Chapter 4: The Accelerated Education (Edited)
Chapter 4: The Accelerated Education
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Alex Stoll sat at his desk, typing away at his computer. His fingers flew over the keys, creating a rhythmic symphony of clicks and clacks.
After a while, he pinched his brow as his eyes started to sting a bit. He glanced at the clock, slightly surprised that it was already past noon and he decided to take a rest.
Usually, by this time, Felix would have knocked on his door and asked for something from him. Stoll would then present Felix with a test for him to solve as the condition to fulfill that request.
Stoll got up from his chair and stretched his limbs. He wondered how his son, Felix, was doing.
Felix was four years old, but he was not like other children his age. He had a remarkable memory and intelligence, which Stoll had noticed since he was a baby.
Stoll had high hopes for his son, and he wanted to nurture his potential as much as possible. So, he devised various tests and exercises for Felix, using playing cards, puzzles, books, and other tools. This would help Felix's memorization and thinking skills. He would usually reward Felix with toys or food whenever he performed well and also as a form of encouragement.
Stoll walked towards Felix's room, expecting to see him playing with his stuffed animals or building blocks. He usually did that when he was bored or wanted attention.
Stoll would then test him with some cards or ask him some questions, and then give him something he wanted. It was a routine they had established over the years.
But when Stoll opened the door to Felix's room, he was surprised by what he saw.
Felix was sitting on the floor, in front of his bookshelf, holding a book in his hands. He was reading it with a focused expression on his face. Stoll felt a burst of anticipation, but he did let it show on his face, maintaining a stoic expression. He silently walked towards Felix and looked over at the book he was reading.
It was a book from the second row of the bookshelf, which contained books for elementary school students. The book was about a classic hero on his journey to become a king, and it had colorful illustrations and simple text.
Stoll was glad that Felix was starting to show interest in reading, but a hero... He wondered why he had selected such a book to put into the bookcase, worried that it might fill the young boy's head with silly fantasies.
But then, just for a moment, he curled his lips into a wicked grin as he remembered why he did so. While at first glance, it might seem like an ordinary fairytale, the ending had quite the twist.
As Felix seemed just about done reading, Stoll decided to show himself. Stoll cleared his throat, grabbing Felix's attention. "What are you doing, Felix?"
Felix looked up from the book and stood up straight when he saw his father. He replied, "Hi, Father. I'm reading this book about a hero on his journey to become a king. It's interesting."
Stoll nodded and said, "I see. What's interesting about it?"
Felix said, "Well, at first it was interesting to see this hero go on an adventure and meet different people. But then it got kind of tedious."
"Even though the hero wants to become a king, he stops to help people every time they had a problem. The hero even got hurt multiple times and got nothing in return except for empty words of thanks."
"But the ending was the really interesting part. The hero died. And then it was revealed that the original king, who sent the hero on the journey to become king, was the mastermind that was using the hero's foolishness to his advantage."
"He knew about the hero's character and used it to his advantage, using the hero to solve all of the problems in the surrounding villages. This then further strengthened his rule over the land, as the people assumed that the hero was the king's proxy."
Stoll nodded with approval and said, "You're right. That is interesting."
"But I'm a bit confused."
"And why is that?"
Felix pondered a bit. Then, he replied, "Why did the hero just die like that? I thought protagonists were supposed to always win?"
Stoll chuckled, glad that Felix was curious and didn't take things at face value.
"That's because it was trying to do two things. One, it was trying to subvert your expectations. Usually, as you get to know about something, you make your own assumptions and predictions about how it will go. The book flipped it on its head to give you a feeling of astonishment."
"And two, it was trying to teach you a lesson. Life doesn't always go according to plan, and you shouldn't expect it to do so. A true hero would've realized what was going on and completed his mission, regardless of whether he helped or not. And who's to say that the hero was the protagonist? Maybe, the king was the protagonist all along."
"Then that's stupid. He shouldn't have been called a hero but a fool." Felix scoffed a bit.
