The northern gate of Blackreach City was currently filled with lines upon lines of people trying to enter the city. The people that were lined up knew that they would stay there for hours, but none of them left because this sort of line in Blackreach City was the norm.

Wesley and Kellan were currently walking along the long lines and heading straight for the entrance; this is one of the many privileges of nobility, and although Wesley didn’t enjoy using his status, he was in too much of a hurry.

Neither Wesley nor Kellan looked anything like a noble with their torn and dusty robes, however, no one complained as the giant Kellan with his similarly giant sword was enough to intimidate anyone. When the two of them reached the entrance to the city, a shout came from one of the guards:

"Halt."

Wesley and Kellan turned to the white armored guard that was currently staring at them with a shaky gaze. They didn’t stop like they were told, but Wesley simply showed the man a tile with four moons on it.

Seeing the four moons emblem on the tile Wesley was holding, the man's gaze flickered slightly and then he walked away from the two of them. Who in this city didn't recognize the emblem of the Four Moons Royal Academy.

Wesley and Kellan continued walking forward through the gate and went along the main road. The main road that started from the gate all the way to the Central District was bustling with people who were rushing in all directions.

After almost two hours of walking, the two of them reached the seventh district and proceeded to Wesley's Manor. Their walking pace was slightly slowed by the crowds, but they still pushed through and reached their destination.

Reaching the entrance to the Manor, the two guards who were standing there looked at the two suspiciously. However, after seeing Wesley, they both broke out into a smile and spoke together:

"Master."

Wesley simply smiled at the two guards and spoke:

"Mark, Will. Long time no see."

"Indeed it has been a while Master. How are you."

"Good. Don't worry too much. Haha."

Wesley waved at the two guards and entered the Manor with Kellan. Walking through the Manor, Wesley was met with a barrage of greetings from the guards and maids, after all he has been gone for a whole year.

After saying hello to everyone that met him, Wesley went straight to the backyard. As soon as the two of them reached the backyard, the scene that greeted them could only be described as odd.

There were six green clothed guards sparring with one another while a dark clothed youth was sitting cross legged doing breathing exercises. This scene caused Wesley to wonder, but what caught his attention was the old man that was wearing a flower embroidered shirt while sipping tea under a tree.

Wesley turned to Kellan and saw that he also had the same look of astonishment on his face. It seems that the wherever the second elder goes, swords will follow suit. Is this really a vacation since he's doing the same thing he did in the academy.

The guards that were sparring immediately stopped their movements and turned to Wesley and Kellan; their sensitivity was really astonishing to have noticed the presence of the two so quickly. Also, the cross legged youth opened his eyes and also stared at the two.

After a few seconds of quietude, the entire yard burst into shouts of joy and greeting as they all recognized Wesley. Wesley smiled and greeted everyone back, but he was mostly taking with the dark clothed youth.

He spoke with a flattering voice:

"Stein. You grew stronger in this year. I don't think I can be your opponent anymore."

Stein was slightly shorter than Wesley and his body seemed extremely similar Wesley. He smiled while slightly rolling his eyes and spoke:

"You joke too much Master. Ten of me will hardly be your opponent."

At this point, another voice that seemed to be beaming with laughter and amusement:

"Wesley, Kellan. The two of you are back. I was worried you died."

The old man with the flowery shirt came up to the group while smiling. Wesley and Kellan immediately bowed to the old man and spoke:

"Elder."

The second elder simply smiled and spoke again:

"Since the two of you returned, I assume you’ve reached my requirement."

"Yes Elder."

"Well then show me. Kellan."

Kellan immediately waved his right hand and the greatsword on his back floated in front of him. He breathed deeply for a second and then his sword started shaking while a red mist emerged from its tip covering everyone within.

The faces of the guards as well as Stein changed immediately. This mist was blood. The second elder's voice resounded once again:

"That's enough."

The bloody mist retreated into the sword's tip and disappeared without a trace. Some of the guards had fearful expressions on their faces while other simply retreated away from Kellan. Kellan simply ignored the guards' reaction and spoke:

"I just broke through, so I am not very proficient in using my Blood Zone yet."

The second elder smilingly nodded his head and then he turned to Wesley. Wesley also waved his hand and his dark sword floated in front of him. However, unlike the shaking of Kellan's sword, Wesley's sword simply disappeared into thin air.

