A Will Sovereign Chapter 25: Chapter 25— Resolve for tomorrow.

Read chapter 25 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

------- Soldret woke to the sensation of someone staring at him. Not watching. *Staring*. Intensely. His eyelids slowly opened. The first thing he saw was a massive white beard. The second was Radahn's single eye. "..." "..." The old man nodded. "Good. You're awake." Soldret immediately closed his eyes again. Unfortunately, a large hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him upright. Pain exploded through every muscle. His ribs felt bruised, his face throbbed, and his head felt heavy. Compared to yesterday, he could actually move. Barely. The medicinal bath had done its work — just enough to let him stand and suffer again. His skin, however, told a different story. It had taken on a deep, angry red hue, the result of days of brutal beatings followed by endless herbal baths. He looked more like a boiled lobster than a disciple. "Did you rest enough?" Radahn asked. Soldret stared at him. "No." "Good. It's time for training." The old man turned and began walking away. Soldret attempted to stand, then froze as his stomach clenched violently. "Ghk—" A deep, gnawing hunger erupted inside him, as if something were chewing on his organs. Radahn glanced back. "Hungry?" Soldret almost laughed. "What gave it away?" Radahn nodded. "Bam." His voice carried effortlessly across the bamboo courtyard. "I'm almost done!" came the reply. Several minutes later, a boy around fourteen or fifteen approached with several overloaded trays. Messy dark hair, bright green eyes, and two dark horns protruded from his head. The amount of food was enough to feed several families. The boy set everything down and looked at Soldret expectantly. "Tell me what you think about it." "About what?" "It's a tradition of mine. First time someone tastes my cooking, I ask for an honest rating." He pulled a notebook and pen from his hair. "I'm not the best chef, but I'm confident. Be honest." Soldret took one bite. Then another. Soon he was shoveling food like his life depended on it. He was far too hungry to evaluate anything properly. "Another one…" Bam sighed pitifully and went back for even more trays. Only after devouring enough to quiet the bottomless pit in his stomach did Soldret regain some clarity. Even then, he still felt unsatisfied. His body was like a black hole. Meanwhile, Roiner's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness. *Interesting.* Soldret ignored him at first and kept eating. *The horned one isn't human. The girl isn't either.* Roiner continued. *If I'm right, they're primal beasts in human form. For that to happen, they should be absurdly strong. Makes me wonder how they ended up as cook and caretaker here.* *You aren't surprised?* Roiner sounded genuinely confused. "I already had an inkling after seeing the girl last night," Soldret replied between bites. "And since neither Master nor they mentioned it, I figured I should leave it alone." He paused. "Besides, I have you living in my sea of consciousness. That's strange enough already." Roiner burst out laughing. Even Soldret found himself smiling faintly. --- As he continued eating, a sudden realization hit him. "Master." "Hm?" "Isn't today the Martial Peak assessment?" Radahn was gnawing on a large drumstick. Without looking up, he waved dismissively. "Probably." Soldret frowned. "Probably?" "Zephyr will handle it." Soldret stared. "Just like that?" Bam snorted, barely holding back laughter. "Aren't you looking for disciples?" Soldret asked. Radahn finally looked at him, genuinely confused. "Why?" He pointed at himself. "I already have disciples." Then he pointed at Soldret and sighed. "Unfortunately." Soldret's eye twitched. "Besides," Radahn added, "at most five people will show up. Maybe ten if we're lucky." Bam nodded. "That many would already be surprising." Soldret had nothing to say to that. --- Breakfast ended far too quickly. Radahn stood up, stretched lazily, and looked at Soldret. "Finished eating?" "…Good." Before Soldret could react, Radahn grabbed his face with one massive hand and hurl