The King of Chaos (Peregrine x Andy)

Lian checked Armen as she spoke to him, measuring his reaction. Seeing his expression, still generally cheerful and excited, she couldn't help but smile slightly to herself. There were plenty of young children who likely would have burst into tears at the sight of a genuine dragon, but she couldn't help but take pride in the fact that wasn't the case with her son.

"That was the Guardian Elder," she responded, her own eyes turning back towards the water. There was clear respect in her gaze. Even though Lian was a talented mage, she was nothing compared to a true dragon. "Who lives around grandpa and grandma's house, and helps keep all of us safe."

Lian ruffled her son's hair gently. "You aren't the only person who's good at talking with animals, Armen. Our old Ancestor was very good at it as well. He and the Guardian Elder were kind of like papa and Uncle Blue, very, very good friends. But when the Old Ancestor couldn't travel the world anymore, he came back home with his wife and started the Albilon family. And even though many, many generations have passed since that moment, the Guardian Elder still stays to look after the Patriarch and his family, since they are descendants of the Old Ancestor. Your papa, your granpapa, and you, too. The Guardian Elder looks after all of you."

The silver bridge that crossed the massive moat was long, but Lian's story took up most of the walk. As they were about to arrive at the other end, an old man dressed in a neat suit was waiting for them. His hands were covered in clean, white gloves, and a brilliant, white yellow glow swirled around his figure, resembling the ephemeral silver glow that always accompanied Lian. However, it was clear at a glance that the old man's aura was far more overbearing that Armen's mother.

All the same, the man bowed respectfully as Lian and Armen approached. "Lady Lian," he greeted, one hand folded neatly behind his back, as he straightened. "Young Master. Madame Ashna is having tea in the rose garden. Please, follow me."

The Patriarch's residence was obviously far more than just a house. It was a status symbol, a representation of the wealth and prestige of the Albilon family. Generation after generation of Patriarchs had maintained or improved it, turning it into a truly splendid palace. The front entryway was more than large enough to allow even an elephant to pass through the double doors, and the ceiling rose even further above that. Yet, the whole place seemed graceful and purposeful, full of natural lines that almost made it look as though the house had simply grown into existence, instead of being crafted by the hands of man.

Rather than leading them through the main entry, though, the butler guided them around to the left, following along a broad, curved balcony before passing through a smaller, side entry door that was nonetheless guarded by a dark armored guard. The guard saluted as the three of them passed through the door.

Traversing a few more gently curved hallways, and the old man with the pale-colored aura led them up to a massive bank of windows. In the courtyard, beautiful rose bushes bloomed with abandon, covering the full spectrum of colors. In the middle of the garden, seated at a glass table near a sparkling fountain, a graceful old woman in a magnificent flowing blue dress with long, flowing sleeves that hung almost as low as her skirt, was sipping tea. Several maids were silently lined up behind her.

The butler opened a glass door, before bowing as he stepped to the side, allowing Lian and Armen inside.

Madame Ashna rose as soon as she saw the two entering. "Ah, Lian! What an unexpected but pleasant surprise. Please. Come in. Have a cup of tea." Satisfied that she'd done her duty as the madame of the house, Ashna's eyes instantly turned to Armen, and a radiant smile spread across her face. "Ah. My good grandson. Come, give grandma a hug! Would you like a cookie?"
 
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Armen would remain silent as his mother explained the history of the Dragon and his family to him..at least in a small simplified explanation that a child could understand. Which was crazy cool in a lot of ways..to think that his ancestor in this life was actually powerful enough to gain the life long friendship and service of a Dragon that would serve his future family and the generations that came after for all eternity..or at least until it passed on..since he hadn't the slightest idea how long a dragon lived for or if they were immortal or whatever the case was. But..it did give him a new goal..or at least an interesting one..to become powerful enough so he could form his own partnership with a Dragon..just like his ancestor in this life did. If he could do that..then there was no telling what he could accomplish.

Armen was so wrapped up in fantasies of him riding on his dragon partner wearing armor and wielding a sword and all kinds of other things..being a dragon rider like in the fantasy books that he read back in his old world..and riding into battle..it wasn't until he heard his grandmas voice that he would snap out of his fantasies.

He would turn his attention towards his grandma and give her a big smile and after his mother set him down he would carefully walk towards her and give her a big old hug. "Hi Grandma!" Was all he said at first as he hugged and held her close for a moment or two before he pulled back and smile "Yeah! I'd like a cookie." He would then look at his mother after he spoke and give her another smile "Should I show her the trick now Mom?."
 
Still smiling at her grandson, Ashna lifted one of the tea cakes from the plate on the table, carefully presenting it to Armen. The cookie was lightly dusted with white powder, which fell off the cookie and drifted through the air alongside the woman's movement. A touch of the powder fell on her dress, the white striking against the dark blue fabric. However, Ashna paid no attention to the dirtying of her garment. At that moment, she only had eyes for her young grandson.

"Did you come here to show grandma a trick?" she asked, her voice still indulgent, but her gaze lifted to study Lian somewhat critically. Madame Ashna had never known Lian to be a frivolous or impulsive woman, and there was no way that the graceful, dark haired woman would have brought her son to the patriarch's residence without warning just because he wanted to show his grandma something. After all, the Patriarch's residence wasn't somewhere anyone would enter casually. There were many places within the grand residence even Ashna herself wasn't allowed to visit.

For her part, Lian's lips were pressed into a thin line, a trace of worry marring her brow. She didn't regret bringing her son here, to show his talents to the family. The Albilon noble family was one that treasured geniuses. After all, they needed them if they ever wanted to rise beyond the ranks of minor nobility. It was the reason they had gone to such great lengths to find talented wives for all of Patriarch Symund's sons. There was no way that they would treat her son, who was already showing such exceptional talent at such a young age, poorly. As a matter of fact, they would surely raise him with all of the family's resources.

But none of that reasoning, as logical as it was, could not fully repress a mother's natural worries.

