Aleph stood in front of his portal once again. This time not out of a desire to leave, but out of necessity. The enemy is upon us, he thought. He had heard about the war from time to time, but he had the impression that the actual conflict rarely spilled this far. Iona told them that the hounds he encountered were the enemy scouts, sniffing out strategic positions. Iona had hastily left for the capital after telling Aleph about the upcoming danger.

'The hounds' presence in this area means that the enemy are amassing a force somewhere. The good news is that they aren't running rampant yet, so that means we have months before the main force gets here. I'll get the army mobilized by then.' Iona said at the time.

Aleph did not even consider running away. The children certainly wouldn't. He felt compelled to see them through this. 

Besides, the portal is here too. I'm not about to let these so called invaders desecrate my friends' burial ground.

In his hands are the dozen or so mana crystals he has amassed in his time here. He had to set aside six of them for the childrens' hearts, but the problem was that because of his poor absorption rate, he would need all twelve for himself.

Thus, he decided on a compromise. He would keep the crystals for the children, and instead use the crystals to create artifacts for himself and his companions. In addition, he had taken to sleeping near the portal, hoping the ambient energy would hasten his mana heart's development, but alas, he did not see any improvements.

He spent hours trying to figure out the best artifacts he can make to maximize his crystals. 

These crystals may be pure, but in terms of raw mana they're sorely lacking. There's also the problem of resources… I can't fight the way I usually would with these. I may need to borrow some inspiration from my friends.

He heard a knock from above as he was mulling over the possibilities.

"Master! Everyone's here." Brandon shouted from above.

Aleph went back up to see the children gathered. They all had grave expressions. It seems that they've already heard the news.

Aleph wasted no time in training them. Spells are out of the question, but fortunately the mana inside their bodies also improved their physical capabilities. Time was of the essence, so Aleph taught them the spear. With their strength and the added reach, Aleph was confident that they would be a serviceable force in the near future.

__________________________________

Rayse and his friends got busy for the following days. They now trained daily on top of their work in the morning. Then, before they went home, Aleph supervised them as they absorbed a safe amount of mana from the crystals.

Tonight was no different. Rayse and his friends were walking back to town with heavy steps, tired from the day's training.

"You wimps." Brandon said from beside him. "I spend mornings training by myself in addition to what we do in the afternoon. Heck, I could go for a couple more hours if master asked me to.

"Well so~rry for having to work in the morning. Besides, aren't you breathing heavier than either of us?" Lacey said sarcastically.

"Oh, what? This girl's so tired she's imagining things! Isn't that right, Rayse?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, you're right."

"Hey, man. What's wrong? Are you nervous? Don't worry, the master said it would be weeks before we even see signs of the enemy army."

"I know. It's just… It doesn't seem right hiding this from everyone, you know?"

"...True, but then again, causing panic this early on doesn't help anyone either. Master said we need the army to get here so we can help everyone evacuate. There's less than a hundred militia members now, they're not enough to guard 5000 refugees."

"I trust mister Aleph, but I still can't believe he accepted you as an apprentice." Lacey said.

"Master told me I had a spark of heroism." Brandon said smugly.

"Well he said I resembled this hero, so why didn't he make me his apprentice?" Lacey complained.

Rayse ignored the two as they bickered back and forth. He's been thinking about the past few days. What am I doing? He wondered. At first, he was excited at the prospect of learning to become a mage. It seemed fun discovering these things with his friends. But to fight in a war?

"...You should've seen him, Lace. I invited him to dinner with my dad, and he was like, 'Sir, I have taken your son as my disciple.' and my dad couldn't refuse!"

"What? No fair! He had dinner with my family and he didn't do that either!"

"I'm starting to think that maybe you're just not apprentice material. hehe."

"What? You-"

"Hey, guys? I'm going on ahead." Rayse interrupted them. He decided to walk alone today. He turned the corner, leaving the two in his wake.

He took the long way around to his house, where he found his siblings waiting. They tumbled out of the house to give him a hug.

"Welcome back!" "Welcome!" They said at once.

Rayse felt himself smiling. The twins just had that effect on him.

"Come! Dinner time!"  "Auntie made us food!"

They led him through the door straight into the dining table.

He sat down in a daze. Life now was busier than ever, but the conflict felt so far away before now. He hadn't felt this way since he heard the news of his parents passing. That was one of the worst days of his life. It's a miracle he pulled through.

"Brother? What's wrong?" "Are you tired?"

The twins started piling food onto his plate, and despite his distractions he still chuckled. 

"Hey, that's too much, you two. Come sit and eat with me." 

Shooing away the kids to their own spots, he observed his siblings as they started to eat. Sheila's great at using utensils now. Look at her eating without a mess. Shae too, but I wish she'd eat more, she's looking a little thin. He added some of his food back onto her plate. He began eating as well.

Oh? This is good. The auntie from next door wasn't really related to them, but she's been helping them out ever since his parents passed. Not just her, but everyone, really. Brandon literally dragged him out of depression, offering him a job at the stables. Nobody would hire an eleven year old to do anything. Lacey's family would always bring over fresh produce. He owed so much to everyone, so why can't he put his all into training to protect them? 

"Oh, that reminds me. Brother, we don't have school tomorrow. Can we come with you to see the hermit?" Shae said meekly, referring to Aleph.

