Chapter 23：Caught-on

Twang!

Icarus fired his shot in the quiver which, like the last four shots, buried itself in the dead centre of the bullseye. He should have been happy, given that now he had Archery(Master) skill. Yet, he wasn't. Staring at his hand, he kept having the feeling that there was more that could be done. That there was something that was missing. It was as if he knew that he could hold more in his hands, yet he wasn't doing so.

In order to sate this new feeling, he grabbed two arrows out of the quiver instead of one. Notching them both, his draw was quick and effortless whilst his posture remained impeccable. It was all done in one smooth motion. Icarus decided his aim very quickly. Although he felt that he could definitely do more with his ability, he had to take things slow for now. This time, he didn't even need to take a deep breath to gather his focus, it was done the moment he completed his draw.

The arrows flew once again from his bow, ripping through the air. Drawing a straight trajectory, the path of the two arrows grew apart at the end, with one arrow burying itself in the bullseye and the other burying itself in the outer most ring of the target. Just like he had intended. It was a perfect execution of a double shot yet Icarus still wasn't happy. He felt that he was still missing something. It was…too slow. 'Yes, that's it!' it felt like he had just found the location of an itch he couldn't scratch. His arm shot towards his quiver and he drew out a single arrow this time. Nocking it on the string, he drew the bow and released it almost instantly. Not even waiting for the first arrow to hit its mark, he grabbed another one out of his quiver, notching, drawing and shooting it just as quickly.

As soon as the first arrow struck the bullseye, it was sliced in half by the second arrow, which was sliced through by the third. Icarus didn't care about the number of arrows or the target at this point. The sense of fulfilment he was receiving just from the firing the arrows rapidly sent him into a trance of euphoria. He didn't have a single care in the world. That was until the arrows in the quiver ran out. As he reached for another arrow, he was greeted with his hands grasping thin air, causing him to break out of this state. Realising that he had emptied out the entire quiver, it didn't quite sink in until he looked back at the target and saw a wooden frill coming out of the centre of the target. This truly left him completely speechless and out of words.

Daedalus was sitting in a clearing, sharpening his sword. The trees around him swayed gently as the breeze caressed his face. As he took a deep breath, something behind him in the shadows moved. 'Did you find something?' A figure started moving towards the clearing from within the shade. Caylus squinted his eyes as he shielded them from the sun. It took him a second before his eyes were able to adjust. He took a seat on a rock opposite the Daedalus as he began reporting. 'Icarus has…already mastered riding and probably Archery as well by now.' Daedalus went eyed at this. It had to be known that in order to master a skill, a normal person requires at least 10 to 12 years' worth of practice. Yet his son had mastered not one but two skills within the span of a day. 'What are your thoughts?' Daedalus knew that this kind of speed went well beyond the word "genius". It was simply illogical. Caylus took a deep breath before beginning to speak but the first words out of his mouth stunned Daedalus. 'I…think he has a bloodline ability that allows him to burst with karma, causing his skill to rapidly rise.'

'What are you talking about? Neither mine nor Sana's bloodline has such capabilities'

Caylus nodded, 'I know my lord, but there is a bloodline that has that ability. More specifically…'

'Impossible!' Daedalus' mouth dropped open when he realised what Caylus was alluding to.

'I thought that as well, but you as well as I know that there is no other explanation for the explosive increase in karma.' He hesitated a bit before continuing, 'There's also another thing that bothers me.'

Daedalus, who was stroking his chin deep in thought, replied without even looking up at him, 'Don't worry, I think I know the source of the karma that he is using for the increase in skill level.' Quiet replaced the scenery as Caylus waited on Daedalus for further instructions. He knew that his lord was thinking about something currently and there was no point in interrupting as he wouldn't answer back anyways.

Caylus nodded before asking, 'how is Lady Sana by the way?' Clearly, there was a glint in his eyes as he asked. Daedalus grinned when he saw the expression on Caylus' face before he nodded. 'She divined that it will be a boy.' A wide smile spread across Caylus' face as he nodded before heading back into the shadows of the trees. Daedalus simply shook his head as his gaze drifted off into the distance. He stood like that for a while, unmoving and expressionless. Only when the sun started to descend towards the horizon and the cawing of the birds returning home to their nests flooded the forest, did Daedalus move.

Meanwhile, at the border of the Dragonsword Farm, a man dressed in black from head to toe with a black cloak slowly made his way onto the land. He was holding onto a piece of parchment as he walked. Due to the hood covering his head, his facial features couldn't be seen clearly but the piercing ice blue pupils were clearly visible even through the darkness. 'So, this is where they reside.' A calm charming voice echoed through the forest surrounding the man. 'I should begin the operation then.' A bone-chilling laughter echoed across the forest as the man disappeared from his place.