The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Sweat beaded on his brow as his entire body tensed. Not very different to him tempering his muscles and his Divine Vessels, this felt like trying to grasp water with his bare hands. It was slippery, elusive, and unyielding.

His breathing was in ragged bursts as he focused harder, his mind narrowing to a single point of intent.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Steady," he spoke to himself in his mind, maintaining the imagination of the river of Divinity.

The easiest past was lifting the bubbles, and the first one lifted. It shimmered in his mind's eye, delicate and radiant. He guided it carefully toward the bones of his arms, as he'd already managed to temper his leg bones that morning.

Expectedly, because of their rigidity and density, he felt the resistance from his radius and ulna with every channel. The Divinity found it difficult to seep through, but with more concentration, the bubble dissolved, and a wave of searing heat coursed through him as the Divinity melded into his very marrow.

There was a little pain at first. Just a sting which was in no way going to deter the persistent prince. He did not falter, and after a deep breath, he repeated the process, again and again, each bubble taking lesser effort than the last.

Slowly the river flowing through his channels began to lose quantity as their mass was adapted into his bones, just like they were to his muscles and vessels.

Aeric's breath was calm now, his jaw still, and his vision serene. Body Tempering was now easy for him, and all it took was two days of persistence and refusal to procrastinate.

After what felt like an eternity, the process was finally complete. Aeric let out a deep breath and gently opened his eyes. Feeling some relief, he collapsed onto his back, the cool mat grounding him as he panted softly.

The system's chime echoed again.

[Divine Tortoise Method Completed!]

[Commendations! Body Tempering is now Complete!]

[Your Divinity now flows naturally through your body. While your reserves remain significantly higher than others, your control has greatly improved.]

[The Divinity Influx is over.]

Aeric stared at the notification for a silent, thoughtful moment, letting the words sink in. At first, there was relief which quickly flooded him, then followed briskly by pride.

Below his nose, a smile spread across his face, before it widened into a laugh — a deep, joyous laughter that echoed in his room.

He laughed and laughed for so long, uncertain what to even make of it. 'What a day!'

And what a day it was indeed. This was the difference between Aeric of Starlight and Dagwood Ackley. This was what happened when one set themselves a goal and actually moved ahead to achieve it.

The sense of accomplishment, the fulfilment, the pride, the praise and even the self respect. Everything he had planned to do today, he had done. He had [Claimed] Alzera's Main Skill, and gained multiple XP and two important Items in the process.

He had stopped the Divinity Influx and tempered his body to coordinate the overflow of Divinity within him. Things were already looking up. All thanks to his determination.

He laughed once again. This one was louder, filling the room. How long had the Divine Priest had given him to produce a Skill and Class? Seven days.

Seven days! And he had achieved it in one.

"Oh, how surprised he will be," Aeric said to himself, grinning. Showing up to the Royal Institution tomorrow with the proof of his mettle would certainly and finally throw the Priest off his scent, and that sent a thrill of relief through him.

But his amusement was cut short by another chime.

[Daily exercise: 50 push-ups remaining to complete today's regimen].

Aeric groaned, then chuckled. "No rest for the victorious," he muttered, pushing himself up from the floor. He dropped into position, his arms trembling slightly from the strain of cultivation.

"One," he counted aloud, his voice steady despite his exhaustion.

"Two."

With each push-up, he felt the weight of the day's trials lifting, replaced by a sense of accomplishment. Today was the day he worked his ass off. From tomorrow, he was hell bent on reaping the benefits.

~ ~ ~

Morning bells rang in the sky as the sun began to rise, but Aeric of Starlight was already up, sprawled on the ground and performing sit ups.

After that exercise was completed, he accepted the XP and sunk into a bath, while Nessa, his maid, washed him and gave him the daily fellacio after.

Aeric put on his usual clothing of black and red royal suit and a cape falling behind him. Once he was all dressed and prepared, he walked to the courtroom where he knew he would certainly find his mother.

"Good morning, Mother," he greeted her eloquently, walking towards her and planting a kiss on her forehead that made her smile.

"Good morning, my wonderful son," Mother Guinevere said to him happily. "You are off to the Institution this time, aren't you? No where else?"

Aeric looked at her and smiled. "No where else." He paused a bit and gave her a curious look. "Mother, how come you haven't spoken to me about my Declaration? Did you not hear what the Divine Priest said about me?"

Guinevere's face turned bland as though she had been reminded of something vexing. "I did, son. I only do not want to trouble you with what I think for now. Even if in seven days you do not produce a light on the Divine Crystal, I will not let anyone harm you. Things are being done behind the walls."

Aeric lifted a brow. He wanted to tell her to be careful, but he remembered that she had been in this world long before him, and, so she knew how to navigate the treacherous streets.

"Just be careful, Mother," he said to her.

Mother Guinevere looked up at him and gave him a smile. "You don't ever have to worry about me, Aeric. I control all the elements."

That made him feel a little better. So, he stepped out of the doors and into the outside fields of the castle.

There, right in front of him, he saw Sylver, all arranged and ready to go. Beside the wolf was a normal looking horse, and on top the horse was Delva.

She lifted her hand and waved it at him. "Good morning, Master Aeric!"

Aeric looked surprised.