Rei pulled the wooden cart behind him, its wheels creaking under the weight of his belongings. Rei has trained his body to increase its strength, due to which, even though the cart was full to the brim Rei was easily able to pull it. Magic gems, Qi stones, krystallite, and various types of enchanted wood lay stacked in an organized mess, each material valuable in its own right. Luc followed him discreetly, watching every move of his. Rei was a person who was a genius, so the king neither wanted him to fall into the enemy nation's hands nor did he want him to die. Luc was ready to protect Rei whenever the need arose.
As he reached a secluded clearing, Rei decided to change into more suitable attire for the journey ahead. He removed his simple village clothes and donned a red shirt paired with black pants. Then, he carefully pulled out the whispering cloak—an exquisite blue long coat Emilia had sent him. Stitched in various places, the cloak had been designed with his growth in mind; whenever he grew taller, he could undo a stitch to extend its length. Luc whispered "The whispering cloak, it does not suit him. A cloak represents the knowledge of a person, this just makes him look like an average genius."
Next, Rei armed himself. He fastened a sturdy sword at his waist, slipped several throwing daggers into hidden sheaths, and secured his crossbow inside the whispering cloak near his chest. He had prepared for this moment. The roads outside the village were plagued by bandits, and rather than wait to be ambushed, Rei had decided to take the initiative. He wouldn't kill them—he wasn't ready for that. But knocking them unconscious? That was something he could do. Luc thought, "Wow, he is very cautious did not expect that it would make my job easy. I would just need to send him to Sigil, and then Sigil would deliver him to all 4 kingdoms, time to time"
After carefully hiding his cart in a thicket, Rei ventured into the dense forest, his footsteps silent against the damp earth. He moved with precision, his senses sharp. Soon, he spotted them. A group of bandits gathered near a makeshift camp, some lounging on logs while others gambled with crude dice. One man stood apart, his eyes scanning the road for potential prey. Luc was surprised that Rei knew about the presence of bandits and that he was even going to sneak up to them. Most kids of his age would just get mugged by those bandits.
Rei took a deep breath, steadying himself. He reached for the chaos scepter and gave it a subtle wave. A small gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust, sending it spiraling into the unsuspecting bandits. Luc thought, "What is he doing? Why is he sending dust at them?"
"Ugh! What the hell?" one of them coughed, rubbing his eyes.
Seizing the moment, Rei summoned a tiny spark of flame and sent it into the dust cloud. With a sudden boom, a controlled explosion erupted, knocking the bandits off their feet. They hit the ground hard, their groans fading as unconsciousness claimed them. Luc saw it and was surprised and thought, "What was that? A fire-type attack or an earth-type attack?"
Rei swiftly approached, his hands moving with practiced efficiency as he gathered the discarded ropes from their camp and bound them tightly. Satisfied with his work, he rummaged through their belongings, taking anything of value before slipping back into the shadows. By the time the bandits awoke, he'd be long gone.
Returning to his cart, Rei exhaled in relief. The first hurdle was cleared. Now, he could continue his journey without fear of an ambush. Luc continued to follow him discreetly, using his shadow magic to remain invisible.
Back in the village, the struggle to build the new infrastructure was evident. Without Rei's guidance, progress had slowed, but the villagers persisted. Wooden frames stood half-completed, and construction materials lay scattered across the ground. Sweat glistened on their brows as they labored, determined to see the project through.
Meanwhile, Kaiser and Lyla made their way to Rei's home, their expressions filled with urgency.
"Hey, Thomas, where's Rei?" Kaiser asked as they arrived at the doorstep. His voice carried a hint of impatience.
"I brought some food for him," Lyla added, holding up a cloth-wrapped package.
Thomas, standing at the entrance, crossed his arms. "Rei isn't here," he said calmly. "I made him leave."
Silence followed his words. Kaiser's fists clenched, and Lyla's eyes widened in shock.
Then, without warning, Kaiser lunged, his sword flashing in the dimming light. His stance was perfect, his movement swift as he executed the second verse of the Central Sword Style.
But Thomas was faster.
With a single step, he twisted to the side, narrowly evading the blade. At the same time, he countered with a precise wind blast, nullifying Lyla's magic before she could complete her spell. Kaiser barely had time to register what happened before Thomas struck the hilt of his sword, disarming him in one fluid motion. A split second later, Thomas delivered a sharp blow with his own hilt, and Kaiser collapsed, unconscious.
Lyla gasped, forming a series of rapid hand signs to unleash another wind attack. But Thomas moved in a zigzag motion, effortlessly dodging her sorcery. Closing the distance between them in an instant, he struck just as he had with Kaiser. The hilt of his sword met the back of her neck, and she crumpled to the ground.
Thomas sighed, sheathing his weapon as he glanced at the unconscious pair.
"You two are too reckless," he murmured.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the village remained lively with the sound of construction. But in the quiet of Rei's home, a different battle had just been fought—and won.
In the forest Rei went through the bandits area and was heading towards town called Nevar Town. He looked at the map again and calculated at what time would he reached. Though the Nevar Town was not much far it was not near either. He calculated that with his speed he would reach with in 2 days. He then pulled his cart and went towards the Town.