12 My Disciple... My Benedict... (Edited)

Val led Ben towards his own room.

Once they entered, he gestured for Ben to sit down by the fireplace.

Two elegantly hand-crafted wooden chairs finely refined with beast leather and delicate engravings were placed by the fireplace.

The beauty of the marbled wood and magnificent craftsmanship was an unbelievable sight to behold.

.

"Tia made those, she's quite talented isn't she Boy."

"Indeed, she is Master, you're the one to have taught her after all."

Replied Ben with a gentle smile as he met his master's gaze.

However, Val remained quiet, silently acknowledging Bens words however his sharp eyes said another.

Val reached under his bed, pulling out an old chest covered in emerald jewels that were either shattered, cracked, or missing entirely from their socket.

As he opened the chest, a variety of weapons, books, potions, and materials were littered throughout the chest as if it was an endless pit of storage.

Ben watched with his eyes bulging out, while his master rummaged around through the chest until Val pulled out a weapon unlike Ben had seen before, however he had this feeling that he already knew.

Then out of nowhere…

Ben yelled aloud like it was instinct.

.

"Dagger…"

Val looked towards Ben before turning to stare at the beautifully crafted weapon within his grasps.

He inspected the blade turning it around within his hands, checking closely for scuffs and marks.

Bens eyes fell on the spiral handle crafted from seemed to be beast materials, however it was kept together by a tight wrap of metal.

Even the wide blade of the dagger, while short in length to fit the classification of the weapon, helped the handle fit well with the charm of the sharp metal.

He twirled it around within his hands, playing about for a while without saying a word.

After some time, Val walked over to place the weapon beside Ben before taking a seat himself beside his disciple.

Val slowly sat down on the second chair of the hand-crafted pair made by Tia, rocking back in the delicate and engraved piece of furniture, which became a symbol of his daughters' abilities as a craftswoman.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, while settling the rumbling thoughts in his mind as he prepared to talk about the dark truth of the world.

For a while, Ben watched his master, curious why he was brought back here into his master's room and the fact of the dagger itself.

Ben looked over at the dagger and tried his best to examine the sheathed metal blade, making him question why the weapon wasn't more prevalent among adventurers because of its short design.

He realised the weapons they were always repairing at the workshop were always large swords, shields, and spears, making him question why the dagger wasn't more openly sold and utilised.

There were many questions Ben wanted to bombard his Master with, but he just patiently observed the plaited bearded Smith for what felt like decades.

In the end, Ben couldn't keep on with staring, so he started examining the pair of wooden chairs he and Val were relaxing in.

He was surprised at the level of Tias hand craftmanship, which easily exceeded his own, especially when it came to working with natural materials which were more flexible to craft with.

Other than seeing Tia craft some jewellery, accessories, or repairs of adventurer's equipment, Ben had never seen her own handiwork to this extent, as Tia never took on large projects like the chairs unless they were made for a specific reason.

She carried on a large part of the work in the smithery, so Tia never had the extra time to spend on crafting items sparingly.

Ben knew if Tia wasn't constrained by financial issues, there would be nothing holding her back from creating extravagant pieces of art, one after another.

Hoping in his heart such a would come, Ben continued to observe the chairs until he heard his Master call out for him.

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"Boy… did your noble teachers and mentors tell you stories about the ones that were 'raised' by the land?"

"Raised?" Ben didn't quite understand what Val meant.

He tried to think back to the lessons with Gloria, though nothing came to his mind.

"Mmm, maybe they address them as I might have… before…

Anyway, have you heard your teachers mention 'other races', am I right Boy?"

"Yes, but only my current teacher, Aunt Gloria has mentioned other races…

She said they were long gone though, even many believing them to be tales and legends at this point in time.

However, I like to believe they are still here, just hidden in the deepest parts of the world, where its difficult for humankind to reach."

Ben nodded slightly as he remembered the words of Gloria about people with various distinct features, but he wondered why his Master would address them as 'Raised by the land'.

.

"…They are real, … well they were real is the better way to state it…

Eons upon eons ago, the world was filled with all types of races, people with long pointy ears, some with shorter ones.

Others had very sharper facial features, while some bodies ranged in various sizes and colours.

It was a different era, where war was ever present, but it was a part of the natural order of life.

