The Jack of All Trades, Who Rejected Magic

"Your son has beautiful eyes, Amelia," a voice remarked warmly.

"Thank you," Amelia replied, her voice carrying that ever-familiar hint of sadness.

Audrey sat beside her, munching on sweet corn like it was the finest delicacy in the world. The market buzzed around them—merchants shouting their wares, kids laughing, animals making all sorts of noises—but Audrey stayed focused on his corn. Priorities.

They were about two kilometers from home. Not that Audrey *really* knew what two kilometers felt like, but he trusted his mother's sense of distance. Their humble little house sat tucked away in a remote area where the only neighbors were trees. Literally. Trees. No nosy old lady next door, no screaming kids, just nature. And honestly? Audrey hadn't even thought to ask why they lived like hermits. Maybe it was the fresh air. Or maybe his mom just didn't like people. He could respect that.

Despite his blindness, Audrey had noticed something peculiar. He could still open and close his eyes. Like... why? What was the point? It wasn't like the darkness went away when he blinked. But hey, it made him feel *normal*, so he went with it.

Now, you might wonder—why were they here in the bustling market, surrounded by people who smelled like fish and sweat? Simple. They were looking for someone. Not just anyone, though. They needed an instructor.

An instructor for Audrey.

Because apparently, being a blind five-year-old wasn't challenging enough—he also needed to learn how to swing a sword.

---

**Flashback to Last Year**

Audrey was four back then, just a little dude with big dreams and zero patience.

He was outside their house, walking aimlessly while the sun did its best to cook him alive. But hey, he called it sunbathing. Fancy.

"Tsk," Audrey muttered, kicking a pebble like it had personally offended him. "I should've asked that voice for some electric ability. Alpha uses electricity to power up, after all." His voice dripped with lingering regret. "Now I gotta wait *seven years* for my weapon."

Yeah. Seven. *Whole.* *Years.*

Life was unfair.

Audrey's tiny hands found a branch on the ground. Not just any branch—a *perfect* branch. Well, as perfect as a stick could be.

He started swinging it, pretending it was a sword. His form? Impeccable. In his mind, anyway.

"I've always wanted to be a swordsman," Audrey whispered to no one in particular. "Thinking about it coming true puts me in joy."

Inside the house, Amelia watched from the window. Her eyes softened as she saw her son—blind, small, and determined—swinging that flimsy branch like it was a legendary blade. But beneath her tender gaze was something deeper. Sadness. Worry. The kind only a mother could feel.

Finally, she couldn't stay inside any longer.

Amelia stepped out, her footsteps soft on the grass. Audrey heard her approach—he always did—and slowed his swings but didn't stop.

"Sweetheart," Amelia called gently.

Audrey froze mid-swing, the branch hovering in the air like it was waiting for a dramatic soundtrack.

"Yeah, Mama?" he replied, lowering his 'sword.'

She knelt beside him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. Her touch was warm, but Audrey could feel the hesitation behind it.

"Do you..." She paused, searching for the right words. "Do you really want to be a swordsman?"

Audrey tilted his head, his blind eyes staring in her direction as if he could see her soul.

"Of course!" he declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why wouldn't I?"

Amelia's lips curved into a small, bittersweet smile. "Because it's dangerous, sweetheart. And... it won't be easy."

Audrey shrugged, gripping his branch tighter. "Nothing's easy, Mama. But I'm not scared."

That was true. He wasn't scared. But Amelia? She was terrified.

She pulled him into a gentle hug, her arms wrapping around his tiny frame like she could shield him from the world. But Audrey felt it—the tremble in her fingers, the way her breath hitched just slightly.

"Alright," she whispered into his hair. "If this is what you want... I'll find someone to teach you."

