First Days

Zhao Fan's first few days were hectic. His parents introduced him to many strangers. Some congratulated the couple, while others wore sad expressions. It took Zhao Fan a while, but after listening to his parents during those moments, he learned his new name.

'I have to get used to that. If I don't answer to Sieg, people will think I'm an idiot when I grow up.' He groaned in his mind as he stared at his new world in wonder. As far as he could tell, his parents had never taken him to his new home. Instead, they had been staying in a small room a few floors up from where he was born.

He wondered if that building acted like a hospital as he glanced around the room from his mother's chest. It was clean and made from a smooth metal that made no sound when walked on or something hit it. However, the strange large flower that grew from the middle of the ceiling fascinated him.

When night came, the flower would glow with a soft luminescent light. But when his parents would become tired, the flower would stop producing light. 'How can it tell when people need it?' Sieg wondered as it disturbed his sleep when his father got up for the toilet in the middle of the night.

It was one of the many mysteries he had encountered in his short, new life. But everything he saw got him excited for his future prospects. The only thing that troubled him was the lotus inside his body. He could feel it growing and making new connections to various organs.

He did not know why, but just thinking about the flower inside of him filled him with comfort. It was hard on him when he soiled himself and had to rely on the woman who was his new mother to get rid of it. However, she always treated him with the greatest care whenever she handled him.

Sieg stared at his mother as she cradled him while sitting on a metal chair on the room's balcony. He could see from her expression that she appeared concerned about something, and that worried him too. After all, if there were problems within his new family, they would become problems for him too.

'Mom and dad look similar to humans, but I don't think they are. There was that guy with orange skin yesterday, and it seemed like he's part of the family.' Sieg frowned as his mother continued speaking in a language he did not understand. Then, she suddenly lifted him up and turned him so he could see over the balcony wall.

'What the frick!' Sieg exclaimed as a sprawling city full of skyscrapers appeared in his vision. Large trees grew on various spots from those buildings and connected to each other through their branches, roots, and trunks.

Sieg's eyes went wide as he watched shuttles fly through the air. At the same time, small figures used the tree network to walk between the buildings! 'This is insane! Is nobody afraid they'll fall?' Sieg's heart dropped as he watched what appeared to be a child swing on one of the vines to transfer to a different branch.

However, just when he thought he could not be surprised anymore, what he thought was an aircraft took off from a large building and headed straight up into space! Sieg felt like he was having a panic attack as he watched all of that.

He could not imagine how he would survive in that world with all of the dangers he perceived. The door to the room suddenly swished open as it retracted inside the wall. His father entered the room with a solemn look on his face as two figures followed him.

'No!' Sieg complained as his mother stood up, and took him away from those breathtaking yet terrifying sights. Sieg's mind was a mess of many thoughts as the adults started to speak with each other. 'Damn it! I wish I could understand them!'

He paid close attention to them, hoping to pick up some words as soon as possible. But eventually, he resigned himself to defeat as he felt his small body growing tired. The last thing he saw was his mother's loving expression and his father talking heatedly with their guests.

"Keep it down, please," Vena said as she lay Sieg down on the bed. "The baby's just fell asleep."

"My apologies, Vena," Larful replied as she bowed. "I understand you must be quite tired yourself. We'll try to keep this brief."

"As I was saying, Jira," Phocter said after clearing his throat. "We know it must be hard on you. Sieg here is your fifth child. He's also the third failure. However, you have an oath to uphold. You can't just cancel your missions."

"Phocter, I never said I was quitting. I just want a transfer to an instructor role for now." Jira sighed as he smiled at his guests. "As you've said, three of my children are failures. I want to focus on my family's legacy. Which means taking time to train my children who will become knights."

"It's not just that," Jira continued as he glanced at his wife. "But I believe it's important to start focusing on the next generation. It won't be long til most of the old guard retire. At the same time, crime across the empire is growing. Just last week I had to take care of a pirate fleet in the Kiderean Straight."

"We just want to make sure the next generation can handle themselves and be of service." Vena chimed in as she stared at Sieg breathing softly. "It also allows us to spend some time with our family and make sure they'll be ok. It's not a permanent transfer. Just for the next twelve to twenty years."

Phocter sighed as Larful wore a pensive expression. Jira could tell this was the moment that would decide if they could successfully raise Sieg without anyone finding out about him. A slight smile appeared on the edge of his mouth as Phocter shrugged.

"Ok, have it your way. You'll both need great results with the recruits so your careers won't be affected." Phocter replied with a short laugh. "I can start the paperwork to have you attend the Purple Petal Academy. Only the best will do for someone of your caliber, Jira."

"As for you, Vena." Larful cut in as she looked at her long-term friend. "You're not qualified to teach there. You're still a Stem, so perhaps we could swing full-time leave for you. That way you can focus on training and raising your kids. Of course, I suspect Jira will want to train them in his spare time."

"Actually, we plan to move away from Kvarra." Jira replied with an apologetic smile. "It's an enticing offer, but we're thinking of something in the region of Ghisler."

"What?" Phocter yelped in shock as he stared at Jira. "That's way out in the boonies! Only low-class Knights and their families live out there!"

"I agree with Phocter," Larful said as she stared at Vena with a grim expression. "They're not deserving of your family out there. You have a comfortable place right here in the Clan's capital. Why would you make such a foolish decision?"

"I, well, we thought," Vena began as she took Larful's hands in her own. "It would be best to raise the standards of the Root Knights. They'd become far more valuable to the clan if they received a better education in our ways."

Phocter and Larful exchanged a dubious glance before excusing themselves to talk about it in private. Jira glanced at his son on the bed with a frown on his face.

"Do you think they'll go for it?" Vena asked in a low voice as she reached for Jira's hand.

"I'm sure they will. No one with our kind of reputation would ever volunteer to instruct the Root Knights out there. Even if someone from that region advances, they quickly move to a better region. They're severely lacking in talented instructors that could increase the promotion rate from there." Jira replied with a long sigh. "I'm just glad they seemed satisfied with Sieg's birth record Nina provided."

"What do we tell our other kids? They won't be happy about the move." Vena said as she chewed on her bottom lip. "They're bound to act out."

"I'd be surprised if they didn't." Jira chuckled as he glanced at the door. "But they'll just have to accept it for what it is. Besides, Arik will keep the younger ones in line."

"I have to admit we got lucky with him. He's so talented and caring. We couldn't have asked for better." Vena replied as she wiped a tear from her eye. "It'll just be hard moving away from all our friends."

The door suddenly swished open as Phocter returned to the room, alone. He glanced at the couple momentarily before smiling slightly.

"I ran it by the Elders. Your transfers have been approved. Congratulations, Instructors."