Kyrion was dressed in traveling clothes with a large bag that could easily be around four times his size. Yet the boy held it with no problem whatsoever. Though Irritation was evident on his face. He looked at his master, who had almost nothing on his person, aside from light clothes and a cane.

Kyrion looked at his group. “Well this is it. I don’t know If I’ll see any of you again, so I’ll say this now, while I have gotten hurt a bit these months have been the most fun I’ve had in my life. So I’d like to say thank you.”

“You don’t have to.” Damian motioned to everyone. “We’re here because we want to be.”

Many nods from everyone save an awkward pair that wasn’t at the party the day before. Ander stood next to another boy who seemed strangely thin and sickly, confined to a chair with wheels.

“I’m not excited. It’s before dawn and this place doesn’t have ramps for this thing. I don’t like being carried like some baby.” Brion muttered bitterly.

Ander poked Brion in the leg.”Be nice.”

“Very funny.” Brion gave him a blank look. “I know I’ll be out of this thing when the implant is added, but it still sucks not being able to feel my legs.”

“What, did happen? Ever since your injury you’ve been with the medics.” Kyrion crossed his arms.

“I beat that kid Edwin in battle, but he managed to stab me in the back when I was walking away from him. Turns out he used some sort of runed item that did damage to my core and I blacked out. Had I not been in great health thanks to your healing, chances are I wouldn’t have made it.” Brion scowled.

“Was he unconscious? Or should he have been?” Kyrion

“Yes, his breathing slowed and everything. He wasn’t much for durability.Or at least I didn’t think he was.”

“So he played possum with you as well.” Kyrion scratched his chin in thought.

“What’s a possum?” Brion seemed concerned.

“A possum is a rodent that likes to pretend its dead when it senses danger. But thats not important, on another note did he tell you anything about his master. And do you know who Lisa is?”

“Lisa?”

“Yes there was a girl with Edwin. She used these black flames to fight.”

“I don’t remember black flames, she may have been hidden when I fought their team.”

“Wura can you help me describe her? You did fight her after all.”

“Kyrion, I didn’t fight anyone, when you were fighting Edwin I was knocked unconscious for some reason. He was alone from what I remember.”

“What?!” Kyrion was aghast and was about to explode when a hand touched his shoulder.

“Kyrion, we should head out. You can talk to them at length later. But, Ander, tell your brother not to ready Kyrion’s room early. I will not have a student of mine be known for their punctuality.”

“Someone isn’t going to like that very much. What should I tell them?”

“That I’m giving them first hand life experience along with getting him to the cusp of the practitioner rank. I may even find another disciple along the way as well.”

“You’re really digging it deep aren’t you.” Ander crossed his arms.

“What’s going on?” Kyrion asked.

“Let’s hurry up so that we can be late quicker.” Master Gan started walking at a brisk pace.

“Wait! That makes no sense.” Kyrion ran behind his master.

“Bye Kyrion. I wish you well!” Asela yelled as they left the campus.

Brion and Ander also left the scene. This is because their business concluded, and since they really didn’t know anyone else there.

“Wait, I didn’t get to. Say. anything… and they’re gone” Nico watched as they took off. Master Gan walked at a pace that made Kyrion’s current sprinting seem slow. Although the pair were near the horizon at this point.

Everest put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll get another chance to tell him how you feel.”

Nico strangely began to turn red in anger as fire danced around their fingers. “What are you talking about?”

“Ah I must be wrong, Princess Nicole Aridella Invan.” Everest smirked.

“W-w-what are you talking about?” Nico said as the fire grew dangerously big.

Asela seemed shocked, not at the realization but at Everest. On the other hand, Damian helped direct everyone else out of the blast radius.

“You’re really not helping your case. Kyrion really wouldn’t want to hear that you barbecued me in anger. It would complicate the friendship.” Everest took a few steps back.

Nico saw reason and dismissed the fire. “Fine, what led you to believe that I’m some princess from another country.”

“Your name is in the do not kill book along with a brief description of your appearance among other things.”

“Do not kill book. What is that?”

