"Father, I thought you had something else to do...?" Reivan reminded. He gave his father's back a soft tap as they embraced each other.

Rodin's shoulders stiffened for a moment. "Oh... yes. They'll come to find me soon, those ministers..."

The King let go of his son, taking a moment to get a good look at him before nodding to himself.

"Did you like my story?" he asked.

Reivan nodded vigorously, his tiny hands clenched into tight fists. "I loved it."

"Hahaha! That's good!" Rodin laughed and then kissed his son on the forehead before standing back up. "Well, I must be going now. Behave, alright?"

"Mm. Good luck at work, Father!" Reivan beamed widely while waving towards Rodin's back as he left through the door. Reivan let his arm fall to his side.

'Now what...?' he asked himself. The books he was allowed to read were boring and somewhat uninformative. Reivan wasn't really allowed to watch the knights or even his brother practice or spar. His mother and uncle seemed to be elsewhere at the moment and even Stella hadn't visited in a while due to some sort of intense training camp that the Mercer Family was making her go through.

Reivan was alone, friendless, and extremely bored.

'Do I have to practice my mana control for the entire day...? Again?' he sighed. It was fun at the beginning, but he'd gotten fed up with it after about six months of practice. It just became a chore at that point. Like working out. 'Well, this is for my future, so I gotta suck it up and just do it, I guess.'

Just as he was about to produce a wisp of mana in his hand, a particularly strong gust of wind blew in from the window. Reivan instinctively stopped his mana.

"Rein! Uncle's here!" A man standing by the window exclaimed. It was Reivan's uncle, Viktor Suprana. Viktor's brows furrowed as he sniffed the air for a moment. "Hm? Was your father here just now?"

"Yes. He came to visit me. Though he left soon after telling me a story." Reivan explained. He wasn't even surprised that his uncle had used a window to enter his room. The Ascendant Warbeast siblings seemed to like entering through there, as if walking through a door would kill them. Reivan just brushed it off as something only someone who could freely fly could understand.

"I see." Viktor nodded in understanding, then picked Reivan up and then brought the young prince up on his shoulders. "Let's go then."

"Uhm." Reivan blinked in confusion as he now found himself being carried like a sack of potatoes. "Where...?"

"To the forest! For your Warbeast training!" Viktor answered matter-of-factly.

"Eh? Wait a minute, I thought I wasn't allowed to train in combat...?"

"You're not going to train for combat." the Warbeast Knight answered, making Reivan tilt his head. "We're going to see how much beast blood you have in you. It's not strictly combat training. Your mother agreed to this too. Or rather, this is a tradition amongst us Warbeast, so your father has no say in it. I even asked the Sword Star to keep an eye on us just in case."

"Oh." Reivan's mouth gaped as excitement caused the blood in him to surge through his entire body. Since it wasn't combat training, he wouldn't be disobeying his father, right? Viktor's way of putting it told him that it was a loophole, but Reivan wouldn't sweat the small stuff. His boredom was degrading his already faulty morals. "Let's go!"

"Yeah! Glad to see you're excited too!" Viktor chuckled as he nodded in satisfaction. "But still, don't tell your father."

"Okay." Reivan nodded with a serious expression. 'I mean, can we even hide it from him? Isn't he the King?'

Seeing his nephew's response, Viktor smirked. He went over to the window and flew off with Reivan.

"..."

"..."

The maids, who'd been standing by in the corners of the room didn't know what to make of the situation. Were they supposed to inform their ruler of this? Even though the Queen had apparently given her permission already? Wouldn't this spark some sort of conflict? The Sword Star had agreed to it though, so wouldn't Prince Reivan be safe anyway? So it was okay, right?

In the end, they decided to just remain silent until asked otherwise.

*****

"Where are we now, uncle?" Reivan inquired as he eyed the surroundings. The trees, flora, and fauna surrounding them made it obvious they were in a forest, but they'd flown so fast that Reivan wasn't sure how far they were from the castle. They'd just flown for what seemed like a second, then they were here.

