*smack* Aero wouldn't regret slapping her no matter how many floors he had to scrub." you wanna talk fair, then let's talk fair." he didn't know where this calm in his voice was coming from." it not fair that everyone at this school treats me like glass despite the fact of my ability, it not fair that quite a few people think the only reason I'm here to impress a girl to bind with. it not fair how the student or teachers treat me. so come on let's talk fair."

"you right," aero looked liked Rahav slapped him, "it not fair. may Onna grant you a pleasant slumber" then she left to think leaving aero even more flabbergasted.

"helper what just happened?" he's never encountered this before.' i believe your' words reached her,' his words reached her what did that mean. sighing aero went to his room and prepared to enter Onna's realm, he woke in feeling a lot better mentally and physically. he had his first meal before heading to history class today's topic being a zalt which definitely interested Aero, the entire time he could tell Rahav's eyes on him. but he ignored the gaze with practiced ease and focused on the lecture.

through the rest of the day she still looked at him until Aero confronted Rahav after survival class, they learned about some wild cooking recipes. "why are you staring?" she seemed to think very hard about her words before speaking, "I'm thinking about what you said." then she walked away, again she left him flabbergasted," what is happening?"

several flowers later he stood on the training grounds practicing some combos, just as he was about to start a new set someone came up to him." who are you?" he knew the face and the feeling of her exoskeleton breaking under his blows but not her name.

"Rotem is my name pretty," aero gave her a flat look before going back to his combos. "I heard from the rumor mill that you've been talking to Rahav," he didn't acknowledge her. "so are you finally looking for someone to bond with, if y-" she couldn't say more as Aero spun around and grabbed her by the throat.

"stop bothering me unless you wish to challenge me!" he let go and returned to his training, Rotem rubbed her throat before walking away mumbling how he was unapproachable as ever. he felt nothing about the words she said continuing on with his training it was a few petals before the helper asked a question hoping to better understand their lord." I don't want to be approached by her or anyone like her but these people are thick thinking they can break through my wall. if I want you in I'll let down the gate," Aero responded as he threw some kick between his punches. the helper corrected his form before asking another question.

'are you only?' aero paused for the barest moment.

"I have my mother and unluckily Adir if I'm feeling desperate," he could hear the helper hum. they were quiet for the rest of aero's time at the field and while he had last meal. at his room,' as a lord, it's best for your mental health that you learn to form bonds even if one in a hundred is meaningful,' aero had a moment to think over that before now I'm going to explain the concept of the counter.' the lecture that followed was pretty long but it had Aero's complete attention even if he acted otherwise.

with his eyes closed, he imagined him countering some of the attacks he's had aimed at him over the solar cycles. he fell asleep doing that, his limbs twitched in his sleep like he was fighting. and in the morning he woke up mildly ready for the day which he started by listing to the sound of his pride. he still couldn't figure how how to make a melody with it.

at first meal, he went over what he knew about melody making. they could be slipt into three parts the first part was called lock, the second part was manipulating, and finally the action. the fire melody locked onto heat in the air manipulated it into gathering to make a small fire. it's mostly used to light camping fires and such.

"how do I get it to lock onto my pride?" maybe he should compare the locking parts of melodies, yeah that sounded like a good idea it would definitely give him more insight. on his way to class he wisted out the first part of several melodies and he was getting something. during class, he tried to get more but he couldn't keep his focus all too well.

'i advise against this course of action,' Aero stood on the training fields ready to try out the locking part of the melody. from what he read is this went wrong the worst was a headache, if it went right he would feel something similar to the time he used other melodies. when he started humming everything went fine for about half a petal, then all he what a sword through the brain felt like. His jaw almost crackled with the force he uses to prevent the scream from leaving his throat

"yep did that wrong," he flexed his jaw to ease the acts before heading back towards the building causes after seven petals the headache wasn't fading. on the way back to his room he tried to focus on the sound of his pride to try and figure out what went wrong but the drums inside his skull were not helping. groaning he pushed the curtain into his room aside making a beeline for the wardrobe. in the bottom under the clothes he had hanging was some common medicine he had, the medic here looked at funny.

"a mixture for head pains," pulling it out he closed the wardrobe before dropping onto his bed and uncorking the bottle. taking a few drops before he corked the bottle and set it by his bed. laying down he let the mixture take effect, the pain in his skull faded but the weight of his eyelids grew tenfold Aero let them close.

rising from his slumber he took note of the dark sky,' definitely more than a few flowers wilted.' rolling out of bed he stretched out before heading to the cafeteria he was eaisly about to find something since he missed last meal. with his stomach settled he returned to his room and listened to the sound of his pride to see what he might have done wrong.

by the time the sun was up he had nothing, and still had nothing for more than a week before on a whim he listen to the sound of his other feelings.' they changed!' he feeling changed moment to moment his pride should probably be the same. so for the entire day, he listened to his pride and found he was right it changed depending on what he was doing.

