A cool morning breeze ruffled the leaves as William and Vedik sparred near the old man's house.
William, like an expert, easily deflected Vedik's swings.
"Focus, Vedik," he said with a playful smile on his face. "You need to anticipate your opponent's attack and especially their movements. Do not attack blindly; respond carefully."
After a few more rounds, William called a halt and said to Vedik, "Alright, that's enough for now. Head inside; I have something important to discuss with you."
Vedik was breathing heavily and looking completely exhausted. He silently nodded and made his way back to the house.
In exchange for living in William's house, Vedik was tasked with cooking.
As Vedik was preparing dinner, he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw William and a familiar face—the head caretaker at the orphanage, Miss Nuwa.
Vedik invited William and Miss Nuwa inside, saying, "You have arrived at the perfect time; the food will be ready soon."
The three of them sat at the table, and Vedik served the dishes.
Miss Nuwa complimented Vedik's cooking by saying, "William, even if this kid doesn't become a martial artist, he has a good future ahead as he could easily become a chef."
William laughed and replied, "Yes, I also have similar thoughts. This brat is not only talented in cooking and swordsmanship; he is also good-looking. I am a little jealous!"
"Anyway," he continued with a serious tone, "as I said while sparring, we have something to discuss with you."
William then said seriously, "I've spoken with Miss Nuwa, and we both believe you have exceptional potential. That's why we wanted to offer you something."
Miss Nuwa picked up the conversation and said, "William has decided he'd like to take you on as his student and even..." She paused, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "...adopt you as his son." William then patted Vedik's head and added, "Of course, the choice is yours to make."
A wave of emotions washed over Vedik as he felt his heart ache. Although he would always deny it, somewhere in his heart he craved a family.
The days spent with William had become his most valuable memories—ones he would not trade for anything in the world.
Despite William's usual unfriendly demeanor, he had become a father figure in Vedik's life.
Sensing Vedik's hesitation, William added, "Of course, the choice is entirely yours.
We've prepared the adoption papers if you're interested, but there's no pressure whatsoever; you can take some time to think about it."
"Don't worry," William added softly. "Even if you don't sign it, we can always remain teacher and student." But his tone revealed an underlying sadness.
Vedik knew what he had to do. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a pen and signed the document.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned to William and threw his arms around the old man. William, surprised by the display of emotion, chuckled awkwardly and patted Vedik's back.
William's eyes also teared up as he said, "Brat, you are almost an adult now but you're still crying like a little kid."
Witnessing this heartwarming scene, Miss Nuwa felt relieved and happy.
She was surprised when William expressed his desire to adopt Vedik; now seeing this moment unfold before her eyes filled her with joy for both of them.
William then said playfully, "How long are you going to hug me for? Anyway, from now on your name will be Vedik Wilson."
"I have discussed with Miss Nuwa that this place is too small for you," William continued seriously. "I was also thinking of leaving the village as my time here is over and I have to be somewhere else."
"So she agreed to let me take you with me as I can help you hone your skills and reach your full potential."
"We will be leaving the village tomorrow," William continued. "Make sure to meet the adventurers who have taught you and your mates at the orphanage."
Vedik replied eagerly, "Yes! I should at least thank the adventurers and pack my things from the orphanage."
But William warned: "Don't tell anyone you are leaving; we should not leave any traces of you—just meet with everyone—that's all."
As they walked back toward the orphanage together, Vedik couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and sadness.
He accompanied Miss Nuwa back to the orphanage with a basket of fruits that William had bought earlier that day.
Every month, William sent supplies to the orphanage—tables, food, utensils—but this time he gave Vedik a basket of fruits to distribute among the children.
Upon reaching the orphanage, Vedik began handing out fruits to his fellow mates. The children were ecstatic; fruits were considered a luxury due to their expense.
Everyone took fruits from Vedik except Rony who was slightly older than him. Rony used to bully Vedik but had started avoiding him after Vedik became stronger through training with William .
During the Awakening ceremony when the priest asked " is there someone else who is not present , Rony was the one who had told Vedik's whereabouts".
Although Vedik didn't take revenge on Rony for his past behavior and actions— seeing Rony's hatred through the Mortal Connections function in the Godhood System made him reluctant to approach him so Vedik instead ignored him completely.
Vedik simply gave the remaining fruit from his basket to the workers in the orphanage.
After distributing all the fruits to everyone at the orphanage , Vedik met the adventures who had taught him.
Afterwards, Vedik returned to the orphanage feeling a little bittersweet yet hopeful.
THE NEXT MORNING
The next morning arrived; William and Vedik were ready to depart. Then Miss Nuwa arrived and said she would like to talk to William alone. Vedik nodded and left the room.
Miss Nuwa then began speaking seriously: "Many years ago on a stormy night when rain was pouring heavily, I heard a voice coming from the door of the orphanage.
When I opened it up, I found Vedik sleeping in a basket. There was a note saying that this baby's name is Vedik and that some soldiers would come looking for him."
"After some days," she continued somberly, "just as it was written in that note, some soldiers came searching for Vedik. But I hid him in a secret basement until they stopped coming after about a year."
"Then fourteen years later," she added urgently in her voice, "a priest with two armored escorts suddenly visited our village claiming they wanted to help children awaken their powers.
I knew something was wrong; I am not stupid enough to think that those bastards from that church are that good."
"So I tried to buy as much time as possible during that awakening ceremony," she explained further. "I could see in their eyes that they were searching for someone—I knew it was Vedik."
"When I found him in that basket," she continued softly as she pulled out something from her pocket—a locket—"there was this locket beside him. I've kept it safe all these years; now it's time I give it back to him."
"Keep Vedik safe," she implored earnestly. "I will pray for you both in the name of God of Truth."
Then Vedik and William finally departed from the village.
A wave of excitement washed over Vedik as he embarked on this new chapter of his life—a chapter filled with immeasurable possibilities and with a family by his side.