Chapter 26 : And despite it all, it was just another day

TWACK!

…

CLACK!

Sounds erupted from the training grounds, where the Watchmen trained. It was early in the morning, the sun had barely started to rise. The rooster was still asleep, and yet a boy was training there. The boy kept hitting the wooden training dummies, sweat flying off with each swing.

“It’s a bit too early to be up this early practicing, don’t you think?” said Gary the Watchman. He had a longer beard, this time. He stood there tall, yawning as he leaned against his sword.

The boy stopped, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“It’s never too early to train, Gary,” the boy said.

“Tsk.. at this rate, you just might have a chance to be a Watchman, Kieran”

“I’m not going to stay in this dead town, Gary”

Kieran was no longer the small weak child he was. He was now 12 years old, and the difference was easily spotted. He was much taller, his build much more defined. He had longer hair, and sharper eyes. He no longer used the child sword that was given to him, but used the normal adult training swords.

“You brat.. This town isn’t dead!” Gary yelled

“Yeah yeah, whatever old man.”

“O-OLD? You have a sharp tongue for a 12 year old, I tell you that! I ought to teach you some manners…”

…

“Are you going to try for Aldercrest this year? It’s the last year for their scholarship program.”

There was silence.

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you’re going to get in?”

“I don’t know.”

Kieran gripped his sword tighter. Gary noticed this and sighed.

“Well, don’t worry too much, kid. I know that’s your goal, but sometimes it just might not be meant for you,” he said, shaking his head. “You can always come under me in the Watchmen-”

“Screw off Gary,” Kieran said as he picked up his sword to continue training.

Gary smiled, and walked off.

Over these years, Kieran had been training nonstop. Every day after class, instead of going home, he would go to train. Ren would train with him as well, but after he left for Aldercrest, it was just Kieran. Liam failed at his chance for the scholarship and ended up helping out his parent’s bakery. Marie passed and went on to attend the academy with Ren. The two would often write to each other, with Ren telling Kieran all about his experiences in the academy, the classes, the professors, and how much fun he was having. Kieran would write back about his training and about Sarah and Mason.

Sarah ended up launching a restaurant business that did well, often attracting tourists and neighboring villages. Mason was promoted to Head Watchman of the East Gate, and was very respected throughout the village. Andrew, the village chief’s son, ended up going to the Arcanum Imperial, which was an organization that related to alchemy, and the study of Relics and Artifacts. He was actually a smart fellow, but it would often be shadowed by his constant troublemaking shenanigans. Many people ended up continuing or helping out their parents. The village, despite Kieran saying it was a dead town, was actually very much alive. More tourists came after the building of the Aldercrest Academy Testing Site #12. Across the world, there were a total of 25 different testing sites for Aldercrest Academy. Whichever testing sites a village was closest to, its inhabitants would go there to test. By some coincidence, the Aldercrest Academy’s Testing Site #12 was built right next to the village. Because of this, the village expanded and grew, not just in size, but also in population. Many families moved so that their children could get a chance at attending the academy. The free scholarship program had run up till this day, and it wouldn’t be terminated until the next 5 years.

In school, as expected, he became the top student. Many people looked up to him and wanted to be like him. He wasn’t a noble, but in school and the village he was like a higher commoner. There was an aura about him that just made them think he was destined for greater things beyond the village. Mr. Anavos continued to stay his teacher, sometimes even giving him private classes. Though Kieran often asked about Sinners, Mr. Anavos never talked about it and made Kieran swear to never reveal it. Through Kieran’s own observation, Mr. Anavos and Principal Williams were both Sinners. Mr. Anavos would sometimes slip up and say things that made no sense, which Principal Williams understood.

In just a week, the carriage that would bring children to the testing site would arrive at Brindle Village. This week, Kieran trained harder than he had trained his entire life. This was his one and only shot at joining Ren to become a Knight. Though Kieran trained everyday in the grounds with the other Watchmen as well, he wasn’t officially one, so he never got real combat experience against the Laktans. All he could do was spar with the younger Watchmen and learn from the experienced. Before Ren left, he received training from his father. Since Mason was not a swordsman, only Gary could really teach Kieran. Gary taught Kieran only the very basics, saying that Kieran was not ready for more, even though Kieran knew that Gary didn’t know what else to teach him. Often, when swordsmen travelled through the village, Kieran would ask them to teach them. Of course, they didn’t want to teach for free, so they would ask for a few silver coins. Kieran couldn’t afford this, so he ended up only watching them train. He would mimic them and try to copy their moves, but without the explanations and the right trainer, it was just an empty husk.

There was one swordsman that taught Kieran something simple. A battle is not just swords. Kieran’s fists, legs, even the surrounding environment could be a weapon depending on how he used it. Kieran didn’t understand this concept, but took it in as valuable information. Besides training everyday, Kieran would often go outside of the village and explore the forest as well. Even when many adults and Mason would advise him not to, he would venture out in secret. Sometimes early in the morning, sometimes he would sneak out at night, it was just whenever he felt like it. The forest taught him many survival skills. From time to time, he would often camp out there and wouldn’t return home for a few days. Sarah would scold him and Mason would be disappointed, but he knew that it was because they cared for his wellbeing, so he accepted them with gratitude. In the forest he learned to hunt, how to conceal oneself, how to stay hidden, things like that. It was the only way for him to survive, since the animals were very sensitive to movement and sounds. He would see Laktans and all sorts of creatures in the forest, but dared not to approach them because he knew he would lose. He was not like Mason, nor did he have any teammates.

As Kieran continued training, the sun rose and the Rooster crowed. He never got to cook the animal, but he stayed patient for the right day to eat it. While training, many people came to train with him as well. Even if he was only 12 years old, there was no doubt that he was talented. He could grasp concepts very well, and could adapt to situations. Children who looked up to him, his schoolmates, young watchmen and all sorts of people would often come watch or train with him. Many girls liked him as well, which also meant that a lot of boys were jealous of him. He would often try to help them by telling them to just follow him, but they couldn’t last with his training regimen. All of them eventually gave up and just thought of him as some sort of escaped human experiment.

Kieran kept training the whole day, taking small minimal breaks to recover and drink water. When lunch time came, Liam would drop by and bring some bread from his parents bakery, and they would chat for a while before Liam needed to go back to work. Though Kieran never got to spar against anyone from other villages or places, he knew that within his village at least, in his age group he was the strongest.

When night time came, he would return home to rest and spend time with his family. Though not blood related, they took him in as their own, equal to Ren, and he accepted them as his own. Even at night, Kieran would workout in his room, strengthening his body.

But even after training and preparing himself so much, every night, he would have nightmares. It started happening after he turned 11, but for a whole year, he would have nightmares about the night of the fire at the diner. He would also often have nightmares about the day he woke up and saw his mother, but he had long forgotten her face. All he had left was a simple silver necklace with a small charm on it to remember her by.

To him, even though in just 6 days, the carriage would come to pick him up, it was just another day.