“It’s a book with a brief list of royals who we are to not kill no matter how high the reward is. Usually because the Kings are likely able to out pay the contractor or destroy our organizations with ease. Even then, I didn’t know for sure until I saw the paper birds during our test. While the scouting birds of Ivan aren’t well known, I was trained to spot certain things.”

“Do the rulers know of this, do not kill book?”

“Know, they help add into it though proxy of course. Normally it’s a trusted spymaster that visits to do so.”

“They just let them go around killing people?”

“It’s actually a legal occupation in most countries. Many people need an assassin, it’s a necessary service. Sometimes we even work as detectives of sorts, tailing and gathering information.”

“Everest right?” Charles looked at the boy. “Maybe you shouldn’t go around telling people about your occupation. You never know when there are listening ears at your rank. Though you don’t have to listen to me. I am just a butler after all.”

Everest had forgotten the butler’s presence here, which was unlike him. He looked hard at him and gauged him. “Just a butler, my….”

“Watch your mouth, we aren’t sailors.” Charles squinted his eyes.

Kirara looked at the butler for a long hard second. “I will stay out of this conversation.”

“Being a sailor sounds fun. Though I want my own ship someday. I want to be a pirate like my dad!” Asela spouted.

“But your dad’s a farmer.” Noah told her.

“No. He’s a pirate, though I haven’t seen him since I was really little.” Asela replied.

“Kyrion said that his dad was a farmer.”

“Bill is a farmer.” Asela told him.

“So you have a different dad.” Noah was putting pieces together.

“And mom.” Asela added

“So you were adopted.” Noah stated.

“No. Yes. Maybe… Mrs.Mosley couldn’t have any more children after Kyrion was born. Her brother’s son, my dad, decided that he wasn’t fit to raise a baby at sea so he left me there to be raised.”

“Then why do you call him brother?”

“Kyrion was a bit slow, I showed up when he was 3 and his parents told him that there is a mythical bird called a stork that brings babies to your doorstep. Then Jr. came home with his daughter and Kyrion assumed that Ilanda was another child brought by the stork.”

“Has he been given the talk yet?” Noah scrunched his eyebrows.

“What talk?”

Damian jumped in. “So Kyrion thinks that you’re his sister and treats you as such, and in-kind you treat him as an older brother.”

“Yes.”

Nico looked at Asela.” So Kyrion doesn’t know where babies come from.”

“Correct, I know, but if you would like to remind us, that would be great.” Asela told Nico unconvincingly.

“So you weren’t told yet either.”

“For a while I thought that their ilk just crawled out of the sea somewhere.” Charles said sagely.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Asela asked.

“Do you like tangerines as well Asela?”

“Why? Do you have one on you?”

“There is a tree somewhere in the garden. I’ll lead you there, mistress.” Charles headed towards the garden. Nico and Asela took the cue to follow behind.

Everest was going over the conversation they just had and got the feeling he missed out on something for some reason.

The group dispersed for the last time, unable to be entirely whole now that one of them was gone.

Master Gan and Kyrion made it a good 20 miles before making it to a dirt road.

Kyrion was drenched in sweat and felt exhausted while Master Gan seemed perfectly fine. He began to shrink in size. Changing into the old man he first met in the nurse’s office, exhaustion could be seen on his face, though to Kyrion, it was obviously faked.

“Sit here and play along. You are a student training to become a merchant, we had to travel on foot with you carrying all our wares after our horse died and we had to leave it behind. If they ask you anything else, tell the truth. Except your status as a spirit master.” Master Gan told the boy.

“But we didn’t have a horse.”

“We don’t have a horse, anymore.”

“So you want me to lie.”

“And put on your best pitiful child expression. Now sit down and rest, we should have some company soon.”

“Ok.” Kyrion sat down and started to rest.

Within five minutes, a merchant caravan arrived with 8 carts with two horses each. Guarded by a few mercenaries who were traveling on foot.

“State your business!” Said one of the mercenaries.

“Me and the boy over there are traveling merchants, however our horse died along the way and we were forced to travel on foot. Do you have enough space to take us along at least until you get to the next town or settlement so that we may purchase a new one? We can compensate you for the trouble.”

The mercenary left to speak into the middle caravan for a minute before returning. “You may come along at the cost of ten silver though you will not be traveling in the same cart as the boy. Should we find contradictions in your story then both of you will be immediately expelled from our caravan.”