Stoll's eyes then glinted in a cunning light. "Then, who would you rather be?"
"Huh?"
Stoll repeated himself. "Who would you rather be? The foolish hero, who is no better than a clown? Or the king, who was able to use the hero to his advantage?"
Felix pondered for a while before he chose the obvious answer. "In that case... I want to be the king."
"Why is that?" Stoll asked back immediately.
"Well..." The young boy hesitated, slightly overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. "Rather than dying a foolish way without accomplishing much, I would rather live on in prosperity. At the very least, I want my death to have meaning," Felix stated.
Stoll smiled. No one realized when the smile had started to form, but it was growing as the discussion continued on.
Stoll decided to push on. "Do you know what the difference between the hero and the king is?"
Felix pondered some more before shaking his head.
Stoll then explained. "The difference lay in their knowledge. A wise king knows how to observe and best use the situation to his advantage. It was how he was able to trick the ignorant hero into going on his foolish quest. The hero, on the other hand, lacked such knowledge. He believed that he could actually become a king by doing so because he didn't know any better."
"But I can teach you." Stoll continued. "I can teach you how to be an even wiser king, one that comes out on top of any situation. The road will be long and hard but by the end of it... You shall be glorious."
"Whether there are other heroes or kings... You will be the final winner. I promise you that."
Stoll stood before Felix, his posture straight and confident. His eyes were locked onto Felix's, as if he was observing how the boy would react. His voice was loud and clear, conveying his confidence and conviction. He used his hands to gesture and emphasize his points, sometimes raising them in the air, sometimes pointing at something, sometimes clasping them together.
He was fully engaged and animated, captivating Felix with his charisma. And then at the end of it, Stoll asked one simple question. "So... do you want to learn?"
Felix replied immediately, his eyes sparkling as he imagined such a future. "Yes. I want to learn," Felix replied, conviction evident in his voice.
Stoll smiled. The boy had potential. The potential to grow. The potential to be successful. And most importantly, he had the hunger. The hunger to keep reaching for the stars.... or die trying. And if he did die? Oh, well. Maybe it was just not meant to be.
"Most excellent," said Stoll. "Now, I will first teach you two things."
"One, a king must have a strong will. This is the most fundamental principle to becoming a great king. How can a king ever become great if he fails at the first hurdle? To do this, we will, effective immediately, start your training in both body and mind. While a smart mind is important, it does not mean that you should neglect the body.
"And second, you will now start serving the Ritz Family. It is the family that I serve. They hold great power and dominion over the world. You will start serving them as well," Stoll firmly declared, leaving no room for refusal.
Felix nodded... before he paused. Something didn't seem to add up. "Why should a king serve under someone else?"
Stoll stopped...surprised. Then, another smile started to grow on his face.
He then explained. "What better way to learn how to be king, but to learn from another king himself?"
"A foolish king believes himself to be better than others without justification. A true king widens his horizons, learning from the mistakes and successes of others to better his reign."
"After all of that is said and done, he THEN believes himself to be superior. That... is the difference between arrogance and pride." He finished. "Any more questions?"
"No, Father," Felix replied. The inclusion of the word 'father' seemed unnecessary, but Felix felt that it fit the situation.
While Felix and Alex Stoll weren't particularly close in the conventional way a father and his child would be, they nevertheless shared a connection. And now, this connection would be the start of a legend. A legend, that would shake this world and many more.
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A.N. Hi again!
Just wanted to say that this mini-introductory arc is at its end.
There will be a short time skip to move on to when the more juicy details and the action of the story come to life. I've debated whether to include a time skip, but decided that I already did a good enough introduction to lay the foundation for the MC's ambition and growth. Plus, I want to write about his powers and the battles.
My posting schedule might get a bit more hectic as college break is almost over. So if I don't post for a while, don't worry, I'm not dead.
Anyway, thanks for sticking until now (I know that there was no real action until now and it was mostly exposition) and look forward to the rest! I have some great plans for the future.
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