Secret Room - 591

After a moment of silence, his Mother, Skyler, spoke. "So, Skymender. There are a few years until you become old enough to be tutored. Do you have any passions yet?"

Skymender thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I just like playing."

Baron Sky spoke. "All people must have direction in their lives. You should find something you enjoy and dedicate yourself to it."

Skymender sighed. "Do I have to?"

Before Baron Sky or his mother could respond, Skybelle spoke. "Of course not. If you want to spend your life relaxing, nobody can stop you."

Her words effectively stopped Baron Sky and Skyler from responding. After a moment, they gave out defeated sighs while Skymender flashed Skybelle a smile.

Skybelle wryly smiled and continued eating. A bit more conversation took place, but the rest of the dinner was relatively quiet. Since it was already late, most of his siblings and his parents went to sleep. Meanwhile, Skymender had already slept and was now wide awake.

After waiting in his room for everyone to fall asleep, he stepped out. Waiting for him was the 7th child of the family, his brother, Skymerge.

Skymerge was quiet, and had been ever since birth. Even as a baby he had rarely cried.

He carried a book and a candle with him. He seemed a bit more tired than Skymender, but he was still far more awake than anyone else.

"Are you ready?" He whispered.

Skymender nodded. They tiptoed through the halls, soon reaching the family library. All that existed in here were boring information books and other things that they had no interest in.

However, in the back corner of the library, Skymerge lit a candle and tugged at a decorative vine.

The nearest bookshelf silently turned. As it did, Skymender and Skymerge stepped on the floor below it, which turned with it.

Halfway through a 360 turn, they jumped off of the bookshelf floor and found themselves in a smaller room. Though called small, it was bigger than four bedrooms put together. The walls were lined with shelves of books, and the least interesting of these books was more interesting than the most interesting book outside of this room.

Skymender took a book off of one of the tables, something he had been reading for a while. 

"The Tale of the Bug Raising Sky Fairy". It was a fantasy book, one which contained elements considered impossible or untrue.

It told stories of beings that could fly or even step through space.

They had always hoped that there would be truth to these stories, but there was no evidence of such.

The closest thing to fantasy was actually in the same house as them. Skybelle was a future Sword Master, someone who could face an entire army alone.

However, even the strongest Sword Master could not compare to the weakest Cultivator in these books. 

Skymender and Skymerge began reading with relish.

This room was hidden from everyone, though it would be a stretch to say that even Baron Sky was unaware of its existence.

He merely allowed it.

Skymender's favorite character in this book was not the Main Character, but a side character who could be called a minor villain.

He was known as an arrogant young master. He did what he wanted whenever he wanted.

He had briefly opposed the Main Character, but stopped after being defeated a few times. Now, it could be assumed that he was still living in the same way, just acting as if the Main Character did not exist.

He had only been around for a hundred chapters or so out of the thousands of chapters in the book, but he had stuck with Skymender.

Glancing to the side, he saw another book. This one was his favorite of all time.

"The Plot of a Thousand Years"

The book was about exactly what its title hinted at. 

Over the span of exactly 1000 chapters, a plot was slowly laid out, everything calculated, until at the end, everything connected and it all came together.

It was a perfect plot over a thousand years that ended in a seemingly inevitable victory.

It had broadened Skymenders horizons, just as many other books in this room had. 

Of course, he was only three years old. Even with the intelligence of a five year old, it was impossible for him to understand everything. He could only read it in awe.

After nearly an hour, they called it a day.

Skymender and Skymerge left the room silently and returned to their own rooms.

Although they did not interact much in the day, this was their greatest secret, hidden from all of their siblings and even their parents. They had an unspoken bond that brought them extremely close.

Over the next year, Skymenders lazy life repeated. He read many more books, finding out that these so-called "Arrogant Young Masters", were quite the common trope. 

However, no matter how common, he always liked them. That was because, in some way, he felt connected to them. After all, he was in a similar situation.

Today was quite a special day. Skybelle was turning 18. She had recently graduated from the Imperial school, ranking number 9. 

Although it seemed low for someone like her, this rank was based solely on intelligence, knowledge, and memory.

She, who focused on becoming a Sword Master, barely studied at all, yet reached number 9. It was an incredible feat only overshadowed by the 17 year old Sky the 2nd, who was one year away from graduating and still firmly in the first rank.

Skymender woke up early in preparation of Skybelle's return.

The whole family gathered outside as a carriage pulled through the gates.

Skybelle stepped out, and a huge congratulations came out simultaneously. 

Skybelle slightly smiled before walking towards them and receiving multiple hugs.

She looked at Skymender for a while and gave him a fist bump.

"So I guess you two are done having kids?" Skybelle asked.

Baron Sky and Skyler nodded. 

"9 is enough. I am satisfied." Skyler said.