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Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Connection

"I haven\'t called her like that yet," Raiden said.

That was a bit of a hard thing to do, even if they had already been living together for a few months. Calling Harth\'s Father and Lorene\'s mother would be even more difficult... even though Raiden couldn\'t recall his real parents. Now and then, he would try to check his memories and get used to the pain, but he didn\'t make any progress in that aspect; he was about to give up... Maybe he will become tougher and more resistant to the headaches if he increases his endurance and spirit.

Although he didn\'t think too much about it until now, once he realized the matter, Raiden couldn\'t stop thinking about it. While it was easier, trying to call Iri\'s sister would have to make him call Harth and Lorene\'s mother as well. That certainly was difficult, and Raiden knew that the more he took his time deciding that, the more difficult it would be later.

One day, when they were eating dinner, Raiden decided to solve the issue as soon as possible by asking the ones involved in the matter.

"Would it be weird if I suddenly started calling you sister?" Raiden suddenly asked.

Iri was eating her food to fill her stomach as soon as possible, like usual, so she froze when she heard that. She didn\'t think that she had heard it right; Harth and Lorene also seemed surprised.

"Would it be weird if I called you father and mother?" Raiden added.

"Well, huh..." Harth said and then looked at his wife.

"Well... if you ask us all of a sudden..." Lorene showed an unusual, complicated expression.

"I guess it would," Raiden said and then nodded and then resumed his meal.

"No, it wouldn\'t! At all!" Iri said. "You can call me big sister all the time!"

"I see," Raiden nodded and then resumed his meal.

"Well, if you are fine with that, I am fine too," Harth scratched the back of his head. "We are family, after all."

"I suppose calling us by our names all the time would be weirder," Lorene said while nodding Several times.

"Got it," Raiden said and then finished his meal and then put his bowl on the sink before he turned around and scratched his head while looking to the side. "Good night, Big sister, Father, and Mother."

"Hehehe, this is what I signed up for," Iri smiled bashfully.

"Good night... son," Harth said and then resumed his eating.

"Why did you have to hesitate? Now it got complicated for me," Lorene said after she crossed his arms. "Don\'t forget to brush your teeth, son. See, I said it. Now you look like a moron."

"Well, excuse me," Harth shrugged.

Raiden left to his room to make the atmosphere return back to normal, and while it took a while for that, it eventually happened. It also took a while for him to get used to calling them Father and Mother every day, but that was more of an imaginary barrier than he had thought.

Harth and Lenore weren\'t at the age where they would show a lot of emotion; their jobs also prevented them from doing that often, but Iri sure liked to be called Big Sister. Even after the hundredth time, she still looked delighted as usual. At the same time, she got way more clingy. Whenever she had the chance, she hugged Raiden and then spun him around for fun. Perhaps calling her little sister would be more accurate.

Regardless, the atmosphere in the house seemed better after those changes. Lorene would talk more while they were eating, and Harth would tap Raiden\'s head whenever he approached. They looked more like a family now, but Raiden didn\'t feel like he had done enough for them.

Around that time, Raiden sold his first set of medicine and suddenly saw himself with sixty silver coins. Getting some levels and increasing all of his parameters seemed a good idea... then again, Raiden didn\'t know how hard it would be for him to get more levels later.

"I am already busy as I am... but I can always increase my workshop and hire someone to work for me in order to level up faster," Raiden thought. "Those two seem the best candidates..."

After training for one month with Iri, Raiden\'s skill with the spear could barely be compared to before. He wanted to check his stamina by sparring with as many students as possible on his level every day. Still, the instructor had no favorites; everyone had to practice the same amount, and they could only practice with others so much. So, he decided to practice with his sister, Javier, and Ruth as much as possible.

At some point, Javier decided to use two swords style since a single wooden sword felt too light for him. It took a while, but he was getting used to it. Mixing a style that focused on quick attacks to keep the enemies from doing anything or focusing on defending with a single sword and counterattacking with others.

Javier and Raiden faced each other for a friendly sparring session. Javier wielded two wooden swords with finesse, while Raiden held a sturdy wooden spear. They began their duel with focused determination.

Javier\'s swift movements showcased his agility as he deftly attacked and defended with his swords. Raiden, utilizing the spear\'s reach, kept Javier at bay, countering his strikes with calculated precision. Their clash filled the air with the sound of wood meeting wood.

Adapting to each other\'s tactics, Javier closed the distance, engaging in close combat. His lightning-fast strikes tested Raiden\'s defense, but Raiden held his ground, wielding the spear with controlled power. Their skills pushed each other to their limits... until Raiden suddenly swung his spear at his legs and forced Javier to jump. Still, then Raiden quickly changed the direction of the attack and hit his chin, knocking him down.

"Not bad; you have a lot to improve when it comes to decision-making, but you are on the right path," Raiden said while offering his friend a hand to get up.

Ruth was also improving with the spear, but she still was focusing too much on defending only. She was learning how to use a bow and had a knack for it, but bows ran out of arrows all the time, so she knew that she couldn\'t slack off when it came to melee combat.

Ruth stood strong, parrying Raiden\'s attacks with unwavering determination. Her arms strained under the continuous onslaught, but she refused to give in. As the spar progressed, her blocks became slower and more difficult.

Despite her fatigue, Ruth persevered, her arms barely able to move. Raiden recognized her resilience and adjusted his approach, pushing her to her limits. The clash of their spears filled the area... until her weapon broke.

"You will have a hard time passing the test if you focus solely on defending," Raiden said. "Still, I assume that you have a plan of your own."

"Kind of," Ruth forced a smile. "We will do it in two weeks, right? I will have time to perfect my idea."

"If you say so, I don\'t think that the instructor will let us pass that easily, so be ready for a hard test," Raiden warned them. "The test when it comes to studying will be to give a presentation about a random book. Are you two ready for that as well?"

Javier and Ruth looked away... they didn\'t like to study. Figures, it would be hard to find kids who were into martial arts and studying as well; that was why most kids would need two full years to graduate from that level. Still, Raiden knew that shyness was no longer a problem for them; the real problem was their lack of discipline to study by themselves.

"I guess I will take some time from working with the other healers to make you guys study for real," Raiden declared while furrowing his eyebrows. "I invested too much on this to make you two fail now."