Days turned to weeks as the two boys were pushed to their limits. Each morning before the sun rose, Jelroy would have them down by the barracks. From the moment they arrived to the moment he sent them back to their rooms for the evening he had them running laps around the manor, lifting heavy stones, stacking piles of wood, and all other manners of vigorous exercises meant to hone their young bodies.

They were of course allowed breaks to hydrate and eat, but even during those down times, Jelroy had much to say. As much as he was working them physically, he was also putting a strain on their minds as well. He spoke on the history of many different weapons; about how each one had its strengths and weaknesses. He even touched on some of the more prominent people throughout history who had revolutionized the way certain weapons were forged.

Some were warriors, but naturally, most of them were the blacksmiths or craftsmen who tirelessly worked to improve upon their precious creations. Jelroy even began to go into detail about why certain wars or major battles throughout history shifted the way weapons were designed. There wasn’t a single subject concerning weaponry that Jelroy didn’t have a vast amount of knowledge in.

His pool of knowledge both surprised Cypher and left him wanting more. Still, he suspected that Jelroy was still attempting to train them in the art of patience. Eiden of course had changed his tune when it came to listening to their new teacher. He did his best to stifle his snobby attitude and pay attention to what was being said, but it was clear that he hated every moment of it.

Cypher had no doubt that Eiden was at least somewhat familiar with some of what Jelroy was saying, but he could see that most of this was for the benefit of Cypher, who had never gotten the chance to learn about such things on his own. He found himself growing more and more grateful towards Jelroy with each passing day and did his best to show it.

Of course, along with all of this Jelroy would test them on the things they had learned. He provided Cypher with quick and easy lessons on reading and writing. Naturally, they were under the impression that he could do neither, but thanks to Molly that wasn’t the case. Still, Cypher pretended to learn things for the first time and even managed to improve his skills in the language arts and before long, he was taking notes right alongside Eiden.

Galex caught wind of these lessons, and the subject was broached on why Cypher, a mere servant, needed to learn such skills. Jelroy was forthcoming about his reasonings when it came to that. By his logic, a strong warrior was one of body and mind. Lacking in either field would only hinder the growth of both students and in the end, it would be a waste of time for Cypher to train with them. This in turn would slow down Eiden’s advancements, and given that time was a factor, Galex allowed it for the sake of his son.

Indeed, there were years before Eiden would be faced with the entrance exams of the Academy, but every moment counted when one was attempting to enroll in the most prestigious school in the country. Their notes were kept in a ledger that Jelroy would take with him at the end of each training session.

In his downtime, Jelroy would go over the boys’ notes and every other day, they were allowed to take them back and study them overnight. This of course cut into the amount of sleep they were getting. But it was all according to Jelroys strict training regimen. On top of all of this, the two were still tasked with their ordinary workloads.

Of course, Cypher couldn’t keep up with all his chores and still make it to training each day, so he was allowed to spend five out of seven days dedicated to his training with Eiden. The other two were spent catching up on everything that was left undone during the week while filling his evenings with as much training as he could. Naturally, this increased his workload immensely but despite that, the young boy gave it his all and completed his tasks satisfactorily.

It was no easier for Eiden, though in a different way. The young heir still had his lessons on the nobility to attend to. His teachers loaded him down with twice the normal amount of information that they normally did. Eiden too was performing far better than he had ever needed to in the past. Galex would not allow his son to slack off even a little bit.

Thus it was that the weeks passed just like this. Of course, they were only children. Even if they were training to become warriors, they still needed a break, and that break came after two entire months of grueling training and stress. Both of them were given a week to relax, recharge and refresh themselves before the training continued. Jelroy also needed time to evaluate how they were coming along and adjust his regimen accordingly.

Eiden spent his free time playing with his friends and showing off all the knowledge he had obtained in his lessons with the old soldier. The other noble children who came to visit were awe-struck by what he had to say and this naturally boosted his ego even more than normal.

Cypher took the time to relax and spend time with Molly, who doted on him, showering him with praise and words of encouragement. She was so very proud of him for managing to keep up with everything, and as a nice reward for his efforts, she had brought him wholesome meals and a delicious candy hoard for him to enjoy in the coming weeks. The two spent a lot of time together and laughs and smiles were happily shared between them. Cypher did his best to tell Molly about everything he was learning and she smiled down at him with warmth in her eyes as he spoke a mile a minute.

This downtime was well needed after such a long and grueling two months, and Cypher found himself finally able to be a kid for one of the first times in his life. Still, there were tasks to be managed around the manor. Eventually came a day near the end of their week of relaxation where Molly was too busy to spend time with Cypher and he found himself lying in his bed full of energy but bored out of his mind.

The Galvans, Galex excluded, had taken a trip down to a local lake for a family outing. Most of the more important servants had been ordered to come along to attend to the needs of Tyrina and her children. Two others had left with Galex for Riftmoore City, while many of the others were allowed to leave to visit family or purchase goods for the household. As it was, the manor was eerily empty and it was unnaturally quiet.

