6 days later, early morning.

Nero had just finished his warm-up and completed all physical exercises and was now in front of his mother and his teacher with a dumbfounded expression on his face. It differed from usual because his mother didn’t leave for hunting, but stayed to observe after his training. He already wanted to ask his mother or his teacher when Gustav took away his tube and cleared his throat.

“Follow us. Today’s training will differ from usual,” said Gustav as he moved out towards the nearest forest, while Tiona followed him. Nero quickly exchanged glances with Ethel before rushing after them.

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“What is it?” asked the purple-eyed boy as he looked at different objects made of wood which were placed one after another.

“It’s your training course. It took many years to complete it here. But, thanks to the help of village carpenters and blacksmiths, we made it right when you need some extra exercises to evoke your source,” explained Gustav as he sat on the nearest stump and ignited his tube.

“When I can start?” asked Nero, as a smile appeared on his lips. He read about such training courses with many obstacles. They helped to train muscles and polish their own speed and maneuvers. He even dreamed of training with such a course and was thrilled to get one today.

“Don’t hurry. Let your mother show how it is made,” said the old man as he nodded to Tiona, “Try to remember how she moved and how she made certain must-do exercises,”

As soon as Gustav nodded, Tiona released a sigh before jumping from her place and rushing towards the first few obstacles, which were several staves put between two trees. At first, Tiona jumped over the first stave and rolled up below the second without losing her speed.

Half an hour later, she was once again standing near her son and his teacher with no sweat on her forehead.

“Got it?” asked Gustav as he turned and looked at Nero, who nodded to his question, “Then you can start.”

The boy needed no more commands, and he immediately jumped from his place, gaining as much speed as possible. He knew he will need the speed if he wanted to pass the course just like his mother.

As soon as he jumped over the first stave and rolled up below the second, Nero continued to run before he saw several clapboards on which he needed to jump to reach the tree. So, Nero continued to run before he jumped from the 1st clapboard towards the second and continued, ending on the tree.

From this point, he saw a tree in front of him and more clapboards between them. They were placed on different objects to raise them above the ground. Even though Nero already lost all his speed, unlike his mother that continued to run here, he just released a sigh and jumped from the tree towards the clapboard, and continued to pass the training course.

He spent around three minutes passing the second obstacle and jumped over another tree and a dozen of clapboards before touching the ground again. Nero quickly started gaining speed and approached his third obstacle that looked like a crowd of staves, put together.

As soon as the boy reached the obstacle, he slowed down and started turning to the right and the left, passing through the maze of staves. He spent around two minutes to pass it before he continued his march.

The fourth obstacle was to deliver a package. He had to take a log of wood, around 10kg, and deliver it to the distance ten meters away from him. Nero spent three minutes accomplishing that and continued his journey.

The next obstacle differed. As soon as Nero started approaching it, Gustav, who was watching after him, touched a rope and activated the mechanism. Nero saw how several staves that stayed inactive once again started moving, creating a moving obstacle. He needed to pass through them and evade them if he didn’t want not only to lose his speed but also not to suffer some pain from them.

The boy only clenched his fists and continued running towards the obstacle. He easily passed the 1st one that was the slowest and moved only in one direction. The next ones were like the first one, and the boy just needed some time to find moments when he could pass without colliding with the staves. He spent around 10 minutes passing more than half of the obstacle and approaching the end when he saw several quick-moving staves that changed their directions from time to time.

Nero needed some time to analyze it. After 5 minutes, Nero nodded to himself and moved out towards two staves that moved fast and in a chaotic manner.

It didn’t take long for the boy to pass through the first obstacle and get into the middle between two staves. Only now, when he finally entered between them, he felt how different this obstacle was from the others. If he just needed to evade the direction before, now he needed to do it from two sides.

“Doggone!” said the boy as he gritted his teeth and started evading the staves. He underestimated the difficulty of this obstacle and now he was paying for his mistake. Besides, he would have to spend some time analyzing the movement pattern again to get into when he could pass further without the need to evade from staves.

