Julius stared at the man who walked into the training grounds, and he couldn't help but frown a bit.
"I'll take care of the prince. Return to duty," the man said with a smile, patting the trainer's shoulder and walking past him.
"Uncle Berlin." Julius bowed to the man, and the man nodded as he saw this.
"Come with me; it won't take too long to introduce you to things. You'll be with the other children soon." Berlin smiled at Julius, and he couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
'He probably wants to know if I'll be a threat to him like Sasha. I should be cautious; I've only avoided death once,' he thought, letting out a breath as he stood straight and followed the man out of the field.
They walked away from the small field until they reached a certain garden that was quite a distance from the training grounds.
Julius couldn't help but glance at the man before him.
'Berlin Augustine. Elder brother of King Karim Veloria Augustine and one of the main villains in the novel. He kept Sasha and River under his radar in case they would mess up his plans...' Julius' mind trailed off from the man as they arrived in a different part of the large castle.
It was like a big garden but with a wide, empty space and a table and chairs in the middle.
"Boy, your father should have gotten the news that you've awakened, and your siblings too. It's going to get dangerous from now on. I'll advise you not to leave the castle anytime soon," Berlin said as he walked over and sat on the chair, looking directly at Julius, who just stood there.
"Now I'm going to teach you the basics. How much do you know about Essence?" the man asked, and Julius put a finger on his chin, shaking his head after some thought.
"I don't know much about it. Is it magic?" Julius raised a brow, and Berlin couldn't help but chuckle.
"No, boy, not magic. Let me explain now." Berlin cleared his throat before he started talking.
Of course, Julius knew all this. He literally followed the characters as they grew stronger.
The Echelons of Essence are the heights Essence practitioners in this world have to reach for.
Nine schemes for each echelon, and by growing stronger, the practitioners earn spell runes and get more in tune with their awakened Essence.
'He should be at the lower schemes of the third echelon right now, while his younger brother, the king, should be breaking through to the fifth echelon soon.' Julius sighed and nodded to Berlin, who had just finished explaining.
"We Essence practitioners grow by Essence refinement cultivation. The nine schemes have specific ways to maximize your growth, and I'll give you a guide to work on it," Berlin said, squinting his eyes as he studied Julius' calm demeanor.
"Enough of that now. Let's test your swordplay. You were taught when you were little, right?" Berlin asked, and Julius nodded.
He wasn't always the failure of a prince he was today. He was also taught the art of weapons when he was little, and he was good at it.
He went and took a wooden sword, and Berlin pulled out one too. He tied up his long grey hair and then got into a stance as he prepared to face Julius.
"Don't worry, I will only block all your attacks," Berlin smiled at the prince.
Right there, in the garden lit by various crystals hanging from poles, Julius frowned as he ran forward.
He struck forward with his sword, and Berlin only raised his own to block. Julius followed up with a series of strikes.
Left, right, curved—Berlin blocked it all while staying in the same position, and then he struck down on Julius.
Julius was able to block, but putting both of his hands on the handle was difficult, so he placed an arm on the blade part to hold up, moving Berlin out of the way.
The man raised a brow as he noticed something and continued to attack Julius, letting him block.
After two minutes, Julius was already panting heavily, and Berlin turned around and went back to sit down.
"Hm. I noticed a flaw in your sword wielding..." he said, resting his chin on his fist as he relaxed in the chair.
"Ah..."
Julius was quite stunned by Berlin's statement. He had been trained by the best teacher alongside his sister, so...
"A sword isn't for you. You tend to put your hand on the blade sometimes, which is bad. Readjusting your fighting style would be stressful for me, so I have a solution to that now," he smiled.
Julius felt uncomfortable with Berlin's words, and he realized that he did indeed place his hands on the blade to support his strength sometimes.
He would have cut his hand in half if he had done that with a real sword.
"Here," Berlin suddenly said, and Julius looked at him.
A sword in a sheath appeared in Berlin's hand, and he threw it toward Julius.
Julius looked at the sheath, which was white and had the symbol of a black feather. The handle, too, was tied with a white material.
Julius wasted no time and unsheathed the weapon, finding a straight black blade which the sheath had hidden from the light. He frowned as he examined it.
It was only sharp on one side and looked like a straight katana. Julius was confused as to why his uncle had brought this out and what exactly it was.
"It belonged to a ninja I fought once. It's a weird weapon, so I kept it. Not very versatile, but I think it'll fit you," he said, stroking his beard. Julius looked at the sword once more.
He knew what this type of sword was called, as he had a thing for weapons too.
'A ninjato. Wow...' he let the light reflect on the blade, then stood up and faced his uncle again.
Julius had no problems with its length, as he was already quite tall.
Berlin stood up, stretched, and held the wooden sword. A purple aura suddenly covered the wooden sword he was holding, and Julius noticed this.
'Elemental Essence,' he frowned.
He got ready and charged at his uncle, holding the sword carefully with one hand.