The Training Starts

The next day after waking up zephyr thought about the conversation and felt a balloon of happiness swelling up in his chest. He smiled to himself as he kept his hand on his heart feeling the warmth spreading through his very being.

As he looked at the open window, a sweet and beautiful sunray fell on his forehead and hair, illuminating them into a beautiful color of yellow.

He looked at his two-sisters sleeping next to him hugging each other and a worn-out doll squished between them. Being the destitute he and his family was just having one doll was more than enough for two girls to play with, as for Zephyr? He never played with the wooden horse carved by Leif for him. Instead, unlike other children of his age he was Interested in learning how to read and write. Naturally, being the loving mother grace was she called him a genius and accepted it must be her genes acting up.

A small smile crept on Zephyr's face as he thought of the conversation he had yesterday with his mother again.

"Oh my! All smiles from the morning only. Looks like my little dumpling is in a good mood." Grace said as she walked into the bedroom to withdraw something, "Something you want to share with your mommy here?"

Zephyr looked at his mother and saw her radiant smile which was as bright as the sunshine that was coming through the window, "Yes." Zephyr said while getting off the bed, "I have decided."

"And what exactly have you decided?" Grace asked raising her one eyebrow in amusement.

"What else, I'll ask Father to train me in swordsmanship," Zephyr declared in a matter-of-fact manner.

Yes, Zephyr needed to learn how to use a sword and get the class of swordsman which his father had. Why? because even after ignoring the fact that this world was full of monsters, he still needed to be strong enough to fight for his life with the curse on his a*s. He deduced that whenever his magic shall awaken, he will suffer from his curse.

Another reason for his decision to learn was because as long as a person is competent enough, they can have as many classes as they desired if they worked hard enough to obtain them, although their mastery will be laughable if all they did was attain classes and moved forward, and the final reason was the fact he didn't knew what the hell is a Chakra bearer, and he needed some weapon to learn how to hunt, so that he can eat meals that can fill him and his family.

Now comes the question, why doesn't anyone else thinks among his family members of simply hunting monsters to feed the family. The answer is simple, as his mother told him, the jungle where monsters lived was a dangerous one and the monsters that lived in it even the weakest creatures, travelled in a pack that made them as Strong as tier 3 beasts. Which would be as strong as Scorpio major to lupus minor. That would be almost four-five rank divisions above his mother and father' who were separated by only one rank division from each other.

So why would he want to do such madness? Well because he would rather not stay hungry and on the hindsight, he also felt a bit compelled to protect people who cared for and loved him so much and for that he needed strength.

"Oh, Thats a great decision sweetheart. Learn and grow even stronger than your father." Grace cheered him on.

At that moment, gates opened, and his father brought in some buffalo milk which they will have for breakfast. Although, they usually didn't have such luxury for breakfast, whenever his father stayed at home it saved the money that he needed to spend on expenses while being on duty, so this kind of small occurrence was not rare when Leif was at home.

"Father, teach me how to wield a sword!" Zephyr spoke up as soon as his father turned back after closing the door behind him.

"Huh? Why would-" Leif started but Grace cut him off with a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Honey I am sure you would be certainly as excited to teach our dear son, as much Zephyr is to learn swordsmanship, right?"

Leif gulped and laughed, "Hahaha, Why, that would be a would be a wonderful idea."

"Hahaha, right? I knew you would agree to our adorable son's one of the few demands he ever makes" Grace said with a laugh of her own.

'Why does their laugh sound so fake?' Zephyr wondered but the shook his head thinking it was probably his mind.

An hour later after having breakfast, both his sisters and his father watching him making laps around a clearing outside the village walls.

"There's still four laps remaining. How can you dream of wielding a sword when you can barely run three laps and start huffing and puffing on the fourth one? Do you plan to hold a sword for 10 seconds swing it thrice and die of exhaustion?" His father said slamming a wooden sword's edge on the ground.

"N-NOH si-SIr" Zephyr spoke while running and gasping for air.

"You are breathing the wrong way, Zephyr. Inhale from nose and exhale from your mouth. Keep your breathing normal and calm. The first thing you must learn is to know that there are fights you can't win even with a weapon. So, running away is your first lesson. Do you understand?" Leif Slammed the wooden sword twice on the ground.

"Yes-s-s-sir" Zephyr spoke and shut his mouth to breath in the pattern his father told him to, but found it extremely hard to do so, as he kept trying to breath in through his mouth.

"This kind of breathing will keep your body hydrated even through the long sprints and fights." Leif shouted as he saw zephyr starting his final lap. "And why in the world are you swinging your hips like a pregnant lady? Is that how you run?"

Isabella and Ava giggled as they both looked at Zephyr then Leif.

"SO-SORRY SIR!!" Zephyr shouted as he corrected his posture.

No sooner did Zephyr finished his laps around the clearing he fell on the ground, and sprawled on the grass gasping for sweet air that was flowing into his burning lungs.

Isabella and Ava rushed to his side one giving him water and another sat behind him. Giggling Ava teased him," Zeph you look like the time when dad had constipation."

Isabella giggled as well at that, and wiped zephyr's face which he drenched in water after he drank his fill, with her scarf.

"At least you didn't chicken out Zephyr" Leif spoke ignoring the two troublemakers making fun of him, looking at Zephyr and nodding in Approval.

"Rest for a few moments, we shall start with your arm training and core strength" Leif spoke and went to stroll around the clearing the three children sat in the side of clearing.

After his rest Leif made Zephyr do push-ups, crunches, leg raises, squats and many more.

'F*ck me sideways why did I sign up for this shit,' Zephyr cursed himself thinking why he even thought of asking his father to train him.

'Whoever said that a person must not make decisions when he is happy or sad was right ' Zephyr thought to himself while gritting his teeth during his second day of running laps around the clearing.

The training was already killing him from inside, the only saving grace were his two sisters.

Isabella and Ava being the cuties they were, loyally cared for him. Giving him water and wiping his face whenever he was dead tired laying on ground.

'They are Angels, bless them' Zephyr thought as he looked at Bella who was massaging his feet which felt like lead after so many exercises. They were currently in their one and only bedroom of the house.

"Oh, my poor dumpling." Grace walked in from the kitchen and then suggested, "If it feels too bad you can take a break."

"No mother, Father told me it will hurt at start, but a warrior must be strong and bear with it, not everything goes as we desire." Zephyr said Recalling the words Leif had told him.

"Aww look how brave my little genius is being." Grace as always didn't shy away from complimenting whatever right things her children did.

"That's the spirit Dumpling" Bella cheered him and sneaked in the conversation as she called him what their mother called him.

"I wonder when Father will teach me how to use a sword." Zephyr wondered out loud.

"It's only your second day young man you shouldn't be thinking about that for at least one month." Leif said as he stepped inside the room.

"Why?" Zephyr asked not knowing how sword was taught, or why did he needed to wait a month.

"Well unless you want to kill your enemy of laughter of watching you swing a sword like a bag of wheat you need more strength to wield a sword." Leif stated matter-of-factly.

"I see" Zephyr nodded looking at his hands which were shaking because of the exercise he did.

"Well, I came to ask you people to join the table. Ava and I are almost done with dinner." Grace spoke and moved out of the room slowly followed by three of them into the kitchen.