Nero spent there over fifteen minutes before he finally passed through the final obstacle and continued his path. It was the most difficult one that left him with several bruises as he continued to run. Further ahead of the obstacle, the road started inclining upward until the point when Nero needed to climb the small hill. As soon as he climbed the hill, Nero needed to return, following the same route he traveled.

The boy only released a sigh before jumping and beginning his return sprint. it took him another half an hour to pass through all obstacles and reach his mother and Gustav. Exasperated and exhausted boy almost fell to the ground when he reached them when his mother threw him his training sword and raised hers.

Nero understood he wasn’t in the best condition to train right now because he needed at least a small break to catch his breath when he heard his teacher.

“Take a sword and fight. Try to hold as long as possible. Don’t give easily,” said Gustav as Nero turned to look at him.

Nero only clenched his sword tightly when Tiona started pouring her sword thrusts at him. Her attacks looked simple, but were, in fact, much more violent than Gustav’s during their training duels. Just a first block left made the boy feel how his hands were trembling because of his mother’s attacks. She was much more serious than his teacher in their duel and used much more strength in her attacks. Only now, the boy finally felt how strong his mother actually was.

Their duel continued for twenty minutes and Nero was always the one who got hit by Tiona’s attacks. He tried using different tricks, but all of them ended as a failure. There were much more bruises on his body and blood trickled from his nose and mouth. His mother just continued to attack without giving him any moment of rest, even when he tried to ask. Right now, he was barely standing with a sword in his rambling hand, looking at his mother while fury filled his purple eyes. His body burned in agony and each movement added pain, but the boy only gritted his teeth and continued to analyze his opponent. Their short duel gave him an idea of his mother’s weak point, which seemed like her right side, which she didn’t protect.

Gathering his last strengths, the boy jumped at his mother, starting his attack. He swung his sword while his mother parried or dodged. He counter-attacked while Tiona easily evaded and returned the favor. Only after dozens of failed attacks, Nero jumped back with more new bruises and pain than before. His mother tricked him. She made him think that her right side was her weak spot. He attacked it only to get her counter-attack.

Besides, the boy was clearly standing on his last strengths and felt how darkness slowly appeared before his eyes.

“That’s all? You have spent over five years, training with him and this is everything you can show me. You even have run out of your stamina and can’t continue fighting. Back when I was your age, I could fight several elder men for hours, solely relying on my stamina. How do you plan to revenge your father, your ancestors with such a weak sword that can’t bear a bit of pain and exhaustion? Your father would have been ashamed if he had seen you today. He was a great warrior that could easily bear some pain. Do you really think that any survivors who were once loyal to him would follow you just because you are his son? If that’s true, you are too naïve. Only strong can rule and you are too weak to make them follow you. You will die achieving nothing, so forget about your hidden desire for revenge,” said Tiona with metal in her voice, and no emotions appeared on her face. It was the first time Nero saw his mother like that. Besides, her words, which she told him, hit him into the heart. His fury increased as he gritted his teeth and clenched his sword. A feeling which he never felt before appeared inside his heart towards this unfamiliar woman who was standing in front of him right now.

Tiona was provoking him. She made it not only because she wanted to test his will, but also to make him realize that if he planned to continue his path for revenge, it won’t be easy. The current kingdom wasn’t the same kingdom in which his father lived. Right now, usurpers ruled it and other nobles have already forgotten about the vows of their ancestors and were too busy fighting for power and influence. Her son needed much more than a talent to succeed, and now she was testing him. If he fails, she will cripple him with her own hands to make him forget about revenge and his rights. She would better watch how her son would grow up, marry someone, and become old than die in the outside world just because she didn’t do the job his father should have done. She had already lost her husband, any chance for future progress, and couldn’t let herself lose her son, the only thing that was still valuable to her.

Besides, there was another reason she was so harsh with Nero. Each thrust she made at Nero and forced him to use all his strengths, the more she and Gustav felt what was happening inside Nero’s body. The more Nero became angry, the closer he was to his goal. His source was on the edge of evoking and weak inner energy undulations have long ago started appearing from the boy’s body. Gustav’s training and Nero’s efforts weren’t futile because he could reach such a condition seven years earlier than usual.

