Chapter 5 - 5: Willing

"Argh...."

Inside a dimly lit cave, Aron was slowly lifting himself off the cold ground which he laid upon.

"What happened...Father!" It took a moment but Aron soon remembered the dire situation that occurred.

Aron quickly stood up and wore a panicked expression on his face as he began looking around the cave he was in. It was extremely small and not as smooth as the one his father had made before, which indicated the rush he must've been in.

Aron then turned his gaze to the exit that was sealed with a boulder and walked towards it. His breathing remained unsteady as he got ready to strike it with all his might. But just as he was about to do so, he stopped only a few centimeters away from making contact as he remembered something.

'Always think before you act. Never let your emotions dictate your actions' Aron remembered his father's words and clenched his fists before backing away from the boulder.

[Rule #65: Always think before you act. Never let your emotions dictate your actions]

Aron let out a sigh and sat down on the cold ground before leaning against the wall, his eyes watery and his mind lost in confusion what happened.

'...if only I was stronger, father wouldn't have abandoned me too.' Aron thought to himself before closing his eyes and contemplating more on his father's words.

Aron's hard work in reality stemmed from his desire to get his father's approval after hearing his mother abandoned him because he was weak.

To his worst fear would come into fruition and his father would abandon him as well. He could only hug himself tightly as he began questioning everything he was taught.

*zmmmm*

After some time passed, Aron opened his eyes when a strange humming noise reached his ears.

'Is it coming from outside...' Aron thought before walking over to the boulder but as he did so the humming noise grew fainter.

He turned back around and began walking step by step. The further away he got from the boulder the more audible the humming became.

"Here..." he muttered before crouching down and touching the ground.

Upon closer inspection a tiny hole with light coming out of it could be observed. Aron tried looking through it but it proved to be too small for him to do so.

This meant he could only try to make it slightly larger. He took a deep breath and was about to do just that using his finger. Upon making contact with the ground he succeeded in creating a larger hole however as he crouched down to look through it, cracks spread all over before the ground under him completely collapsed.

"!!"

Unable to react fast enough, Aron could only fall through the hole. However what awaited below it was something he didn't expect.

A gigantic decorated hall was what laid below him. Much of the hall was filled with what Aron could see as neatly cut rectangular wood from above.

'Dammit...' Aron soon got out of his short daze and crossed his arms over his face while strengthening his body as much as he could in preparation for impact.

However...no such impact occurred for what seemed like a good while. In the end Aron slowly opened his eyes only to realize he was hovering inches away from the marble floor below.

'What....' Aron thought to himself in confusion.

"Finally decided to open your eyes huh?"

A voice suddenly asked, causing Aron to grow alert and try to move but that seemed impossible as his body was frozen in that position.

"Haha, no need to panic. Just answer my questions and I'll release my magic and leave you be" the same voice reached Aron's ears and caused him to grow all the more alert.

With his body frozen in place, Aron could not shift his head to the source of the male voice but he did determine it originated from behind him.

"First of all, how did you end up in this place? Keep in mind if you lie I will end your life." The voice asked before giving a warning.

"I saw a hole in the cave I was in...I tried to make it larger then accidentally fell through it and ended up here" Aron answered in an irritated tone as he still tried to free himself.

"Hmm. So there was such a weak point leading here...*sigh* damn golems" the voice cursed in an annoyed tone before clearing his throat and continuing to question Aron.

"Seems I was worried over nothing. But just to be safe. Tell me what you're doing in Genclave Mountain Range?" The voice asked in a less hostile manner but Aron was still very much alert.

"My father and I...." Aron proceeded to explain the summarized version of events that took place. Once he finished doing so, the invisible force that was keeping him from moving suddenly disappeared and caused him to fall to the ground.

"!!" Aron didn't delay in quickly recovering and retreating backwards as he finally faced the owner of the mysterious voice.

Much to his surprise, the owner of said voice was an old bearded man that wore a small smile on his wrinkled face. His hair and beard were both a grayish white while his attire was a simple yet elegant robe.

After assessing the unknown old man, Aron shifted his gaze to the hall he was in. The large rectangular wood-like objects he had seen when he was falling were actually the tops of bookshelves. These bookshelves however were extremely high and seemed to run on endlessly.

"Where am I and who are you?" Aron asked in a serious and seemingly confident tone but his trembling hands said otherwise.

'Never show your opponent any sign of weakness' his father's words flashed across his mind and had caused him to somewhat recompose himself even in that situation but his mind wasn't over what occurred.

[Rule # 77: Never show an opponent any sign of weakness]

"Abandoning such a young boy, your son no less but such is the way of things here. Well since you asked, my name is Argos and you're in my not so well hidden library". The old man responded politely while looking at the many shelves present in the gigantic hall.

"How can I leave...?" Aron asked cautiously while the old man showed him an odd look.

"Well...you cannot leave. Not after knowing of this place's existence..." The old man's response caused Aron to furrow his brows as he began thinking of a way to escape.

"But there is a simple way to leave this place. Inherit this library's legacy and you may be allowed to go."

"...." Aron gave no answer but instead just continued to look at the old man cautiously.

"Haha, you really know nothing about my name and library huh? Now I insist that you must inherit my legacy, I've always believed things happen for a reason and this meeting is no different. Are you really going to refuse the legacy of a Tier three Rank A mage?" The old man asked while showing a confident grin.

'Tier three...but father told me the strongest creature he's ever faced was Tier seven and that nearly cost him his life. Each tier is a huge gap apart so just how strong is Tier three...' Aron maintained a composed look but sweat began to run down his forehead while his palms shook slightly.

