"A Cripple? Bullshit!"

"That's enough." Shouted Erik, forcing both Leah and Jack to freeze on the spot. Both of whom turned to face Erik simultaneously. He was staring angrily at Leah. "You're battling a five-year-old, do you know no shame?"

Leah's face turned bright red as she was left without any words to retort Erik. She wanted to tell him that Jack was not a normal five-year-old, but she herself had remained adamant about his condition as a cripple until not long ago. Her face wasn't thick enough to publicly contradict herself even though she had been proved wrong.

She relaxed and began massaging her arms, which were a bit sore from the large number of exchanges with Jack, and nodded awkwardly. Jack seemed to regain his infant-like innocence as he flashed Erik a wide grin. A grin which was met with a look of a mix between sheer horror and unconcealed excitement.

"And you!" Erik turned to angrily point his finger towards Jadelere. "How dare you write to me and say that this boy is a cripple? A cripple?! Bullshit!" He exclaimed as spittle flew everywhere from his mouth. Furthermore, it was the first time in the many years of knowing each other that Jadelere had heard Erik curse, stunning him deeply. "This boy is a genius never once seen in the history of the empire!"

For a moment, the three adults looked at each other not knowing what else to say. It seemed like there was nothing left to add to the conversation. Jadelere had known for some time now that Jack wasn't an ordinary boy; Leah, albeit a bit suspicious, had never once suspected that Jack was hiding such an amazing secret; Erik was a newcomer and still hadn't gained Leah's, or anyone's, trust. Conversation didn't exactly flow naturally in this particular set of circumstances.

Then, almost as if on cue, the three turned to look at the mastermind of the entire situation. They all turned to look at Jack as if they were three perverted old men laying eyes on a woman for the first time in over a hundred years.

The way their eyes devoured him whole made him feel extremely uncomfortable and he couldn't help but speak up. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?!" Leah chuckled humourlessly. "You better explain yourself right now, young one, or there will be Abyss to pay."

The other two didn't add anything, but it was clear from their expressions that they, too, were very interested in knowing the truth behind Jack's extremely early martial development.

"There's not much to it." Shrugged Jack. He'd long devised a suitable tale to tell people in case they got overly suspicious with his strength. "My master says I have a decent talent for cultivation."

"A decent talent?!" Exclaimed Leah. "Wait a second, did you just say master?"

"Aye." He blinked innocently. "My master."

"Since when do you have a master?" This revelation surprised the three adults who glanced at each other quizzically. After a moment of careful thought, though, this seemed like the only options with any semblance of plausibility. The only one who still harboured any suspicions was Jadelere.

"For a few years now." Jack pondered for a moment before answering merrily. "He said that my constitution and talent for martial arts are decent and he's been teaching me ever since." From any point of view, Jack seemed a proud boy happy to be able to boast about his skills.

"Why reveal this now?" Inquired Erik. "And why not tell Jadelere earlier?"

"My master didn't want people to know he was around. He said that worldly matters were long behind him and that besides wanting to leave behind a successor, he doesn't want to have anything to do with secular affairs." The three adults nodded in understanding. Powerful martial artists were eccentrics by nature, and it wasn't farfetched for one to act in those terms. "And he's gone, now. He said he needed to go on a long journey and that he won't return in a long time.

"In his own words, I'm already strong enough to protect myself reasonably well. Therefore, he's given me a test to prove myself; I'm to find allies and further my training on my own. By the time he returns, he wants me to have grown both as a martial artist and a person. To do so, he says that I must undergo tempering by facing any problems head on."

Erik placed his hand under his chin and pondered for a moment before speaking. "Your master speaks true. Such is the way of martial arts." He commented. "Did he say where he was journeying to?"

"He didn't. But he did say he needed to go prepare for his tribulation, although I don't know what that means."

"A tribulation!" Exclaimed the three of them in unison.

A tribulation only ever took place when a martial artist broke through from the Sky realm to the legendary Heaven realm. It was a singular event which only ever took place rarely and the ones who managed to overcome their tribulation were all individuals who could gather clouds by opening their hand, and cause rain when they flipped it.

Amidst heated breaths, Erik had to ask: "But why us three?"

