The celebration started quietly.
Agatha was the first to come up to me. She pushed a book into my hands.
I stared at the cover for a while, trying to read the title.
Agatha leaned over and whispered:
"This book, little brother, is about the greatest constructions in our world. And it has pictures... just how you like."
Who said I like pictures?
I was about to complain, but when I opened the book and saw the bright drawings of castles and ancient bridges, I stayed quiet.
They were actually pretty interesting.
I smiled:
"Thank you, Agatha."
Everyone else gave me small gifts too, but nothing rare. It made sense - what would a three-year-old even do with a priceless treasure?
Soon it was time for the cake.
The maids brought in a huge strawberry cake - my favorite.
Mother always knows what I like...
I felt warmth rise inside me.
I blew out the candles, the cake was cut, and I got the first slice. I raised my fork.
When suddenly the doors to the dining hall burst open.
A short, sturdy man walked in, his hair sticking up like he'd been struck by lightning.
"Hahaha! Where's my freshly minted nephew?!" he shouted.
Yep. Something is definitely wrong with this man, I thought.
I turned to my family for help.
Father lowered his head slightly.
Both mothers smiled knowingly.
My brothers pointed at me at the same time.
"Ah?" I managed to say.
The man was already beside me. He lifted me from my chair like I weighed nothing.
"Hmm! Good bones! Nice structure! Muscles we can build later! A born fighter!" he muttered, inspecting me like a weapon.
I looked at my brothers - they silently mouthed something that looked a lot like:
"Sorry."
"Hahaha! Alright, nephew! Tomorrow at seven, no, wait… you're only three. Make it eight! I'll be waiting for you at the training grounds!" he said proudly.
He turned to leave, but then noticed my plate.
"Oh! Strawberry cake!"
He grabbed my slice and left without hesitation.
I stood frozen, mouth open.
What a... shameless man.
The maids cut me a new slice.
Then another.
And another... until Aksinya scolded me:
"Erin, that's enough. Time for bed. You have training tomorrow at eight."
She was right - stuffing myself before an important day wasn't smart.
I thanked everyone and went with Lina to my room. Soon I fell asleep, wondering what tomorrow would be like.
Morning
I woke up early, washed, got dressed, and had breakfast.
Today was important - my first real training.
When I arrived at the training grounds, the first thing I saw was Uncle Kars swinging a sword.
His movements were strange but fluid: lunges, twists, jumps, sharp turns, and cutting arcs.
It looked powerful... almost artistic.
I watched in silence, trying to memorize every motion.
He finally stopped, wiping sweat from his forehead, and walked toward me.
"You like it, kid?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes," I answered honestly.
"That's our family's style," he said proudly. "I've improved it over the years."
"Are you going to teach me this?" I asked.
Kars burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha! I like you! Yes, I'll teach you. But not now - your body is too weak. You'd break."
"Then what will we start with?" I asked.
"You're Erin, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then we start with theory and light training. Tell me everything you know about the Tessos Path."
I repeated what I remembered from yesterday:
"It has eight stages. And each stage increases lifespan."
"Correct. Anything else?"
I stayed silent.
So he continued:
"Each stage has three sub-stages - early, middle, and late."
He raised three fingers.
"On the lower stages the difference isn't big. But starting from the third stage... the difference grows a lot."
He pointed forward:
"For example, an early Centurion almost never beats a late Centurion. The gap is too large."
So that's how it works...
"Uncle Kars... do mages also have three sub-stages?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"A good question. No. They have two - like two parts of a ring. You can tell by the brightness and thickness. A late sub-stage ring is thicker and brighter."
He clapped his hands.
"That's enough questions. Time is short."
"Today we're doing strength training?" I asked.
"Strength training?" Kars grinned. "Oh yes. They're the real thing."
"What should I do?"
"Five laps around the field. Then ten push-ups, two pull-ups, ten sit-ups, and ten squats. Go."
"Yes, sir!" I shouted and started running.
Kars watched my back and smirked.
"The boy is sharp... Liandr didn't lie."