Seeing the expression on Lian's face, Ashna also grew more serious. However, Lian took a quick breath, momentarily licking her lip before forcing herself to calm down. "Yes. Armen just showed me something very important." Although her words were mild, it was impossible for Ashna to miss the stress she placed on those last two words. Her hands tucked into her sleeves, her eyes studying Armen seriously.

Lian kneeled down to her son's height, offering him a smile. "Go ahead and show grandma your trick, honey."
 
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As his grandmother handed him the cookie he would smile and take it from her with a small childlike giggle of happiness before he gave the sweet pastry a bite along with a silly giggle as he nommed on the cookie with delight. Even though he wasn't paying complete attention to the silent conversation being held between his mother and grandmother he pretty much knew what was going on. His grandmother was questioning why they had come here so abruptly and unannounced which he could understand completely. They were the heads of the family..it wasn't like anyone could just come in and go as they pleased..and he somewhat knew the weight of what his gifts would hold for his family and why his mother sounded concerned..even if she wasn't really all that fearful..but that was going into thoughts and states of minds that he couldn't even begin to grasp because he wasn't a mind reader..all he could do was as his mother and grandmother instructed him to..and right now they wanted to see what he could do.

He would smile at his mother as she told him to show his trick and then gave a nod in response before he took a look around the garden. Unfortunately he knew there weren't going to be any rats here..so that left him the only option of using a bird as his little tool to show off his powers. He wasn't perfect with communicating with birds just yet..but he felt he knew enough to speak to them and get them to follow a few of his own basic commands. Closing his eyes he would focus and spread his mana out into the immediate area to try and touch any of the nearby birds..and as soon as he found one he would focus all of his mana upon it.

After finding the bird he would issue a few commands to it and with a smile he would look at his grandmother and mother before he pointed towards a branch where a blue jay was sitting silently. After they turned their attention to the bird it would give a few tweets before it slowly fluttered down from its branch and landed upon the table where his grandmother's tea set was sitting. The bird would then look around at the cups and silver wear. After a moment or two it would slowly hop over to the cup where the sugar cubes were sitting and then it would pick one up in the tip of its beak and hopped over to one of the glasses of tea that had been poured..and dropped the cube into the tea. It would repeat this process two more times before it picked up the nearby spoon in its feet and proceeded to flutter around the cup as it stirred the cubes into the tea.

Once it was done stirring the tea Armen would instruct the bird to give a few more tweets before it flew over and landed promptly upon his shoulder where it would gently nessle itself into the crook of his neck and gently rub its head against the bottom of his cheek. Armen would only give the bird a big smile and would reach up and lightly stroke its feathers before he looked up at his grandmother "Pretty cool trick huh grandma? Mommy was really surprised when I showed her earlier with the rats!"
 
Ashna looked on expectantly towards the child, waiting for Armen to show her whatever it was that had caused his mother to rush him over here in such haste. Her doubt was perfectly concealed behind the mask of her smiling, slightly wrinkled face. When the toddler pointed into the distance, she first looked at his finger, before her eyes finally traced along the direction he was pointing.

It took her a couple of seconds to notice the bird. It was a decorative little bluebird, carefully selected from among its kind for its sweet song and brightly colored plumage. Like all of the birds in here, it was bound to the garden, and would perish within seconds if it ever left the glass cage of the greenhouse. Ashna loved them almost as much as she loved the roses, and the birds were well cared for despite being completely ordinary birds.

"Oh my goodness!"

As the little bird flew over and began to lift the sugar cube, Ashna was unable to resist letting out a surprised gasp, one hand lifting up unconsciously to cover her mouth. In that moment, she looked nothing like the dignified wife of a Patriarch, instead only appearing like a shocked old lady. Even Lian's forceful glare in her direction did nothing to catch her attention.

It wasn't until the little bird finished its performance and flew over to nestle gently into Armen's shoulder that she finally seemed able to collect herself once more. "You surprised your grandma, too!" she said, her eyes not straying from the little bird on her grandson. As beautiful as they were, these birds were not social, and would fly away from most people. Not without some sort of outside intervention. Let alone that little performance it had just put on.

She now fully understood why Lian had come over in such a hurry. This kind of talent was unprecedented, not only in the history of the Albilon family, but even in many of the tales Ashna had heard of the geniuses of great families. She was no great strategist, but even she understood the great potential this boy could bring to their family if he continued to grow so quickly. No wonder her daughter-in-law was acting so serious.

Finally getting her emotions fully under control, she bent down next to Armen, patting his head gently. "You did very well! But you forgot to ask how many sugars I like in my tea. Three is far too sweet."

Looking at the little bird on Armen's shoulder, her smile grew wider. "Do you like doing those little tricks, Armen? Do you want to do it more?" The boy was still far too young for them to be able to force him into training, but if she could convince him it was simply play, perhaps he'd be willing to invest more time and effort in it.
 
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Armen had to fight back a grin of satisfaction and victory as he caught the look of complete and utter shock on his grandmothers face. He knew that she was going to be surprised..but now that he was seeing just how surprised she was it almost made him wonder if there was some kind of secret thought that had been going around the family that he wouldn't be talented in the use of mana and that he wouldn't be able to live up to his families expectations..but he had just completely shattered any argument about that being the case. With this little showing..he had just proven that he would not just live up to his families expectations..he would far succeed them and go beyond what any of them could ever have imagined.

As his grandma patted his head and congratulated him on his little trick he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as his grandma tried to play his age addled mind. He knew exactly what she was thinking..no child would ever agree to training not when it was seen as work. So she was trying to pass it off as a game and as learning how to do even more amazing things. He couldn't say that he disagreed with her methods..because again what child would want to devote their time to actually working instead of having fun? But he was no ordinary child..not by any means..and he had a mission to complete..and he was going to do what he had to do to see it through to the end.

He would pause for a moment after his grandma spoke to make it seem like he was trying to think or understand what she was saying..and after a moment of silence passed he would slowly speak "So..Grandma..I can do..even more tricks then just this?" He would then smile and nod his head "Sure! I'd love to do more tricks! I can't wait to show daddy and papa all I can!"
 
