Chapter 3: Chapter 2 – Surprise

After finishing breakfast, I felt full and satisfied with the meal. But to my surprise, my father suddenly suggested we go for a walk in the woods. My mother's eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion, and even I couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.

 

"Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Haha, just for a walk of course," my father chuckled, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Despite my reservations, I agreed to go.

 

"Alright," I shrugged, figuring there was no harm in taking a walk. I headed upstairs to prepare for the outing and change into more suitable clothing. 

……..

Mother's POV

 

As soon as my son left the room, I turned to my husband with a cold expression. 

 

"What are you planning to go into the forest for?" I asked, causing my husband to meet my gaze with a hint of fear in his eyes.

 

"Exercise, of course," my husband replied, trying to play it off with a chuckle. But I knew him too well to believe that was the whole truth.

 

"Exercise...I see," I replied, resting my hands on the table. "But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

 

My husband hesitated before finally admitting, "Okay, you got me. To be honest, I'm training our son on how to use swords."

 

I blinked. Swords? Training?! My goodness, he is barely five years old!

 

"Cael, he's barely five years old!"

 

"I knew you would be angry about this, Lea" He sighed and then explained "but he needs to be prepared for what the world will offer him,"

 

"But why so early? At his age, he should be out playing, not wielding swords," I argued, crossing my arms over my chest.

 

"Have you ever seen him play with other children?" my husband asked.

 

The question took me aback. I had to admit, Nex had always been a bit unusual. He rarely cried and had a constant look of curiosity on his face, as if he was constantly trying to understand the world around him. He never played with children his age or tried to make friends, instead preferring to read books and ask questions about the world. At first, I was worried about his behavior, but after consulting with other mothers, they assured me that it was just one of his quirks. Despite being a bit odd, I'd grown used to it over the years.

 

I took a moment to consider my husband's request.

 

 "Fine," I finally said. "But you have to be back before noon, or else..."

 

"I understand, dear," my husband said, raising his hands in surrender.

 

I shook my head and thought to myself, 'Boys.'

…

 

Nex Dalion POV

 

"Dad, why are we here again?" I asked as we walked through the forest, surrounded by trees with unusual pink leaves. The leaves rustled softly in the gentle breeze, and the sun filtered through the branches, casting a warm light over the forest floor.

 

"It's a surprise, son," my father replied with a twinkle in his eye.

 

'Hmm.'

 

We walked deeper into the forest, the leaves crunching under our feet as we made our way through the underbrush. Eventually, we arrived at a clearing in the forest, where a dead log lay on the ground with two wooden swords leaning against it.

 

"It's finally about time for me to teach you the basics of sword fighting," my father said, approaching the log and picking up one of the swords.

 

Did I hear that right?... Swords? Training?

 

I could feel excitement flow through me, but I kept a calm facade as I asked

 

"Aren't I too young for that?"

 

My father placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and looked at me with a pearl of deep wisdom in his expression.

 

"Remember son, there is no such thing as too young."

 

'That could be misinterpreted in so many ways more than one,' I thought. And so I asked,

 

"Won't Mom be angry?"

 

My father put on a grin.

 

"Heh, I already resolved that."

 

"Huh, when?" I asked in surprise.

 

"After you went upstairs, I especially told your mom that we would go training," my father said, a grin still present on his face as if he had accomplished a great feat

 

I stared at him with a blank expression.

 

Like hell, I would believe that. My father, the one who talks first to Mom? Eh, I would believe that if lightning strikes me now.

 

"Hey, what's with that expression?" My father said.

 

I turned my head the other way and mumbled,

 

"Nothing."

 

"Come on, tell me" My father cried out.

 

………

 

I sat on the log as I watched my father temper the sword with his hand

 

"You know how important this training is right Son".

 

"Yep" I nodded 

 

Well, I have no objection in the first place,  if I started learning early then I would have a head start on everyone else my age.

 

The thought of badassing everyone put a slight grin on my face but my father didn't notice it as he started demonstrating the proper grip of using a sword

 

" So first, you need to grip the sword like this," he said, demonstrating a proper grip. He then showed me how to hold the sword with both hands, his fingers wrapped around the hilt firmly.

 

"I'm gonna do some basic moves. Watch me carefully son"

 

I nodded

 

My father demonstrated a few basic swords fighting moves, such as thrust, parry, and slash. I watched attentively, marveling at my father's skill with the sword. I could feel that every stroke he does was filled with years of training and experience.