As time passed, these conflicts slowly became non-existent, and a time of prosperity and development came for all races.

Cities were created where various races that once had enmity were now peacefully living side by side.

That was until…"

Val stopped speaking for a moment.

His eyes closed for a moment.

He tried to control the emotions that his body wished to emanate.

Val didn't know how to explain the next part of the history to his young disciple without causing him to worry over something long faded from public knowledge.

The old Smith was covered in sweat, as the light glistening shine from his bald head caught Ben by surprise, making him concerned for his Master state of health.

In all the time Ben had known him, Val was always calm and collected, as if nothing could harm his tranquillity, other than the time he first met him.

But now…

.

Val finally regained his composure, opening his eyes, staring straight into the eyes of his disciple as be continued his recounts of the world.

Clearing his throat with a light cough, Val finally spoke after so long.

"… 'They' came…

Countless creatures appeared suddenly around the world with the ability to defy all profound nature and law.

They could swallow a man whole, transforming their form within a heartbeat into mouths larger than homes.

Claws that could cut mountains once shaped into the deadliest of blades…

Some creatures could fly, and terrorised from the skies, reduce the capability of air warfare.

The sea was also consumed by the creatures, awakening myths and legends into the battle of survival. 

The world as the people knew it was gone overnight...

Nobody could figure out where they came from…

Legends, Heroes, Mages, Knight and all those capable to fight went out searching for decades after the initial invasion of the creatures.

Those who returned were battered, bruised, injured and all round broken… physically and mentally.

Even after countless armies they weren't able to make a dent in the creatures when they first invaded, so many believed themselves capable… and lost themselves in the end trying to find the truth.

What we learnt was these creatures had human like forms, though their hands had the claws of an eagle's talons, their feet were like the paws of a lion.

There wasn't even a real face, rather the entire head was a sort of mouth, but it was an extremely smooth surface.

The mouth couldn't be distinctly noted out in the smooth surface, but the transforming ability of the creature allowed it to sprout out of nowhere.

Atop the scale, the creature's 'hair' resembled tentacles that could crush normal people with a simple flick, splattering them into blood and bones as if they were bugs."

Val went quiet as he closed his eyes once again.

If he noticed Ben rather seemed uncomfortable and turned a little pale so he stopped for now, allowing the young kid a break and a much needed one for himself.

It was hard for Val to talk of the dark history, often leaving himself and other person too stunned afterwards to talk, but in the case of Ben, Val wasn't able to stop.

Not anymore…

Not now…

It wasn't a fairy tale… it was the cold hard truth of the world that had been hidden purposely, however it was a foolish decision by the powers controlling the world.

For so long now, Val had been quiet as he watched the worlds ignorance of the past lead to acts of unequivocal level of destruction and genocide.

Those very acts were the cause of the previous fall of many Races, Empires, and Kingdoms.

.

Before he continued retelling the history of the world, Val finally opened his eyes and grabbed the dagger by Bens side.

When Val removed the blade from its dark leather sheath, the entire room became very heavy and oppressive, as if everything weighed of the air doubled in its original weight.

The suppressive force that continued to circulate throughout the room was emanating from the blade as it glowed in a faint reflective grey.

The feeling of a mountain bearing down its full weight on the bones close to shattering into fine dust.

Beads of sweat the size of peas was flowing down the pale face of Ben as his eyes were fixated and locked onto the blade.

The intricate carvings into the metal of the blade were glowing, displaying the artists detailed design and craft which seemed to have been done purposely.

Even the blades sharp edge was a clear indication of the care and love the weapon had experienced after being placed to rest within the chest.

It truly was a magnificent weapon.

Ben was confused as to why his master had never created something like this in all the time he had been present at the workshop.

Was this even crafted by him?

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"Boy… this blade within my hands is… it's…*Sigh*

It is the truest form of the weapon known as a 'dagger' that you'll find in the 'free' world."

Val ran his fingers across the dagger, through the intricate carvings within the mental of the blade and the beautiful wooden encasing handle which would glow a faint Malachite Green.

The faint green glow amplified the aura of the sharpness of the deadly weapon, reducing the weight on Bens body from the pressure exuded by the dagger.

Its side effect was its beautiful charm and a visual delight to the eyes when anyone would gaze upon the dagger.

The precise engraving within the handle told a story of its own, showing a warrior fighting with the dagger in hand and parts of his combat style.

