Having made up his mind, Siegfried Barolt accepted the invitation of the wandering priest to join the Ardent Path, thus receiving a letter of recommendation from him, which he was to show to one of the priests of the Sanctuary of Order in Alma. As it was quite a long journey from his home-town of Piéblan to the religious capital, Siegfried's father, a C-Rank Swordsman, decided to keep him company, though Siegfried's mother would stay in his home-town Piéblan, as his parents and siblings were not going to move to Alma together with him.

  After a tearful goodbye from his mother, he bid her and his two siblings farewell and father entered the carriage which would bring them to their destination over the course of two weeks together with his father. Along the way, Siegfried asked why they would not be able to stay with him in Alma.

  “It's as your mother told you, once you managed to take root somewhere, moving away gets harder as time passes. Additionally, life in Alma is much more expensive than here, and your younger siblings themselves still haven't finished school yet.”, his father, Emil Barolt, a tall man with the same short, blond hair as him and a short beard, though not the same azure eyes, as his were leaf-green, answered.

  He was wearing the same armour he would while working for the Adventurer's Guild, with light chain-mail under his blue long-armed shirt, regular black pants, metal pauldrons, bracers, and greaves, all tied together and fixed in place with leather belts and straps. Though not as protective as plate-armour, the lower weight of the pieces of armour he wore meant he was able to move more freely, a must for his swift and precise fighting style. He had removed the sword he usually wore on his belt and leaned it on the wall of the carriage to his left, making sure it did not drop to the floor by propping his left hand on its pommel.

  “Ah...I see.”, Siegfried answered, a bit saddened at the answer he was given. His father was quick to notice his change in mood though, and laid his right hand on his son's head.

  “Don't worry, Siggi, we'll figure something out. For the time being, you can ask your uncle Lloyd for help if there's something you need. Seeing as he's moved to Alma 3 years ago, he should know his way around there. And of course, we'll make sure to pay you a visit as often as possible.”, his father assured him, as he ruffled his hair, causing Siegfried to smile and playfully bat away the hand.

  “By the way, you do have the sword I gave you on your 8th-birthday, right?”, his father asked, and he nodded.

  “Yeah, I stashed it together with the luggage.”

  “Good. Remember, even if it turns out that you are more suited to becoming a cleric, don't forget to keep on training with regular weapons, okay? Magic is good and all, but in emergencies, knowing the basics of melee combat can mean the difference between life and death. That reminds me, once we reach the first stop, let's have a spar. Gotta stretch our legs after sitting for so long, no?”

  Piéblan laid near the centre of the kingdom of Corazón, a few miles west of the Nieveterna Mountains, which served as a natural border from Arbrevie in the east, and a few miles north of Dorado, the capital city of Corazón. The road to Alma first followed the Nuncanieve Forest northwards, though it never passed through said woods, as halfway towards the capital of the Ardent Path, the road led westwards, towards the fields of Pasos Voladores, the Flying Steps of Corazón, a region in which one encountered multiple small islands floating through the air, similarly to how Edenia once moved through the sky, though neither near the same height above ground, nor were they even close in size to the 7 islands which once housed the headquarters of the Magician's Guild. After passing the Flying Steps, the road would again lead north, all the way until they reached Alma. Along the way, they would pass several settlements, which ranged from small cities similar to Piéblan to smaller villages and even the occasional inn built next to the main road, which would provide a brief respite for weary travellers.

  At one such inn, Siegfried and his father held their sparring match. As it was just for training purposes, they each left their swords within their sheaths, fixating the blades with multiple leather straps to prevent their blades from slipping out as they clashed against each other.

  Siegfried had first held a wooden sword at the age of 5, and was taught diligently by his father ever since. Though his mother, a former barmaid and now housewife, was against Siegfried following his father's footsteps at first, the talent Siegfried showed even at a young age, as well as his father's constant reassurance that he was merely teaching their son to defend himself in emergencies, helped ease her worries.

  “Well then, Siggi, as usual, the first attack goes to you. Show me how far you've gotten since last time!”, his father asked of him, as they faced each other with their sheathed swords.

  Siegfried took a deep breath, before stepping forward. Though he they were standing two yards apart, Siegfried managed to close that distance almost instantly, swinging his sword at his father's left leg. Emil had anticipated his son aiming for the legs, thus diverting the attack with his own sword, before attempting to strike his son's head with his free left hand. However, Siegfried kept up his forward momentum and went for a tackle, forcing Emil to shift his body to avoid getting thrown off balance instead of following through with the punch. Just as fast as he had closed the distance between them earlier, Siegfried spun around to deliver another strike, which was met with another parry from his father. Their swords continued to clash multiple times, each trying to find an opening or force the other into creating one.

