Ascension of the Primalist [A Tamer Class, LitRPG]

"He was… one of the captains?" Seth mouthed in disbelief.

"Yes," Sericar answered. "Your father was deeply involved in his nation’s war. Up until he left with your mother."

The merchant stopped for a moment to take a sip from his mug. "After about a year of meeting in secret, they both decided to flee together. They wanted to find a place to start over, away from the horrors of war… somewhere they could raise the child your mother was carrying."

Seth’s eyes widened. "She was already pregnant?"

The bearded merchant nodded. "Yes, but her country had strict rules about soldiers leaving. She actually had to cripple herself—break apart her own aether channels—to earn the right to go. The authorities there want to make sure deserters never become a future threat."

"Is… is that why she died?" Seth asked, his throat tightening.

"Yes," Sericar answered, his voice heavy. "The aether from her Well had nowhere to go. Eventually, it destroyed her body from the inside."

"They basically made her… kill herself," Seth muttered, clenching his fists as a burning heat began to spread in his chest. "I’m guessing Vandric told me pain treatment would be useless? That I was wasting my coins?"

"Yes," Sericar admitted, his gaze fixed on the table. He then paused, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as if to steady himself. "Vandric couldn’t tell you the truth. Your mother made all three of us swear not to tell you anything… about their past."

"All three of you?" Seth asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Me, Marcus, and Vandric," the merchant replied. "The king of your father's country wasn't exactly… kind. There’s no way he would have let your father leave alive, so they had to escape through the night and hide. Their journey eventually brought them to the western border of the Wicked Forest in Illumineda Kingdom. There, they built a small house and met Marcus, Vandric, and myself in a nearby village. They stayed for almost a decade, and during that time, we all became friends—especially Marcus and your father."

"Marcus? Friends with someone?" Seth said, picturing the grumpy Alchemist. "That’s hard to believe."

"I know," Sericar answered with a faint smile. "In the end, with his potions, Vandric's spells, and your father's incredible aether manipulation, they had managed to stop your mother's aether from slowly killing her. My role was quite modest. I only helped by finding them the artifacts and ingredients they needed."

Seth leaned back, trying to piece everything together. "Then why did they leave for Kastal? It sounds like things were working fine?"

A shadow crossed Sericar’s face, and his gaze drifted down again for a moment. "The local army started poking around after a few… incidents. On top of that, your mother felt that living in the forest wasn't the best for you. She believed you needed interactions, to see the outside world and really grow as a child."

Seth frowned, trying to remember what he could from his childhood. He couldn’t recall his parents ever mentioning Marcus, Vandric, or Sericar while the three of them had lived in the forest house. Is he really telling the truth? Or is there more? I’ll have to confirm everything with Marcus during the break next week.

"Why Kastal?" Seth asked. "Couldn't they go farther?"

"They knew that no matter where they went, local militaries would eventually catch on about them," Sericar explained before pausing for a brief moment. "So, they chose one of the weakest nations, thinking it would be easier to manage by cutting a deal with their leader. But then… things didn’t go as planned."

"Let me guess," Seth hissed through gritted teeth. "Kastal’s king sold him out?"

The merchant shook his head. "No. Your father made a soul contract, something that cannot be broken, with the king. That old man was forced to keep your father’s secrets. In return, your father had to stop an imminent rebellion organized by some Houses. Wiping out every force gathered in a Rift. No survivors. No witnesses. No one was ever supposed to leave and reveal who he was… but something went wrong."

Seth’s jaws almost dropped to the floor. The king? The paranoid bastard who had bled Kastal’s commoners dry with taxes on land, on sales, even on awakenings? The man who had made survival a daily struggle for villages and towns which weren’t strong enough to fend for themselves? The one who had been stopping everyone from leaving the country with spears?

Seth thought of all the people he’d seen starving in Sunatown and other nearby villages. He could still see the desperation etched into their faces; it was all because of the king’s and the Faertis House’s endless greed. And his father had helped that man? Stopped a rebellion that might have changed things?

