Chapter 05

We spent the entire night in the process of purifying my energy channels. It was a tiring and truly exhausting process. Yet the result would be something that many would kill to have.

The following morning arrived without our notice. I was profoundly fatigued. I had vomited so much of that viscous and clingy liquid, yet Ciel had informed me that he would need to continue the procedure for some more time, as just one night wasn't sufficient to purge all the impurities from my body.

The butler appeared at the cell entrance without making a single sound, as if he were a specter. He unlocked it and, with a nod, instructed the elder and me to leave our positions.

The sunlight stung my eyes, and it took a few seconds to adjust to the brightness. Beside the dungeon entrance, a butler I had never seen during the days I had inhabited Kaleb's body was waiting for us. As soon as he spotted us, the man approached and, disregarding me and Ciel, addressed Gerald.

"Sir, Lord Stein is demanding the old man's presence right now," he said, bowing respectfully.

Gerald let out a sigh. It seemed he didn't quite appreciate the other butler's presence.

"Very well, Elliot, just take him and get out of my sight." He said this, resting his hand on his forehead. That brief interaction indeed seemed to be getting on his nerves.

After Elliot and Ciel entered the mansion, Gerald turned to me with a smile.

"Considering you fainted at the beginning of the young master's training yesterday, he'll likely be quite tough on you."

As I was paying close attention to the butler's words, I failed to notice that we were already approaching the place where Stein's son used to train. To my misfortune, he was already there, wielding a training sword.

"Since we couldn't train yesterday, I've decided to start with armed combat. I hope that's alright with you." He said it with the most innocent look in the world, not even resembling the same person who had shot an arrow at me without warning the morning before.

I hefted the sword, feeling its unfamiliar weight—a shade heavier than the blades of my former life. Yet, the heft promised control. Fencing wasn't just Garrick Stormwind's forte; it would become Kaleb's signature as well.

I moved to the mark on the ground, gripped my sword in my right hand, and raised my guard. Even though this was just a training session for the child, I wouldn't stand still and take hits. I would fight.

He advanced without any warning, seemingly to finish it quickly. He tried to strike me with a lunge, but with a simple step to the side, I managed to dodge it. I took advantage of the moment and used the sword's hilt to strike the boy's head. A clear sign of provocation. I wanted to get him agitated, and it seemed to be working.

With that slight strike, he lost some of his balance and had to use the sword to steady himself. My move seemed to catch the butler's attention, as he began to pay closer attention to the training.

With a swift motion, the boy executed a spin, targeting the left side of my body. His anger fueled a desperate strike. It was so evident that it even amused me a bit, so I decided to toy with him a little further to see how far I could irritate him.

I effortlessly parried the strike and, using the palm of my non-dominant hand, pushed him away. I was sure I hadn't put enough force into that push, but for some reason, the attack came out much stronger than expected, causing the boy to be thrown back. He spun twice in the air before colliding with a nearby tree.

The impact was so intense that he released the training sword as soon as he hit the tree. The young lord fell to his knees on the ground, placing his hand on his face, which had been the point of impact with the tree trunk. A mixture of emotions was evident in his gaze: frustration, surprise, and the most conspicuous of all, hatred.

Blood seeped from a gash above his eye—a memento from the tree's rough kiss. It blurred his vision, painting his eye with a crimson veil. But even with this setback, he groped around, searching for the sword he had dropped. Before he could do so, I kicked his hand and struck him in the face with the sword's hilt. This would be my personal revenge against the boy and the arrow I had taken the day before.

Gerald had to step in as the boy's face was beginning to become unrecognizable. The butler pushed me aside and took the boy into his arms. Before turning to head back to the mansion, he glanced at me with an angry look.

"Kaleb, this won't end here."

With those words, he turned and rushed off to administer first aid to the child.