The sword's disappearance caused everyone present, including the second elder to be surprised. The second elder looked around for a while and then he spoke quizzically:

"Wesley. What is this odd Zone. I have never seen anything like it."

Wesley smiled and spoke while shaking his head:

"Elder, this is my Null Zone. My sword absorbs light rather than reflecting it causing it to seem like it disappeared."

"Oh. What an odd Zone. I don't even know if this qualifies as a zone ability. Hmm, Odd."

Wesley couldn’t help but scratch his head with embarrassment. His zone ability does not impact anything aside from his sword making it hard to qualify as a zone ability. This, no doubt, had something to do with the fact that he was a mage.

Bonding with a sword requires smelting a sword with the users blood for a long period of time, usually a year. And then after the smelting process is done, the sword will become an extension of the swordsman's hand which is why they are able to be controlled with hand movements.

After the bonding is done, the swordsman must familiarize himself with his sword and learn how to best control it as well as how to apply their techniques to the sword. At this point, the swordsman is considered Master level. This usually takes a year or two.

Next, the swordsmen must refine their swords using specific methods that depend on the metal the sword is made from. For example, Kellan's sword is made from Blood Ore, which is why he needed a lot of blood to awaken the sword's zone ability. After the awakening of the zone ability, the swordsman would then become a Grandmaster. This step, however, is very hard to reach because an understanding of the properties of one's sword is needed. If you use any random metal to make your bonded sword, then you'll most likely be stuck at the master level.

These steps are the steps followed by all swordsmen. And although their results might vary, they all still fairly resemble each other, that is, all zone abilities impacts the zone around the sword in some way.

This is why Wesley's zone ability which impacted the sword itself was extremely odd.The reason why Wesley's results diverged from the regular is because he bonded with the sword with his affinity in mind.

The metal Wesley chose was from a meteorite that was known as the darkest known metal in the world. Wesley took his dark sword to a blacksmith and found out that it was made from this meteorite. Next, when Wesley was bonding with the sword, he not only fed it his blood, but his mana as well, attuning the sword to his affinity and mana.

The sword's origin coupled with Wesley's mana and affinity led to its odd zone ability. However, Wesley couldn’t tell any of this to the second elder so he simply feigned ignorance and embarrassment.

The second elder was quiet for a moment as he thought, and then he spoke:

"Don't mind. Although it is truly odd, it is still useful. Anyway, since you both reached the goal, you can now graduate."

Wesley and Kellan's eyes lit up simultaneously as they both nodded their heads vigorously. The second elder simply laughed and spoke:

"Good. Go change to your uniforms and we'll head to the Academy."

..........................................................................................................................................................

Three hours later.

Wesley and Kellan were walking respectfully behind an azure robed second elder. The distance between the Manor and the academy only needed an hour of walking, but the second elder insisted on stopping on the way to eat.

At the entrance to the academy, the second elder was currently talking about a spar he had with an old friend of his when he was younger. He was seemingly talking to Wesley and Kellan, but he didn’t turn his head once, making people wonder who he was talking to.

Soon enough, the trio entered the academy and headed to the sixth floor of the academy where the principal's office was located. Wesley and Kellan simply followed behind the second elder since they have never come here before.

There was only one office in the sixth floor. Outside of the entrance to the office were some sort of drawing. Directly above the door to office was a crescent moon and below the moon were six elements.

The second elder simply pushed the door in and walked in as if it were his own office. Wesley and Kellan hesitated a little, but walked in as well. As soon as they did, what met them was a scene of nine azure robed elders sitting around a round table.

At the head of this round table sat a white robed old man with white hair and a similarly white beard. Wesley instantly recognized that this old man was Headmaster he saw on his first day six years ago.

All the elders in the office looked at the trio and some even wanted to say something, but before they could, the Headmaster spoke:

"Simon. It has been a year since you left. How come you're just returning."

The second elder simply laughed and spoke as he sat down on one of the empty seats around the table:

"My students just completed their final test. Mind confirming their graduation."

The headmaster looked at Wesley and Kellan with an appraising look and remained quit for a moment and then he spoke to them:

"Congratulation on passing your final test. However, I won't let you graduate unless you answer a question of mine."

Wesley and Kellan instantly became worried. What kind of question must they answer for them to be able to graduate. They couldn’t help but frown, but the headmaster simply smiled and then spoke:

"What is.....My affinity?"

His Affinity?