"You may not know it yet, but Aizen is in the easternmost reaches of this continent. So we're right next to the ocean." Viktor prefaced, then continued, "We're at an uninhabited island a few kilometers off the coast."

"Oh..." Reivan remarked in wonder as he gawked at the surroundings. He'd never been in an actual forest during his life as Ken. There were copses of trees on their Manor's grounds, but forests were just different. He always liked going around and exploring new places when he was a child back then, and he wasn't too different right now. Reivan was so excited, he'd even forgotten to pretend not to know long and complicated words.

"It's your first time in a forest, right?" Viktor smirked.

"Yep!" Reivan nodded. "There's green everywhere!"

"Yeah, forests do like being green, after all." Viktor nodded in understanding as he looked around as well. This only lasted for a moment though, since he remembered what they came here for in the first place. "Right, your training."

"Can't forget about that!"

"Haha. Yeah." Viktor chuckled, then he set down his nephew on the grass. "Well, I've never actually trained a Warbeast pup like you, but I guess I'll just do it like our old man did."

"Grandpa?" Reivan tilted his head. He'd surmised from various information he'd obtained, that his mother and uncle came from a different continent. Since they both came here as adults, the old man his uncle just mentioned was likely on that continent too. Or dead. Reivan wished it was the former.

In any case, Reivan was curious about his grandparents, since the ones from his Father's side were all obviously dead.

"Mm. Yeah, he'd your gramps. Died valiantly in battle, that one." Viktor stared into the sky, reminiscing about his father's form. Then he turned back toward his nephew. "Anyways, let's begin. Ready?"

"Yeah!" Reivan cheered, excited for his first training session.

"Alright, well first, I gotta show you my [Beast Form]. That way, you get an idea of what I want you to do." Viktor proclaimed as he moved away from Reivan, and got into a stance, his feet spread at shoulder width and fingers interlocked in front of his chest.

Reivan could vaguely see some sort of energy surging rapidly around his uncle's body. Viktor then threw his head back as he opened his mouth, the energy around him getting sucked into it like a vacuum.

Pulse!

Despite the relative distance, Reivan felt a strange pulse of air that traveled outwards from his uncle's position. It made all the hairs on Reivan's body stand up straight.

'Wh-what the fuck is happening...' he rubbed his arms as he stared intently at Viktor's form.

"Raah!" Viktor yelled out as his body exploded in light. A normal person would've been blinded, but Reivan's eyes were special. He could see Vktor's shadow grow bigger. Much bigger. House-level big. And it was rapidly getting even bigger.

When the light dissipated, what stood in the place Viktor previously occupied was an incredibly massive white wolf.

"Awoooooo!" The wold let out a soul-shaking howl that made Reivan's bones tremble. The massive wolf turned its ferocious glare toward Reivan as it bared its fangs that were akin to pikes.

As boy and monster's gazes collided, Reivan felt his entire body go numb with fear. He even found thinking to be difficult. Despite the knowledge that this creature was his uncle and would likely not hurt him, his body couldn't help but succumb to its baser instincts.

Bow before the strong.

'Son of a...' Reivan bit his lip as he tried his best to control his bladder. His fingers dug into his palms, drawing blood. In spite of everything though, Reivan didn't want to avert his gaze.

He tried to convince himself that he'd seen much scarier things. Much more powerful things.

Why should he be scared by his uncle? Hell would freeze over before he would hurt him.

The semi-transparent screen in front of him proved it.

Name: Tamozumo Kimiku (Alias: Viktor Suprana) [Beast Form] Favor: (Fondness / Protectiveness / Familial Love) 95 / 100 Threat Level: N / A (This unit has no desire to harm you. Ever.) Might: 14,700 --> 29,400 (Temporary)

Don't look away.

That was the thought running through Reivan's mind.

Seconds stretched into a minute. And yet, Reivan still held strong.

The enormous wolf's mouth formed what seemed to be a grin as its body once again exploded with light.

"You did great, Rein!" Viktor's jovial voice assaulted Reivan's ears, as he suddenly found himself being lifted up once again. As he was inwardly remarking how that was happening quite a lot today, Viktor exclaimed, "You didn't even look away! When my dad did that to me, I pissed my pants!"

