0010. Small Scuffle

"He is one of the two diamonds, and only he is allo—" The boy's words were cut short as a fist slammed into his face, sending him staggering two paces back. Blood poured from his broken nose.

Standing in his place, fists clenched and eyes blazing with fury, Nile growled, "What did you just say? How dare you!" Without waiting for an answer, he lunged at the boy to deliver another blow.

But before he could close the distance, searing pain exploded on his right cheek. A fist hurled him to the ground, followed by another punch to his left cheek. A flurry of blows rained down on him, each strike driving him closer to the edge of consciousness. Finally, Nile crumpled to the mat, unconscious from the relentless beating.

A cold sigh cut through the tense air, followed by a sharp chill. A gust of icy wind swirled around the mat, and suddenly the attacking boy's fist froze mid-swing, encased in a sheath of ice.

All eyes turned toward the source: Jessica, her outstretched hand emanating a faint, frosty glow. The boy froze in place, trembling as he stammered, "I-it was him! He attacked me first. I was just defending myself—"

"Shut up," Jessica snapped, her voice colder than the wind around her. She turned her sharp gaze to the boy in the center. "Sid, that's enough. Don't you think?"

Sid smirked and shrugged. "Alright, guys, leave him be." With that, he strode toward a horse-drawn carriage, his gang of followers trailing behind him.

Jessica knelt beside Nile, checking his pulse and injuries. She sighed. "Such an idiot. So hot-headed."

Maya, standing nearby, crossed her arms. "It's not just him being hot-headed, Jessica. Their taunts went way too far this time."

"I know, Maya, but he's got to learn to control himself. He's going to face worse taunting in town. Kids as young as seven or eight are already doing body enhancement training there." She stood up, brushing her hands off. "Whatever. Let's get him inside."

"Go ahead," Maya replied casually.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not going to help? Even though this mess started because of one of your suitors?"

Maya waved her off. "I just ate. I need to walk to digest."

Jessica scoffed. "You and your excuses." With a shake of her head, she bent down and started dragging Nile toward the wagon.

In the distance, she spotted Aunt Veena by the wagon, her face red with anger as she argued furiously with Dad. Jessica sighed again. "Today just keeps getting better and better."

As Jessica got closer, Aunt Veena's voice rang out, sharp and indignant. "Just what did they learn in that school? Is this how kids should behave? Ganging up on one person like that?"

"Calm down, Veena. They're just kids messing around. Nothing serious," Uncle James replied, his tone calm but dismissive. "Besides, it was one-on-one. No one ganged up on him."

"You're telling me those six kids were right to beat up my boy?" Veena shot back, her tone rising.

"Oh, good grief. Let the kids handle it themselves for once," James muttered, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her down.

Before Veena could respond, Jessica interjected. "Don't worry, Aunt Veena. Everything is under control. I actually planned for this scuffle to happen. He needed to take a beating."

Both adults turned to her, stunned.

"What?" Veena exclaimed. "So that's why you decided to join the kids' gathering you usually ignore? But why? My poor boy! I'm seriously questioning your mentorship right now!"

From the side, James smirked. "Someone sounded pretty confident about her guidance just a moment ago."

"You shut up!" Veena snapped at him.

Jessica sighed and folded her arms. "Aunt Veena, I know what I'm doing. Like you always say, winning all the time isn't a bad thing, but not knowing how to cope with failure is the biggest roadblock to progress. Nile needs to learn how to handle defeat and humiliation if he's going to grow."

Veena hesitated, her expression torn between anger and reluctant agreement.

"Now that's my girl," James said, his face lighting up with pride.

"Don't worry, Aunt Veena," Jessica continued confidently. "If he struggles with the mental block of being beaten and humiliated, I'll help him through it. But honestly, with his straightforward nature, I think he'll handle it better than you think."

Veena sighed, crouching beside Nile to check his injuries. "I hope so. My poor boy. Mama's so sorry you have to endure the mentorship of this demon's daughter."

James's eye twitched. "Hey! Are you picking a fight with me now? And did you have to use that nickname? You know I hate it!"

And so, the bickering continued between the two, who looked like a pair of overgrown kids despite their years.

After dinner and an hour of rest, the caravan resumed its journey. The shout of Captain Sam echoed through the camp. "Everyone, make sure all the kids get enough sleep tonight! By morning, we'll be almost at the town."

The circular formation of the camp broke apart. Leading the procession was a horse-drawn carriage carrying two scholars and two muscular guards. Behind it, another carriage held an elderly woman and a young lady, while a third carried Sid, a guard, and another boy who remained deep in meditation, seemingly unaffected by the wagon's movement.

Next came a long chain of five cattle-drawn carriages, loaded with kids headed for town, merchants, and their goods. At the very end was Uncle James' private carriage, trailing behind like a silent guardian.

As the carriages jolted forward, Nile stirred awake, groaning from the pain coursing through his body for the second time that day. He blinked, taking in his surroundings, and his gaze landed on his mother sitting beside him, her face etched with worry.

Trying to ease her concern, he forced a grin. "Don't worry, Mama. It was just a small scuffle. Besides, he caught me off guard—a scheming fellow! Next time, you'll see, Mama—I won't fall for his tricks!"

Veena's lips curled into a soft smile at his bravado. "Oh, sure, a 'small scuffle,' and yet you got beaten into a pighead."

Before Nile could protest, Jessica tossed him a palm-sized mirror. "Here, take a look."

Nile held up the mirror and screamed. "What happened?! How did my face swell up this much?!"

"Calm down, Pighead," Jessica said, smirking. "The one you fought is named Mason. He knows mana manipulation. His punches were mana-infused. That mana's now tangled in your wounds. Since your body isn't accustomed to mana yet, the wounds swelled up. Be grateful Mason isn't very strong. If someone with real power infused enough mana into you, a single touch could make you explode."

Nile's face paled, and he began trembling. "W-what? So, if some strong Awakened had bad intentions, they could massacre hundreds in minutes like that?"

Jessica sighed, her tone becoming more serious. "Theoretically, yes. But practically? Not so much. There are limits, orders, and rules to these things. But..." She paused, her gaze locking onto Nile. "Since I'm your guide, I'll explain everything. All things in due time."

She straightened, her tone becoming firm. "First things first, Nile—do you agree to take me as your guide on the path of martial cultivation?"

The question hung in the air, unexpected and heavy. Nile froze, staring at her. Of all the things he thought he'd face today, this was not one of them.

And so, out of the blue, Nile found himself confronting one of the most unwilling choices of his life.