Chapter 1. Start of Tragedy

“What I remember about my old life was the cold”.

A young boy with blonde hair, only wearing white shorts, and a plain white shirt, heard that he was being summoned by his parents. The young lad rushed out of his room, and down a massive hallway in a hurry. He passed many flags that were strung along the walls on his way to where his parents were. Each flag was white, with baby blue diagonal stripes on the inner portions of the flags. It also possessed a thin grey outline along the whole thing, with the final detail being the head of a grey tiger in the center of it. The boy slowed down once he reached the massive set of doors that were wide open. He slowly walked through the doors, entering the throne room where he saw his parents sitting upon the top of a double helix shaped throne together.

The King of Fortis Gelu sat upon his white throne, wearing a combination of fine grey tiger fur and exquisite white metallic armor. Beside the king was his mother, who wore a beautiful white dress that was made from a light material. This made the queen’s dress look more like a nightgown. She also wore a small grey tiger pelt with the head of the animal being on her left shoulder, and a pair of special white gloves to cover her hands. On top of his parent’s heads, sat their white crowns with three points at the front. The middle of the three points would be the tallest. Embedded at the top of the middle points for both of their crowns were fine fire opal gems. The boy would slowly take his eyes off his parents, before noticing a group of knights at the base of the throne.

Guarding the king and his wife were a group of six extraordinarily trained knights. This group of knights, at the base of the throne, were known as the “The King’s Streak”. These amazing men were all given the prestigious opportunity to be personally trained by the king himself. When his son was born, the king sought out the most determined warriors in his army, as only the best will be allowed to protect his family. Together they now served as the king’s backup in case anything were to need his presence. However they would only go in sets of three, with the ones left behind being responsible to protect his queen and the young prince.

Seeing them up close for the first time, the young boy was greatly intimidated by their matching armor sets. The knights would then look at the young boy, refusing to show their faces to him. The helmets they wore were able to open up due to a small mechanism, this would let them show their faces to the people. However when they were called upon by their king, they would disengage this mechanism. Undoing this would have the top of their helmets clamp down shut, to resemble the head of a growling tiger. The armor they wore constantly was made from the finest white metal, as the king made sure no expense was spared for his guards.

The young prince of Fortis Gelu lowered his head, and walked closer to the base of his parent’s throne. The king, still with his helmet on, looked at his wife and seemed silent. She knew what he wanted and nodded, for their bond grew so deep that she needn't a single word to understand. The queen slowly rose up from her throne, and began to slowly walk down towards her son. The prince looks up towards his mother with the only sound that was heard throughout the massive room being her footsteps. One footstep at a time that sound was made with her growing ever closer to her son. The boy's suspension became more suffocating to him, as he always was scared of the silence while being in the presence of his parents.

He was about to speak, but before a word escaped his lips his mother was already in front of him. The beautiful queen kneeled down, tilting her head to the side a bit. She would then run her hand through his hair, giving her child a warm smile to ease his nervousness. She would then open her mouth to speak, letting a soft voice escape her lips.

“My beloved son, my prince of Fortis Gelu”

“Your father wishes for us to spend some time together, will you accompany me?”

The scared prince would slowly raise his head, to look upon his mother. He then looked past her, towards father before he nodded to her request. Two of the guards would walk to them as if to act as an escort, however the queen would wave a hand. Shocked by their queen's action as this was the first time an escort was refused, the guards would look to their king to make sure this was fine by him. The ruler would look to his warriors and nod, telling them in silence that it was alright, for he knew that she is more than capable of taking care of herself while inside the walls of Fortis Gelu. The queen would thank her husband, before gently taking their son’s hand and leaving the throne room.

His mother would walk around the city with him, but something was off. The people who were usually merry and cheerful, suddenly became silent. He never fully understood why they acted this way, when he was younger. He didn’t bother asking why as he was ignorant, oblivious to how their turned backs towards his mother was a sign of unwanting. However despite their feelings they didn’t dare to speak ill about his mother, at least in front of her that is. The civilians of the kingdom knew his mother would not think twice about freezing them solid in their place. After all, at the time his mother was the leader of a small group of cryomancers that were the minority group in their village.

