“What is the name of the baker’s daughter we met today?” CJ asks.

Too easy. “Her name is Haley Hartford.

"Had to start you with an easier question. List all of the animal species we saw at the farm," CJ says.

There were those birds called floracans, the pigs with the dumb names, okyax, and horses.

"Floracans, tuskwoolies, okyax, and then the horses. I'm not sure if you'd consider a different species but the nightmares as well." I say confidently.

"You forgot one," CJ says.

"What? No, I didn't."

"You forgot about the chickens," He says with a smirk.

I’m an idiot. How did I not remember them?

"When faced with new and unbelievable sights, sometimes you forget about the more mundane things. Next question. What color are Dale's eyes?" He asks.

What? How the hell would I know? “Uhm. His eyes are-” Silence hangs as I struggle to answer.

“The same color as his daughters... Now quit stalling and tell me the color,” CJ says.

“Brown eyes?” I say unconfidently.

“Wrong again. They both have green eyes. They’re quite striking. I’m surprised you didn’t get that question right. Tsk tsk. You’re going to need to start paying attention,” CJ says.

“Why does it matter? They’re not even Forchunae; they’re just regular people. We’re better than them, remember?"

“Just because they aren't Forchunae doesn't mean they don't matter. And it is because we are better than we have to act like it. Right now, Tyler, you are nothing in the grand scheme of the world. You think you can look down on people because you awakened and gotten a little stronger?" CJ replies sternly.

"YES. I don't get why any of this matters!" I shout as I wave my hands towards the town. "Not only am I superior as a Forchunae, but I'm also smarter. The Strakken Empire is so much more advanced than the rest of you backwater savages. We have mastered the elements and created things you couldn't comprehend." I can feel my face heating up.

CJ shakes his head at me, but he doesn't look angry. Instead, he seems sad. "You poor child. May the Goddess watch over your soul. I don't think we knew how much they fucked you up."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me?"

CJ is looking down on me. He thinks he's better than me. They all do. I bet they all laugh at me.

“You think you’re better than me, Charles?”

“No, kid, I don’t. I just feel bad for you. We’re stopping our quiz here. You can have your harness. Try and get some rest,” CJ says as he turns away, wrapped up in his cloak.

This time I don’t struggle to get the harness set up. My anger and frustration at CJ and the others fade as the night continues. I’m cold and hungry, and I miss my home. Logically I understand that the council lied, but they must have had a good reason. That doesn’t do anything to change what my heart tells me. I miss my mom and dad. Gabriel said it’s random who awakens, but I wish it weren’t. I would give it all up to just go home. My eyes are getting blurry as tears fall down my face. This is the worst I’ve felt since awakening as I cry myself to sleep.

“He said what? I didn’t know he held those beliefs,” Helena said.

“Yeah. Well, it’s not like we didn’t know the Strakken Empire was terrible,” replied CJ.

“He’s a good kid. Just let me knock some sense into him. I’ll slap that shit right out of his head,” Veaos said.

“No, you’ll do no such thing. The anger and superiority complex Tyler showed isn’t something Gabriel planned for when he asked us to teach him. We need to contact him and see what he would like us to do,” Helena said.

“The brat thinks too highly of himself. I’m of a mind to say we let Veaos beat this mindset out of him. Master Gabriel has graciously allowed him to stay here in Sheira, and he dares to look down on its people. The only reason I haven’t thrown him out is that he is Master Gabriel’s charge,” Elle said icily.

“At the end of the day, our opinions don’t matter for shit,” CJ said while standing up. “I’ll reach out to Gabriel and see what he wants us to do about the kid.”

It’s now officially been six months since my arrival. Elle has continued to instruct me on the major powers and locations of the world. Veaos has continued to push me to my physical limit, and the results are visible. I’m not incredibly muscular, but I’ve become leaner and defined from the training. Helena ramped up my Word practice. After my outburst with CJ, Gabriel has mandated therapy twice a week with Sam. That is where I currently find myself.

Over the months, I’ve grown to appreciate my sessions with Sam. Because they can read my mind, I can’t lie during our sessions. I have learned about a limitation of Sam’s Word; they can only read the thoughts at the forefront of a person’s mind. Sam can’t use their Word to read your mind if you aren't thinking about a topic.

“How are you doing today?" Sam asks.

"I'm doing well. Feeling excited about my lesson with Veaos today." I respond.

"You start combat training, right? Are you ready for that?"

"Veaos said he wouldn't teach me to fight till I was in good enough shape, and Gabriel said I couldn't learn till I could control my emotions better. So I guess I should ask you if I'm ready. Since you decide my fate." I say with a hopeful smile.

They stare back at me for a bit, and I can tell they're reading my mind. I send a mental wave to them.

"Cute. I'll be honest with you, Tyler. You have made great strides toward managing your emotions. However, I am worried that combat training could trigger some of your less healthy thoughts. Don't worry, I won't deny you this chance, but do not make me regret it. Now go get ready for your day," Sam says as they wave me along.