Neither Wesley nor Kellan expected this question, and neither of them had an answer. A person's affinity was not visible from their appearance. Kellan was the first to speak:

"Fire."

Fire was the most common of the affinities so Kellan banked on statistics.On the other hand, Wesley just remained quiet. The headmaster looked at Wesley and spoke with a slight frown:

"What about you. What do you think my affinity is."

"Darkness"

Darkness was the least common of the affinities, so unlike Kellan who banked on the most probable, Wesley banked on the least because he believed the answer to an unlikely question is often just as unlikely.

The headmaster just looked at Wesley with an odd light flickering in his eyes. He was quiet for a moment and then he spoke:

"The two of you can graduate. Your names will be recorded as graduates of the Four Moons Royal Academy. If you ever reach the Elder level, you can come here and serve as instructors. You are also afforded the right to recommend a single student each year."

Wesley and Kellan just looked at each other wondering what just happened. Which one of them was right. Although they felt suspicious, they still weren't keen on arguing so they spoke in unison:

"Thank You Headmaster."

"Thank You Headmaster."

Wesley and Kellan turned to the second elder. The second elder was simply smiling but not looking at them. He then proceeded to wave his hand to tell them to leave. Earlier when the second elder insisted that they stop to eat, he has already said that that was their farewell.

The two of them bowed to the second elder and continued bowing for a few moments and then they turned around and exited the office without looking back. They have finally concluded the first part of their life.

...............................................................................................................................................

The headmaster looked at the closed door to the office and then turned to the second elder and spoke with a smile:

"He's a smart one isn't he Simon?"

The second elder also smiled and replied:

"He wouldn't be my and Rale's student if he wasn’t at least this smart."

The headmaster's gaze flickered slightly at the mention of Rale and he seemed to be thinking about something. All the elders in the office seemed to sense the mood of the Headmaster so they all remained quiet.

After a few minutes of silence, one of the elder present seemed to have run out of patience and spoke:

"Headmaster. Why don't you just contact Rale. Am sure he is willing to return now."

The headmaster turned to look at the elder that just spoke with a frown causing the elder to avert his eyes. The headmaster seemed reluctant for some reason and then he spoke:

"That brat remembers that incident from then too vividly. Am afraid he won't return anytime soon, and when he does, you can be certain that a lot of blood will be spilled."

The moment the headmaster spoke those words, the eyes of every elder present turned hostile. None of them will forget that incident twenty five years ago. The second elder was the one who was frowning the most, he turned to the headmaster and spoke in a growl:

"If Rale ever decides to make his move, I will be the first to follow him. I might not be a match for those old monsters, but I am confident I can take at least a dozen of those other bastards."

.................................................................................................................................................

Outside the gate of the Four Moons Royal Academy, two youths wearing black clothes and carrying swords on their backs were standing in front of each other.

"Wesley. What are you going to do now."

Kellan's eyes were slightly moist and he was clenching his jaw making his speaking sound slightly forced. Seeing this, Wesley's heart clenched; this Kellan has been his only friend for the last six years. Wesley remembered the first time he saw Kellan. At that time he approached him because they both had few classes together. However, now Wesley thought of this youth as a close brother.

He looked deeply at Kellan and spoke:

"I will be heading home. I haven't seen my brother and Master for so long. How about you Kellan, what are you going to do."

Kellan also looked deeply at Wesley.

"I am also going back home. Although am not as excited"

Kellan's voice contained some hidden meaning which Wesley instantly noticed, but he didn't mention it if Kellan was not willing to tell him.

Wesley and Kellan continued talking for half an hour, at which point they both started saying their farewells. Wesley was the first to act as he extended his right hand. Kellan looked at the extended hand, reluctantly extending his right hand as well.

When the two hands met, Wesley tugged slightly at Kellan, and although Kellan was a lot stronger than him, he still caused him to stumble forward. Wesley also went forward causing their two shoulders to collide.

He then proceeded to speak, just enough for Kellan to hear him:

"My name is Wesley Holt. Good brother, if you ever find yourself in Castle Holt, come find me."

Kellan's eyes twitched slightly as he seemed to have realized something. Blue hair and green eyes, although not very rare are most widely associated with the Holt Family. He laughed slightly at the coincidence and spoke as well:

"My name is Kellan Faust. If you ever find yourself in Castle Faust, make sure you seek me out."