They continued on their walk through the town, eventually reaching the outskirts of the kingdom itself. Being a bit adventurous, his mother saw an opened stairway that led to the top kingdom’s walls. After taking the stairway and reaching the top of the Prince would be nervous as he was never really this high up, except for when he was in the castle. The queen would chuckle before holding her son’s hand and starting walking with him. About twenty minutes passed before they reached the center of the wall in front. She then sit down with her son, as their legs were dangling off the wall itself.

“Do you know why I brought you here, my son?”

She asked with a gentle voice, and gave him a soft smile. The young prince who wasn’t really paying attention up to that point, would then look at his mother to meet her gaze.

“N-No I don’t? Why are we up here mom?”

His mother pointed at the kingdom, with the young prince finally taking notice of the frozen paradise he was fortunate enough to reside in. He smiles a little bit as he looks towards the falling snow that coated the houses below, making them look in intune with the kingdom’s special white building material that made up their kingdom. Then he noticed the people below them in their furs, trading around the market, along with some of them interacting with the knights, and just living their lives in general. The look upon his face resembled that of awh and shock, with this really being the first time he truly took in his home’s beauty.

“Have you finally taken notice of my dear child?”

“You and I are both very lucky to be alive, my love. So please never regret being brought into this world, and cherish the sweeter moments of it. No matter what may happen.”

Hearing his mother’s somber tone made his heart heavy for some reason, the prince would hug her arm in an attempt to comfort her. He would then look up at her, to see if his attempt to cheer her up was working. The queen just smiled, with her looking down at her son. She would then chuckle a little bit, before gently running her hand through his hair, with her planting a small kiss upon his forehead. She looks back towards the kingdom with her eyes growing distant, as if she was lost in a terrible memory that took place long ago.

“ Are you okay mother? It's unlike you to be like this, did I do something to upset you?”

Her son said in a gentle tone not wishing to upset her, if she was indeed upset with him. She finally snap out of her trance like stake, and rub the back of her head. She would try to play it off, but unfortunately she was never a good liar. She took a deep breath and then look at him,  before she begin to cry while suddenly hugging him.

“I’m so sorry my darling, this life will be hard for you, and that is my fault. I know that you may not understand my son. When I came into this world I was the ruler of the Dark Hearts. That innocent race that was discriminated against, despite our kind being new to this world. Your father claimed this place as a sanctuary for me and our people. However those outside this kingdom were not fortunate enough to receive such kindness. Despite us doing nothing wrong. Sadly though people will want to hurt you, as that is the legacy of our people. ”

She began to let out some tears, before she gently turned her head away to cleans up her face. She slowly stroked her son’s hair slowly, thinking about him and his bright future. Meanwhile her son was trying to digest what she said, but he was still unsure why people wanted to harm him. The prince looked down at the snow falling around him, before scoping it up to rub his hands with. A thin layer of powder that kept his darkened hands concealed would begin to dissolve, revealing his darkened hands. A moment went by, before the boy slowly clenched his hands, and knew that he had to become strong.

“Don’t worry mother. I’ll be strong, so that none can hurt me.”

He smiles at his mother, as he was filled with a new found determination, with a goal that he wished to achieve. The queen would smile seeing that her words did not fill her child with fear, but with determination to be strong. She slowly get up from their spot on top of the wall, before helping him up as well and making their way back to the castle. Once they got back the queen would then tell her child to go to the throne room with her, saying that she’ll break the news to his father. The two would walk into the throne room, to see the king that was still sitting in his white throne. The prince felt as if he was in trouble, with a new uneasy feeling starting to take hold of him while he stood at the base, with the King’s guard still standing there.

The King watched his wife slowly come to his side, as the room was filled with the sound of her shoes and the steps she took with them. Once she took her seat beside the king, she looked at her husband who had remained silent up to this point. She would then inform him about the conversation she had with their son. The prince’s father listened closely while he slowly raised his left arm to let his helt rest in his palm. Seeing the relaxed posture his father took made the prince ease up a bit, with his mother still going on about their conversation.

