First Battle

The dwarf blinked six times in quick succession as he stared at him. Beer foam still clung to his sideburns beneath his beard; the blacksmith shop's walls were bare, and the clock ticked away. The blueprint snatched from Nathanos's hands had been crumpled into a ball in his grip.

Nathanos's hands slowly stiffened, and his lips trembled slightly. He wanted to say something, but he could not open his mouth. He did not know what the message in his eyes meant, yet his consciousness seemed to have separated from his body, able to function on its own.

Gudul's consciousness has not awakened. There are no orders in the blacksmith shop, which means he has no work today and is resting. That blueprint is not something important to him, so he is not holding it carefully.

Nathanos choked back a sob. What was he supposed to do now? No voice offered him an answer this time, as though it were waiting for him to make the decision himself.

Gudul remained standing, swaying slightly like the rocking chair behind him. His consciousness was not awake. He was still resting.

Nathanos suddenly shoved hard. The dwarf let out an indistinct grunt and fell into the rocking chair, his eyes closing. Before long, snores filled the blacksmith shop.

The boy let out a breath and gradually relaxed. He pried Gudul's fingers apart and removed the blueprint. After studying it carefully, he began drawing on another sheet of paper.

Several hours later, Gudul woke up. He rubbed his eyes dazedly. The blacksmith shop was empty, but he could not shake the feeling that someone had come by. The beer bottles lay listlessly on the floor, divided into two groups.

"It was probably Jonathan," Gudul muttered, clutching his forehead.

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Nathanos did not relax. Instead, he remained excited. The blueprint in his arms occupied every nerve in his body, and before he knew it, he had wandered somewhere unfamiliar again—a riverside spot at a street corner.

This place was nice too, quiet and peaceful. Nathanos sat by the riverbank and looked at his reflection in the water. The still surface temporarily calmed his emotions. He lowered his head a little, wanting to see clearly what he truly looked like. His thoughts returned to several days earlier.

During a previous lesson, Kana had tested every child's affinity for the Holy Light. Kasha's results had been the best. When the girl began to pray, a soft white beam descended above her, drawing cries of surprise and envy from the other children. Even Larein, who liked talking to Nathanos, possessed some affinity for the Holy Light. Nathanos alone had performed worst out of everyone. He had not been able to make even the faintest light appear on his body. He still could not forget the regretful, awkward smile on Kana's face.

"The Holy Light... doesn't... want me?"

Any power bestowed upon someone is not the user's own power. Power can be controlled, and it can also be created.

What? Nathanos's pupils widened slightly. He stared at his reflection in the water, feeling as if the him before his eyes were speaking to himself. "Power... can be... created?"

The boy was somewhat confused. As time passed, more and more thoughts flashed through his mind.

Only power created by oneself belonged to oneself; created power was unique; power did not necessarily need to be destructive or enhancing—practicality was what mattered most.

"Power... created... unique... practical?" Cold sweat appeared on Nathanos's forehead. His entire body suddenly lost its strength, and he sank to the ground, unable to get back up.

What did these words mean?

His gaze accidentally fell on the two blueprints in his arms. His intuition told him the answer was in them. He raised his head and watched the lingering glow of the setting sun for a while. After resting a little, the boy stood and slowly made his way home.

Dinner was buttered bread with jam. After quickly finishing it, Nathanos locked himself in his room as usual, lit a candle, and began studying the things that interested him.

Kaishius's blueprint did not answer how to make a bow and arrow. Instead, it explained several requirements for archery.

1. One needed the arm strength to freely draw the bowstring.

2. One needed to maintain shooting distance.

3. One needed a good shooting position.

Nathanos realized that to meet the second and third requirements, he first needed to possess the first. Besides, he did not even have a bow and arrow of his own.

So the boy focused on the second blueprint. It was not Gudul's blueprint, but the copy he had made.

The drawing explained in detail that making this bow and arrow required a material called Redwood. Nathanos remembered seeing this kind of wood in the book on mineral deposits Gudul had given him. Redwood had appeared in the background of the picture of Tin Ore from Quel'Thalas.

"Quel... Tha... las?" It took Nathanos a great deal of effort to pronounce the awkward name. What kind of place was it? The boy remembered Kaishius describing his homeland before, but the Elf had mixed a great deal of personal bias into his words, so they could not be entirely trusted.

Could I go to Quel'Thalas?

With that question in mind, Nathanos drifted into sleep. Ever since the day he was born, whenever his consciousness entered dormancy, a voice would whisper to him and tell him many things. Sometimes it told him things without prompting; other times, it gave him the answers to questions he wished to know.

The boy lay quietly on his bed. Once every muscle in his body relaxed, his thoughts grew heavy, as if they had left his flesh and become impossible to control.

If this was a dream, then images had already appeared within it. The setting was Marius Farm. After lingering there briefly, the view began to shift, changing rapidly as though someone were running without pause.

It passed along several main roads outside Marius Farm, heading straight toward a northern city called Storsom. The image finally stopped before the forest outside the city. As before, it only lingered briefly, as though allowing the owner of this consciousness to memorize the scene before him.

The "journey" was not over. From the edge of the forest into its depths, emerald trees gradually gave way to red and gold, like a paradise beyond the mortal world. Before a checkpoint within that paradise, red banners shone brighter than the sun. The Elves stationed there all held bows and arrows, wore cloaks, and stood straight as they watched the situation beyond the checkpoint.

Their attire was exactly as Kaishius had described Rangers...

Nathanos saw them... saw those people. His excitement reactivated every inch of muscle in his body, waking him up. Without even bothering to put on shoes, he walked barefoot to his writing desk, took out a pen, and began drawing on paper.