"Good!" Ashna praised. "Very good!" Only just then seeming to remember that she wasn't framing this as a child entering training, she caught herself slightly, before her grin widened further. "I'm sure your daddy will be very excited to see it too, when he comes back. Why don't you send the little bird back where it belongs. It can't leave the garden, after all."

Glancing up to Lian, Ashna sidled over to the woman, speaking to her quickly in a soft voice. "Symund is in a meeting with some of the territory leaders, but I'll let him know about this as soon as he's done, alright? I won't let you or your son be treated poorly, not that there's any reason to expect such an outcome."

In truth, both Lian and Ashna knew that she didn't really have all that much power in the Albilon family. Symund had gone against tradition and married a village girl for love. Ashna was barely even a mage, let alone a talented one, and the only reason Ashna was respected was because of Symund's position as the most powerful patriarch since the Old Ancestor. All she could do was speak a few kind words in Symund's ear. But, her final words were true. She and Lian also both knew that the family would never treat such a talented youth poorly.

Lian crouched down to the ground, extending her arms to her son, clearly inviting him over. Ashna, however, walked over to the group of maids, gesturing one of them over. "Lead Lady Lian and Young Master Armen to the Inner Training Grounds," she instructed. "Tea time is over, I'm afraid."

The maid, a round-faced, brown haired woman, curtseyed neatly, before approaching Armen and his mother. "Please follow me," she said softly, before walking over to the entrance to the garden and holding the glass door open.

Ashna came over to the two, stealing a quick kiss on Armen's cheek. "Thank you for showing me your trick, Armen," she said softly. "I really enjoyed it! This nice lady will lead you and your mom to Master Eleric. He knows a lot of tricks, and can show some of them to you, alright?"
 
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Armen would only give a small nod to his grandmother's instruction and simply looked at the blue bird before he gently reached up and after the bird hopped onto his finger he would gently usher it off so it could go rejoin its kind. He would then turn his attention back to his Grandmother who was clearly whispering something to his mother so he wouldn't hear..and what it was he honestly didn't know..but with how things were going right now he could only figure that things were going exactly the way he had been hoping them to.

When his mother crouched down to extend her arms to him he would smile and walk over and give his mother a big hug as soon as he was in her arms. He would then look at his grandmother as she kissed his cheek and gave her a big smile as well before he gave a nod as she explained what was going to happen. He didn't recognize the name Eleric in the slightest so he hadn't the slightest idea who this man was or what he was going to teach him..but this was only going to be the first instructor in the long list of them he was going to try and gather before he became a man and set off to complete the quest that his patron had bestowed upon him. "Alright Grandma! I can't wait to see what he'll teach me! I'll show you lots and lots of tricks next time! I can't wait to show Grandpa and daddy either!"
 
"Good boy," Ashna praised one last time, before waving farewell to them both. The maid bowed her head politely as mother and son left the greenhouse garden, before once more setting out in front of the two once the door had silently swung closed.

"Please follow me, my Lady," the maid requested softly, before setting off down the hall.

The deeper they went into the patriarch's house, the grander the building seemed to become. It was clear at a glance that this wasn't the kind of place that could have been built and decorated in a single lifetime. Instead, it was the representation of the wealth and accumulation of generations, all the way back to the Old Ancestor who'd established the Albilon family as the ruling body in the Snakescale Forest. However, despite its great presence, the place was neither tacky nor overbearing. Instead, it was reserved and stately, the kind of grand presence that seemed to be hewn into its very foundation with the passage of countless years of care and effort.

As for the actual costs of everything within this building, it was likely a mystery even to Lian, let alone a young boy like Armen who'd had limited exposure to the breadth of the world. However, no force had yet to be able to breach the grand walls that had been set up to protect the inner residences of the Albilon family, despite those that had put in great efforts to do so. Thus, it was possible to imagine exactly how precious and defensible the place that protected the deepest of the family's secrets and treasures.

The maid finally came to a halt in front of a set of grand, wooden double doors, which had been carved with the image of a water dragon. Despite the slightly artsy presence of the carving, it was still easily possible to recognize the sharp boned head and delicate scales of the Guardian Elder. Faint silver dust glinted in the furrows of the carved scales. As the small group of three paused in front of the door, its eyes suddenly flashed with blue light. A moment later, and the doors began to swing open of their own accord.

What waited on the other side was a giant courtyard, surrounded on all sides by the rich silver wood and gold trim that filled the rest of the house. The courtyard was filled with a short green grass that grew densely and vividly, almost looking more like a coat of moss than proper grass. Across the courtyard, several men and women were lined up, sparring against each other in rhythmic and repetitious movements, armed with a variety of weapons.

Towards the back, the giant courtyard narrowed down into several smaller yards, more delicately decorated, and each guarded by a golden arch in the wall. As for whether or not anyone was currently occupying those yards, it was impossible to tell from this distance. Far above, the dappled sunlight passed through the golden leaves of the giant tree and filled the courtyard with the same soft lighting that covered the rest of the inner residences.

Hearing the doors open, a couple of the people paused, glancing over in their direction. They did not look nervous, clearly trusting whatever had caused the formerly closed doors to open on their own. However, they still paused in their sparring, and one of them jogged over to the group of three. "Can I help you with something?"

"Lady Lian and Young Master Armen are here to see Instructor Eleric," the maid promptly introduced for them.

The man nodded. "I'll go find him for you," he offered, before turning around and quickly jogging away.

While the man searched for Eleric, Lian glanced down at Armen, a trace of worry in her eyes. The Patriarch's house was not a place for raising children, and never had been. Armen had seen so many new things today, and who knew how capable he was of repeatedly casting spells? He'd already shown his 'trick' twice today, in addition to all the activity and new things around him. "How are you doing, baby?" she asked softly.
 
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Armen would wave good bye to his grandmother as his mother carried him away and they followed the maid. As he sat in his mother's arms and took a look around the area..and took in the marvelous sights of the inner house that he had never seen before..he couldn't help but think..obviously the Goddess had given him life..given him to his parents and his family but..that meant that she had to steal it from someone else. It was strange to think that if he hadn't met the Goddess..there was no telling who would be living his life right now and how they would be living it. Would that person be as studious and as talented as he was and was going to be? Or would that person be a total slacker? Would that person help lead the family and the world into a new age? Or would they just go with the flow and continue things along as they had been..if he hadn't asked for this family..who would have been born besides him? It was just a strange thing to think about..the idea of if you weren't who you were..what would someone else be doing if they were you?

