04 - The Way Forward

POV Hontar Adoldia

My name is Hontar Adoldia, a warrior from the Doldia tribe. You could say I'm relatively strong—if I had to estimate, I'd say I'm at the level humans would consider "advanced" among warriors, which makes me one of the strongest in the tribe.

I've never left the Great Forest, except for one time when I joined an expedition to rescue our enslaved people. It was also when I met and saved my wife, Selene Adoldia. Perhaps because she had been influenced by human society and had lived much of her life as a slave, she was different, but not in a bad way. When I saw the lifeless look in her eyes turn to radiant hope after I rescued her, I had already fallen in love.

Selene didn't stop me when I confessed my love. It was more as though she had been eagerly waiting for it. She never spoke much about her time as a slave, saying it was a dark period, in contrast to her current cheerful and affectionate self. It was as if every second after that was making up for the lost years.

But I wasn't complaining. It was that kindness and brightness that made me fall in love with her in the end.

Our life reached its peak after the mating season. Selene was pregnant, and I was so excited, but I made sure to keep my exterior calm and serious. Selene, in contrast to what I expected, was calm and relaxed, not seeming worried at all, just genuinely happy.

Her pregnancy wasn't without complications. The baby moved a lot, and with each movement came a wave of pain for Selene. It got serious enough for me to seek help from an elf healer, Verdia, who owed me a favor. With her overseeing the pregnancy and casting healing spells when necessary, the baby was finally born. The birth itself wasn't difficult; just the tribe's midwife was there, and that was enough. When I saw him healthy, I was overjoyed.

Watching Rygar grow up was like watching a storm form on the horizon: unpredictable, powerful, and significant. From a young age, he showed something special. His eyes, his reactions, his curiosity, and especially the intensity I felt whenever I paid attention to him.

Once again, I wasn't complaining. My life couldn't have been more perfect. I had an heir, and his talent was astonishing. I was worried at first because he reminded me of Ghislaine, the beast girl from the Dedoldia tribe. Her feral instincts were so strong that she was more beast than man, and she really couldn't live in society. But, fortunately, my son didn't have that problem. He was the complete opposite—very intelligent, learning and absorbing everything around him quickly.

His immense strength and intelligence started making me think: maybe he would be the one to take the beast race to a new level. As a result, I began pushing him harder, giving him challenge after challenge, which he solved with masterful ease. I could never show much pride, but when I felt his gaze on me, I felt as if he could see right through me. My son was sometimes frightening.

Another thing that surprised me: Verdia, contrary to what she had intended, became attached to my son. She had initially planned to leave after confirming he was healthy, but due to his persistent attachment, she decided to stay a few more years until he grew up. Elves are strange when it comes to time—what feels like nothing to them could be years to us.

She told me that my son might have talent for magic. I'm starting to wonder if there's anything he isn't good at. Except for those times when he's overtaken by his instincts, of course, where apparently all his cunning and intelligence vanish.

I smiled as I remembered him running on all fours after a rabbit, as if it were his prey—his love for meat was evident.

"May the great fire's protection be in the place you seek. I call the bold heat of a torch here and now. Fireball!"

"I did it..." A child's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Verdia had called me to follow her and Rygar to a small clearing to witness something. Now I could see a small Fireball floating in front of my excited son.

Verdia, with her serene gaze and a smile on her face, turned to me and said, "I didn't expect less. He learns quickly."

I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off him, stunned and shocked. "My son can cast magic at the age of 3?!"

"Indeed, you can already consider yourself a beginner fire mage, little Rygar," Verdia replied, lifting the boy into the air by his arms. My son looked as though he had been punched by an invisible force upon hearing the last part, but soon recovered and smiled.

"Let's try the others now!" And so, on that day, my son became a beginner mage of fire, water, earth, and wind, struggling a bit with the last one, trying three times before succeeding.

MC's POV

These last two years have been filled with new discoveries, first and foremost, magic.

After seeing my growing interest and insisting so much, Verdia agreed to teach me, as long as I had my parents' approval. My father agreed easily, but my mother was more demanding.

She declared that she would only allow me to learn magic once I could read and write, arguing that mages needed to be intellectually prepared. While this might have seemed like an obstacle, I took it as just another challenge. I had always been interested in languages, and the morning lessons with my mother quickly had me mastering the written language of the tribe. When I asked to learn the human language too, she was surprised but pleased with my insatiable curiosity.

Another thing I was able to confirm was my theory about mana strengthening. After watching many of my father's fights, it became clear that many fighters enhanced their blows with mana. I tried to replicate the result during this time, but I didn't have much success until now. When I asked my father about it, he told me that this energy was called Battle Aura, something you acquired naturally through training.

I didn't really need it at the moment, as my natural strength was growing faster every day, to the point where my strength already rivaled the adults in the tribe. But I didn't know how far it would take me, so I continued my Battle Aura training for now.

The most significant discovery, however, came when I realized something extraordinary about my mana. One day, after focusing my gaze to the point of exhaustion and almost passing out from a lack of mana, I noticed that, when I recovered, I could keep my Magic Eye active for longer than before. This discovery led me to conduct several experiments, where I confirmed that whenever I completely drained my mana reserves in a day, they regenerated bigger the next day. When I shared this with Verdia, she was surprised, as she believed, like most mages, that the amount of mana was fixed since birth. I realized that this peculiarity could be a unique advantage, as long as I continued to use it strategically.

These two years were full of discoveries and advancements, but I knew I still had much to learn. With each small victory, my curiosity grew, and I sought to learn more about this new world.

