Part 12 – The Legendary Master
He pulled off his mask and lowered his cloak.
I couldn't believe it! Ziar the Legendary!?
Ziar: "Hello, I'm Ziar."
Blessings of the *ians upon the great master Ziar the Legendary.
It was Father who greeted him.
Father: "I'm so honored to see you In this humble place—someone like you, so deeply favored by the Goddess and the *ians."
Then he gestured for us to greet Ziar.
All three of us: "Greetings to the great master Ziar."
With my head bowed, I glanced up at Ziar the Legendary.
Just like the books described—gray hair, short white beard, stunning silver eyes. His face had a unique majesty.
Ziar: "Is this the boy you mentioned in your letter?"
Father: "Yes, Master Ziar the Legendary. Is something wrong?"
Ziar: "No, just… he's far from what I imagined. Anyway, let's go—we've got a lot to do."
Far from what he imagined?
What did he expect—a ten-year-old boy like me to look like what?
Whatever. The Church had sent someone to train me.
And who was It?
Ziar the Legendary himself—who, like me, had wind magic.
He was born 26 years ago, and until then, no one had ever been born with wind magic.
Not much was known about Ziar's family—only that he was the hero of the Third Wall War, a champion and symbol of the Church.
He was one of the key figures who trained and supported the hero throughout the story.
Finally, we reached the place prepared for my training.
It was behind the Church, hidden by trees from everyone's view.
There were two chairs—one for Ziar, and one for Sister Patolina, who would heal any injuries from training.
Ziar gestured for Father and Grandfather to leave.
Once they were gone, he stepped into the center of the field and struck the ground hard—summoning a five-pointed star.
Ziar motioned for me to step into the center of the star and close my eyes.
He placed his hand on my head.
I felt a force surrounding me.
After a few seconds, he lifted his hand.
Ziar: "Just as I thought."
He stepped back and circled around me.
Ziar: "Let's see if you can imagine a whirlwind."
I did as he said—closed my eyes and imagined a whirlwind.
A powerful current surged through my body—something I'd never felt before.
In the darkness of my mind and behind my closed eyes, a silver flame erupted—intensely, like fire whipped by wind, growing stronger every second.
I don't know what happened, but I felt my body lift off the ground.
Sister Patolina: "Great Goddess, what's happening?!"
Then I felt my body being controlled by someone.
And I descended.
I fell to my knees and felt a hand placed on my head.
It was like electricity flowed out of me, and the flame vanished from my eyes.
I struggled to open my eyes—tears had welled up.
I blinked several times until I saw Ziar and Sister Patolina standing over me, worried.
Sister Patolina helped me to my feet.
Ziar: "Just as I suspected—you don't know how to summon magic… or even sense it."
"You've never been taught proper summoning or incantation."
"You should've started meditation and discipline a year ago, and read several books on magic. But unfortunately, you've done none of that."
"You're now a year behind nobles—and even commoners. That means your training will take longer, from three years to four. And that delays your preparation for the goal the Church has set for you."
"The Imperial Elite Academy! That's your goal. But sadly, you haven't received the training you should've had. However, I…"
"…You what, Master?"
Ziar: "I'll train you hard enough to reach your goal. So much so that you won't even need books. And I'll make up for your lost year. But you must make a vow."
I dropped to my knees.
"I vow, Master…"
Ziar: "No—listen first, then vow. Because in the Church, a vow must be honored for life."
"In this training, you must be extremely disciplined. If you're not, you'll be punished. You must obey me. You must never act out of despair—or you'll be punished. You may even die during these three years of training. But you'll reach your goal. Do you vow?"
"I, Tom Breach, as a servant of the Goddess and the *ians, a humble soul of the Church, vow to fulfill my promise even at the cost of my life."
Ziar: "Very well. Your training for the Imperial Elite Academy begins now."
And so, the hard training began.
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