Master Gan was brought to the first caravan to sit. “We will be keeping an eye on you. The roads have been dangerous as of late with bandits among other people.”

“I understand.” Master Gan told him. “Kyrion! Come along now!” He called to the resting boy.

Kyrion had fallen backward due to the pack’s weight and struggled to get up. One of the guards went to help him up.

“Don’t help him. He’s a lot stronger than he looks.”

The guard looked at the old man. “He’s just a kid, I’ll go help how heavy that stuff can be.”

“I warned him.” Master Gan told the captain.

The guard went to help Kyrion up when he was pulled down by the absurd amount of weight of this boy. The guard, who was caught off guard, plummeted into the sand along with the boy.

“How is he so strong?”

“He’s of farmer stock, he has to eat at least ten times as much as a normal. I’m sure his parents were happy to send him off with me to learn.”

“Blessed by the Imala that one must be.”

“Something like that.” Master Gan watched as Kyrion helped the guard back up after getting onto his feet. He was then led towards a carriage in the back to drop off his pack and then brought towards the carriage in the middle.

“Get in this cart.” The captain told him.

“Ok.” Krion nodded as he got into the cart.

Inside the cart was a brown-haired girl with tan skin around a year older than him. She wore traveling clothes made from what seemed to be silk. A pair of glasses covered her eyes. Next to her was an older man with a somewhat stocky build, although he shared a very similar face with the girl. Kyrion assumed that she was his daughter and then decided he’d let them tell him if they wanted to.

“Young boy. What is your name?”

“K-kyrion, sir.” He replied meekly.

“How did you get your hair to be so pretty?” The girl asked.

“What do you mean?” Kyrion was puzzled by the odd question.

“It’s red like a ruby and for some odd reason it shines.”

“I’m not sure honestly. My mom had hair like this though it was a bit lighter in color.” Kyrion grabbed his hair and looked at it curiously.

“Who is that man traveling with you?” The man asked.

“Master Gan.”

“Is that his real name?” He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms

“I don’t know, never asked.” Kyrion wondered why he never asked the question.

“Why do you want to become a merchant?”

“To see the world. Merchants can go anywhere right?” Kyrion answered with a partial truth. Becoming a merchant was a means to an end on his journey.

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

Kyrion’s brain broke at that moment as he did math absently answering. “I don’t really know, I haven’t lived that long yet..”

“How old are you?”

“Eight! Wait… No nine!” Kyrion wondered how he missed his birthday and then remembered that he was unconscious when it passed.

“Kinda tall for that, thought you were eleven or so. You’re a bit young to be traveling like this.” The man told him.

Kyrion looked at the girl. “How old is she?”

“Twelve. Though you never ask a woman her age. It’s bad manners.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Kyrion closed his mouth.

The man looked at his daughter for a minute before continuing forward.

“May I get your names too?”

“Adrian Belflour and this is my daughter Tiffany Belfour.” The man told him. “Now where are you headed?”

“I’m not sure I know we’re going to the north and then the east.”

“You really should get more information from your master.”

“That would be great. If you don’t mind, where are you headed?”

“Can I tell him dad?”

“It’s something to be proud of. Though he may not understand.”

“I’m going to the Chroniclers Sect to get awakened and become a spirit master.”

“Awakened, is that something rare?”

“Yes, normally only nobles and those of wealth and talent are permitted to use the awakening tablets and those are to be done before the child has reached ten. I however was not counted as wealthy until very recently when my trade caravans began to spread throughout the country. Therefore we are going to make an offering to the sect in an attempt to get them to get them to awaken my daughter’s hidden potential.”

“I see.” Kyrion understood though he was a bit confused. Everyone in Limguard gets awakened, but very few get actual training though it seems that you need to be lucky to get awakened at all.

“I see…Tiffany what will you do after becoming a spirit master?”

“I’m going to train enough to enter the Gabon Academy in this county as an homage to my family.”

Kyrion cringed. After meeting their representative on the screen, he had felt repulsed for some odd reason.

“I see. Does this sect of hard to say er’s happen to be north and then east?”

“Yes. Actually though there will be a town nearby where they set up. It’s where we’re dropping you off. It’s still a few days away though.”

