The two youths were walking leisurely while chatting about various things until they reached the entrance of a log cabin.

Entering inside they saw a topless man around his fifty sitting cross legged on the floor with his eyes closed. The interior of the cabin was almost empty with the existence of only three beds to fill this building.

Grey hair with a thick beard and fuzzy eyebrows, Antony was a man with a heroic appearance. His muscular body and the countless scars upon his body were the proof of his tough life as an adventurer.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps Antony opened slowly his black eyes. A small smile formed on his face when he saw the two kids that he raised alone to be so lively.

For him, a person who only knew how to fight and with a job that required him to be at the front lines to suddenly have a family can only be explained as a twist of fate. For Antony though, the warmth that he received from these boys was the reward for all the hardship he endured until now.

"At least you remembered you have a home brats" Antony said jokingly. Without waiting for a reply his gaze suddenly became sharp as he continued " So what is it? Although I know the answer I want to hear it from your lips".

Vladimir's and John's posture became strict. They straightened their back and looked at the face of their father with determined faces. John made a step decisively forward and opened his mouth.

" It is as you guessed Father, as promised we came to face the final trial of our training".

Antony stood up and slowly walked outside of the cabin. He completely ignored the youths that were watching cautiously his moves. it wasn't until he disappeared from their sights that a voice was heard from the darkness.

"Follow me". Just a simple command.

* * * * * * * * *

Three figures were traveling through the darkness with high speed. It wasn't until they entered a forest and found a clearing that they all stopped at the same time.

For John,the fact that it was night was something that was giving him a sense of confidence and security. Facing against a monster like his father wasn't something that he could do without being able to go all out.

' I hope at least for Vladimir to be able to attract his attention. Without a doubt father will try to confront me first. Even for him to fight against brother while having me lurk in the shadows to ambush him isn't something worth to take the risk for'. While having these idle thoughts Antony finally started to talk

"Its been 2 years since the last time we came here. I really look forward to see what kind of path your powers have taken. I taught you everything I knew about martial arts and magic. But for someone to develop his own powers, needs to have his own experiences and enlightenments. Let's see what personal achievements you have acquired these two years I haven't seen your training. If you want to go to the Imperial Academy you must defeat me".

Antony made a step forward. His black eyes started to change their color to a faint blue. Electric sparks started to appear around his body. At the same time, his grey hair started to redden until they became fiery red. In his two hands, an axe made of fire formed slowly. When this transformation was finished, Antony was looking like a demon that ascended from the Hell.

John and Vladimir watched the whole process without thinking of interfering. Trying to prevent a veteran adventurer who have fought over a thousand of battles to complete his transformation by using only trickstery can't be considered anything else than a pipe dream.

Vladimir turned to look at John's side. Upon seeing the confirmation in his eyes, he jumped without a second thought in front of his brother. Dust started to appear from the collision of his legs that had acquired a bronze color with the ground. A layer of dirt covered the whole area making the visibility difficult.