Kyrion looked around his carriage. He saw a blue-haired man in fancy clothes, their driver, a long-nosed man getting on in years, a man covered in cloth wraps, and Asela. Kyrion laid down only to hear the horses stop abruptly.

While traveling, there were always dangers, be it monster, man, or disaster, so it was no surprise when the group came across a gang of bandits blocking off the road.

“Listen here, give us everything you got, and I’ll let you go. I have twenty five hungry soldiers to feed and we don’t want any trouble.” The voice came from a short human, around four-foot-two and wearing an eyepatch.

Asela went to poke her head out when Kyrion grabbed her hand, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Who’s the kid?” Made it out before Kyr could stop her.

“Ah you got passengers which means you has tons of grub. Right boys?”

“Right boss.” Said a dumb-looking one in the back.

The group began to edge closer when one of the other carts opened, and a White-Haired man wielding a long thin blade made his way out.

“25? I can only see the five of you from here.” a calm melodious voice echoed. “So you can try your luck with me and face death, or you can turn around.”

The dumb one answered. “Boss there is more of us than him if we all like, attack at once he can’t beat us.”

“That’s right! Get ’em, boys,” said their leader. He pulled out a small short sword or a big knife, given its general shape and size.

The White-haired man walked forward and swiped his blade casually at the short bandit leader.

The bandit raised his blade to parry, only for it to freeze and shatter as the man’s sword easily passed right through it.

The bandit jumped back and drew out a red dagger that he threw at the White-haired man.

He reflexively bisected the blade, turning the weapon into a series of floating red and gray lights.

The bandit leader fell onto his knees, clutching his chest and coughing. While he was out of the fight, his part was played.

Working as a distraction for the rest of his men to make their move.

The brute blindsided him with a great club swing while an archer fired arrows of flame at him from a bow in their backline.

The great club landed, and a snapping echoed across the

plains.

It wasn’t from the swordsman. The crack came from a casual punch to the brutes gut that shattered bones.

The brute fell, coughing blood.

The archer let loose a volley of burning arrows. Those that made contact turned into steam as a mist covered the area.

The other two charged with twin scimitars in hand. Attempting to overwhelm him with numbers.

Sadly their assault fell on an afterimage. The man reappeared behind the archer and struck him at the nape of his neck, knocking him headfirst into the ground.

The scimitar duo ran to him again. The difference this time was made apparent when he took every strike head-on causing the blades to freeze and shatter, falling harmlessly to the ground.

He grabbed both bandits by their arms and froze them both in place.

He then systematically tapped them both on the sides of their heads. He did the same to the other three bandits before tying them up and confiscating their gear.

“Who was that?” Kyrion asked aloud.

“Someone above practitioner at least.” Said one of the merchants, Gerund, was his name. If you discount his muscular build, he was a relatively plain-looking merchant wrapped in cloth. He had the brown hair a majority of the people had, along with tan skin.

“So, kids here have a bit of advice. Beware of 3 things: a free meal, a pretty face, and foreigners. It’s not to say avoid people, it’s actually the opposite. Power in numbers and all that. People from our country are pretty weak despite what nobles may tell you. It’s a wide world after all.”

Kyrion stares at the merchant. “Uh… I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kyrion prepared to nap as a wave of drowsiness began to roll over him. As he faded, he saw the blue-haired man attempting to speak with him. Odd that he could only hear static.

Kyrion’s dream, this time, involved him floating on a lake, looking up at the sky. He saw the three shapes he saw previously. The fox-shaped cloud moved closer and closer, and the water rippled. All Kyrion did was watch the cloud come closer and closer before hearing bird shrieks as the cloud had begun to speak.

“It seems someone is throwing roadblocks ahead, they must not want you to arrive at the city.” It said before something shook him awake.

“Kyrion! More trouble.” Asela said.

“I’d like a double?” Kyrion’s eyes lay half closed as he answered.

The caravan soon heard an ear-piercing scream from a short distance away, followed by a cacophony of wing beats. Kyrion and Asela peaking ahead to get a better look at what’s to come.

The white-haired man from earlier had walked out of his carriage again, with a white wolf at his side.

Instead of bandits, he was up against five harpies, women faced avian creatures that prey on travelers, they strike fast, retreat faster, and some stories involve kidnapping small children.

Kyrion had come across them in his father’s bestiary, which was read to him by Bill Jr. Power-wise, they were in the practitioner rank at best.

The first harpy dived down in an attempt to grab him with its talons.

The man sidestepped it, leaving a trail of cool mist behind as he drew his sword from its sheath and bisected the harpy instantly.

He flung the blood away, and it froze where it landed.

A second and the third harpy attempted to flank him.

He spun around while swinging his blade, and they were flash-frozen in ice and shattered by a palm strike.

The last two attempted to fly away but found their wings weighed down by ice and their legs stuck to the ground.