Feeling that he heard enough, the king raises his right hand that was resting on the throne to signal that he heard what he needed. The ruler slowly looked down at his son, noticing how he took off the powder that concealed his darkened hands. Finally the ruler slowly stood up from his throne to look down at his child whom he sensed a mix of determination and fear from. The prince was able to see his father’s green eyes through his helmet, before the unthinkable happened. Ever since he’d seen his father he wore his helmet, but he finally removed his crown first, before his tiger shaped helmet to show off his long fiery orange hair, gingerly beard, and his shamrock green eyes. The young boy looked in awh at his father as this was the first time he saw his father’s true face. The king chuckled at his son’s reaction before clearing his throat and began to speak, his voice booming throughout the massive white throne room.

“Are you sure that you’re ready for this journey my boy? It’ll be long and harsh, and I will not afford you the luxury of an easy going training session. In this world I’ve seen things of great beauty, but I’ve bore witness to things of profound ugliness. So if you stand before me with knowledge you now have, then let this bear fruit to a determined soul that will not waiver.”

The boy was not used to hearing his father’s voice, as it was honestly the eighth hearing it throughout his short life. Nonetheless his father’s words were still quite powerful as if they were back in the Great War. The boy’s heart swelled up with his soul’s determination ever growing, with him nodding to confirm to his father that he would not waiver in the choice he made. The boy’s mind had been made up, wanting to be strong like his father, or even the knights that served his father. The king for the first time felt pride in his son, before accepting his child’s choice.

The mighty king would slowly turn around to draw his blade from a hanging sheath that was concealed behind his throne. The prince was captivated by the weapon, as it possessed a golden hilt that was in the detailed shape of a roaring tiger with two arms sticking out in a forty five degree angle. The handle was about fifteen inches long, and made from a dark blue metal known as cobalt, topped off at the end with a golden pummel. The blade of the weapon itself was about four and a half feet long, with the design and artistry itself refined to a level that it could only be described as exquisite. The knights who were guarding the base looked up at the sword, and bow as they were all expecting an order to be given to them in a few moments.

“My knights, I shall then impart my son upon one you. However the selection will be up to the boy himself. Once he picks you, his life, and training will be the most important thing to you. So if anything happens, that causes the destruction our home. Do not come for me. Be strong and put your feelings aside to make sure my son lives, to become a strong warrior. Do I make myself clear?”

The king’s booming voice went silent, with his speech was now complete. The decorated weapon would be stabbed into the ground, with his two hands resting over each other on top of the pummel. He then looks down at his son, while awaiting the response from his warriors. A few moments of absolute silence would go by with the winds of the howling storm outside of his kingdom being heard. The chosen warriors began to suddenly shout in unison.

“Understood my Liege! I will not fail in this responsibility you've bequeathed onto me.”

The knights slowly raised themselves from their kneeling position, and take their positions. Each one of them stood in rows of two, with the first two being the farthest apart. The following two rows of knights would stand closer than the last, fully displaying their prince’s options. These loyal warriors then drew their blades, slamming them into the ground before holding the same pose as their king. The young prince would be surprised at this display before he started to gaze at the knight’s weapons and how they were all identical.

The boy looked at his options, feeling unsure on how he picked his new teacher. Carefully inspecting the knight’s positioning, he would come to his choice on who’ll train him. Raising his hand, he would point to the knight that was in the inner left of the last row. The chosen knight slowly moved from his spot, walking towards the boy before kneeling in front of the prince. The young boy would look down at the bowing warrior, then with an uneasy feeling he slowly glanced up father, unsure he made the best choice.

A thunderous burst of laughter would come from the King as with the situation being most unexpected since he didn’t think that warrior chosen would’ve actually been picked. Hearing the laughter, the boy eased up a bit with this being a sign of his father’s approval of his son’s choice. This was a most excellent choice, in fact the king couldn't have picked better himself, for there was none more capable than him in his six knights. The boy's father slowly raise his weapon from the ground, before pointing it at his son with a smirk upon his face. The knight then slowly lift his head to look at the young lord who’d be in his care.