  As the sparring match continued, a group of onlookers quickly gathered around them to see what was going on. To them, it did not look like a training bout between father and son, but a duel between two skilled warriors, as Siegfried's movements far exceeded that of the average 11 year old, due to him likely having inherited his father's talent for swordsmanship, as though Emil was merely a C-Rank, the average rank of all adventurers of the Guild, he was already approaching the realm of masters.

  Though he had many an opportunity to promote to a higher rank, he preferred not to, as though higher ranks would result in larger rewards, it also brought with it many problems, such as more arduous and sometimes dangerous work, as well as unwanted attention of those of similar ranks who are competing for high-paying jobs. Therefore, to protect himself and his family, he had taken the same path as many other adventurers, that of the Eternal Ranker, adventurers of great talents who remained stuck in the lower ranks for various reasons. However, he never failed to hone his skills, as complacency was the number one cause of death in his profession, and he passed on both his knowledge and skill with the blade to his son.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Though Siegfried still was no real match for his father, Emil knew that if he was facing an adult version of his son, whose strikes had more weight behind them, he would actually be in for quite the challenge, as Siegfried seemed to not only have a talent for fighting, but also for reading his opponent, as no matter how many feints Emil tried to employ, his son seemed to see right through them. It filled him with pride to see his son grow as a swordsman, and though he did not show it, Siegfried joining the Ardent Path saddened him more than it did his wife, as this likely meant he would have to give up the sword along the way, as though his family was not the religious type (despite them all having received the first baptism of the Ardent Path), he did hear of and met many a paladin, each of them either carrying polearms or heavy greatswords in addition to heavy armour. Such bulky armour and heavy weapon-types were not suited for the unique sword-style which his family had honed over generations, one that required swift and nimble movements paired with increasingly faster strikes, abruptly ending in feints which are then exploited by a strike or spell cast with one's off-hand or a kick.

  After a while, Emil ended their sparring match, saying they should go and grab something to eat. The two were met with cheers and claps from the bystanders, though Emil ignored them, as he reminded his son of areas he needed to improve upon in the future.

  “I saw you overreach as you swung the sword and you got thrown of balance after wider swings. You have to be more mindful of the added weight of the sheath as you move your sword. I know that this wouldn't be a problem without it, though you cannot be sure that you will always be able to fight with your own blade, for example, if your sword was to break and you needed to use a replacement for a while. A shift in weight or length from the weapon you are used to can make a massive difference in a fight, so you should try and account for it as much as possible.”

  “Huh, I didn't even notice that.”, Siegfried answered, deep in thought, before remembering something important.

  “Oh yeah, can we try that again? You know the breathing thing?”

  “What, you think you'll get it this time? Quite greedy, aren't ya?”, his father mentioned jokingly, and Siegfried nodded, causing Emil to ruffle his hair again.

  “Just like your old man. I remember asking your grandfather every day to help me unlock my aura when he first showed me what he could do with it. Alright, just remember, most people don't manage to break through until they are in their 30s, so don't get too upset if it takes a few years. Even I wasn't able to feel my own aura until I was 25, you know? You still got your entire life ahead of you, just keep at it and you'll get there eventually. Anyway, sit down, tailor-style, let's start right away.”

  Siegfried did as he was told, sitting with his legs crossed, his hands resting on his knees, and his eyes closed. Emil sat down next to him, and began to guide him through the training.

  “Imagine yourself, as you are, sitting on the ground. Take a deep breath. Your surroundings start to blur, as you become more focused.”

  Siegfried did as he was told. Just as his father told him, his senses started to dampen, as he no longer heard the noises of the wind blowing around them, no longer smelled the grass below him, no longer heard the noises of the people returning to the nearby inn.

  “Exhale. Your surroundings have vanished. You are sitting on the ground, surrounded by emptiness.”

  All vanished, except the floor beneath him, and the voice of his father.

  “Take a deep breath. Your surroundings are no longer empty, as the emptiness has filled with a vast ocean of energy, chaotic and wild, yet completely harmless to those within it.”

  It was a calming feeling, as if being embraced by an unseen, ever-shifting blanket.

  “Exhale. As the air leaves you, so does the ground beneath your feet. You float through the vast ocean, its currents now flowing towards you, condensing near you.”

  The blanket lifted him off the ground. He became one with the ocean.

  “Inhale. It is no longer air that fills your lungs, but energy. Your body takes the energy, and converts it into power. The power turns into light.”

