Under the morning blue skyes in the great city of Silver, in the heart of the continent also known as Silver. This city is a giant fortress pulsating with the relentless rhythm of war .
Well, I'm ten year old orphan boy with white skin, long red hair, and brown eyes. I'm wearing an old white shirt and an old black pants. This is me, Jamros. Nice to meet you.
The Human Kingdom is led by the King Zoheis and Queen Krislla Van Gandt rule all human continents and, consequently, the four great capitals. A lot of nobles help maintain stability and the flow of resources. The role of royalty is basically to manage all political relations, internal or external, of the Human Kingdom.
The four great capitals are Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze, and the four great continents of the capitals are also named Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The orphanage where I live is in Silver, which has it main function the development of troops and war technologies. The greatest concentration of troops is here, but the most powerful military force is in Diamond, the main continent and where royalty resides.
How do I know this even as a child? Well, the answer is, all the orphanages on the Silver continent prepare their orphans to become members of the army. Those who are not adopted will join the army forces when they turn 15. So every orphan receives training and also had access to basic knowledge.
This is all I know, hehe. I was never good with theoretical classes, to be honest, they seem like obstacles created just to hinder me.
I wake up and do a good stretch, and get up from the bed. After I was done picking my stuff for the bath, I went to Daylen's bed. He was 13 years old. Besides being taller than me, he was also stronger than any child in the orphanage, had brown eyes and black hair. He is wearing a white shirt and gray shorts.
— "" Good morning, brother Daylen."
— "" Good morning, little brother Jamros."
We went to the male community bathroom, me and Daylen took showers and got ready. We went to the cafeteria to have our breakfast, picked up our food and headed to a table where Kissa was sitting.
Kissa was 13 years old, had white skin with blue eyes and short red hair. She is wearing brown pants and a blue t-shirt.
-" Good morning, boys", said Kissa with a smile on her face
Daylen and I nodded and greeted her back and sat at the table.
— "Are you ready for today's training?" Kissa asks.
— "This morning will be dueling, and in the afternoon, it will be Fauna and Flora of Silver." I answer Kissa.
— "You better give it your all today; tomorrow will be the test to see which children are ready to go on a mission."
— "I can't skip that chance," I tell Jina. We were done with food and moved to the training place. We began to run to get warm before the fights. After some laps, we felt set.
We ate up and moved to the practice area. Here, we began to run to get warm for the fights. After some rounds, we felt settled. Then we kicked off. The duels were very simple; our teacher Azim would pair the duels and start them. Other teachers were watching from outside, observing our hits and mistakes to instruct us more logically later. Sometimes some army members would also show up to recruit new talents.
Any kid who wants to join the fights needs to train first. They have to hit the first Level of Qi Gathering. I was already at the second Level of Qi Gathering while Daylen and Kissa were at the Third Level of Qi Gathering. Apparently, I had awakened my cultivation a little early, attracting some attention from the teachers, and it got worse when I broke through to the 2nd Level of Qi Gathering.
Basically, today would be a preparation for tomorrow's test, so I have to dedicate myself to today's training. My teammate, sadly, was Daylen, the top kid in the home. Of all people, my honorary brother…
— " Let's go Jamros. I won't go easy on you."
— " You don't want to regret it, do you?" I said, trying to provoke him back
— " I see you're confident. Do you think that you can win?"
— " Only one way to know."
We were called to go. Kissa had ended up against Eva, one of her friends. Eva was older and would be turning 15 soon. From what I know, the army is already talking to the orphanage to proceed with the adoption. This probably will be Eva's last mission.
Daylen and I arrived at the duel area, It was a small dirt field with some cracks and softer earth in some places. There were two markings on the ground indicating where the opponents should stand before starting.
Tristan, one of our teachers, approached the center of the arena to be the referee and stop the fight if necessary. Upon reaching the center, he looked at us and said, — "Do your best to win. But remember, know this, you have to be soft and not hurt your teammate.. Today is just training, and even tomorrow, any kind of excessive violence will be punished. Begin."
