Basic Skill

Blaze took a moment to clear his throat, then he started answering ...

"Fifth Level Beings are called Royals. And while I do not know exactly how powerful these (Royals) are, I'm certain that they are MIGHTY, to say the least."

He paused for a moment then said

"Oh, and also, they can use Telepathy"

Leus asked

"Telepathy? What's that?"

Blaze shrugged

"I don't know the details. It's a form of communication they are capable of using; they can send voice transmissions directly to other being's minds"

"Woah, that sounds cool ..."

That reminded Leus of something

'Telepathy huh ... Sal had probably used some sort of Telepathy when he taught me the incantations and the language'

Blaze interrupted his thought

"Not only cool, they're so powerful!

Rumors are that Royal Mages can destroy entire cities. That's why they're never used in Strife Zones, only in wars.

In Strife Zones, only Soldiers, Knights, and Elite Knights participate. And even Elites rarely ever fight to death"

Blaze also added

"If you become a Fifth Level Being, and prove your loyalty to the Throne, you can work in the Royal Palace or rule your own Duchy. Just like the ruler of this city, The Royal Mage Duke Ignatius Inferno."

Leus was surprised to hear the name

"Ignatius Inferno? Is he your father or something, Dad?"

Blaze shook his head

"Not my father. He's some Grand Ancestor of the family.

We're a branch family of the Inferno Household. However, if you become powerful enough, Ignatius might accept you in the main, ruling family"

That piqued Leus' interest

'So in this world, power is everything ... even family relations'

Blaze interrupted Leus' train of thought, again ...

"You know, you have the potential to exceed me. If you train hard enough, you can probably become a Royal.

You just have to focus on training and never overestimate yourself. Keep in mind that having the potential is entirely different from actually achieving anything"

Leus nodded

'I'm not really interested in power but I'll think about it'

'For now, I'll follow my original plan'

"Thank you, Dad, I'll think about it!"

Blaze's tone became extremely serious

"Good, consider it thoroughly. Choosing to walk on the path of power isn't an easy decision. You must strengthen your resolve and be prepared for the cost. Otherwise, you will end up doing more harm to yourself than good.

Also, remember that power is not a goal on its own, it's only a means to an end."

Leus replied in a serious tone as well

"I understand"

Blaze was about to leave the room when Leus remembered something

'I still didn't know what Realm are Lords ...'

So he asked Blaze

"Dad, what are the levels after Royal Knight/Mages?"

Blaze answered

"Sixth Realm beings are known as King Level Beings ...

Note that every King (As in ruling a Kingdom) is a King Level Being. However, not every King Level Being is ruling a Kingdom; some of them are just wandering around the world.

But honestly, I know nothing at all about beings above Royal. I have never seen them either, only heard of them"

When Blaze explained that, a memory quickly came to Leus' mind

'Sal said that if I train from the day I'm born then I can be a King Level Being ...'

' ... So that's what he meant'

While Leus was thinking of that, Blaze continued

"The Seventh Realm Beings are Lord Level Beings. And as far as I know, that's the highest level of power.

They're mythical creatures rumored to have been living for thousands of years ..."

He added with a shrug

"Maybe they're immortals? I have no idea.

Regardless, you can read about them in books. I think The Archivist made a book about the Lords as well. It's called The Walking Calamities or something like that"

'Looks like this Archivist has a book about everything. Is he some sort of a record keeper or something?'

Leus didn't voice out his thoughts and only thanked Blaze

"Thanks, Dad"

"No problem, I will get you the Atlas soon"

After saying that, Blaze got up and left the room.

He too had some things that he wanted to think about ...

'Maybe The Oracle was right about something after all ...'

'I can't let his intelligence go to waste ... I must help him train one way or another'

'He can become really powerful. It'd be a shame to waste his potential'

And Blaze had a very nice idea in mind

'We'll start with a basic skill ... '

The next couple of days were normal and quiet ...

Since Blaze returned, Leus rarely trained; he only used Mana Vision and Water spells for utility purposes, but that's it.

During these days, Amethyst kept progressing in her studies. However, she still needed a lot more time to be as proficient as Leus. Nevertheless, Blaze and Viorica were proud of her

But while they were proud of Amethyst, they were perplexed about something else ...

Since the day Leus evolved, his body kept growing rapidly

'It's as if he grows by the day ...' Thought Viorica to herself.

By now, Leus reached the height of 110 centimeters, becoming almost as tall as his six-year-old brother, Merlin. Also, his elegant, purple hair grew big enough to cover his entire head.