As they made their way into the training grounds Armen would stare in a bit of wonder at the several people who were training with weapons..here it was..his time to train..time for him to start making the moves he needed to make..to learn all he could so he could fulfill the expectations of not just his family but the Goddess..the later was much more important to him then the former..but both still held equal weight in some ways. If he disappointed the family they could pull support..and if they pulled support he could fail the Goddess due to lack of resources..but if he only relied on serving the Goddess and abandoned the family..well..then his family would fall to ruin..it was a delicate game of balance he had to play right now..to learn and meet expectations of one group..while exceeding the expectations of anothers.

It was his mothers voice that broke him from his thoughts and when he looked at her he would just give a smile and hugged her neck and held her close "I'm ok mommy! I'm just happy I made you and grandma happy! and I can't wait to see what tricks Mr. Elric is going to teach me! And I can't wait to show papa and grandpa!"
 
Lian hugged her son back, her embrace firm but not overly tight. "Such a good boy," she mumbled softly, the words only half audible. The underside of her chin rested lightly on his small shoulder. Only a few seconds later did she finally release him, re-settling him into her other arm before smiling at him. "It's good that you feel alright. But let me know if you get tired or uncomfortable, okay? This can always wait until tomorrow. Master Eleric will still be here."

Lian had heard the stories from other parents, that toddlers were often irascible and hard to control. Who knew when they'd get something strange in their heads and start acting out, or when their little bodies would get too tired to keep going and they'd end up throwing a sleepy fit. However, she'd never had an experience like that with Armen. He'd often been just as precise as his own mother when it came to making sure he was well-rested and well-fed. That was the reason Lian trusted him to speak up if he needed something.

As for what that said about her son... well, it obviously meant he was a genius. There was no other explanation for it; his mind was simply more mature than any other child his age. After all, how else could he have learned to sense and manipulate mana at the age of three, without guidance from anyone, or any instructions on how to do it? Anything else strange he might do was only pittance compared to the surprise he'd just revealed.

Less than a minute after Lian had finished checking in with Armen, the young guard who had gone to find Master Eleric returned. He greeted Lian politely, before gesturing towards the back of the yard. "Follow me, please," he requested, before setting back off through the yard at a quick stride.

Behind them, Ashna's personal maid politely bowed once more. "Good fortune, Lady," she politely bid, before exiting the training grounds. Her duty as a chaperone were over now that Lian and Armen had been led to Eleric.

The guard led the other two to the largest of the back courtyards. The archway that led through the wall was built of rich, red wood, which framed a wall of thin cypress trees that helped keep the courtyard's interior hidden from the larger space. As the group of three rounded the trees, the magnificent courtyard came into view.

Although the large courtyard was already impressive, it was nothing compared to this back space. It had been carefully paved with large slabs of grey crystal, creating smooth platforms that interspersed the space. Between each 'stone' was filled with a thick layer of the same short, green, moss-like grass that grew in the main courtyard. To one side, a fountain emerged from the wall, cascading over a stone lip before dripping down the wall, mixed in among a blooming flower that resembled a lily, which had grown over all the stone like climbing ivy.

At the far end of the courtyard, a simple house seemed to have emerged from the wall like it had somehow grown from stone. The entire house was one piece, except for a heavy stone door, which was currently half open. The entire building was perfectly smooth and elegantly shaped, the perfect match for the graceful courtyard.

The entire space was quiet, peaceful, and truly had the air of the home of a master ascetic.

At first glance, the courtyard seemed to be empty. However, suddenly a touch of motion stirred near the fountain. From a hollow in the wall, a young boy, no more than ten or eleven, stood up. There was a silver blade clasped in one of his hands. Although it looked like a true blade at first glimpse, true scrutiny would reveal that the 'blade' was actually made from some sort of silver wood.

"Aunt Lian," the boy said politely, bowing slightly. His gaze towards her was respectful, but it didn't seem like the guard or Armen was even visible in his eyes.

"Gavion," Lian greeted back. Although she was smiling at the boy, her fingers tapped gently against Armen's back, seeming to reassure herself of something. "Are you training hard?"

"Yes, aunt," the boy agreed. "Master Eleric is teaching me well."

Inside Armen's ears came the sound of a faint, familiar, resonant laugh. A second later, and a voice he hadn't heard in some time reached him.

Your rival, the goddess said. Considered the Albilon family's greatest genius in the last hundred years, after having learned how to sense mana only two weeks after he began training. Despite her praising words, she didn't sound all that impressed with him.

Patriarch Symund had been blessed with three sons, all of whom showed some measure of talent. His eldest, Breil, was the current leader of the guards, and was also Gavion's father. Tasked with the protection of not only the Albilon residence, but also the major city that had built up around it, he was not an uncommon visitor to Armen's father, who was responsible for the Beastmaster's Division, which helped the other teams deal with both internal and external threats.

However, unlike Armen, who seemed to have taken a lot of his father's looks, Gavion much more closely resembled his mother. He'd lost the black hair that was more common in the Albilon family, instead having it replaced with brighter hair the reddish shade of burnt umber.
 
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Armen would remain silent and continue to slowly look around the new hallways and architecture as they made their way back towards this Master Elric's home..or..whatever the case may be..it was all still so amazing to him. Yes since he had been born he had seen quite a few amazing things around the household..the dragon that guards their home being the most amazing one out of all of it so far..and since he had seen it he couldn't help but think in the back of his head if the day could potentially come that he could find and tame his own dragon like his ancestor did in this life.

Before he had even realized it he heard someone speaking and turned his gaze to find a boy standing in some kind of hollow in the rocks with some kind of silver stick or something..then he felt his mother tap him on the back and he couldn't help but look at her curiously. What was that about? Was she nervous about something? If she was then what was it about? Was it the boy? Or was it for his safety? No sooner did those thoughts cross his mind did he hear the familiar voice of the Goddess ringing within his head.

