TBATE - Brother's Once More

Two Disciples?

'Please tell me I heard that correct and this old gramps ain't goin' senile or something.'

"What? You can't be serious, right?" Arthur managed to blurt out.

He just tilted his head in response, "Why not?"

"For one thing, we're humans. Is it even allowed to have humans in this kingdom? Also, we need to make sure our family is okay and tell them we're still alive," I pointed out.

At this, the grandpa went silent as he pondered a little bit before speaking again.

"Living here isn't a problem as long as you're under my name. As for your parents... Brats, is it an absolute necessity to meet them in person?"

It was our turn to ponder this time.

"I mean, I guess it isn't strictly a necessity for me to meet my parents in person. I don't know about Arthur, but although I miss them, the most important thing is finding out how they're doing and letting them know that I'm fine if they are as well," I answered.

"I agree with Jay on this one. We'd very much like to see them in person but it isn't completely necessary," Arthur said.

"Then both of you come with me tomorrow morning; be outside the manor by six in the morning, sharp."

Before he turned to leave, Arthur stopped him, "Wait! I don't get why you want me as your disciple. Also, you sound awfully hurried. Isn't it possible for me to go back home and spend a bit of time with my parents before coming back here to train under you?"

"I want you to be my disciple because I see your potential. Kid. An uncountable number of people have asked me to take them in as their disciple, from rich to poor, from young to old. But do you know how many I've taken in so far? None! These new generation brats bore me. Just because some of the wealthy noble brat's parents thought their kid was special, they thought they were qualified to ask me to be their mentor."

I just furrowed my brows, not knowing where Tessia's grandfather was going with this.

"... You're different. I know you have exceptional talent in mana manipulation and only God knows how but you possess better technique than even I, but that isn't the reason why I decided on teaching you. Brat...I need to ask you. How are you a beast tamer?" Any sort of amusement that had been on his face previously was all but gone as his sharp facial feature emitted a deathly gaze.

"Beast tamer? What are you talking about?" We were very confused. Although it was getting well into the night and the elder had already sent Tessia in to sleep, it didn't seem like this conversation was going to end anytime soon.

"Let's go back inside and talk," he said, leading us to a living room with couches and a roaring fireplace.

Sitting down on a couch, he continued. "Let's start from the beginning. I assume you know that mana beasts possess mana cores just like humans, elves and dwarves, correct?"

We nodded at this.

"Right. Just like mana beasts, humans, elves and dwarves possess qualities in their mana cores that are distinct to their own race."

He picked up a piece of paper and began drawing a chart.

Water - Ice

Plant

Earth - Gravity

Magma, Metal

Fire - Lightning

Wind - Sound

"These are the four basic elements and their higher forms. The higher forms—Ice, Metal, Lightning, Sound—can only be controlled by mages especially adept at a particular basic element, i.e. a deviant. This is where the distinct racial qualities lie..." He wrote a brief description under each race.