Road to the Shrine

The wooden sword that Bale used in our spar was crushed by Mother with ease. Looks like the elves need to step up their game.

After everyone had calmed down, Bale informed us of my 'immense talent' and how I was unconsciously using Spirit. 

That wasn't the case, but I'm glad he interpreted it that way. 

Shortly after that, he proposed a trip to my parents.

That wasn't a pleasant conversation...

...

Bale spoke with a bruised face, "I think I should take Linus to the Shrine alone. Parents aren't needed at the ceremony after all."

"What? You can't possibly mean that." Father argued.

"You want to keep our son away from us for months!?! Are you insane!?!" Iris screamed.

"Calm down. He won't be a kid forever, so you'll have to get used to him being away for longer. I want to train him during the trip. It's a 3-month travel to the Shrine, and another 3 months to return. Imagine the edge he'll have over his peers in the Academy." Bale argued.

Assuming I was asleep, Father spoke in a soft voice. "...Bale, that 'edge' doesn't matter, does it? In the end, he's Nameless..." Both Athan and Iris had a solemn look on their face.

"No, you're wrong." Bale, however, was quick to shut that down. "Even if his years at the Academy are similar to yours, he'd have an advantage over a bigger battlefield. He'd have an advantage in life."

"Hmm? What do you mean..." 

"There are frequent talks between the Dukes, Marquess and the Crown. Something big is about to happen." The Guild Master was revealing a dangerous secret. But he knew that this still wasn't enough, so he threw another card in. "And isn't it about time to tell him?"

Iris twitched before responding, "We know. He's just so mature for his age that I'm worried how he'd react. A normal child would rejoice at the thought of having a sibling, but Linus..."

The realization filled my eyes and my synchronized breath faltered. 

Mother is pregnant. That's why she always looked exhausted for the past few weeks.

A sibling...I'm not particularly against it. 

It would bring more problems than benefits, and my plans would have to be rewritten. But it shouldn't be a roadblock.

"If Linus is on a training trip, then you can pay attention to your second child without having the fear of neglecting your first."

"Are you looking down on us? We are perfectly capable and can take care of BOTH our children without neglecting one!" Mother lashed out.

"Dear, I don't think that's what he meant..." Athan argued, but his own heart wasn't certain.

"Think about it for the next week. As long as we depart 3 months before Linus' birthday, we won't be wasting time." That was the last thing Bale said before leaving.

Athan followed him, likely to talk more, and Mother was left pondering behind.

I think this is one of those moments where I need to show affection.

"Mother, are you alright?" I asked in a sleepy voice pretending to have just been woken up.

"L-Linus! Dear, I'm sorry I woke you up." She stood up and walked over to hug me. "I was just...thinking about the future."

I noticed her hug was tighter than usual, so I didn't say anything back.

We stood motionless in our embrace for a couple of minutes. 

She cheered up after that, and her fatigue was nowhere to be seen.

...

It has been a day since then, and I am waiting for Athan to return from work. Iris didn't go to sleep today, so the evening training session didn't take place.

"Ah, a knock! Looks like your Father is home, Linus!" 

She has been like this the entire day. Pretending that everything's normal will only make it look like it's not.

My parents then sat me down and explained the situation to me. What the ceremony is, where it is, and how I am going to get there. They also told me how Bale had proposed a training trip, but because I had only met him once, I didn't have to accept.

Naturally, I already knew these things and had given them some thought.

"Father, Mother, I want to go on the training trip!" 

A cute voice and teary eyes will always do the trick. 

Then they broke the news about my on-the-way sibling. 

I tailored my reaction to please them so they agreed to the trip. It worked.

...

Since then, bale has been coming over thrice a week to spar with me. So far, he hasn't been 'training' me, but just gauging my abilities.

I enjoy our fights. It feels like I'm doing what I was meant to do. No matter how hard I try, I can't land a hit on Bale. 

It's refreshing in a weird way. To try and hit something and constantly fail. An insurmountable challenge. It keeps me going.

He has a carriage ready for our trip, which should start...today. 

I'm spending time with my parents right now, and Bale is bringing over some essential tools.

The amount of food that Iris has packed for me is too much...it's going to spoil before I can even get through half of it.

"Hey! Athan!" Bale arrived with a small bag. Too small to hold any 'tools'.

I decided to trust him and not ask unnecessary questions. It was his responsibility to make sure my training proceeded smoothly. If he fails at that, then there will be consequences.

After greeting Father, he took me in for a hug, which I failed to avoid.

I'll skip over the tear-jerkers. Iris is pregnant and should take care of herself more than she does.

After we exited the city's boundary, Bale's expression changed. 

"Linus, listen to me carefully. We're going to travel during the night and train during the day. You'll have to sleep while we travel to avoid fatigue building up." He told me in a way that shuts down any arguments from me.

I answered with a nod, and he smiled.

Finally understanding why we didn't bring a cart-driver with us, I wasn't surprised when Bale pulled over at the first clearing of trees.

The next thing I knew, I was standing on leaves, sweating like it was raining. 

Bale was standing behind me with a hand on my back.

"When someone with the title of 'Master' channels his Spirit into another person's body, he can jump-start their progress." 

So that's what's happening right now. Even though I can already use Spirit, I can feel my control over it getting refined every second. 

It's the difference. 

The world doesn't like the skill difference between mine and Bale's Spirit and is trying to make it disappear. Since Bale won't let his Spirit control drop, the world has no choice but to raise mine.

A cheat code in every language. 

"During our first spar, I felt something within you. After returning home, I researched more than I had done in my entire life. There was a rumor that could never be confirmed." 

"Rumor?" I asked, confused as to what his point was.

"Amongst the first Five Heroes, there is rumored to be one who was able to influence the Spirit outside his body, without any catalyst like a crafted weapon." I couldn't see his expression, but I could tell he was excited.

Mother's library was lacking after all. I never came across such a rumor.

Bale continued, "But there was more. That one Hero's control over Spirit far surpassed that of the others combined. He was able to accomplish this feat because he had a core. A core to spin and regulate his Spirit, forming a connection deeper than the body and soul. The connection was such that even when the Spirit left his body, it acted as a portable limb, obeying his every order." 

My sweat had evaporated from the heat my body was emitting. 

I could feel a sharp pain in my sternum, right where Bale was channeling his Spirit.

"While others were stuck with a particular style of fighting Monsters, he was versatile and fearless. He tried to explain the basis of his core to everyone, but no one could replicate it. In the end, people wrote him off as an anomaly. Someone manipulated the history, I'm sure of it. Hardly anyone today remembers his name. I don't know who it was, but they wanted to hide the existence of this 'core'." 

A blast blew away Athan and my surroundings, while I felt like the center of the sun, forever burning. 

The burning sensation passed.

I held my hand out, calling forth my power. 

The last thing I remember before passing out was a leaf floating from the ground to my palm.