From racing across the rooftops, to slicing apart an opponent and throwing the weapon at a target.

It was a work of art in Bens eyes.

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"Why have I never seen anyone with one of these weapons before master?

It would sell very well if we began to make them, however I don't know how you were able to make it glow in such a unique green like that."

"Its magic…"

Ben, shocked, didn't know how to act, besides his jaw hanging wide open.

He first believed his Shadow Energy was a type of magic, but because there weren't others around him who performed magic.

Kage quickly taught him the rights and wrongs, according to what he knew about Ullan.

In his mind, Shadow Energy was formed through the Bodys Affinity with the element and how they were able to draw in natural energy of the world to empower their affinity levels to a higher degree of strength.

Kage liked to call Ben an Elemental Practitioner, because the form of the Shadows was created from a base element of the world.

It could be said to be the same for magic users, however they tapped into a different source of the world energy, relying heavily on the external powers for their strengths.

.

"I heard it was a fool's tall tale… that was told in halls of bars with drunk adventurers all around."

Ben couldn't straight up tell his Master what his abilities were, even though they weren't magic.

While he had his own ideas about magic and its existence in the world, Ben no doubt believed his Masters words, but it would be difficult to find users in this day and age of the world.

Before Ben could say another word questioning his masters' words, he saw Val click his fingers together as an intense flame appear at the tip of his fingernail until bearded Smith drew the flame into his palm.

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"A lucky individual stumbled across a method to deal with the hideous creatures.

We needed to exhibit arcane ways of our people and utilise Magic again to inflict the most damage on the creatures, as methods of the new age hadn't worked against the hideous monsters.

.

Each race had a long period of history of war and conflict with one another.

The period of peace they were forced into together helped them gather and build their knowledge, so they weren't afraid of the difficult road ahead, needing them all to work side by side.

When they studied the old arcane methods and literature, they found Magic was the very backbone of each society.

Because society didn't pursue technology advancements, they continued to rely on their natural skills and abilities formed from hard work and laborious actions to strengthen themselves.

Once they started educating themselves in the old ways, society learnt to utilise their skills against the worst enemy creation had across Ullan.

Using their newfound strength as the 'Great Weapon' against the creatures, the transformed society began to have a fighting chance against their aggressors.

When the news reached all corners of the world and to the ears of all other races, everyone started practising the arcane ways of life again, even after they finished their battle against the creatures.

All races began focusing on magic and its integration into their everyday lives.

Soon the world began to change at a tremendous level, but with Magic at its core and foundation.

Whether it was food, buildings, or weaponry, Magic was predominately involved in the process.

Such things like this blade were littered throughout the world, as it became a commonplace to find magical weaponry being built and crafted.

It was a time of great prosperity during unfortunate moments of war and grief.

The dagger…, this weapon in my hand's Boy, is a product of countless races working together to understand the art of Magic, its principles, and complex laws to build something for oppressing and threatening another 'being'.

The war against the creatures should have been the end of all life, but the world worked together, driving away the creatures in time, sending them to a place unknown and restoring peace in their lands.

Even after the war ended, the races continued their research and development into advanced weaponry with magic as its core component.

They believed if they could advance the development of weaponry with Magic, they would be able to advance their understanding over the fundamentals and foundations of Magic, beyond what they already knew about the world.

This would lead to a greater advancement in the development of civilisation.

Once again, they could reach the previous heights they had reached with technological advancements, but now with the help of magic, they could achieve even greater goals. 

Unfortunately, where there is development, there is prosperity that can go out of control with a slip of the hand.

The problem lays within the level of prosperity and the level of development being managed at an equal level."

Val paused before he spoke again as he handed the blade to Ben.

Ben started to inspect the blade himself, only to find the glow had disappeared the moment it touched his hands, as if the lifeblood of the blade was gone.

.

"What has your Aunt Gloria told you about the other races Boy?"

Questioning to see Ben's attentiveness to his lesson with other masters besides himself.

"That they were long ago killed by the human race…

Was Magic part of the reason behind it, Master?"

Ben questioned, while trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Val was curiously watching Ben, glad his disciple hadn't thought of him like a senile man rambling about tales, but rather invested in history of the world.

