As I stepped out of the carriage, my mother's warm smile greeted me and she embraced me tightly with tears filling her scarlet red eyes. "Welcome home, my son," she said, her voice filled with happiness. My older sister, Aria, was also there to greet us. With her stunning long black hair and eyes that were a deep, rich shade of blue, like the ocean on a clear summer day, she was the epitome of grace and elegance. At 18 years old, she had just completed her formal education. From what my father told me, she was eager to start her new role as an instructor at Luminia Academy. I couldn't wait to hear about all of her experiences and adventures.

My older brother, Caius Vale, the first son of House Vale, was also there. With his short blond hair styled and piercing blue eyes, he was a striking figure and the spitting image of our father. Caius had already completed his training in Luminia, his formal education, and had served two years in the Sylvan Guard. He was now 25 years old and had returned home to help our mother run the Vale Domain while our father was away. He was eager to continue his journey and become a Guardian, before eventually inheriting the title of Duke of the Vale Domain from our father. I was filled with pride for my brother and his accomplishments, even though I felt a twinge of jealousy.

As I finished hugging my mother, I turned to my siblings. 

"Welcome back, little brother," Caius said with a smile as he approached. He was always the one to keep the peace and make everyone feel comfortable. He had a large, muscular build but despite that, Caius still carried himself in a way that made him feel trustworthy and approachable. No doubt something he picked up while emulating our father. 

"It's great to be back," I replied, smiling at Caius and Aria. "I can't wait to catch up on everything I've missed."

"Same here," Aria chimed in, her eyes shining with excitement. "We have so much to tell you about what we were up to while you were gone."

“But,” Caius cut in. “We are also very interested in how your training went. You have grown in height, but has your combat prowess kept up?”

“Of course, brother,” I replied confidently, knowing that Caius was daring me to challenge him. “Perhaps you would like a demonstration?”

My father, Thorin Vale, cleared his throat, drawing our attention. "I'm glad to see you all together, but I'm afraid I must retire to my room to rest," he stated, with an unspoken message that it meant we were all to head inside and catch up tomorrow.

I nodded in agreement. While I was confident in my skills, I did not have much faith in myself defeating Caius while I was still so weary from the journey.

As I walked into the manor, I couldn't help but feel a sense of joy to be back home. I was surrounded by my loved ones, and the comfort of the manor was like a warm embrace. I couldn't wait to walk the familiar halls and reminisce. But, first, I was incredibly tired.

As I settled into my bed on the 3rd floor of the Vale Mansion, I couldn't help but think about my life in Luminia. I missed the training with Arden & Blake. I missed the conversations with Eira and I felt guilty for not spending more time with her. After all, she had been a childhood friend, I should have reached more rather than waiting for Arden to do it for me. 

I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for the city of Luminia, with its grand marble wall and busy streets, littered with stalls and adventurers. But now, I was back in my childhood home, surrounded by my family. I knew that I needed to focus on the present and spend time with my siblings and parents, but I couldn't shake the feeling that a part of me was missing.

I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander, and the feelings that I had been suppressing began to surface. 

I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled in my chest as I thought about Blake being deployed to the front lines of a brewing war. Everyone knew that military tensions were high. We had been engaging in small skirmishes with the other continents for a while now. But it seemed like something was changing, evolving. I feared that a full-scale war would start soon, and Blake would be in the middle of it. I tried to focus on more positive things, like Blake’s courage and the training Arden and I received under him, but to no avail. 

These dark thoughts consumed me as I drifted off into the peaceful abyss of deep sleep. 

The next morning, I woke up early, eager to start the day. I got out of bed and made my way downstairs, the smell of porridge wafting from the kitchen. I entered the dining room, where most of my family was gathered, and took a seat at the table.

Aria was busy serving breakfast, a job usually performed by one of our house staff, and Caius discussed the affairs of the Vale Domain over the last 5 years while father listened intently. It was good to see them all together like this.