This was Wesley's turn to be astonished. The Faust Family were the rulers of the Norn Kingdom, which also incidentally happens to be his Ject Kingdom's greatest antagonist. The Ject and Norn Kingdoms have no direct borders since the Blackreach County separates them, however, that doesn't stop them from constantly fighting.

And, although no open conflict has ever broken out between the two, they have fought often through proxy wars and in the shadows. It is safe to say that no war has ever broken out without involving both of these kingdoms in some way.

Six years ago, Wesley received a warning from the four families that he, as a prince of one of the kingdoms, was not to act too wildly in their territory. At that time he felt that there were other royalty in the city, but the matter soon left his mind.

Who would've thought that his only friend was to be this prince. And who would've expected that he would've come from the arch nemesis of his own kingdom. If this was not a perfect example of poetic irony, the sort to be written about in poems, then Wesley knew of no such thing.

Both of them seemed to have realized the same thing as they started laughing out loudly. Both of them knew that the other will never end up in the other's territory, they also knew that most likely in the near future, they might meet as enemies.

However, even after this realization, none of them felt disheartened. They saw each other as brothers, and regardless of their backgrounds, they will always remain so for the remainder of their lives.

.....................................................................................................................................................

The next morning, near the southern entrance of Blackreach city, a group of fifty or so dark armored soldiers were standing across from a group of ten green armored guards. The surrounding people instinctively avoided this group.

Between these two groups of soldiers stood four people. On the side of the dark armored soldiers, stood a blue robed man with wide shoulders and a black beard, he seemed to be barely past his forties, but exuded a noble air of an old king.

Across from the blue robed man, stood a group of three youths. One youth in particular seemed slightly older than the other two and carried a long dark sword on his back and a smaller dark sword on his hip.

The blue robed man spoke with some ridicule in his voice:

"Wesley, you are truly astonishing. A prince of the Ject Kingdom, Haha, you truly hid it well."

Wesley also laughed and spoke with a similarly ridiculing tone:

"Lord Black. You flatter me too much. What is a measly me compared to the reputable Lord Black of Blackreach City."

"Haha."

"Haha."

Lane and Stein who were standing besides burst out laughing at Wesley's words causing Neal to glare at them menacingly. He then spoke:

"Take care of yourself and my nephews. And make sure to visit. Little Sala is heartbroken at your departure."

"I know. Take care of the kids. I will visit sometime in the future."

"I hope you're not just saying that."

"Of course not. I am not so naive to think that I can escape your grasp."

Neal laughed. He knew what Wesley meant by not escaping his grasp because Neal has spent the last four years slowly expanding his spy networks. It wouldn’t be long before the entirety of the four kingdoms are under his surveillance.

"Indeed, very few people can escape my grasp. And those who do, I always find."

Wesley also laughed at Neal's cryptic words. Neal was speaking of the remaining family heads who he was unable to track down. However, Neal was confident that he would find them alive, and if they were dead he would find their bones.

The entire reason Neal spent astonishing amounts of gold to establish networks in the four kingdoms was so that he could find those remaining family heads. Neither Wesley nor Neal felt comfortable with their enemies in the shadows somewhere.

Neal then turned to Stein and Lane and looked at them with a hazy gaze. He didn’t speak anything, but his gaze was enough to convey his feelings. He truly doted on these little nephews of his and cared for them deeply.

It took Lane and Stein the entire night to convince Neal to let them go with Wesley. He was adamant on his refusal at first, but Wesley assured him they would be safe, and even told him his identity to put his heart at ease.

It was then that Neal agreed to let the two of them go with Wesley, but not before giving them a list of demands that they needed to adhere to such as writing every month. He really resembled a worried mother whose son was going to move out than a venerable high noble.

After bidding their farewells, Wesley and his group started walking south. Wesley's gaze seemed to pierce the horizon and fall on his brother and Master. He was finally returning, and he was stronger than ever.

…....................In Year 8150, Wesley Holt Left Blackreach City.........................

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Hey.

This marks the end of [ Volume 1 - Childhood]

I know these two chapters seemed a little rushed but i have already said all that i could, and needed to get on with the story. Honestly, the next Volume is the one i was looking forward to most.

Next, a piece of not so good news.

School is starting soon, for me it is starting on the 22nd.

This means that my pace will slow down and my schedule erratic at best and horrid at worst.

Also, i am taking a week or two off to get used to college, i will continue writing but i wont be posting, but when am done, i will release whatever chapters i have stacked.

Just enjoy and see ya'll soon.