The sun had barely reached its peak, but the Calvier estate was already alive with whispers.
Maids, guards, and even the stewards found themselves glancing toward the seventh courtyard more than usual. What had once been the quietest corner of the vast estate had now become… vibrant.
Every day for the past week, Taryn had been seen training relentlessly. Morning runs that left the grounds shaking with his thundering footsteps, afternoon meditation sessions under the old spirit oak where energy pulsed faintly in the air, and evenings where the glow of spiritual light flickered from his room like the birth of a star.
The rumors began to grow.
"Have you heard? The seventh young master... he's cultivating!"
"Impossible. Wasn't he bedridden a month ago?"
"I saw him running laps this morning. Nearly knocked over the west wing patrol!"
"Wait—didn't I hear the elder master mention Level Two?"
"Level Two?! Spirits above…"
Inside the castle, in a sunlit drawing hall, Taryn's parents sat across from each other—cups of tea long forgotten in their hands.
His mother smiled faintly, eyes brimming with warmth. "He's changed. He's… truly changed."
His father leaned back, arms crossed but face soft. "That boy. He's finally stepped onto the path."
There was a pause, then his mother whispered, "Do you think it's… because of something?"
"He wouldn't tell us," his father replied, "but I don't need to know. Whether divine luck or sheer will… he did it himself. Our son has awakened."
That evening, as Taryn returned to the courtyard after finishing his cultivation session, he found two figures waiting for him.
His mother stepped forward first, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from his sweaty forehead. "You've been working hard," she said. "Far harder than I ever thought I'd see."
Taryn offered a sheepish smile. "I just… want to prove I'm not the weak one anymore."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder, eyes firm. "You don't need to prove anything. But this effort, this determination—it makes us proud."
Taryn stood still, caught between awe and emotion. For so long, he'd felt like the outcast, the burden. Now, their eyes… no longer held worry or pity.
Only pride.
Elsewhere, a message flew on a spirit hawk's wing, reaching distant corners of the world.
To a quiet library where a woman in white robes, surrounded by herbs and pills, smiled knowingly.
To a storm-touched cliffside where twin swords hummed as two young men trained, pausing to glance at the message with wide grins.
To an academy where a strict instructor paused mid-lecture and chuckled under his breath.
And to a forest glade, where spirit beasts howled joyfully as their master, lounging in the grass, read the letter and whispered, "That's my little brother."
The Seventh Son of House Calvier had awakened.
And the world had begun to notice.