Turning his attention back to the boy he would stare at him in silence for a moment or two. Rival huh? Well..given what he had just been told by the Goddess it wasn't a surprise that this boy was the most talented user of mana..at least that was the case before he had been born and received the blessings he had from the Goddess. He wasn't about to get wrapped up in petty rivalries that could split the house..but he was going to take his training seriously..and he wasn't going to ignore the talent that this boy had shown..but he knew deep down that he was going to surpass him before long..it was just a matter of applying himself three times harder then he did. At this point he decided that silence was the best way to go about this..he didn't want to upset the kid..and he didn't need to make things awkward for his mother..she was already under a lot of stress with all of this happening in one day for her.
 
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After Gavion finished paying his respects to Lian, he seemed to hold no particular interest in conversing with anyone else there. He turned to head back to the recess where he had been sitting before, settling himself down cross-legged, holding the sword in one hand. Lian did nothing to try and stop his departure, instead turning away and continuing to walk to Master Eleric's residence.

The man seemed to have been watching them from inside his house, because the moment Lian approached with Armen, he stepped out of the doorway. There was a polite smile on his face, as he bowed lightly in greeting. There was a brilliant turquoise light surrounding him, similar to the silver glow that always surrounded Lian, but it was fading slightly with every passing second. Within a couple of minutes, it would be gone altogether.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your training, Eleric,” Lian said lightly, offering a polite nod of her head to the other man. “You appear to have made splendid progress since the last time I saw you.”

“Still nothing compared to you, Lady Lian,” Eleric replied in turn, fingers scratching through his beard. Both it and his hair had already begun to go grey, causing streaks of paleness to appear in his dark brown hair. He paused then, glancing at the boy in her arms. “What brings you here?”

“Madame Ashna sent me to wait here with Armen until the Patriarch is done with his territory meeting. I believe they will both arrive at that point.”

Eleric's brow ruffled slightly at Lian’s words, but he returned himself to a neutral expression only a moment later. “Very well,” he replied, stepping aside and gesturing into the house. “Please. Come in. I will make you some tea.”

The inside of Eleric’s house was rather austere in comparison to the luxury of the house they had just passed through. It was filled with a relatively utilitarian collection of wicker furniture. Ribbons and bells hung from the ceiling, swaying lightly in the breeze and occasionally letting out faint noises. The entire place was rounded, causing the air to whistle slightly like the echoes of a cave. However, a fire crackled merrily in a hearth nearby, from which Eleric removed a steaming kettle. Minutes later, and two cups of hot tea were prepared.

It took some time for the Patriarch to finish his meeting, and during that time Lian did her best to play both a good guest and attentive mother, keeping Eleric engaged with a conversation about the intricacies of high-level mana control, while also making sure that Armen was kept somewhat entertained and safe in a space that was clearly not suitable for children. However, their conversation was suddenly interrupted by sounds from the other side of the gate. A faint voice was heard, with the word ‘patriarch’ being the only sound clearly distinguishable, before a sudden, unified shout of “Sir!” could be heard from the guards practicing out front.

Lian stood up, offering a smile to Eleric. “It appears that father-in-law has arrived. Shall we go greet him?”

Patriarch Symund was a rather austere looking man. However, unlike his wife, who was clearly starting to show the signs of aging, only the faintest hint of grey at his temples gave any indication that Symund was more than old enough to be a grandfather. A faint rose-white glow was visible behind his back, but unlike the chaotic swirls that surrounded Lian and Eleric, his were orderly patterns, which traveled rhythmically up and down in the space behind him.

Ashna walked a step behind him, a soft smile on her face. At the sight of Lian and Armen her smile grew wider, but unlike last time they had met, she didn’t rush forward to give him a hug this time. However, that didn’t stop her from giving a covert nudge to her husband’s stiff back. He coughed slightly, before offering a slightly stiff smile of his own.

“Lian,” he said, voice calm and firm as he stared at the young woman in front of him. “Is what Ashna told me really true.”

Lian nodded, once again tapping lightly on Armen’s back. “It is, father.”

Nodding in response to Lian’s answer, he turned backwards, waving forward one of the guards that was trailing after him. The man was carrying a medium sized bundle, which was covered in a red tarp. From inside, whenever it jostled slightly, a faint squaking noise would come out. The guard set the bundle on the ground, before lifting off the blanket.

Upon seeing what was in the bundle, Lian let out a faint gasp.

Within a strong but delicate looking iron cage was a mass of tawny fur and feathers. The tiny gryphon looked around with vivid yellow eyes, before it suddenly began vigorously chirping in agitation.

“Patriarch,” Lian said, her voice sounding somewhat strained as her title of address changed to match her attitude. “Isn’t that a bit much? He’s only three.”

A faint glower crossed Symund’s face. “Don’t think I am unaware of why you brought him here, Lian,” the Patriarch responded flatly. “If you want him to gain the family’s full support, he’s going to need to earn it, same as everyone else.”

From behind the Patriarch’s back, where there was no way the man could see her, Ashna winked heavily. Seeing that, Lian relaxed somewhat. She looked at her son.

“Armen? You see that beast in the cage?” she asked. “Do you like it? If you can make it still and gentle, it’ll be yours.”
 
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Armen would remain silent as Gavion walked away. He had to admit he was glad that Gavion walked away without wanting to talk further..he had a feeling that his mother wouldn't be able to stay silent..nor would he be able to fight the urge to try and do something to him with his mana. But that was something to worry about another time..for now he had to focus on what this Elric may try to teach him and how he may react to what he was going to have to show him in terms of his abilities thus far.

As Elric came out Armen would stare at him hard as he tried to gauge just how powerful he was..and honestly from what he could see he had a feeling that Elric was a master for a reason and that he would possibly learn a lot from him..however he also had a strong feeling that the things he would learn would be very limited to the mindset that the Goddess had warned him about..that they would only teach him how to do things that he could with his mana and that would be it. They wouldn't even try to teach him how to control other types of mana..but that was something to worry about later. For now he would just learn what he could..and take it from there.