  Siegfried suddenly felt a strange warmth within himself. It was a feeling he had never felt before, despite it feeling as if it had always been there, as if he had always carried this warmth, and was always able to feel it.

  “Exhale. The light leaves your body, flowing back into the ocean as another cycle has come to pass.”

  The warmth escaped his body as he exhaled, though it did not leave him completely. It started to swirl around him, pushing away the ocean surrounding him, intermingling with it, and slowly dispersing within it.

  “Continue breathing, each breath drawing your surroundings as they were before. The floor returns, the world unblurs. Open your eyes.”

  The world returned to him, and Siegfried slowly opened his eyes back up, blinded by the afternoon sun.

  “Well?”, his father asked expectantly, though it was clear that he did not think this time to be different than those before.

  However, the confused face of his son quickly changed his thoughts.

  “This time felt different than before. It's like...the things you said actually happened?”

  The eye of his father widened in shock.

  “WHAT? Siegfried, are you sure about this?”, Emil yelled out in surprise as he jumped to his feet, scaring his son, and therefore causing him to jump up as well.

  “Eh? Yeah?”

  “Alright, I need you to remember that feeling you just felt! You know, the one with the light! Can you do that?”

  “Erm, maybe? I'll try.”, Siegfried stated, before closing his eyes and trying to grasp the feeling from earlier.

  To his surprise, he could still feel the warmth within himself, as well as the diffusing stream of energy outside of his body.

  “Can you feel it?”

  “Yeah, kind of?”

  “Good, now stretch your arms out in front of you, palms up, and try imagining the light gathering in your palms.”

  He did as he was told, and the warmth started to slowly but steadily swirl towards his open palms.

  “HOLY SHIT! SIEGFRIED! OPEN YOUR EYES!”

  Frightened about the sudden outburst of his father, yet curious at the same time, Siegfried slowly opened his eyes again, and looked at his hands. There, barely noticeable, but still visible to the naked eye, a faint cloud of what appeared to be white steam swirled around, similar, though not quite the same as if he had just exercised in the cold.

  His father grasped both of his hands with his, and brought them to his eyes excitedly.

  “You see that? Siegfried, that's your aura! It might not look like anything, since you just did it for the first time, and you probably don't have enough mana yet to sustain it for long, but you actually did it!”

  Before Siegfried could properly process the situation, his father had already enclosed him in a tight hug.

  “No way! You actually did it! You managed to manifest your aura, and at 11 years old, no less. What an incredible day this is! You have no idea how proud I am of you right now!”

  As the two made their way towards the inn, Emil begin to rant on about how no one would believe him, but he would tell everyone he knew anyway whenever he returned home.

  The next few days, as they made their way towards Alma, Emil increased the intensity of Siegfried's training, as he wanted him to get a feeling for how to properly utilize his aura and vita. Currently, he was only able to slightly shift the flow to minimally increase his reflexes, though, as his father assured him, if he continued his training, he would one day become able to freely manipulate his energy, which would eventually lead him to attain skills which could rival the spells of mages.

  “As you know, you got quite the head-start. Keep up your training, and who knows how far it will take you. However, don't feel yourself pressured. If you find something else within the Ardent Path you want to focus on, your mother and I will support you regardless. Don't try to overwork yourself just to live up to our expectations or something like that. Just remember the first lesson I gave you: a day of rest may prevent years of injuries.”, Emil explained, as they finished their final day of training.

  Awaiting the long day ahead, the two went to bed earlier than usual, as tomorrow, they would set foot into the holy capital of the Ardent Path.

  Aura and Vita

  Both anima and arcanum can, on their own, influence their surroundings, even Mana itself, without being moulded by their user through the proper casting method. This phenomenon is known as aura manipulation (if caused by one's external energy) of vita manipulation (if caused by one's internal energy). The overarching term for these phenomena is Skills.

  Adventurer's Guild Ranking

  All adventurers have to complete an examination before they are able to join the Guild. This examination determines their class, their knowledge in terms of monsters, laws, survival-skills and other things, as well as their overall combat-ability. Depending on their results, an adventurer may attain the C-Rank at the highest upon joining the Guild. One's Adventurer-Rank will be displayed on one's Guild-Card, which serves and an internationally accepted identification card, with which adventurer's are able to pass between borders with minimal friction.

  Proof of Competence (via a promotion-quest or exam).

  Gem-Ranks

  SSS (Ruby)

  SS (Emerald)

  S (Sapphire)

  Metal-Ranks

  A (Gold)

  B (Silver)

  C (Copper) (average rank of all adventurers)

  D (Iron)

  Stone-Ranks

  E (Obsidian)

  F (Porcelain)