed for a few hours. In that time, the many people who had come to give offerings to the spirits had done so and left. They knew better than to disturb the two, so they remained silent the entire time.
"Are you still awake Oswin?" Allric asked in a barely audible whisper. He had barely opened his eyes and saw that Oswin wasn't moving in the slightest. Even if Oswin had fallen asleep, there would be no punishment. The fact that he made it this far was more than enough to know Oswin was committed.
"Of course I am."
Yet, Oswin's whisper surprised Allric. While it was a whisper, there wasn't a hint of drowsiness.
"What have you been meditating on?" From that point on, the two only spoke in hushed tones.
"The spirits." Oswin answered without any rush.
"So pious towards the spirits at such a young age." Allric opened his eyes further and smiled.
'Well, I just want to know how to capture them and use them to fight. I doubt that's pious and I somehow also doubt that's what you think I'm referring to.' Oswin almost said aloud before deciding it was better to keep those words in check.
"Oswin, please answer me honestly or else I won't teach you. Why do you want to learn from me? Remember, that this decision is entirely up to you, don't let your parents pressure you. You could be like the others and have a childhood free of care."
Oswin looked at Allric for a moment while searching his inner dictionary for a good enough response.
"Even without my parents, I know this isn't an opportunity to pass up. Learning about the spirits and the ways of life can take you far." It took all of Oswin's willpower to string that sentence together as confidently as he did.
"A simple answer is sometimes the wisest – I'll make a monk out of you yet." Allric gave a prayer to the spirits thanking them for blessing the child before him.
'Not a chance in hell.' Oswin thought earnestly despite the charming smile on his lips.
"I'll take this time to formally declare you my student. As for any further lessons, they shall be held tomorrow when the sun rises and each day after that at the same time." Allric said before tending to the candles once more. He had a pretty stark change in demeanor, he was now a lot more serious than he had been in the past few months.
It was actually relieving for Oswin as it meant his teacher would take him seriously. Something that rarely happened within the small amount of time he had occupied his new body.
Oswin looked out the window to see the evening sky. It seems he had passed the entire day by just sitting around absorbed in his thoughts. He felt dejected by all the wasted time when he could've been training his knowledge of the language.
He rose to his knees and bid his new master farewell. Allric nodded his head without turning back.
As Oswin made his way through the town, there was another commotion going on.
However, instead of clogged streets, everyone stood to the sides of buildings and were bowing deeply despite nothing being in the dirt road. Not wanting to be caught by surprise by anything in the new world, Oswin followed suit very quickly.
'Maybe there's an invisible spirit that'll cut my head off if I don't.' Oswin didn't think that was the case, but he was just coming up with random ideas since he couldn't ask. It was almost as quiet as the temple and he didn't want to be the one to break that silence.
Eventually he heard the pounding of footsteps and hooves. Oswin's ears could pick up all sorts of metal armor, tools, and weaponry clanking against each other. It didn't take long for a gentle, yet strong voice to address the crowd.
"Raise your heads." The man spoke solemnly.
Oswin looked up to see a massive party of men, most of which seemed worn and defeated. Atop a massive war horse in the front was the man who spoke. He seemed the worst amongst the bunch and Oswin thought he could fall off the horse at any moment from sheer exhaustion.
The citizens could detect what had happened, so they all looked nearly as defeated as the men before them. Yet the man atop the white horse explained regardless of what they thought, something the clueless Oswin appreciated.
"I have failed to take Lord Aldyn's head in battle. As such, clan leader Thrumwin has raised our yearly taxes to a barely sustainable rate. I will take full responsibility if your family cannot meet such demands, please visit the estate to discuss the matter with me. As long as the estate has grain in reserve, we will support you."
Once the Lord of the Estate Einheart spoke, he turned his horse and began to ride up the mountain. Many soldiers followed after him as they worked directly for the Estate. The others dispersed themselves amongst the village, greeting old friends and family alike.
Oswin had learned not long ago that at least half of the villagers worked for the estate. That was why there was a village here in the first place.
'At least he knows what to say. But is that because he's confident nobody will ask for his help, or is it that he has enough help to dish out?' Oswin thought was he watched Lord Einheart slowly trudge along the road. It was his first time seeing the man and he had a decent first impression.
But due to many experiences, that wasn't nearly enough to convince Oswin of the man's true character. Few people of the village spoke about the man, but Oswin chalked that up to the customs of this world.
While Oswin was lost in his thoughts, a big burly man covered in scars slowly walked up to him. A second later, Oswin found himself being lifted into the air and getting smothered. He let out a startled yelp before striking the man in the throat his his palm.
Oswin fell on his butt as the man stumbled back and coughed.
"You should at least tell Oswin who you are before you start crushing him with a bear hug." Oswin could hear his father Wulfred scolding the man from behind him.
"Noted." The large man wheezed out while clutching his throat. "Spirits be damned, you really didn't hold back."
"Well, who's to blame for that?" This time Oswin heard his mother Rimilde speak.
"I'm sorry! Honestly! But you can't blame me for not expecting a kid to go right for the jugular like that!" The man straightened his back while still holding onto his throat.
"Oswin," Oswin felt his father's hand on his shoulder, "this is your uncle, Navilar. He was away with the Lord since last summer while they were out at war. That would be nearly a year now, so say, 'hello' Oswin."
"…hi." Oswin played the part of a shy kid with excellent skill, if he said so himself.
"Aw, he's shy-" Navilar began to speak before he noticed Oswin's arm color. He would've noticed it before if Oswin didn't like to put his arms behind his back. He gently grabbed Oswin's arms before looking at his sister and her husband.
"Uh…"
"We'll explain over a small roast." Wulfred said with a smile. "Come on, we've even prepared some ale."