I was tense, I had never managed to defeat my brother; he liked to defend behind his wooden shield and waited for the best moment to counterattack with his wooden war mace. I'm more likely to move around and try to strike my opponent's flanks with my two wooden daggers.
When I looked at Daylen, I noticed a confident look, he was ready. 'Let's go, focus. Today we'll defeat him, I'm sure of it.' After that thought, I lightly tapped my head twice with the hilt of the dagger in my right hand, got into a fighting stance, and gave a fierce look.
— " Ready, little brother? Are you scared?" says Daylen, trying to provoke me.
— " Hehe, don't be so confident. Today you'll see!"
Without wasting more time, I charged at my brother, going in a straight line. Daylen prepared to receive the blow with his shield in front and his weapon behind. At the last moment, I changed direction and jumped to his flank, the arm holding the shield. I aimed to move quickly, use it to win, and hit the side. Yet, I was shocked to see his shield swing at me. I bent down just in time to miss his hit. When I looked up, a wood club swung at me. I ducked in time to avoid the attack, and when I looked up, the wooden mace was coming at me. I managed to roll to the side and create a safe distance again.
— "This trick again? That makes it easy, Jamros," said Daylen.
I had fought and seen my brother fight many times, and of course, he had watched my fights too. I need to think of a way to get past him... but how?
Daylen charged at me, he was surprisingly fast and quickly got close to me. He made a wide swing that I dodged. But using that move, he spun around and tried to hit me with his shield. I had no time to think, so I hit the dirt to avoid it. Then I saw the wooden mace lightly touch my chest.
— "Got you, I said I wouldn't go easy."
— "AHH. Getting past you is so hard, it's not fair. You keep hiding behind that shield," I say sitting on the ground with a pouty face.
— "No use crying, little brother," says Daylen extending his hand to help me up.
Accepting his help and getting up I say, — "Next time you'll see, you'll definitely be defeated!"
— "Just like all the other times you told me that."
"HAHAH" we looked at each other and laughed
— "Return to your positions, we'll restart the duel," says Professor Tristan.
So, that's how we used up our whole morning. I didn't win even one game against my brother, seriously man… what a tough defense. We went out of the yard and back to the washroom to clean up before we ate.
At the lunch table were me, Daylen, Kissa, Eva, Kayle, and Yamada. The guys were teasing me about not beating my brother even once.
— "Don't worry Jamros, I didn't beat Eva even once either. Big sis is so strong."
Giving a shy little laugh Eva says — "B-but you did very well today, you're getting closer to beating me," says Eva with a timid voice.
She was 15 years old and for a girl, quite tall, about the same height as Daylen. Her hair was short and purple, she had round glasses, and her eyes were light blue. She always had on black pants and a black long-sleeve shirt, which stood out against her pale skin. She liked big swords, the heavy kind.
— "Kayle lost this time," says Yamada poking him and continued — "Right, right? Hehe." Yamada was 12 years old, at the 2nd level of Qi Gathering. He kept his hair back in a small ponytail so it wouldn't get in his eyes, which were yellow.
Yamada wore pants and a white shirt with short sleeves. He was good with a bow and arrows, hitting his mark every time. For close combat, Yamada prefers a short sword which he wields with agility, but he's still a beginner. He loves making fun of people, yet he's quick to lend a hand to all. He's kind to me, so I don't mind when he makes fun of me now and then.
— "Silence, you just got lucky, that's all. Humph," says Kayle, dissatisfied. — "At least I managed to beat you 3 times," he says, trying to score a point. His hair was dark green, short, and all over the place. His eyes were brown. He had on dark brown shorts and a green tank top
Kayle, 12 years old, is also at the 2nd level of Qi Gathering. Known for his dexterity in wielding two axes simultaneously. He's got a drive to win, much like Yamada, and he's always on the hunt for tests that push his fighting skills. I kind of understand Kayle, I also like testing myself in a duel.
We ate up our food and kept talking for some time until the teachers told us to head to the class. It was time for the lesson to begin.