"You're really going to let me train you even after that incident? That was because of me that you went through that."
Zhan looked down at the ground, lowering his head because he felt so much guilt and shame about what happened to Ryn during that whole mess. This was something everyone could see coming from a mile away, but Ryn didn't really care that much about it since he knew he would survive no matter what kind of crazy situation got thrown at him. The whole thing wasn't as big a deal to him as it was to everyone else, but Zhan was clearly beating himself up over it and couldn't let it go.
" Teach, it wasn't your fault. "
Ryn walked closer to where Zhan was standing and grabbed him on the shoulder, trying to make him feel better about the whole situation that had gone down. But this just made Zhan feel even worse because Ryn was the one who got hurt, not him, and here Ryn was trying to comfort him instead of being mad. It was all backwards and it made Zhan feel like an even bigger piece of trash for letting his student get into that kind of danger in the first place.
Though, this guy really should man up and give Ryn a proper apology instead of just standing there feeling sorry for himself all day.
"..."
Zhan stood there without saying a single word, clenching his fists tight because he felt so much guilt and frustration that he couldn't do anything to fix what had already happened. He felt terrible for Ryn but there wasn't really anything he could do about it now except try to make sure something like this never happened again. The whole situation was eating him up inside, and he knew he had to say something before it got even worse than it already was.
"Ryn, I'm sorry."
He finally got those words out of his chest, taking deep breaths as he waited to see if Ryn would blow up in anger or just forgive him and act like nothing ever happened between them. The waiting was killing him because he had no idea which way this conversation was going to go, and both options seemed pretty scary right now. All he could do was stand there and hope that Ryn would understand that he never meant for any of this bad stuff to happen to him.
"Well, teach, I was also at fault for that incident. I fought the Undead even though I had another option: to run."
Ryn explained his side of things because he didn't want anyone to worry about him or feel guilty about what happened to him during that fight. Just knowing that people were carrying around guilt about him in the back of their minds wouldn't let him sleep at night, he could already tell. It wasn't fair for other people to blame themselves when he made his own choices, and he wanted to make sure everyone understood that he was responsible for his own actions.
"But sti—"
"Don't."
"I—"
"Don't."
Ryn said really quickly, cutting Zhan off before he could apologize another time, putting his hands in his pockets as he got ready to end this whole conversation. He was done talking about who was to blame for what happened, and he wanted to move on to something more fun and interesting. There was no point in going over the same thing again and again when they could be doing something useful with their time instead.
"Teach, I forgive you, so let's just train already!"
Ryn added with real excitement in his voice, because he was genuinely excited to see how powerful this human was and what kind of training he could offer him. Zhan gave off a different kind of energy than other people, something that made him stand out from everyone else Ryn had met so far. The whole apology thing was getting boring, and he was ready to do something that would actually help him get stronger and better at fighting.
"Hah. You really are dense."
Zhan chuckled at Ryn's complete inability to understand most emotions and social situations, walking over to stand beside him and tapping him on the shoulder in a friendly way. It was kind of funny how Ryn could be so smart about some things but completely clueless about feelings and how people worked. But that was just part of what made him who he was, and Zhan was starting to appreciate that weird quality about his student.
"Aight, let's go."
"YES, TEACH!"
—The Arbiter and destroyer of worlds... Forget that title, I'm Ryn now, no more fucking massacres. Support peace. Maybe.
<-<-<-<-<-<-༒︎->->->->->->
Eight years had finally passed by, and they went really fast, rushing through like they were just a few seconds instead of actual years that dragged on forever. But during these eight years, Ryn wasn't just sitting around doing nothing with his time, he was training hard and working on making this body of his better suited for what he needed to do. All that time spent working out and getting stronger had really paid off, and he could feel the difference in everything he did now compared to how weak he used to be.
"Ryn!"
