Chapter 93 - Plans for the Future

"Nerun could indeed be a good candidate for the Super Soldier program. However this might be difficult to achieve." said Rafal with a bit of a frown on his face.

"What do you mean Lord Rafal? I heard that the choice of the seed was not done yet, and I was hoping that you could support me in getting a recommendation for Nerun. I'm sure he would do great, and as the seed for the Super Soldier, he would be able to develop his new Path more feasibly, with the trainers involved." interjected Elijah.

"Mmmmh… I've heard about some things, but right now they are only speculations. However the choice is not our to make, but the Council of Generals. All I can promise is to give you my support. Perhaps something can be done about your brother." said Rafal with a smile. This promise is all that Elijah was looking for right now.

"Moving on to some different issues, I need to tell you about some of your obligations, and things to take care of. As a Dragon General you are indeed the highest in the chain of command in the Royal Army after the King himself, and although this has its perks, it also has some issues that you'll need to address. Even though I fully support the choice made, you have to understand that you are a bit weak as a Dragon General. Many of the Generals in the Council are already Saints, and several of them are from Noble Families, and some of them can be quite prejudiced to people not of noble birth. Falma went through something similar in the past, however, his is a different matter altogether. After all he did not become a Dragon General before becoming a Saint at 23, and later becoming a Legend at 25. His rise was unstoppable and his talent is unsurpassed. Well, maybe Armand could have given him a run for his money… Such a shame, really." said Rafal with a melancholic tone.

Elijah shuddered imperceptibly when he heard Rafal mentioning Armand, but he did not show anything outwardly. Rafal then continued.

"Anyway, as Dragon Generals we have a lot of power and clout in the military but we also have a lot of restrictions. We are part of the Council of Generals, but we are also not part of them, since we are actually its Auditors. Therefore it's not unusual to butt heads with them frequently, and many times we seem to be in different parts of the equations altogether, as if we were enemies. Having said that, you need to remember. That we are all part of Ansem. And everything we do, our motto, our efforts need to go in the direction of the betterment of the country as a whole. I sincerely hope that you can aid me in this cause. For my Will will always be for this Kingdom."

Rafal was quite serious when he said this. And Elijah quickly understood that in Rafal's mind, the Kingdom was the most important. Everything else was secondary, and he would not hesitate to go against anyone who threatened the stability of the Kingdom. If he was to be thought as a threat, then Rafal would probably be the first to go through his heart.

"We, as Dragon Generals, are also in charge of the defense of several critical areas. Usually there will be two Dragon Generals in either the Barbarian Border or in the Rhodnius Frontier. There are also some secret areas that sometimes need our protection. The third Dragon General will usually stay at Eonia to participate in the Council of Generals or other chores. This is a rotation and it is usually done every 6-12 months. We can also be deployed by the orders of his Majesty whenever he deems so, if there is a need for us. For instance, Falma is at the Barbarian Border right now, keeping the Barbarian Legends at bay, since they have been a little edgy as of late. There is also the issue with the All-Youth Grand Continental Tournament that is to be held in the next year in Rhodnius, and some preparations are to be had."

Rafal then proceeded to talk about certain miscellaneous matters and give some tips to Elijah for the near future. In the end, Elijah was to be sent to the Rhodnius Frontier in the future, but for the coming months he would stay in Eonia and stay next to Rafal to learn some of the tidbits.

And so ended the night. Few people would imagine that an unknown boy from the outskirts of Ansem would have actually sparred against two Dragon Generals on the same night and had actually won. This would certainly make him famous, however, this was not to be known. At least, not yet.

After Elijah left, Rafal started to think about Nerun. He was frowning a bit, trying to think about something, when all of a sudden a lightbulb seemed to have been lit on his mind. "I remember now. He was the boy that was in the ruins during the False God Descent… This boy is getting more and more interesting, hahaha…", chuckled Rafal, seemingly in a good mood. His attendant was bowing his head, while waiting for orders.

"I'd prefer if you kept everything that happened today a secret. Well, only his Majesty and his Shadow can know. No one else." said Rafal as he went towards his room. The attendant kept his head bowed the entire time, and answered almost whispering inaudibly, "It will be done as you've commanded."

Early in the next morning, Nerun raised as usual and started his practice. He performed all of the Forms of the Free Flowing Fist, and also started to modify the fourth movement. So far he had only managed to modify the first two movements. There were still 50 to go, and it would probably take him quite a while to accomplish this. Afterwards he started to ponder on his earnings of the night, both when fighting Elijah and Rafal, and started to both think and practice in how he could have improved his performance. Then he kept reading the Sword Manual and actually started to practice the moves with the rusty sword. He did them over and over. He repeated each and every basic move ten, a hundred, up to a thousand times. Since he had practiced the Free Flowing Fist for a long time, he also noticed that some of the moves he could actually perform them as well with the sword. But this is something that still needed some time to be developed.

During his practice he heard Ego Sum's voice in his mind. "Your brother is about to propose to you to go towards the Military Camp and become the Super Soldier. I would like you to give your best at being chosen." Nerun was a bit astonished by the notion, and also by the fact that Ego Sum actually knew what was on his brother's mind, but he left that consideration for later.

