Left alone in the dark pavilion, Nico blinked in surprise. How did William know his name?
As far as he knew, he hadn't told the instructor his name.
'Interesting…' It seemed there was more than met the eye about the white-haired instructor.
After his initial feeling of surprise, Nico's heart suddenly went cold. If even the Instructor of the Training Camp - someone who was bound to be knowledgeable and had many connections - told him to be careful, then he had really underestimated the power of the Stanburg Family.
Nico sighed. He didn't regret what he did. He was slightly worried about the fact that Lucas could target his family to get back at him, however.
Upon deeper thought, though, the brown-haired boy realised his worries were unnecessary.
If the arrogant noble set his sights on his family, Nico was confident that his mother or Beverly could deal with the consequences. He just had to have faith in them.
That didn't mean he could wantonly do whatever he wanted with abandon. Still, he had some sort of leeway in which any random passerby on the street couldn't oppress him without facing some dire consequences.
With a grin, Nico felt his worries wash away. He groaned and almost fell after trying to get up from his position.
He waited until sufficient blood flow had returned to his legs - and the painful numbing which had caused him to grit his teeth to disappear.
Then, when he could finally stand without the fear of falling over, Nico slowly made his way out of the tent. Now that he had gained access to a state of clarity that connected him with his inner self, the boy basked in the satisfied feeling that came with knowing what he wanted.
He had just embarked on the first step that would allow him to form a mana core. Now, he had to temper his body correctly through physical exercise.
Nico had to make sure his physique was strong enough to withstand the transformation brought about by the mythical energy, mana. Many over the years had underestimated the value of having a sturdy body when awakening, and paid the price for it.
Even though he was currently skinny and weaker than others his age, the brown-haired boy was optimistic that he could catch up. He just had to work harder than everyone else.
Once he had exited the pavilion, strands of moonlight caressed his face. Upward, an amethyst colour permeated the firmament, interlaced with the blackness provided by the grand void.
Constellations twinkled brightly together to form a serene, radiant mosaic that lit up the night sky.
Nico never tired of seeing such an awe-inspiring sight. Whenever he gazed at the tenebrous firmament, a profound feeling welled up within him. It was as if he was peering into the deeper workings of the Universe. Its secrets.
A slight breeze blew through the Camp rustling the few trees placed within the enclosed perimeter. The boy made his way past the three statues. Their metal glinted dimly in the night. Somehow, they looked even more impressive when night fell.
Nico soon arrived on the mound where the huts were situated and found hut number three. He skirted along the ground quietly, carefully placing his feet to minimise any noise made.
He didn't want to alert any of the other trainees about his arrival.
Soon, the boy arrived at the door. Twisting the doorknob tentatively, Nico winced at the creaking sound of the wood moving. He quickly rushed inside and closed the door with the utmost care.
He studied the interior of the hut for a moment. The curtains by the window next to the door had been drawn shut, barring any light from filtering into the space. The room was dark.
The brown-haired boy attempted to detect any signs of life. He was pleased to hear the soft sound of snoring reverberate through the wooden cabin.
Nico slowly crept toward his bed. However, as soon as he stepped forward, the room became flooded with light. The boy cried out in pain.
Once his eyes had stopped hurting, he saw Henry's feet propped up on the wooden table. The young man in question leaned back leisurely in his chair. It groaned beneath his weight.
His gaze reminded Nico of a scientist that had just found something interesting. The brown-haired boy shuddered, feeling like a mouse in a lab.
Nico addressed the dark-haired trainee with the most pleasant expression he could muster. "Henry… to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Henry simply chuckled. A mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, I just wanted to know what took you so long. There's no harm in asking that, right?" A subtle smirk crept up onto his lips. "There's also another thing I'm curious about. Besides, if I had asked you more… peacefully, I doubt you would've agreed. You would've probably used sleep as an excuse to weasel your way out of it."
Nico cursed.
'Dammit, how did he know that? We've barely known each other for more than half a day.'
Looking at the brown-haired boy opposite him, Henry smiled as if reading his thoughts. "What can I say? I'm just a good judge of character." The young farmer shrugged nonchalantly. His smirk became more pronounced.
Defeated, Nico just sat down at the table, ready to summarize what happened.
"Well… I kind of lost track of time." He admitted. "To me, it felt like only a few seconds had passed. All I did was just copy the breathing technique instructor William taught us. After some… unpleasant memories, I felt myself enter a state of absolute clarity and realised my goal."