“Ahahaha! I see you made a good choice my boy. This man is not only the first to be trained by myself, he is also the most loyal. The man you see before you is none other than Avorion!”

The boy’s eyes widened a bit as he seemed incredibly shocked that he picked the knight, his father held in such high praise. His eyes then followed Avorion's figure as the man slowly made his way, stopping once he was in front of the boy. Moments passed between the two of them, with the younger one feeling like he was being sized up by the elder. No words escaped either of their lips, the prince stood there looking at the knight feeling the intensity from the room.

Avorion turned his head, breaking his gaze from the loyal youth. After which Avorion took a deep breath before slowly lifting his helmet from his shoulders. What lay underneath the armor was a man with brown eyes that appeared to be in his late 30’s, as there were hits of grey in his long black hair and goatee. Avorion's skin was pale but a bit rough as it shows off the years of living in this frozen land. However despite the roughness of his skin everything else about his complexion was seemingly perfect, showing only a huge scar over his right eye as the only injury of this mighty warrior.

“My young prince, are you sure that you want to do this? I am not an easy going teacher, and will discipline you at the first sign of wavering. This path you have picked will be painful, however if you perceiver. Then as your mentor, I’ll show you everything I know so you’re prepared for this world we live in.”

The Prince nods, not deterred from this path that he had chosen. The queen who remained silent throughout this whole confrontation, for the first time since this meeting started, she looked at her child. She covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her emotions, and began to have tears of relief starting to leak from her eyes. The king slowly turns away from his son, with him putting his helmet back and taking his seat on his white throne. Avorion would slowly turn his gaze back to his king, feeling that this confrontation between his king and his son came to a close. The knight then looked towards the prince seeing he was still determined to move on and get strong.

“Go get your rest my young lord, tomorrow we’ll start your training.”

The Prince nodded and walked out of the throne room, with his footsteps being heard down the hall until he was far enough to not be heard. Avorion would take a deep breath and slowly put his helmet back on, before looking at his majesty and his wife. Avorion then told his lord that he’ll be going out for a bit, before leaving the throne room. After he left the room, the knight made his way out of the castle, while thinking about what he’d need to cover with the young lord. The aged knight knew that this boy would be the next one to step up to the throne, so he must make sure that the prince is educated in art or text, as well as the way of the sword.

Eventually he came with an idea on what he’d want to teach the prince, so he marched towards a huge rectangular building known as the Library of Fortis Gelu. Avorion thought back to when people thought that they were all unworthy of such knowledge. Despite their negativity, the king still felt that the knowledge he held should be shared. It was surprising to see such a thing, considering the people were nothing but slightly smarter than barbarians. The king with the knowledge he used, was able to revolutionize this place into something worth remembering.

However it appears that in the current state of the kingdom, people rarely sought such thing. Avorion snapped out of his thoughts, he arrives outside of our library, taking a deep breath while admiring the architecture despite its simplicity.

Avorion slowly entered inside of the building, being met by countless bookshelves. A normal person would’ve  be overwhelmed by the trove of books that resided in these shelves, but Avorion was no such man. Being the king’s most trusted knight he took it upon himself to remember where to get whatever type of book the king might’ve wanted. So without much trouble he went to grab a book that discussed swords, one about the world which included a map, and the final book that was about armor. Avorion takes his leave from the library, and begin to make plans for how he'd be his prince.

Avorion started heading out of the library, bumping into one of the queen’s cyromancer's on his way out. He would look at the women in her white cloak with her hair being a violet color, that seemed to have been frosted over giving it a light white coating. The woman's eyes were covered by her bangs, alongwith the rest of her body being covered by her cloak. Avorion was wary about these women since they were rarely ever seen, unless the queen asked for their presence. However he ran into her quite a bit over their years of servicing the royal family so he felt that he needed to strike up a conversation in order to not appear rude.

