Jurot spent a part of his evening outside, swinging his axe, pleting a light set of training. The way his axe glided through the air, it was so different. He o get used to how his body had grown in the past few months.

  ‘Not months,’ Jurot thought, staring at his palm, before g his fist. Ever sihey had left the Iyr to ehe tour, his body had gohrough an explosive ge. They had fought a few beasts, but against the ice trolls, he had mao realise just how much his body had ged. It wasn’t just that the Iyrman had grown more powerful, for he had reached a particur height gaihrough experience, but something had been amplified.

  ‘I have do,’ Jurot thought, surprised. Some time before being a Grandmaster, he would have reached the peak for his natural strength. Some time before being a Paragon, he would have reached the peak for his natural toughness. Then, beyond Paragon, with enough luck, with enough sughter, he would have reached eveer heights, the heights known to great beings, giants, dragons.

  Except.

  Right now, before even being a Master, Jurot could feel it. The ceiling that was the natural peak of strength. His fist shook slightly as he tried to trol his great strength, but it tio shake.

  Kitool, too, sat aated within her room. She ihe crisp air of the north, feeling it fill her lungs, which seemed to be able to hold in slightly more air than previous, before exhaling. Yet, it wasn’t just her physical toughness which had improved, not enough to truly effect her bat abilities, but her day to day life had certainly grown easier. Except, there it was. She could feel it. Not just it, but the world around her. She could feel the chill against her skin, the fibres of the cloth against her skin, and she could evehe harshness of the North in the air.

  She might have even sensed Jaygak in the room.

  ‘What have you done, Adam?’ Jaygak thought. She looked down to her hand, seeing the callouses of her skin, many of which she had earned when she was younger. When she had torn through the ice troll, her bde moved with a swiftness she hadn’t expected. Her muscles strained less, her movement did not tire her as much, and her lungs accepted air in so easily, one might have thought she was born i family.

  Except, she still wasn’t quite that nimble.

  The girl stared at her hand for a long while, her mind turning back to the time she was a girl.

  It was sunny that day.

  The sun dared to bear down against the Iyr, bringing with it a heat that one might have thought was unreasonable, even for the sun. Indeed, many of the children pio Elder Zijin, telling them to speak with the sun so that it would not bully them so much.

  “I will do my best to speak with the sun,” Zijin said, uanding it was borderline impossible. Not impossible, for there was a one in a lifetime opportunity that would never repeat itself for the Elder to speak to the sun, but it was not impossible.

  “Father!” called the girl, who was slightly older thahers. “Is there a way to defeat the sun?”

  “I’m not father, I am the Elder,” Zijin replied, though seeing the fury within his daughter’s eyes, he gnced away.

  “I know, I know,” the girl said, holding out a piece of paper. “I have written my request!”

  “…” Zijin stared down at the words. “You should work on your handwriting.”

  “I do not need for my handwriting to be well for you to take my petition seriously.”

  “I will see what I do,” the Elder replied, responding in a way that was satisfactory enough for the girl to leave. ‘The children must be really annoyed if they are to trouble me like this.’

  Children. Trouble.

  The words caused Zijin to furrow his brows. He recalled all the children who had e to see him.

  ‘Hmm?’

  The Elder made his rounds, starting with a particur estate. His eyes fell across the quiet girl, her hair cut into a bob, and always so well behaved. Then there was the boy, whose hair had beely trimmed by his father, the boy stig to him like glue. Of course, the other boy robably iher estate. Then he found… a boy, who was red of skin, with small horns. The boy was so young, so chubby, but even that didn’t give him prote from her.

  ‘Where is she?’

  “Ten!” the girl said, marking doiece of chalk, before running to the ball to pick it up. “One!” she decred, tossing the ball again.

  “She is not causing trouble today?” Zijin asked, standing with his arms crossed behind his back.

  “Our Jaygak? Trouble?” Tangak asked, narrowing his eyes at the young Elder. “I should invite brother to e and speak with you.”

  “I have so much work to do, please…”

  “Our Jaygak, trouble?” Tangak grumbled. “I sometimes like my tea spicy, there is nothing wrong with it!” The Iyrman sipped his tea, wing out of habit, before realising his tea hadn’t been spiked. ‘Ah, right. Perhaps I do prefer it without spice, but…’

  Zijin ted the marks on the floor, while the girl had marked another lien tens,” Zijin said, causing the girl to snap out of her trance. “How much is ten tens?”

  “One hundred!” the girl replied. She was certain of that much, because that’s what the adults always told her.

  “Yes…” Zijin stared down at the marks, then gnced aside, to marks which had been marked retly, though not that day. “You like to py with the ball?”

  “Yes, I love it!”

  “You are normally so zy, but when it is hot, you are always so full of energy?”

  “When it is hot, I am strohan Jurot,” the girl said, smirking.

  “That is because he has not learnt his family’s way, and then, when he dances, he might be stronger?”

  “Yes, but I always fighting the heat,” the girl said, certain of that much, because that’s what her family always told her.

  “So you .” Zijin reached out a hand, and the girl allowed him to ruffle her hair. “I have some time today. Should I teach you how to t to one hundred properly?”

  “You will teach me?” Jaygak asked, her eyes full of shock.

  “Yes, but you have to be well behaved,” Zijin said, suddenly tensing up.

  “Who will tell our Jaygak to behave?” a voice floated through the air.

  Zijin turo face him, feeling a strange chill run through his back. ‘Who said he had calmed down in his retirement?’ Even now, he could sehe aura of death which g to the Iyrman, whose hair fell to his shoulders, who wore a wild grin on his face. The only blessing to the Elder was that his uncle had apparently arranged for some of his stash to be sent to the Iyrman, for the old man sipped the gourd in one hand, and carried a sa the other.