Jack flashed a dangerously sly half-smile that somehow chilled the blood of the three adults before him. "Because only one person wouldn't be of much help and two would mean risking the secret spreading. If I only revealed myself to uncle Jadelere and auntie Leah, there's no way I'd stop them from telling my father. With you, mister Erik, you'll be able to keep them in check, because if they reveal anything to anyone, you will do the same."

"I see." Sighed Erik, understanding the implications of Jack's words. "They wouldn't spread your secret to the outside, and risk potential harm to befall you, because their loyalty lies with Ichabod Hare; I, on the other hand, am not so inclined. Because of that, they will be wary of me and not reveal anything to good mister Hare. On the flip side, I won't reveal anything to others because they'll know it was me who did it and my fate would be death. If it's like that, you've successfully obtained three allies whilst also keeping your secret hidden. Am I correct in my hypothesis?"

"You give me too much credit." Jack flashed a smile that fully revealed Erik was right.

"Very well, young master Hare, how do you think we should proceed?"

"I have a few ideas."

--

That night, Erik and Jadelere were sitting in Jadelere's office whilst sharing a bottle of Jadelere's finest wine. It was a three-year-old red, made from a specific mix of grapes grown on volcanic ash in the far-away kingdom of Oric Torr, and which had been matured in oak barrels that accentuated the flavour beautifully.

It was delicious.

Jadelere refused to shift his eyes from the glass in his hands as he tilted it from side to side and watched the liquid spin around and splash up the walls of the inside of the glass. He had barely touched the wine. Erik, on the other hand, despite seldom consuming alcoholic beverages, was already on his third glass and he was drinking it very quickly.

"Divines save us…" Erik downed the remainder of his wine before reaching out to pour himself some more.

"The Divines have nothing to do with this." Grunted Jadelere. "We can only save ourselves."

"Aye." Nodded Erik. Despite having many disagreements with Jadelere, their scepticism was one of the few things they could agree upon. "I have a question."

"And I have three thousand."

"Humour me."

"Fine." Jadelere copied his former peer and downed the delicate wine as if it were cheap liqueur. "Fire away."

"Do you believe that there is a master behind all of this?" Erik went straight to the point that had been bothering him the most.

"Honestly? I don't know." Sighed Jadelere, to whom the idea that he would share a glass of wine with his most hated rival had never once occurred to him. "Logically speaking, it's the only possibility that makes sense."

"Right?" Erik pointed to Jadelere and smiled bitterly. "How else do you explain his exceptional grasp on martial arts?"

"I agree wholeheartedly." Jadelere poured himself another glass and noticed that the bottle was running perilously low on contents. "But it's just too convenient."

"That's my thoughts exactly." Sighed Erik as he observed his wine before drinking a long sip. "It's too convenient an explanation. A secret master that no one has ever met before that just so happens is leaving on an arduous journey to undergo his tribulation. It's too perfect, too much like a fairy tale!

"And the plan to keep the three of us to keep each other in check, it's too flimsy, and surprisingly sound. Considering his situation, there's not much more he could have done to cover up for himself. And did you notice how often he mentioned not telling Ichabod? It's almost as if he wants us to tell him; and by instructing us in those terms Ichabod will know about it, that much is certain, but he won't act upon it to preserve young master Hare's secrecy!"

"This was my conclusion, too." Smiled Jadelere in admiration. "And that's considering I've been very close to the boy for the last few years, meaning I'm very familiar with the way he acts. To think that you would come to the same conclusion after spending one day with him… I almost feel inferior. Almost."

"It's not surprising, if we're being honest." Erik took another sip of wine. "His wit is unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Too true, too true."

"And at chess…"

"It's like he can see right through you!" Exclaimed Jadelere. "I must have played him hundreds of times and I haven't been able to secure a victory once! Let me warn you, Erik, he likes to play chess, and he'll almost certainly challenge you every day. It can be quite… exhausting."

"You've suffered…" Sighed Erik.

