Captain Roric, who stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable as ever.
Any other child, in this situation, would have frozen in fear, stammering in panic at being caught. But not the slightest sign of tension appeared on Aurelion's face.
His goal was already to reach power in the fastest way possible, and he had never intended to hide what he could do in this path from Roric.
In fact, the Captain witnessing him using his energy in this very manner might even speed things up.
After looking at Roric for only a few seconds, he slowly turned back to the training dummy in front of him.
Roric said nothing. He calmly stepped in from the doorway, slowly closing the door behind him.
He walked a few meters behind Aurelion, leaned his back against the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest and began to wait silently.
Aurelion, gathered the last pieces of energy within him. He refocused his mind on that state of void, directing all his attention to the energy flow in his body and the basic movements Roric had taught him.
Then, with slow, fluid movements at the limit of exhaustion, he began to execute that kinetic chain technique again.
First his right fist, then his left, began to land on the dummy's blackened surface.
His strikes were no longer as violent as before, the energy flashes weaker, but there was a conscious focus in his movements, an effort to efficiently transfer energy by using each muscle group in sequence.
Roric, watched him motionlessly. His eyes carefully followed the child's every move.
Aurelion, began to speak as he continued his movements.
"Energy leaves a trace behind when it's used. A faint trace… but some can sense this trace."
He continued his movements, trying to regulate his breath, striving to conserve the last remnants of his energy with that recycling technique he had discovered.
"Clan Leader Viggo is aware that I can use my energy. As for Einar, the leader of the Frost-Axe Clan..." He paused, a slight disdain appearing on his face. "...he learned it somehow."
"Someone who can use his energy at the age of seven...clearly interested them so much that they went to the trouble of adopting my friends, Lyra, Kael, and Elara."
He lowered his right fist again, almost coming to a stop. "Frost-Axe took Lyra two days ago. This morning, Ursine took Kael, and the White Frost Clan took Elara. A clever move made just to prevent me from getting closer to the Silverfang Clan."
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "As if I would ever pledge myself to them. But of course, they don't know that. And they're doing this to prevent it."
His movements had completely stopped. His arms fell to his sides. Slowly, he turned around. His eyes locked onto Roric's.
"So why did all this happen, Captain? Did it happen because I didn't follow your rules?"
"Yes. It did. If I hadn't used my energy without your knowledge, perhaps I wouldn't have attracted so much attention, and these things wouldn't have happened." He paused, his eyes looking deeper into Roric's. "But… is that the real reason, Captain?"
He looked silently at Roric for a few seconds, then continued "All this happened because… I didn't have the power to prevent it. That's why I broke your rules, Captain. That's why I didn't behave myself in your absence, seeing it as an opportunity. Because if I had enough power, I could have prevented this. I could have protected what was mine."
His eyes gleamed, the fire within him flare up again. "That's exactly why I'm so impatient, Captain! If you don't have the power to protect what you have, if you have to live by telling lies, making plans, if you can't live the life you want, if you're not free… what's the point of living, Captain?"
"Right now, I'm not living, Captain. Right now, I'm just drifting. Just struggling. Yes, these things might add color to life, but… if I'm not living, what's the point of all this?!"
After finishing his words, he took a few steps towards Roric.
"Captain," he said. His was steady, serious, and sincere.
"Make me strong. Truly. Help me reach where I aim to be and I swear to you," his voice filled with unshakable determination, "I swear on everything, on my entire being… I will never forget this favor."
Roric's chest rose and fell heavily. For a moment, his eyes left Aurelion's and drifted to the battered dummy in the room, to the energy traces on the floor, then returned to the child's face.
"Power," he said slowly, as if tasting the word. "Everyone desires it, brat. Every living being, at least at some point in their life, wants to attain it."
"But only very few succeed. Because very few understand what it truly means."
"And even if they understand, very few can pay its price."
He leaned forward slightly. The inquiry in his voice was sharper now. "You. Do you truly understand power? Can you pay its price? And most importantly..." His eyes narrowed. "...do you truly deserve this power?"
The questions were heavy, philosophical, like a test. But Aurelion, without a moment's thought, opened his mouth as Roric's last word still hung in the air. His answers were ready, as if he had asked himself these questions countless times.
"Power gives one freedom," he said in a clear voice. There was no hesitation in it. "Everyone wants something. Respect, security, wealth, comfort... But the only way to have these is through power."
He paused, his voice now taking on a more personal. "But I don't want power just to possess things or to be free. I want power because… I have to. Because what i am! "
For a moment, those old memories flickered in his eyes and then quickly vanished. "Because weakness is annihilation. Because power… is the only thing that makes me who I am."
"The price of this power is sacrifice, Captain. I know that. You can't gain anything in life without sacrificing something. What matters is what you sacrifice and what you gain in return. And yes, to gain power, I have to sacrifice parts of myself in return."
Then he came to Roric's last question. "As for deserving it..." He shrugged. "I don't couldn't care less. Whether I deserve it or not, I don't care. There's only one thing I care about, Captain. That is to possess the power which, eventually i will."
Roric approached Aurelion, now only an arm's length between them.
"Those who walk this path... usually end up alone, brat. Because power, as you strive for it, isolates you from the world. As you make sacrifices for power, after a while, you can't even remember why you did all this."
Roric's gaze drifted into the void for a moment. "Things that were once precious become worthless. As you sacrifice, you sacrifice more, and after a certain point... you don't even realize you've sacrificed the most precious things you had."
He focused on Aurelion again. "You may think you have to become strong. But in time, this will... make you forget who you once were."
Roric's last sentence opened an unexpected door in Aurelion's mind. A rainy night, the rooftop of a tall skyscraper, a tired man standing at the edge... That despair, that moment on the brink of giving up... Roric's words, for a moment, overlapped with that image.
