Asher sat on a wooden chair facing an open window that gave a nice view of the serene view of Nimrim.
He exhaled softly yet felt a little pain that seemed to be illusory. He couldn’t remember what happened when those spirits began to appear, but he knew he felt powerful, so powerful that his knowledge of almost every weapon rose up to the level of master!
Not only that, but at that stage he might have forced Torah to wield his weapon, but the cost would have been his life.
Torah saved him.
Knowing this, all his hate toward Torah vanished. He tightened his grip around the armrests of the chair, silently scolding himself for being too brash.
Torah still cared for him after all. The man was just a little too… harsh.
While he pondered, his eyes went to the evergreen olive tree, looking magnificent as ever. At its roots were hundreds of workers. They had built a rope and basket system that allowed someone to control the ropes that moved the baskets.
The baskets would easily gather the olives, and it would be lowered for a worker to carry to where he will be pressed.
As he watched them with a plain, relaxed expression, the door opened, and Sapphira gently walked in.
Hearing footsteps, Asher turned and saw the fairy elegantly walking toward him. The swaying of her figure as she walked made him frown because he knew that this was how she usually walked.
But it was now getting to him. The moment it began to look more attractive than normal, something was off.
With a loud exhale, he cleared his thoughts.
Sapphira dropped the tray on a table and brought the tea for him.
“Thank you.”
Asher took it, his finger brushing against her slightly warm, soft ones. As he took a sip, his mind calmed, his emotions slowly got back together, and his reasoning sharpened.
He took the second sip and then turned toward Sapphira.
“I’m glad you were around.” This time around, his voice was composed and quite distant, as it usually was.
Sapphira smiled softly. Like a mature woman who understood all a man needed.
“It’s a pleasure to serve a great lord like you.”
Asher smiled back.
He averted his eyes from her back to the window and continued to sip his tea in silence. By the time he finally dropped the cup, Sapphira was gone. The room was silent.
His eyes scanned the room as he rose to his feet.
Asher pursed his lips, walked to the middle of the room, and sat cross-legged. The moment he closed his eyes, he found himself in a valley. Discover hidden content at
The skies were covered with black, rumbling clouds. Standing some meters away from him was Atticus Ashbourne with his arms crossed.
“Fighting Lord Torah was a wrong choice.”
“I knew that later.”
Asher replied.
Atticus shook his head. “He was right, you know. It’s time we stop considering you as one of the Ashbournes. You have the talent and then inborn potential to be better than this name. Others might strive to beat it, but you have to strive to find out who is inside of you.”
Asher blinked.
“Torah said this?”
Atticus nodded slowly. “Lord Torah isn’t pleased that we have been training you to be just another Ashbourne Lord. He sees greater things in you, and I see that now.”
“Are you talking about what happened during my fight with him?”
Atticus’s eyes flickered. As a spirit he understood more than Asher what his talent’s growth was doing.
All the Ashbourne Lords to have ever existed were fusing into one man! It was something that he would have never thought possible.
One must know that Lord Zenas married after his 200th year, which was when he was made duke and the war with the abyssals had reached its end.
There were many Ashbourne Lords and generals governing over castles, cities, strongholds, and much more.
All of them had their experiences, their strengths!
If Asher could have access to them all, then he was more than just an Ashbourne.
“Your training has changed from today. You will have to start mastering our battle skills so when we fuse with your spirit, we can take it to a greater level.”
Asher’s pupils shook.
“How do you expect me to master the battle skills of the four great dukes when I almost died before I gave birth to one?”
Atticus snorted.
“There’s a training method the Ashbournes abolished 300 years back, before my time. You’ll start it. And let me inform you, it would have to do with you always giving us the space to possess you so we can teach you.”
Asher frowned deeply.
“But if I cut myself and there’s no one to let out that anger on—”
“You’ll let it out on beasts.”
“On beasts?”
Asher raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. 300 years ago, Lord Torah sent his men into the wild to hunt the most fearsome beasts, and he would face it alone in an arena. This built his instinct, speed, durability, and raw power. I don’t have to tell you how strong he is compared to us, who only sparred against humans and our subordinates.”
“That would be putting myself at risk.” Asher responded.
“It will. But it’s also another way to strengthen your body, expand your combat ability, and, most of all, sharpen your battle instincts.”
Atticus walked up to him.
“I’ll be the first. You’ll have to learn Blood Awakening, little lord.”
Asher looked up at the man who was actually taller than him.
“But your battle skills were born from your efforts.”
“And now I want to impart it to you. It’s my decision, and it’s worthwhile. I myself never had the kind of elites you have. It just proves that you are destined to climb higher, and in that journey, you will face stronger and stranger opponents, some mere individuals, some lords.”
A fierce wind began to blow along with water droplets falling from the sky. When one droplet splattered on Asher’s head, his spirit returned back to his body.
He found himself back in Nimrim, but he wasn’t the same anymore.
The man who went to meditate had nothing, but the one who came out had something to achieve.
Maybe this was the only way to be strong enough to meet Zenas!