In the outskirts of the outer part of Sparta, a figure could be seen darting on the roofs of the houses of Sparta in the middle of the night when the sun was out and the night stars were out.
The figure was clad in a black robe, which concealed their facial features, but if one were to observe the figure, one would realize that the figure was highly agile in their movements. In fact, the sound they made whenever their feet landed on a rooftop was so small that it could even be ignored.
As the figure jumped from one rooftop to another, they reached the last rooftop and silently landed on the ground. They looked up, and in the figure's vision was a wall so great and large that the figure could barely see the end of it both vertically and horizontally.
"The Great Wall of Sparta, having a length of 33,000 kilometers, a height of 15 meters, approximately 49 feet on average, and a width of 8 meters, approximately 26 feet at the top."
"Anytime I see it, I'm always in awe of it."
The figure mumbled, and then they looked to their left.
"Who's there?!"
A Spartan guard questioned loudly while pointing his spear at the figure in black robe. Behind this Spartan guard were three other Spartan guards who also had their spears ready to attack the figure in an instant.
The figure gazed at the four guards, and then he raised both arms.
"It's me."
The figure said, and his words confused the guards.
The figure then removed the hood of his robe, revealing a moderately handsome face that had chestnut hair and blue eyes. The moment the guards saw the figure's face, their eyes widened.
"Young prince."
They all lowered their weapons and gave a short bow.
"Are you going into the woods again?"
One of the guards asked, and Silver nodded.
"Alright, we'll open the gates for you. But please, don't risk your life. Even though your father gave us permission to allow you to leave, we could still get in trouble if you die in the woods."
The guard who previously spoke released a soft and tired sigh, and Silver nodded.
"Don't worry. I don't plan on doing anything dangerous. I just need to let off some steam."
The guards looked at each other, and they shrugged.
"Lower the gate for the young prince!"
The same guard shouted, and a few seconds later, the towering and massive gate was lowered.
"Thank you."
Silver said, and without waiting for a response, he walked towards the gate. After crossing the gate, his figure suddenly dashed forward at a speed that should not be possible for a twelve year old kid.
The guards looked at themselves, and one of them suddenly spoke up.
"Is it just me, or did the young prince look sad and frustrated?"
Another guard looked at the guard who just spoke with raised brows. "He looked sad? I thought he looked really angry. That's what I felt when I looked at him."
"Have you guys forgotten? The first, third, and fifth princes are around." The guard who ordered for the gates to be opened said while shaking his head.
The instant the other guards heard those words, they also shook their heads while having expressions of pity as they looked at the closing gate.
"Whenever the other princes, especially the third prince, are around, the young prince is always not as cheerful and playful as he usually is. Maybe he had a fight with the third prince?"
The last guard who had not said a word since, suddenly spoke, and the remaining shrugged.
"Whether he fought with the third prince or not, it's not our business. We're just commoners, and we have nothing to do with the royals and the nobles."
The guard who spoke with Silver said, and the other guards nodded.
"You're right Asterion, let's just focus on our job. I had that three city guards were punished for slacking on their jobs. I'd hate to be punished because I was lazy."
One of the other guards spoke, and Asterion and the other guards shivered lightly. They could imagine the fate of the three guards who got punished.
"Alright, we've spent enough time talking. Let's do our jobs properly."
Asterion said, and a second later, all of them vanished from where they stood.
-----
Meanwhile, as Asterion and the remaining Spartan guards went about doing their job, Silver sat on top of a rock while looking at the night sky.
He gazed at the stars for a seemingly extended amount of time, and then he mumbled.
"Why do I have brothers that make me sad whenever I'm around?"
He looked at his fingers that contained calluses a twelve year old should not have.
"I train, train, train, train, and train a lot. But, my brothers and other members of my family always mock me for my talents."
Silver clenched his fists so tight that the veins on his well-defined and slightly muscular arms could be seen.
"Although I train a lot, I know that because of my talents, it would hardly matter in the future."
Silver sighed, and then he raised his knees and hugged them.
"No matter how much train, the heights I can reach and my growth rate would always be lower than that of my brothers unless I find a treasure that can open up more of my bloodline gates. But finding a treasure that can open a bloodline gate of a Spartan is much more difficult and harder than finding a treasure that can open a bloodline gate of a normal bloodline."
"Also, it's not like my brothers don't also train. I'm sure most of them are training in their own way even as I'm here."
Silver sighed, and then he lowered his legs and jumped to the ground. He stretched out his right hand which had a silver ring on his middle finger, and in an instant, a spear appeared from thin air in his right hand.
The spear, crafted from a sturdy oak with an iron tip, was a gift from his father.
His left hand moved, and he slapped himself.
"Although I might have average talents, I can still improve myself in other ways. Since I made a promise to bring back a savage beast from my rite of passage, I'll make sure to bring it back no matter what and shock everybody."
Silver released a smile, and then he began his routine with a series of stretches to loosen his muscles.