Opening his eyes, Nero felt cold. His clothes and body were wet, but the scariest thing was the darkness. Besides, he felt that a part of his body in the legs area was still inside the water.

His first reaction was panic and an attempt to realize where he was. He clearly remembered that he was about to return to the village when something inside the pond pushed him in and now he woke up here. His hand by itself tried to look for his training sword, only to help him realize he didn’t take it today. Gustav always told him to have his training weapon with him because he could make training duels without warning him, but now the boy was fully regretting leaving it behind. He was absolutely defenseless.

However, as soon as started checking his body, Nero found out that an earring, his mother gave him was still with him. And his eyes widened in surprise when he touched it already placed in his left ear. That could only mean one thing. Someone or something made it for him while he was still asleep. This small thing changed everything and clarified that it wasn’t an accident, but was organized by someone.

Several minutes later, when his eyes got accustomed to the darkness, Nero felt how cold it was when goosebumps passed through his spine. It was high time to look for a dry place or an exit out of here. Whoever pushed him here, Nero didn’t ask for it. He needed to return home.

So, after successfully moving his lips, Nero stood up and slowly started walking through the darkness. As soon as Nero passed a bit from water, the boy bent over to touch the ground. It couldn’t give him much information, but at least could give him a hint of where he was. Touching a stone-like surface, Nero released a sigh, realizing that he was inside a mountain or cave. Such places meant it could be very hard to find an exit. That’s why Nero began looking for a place where he can dry himself, look for a light source, and scout this place, but before that he needed to solve a problem with his wet clothes and freezing body.

The boy quickly undressed and gathered all his clothes on the small stone near to him and started stretching his body. Nero was just making push-ups and other exercises he usually did on his training. With each new exercise, his blood and body helped him and soon he already felt himself okay for a short walk. So, Nero squeezed out his wet clothes and took them with his left hand as he moved out only in his cotton pants.

Though they were wet, Nero didn’t want so that his teacher or his mother saw him naked because of that when they come, looking for him. His pride just couldn’t let it happen. He was no longer an infant to show around his special organ.

After his short warm-up, Nero renewed his journey, and half an hour later, he felt how a cold wind passed through him, making him squint from cold. Even though Nero had no dry clothes and once again felt cold, he smiled when he realized in which direction the wind was going.

‘Thank you, teacher. I never thought that your knowledge, you taught me, would become so handy right now.’ thought Nero as he moved in that direction to which wind was going. Thanks to Gustav and his geography lessons, Nero knew that in the summers, cold winds at the caves moved out towards an exit direction.

Even though it wasn’t much; it was at least something. Nero just couldn’t let this chance slip away from him.

His journey, following the wind, continued for half an hour when he saw something in the distance. It looked like a small white object. Nero’s heart skipped a beat and a certain feeling appeared in it. Nero was innerly praying so that it was light as he slowly continued to move further, controlling his urge to jerk there. It was still dark and each step should be careful.

Another half an hour later, Nero saw what was it. It was the moonlight that fell at something at the top of the small hill.

When Nero realized what it was, he increased his speed towards a potential exit out of here. He let his vigilance weak a bit when he started walking on a gravel-like surface with small stones. The boy didn’t know that with his step, a white bone turned into ash or dust as he moved towards his goal.

...

..

.

Soon, the boy finally saw that he has just walked through many bones when he finally reached the light. His right hand intuitively tried to hold his sword when he saw it. Several beads of sweat appeared on his forehead while his heart increased its beat.

Anyway, Nero had a certain goal and after calming his composure several minutes later and making sure nothing would attack him from the darkness, he turned away to study the small hill. At first, he believed it was a hill, but soon he realized it was most likely human-made because of the strange stones he saw. They were of different colors. Red, blue, green, brown, and others. So many colorful stones just couldn’t be met in nature. Besides, he saw it was the closest point towards the hole in here and there were no bones at the top. It could become potentially the best place for him where to sleep if the help wouldn’t arrive earlier.

...

..

.

Nero finished studying a strange black egg that looked like a stone. If not for a heartbeat he heard from it, he would have thought that it was dead, but it was alive. Now, the boy was guessing what it could be.

He didn’t wish to be seated by anything that was inside it. So, he was careful and carefully analyzed it, trying to memorize if his teacher told him about it in one of his lessons. After spending another ten minutes thinking, Nero shook his head and slowly approached it.

His attempts to remember anything about such an egg were futile, and now he was very curious what it could be. He raised his hand to touch it.

As soon as his hand reached the egg, something happened. It seemed as if a heartbeat that was coming from the egg increased its beat and Nero’s earring started glowing. But, Nero didn’t know about it because he fell unconscious to the ground a meter away from the egg.

...

..

.

As soon as his crow returned, croaking, Gustav spent several moments to realize what it tried to say before he jumped from his place and immediately took his staff out of his space ring. Something bad happened with his disciple.

In such a manner, with a staff in one hand and with a sword in the other, Tiona felt her heart pass a beat. Just the counselor’s facial expression was enough for her to feel that something happened with her son. So, wasting no seconds, Tiona touched her bracelet, from which her sword and armor appeared. It took only another second for her to use her inner energy and transform into the heavy-armored knight.