“Ah Ms. Navis, what brings you out here? I was beginning to think that your cryomancers were nothing but shut-ins.”

Navis slightly raised her head and give a slight smile, with her white cloak still covering much of her head. When she started to speak, her voice was very soft spoken.

“How are you Sir. Avorion? There's word that you will be training our young lord. Is this true?”

Avorion nodded slowly, before he opened up his helmet to her to show her respect. She could tell that behind that face of his, he was worried, as he still couldn’t fully believe the reality of the situation.

“Word travels fast I see, but yes it’s true. However I do doubt that the boy is ready, as he’s just so young. I’m worried that I may be too rough in my training.”

Navis slightly cover her mouth, and chuckle a little bit. Seeing this mighty warrior worried about such a trivial thing that's well within his scope of abilities.

“Fear not Sir. Avorion. You will do well, he may be young but he is a part of your lord, and a part of mine. So relieve yourself of worries, and cast your doubt into the wind.”

The woman gently tapped his shoulder to reaffirm her faith in him before she walked past Avorion. He knew she was right, this was something trivial for him to do, and he should have faith in the boy like he does his king. Now feeling his doubt melt away, he slightly tightened his grip upon the books he held, and took a deep breath before he left the library. Unbeknownst to Avorion, he was being watched from a distant Nivis, who was holding a book in her right hand. Nivis watched the knight leave the building knowing that her words were successful in restoring his confidence.

The next day finally came with Avorion waiting outside on top of the huge balcony that was high up in the castle. The day was like any other honestly really natural. The temperature is harsh like always, with icy winds blowing in a soft breeze, and the sun is lightly cloaked by the snowy clouds. The knight would gaze upon the cloaked sun, hearing the sound of the townspeople opening up their shops along with the daily training routines of the other knights. His attention became caught by the balcony doors, slamming open with the prince running out in a pair of gloves, long pants that still show his feet, and a long sleeve shirt.

“I-I’m here! Don't think I forgot, I just overslept a little bit.”

The Prince parted his blonde hair to the side, however his hair was too thick so his eyes were still covered. The knight did not really pay attention to the prince’s latent arrival, as the knight was surprised by the prince actually wearing clothing that covered his body normally. He thought that it was an unnatural look, due to the fact that Dark Hearts did not need to dress for the elements no matter the harshness. The prince would try to adjust his clothing since he was not used to the cumbersome fabrics, before eventually giving up the pointless struggling. Avorion would ask his prince in a curious tone.

“Uhm, Prince? Why are you wearing that kind of wardrobe? Did the king have you wear it?”

The prince would sign softly, nodding to the warrior's question. He would then slowly sit down and hug his legs, before gently tucking his chin behind his knees. He would then speak in a down tone, showing that he's not happy about it.

“Yes. My father made me put on this outfit because he didn’t wish for people to know his child is a Dark Heart. You know that people would just get mad a-”

Avorion gently cover the Prince’s lip with one finger, silently telling him that he's heard enough. He then walked to the balcony wall, picking up a wooden sword, before gently tossing the practice weapon to the prince. The boy looked at it at the last second and freaked out, surprisingly catching it before it hit his face. The prince got up and looked at his mentor who stood in front of him with a gaze that spoke for itself, as if he was silently asking if the boy was ready. Avorion slowly unsheathed his sword with the prince looking at it in awh. The boy admired the craftsmen ship, as he could tell with just one look that it was of fine quality.

“Show me how you swing a sword. We’ll move on from there.”

His young pupil nodded, getting into his stance with both his feet spread before he began to swing the practice sword with his right hand. The swings were sloppy, as the boy spun around and fell on his ass. Arvion shook his head before walking over to the young lord, before adjusting the prince’s hands putting his left hand over the right one. The knight then stepped back to watch his pupil attempt to swing his sword with the new hand posture. This time the boy’s swings were much less sloppy, but still need to be refined over time.

“How's this? I’m not spinning around anymore, but it's a bit heavy.”

