The sun was setting, its golden light streaming through the window of the study room. From this view, the village looked serene, the warm hues of dusk complementing its rustic beauty. I set the book in my hands down for a moment, soaking in the moment of peace.
I'd been studying mana for hours, reading through one of the few books available. The concepts were fascinating but intimidating. My mother, like me, couldn't use magic due to her low mana reserves, and my father… well, he was on another level. As a swordsman, he mastered a blend of fire magic and the iai sword arts, a style that required precision and immense power.
The book detailed the stages of mana mastery:
Gathering
Forming
Core
Enlightened
Awakened
Each stage was broken further into sub-stages. Gathering alone had Novice, Adept, and Expert Gatherer. The instructions were detailed—magic circles or meditation were the suggested starting points.
I decided to give meditation a try, settling into a cross-legged position and focusing as hard as I could. Minutes turned into an hour, but no results came.
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Figures," I muttered. "I'll get there eventually. Maybe leveling up will make it easier."
---
Meanwhile, across the village, Ren sat at the dinner table with his father, Amagai.
"Ren," his father began, "how was your day? Are the kids treating you well?"
Ren hesitated but nodded quickly. "Yeah, they are…"
His father leaned forward, placing a hand on Ren's head. "You don't have to lie, son. If they're giving you trouble, we can move to a better place."
"No!" Ren exclaimed, his voice filled with determination. "I made a friend today. He's really cool—like a knight. He even helped me dust off my clothes the other day ."
Amagai chuckled. "That's wonderful. I'm glad you've found someone to look up to."
---
That night, Ren lay in bed, his mind racing. Every time he closed his eyes, memories of the kids who challenged him earlier played back in his head, but they were overshadowed by one thought: Amura's strength.
"Is he my age?" Ren whispered to himself. "He's so cool…"
As he tossed and turned, a faint glow began to radiate around him. Ren opened his eyes, startled. "Am I glowing?!" he whispered. "It must be the moon."
---
Morning arrived, and I found myself reading through another quest notification.
[Side Quest]
Push-ups: 30/30
Sit-ups: 20/20
Squats: 15/15
Stretches
Rewards: ???
Penalty: None
The reward was unknown, which made completing the quest even more tempting. After finishing the exercises, a familiar notification appeared.
[Level Up: 4 → 5]
Rewards: Low Potion
+2 STR
+3 DEX
I appraised the potion:
Low Potion: 45% heal rate. Relieves fatigue and muscle pain.
I grinned. "Not bad at all."
---
Later, during breakfast, a strange bird flew through the window, carrying a letter.
"It's the guild bird," my father explained.
He took the letter and scanned it, his expression darkening. "I can't believe this. They're calling me back… but I can't leave. Not with the old caretaker gone and the two of you here alone."
"It's okay," my mother said, her voice steady. "You should go. If they went out of their way to send you a letter, they must really need your help."
"But—"
"We'll be fine," she interrupted. "Just come back to us safely."
Father nodded reluctantly and began preparing for his journey. Watching him pack, I clenched my fists. "I need to get stronger," I thought. "If I do, maybe she'll stop worrying so much…"
---
That evening, I was outside swinging my sword, my goal set at a hundred strikes. As my arms ached, a notification pinged.
[Swordsmanship Level: 3 → 4]
"Cool," I muttered, satisfied with my progress.
Suddenly, I heard Ren's voice.
"You're training again? That's why you're so strong!"
I smirked. "Do you want to train with me?"
Ren hesitated, glancing behind him, as though unsure.
"You said you wanted to be a knight, didn't you?" I teased.
That got him moving. "Yeah! Let's do it!"
-----
As we practiced, Ren showed me something strange. His hands glowed faintly, a soft light pulsing around him.
"Ren, that's…"
He grinned. "Pretty cool, right? It started yesterday."
"Ren, that's mana!" I exclaimed. "You're gathering mana without even knowing it. You might be a prodigy!"
His eyes widened. "You really think so?"
"Of course!" I dashed back to the house and grabbed the book on mana. "Here, take this. It's only the first version, but it'll help you get started."
Ren's excitement was palpable as he flipped through the pages, asking question after question. I did my best to explain, though it was clear the concepts were tough for a seven-year-old to grasp. Usually, people didn't start practicing mana until they were at least ten, but Ren's potential was undeniable.
Eventually, he grew tired of studying and darted off, shouting, "Tag, you're it!"
Laughing, I chased after him, the weight of training and responsibility momentarily forgotten.