"Yes and no…

Yes, there were humans that wanted the power and knowledge for themselves, to increase their standing compared to the other Races…

Many saw the power the other Races wielded and, they felt jealous…

Humans despised Races like Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and many others for their natural affinity with the magic elements, giving them natural abilities impossible for humans to achieve.

Some wanted them gone altogether, while others tried to enslave them to learn everything there was to Magic.

It was as simple as that.

Greed was a disgusting thing… especially the human type.

.

First off, the human nations decided to gather Masters from other races to educate their people for decades.

At the time it was seen as a decisive move by the Human Race to advance their prestige among the other Races and their influence in the world.

However, they were all unaware of the Humans quietly assembling a force in the name of battling the 'creatures' yet its purpose was to fight the other Races.

After the war with the creatures, they went on a rampage, massacring villages, towns, cities, and nations within a short couple of months.

The joint Human Race army was vicious and deadly, leaving no one alive, as mandated by their superiors.

Many Races were desperate to save themselves from going extinct, but many of the Elders within each of these races had other thoughts.

They believed the Humans would faulter at some point and be unable to wipe them all out, even if two remained of their race, it would be enough for their people to repopulate over time.

Their Races could come back.

In the end, the Humans were the only ones left, occupying the world, incorporating the land, technology, and other goods of the other Races as their own.

Finally, the Kings of the Human nations decided to destroy anything that could prove other Races inhabited the planes of Ullan.

Many habitable lands were razzed, forests burned, seas and lakes poisoned… all in the name to hide the existence of others.

The markings of a world filled with various cultures and civilisations was gone.

.

Not knowing the significance of some of these places that were destroyed, the worlds Magic source, an unlimited energy that could be tapped freely by any user of Magic as it supplied and maintained the worlds energy, was gone.

Destroyed at the hands of Humankind…

In time the Magic energy would become fainter, eventually leading to a world with only sprinkles of Magic left within the air.

There were methods, skills, and other traits which Humankind should have been able to absorb from what they had stolen, yet they couldn't.

They should have been able to finally prosper as they had always wished, though they needed to redevelop some of the technology to remove its reliance on Magic, it was an achievable task.

Unfortunately, the greed of nobility has no bounds.

Their greed to comprehend and use the knowledge obtained for their own growth regressed the world to the current state, where the strong prey on the weak.

The power is in the hands of nobles, while commoners are left with nothing.

Other than filling their own bellies, the nobles did not care about the development of the world, in the end many items that required magic were typically scraped.

Some were discarded after their value was forgotten as humans could not recreate the very intricate and complicated items without the guidance of Magic Users or Magic based instruments and tools.

The dagger you are holding previously could enhance itself by collecting Magic energy in the air, but with barely any energy left in the atmosphere, a precious Magic Crystal is the only way to use the blade within your hands now."

"…Right… so what is the 'no' part in all of this master?" Ben found it a little overwhelming to take in such a load of information at once, but he kept up with it to ask the other half of the story.

"The other Races failed…

They failed to protect themselves because of their pride, arrogance, and ideal that they couldn't be stopped.

Others thought the comradery they had experienced for thousands of years together with the Human Race would be enough to save some members of their races.

And they weren't wrong… It did… but all for the wrong and disgusting reasons.

They were all discarded in time and just as thoroughly wiped out as the rest of their brothers and sisters before them.

What those Races didn't understand was the age at which humans lived and died…

By the time the other Races looked back at their childhoods, humankind would be looking back generations, upon generations."

.

Ben played with the dagger in his hands, unable to comprehend how harsh of a time it must have been on the people of the world.

He couldn't imagine the grief those people faced before their own miserable deaths without knowing the fate of their loved ones at times.

Not before long his mind started to focus too heavily on the feelings of the people that suffered at the hands of others greed.

Ben focused on the blade before him to keep his mind away from the grief within his heart and stuffed in his throat.

The young Prince started to wonder if there was something deeply wrong with his emotional state of mind.

There were an increasing number of times when Ben nearly lost his mind, however by sheer determination and will, Ben was able to stop himself on the brink of emotional collapse.

Unable to do anything right now at his place of work, Ben instead observed the sharpness and curvature of the blade from the handle.

Ben tried to examine the techniques that would have been used to form the metal blade.

He checked the grain of the metal, but he wasn't able to tell anything, even with his heightened senses.

