It was pitch black. Aiden was only holding a flashlight while running away from a monster. There was no sound or shadow behind him, but he knew….he knew that something was trying to get him. He could feel its breath hit his neck and his legs were ready to give out. He kept running and running, sprinting as fast as he could but there was no sign of an exit.

Aiden was being chased for what felt like a century. Suddenly the light of his flashlight shone upon a wet, stone wall that was in front of him. He stopped sprinting and leaned on the wall turning and shining the light on the creature running behind him. He was sweating, breathing heavily and it was hard to open his eyes and come face to face with the being.

He gathered all the courage he had and opened his eyes wide to finally see what was about to kill him. The terrifying scream of the monster was heard as the light hit its body ‘KIKIRIKOUUUUUU…..KIKIRIKOUUUUU’. Of course, that was the sound a rooster made every morning. Aiden managed to see the crimson and brown colours of its feathers before that sound was heard again, but now he jumped up a bit and opened his eyes for a second time. This time he was looking at a wooden ceiling and was laying on a wooden bed, covered by some blankets made from animal fur.

-It was just a dream….It’s a bit sad that what happened yesterday wasn’t.-

With that thought he got up and stretched as much as he could before rubbing his eyes a bit and grabbing a toothpaste and a toothbrush from the desk next to his bed. The real-life rooster could still be heard outside.

-I’m surprised they have stuff like that here. Hmm made by an alchemist I suppose. Well, let’s hope my teeth will stay the way they are. –

After spending a few minutes getting ready he wore the clothes that were given to him and walked down the stairs to greet and thank everyone that was sitting in the main hall.

Also, Aiden found out that apparently there was a sewage disposal system in place, he thought it was neat.

The main hall was mostly empty. There was some food on the table but the only one eating was that muscular man he saw yesterday. The warrior was currently taking a big gulp from his ale mug.

“Morning newblood! I see you’ve finally awakened.”

Aiden took a few steps forwards before speaking.

“Good morning, sir. I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here, I will make sure to thank everyone else as soon as I see them.”

He was intimidated by the man’s appearance and the claymore that was, once again, leaning against his chair. Aiden had decided that until he knew more about this place’s customs, he ought to be as polite as possible.

“Sir? Oh, but I’m no knight. I am a warrior! Titles such as this are meaningless to someone like me! Say, Mr. Read, I know your name, but I don’t think you know mine. I am Duran Gradimore, my soldiers call me Steelthunder. I don’t really care what name you decide to use.”

Aiden sat down and gave a slight head bow.

“It’s good to know your name. You can call me whatever you see fit as well.”

There was slight pause as Duran drank another gulp of his ale.

“So? Why are you sitting there like a training dummy? Go on then, eat and drink your fill! Something tells me you’ll have a long day in front of you.”

Aiden took that warning and begun eating, as well as drinking. After a few bites and sips he turned to Duran, but the man begun talking before he could gather his thoughts.

“I truly hope that you are the person you claim to be…Aiden.”

His tone was serious, and his eyes were looking straight at the newcomer. Aiden felt uncomfortable. It was a sensation he had never felt before and was certainly hoping he would never have to feel again. Quivering in his seat, he managed to respond to that comment.

“Mr. Gradimore….I reassure you…..I’ve told you the truth….I’m no spy…or…assassin.”

Steelthunder smirked at Aiden and drank from his stein. At that moment the newcomer felt relieved. He took a deep breath and looked back at Duran waiting for an explanation, what he felt was not something any human could do.

“Wondering about the magic that I used on you, right?”

Aiden nodded and waited for the answer.

“Well, it’s part of what we call the Aura. A very simple form of mana manipulation that every capable person can use. There are two kinds Auras: the first is called Aura of the Sun and the second Aura of the Moon. I can teach you about the first but for the second you’ll have to consult someone else. I’d recommend Lin.”

It was certain that Aiden would want to learn more about magic and how to use it. He stood up and bowed low, careful not to bump his head on his table.

“Please teach me! And, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me where Miss Lin is.”

“She is upstairs, checking all of your stuff.”

Aiden straightened his back and looked at Duran with somewhat of a shocked face.