Wait..hold on..mother said that "Father-in-law" has arrived..what did that mean? Not in the sense that he didn't know what a father in law was..but more so..why would she refer to him in that way when talking about his grandfather to Elric? Was Elric his uncle in some way? He just wasn't sure..it just didn't make sense to him..but that was something to ask at a later time..or maybe he'd just find out later..either way it didn't matter.

He didn't know how much time passed while they waited for his grandfather to arrive..but once he did and he saw the look and heard the tone in his grandfather's voice..he had to admit he was getting a little nervous..especially when he saw the stiff smile on his grandfather's face..he had to admit..as far as he could remember he couldn't recall his grandfather ever actually being a kind and open hearted person..one to show affection and all that..but..then again..he honestly couldn't remember spending all that much time with his grandfather anyways.

When one of the guards stepped forward though with the bundle he would pause..what in the world was going on? What was that? Before he could even think of asking the cover was pulled back and he was face to face with a baby gryphon. It took all of his willpower to not cry out in awe at the sighting..yes he suspected they existed considering that dragon's were real..but he never thought he'd see one at such a young age..he assumed they'd be a rare being just like a dragon..but whatever the case may be there was a baby gryphon in front of him!

He would look between his mother and his grandparents in silence and almost shivered as the weight of the task in front of him came crashing down..this was truly his first major test in everything..and he had to pass. He would look back towards the little ball of feathers and then up at his mother and gave a big smile "Really? I can keep it?!" With that he would gesture for his mother to put him down by reaching out towards the cage and squirming in her grip..once he was on the ground he would slowly walk towards the cage and stare at the Gryphon inside.

It took him a moment to calm his thoughts as he glanced up at his grandfather's judgmental stare. After a moment he would look back towards the Gryphon and close his eyes and extend his hand towards it..and focus everything he had into the mana surrounding himself and the Gryphon. It was a lot more complex then he had initially thought it would be..but he also wasn't surprised that it was a lot harder to understand and pick apart the mana that was around the Gryphon..but..he felt confident that he could do it nonetheless..and after a moment he would open his eyes and give the Gryphon a big smile "Shh..calm down..and let me pet you.." As he finished speaking he would slowly reach into the cage to gently stroke the Gryphon's head.
 
The little gryphon was not calm. It raged and twisted and cawed within its cage, unwilling to be trapped, especially now that the cover that had blinded it from the outside world was removed. At first, it paid no attention to the small human that tottered closer to it, far more concerned about the big threats that surrounded it. However, at the sudden touch of something utterly different, it froze for an instant.

The mind of a beast was a very different thing from the thoughts of the animals that Armen had experimented with so far. Even beyond the complexity brought about by intelligence, a form of understanding that could be improved through practice and repetition, this little gryphon’s mind was different. Something else existed within its thoughts. Foreign mana.

The ability to wield a form of magic, albeit only in an instinctual and simplistic manner, was what distinguished a beast from an animal. And for Armen, who had never once tried to interfere with the thoughts of his Uncle Blue in order to avoid alerting his parents to his gifts before he was ready, the presence of other mana that dwelled within a beast’s thoughts was a sudden and unexpected obstacle.

For a moment, it seemed as though Armen’s usual process to communicate with animals worked. The screeching gryphlet froze for an instant, its mouth stretched in a suddenly silenced cry. A faint ripple ran among the gathered adults, as a glow of excitement seemed to appear within Symund’s eyes.

The gryphon’s stillness corresponded to the motion of the mana in its mind, which froze for an instant as Armen’s instructions conflicted with its other, inherent mana. Although Armen had no way of knowing this yet, gryphons were able to touch upon a portion of the mana of metal, which was particularly inflexible and unyielding in its contact with other mana.

And then, as instantly as the gryphlet froze, it shocked back to life again. The resiliency of the metal mana won out against Armen’s younger and more simplistic instructions, and the beast was freed from any influence. It’s interrupted screech sounded again, as sharp, small claws lashed out to swipe at Armen’s outstretched hand, causing a drop of red blood to glisten on his small hand.

“Armen!” Lian shouted, her words sounding far more like an involuntary exclamation at anything. It was clear that his mother intended to rush forward and pick him up, whisking him away from the young beast before it could have a chance to hurt him further.
 
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Armen had honestly thought that he had succeeded in taming the Gryphon..which was why he was so quick to start reaching his hand out..but he should have known better. He got a little too confident in himself..and that was his fault. He should have known better..he knew as soon as he started trying to tame it he felt that its will was going to be much stronger then it had been with any of the rats or normal birds..and unfortunately for Armen his eagerness..or his impatience would cause him to get cut as soon as the Gryphon broke free from his control and scratched him across the hand.

As his hand was cut by the Gryphon he would wince and immediately withdraw his hand..only to look at the Gryphon with a small glare..oh now he was angry..and even more determined. He was faintly aware of his mother calling out to him and moving in to try and get him away from the Gryphon..but Armen wasn't about to be pulled away. He wasn't about to give up..the Gryphon's mana was strong..unyielding..much like metal..Armen's focus hadn't been strong enough..his will wasn't strong enough as he faced against the Gryphon originally..so now he realized if he wanted to get the Gryphon under control he needed to be more firm.

Before his mother could pull him away he would throw his mana right back at the Gryphon with his face in a small pout..but a determined one. He wasn't going to let this Gryphon beat him..and he wasn't going to let his grandfather push him away because he didn't prove himself to his family..he was going to tame this Gryphon if it was the last thing he did.

So throw his mana back at the Gryphon he did. He didn't just throw it aimlessly though..but he wasn't being gentle with it either. He was being as firm as he possibly could so he could bend the Gryphon's will and mana to suit his needs..but not so strong that he would actually break the Gryphon's mind if he pushed too hard..he had to bend the mana..not sever it. As he did all of this he was also doing everything he could to dissect the Gryphon's mana so he could get a better understanding of it so he could properly bend it to his will. And that was the best way to look at it..he was bending the metal will of the Gryphon to suit his needs..not break it in half so it couldn't be used again.

