In the back of the west wing of the Von Angelus palace stands the master suite. The entrance is at the end of the hall with a sweeping white door. Alexander was walking towards the door still thinking of his first conversation with Cyrus. He was in front of the door before, he could knock it swung open "Come in" he heard as he walked in.
The old butler was standing behind holding the door, "You don't have to hold doors for me ultred I've told you this" The old butler ignored his young lord as he bowed, closing the door as he left.
The master bedroom is one large open area with two doors one that reaches the back of the room, and the other was in the middle of the right wall. Alexander walked up to the door on the right wall. As he opened it he walked into a large room decorated in purple and gold. Sitting in the middle of the room is a large wooden desk.
All around the room, there were books on the wall and scattered across the desk. Along the floor were old scripture and loose rice paper. The majority of the scripture was for cultivation valve location and even ancient history written in runes.
Sitting at the desk staring at Alexander intently was his father the head of the Von Angelus family. There were a couple of books on the desk opened but he was reading a piece of parchment what caught Alexander's attention was the stamp on the paper, the similar four-circle emblem
His father looked at him and back at his cane as he said, " I won't use this, you don't have to worry" he gave his son a nice smile. Alexander seemed to smirk as he covered his face, he brushed his long curly hair back.
Alexander sat down, motioning for his dad to speak, his father took it, "I've heard you went into the capital and took a prisoner with you. Is there a good reason for that? I am the one paying to him??
Alexander looked his father in the eye seeming to challenge him with just a glare, "I wanna go to school"
The family head looked up with a glint in his eyes, "I see" he said his smile turning to a frown, "It seems you still think I keep you confined because I could care less if you get an artifact, like I enjoy lying to people, don't you think I would let you get your artifact if it would make your life easier!"
The family head looked at his son fondly, a light gleaming in his eyes for only a second. However, the light was quickly gone, his stern expression returning as he continued staring at his son, "I could just train this prisoner you bought to be a guard like Razier, he would learn from tutors we have in the city or I could just buy the best one willing to come here"
Alexander tried to speak but his father stuck up his hands still not finished.
" I know what you're gonna say I don't have any positions someone with his power would need. He could be a knight or even a Godknight, No matter what, I'll make whatever position I need, to make him worth the price I paid to the federation for him." His father sat back down when he finished picking up the parchment again.
The family head looked at his son, his expression troubled with shock as he looked like he was seeing his son for the first time again like he was no longer the same. Alexander was
Willing to die for his artifact, he very well might.
Alexander's father gripped the parchment, as he bit his lip in agitation as he spoke, "You do understand the danger your body and condition can cause if certain people or groups find out. Yet, I can't deny that I see you would do this without me. You gonna want to say no so I'm going to tell you now if you want to get your artifact and go to school this is your only option, I will help when the time comes to get your artifact but you must show me that our family won't be brought down by you at school."
Alexander seemed ecstatic, his shock was evident enough to cause his father to laugh as his left leg tapped rapidly on the floor.
His father raised an eyebrow after a couple of minutes of waiting when finally Alexander said "I will do what you ask Dad"
His father spoke through a smile, "Good your two guards who you chose to be in your battlements will have to win the Templar Tournament at the Coliseum. If they can win the tournament then I know I don't have to worry about you being caught, and the foundation coming down on us."
Alexander looked at his dad who was staring resolutely, like a commanding general. Alexander seemed to waver as his knee shook, as he realized the magnitude of his decision, even his father was prepared to fight.
Finally, Alexander bowed towards his father, realizing for the first time how much guilt, but also the lives his father must have protected by keeping his son from having an artifact.
Alexander bowed, his forehead touching the ground, only the butler saw his father's smile as Alexander left.
When Alexander reached outside his father's room into the west wing hall, he had on an unfamiliar smile attempting to reach his ears.
Behind the von Angelus chateau at the edge of the Mountain, there is a wooden shelter near a garden. It's about three stories high, and under it instead of grass a floor was implemented.
