Three days had passed since the adventure on Gelrin Cliff had come to a close. The mission had been completed, a new mine was going to be opened, and the two boys had passed Galex's test with flying colors. Galex was pleased with his son's performance and showered the boy in praise. Because of that Eiden once again seemed to ease up on his cruel treatment of Cypher for a time.

It seemed that Jelroy's initial report had been skewed quite heavily in Eiden's favor, but Cypher still received a reward from Galex as compensation for a job well done. Galex had given him a silver ring with three emeralds set into the band, as well as removing his name from the chore list for the remainder of his time in the manor.

There were only a few weeks left until he would accompany Eiden to the academy, but it would once again be time he could spend as he wished. He had also secured the rewards Jelroy had promised him. The replacement sword that Jelroy had given him was of a much higher quality than his old iron sword had been. This one was made of hardened steel and was even enchanted with a spell of sharpness and durability.

It wasn’t unbreakable by any means, but it wouldn’t dull and could withstand extremely high stress according to Jelroy. This was a proper blade and one that Cypher could actually be proud of. Alongside it, Jelroy had also added to his small stockpile of gold coins. He had earned a hundred from his mission in Gett and Jelroy had matched that amount and given him a hundred more.

All in all, Cypher was mostly pleased with how the whole thing had turned out. Molly on the other hand was furious with him for getting so injured. She had scolded him for several minutes straight while she tended to his wounds. But eventually, she returned to her usual self and was just happy that Cypher had returned alive. His wounds had not been as ghastly this time even if they were in greater number.

Now Cypher once again watched from his window as Eiden and Jelroy were finishing up their training lesson for the day. He was more confident in his abilities and now that he had tasted combat against a Zightbeast for the first time, he was sure that he would be able to survive on his own in the wilderness.

Of course, that was assuming he didn't run into any Rank-Two or higher Zightbeasts along the way. That battle had shown him both how strong he had become, and how weak he still was. Even if he escaped the grip of the Galvan family, he would still have to find a way to get stronger.

'That Rank-Two horned wolf almost killed me... If I hadn't been so lucky I wouldn't be here right now. I NEED to do better and more importantly, I need to find another teacher once I'm free of these shackles.' Cypher thought to himself as he laid down in bed.

He stared at his hand and closed it a few times as he remembered the feeling of sending a powerful beast flying through the air.

'What was that feeling? When I took up Eiden's sword I felt...something, and it made me more powerful. A lot more powerful. Was it the sword? Something that fancy had to have some special powers right? If so, why didn't Eiden use them in the battle? Was he too proud? Or did he not know about them?'

Cypher continued to think about the battle over and over. He analyzed every aspect of what had happened, but he could not fully understand where that burst of strength had come from. There was also that strange feeling in his lower belly. He had felt it several times before and wondered if it was all somehow connected. His instincts told him that it was, but he had nothing solid to go on. Yet another question. It seemed as though these days, so many questions were building up inside him and there were hardly any answers for any of them. On top of that, there was also the matter of his spell.

He had almost used his trump card and would have been in a world of trouble once the Galvans found out. It had been foolish to assume that it would have helped at all against a Rank-two Zightbeast, but in the heat of battle, he didn't have the time to really give it a lot of thought. He had just been focused on survival.

That was a problem. If he was put into a similar situation at the academy, would he be forced to reveal his ability to Eiden? If so, would he be able to pass it off as something he picked up there and not here at the mansion? At first, he was delighted to learn this new power and was even more excited to use it for the first time. But now that he had been faced with the real possibility of his theft being exposed, it was turning out to only be a risk to his safety.

He gave it more thought, but eventually, let the matter drop and focused on training himself during his free time.

He had to stay focused, he didn't have time to let his thoughts wander, especially about questions he couldn’t easily get the answers to. He was still going to escape. Just because Galex had shown him a small kindness didn't mean that he forgave him for all the hell he'd been through up to that point. He didn't even want the ring, but he figured at the very least he could sell it when he was on his own.

Two hundred gold coins was a lot for someone like Cypher, hell, it was a lot for most commoners. But in the grand scheme of things it was a paltry sum of money and one that would eventually run out. Still, it could certainly provide him the means to purchase some supplies and temporary lodging once he was on his own.