'So you tried to make me piss my pants...?' Reivan's brows furrowed in annoyance, but he chose to swallow his words. In any case, it seemed he did well. 'Huh? What's this?'

You have successfully endured a mental attack! Certain conditions have been fulfilled! [Indomitable Willpower] Sub-Skill #1 has been unlocked!

'Oh...!?' Reivan gawked at the stream of notifications.

His uncle Viktor naturally didn't know what his nephew was looking at. He mistook the boy's reaction for awe at his transformation. Viktor's chest puffed out in pride as he smugly said, "Well, that's the Warbeasts' innate transformation skill. It's called [Beast Form]! Though, mine is a bit more amazing than normal Warbeasts, since I'm an Ascendant."

"I s-see. That's awesome..." Reivan said in mock amazement. If he hadn't been blind-sided by these notifications, he probably would've been sincerely awed by his uncle. Now, his attention was being split by his curiosity regarding his new sub-skill. But then he decided to put it to rest for now. He didn't want to miss any of his uncle's teachings. He would have plenty of time to examine his new skill later.

With that out of the way, Reivan was ready to throw all his focus onto whatever Viktor was going to teach him. Reivan knew that he couldn't transform like Viktor, since he was only half Warbeast. However, according to [Supreme Insight], he could unlock an extra skill called [Beast Gate] instead. He couldn't even begin to fathom how he could unlock that, so he needed to pay attention. Perhaps he would find the answer by studying how normal Warbeasts learn to transform.

"I know, right?" Viktor's wolf ears quivered momentarily from happiness. "Well, wanna learn how to do that?"

"I do!" Reivan nodded vigorously.

"Great!" The Warbeast man nodded in satisfaction at his nephew's instant reply. "Very well, the first thing you gotta learn is how to be more in touch with your instincts."

"With my instincts...?" Reivan echoed, his expression revealing how confused he was. "How exactly do I do that...?"

"Haha. Just think about it. We're beasts." Viktor smirked. Reivan couldn't help but recoil at the mischief he could see within them.

'Is this how I look when I'm planning a prank on Kyouka...?'

"If you wanna get in touch with your instincts as a Warbeast, then you gotta live like a beast!" Viktor unceremoniously threw Reivan deeper into the forest.

"Waaahh!!!"

"Oh! You have to find me okay? I'll stay right here!" Viktor called out towards his nephew, as the boy flew in between the trees. A trace of worry appeared on his face for a moment, but he eventually shrugged. "He'll be fine. I'm here. And even old-man Rolf's watching peeking at us from his mountain."

Viktor sent a look in the direction of the Sword Sanctum atop the mountain behind Aizen's castle. The place where the kingdom's strongest dwelled.

As his heart felt more assured, Viktor's lips formed a devilish grin. "Well, I wonder how many days it'll take for him to get to me. It took me a week when my dad did it to me. Rein's smarter than I am though, so maybe he can do it in three...?"

Viktor tapped his chin, then grimaced.

"I hope he doesn't come to hate me for this..." he frowned. Then he started cursing his sister. "That wench of sister. She probably made me do this since she didn't want her son to be cross with her. Dammit, this is all because I lost our duel..."

Aizen's strongest knight, now alone, sighed as he squatted on the ground, hoping that he wouldn't be despised too much after all this.

*****

'Fuuuuuuuck~' Reivan cursed inwardly as he was sent flying into the forest. He worried that he would hit a tree, but luckily, no such thing happened. 'That crazy bastard!'

Eventually, his momentum gradually reduced, until his body made contact with the ground, causing it to roll and bounce across it. This rolling and bouncing was stopped by what he'd been scared of a while ago.

Which is to say he crashed into a tree.

After what should've been quite a painful experience, Reivan got up without much difficulty.