“Don’t act surprised. As soon as you left your room she snuck in and took all your belongings to make sure you’re not lying. If she doesn’t find anything, you’ll have your stuff back and you’ll be fully accepted as our guest, but if you turn out to be trying to deceive us, I’ll personally cut off your head and send it back where it came from."

Even though Aiden was not lying, he couldn’t help but feel worried.

Steelthunder said nothing about becoming Aiden’s mentor, they both decided it would be better to wait until Lin had finished with her investigation.

After a while they were both quietly drinking some beer while taking a bite or two from their food. Aiden was rather stressed out and could feel Duran’s stare the entire time. Suddenly, a slight creak was heard from the stairs behind Aiden and they both focused their gaze on the elf that had just stepped down from the final step.

The atmosphere was as tense as ever. Duran wrapped his fingers around his claymore’s handle and waited for Lin to talk.

“I am delighted to inform the both of you that Aiden’s belongings have no evidence that disprove his claims. There was no trace of any magic and they were all created with techniques, materials and equipment unknown to this world.”

The sigh that escaped Aiden’s mouth was carrying all his worries and stress, at least concerning that matter. Duran, as well, was relieved and pulled his hand away from the grip of his sword.

“HA! That’s good news! Lin, please come and take a seat, I believe our guest has matters he’d like to discuss with the both of us.”

The elf smiled and the air seemed now considerably lighter. She quickly made her way around the great table and sat on Duran’s side, although not right next to him.

“As I was saying, Aiden wants to know more about the Sun and Moon Auras. I assume he’d also like to be trained and taught how to use them.”

“A most intriguing statement indeed, Duran. It would be my pleasure to help Aiden by training him.”

Lin was rather happy that Aiden was not a spy, meeting someone from a different world was her childhood dream that she had no hope of accomplishing.

“Thank you very much for accepting. Although, as you’ve probably guessed already, I have absolutely no clue what the Auras are and how to use them.”

His answer didn’t surprise the elf nor the man. They both looked at him and stood up.

“Well young man, you may come with us so your training can start. Since you’ll be my apprentice, I’d like you to help the guards if need be, that’s the only payment I need for your sessions.”

That statement made Aiden particularly happy, he had nothing else to offer to his hosts other than his services, limited as they may be.

-Okay, I have to work hard and prove myself to these people. I can’t let their generous actions go to waste and I certainly can’t let them down. -

With that thought he drank the last bit of ale that rested in his mug and stood up, with a slight smile, to follow his new teachers.

They left Lloyd’s household and begun making their way to the east edge of the village, where the barracks were stationed. Duran instructed Aiden and Lin to go in the training yard and wait for him. They, of course, did so. The yard was an open space behind the barracks, the ground was coated with dirt like a colosseum to prevent slipperiness and there was equipment scattered around. A couple of soldiers were using the dummies to better their swordplay and one more was lifting some weights. Zaelinia asked the soldiers, politely, to stop training for now, apparently, she believed they would need the entire yard to be empty.

-Damn, I hope she doesn’t think I’ll suck so much that I’ll cause an explosion or something like that. -

In fact, that was exactly what Lin was thinking.

A couple of minutes passed before Duran finally walked inside the yard. On his back rested a leather bag filled with all different types of weapons a soldier or guard could use.

“What you see here are some training weapons. They are neither sharp nor pointy enough to cause any real damage, that means they’re perfect for a newbie like you.”

After saying that, Duran placed down the bag and pulled his claymore out of it before gesturing Aiden to grab his own weapon of choice.

“My trusty blade is the only exception!”

While the trainee was looking through all the different arms Duran gave his claymore a couple of swings before resting it on his pauldron-covered shoulder.

-Damn…. what should I pick? A polearm would probably be the safest choice, right? Hmmm, I could always get a shield and a war hammer or mace…. –

Aiden was trying to think of the safest and easiest choice, but his gaze always wondered over a particular great sword. The weapon in question was larger than Duran’s claymore, although, not by much, its grip seemed comfortable and fairly long, wrapped in some form of black material.

He was no sword maker nor master, but this design really caught his eye. Aiden stretched his left hand and got a grip on the handle before pulling it out of the bag and holding it in front of him to show Lin and Duran his choice.

