23 Revelation (1/2)

Kalistra immediately ran into the dojo as if she was chased by a ghost.She saw that Gendun was holding a wooden stick with both hands and practicing his swing with the heavy stick.A group of similarly young children was practicing with him.In front of the dozen or so pupils was a senior student, a Journeyman-ranked human named Hendrez.

Kalistra fully supported her papa's appointment of this man to take charge of the newest apprentices; Hendrez was even tempered, unlike Kalistra, and he was suitable as an instructor for children.The children were apprentices-in-training until they reached the requisite 15 points in Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Constitution.The instructor coordinated carefully with the Grandmaster to push these children to reach their full potential and become official Apprentices of the school.

At level eighteen, Hendrez was the next candidate in the dojo to become a master swordsman.His eventual membership in the rather exclusive group of masters in the dojo will allow the school to accept more apprentices in the future.

Hendrez caught Kalistra's eye and bowed.

The cat girl nodded in acknowledgment and continued walking deeper into the dojo.Eventually, she reached the end of the long training hall and stood in front of a partition where she knew that papa will be meditating this morning.She knelt down before the partition.”Papa, I need to talk to you regarding Lawrence,” she said quietly.

The Grandmaster noticed the serious tone of her voice.”Come sit with me,” Kalistro ordered.

The daughter quickly got back to her feet.She slid open the partition, stepped inside the small meditation room and closed the partition behind her.Kalistra saw that her papa was sitting cross-legged and meditating.

”Speak,” he said succinctly.

Kalistra sat directly across from him.”I just looked at Lawrence's updated player screen.In the span of under twelve hours, he had gained enough experience to advance to level two, acquired TWO innate abilities, and, most importantly, acquired a greater divine blessing,” she reported.”He also admitted that he will be pursuing the crown,” she added.”I don't know if we should continue to train him and I seek your guidance in this matter.”

Kalistro opened his eyes and looked directly into his daughter's eyes.He was surprised; he saw uncertainty and . . . a hint of fear.”Why are you afraid of this human?” he asked.

Kalistra bristled at the question.”I'm NOT afraid of him,” she hissed.

The cat man grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.”Yes, you are.”He quickly held up his left paw to forestall her argument. ”You are afraid because you have never met anyone like him.If you look deep into your heart, you will know this to be true.It's alright, my daughter.Fear is something we should embrace rather than dismiss.Fear makes us cautious and forces us to step back and away from the heated moment.Having fear in your heart can be a useful tool if you can harness this powerful emotion properly,” he lectured.

”Kalistra, I'm going to reveal some closely held secrets regarding the founding of our dojo and also the founder of the Kingdom of Merlin.This is information that can only be passed from the current Grandmaster of our school to its next Grandmaster.No one else is to learn of this.Originally, I was going to wait until you reach the Grandmaster level to discuss this but Lawrence's arrival has accelerated my plan.”Kalistro took a deep breath and continued.”The man who repelled the invaders from another continent and founded the Kingdom of Merlin was a man named, 'Merlin Hubert Jackson.'He was also Kallimon's teacher for a brief period,” Kalistro revealed.

Kalistra's eyes gleamed upon hearing the full name.It was a three-word name—just like Lawrence!Her eyes blinked as she began to understand the implications . . .

The father nodded and grinned.”Yes, daughter, Merlin was also not from our world.The truth is that this Merlin who united the kingdom was NOT the same Merlin who advised King Arthur.THAT Merlin had disappeared upon King Arthur's death and no one knows what happened to the first Merlin.When this second Merlin appeared, the common folk simply saw the 'Merlin' name and mistakenly believed that it was the return of the Mage Supreme.How this imposter survived long enough to accept the mantle of the original Merlin I do not know.But if he HAD arrived at level one, like Lawrence, then this Merlin must have advanced just as rapidly as our pupil is doing now.”

”What ability and blessing do Lawrence have?” Kalistro asked suddenly.

”Oh, um, Lawrence has Navigation-Sense and Magic Detection abilities.He also has the Kissed by Lady Luck blessing,” she recalled.

The Grandmaster nodded; he had expected as much.The innate abilities were valuable but still common enough.The divine blessing, however, was akin to a mark of the Gods themselves and it was much rarer.It was Lawrence's receipt of this divine blessing that caused his daughter to lose her composure.”King Merlin was rumored to have five or six innate abilities.Also, he was a recipient of this same divine blessing that all Grandmasters of our school had received at one time or another.Since you, too, had received this blessing, you qualify to become the next Grandmaster of our school,” he revealed.

Kalistra nodded her head slowly.She received the Kissed by Lady Luck blessing during the Melee Tournament and became the champion as a result of this divine blessing.The Tournament was an annual event that drew the best melee fighters from the Kingdom of Merlin.There were several categories for different levels.The Master Tournament had a level cap of twenty and every contestant, including Kalistra, had reached the level cap.When fighters were equally skilled, the deciding factor in choosing the winner often came down to luck alone.Since Lady Luck had favored Kalistra during the tournament, the cat girl became the winner of the Melee Tournament two years ago.At the tender age of sixteen, she was the youngest winner ever.