Sure, he’d done it to protect him and his mother—but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. Maybe the next king would’ve been just as terrible, Seth told himself, trying to somehow make his father’s actions seem less… awful.

"My guess?" Sericar continued, seemingly not noticing that Seth was lost in thoughts. "One of those Houses dug into your father’s past and sold him to his old nation because they couldn't beat him."

Seth finally forced a long, steadying breath in, the air doing little to calm the storm in his chest. But he had to focus on the immediate threat—his father had faced those Houses. They had seen the man’s golden eyes. Seth's secrets could be exposed. He has to know who was involved. "Do you have any idea which Houses led the rebellion?"

"I have a few suspects in mind," Sericar answered. "Though, we won’t know for sure until the next coup. But Seth, don’t blame them for his death. They were only trying to free this country. And your father… Well, he just wanted to protect his family. To offer a peaceful life to you and your mother. "

"I know… I don’t blame them, " Seth mumbled before looking up. "I’m guessing the marshal, Marine’s grandfather, is one of those few suspects?"

The merchant nodded. "Yes. And that’s exactly why you can't go to that tournament. He might not know your father had a son, but the moment he sees your eyes you could be screwed."

"So, I'm supposed to hide away forever?" Seth retorted, a little frustration rising in his voice. " From the marshal, the king, and all the Houses involved?"

"Not forever," Sericar replied, shaking his head before meeting Seth's eyes. "Just until you’re strong enough to protect yourself from those people."

Strong enough… to defend myself against the king and Marine’s grandfather… two damn Platinums. The thought settled in Seth’s chest. Someone like Professor Reat, a once-in-a-generation genius, had taken nearly a decade to reach the peak of Silver Tier. Even with Link, Seth knew both the king and the marshal could die of old age long before he ever had a real chance to surpass him—let alone grow powerful enough to face them. The Apex Predators. The squad that had killed his father.

'Sooner or later, we’ll make them pay,' Nightmare said from within the beast-holder. “I’ll go past my Silver potential and become strong enough to tear them apart myself.”

'Thanks, Nightmare,' Seth answered through their bond before turning back his focus to Sericar. "What's the name of my father's nation?"

The merchant heaved out another sigh, looking at the ceiling for long seconds as if hesitating before finally answering.

"Draeria."

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Seth walked out of the adventurers’ outpost with his new purple Endless Pouch hanging from his belt. Altogether, it had cost him fifty coppers with both Sericar’s and the Enchanter's fees. If he hadn't 'acquired' those seven iron coins from that Elementalist, Seth would’ve spent nearly all the money he had earned in the last month with his beast-hunting contracts and he wouldn’t have been able to afford even a single Escape scroll.

To his surprise, Sericar had sold him the instant spell-scroll for two irons without making any fuss, unlike Celine. All Seth had had to do was promise he’d wait until reaching Iron before Rift Diving for the first time—a promise he had no intention of keeping.

'So,' Nightmare said from within the necklace, 'do you think everyone in the Draeria has Link? And that's why your father insisted on keeping it a secret?'

Seth pondered for a moment as he walked down the empty street, the cobblestones shining slightly under the moonlight. 'I don't think so,' he finally answered. 'Otherwise, he would’ve let me tell at least a few people about it—like Marcus, Vandric or Sericar.'

'Maybe he didn’t trust them?'

'They know about his past. It’d make no sense,' Seth replied with a shrug. The idea of both his parents being stronger than the king at their peak, who was himself a Platinum Wielder, was hard to swallow. They’d been so powerful, yet here he was, barely keeping up with the academy’s top students. Without Nightmare, I’d still be average at best.How am I supposed to avenge them?

The moment Seth arrived at the academy's gate, the yard was eerily quiet, with only a handful of students scattered across the vast, open field. Silence followed him as he navigated through the empty corridors before eventually reaching his room and gently pushing the door open.

Careful not to wake up Devus, Seth put his bag down beside his bed and slipped out of his clothes. Settling onto the mattress, he grabbed his new Endless Pouch.