The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Like the morning, the duo of Aeric and Delva had once again decided to ride the streets home rather than taking the Silver Road.

Although Aeric was in a hurry to return to his objectives, he figured a simple gentle ride would clear his mind of all the things swirling within.

The Silverwolf's massive paws padded softly against the cobbled path as Aeric rode on Sylver's back. Delva adjusted the reins of her sleek brown horse, her posture straight and unyielding, showing that she was very much used to riding.

Darkness never came in the Realm Core as it was fairly close to the Elysium Plains and also the Dawn Region, so although it was evening, the sky remained bright.

Though they could see the horizon of the Starlight Region beyond the Bridge of Elements, with streaks of deep orange and violet.

The silence was fairly soothing and Aeric glanced over his shoulder, looking at the Institution's looming silhouette fading as they trotted away from the main courtyard.

Soon, he would have control over that entire school. The Headmistress was already under his palm, soon he would come to a deal with the Priest. Then he would stretch his reach to the teachers and finally throw Daughters.

One by one. It all required time.

Thinking of the Daughters, Aeric sighed, his thoughts had trailed to Celestia and her stinging words.

He began to think of what to do concerning her, but his thoughts didn't go very far because just as they passed the large iron gates, a soft chime echoed in his ears, and the faint glow of an interface appeared in his vision.

[Mission Completed: You have acquired 5 Sub Skills]

[Weapon Crafting System Unlocked]

[You've begun Weapon Crafting! XP granted = 50 XP] Continue your journey on empire

[Weapon Crafting Guide]

[Core Mechanic: Weapon crafting is enabled through the use of Beast Cores. Each Beast Core contains latent Divinity that determines the power, durability, and ranking of the weapon crafted]

[Weapon Points (WP): Each Beast Core provides Weapon Points (WP) based on its rank]

[Bronze Core: 1-5 WP

Silver Core: 6-20 WP

Gold Core: 21-50 WP

Platinum Core: 51-100 WP

Diamond Core: 101+ WP]

[Weapon Ranks:

Initiate-Tier: 100 WP required

Adept-Tier: 250 WP required

Master-Tier: 500 WP required

Grandmaster-Tier: 1000 WP required

Ascendant-Tier: 5000+ WP required]

[Special Weapon Crafting Interface Activated]n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

[Access the Crafting Panel to select weapon type, elemental properties, and special abilities. This panel shows your crafting growth and possible rank of your Divine Weapon]

Aeric's eyes widened subtly as the intricate details of the weapon crafting unfolded before him in glowing text.

The corners of his lips twitched into a frown as he thought, 'I almost forgot that unlocking five sub skills unlocked the Weapon crafting module... this is next-level stuff. And if I remember correctly, I was given some beast cores from the Dungeon Clearance yesterday. That might actually come in handy.'

If his memory served him correctly, he had at least three Silver Cores, one Gold Core, and a few Bronze Cores tucked away in that brown bag at home.

He wondered how much Weapon Points those would give him. Immediately, the system screen shifted again as if responding to his thoughts.

[Calculating present amount of available Beast Cores]

[Bronze Core x5 (3 WP each)

Silver Core x3 (15 WP each)

Gold Core x1 (35 WP)]

Amount of WP to gain: 74]

Aeric stroked his chin thoughtfully. '74 Weapon Points… that's already almost enough to craft a solid Initiate-Tier weapon. However, I haven't even thought of what kind? A blade? A spear? Maybe something ranged...'

His mind began to spin with possibilities, imagining weapons imbued with elemental force, glowing runes, and devastating abilities. He even remembered Aryanne's, that spear that she had almost struck him with back in the Veiled Maze.

Aeric found this Weapon Crafting aspect of the game to be exciting, but his excitement was tempered by a nagging thought. "Am I spreading myself too thin?" he muttered under his breath, glancing at Delva ahead of him.

The more he thought about it, it seemed there were way too many things happening to him at once. Between his goals, responsibilities, quests, and strained relationships, he wondered if Weapon Crafting was yet another task pulling him in too many directions.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, another chime broke through his musings.

[System Notification:]

[Cultivation Exercises to begin shortly]

[Time left: 4 hours]

Aeric creased his brows. 'I thought I was all done with Tempering my Body?'

[Focus on Essence Condensation]

[Technique: Dragon Breath Technique]

2— 50 Sit-Ups to condense your core]

[Rewards 7 XP for completion].

'Oh I see,' Aeric rubbed his temple as he read. "I do remember the teacher speaking about Essence Condensation. But more sit-ups, of all things." He shook his head and let out a tired laugh. At this rate, the system's going to have me doing jumping jacks to ascend.

'Ughhhh! So many things in my mind. This has to be organized into consecutive missions before I lose my mind.'

He exhaled deeply, and his thoughts once again moved to Celestia of Dawn. He shifted in his seat before turning to Delva, who rode beside him with quiet elegance. "Delva," he started, his voice low, "can I ask you something?"

She tilted her head slightly, her green eyes gleaming showing she was very pleased to be of assistance. "Of course, Master Aeric."

"It's about Celestia," he said, his tone heavy with guilt.

"Second Daughter of Dawn?" the girl asked.

"Yes." Aeric went ahead to explain everything going on between them. Afterwards, he continued, "So, I think I messed up. Didn't I, Delva. She's upset, and I don't blame her. But... what should I do? There is much that I must do to protect myself in this world, but in the process, I can't neglect the people who matter most to me."

Delva's expression softened, a rarity for her stoic demeanor. "Mistakes are inevitable, Master Aeric. But resolve matters more than regret. I think you must show her — not just with words, but with actions — that she is important to you. Do something for her, perhaps ignore something you deem important and show up for her. It would give her a sense of appreciation."

Then she looked at the prince. "But I'm sure you'll do the right thing, Master Aeric. If you care for her, which I can see that you do, you will let that care guide your priorities."

Aeric nodded slowly, her words sinking in. "And there you go again; being completely right," he said. "I don't know how you do it, Delva, but your advice always feels... wise. I'm glad we've become accustomed to each other."

A faint smile touched her lips. "Thank you, Master Aeric. I am honored to serve."

The rhythmic clopping of hooves against the cobblestones filled the silence as they crossed the Bridge of Elements. On the other side, Starlight's glowing spires and bustling streets came into view.

Aeric straightened in his seat, finding some determination on what to do next. For tonight, it was Essence Condensation, then extract his beast cores to begin Weapon Crafting. Then tomorrow, it would be all about proving himself to Celestia.

One thing at a time.