"Forgetting who you are..." This thought sent a cold shiver through him. But it only lasted a moment. Aurelion quickly erased this feeling, this moment of weakness, from his mind.
His brows furrowed slightly. "I don't need to remember that weak bastard anyway," His path would be different.
Roric noticed the momentary flicker on Aurelion's face but didn't react and had finished speaking.
He turned his back and walked towards the various weapons carefully hung on the wall at the other end of the room. Swords, axes, maces... Each one gleamed with Runes, was standing there.
Just then, Roric, while looking at the weapons, spoke over his shoulder to Aurelion. His voice had returned to its familiar tone.
"What are you looking at, brat? You can't get stronger by just staring like an idiot."
A smirk appeared on Aurelion's face. This was it! Roric had stopped talking and was getting down to business. This meant the deal was accepted. This was what he wanted.
As his smirk widened, he stepped towards Roric without any hesitation. The next lesson was about to begin.
Roric surveyed the armory on the wall. As Aurelion came to his side, his eyes roamed over the weapons too.
Hanging on the wall were definitely not flashy weapons. They were simple, but clearly well crafted tools.
Single handed and two handed swords, heavy battle axes, crude looking maces, a few shields of different sizes, long and short spears, various throwing knives and daggers...
All were made of a dark colored steel, upon which white Runes were patterns. And remarkably, most were of a size suitable for Aurelion's current height, or at least usable by him.
"These," Roric said. "Are made of rank two Black Steel. They are sturdy, their Runes provide basic protection and durability. They are not like the shiny toys of the Silver Guards, but they get the job done."
His gaze shifted to a single handed, straight sword. "Sword... Offers balance and speed. It's an entirely average weapon. It does every job but excels at none."
Then he turned to the axes beside it. "Axes... High crushing power, effective against armor. But they are slower to swing and not as balanced as swords."
He pointed to the maces. "Maces... Ideal for crushing defenses, damage is guaranteed when they hit. However, they are heavy, require skill, and have no sharp edge."
Roric briefly but clearly summarized the basic characteristics, pros, and cons of several other weapon types. Then he turned directly to Aurelion.
"Choose one," Roric said.
Aurelion scanned the weapon wall once more. He combined Roric's explanations with what he knew.
He had made his decision. He took a step forward and, without hesitation, took that spear from the rack. The weight of the spear fit surprisingly well in his hand. It was balanced.
Roric raised an eyebrow. "A spear? Why did you choose this?"
Aurelion gripped the spear with both hands, made a short trial movement. Then he turned to Roric.
"Because, i think this is the best among all these weapons." He pointed to the shaft of the spear. "If necessary, I can use it singlehandedly for quick thrusts or two handedly for more powerful strikes. Its length gives me an advantage, I can keep my opponent at a distance." He slid his hand closer to the tip of the spear. "But if I want, I can change my grip to shorten that distance and be effective in close combat as well."
He moved the tip of the spear slightly. "I can make fast attacks with this. Even if I can only inflict damage with thrusting movements, even if my opponent expects this from me, they will struggle greatly trying to counter these simple but direct attacks. Thanks to its sharp tip, these fast attacks will also be effective."
He nodded slightly. "A simple weapon, yes. But it neither slows me down unnecessarily nor prevents me from inflicting powerful damage. It's versatile."
When Aurelion finished his explanation, he placed the butt of the spear on the ground and waited for Roric's answer.
"Give it here," Roric said, holding out his hand.
Aurelion handed the spear to the Captain. Roric gripped the weapon with one hand, turning it slightly as if to weigh its balance.
"Weapons or equipment are important, brat," He touched the dark steel shaft of the spear with his fingertip. "Just as Cores have Ranks, the materials used to make this equipment also have ranks. This," he pointed to the spear, "as I said, is made with rank two materials. Simple but fine craftsmanship. Very suitable for those like you who are just beginning their training."
His eyes met Aurelion's. "Because the material this weapon is made of is highly conductive to energy. It can handle even raw energy to a degree and helps in directing it."
He paused, gripping the spear with both hands, raising its tip towards the ceiling. "But... ultimately, this is just steel and Runes, brat. No matter how high quality a weapon is, its true value, its potential, can only be shown by the one who wields it."
Just as he said this, silvery energy flowed from Roric's hands into the shaft of the spear.
The simple Runes on the weapon suddenly came alive with a bright light, and at the sharp tip of the spear, a silver glow vibrated.
The room was momentarily illuminated by this cold light.
"But, this isn't just about directing energy into the weapon. It's also about how you use that weapon. Energy doesn't replace technique. It perfects technique."
He cut off the energy and handed the spear back to Aurelion. "Your training will accelerate now, brat. I will teach you the intricacies of unarmed combat, the fundamentals and control of energy use, how to use this spear you've chosen as an extension of your limb, and how to correctly channel your energy into this weapon."
Roric continued. "I'm giving you two weeks, brat. I don't expect a perfect performance from you within these two weeks, of course, but within these two weeks, you have to reach a level where you can do all these things, even if only at a basic level."
He took a step forward "If you can't... I'll forbid you everything except breathing. And I won't even let you sleep until you reach a level where you can do all these things. And believe me... I have techniques to prevent you from sleeping."
This threat, this ruthless expectation... didn't change the expression on Aurelion's face. On the contrary, the smirk on his lips widened even further.
Finally! This was what he wanted. To be pushed, to be driven beyond his limits, the pressure needed to reach his true potential... Roric had finally understood.
"Understood, Captain," Aurelion said, the smirk was still on his face.
"Alright," Roric said, stepping back. He looked Aurelion up and down. "We'll start training tomorrow. Now, we have things to talk about."