It's always a surprise how fast an overturn of events can be.
Just like the mountains, with clear blue sky suddenly giving a great downpour of rain, or how a sea will always pull its water backwards before a tidal wave comes.
These sudden changes will often be accompanied by a warning, and for this one, the warning comes in the form of a primal threat screaming into the mind of the receiver of an attack, one of the finest swords of the Kyrios Empire, the Sword Dragon, his instinct screaming at him to move away as much as he can before the edge of the young man's sword connects to himself.
'There's no use in parrying this.'
Despite knowing full well that he can move just fast enough to realign his armament and divert the trajectory of the sword once again, there's something screaming in Arthur's mind not to do so, his body automatically moving according to this warning that forces him to take a step back before having a good, long look at the arc formed by his son's slash.
"Beautiful"
He mutters to himself as he look at the dragon soaring from the ground all the way to the skies, a wry smile on his face as he realizes that that slash, had it not been for his body following his own instinct, will shatter the sword in his hand, a sword that is already teetering on the brink of being shattered like glass, cracks littered all across its structure as if it had gone through a lot of beating from the short exchange between the two of them alone.
"Well, how did I do, old man?"
Feeling quite shocked as well seeing that the armament in his hand, the sword, or rather, what was left of it, creates such a sharp slash even without the reinforcement of spirit energy, Argus couldn't help but ask, staring at the war veteran in front of him who is still taking his time admiring such a clean, sharp motion with the sword.
Snapping out of his admiration as he heard the young man's question however, he immediately returns to his normal self, a confident, or rather, proud smile on his face as he explodes into a fit of amused laughter, his mind now starting to look forward to the waves that this child of his will make during his time in the empire's greatest academy.
"Hahaha!! Great!! Truly Great!! If you're like this, entry to the academy is a certainty."
The father said as he approached in front of his child, the large, rugged hand patting the young man's shoulders seemingly in an encouraging manner, the flames of competition in the swordsman's eyes seemingly burning even greater than before, almost as if he had discovered yet another reason for him to continue forging himself.
And with that contact between the two of them, there seems to be a moment of awkward silence before noise ensues once again, this time, the voice coming out of the father, or rather, the master of the household, quite serious as he looked at his aide.
"Alaric, would you mind going ahead and preparing the office?"
At the drop of those words, the aide immediately bowed and departed from the courtyard, giving the father and son some time for themselves.
"Old man?"
Looking at the serious gaze that his father is giving, Argus couldn't help but wonder why is it that he wants the two of them to be alone, that serious expression immediately changing into a faint smile after a while of what seems to be the father checking everything about his own son, that smile, along with the words that came out of his mouth, reminding the son of something important.
"You've grown a lot, Argus, so much that it feels like you're my son and yet you're no longer that Argus anymore…"
There's a faint sense of nostalgic melancholy in the old father's voice as he stares at the young man in front of him. This show of emotion, seemingly uncharacteristic of the calm and composed Sword Dragon, made the son feel so moved that words stuck in his throat and refused to come out as he tried to speak.
"Old man, I…"
"Forget about it, boy, a man ought to have some secrets for himself, you tell this old man of yours if you can, and while you still can't, you can keep it for yourself…"
The father said as he returns to patting the young man's shoulders, the young man's eyes threatening to shed tears but refuses as he felt like he shouldn't, but deep inside, he feels like for the first time since he had returned from that nightmare of a future, from that hellish landscape and life, he truly returned home, to the ones who he can trust with his back the most.
"Thank you, old man."
The young man, no, the greatest supreme to ever exist, the one who spreads the seed of terror and showed and ultimate display of might, even with all of his several millennia of experience, couldn't help but struggle not to shed a genuine tear of relief as he heard those words, his fists clenched tightly as he made a decision, taking the first step to telling the truth.
"I can't tell everything right now, old man, but I can start with the important things."
After regaining some semblance of composure after that, Argus then said in a serious tone that made his father wonder just what is it that made the young man act like that, only for him to get all the more confused as the young man reached out to something in his pockets, taking out a wooden slip with something carved onto it, strokes and lines that he couldn't quite comprehend.
"There is… a better path than mana, old man, and if you're ready to know about that path, just crush that wooden slip."
There are no more words that need to be said as the father, who is still currently feeling quite shocked by the words of his son, just kept the wooden slip for himself right now, once again patting him on the back as he nods, seemingly saying that he will do so sooner or later, but not right now.
"…ah yes, let this old man of yours clarify, while it is true that I feel pity that you're no longer the you in the past, I am also glad, since it feels like you've grown out of that shell, ready to spread your wings."
As the old father said those words, he also decided that it was time to do his own thing and leave his child to his own devices. After all, the young man is already old enough to live for himself, and right now, there seem to be things that he wants to do all by his lonesome as well.
"Kids really do grow extremely fast, my Alissa."
As the father walks along the corridor towards his own office, he couldn't help but murmur to himself, looking at the young man who is still wielding his sword, polishing himself even underneath that hot morning sun, his dedication can be felt with each precise, powerful swing that just makes the father feel like he is back to his younger years again.