Heroes who will not fall, no matter what.

"Hero Kael says his Bond is Shy."

"Shy…? A Firefang Wyvern…?"

General Deren couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Everyone here was a Beast Tamer who had formed multiple Bonds with multiple Magic Beasts, they all could tell how absurd this sounded. 

"That is what he says."

Lyric, however, just shrugged.

"And you agreed? That boy is quite bratty. Sometimes, you need to hit him to set him straight."

Arlan spoke in a strict tone.

"He says if his Bond doesn't wish to come out, he will never force him out, no matter what, and he was quite adamant about it too.

It was quite charming, even if I do say so myself."

Lyric answered with a light smile on her face.

"So what? Does he plan to keep hiding him forever?"

Arlan questioned with a frown on his face.

"That's what he says."

Lyric chuckled.

"Bullshit!"

Arlan clicked his tongue.

"I'll talk to him."

He declared.

"Sure, if you can convince him."

Lyric just giggled.

"…"

Arlan paused for a moment. 

He still remembered how Kael stubbornly resisted him and didn't give in till the end. 

Convincing that brat...

It... might not be that easy...

"As I said, he is extremely protective of his Bond. No matter what you do, unless his Bond wants to, he would never bring him out.

So unless you wish to antagonize the Hero, I suggest you not do anything rash."

Lyric spoke in a calm tone.

"So what do you suggest we do, Tamer Lyric?"

The King questioned as he stared at Lyric.

"We can only do what the Hero wants and wait till his Bond is ready to come out on his own. Till then, I'll continue to provide him with basic knowledge related to Beast Taming and the Firefang Wyvern."

Lyric answered, and the King turned silent.

The rest of the instructors didn't say anything either, waiting for the King's judgment. 

Every instructor here had seen the Hero's potential, and they wanted to explore it even further. 

They all wanted to teach Kael and were staring at their King with intense eyes as if begging for the opportunity. 

The King, however, was in a dilemma.

"So General Deren says he is a genius whose talent is related to Physical Abilities, Commander Arlan says he has a talent related to Martial Arts, and Court Mage Elira says he is born to be a Mage." 

The King stared at the instructors and, 

"So you are telling me that the Hero has managed to impress every single one of you and that his talent makes him the best in all the fields…?"

"That does seem to be the case, Your Majesty."

Marshal Therian nodded with a light smile on his face.

"The Hero is indeed quite special."

Lyric chuckled and Deren nodded silently. 

"That brat is somewhat special."

Arlan laughed.

"He is a bit annoying though."

Elira didn't hold back either.

The King, staring at what could only be described as the best of his subjects fawning over a child summoned just a day ago, felt an unusual weight settle on his shoulders. 

Their expectant gazes pierced through him, silently demanding a decisive ruling.

He let out a soft sigh, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his throne.

After a moment of silence, his voice rang out.

"Hero Kael will train under each of you for the next two weeks,"

The King declared, his eyes sweeping across the room.

"You are to offer him your utmost guidance and ensure he is given the opportunity to explore his potential in every field. At the end of this period, we will reconvene to evaluate his progress and determine how to hone his talents moving forward."

A ripple of nods followed his words, the instructors exchanging glances with each other, their gazes ranging from determination to reluctant acceptance. 

Now, it had turned into a competition between the instructors. 

They wanted to spend more time with the Hero and shape him into the prodigy they envisioned? Then they needed to show results.

And in this competition, none of the instructors were planning on holding back.

With that, the meeting was adjourned. 

The next two weeks would decide not only Kael's path but the fate of Nerathis itself.

…

While the King and his subjects were having a meeting, another man in his late twenties was sitting on a plush armchair, inside an extremely lavish room, looking out of the window with a light smile on his handsome face.

The man had long, silky purple hair, his purple eyes seemed to hold the wisdom of ages, and he had sharp, angular features that were nothing short of perfection.

He wore a tailored black coat with silver embroidery. The Drakthar crest was embroidered over his chest in vivid gold, it was a sign that he belonged to the Drakthar Royal Family.

He was Edric Dragonborn, the Crown Prince of the Drakthar Kingdom.

"So a man whose talents surpass all others in every single field, eh?"

Edric muttered, his voice extremely soft and gentle.

"That was the assessment of every instructor who trained him today, Your Highness."

A neutral voice was heard.

Hearing the voice, Edric finally stopped looking outside his window and turned towards the woman who was kneeling in front of him.

"And what about you? What do you think about him, Althea?"

Edric questioned, and Althea answered.

"I think the same.

The Hero is extremely talented in all fields."

"Is he more talented than her?"

The Crown Prince asked directly.

Normally, if anyone else would have mentioned 'her,' Althea would have tried to stop them. In front of this man, however, she didn't say anything and answered like a loyal subject would.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Heh."

Edric chuckled.

"So another child with more talents than he can handle, huh?"

"Your Highness, Hero Kael is not lik—"

"Don't be foolish, Althea."

The Crown Prince interrupted.

"This is how humans tend to act.

When one is born with Gifts, oftentimes than not, they fail to understand the value of those Gifts they have received and not earned.

These people tend to grow arrogant, thinking everyone is beneath them. Thinking they are all there is, thinking that the world should bend to their whims and they should get anything they desire, but once they encounter failure," 

Edric's face turned solemn and he continued, 

"Instead of rising to the challenge, 

They fall.

That is how 'she' fell.

And that is how the Hero will fall."

Edric's words echoed throughout the room. Althea remained silent, not refuting anything. 

The Crown Prince then shook his head and sighed, 

"These people do not understand, 

He is not the Hero we or the Drakthar need.

No 'Hero' will come to deliver salvation. That is just a children's fantasy.

We need to pick our weapons and prepare for what is about to come."

Edric clenched the hilt of his sword and

"We need to create our own Heroes,

Heroes who will not fall, no matter what."

He spoke in a heavy tone. 

Althea kept her head down, listening to all his words carefully.

"Continue keeping an eye on him. If you find anything out of the ordinary, report to me."

Edric ordered.

"As you command, Your Highness."