My lesson with Helena goes the same as the last several. A month ago, I discovered a new application for my Word. I Warp objects by either heat or by making them wet, and through several harrowing experiments, I can now make my body damp or raise my body temperature to the point of steaming. There isn't any real practicality to it, but it could help me stay clean or warm. Helena and I continue to try and push my ability in every lesson, but today ends without a different result.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'll ever get over my limit of Warping only one 'thing' at a time," I say with air quotes.

“Practice makes perfect. Even if you don’t increase the quantity of what you can Warp, you’ve already made great strides to improve your Aether reserves. Not only that, but you can teleport heavier objects already. Never stop striving for improvements. Don’t be like the Forchunae who never bother innovating or trying new things,” she says.

I can’t help but smile at her praise—a warm feeling blossoms in my chest. Of everyone here, I feel the closest to Helena and Veaos. Gabriel has been gone for almost the entirety of the time I’ve stayed here, and everyone else either isn’t a fan of me or is neutral.

“Thank you. I really appreciate your help with all of this. I can't imagine what it's like for those of us who don't have anyone to help them figure it out."

"Of course, hun. Unraveling the mechanisms of our Words is my favorite activity. I'd love to continue, but you have somewhere to be in about a minute, and Veaos doesn't like to wait," Helena says.

I can feel my heart beating in my head as I walk into the training area. Excited as a kid on his birthday, I can't stop the grin from splitting my face. Standing in the middle of the field is Veaos, with no weapon in sight. He's standing ramrod straight, looking at me.

"BOOOOOOOOY! TODAY YOU ARE READY! You have finally reached the bare minimum of physicality needed to survive this," Veaos shouts as I approach him.

I know he didn't mean it as an insult but 'the bare minimum'?

"I have trained for this day. What will we learn first; swords, maybe target practice, or punching rocks." I ask eagerly.

"None of those. First, you will decide what type of weapon you want to learn. Then we can begin training you how to fight."

He leads me over to a different door I haven’t seen before. I ask where we're going, and he tells me to follow.

The armory is probably the second largest room of the castle. Only the library is more extensive. Unlike the library, there aren't any decorations or furniture; the room is no-nonsense and plain. Lanterns line the walls periodically, lending a pleasant glow to the area. Every wall is covered in hundreds upon hundreds of weapons. Mannequins are displayed every couple of feet, wearing intricate suits of armor. Light form-fitting leather, bulky steel that protects you from head to toe, and even cloaks similar to the one Gabriel gave me. While most of the weapons are on the walls, a few tables hold some as well.

"Welcome to the armory. This is where I found my greataxe. Inside this room is the weapon we will use to craft your fighting style. Test as many as you want but think carefully before making your decision. Oh, and don't touch any of the Artifacts. You wouldn't be able to utilize them properly," Veaos says.

It feels like I'm six years old in a sweetshop for my birthday. There's so much I'm getting choice paralysis. I walk over to the left wall, and it's covered in various spears.

"That's the polearm wall; there’s classic spears, glaives, poleaxes, bardiches, halberds, and pikes. Everything over there is designed to put distance between you and the thing you're stabbing," Veaos says with a chuckle.

Every polearm is at least as long as I am tall, if not larger. Using a weapon that will allow me to keep monsters away is appealing. The closest table to me has a shortsword with a white blade. The sword keeps drawing my attention to it and is somehow more. This sword is an Artifact, I’m sure of it. Veaos told me I wouldn’t be able to use it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to try.

So I guess Forchunae can tell if something is an Artifact by being close to it. I turn away from the shortsword and head to the opposite wall with nothing but swords. Two-handed massive swords, shortswords with curved blades, swords that came in pairs, and much much more. I probably wouldn’t even be able to guess the name of a quarter of them. A few catch my eye, and I ask Veaos what they’re called.

“That smaller double-edged sword is a gladius; it’s typically used alongside a shield and is excellent for thrusting. It’s reliable and easier to learn. The curved blade with the grey sheath is a katana and can be wielded with one hand or two, depending on an individual's strength. Obviously, I would only need one hand,” Veaos says as he pats his bicep. “The two-handed one is a claymore, and as you are now, I don’t think it would fit you well. The choice is still yours to make.”

“I’ll defer to your expertise in combat.” The final wall holds all of the ranged weapons. There are single-shot rifles, hundreds of bows, throwing axes, and a couple of other weird-looking items. I walked around the armory for over an hour, and at some point, Veaos left.

I stood in front of a table, staring at my choice. Veaos was right. Somehow I knew this was what I wanted to learn—a set of four daggers. The handles seamlessly transition into a slightly curved blade. The blades have three protrusions facing towards the hilts, probably so they tear out flesh as they’re removed. I call out to Veaos and present my choice, curious to see what he will think.

“Ahh, I was hoping you’d pick something larger like my greataxe. Doesn't matter; every weapon has its use, and I swear we’ll figure out how you’ll use these. Daggers like these can be extremely deadly in the right hands. Grab them, and let’s head back to the training ground. The fun can finally begin,” Veaos says as he shows me an almost manic smile.

Should I be worried?