In the following months, before I turned three and started my physical training with my father, I spent my days discovering new things. My mother, Selene, was tirelessly kind and loving, and her affection reflected in everything she did. When Verdia began teaching me magic, my mother was always close by, often watching with a look of pride or encouraging me with kind words.

Verdia, in turn, was a well of patience. I felt comfortable asking questions, even when I knew they might seem obvious or annoying. One day, while learning fire magic, I asked: "Why does magic exist?"

Verdia smiled. "I've always thought it exists to remind us that limits are meant to be challenged and that even the impossible can be shaped by the right hands. Controlling it is understanding its nature, but also respecting it. That's what separates a talented mage from a reckless fool."

Those words stayed with me, and I applied them to other aspects of my life. It was a good philosophy to follow when it came to magic.

-

The sound of the wind passing through the treetops filled the clearing where we were training. My father was focused, his voice firm as he adjusted my stance during a combat drill.

As soon as he noticed my talent for magic, he began my hand-to-hand combat training, fearing that I might not find it as interesting. From what I understood, warrior training usually began at age five, but he thought it wouldn't be a problem if it were me.

"Keep your center of gravity low, Rygar. That way, you can resist the impact."

The first drill was a strength contest. My father was much bigger and stronger than me, but I had something he didn't expect: knowledge of grappling from my past life.

When he lunged to grab me, I quickly lowered myself, using his movement to seize his leg and pull it, unbalancing him for a moment. He laughed, surprised.

"Interesting! Where did you learn this?"

"I just thought quickly," I lied, trying to cover it up.

Even so, he noticed something different. My approach was more strategic than instinctive, and that intrigued him. Gradually, I began incorporating more complex techniques, like holds and locks, which, although not perfect for my child's body, gave me an unexpected advantage.

"You're small, but you fight like an experienced predator. That's rare for someone your age," he said as he knocked me down so quickly that I couldn't react.

"Aghh—"

"You're getting better. Again."

We trained until dusk, and by the end, he gave me a proud look.

"You have much to learn, Rygar. Remember, you may be strong, but you're small and inexperienced—don't blindly rely on your strength," he said wisely.

(Of course I know that, but did he have to beat me so much?! I'm only three years old! This is child abuse, I'm calling the police!), "Of course, father, I definitely won't forget that," I said with a sinister smile, which only looked strange on my child's face.

At night, after dinner, came the moment I looked forward to most: sitting beside Verdia and my mother while they told stories of places beyond the Great Forest. Verdia started, as usual, drawing maps on the cabin floor with a stick.

"Rygar, did you know that beyond this forest, there are lands so different they could seem like another world?" she asked as she made winding lines.

"What are they like?" I asked, my curiosity growing.

She smiled. "Milis, for example, is a kingdom of religious humans. Their cities are surrounded by tall walls, and many people there follow the laws of Saint Milis. They believe in order and purity, or at least, that's what they say."

My mother, Selene, leaned in, adding: "But not everyone in the world follows those beliefs. The kingdom of Asura, on the Central Continent, is very different. They are the wealthiest and rule as a great monarchy. It's a place of intrigue and luxury, but also of inequality."

Verdia continued, her tone more serious: "Little Rygar, there's something you always need to be aware of in this world. There are those who see people like us, the beast race, as tools or objects. They're the slave traders."

My mother sighed, the usual brightness in her eyes dimmed for a moment. "I was a slave myself, Rygar. I've seen up close how they treat those they capture. That's why it's so important that you grow up knowing the value of freedom."

These words resonated with me. While my body sought physical strength through training, my mind sought to understand what it meant to be just and strong.

After three years living with these people, I noticed that despite their animalistic traits, they weren't so different from humans. The idea of others thinking they had the right to enslave them just because of their race seemed repugnant. But that wasn't something I could change in this world, at least not for now.

-

During my explorations of the forest, I began to notice that the other children looked at me differently. Some started following me wherever I went. Maybe it was my unusual ability to think logically and strategically, or my strength, which surpassed theirs despite being the same age. When we played fight or explored the more dangerous areas of the forest, I instinctively took on the role of leader.

"Let's go this way," I said, pointing to a less obvious route. "The rabbits tend to hide on this side, and the vegetation is denser, so we might find tracks."

"How do you know that?" asked a boy named Karun, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I observe," I replied, shrugging. "The forest speaks if you know how to listen."

They laughed but followed my instructions, and we ended up finding what we were looking for. Thus, my position as leader began to solidify, even though I never asked for it.

-

It was during a family dinner that my father mentioned something that stirred the entire tribe.

"Gyes is excited," Hontar started, with a light smile on his face. "His wife is pregnant."

Selene beamed. "That's wonderful! The next generation of the Dedoldia clan is on the way."

Hontar nodded, but his expression grew thoughtful. "Rouge is also expecting a child. Two heirs to chiefs being born almost at the same time. This will strengthen the bonds between the clans."

I fell silent, absorbing the information. I knew that these children would play an important role in the tribe's future, but I also wondered what kind of relationship we would have.

My father said that the Holy Beast had also been born, but this will be kept secret from everyone until it is old enough. Legends say that this beast will join the hero who will save the world or something like that. I don't know how much I believe in this, but I guess I'll have to wait to see this Holy Beast first.

During the quieter nights, I found myself thinking about what I wanted for myself in this world.

I felt the desire to explore, to live adventures beyond the forest. But I also knew I had a responsibility to my family and my tribe.

"Strength without purpose is nothing," I remembered my mother's words.

My decisions would be shaped by these stories, by these teachings. While my body longed for battles, my heart and mind sought a greater purpose. Something that would give meaning to the life I was given.