Blaze had never seen anyone with such a color before, so he had no idea what Affinity Leus had ...

But he shrugged it off

'Oh well, we will surely find out one day'

A couple of days later, after Blaze came back from outside, he brought both Leus and Merlin in front of him

"I rented a horse ..."

Both looked at him confused

" ... And?" Leus asked

Blaze excitedly announced

"From today, I will teach both of you how to ride it"

Hearing that, Merlin became very excited while Leus was ... skeptical

'I'm too young for that, no?'

When Blaze noticed the not-so-excited expression of Leus he quickly added

"You're as big as Merlin, and maybe even stronger, so your age doesn't matter. Riding a horse is one of the basic skills a Knight needs to learn"

He added with a smirk

"Once you master it, I'll buy the Atlas for you"

These words were enough to motivate Leus

'Oh well ... it's not a bad idea'

'Riding a horse should be fun anyway'

And like that, the three went outside.

However, as soon as Leus saw the horse he realized

'There's no way I can ride that ...'

' ... Not on my own at least'

It was a brown and white Paint Horse, and the height of its withers was 16hh.

Blaze quickly noticed the expressions on Leus and Merlin's faces and assured them

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Also, you won't ride it just yet"

Blaze went and patted the horse's head while pointing at a haystack lying a bit far

"This is Dusty, your first task is to feed him"

The two went and took some hay and carefully got closer to Dusty ...

When they got close enough, the horse quickly leaned forward and took the hay from their hands.

"Now slowly pat its head"

Leus and Merlin did as instructed.

Blaze slowly clapped

"Very well ... you've created a small bond between yourselves and the horse. Now step back and watch me"

Blaze went and stood on Dusty's left side ...

First, he put his left hand on the reins, then swiftly raised his right leg and elegantly jumped over Dusty, riding it.

He looked at his children and said

"This is how to ride the horse! Remember to be gentle"

He smoothly got down and said

"Since you guys aren't tall enough to do this, I'll help you"

He pointed at Merlin

"Come"

Blaze easily carried Merlin and placed him on Dusty's back ...

"Don't panic or move; if you panic or shake too much you'll disturb the horse's balance"

Blaze kept his hands around Merlin to not let him fall for about three minutes, then he took a step closer

"Now that you got the feeling of riding it, let's move it together"

Swiftly, Blaze hopped behind Merlin and directed the horse forward.

Merlin quickly became very excited ...

"Woahhhhhh!!! This is so cool!!!"

Blaze agreed

"It certainly is"

After about 15 minutes, Blaze carried Merlin and got down, then he went to Leus

''Your turn"

Seeing Merlin's experience, Leus genuinely started getting excited

'This seems to be fun'

Blaze repeated what he did with Merlin, but at the end Leus said

"Let me try alone for a minute"

For a moment, Blaze narrowed his eyes

'Try alone huh ...'

Without saying anything, Blaze got down and left Leus alone on the horse

'It's about time he fails in something'

With his arms crossed, Blaze stepped back and watched Leus ...

At first, Leus managed to move the horse forward in a straight line ...

When they were about to reach the yard's fence, Leus wanted to turn Dusty around, so he leaned to the right, assuming that just by leaning to the right Dusty would turn right.

However, things didn't go as planned; Dusty suddenly changed direction and turned left.

Instantly, Leus lost his balance.

He fell down, head first ...

Luckily, Blaze dashed forward and caught him before his head could hit the floor.

"Don't be conceited, Leus"

Originally, Blaze wanted to let Leus fall

'But seeing him fall head-first, and also considering the fact that Dusty might step on him after he fell, made me change my plan'

Blaze continued in a colder-than-usual tone

"I won't save you again, Leus. Next time you will bear the consequences"

Leus thought about what he had done wrong and then said

"Yeah, sorry ..."

Blaze's voice returned to normal and he spoke nonchalantly

"If you have learned something, then it isn't an issue"

"Yes, I did"

Blaze smiled

"Then it was a productive session."

He turned around to Merlin and asked

"Merlin, What about you? Did you learn something too?"

Merlin nodded

"Yes, Dad. I learned that I have to ride the horse with you so I don't fall"

Blaze chuckled

"Well, not exactly ... but that also works I guess"

For the next couple of weeks, both Merlin and Leus spent hours riding on Dusty's back under Blaze's supervision ...

Eventually, after tens of hours of horse riding, the two mastered that basic skill.

And now, it was time for Leus to get his reward ...