“I wonder if my master’s taking me to get awakened… Is there anything else near that area.”

“There’s the Gremlin town dungeon. Its a place where young spirit masters can train and learn how to use their abilities. To the east of the sect is the forest of purity.”

“Funny… No it can’t be.. There has to be other stops along this way.”

“The Tetsan Empire is a united coalition of desert cities with their own regional lords that form a council. Hardly anything here is close together. Didn’t you know that?”

“I didn’t realize it was that bad… Well, chances are we are headed to the same area. Not sure why though.” Kyrion closed his eyes and began to rest for a bit. The cart was pretty comfortable.

“He’s asleep. Must have been exhausted.” Tiffany said aloud.

The guard captain opened the cart window. “His master may have saw talent in that boy, he may in fact have Imala’s blessing. To be so physically gifted yet so small, and have no spirits in his body.”

“So he isn’t a spirit master, but he has the potential to become one?” Tiffany asked him.

“The boy’s body is constantly absorbing the mana about him, at least that’s what my eye is telling me. The master seems to barely be a fledgling five spirit master, which is average considering his old age. Though to a farmer he would seem amazing.”

Kyrion listened in as he played sleep. Master Gan was definitely an expert, which meant he had tricks up his sleeves. The fact that this captain could look into his core was troubling. However, he would need to learn that trick his master was using if possible. He felt naked by that prospect.

“If he knew the boy’s potential then it makes sense that they would be headed there. You should probably make friends with him.”

Tiffany looked at her father and scowled. “He’s three years younger. Just a baby.”

“And Spirit Masters can live a long time. What’s a three year difference when you can live for centuries.”

“It still feels weird when you pick my friends.” Tiffany crossed her arms.

“I’d like it if my daughter had at least some protection around her age. But, of course, I’m not saying you have to marry him.” He grumbled.

“Dad!” She yelled.

“Shh. You’ll wake him.”

The darkness came eventually, and they set up camp near a forest clearing. Kyrion helped collect firewood and gathered edible fruits and berries, much to the delight of the pack. While master Gan used his old age to relax and provide advice to the various people coming too and fro.

When the guards set up a watch, Kyrion stayed up as well, watching the twin moons above him along with the starry sky.

Tiffany approached the boy looking at the night sky. “What are you doing?”

Kyrion looked at her with a sheepish expression. “Today has been a long day, I’m just clearing my mind.”

“Because your horse died?”

“No…Well yes the horse thing was sad, though it was the traveling on foot that felt long.”

Tiffany sat near him. “So, did you talk with your master about becoming a spirit master?”

“No. It just feels weird being alone, it hasn’t hit me until recently, I have no friends or family with me on this journey. Master Gan feels like the type that would leave me in a forest alone with a steak knife to see if I could fend for myself.”

“I doubt it’s that bad.” Tiffany told him.

Kyrion recalled the giant bear he had to fight repeatedly in his training. “Possibly.”

Tiffany looked at him for a moment and whispered in his ear. “Do you need help? We could leave him behind if you need us too and get you somewhere safe.”

“It really isn’t that bad, I exaggerated a little.” Kyrion laughed.

“Oh. Great.” Tiffany let out a breath.

Kyrion looked back at the sky for a long time. “Its weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“When I look at the sky like this I wonder what secrets lie unexplored. I want to see more of everything and for some reason I feel as though I’m being pulled above to a place beyond this one. If that even makes any sense. Though the call isn’t as loud as it used to be.”

“A call?”

“It’s nothing, I was a bit sick before I met Master Gan, and have slowly been getting better.”

“I see… Were you malnourished?”

“Malla who?”

“Under fed,”

“Oh no, well maybe, the headaches stopped around the time I started eating quite a bit more… Though I didn’t have an appetite back then.”

“Maybe you always needed more food but just didn’t eat enough.”

“Oh how I hope it was just that simple.”

“Was it not?”

“I really don’t know.” Kyrion made sure not to mention anything about his training and realized that this explanation sounded bizarre without it.

The two talked until Tiffany went into her tent to rest while Kyrion watched the sky and fell asleep outside. Not to say he didn’t have a tent, he just felt more comfortable under the sky.”