Under the shelter, you could hear wood clanking together accompanied by grunts. The noises were coming from a young man who was swinging a wooden sword down on a young teen who parried the attack with two wooden daggers swinging them up and stopping the momentum of the sword.
The block gave the young teen enough time, as he dodged to the side landing his right leg into a crouching stance he used the momentum to step back as he sized Razier.
He seemed to find an open as he ran, lifting both wooden daggers, "I was the hunter of my village, I'm best with daggers but I'm rusty without any hounds" the boy Cyrus said as his eyes searched for any openings
" you always bring up those wolfhounds of yours," Razier told him with a smile. As Razier finished Cyrus found an opening. Cyrus sprang across the floor the force leaving a small crack "Well, my name Cyrus is after a wolfhound that saved my mom when she was a girl. She said I was born with wolves."
It had been a week since Cyrus had awakened. The first day he awoke Alexander and Razier showed him around the palace. Cyrus seemed flustered at first and got lost for the first couple of days.
He asked Alexander how he knew his name and he answered, "We have everyone's identity it's part of the job as a Great Family".
Cyrus missed his family terribly, on the second day since he woke up he worked up the courage to ask Alexander if he could go home. Alexander's answer made Cyrus walk around as small as a mouse for a couple of days but also gave him motivation.
Alexander told him "Not unless you want to accidentally hurt people in your village or worse case you could end up killing someone, including yourself. Once you use Qi your body will continue to use it as it's more effective than burning nutrients from food. You need to learn to cultivate first then connect with your artifact, once you have an outlet for your Qi it's easier to control the Qi in your body."
A loud smack was heard as wood met skull, "Cyrus what the hell! You didn't move"
Cyrus got up rubbing his forehead, " I lost focus" Razier looked at him gravely, " That was more than losing focus you went pale and your legs began to shake you looked at me like I was gonna kill you"
Cyrus rubbed the nape of his neck as his cheeks gained color, " I saw the wolves again as I was thinking of my past"
Razier tilted his head, "You mean the ones back at your village?" he shook his head no, then said "The ones I saw before my necklace floated and went bright or I guess before I used my artifact. You know the wolves ones as big as a horse with black-"
Razier put his hand over Cyrus's mouth, "You didn't see what you saw trust me" Cyrus looked up furrowing his brow but Razier kept shaking his head side to side with his hands still over his mouth.
"If what we think you saw is true you wouldn't be alive, and even if you were everyone would have known if they came back. The amount of Qi to kill four of them your artifact would be powerful maybe even Godknight powerful."
Razier must have forgotten his hand was over his new companion's mouth as he looked over to Cyrus quickly dropping his hand.
As soon as he dropped his hand Cyrus jumped right on him, saying "What the matter with you! I thought you and Alexander said I must have seen some wild animal."
Razier looked at him briefly, "It's not something you need to know right now. The commander and Alexander are walking through the foundation of trees right now, you need to forget about the wolves".
Cyrus looked out into the yard near the back of the chateau close to the garden.
Alexander was walking with an older man with a rough stubbled beard and mustache. His hair was medium length reaching past his ears. Both of the men stopped near the garden towards a small man-made Forest of trees.
The forest of trees is a man-made forest of trees from every nation in the foundation. The forest of trees is filled up with massive trees towering over the Palace easily mistakable for an actual forest behind the chateau if one looked from the front of the palace.
However, unlike a real forest, the trees were of different widths, heights, and colors that didn't grow in Lysander.
Some of the trees had leaves that were yellow, bright orange, and green. The largest and most beautiful tree would be the greatest tree in any forest or land. The largest tree is one of the greatest naturally grown items in the world. Its roots were as thick as the ground, like a bull ripping in the ground. The bark is an orange and red color contrasted with bright gold leaves. Alexander and the commander stopped in front of that giant tree,
"Let go," Raizer told Cyrus
Cyrus followed Razier as they both dropped their wooden weapons. They arrived in front of the tree, and Cyrus's eyes went wide at the sight of a large diagonal scar on the commander's chin. He barely took his eyes off it, causing Razier to bump him, to avert his gaze.