"Aye." Jadelere emptied the contents of his glass. "But there is nothing more invigorating than answering one of his questions. Nothing that fills me with more pride seeing him expand on what I've taught him. Nothing to compare to the delight I feel when he surpasses me with regards to something I've taught him." Erik stared wide-eyed at Jadelere and the latter felt uncomfortable under such a gaze. "It's… Well… Hard to explain"

"My good Jadelere, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were expressing feelings tantamount to a teacher's pride!"

"Who's your good anything?" Rebuked Jadelere as he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Very well, forget I said anything." Sighed Erik. "But I have one more question."

"Fuck it." Was the tacit agreement Jadelere gave Erik as he emptied his glass in one swig.

"Do you still go around telling people I slept with your wife?"

Jadelere spat out all the wine in his mouth.

--

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Hare manor, Ichabod stood in contemplation as his back faced Leah. They were in his office and e was wearing a sleeping gown, ready to go to bed. She was still dressed in her clothes that were still stained from her mock battle with Jack. The contrast between her and Ichabod was stark.

"A master, you say." It wasn't a question.

"Aye."

"Alright, you may take your leave." Ichabod waved his hand and gestured towards a hidden side door which led to a set of underground corridors and eventually to Leah's abode.

"What are my orders?" Instead of obeying, Leah felt it important to ask.

This annoyed Ichabod a bit, but he knew Leah's character the best and understood she was doing it with the best of intentions at heart. "Nothing." He said. "Continue with things exactly like they are."

"But, Ichabod, they boy has definitely gone through some seriously tough training, hellish even." She sighed. "Maybe this isn't a good thing."

"Oh?" Ichabod had already rationalised much of what both Jadelere and Erik had thought of and he, too, was doubtful of the existence of Jack's purported master. Still, he decided to humour Leah for a bit. "Why do you say that?"

"Because of this." Leah took of her vantbrace and rolled up her sleeve to reveal a bruise which was beginning to show itself on the back of her forearm. "This is what Jack did to me today. Ichabod, I'm in the Nascent realm. A full two great realms above him, and he managed to bruise me. As far as anyone knows, that's simply impossible."

Ichabod took in a breath of cold air and his legs almost failed him. He understood full well the implications of what Leah was saying. He couldn't help but think back to that fateful day when Gayle, his oldest friend, had brought Jack into his home and begged him to take care of the child.

"I understand." He said with some difficulty trying to convey calmness. "You may leave."

"Ichabod, I can't even begin to imagine the kind of hellish training Jack's master is putting him through to get him to this level of strength. We must…"

"I said: you may leave." Ichabod flashed her a look that Leah knew from experience admitted no retort. She bowed her head and left the office silently.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Ichabod collapsed on his chair and placed his head between his hands. He remembered the story of Jack's origins and the dubious circumstances of his birth. He thought back to the conversation about whether Jack was a creature from the Abyss and the negative answer he'd got from Gayle.

But what if his old friend had been wrong?

No! He shouted to himself. Gayle was not wrong. If he even had a sliver of a doubt, he would never have entrusted the child into my care! My child. Ichabod sat upright and straightened the creases of his nightgown. His eyes shone with determination as he forced himself to analyse the facts as calmly as possible.

Jack was strong, this wasn't put into question. He was immensely talented in martial arts and extremely intelligent to boot. Clearly, this wasn't because of how Ichabod had raised him. The only conclusion left was that it had something to do with his birth.

Gayle said something appeared on that day, something that was never found. What if that something was a treasure that merged itself with Jack? He mused. That would explain his talent and abilities, his strength and temperament.

The more he thought about it, the more he thought that this was the only plausible explanation.

If it turned out this was true, then there was a risk that the treasure be discovered by covetous eyes and forcefully extricated from Jack's body. There were many situations where a weak person would be killed simply because of the crime of possessing something worth having.

Only myself and Adras know about Jack's true origins and we have worked very hard for the secret to never be revealed. For now, I must play the part of the naïve parent and keep any revelations to myself. I will play along Jack's play and buy into the story of a reclusive master.

The logic that such a child would invoke the hatred of Ichabod's opponents was solid. It was a fact. As such, Ichabod could understand that Jack's lie was only being made under the best of intentions. He would play along and support him from the shadows.

That being said, he would always keep an eye on the boy, to ensure his safety.