With the stir of spring wind, it dyed the poplar trees green near the open space outside of Dragonspire Village. Upon the vacant ground, a group of youths trained diligently. It would soon be a year since Renji Reshin's Dragonblood test. He would be eight years old. In this period, Draven could tell that Renji was only resolute.
"Well done, Renji! Hold it! Hold it!" Draven cheered on from the side. He had taken his shirt off and was down to his sweatpants. Renji was flat on the floor with sweat shining from his body, pulled tight like a bowstring in a press-up position on his hands and toes. That was what was called 'Static Tension' training: simple yet very effective.
If one could maintain this stance for an hour, their body would become impervious to ordinary blades.
Drip, drip! Sweat ran over Renji's brow and into his left eye. It smarted. He grimaced but kept up the struggle. "Renji is really something else. At only eight years old, he manages to keep up with all us thirteen-year-olds on the 'Static Tension' exercise," some kids who had already abandoned their efforts commented, lying fanned out on the ground watching him.
"Renji, keep it going! Beat those thirteen-year-olds!" cheered the golden-haired Akira from the side. The other children took up the cheer, chanting encouragement.
Renji got along well with the other kids. Although he was of noble blood, he was kind to common children and often trained with them as well. "Gotta hold it. Gotta hold it," Renji kept telling himself. His father's words from a year ago crossed his mind. "Renji, we are Dragonfire Warriors. Yet due to high bloodline, there is a disadvantage. Although the density of Dragonblood in your veins hasn't reached a sufficient level, your body itself is much more formidable than a common person's. However, you cannot practice battle qi using conventional methods. Instead, you need to follow the 'Secret Dragonblood Manual,' but only those high in density of Dragonblood can use it.
Therefore, you must depend on physical training alone.
Renji's father's words were still in his thoughts: "I'm stronger now because of the Dragonblood, but since I can't practice battle qi, I must work hard and harder! If great-grandfather could be a warrior of the seventh rank just from practicing alone, then I shall strive to reach the eighth or even the ninth rank! Nothing is impossible!
An eighth-ranked warrior was already the top expert in the entire Terra Sovereignty. A ninth-ranked warrior was already considered the existence that spread fear throughout the whole continent. "Gotta hold on!" Renji gritted his teeth. His muscles felt like they were being chewed on by ants. Every muscle in his body quivered.
Renji grunted as he shifted his weight. Finally, after a long struggle, he fell to the ground. "That feels wonderful." As he lay flat, he could feel how numb his entire body was. Although the growth wasn't immediately visible from just one exercise, over time, the effects would become apparent. Draven, from the sidelines, could only nod with satisfaction.
"Don't let an eight-year-old outdo you!" Draven's face hardened as he looked at the fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds. "Hold on!"
The morning exercises having ended, Renji bade farewell to his friends and headed in the direction of the Reshin clan manor. If one saw Renji's physique from an outsider's perspective, he would be mistaken for an eleven- or twelve-year-old child, not eight years of age. The Reshin family was absolutely exceptional.
"Big brother!" With a ruddy complexion, Haruto rushed over upon seeing Renji. "That's all right, Haruto. I'm covered in sweat. Let me wash up first." Renji patted Haruto on the face and laughed.
Haruto huffed. "I know you will go to your lessons with father once you're clean."
As a noble, Renji's education began early. The Reshin clan was even stricter about education than many royal families.
"Enough, Haruto. I'll play with you around noon," Renji continued, smiling. Having washed and dressed in fresh clothes, the young man entered the study. His father Kazuki was sitting in front of the desk. In one chair by the desk, Haruto half-hid under the table. In front of Kazuki, three bound books of considerable thickness were laid down open. Kazuki turned his eyes upon Renji, allowing a curt nod in his direction. Renji quickly took his seat beside him.
"Yesterday, we went over the history of the leading countries of the Aerthos continent. Recap it to me, please," Kazuki enunciated frigidly. He was the austere Kazuki. This one was seen tender remarkably few times. Ordinarily, the word strict would sum up his nature. He was a perfection seeker that'd accept no failures. "Oh, yes, father," Renji replied composedly. "In Aerthos, there are three most hazardous parts. The highest, the 'Mountain of Magical Monsters.' The second mountain range is the 'Twilight Peaks,' and the top forest is the 'Shadowed Woods.' These three areas span across hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. The 'Mountain of Magical Monsters' runs from north to south across the entire continent, stretching more than ten thousand kilometers long with an abundance of magical beasts residing there, from Saint-ranked magical beasts capable of destroying the heavens and ravaging the earth.
On the 'Mountain of Magical Monsters' which is in the east, the author describes, there exists twelve kingdoms in addition to thirty-two duchies, which are further categorized into two activism alliances - first of the Sacred Alliance, whose principal kingdom is the Solara Kingdom, the second being the Umbra Coalition whose principal kingdom is the Noctis Realm: These two alliances are in constant conflict due to their contrasting affiliations—one with the Light Church, the other with the Cult of Darkness.
"To the east of the Mountain of Magical Monsters, there are four empires, six major kingdoms, and a myriad of duchies. They are all huge and do not belong in either the Sacred Alliance or the Umbra Coalition. The four empires are the Terra Sovereignty, the southeastern Lyria Empire, the eastern Vesper Empire, and the northern Stormcrest Empire."
After Renji read this aloud, he unconsciously let out a breath. That's it? Kazuki's frown deepened. Renji was going to explain, but Kazuki was already saying,
"Let me ask you, within our Sacred Alliance, how many kingdoms and duchies are there?"
"Within our Sacred Alliance, there are six kingdoms and fifteen… no, seventeen duchies," from his memory, Renji spoke up with a bit of hazy-mindedness.
"Hmph!" A cold look marked Kazuki's face. He took out the stick carved from wood, and Renji obediently reached out his hand. Later, a 'WHAP' sound emerged, and there appeared a red line on Renji's hand. Renji gritted his teeth but did not make a sound.
"Renji, remember: we stay in the Sacred Alliance, all right? You must know it very much so!" Kazuki's expression was firm.
"Of the four empires and the two alliances, in Aerthos, there are more important entities than them," Kazuki said. Renji nodded; he was beginning to understand that the Sacred Alliance was another great cultural and economic center, equal to Terra Sovereignty itself, and supported by the very Light Church.
"Class is art these days," Kazuki stated impassively. "A true noble has to have an eye for art. That is what brings weight to your person!" Kazuki spread apart a tome as thick as a fist and started reading from it about the famous artist Hiroshi, who was born in the year 3578 of the calendar of Aerthos. Renji listened, determined to satisfy his father's insatiable appetite for accomplishment.