"Ooooh, hermit, hermit!" Sheila chimed in.

"No chance, you guys will just get in the way!"

"Whaaaat? But, we already told everyone you knew him. We won't be rowdy, I promise!"

"Come on Ray! We just wanna see him! Auntie Lori said we're not allowed to bother him at the general store anymore so…" It was Sheila's tearful voice that broke Rayse.

Did… did these kids get peer pressured into wanting to meet mister Aleph? Rayse felt a headache coming on as he agreed to bringing them tomorrow.

_________________________________

"Ahh, yes. Remi was a magnificent archer. Why, I saw her hit an apple off of somebody's mouth from the other side of town! She was aiming for his head, but still, that skill was uncanny!" Aleph told the group of kids, who were transfixed. The child named Remi was as proud as if she was the one that shot the arrow.

When the neighborhood kids heard that the twins were meeting the hermit, everyone wanted to come along. It was a miracle that Aleph even allowed them to stay, let alone be such a good host.

Rayse and his friends had been watching him tell stories about old heroes for thirty minutes straight.

"Was mister Aleph a famous commander or something? It's like everyone he knew was some legendary figure." Lacey said. Rayse remembered her telling him about when Aleph had dinner at her place, when something similar happened.

"He's probably playing it up, changing the names and stuff. Nobody's ever heard of these people after all. The kids seem into it though, so that's good."  He responded.

"You're just mad he's never heard of a hero named Rayse!" Brandon nudged his ribs.

Aleph had them absorbing mana early today. They were adjusting well, having built up their tolerance to it, so they were just waiting around until the crystals in their hand were emptied.

"Rose? As in, Roselia the wise? She was instrumental in curing the purple plague. It was a terrible affliction. Your skin becomes so sensitive that a simple touch renders you bruised. Can you imagine being unable to hug your wives, parents or children? Rose was heaven sent."

He was unusually chatty today. Rayse noticed that Aleph made sure to stop at every kid and regale them with stories of heroes, inspiring laughter and awe in each one. 

Lacey and Brandon got up to continue training. They faced each other in a friendly(?) spar, as they often do when they disagreed about something. Rayse saw Aleph come by to sit with him as the children formed a circle around the two.

"You have been quiet lately. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. I feel like I'm not giving my all to training, and I don't know why."

Aleph thought for a moment before responding. "Do you wish to stop?"

Rayse wondered at that. Does he? He knew the stakes, and regardless of his desire to fight, he did want to protect his loved ones. "No. " He finally said.

"Hesitation is not necessarily a bad thing, Rayse.

"Your mindfulness is normal. I would not have chosen to fight at your age either. Still, from what I have seen from you, I know that once the battle is upon us, you will not let me down."

"And if I do?"

"You're many things, Rayse, but a coward is not one of them. Do what you can to keep the ones that are precious to you safe. So long as you do that, I can throw my all into fighting. That is sufficient in this upcoming battle."

"I…but you have not even formed a mana heart, mister."

"I don't need it. Even with the strength it affords you, my power far exceeds yours. All you need to do is learn how to protect the ones you hold dear. Weapons are not just for killing. In fact, the spear that protects is the most powerful of all."

"Did you listen to my story about Remi?" Aleph threw the Rayse's spear forward, flying in between Brandon and Lacey, all the way to the tree on the other side. The combatants even stopped to take a look. 

Aleph's hand stayed up in the follow through, pulling at the air. Everyone gasped as the spear came screaming back to Aleph's hand. Brandon was stunned, but took the opportunity to attack Lacey during the distraction, giving him the upper hand.

"She used something similar to this. A spearhead treated with magnetite homes back in on his owner." Aleph  demonstrated it some more as Rayse noticed a glowing crystal in his right arm.

"In the hands of an expert however," this time, when he gestured to pull the spear back, It hovered before him as if a ghostly spearman were wielding it. "one can fight in place of an army."

The spear shot out once again, this time hitting a tree much farther away. Aleph caught it as it came back.

"I've fashioned three of such spears. I will teach you all how to use them, but we do not have enough time. I will wield all three when the time comes, don't worry." He said as handed it back to Rayse.

Rayse just stared. You wouldn't know it seeing him with the children earlier, but Aleph was a warrior.

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud cheer. They turned to see an angry Lacey on the ground being pulled up by Brandon. It seems that he won the bout.

"Why just Brandon?" Rayse asked before he could help it.

"Why not make us your apprentices too?"

"Because he was the only one that asked." Aleph said simply.

"Then-"

"do not feel compelled to ask, Rayse. By becoming my disciple, Brandon swore to take my word above his own judgement. As a young man filled with anger at the invaders, he swore to abandon his  revenge at my command. Can you do the same? Will you abandon Lacey or your little sisters if I commanded you? You need this level of resolve, so do not ask this lightly."

That gave him pause. He truly wanted to help, but his family came first. Can he really leave them here to go to the frontlines after what happened to their parents? Not enough time passed to think it through, however, as Aleph stood up and clapped, turning all eyes on him.

"Good work, you too. Now, you will spar against me."

Brandon stood at attention with a spear in hand. "It would be an honor, master!"

"I admire your enthusiasm, disciple, but I am not just referring to you. Form up with Rayse and Lacey. It will be me against the three of you.