Xavier sat before Bryan. Their eyes locked together like they were in a staring contest.
Finally, Bryan broke the silence. "What do you want now?" He asked Xavier.
"Get stronger, and get back at Duke Alaric," he said without batting an eyelid.
At his proclamation, Bryan smiled. He did not know who Alaric was, but from his title, he guessed the scope of his power.
"Do you know how powerful the soldiers of the Ashen clan are? Talkless of Alaric, you might not get to even meet their military commander," Bryan replied.
"Then I will get strong enough to defeat all of them," Xavier's gaze was resolute as he proclaimed.
Bryan nodded.
'System, appraisal,' Bryan muttered inwardly.
Instantly, a blue, transparent screen materialised in his vision.
[Name: Xavier Vorran]
[Bloodline: Crimson Maw: Can absorb other bloodlines and abilities limitlessly, and is immune to the natural suppression nobles exert.
Painlust]
'He has two bloodlines,' Bryan wondered in surprise.
The only power a commoner had was the same ability as Bryan's bloodline, but since his was a bloodline, he could not be suppressed by other bloodline owners. And he even had his mother's crazed bloodline.
"This boy is a walking cheat," Bryan muttered beneath his breath.
"Even I am surprised," Alex said.
"Have you ever tried absorbing a blood crystal?" Bryan asked.
Xavier shook his head slowly. "My mum will always tell me not to," he said.
'Obviously, she will not want to make things more difficult for herself,' he mused in silence. Then a thought surfaced.
"If you have never absorbed a blood crystal, why did Duke Alaric target you, and why was your sigil called special?" Bryan asked.
At his words, a twitch formed on Xavier's face. He had not expected Bryan to ask those questions.
"I threw a pie in his face while he was giving a speech in the town square, then he tried to exert blood dominance on me, but it failed," he spoke as fast as he could.
'He was truly at fault since it is rude for young children to harass adults, but thinking of the history between them, I can't say anything,' Bryan pondered silently.
"How about we go hunt some monsters to increase your strength?" Bryan asked with a slight smile.
Xavier's eyes brightened when he heard this. Frantically, he nodded in approval.
'Why does he look like a power-crazed villain?' Alex's calm voice echoed in Bryan's mind.
'I also find him crazy,' a muffled laughter escaped Bryan's lips as he answered.
"Before anything, you should learn basic combat techniques," Bryan said with a stern face.
"Choose a weapon, I wouldn't teach you beyond one weapon," he added.
Xavier's mind absorbed each word with clarity and calmness. His mind moved instantly to Alaric's weapon.
"A sword," he replied after a little moment of thought. 'If I want to defeat him, it has to be with his most beloved weapon, a sword.'
At those words, Alex burst into laughter. Bryan had been hailed as the most intelligent student in the high plane, but there was one thing that set him apart from others: a sword, considered the simplest and most common weapon.
Bryan got the hang of all weapons almost instantly, but failed at grasping a sword in 9 years. He was too bad with a sword.
'I was able to reach the master stage; I can teach him something.'
'I am not talking about that, the fact that he asked you to teach him the weapon you were worst at is hilarious,' Alex's laughter continued.
Bryan just left him and turned back to Xavier. "Do you have a sword?" He questioned.
Xavier seemed to zone out for a moment at the question. A sword? That was something either commoners in noble armies or big-shot commoners got. They were strictly kept by nobles.
"It seems you are mistaking something here," Xavier said. "Weapons can only be accessed and shared by nobles.
"Ohh, I see," Bryan muttered. "I kept one outside, let me go get it," Bryan told Xavier as he stood up from his seat.
At Bryan's utterance, shock filled Xavier's face. He had a sword, something tightly controlled by nobles. His view of Bryan increased once again.
Bryan stepped through the door slowly. He walked to a corner, and when he discovered Xavier couldn't reach him, he spoke to the system.
"System, one sword of average quality," he said.
The system deducted 200 points, and a crimson red sword appeared in Bryan's grip.
He swung it lightly. "Xavier," he called out.
As if awaiting his call, Xavier bolted out of the room. The momentum propelled him towards a tree that stood in front of the house.
He was too fast and crashed into the tree. A huge bump formed in the middle of his head.
Bryan laughed when he saw this.
Xavier stood up, his eyes red as he rubbed his palm against the huge bump.
"How old are you?" Bryan asked.
Xavier blinked at those words. 'How can someone ask for age at a moment like this?' He pondered.
"Did I stutter?" Bryan's voice rang in his ears like thunder. "Now, I am not a friend or mentor, but an instructor. My orders must be followed in less than 3 breaths or you will be punished," Bryan continued.
'Why are you copying Professor Maxwell?' Alex asked.
'I figured his personality would make me appear cooler to my student,' Bryan replied.
"How old are you?" He asked again.
"15," Xavier replied instantly.
'15, and is already getting involved in so much bloodshed,' Bryan released a sigh.
'Why are you feeling remorse? Just make him strong enough to always come out on top. In this world, strength is all that matters.'
Bryan nodded at Alex's words and tossed the sword a few meters away from Xavier.
"Pick it up, your training starts now."
Xavier stared at the sword, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He did not know whether to take the sword, something that some will never touch in their life, or just leave it as it was.
But Bryan's voice snapped him out of his daze.
"You think I am joking, right?" Bryan's voice reached his ears.
"50 pushups," he barked.
Without thinking, Xavier lay flat on the floor and started the excersise.