The morning was foggy at the Silvaris home. For five years, the yard was not a place for playing, it was a place for fighting.
Their father, Seres, had been a very tough teacher hellish"-it had been a transformative forge that burned away the weakness of childhood and tempered Zephyr and lina into a perfect warriors.
Inside the manor, a young man stood before a full-length mirror. He ran a hand through his long, raven-black hair, which fell sharply against his shoulders. At ten years old, Zephyr possessed a physique that defied beauty.
His jawline was a razor's edge, his golden eyes held the depth of an ancient predator, and his shirt sat open, revealing a torso of refined,functional muscle The six-pack
etched into his stomach wasn't for show, it was the result of five years of enduring strikes that would have crushed boulders.
"Man, I am definitely the most handsome guy in this world," Zephyr whispered to his reflection, a confident smirk playing on his lips. His vanity was perhaps the only thing that reminded him he was still, technically, a child.
But then, his expression hardened. "Now... let's see the status."
"Status."
A crimson screen, darker and more authoritative than before, A screen flickered into existence.
Host Name: Zephyr Silvaris
Age: 10
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Class: God of War Heir
Rank: Intermediate (Peak)
Potential: EX
Attributes:
Strength: 90
Agility: 92
Endurance: 100
Intelligence: 30
Will: 20
Mana: 8,000 / 8,000
Class Buffs (Passive):
War God Body: Increases all attributes by 50% every Major Rank Advancement.
Comprehension: 500% increase to skill learning speed.
Combat Prowess: 500% increase to skill lethality.
Battle Adaptation: 500% increase in analyzing enemy attacks and to help the perfect counter them.
Unbroken Mind: 500% increase in resistance to mental attacks and pressure.
Skills:
Sword Art Stage 1
First Form: Shadow step — sudden burst of Increase in user speed and help close the distance between enemy.
Second Form: Movement Severance — severe the enemy connection from their surroundings mana, senses.
Third Form: Lethality strike —
Strike enemy with full Power
Mana Regeneration (Level 1): Recovers 1% Mana every 5 minutes.
Pain Resistance (Level 1): Reduces incoming physical damage by 5%.
Zephyr stared at the numbers. His Endurance had hit the triple digits—a milestone usually reserved for veteran knights in their twenties.
The growth was staggering. But even more significant were the two new passive skills he had unlocked during a particularly brutal winter of training where Seres had forced him to meditate in frozen waterfalls.
Mana Regeneration and Pain Resistance, he thought. They're low level now, but they're the foundation of immortality on the battlefield. As long as I can breathe, I can fight.
He knew he was ready to break into the Advanced rank, but Seres had forbidden it. In the world of nobles, a ten-year-old at the Intermediate Peak was a genius. a ten-year-old at the Advanced rank was a threat.
"Too much attention brings the reaper to your door before you're ready to kill him," Seres had warned. Zephyr had to wait until his eleventh birthday to show his true colors.
"Zephyr! Are you ready? Come down now, the carriage has arrived!" Seres' voice boomed from the foyer, snapping Zephyr out of his thoughts.
"I'm coming! Two minutes!" Zephyr shouted back, moving with a speed that blurred his silhouette. He shed his training gear and pulled on the fine clothes of a noble house.
When he reached the bottom of the grand staircase, he stopped. For the first time in years, the family wasn't covered in sweat and wearing shabby clothes. They looked like royalty.
Seres stood by the door, draped in a sharp black suit that contrasted perfectly with his piercing ocean-blue eyes. Beside him stood Ruby, looking breathtaking in a deep red gown that flowed around her curves like liquid fire, her red hair pinned up in an elegant braid.
Then, there was Lina.
At fourteen, his sister had blossomed into a true beauty. She was taller now, her posture regal. Over the last five years, she had pushed herself to the brink to stay within Zephyr's sight.
She had reached the Advanced (Mid) rank—an achievement that would make her the envy of any academy in the land. She wore a pristine white dress that made her look like a warrior-priestess, though the way her hand rested habitually near where her sword hilt usually sat told a different story.
Zephyr adjusted his collar, feeling the weight of the moment. "And of course," he joked, breaking the tension, "I am looking the best because I have a face that defines the very beauty of this world."
Lina rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Five years of training and you're still a narcissist, little brother."
"It's not narcissism if it's a fact, Sis," Zephyr countered with a wink.
The family stepped outside to find a massive, ornate carriage bearing the crest of the Silvaris Main Family.
After years of self-imposed exile in the borderlands, they were finally being summoned back.
As the footmen loaded their trunks, Seres turned to his children, his face uncharacteristically solemn.
"Listen to me. The Main Family is a nest of vipers. They value power above all else. They will test you, they will try to provoke you, and they will try to use you. Stay humble, keep your true strength hidden until I give the word, but never—never let them look down on you."
"We understand, Dad," Zephyr said, his golden eyes flashing with a brief, cold light.
"Let's go," Seres said, gesturing to the carriage.
The road to the capital would take a week, but the journey to the top of the world would take a lifetime. Zephyr Silvaris leaned back into the velvet cushions, his hand resting on the hidden dagger at his waist.
"Ready, sis?" Zephyr asked, looking at Lina.
"Ready," she replied, her eyes burning with a competitive fire. "Don't think I'll let you take all the glory just because you're 'blessed'."