Feeling bored and with mixed feelings about returning to his training with Eiden and Jelroy, Cypher began to wander around the manor. Quiet like this was rare in a mansion like the Galvan’s. Guests were almost always coming and going and in place of them, servants could be seen tending to tasks at all hours of the day and night.

He admired the many paintings that lined the walls and ran his finger along the gilded ripples of the stylized wallpaper that covered the interior of the mansion. A few guards stood at their posts around the mansion, but they were well aware of who Cypher was and paid him no mind. It wasn’t long before he found himself at the entrance to the library where Eiden normally studied. Cypher rifled through a few scattered books and scrolls but nothing of great note caught his eye.

The library was quite large and many books lined the shelves or sat scattered among the several tables inside. Jealousy welled up inside him at the thought of a little shit like Eiden being blessed enough to enjoy such things at his leisure. Yet, despite being so lucky, the young heir hardly cared to spend time in a place like this. Cypher’s face held an expression of disgust at the thought of Eiden simply ignoring the many gifts being born into a noble family offered.

Cypher lingered in the library for a few minutes as his mind raced and his anger welled up inside him. Annoyed at Eiden, Cypher stuffed his hands into his pockets and sulked about. There was so much he could do with the gifts Eiden so regularly disregarded but in the end, Cypher was happy that he had a chance to train with Jelroy and finally have something close to what Eiden did on a daily basis.

With nothing else to see or do here, he decided to head outside and enjoy the bright beautiful day instead of wallowing in his jealousy. It was only as he was about to leave that he took notice of a bright blue book hidden beneath a stack of other tomes and scrolls. He had only caught a glimpse of the shiny sapphire cover, but it was enough to stoke his curiosity and he instinctively reached for it. The stack toppled over as he dragged the blue book from underneath it and it was heavy in his hands.

He was worried that the loud sound of toppling books and scrolls would alert a passing guard, but after a few moments of tense silence, he let the worry of being caught slip from his mind. His curiosity was far too great at a time like this. Many of the more interesting books Eiden had left lying around were adorned with covers like this one and Cypher wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to read more about the various adventures going on in the outside world.

He flipped the book over, examining it carefully. It seemed to be much heavier than it should be and the edges of the pages were gilded in silver. It was clearly a very important tome and he wondered what it was doing just laying around here on a table instead of resting upon a shelf. He quickly flipped through the pages and read a little of what was inside. It was strangely worded, almost like a great scholar had written it using the most complex syntax possible without being overbearing.

Some of what Cypher read was a random assortment of stories and observations about the weather. It covered storms and the nature of rain to some degree, but as interesting as it was, it didn’t seem to capture Cypher’s imagination like the stories about powerful Conductors and noble knights had.

Just as he was about to put the book down he flipped to a section in the back. As soon as his eyes flitted across the page, a massive jolt of pain shot through his head and he collapsed to the ground. The room began to spin, and despite the bright sunlight shining through the windows of the library, the world around him seemed to dim.

A gut-wrenching feeling came over him as his insides squirmed, and it felt like he had suddenly swallowed a heavy iron ball. The sensation continued for a few moments and when it finally settled down it felt as if the iron ball had settled deep in his gut. The pain in both his head and stomach was intense, so much so that tears welled up in his eyes. However, through all of this, the image he had seen was still burned into his vision.

The intricate lines of some kind of sigil flashed through his mind over and over. They had started off blindingly bright but they quickly dimmed more and more, as did his agony. After a few moments, he found himself staring at the floor as the afterimages finally faded away. He was left with a mixture of shock and awe as he thought about what had just happened, and his thoughts on the matter were only broken after the clock on the far wall chimed, signaling midday.

Cypher quickly looked around. He was panting and his brow was covered in sweat. He felt clammy and nauseous but the feeling was subsiding rapidly. As his eyes darted around the room, he noticed that nobody seemed to be watching and that he was pressing the tome against his chest firmly.

He dragged himself to his feet with some effort and pressed a hand against his aching stomach. There was something very strange about this book. Something didn’t quite sit right with him and he wondered if he had just been cursed. He had a sudden urge to throw the book as far away from himself as he could and dash back to his room before something bad happened. However, something inside him compelled him not to.

He stared at the closed book with confusion and a tinge of fear but another feeling was quickly overtaking all others. It was one of immense curiosity. He studied the cover of the book for a few moments longer before finally tucking it into his pants and dashing out of the library.

He couldn’t understand why he wanted to keep such a dangerous book, but the feeling growing inside him simply couldn’t be ignored. Against all reason, he had stolen the book. He knew what the penalty for stealing was around the manor. He knew that his hand would be cut off if he was caught but at this moment, that was a risk he was willing to take.