A couple days later, Hagrid informed Riven that he was supposed to report to a man named Garron Vale near the barracks resting along the southernmost edge of Ashfang Village, as apparently the Imperial recruiter had finally decided to begin training the children gathered under his care.
"Hear me carefully, boy..." Hagrid muttered from his wheelchair while pointing one crooked finger toward the doorway. "You walk shtraight to the barracksh... train... then come shtraight back here and continue your work..."
The cripple narrowed his good eye afterward while strands of saliva clung to the edge of his lips.
"If I hear ye wandered around the village acting like ye belong among normal people, I’ll have my friendsh whip the skin right off your back..." Hagrid warned coldly. "Don’t be late either... and don’t you dare dally around..."
Riven lowered his head obediently after hearing those words, however the moment he stepped outside the brothel and felt the freezing morning air brush against his face, a smile immediately spread across his lips despite all his efforts to suppress it.
Because for the first time in his life, he was walking somewhere without carrying water buckets, cleaning bloodstains, or being sent outside solely to dispose of garbage behind the brothel.
This time, he was being allowed to leave for himself.
And that feeling in itself felt almost surreal.
Around him, thin layers of snow rested across the narrow dirt pathways weaving through Ashfang Village while smoke rose steadily from dozens of wooden homes scattered throughout the valley settlement.
’So this.... This is Ashfang village....’
Riven thought, as he walked slowly while taking in everything around him carefully, his eyes lingering across details he had only ever heard about through passing conversations, but never seen with his eyes.
*Thump*
*Thump*
Nearby, blacksmiths hammered glowing steel in open furnaces while hunters cleaned animal carcasses hanging outside butcher stations covered in fresh blood and frozen fur, as several women carried baskets filled with dried herbs and preserved meat between homes while toddlers chased one another through the snow without concern.
To most people, the village likely appeared dirty, harsh, and miserable.
Yet to Riven, it almost felt beautiful.
Because this was the first time he had ever truly seen it, and for him, it was almost like seeing a fairytale come to life.
However, unfortunately for him, the feeling did not last very long.
Several villagers quickly noticed him as he walked past them wearing old servant clothing stained with years of labor and neglect, while his messy hair and thin appearance immediately exposed what he truly was before anyone even needed to ask.
A slave.
Disgusted looks followed him almost instantly afterward.
Some villagers openly moved aside while others frowned at him as though his mere presence along the main pathways was offensive to look at.
"That one must be from Hagrid’s brothel..."
Riven overheard one woman whisper quietly while watching him pass.
"So the chief truly intends to let slaves train alongside our children?" another man muttered nearby with visible irritation. "Has Torak finally lost his mind?"
A hunter standing beside him spat into the snow afterward.
"Waste of resources if you ask me," the man grumbled. "These people should learn obedience, not combat."
Riven heard every word clearly.
However, he ignored all of it completely.
Because no amount of insults could overpower the excitement currently burning inside his chest while he continued walking deeper through the village toward the southern district.
Eventually, the wooden homes began thinning apart while the pathways widened near a large open training ground surrounded by sharpened wooden stakes driven deep into the frozen earth.
Several weapon racks had already been arranged nearby while crude training dummies stood lined beside the barracks wall covered in cuts, dents, and old blood stains.
While standing near the center of the field with both hands resting behind his back was Garron Vale himself, who appeared to be patiently waiting for all the children to arrive before beginning the first lesson.
As Riven approached the gathering near the training grounds, he quickly noticed that the children had already separated themselves into two distinct groups without anyone needing to instruct them to do so.
On one side stood the legitimate children of the Ashfang Tribe, boys and girls wrapped in thick winter clothing stitched from quality fur and leather, whose faces appeared to be clean and whose body shapes suggested that they had been fed well for years.
While opposite them stood the second group.
The unwanted children.
The bastards born from drunken nights and forgotten women.
The slaves purchased from raids against weaker tribes.
The orphans.
The children nobody important truly cared about.
Their clothing appeared worn and uneven while many kept their heads lowered toward the frozen ground beneath their feet, as though years of ridicule had already trained them to avoid eye contact instinctively.
Several looked malnourished.
Others carried visible bruises.
A few did not even possess proper shoes.
Riven quietly let out a slow breath after taking in the scene before naturally walking toward the second group without hesitation.
Nobody stopped him.
Nobody questioned where he belonged.
Because the answer was painfully obvious the moment anyone looked at him.
As he took his place among the downtrodden children, several members from the Ashfang side immediately threw disgusted looks toward their direction while whispering quietly among themselves.
One boy openly covered his nose afterward.
Another girl stared at the slaves with visible discomfort before quickly looking away again.
Meanwhile, within the outcast group itself, almost nobody spoke.
Most simply stood there silently while avoiding attention as much as possible.
The atmosphere between both camps felt less like children gathering for training and more like two completely different worlds being forced into the same field against their will.
Eventually, as the morning sun slowly rose above the distant forest line while pale golden light spread across the snowy valley, Garron Vale finally stepped forward before clapping his hands together loudly enough to silence the field almost instantly.
*Clap* *Clap*
"Alright, everybody pay attention here," Garron muttered firmly while sweeping his gaze across the gathered children.
"Starting today, I will personally train all of you in the path of becoming Ascendant warriors," he continued calmly. "And since I am going to be doing you all this huge favor of becoming your primary guide in this journey, from this point onward, you should treat me as a figure no less important in your lives than the gods you worship."
Several children immediately straightened their posture after hearing those words.
"Because the role of a true teacher is no less important than the role of God himself," Garron declared while slowly walking before the gathered students. "Your parents sent you here because they believe I possess knowledge capable of changing your future."
His voice gradually hardened afterward.
"So remember this carefully. From now onward, my words dictate your life."
The training field grew completely silent.
"If I say you are allowed to eat something, then you eat it. If I forbid something, then you do not touch it. If I decide you need to gain weight, then you will gain weight. And if I hand you medicine to swallow, then you swallow it without hesitation."
Several children visibly swallowed nervously after hearing that.
"There will be no arguing. No questioning and no mercy shown toward those who refuse to obey," Garron continued while his cold eyes swept across both groups equally. "Your parents have already granted me the authority to whip every single one of you if necessary, including the sons of Village Chief Torak himself."
That statement caused visible surprise to spread throughout the field.
"So understand this properly before we continue," Garron warned. "Once training begins, all of you belong to me while standing on this field."
The atmosphere immediately grew much heavier afterward.
"Since today is the first day, I will spend our time discussing foundational theory regarding Ascension and Aether," Garron explained while crossing his arms behind his back.
"Pay close attention to what I’m about to say, because I’m only going to waste one day covering theory, while from tomorrow onwards the real hell begins...."
He said, as Riven immediately sharpened his attention at those words.
For now, he had no idea as to what Aether or Ascension meant, however, if it were tools that could help him on his path of revenge, then he intended to master them, no matter the cost.