Time continued to flow, as it was wont to do, and the boy aged alongside it. He spent his time on a fair slew of activities. Each of his mornings, even those where he had plans for the rest of the day such as attending festivals or attending the town with either of his parents, were filled with martial training. He continued to work on his swordsmanship daily, and his father continued to teach him how to use a spear. Both were common weapons for the guard alongside bows; the boy didn’t have any interest in firing arrows.

  After training, Lios had a few things he liked to do. He would either hang out with Rose, listening to her music as he relaxed and studied, go play with Brioche, or study with his mother. He had graduated from basic Elvish and was now learning Dwarvish as well.

  She always found new books for him to read, having access to the library, and he learned a vast number of subjects. Of late, however, he requested books on magic with increasing frequency, not caring as much for the books regarding history or mythos.

  The books about magic were, as expected, rudimentary. They touched on the basis of what magic could do, and even had some tips for getting started with magic, but they did not go into any details. There was nothing along the lines of spells or enchantments, nor were there any instructions on how to learn them or create them. They spoke, however, about the types of spells and the various mediums that were used to craft or cast them.

  First, and most popular, there were incantations. These were preferred by combat mages across the nation as they were relatively quick to recite, at least on the lower levels, and could be aided by other mages in order to make the spells more effective. They still took time to cast, resulting in most wizards running around with an entourage of warriors to protect them while they used their devastating magic.

  The second method, less popular but still used by many adventurers and combat mages, was inscriptions. A wizard could write the spell on treated materials and release it at their leisure, but it took a great deal of concentration to prevent the spell from dissipating or casting. Of course, inscriptions could be used mid-combat, but they took time and mental energy to create, especially in a high-stress situation, so they were typically used by non-combatants or support casters who could stay in the back. Inscriptions could also be used for temporary enchantments in most cases or, at the expense of time, resources and materials, could be used to create permanent enchantments, but these were fairly expensive. This was the most popular method of enchanting, though, and for good reason. It was one of the easiest to learn, and despite the costs, it was efficient once one became proficient at it.

  Music, songs, were a solid third option for casting and one that Lios deeply considered while reading about it one night. After spending time with Rose, hearing her singing and the twang of her lute strings while she played always brought a smile and comfort to the boy. Music as a casting medium typically produced support skills and created spells that ramped up over time rather than held a specific amount of power at the time of the cast. These spells also largely took into account the caster's emotions and were far more intuitive than the other methods, which were all technical and refined. Finding bards who could cast combat spells wasn’t impossible, but they were more often support casters or even healers of a sort.

  The main reason Lios didn’t want to learn to cast via music was that he knew he would be a combat wizard. The second was that music could not be used to enchant an item, or at least no one had found a way to do so according to the texts he was reading. While Lios wouldn’t be devastated to be unable to enchant gear, he would be a bit frustrated at it, so he figured it was best to take skills that would eventually allow him to if possible.

  It was with this in mind that he found a fourth method of spell-casting, the least popular in Jorial. It was in a dusty book wedged in the back of a shelf at the library when he visited with his mother. A book about runes. Similar to inscriptions, they could be prepared in advance and used to cast spells. They were a written language of magic. The book posited that no one in the modern age knew where runes came from or who created them, but they were an ancient language that wielded power even without aether being poured into them. The reason they were not used was that they were incredibly finicky, requiring precision to successfully cast a spell with them. The dwarves tended to use runes to enchant, but smiths and enchanters in Jorial had not found the way they did this as yet.

  As far as the book implied, there were no wizards who focused on rune craft for spell-casting given its propensity to backfire if even one of the runes was not written exactly correctly. It seemed to indicate that even the dwarves stayed away from using runes in combat, though that was likely due to the importance they placed on warriors wielding weapons and not magic. Magical weapons, however, were fine.

  One of the biggest differences between runes and inscriptions was that the latter used only the caster’s mana or mana syphoned from crystals to cast their spells, while runes called on the mana from the environment as well as from the user. They could be cast using only their wielder's mana if needed, but runes spoke to the world, which was one of the reasons they had to be so exact. how exactly this all worked, Lios was unsure.

  In Lios’s mind, runes were the obvious choice. Sure, they were difficult to use at times, especially in high-stress situations, but with enough practice that difficulty could vanish. The most important thing was whether he could figure out how to enchant with them. There were few dwarves within Arborton, and not one of them was a smith, so he would have to learn to enchant with them on his own. To him though, that felt like a worthy risk.