Gustav didn’t need to tell anything while Tiona already followed him as they moved towards the pond, following the crow.

...

..

.

“Gustav, what happened with Nero?” asked Tiona as she threw at the pond, following the counselor's gaze.

The old man acted as if he didn’t hear her and just bent over to touch the water as he furrowed his brows. But, several minutes later, he raised he pointed his staff with a piece of unique-looking ice towards the pond as if he was threatening someone.

“Where is he?” asked Gustav, as he started gathering his mana. Tiona also unleashed her sword and started gathering her inner energy, covering the sword.

At first, it seemed as if nothing happened before Gustav swung his staff and ice started covering the water at the pond.

“Return my disciple or I will use my power against you. Don’t force me to use it against the representation of my element,” said Gustav as he increased his mana consumption, making something or someone act.

The water at the pond started moving as if it was boiling and soon, moments later, a vague figure, composed of water, appeared before the mother and the teacher.

“I can’t, mage. The pact ties my actions,”

“Doggone!” said Gustav. “Then I will find out where is my disciple myself,” said the old man as he raised his hand and many icicles appeared around him. Tiona also increased her energy consumption as she stood at a certain stance.

A moment later, many bangs resounded at the pond as a mage and the knight attacked the water spirit.

...

..

.

Gliding inside the darkness, Nero tried to understand what was happening. Unlike before, he felt as if he was trapped inside an absolute black world with no colors. His eyes were useless here. He also couldn’t move his body even a slight attempt to move his finger brought huge pain. It felt as if something totally crippled him except for his hearing.

So, the boy concentrated his whole hearing to hear something. At first, he heard nothing, but soon it felt as if he heard a distant conversation.

“This is a boy, not a warrior!”

“Do you really think I would believe that?” said the same male voice.

“I already started regretting agreeing to this ritual,”

“Agghh, damn it, fine, but you will have to prove it. For now, there are no chances he would succeed. Protect him at any cost!” said the male voice and increased his volume as in the last phrase.

Nero felt how something hit him in the head when he heard his last phrase and felt how he once again was diving into the darkness. At the edge of his consciousness, he heard the same voice.

“Doggone! If I ever meet that old man I would ...” Nero didn’t hear the last part of his phrase as he once again dived into the darkness.

...

..

.

It was already the middle of the night while Gustav’s and Tiona’s battle with a water spirit continued. The surrounding around the pond had long ago turned into the small frozen world with nothing left intact. Besides, the pond itself looked like, it last half of its water.

Gustav, dressed in his already torn clothes, drank a certain potion before he raised his staff to begin another preparation. Tiona looked relatively intact except for several dents on her armor and blood on her lips. She was also gathering her inner energy as she long ago prepared her stance.

The water spirit continued to form one water shield after another, with at least two water spikes behind each shield. All their previous attacks were futile and the spirit easily dodged them. They didn’t know why, but it didn’t attack them, only protected itself. In short, they long ago realized that it was just buying some time.

Only when Gustav and Tiona were almost ready for their ultimate attacks, a water spirit showed some reaction as the water around him started moving and shields and spikes disappeared one by one.

When Gustav and Tiona realized that something unusual happened, it was already too late. Their attacks already reached the spirit and a moment later another huge bang resounded at the pond.

As soon as the water settled, they saw that figure of water spirit was falling apart because there was no water at the pond anymore. There was only a big hole. However, the water spirit looked as if it gave a damn about it and raised its water head towards the skies.

“Finally, the pact is done. I am free.” said the water spirit as last mana left its body, transforming its body into slightly different water. Gustav and Tiona also heard his last phrase and exchanged glances between each other before rushing towards the hole to look for Nero.

...

..

.

Nero felt how something smooth touched his cheek, and it was that feeling that forced him to open his eyes.

He had a big headache and was confused about where he was when his memory slowly came to him. As soon as he opened his eyes, he almost jumped from his place when he saw something right next to his face.

Almost immediately, his right hand tried to take his sword as he moved away from something. He remembered that there was an egg, and the thing he saw right now was what came from the egg. It could be dangerous and the boy needed to be careful.

However, the small black bird just continued to look at him making no movements. It felt as if the bird looked at Nero as if he was an idiot when he suddenly freaked out for no reason.

When several minutes passed, Nero also calmed down when he realized that a strange-looking bird with small black feathers would do nothing to him. He just slowly sat some distance away from the bird and tried to understand what happened to him when he touched the egg. But, he only felt more headaches as he tried.

So, when turned to look at the bird again, he saw nothing and his heart passed a beat when he turned right and saw how that bird was calmly sleeping at his clothes that he left at the top when he just climbed the hill.

He already wanted to throw a stone at it when he heard a certain sound and soon a bright-shining object that was quickly approaching him. For now, he put the strange bird on the secondary list of problems as Nero narrowed his eyes to see who or what was coming, while his heart started racing.

Several minutes later, he released a relieved sigh when he saw a familiar face of his teacher that was coming for him and almost widened his eyes when he saw his mother in the heavy armor which only knights from tales and legends wore. However, this day was too rich with shocks and surprises. Nero learned the secret behind his origins, got lost, traveled in a cave, found a strange egg, saw a mysterious dream, and found a blackbird. It was just too much for him.