As the echoes of the applause for the young Elias died down, Lord Alaric, his father, remained standing. His booming voice, which had moments before been full of paternal pride, now took on a serious, almost somber tone, a stark contrast to the festive atmosphere. The silence in the room was now absolute, thick with anticipation.
" What is this The Rite of Passage, you may ask?" Alaric began.
"It is a Rite to prove your worth in this world as a member of the Dukker House. It's not just a simple test,not a mere ceremony, but the very crucible in which the soul of a Dukker is forged. Look around you," he commanded, his gaze sweeping over his wife, his niece, and finally, his son.
Elara sat with her hands clasped in her lap. Aina, ever the stoic one was as expressionless and deadpan as ever. Elias, the small boy at the center of it all, felt a chill crawl up his spine. The gifts on the table—the dagger, the book, the simple ring—now seemed to stand as silent, profound statements of the gravity of this moment.
"You,your mother and myself—we are all that remains of the Dukker lineage," Alaric declared, his voice carrying the weight of a heavy truth.
"I was an only child, and though I had cousins, they were all daughters of my uncles who have since married into other houses. We have no other kin. The blood of the Dukkers runs solely through our veins. So, just as I as the sole heir to the family passed through this rite you must pass it's test as well. It is a tradition that every male of our family must undergo. It is how we prove our worth, our strength, and our ability to lead. It is how we ensure that the falcon on our banner never falls."
"Your training begins tomorrow, son. My friend Roric will come over to take you to the forest for Hunter training For the next year, you will be pushed to the limits of your body and mind, learning the various skills you'll need for this test .You are a Dukker, and you will be trained like one."
Elias felt a cold dread creep through his veins. 'A year of even more intense training, starting tomorrow? Just kill me already.'Alaric continued, his voice dropping slightly, now a fierce, hushed whisper that made the hair on the back of Elias's neck stand on end.
"Once your training is done, you will be sent to the heart of the Blackwood region, to a Node. As you know,Nodes are areas where the Flow is dense and chaotic, a place where wild, awakened beasts thrive. This one in particular goes by the name the Iron Forest. When the time comes you'll find out why though with how curious you are I'm sure you'll research it almost immediately."
Elias's eyes widened. He was being sent to A Node? A place of untamed, raw power. His mind, still holding the fragmented memories of his past life, knew the dangers of such places. They were hotspots of unpredictable energy, places where the environment itself could become warped, and where creatures evolved by a chaotic, powerful energy. While a part of him was afraid,another part was calculating,coming up with various questions who's answers he could find by venturing deep into this Iron Forest. It was very conflicting.
On one hand he was afraid to go to a place where a child would be torn to pieces by beasts that defied conventional biology, but on the other hand he could test out the various techniques he'd learned and developed to off himself, away from the watchful gazes of his family. Surely if he failed and died there it wouldn't be too painful for them? Right? He'd be a disappointment, sure ,but deadmen had no feelings. His mother reached over and squeezed his small hand reassuringly. His resolve faltered.
"You will be sent into the node alone," Alaric continued.
"You will have a month to survive, using only the skills and knowledge you have gained. After that month, you must return with proof of your victory against an Imbued Beast."
Lord Alaric ended with a statement that sealed Elias's fate.
"Your training starts at dawn tomorrow. Be ready."
The silence that followed was a deafening roar. Elias looked at the dagger in his hand and the pinky ring on his finger, a symbol of a potential future he was unlikely to ever see. The world was not the idyllic home he had been pretending it was. His short-lived peace was over.
" Don't worry my boy. If even I who had no Flow at the time was able to pass this test then you should have no problem. You are my son after all and I'll make sure that you are well equipped before venturing into the Iron Forest. Okay?" Alaric said with a a reassuring smile. Elias pushed his conflicting feelings aside and smiled back.
"I won't let you down." Surprisingly though, the person who seemed the most displeased with this development wasn't Elias who after a few minutes of partying had succumbed to his curiosity than to his fear.
It was Aina.