Henry's ears perked up at the mention of a goal. "Oh, tell. What is it?"
Nico sighed.
"Freedom," he replied in a calm tone.
The raven-haired trainee's eyes widened. Nico could practically see the gears turning in his head.
"How peculiar…" Henry mused. "Well… not that you asked or anything. But my goal is to amass a large fortune of wealth. Kind of obvious, really." Henry sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of his head.
He didn't need the help of meditation to understand what his goal was. Seeing his parents work tirelessly on the farm had only made it clearer.
Nico simply smiled. He had nothing against that.
Who was he to judge someone trying to get their family out of poverty? He had everything he could ever ask for and then some.
"Okay, I have one last thing to ask. Why did you try to help that big guy over there?" Henry nodded in Leon's direction. The burly half-blood lay on one of the bunk beds asleep, unbothered by the brightness of the room. His chest rose and fell intermittently.
It seemed he was a deep sleeper, Nico thought.
"I just don't like to see people discriminated against and oppressed purely because of the purity of their blood. It doesn't seem fair that they get judged prematurely with no one getting to see their gentle personality beneath." The brown-haired boy answered honestly.
With a pause, he addressed one of the many questions on his mind. "Can you tell me more about the Stanburg Family, please?"
Henry nodded. He would not miss an opportunity to help Nico.
Putting aside the fact that the maroon-eyed boy must have had quite the status, Henry felt that Nico had the potential to be great. He would grow up and do important things in the future.
"Sure… where do I start?" The dark-haired boy had a thoughtful expression on his face. "the Stanburg Family is a medium-sized noble house. They've cultivated a long line of mighty warriors throughout the previous generations, with the current head being said to possess the power to face off against an Orc in hand-to-hand combat alone. Their military accomplishments are nothing to scoff at. Which leads me to my next point…" Henry paused, collecting his breath. "These Noblemen and women protect the borders of the Augustus Empire from any outside threats. They share an excellent relationship with the Royal Family, shown through the Empress Consort's desire to marry off one of her daughters to Lucas once he comes of age."
Nico frowned.
"I can understand why you haven't heard of them before. They usually just stick to their domain and dutifully protect the borders. However, as you saw with Lucas, they can be overbearing…" Henry gave his roommate a look of pity. "Because of their many sacrifices for the Empire, the Stanburg Family believe they are untouchable and desire to be treated in that manner thinking of it as their right after all they've done. They enslave half-bloods and use them to do their own bidding, mostly as cannon fodder to stall their enemies. That's why they treat any half-breed they come across with such contempt. They view themselves on a higher pedestal than those 'inferior' creatures."
The brown-haired boy clenched his fists in anger.
'How cruel.'
Henry yawned. "That's pretty much it, really. At least of what I know from my time spent perusing through my town's library. The half-blood enslavement thing is just a rumour, but from what we've seen today, we can now confirm it as the truth."
Nico nodded and thanked the green-eyed boy for the information.
"We should get some sleep, now… Oh, also, the two people that were supposed to occupy the rest of the cabin with us haven't shown up. Probably because they're too scared of Lucas's wrath. Anyway, we have all this to ourselves." Henry rose from his seat and spread his arms wide amidst the sound of the wooden legs of his chair creaking in protest.
"By the way, look at this neat trick!" He pressed a button on the device in his hands and the lights went out.
"See? Pretty cool if I say so myself. It works because of the mana generator in-"
"Henry. Goodnight." Nico chuckled, gently interrupting him. As much as he felt sorry for the raven-haired youth, he had a feeling the boy might go on forever and wanted to get some rest before his first full day at the Training Camp tomorrow.
"Ah, you're right." Henry smiled apologetically. He had forgotten about his tendency to ramble.
The green-eyed man quickly dimmed the lights and went to his own bunk, leaving the single bed to the brown-haired boy.
Nico yawned and registered just how tired his body was.
Fatigue rolled off him in waves.
It seemed he had somehow overexerted himself when entering the meditative state.
Nico quickly changed into his pyjamas and decided he wouldn't have a meal before going to bed. He tucked himself in and closed his eyes.
The boy planned to sort through and analyse all the information he had gained from the discussion with Henry at a later date. Right now, all he wanted was to sleep. Everything else could wait.
With that thought in mind, Nico's eyes drooped, ushering him into the land of dreams.