11

"So how's your writing going?" Aero asked Yigol as he encountered the man on his way to the clearing to train unbothered. he blinked at the question before adjusting his daughter who was dozing on him, "pretty good working on my vocabulary! last night I used the same word six times in a paragraph which didn't sit right with me at all!" he kept blabbering on but aero didn't mind he's frankly never seen someone so happy about something kinda simple.

'i wonder?' turning on his pride sight aero could see that his pride had grown recently. this got a mixed reaction from aero, he was glad, was taking pride in his work but he was worried that it might grow to the point the beast notice.' how terrifying is this beast anyway?'

'the beast of sin aren't creatures that can be explained, their approaches are what you can perceive!'

'okay what the zalts does that mean?' but the helper didn't answer so he turned back into Yigol's writer talk.' ... I didn't realize how hard it is to describe an environment like I don't know if I'm over-explaining or under!" he was kind of freaking out but was staying quiet enough that his child could sleep on. eventual Yigol called down, "talking to you has made me feel a lot better! now if you'll excuse me I have to put here in here bed." the parted way and aero went about his daily practice.

'Are you feeling antsy my lord?' the helper asked after two flowers passed.

"my time here has been very relaxing and peaceful compared to school! I'm not used to this!" he admitted but he wasn't gonna do anything about wanting to spend a bit more time with his mother before he started doing missions again. finishing his yoga aero started left the area but not towards the village,' my lord is there something here?' they asked mostly to break the silence.

"Nothing really, the tracks are pretty clear what it is!" the signal set of tracks was a bit confusing because this animal didn't travel alone. but it would be bad to leave it be, like several graves bad. he followed the tracks for several petals. before he found signs of a nest, it was a new nest 'have an I found a queen?' the tracks he followed belonged to a creature similar to a bee but they were the size of golden retrieves and were called eebs.

they could be defensive or aggressive, the only way to tell was their coloration. getting closer to the nest but still ready to strike, Aero kicked the tree the nest sat under and stepped back. the buzzing was heard as the eebs came closer to the surface," asteroid shower!" it was a dark yellow that meant aggressive, it didn't notice aero so he struck first.

Its screech hurt Aero's ear as he crushed its exoskeleton pink blood gushing out coating the end of his weapon. but he didn't slow steeping out of the way of it snapping mandibles, kicking it in the face he took out an eye and got blood on his foot. it screeched louder this time but aero focused on using his staff to form a melody that created a candle size fire on the lower end of the staff.

the eebs blood caught fire easily, it screeched and thrashed as the fire consumed its form. the blood boil and the body blackened. Aero watch impassively as the life slowly left it until nothing but a blackened husk remained which turned to asked as the fire died. "gotta take care of the nest," grabbing something still on fire he three it down the nest. it wasn't long before thick smoke was leaving the nest, "how long should I let this burn?"

having no plans of staying here all day Aero rushed back to the town and got someone else to watch the underground fire. after that, he went to wash the blood of him and his weapon." I forgot how sticky insect blood could be!" the blood was not coming off easily but it did eventually despite that frustrating incident Aero was feeling pretty good. he dealt with a threat kept his mother out of danger and probably shone people that he was skilled.

'i hope they won't be too stubborn!' there would definitely be people who doubt his ability well he would give them a clear vi-"oh right I can't beat people up on whims anymore!" the number of curses that felt his mouth in the next petal his mother would have punished him for. taking a deep breath he rubbed his chin trying to think about this, showing people his skill was the best way but how did he do it without hitting them.

"This is a testament to my personality," Aero sighed before rolling over in his bed two flowers after he got done bathing and he still didn't know how to prove himself to people without violence. rolling over he cried out in frustration before climbing out of bed, he moved to have his second meal before his mother came home from work.

she did return to aero reading in the kitchen, she returned tired but still didn't let Areo make third meal. he still helped as much as she would allow, they talked a bit. his mother told him what she heard on the gossip vine about the beast he encountered."it wasn't exactly a fight, a queen eebs doesn't fight. they there had been a drone it would have been a workout!"

she nodded even though she didn't really understand what he meant, he was fine with this fact a lot of people didn't get things people did. he didn't get why she worked her dead-end job even though aero earned more than enough money for her to quit and look for a better job. something he's suggested several dozen times.

'you'll know when your older!' she usually said he got the feeling she didn't want to talk about it. so he just let the topic drop each time, he would still like for her to change job or just not work. but for now, she worked and they had dinner, that night in the realm of the zalt of slumber. the helper was doing a bit of work, they were coming up with a possibility for the next step of their lord. 'lord aero doing pretty well, he's made good progress on the second pride melody!' it was a bit slow going though.

'with the data, I've collected! can begin making possible melodies for my lord,' the helper was completely sure they would work as they had found they were dozen of variables for the special ability of the grinine race. 'how should I suggest it to him?' this would be their biggest obstacle, they ran through multiple simulations, but each one ended with lord aero stopping them cold. they were about ready to give up until they remembered another thing about their lord, he wasn't cruel!

flowers later when aero woke up the helper greeted him,' good sunrise my lord.'