'It didn't hurt at all...' Reivan remarked. Despite being dragged across the forest like a ragdoll by the momentum of his uncle's throw, Reivan was completely unharmed. He surmised that it was likely due to the energy that his uncle had encased him in just before he was thrown. Said energy was now dissipating though. He heaved a sigh of relief at his uncle's thoughtfulness. 'He's still an asshole for doing that though...'

Reivan dusted himself off as he observed his surroundings.

Trees and grass.

Just, a lot of it. He couldn't really see anything else. Even the sky was hidden by the trees. As for the grass, it looked like normal grass.

'Since this was a fantasy world, I expected more... zany stuff. Like moving trees and grass that tried to tie up your feet. Or maybe the classics. A man-eating plant modeled after a venus fly-trap.'

In any case, now that he had to be in such a forest, Reivan was glad it was ordinary. As he struggled with what to do, he remembered that he'd just unlocked a new sub-skill.

'Well, may as well take a look. I thought I'd be getting a lecture, but instead, I'm now on a surprise field trip.'

Special Ability:

[Indomitable Willpower]

Passive:

My Will shall not shatter.

It shall not waver.

It is Eternal.

All attacks to the mind will be endured without suffering damage.

Mind control abilities are nullified, at the cost of being more stubborn.

Upon death, can remain as a [Soul Form](This can only be used once.).

Sub-Skill #1 - [Formless Will] Active: This unit can use its willpower to influence energy and objects around it. Creatures or objects with wills of their own are affected less. (This does not consume any energy) Sub-Skill #2 - [???] ! This Ability Has Not Been Unleashed Yet ! Sub-Skill #3 - [???] ! This Ability Has Not Been Unleashed Yet !

'Influence energy and objects around it...? So it's basically Psychokinesis, right?' Reivan mused. He'd hoped for a passive skill, actually. That way, none of his watchers would be able to notice him using it. He couldn't really test this out by levitating a rock or a twig. It was too early to reveal his abilities to his family.

Since his new skill couldn't be tested out at the moment, Reivan elected to just set it aside for now.

'He said I had to make it back to him...' he recalled his uncle's words. 'Isn't that really simple? I just have to walk in the direction he threw me from.'

He'd be able to make it back to his uncle easily by just following the trajectory of his uncle's throw. Since Reivan flew straight, he would just have to walk straight as well. Simple.

'Let's get this over with...' Reivan looked at the ground in front of him, where traces of his body bouncing off of it remained. 'That way, then.'

Reivan soldiered on despite how his six-year-old body's short legs assured that his pace would be abysmal.

"Haah, haaah..." Reivan didn't know how much time had passed, an hour? maybe two? But what he did know, was that he was dead tired. He wanted to reunite his back with the soft mattress of his bed.

As he lumbered forward, he wasn't bothered by the gust of wind that sent a chill across the trees. His [Ice] affinity made sure ordinary cold wouldn't affect him.

The problem was these blasted bushes that kept snagging on his clothes.

'Fucking hell!' After the umpteenth time, Reivan couldn't take it anymore. He stripped his shirt off.

It occurred to him that the decision wasn't wise, since the branches would likely scratch against his skin instead, but he decided to just endure that pain.

In any case, he was used to pain. What he wasn't used to was being annoyed to death by these branches.

'That's better.' Reivan trudged forward, not even flinching as sharp twigs protruding from bushes and trees lacerated his skin. 'Now that I think about it, it's been a while since I've felt some pain.'

Despite being free from pain for the past six years, it seemed Reivan was still used to it. As he contemplated whether that was a good or bad thing, his vision suddenly opened up.

Despite the absence of trees in front of him, Reivan didn't feel an ounce of joy.

'Fuck.' Reivan leaned forward, looking down the chasm he'd stumbled upon. The other side of the cliff seemed to be about ten meters away. Not that far, but the gap was insurmountable for a six-year-old. Half-warbeast or not. 'I have to detour...'

As Reivan realized that this training wouldn't be as simple as he thought, a notification popped into his mind.

Location:

Deep Cliff An ordinary Cliff, albeit a bit deep. There is a river at the bottom.

(It is suggested that you do not attempt to jump across. Please find an alternate path.)

'I know it's a cliff, you twit.'