n

n

nEvery time the tip of Drannor's staff hit his wooden longsword, Zaos felt his arms trembling. Even though he trained hard to increase his brute strength, he didn't feel like he had reached that level. In the end, Zaos clenched his teeth and strengthened his legs. When another attack came, he moved his sword onward and both weapons collided against each other. Drannor lost his balance, but Zaos's weapon cracked… at least a part of it. Zaos sighed when he saw the metal inside the wood. Meanwhile, Drannor was trying to alleviate the pain in his hands by moving them toward one side to the other.

n

"It is your loss, Zaos,

" Laiex suddenly said.

nNo one noticed his arrival, but Laiex was right behind the royal guards, who had completely relaxed while they were watching the kids fight. They tried to reassume their instance, but the damage had already been done. Laiex stared at them with cold eyes, and they began to sweat bullets.

n

"… Show me your hands,

" Zaos said after he approached Drannor.

nIn the end, the other boy had calmed down and didn't look as angry as before, so he quickly showed his hands. In the blink of an eye, Zaos healed his hands, and the pain disappeared. However, Zaos engraved the wounds in Drannor's hands in his mind. He only attacked fiercely for a couple of minutes, but his wounds were bruised the same way Zaos's hurts his after he trains for two hours straight. While he was quite the relaxed kid, Drannor wasn't only a genius. He also had the will to ignore the pain.

n

"Wow, thanks,

" Drannor said.

n

"Your Highness, you shouldn't leave the castle when your lessons are about to start,

" Laiex said.

"And you should use training swords to fight.

"

n

"She wasn't fighting, she was playing with them,

" Zaos said while he looked away, slightly annoyed.

n

"It doesn't matter, she could have gotten hurt,

" Laiex said.

n

"Yeah, the wooden sword could have bitten her, or worse a splinter could have scratched her hands,

" Zaos said.

"Drannor didn't even try to attack.

"

n

"Hey…

" Ameria said, annoyed since she was being treated like a frail doll.

n

"… Your Highness, please return to your carriage,

" Laiex said.

"I will escort you back home. You too, Drannor.

"

nIn the end, the two kids obeyed, but Laiex stayed behind since he still had some things to talk about with Zaos. Lyra tried to lighten the mood, but even Zaos seemed angry for some reason. Probably because his father watched the spar for a while and then said on purpose that he lost, even though he saw a while ago that there are no losers or winners in a spar.

n

"If you had practiced more with your sword instead of trying to study magic, you could have won,

" Laiex said.

"You can learn a few spells here and there, but they won't be useful in the future.

"

n

"Where is that written?

" Zaos asked.

n

"It is common knowledge,

" Laiex said.

"Most mages can't even scratch warriors that practiced for half of the time they studied and practiced their spells. Even worse, a half-assed warrior can never win against a warrior that can only see a single path in front of him.

"

n

"And yet, the demon god almost dominated the world two thousand years ago,

" Zaos said.

"The demon god alone was only defeated after thousands upon thousands of enemies ganged up on him.

"

n

"… Are you saying that what we did was cowardice?

" Laiex frowned.

n

"I am saying that no empire lasts forever,

" Zaos replied.

n

"That is true… in any case, it looks like words alone won't convince you,

" Laiex said.

"From today onward, we will spar together once a week. You can use everything you want against me, but if you don't manage to make me bleed a single time until you reach the age of ten, you must promise that you will stop studying magic.

"

n

"I swear it,

" Zaos said.

nZaos couldn't imagine the meaning of a promise that would last five years. He would have plenty of time to learn many spells in the meantime, so if anything, his father only gave him a free pass to keep following the path he wanted for quite a while. Regardless, after that, Laiex left the residence, and Zaos began to meditate. He couldn't relax just because he had five years ahead of him to win that bet.

nWhile Zaos was meditating, Lyra looked a bit troubled. She thought that father and son would develop a better relationship after the birthday party. Still, it looked like they were getting even further away from each other. Unfortunately, Lyra didn't know what she could do to solve that situation since Laiex and Zaos were too prideful and stubborn. Even worse, she couldn't understand why they couldn't get along, considering that they have similar personalities. Too serious and focused on the things they needed to do… In the end, Lyra could only pray that someday they would see each other eye to eye and find a reason to really respect each other.

nRegardless, the next day Zaos and Lyra found Laiex waiting for them alone and fully armored in the garden. In the end, he just gave the order to Zaos to assume a battle-stance, and when he gave the sign that the battle started, Zaos saw the world being covered in the dark.

nWhen Zaos opened his eyes, he noticed that he was resting on his mother's lap, and his head was slightly throbbing below his left ear. The last thing he could remember what that he would spar with his father…

n

"What happened, mom?

" Zaos asked.

n

"Well, I am not sure myself,

" Lyra forced a smile.

"Your father is fast, after he disappeared from my sight, he appeared in front of you, and then you fell. Judging by the position of his arm, it looks like he hit your ear with the palm of his right hand.

"

nZaos sighed after hearing that, he knew his father was no pushover when it comes to fighting, but that was beyond his expectations. Zaos had a long way ahead of him…

n