  “Did he leave some before he left?” Tangak asked, far too excitedly.

  “You certainly are your uncle’s nephew, Elder,” Jarot said, dropping the sack, while sipping the gourd, wing slightly. “You are both so wise indeed!”

  “Dado! Dado!” Jaygak called, grinning wide at the old man, before charging up to him.

  “Jaygak,” Jarot called, hoisting the girl up, before tossing her into the air. “Have you troubled the Elder?”

  “No! I did not! I did not!” She giggled with delight, before the old man allowed her to stand on her ow. “No trouble today, only a little bit, for mamo.” The girl smirked.

  “To mamo Gangak?”

  “No!” The girl’s smirk said otherwise.

  “What did you do?”

  “I did not!” Jaygak gasped, as though offended. “I did not hide her sword.”

  “Jaygak, I said you could not hide mamo’s sword!” Tangak said, suddenly wishing she had spiked his drink.

  “I did not!” Jaygak squealed with delight.

  “I will take Jaygak with me,” Zijin said.

  “You will take my grandniece from me?” Jarot asked, his lips f a small smirk.

  ‘Damn it.’ Zijin could feel the trouble that the old man would cause. “Jaygak, do you wish to remain here, or do you wish to learn to t to one hundred?”

  “One hundred!” The girl puhe air above. “One! Hundred!”

  “Why do you o t?” Jarot asked, letting out a small growl.

  “How else will she know how many dragons to sy?” a voice replied, the older red skinned woman asked, resting her wrist between her sword and her waist.

  ‘She found it?’ Jaygak thought, only growing more impressed by her grandaunt. ‘It was uhe b! How she find it?’

  Gangak threw Jaygak a look, causing the girl to quickly scramble beside the Elder, tripping over, only to be caught be the Elder’s swift reflexes.

  “Elder Zijin, e, we learn to t,” the girl said, holding up her hand, her guilty face urging him to immediately evacuate.

  “It seems I must leave with Jaygak,” Zijin said, gd she was so smart at times like this. ‘I will prepare you more peppers, my Jaygak.’

  Sihe girl had given him the justification, the pair quickly left, with the trio of older Iyrman watg them go.

  “You found it?” Tangak asked. “Was it upon your bed?”

  “I noticed the sword shape uhe b,” Gangak replied. “She is growing smarter with each passing day.”

  “Of course she is, since she is randniece,” Jarot said, noting the way the pair stared at him. “Her aunt is my daughter, so that makes her my graoo!”

  “She ot be yrandniece, since you are so stupid,” Gangak dared to say.

  “You should be gd you found that sword of yours,” Jarot said, reag for his axe.

  Meanwhile, Jaygak tio lead the Elder back. “Mamo is too smart, Elder.”

  “That is right.”

  “How she be s and smart? It is not fair.”

  “You are strong and smart too.”

  “I am not strong, I am not smart.”

  “I think you are smart and strong.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Jaygak smirked. “I am s and smart.”

  “You do not have to worry, Jaygak, for you are an Iyrman.”

  “Elder Zijin?”

  “Yes?”

  “I am s, I beat the Aldish?”

  Zijin smiled. “The Iyr will train you so that you will not lose against the Aldish.”

  “I do not like them.”

  “I know.” Zijin lifted the girl up, carrying her within an arm. “You must promise me, Jaygak.”

  “Promise?”

  “You must promise me, that no matter what, you must try your best.”

  “I will try.”

  “Even if it is hard to learn, you must learn.”

  “I know, I know! Daddy always tell me I must try, I try all the time, but not when I am tired.”

  “You are tired most days. I know it is difficult, but you must try, even when you are tired.”

  “I try.”

  “I know.” Zijin smiled. “Now, you must promise me something else.”

  “Mm?”

  “You must promise me that you will stop hiding your father’s boots.”

  “Elder Zijin! How you say? I going to tell dado!”

  “Hmmm. Fine. However, you ot hide them much, because he will be sad.”

  “Daddy will be sad?”

  “Yes. If you bully him too much, he will be sad.”

  “Okay. I will hide mommy’s shoes too.”

  Zijin blinked. “I did not mean…”

  The girl yawned, resting her head against the Elder’s shoulder, who carried her to his estate. He allowed her to nap, while pleting his work. He stared down at the notes for a long moment, befng aside to Jaygak. The girl slept, her face full of innoce that her soul did not possess, or perhaps, possessed in too much abundance.

  ‘Fakrot, please return to handle your father, and Chayrot, please return to handle your niece.’ Zijin smiled, returning back to his notes, preparing to teach the girl how to t to a hundred. ‘I should inform the warehouse to send Jogak a few more pairs of boots.’

  After all, the best way for Jaygak to learn how to t to one hundred was to reward her for stealing her father’s boots. It robably the sed best, but should he o justify himself, he could ask for assistance from the girl.

  ‘You will help me, will you not, Jaygak?’ Zijin thought for a long moment. ‘I should just use the ball.’

  The girl tio sleep, ying uhe harsh sun.

  The young woman tio stare, ying uhe nightval moon. The chill of the night seeped into her, but she warded it off with her toughness, and the thiket she had bought from the first northern town they had stopped at.

  Jaygak sighed, making her way to the Guild’s training area, grabbing Great Moon, before beginning her swings. She took a momentary pause after the huh swing. She stared at Great Moon for a long moment, recalling how she had learnt to t to a thousand.

  ‘I should buy Elder Zijin a gift.’

  No wonder she loves Jirot so mubsp;