Honoring of the name

By the time he finally made it back to Juin's house the sun was just about to set, the sky a lovely mix of reds, oranges, purples, and blues. Raen had more than a few questions to ask Juin after running into Aldrich's group. How could he not after hearing where the name he had been given came from?

The hearth was still lit and just as Juin said hadn't spread its flames. Judging by the lack of noise it also seemed that Juin had not come back from the pier, which was easy enough to understand considering the severity of the storm.

Raen checked on his clothes and found that they had finally dried but it would make him stand out if he wore them. Perhaps he could sell them off or trade them for something useful so that he could pay back both Juin and Aldrich for their kindness.

***************************************

Raen had waited until the warmth from the hearth had helped him to drift off, a rattle from the door rousing him back from a dream in which he had been sinking into some great ocean.

Juin stepped through the door, the sky outside painted black with specks of bright white here and there. Though it was only a glimpse, the strange patterns served as a reminder that Raen was in a different world. Perhaps this would be a bigger impact for others, but as Raen had lost his past self it might as well just be a trip to some far off land.

" Ah sorry it looks like I was the late one ha. " Juin rubbed at the back of his head with a guilty smile. A wave of his hand lit candles which had been set throughout the house. Raen shook his head and sat up, stretching while Juin went into the kitchen and pulled out a few dishes while starting a fire in a stone oven. " Ever had ruugfish before? " Juin called from the other room.

" Actually I just did, that and some Sakashi at the tavern. " Raen grimaced at the memory of the drinks bitter taste as he walked into the kitchen, Juin laughing at the unfortunate discovery.

" Well don't you worry about that, I'm not much of a drinker myself. Hope you will be fine with a bit of water. Mind setting the table, the plates are there on your right. " Juin kept focused on preparing the meal, using his magic to both alter the heat given off by the oven and use a pot of water to give the ruugfish a quick rinse. It was still impressive watching him work, in fact now that he was thinking about it Juin had been the only one to use magic since he arrived.

" Sure thing. Ah question, are you the only one here who can use magic? " Raen set the table and then took a seat while waiting for Juin to fish, noticing the strange look Juin was giving him. Apparently even if he was playing amnesia that was still a bit much to not know.

" Well yes actually. Most adventurers would never settle down in a place this small but my wife was born here. Bless her soul. " Juin came over with the steamed fish and cut a piece for both Raen and himself. He went silent while taking a moment to bow his head in prayer before picking at his meal. " Look I don't plan to dig too deep into your story but it seems like you might be better off having a few things explained. I take it you don't remember how magic actually works so lets start there. "

Raen ate quietly, grateful for the kind older man. Juin really had been so kind to him, from giving him his son's name to feeding and housing him. It had been a stroke of pure luck or some grand design of faith to run into him, maybe even something the being from between the realms had planned.

Juin set his fork down after having a few bites and continued on. " So as I said, I am an adventurer which is otherwise known as an Awakened. Anyone can choose to join the guild but if you do then you must work for them until the debt of your awakening is paid. People who awaken are gifted with magic that helps guide them, starting with picking what is known as Talents. A Talent can be a type of magic or a weapon, but you can only pick two. The talents you pick from then on grow stronger as you use them while those you do not take are forever taken from you. " Juin noticed how attentive Raen had become and chuckled to himself, remembering explaining the same thing to his son who had given the exact same look.

" So to better explain what that means let's consider this. If you were to practice with a sword for years and then not pick it when you Awaken, then you would never again be able to lift a sword. However if you chose a sword to be Awakened as one of your Talents, you would start off much stronger than someone who had never practiced with one. Magic on the other hand is always the same, it always starts the same and only differs when it has had time to grow. " 

Raen had finished his fish and must have been too obvious in wanting to ask a question because Juin waved his hand and worked at what was left of his own meal. " So then most people would probably take a magic and a weapon. But you took two magics, that means you can't use any weapons. Why would you do that? " 

It was a fair enough question, Juin was a little surprised to hear it though. Most youngsters would focus on what he meant by growing but Raen seemed to comprehend the basic idea even if there were a few specifics. " I grew up a fisherman, I wasn't thinking only of what would make me strong but what would be useful after I paid my debt. As you can see, my magic has been a great help to myself and the village. Also most adventurers work in groups so it's not even that uncommon to find pure magic users or even pure weapon users to fill particular roles. "

Raen was silent for a few moments before broaching what might be a rather sensitive topic. Though he had not told Juin who he had met at the bar it was possible the old man might have an inkling. " So...what sort of role was your son seeking? The same as you? "

Juin stopped and regarded Raen with a curious expression before getting up and clearing the table. He did not answer the question nor did Raen push the matter, excusing himself back into the main room. Some time passed before Juin came from the kitchen and took a seat in a weathered chair. When he finally broke the silence it was to Raen's great relief.

