Chapter 3 - Days of Light
Fifteen years passed like a dream.
Every morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the forest mist, Father woke me up with his booming voice.
"Zeno! Grab your sword! Time for training!"
Half-asleep, I'd stumble out of bed, grab my wooden sword, and rush outside where the dew still clung to the grass. Father, Theron Arclight, stood tall and broad like a mountain, his presence as solid as the trees around us.
"Come at me with everything you have, boy!" he shouted with a grin.
I charged. I swung. I fell flat on my face.
Bloo, the little blue slime who had stuck with me since childhood, floated nearby carrying a towel in his mouth. "Training again, Zeno?" he said with a giggle.
"No talking, Bloo!" Father barked, though his eyes twinkled with amusement.
After sword training, it was magic time.
Mother, Erine Arclight, sat on the porch with her spellbooks spread out. She had once been a powerful mage, fierce and wise.
"Focus your mana, Zeno," she said gently, watching me struggle to form even a tiny flame.
"Like this?" I strained, a tiny spark flickering at my fingertips.
"Better," she smiled warmly. "But remember, magic is not just power. It's control."
Meanwhile, Bloo helped Mother clean the house every day, bouncing around with a cloth tied to his body, happily dusting every corner.
"I'm the fastest cleaning slime in the world!" Bloo would say proudly.
And Gobu... Gobu became like a little brother.
Every day, he followed Father into the woods, helping chop firewood, hauling logs twice his size. At first, Gobu was clumsy, his skinny arms trembling under the weight. But Father was patient.
"Strength isn't built overnight, Gobu," he said. "It's earned. Day by day."
Gobu nodded fiercely. "I'll become strong too!"
Year after year, Gobu grew. His once thin frame became solid, his arms muscular, his back broad. By the time we both turned fifteen, Gobu looked less like a goblin and more like a young warrior.
Sometimes, I admit, I felt jealous.
Gobu could lift heavier logs. His sword swings were heavier. His endurance was greater.
One evening, after a particularly tough training session where Gobu easily defeated me in sparring, I sat alone behind the house, sulking.
Bloo floated over, poking my cheek.
"Zeno, you're making the grumpy face again," he said.
I sighed. "Maybe... I'm just not talented. Maybe Gobu's meant to be stronger."
Bloo stared at me with his big, watery eyes. "But... Zeno, you're the reason we're all here. You're our light."
Gobu appeared too, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Zeno... if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be alive," he said. "Being strong... isn't everything."
I looked at them—Bloo, who never gave up cleaning and helping, and Gobu, who poured his heart into training just to stand beside me. How could I wallow in self-pity when they worked so hard?
I stood up, clenching my fists.
"Alright! If Gobu's getting stronger, then I'll get even stronger too! Just you wait!"
We laughed together under the golden sunset.
---
Life wasn't always peaceful.
There were times when stray monsters wandered close to the village. Father and Mother would leap into action instantly, protecting not only our home but the neighbors' too.
"Zeno! Take Bloo and Gobu inside!" Mother would shout, conjuring walls of flame to push back beasts.
But as we grew older, Father started letting us help.
"You're not children anymore," he said. "You have to learn."
Our first battle together was messy. Gobu swung too hard and fell over. I missed my spell and accidentally set a tree branch on fire. Bloo panicked and ran in circles.
But together, we won.
Afterward, we collapsed on the grass, gasping for air.
"We're... awesome..." Bloo wheezed.
Father just laughed, clapping us each on the back.
"You'll get better."
---
One evening, sitting around the fireplace, Mother brought out an old book.
"This," she said, "is the book of adventurers. Tales of heroes who carved their names into history."
I listened, wide-eyed, as she told stories of swordsmen who split mountains, mages who tamed storms, and explorers who uncovered ancient relics.
Gobu listened too, nodding seriously.
Bloo... fell asleep halfway through, snoring gently.
Mother smiled at me.
"One day, Zeno, you'll have your own story."
I grinned.
"No... not just me. All of us. Together."
Father raised his cup.
"To the future Adventurers!"
We clinked cups and glasses, laughing together in the warmth of the firelight.
---
By the time I turned fifteen, our home had changed.
Gobu now trained beside me every morning, wielding a real sword Father had gifted him.
Bloo mastered some beginner spells—even if most of them ended with him spinning around and falling over.
And me?
My sword was sharp, my spells steady. My body stronger. My heart steady.
One quiet night, standing under the stars, I made a vow.
"I'll become strong," I whispered. "Strong enough to protect everyone."
Bloo floated beside me, resting lightly against my shoulder.
Gobu stood tall, arms crossed, his eyes glowing with determination.
Our small, strange family.
Our days of light.
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