The boy then drop the practice wooden sword after two dozen swings, panting heavily as the sword was still heavy. Avorion kneeled down, before putting his hand on the prince’s shoulder and spoke in a reassuring tone to him.

“It was a good start, but don't feel too bad about it. After all it's only your first time, and you're still just a boy. Over time, your body will develop and get stronger letting you swing this practice sword. Eventually if you pass my test at the end of our training, I’ll let you forge whatever blade you desire.”

This bolstered the boy’s resolve to get stronger with him picturing himself as a powerful knight with a long and flowing cape. His sword is super cool, and other childish things. Avorion chuckled under his helmet as he saw how lost in imagination that young prince became. The older knight would’ve liked to let the boy be in his own imagination, sadly though he knew that the boy would need to be grounded if he was to be more successful in his training. So Avorion walked towards the boy and set his hand on the prince’s shoulder, before speaking.

“Now prince, I don't know what you’re thinking of in your head. However I’m afraid I'll have to burst your bubble. There's more than training then just swinging a sword you know. So I’ll have you study as well, and I know how much you dislike reading. I need you to be a little bit rounded in your knowledge, cause you’ll be the next ruler.”

Like any normal youth he protested against the whole reading part of his training, due to the prince being caught up in the action aesthetic of his training. Avorion gave his prince a slap on the back of the head, as the knight refused to put up with his lord being a sniveling brat. The young prince would wine, but shortly stop and regain his composure. Avorion sighed and apologized for hitting the young lord, and told him that he just wants him to get strong. The prince nods as from that point onward they understood each other, with the prince wanting to get strong. All he had to do was listen to Avorion, and he’ll show him the way.

The prince  began to train diligently under Avorion’s tutelage. Unexpectedly, the two of them grew closer as time went on, with sword training by day, and book studies by night. However despite the months that passed, he would still have flaws in his sword play when he practiced in the day. During these sessions of training Avorion always criticize him on his sword play, but not too harshly. Then during the night he was taking notes on the metals available to him in this land, along with metals found in the other kingdoms.

Eventually two years of training under Avorion, as quickly as they came. One particular day the prince went out looking for Avorion to ask if he could give him a little tip about hunting. However he came to learn that fate in this world is tragic in its own twisted ways. The prince walked through the market area in his traveling clothes, now sporting a fur like cloak. He eventually found Avorion talking to a woman who was holding the hand of a boy around his age. The prince watched silently from a distance as Avorion turned his back to the women and boy, and silently walking away while they cried.

The next few days of training with Avorion were pretty rough, showing that this event really stressed him out. The main way the teen prince was able to find out was due to seeing how short Avorion’s patience got. After criticizing his sword play, Avorion would break a practice sword in half before stomping away. The royal teen wouldn’t take offense to this but he did stop training with Avorion until he calmed down. After the fifth day the prince was just strolling around his family’s home, wondering how his mentor was doing, but that was until he saw Avorion sitting alone in the banquet hall. The young prince would think about leaving him alone with his thoughts, but Avorion called him over in a tired tone.

“Oh, there you are. I-I was unsure if I scared you off with my recent outburst.. P-please come here, I think it's time I explain myself to you.”

The young teen went over, although he wasn’t a big fan of the idea. However hearing Avorion sound like that, would make him think that he could at least do knight the courtesy of hearing him out. The teen took a seat across from his mentor, before said mentor took off his helmet to reveal his tired face. The tired man then took a deep breath then exhaled slowly, before looking at his prince. Avorion then set his armored hands on the table, holding his hands together before speaking.

“You know that you see me as your father’s most loyal knight, but being such a thing comes with a heavy burden. When I was younger, I was the first one your father recruited to be his personal guard. But I digress. We six were all very talented in our own way but we had one common thing, and it's that we came from a poor background. Each one of us came from the dirt, but trained and climbed to the top, catching the king’s eye. He looked into our background, visiting our homes, and speaking with our families. Learning what he needed to, he came to each one of us one at a time with the same offer. That was if we served his family personally and left everything else behind, he would make sure our families would never need anything in return. Since we aren't Dark Hearts we get cold, and being in this frozen place, you only imagine how much we suffered. So we all took the deal leaving our families behind after one last meal,  before leaving homes to become his honor bound knights.”

