This Is Just The Beginning

"Where is father?" Aleric asked his mother while they were having dinner. Aleric always has breakfast with his mother since his father is always gone by the time he wakes up, and he mostly has his lunch alone. When comes to dinner, the whole family always has it together. So, the absence of his father was something new to him.

"There was an attack in the village so he went to fend them off." Lady Brienne spoke nonchalantly.

"Who?"

"Orcs, they are attacking more frequently." 

Enzo Xalvador is the lord of Warkinles, a small state in the human kingdom. Enzo is in charge of the villages in Warkinles, and it's his duty to defend and protect them from harm. A small village in the outskirt was attacked and he rode out with his knights to defend them.

"Are you not worried about his safety?" As a woman her husband left to fight against the orcs, Aleric was expecting her to be worried. Lady Brienne giggled at her son's question.

"Worried? Son, your father is one of the 8th-class warriors. Anything capable enough to drive him to a corner will be considered dangerous to the human kingdom." Lady Brienne continued her dinner. Aleric has studied the classes of warriors and magicians. They are all divided into classes and the highest class ever recorded is the 9th class and it is considered legend since no one has reached the 9th class in the recent time.

One can only be called an 8th class warrior if he is able to use an aura like he is using mana. One starts using Aura once he gets to 6th class, but the difference in using Aura in 8th class, when compared to 6th and 7th class, is like heaven and earth. As a magician, the 8th class becomes an Archmages and he or she would be able to change the weather in a large area. Aleric didn't study much about the classes since he is not even considered a first class for now.

"It's comforting knowing that father is truly strong." Aleric felt the pride in having such a strong man as his father.

"Yes." Lady Brienne answered quietly and Aleric noticed her sadness.

"Me being weak is not your fault mother." Aleric knew his mother have always blamed herself for the weak genes Aleric possessed. After getting married, they discovered she would not be able to give birth naturally. So, they tried all they could and used a lot of expensive potions and spells for her to be able to conceive. It was a long tiring experience but it was a success and she gave birth to Aleric but the boy was weak and not able to feel manner. 

"You don't have to convince me?" She dropped her spoon as she lost her appetite. Aleric held her hand and squeezed it tight.

"I don't need to, you gave birth to a strong boy and one day I will be the brightest star everyone would be looking at." The words of the five years old boy found a way to brighten his mother's mood.

"I believe you son." They started eating and talking about other things. Aleric was glad his parents loved him and he swore not to disappoint them.

"Aleric, I think you're spending too much time in the library?"

"Yes, I plan to step out from tomorrow." Lady Brienne was happy about that. After spending time together they said goodnight and went to bed.

"Tomorrow I will try and find a way to enhance my physical strength and stamina." Aleric said before sleeping off. He knew to have too much mana and no endurance to match it will make him tire faster. So he decided to start training his physicality since he cannot feel mana. If only Aleric knew how fast he is going and that no child of his age has achieved this level of success. 

Aleric went outside for the first time in months and everything seemed new. He knew it would have been easy to get an instructor if he asked his mother but he didn't want to bother his mother. Also, he didn't want anybody to know he was now not only able to feel mana but has a mana core. He needed to find a way to train without letting anybody know about it.

"How should I go about it?" He was walking towards the market and taking his time to look around the town for the first time. Their family castle is situated at the center of the town and is also its attraction. The whole town is built around the castle and everything looked like the medieval period. Aleric drew the attention of everybody not because he is the young lord but because he is extremely handsome.

"I feel he is even more handsome than the elves." A lady whispered and Aleric tried his best not to smile. He acted indifferently towards the people's remark, but inwardly he was excited.

"Get out of here old man!" Aleric looked towards the noise and saw a bar attendant pushing an old dirty man outside the bar. "Don't ever come back here." 

The old man stood up and staggard away, Aleric noticed something about the old man. Though he was staggering, he appeared to be in control and successfully evades everyone around.

"That's not a simple movement." Aleric muttered and followed the man.

Aleric kept following the man until they have left the populated area. He wasn't being discreet about tailing the man so he wasn't surprised when the man spoke to him.

"Why are you still following me?" The old man asked.

"Curiosity." 

"What are you curious about?" The man turns to face the five years old boy.

"How you were able to avoid bumping into anybody even though you are staggering."

"It is a habit that I mastered for many years of being a drunkard." He answered.

"But you're no longer staggering now." The old man was amazed at the observation of the five years in front of him. The old man wondered if the little boy was actually an old mage disguising as a child.

"What do you want?" He asked in a serious tone.

"I am looking for someone that can teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

"Teach me to become strong." The old man laughed at Aleric.

"Judging from your attire, you must be a noble so finding a teacher won't be hard." The old man was right but Aleric has other things in mind.

"I need a teacher that would keep my secrets."

"And what secret could that be?" 

"That I am a genius born once in a generation and I will shine the brightest." Aleric puffed his chest up to appear nobler but the old man only laughed at him.

"A lot of boys in your age believe that, be on your way boy?" The man said and dashed off and Aleric was unable to see his movement. Aleric looked around but couldn't find the man, he even used his mana but nothing happened.

"I guess I was right." Aleric was only guessing about the old man being strong but the cleared all doubt by his movement. 

"Don't think you have escaped from me, I will make you teach me, old man." Aleric said before leaving. Some might be sad about the ordeal but Aleric was in fact happy about it. He never expected he would be able to find someone strong on his first day of stepping out of the castle.

"Long time no see Aleric." Aleric was on his way back when he saw Gavin. Gavin was among the boys that made him eat the mushroom.

"Gavin." 

"I came to visit you but lady Brienne said you were not receiving any visitors." Gavin walked around Aleric, and it reminded Aleric of his days on earth.

"Yes, I wanted to be alone."

"Don't you miss us your friends?" Gavin feigned hurt but it was not enough to deceive Aleric.

"No, I am not your friend, don't act so friendly with me. I have things to do so I would be on my way." Gavin was shocked by the manner Aleric just spoke to him. Gavin is among the genius of the generation since he started feeling mana before any of his peers, and his grandfather spoilt him because of that. It was said he will be able to make a mana core by the age of 8 or so. The kingdom would be amazed if they knew that Aleric has already made his mana core in his heart.

"What made you so fearless." Gavin dragged Aleric back. Aleric is the young lord and that makes him rank above Gavin but because Gavin has spent years secretly bullying Aleric, he didn't care for rank.

"I should ask you that, what made you so fearless to drag your young lord." Aleric was never the type to use his family power, but he knew Gavin need to understand his place.

"Aleric."

"I know I have been weak in the past and allowed you to walk over me. I will have you know it would no longer be so." To prove his point, Aleric grabbed Gavin's hand and squeezed it as hard as he could. 

"Aaaah!" Gavin screamed but Aleric didn't stop until he heard the cracking of Gavin's bone.

"Don't ever block my path." Luckily nobody was around to witness what happened. Gavin fell to his knees crying while holding his hand. Aleric knew Gavin's pride won't let him admit what happened to anybody.

"This is just the beginning." Aleric said as he went back to the castle.