'water heat and light is self shifted constantly but one could still lock on them with a medley, you just need to do it right. in the middle of his last class he hummed out the locking part. it worked no skull-splitting pain, next was manipulation and action both he's discussed it with the helper over the week. he manipulated it to coat his body, this took more longer than predicted it would but he continued to the action infusing with his skin.

now he could attack a person's pride directly, well in certain situations he would have to make other melodies maybe one to drain the pride other people possed. now, who should he test this melody against, sensing the pride of his classmates Aero was surprised to find most of their pride was pretty low level at the moment. he felt out further but now really getting anything,' add widening my pride sensing range to my training list.'

'of course my lord,' the helper replied happily, on another note he realized that his or was making great progress. 'tonight I should show him to the beast of pride, maybe I should bring up the shop again he's never looked at his stats either,' maybe he should go over these things once more cause he wasn't sure his lord was listening back then. hopefully, he would listen this time.

he sorta listens while wielding a practice weapon after lessons were over, the helper took it as a win when the young lord opened his stats menu.

Abiathar aero

lord of pride

mind 2.5

body 2.9

energy 0.5

lord level 0

'why is my energy stat so low?" aero was pleased to see the stats of his mental and physical stats. ' you retain little energy in your body that makes the biggest difference in the energy stat.' Aero nodded in understanding and asked how he would change that,' I'm unsure my lord I need more time and studying of your race and how your melodies work.'

'well tell me when you figure it out,' he opened the store immediately going for weapons and then materials when he saw nothing he could use. 'this would make great weapons but the price!' sweet zalts he's never seen that many numbers on a price before. there was no way that he ran that much money before his grandchildren were his age.' you know I can earn that much?'

'yes actually, the lord of sloth discovered it, infusing sin with items create special items. he infused sloth into rocks, they gained the power to make being tired, lethargic, etc. when the lord of rath tried the stone made people bloodthirsty, so whatever your stones do it will make money from someone.' aero was curious about what infusing pride would so but also about his fellow lords, so he asked about them.

'i'm sorry my lord but I'm forbidden to talk about them until you reach at least lord level two,' aero frowned why would he be forbidden from learning about his fellow lords.' okay what the retirement for level two?'

'lead at least 10 groups of at least four people to reach level two, for level 1 five groups of 4 at least. the level of a lord goes up as you lead.'

'Why is that, did the last lord lead,?' 'yes, prejudice did lead'.

'why did they lead?' 'even the source creator of the universe can not be in a septillion places at once.'

"what do you know about leading?" aero stopped practicing he needed to give this his full focus, he knew he needed to do it aero wasn't looking forward to leading anyone because he was male. he was too precious to be leading people on the front line, he was too precious to risk his life like that, to bear the responsibility.' it's not gonna go well,' the helper waited until he returned to his room reclining on the floor.

'for every kind of person, there is there are ways to lead. some lead with force others with respect maybe a mix of both, some lead the charge themself some stay back and plan. some care for their teams like family others like tools, what kind of leader do you think you'll be and what kind do you want to be?'

'what kind I leader do I want to be and what kind I'll think I'll be?' aero was honest with himself and his world, there was no way any female would listen to him in a nonpatronizing way. which would infuriate him and lead to at least a few arguments if not right out fights. ' I'm probably gone be a leader who leads with force, but I would love to be a leader who leads with respect ' to was too bad so even tried to let him earn it.

"Ah, may the zalts help me!" he was gonna go reading until there was less trouble in his future or he hungry, he got hungry first. the next morning instead of heading to class after first meal aero headed to the mission center. here students could pick out missions, they were hunting and tracking, signal and team missions. the rewards for completing mission weren't too bad, aero usually went right for the solo missions that offered money or let him kept the carcass o what he hunted.

today with a very unsettled stomach he went for the team missions board, the few other students that were here gasped watching his every move. why would they this was the first time the school only guy looked at this board, Aero knew rumors were going to be flying before the end of class. 'what should I take, probably a team that needs one more so no one joins just to be near me. something without too high of a threat level causes it not gonna go smoothly,' after looking for a while he found something.

"tracking dearks, huh" he fought one before looked so harmless and grace-full. that image went out to the stars the moment it opens its gaping maw filled with hundreds of teeth, the also went into insane blood frenzies that had them tearing anything they came across apart. aero remembered when he was tracking one it was beautiful to watch until it got hungry and he almost lost his second meal.

pulling the mission off the board and brought it to the adult in the room," oh thank the zalts!" aero was confused she usually tried to talk him out of going on missions worried he would get hurt, maybe she thought his future teammates would keep an eye on him. an amused huff left his lips, he watched here make the mission give his a small scroll with more information he needs.

on his way to class, Aero checked when the mission started, huh just enough time for him to get his bo staff ready. in fact, he was gonna skip his lesson to work on what he knew the wood arrived this morning, turning he headed for the weapons classroom. the teacher was in the middle of a lecture when he slipped into the classroom. slipping the back he found the wood, he got to work uncaring how much noise he need up making there was really no way he could change that plus this isn't the first time someones worked during class. because it was aero the teacher came to the back to check on him more than once. he pushed down the desire to lash out until classes were done for the day.