They tried to escape their binds, but a white wolf appeared behind them and tore into their throats with brutal efficiency.

As the screams ended, the wolf approached its master, gore in its mouth, placing it at the white-haired man’s feet.

“Wow,” Asela said, peeking out. “I don’t even think dad can do that.

“Maybe an expert.” Gerund nodded his head. “He made that look too easy.”

“So that’s an expert in action. I expected, you know, more.”

The guy in the suit shook his head and started to say something, but all Kyrion heard was static as he faded.

When Kyrion awoke, he heard a different voice in his head, belonging to a woman much older than the previous one.

“Young human, it seems you have wandered into a grass drake, it breathes out a slow acting poison that gets very lethal after a minute of inhalation! Warn everyone immediately things are about to get bad if you don’t!”

Kyrion rose immediately and yelled. “Grass Drake!”

“What did he say?” Asked one of the drivers as the other three carriages in the caravan stopped.

A large, green, and sinuous monster slithered onto the side of the road, and under a cart, taking out two wheels, it let out a roar inside the leading carriage. Screams erupted with coughs and wheezes as the creature consumed the driver.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Kyrion muttered, looking at the carnage.

As though on cue, the white-haired man burst out from his carriage. Along with his wolf companion, the two advanced on the drake rapidly.

The drake reeled back and swung its front claws at the man approaching it as a feint, using its momentum to spin around and swipe him with its long tail.

The man jumped over it while the wolf ducked, evading the brunt of the attack.

Drawing his sword, the man cut lightly into the drake as the white mist covered the area and the temperature dropped.

The man then vanished into the white mist evading the drake’s attempted to counter.

The white wolf appeared from behind, biting into the drake and tearing a chunk of flesh out the creature before darting back into the fog. The man did the same, reappearing from the mist and making a shallow cut. The drake flailed its claws and tail, trying and failing horribly. Its blood began to freeze over as each strike seemed to give off an aura of biting cold.

The drake began to slow down as its temperature dropped rapidly. Fearing for its life, like most creatures, it attempted to flee.

Only its body was frozen to the ground as realization dawned on it. It tried to rip its body free from the frozen earth. The creature sacrificed skin and limbs in its attempts at freedom.

The man casually appeared from the mist in front of the creature and pointed his sword at its throat.

Knowing it was dead anyway, the grass drake started to let out a breath of poison at its would-be killer.

Only nothing happened as the creature tried to breathe. It began to hack and cough before falling inert as it struggled to use its lungs.

The man pierced the drake’s heart, retrieving a green sphere the size of a marble and depositing it in a cloth sack at its side.

He then made the rest of the drake vanish with the wave of his hand. He did the same with the wrecked carriage after everyone got out.

The members of the fallen carriage relocated, and the man himself moved into their carriage.

“Pardon the intrusion, my name is Leon and I’ll be in this carriage with you all for the time being. This one here is my partner Bliz.” He motioned to the wolf that also entered the carriage.

“How strong are you?” Asela asked innocently.

Kyrion squinted as he noticed an inflection when he said that. It was as though the wolf was speaking through him. Kyrion shook his head. He must still be a bit loopy.

“That’s an improper question to ask someone you just met. But you could say I’m near the peak of the Expert rank. Now, why are children such as you traveling to the city?” Leon asked curiously.

“We’re going to join the academy.” Asela pounded her chest proudly.

“Asela. It’s our turn to ask a question, so let me do this one. What was the thing you pulled out of the creature?” Kyrion had never noticed them back when their father was hunting them.

“This is a spirit core, each living creature has one, and they have a variety of uses, the main one being advancement through tiers. When going from the fledgling rank to the practitioner rank, usually one is required. When you absorb them, the characteristics of the creature are added to your own. Choosing compatible cores is an important part of this path.” Leon said.

“I see…” Kyrion replied, feeling an odd sensation as he listened to the man talk.

“What are your current ranks?” Leon asked

“Isn’t that rude.” Asela asked.

“He already gave us his, it’s not like we can surprise him much. I don’t think I have a rank yet if that’s what you’re asking.” Kyrion spoke first.

“I think I’m at one.” Asela stated.

“You don’t know, you say? I see. If you’re not, rank one fledgling, by the time you join, chances are you’ll end up paired with a teacher who’s job will be to help you find one. Which is fine, but I’d rather you make it to the school with your tools at the ready. As it lets you keep a semblance of choice in where you go afterward.” He nodded up and down knowingly.

Kyrion may not have noticed it earlier, but he certainly did now that the blue-haired man was watching them. Kyrion didn’t want to worry, Asela, so he acted naturally. Eventually, passing out again, this time somewhat purposefully.

“Human child, we will meet soon.” Echoed through Kyrion’s thoughts, the caravan entered a place known as the Forest of Dreams while he napped. Soon after, one of the spokes on one of the carriages broke, forcing them to find a place to stop.