  It was nearing his seventh birthday when he finally made the choice, having spent much of the afternoon rereading the rudimentary introduction to runes from the library with Roses’ music flitting through his ears. Another spring with another tepid winter having just passed him by. He chewed his lip as he set the book down beside his training sword and bath supplies. Rose’s music faded as she finished the latest song, finally managing to make it through its entirety. She had turned nine only a few months ago and yet already had more calluses on her hands than most of the adults Lios saw in town.

  “What are you thinking about so hard, LiLi?” she asked in a slightly teasing voice, pushing herself off of her root and taking a glance up at the sky. The sun was readying to set, so they would have to start going home soon.

  Lios looked up as well, sighing. “Oh, just my future, I ‘spose.”

  “Very informative. What about it?” She slung her lute across her back, the pegbox of the short stringed instrument nearly touching the rocks beneath her feet. Under her arm went her notebook as Lios also rose with the groan of an old man and gathered his items as well.

  “I think I've finally decided what I want to try to learn next. I’m just trying to figure out how to do it.” He sighed again and then smiled at her. “Forget about that for a moment! You were finally able to play the whole song perfectly. That was amazing!”

  “It wasn’t perfect; it was-”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “But did you make any mistakes?”

  “It was supposed to be faster and -”

  “Bah, music isn’t set in stone. I liked your version better!” Lios said playfully, interrupting the girl again. A pink flush washed over her gently tanned cheeks.

  “You haven't even heard the real version, have you?” She saw he was about to interrupt again, so she sped up her words. “No, no, you haven't, you said so yourself!”

  Lios chuckled at her exasperation as they started down the trail, enjoying each other's company. The banter continued a bit before they emerged from the forest, the trees breaking away to a clear field and a few dozen homes. They bid each other goodbye and turned to their own abodes, meandering away from each other. As he walked away, Lios hummed the song she had been singing to himself. It was some drinking song and admittedly very catchy, something he could imagine warriors toasting to in a tavern after a victory.

  He found his way into his house, leaving his training sword beside the spear by his bed before heading over to see if his mother needed any help in the kitchen. Dinner was already close to being fully prepared, white fish with some crispy white vegetables that looked like asparagus and some mashed potatoes filled with garlic that was on the edge of going bad. He helped his mother plate it and set it on the table just moments before their door opened to reveal Ezekiel, whose armor looked a touch worse for wear and whose hand was wrapped.

  “Zeke, what happened? Are you okay?” Elaine asked as she rushed over to him, a soft golden glow erupting from her right hand as she held his wrist with the other hand.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine. Broke a finger though trying to help Rich dislodge his wagon from the ground. Wound up spooking his bulls and got pulled flat on my face. My hand was caught on the wood when they rushed forward, but otherwise I’m fine.” He explained as she gingerly unwrapped his hand. She sent a rush of healing magic into it once the swollen flesh was revealed, and Lios watched in amazement as the swelling ebbed, the wound healing.

  It hadn’t been so long ago that she couldn’t heal a broken bone. It seemed her side job at the temple had worked wonders for her growth in healing magic.

  “Wow, Mom, that's incredible! You’ve improved your magic so much!” Lios exclaimed, genuinely excited and proud of his mother.

  “I should hope so. I’ve spent so much time at the temple the last couple of years. It wouldn’t make much sense if I stayed the same.” She said flippantly, though Lios still caught the small smile that graced her lips as she turned away to finish setting the table. She brought over three glasses, two with mead and one with a delicious fruit juice.

  “Too true. Thank you, sweetheart!” Zeke said with a smile, turning his focus down to the meal before him.

  The family spent the next few minutes digging into the fish and sides, their mouths too full for anything but simple conversation. They of course talked about their days, idly chatting as they ate, as Lios worked up the courage to make his next request. It was only when there was a lull in both eating and talking that he decided to speak up.

  “Hey Mom, Dad, there’s something I wanted to ask. Would it be possible for me to earn some coin? Maybe I could clean at the tailor you work at, Mom, or the barracks?” He looked hopefully at his parents, blushing slightly. He was too young to get a real job, but doing odd jobs was still feasible. It didn’t take a class to sweep and wipe down counters, after all.

  Elaine took a moment to reply, amusement twinkling in her eyes. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief before speaking. “Now, what could you possibly need money for, Lios?”

