Chapter 8: Sharing is Caring

( Author Note: Holy shit, I underestimated the length of this chapter, sorry for the late post, woohoo I'm about to reach 30k in views?! without further ado here's your chapter )

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As the early sunlight began entering the world, the sky was dyed with beautiful hues of blue, purple, pinks and oranges; it looked as if it were painted by gods. As the Twin Horns and the Leywin family had begun to awake as sunlight breached the windows and creaks in the wood, each one of them exited their tents or carriages slowly yawning and rubbing their heads on their way out, apparently the night before they had caught up quite a bit

Syre was being carried in the embrace of his brother Arthur, the connection and bond they had created the previous night had made the either of them truly accept the other as their brothers and new family, Alice had a large smile on her face as she saw the two and slowly looked down to her stomach causing her smile to widen further, Reynolds also noticed the scene smirked and looked at his wife, noticing the gaze she had sent to her stomach his smirk transformed into a full smile.

( Some time later )

"Helen!" Alice shouted to Helen after they had set off, Syre had already been taken away from Arthur who was exhausted 'Who knew he would be so heavy? It's like doing an entire rep just holding him, how do mum and dad even carry him for prolonged periods' he thought, "Yes, Alice?" Helen responded and walked over to her "Could you take care of Syre for a bit? I need to talk to Reynolds about what we told you guys last night" Syre and Arthur who had listened in to the conversation were intrigued as to what they had talked about but soon just thought they were talking about the early awakening, "Yeah Sure I'd love to look after the little guy" Helen responded and had a kind smile on her face.

As Alice had walked towards the back of the carriage where Reynolds position was, Helen looked at Syre and then said "Looks like you're under my care now little one" Syre gained a thoughtful look

'Deus, what was her specialty again?' [ She's an augmenter who specializes in magical archery ]

'Learning from her won't hurt, I mean it will be useful for what I'm going to make my weapon eventually' Syre then looked her in the eyes, Helen a bit stared at the young child's piercing stare focused on the words he was going to eventually say.

"Can you please teach me archery? Pwetty Pwease?" He pulled out all the stops, even pulling in the 'Pwetty Pwease' which was an unstoppable attack ( AN: Intelligence check failed, Wisdom check failed, successful charm ) "Sigh, fine, but if your serious about this we'll start with throwing rocks to train your accuracy, then maybe we will do archery we will see when you get there" Helen said complete "charmed" by his words.

Helen dropped down from the carriage and went around the surrounding area, picking up a few choice rocks she marked them with an X using another rock and a little mana. She walked and sat back next to Syre and placed the rocks between them .

"This is how my parents taught me, we'd throw rocks and the different trees or things we see while we were riding in a carriage" she proceeded to show Syre and example by picking up a rock and tossed it in the sky a couple times and caught it again, she proceeded to do this a couple times while searching for a target, as her eyes focused on a barely sprouted leaf, she threw the rock and caught it in a similar fashion that you would throw a knife though this time it was at an angle, and flicked the rock towards the leaf, the rock spinning midair began to gain momentum and sliced the leaf in half the rock continued to spin and impaled a tree in the background up to the rock's halfway point.

'She... She didn't even reinforce her arm with mana, that was pure skill… Who the fuck were her parents' Syre's mouth had begun to form an "O" shape while Arthur who was observing the situation was also flabbergasted.

Helen looked at the sapling and formed a proud expression and quickly looked at Syre and saw his shocked face and began to laugh "Flies are going to fly in your mouth if you keep your mouth open like that" and winked at him, Syre quickly regained control over his face and looked at her with admiration.

"Mommy- I mean Aunt Helen, That was so cool! Who were your parents to teach you something like that?" 'I mean, most of that was faked but the admiration was real, that skill level must be at least at a Master or Grandmaster level of mastery' Syre said and then thought, completely erasing the existence of his slip up from his memories.

"...Well bud, that's a story for another time, for now let's get you started with that yeah?" Helen forced a smirk and ignored him calling her both "Mommy" and "Aunt Helen", crossed her legs on the carriage seat and picked up Syre and placed him on her lap. She proceeded to grab a small rock and placed it in his hands.

Syre gripped the rock in his hand but began fumbling 'Deus, can you direct me to the way she held the rock?'