“Ah! The zweihander! What a great choice!”

Steelthunder seemed overjoyed by Aiden’s great sword pick. The trainee himself, was in awe as he stared at the weapon’s blade. Its total length was about the same as his height, and that was no small feat since Aiden was around 1.85m himself! About a hand and a half above the guard there were two parry-hooks, one on each side and the blade below them was even blunter than the part above them, that design choice was common among such great swords because many techniques required the user to hold that part of the blade.

“I believe I’ve made my choice. I quite like the look of this sword.”

“Let us hope you are capable enough to use it with maximum efficiency!”

Lin seemed to be as excited as Duran although she was trying to hide it behind her elven grace. The last remark made her blush slightly and turn towards Steelthunder.

“I think, we ought to teach him about the Auras before he wields the sword.”

“Aye, I agree. You better start, I’d bet you can explain it better than I.”

Duran took a few steps back and Lin got closer to Aiden. The trainee turned the blade towards the ground and held it as if it were a staff.

“I believe you are already familiar with combat that does not involve any type of magic, right?”

‘Well, yeah. Only the basics thought, I am no general if that’s what you’re asking me.”

Lin smiled a bit and chuckled.

“That is what I expected. I believe Duran has already introduced you to the power of the Sun Aura, I felt his intimidating gaze being used while my investigation was still on-going.”

-She doesn’t seem that annoyed by it. I was scared shitless when that happened! –

“Do not worry, for it is natural to have an intense experience the first time you are introduced to the power of this art. The Aura of the Sun, also known as the Art of Creation, is the ability to summon mana and use it in order to create a plethora of energies and simple items. It can be used to smite your enemies with fire from the pits of hell or to simply repair a girl’s doll. This Aura is around every being and embraces the user’s body, providing protection and strength. Having said that, not everyone has trained enough to be able to properly grow his Aura and make it usable. In order for someone to have mastered the Art of Creation, their Aura should be flexible enough to stretch and cover any weapon they are wielding, making it a true extension of their body and allowing to be infused with the person’s magic. They, also, must have maintained a proper connection with the source of all the Mana in order to draw from it whenever they please, eliminating the need of medication and focus. Finally, it is absolutely necessary that the Aura touching their skin is resistant enough so no type of psychic or mana-manipulative ability can have any effect inside their body and the Aura around their body is able to withstand most of the basic magic attacks.”

Zaelinia stopped talking and took a deep breath. She looked at Aiden and waited for him to react. He was rather confused with the whole thing but after a few seconds he nodded so she could continue.

“The Aura of the Moon also known as the Art of Manipulation is an ability only certain individuals have. Those people are usually referred to as mages. As you may have already realized the Aura of the Sun has a very limited range around the user, a couple of meters at best, maybe slightly more if their weapons are large enough and their Creation Art is flexible. This, of course, is a problem. A satisfying and easy to understand example would be that of the fireball.”

Lin turns the empty yard space and extends one of her hands. Her fingers got embraced by flames and a sphere of fire shot out of her hand. At first the speed seemed slow and the shape as well as movement appeared to be controlled by her, after the ball got about a meter away from her hand it lost all shape and dropped on the ground, going out in the process.

“That was the result of me trying to cast a spell without using my Moon Aura. As soon as the mana-created energy or item exits my Sun Aura I lose all control over it. An experienced mage is not really in danger when that happens but if I were an amateur that fireball could have been packed with more power than it should and would have exploded as soon as it left my area of control. The Moon Aura works in a similar way with the only difference being that it provides no extra protection and cannot be used to summon Mana. You can only use it to extend the area around you where your magic can still be manipulated. Also, it is worth noting that your magic can only be controlled by you, your opponent will only be able to destroy your spells if they enter their Sun Aura and if they are powerful enough to do so. Do you have any questions you would like me to answer?”

“Uuuh… So, anything that is inside my Sun Aura can be affected by my magic.”

“If you are powerful enough to do it then yes. It is obviously harder to melt iron than to set a pile of straw ablaze. Also, in order to affect any being you need to first overpower their own Sun Aura.”

Aiden had a thoughtful look on his face as he nodded. He slightly frowned before asking the following question.