"Cyrus this is the commander he will be teaching you and Razier how to cultivate"
Cyrus looked at the commander in wonder as he spoke, "He's a cultivator" his voice full of excitement.
Alexander shook his head as Cyrus looked in confusion, "he is a cultivator, but he's a soldier so he doesn't have an artifact but he can circulate Qi."
Cyrus furrowed his brows the commander scoffed, "Doesn't the kid know a thing".
Razier spoke up for Cyrus seeming to become quite used to a brotherly affection "Villages don't have education on cultivation or even that there's a difference in cultivators they're lucky if they get one person with the power to cultivate Qi,"
The commander stared at Razier only breaking eye contact to look at Cyrus, Alexander seeing this spoke up, " Do you remember what I told you when you first woke up about everyone and everything is made of Qi" Cyrus nodded at this.
"I won't step on things the commander will teach you but more people than you would know can cultivate, such as all the guards you have seen, even the commander's company too." Cyrus' eyes went wide, and he tried to speak,
"No they aren't what you would call cultivators, they don't have an artifact with powers to move the mountains, or cause a storm. However, similar to the cultivators you are thinking of they can run faster than your eyes can see, and they can jump in one leap a one-story house. What allows them to do this is cultivation, but only their body changes, they can't use Qi outside their body."
This seemed to click with Cyrus after about five minutes, it probably would have taken longer but the commander ran out of hummingweed as he tapped his leg staring at Cyrus.
When Cyrus seemed to understand he quickly averted the commander's gaze as he asked, "Is that why I could keep up with my hounds while others at my village couldn't?"
Alexander nodded as headed, "You are naturally faster and stronger than others because your body naturally circulates your Qi better than someone who can't cultivate. You should know though if you cultivate your body like the commander you would be able to take on both your hounds and win without a scratch"
Cyrus' eyes were wide, he covered his mouth trying to keep his grin hidden though his eyes couldn't lie.
. Alexander and Razier laughed Razier much louder. Cyrus noticing scratched his nape as his face matched his freckle.
Alexander turned with a smile, before he walked away he turned to the commander, "ok commander, I'm leaving them to be taught by you. Once you are finished you can just wash them down in the garden the trees need water."
As Alexander turned around the commander asked, "Are you not going to sit and watch" Alexander looked back not completely turning around, "I trust you know what you're doing. They wouldn't allow you to be a commander if you couldn't teach or lead"
The commander grinned, "that's not what I meant" he grunted, "Don't you want to cultivate? Even if you've had your families' scholars and tutors surely you haven't started opening your valves." Alexander smirked but didn't answer as he walked away. As he walked away he heard from a distance "Why does he trust this commander so much"
The commander turned around to Cyrus, who was staring expectantly at Razier. "The commander can hear you," he said harshly.
Cyrus's head whipped back around, at the commander. The commander had his hand in his pocket taking out a packet and what looked like rolled-up leaves with a powder on it. He rolled up the open leave as he put it in his mouth chewing then spitting as he spoke.
"Listen, one of you is a man just barely but a man, and the other a couple of years from manhood. I ain't gonna be helping you every step holding your hand explaining everything you don't know. If you want to know something ask I will only answer what I'm asked"
Cyrus stepped half a step up, " Sorry sir"
The commander interrupted, "Stop being so formal I'm not a lord I'm just an old soldier"
Cyrus nodded, "That's what I mean, I'm not very educated about how things work outside my village but I see all the emblems around the city. Alexander's family must have a bunch of soldiers and guards' hell I heard you even brought up to him having tutors but he's trusting you to be our teacher. I just don't understand sir"
The commander stared at Cyrus who shrunk under his gaze.
The commander began laughing almost choking on the substance in his mouth, as he spatsagain wiping at his mouth,
"You might be smarter than you look. Good, you're asking a smart question. Simply put, I'm a commander under the foundation and I took an Oath.