Ophelia's voice called out from the kitchen in the corner of the hallway, sounding like a goddess as always, letting him know it was time for breakfast and family time. Ryn quickly rushed toward the kitchen because he was looking forward to tasting his mother's cooking, which was always amazing no matter what she decided to make for them. Even after all these years he was still the same kid who got excited about his mom's food, and that part of him hadn't changed one bit over time.
But forget all that for a second and just think about how great life itself can be sometimes when you stop to notice it.
"Coming!"
Ryn yelled back as he rushed through the hallway and then took a left turn, which brought him into the kitchen where everyone was already sitting at the big rectangular dinner table. The food smelled really good, and this was another new recipe that Ophelia had come up with, the sixth one she'd tried this month alone. She was always trying out different ways to make meals more interesting and tasty, and it usually worked out pretty well for everyone in the family.
"This smells good!"
He said as he sat down in his usual spot, which was across from Maria and beside where Ophelia always sat when they had family meals together. This was the same seating pattern they always used when they ate together, and nobody really knew why they stuck with it, but it felt right to everyone. It was just one of those family things that nobody questioned because it worked for them and made meal time feel normal and comfortable.
Everyone ate up all the food on their plates, with Ryn getting barbecue sauce all over his mouth and rubbing his stomach when he was done eating everything. The meal had been really filling, and he felt completely happy and satisfied with how much he'd managed to eat in one sitting. It was the kind of breakfast that would keep him going for hours, which was exactly what he needed for whatever the day was going to bring him.
"I'm so full..."
He said while staring straight up at the ceiling, then standing up from his seat and putting his dirty dishes in the sink so they could be hand-washed later. In this world they didn't have dish washing machines, which was pretty weird considering how good their technology was when it came to magical devices and stuff like that. You'd think they would have figured out something as simple as washing dishes by now, but apparently that wasn't a thing yet.
"Ryn, now that you have finished your training with Zhan, what do you plan to do now?"
Jan asked him like he was some kind of interviewer, grinning because he was excited to hear what Ryn's answer would be about his future plans. This was obviously something that had been on everyone's mind for a while, and now seemed like the perfect time to bring it up and talk about it. Ryn's training was done, so it made sense that he needed to figure out what his next step was going to be in life.
"..."
"Actually, I... Just don't know..."
"Heh, let me help you decide!"
Jan leaned closer to Ryn, grinning at him in that sneaky way that meant he already had some ideas in mind for what his son could do next. He looked like he'd been thinking about this for a while and was just waiting for the right moment to share his suggestions with everyone. The way he was acting made it clear that he thought he had some really good options for Ryn to think about and consider for his future.
"A battlemage. Or a... Magic swordsman."
"Oh... That's actually a great idea."
"Since I specialize in magic, I should become a battle mage."
Ryn grinned in that same goofy way his father always did, proving once again that he truly was Jan's son without any doubt about it. The family looks were really obvious when they both got that excited expression on their faces, and it was kind of funny to see how similar they were. There was definitely no question about where Ryn got his personality and his way of thinking from, that was for sure.
"How about entering Ylza Academy?"
—Huh, I've read about it in books, but... The prestigious Ylza Academy? Are we even able to afford it?
Ryn thought to himself, because he'd heard about this place from all the books he'd read but never thought it would be something his family could actually pay for.
"Don't worry, we can afford it."
Ophelia turned to look at Ryn with a smile that made her look like an actual angel, and once again Ryn found himself completely charmed by his mother's beautiful face. She had this way of making everything seem possible when she smiled like that, and it always made him feel like things were going to work out just fine no matter what. Her confidence about the money situation made him feel a lot better about the whole idea of going to such an expensive and fancy school.
"It's not a bad idea."
Ryn replied, clearly thinking about it really hard as he tried to figure out what his future was going to look like if he went down this path. This was a big choice that would change everything he did from now on, so he wanted to make sure he thought it through the right way. The academy sounded like it could be exactly what he needed to take his magic skills to the next level and become really powerful.
"If you guys want to."
"Obviously we do."