CHAPTER 4 — The Path Toward Greatness Begins
Four years passed in a blur of sweat, magic, wooden swords, and endless mornings where the sun rose before any of them did.
The once tiny infants who arrived mysteriously in this world were now five-year-olds—sharp-eyed, eager, and already stronger than most village children twice their age. But today… today they were nine.
And as the morning light filtered through the windows of their home, a soft golden glow settled across the dining table where the family gathered for breakfast.
The smell of warm bread, grilled riverfish, and spiced root vegetables filled the room. Clay plates clinked softly. Birds chirped outside. It was peaceful… almost too peaceful for the storm that was about to drop.
Ren, their father, sat at the head of the wooden table. His hair was tied back the way it always was during serious conversations. Elia, their mother, moved gracefully between the stove and table, refilling cups and slicing fruit.
Doari, Koari, and Zoari sat side-by-side, each with their own subtle aura of excitement. Years of training had changed them.
Doari, bright-eyed with restless energy, had grown more disciplined than he appeared—but that fire inside him never went away.
Koari, thoughtful and curious, already spoke like someone who studied the world instead of merely living in it.
Zoari, calm and unreadable, was becoming frighteningly sharp. His instincts were the strongest of the three by far.
It was during this calm morning meal that Ren cleared his throat.
Every head turned to him.
"I think…" he began, adjusting his cup and watching his sons carefully, "you three are ready."
Doari froze mid-bite.
Koari lowered his spoon.
Zoari simply blinked once, quietly alert.
Elia, who had been wiping her hands with a cloth, stopped.
"Ready?" she echoed. "Ready for what?"
Ren leaned back in his chair, shoulders broad, voice steady with conviction.
"I want to enroll them in Dragonspire Academy."
Silence.
Even the birds outside seemed to stop chirping.
Elia's eyes widened. "Ren… wait. Wait. They're only nine. Nine! Dragonspire Academy is for future warriors—older children, teenagers—those who've already awakened their aura! They are still children—"
Ren raised a hand gently. "I know. I know exactly how old they are."
He looked at his sons again, his expression filled with pride and certainty.
"But I have been training them since birth. And I know what level they're at now. They are ready."
Elia pressed a hand to her chest. "Could you at least… ask the boys what they want? Don't just decide—"
Before she could finish, Doari jumped up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"We want to go!"
Elia blinked. "You… what?"
Doari nodded eagerly. "We want to go now."
Koari set his spoon down with grace and added, "If we start young, we'll have more time to train. That means we can grow stronger and become real warriors."
Zoari didn't lift his head. He simply swallowed his food, wiped his mouth, and said in his quiet tone:
"Agreed."
Ren smirked proudly.
Elia stared at them all, baffled. "You three… really want this?"
Doari leaned forward, voice bright and confident. "Don't worry, Mother! We'll visit all the time."
Koari raised three fingers. "At least three times a week."
Elia softened, laughing at their innocent seriousness. "Three times a week? Do you even know how far the academy is?"
"We'll still come," Koari said confidently, even though he clearly had no idea.
Doari nodded firmly.
Zoari nodded once.
Elia sighed and placed a hand over her mouth. "You boys…"
Ren reached across the table and rested a large hand over hers.
"So? Will you allow it?"
Elia looked at her three sons—each one different, each one extraordinary—and saw the same spark she saw in Ren when he was young. The spark of purpose. Of destiny.
"…Alright," she said softly. "You can go."
Instantly—
"Yes!!" Doari shouted.
Koari pumped his fist. "Finally!"
Zoari simply tightened his grip on his fork, but the tiny upward curve of his lips said enough.
Ren's grin widened. "Good. Tomorrow morning, I'll enroll all three of you myself."
Doari leaned back in his chair, his heart pounding with excitement.
Another step toward becoming like the heroes in his old world's novels.
Another step closer to adventure.
Koari's mind raced with questions. An academy… books… knowledge… techniques… history. I'll finally learn everything about this world.
Zoari exhaled slowly, feeling something stir in his chest.
A place full of warriors… if I'm going to surpass Father… I need to get stronger.
The decision was made.
Tomorrow, everything changed.
---
Later That Day
The brothers sat behind their home, watching the sun slowly sink below the hills. Training dummies stood in a row—old, cracked, dented, and worn from years of abuse.
Doari broke the silence first, gripping his wooden sword.
"This is it," he whispered.
Koari sat cross-legged on the grass. "We're actually going to Dragonspire Academy."
Zoari stood against a tree, arms crossed, eyes closed as he listened to the wind.
Doari grinned. "Just imagine… real swords… real warriors… maybe even—"
"Aura training," Koari finished.
Zoari didn't open his eyes. "We are ready."
Doari raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty calm. Shouldn't you be excited?"
"I am."
"You don't sound like—"
A sudden THUMP echoed through the backyard.
Doari and Koari looked to their left.
Zoari had struck the dummy beside him with just his bare hand.
A clean dent appeared in the thick wood.
Doari stared.
Koari stared.
Zoari opened his eyes at last.
"…Excited," he repeated.
---
That Night
A soft breeze drifted through the wooden window frames. Crickets chirped. The moon spread silver light across the small bedroom where the triplets slept.
At least… two of them.
Doari's eyes opened slowly in the dark. His heart felt too full to rest.
He slid out from under the blanket as quietly as possible, tiptoeing across the creaky floor.
But someone was already watching him.
From the bed on the side, Koari peeked through half-lidded eyes and whispered:
"…Doari? What are you doing?"
Doari froze, then sighed. "Training."
Koari sat up, rubbing his eyes. "This again?"
Doari looked toward the small yard visible through the window.
"We need to get stronger so we can be like the characters we always read about."
His hands trembled slightly.
"And ever since… I've been seeing the gap between me and Zoari…"
He clenched his fists.
Koari stared at him for a long moment.
Then he slowly stood up, grabbed his small wooden sword leaning beside the bed, and walked past Doari toward the door.
"You're right."
Doari blinked. "Koari?"
Koari glanced over his shoulder, a rare confident smirk on his lips.
"If you're training… then I'm training too."
Together, the two brothers quietly stepped outside.
Doari approached the dummy and swung—hard.
THUD.
Not perfect.
But stronger than before.
Koari steadied his breath, positioning his feet carefully before swinging at another dummy.
THUD.
Doari smiled.
Koari smiled back.
They continued striking, one after another, growing faster, more focused—
Completely unaware that someone else was watching.
Up on the window ledge, Zoari sat with his knees pulled up, chin resting on them. The moonlight glowed against his long green hair.
He watched the two of them train with a small, warm smile.
He whispered to himself:
"We'll all get stronger."
And he closed his eyes, letting the night wind carry the promise forward.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…