Determination

"Why?" Nathanos asked in confusion. "Are gryphons more expensive than these stone walls around us?"

"No." Uther replied, "Gryphons are priceless. The Wildhammer Dwarves do not sell them at all. Besides, warhorses can be trained, but gryphons cannot. From a young age, they must form a bond with their masters, and they only allow their masters to ride on their backs. Training a Gryphon Rider is a long and dangerous process. Among the towering mountains, if the big fellow gets unhappy, it might throw you off at any moment."

"That sounds awful."

Uther chuckled, then lifted Nathanos down from the horse. "I still have some matters to deal with today, Nathanos. Next, you should go find your other instructors."

After parting with Uther, the boy went to find Gudul. He could not wander around here. The courtyard's complicated layout and its many corners made it easy for Nathanos to get lost.

During Kana's chapel lesson, Larein sat with Kasha, but he had no mind for the lesson. He had heard that Nathanos had become Uther's apprentice. He was not jealous; he was happy for Nathanos. What angered him, however, was a rumor he had heard over the past few days—that Nathanos had written all sorts of flattering things about Uther on his answer sheet, which was why Uther had taken a liking to him.

"It must have been that guy Gray," Larein said. Kasha glanced at him, then lowered her head and continued reading.

"He must be jealous of Nathanos. He's spreading rumors everywhere because he wants more people to hate Nathanos."

Kasha sighed. Neither she nor Larein had won their bet; Nathanos had ultimately chosen Alchemy. "What does it matter? As long as we know Nathanos is innocent."

"Of course it matters. More and more people will misunderstand him, and it'll only make that guy Gray even more arrogant. I heard he's recently been learning some kind of magic from Kaishius again. He's probably getting ready to take revenge on Nathanos." As Larein spoke, he looked toward Gray, who was seated in the front row.

After thinking for a while, Kasha said, "Nathanos has Lord Uther protecting him now. Gray can't do anything to him. You're worrying too much."

"Who says so?" Larein became a little angry. "Nathanos is my good friend. Of course I have to help him. I have to find out what Gray plans to do next. Do you have any clues?"

"Me?" Kasha looked at Larein strangely. How could she possibly have any clues? The boy in front of her was looking at her as though she were a criminal.

"I only heard from others that Gray's guild has recently been recruiting children from wealthy families."

"Ha, what a snob," Larein mocked. "He's probably going to be those children's bodyguard."

Kasha looked at him teasingly. "Don't you look like Nathanos's bodyguard right now too?"

"Nathanos and I share a sincere friendship. There's no money involved."

Larein's words made Kasha freeze. She missed Nathanos a little too—the boy who had saved her. And she had many questions she wanted to ask him, such as what Lordaeron Palace was really like.

Night fell, and Nathanos emerged from Gudul's Blacksmith aching all over. He had even more bruises on his body now, and every step sent pain through him. Gudul had taught Nathanos many moves today, but before that, he had made him hold up a sword for two hours. Gudul had told him to stop when he got used to it.

After returning home, Nathanos sat on his bed and read. He had borrowed many books from the royal library, covering a wide variety of subjects, including Geology and Climate Relations, Alchemy and Secret Potions Manual, Relations with Dwarves and Elves, and a new book Nathanos needed to study, Sauras language. He was reading that book now. It even described pronunciation in detail.

"Vendel'o eranu," Nathanos read aloud from the book. There was an annotation afterward, but even after reading it, he did not understand why such a phrase existed. It meant, "Help me forget."

"Can someone else even help you with that?" Nathanos laughed. He was deeply captivated by the Elves' language. He read until dawn, and even though his entire body had gone numb, he did not put the book down. Only when Jonathan reminded him to eat breakfast did he realize it was morning. Yet he was still full of energy, as if he had endless strength. Today, however, he had plenty of free time. Gudul had temporarily gone to Sepulcher, Uther had gone to Hearthglen, and Kana had taken the students out for an excursion. It was an activity. Nathanos went alone to Lordaeron Palace. The guards let him pass as soon as they saw him. Uther had instructed them that he could come and go freely. In truth, Nathanos had never seen the palace in its entirety. His impression of it consisted of only two places: the training grounds and the library, which were quite close to each other. Since Uther was absent, he went straight to the library.

The bookshelves there stood more than twice his height. Sometimes Nathanos had to stand on tiptoe to take books from them.

"The Wandering Ranger?" Nathanos found a book with its title written in the human language. Only after looking through it for quite a while did he realize it was a storybook, telling of an Elf Ranger who had traveled thousands of miles to save his fellow people. This time, the spark buried deep within Nathanos's heart ignited once more.

"Ranger," he murmured. His eyes turned toward the library window, as if he were standing in a forest himself, atop the treetops, wearing a cloak suited for hiding in such an environment. The bow and arrow in his hands were always at the ready. The slightest rustle could draw his attention. No enemy could escape his sight. He would protect his homeland and his family to the death. Nathanos lowered his head and looked at the word "Ranger" in the book.

Rangers must earn the Ranger-General's recognition.

Elves are proud. They would never share the glory that belongs to them with other races.

Gudul's words kept replaying in Nathanos's mind. Each repetition was like another arrow shooting into him. He was enraged!

"I'll become someone even stronger than a Ranger!"

He shouted. It did not matter whether anyone heard him. He was saying it for himself.

"What is a Ranger?" A pleasant, innocent voice sounded beside Nathanos's ear. His eyes widened, and a surge of emotion rose inside him. It was not happiness, but anger. The question was familiar. He remembered now. When he had first gone to the chapel, a child had once asked Kaishius that very question.

What is a Ranger?

The pride of Quel'Thalas. Their combat ability is unmatched.

Unmatched combat ability? Nathanos began to mock Kaishius from the bottom of his heart. He would prove Kaishius wrong.

"Why aren't you answering me?"

Nathanos turned around. He had been so absorbed that he had not even noticed someone had arrived. And it was a child—a little girl several years younger than him, staring at him like he was a fool for standing still. The girl had delicate features and a pure white dress. The flower wreath on her head had clearly been made recently; its petals were still fresh.

"They're a bunch of useless people." Nathanos threw down those words, dropped the book in his hand, and ran out.

Jaina was startled by his rudeness. She walked over and picked up the book. It was a storybook she had read before, and the Elf Ranger in it was a hero. "They clearly aren't," she said, her blue eyes fixed on the doorway.

From that day onward, Nathanos stopped mentioning Rangers. He began to look down on them. Rangers were the glory Elves took pride in, but Nathanos wanted to prove one thing: that glory was nothing special. This thought also caused him to develop a resentment toward Elves as a race. Every time he saw an Elf, he became irritated. He did not understand why. Perhaps it reminded him of Gray again. Kaishius had taught Gray magic. He was an Elf.

Today's second update.