CHAPTER 21

282 AC

It has been exactly two years since I started focusing on my training. I have become 8 and a half years old now. It has been a tiring year but it paid off. I have made minor advancement in arcane arts, many advancement in my trainings in weapon arts and learning. In magic I didn't made much advancement I still can't use second level spell but I have made some advancement, now I have 45 mana and I m more sensitive to mana, can sense the mana sources around me too. Before I could sense the Godswood's mana but I could only guess what its source was and could not sense its source, now I can sense the deep and old magic bound to the weirwood tree. I can't comprehend the depth of this magic yet, but I can sense some aspects of it for example it has earth, fire, water and blood elements in it. Blood is not exactly an element but it takes the space of an element in this ritual, I can sense the life and resentment inside it. I think this is what a blood sacrifice feels like. An unwilling being was sacrificed for this ritual; a human and not any human, an enemy. That is all I can sense for now.

As for my familiars, they are started to become so big. Now Erebus is at least %20 bigger than any other raven and Poe a bit smaller than him, because of the constant training my soul space got bigger too and I think I will be able to get a 3th bound in a few week, I think.

As for my martial training I wanted to learn how to use other weapons so I could predict what my enemies could do with them, started training with spear and mace too. At first it was really hard to adjust to fight with spear, because it is the exact opposite of sword fight. In sword fight you would want to close the distance but with a spear you have to keep the distance so you wouldn't left with a stick rather than a spear. In time I got used to it and started to see the advantage of spear in a fight. Then I started using mace too. It was the hardest to use. Not because it is so technical or anything like that. It is hard because of the weight of the weapon. It is slow but deadly. As for my archery I become really deadly with it. I still can't pull a longbow but I can pull a short hunting bow easily. So I don t have the distance the grownups have. A longbowman can shoot an arrow around three times my best distance. I can shoot 100 meter ( 110 yards ) but I m not accurate at all. In 80 meter ( 88 yards ) I become accurate and in 60 meters ( 66 yards ) I m deadly. If I have to run and shoot that distance becomes 40 meters ( 44 yards ). I m learning how to use many weapon and I m going to learn many more but I still like the sword, because it is almost the most perfect close weapon it s not unwieldy like a mace or it is not cumbersome in tight spaces like a spear or short reached like a dagger. It is just perfect.

Because I have made a lot of advancement in my martial training, at last Rodrik accepted me as his squire, but I m different then other squires. I don't have to do squire chores but I have to accompany him when he goes to missions. I put my hand on my waist, held my head high and say to myself " it is really hard to be this talented." I really love my skills. I got out of my room and go to the training grounds for the squires. When I reach there I see a lot of squire is there and working on their form or sparring. I even see my old friends Hallis and Wyl there too. They look at me from distance and follow me with their eyes but they don't try to come near me, because they know better not to test me. No squire as long as it is in the pretext of a spar or training I can beat the living daylight from them without getting punished. Thanks to our old pal Ned. The fact I just destroyed a 13 years old just yesterday might have something to do with it too.

Today I m going to spar with a 15 years old, Rodrik trying to take me down a peg, he think I become too arrogant and conceited. Last few weeks he only let's me spar with boys that will definitely beats me. The boy I m going to fight today is called Wyland Flant. He is the big brother of Wyl Flant. He was the one with bruised ego and balls, I don't really like how the big bro Flant looks at me from the side. It has been more than 2 years already why the hell are they still holding a grudge, it is not like little Wyl permanently damaged, he already healed 1 year ago. We took our places in the middle of the sparring arena; people around us started to stop what they were doing and started watching the match. I took my form and waited for the attack. He started circling around me but he was only doing fake lunges and looking for holes in my defense. Either he saw me fight or someone gave him a lot of info because he started going for my biggest weakness against older boys. My lack of strength compared to them.