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[Profile]
Name: Gerald Stormrider
Age: 13
Race: Human
Class: Tier 1: Frostfire Sorcerer
Level: 1
Aptitude:
Body: SS
Energy: SSS
Spirit: - Find your next read on empire
Final rating: SS+
Skills:
(Innate): Breathing Mastery, Movement Mastery, Sensory Mastery, Basic CQC Mastery, Learning Mastery.
(Class-related): Basic Sorcery, Frostfire Mastery, Levitation, Blink.
**
[Profile]
Name: Gilderoy Stormrider
Age: 13
Race: Human
Class: Tier 1—Grand Wilderness Druid
Level: 1
Aptitude:
Body: SS
Energy: SSS
Spirit: -
Final rating: SS+
Skills:
The women shared the sentiment that there should be some fairness in this family, but in the end, they're just like any parent out there that wants the best for their child.
As the children played around with their new skills and abilities, Cedric was with his wives, watching them from a distance.
They could see Gerald's fascination with his blue flames. He controlled a fire that was so cold that it burned. Such irony and contradiction intrigued him to no end that he's completely absorbed by it.
Gilderoy was making plants grow via thought. He's also showing minor transmutation skills, turning the soil into mud and mud into sand, which stems from his innate aptitude towards witchcraft.
Ans Godwyn, well, he's not doing anything special, but he's been frowning a bunch. If one looked closely at his eyes, they were constricting every now and then. His vision was zooming in and out of things, getting used to this perspective of his because this will certainly be helpful in his archery training very soon.
'He might awaken the eyes pretty soon, too,' Cedric thought to himself. 'I should probably loosen then seal in the next few days. I trust that they'd be fine since they've proven themselves responsible anyway.'
"How should we train them from now on?" Isabella asked, sounding a bit hesitant.
"I'm wondering about that too." Erica followed up. "Should we begin teaching them cultivation techniques, or is it too early still?"
"I'm just hoping that Gil wouldn't be turned off by my potion-crafting lessons. It's all I can offer after all. Since he's a druid, this should be right up his alley, no?"
"Don't worry too much," Cedric stated. "Let them play around on their own for now. It will take some time for them to get used to their new abilities. Let them explore on their own; that would be more beneficial to their growth than teaching them right away."
"The cultivation techniques aren't a priority for now. They're not lacking anything. What's important is for them to become more familiar with their abilities first. They have the innate gift of learning, so they will never lack ideas."
"If anything, we should be more hands-off in their training." Cedric suggested, "If they want to learn something from us, they should approach us instead. They must learn to take initiative in these things. We teach them what they want and let them explore the rest. That's the best way to make them real strong."
"They're going to hit a wall soon, and it will come to them in the appearance of the Hell Dives. Theirs is the same as mine, so I'm certain about that."
Yes, Hell Dives are still around. It's not as hectic and stressful as it was in the past, but it's still pretty challenging. And knowing the temperament of their children, this will become their first real setback.
Godwyn, Gilderoy, and Gerald all had the same Hell Dive as Cedric's—the Endless Horde of the Undead. Even with their innate aptitudes and skills, it is very unlikely that they'd clear it in their first go.
Looking at the semi-distressed faces of his wives, Cedric smiled wryly and said:
"Don't look so glum. This life. A setback is a necessary part of their growth. They won't turn into real strong adults if they consistently win in life. They gotta lose sometimes."
Cedric was completely aware of the role of setbacks in a person's growth. He had a fair share of it himself. It's these setbacks that allowed him to reach this far, after all.
And whether they like it or not, the children are growing up fast. Soon, they will leave this nest and become independent; such is life after all. The best thing they could do is to prepare them as much as possible before that eventually happens.
Cedric can't hold their hand forever. They need to learn how to stand up on their own, especially since their starting point was much better than he had in the past. As much as he dearly loves his boys, he had to set up certain standards for them, or else they will be dependent on him forever.
With this said, they can only watch as their kids explore their new abilities even more.
And is proving Cedric's point even further; the gift of learning he bestowed on them is now displaying its brilliance.
From being merely fascinated by the way his flames contradicted themselves, Gerald transitioned into shaping it into a snowflake as big as his head. The snowflake has a crystal structure, and it emits a chilling temperature, yet it's blazing and pulsing like fire. Gerald was also starting to discover the fine line between cold and heat.
Gilderoy showed early signs of transmutation; now he's displaying another branch of witchcraft, which is probability manipulation. He's also playing around with telekinesis at this point.
Then there's Godwyn. No, he's not holding a bow yet. But he was throwing stones at anything he deems fit for target practice, and he's yet to miss. The more he shoots, the more confident he gets, and the more confidence he has, the more absurd his trickshots get. Anyone looking at him can tell that he's having the time of his life with this.
The three of them are showing this much skill already in mere hours after their awakening ceremony.
Cedric looked at his wives and said,
"See? They're going to be just fine."