Jacob woke up from his deep slumber to the smell of food. His body reacted before his mind could register where he was and reached out in the direction of the scent. He started shoveling mounds of food down his throat and followed it down with some water. When he finally got a hold of himself, he slowly looked around.
'Man. I can never remember how I always end up back in my room. I guess I'm coordinated even when I'm not conscious!'
Today was the day before he and Maria were supposed to spar to show off how much stronger each of them had become. He decided that today he would focus on refining his legs even further. He sat up and jumped out of his bed, but when he tried to walk, he immediately fell to the floor. No matter how much he strained himself, his legs wouldn't cooperate. They were way too fatigued and needed to heal.
'Shit.'
Jacob used his arms to drag his body into the hall and call out for a servant. Joesph heard the prince's call and immediately came to his aid. Staring down at the prince, he seemed shocked at first but slowly grew less tense.
"Is there something wrong with your legs, my lord?"
"Unfortunately, I think I overdid it a bit. My legs won't listen to me!"
Joseph sighed.
"I didn't want to have to tell you this, but I believe it would be in your best interest to rest today. Try to stay off your feet as much as possible for the time being."
Jacob looked a little hurt at first and tried to argue.
"But this is the last day before something really important. I need to be at my best if I want to perform well."
"If you want to be at your best, more training is the last thing you need. Resting is just as important as training when it comes to striving for strength. If your body can't recover from the intense training you do, it gives your muscles no time to grow and harden."
Jacob was about to retort but he knew it would be useless unless he could stand himself up and show Joseph that he was perfectly fine.
'This is so humiliating.'
"Would you like me to get you some crutches, my lord?"
"Yes please. Since I can't train my body, I have some other ideas for things I can improve on."
"Oh? And what is it you are trying to improve?"
"My knowledge. Is the professor at the palace today?"
"He is in his office I believe. Stay right here and I will bring you the crutches."
Not long after he left, Joseph came back with two long wooden sticks with arches at the top. Jacob leaned against the wall and shoved them under his armpits while trying to balance himself. After a bit of trial and error, he was able to start moving across the hall on his own.
"This is much better. Thank you for the help, Joseph."
"Anytime, my lord. Would you like me to accompany you on the trip to the office?"
"No thank you. But I do need to ask a favor of you if that's okay."
Jacob thought for a moment then gestured for him to come closer. As Joseph leaned down, Jacob whispered something in his ear.
"What do you need that for, my lord?"
"Just put it somewhere in my room when you grab it. It's for a surprise."
"As you wish, my lord."
Once Joseph left, Jacob clicked himself through the palace with his wooden crutches. After a short while, he finally reached his teachers office. His professor was sitting in his chair reading something that looked important. Even though the door was open, Jacob knocked on it anyway to announce his arrival.
"Pardon me professor, are you busy at the moment?"
The professor seemed a bit shocked at Jacob's arrival and silently put his book down.
"Prince Jacob! What a lovely surprise! Please, have a seat and come in!"
The office was a complete mess with papers scattered all over the office. There was a myriad of different books in a small bookcase in the corner of the room and half of them looked like there were pages ripped out.
"So, what brings you here today, young lord?"
"I want to know more about these powers. Is there anything new you can tell me about them? How do people even gain these powers in the first place?"
The professor scratched his chin for a moment.
"Close the door for a moment."
"Why?"
"Just do it, please."
Jacob obliged and stood up from his seat to quickly shut the door.
"Thank you. These powers have been a mystery that have been plaguing this world for quite a while. Decades have passed and to this day, no one has found their origin. However, I may have an answer to your second question, about receiving these powers."
Jacob leaned forward in his seat, staying completely silent.
"It is under the impression of many people that these powers are simply randomly assigned to an individual at a random time. However, I tend to disagree with this notion. Let me ask you a question: which kinds of people most commonly receive a power?"
Jacob thought for a moment.
"Hm... Perhaps nobles, like the Rose or Katra clan?"
"Exactly. And what do all these clans have in common?"
"They all hold a certain authority?"
"Very close, but not quite. They all hold a certain influence over humanity. Based on all the record's I've collected, every person who has held a power in our history has also held influence over something. Even if it was something as minimal as trading."
"I see, but what about the nobles who don't receive powers who still hold influence over something?"
"That brings me to my next theory. You are right that some nobles never receive a power despite being able to influence something. However, perhaps it doesn't have to do with what they are influencing in the present moment."
"I don't think I follow, professor."
"What I'm saying is, I believe that people who receive powers don't receive them because they already hold influence over something. I believe it is because they are destined to hold influence over something. This would make sense given the record of many people. Every single noble who never received a power was booted from the clan. Not because they didn't have a power, but because they were never strong enough to carry on the influence of their predecessors."
This theory was fascinating to Jacob. Looking at it from his perspective, it made almost too much sense.
'Wait... does that mean Maria is destined to have influence over something? I wonder what it could be.'
"That brings me to my next question professor. Doesn't that seem too... purposeful? How do these powers know exactly who to choose?"
The professor looked at his watch for a moment.
"How much time do you have to talk with me today?"
Jacob was a little taken aback by this response.
"All day."
"Good. I think we're going to be here for a while."