.Kyle's PoV.

  It was an early morning, nothing different from any other day. Kyle was resting in the bell tower window, looking down at the cathedral gardens. He let out a proud sigh.

  “Nothing like a quiet morning.” He nodded contently, but like most days his zen was interrupted by a deceptively joyful grunt.

  “What can I do ya’ fer today, Madam Brimiri? Though it is quite early, I must add.” Kyle grunted out.

  Brimiri simply chuckled before responding, “Yes I know, Kyle, you lazy grouch. I was hoping you'd do your job as the disciplinary coordinator.” She finished with a slight shake of her head.

  Kyle just let words linger for a moment.

  “Is it that boy who almost got his clock cleaned out,” Kyle spoke as a statement and not a question.

  She responded with a bone weary sigh.

  “Yes, I want you to discipline Syilten. He's one of the few who thought he'd be some top adventurer as soon as he awakened. He didn't even try to test his Cards before he ran off to the Wastes Boundary.” She shook her head admonishingly.

  “So give him something grueling, that most kids would be argumentative about.”

  He just sat there thinking,

  ‘What kind of work do kids hate till they warm up to it?’ As he thought, he perused all the General Skills he'd acquired over his time Cultivating.

  ‘Hmm, that'll do nicely.’

  “Tell the kid to meet me at the ‘stables’ when he wakes up,” was all he said before he leapt for the gardens below.

  Brimiri just grimaced. “Can't he ever do something relatively normal for his exits for once, like I dunno, taking the stairs?”

  ___________________________________________

  Kyle decided to get to work behind the Cathedral, near the pathways out and to the Admin building.

  “This should do I think, or at least it should look like it belongs.”

  With a loud clap of his hands, the world filled with lights of brown, green, and faded orange. When the light faded, stables were standing tall in the clearing Kyle had just been facing, soft neighs echoing out. Kyle collapsed to his knees, breathing ragged.

  “I swear, if that kid doesn't learn his lesson, he’s paying back with his mana.”

  He stayed there a moment, waiting on the blackness at the edge of his vision to start to recede.

  “I better at least get one of her personal meals for this. Summoning is ridiculously draining,” he simply grumbled and headed inside to get everything ready.

  ‘It's gonna be a long few days, isn't it?’

  __________________________________

  It had been two days since Kyle had Summoned the stables, and there was still no sign of the boy he was supposed to be setting right.

  “She's probably getting a laugh out of this, not like she hadn't noticed the energy I had to use on this.” Almost as if speaking about her had summoned her, Brimiri rounded the corner and set her sights straight on Kyle.

  She made sure to take her time as she sauntered over, a look of approval on her face as she walked up.

  “Good morning Kyle, I like what you did with the place.” Her view looking over the stables, she furrowed her brow as she got closer.

  “And you really made sure to set the scene”

  Kyle just smirked.

  “Can't handle a little stink,” he smirked. “Or is it supposed to be a vacation punishment?” He asked while wiggling his eyebrows, to which Brimiri just brushed off.

  “He should be waking up soon. His treatment took, but he needed to rest. When he gets up and has his lecture though, he'll be straight here.” She held out a packaged box out to Kyle. “Eat. This should recover the mana you've already used, and keep you topped off for a few days.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Thank you. Now git, I don't like to be watched when I eat.”

  ___________________________________

  Roughly 3 hours later, Kyle was resting against a pitchfork he had put in the dirt, as a young boy he had to guess was probably the average Awakening age, 11 or close to turning 12, with dark colored hair. He rushed up with a “Hello!”

  “Sorry kid, Horses can be dangerous. Go play elsewhere.”

  Kyle wanted to see if the kid would persist, or take the offered out.

  ‘Though his punishment would have to go up, if he did.’

  Then the boy spoke up.

  “But sir, Brimiri told me I have to help in the stables until I leave for the academy.”

  ‘Okay, he didn't run off. That's a good start.’

  “So you're what, 11? Unless I'm wrong, that'd mean I have you for a year.”

  ‘Let's see if that makes you sweat..’ Kyle joked with himself. Yet, he seemed to take on a sheepish look before he replied.

  "No sir, I turned twelve two days ago, but I didn't make the smartest of choices, hence why I'm here”.

  Kyle gave the boy an appraising look, making sure to drag it out to unnerve him.

  "Grab a pitchfork, I expect you here every morning till you leave before the sun has even risen, am I understood?” Kyle made sure to keep the boy's eye contact till he heard a “yes sir!” And they got to work.

  ______________________________________

  Kyle was actually surprised by this boy Syilten, he seemed a bit arrogant at first but he did the work without complaints, even listened when Kyle gave him advice.

  ‘Honestly I thought he'd leave when I used aura to push him slightly off balance into a pile of manure during the second mucking,’ Overall, the kid was alright, Kyle thought to himself.

  ‘I'll teach him something honest tomorrow. Though he does have a colorful mouth,’ he thought with a quick spit to the side, removing the bad taste from his mouth.