“Is it possible for someone to master both Auras as well as some form of close quarters combat?”

“It is unlikely. For someone to do that they would need to have immeasurable talent and skill. Every powerful individual I have met can use the Aura of the Sun although fighters tend to specialize in just one form of magic and their Moon Aura is limited or non-existent. On the other hand, magic users can use both Auras and have a greater collection of spells but have almost no knowledge of weapons and their bodies are not that strong and sturdy. I do believe someone can use and practice many fighting styles, but it is highly improbable that they can master all of them.”

Aiden had understood most of the things Lin talked about. He, personally, wanted to train his Art of Creation and chose to hone his sword fighting skills instead of becoming a proper mage.

-I know a few people back home that would kill me for this decision. –

“I have decided to train in the Art of Creation and practice with the sword I’ve chosen.”

The elf and the warrior exchanged a few looks before nodding.

“Whatever floats your boat, what do you say Lin?”

“A respectable choice. I will now go and find our Lord to inform him about our guest’s training as well as his honesty.”

The witch bided the two men farewell and left them alone is the training yard.

“So, newblood! Learning how to use the Aura of the Sun is no small task. In fact, you can’t do it at the moment. You must first learn how to use a sword and gain some sparring experience as well as a battle sense before you are able to feel the Aura and its capabilities. Understood?”

“Yes, sir! I am ready to learn.”

Steelthunder gave him a wide smile to hype him up and then begun their first ever training session. The lesson consisted of Aiden learning how to properly hold and swing his great sword. A few basic stances and techniques were introduced, and some advanced ones were teased.

The sun was moving through the sky above the mentor and the student as they both worked up a sweat from practicing their sword play. Towards the end of the training session Steelthunder showed Aiden a few exercises with and without equipment that could help him make his muscles more fitting for sword fighting. Aiden was a pretty fit guy, but he never had to train like a true soldier before, so this was a whole new level of exercising for him.

The lesson lasted for quite some time, and they could have gone on for a couple more hours if Lin had not come back to inform them that dinner was ready, and they should probably go and clean themselves up before eating.

“Alright, thanks for the head up.”

“Indeed. Aiden, follow me to the bathhouse and don’t worry about the weapons, the soldiers will take care of them.”

The trainee nodded and left his great sword leaned against a training dummy, he then wiped some sweat from his forehead and followed the chatting Duran and Lin who were walking a couple of meters in front of him.

“May I ask if your first training session was productive?”

“I’d say yes. Well…I’ve certainly had worse students. He does know how to hold a sword properly and he’s got the basics somewhat down, but he’ll definitely need more practice with his footwork and the fluidity of his movements before he can survive in any battlefield.”

Aiden was not hurt by the comments, he thought that Duran was an honest man and a great sword wasn’t exactly the easiest sword to use.

-Huh. Who would have thought that my ‘training’ with that wooden sword back home would actually prove useful? –

As they got closer to the Household Duran and Lin parted ways, she went inside while Aiden followed his sword-mentor behind the building were another structure was located. The second building was wooden and quite smaller than the main one, it also had metals pipes around it that got out of the ground and creeped up the walls eventually entering the place through the roof.

“So, that’s the bathhouse I assume?”

“Yes, it is Lloyd’s bathhouse to be exact. Although, everyone living under his roof can use it. Let’s go in now, I’m getting kind of hungry.”

Aiden nodded and they both entered the building. As they got inside there was a small square hall and four doors, including the one they just used.

“Left one leads to the changing rooms, right one to the bath and the middle one leads to the showers. I’ll be using the middle one today, if you’re not that hungry you can use the bath since it’s going to take some time to fill it up and all.”

“I think I’ll be taking a shower as well.”

They first went inside the changing rooms. As they entered, they saw around 6 doors, 3 on each side, connected by a narrow hallway.

“There should be a change of clothes in each one of them, just dump your dirty clothes inside that big basket at the end of the hallway and wear the new ones once we are done.”

“Okay, but who is going to take care of them?”

“Haven’t you seen the maids that live in the household?”

“Uuuh…. No?”

“Huh. Well, you did sleep late after all. Anyway, just get naked, grab a towel and head to the showers.”