He would continue to push his mana and his will against the Gryphon's without hesitation..without fear..with nothing but determination and conviction. He wasn't going to let this Gryphon beat him now..especially not after it cut him the way it did. "Stop!" He would yell at the Gryphon as it continued to scream and shake the cage "You will listen!"
 
The clash between mana in the gryphlet's mind was a fearsome battle, albeit completely invisible from the outside. However, not everyone who was in the clearing was unable to observe the clash before them. Symund's gaze, in particular, never strayed from the little gryphon, even when it had lashed out against Armen and scratched him. There was no expression on his face as he watched, but the pale mana gathered behind his back in intricate patterns trembled slightly, perhaps reflecting its owners state of mind.

For an instant, it seemed like Armen's second attempt resulted in no difference from the first. The gryphlet froze in place, wings half outstretched, front claws extended, looking as though it was stunned. However, the difference came about after that for one reason. This time, Armen hadn't only focused on the thoughts of the beast, but had looked at the other mana that was contained within it. His aptitude meant that he was naturally inclined to perceive the motion of mana related to an animal's thoughts, but this particular 'attack' didn't just aim to move the mana of thought, but also the mana of metal that coexisted within its little mind.

Without his aptitude, Armen could only rely on his own innate ability to change this entirely foreign form of mana, which had no relation to the things he had learned so far. But, in such small quantities, and present in such an unusual location, the metal mana could not help but be influenced by the thought mana that surrounded it. Under the pressure of Armen's influence, it trembled, resisted, and then... gave slightly.

The effect was perhaps milder than what Armen had been aiming for, but there was indeed an effect. When the gryphlet unfroze from its pose when Armen had impacted it with mana, it no longer screeched and cried with all its might. Instead, its voice had settled into a low rumbling growl. It crouched at the bottom of the cage, angry and wary, tail lashing, wings half unfurled in a manner that made it look almost twice the size it was. It was wary and self-protective, but it no longer shouted.

Symund stared silently at the process for a few moments after it had come to an end, even as everyone else in the clearing, Lian and Ashna, seemed frozen in place, staring wide eyed at the gryphlet. Suddenly, he snorted. "Stubborn," he proclaimed, but he didn't seem to be talking about the baby gryphon, despite the fact that he was still staring at it. "Pig-headed. Like a barbarian with a stick, who's only solution to a problem is to just hit it harder. But. He made it work."

Ashna stepped up lightly behind her husband's shoulder, giving it a push. "Look at you. So fierce, but you can't even fully suppress your smile. And you call him pig-headed?"

At his wife's sudden rebuke, Symund could only cough in embarrassment, but his back remained straight and his expression austere. He glanced behind him at one of the guards that had followed him. "Jerek, help him finish taming it over the next week."

The guard saluted smartly, before nodding. "Yes, sir. It'll be done."

Symund nodded, a smile once more flickering across his lips. "Good. Excellent. Absolutely excellent."

And, just like that, Armen's test was over. Everyone began to break off into groups, having their own conversations. Lian quickly whisked her son away to tend to his wound, Jerek once more covered the gryphlet with a cloth, calming it and preparing it for further training. Symund and Elerik stepped to the side together, beginning to set up training methods for a young child, to teach him the basics of wide-range mana control.

None of them paid any attention to the ten year old boy who'd been watching the entire thing from within a shallow recess next to the fountain. The wooden sword he'd been holding lay forgotten on the ground, his eyes wide, hands balled into fists and shaking slightly. However, by the time anyone took note of him again, he'd already returned to a serene expression, eyes closed as though none of what had taken place had ever entered his gaze.
 
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Armen could feel tiny beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead as he continued to throw his mana at the Gryphon to make it bend to his will. He was doing everything that he possibly could to focus but even with his understanding and control of mana at his young age he wasn't an expert..he hadn't had any official training so all of this was still incredibly new to him..especially since he had only practiced on rats and birds small animals that didn't have much mana or willpower to resist him.

However his persistence wore off eventually. He could feel the will of the Gryphon weakening and bending..and before he knew it suddenly he felt it bend enough..and suddenly the Gryphon stopped it's squawking and thrashing about and backed down so instead of actually fighting it was now just sitting back in a defensive like position. As it did Armen would give a gasp and drop his arm and allow the mana flow to stop as he began to pant softly to catch his breath.

As he was catching his breath he would slowly begin to look up towards his grandfather..just in time to hear his words of criticism..and almost immediately he felt his heart starting to sink. Did he fail? Well..in a way he did and a way he didn't..he succeeded in the test but did he fail because he didn't achieve it in the way that his grandfather wanted him to? He was scared now that his grandfather wasn't going to accept him and get him the training that he wanted. But then his grandmother stepped forward and shoved his grandfather..and the next thing Armen knew he saw the faintest of smiles crossing his face..and Armen knew right then and there that his grandfather was proud..and that he was happy and he had passed the test.

That confirmation was all he needed to feel a bit of pride swelling within himself..he had passed his biggest test here in his new life thus far..before he knew what was happening his mother was scooping him up and carrying him off to tend to his minor wound on his hand..which he had to admit was stinging pretty good right now..but that was nothing..beyond the groups..past everyone else..he caught the smallest glimpse of his cousin standing there by the fountain with a look of anger on his face..and he knew right then and there that what the Goddess said was right..his cousin was going to be his biggest rival in the coming years..especially now that he had stolen his cousins thunder..so..let the competition begin..and let the real training begin as well.
 
Despite having never trained a toddler before, Eleric took to the challenge with unexpected gusto. Perhaps his enthusiasm was driven by the excitement of getting to teach a genuine genius, but he didn’t look down on Armen’s capabilities, despite his undeniably young age. It was impossible to know if Eleric planned the lessons with other people, but what was absolutely certain was that the exercises he set up were little better than games. However, all of them were perfectly designed to teach a young child the fundamentals of mana and magic.

There were two major things Eleric strove to impart to Armen through these practices:

First. Mana was everywhere, and the more a person’s sensitivity towards it grew, the more they would realize its omnipresent existence. Before a person was capable of sensing mana, they were nothing but a normal person. A mage’s ability to sense mana was therefore fundamental to their abilities.

