The Idea and Permission

Right now Arthur was sitting in his room immersed in deep thoughts alongside Hades. There was a problem and a big one. So far, it had been 1 hour and they still couldn't find or think a solution to this problem. The problem was not a complex or difficult one, it was simple actually, really simple.

Arthur released a big sigh and mumbled,

'When will I train, 3 years have already passed.'

Yes, the problem was that Arthur wanted to train. Now someone might think that if he wants to train, then why doesn't he? Well there are two reasons for this. One, his parents won't let him. Even though he didn't asked them yet he knew that they won't let him train because of his position as heir to the family. Right now, Arthur was the sole son of the Blade Family and the next in line for the position of Patriarch simply meaning that he was the sole heir of Blades.

Even though the major families look as if they are really nice friends and always cooperate with each other. And that's true for some families but for major families they are always at each others lives internally. By assassinating Arthur Blade, the now weakest Blade family would surely be demoted from the major family position, resulting in a crippling blow to the Blade family.

And although one can assume that there is no chance Arthur would get assassinated inside his own house, in the house which itself specializes in assassination, there is no safe guarantee for that matter. Sure, Arthur's room was always surrounded by assassins and guards outside, but there was no surety that one could not get past them. That is why Arthur's parents always tried to keep him close, in actuality they didn't care one bit for his heir position. If someone even touched a strand of Arthur's hair, he would invoke the wrath of the whole Blade family.

They cared for his safety as a normal father and mother. They loved their son dearly, he was right now their only son and they didn't want to lose him, not even for the whole world.

An ever bigger problem was of his stigmata. He couldn't even train his stigmata until he was 5 years old and awakened it. Which meant, he would have to wait another 2 years! In no way was he going to accept this but it was the naked truth.

That left only physical training but that was also barred from him because his muscles were not even properly developed yet. Hades voice came as a reply to his head dismissing his current thoughts,

[Don't fret, I know about your urge to train and you also can't train physically because of your baby body still. But we need to wait patiently right now.]

That was exactly what they couldn't do and Hades also knew it, waiting patiently is a ticket to death basically. By the time Arthur awakens his stigmata, he would be 5 years old and those previous years would be wasted at him. Even though he knew the gods would also come at him in the form of incarnations, what was to say that the incarnations couldn't be stronger than him when they all will awaken the stigmata at the same time as Arthur. Moreover, not one but twelve incarnations and although he could suspect that due to Hades, he might receive a powerup when awakening his stigmata but there was also the fact that there was no guarantee that the incarnations wouldn't receive powerups when they would be blessed with a Guardianus.

'Tell me, is there seriously no way I can awaken my stigmata right now?' Arthur asked pleadingly

For a minute, there was no reply from Hades but just when Arthur was about to give up, he felt as if someone sighed loudly in his head and then there was Hades's reply

[There is a way, only one way to do it but you can awaken your stigmata. But for that we'll need your parents help. Its called Forced Ascendance. We'll need to ask your parents for a mana stone and a highly potent one with high purity. We will drain all the mana from the stone to forcefully open your mana veins and awaken your stigmata. This method is not possible and due to that reason it hasn't been discovered. A child would puke and die because of the high purity and mana quantity of the stone but with my help we can awaken your stigmata early though its going to hurt a lot. There is no guarantee of your safety which is why I don't want us to use this method.]

But Arthur wasn't listening as soon as he had heard that he could awaken right now, he was ready; there was no question. If to protect his loved ones in this life, he had to go through pain and suffering he was ready.

'I'll talk to my parents and convince them. It shouldn't be too hard since they won't think that I'm going to do an awakening but if they won't then I'll give them a reason they can't refuse.'

With that, he stood up and went out of his room with a new target and resolve.

*****

A stunning white manor stood proudly amidst lush, rolling gardens, exuding an air of timeless elegance and refined grandeur. Its façade was adorned with a series of gracefully arched windows, each framed by intricate carvings that added a touch of regal charm to the exterior.

At the entrance, a striking sign captured the attention of all who approached - two crossed symbols with a dagger protruding from the middle. The grandeur of the mansion was unparalleled, with its pristine white exterior standing as a testament to impeccable taste and unwavering commitment to luxury. The meticulously manicured gardens further enhanced its beauty, creating a picturesque setting that evoked a sense of tranquility and serenity.

The mansion was surrounded forests on the west and by mountains in the south. To the east of the mansion, was a stone pathway leading to a long path towards the capital of Caelum, Masglow. To the south, was another pathway leading to a smaller city, Astoria.

This manor was owned by the Blades, who preferred to keep themselves isolated to sharpen their senses and techniques. Inside the manor, Arthur was sitting in a large room with his parents at the dining table.

They were a happy family. They happily talked about topics and conversed with Arthur on whether if he wanted more books to study and Arthur politely declined both. Over these 3 years, he had grew up to love his parents as his light of hope, experiencing the familial love for the first time from them invoked warmth and love for his family in Arthur's heart.

"Father and Mother, I have a request to ask of you." ,Arthur politely requested when he felt the time was right and his mother and father both looked at him lovingly to see what he wanted.

They wanted to give him what he asked for because they both knew that over these years Arthur never experienced the normal life a boy should such as going to the city or playing with anyone. Due to his security, he was always holed up in the library or in his room with his parents. It hurt for them to see their boy like this but they knew it was necessary, if being holed up and in his room would keep him alive and going to the city and playing with strangers dead, they would without a doubt choose the former.

But was even more intriguing was that Arthur never asked for these things as well as if he knew the implications of these childish actions. He was always happy with himself and never asked them for anything. So now that he finally asked for something, they were whole heartedly ready to give him what he wanted if it was in their power.

"I want a mana core. One with high purity and potency." ,Arthur added without waiting for his parents to ask his need. All of a sudden the atmosphere in the room turned silent, the only sound was Arthur quietly eating his food with his fork as he kept his gaze towards the plate.

After some seconds, Alice politely asked,

"Why sweetheart? Do you need it for something special?"

Arthur looked up at his mother and although she was trying her hardest to maintain the same loving face as before, he could feel her grip tightening on her fork and the worry lines etched across her face. The same was for his father, but he was maintaining his composed face better and more so, he didn't intervene, he wanted to know first why Arthur wanted it.

"I saw in a book related something to it, can you give me please. I promise I won't do anything dangerous with it, you can even watch over me." Arthur requested with the cutest face a three year old like him could make.

His father and mother were still looking at him, as if what should they do? Listen to their mind that it might endanger his safety or listen to their heart and give it to him. After some seconds, Nolan's voice cut through the air,

"Lets give it to him honey. We need to trust our kid for once and you know if he's asking for something for the first time it must be because of some reason that is important. He's not like the other kids, he knows what is right or wrong so he isn't asking it without any precautions."

Alice looked at Nolan for a few second and finally she released a sigh and turned to face Arthur. She held up one finger and told him sternly,

"On one condition, I will allow it and that is the your father and me will be both present at the time you are doing something with the mana stone."

That wasn't an issue to Arthur, he trusted his parents fully and didn't mind them seeing what he was going to do. But this was even better as if something was to happen to him they might be able to help him. A large smile blossomed on Arthur's face and he nodded eagerly,

"Okay, that's fine with me."