Heir of the Lost Wish

Night after night, fierce battles raged on. Hiroshi no longer held back, pushing Lucian's body and mind to their limits. The gap in strength remained vast, but with each duel, Lucian learned.

One night, as they sat around the fire under a starry sky, Lucian broke the silence, his voice tired yet curious:

"How was my father?"

Hiroshi, until then absorbed in the flames, lifted his gaze slightly toward him.

"During training, he was there… but outside of that, he wasn't home much. I don't know much about him," Lucian admitted.

A nostalgic smile crossed Hiroshi's lips. His gaze drifted into the past, and he spoke in a softer tone than usual:

"Hector… I've known him for twenty years."

He paused. His features tensed slightly, as if speaking those words transported him to another time.

"The first time we met…"

**The memory took hold of him.**

A dusty training ground. The clash of blades echoed through the dry air. A young boy, his black hair slicked with sweat, struggled to rise after a brutal fall. He was frail, his breath short, his bloodied hands striking the air relentlessly.

"Again."

The boy clenched his jaw, ignored the pain, and picked up his sword. His legs trembled, but his gaze burned with fierce determination.

**Back to the present.**

Hiroshi ran a hand over his neck, a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

"He was weak… at first. Not a prodigy like you. But he never backed down. No matter how many times he fell, he got back up. Again and again."

Lucian listened in silence, absorbed by the samurai's words.

"He eventually climbed the ranks," Hiroshi continued, "until he became the prince's shield. You could say he was a genius in his own way."

Hiroshi lifted his eyes to the sky.

"I still remember the first time we fought side by side. He stood at the front, alone, while we were at our limits. A colossus of iron, unyielding, his broad back nearly blocking out the daylight."

"The enemy struck without pause, but Hector didn't move. Every blow that should have reached us was absorbed by his body of steel."

Hiroshi took a deep breath before sighing.

"That was your father, Lucian. A man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders without ever bending."

Lucian felt his chest tighten. He had never known this side of his father. To him, Hector had been a strict mentor, a firm and demanding man. But hearing these words, seeing the nostalgia in Hiroshi's eyes…

It was like discovering a stranger.

Hiroshi let out a small, almost bitter laugh.

"And now, here I am, facing his son."

He picked up a piece of wood and tossed it into the fire. The flames flickered for a moment.

Lucian remained silent for a while, his gaze lost in the gently crackling flames. Then, in a calm voice, he asked:

"How did he die?"

Hiroshi didn't answer immediately. His expression hardened slightly. After a brief sigh, he finally spoke in a grave tone:

"It was during the war against Baltran. At the time, we weren't in the same place… Hector was with the prince, while my cohort was leading the assault elsewhere. The battle was a success… but when I heard of his death, I didn't believe it. Hector was the last person I could imagine falling on a battlefield."

Lucian lowered his eyes. He knew Baltran. He had seen the name written on maps in the village library. The world was divided into four continents, separated by vast seas. The kingdom of Baltran, located in the northwest, was by far the most unstable, a nation forged in conflict, where war never truly ceased. Elden, in the southwest, Zahar, in the southeast, and Nirvana, in the northeast, completed the world as he knew it.

Hiroshi studied Lucian for a moment before asking:

"Do you know the Path of Ascension?"

Lucian nodded.

"Yes, I've read about it. I know that at 16, the body becomes capable of forming a Nexus, the catalyst for soul essence… mana, in other words. After forming their Nexus, a person becomes an Awakened, then progresses through several stages of power. Each stage is divided into three levels, so a third-grade Awakened reaches a rather impressive level. Then comes the rank of Master, a rare being capable of changing the course of a battle alone. But even they are nothing compared to the Sages, true living calamities. Only a handful exist in the world. Then there's the rank of Emperor—only three exist, beings closer to the Divine than the Mortal, capable of affecting the entire environment with their mere presence. Finally, there are the ranks of Chosen and Divine. No human has ever reached these final stages, but legends say that, long ago, some did."

Hiroshi nodded and added:

"Once you become Awakened, you develop your Awakening Ability. Mine, for example, is linked to the wind. But instead of simply creating wind, I control it around me. Many people can have the same Awakening Ability, but it all depends on what you do with it, what you wish to accomplish with it. It depends on the person, their desires, their intentions…"

As he spoke, Hiroshi gave Lucian a sharp, almost piercing look.

Before Lucian could react, a violent gust of wind suddenly surged around him, propelling him backward with such force that he had to struggle to keep his balance.

In his mind, a thought echoed:

*What do you wish to do…*

The next moment, the wind calmed as suddenly as it had appeared, and Hiroshi stared at him in silence, waiting for his reaction.

Intrigued, Lucian asked another question:

"And my father's ability? Could he turn his body into steel? Or maybe grow giant?"

Hiroshi replied:

"Your father was a first-grade Master, and his Awakening Ability was a bit more subtle than that," he said with a smile. "He could control steel. He had complete mastery over the metal around him. Of course, he could make his own body incredibly tough, but what truly made him powerful was his ability to manipulate steel from his surroundings. An Awakened who relied solely on their blade would stand no chance against him. Hector wasn't just a warrior; he was a true master of metal, able to shape the battlefield to his advantage."

Hiroshi paused for a moment, his gaze turning more nostalgic, more respectful.

"Such power was unmatched on the battlefield. That's why he was a true shield."

Lucian remained silent, absorbing every word. A newfound pride grew within him. He had been just a child when he lost his father, but through Hiroshi's words, he was discovering the man he had truly been.

Days passed, marked by their halts and Hiroshi's relentless training. Each battle, each lesson seemed harder than the last. Yet Lucian felt something changing within him. He didn't know if it was his body growing tougher or his mind awakening.

Then, finally, after crossing a dense forest, they emerged onto a vast golden plain, bathed in the light of the setting sun. Lucian stopped, his breath caught.

In the distance, rising proudly at the heart of the landscape, a majestic city stood, encircled by towering white stone walls. Slender towers pierced the sky, and the last rays of daylight made the rooftops and domes of Edonia shimmer like jewels.

Lucian could hardly believe his eyes. He had finally arrived.

His new life was about to begin.