Several weeks later...
At House Trillwolf, Jody slowly watched the days pass by. Every night after dinner, he and his father sat outside in the garden to discuss various topics. Often, his father would be called away. Osiris occasionally brought Jody along, but Jody's mother stopped such behavior. Since then, the lord was forced to spend more time teaching his son in the evenings.
Tonight's session was no different.
Omotolani massages Osiris's shoulders while he leans back in his chair, speaking to Jody about the particular unique abilities of Sages, but doesn't forget to mention how remarkable Saints could be, too.
"Sages are fearsome, but that does not mean that there are no amazing Saints," Lord Osiris folded his arms and reclined more in his chair as Omotolani worked her magic touch.
"You're such a tense daddy," said Omotolani coquettishly as she leaned over to whisper, "You need to learn to relax more. Why don't you come over tonight so I can show you what I mean…"
At the same time, Lylian came to feed the lord fruit, "Do not be selfish, little third. Why don't we teach him how to relax together?"
"My darling wives, this husband of yours will surely attend your double lecture tonight." Lord Osiris enjoyed being spoiled by his wives and spoke in a relaxed manner, "My son, do listen well. Saints are warriors who possess sky power but are born without combat souls inside of them. Their force genesis is dormant at birth, but they still exist.
"Without a force genesis, no matter its state, one can only remain a mortal. Saints, however, must train to absorb what is known as true essence so that their bodies can grow accustomed to and wield 'force.' I know you have been fascinated with magic lately, but do not place all your eggs in one basket."
"But I still don't understand force. Can you explain it again, Pop?" Jody had long since grown numb to the flirtatious behavior of his elders.
But force formulation was something he was the most curious about. To his awe, a fist-sized tornado suddenly appeared in the center of his father's palm. A biting cold emanated from the gentle wind as it spun and spun.
"Force, or as it's often called Kinetic Spirituality, is just a term. Observe, young pup," Lord Osiris spoke unhurriedly as he saw his son in total awe after hearing the word 'Spirituality.'
It seemed the boy had heard of this? Looking into this boy's sapphire eyes, Osiris felt quite cool. He enjoyed this feeling a lot. He held up an open hand as he continued speaking.
"The spiritual powers that sleep in us all. The laws and rules of the Universal Truth. The heavenly power of the divine ennead. It can all be called force in its active state, where it becomes perpetually volatile. Force is dangerous for this very reason. It's an active state of energy that demands rapid utilization or the consequences vary."
Jody's eyes sparkled with understanding, although he asked about a few words, as his infant self had never encountered many of these terms. He was starting to realize revealing how much he knew would not give him any advantages.
The sounds of nature echoed around them; birds sang chirping songs from the forest canopy, insects hummed their lullabies to each other, and the trees rustled gently in response to passing breezes.
"I know you are, once again, curious," said Osiris calmly as he saw Jody's eyes sparkle with the manic light of curiosity. "However, do not ask me what is the Universal Truth. That is a very profound topic and a conversation for another time."
His son grumbled at this but did not protest further as he sent his mother a message on the Serene Sound Mirror. All he had to do was get someone else to open the interface, and he could use it. He would try to ask his mother to explain Universal Truth to him. Seeing her message of casual refusal in response, Jody felt like flipping a table.
"So, do I have a life force too, Pop?" asked Jody, still excited but asking only what he should ask and not what he should not.
"Every living soul possesses a life force," Osiris answered earnestly. As his son gaped in wonderment, he added quizzically, "What? Did you think only humans had forces? Every animal has spiritual power sleeping within it."
"Oh! Okay! Oh my God!" Jody exclaimed with childlike enthusiasm, "Is this whole world filled with spirits!? Beasts!? Nature!?"
"Yes, yes, yes," replied his father with childlike enthusiasm of his own as he ruffled Jody's hair fondly. "Spirituality permeates everything in existence. It is like the universal truth that exists no matter where we look."
While Osiris gave his son free game, his wives entertained themselves by speaking to each other or attending to the lord himself. The lord's fourth wife, Enora, and his fifth wife, Vivian, could be considered old friends. They were currently in the middle of a conversation at a nearby pavilion.
Enora's eyes were full of resentment and malice as she watched Jody's performance.
"Mmcht, look at this child-- does he truly think himself so great?" She took a harsh breath and rubbed the baby's little tuft of hair in her lap as she sneered, "Mokie, ah, little Mokie. You're going to outshine all of these brats, right?"
"Are you seriously jealous of a child, fourth sister? Our children are siblings, you know. This child may be the shining light that creates a path for our children's future. Why must you view him as competition? If the family had just more medjay, we would be unstoppable." Vivian's voice was as sweet as honey and softer than a flower petal.
Enora's friendly tone quickly shifted back to bitterness as Vivian defended the child, speaking kindly of his potential greatness.
Vivian smiled sweetly and rubbed her pregnant belly. "I only hope my baby will take after its shining star-like big brothers," she said softly. "Just look at how Kamila has taken to him so well. Even her studies are showing rapid improvement, although some of that may be thanks to First Sister. Don't you want that for Jumoke?"
Enora scoffed in response, and her voice grew colder.
"Hmm, yes, well, if the fifth little lord is anything like my Mokie, then be prepared for your position in the House to rise right alongside mine," she chuckled sadistically, and Vivian felt the hair on her neck raise on end.