---
The night air was cool, but the tension around us was suffocating. We were traveling back to the village, but the road had taken a turn I hadn't expected. My wife, ever the vigilant one, clutched our daughter protectively, her eyes scanning the darkness. The weight of her silence spoke volumes. She had been a knight once, feared by many, but now, seeing the faint glint of fear in her eyes, I couldn't help but wonder what had shaped her into who she was.
"Honey, you should brighten up," I said, attempting to lighten the mood. "Making a face like that doesn't suit you, especially with your beautiful brown hair." I smiled, trying to ease the atmosphere, but my words felt hollow as the shadows around us grew heavier.
"Bandits!" The shout cut through the night like a blade, and my heart stopped. The guards' voices were drowned out by the sound of horses galloping and the screeching of the cart's wheel snapping off. We were surrounded.
I heard my daughter's soft sobs as her world tilted. It wasn't the first time I'd been in danger, but it was the first time I feared for my family. "It's going to be okay," I whispered, trying to reassure her. But my wife, frozen in fear, couldn't stop staring at the bloodstained earth. Her past—whatever horrors she had seen—was haunting her now.
I peeked out of the cart's window, my gaze fixing on the soldiers, who were already falling one by one. It didn't take a fool to realize the fight was over before it had even started.
A strong gust of wind slammed into our cart, throwing us off balance, and the world spun. My body hit the ground with brutal force, pain lancing through me. "Leave my family alone," I gritted through my teeth, but my body was barely responsive. The bandits' laughter echoed as they closed in.
"Hey, boss, there's a woman and a kid here," one of them called out. "They'll fetch us a good price."
I felt my world closing in on me. My legs wouldn't move. I couldn't fight. All I could do was watch as they approached, and my wife clung to our daughter in terror. "Nano, run! Can you hear me? Please, take our daughter and run," I urged, but the words were choked in my throat. My wife's face remained fixed, still gripping our daughter, her eyes not even noticing the urgency in my voice.
"Oo, hey, looking at you close up, you ain't bad looking. Bet you'll fetch us a good price."
The sickening tone of the bandit's voice pierced through my haze of pain and fear. And then, through the swirling darkness, I heard it—the faintest whisper of a promise.
A flash of light. Flames.
In an instant, the bandit closest to my family was engulfed in fire, his scream cut short by the heat. The ground trembled beneath me, and I saw it—a figure, shining in the dark, standing in front of me. "You don't attack a man's family," the voice said, cold and full of vengeance.
The man was large, muscular, a beast of a man, and yet even he seemed to falter. I barely registered the next move—a swift, precise strike. The bandits' confidence evaporated as quickly as it had appeared.
"What happened?" one of them muttered, panic beginning to spread among their ranks.
A roar rang out, and the earth trembled again. "You guys should have retreated," came the chilling voice, and I knew—this wasn't a mere man. This was a warrior, the kind I had heard whispered of in taverns and villages alike.
I recognized the sword style—familiar, terrifying—blazing strikes that cut through the night, unstoppable as fire.
"Iai Arts, Form 2: Dancing Phoenix Flower."
I felt a surge of awe and terror in equal measure as the flames rained down upon the bandits, lighting the night like fireworks. My wife, holding our daughter, shielded her eyes from the brilliant light. The beauty of the attack didn't register in the chaos, not until the bandits were scattered, their threat extinguished.
"Are you okay?" The voice came again, this time softer. I turned, my eyes meeting the warrior's face—hard, worn, but undeniably kind.
"Yes, we're fine. Thank you… thank you so much." My voice shook with relief, though my body still ached from the blow.
The warrior smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "No need to thank me. I couldn't let something like that happen under my watch. Kaze is my home too. We look after our own."
My gaze shifted to my family—alive, safe. My heart pounded as I realized how close we had come to losing everything. I didn't want to think about what might have happened had I been too late. But there was no time for those thoughts now.
"Are you sure you're alright?" the warrior asked again, his tone soft but firm.
"Yeah. We're good. We'll be alright now," I said, forcing a smile despite the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. I couldn't help but feel a deep gratitude for this stranger, for this moment, when someone had come to protect us when we needed it most.
As the night settled into silence, I could hear my wife whispering to our daughter, calming her fears. My body was exhausted, but my heart was full of an emotion I couldn't name—a mix of relief, gratitude, and something else, something heavier.
And as the first light of morning began to creep over the horizon, I realized that, no matter how strong I became, I would always need others to stand beside me.
---