Unable to find any answers right away, Ben instead decided to ask his Master some questions.

.

"But why can't you make those now?"

Ben wondered why a dagger in general wasn't able to be made or seen around more among adventurers.

The young Prince understood the majestic blade wouldn't be sold freely on the market, especially with its light emerald coloured Magic Crystal, there would probably be some cheap imitates somewhere at the very least throughout the Kingdoms and Empires.

He understood the reason for Magic being a source of power for the blade to enhance itself and keep its sharp edge, but the methods to create the blade should not be too affected by the inclusion of Magic, Ben thought.

"It's because Magic is used throughout the creation of the blade, from the hammer to the smelter, even the anvil, everything had magic infused.

Every hammer strike against the Iron was infused with magic.

The hearths fire would be a flame consisting of Magic.

Every single procedure and method required Magic.

Hell, even the materials were Magical Infused items therefore the nobles who had control over the technology after the 'Purge Against the Devils', failed their hands at finding some way to use the items without Magic.

What was left of the Races was stored by the nobles to be forgotten by the world.

The Races began to fade away with time, and so was the collective knowledge of their work, history and culture.

Even though it was all forged over eons, their existence was all gone in a heartbeat, fated to forgotten to the pastures of time."

Val didn't like talking about the dark history of the world as it would always leave him in a poor emotional state.

He just found himself able to relate with the failings of the other Races, were lives were lost to fulfil the desires and ambitions of another.

.

Ben's heart ached; his eyes watery as he heard the pain echo from his Masters' words.

The felt the anger, humiliation, loneliness, and suffering crying out from Vals voice shattered the dam holding back Bens turmoil of emotions, he'd long tired to control and hold back but he finally failed.

Ben tightly clenched his fists in anger, feeling hopeless and lost, with the emotions shattering all of his senses and reasoning

As if the guilt and suffering was his fault, he questioned himself 'why, why, why!!! 

Why am I feeling this pain, why do I feel like I should have been there?

Why!!!

It's not my fault so why the hell do I feel like this!!'

His thoughts running amuck, he was drowning in pain, unable to the bear the pressure pressing down on his chest suddenly. 

Out of nowhere, Ben heard the Systems charming sound ringing in his mind, while unknowingly, a hand brushed by his face, gently wiping away the tears.

.

..

*Ding*

[Hosts emotional State of Mind has been heavily influenced and affected by System Source <#312 >]

[System Source <#312 > will be disconnected from Hosts mental cognition]

[Please wait Host while we make the appropriate changes…😊]

[Access to System Source <#312 > is restricted until further notice…]

[Hosts emotional State of Mind may be slightly altered…]

[Unable to make necessary repairs with current System operations and Level]

[Please wait Host while we make the appropriate changes…😊]

[Changes have been accepted by the Hosts current emotional State of mind…]

[Goodluck Host… 😊]

..

.

"…Boy you have a gentle heart and soul…" Val said, startling Ben who was focused on the System notifications before his eyes.

"Someone who would have been greatly loved and revered in the past… but now that gentle heart, and soul will cause you and the people you love, unimaginable harm if it isn't tempered to take on the cruelty of the world.

You must remember my words, my disciple.

To protect the ones dearest to you…

Who you love and care for…

To have them live in a world that is as gentle as your heart and soul child, you must become unwavering and able to deal with the hatred birthed throughout Ullan.

A soul that cannot be bound by grief or the pain of the world, you must grow past this gentle shell.

Grow my Boy, become unbound by your emotions and feelings that will hold you back, seek the injustices in the world and right what has been wronged for so long."

Val said as he held his disciple close by, gently patting Bens black head of hair, while noticing a small change in Ben, something at the very core of his being.

.

A smile appeared on Vals face as he shut his eyes, embracing Ben for a moment.

'There is so much I wish to tell you, but you are not ready yet. 

One day you will be ready.

One day…

But when that time comes. 

You must… no, you WILL save this world.

The one whose ancestor destroyed this world for his own 'greed', will bring about the next era of our world's greatness…

My disciple. 

My dear Benedict…'

All the while, a shadow by the door on the other side, wiped her tears as she ran away back to her room upstairs.

Unable to control the heart ache and sorrow, she buried herself into bed hoping the pain and grief in her heart would go away by tomorrow morning.

..

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