1 1 Sheltered

There is no time to mourn or be sad especially right now for Zypher. It's already been a tough week keeping up with every thing that he needed to move out of the place he once called home.

The place that was once filled precious memories are now gone with him selling all the stuff just to have something for the expenses. All that is left is the trunk right in front of him, the one thing he could not bring himself to part with.

Inside were the very first gauntlets his parents ever used as a mercenary and some low level artifacts he received as a kid.

"Why don't you just stay for another day lad?" Behind him is the new owner of this house, his father's rival and respected friend, Douglas.

Douglas and his father often quarrel whenever they meet but from one occasion his father admitted that he will trust Douglas to cover his back. Actually, this rival is the next person after him who was devastated with the tragedy.

Zypher agreed to sell the house to him since Douglas promised to take care of the place and also of one condition, to secure the trunk until he returns back.

"No can do. I have already been stalling for a long time and I need some time out of this place." Zypher replied.

His parents loved him very much, so much that they did not let him experience hardship when they were alive. He was a sheltered fourteen year old with just basic knowledge of the world.

Kids around his age have already been training for years to hone their skills while he just lazily and comfortably stay indoors. Zypher never blamed his parents for caring too much since they experience harsh conditions when they were young and they don't want for their kid to have that.

Parents should have the ability to protect their children. However, a bird should spread his wings and fly away at some point.

"Okay, but you need to come join me this lunch before you go." At this point, Douglas noticed a determination from the lad's, an aura similar to his rival from way back before. He smiled and went back downstairs.

Six years old is the appropriate age kids were allowed to train with mana because at that time they can handle the stress. However, there are some lineages who trained some kids even younger.

In order for someone to be recognized to be mage knight one needs activate a mana catalyst which is either an armor or an accessory.

When he was six years old, Zypher did try to activate a catalyst however nothing happened. He tried until he was ten with no success so his parents decided to face the reality.

Zypher was not pessimistic of his state, and always see the advantages of every event. He would read a ton of books. His father and mother would even take journals, drawings or any manuscripts they could find in places he had visited. He would dream, maybe not as mercenary or a mage knight, to see what they saw.

On his twelfth birthday, his parents brought home a peculiar book as a present. Zypher is fond of books especially antique ones with puzzles inside.

The cover of the book and it's pages are like very thin leather secured with some kind of metal edges. The contents of the book had no specific order but all of it concerns something with different subjects.

For example, the twenty first chapter explains in detail how to make this kind of potion and after that discusses on how harvest a specific plant. The only exception for this is the last page which has some kind cryptic message.

Luckily for Zypher he had all the time in the world and the clues were scattered on the pages.

Day by day he studied like a madman trying to uncover the answer to the riddle of the last page. He is already half finish when one of the topics on the book distracted him.

It is some kind of potion which grants a normal human with no magical abilities with a possibility to transform into a person with magical aptitude.

Zypher was not interested at first with his discovery but something made him realize that there is no harm in trying. Furthermore, the ingredients were so basic he can practically order bundles of it. He had set it aside the idea after finishing the deciphering the code.

It took him two months to gather set of potential meaning of the code and another week to make things whole.

'Whoever tames this book shall forever be the master of life and death. Lives are sacrificed for the contents of the book to be made, tested and confirmed. It is definitely the greatest work the Family has ever done.

- Long live Omega '

Just like that, days and months of effort were only to translate these few sentences. Right after he said the last few words, a blinding light came from the book, exploding right in front of Zypher. The last thing he can remember was him receiving a flow of knowledge flashing through his brain.

Zypher woke up two weeks after the incident and his face was drained of color. He grew tired and looked thin to the bones. Guarding his bedside was his mom, who wept when she saw conscious once again.

He was nursed until he can finally walk on his own and that was the time his parents were starting to prepare for another mercenary job. Her mom was having second thoughts whether to go or not, worried to death maybe something might happen again.

Zypher started to feel a little bit different than before, something he can't explain totally. He assured his mom he would be fine. That's the last day he ever saw his parents again.

Zypher started hearing voices from time to time. Not only that, he can even see some kind power level number on top of everybody he meets.