Duran walked inside one of the changing rooms and begun taking his clothes off. Aiden did the same, but he was extremely uncomfortable.

-I suppose being naked and showering with other men is normal in my world…. If you’re in prison or you crave some of that meat scepter yourself. I should probably not think about it that much: our cultures are quite different after all…. I need to fit in, so I’ll just roll with it. –

Aiden was not homophobic, but he wasn’t gay himself. He grabbed the towel and held it in an angle that covered his junk. A lot of thoughts were going through his mind: what if he got a random and very awkward boner, what if he’s supposed to wear something instead of being butt-naked but hasn’t noticed it yet….

Eventually he got out of the changing room only to find that Duran was already in the showers, he followed and hang his towel on a towel-rack located in the four-doored hall. Aiden walked inside the showers and noticed that Duran had chosen the 6th and final shower at the back of the chamber, he obviously realized Aiden was uncomfortable with this.

The first few minutes were pretty awkward for Aiden, but eventually he realized there was probably nothing to be worried or nervous about. He started feeling better and his embarrassment died out as he finished his shower. Duran finished a couple of minutes before Aiden and as he exited the room turned to his student.

“I’ll be going to the table with the others, once you’re done come join us.”

Aiden nodded and kept cleaning himself. Once he was done as well, he slightly opened the door and grabbed his towel. He begun drying himself and then wrapped it around his waist before making his way back to his changing room. There he wore his fresh clothes and dumped the old ones in the basket along with the towel he used to dry himself with. Aiden, then walked closer to a wall-mounted torch and used its heat to completely dry his hair, before going to the table to join the rest.

Soon Aiden was walking towards the main table where everyone else was sitting and the maids he had heard about were walking around bringing everyone food and drink. There was a total of 2 maids and a butler. Aiden bowed towards the Lord and Lloyd gestured him to sit down with them.

“Thank you for letting me stay, I am in your debt.”

“You are welcome, and I will keep that in mind. If I’m not mistaken, Lin informed me that you decided to train hoping to become part of our guard force and Duran said that there is potential in you.”

While Lloyd was talking the maids and the butler stopped bringing food and went back inside the kitchen. It was then that Aiden noticed a couple of instrument-carrying people who begun playing an ambient tune in order to entertain the ones eating.

“It is true that I’m hoping I could be of some help and that I am trying not to disappoint you.”

“My Lord, I believe Aiden will need a second teacher capable of quickly helping him learn about our town as well as the kingdom’s current situation. May I offer myself to be that teacher.”

Lloyd turned his head towards Lin and drank some mead he had previously poured in his goblet.

“I think you are right, he can’t be going around without knowing some important information. Just be sure to not get carried away, tell him only what he needs to know, there is no need for him to be given access to all of our secrets.”

Aiden nodded in agreement and Lin smiled a bit before placing a cherry-tomato in her mouth and gently chewing it, she was apparently pleased with the answer.

-Oh boy… I have watched and read some Isekai type of anime and manga before, usually the protagonist is summoned because he is part of some bigger plan or something. Unfortunately, I think that I was either very lucky or unlucky to find myself in this situation. –

He sighed before taking a bite out of his beefsteak.

“Aiden, I think we can answer some of your questions right now, so ask away.”

Duran made that statement and both Lloyd and Lin looked at Aiden waiting for him to ask something.

“Alright, first things first, I need to know how friendly the people in the town are. Are crimes a usual occurrence and will I be murdered as soon as I decide to take a stroll outside this house?”

Lloyd decided to answer this question.

“My people are friendly and welcoming, I like to think. If you are no threat and you get to know them, I bet they will accept you as a member of our town. Also, crimes do happen, but they are uncommon, this is not a big city, so all the people know each other, surely there are a few quarrels here and there, but we all respect our neighbors and our neighbors’ neighbors…outsiders are the only people I believe are capable of committing any actual crime and harm my people.”

“Understood. What about the situation outside your walls? Is there anyone trying to harm this place or any area that I should avoid?”

Lloyd chomped on a chicken leg and Duran jumped in to answer Aiden’s question.