Audrey grinned, his heart soaring. *One step closer.*

---

**Back to the Present**

Audrey finished off his corn with a satisfied grin, wiping his sticky hands on his pants. His eyes were still closed, the world a blur of sounds and smells, but that didn't stop him from feeling the vibrancy of the market. He could hear the clattering of pots, the clinking of coins, and the chatter of people—though he was mostly trying to avoid the vendors who smelled like raw fish and garlic. His mother, however, seemed right at home in the chaos.

"Is it just me, or does everyone here smell like they've bathed in fish?" Audrey muttered to himself.

Amelia gave him a half-amused look but didn't answer. She was too busy scanning the crowd, her eyes darting between stalls and people. Audrey, as usual, was focused on the sounds around him, his mind working overtime to piece together the world without sight. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost hear everything.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a voice called out from behind them, snapping both of their attention back to the moment.

Amelia turned, her posture straightening a little as a man approached them—a middle-aged fellow with a thick, bushy beard and a warrior's gait. He was wearing a simple tunic and carried himself with a certain pride that made Audrey sit up straighter. This guy had the air of someone who might just be the instructor they were looking for.

Audrey couldn't see him, but he could tell this guy had muscles—lots of them. The creaking of leather armor, the soft clinking of a sword hilt, and the faint thud of boots told him everything he needed to know. This man was no stranger to battle.

"Are you looking for someone to teach your son?" the man asked, his voice warm but direct, as if he was sizing them both up.

Amelia looked slightly taken aback, then smiled with a mix of gratitude and reluctance. "Yes, we're looking for an instructor. My son wants to learn swordsmanship."

The man's eyebrows raised in surprise. "A blind child who wants to swing a sword?" he asked, his tone halfway between intrigued and skeptical. "And you, madam—do you know what you're asking for?"

Amelia nodded, her expression firm despite the hesitation in her eyes. "I know. He's blind, but he's determined."

Audrey grinned to himself. "That's right," he thought, "I'm a walking legend in the making."

The man studied Audrey for a moment, the silence stretching on longer than either of them had expected. The market noise seemed to fade into the background as the stranger's eyes scanned Audrey—perhaps he could tell something from the boy's still posture, the set of his small shoulders, the confidence in the way he sat.

Finally, the man sighed. "Very well." He seemed to weigh something in his mind, then his face softened. "I'm Darek, a swordsman by trade. I can teach him, but it won't be easy. Not for you, not for him."

Audrey's pulse quickened. A swordsman. He had found him.

"Are you sure?" Amelia asked, her voice trembling slightly, a mother's worry threading through her words. "He's only five..."

"Five, ten, twenty," Darek interrupted, his deep voice cutting through her concern. "Doesn't matter. The will to fight is in the heart, not the eyes. If he wants to swing a sword, then we can start. The rest is up to him."

Audrey beamed. "That's what I've been talking about!"

"I won't make it easy on him," Darek added, crossing his arms and looking down at Audrey. "It'll hurt. A lot. But if he's serious about it, he'll keep going."

Amelia hesitated, but only for a second. "Alright. If you're sure he can handle it."

"I'm sure," Darek replied. "But let me make one thing clear." He knelt down in front of Audrey, so close that Audrey could feel the heat radiating off him. "This won't be a game. It will be real. You'll learn how to swing a sword like your life depends on it. You'll bleed, and you'll be exhausted, but if you stick with it, you'll become strong. You ready for that?"

Audrey grinned wider than ever. "I was born ready."

Darek gave a nod of approval, a small, approving smile creeping onto his face. "Good. Meet me tomorrow at the training grounds before dawn. We'll start with the basics."

And just like that, Audrey's dreams were about to begin. The boy who once swung a stick like a sword was now ready to hold the real thing—no sight, no mercy, just pure determination.

Amelia stood there, watching them both, her heart a mix of relief and worry. But she knew something Audrey didn't. The path he had chosen wouldn't be easy—but it would be his. And that was enough.

As the two of them turned to leave, Darek's voice echoed behind them.

"Don't come if you're not serious."

Audrey's reply was a firm, confident, and absolutely certain: "I'm serious."

And so, the journey of the blind swordsman began.