With that simple command, the air in front of Alarion shimmered as though suddenly hot. An instant later, the bottom of that distortion solidified with an electric zip. Moment by moment, more of the distortion filled in, accompanied by similar sounds. The pace quickened as a box took shape, the sound a whirling drone as it ramped up, only to just as quickly wind down once it passed the item's midpoint.

Within five seconds, a completed grey box roughly a foot in length hovered in mid-air, then dropped into Alarion's waiting hands, as though its strings were cut.

The design was intricate, even if its color was quite bland. Formed out of what appeared to be a single large rectangular stone, the top of the dark gray box was emblazoned with an intricate carving that depicted a one-armed boy standing firm against a fire-breathing dragon.

It was the most beautiful thing Alarion had ever owned.

His fingers traced the carving. They followed the arched curves of the dragon's back until it met the sharp vertical edge of the box, then ran along that down to where his own depiction began. The sight made him smile.

"Are you going to open it?" Elena asked as her impatience got the better of her.

"Yeah." Alarion nodded, deftly hiding the reality that he'd briefly forgotten that the box itself was not his reward. "Though… how? There isn't a latch."

"Focus on the box." She explained. "Like you want to know more about it."

Exceptional Quest Box

Description: An Exceptional reward granted to Alarion, Ward of the House of Hunger, for completing the quest Dragon Slayer.

Would you like to open this box? Yes/No?

The answer was so obvious that Alarion didn't even have to focus on his answer before the System responded. The box shifted in his hands, the slightest unnatural movement as the lid of the once solid box separated into a second piece.

Alarion knelt and set the box on the courtyard floor, careful not to dislodge the lid further until the item was stable. Once there, he gingerly removed the carving and set it to the side, fully intent on holding onto it.

Inside, he found two items. The first was a single sheet of jet black paper that filled the exact dimensions of the box's interior. Glimmering silver ink nearly covered its surface, ranging from minuscule scrawlings to detailed diagrams of a heavily armored man swinging a terribly oversized sword.

Beneath it lay Alarion's dread enemy.

A knife.

Or at least, that was what it looked like on first blush. At a second glance, that estimate was not quite right. It had the dimensions of a knife, namely that it was small, but not the proportions. The hilt of the 'knife' was far too short and thin, the blade several times its length in a way that made it impractical and ungainly.

A miniature Imperial Greatsword with two thin diamonds of missing material. A hole where the house emblem usually resided, and another set into the base of the pommel. Its guard and edge were all burnished black steel flecked through with pinpoints of white that made it appear like a star-filled sky. Its hilt was wrapped in minute teal bandages, while the weapon's core was a deep violet that together twinned the unmistakable colors of Elena's House.

"Huh," Alarion murmured, as the reality clicked. He looked to Elena then, holding up the two items he could make neither hide nor hair of.

"Same principle," she said patiently.

Alarion paused momentarily to process her words, then squinted at the miniature sword. He frowned, tossed it aside, and turned his attention to the paper.

"Alarion!" Elena scolded as she scooped up the discarded item and quickly examined it.

Shifting Imperial Greatsword [Exceptional](Incomplete 1/3)

Description: A miniature Imperial Greatsword created to match the aesthetic tastes of Alarion, Ward of the House of Hunger. This item is incomplete.

Requirements: None

Type: Weapon

Enchantment: On mental command, this weapon can shift between a miniature state and that of an Imperial Greatsword ideally sized to the user's current height and strength scores.

"Ah," she said with a wince. 'Ideally sized', in his case, would be smaller and lighter. A total non-starter. He'd given a similar rejection the previous night when Elena had suggested that the armorer design him something more his size. The glare he'd given her was the closest the boy had yet come to outright defiance.

"Strange," ZEKE said. "You don't often see such an obvious error from a quest box. Rewards from a quest box, especially one from a person's own questing power, tend to be more narrowly tailored. But, it seems the System has more sense than the boy."

"I am more concerned about the name," Elena replied. "It is not wrong, but…"

Perception and personality shaped descriptions and explanations provided by the System. Notifications could look different to different people, and the System famously had quirks for different people. It could be overly sarcastic if a person were terribly serious, or melancholy if they were upbeat.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Even a person's name was something that often changed with personal perception. That the knife declared him Ward of the House of Hunger spoke volumes about Alarion's state of mind.

"Is this safe to use?"

"Hmm?" Elena asked, looking away from the sword to the piece of paper that was all but thrust into her face. She recognized it for what it was at a glance, her eyebrows shooting up.

Codex Ambrosia – Folio 14 [Exceptional]

Description: Marked Folio 14, this page was originally part of a larger manuscript known as Codex Ambrosia. Its detailed illustrations and complex, multi-layered descriptions serve as the basis for one of the Vitrian Forms.

Requirements: Awakened.

Type: Imbuement.

Effects: Instantly gain the skill [Imperial Greatsword Mastery]. If the user already possesses this skill, instead, add one level to this skill.

"Mmm. For you, yes." ZEKE cut into the conversation with some annoyance, as his remaining hopes of drawing the youth away from his preferred path finally evaporated. "It is safe to use, and you should do so immediately. There is no reason to wait."

Alarion did not need to be told twice as he selected yes from the options already hovering in his field of view.

