Tai was not surprised by his mother's words; who would believe a six-year-old claiming to have fought a great battle against a golem?
But he wanted to hear her wisdom; he always wanted to, his dad had always told him how wise his mother was, and now he had a chance to seek it even though it was all an illusion.
"Can we act like my dream is reality so you can give me some advice?"
His mom seemed amused as she touched his nose briefly
"You are usually a troublemaker maker so what got into you today anyway? Why do you think you let yourself down? Tell me that first"
Tai touched his chest and let out a deep sigh
"Well, in my dream, I was enraged and attacked that thing, but my ability failed to work against it, and the bad guy told me it was because I let down my ability"
She kept quiet for a while and examined him for a while
"Is that so, then maybe you should try to listen to your soul, it's always whispering to you, you just have to pay attention and listen, and since you are my son, I'm sure"
She buried her face in his stomach and began to tickle the poor Tai. Oh, how embarrassing that he could resist this mom's affection, but what was a poor swordman to do
"You have an amazing soul, listen Tai, this world is a harsh, unforgiving place, and as the one who brought you into it, I would like to apologise"
'What's with the sudden mood change?'
Tai stopped laughing and turned to his mom, who now had a sombre expression on her face.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
She shook her head and pinched the poor Tai's cheeks
"It's nothing, I just hope I'm there to see you grow up, that's all"
A few tears escaped her eyes as she touched Tai's head, her face expressing her immense motherly love
"And for your other problem, I think training with your dad should be the right solution, but Tai, remember to always listen to the whispers of your soul and let them guide you away from the shackles of the world"
Tai thought about her words as he walked away from her. Had she already known of her illness at this point, or were her words just rumblings
Such a foul thought, he hoped and begged that wasn't the truth, as he finally moved out of the house and saw his father practising with his sword, the very sword that was now altered by the golem
He felt hesitant to go speak to him, but before he could turn away, he heard a voice call out to him
"Hey Tai, want to spar with Dad for a while?"
Tai found himself unable to refuse his dad's request as he quickly made his way to him. The man handed him a wooden sword as he picked up one of his own
He pointed the sword at Hal with a broad smile on his face
"So, great knight of Haverfield, you have come to face this mighty fiend; sadly, this fight will not end well for you"
Tai decided to play along with his father, at least when he still had a chance to do so
"No, it is you who should apologise, for you are an unworthy opponent for this mighty knight"
His father positioned himself and got ready to spar with his son, one leg back, another slightly pushed forward, with his sword hand holding the sword just above the chest, while the other was placed below the tip of the blade
Tai followed in his father's footsteps and took the same stance as the two moved in for the clash. Of course, it was not a serious battle between them, but he could still see the skill in every movement his father made
An idea suddenly planted itself in his mind. This was a chance to finally learn from his dad. He moved forward and fought against his father, and what he saw, what he learned, opened his eyes to a better way of wielding his sword
He fell back on his back as he struggled to draw breath. Even when playing around, his dad was no joke when it came to swordplay. His father sat down next to him as Tai remembered why he was actually here
"Dad, if I were to disappoint you in the future and fail your legacy, what would you think of me then?"
His father seemed quite surprised by the question, and he was out of place; one wouldn't normally expect six-year-olds to act this way.
Nonetheless, his dad gave him an answer.
"My opinion of you will never change, because I want you to forge your own legacy, not to be bound by mine, weather it means never wielding a sword or choosing to curve your name into legend, its up to you, all I care about is that my son gets to live well over a hundred years with a beautiful wife and grandkids for me"
His dad touched his hair and stroked it gently.
"Whatever path you choose will be to you, and however you live your life, I don't care as long as my son is happy"
Those words lifted a great burden off Tai's shoulders as he looked towards the horizon, where the sun was shining majestically above the land.
"Hey, Dad, thank you, I think it's time for me to go and live that good life you want me to live"
The man shrugged as he held Tai's back and pushed him forward
"Just make sure I don't see you here again until you do"
Tai stumbled and rolled down the gentle slope as his father's words resonated in his ears, and in that moment, he got one final glance of both his parents waving goodbye to him
He gave them a gentle smile before he found himself waking up to the immense pain in his body. He stared up at the golem that was walking away from him
"What a failure you have proven to be, dear Tai"
Tai slowly rose to his feet and picked up the dagger once again as he gave in to the whispers that were begging him to listen.
They were calm and loving as they finally revealed to him the name of the power he possessed
He let his soul flame pour into the King's edge and activated the ability that lay within.
King's talent, and with that, a brown fog appeared around the blade as its surface turned brown with rust.
The golem turned back to him and examined him closely, especially the dagger in his hand.
"Corrosion, no, you just made that sword weaker to corrosion, that's all, what a wonderful ability that is"
Tai took a deep breath and took that classic stance he had obtained from his father as the rings in his eyes began to glow.
"Prepare golem, for you now face the one who shall plague this foul world, you now face the sinner of weakness"