The Aura Ascendant: A Knight's Unbroken Path

Hayden had no idea what Garrick, the blacksmith, was thinking, but it was a good thing that the blacksmith wasn't against making the needles.

On the other hand, Garrick was also happy that the frail young master of their manor was interested in something other than staying in his room. For him, making those needles was just a slight inconvenience anyway.

"Alright. I'll make them," Garrick said, studying the sketch Hayden had provided. "But it'll take a few days. Silver's not easy to work with, and these need to be perfect."

"Thank you," Hayden said with relief. "I'll find a way to repay you."

Garrick waved a hand dismissively. "Just don't let anyone know I made these. The Baron wouldn't take kindly to me helping you behind his back."

***

Over the next few days, Hayden threw himself into his training.

He only had two weeks left before he would be sent to the Academy, after all.

He woke before dawn, practicing the breathing techniques the Ocularis Lens had suggested to strengthen his body and improve his stamina. It was something he had copied from Roan, the squire within their family.

Apparently, there were several stages to becoming a Knight. It would start with being a Novice, where they would learn basic knowledge, etiquette, swordplay, footwork, and other fundamentals. Then came the Apprentice stage, which most students who had studied for a few years belonged to. After graduating—or, in some cases, even while still students—they could become a Squire to learn directly from a true Knight.

In Roan's case, after failing to learn how to use Aura, the Knight he had served had essentially given up on him. Roan just couldn't admit it. Even after being able to sense Aura, there was still a stage called Aura Initiate, which Roan believed would be even harder. Hayden wasn't too sure how it worked, but even after that, they still wouldn't become a Knight. There was another stage called Knight Candidate, where they had to complete some sort of trial before officially becoming a Knight.

Novice, Apprentice, Squire, Aura Initiate, and Knight Candidate… According to the books, even after becoming a Knight, there were still several stages beyond that.

Well, Hayden didn't really want to become a Knight. To be exact, he just wanted to learn how to use Aura to become stronger and capable of protecting himself.

'Right… There's no need to become a Knight who has to serve some lord or something. Just being strong enough to live a decent life should be fine,' Hayden thought to himself.

After all the hardship he had experienced in his past life, he certainly didn't have grand dreams anymore. It should be his time to live a peaceful life—or at least, that was what he was hoping for.

After finishing his breathing technique with about fifty cycles, Hayden inspected his body. He didn't really notice any improvement. Perhaps his breathing had gotten better, but he wasn't sure what benefit it could provide in the long run.

"I can't really tell if it's working, but since it's not doing anything bad to my body, I should be fine," Hayden said with a wry smile.

He was unsure whether it was a good idea to copy Roan's breathing technique when Roan himself hadn't even learned to use Aura yet. This method might even be the one causing problems.

In the end, he decided to simply trust the calculations made by his Ocularis Lens.

After his training, he spent a couple of hours in the manor's library, studying and recording information from various books. Of course, he would also read from time to time to learn more about this world. During his training, the Ocularis Lens became his constant companion, guiding him through various possible exercises and analyzing his progress. This allowed the Lens to create a better training regimen for him as time passed.

His condition was quite special, as he needed to build his strength and endurance without overtaxing his fragile meridians. He had to adjust his training because of that. Slowly, painfully, he began to see improvements. His tiny muscles grew firmer, his breathing steadier, and his energy levels, according to the Ocularis Lens, became more stable. However, he knew that he was still very weak.

It wasn't enough. The blockages remained.

The Ocularis warned him repeatedly whenever he checked whether he could start his acupuncture procedure:

[ Insufficient stamina for acupuncture procedure. The risk of fatal energy backlash remains high. ]

"I get it… I get it. Anyway, the needles haven't been made yet," he muttered.

In the next few days, he didn't have much to do aside from exercising to get his body into better condition. Then, one morning, as Hayden made his way to the dining hall for breakfast, he noticed something unusual. The manor was quieter than usual, and several servants were absent. The ones who were present moved sluggishly, their faces pale and weak.

"Where is everyone?" Hayden asked a maid who was setting the table.

The maid hesitated for a moment before replying, "Many of the staff have fallen ill, young master. It started a few days ago. First, it was the kitchen staff, then the gardener's family, and now even some of the guards."

Hayden frowned. "What kind of illness?"

The maid shook her head. "We don't know. It's like nothing we've seen before. Fever, fatigue, and... strange dreams. Some say it's a curse."

A curse?

It wasn't an impossible cause, considering he had learned that this was a world of swords and magic. However, he couldn't just rely on that assumption.

Then, he had to investigate himself. Soon, his Ocularis Lens was triggered, analyzing the maid's physique.