Small sparkles twinkled in a circle about his feet, like sparks skipping off a stone, before a sudden burst of air pressure dispersed them. A sudden sense of power pulsed through his body, a rush of positive sensation that sent a tingle up his spine, but vanished disappointingly quickly.

Stranger still, he felt a flood of knowledge that was difficult to describe. As though he'd suddenly remembered things about his weapon of choice that he'd never actually learned. He knew where its center of gravity lay, the ideal placement for his hands on the hilt, the proper footwork to best use it.

Unimpressed by the light show, ZEKE said, "Be sure to hold on to the paper. The magic is spent, but pages like that keep some value."

"That was…" Alarion began, largely ignoring ZEKE. He couldn't quite describe it, though the notification of a new skill quickly distracted him.

Imperial Greatsword Mastery [Common]

Description: You have gained the most basic proficiency of an Imperial Greatsword worthy of recognition. A long road to true mastery lies before you, but your new skills may yet help you carve your way to those unseen heights.

Requirements: None

Type: Passive

Effects: Gain a slight increase in damage when wielding an Imperial Greatsword. Gain a slight increase in speed when wielding an Imperial Greatsword. Gain a slight increase in experience gain when using skills with an Imperial Greatsword. Gain a slight increase in experience for classes that wield an Imperial Greatsword as their primary weapon.

Growths: STR +4

Skill level increased. Imperial Greatsword Mastery is now Level 1. STR+4.

That… seemed like a lot. But also so little. He felt so much better just from one skill? And what it gave him. An increase in both damage and speed, and to his future growth? Not to mention the direct increase to his strength. He already had 19 strength. A +4 would mean what? A 20% increase? More? He'd been so much stronger from a mere 15% increase in his last battle. Alarion counted on his fingers before a look from Elena made him think better of it. It was a large increase, regardless.

"He finally gets it," ZEKE observed with some good humor. He had been training pupils since long before Alarion's grandparents were born. He recognized the epiphany. Most Awakened had it when they gained their first class level. Alarion had somehow missed that milestone in his years of deprivation, but he felt it now all the same. "The power he possesses, the potential. This is why it is called an Awakening, young master."

"It is why it can also be so troublesome in the youth," Elena warned. "Chasing power can be as addictive as any drink or powder."

Alarion nodded. To his credit, he drew in a deep breath to center himself. To push down some of that excitement lest it take hold of him entirely. "So? What next?"

ZEKE's eyes seemed to glow a little brighter at the question. "We'll be spending most of the day with introductory forms. If you insist on using that weapon, we will make you master it. Before that, however, there is the matter of your outstanding skill selection. Lest we have another accident."

"And you will need to take this," Elena insisted, pushing the miniature weapon into Alarion's palm. "Even if you do not intend to use it now, you will likely gain the remaining pieces through your questing power, even if you discard it. That would be a terrible waste."

Alarion scowled, but Elena's grip brooked no compromise. He took the weapon and turned his attention back to it, studying it and its description with a more careful eye.

"How do I-" Alarion started to ask, idly tossing the weapon from his left hand to his right, before bucking back in alarm as the minuscule weapon erupted to full size in an instant. With his increased strength and its slightly diminished size, he was just barely able to wrangle the weapon to avoid having it drop edge down on his face.

Elena and ZEKE exchanged glances. He'd figured it out himself. That was a sort of progress.

"My fault," he said, as though it could have been anyone else's. He touched a hand to the weapon's pommel, and it shrank back to its original size in a heartbeat. Once minimized, Alarion tossed it from one palm to the other, getting a feel for the weight of it and how best not to stab or cut himself while manipulating it.

He let it grow to full size and then shrunk it down. His eyes sparkled, and there was a hint of a grin on his lips.

Elena and ZEKE exchanged glances. He didn't hate the thing anymore. That, too, was a sort of progress.

Then came a flicker. A realization, a sense of understanding. A sudden seriousness.

"Alarion?" Elena asked, somewhat perturbed by the young man's abrupt change in demeanor.

The weapon shrank and grew, shrank and grew. It shrank, paused, and grew again. Satisfied, Alarion reduced its size once again and began tossing it up and down, up and down. The star scape edges flashed in the late morning sun as they spun end over end.

Then, with a flash, Alarion launched the miniature weapon toward one of the armor-laden training mannequins that ringed the arena.

It did not stay miniature for long,

The greatsword had scarcely left Alarion's hand when it abruptly grew to its full size while retaining most of its initial momentum. The sudden air resistance of the larger blade, combined with an inexpert throw, had the sword fall short of its intended target. But it didn't matter.

The weight of the thing slammed into the wooden pole that substituted the dummy's legs and shattered it into splinters. The clatter of armor cascading to stone echoed off the surrounding walls of the manor house.

Elena winced, no longer willing to exchange glances. Meanwhile, ZEKE turned his attention everywhere at once, from the dummy to Alarion, to Elena and back again, seemingly at a loss for words.

Alarion joined him in that silence. There was a thin smile on the young man's face. Not a smug smirk or the grin of a secret joke. Just the contented smile of pure accomplishment as Alarion retrieved the weapon from the now destroyed dummy and began idly tossing it once again.

"Alarion," Elena warned, before he could even think of throwing it again.

"I'll speak to the quartermaster about some proper targets. Some very durable targets." ZEKE said at last. "Now, before we are waylaid any further, can we please talk about your skills?"

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