After ending his three hour morning routine he went towards the dining room, where he met Elijah, who smiled at him. "I saw your practice. Very good indeed, I can see that you are no slacker, and that your moves are fluid and becoming a part of you. Are you interested in swordsmanship? I saw you practicing, and your moves are still quite lacking."

"I know, brother. I started practicing swordsmanship recently. I think it was about time I started to study using a weapon and I chose the sword. I'm still learning the basics."

"Good. After you do your individual training in the morning, for the coming days you will also practice with me one hour in the morning, and one in the evening. I will drill the basic principles of swordsmanship into you in no time. It's unfortunate Lord Falma is not around. He gave me some pointers once, and I have to say. I've never seen such a mighty and grand swordsman as him in my entire life. I admire Pops like you have no idea, but even then, I'll have to admit that Falma is on a different level altogether, almost as if he was no human, but a sword instead. Anyway, since I also use the sword, I will teach you the basics, and we will also do some sparring", said Elijah matter of factly.

"Thank you brother. I know that I will improve rapidly, I will not waste your efforts."

"I know little brother. There is no need for any thanks between us. We are way past that hehehe. Anyway, we need to address some plans for the near future. I will take care of the message for the children. I will ask the Mint and the Jobs Association to put it on the News and Message Board across the Frontier in all the major cities in Ansem. We'll use the code you guys developed to let them know that you will be staying with me. I usually stay in the Martial Temple, but several of the Military Officers actually have houses in Eonia. We will buy one and will use that as our new home. It will also make it easier for the boys and girls to find us. If any of them want to come over, we will also take them. I know some of your concerns, but I think that I can protect several of you, at least while you are in Eonia." Said Elijah. He was adamant in knowing his brothers and sisters whereabouts and give them any help he could muster.

"That's good brother. I know they will be more relieved. I have a lot of money, most of what we got from Sagat and a reward I got from that beautiful big sister we met at Corona. I think she's a lieutenant now, from the Vanilla Family".

"You mean Serena? She has been of great help to me during the last years. She was quite close to my master as well. I think that we can trust her then, I was just needing an assistant to become my right hand, and was starting to consider some candidates. But given that you know her, and she has helped you recently, it means that she is definitely on my side. Right now there are not that many officers I can trust, but I have made several acquaintances in the past. Serena is just right for my needs right now." said Elijah. Then he looked at Nerun as if he was considering things in his mind. Nerun thought about Ego Sum's words while looking at Elijah.

"Brother, when we met, I had already planned something for you, but after what happened yesterday, I have thought it through and I think that you should become the seed candidate for the Super Soldier program that the Royal Military School of Ansem is developing. In this program you will be tutored by several Saints, and even receive pointers from the Legendary Experts from the Kingdom of Ansem, including Lord Rafal, as well as the King, and even Lord Falma. This is a new project that has been started by the Army, and I think that this will actually help you to develop your new path into the strongest ever, since you will receive the help from many experts. What do you think?"

Nerun opened his eyes wide. Not because the opportunity was unexpected, but because Ego Sum was actually right. After hearing his brother, Nerun's hopes were flamed. After all, this opportunity was quite hard to come by, and maybe he would become strong quick enough so he could find our about his parents, about Maikal, and finally take his revenge. But he managed to sober up a little, and asked.

"Are you sure that I can be chosen brother? I imagine that the requirements are quite stringent."

"Don't worry. You will have both my recommendation, as well as Lord Rafal's. However I did hear that there was another strong candidate, but I trust that after they see your potential, they'll notice that you are the better choice, hehehe." said Elijah merrily. After all, even Lord Titan, not to mention himself, was quite impressed with Nerun's prowess. Elijah had managed to fight a Praetorian as a level 29 Qi Grandmaster, but Captain Roger was no real expert. He, on the other hand was one of the Dragon Generals, one of the most talented young men in the Kingdom and the World, and Nerun could be barely considered a level 22 Grandmaster. That and Nerun had not had any proper guidance beforehand for the last six years. As for him, Maikal had been with him through most of his initial years.

"Then I'll do as you say brother. I will make sure to give my utmost to become the Seed for the Super Soldier." smiled Nerun while looking at his brother.

"This will still take some time. Also as the Super Soldier you will have the chance to participate in the All-Youth Grand Continental Tournament. It will happen next year. This is a tournament that happens once every four years for all young men and women in the Grand Academies of the Territories, who are under fifteen years old. It's a tournament that engulfs the whole continent, and the Major Territories, save for Mainal. After all they consider themselves the judges of the World, so they are usually not related to secular events. I could not participate in the past, since I was not considered part of any Academy when the last one happened, and I was traveling with my Master. Otherwise I might have liked to give it a shot." Said Elijah.

"Also… Big Brother Armand participated in that tournament several years ago. And he won. That was also the last time that Ansem won the tournament." ended Elijah.

When Nerun heard his brother, he was astonished. He never imagined that his father actually participated in that famous tournament, and actually won. This was considered an immense honor. After Nerun heard that he was incensed. He had decided that he needed to participate in this tournament as well. He wanted to get closer to his father, even if it was like this in a spiritual bond as winners of this tournament.

So Nerun spent the rest of his day training bitterly and non-stop. He wanted to be in tip-top condition for the check-up to become a member of the Royal Military School.