With the rising morning sun shining in his face, Kilian climbed, supported by a freshly carved shepherd's crook, made from a long branch of an ironpine, over several large rocks and pursued a sheep that was running away from him.

  “Betsy, please stop! If we don't get back home soon, I'll miss the Kong Clan's caravan!" He shouted angrily, rubbing his still tired eyes.

  But the stubborn animal continued walking, and after a short climb, happily turned to Kilian, bleated loudly, and watched him intently from a hill, while her teeth ground a few blades of grass with rhythmic movements.

  The young shepherd struggled closer and closer, fastened the staff with a strap on his back, and began to climb up a mountain wall.

  Just as he was about to pull himself up on a jagged piece of rock, the entire mountain range shook and he lost his grip.

  Screaming out of shock, he fell about a meter into the deep and repeatedly scraped his body against the hard stone.

  Cursing, with bloody knees and bruised hands, he picked himself up again, looked into the distance, and could hardly believe his eyes.

  A huge hill-like creature whistled through the air, crashed into a meadow, and the entire mountain range shook again.

  A hawk rose in panic from a swaying tree and began to flee, but the gigantic figure opened a slightly greenish eye, and a mouth-like gap opened.

  Lightning fast, a long, pimply tongue shot at the bird, grabbed it, and pulled it into the black mouth of hell.

  A short crack was heard, followed by a soft whimper of pain and a contented croak that made the air vibrate.

  “A toad?” Kilian marveled in disbelief, looked closely at the oversized animal, and discovered a wooden platform on its back on which several small huts were fixed.

  “How can anyone travel on such a thing?” The young shepherd muttered softly and thought, “Is it the Kong Clan?”

  He slowly took a step toward the magical beast, but it was already preparing to leap forward again and, with another trembling of the surroundings, disappeared from his sight in an instant.

  Shocked, he stared into the void until a sheep's terrified cry and a loud howl brought him back to reality.

  “Betsy!” He shouted with a face white as a ghost, pulled out his staff, and ran towards the sounds.

  After a short sprint, he arrived, drawing heavy breaths, between his beloved animal and a three-legged, apparently already injured old wolf.

  The wild animal turned around to face Kilian, somewhat hampered by his missing limb.

  In the next moment, he swung his tail, and a brightly glowing wind blade shot towards Kilian.

  Instinctively, the young boy raised his shepherd’s crook and managed to block the powerful attack.

  A deep notch was cut into the branch of the iron pine, but it held firm.

  In the shadow of the wind blade, the predator, growling with hunger, leaped at the small warrior and threw him to the ground.

  A foul odor filled Kilian's nostrils, and only the already damaged piece of wood, anchored between the fingers of his outstretched arms, pressed against the wolf's throat and protected his face from the beast's repeatedly snapping fangs.

  Blood and drool dripped from its mouth, and the hellish stench was unbearable.

  Kilian's view became fuzzy, his stomach began to turn, and just a moment before he lost consciousness, he managed to push the attacker away with all his strength.

  The boy gasped loudly for air between fits of disgust-induced coughing, yet he never lost sight of his opponent.

  The instinct of a warrior had awakened.

  He spun beneath another approaching wind blade, used the momentum of the movement to gather energy, and slammed his staff against his enemy's skull.

  A deafening howl echoed between the peaks of the mountains, and on the boy's lips lay a silent, challenging smile.

  He enjoyed it!

  The excitement of battle!

  The moment between life and death!

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  Never before had he felt so alive, and never before had the blood pounded so loudly in his veins.

  As if in slow motion, the wolf jumped at Kilian again, but he was ready.

  He slid beneath his opponent, another blow from the staff reversed their positions, and an iron grip slowly squeezed the air from the now whimpering animal's throat.

  In a desperate attempt to save its life, the whip-like tail of the old beast struck the young warrior's back, tearing his clothes to shreds, and a gush of blood stained the hanging rags red.

  But the child's eyes stayed clear, the pressure on his enemy's throat remained, and the beast's reluctant howls slowly but surely died down.

  It was dead.

  With a loud victory cry, the boy rose and looked for Betsy.

  He found a violently trembling sheep being stroked by a fairy-like young woman with slightly greenish skin, and before he was able to mutter a single word, he fainted, while a simple wish formed in his head: "I want to become stronger and protect those who are dear to me!"

  A sweet scent rose into Kilian's nose, and a gentle breeze on his face slowly woke him up.

  He felt as if his body was moving rapidly forward and being rocked up and down again and again.

  After inhaling the pleasant smell deeply several times, he realized that someone was carrying him piggyback.

  A slight tickling on his cheek kept him awake, and with great effort, he opened his eyes a crack.

  "Huh? Finally woke up?” He heard a sweet voice, and a few blond hairs fell over his face again, “You may have stolen my prey, but your fight was exciting to watch! A small child killing a windwolf… not too shabby! No one will believe me for sure.”

