Chapter 2
Ojero followed his father through the hallways and paths of the family estate with pure joy clearly written on his face. Orpham was walking beside him with a similar look, although his hand gently holding his stomach betrayed a hint of nausea.
'Serves him right for eating so many sweets! Maybe next time he will think before taunting me like that!'
His father's broad-shouldered back pushed against his tunic, showing a strong and muscled physique. It was very common for Spellblades to be that strong, but was seldom heard of in Incanters. That class was usually more attractive to scholars or ranged fighters.
Ojero glanced at some of the paintings that dotted the walls of the grandiose house. Each one showed a different relative of their family, some from centuries ago. His father had once told him that there was a lesson to be learned from each one and that if he mastered every one of those lessons, he would become an unparalleled leader for their family.
The trio eventually came to a stop in front of a large metal door. The strange thing about it was that it was perfectly flat with no handles or entry points as if it was just an odd part of the wall.
Their father casually walked up to it and placed his hand on the sheet of metal. It immediately glowed a faint brown color before disappearing into an ocean of brown sparkles.
Walking through the now open doorway, Ojero found himself in a large open room with dozens of different item cases and armor stands strewn about.
Each one held a different artifact or gem, causing the room to be bathed in a kaleidoscope of colors.
'Wow, was the room this bright the last time I was here?'
Ojero couldn't help but be mystified by his father's collection.
It was truly a treasure trove. Selling a handful of these items could buy someone a decent house in the capital, Luminex City.
'I wonder if I will have a similar collection when I'm dad's age? Probably not, it'd take a lifetime!'
Walking up to an especially tall armor stand, Ojero easily peered into the eye slits. The helmet seemed to conceal everything except those, making the interior as black as midnight. Although Ojero wasn't very strong, he was very tall, a fact he often lorded over his younger brother. Even if he was only a few minutes older.
Reaching out, he placed his hand on the cool metal breastplate. An engraving seemed to have faded away years ago, leaving nothing but a series of bumps and scratches where it once was.
'I wonder what this armor once meant? What kind of story did it have to tell?'
Turning around, he was just in time to see his father awkwardly holding his hands behind his back with a smile so wide it almost seemed inhuman plastered across his face.
Orpham had also just turned towards their father, standing right next to an item case holding a vibrantly blue gemstone.
Beckoning his sons over, the large man began to speak to them.
"Now that there are only a few more days before you two leave for the academy, I wanted to give you boys something. Now, they won't help you too much for now, but once you choose your gems and gain your elements, it will set you ahead of the other knuckleheads who will be studying with you."
Slowly, their father pulled his arms forward, and in each hand was a rectangular stone tablet with faintly glowing runes carved into it. Each one was roughly the size of a piece of parchment and had to be held down flat for the boys to see.
Ojero recognized the tablet instantly, and any thoughts left in his head vanished.
'Is that? It can't be, there's no way! I can't believe father could find one of these, let alone two!'
Despite his disbelief, he couldn't help but acknowledge that there were indeed two such tablets in front of him.
"Impressed? Well of course you are! There's very little your old man can't do, even procuring rare artifacts like these!"
The items in his hand couldn't just be called rare, nor even epic! They were nothing short of legendary.
Each one was known as an Aspect Tablet, and judging by the glowing runes they were powerful ones at that. Ojero wasn't very knowledgeable on the runic languages, but he had learned enough to read the large words engraved at the top of each tablet.
Legendary Aspect.
Once they obtained an element, these tablets would immediately unlock a legendary aspect related to it! Even a Lord Magos would have done almost anything to have a legendary aspect!
Their rarity came from the fact they could only be obtained from defeating a Beast in a manner that the system designated the action fit for induction into the Hall of Records. These events were few and far between, resulting in only a few dozen yearly.
And yet their father had somehow obtained two of them.
Ojero was about to ask his father where he had found them when his brother beat him to it.
"How did you even get these?"
The smile on their father's face faltered just a little at the question.
"Well, that's a story I'd rather not get into right now. I'll tell you both one day, hopefully, when we are all old and retired. For now, just trust that they weren't easy to get and that I love you both very much."
'That's odd, two secrets in one day? That isn't like dad at all…'
"I love you too, dad!" Orpham said with glee, barely restraining himself from snatching the tablet out of his father's hand and instead settling for a slow and shaky grab.
Ojero quickly followed suit, pulling the stone tablet towards his face.
He paused for a moment to gather his nascent mana and focus it on his eyes. He had only gained this ability a few days ago on his sixteenth birthday, and still had to practice it to make it instinctive.
[Legendary Aspect Tablet]
[Contains the power of a Legendary Aspect. To activate, inject the mana of an element you wish to discover more about.]
Reading the description a first time, soon followed by a second and third, he couldn't believe he was actually holding such a priceless relic! Once he chose which gem he would bond to, this would change everything! He could even become a contender for the Polyarchs, an elite group of student leaders at the Academy who each represented a primary element.
His father had been one during his stay at the Academy, the Polyarch of Earth. Following in his footsteps would be amazing!
Suddenly he paused for a moment and looked up from the tablet to meet his father's eyes.
"Why didn't you use these? Surely a Legendary Aspect would help you, too?"
His father looked at his eldest son with barely disguised pride in his eyes. His bushy mustache was disorderly but clean, curved upwards in the shape of a smile, creating an almost comical expression.
"There is no greater joy than a father being able to give his son a blessing he could have used himself. It's my job, you little ragamuffin. There's very little I wouldn't do to help you two out, even if that means missing out on a pretty swanky new aspect."
Slowly rotating his arm, the large man continued.
"Besides, I'm getting old and tired. An old soldier like me wouldn't be able to use these things nearly as much as some youngsters like you two. I'm perfectly content to sit back and have you guys be in the spotlight now."
There was a hint of weariness and fatigue in his father's voice, hidden behind his love and humor.
Despite the incredible gift he had just received, Ojero couldn't help but feel a little sad at the moment. His father felt too… amazing to ever be tired. He was an unstoppable force and an unending reservoir of energy and passion. At least, that's all he could remember. He couldn't even think of any time he saw his father truly tired.
Clutching the tablet close to his chest, he looked at it one more time before slowly placing it on the ground. Before anyone could ask why, he threw his arms around his father and hugged him.
His father tensed for a moment, before relaxing and returning the hug. His large arms easily wrapped around his tall son.
A moment later the clatter of a second tablet hitting the ground could be heard right before Orpham launched himself into the hug too.
The three Guestino men stood there for a moment, no words being spoken. They knew that before too long, the younger ones would be sent off to the Academy, and then sent to the war front not long after that. Only the gods themselves knew if they would survive that hell, both physically and mentally.
None of them knew when they would next be able to share a hug like this again.