Limits.

I replied "My first destination is Ortava. I want to visit a friend over there. I will then head towards the Imperial City. I have a long journey in front of me. We are currently at the north west of Endrosian Empire. Even with my speed, it will take me some time to get there". Finch nodded, and said "True. Ortava is quite far away. That is a good place to visit. The city is famous for Formation Masters. A whole Academy dedicated for them, is located there".

I said "Interesting, but I don"t really have time to learn Formations. I had a few occasions to learn them, but I preferred to focus on my own stuff. Besides, I know a Formation Master. As long as I pay, I can get anything I want". Finch laughed, and said "If you are wealthy". I said "When it comes to the currency of the North, I only have a few coins. As for the gold, I have some but not that much. I can always earn some with my concoctions. It"s not a problem". Finch asked "Are you sure? I can give you some money". I waved my hand, and said "Don"t worry. How do you think I fared in the North? People didn"t just hand me money for free". He smiled, and said "As you like".

I then said goodnight to Finch, and returned to my room. The next day, would be an important day for the village. After everyone got a proper rest, I told Finch to gather everyone on the main square. Finch as usually shouted "EVERYONE! GATHER ON THE MAIN SQUARE!". Soon the people began appearing left and right. Some grumbled "Does he have to shout like this?", while other asked "What is it this time? Someone else returned?".

Finch checked over the crowd, and noticed that loads of youngsters were missing. He commanded "Bring your kids as well! We have something special to say". The crowd seemed confused, but the parent left to collect their kids too. When everyone seemed to be present, I came forward and said "Today, I have good news for all the youngsters in the village. Those that train, or might train in the future, will receive a special medicine from me. It"s a medicine that purifies the blood. This in turn, will allow them to break through their Limits much easier. Every youngster will get some, as you all are the future of this village".

The youngsters cheered, while the adults were shocked. Someone asked "Is the medicine safe?". I replied "Would I poison my own family?". The person shut it, and didn"t dare speak anymore. I continued "This medicine can be taken only once in the entire life of a person. I must warn you though, the process of purifying your blood is painful. But what is a bit of pain, to the endless benefits in the future? All of you will have a choice. You can either use it now, or leave it until you reach a specific stage of your Limits. The choice will be up to you, or your guardians. But beware, this is a one time offer. So don"t regret your choice later".

The crowd began talking, while one woman asked "What about those, who are not inside the village now?". The crowd immediately quieted down, and waited for my response I smiled, and said "I already told you, everyone will receive it. Whether they are here or not. I"m not unfair, or biased towards only some people. Doesn"t matter if you are rich or poor, if your job is highly desired or not. Every child will get some". The woman seemed relieved, after I said this. Some other people also became relieved, probably because their kids were also outside the village.

I said "This will take a while. So if you can form a line, we can proceed. One family at a time please!". I then turned to Finch, and said "Get something to note their names, and who received what. We don"t want to make mistakes". People quickly rushed to form a line, and stood in an orderly manner. I called over the first family.

The first family that stepped forwards, consisted of two parents and two kids. A boy and A girl. They were quite young, and probably couldn"t take the Extract yet. I asked the parents "How old are you children?". The woman replied, "My son is 8, while my daughter is 6". I said "Did your son or daughter started training something?". She shook her head, and said "No. We are just bakers you see, and...". I shook my head, and said "It"s fine. You don"t have to explain yourself".

I said to her "The medicine can be used by anyone, but if they don"t train, the quant.i.ty I can give them is small. It"s not because I think they are useless, but because the medicine would kill them. The more they take, the greater the pain. That is the price one has to pay, in order to purify their blood. So you stand in front of a choice. You can allow them to train, and in the future collect greater amount of medicine, or I can a.s.sign a specific amount now, and let them use it when they are older. As I said, I don"t want to kill them".

The parents looked at each other, and replied "We are simple people. We just want our kids to grow up, and form their own families. You can just give them, what you think is appropriate" The boy protested "But mom! I want to be strong too!". His mother looked at him, and said quietly "Shush". I thought about it, and said "You guys still don"t understand. I"m not trying to make warriors out of your children". She seemed confused, and asked "Then, why do you want to provide every child with that medicine?".

I replied "When I asked, if your kids trained something, I didn"t mean sword or bow. I didn"t mean any weapon to be precise. I meant their bodies. No one will tell them to become warriors, just because they took this medicine. They can live their lives as they like. They can bake bread, or feed cows. Purifying ones blood doesn"t mean they will instantly become warriors. They will be healthier, and have more energy. This benefits everyone, not just warriors".

She looked at her husband, and didn"t know what to say. They looked at their kids, and the woman replied "Alright". I nodded my head, and said "In that case, they can collect their medicine under these conditions. If your kids managed to break through their Outer Limits, they will be able to collect 15 milliliters of the medicine. If they don"t break through by the age of 20, they will receive 5 milliliters". She nodded, and said "We are fine with such arrangements". As they were about to go, I said "There is one more medicine".

They stopped, and she asked "Another one?". I nodded, and said "Yes. The other medicine increases the strength permanently. There is no pain involved, and no side effects. This can be used to break through one"s Limits, or just to increase one"s strength. I will add the same amounts, for the conditions already specified".

She seemed sceptical, so I took out a milliliter of the Zenith Earth Grabbing Sprout Extract, and said "Drink it". She was stunned, and didn"t know what to do. I said again "Drink it, and you will see". She took it, and drank it. After a while, she exclaimed "Is this real?!". The others looked with interest, and wanted to see what was happening. Soon the Extract stopped working, while she said "I feel stronger. So you were not lying at all?". I shook my head, and said "Why would I lie? I told you, I wouldn"t poison my own family". She nodded her head, and said "We are happy with those arrangements. Thank you, I was wrong to be sceptical of you".

Finch wrote down all the details, and we moved on to the next family. The other families didn"t ask so many questions anymore. They probably heard what happened, and were willing to let their kids train their bodies. In case of the youngsters who already trained, some of them already broke through the Outer Limits, and decided to take the medicine now. I told them to drink it, and sit down. Soon the area was filled with screams of people, who were having their blood purified. Some of the normal villagers seemed a bit disturbed, but I a.s.sured them that in the future, there would be a medic here who would help them out.

I was of course talking about Kara. This would be her job, if I wasn"t around. Of course, I didn"t hand any of the medicine for the parents to keep. They would be able to retrieve it, after their kids reach the specific condition. Finch would be keeping them all.

The day was long, I didn"t expect so many kids in the village. "This is good anyway. The village will be strong, and will be able to protect itself in the future. People will be more united thanks to this event" I thought. With everyone taken care of, I said to Finch "Some people were scared by this prospect, but went with the crowd. Don"t force anyone to train though. They have their free will, and they are free to choose". Finch shook his head, and said "I never forced any of the youngsters to train. It was always their choice". I nodded, and said "There is no time today, to worry about your Half Step. Tomorrow can be busy as well. We will do this, after we deal with all this stuff".

Finch nodded, and said "I agree". We walked back to his house, where I said "Tomorrow, bring all the adults you trust. I still have some medicine left. Then we will take care of your Half Step". Finch nodded, while I bid him goodnight.