Aeron and Xanthe's daily spars continued. Aeron was liking it. It was far better than practicing on his own. He could test many moves against a real opponent.
Thalia and the ladies would go for gathering after breakfast, and they had no choice but to leave Aeron alone at home. They would want to take him to the ground but he would refuse. They thought he needed space in the beginning so they agreed.
But when more than a month had passed, they decided it was not good for his health to stay cooped up at home. Sure, he would exercise and train all day, but life was more than that. He needed social exposure as well. They wanted him to grow up like a normal kid.
So he was taken to the training grounds. It was a massive, dusty ground in the heart of the village surrounded by trees and houses.
From children to young adults, everyone was scattered all around. Some were sparring under the watchful gazes of their seniors. Some played under the gentle shadow of the trees.
Many of the tribe's people go for gathering resources or on missions. So they put their children in the elders' care.
"You will like it here. The elders will tell you exciting stories, teach you various interesting things, and you can also play with kids your age." Thalia told Aeron.
Kids his age? They were the last people he wanted to be with. Aeron secretly clicked his tongue.
He was taken to a children's group who seemed to be praying, sitting on their knees with their hands clasped together. An old lady was guiding them.
"Child, come sit here. Don't worry, just do as the children do. I will be there to guide you shortly," the elderly lady gently said.
Then she talked with Thalia who told her about Aeron's situation.
When they were done, Aeron looked up at Thalia, his reluctance apparent in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Aeron. I also want to spend more time with you. But I must go for gathering. You won't be able to eat those fruits otherwise, you know." She whispered into his ear.
"Can't I come?" He asked.
"You already know how dangerous the forest can be," she said. "Trust me, you won't be bored here. Soon, you will have friends to play with and exciting spars to watch." She ruffled his hair and left, but not before sneaking several glances at him as she went.
Aeron stood there, watching her disappearing back.
Where had he ended up being? He felt vulnerable. Never had he been in such a crowd, with so much social exposure. Even though it wasn't dangerous, the atmosphere felt threatening.
He took a deep breath. Maybe his mother wanted him to experience this and adapt to it.
"Child, why don't you go and sit there?" The old lady said to him once again.
Aeron made a funny face. "Why should I do this?" He pointed with his chin. He was referring to praying.
"What do you mean why? Come on, sit there. It will be over in no time." She thought Aeron was just trying to be difficult.
"I mean, what happens by praying?" Aeron rephrased his question.
The lady was taken aback. "You really do not know?"
Aeron shook his head.
She looked at him as if looking at an oddball. "Did no one ever tell you the significance of praying?"
Aeron shrugged and the lady took a closer look at him. Not knowing about praying was the same as not knowing how to live.
"It's too odd that you do not know the importance of praying."
She thought little kids needed to be reminded again and again. So she said, "In case you forgot, it is the only way to get stronger like those guys," she pointed at the young adults practicing their magic, "and it is the only way to live a long life like me," she pointed at herself.
Aeron raised his eyebrows. "It can increase one's lifespan?"
"... Yes."
"How old are you?"
"I'm more than 300 years old." The lady felt weird. Aeron was asking as if he knew nothing about it.
She examined him from head to toe. Everything about the boy showed her that he was one of them. Even if he was not, as long as they were the residents of Taurus Island, they would know about praying like they knew breathing.
What's more, even those outsider humans prayed to their respective gods.
Aeron nodded in acknowledgment and looked at those who were practicing magic.
Some practiced precision, shooting stones out through their hands like cannons. Those who stood opposite them conjured circular shields and took the brunt of their assault.
The more advanced ones used weapons and assisted them with magic. Some covered themselves with earthen armor, some wore stone gauntlets. While some fought intense, high speed fights.
None from this bovine tribe seemed to use other elements of the chaos except the earth element.
Only now did he understand how much he had missed in the past month. If he had stepped out of the house, he could have gleaned so much information about the workings of the chaos and this world.
"Do you mean if I pray, I can use flashy magic like that?"
"...Yes."