"good sunrise...is something wrong!" the helper's greeting lacked its usual cheer. the disembodied voice didn't speak for a moment, Aero swore he felt it sigh before it spoke.' my lord, I know you dislike receiving my help. but helping you is the reason I exist, so my lord can I help you?' they sounded pitiful and weak, there wasn't one lie in their words

Aero felt to things, the usual anger that someone that was offering him the help he didn't need. but also guilt an emotion he didn't experience often he was dining this being their reason for existing. as strange a reason as it was. he knew the helper was lying, they didn't straight out lie as that would be detrimental to their lord but they would use the truth to lead him somewhere.

"How could you help?" aero asked warily. the helper waited a moment before explaining what they created. Aero was impressed and could see the incredible use this would be but he still didn't wanna use it. but he remembered what the helper said it was a battle between his pride and his guilt, pride won hands down but compassion made an appearance and brought his pride down.

"How does it work?" he asked walking out of his bedroom for first meal while he didn't the helper launched into an easy-to-understand explanation. instead of using it to make a melody that could manipulate his pride's energy, aero used the melody creator to make a melody that would coat his feet on fire. it was random but it would be pretty useful for aero whose hands were usually busy with his staff.

'it will only take 3 flowers, my lord!' they were ecstatic to help their lord and got to work instantly. aero went on with his meal before leaving since his mother had already headed off to work so he didn't stay behind long before going to train, the nest fire had been put out sometime last night. aero barely glanced at it before he started practicing, a good part of it was kicking while holding his staff.

he absolutely didn't fall on his ass several dozen times because he was out of practice with this. he definitely didn't end up doing a slipt either and anyone who said otherwise would get smacked. after training around a good time for second meal aero checked in with the guys around the village, they were doing well? they were finding things they enjoyed but weren't usual for males and were horribly scared of being found out aero reassured each one no one would physically stop them. he also told them that if it really came down to it they had several things they could hold over the girls' heads.

"ah man there so worried!" his reassurance only work partly, they could probably crumble the moment someone confronted them. "I won't be holding their hands for the rest of my life," they needed to build up the will to stand for themselves. not knowing how to help with that aero asked the helper about the fire foot melody.

'it's complete my lord!' aero nodded before the note appeared on a screen before his eyes. he asked the helper to play it for him, "sounds right?" aero only kinda had an idea what a melody like this was supposed to sound like this but this was probably it.' something to test,' he decided as he neared the library. he did look at anyone as he entered grabbed the scrolls he wanted and left without some much as a word. the helper didn't agree with how he was treating the girl, but they also knew his lord wasn't gonna speak to her for a while.

"hold it right there!" aero paused before turning to her, "I know you don't like that I was sent by your precursor but that has nothing to do with me!" her voice wavered greatly but she stood strong," I came to this planet because I like teaching people. Your planet barrier is open and when the knowledge that you the lord of pride lives here people will come! to worship you, to fight you, for power fame, or just the trill!"

"How dangerous can these people be?" aero asked still having his back towards her.

"hundred at the level of your zaltess of combat at least," aero was silent before screaming in frustration. making a 180 he marched over to her, "what is your name?"

"in your tongue, it would be Tova," she was trembling.

"well talk tomorrow," then he turned around and walked away. stewing aero stomped home to drop off the scroll before he turned around and heading for the forest. there he screamed out his frustrations taking them out on a few trees he knocked over. "forced to work with someone! again!" he screaming and attacking the trees until his fist and leg bleed. huffing against the tree his mood hadn't improved in the slightest but he could keep this up.

he headed home with an aura that promised death to anyone that came towards him, people picked on it and stayed out of his. not wanting to face his mother at the moment aero climbed in through a second-floor window. he crawled under his cover and curled up forcing himself to sleep despite how his stomach was reflecting his emotions.

he woke up before the sunrise, his stomach was calmer and so were his wounds. "she wrapped them while I was sleeping!" it was his mother there was no one else who could have done it, sighing he went other fill his stomach his mother didn't say a thing about his wounds. he was more than thankful for this as he ate and then left feeling a bit too trapped in the house. he went places where there would be few if any people and that's how he spent more than half the day before he went to the library.

"okay time to talk!" she flinched back but grabbed some chairs for them, then she grabbed what looks like crystal-like nothing he saw before. mostly because crystals of any kind were the rarest thing. when she set the crystal on the table it glows before they were in a void. the void was filled with swirling dots of light. "this is our universe created the source," she tapped a spot on the light and it zoomed in until there was just a planet. "this is Augustine, small isn't it!"

"My planet isn't small!" Aero growled to hide amazed he was about the size of everything. "so what is this about!"

she zoomed out until about twelve star systems," these four systems contain species caple of space flight and they are the one you have to worry about right now. "the other eight aren't caple of travel but they do host some rather interesting people." most of the star systems vanished leaving one behind that Augustine didn't belong to.

"This is the worst one of them, the races of this star system love war, it's like a game to them. their principal says it is an honor to die in battle, no matter if you're young or old of your gender or beliefs. they will be the first to your planet and they will be here to fight!" Aero wished he was old enough for beer jells.