  Lios did not miss the chuckle in her voice. The last time, when he had asked his father to teach him swordsmanship, had come with some amusement as well from his parents, so he was not overly surprised to hear it again now.

  He opened his mouth to say something, to respond and provide all the reasons he had been preparing for the sales pitch, but his father held up a hand as he also chuckled. “You know, whatever you tell us you need it for is probably going to convince us to help you out, so we might as well get into the details first. You want or need money for something that costs more than you feel comfortable asking us for. You’d rather get a job of sorts than just ask for the money.”

  Lios couldn’t help but feel a bit miffed at realizing how easy he was to read. No longer were his parents completely confounded by his existence, truly a travesty.

  Elaine nodded along with his words, smiling as she leaned back and took a sip of mead. “I’ll ask around at both the tailor and the temple, see if they need an errand or chore boy.”

  “I’ll talk to Max and see if we can’t get you in the barracks washing our armor and sharpening our weapons a couple days a week. Should net you a few extra silver a week. Would that be enough?”

  “I don’t know for sure; I want to save enough money for a couple of books...” Lios muttered, but he nodded with resolve and looked back at his parents with a smile. “I was hoping to buy a book on runes. I'll probably have to wait until next year's spring festival though, when all the merchants come through.”

  “Runes? We could always check the library instead of having to purchase a book.” Elaine suggested, though she sounded doubtful. “Aren’t you trying to become a swordsman? Why do you need runes?”

  “Well, the truth is I want to become a blacksmith as well as a swordsman. I can have a second class, after all.” Lios said sheepishly. He wasn’t sure why he felt embarrassed by the relatively minor confession, but he did. Perhaps it was due to the deviation from swordsmanship; he didn’t want his parents to think he had changed his mind.

  “And what do runes have to do with smithing?” His father asked as he tapped his fingers on the oak table. The pitter-patter tapping was loud; they felt louder than they should have. Accompanying them was a heart thudding in Lios’s chest, his anxiety spiking. He didn’t know what he’d do if his parents decided to push for a different path for him. He had overheard enough conversations regarding their displeasure at his current activities, and at his wanting to be an adventurer.

  His mother in particular wanted to push him towards a safer profession, though neither parent had tried to discourage him from planning his own future. They would ask questions, give advice, and the like, but they hadn’t tried to dissuade him just yet, and he was hoping today would not be the day they started.

  “Runes can be used for enchanting. They make better enchantments than component-based and inscription-based enchantments, even though they are harder to use.” Lios swallowed his nerves and spoke matter-of-factly.

  “Makes sense, but make sure you aren't biting off more than you can chew. We know you are ambitious, but don't allow that ambition to drown you with concepts that are beyond your level, okay, Lios?” his mother said slowly, expressing her concern without shutting down Lios’s excitement.

  They really are good parents. Lios thought with a pang of guilt. One thing that had bothered him since being born with memories of his past, dull as they had become over the years, was whether his soul had taken the rightful place of someone else's. If they would have had a different son with a different personality, if he had removed their chance at a normal child.

  Lios shook himself of the thoughts. He had already resolved to tell them everything someday, and he still would, but that day was not today. “I won’t, Mom, don’t worry. I have a plan.”

  “Of course you do, kiddo.” His father said with a wry chuckle.

  From there, the conversation turned to more mundane things. They chatted about his father’s work, Zeke not going into too much detail regarding the various crimes he helped put a stop to nor the monsters that were seemingly growing restless in the forest. The most notable thing was that a guild was in the process of moving into town.

  Arborton was not large enough for the Adventurer’s Association to set up an office there quite yet, but that didn’t stop adventuring parties from forming their own guilds and making a community for adventurers in less populated areas. They were constricted by the rules the Adventurer’s Association set as well as those of the kingdom but were still an independent entity.

  The guild that was moving in, according to Lios’s father, would only allow their members to take their missions and quests, and they would not allow solo adventurers or parties to pick any up unless they registered. That didn’t stop solo adventurers from taking quests from the townsfolk or mayor, but it did limit them quite a bit.

  Immediately, Lios knew he wouldn’t be joining them. One thing his new life had taught him, or rather that he had decided, was that personal freedom was far more important than most anything else. He didn’t want to join the Iron Tigers and be forced to be stuck in Arborton any longer than he wanted to be. He didn’t dislike it there, but having that restriction would drive him mad. He was determined to work for himself in this life, not to be beholden to another's whims.