  “Who are you?” the boy asked, using the little bit of strength he gathered while resting, and noticed that his whole body ached with every little movement.

  “You managed to escape the grasp of death! Not too bad, it's a valuable lesson to learn how fragile life is! I treated your injuries, and you should be back on your feet in a few days.” Said his rescuer and ignored his question, “Rest a little longer! Soon we will be at your parents’ hut!”

  “How do you know where I live?” Kilian tried again to find out something, and this time he even got an answer, which, however, confused him more than helped.

  "From your sheep!" The fairy-like figure replied mysteriously with a girlish giggle, "I've never spoken to such a stubborn animal before. What an interesting day!"

  “Where is Betsy?” Kilian cried in panic.

  “Don’t worry, she’s fine! You'll find out the rest later!” She replied, fell into a deep silence, and the tired warrior drifted off to sleep once more.

  When Kilian awoke again and opened his eyes, he saw his mother's face, red with tears, gently patting his head with her hand.

  He lay on his parents' soft bed and was wrapped in a thick blanket.

  “My little boy!” Una sobbed loudly and looked at him lovingly, “I am so glad that you are still alive! How did you come up with the idea of fighting a magical beast? I’m sorry we weren’t there to protect you!”

  “I had to protect Betsy…She’s also part of our family!” He murmured, pressed against her chest as she hugged him tightly.

  A light breeze stirred the stale air in the cabin as the door opened and Kegan entered the room.

  “And you did well! I am very proud of you, my son!” The injured boy heard his father’s voice and saw a satisfied smile on his face, “At ten years old, you are already more of a warrior than many adults! Can you get up? The exchange of goods has already ended, and Edana’s ceremony is about to begin.”

  Kilian nodded briefly, pushed the blanket aside, despite his mother’s protest, and dressed his bandaged body with awkward movements.

  “Edana, daughter of Kegan and Una, fourteen years old.” A broad-shouldered, bald man read from a scroll of parchment and then looked at the nervous girl, “Today, you will be tested to see if you have enough talent to join the Outer Kong Clan. Qi-Master Lorna from the Inner Academy will perform the ceremony!”

  The fairy-like woman who had tended to Kilian's wounds and carried him home slowly approached Edana.

  A simple ring on her delicate right ring finger flashed brightly for a moment, and in her hands, as if coming out of the void, a short dagger and a small, transparent stone appeared.

  With wide eyes, the examinee stared at the fairy-like figure and, after a little push from her father, awkwardly approached it.

  Their eyes met briefly, but Edana immediately turned away, as red as a tomato, and looked to the ground.

  "Hold out your hand and don't move. A shallow cut and it's done!" Said the gentle voice, taking the now trembling girl's small hand and slicing across her thumb with the dagger.

  A drop of blood slowly flowed down the finger and dripped towards the floor.

  Still in flight, Lorna caught it with a graceful movement, and it landed on the inconspicuous stone in her hand.

  It was as if a raindrop had fallen into the desert.

  The surface of the stone vibrated briefly and was dry again the next moment.

  The seconds passed, and all eyes were fixed on the Qi-Master's hand.

  Edana was just putting her bloody thumb in her mouth when a powerful impulse spread, and the stone began to shine brightly in a greenish glow.

  “Catch!” Said Lorna as she threw the glowing ball to her, “A B-class talent, that’s not too bad even by the clan’s standards!”

  “Can I learn magic?” The young girl mumbled in amazement, still with one thumb in her mouth, while the other hand reached for the stone flying towards her.

  "At least you've got the talent! What happens next remains to be seen. The Kong Clan hereby recruits you until your twentieth birthday. You will work and study. If you are diligent enough and develop quickly enough, there is a chance you will be allowed to join the Inner Academy!" Replied the Qi-Master, and with shining eyes, she cast her gaze behind Edana at a figure wrapped in bandages, "And now to you, my small but brave young warrior!"

  With a lightning-fast movement, she shot at Kilian, grabbed the boy roughly, and the next moment, another small, inconspicuous stone was stuck between the blood-soaked bandages and began to pulsate.

  “You are truly a mystery!” Murmured the fairy-like figure and bit her lower lip seductively after a few seconds, "I've never seen such a reaction! One moment, the Qi-stone is dull and powerless, and the next it shines brightly like the sun. How am I supposed to judge you? Are you a genius or a cripple?"

  With a frown on her face, the beautiful Qi-Master pondered, and after a few minutes of silence, during which no one dared to interrupt her, she finally said, "Kilian, foster son of Kegan and Una, ten years old! The Kong Clan hereby calls you into service! Pack your things and say goodbye! We will leave in an hour."

  The two siblings stared at each other in disbelief, full of uncertainty, and Kilian could still hear Lorna whispering, "Even

  if he doesn't have that much talent, at least HE should be interested in him..."