[ Sure, Sir, you have to move your fingers… and make sure the movement is in the wrists, it's what causes the spinning ] Syre's grip on the rock slowly began emulation Helens fingers though his fingers were too stubby and small to properly grip the rock Helen slowly began adjusting his fingers "This will be the beginner grip, when you get a bit older and you get the dexterity you can try doing it my way" she then with her hand still wrapped around his raised it backwards quickly followed through the movements she had performed earlier without throwing the rock "See now you try".

'Deus, help me replicate the movements she showed me and target, however don't show where the target is I need to learn how to spot enemies from a distance' - Syre

[ Yes sir: *Lengthy explaination that I can't make up cause I'll get flamed by people who actually know how to throw things*: Heads up display active ] Syres' vision began to change, each direction was separated into four sectors 1 for ahead, 2 for to his right, 3 for his back, and 4 for his left.

[ Target Position between Sector 1 and sector 4 ] a notification of Deus's dialogue appeared in the top left corner, Syre then looked to his ahead and left of his current position

[ Adjustments: Move you're aim thirteen degrees to the right ]

'Possible Target sighted, Possible target is a newly grown branch with around three newly grown leaves, the roots of the tree in which the branch is on currently are above ground causing trouble to the growth of the fauna and only mushrooms are grown on the roots and dirt, possible targets tree is Cyprus and has a large slash wound across its trunk' Syre asked for confirmation and Deus answered.

[ Target confirmed, Fire ] Syre arm flicked downwards like a spring that was completely compressed, and the rock was thrown like a bullet it began spinning and speeding in the air cutting through it and swiftly approached the newly formed branch and stuck into it slicing through it with trouble and once the branch fell the rock lost its momentum and fell on top of the branch.

'Deus, check my status, I want to see if I got a skill

[ Syre Farlier

Age: 1 Year and 8 and a half months

Strength: 0.1(Original)-> 0.14

Agility: 0.12(Original)-> 0.16

Vitality: 0.16(Original)-> 0.19

Body Status: Mana Core Injury; The host's core under stress due to the strength of Leylin Farliers will, at the current rate the host core will survive roughly another 6 months before destruction

Mana Core Rank and Level: Solid Red(1)

Affinities: Fire, Lightning, Water, Ice { Earth, Wind and 'Holy' have yet to be gained and are still in the mana particulates }

Techniques and Skills: Astral Meditation Technique (Adept), Total Concentration Breathing(Adept), Mana Manipulation(Novice), Projectile Throwing(Novice), Marksmanship(Novice), Acting(Intermediate) )

Impurities cleared: 56.43%(Original)-> 64.12%

]

'Fuck, its gotten worse, how's the progress on the solution on the mana core problem? Even Leylin's own mana boosting my physique isn't enough to withstand the will strength'

[ Procedure Complete; Beast Will; New Information; Beast Wills are the leftover phantoms of beasts of "A Rank" mana beasts, these beasts can allowed their wills to be transferred to one person, most often these wills are transferred to their children however more intelligent species may choose a human, elf or dwarven mage to hold its will, mages can also gain Wills through Mana Beast Cores however the chances of this occurring are slim.

You sir must do what the mages of this world call "assimilation" in which you directly transfer mana from your core into your body, and bones, during this process rather than using the mana veins you must take it directly and transfer it into your body parts equally as to not cause imbalances... ]

'Thank you Deus, you really do live up to your name do you?' Syre thought

[ Ah, Sir, I wasn't finished with my explanation, during the period of assimilation you aren't allowed to directly cultivate your mana core which will stall its progress, however this will be solved as your second core will be formed soon, so you will have to cultivate that one instead ]

"Fuck" Syre cursed out loud causing Helen and Arthur to look at him in surprise "What's wrong? Are you hurt? And where did you learn that language?" Helen asked in worry while Syre broke from his daze and looked at her "No, I'm okay and I heard Adam say that word last night, is it a bad word? Does it mean something rude?" Syre's acting skills came in clutch and saved him -Unknown to him, he sentenced Adam to another tort-painful night as Helen had told Alice what Syre had told her- "Well… Okay then, you did a good job on that throw way better than my first try though if that's what you're worried about'' Helen sent him a reassuring smile "Thank you" Syre accepted the easy way out and agreed with her statement.

