Vengeance Upon Fate - Chapter 26
{Hiyyyaah}
Young Kurogane firmly swung his wooden sword onto a wooden pole.
“Very good! You’re improving a lot, Kurogane dear!”
His mother proudly smiled as she watched him from a distance.
“Whew. It’s because of you that I’ve gotten this far, mother. Seeing your skills always inspires me to work even harder!”
“I’m so glad that you see that in me, dear. At this rate, you may even pass me.”
She giggled and walked towards him, handing a cup of water she had placed on a tree stump.
“Here, let’s take a short break, shall we?”
“Totally down!” Wuxiaworld for visiting.
With just half an hour left for their session, the two of them momentarily sat down and rested on a nearby log.
“We just have two more lessons for today. Don’t worry, they won’t be as difficult like the ones from earlier.”
“Ah, okay then.”
Just as young Kurogane said those words, he suddenly remembered something he wanted to ask a while ago.
“Say Mom, can I ask you something?”
“Yes dear, what’s on your mind?”
What is a person’s “awakening”? I heard some boys and girls talking about it the other day.
“Oh, that’s when a person reaches a point in their life – a moment where they unlock or “awaken” the elemental energy they were born with.”
“That sounds so cool! How does it even happen?”
“It mostly occurs around the time of puberty.”
“Puber wha..?”
“One’s teenagehood, little one.” she chuckled.
“Ohhh, that’s what you meant.”
In the world that Kurogane resided in, most people had some type of elemental attribute. Even those who participated in more civilized jobs had a bit of ‘elemental essence’ flowing within them. Nine types of elements were used by the people. Fire, Water, Ice, Air, Earth, Electric, Shadow, Light, and Nature.
In a way, elemental essence could be seen as one’s energy supply to cast spells and enchantments.
Most people only had one type of element within their veins and would be born with it. This element would affiliate with their elemental essence, restricting them to only cast skills and enchantments from that element alone.
“Wow, so do you have an element Mom? Which one is it?”
Kurogane’s mother sighed and looked down, her face now looking somewhat serious.
“No, I don’t. I haven’t reached a moment in my life where I’d attain my awakening. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to either.”
Kurogane’s eleven year old self could not understand why someone would avoid what he saw to be a precious gift.
“Why mother? Isn’t it supposed to be a good thing? You’ll be even stronger than you are now.”
“While one is blessed with a lot of power, it can also be difficult to control. I fear that this power would drive me to do things I normally wouldn’t want myself doing. I’d very much prefer a normal life.”
Kurogane’s excited expression died off as he came to an understanding of his mother’s point.
“I see..” he mumbled, looking down at a bee pollinating a flower.
His mother turned to him and smiled.
“Cheer up, there’s no need to be sad. Besides, why would I need such a thing when I’m living the time of my life with you?”
Kurogane looked up and smiled back at her.
“You’re right, life’s great the way it is now.”
He chuckled and grinned, his mother patting him on the head right after as she lightly giggled to herself.
“Yes dear, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
