Persistence

After the moon rose and the sun set, I ended my speech and retired to the room that had been given to me by the head of the Cronus clan. I didn't want to push things any further with him today because I was unsure of his personality and intentions.

So I decided to keep my cool and give him another chance in the days to come. I knew I had to change, at least a little bit, for my team, for my master, and for my future. I owed it to them. I was grateful that he hadn't fired me because it meant that I still had a chance.

I was confident that I could break the ice with him in a short time. All I needed was a little more patience. The members of the Cronus bloodline have always been kind to one another and this must have been one of the reasons why I chose this room. As I drifted off to sleep, my mind raced with thoughts on how to win him over.

In the morning, the cry of a hawk in the sky startled me awake. For a moment, I had forgotten that we were on top of a mountain and the realization made me uneasy. On the bright side, it meant that I had woken up early and had plenty of time to think.

As I lay in bed, my thoughts turned to how I could convince him. Eventually, I got up and left my room, still deep in thought. I wondered if there might be some information or resource that could help me in my training. So I took a short tour of the palace but found nothing but emptiness in the rooms. The only things of interest were our ancient history and old treaties between the clans. The dust on the papers showed their age and I put them back, thinking they weren't worth pursuing.

With nothing else to discover in the empty palace, I began to rethink my approach to persuasion. As I pondered what I could do to win him over, an idea struck me. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - maybe I could use that to my advantage.

Even though it seemed like a ridiculous idea, I couldn't think of anything else. So I made my way to the kitchen and began to prepare my excuse. I was determined to win her over by cooking every dish I could think of and not letting any of it go to waste. After half an hour of culinary warfare, I had created everything from the main course to the dessert.

All that was left to do was wait for her to catch the scent and come running. Soon enough, I heard footsteps approaching down the hallway towards the kitchen. The aroma of my cooking had never let me down before. Who could resist such a feast? Even I could hardly stop myself from digging in.

As the footsteps grew closer, the door to the kitchen swung open. It was only a matter of time now, I was sure of it. The man entered the kitchen just as I had expected and made his way toward the food. I spoke up first so he wouldn't feel shy or think that I was trying to manipulate him.

"Good morning," I said cheerfully. "I accidentally made some extra food. Would you like to join me for a meal?"

He already knew what I wanted to talk about but the food had won him over. As he sat down and began to eat, I searched for an opportunity to start a conversation. I had to begin somewhere, even if it meant changing the subject. So I started talking while he ate.

"I know we got off to a bad start yesterday," I said. "So let's start over, okay? My name is Babu."

I offered him my right hand but he continued to eat without responding. I withdrew my hand and focused on the food in my bowl. After a moment, I looked up and tried again.

"So… not many people come around here, huh?" I ventured.

This time he responded with words. "As you can see," he said.

"How do you like the food?" I asked.

He kept talking without changing his tone. "I haven't eaten like this in a long time," he said. "Thank you."

I thought it was the right time to broach the subject, so I took the opportunity.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the food," I said. "And while we're on the subject, I was wondering..."

"No," he interrupted me sharply. "It's not even relevant and I won't let you work. That's final."

His reply was stern and direct. He gave me his answer as if he hadn't softened at all. But I knew that I was a member of the Cronus lineage, just like everyone else in my lineage.

"Please teach me the powers of our lineage," I begged, "I have as much right to them as anyone else in this lineage."

"It is only taught to the chosen, those of goodwill and great power," he replied. "If we taught it to everyone in the bloodline, there would be chaos."

"My intentions are not evil," I protested. "I don't know what makes you think that..."

But he interrupted me again in a harsh tone and made his final decision.

"That's it," he said. "Rest today because you're leaving first thing tomorrow at noon."

He left the kitchen without saying anything else, but even though his refusal hurt, I wasn't ready to give up. I decided that I had to show him what I could do on my own, even if only for a moment. I stormed out of the kitchen and grabbed my weapons from my room before heading to the palace's large garden.

My goal was to show my skills and convince him to change his mind. The worst thing that could happen was that he would no longer be able to chase me out of the palace with a stick. Since I was not yet skilled with a sword, I decided to use my stick instead. I was determined to train until I was strong enough to be recognized.

Whatever happened, I wasn't going to stand idly by and wait for something to happen. When I reached the garden, I swung my club with all my might, seeing my shadow as an enemy.