The sun hung low over the Arkanveil estate, casting long shadows across the ancient courtyard. Its stone floor, cracked and worn, whispered of a thousand duels long faded into memory. This was where legends had been forged—where warriors of the Arkanveil line had once clashed steel and will.
Today, it would see a new kind of trial.
The boy stood in the center, wooden sword in hand. Not trembling. Not uncertain. Just still.
On the other side stood the storm himself—Grandfather Arkanveil. The retired patriarch. A man said to have cleaved through drake-scale with one arm and stared down demon hordes without flinching. Age had bent his back slightly, but not his presence. His white hair, unbound, flowed behind him like a war banner.
"Are you sure about this, Father?" came the voice of the MC's mother, soft but tinged with worry.
"He asked for it," Grandfather rumbled, eyes locked on the small figure before him. "If a child points his blade at me, I'll answer it—with care."
Lucien's father folded his arms but said nothing. Beside him, Aleron watched intently. Seris bit her lower lip. Caelum was already taking mental notes. And Lyria sat on Elric's shoulders, clapping happily, blissfully unaware of the tension in the air.
---
Lucien took in a slow breath. The wooden sword was well-crafted, balanced—but heavy. Especially for his small frame. Still, his stance was firm, his gaze calm.
He wasn't here to win.
He was here to be seen.
---
Grandfather moved first.
Not fast. Not even serious. A light, sweeping horizontal slash—one that would've been telegraphed to any trained warrior as a feint. But Lucien was no ordinary child.
He didn't flinch. He shifted left, just enough. Let the swing pass within inches. Then he tapped the blade with his own—not to counter, but to understand its weight and rhythm.
The old man raised an eyebrow.
Another strike came, this one angled downward. Lucien stepped back, redirected it with a two-handed parry, and used the recoil to spin away, staying on the outer edge of reach.
"He's… reading him," Aleron whispered.
Seris blinked. "No. He's dancing around him."
The duel continued. It wasn't flashy. There were no spinning moves or dazzling footwork. But there was a sharp, chilling clarity to it. Every move the boy made was calculated. Not a single ounce of energy wasted.
Then it happened.
Lucien shifted in. A ghost-step. Quick. Almost too quick. His wooden blade kissed the side of Grandfather's knee.
Silence. Total, thick, almost suffocating silence.
Then—
A booming laugh. It echoed off the courtyard walls like rolling thunder.
"Well now!" Grandfather exclaimed, stepping back and lowering his sword. "You're a monster in baby skin."
The tension shattered into startled gasps and murmurs.
"Did he just—?"
"He touched him."
"Grandfather didn't go easy, did he?"
"Did you see that step?"
"Is this a Trait manifestation?!"
Lucien simply tilted his head and smiled, eyes wide and innocent. He looked every bit the confused child, as if he'd stumbled into success by sheer accident.
Let them wonder. Let them build stories.
It was better this way.
---
Later, in the privacy of the Grand Hall's study, Grandfather sat across from him, nursing a cup of bitter herb tea.
"You knew what you were doing," he said simply. It wasn't a question.
Lucien said nothing.
"I've seen genius. I've raised it, trained it, buried it. But you—" the old man leaned forward, his lion eyes narrowing, "—you're hiding something."
Lucien met his gaze, utterly unafraid.
A pause. Then the boy whispered, "I just… want to be strong enough to protect everyone."
The truth. Cloaked in innocence.
Grandfather stared a moment longer, then grunted. "You speak like someone who's already lost something."
Lucien didn't reply. He didn't need to.
Grandfather's expression softened. Just a little.
"Fine. Keep your secrets, shadow cub. But know this—your family isn't blind. Especially not me."
He sipped his tea. "When you're ready to show your claws, I expect to see fangs too."
---
> [Duel Experience Gained: Swordplay Lv 4 → Lv 5 (110/3000)]
[Instinctive Combat Lv 1 Acquired]
[Recognition Milestone: "Acknowledged by a Veteran"]
[+5% EXP Gain when training with a seasoned warrior]
---
By evening, rumors had already spread across the estate.
The child prodigy had dueled the lion of Arkanveil and drawn first blood.
Some said he had divine favor.
Others whispered of a rare awakened Trait.
None guessed the truth—that behind the boy's soft smile was a memory older than the man who tested him.
As he stood watching the sun dip behind the horizon, Lucien let out a quiet breath.
One step closer.
He'd earned Grandfather's interest. Now came the hard part—earning his silence.
But that would come later.
For now, he turned and ran toward Lyria, who was waving at him excitedly with sticky fingers and half a tart in her mouth.
He laughed, truly and openly.
The monster in baby skin still had time to be a child.
And that was part of the plan.