He had his armor, his wits, two hundred gold coins, and his newly acquired sword. With a weapon and armor to start with, he could do some light mercenary work in or around some of the cities in Dellorim to support himself, and with the other things he felt as though he truly had a decent start to something grand if he played his cards right.

An income from mercenary work would allow him to continue to purchase lodgings, food, clothes, and pretty much anything else he might need. It wouldn't be a fancy life, but it would be better than his current station that much he knew. Still, he was only a young boy of twelve, and he doubted that anyone would take him seriously enough to hire him unless he could prove his worth. He would have to start small and work his way up.

All these problems compounded upon one another, but he was resolved to follow through with his plan despite these many hurdles.

His thoughts returned to the battle and he smiled. He had managed to kill twenty-eight Rank-one horned wolves all on his own and while the Rank-Two didn’t quite count, the thought that he had once again beaten Eiden pleased him greatly. However, overall there shouldn’t have been that many beasts there to begin with.

According to Jelroy on their way back to the mansion there were only supposed to be about twenty or so in total aside from the alpha wolf. That number had been supplied by someone who was thought to have been trustworthy. As it had obviously turned out, it was faulty intel, and the resolution of that matter had been a messy incident.

Galex had been very upset when he heard that there had been far more horned wolves than originally reported. That alone was enough for him to have the man who had supplied that information brought before him to explain himself. Initially, Galex had been thinking that it would be well within his son’s ability to handle especially with the help of two other people, one of which being Jelroy a trusted friend and powerful Conductor. But with the number of Zightbeasts totaling in the fifties, something serious could have happened to Eiden.

That alone wasn’t something that could rattle Galex. It was slightly upsetting, but things turned out fine in the end and his son had performed well enough. However, when Galex learned that there had not only been a Rank-One alpha wolf but a Rank-Two wolf in the pack as well, his rage boiled over and he ended up destroying the southern wall that encircled the manor as Jelroy explained things to him in more detail.

The man he had trusted to scout the area had been known for delivering highly detailed and complete information about such Zightbeast packs. In fact, Narr, as Cypher had learned, had been picked precisely because of that renown. Narr's services had been used by every city and village under the rule of the Galvan family.

For decades he had worked to expand the places that people in this region could settle in and not once had he ever done something like this. Galex had trusted him and his word completely. But as it turned out, Narr had been paid by someone to deliver an incomplete report. The person behind this scheme remained a total mystery. An investigation had, of course, been launched, but so far nothing had turned up. The reason behind such a deception was unknown, and their only lead was Narr himself.

The man however claimed he was unable to remember the name or face of the person who had paid him off, or even why he had agreed to deliver the false report in the first place. In fact, the only thing he could remember was the faint smell of roses and perhaps the color pink. Other than that there was nothing else he could offer to help.

Narr wasn’t one to let a few coins tarnish his spotless reputation, so why had he done exactly that? Naturally, it was odd and Galex was determined to get to the bottom of it. For now, Narr resided in the dungeon beneath Galvan manor and would most likely remain there until the investigation was complete. Galex couldn’t let something like this slide until he had all the answers.

In any event, the matter was beyond the concern of mere servants, and Cypher's part in this was over. He had only learned of it because of the gossip that tended to spread throughout the mansion. Galex hardly kept his rage over matters like these hidden and word would quickly spread from one ear to another. It was the natural way of things around the mansion and had not been the first time gossip like this had made its rounds to each and every person living here.

In truth though, this was a quite serious matter. Eiden’s life had been put at risk for no reason by a man Galex thought he could trust to deliver sound intel. By extension, Cypher had also faced that same danger and he wasn’t happy about the idea of almost losing his life because of someone else’s greed. In the end, it was just another lesson to be learned about the way the world worked, and Cypher would take it to heart for his future endeavors.

With that, he let the thoughts of Narr's unexpected betrayal drift from his attention. There were other things he could use to fuel his training while he waited for the day of departure to arrive. He had preparations to make after all, and training was only a small part of that. The world was a big place and he would need all the information he could get about it.