"I cannot inherit your legacy...I'm not a mage... I'm a beast monger" Aron stated slowly before going silent and observing the old man's reaction.

"Hahaha! If this isn't a fated encounter then I don't know what is. Every time you speak my interest in you inheriting my legacy grows!" The old exclaimed while laughing happily leaving Aron still completely confused.

"But...Mages and Beast Mongers are different, how can I inherit the legacy of a mage. Even if I could...I want to make my own legacy or atleast try..." Aron answered honestly but his voice was shaky and didn't sound sure which showed it an attempt to make the old man lose interest but he only achieved the opposite.

"Listen child, you have no one and you're weak so let me put it this way. Inherit my legacy or die?" the old man sighed and stated before fixing his gaze on Aron.

'Power comes first, everything else is secondary...'

"I accept." Aron responded with a look of seriousness that caused the old man to smile.

'He doesn't look to be even ten years old by origin worlds standards but his thought process is already so matured. Physically and mentally, he fits the criteria. He's far from being the perfect candidate but... I believe his potential alone makes this gamble worth it...' The old man thought to himself while observing the young boy with a smile.

"Follow me then, let me give you a short tour around" The old man gestured with a wave of his hand before turning and walking away slowly. Aron simply watched for a moment before soon following him.

"So Aron... tell me, why do you think a beast monger can't inherit a mage legacy?" Argos asked as the two of them were walking in between some shelves.

"Well, because mages use the mana around them while beast mongers store mana within themselves. Mages use spells and chants to put mana to use while beast mongers manipulate mana to suit their needs..." Aron answered vaguely as he stated what little he knew about beast mongers and mages.

"Hmm well that's not wrong but also not correct. A mage can become a beast monger and a beast monger can become a mage or be both. Why people don't do this is because of a misconception in the principles behind the two."

"It all comes down to requirements. Between the two, becoming a beast monger holds the toughest requirement. Even as a Tier 3 mage, I failed to become a beast monger. That's how stiff the requirements are. But once you become one, it is very easy to excel compared to being a mage" Argos heaved a sigh of regret as he explained.

"What do you mean by easy? Beast mongers have to overcome wills constantly or they might become mad. Also once you've reached your limit it's hard to go any further without the help of an experienced mage..." Aron showed interest in the topic and immediately commented as Argos's words went against what he knew.

"Hahaha, that couldn't be anymore twisted. Have you never wondered why so little knowledge about beast mongers exists? Because most knowledge concerning beast mongers was either lost, destroyed, hidden or manipulated."

"Firstly, the reason beast mongers go mad is because they absorb mana that doesn't align with them. Haven't you wondered why most beasts are sane despite also housing pure mana within themselves? The answer is alignment. Male and female. Although vastly similar, the mana of a male beast cannot be held by a female beast and vice versa."

"Keeping both within oneself will cause them to conflict and eventually drive that person or beast mad. Experienced mages don't help but rather steal. Let me guess, these so-called experienced mages who help beast mongers regain control were women correct?" Argo's explanation and question caused Aron to stop walking and clench his fists.

"So you're saying the women of our kingdom who claimed to help beast mongers only did so to take the female mana?..." Aron questioned in a tone of anger. Argos also stopped walking and turned his head to give the boy a nod.

"To be precise the female mana is called Luna mana while male mana is called Sol mana, but yes it's rare for mages to go out of their way to help people. In a world where everyone is trying to excel, it's not at all strange that they had men practice beast mongering to benefit themselves and future generations...a child born from a mage and beast monger is destined to excel in one of the two" Argos's words were blunt but honest. Aron kept his head lowered but his body language clearly showed his anger.

"All that talk about taking pride in being a beast monger of the kingdom of Kol... when I was destined to be nothing but glorified livestock. So even when a boy had talent and potential to be a mage, they ignored it and regarded him as useless just to benefit themselves. The way my mother abandoned me, the way my people abandoned my father and the way he abandoned me, all for their own benefit...' Aron muttered in low tone while Argos just observed.

Aron had trained tirelessly from as far as he could remember, all for the sake of becoming a greater beast monger than even his father. That false dream he gave himself had now been completely shattered. He didn't want to believe it but the longer he thought about it the clearer things became.

"I understand you're angry but simply being angry isn't enough child. So far everything you've learned and experienced was fueled by deceit.!Now that you know, now that the lies have been seen, I ask you this..." Argos looked at the boy with a serious expression for the first time.

"What will you do about it?"

"What are you willing to sacrifice?"

"When will you stop?"

"What methods will you use? You must first ask yourself this child" Argos asked and waited for an answer.

'You'll one day grow to become the pride of kingdom of Kol....'

'Girls would be taken by mothers to become mages while we fathers took boys and taught them to be hunters or even legendary beast mongers....'

'Lies...all lies, it was all a lie...legendary? respected?...all lies. Power is all that really matters to everyone in this damned world. This is the one truth I still believe...' Aron remembered his father's words before coming to a conclusion.

"...I want to become a person above it all... the lies, the useless sense of pride, the selfishness of people. I want to achieve real strength, real power. I want to become the strongest existence in all of Limbo so I never have to depend on anyone ever again!"

"The day I stop is the day I die and I'll do whatever it takes. " Aron declared while breathing heavily with his fists clenched.

'This boy..., I want to tell him such a goal is impossible but something about him makes me want to believe him. I must be growing senile but what does it matter, so long as my legacy is passed I will support him...'

Argos smiled and extended his hand to the young boy.. Aron looked up at the smiling odd man but maintained an unfeeling look as he walked up to him and extended his hand as well.