A New Path
Arthur lay in bed, staring at the wooden ceiling as he was lost in thoughts. It had been more than two weeks since he formed his mana core but his body still ached from the backlash. Ever since he gained consciousness, his mother rarely left his side and his dad who was usually goofy had become more protective. They kept a close eye on Art so that he can't use any magic until he fully recovers.
However, Arthur would secretly train his core at late night and it wasn't long before he entered the 'Solid red stage'
It was during one of these quiet nights that he overheard his parents talking in muffled voices.
"The Valthor family..." Kiara murmured. "I still can't believe they're no more now."
For some reason, the name Valthor piqued Arthur's interest.
"They were one of the strongest families in whole Essos and even among nobles in our kingdom," she continued. "Their family were known for their unmatched skill in combat, second to none....it's hard to believe they were massacred."
Raymond let out a deep sigh, "A massacre that wiped out the entire bloodline. It's a mystery to even the King of Vallaris as to who was strong enough to massacre the entire bloodline," after a brief pause, Ray added "Apparently, there's a rumour that there was 1 survivor of that family but no one has seen him yet. Not even the special forces of the king."
Something about this incident piqued his interest but he couldn't exactly put his finger on it.
The following morning, Arthur sat cross legged on his bed, his eyes closed and as he focused on his breath and mana core, he suddenly felt his mana move with an electric sharpness. It was different to the phenomenon he experienced before. This felt more warm and natural and it evenly spread around his body and suddenly- his fingers flickered sparks of Lightning.
"Lightning magic...?" Arthur was confused knowing his first affinity to awaken was lightning. In this world, lightning magic was said to be rare and is next to impossible to achieve it as their first affinity but he also felt thrilled knowing he can now use magic.
Raymond who was waiting outside for a long time, finally opened the door with a knowing smile on his face. "You are finally ready. Took you long enough."
Before the young prodigy could say anything, the proud dad tossed something like a bag at him. Arthur caught it, his hands moving as he felt a smooth wooden surface. As he took out the wood from the bag, it revealed a sword.
Arthur stared at it, running his fingers all around the sword. It wasn't just a toy- it was a well made and balanced weapon for a beginner who will just learn swordsmanship.
"You're still young but you are many years ahead of kids your age," he said in a serious tone, "As your father it's my duty to train you, so that you can make us proud."
Arthur's chest tightened with something unfamiliar seeing his gift.
"I won't let you or mom down, father." He gripped his sword tightly as he let out a small laugh.
During the evening, Arthur sat on the floor of his room, flipping through the pages his mother had given him to learn how to circulate mana if the core is unstable. But this peace was short lived.
BANG!
The front door slammed open, making the walls shake and revealed his over-excited father.
"Art! It's time to train now!!"
The strong wind from outside rushed in, sending Arthurs notes fly away, while some just smacked onto his face.
Arthur let out a slow sigh as he got up feeling both annoyed and excited for his first duel in this new world.
They stood at the yard just beside their house. Ray taught Arthur how to take a opening stance while wielding a sword but it was uncomfortable for his new body. His memories of his previous life surfaced again. Since, Arthur used to take Swordsmanship lessons way before he was stuck with the disease, his mind remembered how to move. The only problem was that he was still not accustomed to his new body, which felt more weak and fragile than his previous body.
Ignoring everything else he jumped on his father tightening the grip of his sword, wasting no second.
"All right, kiddo. Let's see what you got." Raymond said with a easy grin.
Arthur swung his sword with precision like he was taught but his body failed to keep up. Ray dodged all his attack unbothered to even block.
Arthur took a step forward in order to close the gap but Ray countered his attack by rotating to his side and using his son's motion of attack against him and sent him flying with just his elbow to his chest.
Arthur got up from the attack but his face was smiling as he enjoyed his first fight in this world.
"C'mon, kid. You are too slow~" the experienced father said provoking his son with a slight smirk. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Not at all....I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.." Arthur answered sounding confident, with a plan in his mind. He understood that at his level he can't beat his father through just brute force that's when the idea to use his lightning as a way to boost his speed came to his mind. It was a gamble, knowing very well he still wasn't used to his new body but it was worth it. If it meant his father would let him go for dinner if he can make his father use his affinity.
The young prodigy quickly enveloped his entire body with lightning and in an instantly, he sneaked up on his father's back. Raymond couldn't process when did Arthur sneak up on him, it seemed more like teleportation to him rather than just speed.
But Raymond being a seasoned adventurer quickly blocked his attack through sheer instincts before it could land on him.
Arthur retreated a bit at the sudden change of tide in battle. Arthur was once again forced to use his lightning magic but this time only on his legs increasing his speed even further. While Arthur struggled to control his speed, in a matter of seconds he closed the distance between him and Ray.
Arthur lifted his fists to give a uppercut to seal the fight but Ray wasn't the one to be easily defeated. He covered his fists with fire in order to counter his son's punch with lightning cloaked.
The sheer impact of their punches colliding each other managed to destroy half of the area and burned the surrounding trees and grass to ashes.
Arthur fainted again as he went overboard with his weak body and Ray stood there dumbfounded as he processed what happened here.
Raymond looked at Arthur in both awe and concern of his power.
Raymond was hesitant. More than his nightmares, he was more scared of how to approach his wife regarding this matter. He sighed, stretching his arms as a smile slowly crept into his face.
With a content smile, Raymond carried Arthur back to their home.