It was common knowledge, which was why the first term used to describe people on the journey to wielding magic was exactly that: Mana Sensitive.

Of course, Armen’s case was quite special. Most children would begin such training at the age of six, when they were finally able to start sitting still and concentrating on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time. In general, their aptitude was ranked off of how long it took them to sense mana after they began to learn how to sense it. Armen completely blew that scale out of the water.

Even though it was clear that Armen had somehow innately gained the ability to sense mana, apparently without anyone’s guidance, more than half his simple training was still geared towards practicing his sensitivity towards mana. Even the experts knew that the foundations were fundamental. The better he could sense mana, the more his abilities would bloom.

Second. Dense enough mana had the ability to transform the physical world. Gather enough fire mana in one place, and a fire would ignite. Move a sufficient amount of wood mana through a tree, and the trunk would bend. This was the basics of spellcasting.

All spells were based upon the movement of mana. Therefore, for a Sensitive to be able to cast a spell, they needed to overcome a hurdle, which would allow them to go through a transformation. This transformation would change them from simply sensing the presence of mana, to actually moving it. People with the ability to move mana were called the Mana Touched.

By the very nature of spellcasting, the more mana a person could bring to bear at one time, the more powerful of a spell they would be able to perform. Of course, precision and technique were often far more important to the successful application of a spell, but a bomb would always be able to cause more inherent devastation than a firecracker.

Therefore, the remainder of Armen’s training was, quite simply, geared towards helping him learn new and better ways to control mana. And while the majority of his attention was still directed towards controlling animals, that wasn’t the only experience he was given.

Some time every week was given to trying to help him overcome that hurdle of going from sensing various types of mana to controlling them. Like his father and the other beastmasters, he would one day be expected to control beasts of all varieties. And what made a beast a beast, and distinguished it from simple animals, was the mana that dwelt within it. If he didn’t have at least a basic capability with the type of mana that beast was able to wield, it would prove just as resistant to his efforts as the gryphlet had been that day.

With the mixture of the stress and determination from his encounter with the little gryphon, Armen had already gained the most basic ability as a Metal Touched. This fact made Eleric quietly excited, and he gladly exposed the boy to a wide variety of other basic types of mana.

From the day Armen revealed that he was one of the Touched, his life was destined to change radically.

Although he still spent a great deal of time at his parents house, half of his waking hours were now spent at the Patriarch’s residence, learning from Eleric. As the years passed, that amount gradually grew from half to two thirds to three quarters.

During the first few weeks after this new schedule began, a chunk of time every day was devoted to the young gryphlet, as Jerek walked him through the process of taming a true beast. Under Jerek’s guidance, and as his familiarity with metal mana grew, he was able to permanently transform the gryphon’s basic instincts to ones that were based in affection and loyalty towards him. It became his companion in the fullest sense of the word.

Summer turned to winter, and years passed. Guided by Eleric’s patient tutoring and nurtured with his mother and father’s encouragement, Armen turned 8 years old.

At first, it seemed a morning like any other. One of the maids led Armen to the guard’s training grounds. However, that was when things began to take a slight turn for the different. This morning, Eleric wasn’t there.

Almost an hour after when Armen’s training would usually begin, the sound of the big doors to the courtyard opening covered the area. A minute later, and Eleric arrived.

Not much had changed about the man in five years. Perhaps there was a trace more grey in his dark hair, and another wrinkle or two on his face, but the difference was hardly noticeable. What was different, however, was that the turquoise aura that had only briefly surrounded him when Armen had first met him, now lingered persistently around his body, forming a chaotic swirl.

Behind him trailed a young girl, dressed in simple, low quality beige-colored clothes that would normally never be seen in the Albilon residence. Her head was slightly bowed, causing her straight, glossy brown hair to obscure her face from view. Behind her back, her hands were balled into tight fists.

Eleric smiled at Armen, beckoning him over. “Armen, come say hello. This is Haliyah. She’s going to be training alongside you from now on.”
 
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The last few years had been tough for Armen in a number of ways..not only had the training been tough that he had been placed under but the pressure he was putting upon himself to get better at a steady rate was also a factor that would drive most people insane. But not once did he ever get up. If he found he was struggling with a lesson or a concept at the end of the day he would lock himself within his room and continue to practice and practice into the long hours of the evening and in some cases even into the early morning until he actually passed out where he only ended up with a few hours of sleep before he had to go to his next lesson for the day.

He was sure that he had freaked his mother out on more then one occasion and more then likely had her worried for his health and well being more then any one he did try his best to assure her that he was still happy and healthy. That was a little easier said then done when he would sometimes go through a week of training while only getting roughly ten hours of sleep throughout the week.

The second..or technically third problem with his training if you counted the issues with his mother watching him like a hawk as a problem was the pace he was moving at. There were quite a few instances where he found himself catching on to a lesson faster then Eleric could teach him and thus he would fly ahead..however Eleric was insistent on remaining focused on the current lesson even when he had proved himself more then capable at it. He understood that basics were important and that he had to build the strongest foundation that he possibly could be there did come a point where he had to blast through these basic lessons so he could get to the more advanced techniques and he could begin experimenting even more then he already was so he could try and move things along at a pace that would keep the Goddess happy..last thing he wanted was for her to believe that he wasn't working hard enough at this.

Then things took a change he wasn't exactly expecting. One day he was sitting there meditating waiting for Eleric to arrive to begin his lesson for the day but instead all he found was that he was there for at least an hour waiting for his instructor to arrive..but then the doors opened. "Finally" He muttered under his breath and stood up..and found..Eleric..with..a girl? Armen didn't recognize the girl in the slightest nor did he recognize the color of her outfit as a sign of belonging to some other house or something like that..at least not off the top of his head but he knew that the colors didn't belong to anyone in his household.

Glancing towards Eleric as his instructor introduced the girl he would turn his attention to her and gave her a small smile as he approached his teacher and the new girl..Haliyah. "Hello Haliyah. It's nice to meet you. I'm Armen Albilon. I look forward to training with you and learning along beside you" With that he would extend his hand to her in offer of a friendly hand shake.