“You see, this province is currently in a time of peace when it comes to actual warfare. There is however a problem that has troubled all the lords and nobles in the province. Someone is trying to assassinate the King.”

There was short pause and Duran drank some of his beer and wiped some foam from his bushy beard before resuming his talking.

“There was an assassination attempt last month, luckily it failed. The capital has already contacted the rest of the provinces, but they seem to be denying everything and there is no evidence that hints to it being orchestrated by someone outside our kingdom.”

“And I assume the other Royal Families don’t want to be dragged into this?”

“That is correct, we need to figure everything out by ourselves.”

That was Lloyd talking once again, Lin was quiet but seemed to be mentally following the conversation. Another short paused ensued and Aiden realized a couple of things he previously missed.

“Excuse me, but I don’t believe I know your full name Lord Lloyd.”

“Hmm, is that so? My name is Lloyd Bellclaire the 3rd. Anything else?”

“Actually, yeah. Wasn’t there another person here yesterday? I don’t know his name either.”

“Oh, you must be referring to my steward, William Verolous. He’s gone to another town east of here for some business concerning animal trading, nothing too important.”

“Alright, thanks for the information.”

The dinner continued for about an hour. Aiden was mostly quiet while the other three discussed a plethora of topics. Some were as simple as how much a pouch of seeds should cost or if their bread was too doughy, others were more interesting: apparently there was a goblin nest somewhere in the forest and the lumberjacking business of Pinewood was greatly impaired.

“My lord, I must say that sending a group of guards or soldiers to investigate would prove terribly insufficient. We need an expert for this kind of job.”

“I’m sorry Lin, but are you saying that the guards I train aren’t capable of killing some goblins?”

“I do believe that they are more than able to protect Pinewood from a goblin raid, but their nests are rumored to be tricky to navigate through, filled with traps and that an ambush is almost sure to happen. I suggest we hire a monster hunter or an adventurer and have our guards go only if it is necessary.”

“Nonsense! I’ve killed plenty of goblins back in the day! I bet I can lead my men and eliminate them no problem! Free of charge, I may add!”

The conversation seemed pretty heated and Lloyd was obviously annoyed by their quarrel, that was when Aiden decided to jump in and say something.

“I’d like to express my opinion on the subject, if I’m allowed to.”

They all turned their heads to him and Steelthunder squinted his eyes.

“Go on then! What do you say?”

“Well, I may not now how dangerous goblins are, or how skilled your guards are at dungeon crawling, but I think you should spare a few coins and get a professional if it means protecting the town. I’m sure your soldiers will get another opportunity to show off their skills.”

“Hmph...! Whatever you say, call your professional, but I’ll be going as well, no matter what!”

Duran grabbed his stein and drank a few rich gulps before placing it back down. Lloyd sighed and stood up since he had finished his meal.

“I’ll send a message to the capital, hopefully we’ll have an expert coming to our village soon enough. Farewell.”

Having said that he walked up the stairs and retreated to his chamber. The table was quiet, there only was the sound of music and the clanks of mugs being lifted and placed down again. Aiden was not sure if he should have left Lin and Duran settle this by themselves, but then again, he was glad no lives would be put in any unneeded danger.

“I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t. You don’t have to take my word as a vote if you don’t want to.”

Lin looked at Aiden and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“It is quite alright, you are a guest and a special one at that. Your word is something we cannot ignore and this time your opinion is wise and well spoken.”

“Lad, I can’t say I agree with you entirely, but I do think my men will have more opportunities to prove themselves. In the meantime, if you want to waste money, I will not argue any further.”

They all sipped their drinks at the same time and Aiden stood up before smiling at the other two.

“Thanks for the food. If I’m allowed to, I’d like to walk around the village a bit, to get to know the place and the peoples.”

“You are free to do so. Also, if you happen to come across Conrad can you ask him if the rhubarb mead he has been brewing for me is ready?”

Aiden nodded at Lin and begun walking towards the door.

“I’ll see to it right away. Goodbye for now.”

The guest pulled the door open and walked outside being slightly blinded by the bright light of the sun. Aiden was ready to live his new life in this world and was hoping he could live up to his mentors’ expectations.

Chapter 2: Training and dining.

END