Level Up Legacy

Before the young him could do something he would regret, Zonas Mantra stepped out from the shabby house and smacked his head with a wooden sword. The gale dissipated, and Lyle shouted in pain as he fell to the ground.

"What do you intend to do with that?" asked Zonas with his white, calm eyes. Even though he was the one in pain, Lyle was the one being punished. "Are you that much of a sore loser, Lyle?"

Lyle glared at his father before running away. It pained him that Zonas would hit his son for an outsider, a child who didn't carry his blood as Lyle did. Thus, while grabbing his wooden sword, Lyle ran from the orphanage.

"Don't run!" shouted Zonas, but Yurirl stepped forward and stared at the old man. In the end, Zonas sighed and returned to the house, while Lyle lost himself in the Copper District.

Their orphanage was not far from the slums and was famous for hosting the unruly brats of the lower districts. While Zonas Mantra had only one child, Lyle, he fostered as many kids as possible and trained them to be knights.

Some of the older orphans died, while others embarked on a journey to find their parents or themselves. However, Zonas Mantra was persistent in caring for the parentless, which made his son feel neglected.

Lyle never knew his mother because Zonas refused to talk about her. All he knew was that one day, Zonas Mantra went on a mission as a knight and, a year later, returned with his newborn son. Thus, for the young son who grew up among many older kids, he felt more parentless than they did.

The slums carried all sorts of people, but being under the protection of a Knights Commander, not many dared touch Lyle. So, he wandered through the streets, waving his sword and cursing the expressionless kid who humiliated him.

"It is wrong to talk about people behind their backs," said a voice from above as a shadow loomed over Lyle. Then, as he turned to look above, he found the same short-haired kid that made him so furious.

"Some people deserve it!" angrily said Lyle before throwing his sword at Yurirl. The calm boy waved his hand, catching the sword midair and throwing it back toward Lyle, making the sword impale the ground beneath his legs.

"AH!" shouted Lyle with fear as he fell on his lower back. His face grew red as Yurirl jumped from above and landed to pick up the sword and aim at Lyle.

"Zonas didn't save me but saved you from another defeat," said Yurirl with lazy-looking eyes. "Do you think abilities are powerful?"

"Don't call him by his name," said Lyle with rage as he slapped the sword away. "Show some respect to the man taking care of us."

Most kids around the orphanage referred to Zonas as their grandfather because of his age and demeanor. Yurirl, however, showed no sentiment ever since he arrived at their orphanage. It has been a year, and the boy surpassed them in their training.

"My grandfather died a year ago," said Yurirl as he threw the wooden sword at him. "Answer my question. Do you think you would have won just because of your ability?"

Lyle had to think hard about that because while Yurirl was a genius, he couldn't control the elements. Thus, he was confident to take him down, even with his control.

"You wouldn't even be able to touch me," said Lyle with a smirk as the wind gathered beneath him, raising him in the air and helping him stand. "I'm the strongest in the orphanage if we fought for real."

"…Then," said Yurirl as if accepting that fact, "let's fight on the meadow. No one can stop us there, and you can show me how powerful you are with an ability."

Lyle was dumbfounded by the offer, suspected the swordsman to have awakened an ability, and wanted to humiliate him further. However, while that thought seemed plausible, it was impossible because Yurirl never lies.

Thus, a grin appeared on his face, and Lyle led the way toward the meadow. He was already ecstatic that the day finally came when he could humiliate Yurirl the way he did. But unfortunately, the rest of the kids were not there to witness it.

Once the two reached the meadow, they found an empty spot where they could fight. Lyle stood several meters away, but Yurirl seemed absent-minded as he stared across the stream.

"What are you stalling for?" asked Lyle with impatience before trying to see what was across the stream. It took him a moment, but he finally noticed someone was there. A young girl was sitting on the opposite side, reading a book.

"We cannot fight here," said Yurirl, crushing Lyle's happiness. "She might end up getting hurt."

"Excuses!" exclaimed the young him, as foolish as he remembers. "Our fight will be over in an instant, and I wouldn't lose control no matter what!"

"Abilities are a dangerous weapon, Lyle," said Yurirl with righteousness. Lyle gritted his teeth, choosing to fight anyway. He raised his hands, and the wind answered his commands, blowing across the meadow so powerfully that Yurirl found it hard to stand.

"As I said, it will be over in an instant!" said Lyle as he tried to end the fight in one attack. Yurirl frowned as he raised his sword, making Lyle scoff. "As if a sword would win against an elemental attack!"

The wind howled and rushed under his command, making Lyle feel the power flow within him. It was exhilarating enough to make Lyle crave more, and the wind answered him.

"Stop!" shouted Yurirl, but the attack was already heading his way. Lyle compressed the wind into one giant blade that rushed toward his rival, turning the soil upside down.

At that moment, Lyle knew he had gone too far since such an attack would kill Yurirl. However, the boy stared at the incoming wind blade with a stoic expression and slashed with his wooden sword.

"Idiot, run away!" shouted Lyle in haste, wanting to take back his attack. However, the two blades collided before he could, and the wind current scattered. Nevertheless, Lyle was awed as he stared at the boy who discarded his weapon and rushed toward the stream.

The splash of water brought Lyle back to reality but left him confused. Yurirl has jumped into the stream right after dispelling his attack instead of attacking Lyle to secure the win.

"What are you doing?" shouted Lyle as he stared at the stream. But then, he noticed that the girl was no longer there, but her book was floating atop the water. "Where did she…."

The horrifying realization dawned on him, and he stood there rooted in fear. If that girl had been blown away by his wind into the river, she would drown, and he would be a murderer.

Yurirl was not there, too. He dove into the mighty stream to save the girl. It might have also been why he wanted Lyle to stop because he noticed that the girl fell into the water earlier than he did.

"Yurirl!" shouted Lyle as he rushed forward, not knowing what to do. He looked for signs to find him and summoned wind to split the water apart, but he was too weak to accomplish such a feat. "I… I have to…."

Before Lyle could decide between jumping and seeking his father, Yurirl broke through the water's surface with someone in his arms. Lyle rushed forward to pull the two back into the meadow, bringing them to safety.

"She," said Yurirl before coughing water, "is not breathing. We need to save her, Lyle. Your ability can help. I will press her chest, and you should blow air into her lungs."

Lyle couldn't answer before Yurirl started compressing her chest at a steady pace, and then he stopped to look at Lyle. Under his reminder, Lyle held her chin and blew into her mouth.

The two repeated the same sequence, but the girl didn't wake up. In the end, Yurirl stopped and stared at the girl with terrifying focus.

"She must have breathed in a lot of water, preventing her from breathing. Can you use the air inside her lungs to expel it?" asked Yurirl, but Lyle shook his head. It was beyond his control. "There is no other choice. Prove to me that your ability can save lives, too!"

Yurirl grabbed his hands and placed them over the girl's dress, and Lyle closed his eyes. He could feel the air in her lungs trapped, but it was too little to push back the water. Furthermore, one wrong move meant he would kill her.

"Yurirl, I can't do it…."

"You can!" shouted Yurirl, making Lyle snap his eyes open. "If not, then she dies! Believe it! Be her savior, Lyle!"

It was the first time that Lyle saw any emotions from Yurirl, and it made him calm. After nodding, he focused his attention on the air inside and seized control of it.