'What if I were to use 'Total Concentration Breathing' and the 'Astral Meditation Technique' could I stall the time of the destruction so that I can get some advancements made in the mana core? Also how long would it take for the assimilation?' Syre

[ Yes it would be possible as your body would gain strength alongside your mana core, however in the end all it would do is extend the inevitable of assimilation and would cause its process to last longer, I advise you to focus on assimilation on the first core and begin cultivation on the second core, as for your second question roughly 3 and a half years possibly more if you don't take my advice ]

'Very well, thank you for your council Deus' Syre thanked him still upset at the prospect of stopping his cultivation on his mana core for an extended period of time [ I'm always here sir ] -22.42% in developing A.I consciousness-

( Some time later around 3 days, the foot of the Grand Mountains )

During the time it had taken to reach the foot of the Grand Mountains neither Syre, Arthur or the Twin Horns were slacking in training, Syre, had still been training with Projective Throwing and Marksmanship though neither of them advanced a mastery level that was to be expected though it had taken him 1 and a half years to advance both 'Total Concentration Breathing' Alongside 'Astral Meditation Technique' to adept, the fact that Acting was at Intermediate spelled from his experience in his past life.

Though a majority of Syre's training was alone seeing as the Twin Horns were being taught the footwork technique Arthur had shown days before they each learned the skill and began to adapt it to their fighting styles. Arthur during this time was teaching the technique to them which had allowed him to gain some ideas on ways that he could advance the basic skill to more advanced ones though he currently couldn't test these ideas as his mana reserves were still too small.

As they climbed the mountain it was rather uneventful, the group still practicing their techniques and skills, Syre pulled Arthur away one day from reading one of the books about augmenters and how their elements make their mana take on different effects, "Interesting book, But I've got something more interesting, What do you say brother? Want to learn a new technique that'll suit your augmenter needs perfectly? For the small price of being my guine- target of observation, you can gain a technique that'll for sure boost your body to new heights!" Syre had said in a voice mimicking both a clinical trial doctor and a used car salesman, though he slipped up near the end, nearly calling him his guinea pig.

"Well I mean sure, but, just to be sure, you were about to call me a guinea pig right?" Arthur agreed though his tone indicated severe suspicion

"What… Nooo, I called you a target of observation, who mentioned this guinea pig, you're the only one who mentioned a guinea pig…" Syre responded outdrawn

"Right, suree…. Well then, are you going to teach me the technique then?" Arthur asked

"Huh? Really you agreed to become my guinea pig?" Syre asked a bit shocked

"Yeah Yeah, just give me the damn technique already" Arthur replied back

"Uh yeah…-*One length explanation and "proper" usage on how to use 'Total Concentration Breathing' Provided by the man the myth the legend Deus Ex Machina-kun, [ Please don't call me that ]*-" Syre "explained" and "taught" Arthur who had started to do the breathing technique who suddenly had the urge to go to the bathroom rushing outside and into the woods, he came back disheveled and his eyes hollow "The noises, I can still hear the noises, it sounded like Hell itself was screaming in agony as someone, no something no possible being could cause it that much pain, begun to torture it in the worst possible ways that would make Hell's sinners scream and squeal in horror while the punishers would scream in delight" Arthur ended his length monologue by passing out into his knapsack while Twin Horns, Alice and Reynolds looked in a bit of pity, Syre though was staring at his unconscious body -and most definitely traumatized mind- and poking it in various places.

'Hmm, his status definitely improves quite a bit, alongside the fact that around 25% of his impurities were washed out in an instant must have been the cause of the sudden excretion' Syre theorized while Deus had begun to store this experiments data under the 'Total Concentration: Constant' as it updated its progress.

The next day as Arthur woke up from his mind reboot he looked at Syre like he was his worst enemy in the world, he rushed over to Syre only to be stopped just as he was about to squeeze the pipsqueak to death "Arthur, not right now, something bad is about to happen, I can feel it, can't you feel it? After what happened last night you should be able to seeing as 'Total Concentration Breathing' permanently boosts our bodies through use" Arthur caught surprised by his words focused on the technique he had been taught and certainly felt the improvements his body, not only was he faster, stronger, more energetic and his senses were boosted, his intuition also warned him of the danger, however what was most prevalent in his changes was the fact that his body it felt as if it had finally accepted it -he had finally overcome the fact that he believed himself to be in his adult body-.

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1748 words for this chapter.

( Author Note; That's right, Syre's going to be sharing his techniques with Arthur, he's not going to selfishly hog them, he's just a bit tsundere which is why he called Arthur a guinea pig which was just him creating a justification )

( Author Note: I haven't double checked or reread this its 1am and I need sleep I have school tomorrow and just wanted to get this chapter out )