In a courtyard surrounded by a grand and luxurious house, a young boy was practicing basic sword moves. His sword gleamed brightly from the first rays of the morning sun. He was using fundamental techniques—uppercut, undercut, thrust, middle slash, and others—with remarkable accuracy. His bare chest was completely drenched in sweat. He wore only a pair of black trousers. His long, shoulder-length brown hair was tied back, and his brown eyes, framed by thin, sword-like eyebrows, gave him a handsome appearance. Although he had a lean build, his biceps and chest muscles were quite well-developed.
While the young boy was practicing his sword moves, a man in his thirties entered the courtyard. He had short brown hair, sword-like eyebrows, and black eyes. He also had a very short beard and mustache. He was dressed in black and blue clothes and wore black-colored armor. He stopped at the edge of the courtyard and observed the young boy's movements. He smiled with satisfaction from time to time. Looking toward the sun, he called out to the young boy, "Nox."
The young boy named Nox didn't stop his practice. The man smiled and shook his head, then yelled louder, "NOX!"
Hearing his name spoken quite loudly, Nox stopped moving. He looked in the direction of the man with wide eyes. "When did you arrive, brother?"
The man smiled. "I was here for quite some time. It looks like you were not aware of your surroundings."
Nox smiled back. "Oh, I was completely focused on my sword moves."
The man came closer to the boy. "That sounds good on the surface, but it is not. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times, even when you are in your own house surrounded by family members. You can't be careless even in your own home."
Nox smiled. "Oh, come on, when the mighty Jason is around me, who could possibly harm me?"
The man named Jason snorted. "Think whatever you want, but this habit of yours needs to be changed."
Nox nodded while wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Okay."
Jason was surprised when he noticed that Nox wasn't even breathing hard. His breathing was relaxed, as if he had just been taking a casual stroll in the courtyard and had not been training for an entire hour. "You turned fifteen yesterday. Now it's time for you to be serious."
Nox nodded his head and placed his sword in the weapon rack at the corner of the courtyard. The weapon rack was filled with all kinds of swords—greatswords, bastard swords, short swords, and single-edged swords.
Jason looked Nox up and down. "Father is expecting you in his study."
Nox nodded. "Okay, I will be there in ten minutes."
Jason turned around and walked away while saying, "Take a shower first."
Nox smiled. "Of course I will be taking a shower. Do you think I would go there looking like this?"
Jason didn't reply back. Nox walked in the opposite direction with long strides. At the entrance of the corridor, two guards stood facing each other. The guards were wearing full-body armor in black and red colors. Seeing Nox, they bowed slightly in respect. Nox nodded back. He walked deeper into the corridor that connected the courtyard and other rooms. Lamps on both sides lit up the corridor. The entire corridor was decorated with swords, paintings of warriors, and other symbols. Along the way, he walked past a couple of maids who were cleaning the corridor. They also bowed upon seeing Nox. He entered a room at the very end of the corridor. After entering the room, he turned on the switch on the wall beside the door. The four lamps in each corner lit up, filling the room with warm light. The room was quite large and luxurious. There was also a short weapon rack on the side of the room. The room was decorated with all kinds of swords and paintings of warriors. Nox picked his clothes from the cabinet and entered the shower. After getting ready, he stood in front of the mirror. He wore a blue tunic and khaki trousers. His hair was now loose, reaching his shoulders.
'I look perfect in every way. If only I could produce it,' Nox thought, clenching his fist. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. 'Father is expecting me. I should hurry.'
After checking himself in the mirror, he walked in the direction of his father's study. His father's study was in the opposite direction from his corridor. He crossed the courtyard and went inside the opposite corridor. Inside the corridor, two guards with full-body armor were standing on both sides. As Nox went past them, they also bowed in respect. Nox nodded back, then went inside a different corridor to the right. There also stood guards with full-body armor in front of a door leading to his father's study. The guards, like the previous ones, bowed slightly in respect. Nox nodded back, then knocked on the door.
"Come in," he heard a heavy voice from inside, granting him permission to enter.
Nox inhaled sharply, then opened the door and entered the room. Inside the room, Nox saw two rows of bookshelves on both sides. At the center of the room was a desk. In front of the desk stood Jason with his hands behind his back. Behind the desk sat a man who looked to be in his early forties, with short brown hair streaked with some gray. His brown-black eyes were focused on a book as he wrote something in it with a pen. His well-defined shape could be seen behind his dark blue suit. Even though he had given Nox permission to enter the office, he didn't even acknowledge his presence. He kept writing something in the book, never once glancing in his and Jason's direction. Nox stood side by side with his brother Jason. Both kept silent out of respect for their father. Nox glanced at the table, which was filled with many kinds of books—some were open, some were closed. Besides the table lamp, there was a nameplate that read 'Godric Silverblade.'
'What is he even writing about that he didn't even acknowledge me?' Nox thought while looking at the books.
Nox was pulled out of his thoughts by his father's voice. "Sit down."
Both Nox and Jason sat down in the chairs in front of the desk. Nox looked at his father, who closed the book.
Godric closed the book and looked at his older son, then looked at Nox with a flat expression. "How is your training going?"
Nox smiled. "I am doing great."
Godric looked at Jason for confirmation. Jason nodded back.
"How are you doing in the sword style that I taught you?" Godric asked again.
"The Divine Flow style?" Nox questioned back.
Godric frowned. "Is there any other style that I taught you?"
Nox felt embarrassed. "Well, I have mastered it fully."
Godric frowned even more. Even Jason looked at him with a questioning glance.
"Really?" Jason asked skeptically.
"Of course I have mastered it fully. I can show you," Nox said with pride.
"No need. It's to be expected. It's a foundational sword style of our family. It's flexible in nature. All the other sword styles you will learn in the future will integrate into it, no matter what nature they are," Godric explained with a flat face.
Nox nodded but felt disappointed. 'He should have praised me for it. I have mastered it fully at such a young age. Why is he like that all the time? All he has to say is "good, very good, keep it up," but no, he has to ruin it with his stone face,' Nox complained in his mind.
"How is your progress in ki?" Godric asked Nox.
"I can control it a lot better than before," answered Nox.
"Did your ki increase?" asked Godric again.
Hearing this, Nox became silent. His shoulders dropped slightly, and he became serious as he answered with a pained expression, "No."
Nox lowered his head after this. This conversation reminded him of the fact that he couldn't produce ki. Although he could control the ki his father gave him, he couldn't deny the fact that he was a cripple.
Jason placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Don't worry, we will find a way."
Hearing this, Nox smiled weakly.
Jason turned to his father. "We can test him in wizard arts."