  ‘He seems oddly satisfied. What a strange kid.’

  “Alright, we're done for the day,” he said, and sent the kid off. When the kid was far enough away, Kyle simply plopped down in his chair and went to sleep.

  _____________________________

  Kyle decided he would see if yesterday was a one off just for the last day, when he saw Syilten running up, slightly unkempt.

  ‘Guess even with help this morning, he still fell behind.’ He chuckled and called out.

  “You're late,” Kyle reprimanded, even though the boy arrived 2 minutes early in his haste, stabbing a pitchfork into the ground and striding into the stables.

  Kyle walked to the last pen, the one he let get particularly nasty for today.

  “Show me how we did it yesterday, but on your own this time.”

  Kyle just watched the emotions war on on Syilten’s face, it jumped from disgust, to reluctance, to finally settling at reluctant resolve. He didn't waste any more time before just getting to the task.

  ‘Guess he decided it'll just be better to get it over with, yet he's still taking the right amount of time. Yep, he's gonna get the skill for sure. Still, let's make sure of that.’

  When the boy finished Kyle called out.

  “Okay, enough of that for now. That was the only one that needed a good mucking still, though your hay laying could use some work, you use a little too much, but not bad for your first time alone. And after only a few other times, too.”

  Kyle walked up to his favorite of his horse summons.

  ‘Spook him a bit girl, play the fool,’ he sent the horse through their link. Kyle walked up to her, playing the regular stable hand routine,

  "You'll always need to show them respect to receive it in return. If I had to guess, this is the lesson Brimiri sent you here for.”

  For the boy's credit, Kyle assumed Syil didn't notice his sharp flush. Kyle genuinely had to fight back a chuckle when he watched Syilten’s first attempt at horse rearing and grooming. Kyle even played at having to calm her down, so he could try again. When he left his head bowed for 10 minutes, it took him every ounce of willpower to not start laughing hysterically. Instead, he nudged his stubborn summon forward, thus moving the day along.

  _______________________________

  The next day, Kyle was relaxing. Far too early in the morning to be awake, he just had a feeling that he should be awake now. Kyle clicked his tongue when he realized the cause. Brimiri was walking toward him in usually cheery demeanor. Ultimately Kyle and Brimiri just discussed Syilten’s actions and show of responsibility over the last couple of days,

  “Honestly I think the kid had already learned his lesson, if anything I think this just helped him ground out. I'm not a therapist Brimiri, I'm a disciplinary commissioner.” Kyle was fighting a slight smirk.

  Brimiri actually seemed to take this at a pause for a moment.

  “There I go again. Seems I tend to be a tad harsh when I'm being protective. I think I'll run him through some training instead.” Brimiri beamed, but for Kyle the shiver that ran down his spine would freeze the tides.

  “Yeah, you do that,” Kyle quickly said to avoid being dragged into this somehow as well.

  “I'll go back to my tower after the boy comes by.”

  ________________________________

  They only really chatted for another hour before Syilten arrived, 5 minutes early on the dot.

  ‘Glad to be right about the kid.’

  Syilten greeted both of them, and was even bold enough to enquire on them too.

  ‘Children will be children.’

  After letting Syilten know he wouldn't be working in the stables today, and quietly admitting he lied about Syilten being late yesterday, it was silent again, just as Kyle liked.

  ‘Easier this way.’

  He clapped his hands, the stables fading from existence with far less fanfare than they came into this world with.

  “Time for a nap,” Kyle said with a very serious look on his face.

  ‘Hope she doesn't kill the kid, I'm starting to like him.’

  ________________________________________

  Kyle was bored. He hadn't realized that the time he was hazing Syil, he was having fun. And now he was actually bored. This was an unacceptable turn of events for his naps, but a little fun comes at certain costs.

  Looking himself over, he nodded.

  “If he sees through this, then he's absolutely a genius, or hiding an Inspection Skill.”

  Kyle had borrowed a set of clothes from the coaches closet, he had to look the part of the coachman to see if he got any entertainment on the way, then he'd be back on his way to Tundras kiss, before Brimiri could say her full name 10 times fast without taking a breath. He took one last look in the mirror.

  “Oops, that would have done it,” and with a snap of Kyle's fingers, his hair changed to a soft fluffy brown and his eyes shifted to a soft green. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out, his face seemingly sagging without tension. “This will do,” his voice now older and haggard.

  Kyle just sat and waited for the time when Syil would arrive, but what he saw was a little odd to say the least. Brimiri was talking in soft tones that a cultivator could hear, but certainly not a child. Yet, the topics were directed at him.

  ‘Poor Syil probably thinks that they're walking in silence. Just wait a few years.’ He smiled, noticing Syilten was just absent minded in general.

  After everyone who had purchased for the carriage that Kyle ‘commandeered’ for his super secret mission, they were off for Brittlemar.