“No,” cried Nero as he jumped at his mother with a raised sword and an ocean of fury and hate in his purple eyes, “I am not weak.”

Of course, Tiona saw what he was planning and already raised her sword when something happened. Suddenly, the boy’s speed increased and his sword reached her much earlier than she expected. She used her own inner energy and barely blocked his thrust, retreating several steps back to gain a balance when Nero lost his consciousness.

Ethel, who was watching what was happening long ago, started growling and hit the ground with his small claws as he looked at Tiona with fury in his eyes. He would have long ago attacked her if not for the Gustav that used his strength to immobilize him.

As soon as Nero started falling, Tiona’s expression changed, and she rushed to catch him. Tears appeared in her eyes as she tenderly caressed Nero’s hair. He made it; he has just started his martial arts path. Nero became a squire.

A proud and delighted smile appeared on her lips. She was proud that because of her son’s efforts and with the minimum in terms of resources, her son made it. He showed terrifying progress which other children of nobles showed with a help of many resources while her son made it himself through his talent and efforts.

But, as soon as she checked his condition, feeling that Nero broke several bones, had many bruises, and was too exhausted, Tiona took a potion from her bracelet and poured it into his mouth, waiting till he will wake up.

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Half an hour later, Nero opened his eyes and saw his mother’s smiling face above him. Tears were still visible in her eyes as she tenderly caressed his hair. As soon as he came back to his senses, Nero realized that all pain he felt during their duel disappeared and now could swing his arms and legs.

“Why?” asked Nero with a surprise on his face when Tiona interrupted him.

“It’s a potion, son,” said Tiona, as she widened her smile.

Nero quickly realized what happened and started inspecting his body only to find many bondages on his body which were made by his mother. Such behavior from his mother dumbfounded him. Recently, the woman in front of him was absolutely different from the one right now. That woman inflicted so much pain and agony on him, and he just couldn’t understand why his mother acted that way. So, he turned to her with a question in his eyes.

“Why did you act that way?” asked the boy with a clear accusation in his voice.

As soon as Tiona heard him, her hands immediately embraced him as more tears appeared from her eyes.

“I am sorry, son. But, I had to do it. I had to show a small part of the pain and agony you will feel if you choose an act of revenge as your life goal and motivation,” said Tiona as she tightly embraced her son. “I told you about him not to make you revenge him in the future, but to tell you who he was and who were your ancestors. I don’t want so that you died trying far away from me in the outside world, which has long ago forgotten about your father and his father. Son, find your own goal and passion, don’t waste your life on revenge. It usually ends terrible, believe me.”

“As your mother, I can’t let it happen to you. That’s why I was so harsh with you today to show you what is expecting you there in the outside world, which you never could take into your account. Hate, agony, pain, sufferings are also part of that world and if you want to continue your path, you should be ready to embrace them and get stronger as you did today,” explained Tiona as she hugged him. “Besides, you needed a strong external factor that could help you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nero, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Don’t you feel it?” asked his mother. Nero raised his arms and tried to move them, listening to all his feelings. He spent several moments inspecting his changes before he widened his eyes, realizing what has changed. Now he felt the familiar energy he once felt when his teacher inserted it inside him. It was inside his body, and that could only mean one thing. He evoked his source!

Only now, Nero finally realized why his mother was harsh with him. All her words had a bitter grain of truth that he never took into account because he could never feel it here at the village under the protection of his mother and his teacher. She made it to strengthen him and help him, even though she risked hurting him if he didn’t understand why she acted that way. After that realization, Nero just couldn’t continue to look at his mother with resentment. He raised his hands and hugged her. His mother helped him today so much and saved many years of training. Nero just couldn’t ignore that. A short period of pain and agony couldn’t cloud his mind and worsen his relations with his mother. She didn’t deserve it so that her son hated her for helping him.