"Good morning, Kai," Aria greeted me as she brought over a tray with 5 bowls of porridge and assorted loaves of bread.

"Good morning," I replied, my mouth already watering at the sight of the food.

We all sat down to eat, relishing in the homemade breakfast in peaceful silence until Caius spoke up, turning to me with a serious expression. "So, tell us about your training at Luminia," he said, looking eager to hear more.

"It was challenging," I admitted. "But I learned so much, and I'm eager to put it into practice. I had the honor of training under an active 3-Star Guardian, Blake Arward."

Caius’ brow rose in surprise but he didn’t comment.

"Oh? I bet you're itching to show us what you’ve learned then," Aria chimed in with a smile.

Caius nodded in agreement. "I was thinking we could have a sparring match later, show everyone what you've learned."

I agreed, excited for the opportunity to showcase my skills. Caius had served two years in the Sylvan Guard, and would soon apply for the Guardians, and I wanted to see how I measured up against him.

Caius and I stood opposite each other in a large field far away from the manor, we were surrounded by an audience, made up of house staff and our family. The tension in the air was palpable, both of us were determined to put on a good show for the audience, and ourselves.

We each held our weapons of choice in hand, Caius with a spear, and myself with a sword, both weapons were blunted of course. Though we both favored wind magic, neither of us knew how the other fought, making this match all the more exciting.

I focused on the atmospheric mana, drawing it into my body and circulating it throughout my muscles. Caius did the same, his eyes locked onto mine, waiting for the first move. Taking the initiative, I charged forward with a wind-enhanced dash, but Caius was quick to respond, unleashing a spear of wind that barreled toward me. I sprang to the side, dodging the attack, but Caius was already one step ahead, conjuring a pillar of wind right where I was about to land. The sudden gust of wind threw me off balance, sending me stumbling.

In a split second, I retaliated by firing a blast of wind that served both as a distraction and a push, propelling me away from the pillar and steadying my footing. I instantly went on the aggressive, launching a bombardment of wind scythes in his direction. 

Caius responded with a small cyclone, aiming to catch the scythes and send them back at me. But before the scythes were launched back at me, I responded with a cyclone of my own, spinning in the opposite direction. It was a very taxing technique, I could feel my mana consumption already surpassing my mana intake. The cyclones soon clashed and countered one another, and the scythes harmlessly dispersed in the air.

Not leaving me any time to catch my breath, Caius launched a spear of wind at me, the speed of the attack forcing me to react quickly. I dodged to the side, feeling the rush of wind as it barely missed me. 

I directed all of my mana to my legs, if there was one advantage I had, it was the fact that I had more, and stronger, mana channels. I strengthened my legs and launched myself towards him with a burst of wind.

I brought my sword in an upwards arc, aiming for the left side of his ribcage. But Caius was fast, his spear deflecting my attack with ease. 

He stepped in closer, rotating around his foot and his spear becoming a blur as he swung it towards me. I had to defend myself quickly, I focused on manipulating the wind around me, sending it towards Caius’ spear hand and trying to knock him off balance.

Caius was caught off guard, my wind magic had knocked his spear arm off course and given me an opening. I was the one to step in closer this time, my sword in hand and ready to strike. This time, I imbued my blade with wind magic to increase speed and sharpness. I hoped he would attempt to block. I was going to break his spear. 

Instead, Caius regained his footing and countered with a wave of wind, forcing me back once again.

I conjured an upwards arcing wind blade with my sword, using it to split and disperse the wave right before it made contact with me. I followed up with a blast of wind aimed at his chest and dashed in after it. 

Caius was panicking, I could tell. He propelled himself backwards with an uncontrolled blast of wind, creating space between us and blocking my attack. But he wasn’t in a good position to follow up, so I approached fast.

Caius was quick, he regained his balance and brought up his spear, ready to defend himself. I swung my sword towards him, the clash of metal ringing out as our weapons met. Caius and I were evenly matched at close combat, our mana-enhanced bodies allowing us to fight at an incredible pace.