He smiled mysteriously. "It's not just prayer, is it?" he said.
"Of course, you have to eat well and train hard. But you cannot escape prayer."
"Then what can prayer do anyway?"
This kid was a difficult one. He was really testing her patience. But she was so old, she lacked anything but patience.
"Child, look at those kids playing magic. Do you think that's all there is to magic? Magic is a much more complex and mystical phenomenon. Hurling blocks of stone and blocking them won't make you a warrior."
Now the lady was talking. "Then what makes a warrior?"
"That, you won't understand right now. You are too young."
"Why are you so sure that I won't understand?" Aeron said. "Why don't you try explaining and we will see if I can?"
"It needs experience, child. It cannot be told by words. However, I can at least tell you that becoming a warrior connects you to the divine and gives you extraordinary abilities. Or rather, only after you connect to the divine can you be called a warrior."
"What do you mean by divine and and what are these extraordinary abilities you are talking about?"
"The divine is the god. It is a Theonic Ordinance. For us, it is Goddess Gaia. The ability you get after connecting with the first Theonic Ordinance is called Gaia's Aid. It boosts your elemental mastery, elemental casting and wielding speed, and elemental receptivity." She finished in one breath.
"Now, tell me, did you understand anything of it, child?" She smiled and looked at the trouble kid.
"I won't say I understood everything. You used so many unfamiliar terms, and although I can guess their meanings, it would be far more effective if I could hear it from your mouth."
The elderly lady was amused seeing a snotty little kid using such complex sentences and heavy words for his age. Even the children sitting there were now staring at the both of them.
"Why are you in such a hurry? We have a lot of time to learn about all those things. Why don't you take a seat and start experiencing the divine rather than 'understanding' it?"
Aeron blinked. Experiencing? Was it even possible for someone like him? No, it wasn't. He was fundamentally a different existence. That's why praying or whatever techniques of these beings would not work for him.
He had different techniques and ways of doing things. As such, praying and spending time here would be a waste for him, unless he can gather as much information as possible.
Being a little kid, his actions were restricted. He couldn't do what the adults were allowed to. He couldn't even venture out of the village if he wanted to… well, at least, not at these people's watch.
He couldn't even train to his limits, consume better resources, or get good guidance and training from some strong being. At this rate, he would fail at what he wanted to do. He must find a way out of this predicament.
He didn't want to stay in this children's nursery. It won't allow him much opportunities for growth. He wanted to go with Thalia, pluck those fruits from their source, and savour them to his heart's content.
He could've gone for that at night, but it was too dangerous to go on his own. He had experienced it one night.
…
Several days passed and Aeron was reluctantly attending the lady's prayer sessions regularly. He had to sit for an hour or so, but he would practice his own techniques rather than praying.
Then the kids would play and he would go watch the sparring going on the ground.
A lone kid who didn't mingle with kids his age, but observed everyone else, standing like a statue, surely caught people's attention. Most ignored, but someone wanted to teach him the right way.
"Hey, kid! I see you have been staring at us for quite some time." A kid, much older than Aeron, asked him. There were three kids beside him.
"I can see it in your eyes. You have a strong passion for fighting and learning. Come, we will teach you all about fighting. We can help you become much stronger." He was smiling amicably as if he wanted nothing but good for Aeron.
"Really? You will teach me how to become strong? " Aeron 'innocently' asked.
"Of course, we will, " said the kid. His name was Rokar.
"Are you strong, big brother?" An excited smile blossomed on Aeron's face.
Seeing his enthusiasm, and his way of addressing him, Rokar was elated. He was going to have so much fun with the little kid before him.
"Of course I am! You can ask my comrades here." He gestured at the other kids standing beside him.
They nodded like the chickens they were. "Of course, our captain is really strong. He can defeat mortal ranked beasts all by himself. He had even defeated a chasm dweller once, you know?" one of them said.
"What is a chasm dweller?" Aeron tilted his head.
"Oh? You don't know? That's great— I mean, you need to learn a lot. Come on, we will teach you everything." Rokar patted Aeron's back and urged him forward.