The Prince seemed taken aback by what he heard, and quickly came to understand what transpired that day when he saw Avorion with those people near the market section of the kingdom. The boy was his son, and that woman was either his lover or wife. Nonetheless the truth was painful even for him, since he can relate to the boy, with having a father that wasn't around a lot. Since the king didn't pay too much attention to him growing up, only summoning him these days to see how his training is going. The prince slowly lifts his head to look at Avorion before speaking in a calm tone.

“I-I’m terribly sorry Avorion, I never knew that a deal like that was struck. It does pain me to hear that your son may never get to see you,. We both know my father is quite distant, so it's also nice to know that someone can relate to me, since I’m you know. Special.”

Avorion mods and slowly looked down at the table, and took a deep breath once more before exhaling.

“I don't know if my choice was right anymore. My son doesn't even know me, and my love despises me for leaving her behind to raise the boy. I ju-”

The Prince raised his hand like his father does when asking for silence, as he couldn’t stand to see such a legendary figure doubt himself. The boy would then speak in confidence.

“Enough. Master Avorion. You are the leader of the royal guard, and although your son may not understand it now. I will promise you, that when I become king, I will relieve you of your post along with the others.”

Avorion was shocked to hear this, wanting to protest but the teen kept his hand up, silencing any protest that may have happened before he even uttered the words. The boy then looked at his mentor with a smile, and spoke again.

“Master Avorion, let's do our best to get me as strong as possible, so that I can lead without fear of weakness!”

Avorion would nod in agreement, feeling more determined than ever to train his young lord. The following day the two trained diligently in the way of the sword, practicing many diffrent forms of a variety of situations. The training went past the normal length of time as it went on for a total of twelve hours. Of course they occasionally took breaks, eating the meat of the mammals that their kingdom hunted for game. This intensive length of training continued for a few years straight with Avorion. The knight thought to himself, that the prince’s progression would’ve been quickened if the length of their training was exponentially extended.

A year of this intense training passed, with Avorion taking notice of the prince’s growth spurt during the end of their daily session. Avorion committed with a bit of a tone, that was a mix of surprise and a “Oh damn”.

“You know my lord, I’m honestly surprised that your getting a bit tall for someone your age.”

The prince tilted his head, before gently rubbing the back of it with his right arm.

“You’re just now taking noticed? What have you been seeing these past few years, to where you just now noticed my height?”

Avorion sighed as he didn’t really know why this was the first time but just simply stated.

“Honestly all the time we spent together before now, just all kinda blended together.”

The Prince just laughed at this comment before asking Avorion.

“Is the Legendary knight going scenial or something? Haha!”

Avorion grew a bit frustrated, but smirked under his helmet as he thought a new kind of training will be a nice change of pace. The knight dismissed the prince for the day, before slowly turning around and walking away from the prince. The following day the prince was told by one of the aids of the castle to meet Avorion by the start of the market area of the kingdom. The teen rubs the back of his head and nodded before going over to that section to meet Avorion. The older knight looked at the prince with crossed his arms, before turning towards the marketing area.

“What are we doing he-”

The prince tried speaking before being cut off by Avorion, he pointed to a ladder that lead to the top of a building next to them. Avorion spoke in a tone that showed that he was serious

“Your training up there today”

The teen prince looked at him, then back up at the ladder before looking at him again. The prince then asked Avorion in a curious tone.

“W-why am I training up there? Is this something new or what?”

Avorion nodded and chuckled before slowly patting the teen’s shoulder.

“Today you’ll be running on roofs today. If anything youll fall and maybe break something but I doubt it. Since you’re you know Dark Heart, so it’s no big deal though. Luckily though most of these buildings have a flat and rectangular roofing.”

The Prince sighs and began to climb on the ladder, climbing about fifteen feet before finally taking his first step onto the roof.