The golden hues of the setting sun painted the evening sky, casting long shadows over the open field. Twofigures stood in the center, their swords crossed, the clash of steel echoing in the silent breeze.
"Are you done already?" Renjiro smirked, his dark grey eyes gleaming with excitement.
His opponent, Haruto, grinned back. "I'm going to win this battle."
Without hesitation, Haruto lunged forward, sweeping his leg toward Renjiro's, hoping to unbalance him. But
Renjiro, ever the agile fighter, smoothly leaped back. As he landed, he noticed the direction of the wind and
quickly slashed his sword into the soil.
A sudden burst of dust clouded Haruto's vision.
"Argh! Damn it!" Haruto cursed, momentarily blinded.
Seizing the opportunity, Renjiro dashed forward, his blade aiming for victory. However, Haruto, despite his
impaired vision, barely managed to block the attack. His sharp instincts kicked in as he infused his sword with
elemental power.
"Wind Form: Wind Slash!"
A razor-sharp gust of wind erupted from Haruto's blade, cutting through the air at blinding speed. Renjiro
raised his sword to defend, but the force was too strong. The attack struck him squarely, sending him crashing
to the ground.
Haruto stood over him, sword pointed at his chest.
Selena, Renjiro's elder sister and the official referee, stepped forward. "Haruto is the winner!"
Renjiro groaned. "You bastard... Were you actually trying to kill me?!"
Haruto chuckled, lowering his sword. "If you died, at least I wouldn't have to listen to your annoying tease
anymore."
Renjiro sat up, scowling. "You're trying to kill me for such a petty reason?!"
Before their argument could escalate, a fist flew out of nowhere, landing perfectly on both of their heads.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
They turned to see Himari, their childhood friend, standing with her arms crossed, a fierce glare on her face.
"Enough, you two! You always fight over the dumbest things!" she scolded.
Haruto rubbed his head. "Renjiro started it-"
Thwack!
"Don't try to shift the blame!" Himari punched him again.
Selena sighed, watching the familiar scene unfold. "You two are impossible..."
Suddenly, Renjiro's stomach growled. He turned to Selena with a puppy-like expression. "Selena, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"
Selena shook her head. "I didn't bring anything."
Renjiro's gaze shifted to Himari, who blushed slightly. "I... I didn't bring anything either..." she mumbled.
Haruto snapped his fingers. "How about we go fishing by the river?"
Everyone agreed.
As they reached the riverbank, Selena took charge. "Himari and I will prepare the fire. You two catch the fish."
Renjiro frowned. "I can't."
Selena raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Renjiro pointed at Haruto. "Because he's terrible at fishing."
Haruto huffed. "I've improved!"
Renjiro replied "In your dreams."
Selena sighed. "Just catch the fish already, or you'll have nothing to eat."
Reluctantly, the two boys waded into the river. Renjiro effortlessly caught a fish within minutes. Meanwhile,Haruto was struggling to even touch one.
"You were saying?" Renjiro teased, holding up his catch.
Haruto growled. "Shut up! I need to focus."
As Haruto continued his one-sided battle with the fish, he suddenly muttered, "I want a girlfriend..."
Renjiro dropped his fish in shock. "You can't even catch a fish properly, and you're talking about getting a girlfriend?!"
Haruto shot him a glare. "Shut up! I'm better-looking and stronger than you!"
Renjiro smirked. "Then why are you still single?"
Haruto's face fell. He remained silent.
When they returned to the fire, Himari immediately noticed his sulking expression. "Why do you look so depressed?" she asked.
Renjiro turned away, snickering.
They cooked and ate their fish, enjoying the warm flames of the campfire. As they ate, Himari turned to Renjiro. "Are you aiming to become a swordsman or a mage?"
Renjiro chewed thoughtfully before answering. "More of a swordsman."
Himari nodded. "I don't know much about sword cores or mage cores. I only understand healer and summoner
cores. Can you explain?"
Renjiro sighed but nodded. "Fine. To become a swordsman, you train with weapons like swords or daggers until you awaken your core. There are eight core levels for swordsman ."
He began listing them:
1. Dormant Core (Dull Grey)
2. Ember Core (Fiery Orange)
3. Arcane Core (Deep Purple)
4. Abyss Core (Dark Purple)
5. Celestial Core (Silver)
6. Etherion Core (Yellow)
7. Omega Core (Red)
8. Aetherion Core (Pure White)
"Mages awaken their core through meditation," he continued. "They have three paths- Healer, Summoner, or Mage. But they can only awaken one. Mages also have eight levels, while Healers have six core levels and
Summoners five core levels."
1. Initiate (White)
2. Acolyte (Blue)
3. Arcanist (Green)
4. Magnus (Yellow)
5. High Magnus (Orange)
6. Grand Magnus (Red)
7. Arcane Sovereign (Purple)
8. Etherlord (Silver)
"Swordsman are naturally stronger physically, but mages have better elemental control," Renjiro added.
Haruto grinned. "I'm at the Ember Core stage, with Lightning and Wind elements!"
Selena smiled. "I'm at the Acolyte stage with six elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Ice, and Lightning."
Himari gasped. "No wonder people call you a prodigy! It's rare to have six elements at just thirteen."
Haruto crossed his arms. "It's common for people to awaken their core around age nine or ten. But... Renjiro still hasn't awakened his core, even though he's eleven."
Himari turned to Selena. "Why hasn't he awakened yet?"
Selena hesitated. "It's rare, but sometimes people take longer. Either his body isn't ready, or..." she trailed off.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Haruto quickly changed the topic. "Let's talk about dreams! I want to become the strongest swordsman and reach Aetherion Core. That way, I can help everyone in the world."
Selena nodded. "I want to be a great mage ever lived and reach Etherlord Core it's different but one day i will achieve that."
Himari smiled. "I want to be a skilled healer so I can help others."
Everyone turned to Renjiro.
He leaned back, gazing at the stars. "I just want to live a peaceful and happy life. Because... we never know when death will come."
Selena smiled softly. "That's a good dream."
Renjiro frowned. "Why are you smiling like that?"
Selena shook her head. "No reason."
She stood up. "Let's go back to the village."
As they made their way home, the night sky twinkled above them. The road ahead was long, but their journey had only just begun.