 

"Now it's your turn, son," he said, handing me the other wooden sword.

 

I held the wooden sword in my hand…it felt light

 

I hopped off the log and tried to remember what I had watched earlier,

 

I mimicked each move as best as I could. My strokes were clumsy compared to my father's, but it was expected as I never held a sword before, but my father was patient and gave me tips and corrections to improve my technique.

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As the training session went on, I began to get the hang of things and my strokes became more controlled and precise. By the end of the session, I was able to execute the basic moves.

 

‘Finally’ After almost an hour of continuous repeat, I finally did the basics. Am I a prodigy or something? hahaha

 

"Well done, Nex," my father said, clapping me on the back. "Now, before we move on to the second part, let's have a little duel."

 

Eh?

 

"Pa, isn't this too fast?" I asked, A duel? That took me by surprise

 

"Son, there is no such thing as too fast," he grinned.

 

"..." Seriously?

 

“You're serious?” I asked in confirmation 

 

He nodded

 

 I sighed as I took a step back and assumed a fighting stance, my wooden sword held at the ready.

 

Do I know how to fight?.. Well, I watched some videos and games in my past life so…No

 

My father chuckled and assumed his own fighting stance as well.

 

"You ready son?" he asked, and I nodded.

 

"Then onwards," he called out, launching into the attack.

 

I barely had time to react as my father's sword came hurtling toward me. I narrowly dodged the blow, my wooden sword clashing against his with a loud thud.

 

‘Close!’

 

I gritted my teeth,

 

‘Time to go offensive’

 

 This time I focused more on my movements as I fought back. I lunged forward, aiming a series of quick thrusts at my father.

 

He parried each attack, his sword moving with lightning speed as he deflected the blows.

 

"Good job, son!" he called out, a hint of pride in his voice. "But you need to watch your footing. Don't let me get the upper hand."

 

I nodded and so I focused on my balance as I continued to attack. The sound of clashing swords filled the air.

 

 Moments later, I was panting, my arms starting to ache from the fight.

 

Damn, my father is a beast

 

Seeing my tired expression, my father halted the fight.

 

"That's enough for today, son," he said a smile on his face. "You did well."

 

Upon hearing my father's words, I instantly collapsed onto the grass, closing my eyes as I tried to catch my breath.

 

"I'm so tired," I muttered.

 

"Well, I didn't say this training was easy," my father replied.

 

"But you didn't say it was this hard, either," I replied.

 

My father chuckled and fell down next to me, basking in the warmth of the sunlight that passed over us. "Well, a break it is" he said, smiling.

 

A breeze brushed past us, and after a minute of silence, I spoke.

 

"Dad, I've been meaning to ask you. Do you know how to do magic?" I asked.

 

"Haven't I already told you about that?" my father responded.

 

"You did, but that was only a little bit. I want to know more."

 

My father let out a thoughtful sigh. "Hmm, where should I start... Oh, let's see. My core is elemental. You know what that is, right?"

 

"Yeah, it can let you control elements like water, fire, air, and so on," I replied.

 

Since I was a baby, my mom often talked to me about Mana, cores, elementals, and other related topics, so I was not unfamiliar with them.

 

My father nodded. "That's right, and my elemental is known as lightning or thunder."

 

"Is it strong?" I asked.

 

"Son, all elementals are equal to each other. It all depends on the person's control over it," my father explained.

 

I was silent at that. So, all elements are equal to each other, huh? I had never heard Mom say that before, but if Dad says it, then it must be true.

 

My father continued. "As I was saying, my elemental is lightning. It allows me to move very fast and my senses are heightened to a certain degree."

 

"So When can I open my core?" I asked.

 

My father turned to me and poked my nose with a smile.

 

 "Son, you are too young for that. You need to be at least 15 years old to open your core. For me, it was when I was 23 years old."

 

'15 years, that sounds reasonable' I thought

 

.

..

...

 

Wait, 23 years old?! That's so long!

 

"Why did it take that long, Dad?" I asked, surprised

 

My father let out a laugh "Well, it's because not everyone wants to open their core, and I hesitated for a long time. It wasn't until my dad forced me to open mine," my father explained.

 

"Do you regret it?" I asked.

 

"No," my father said, flexing his muscles. "Look at me now, so strong!"

 

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Seriously, even with those muscles, you're still afraid of Mom," I chuckled.

 

"Hey! That's not true " my father protested, but I could see a pouty expression on his face.

 

I continued laughing as my father started to get annoyed but a smile on his face was present

 

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