" My son...wanted to protect people. He placed himself often in front of danger and so the answer to your question is no. He used a lance and shield, though he was considering taking on Earth as his second talent rather than the shield. Better for protecting large numbers. " Juin watched the fire dance about inside the hearth as he kept on. " He never got the chance to make that choice however. His friends wanted to see him off, a young woman in fact asked him to meet her just outside the village. From what I was told the two of them strayed too close to the forest to our west and were set upon by monsters. "

Juin showed signs of pain at thinking of his son's passing but he wore a proud smile at his next words. " Raen protected her, letting her escape to the village. When help arrived they found him surrounded by dead monsters, still clutching his weapon, and of all things with a smile on his face. " The old man faced Raen and nodded his head. " That is the man whose name you now own, and I believe you will do it justice. "

It was quite humbling to hear those words from Juin, moreso as the man had only known Raen for less than a day. Indeed he would one day have to ensure that the name was lived up to. Raen asked a few more questions about Juin's son and they eventually shifted the topic over to his plans for tomorrow. Juin wasn't terribly surprised to hear that Aldrich and his group would be training, in fact he even spoke fondly of their choice to honor his son in such a manner.

The night wove on and eventually Juin showed Raen to a room that he assumed once belonged to Juin's son. It hadn't been a hard day aside from the storm but all the same Raen fell asleep almost the moment he laid down on the stiff bed. Tomorrow he would find out if he would walk down the same path as the previous Raen.

***************************************

It wasn't difficult finding the group in the morning. Between the loud voices and the smell of food, Raen was soon being waved over by Mai as he stepped away from the village. 

From what he could see it looked like Ceres and Mia were the ones focused on cooking, Mia minding a skillet over a small fire while Ceres was roasting what looked like the hindquarters of a deer over a larger fire. Aldrich was currently occupied with one of the men whose name Raen hadn't caught, the two wielding what looked like wooden weapons.

Aldrich was the bigger of the two and had a long sword and buckler on his other arm. From how he advanced and picked his attacks carefully it showed that he knew how to handle the two. The other man meanwhile was twirling about a dagger in each hand, keeping on even footing with Aldrich by striking quickly with one while countering blows with the other. The two had serious looks in their eyes but wore smiles on their faces, the training clearly friendly in nature.

The others were seated either to watch the two or stare longingly at the food, but each had a wooden weapon near them. It seemed that Juin had been right about what the group's plan was so it would only be a matter of time until Raen would be approached so they could try and convince him to join in. Hala bounded up once he was close and spun around him, as if curious now that she wasn't hanging onto Aldrich.

" Hmm we thought as much, you didn't bring anything to practice with. Don't worry, Aldrich didn't explain very well what we would be doing last night so there are a few extras just past the guys there. " Hala pointed to a pile of wooden weapons and led the way as the others welcomed Raen. They were all too busy though to start a conversation, either focused on the match or on the food.

Nodding politely Raen went over and rummaged through the pile, having an idea of what he would want to try. However he stopped in the middle of sifting through the weapons as a strange dark outline formed around one. 

Carefully his hand closed down upon a long shaft, his mind a bit taken aback at the fact that this outline reminded him of the dark glow which the being from between the realms had given off. Maybe it was just a coincidence but Raen recalled the conversation about the being guiding him and the bit of itself that had seeped into him while there. He had actually planned to use this sort of weapon even before knowing it was here.

The weapon was without a doubt a lance, its head a conical shape that came down to a fine point. It was only about half a meter though and the shaft barely a meter, making it sized the same as a javelin. The most curious feature was a fist shaped round extension at the other end. For sure a simple practice weapon it seemed unlikely that the ball was just a decoration. Almost as surprising as the dark outline which was fading from the weapon was that it felt much heavier than wood. Raen noticed a couple of carving here and there on the weapon, and for that fact the others as well. After a moment of thought he came to the conclusion that the carvings must be affecting the wood, making these practice weapons mimic the weight of their real counterparts without sharing the dangerous nature. The world already had magic after all, why should runes be out of the question?

Happy with his find and with his mind still focused on the glimpse of how he would know if the being's guidance was being shown Raen actually missed the fact that the match had ended. Aldrich had been informed by Hala that Raen showed up and went to greet him but stopped to see which weapon the young man would pick. In fact the entire group had been curious aside from those focused on food. Their mouths hung open when he lifted the lance from the pile, remembering how the Raen they had known used that exact same weapon. It could be nothing less than the gods' hands at work for it to turn out like this, and it made Aldrich quite curious to see how this Raen would handle the weapon.