128 Firemane 7 : The Fantastic Jonhild

I told Jonrad about me absorbing the energy. The people who were about to recover from me reaching the center of the garden froze again, this time Jonrad joined them.

"....."

"This is not going anywhere." I said as I observed their shocked expressions.

"Jon, I guess I understand the reason!" Nurina who was there all the time spoke.

"Oh! Please enlighten us Arch-Wizard. Will the boy be okay?" Grandpa woke up immediately and looked at Nurina with full seriousness.

"Fufu! It is not that hard, it is about Jon's Magicka. You see, Jon has a very interesting form of training called the Magicka Cultivation, from what I noticed, Jon uses the high-grade outer energies to mutate his own inner energy and increase it. The first time he did that was in the Eldergleam Sanctuary as he reported to me that he drained himself from the Magicka and absorbed the energy surrounding the Eldergleam which caused his Magicka to be thick and heavy, he can use his Magicka with lesser effort to make a greater result, his technique is a secret between us though. Regarding what he did in the Fire Garden, he absorbed a very wild form of energy and managed to suppress it with his Magicka. It seems that whatever energy Lurks in that Fire Garden is higher in quality than that of the Eldergleam." Nurina said.

She literally dropped a bomb here.

"Wait! Our Fire Garden has more power than the oldest known living thing in Tamriel." Uncle Njord was taken aback.

"Not more, but higher in quality! Jon just confirmed it! When it comes to Magical Energy research, I and my students take pride at being ahead of many other experts in the art. Jon himself is 'one in a thousand years prodigy when it comes to manipulating the magical energy."

Fufu! I know, I know! Praise me more.

I like being looked at as a freak like that! Kinda satisfying.

"... Well, we can't expect anything less from the son of Jonrad, right? Haha!" Grandpa said and tried to make a weird understanding then laughed it off.

"Haha! Right I als..." Jonrad was also about to get cocky.

"Wait just a minute right here! What does that Old Bastard have to do with any of this?" I had to stop him from acting cocky, it gets on my nerves.

"Ehem! Jon, father is..." Hilda wanted to make peace but...

"Huh! What's with that attitude, little bastard? Not happy your as cool as your old man?"

"Who would be happy being like you? I am ten times better than you and a hundred times more handsome."

"This means war, Little Bastard! Want to go one more time?" Jonrad wanted to fight.

"Heh heh! This time I'll use a Thu'um that will blow you to Oblivion!"

"Really? Just because you mastered a Thu'um doesn't mean you can get your way with me!"

"Wait a minute here!" Grandpa Turmond meddled in.

Seriously, stop interrupting me every time.

"Did you just say Jonhild mastered a Thu'um?" He asked.

Is it news for you?

"Yeah! It was a long time ago when I saw him using the three words... when was it? Ah! He was being chased by the 'Blood Horkers' in his new ship then he did that crazy skating on a table while being dragged by Fire Horses then jumped on the ship and when he got chased, he shouted three words at them and they smashed into the rocks. It was marvelous but I had to interfere to not make any loose ends go back to the 'Bloodsails'..."

So that was you? I thought I shot a Fireball at some explosive substance at that time.

"... Anyway, I tried to test the boy's metal in the garden and he retaliated at me with a Thu'um. Really scared me this time."

Yeah! You survived with a hair's width.

"Jonhild! Did you use a full three words on your father? You've got to be careful! The Thu'um is not a power you should misuse like that. Being talented in it is only a gift from Kyne, it is a power to worship the gods with, son." Hilda turned all motherly.

"Still, it is an amazing feat to master a shout in his age. We should reward him!" It seemed that Grandma is always on my side.

"You are right, mother, it is an unwritten tradition but for those who master a shout, a reward should be presented to encourage the younger generation on walking that long path." Njord confirmed her words.

"Thanks!" It seemed coming here is a good idea.

"Excuse me!" Jullanar spoke and everyone looked at her.

"What happens if someone mastered more than one shout?" She asked.

The hall turned silent.

"Sigh! Only Hilda and father managed to do that, Njord can use one shout and Hermod can use one word. I think Frejya also managed to shout a word once but she fainted. They only talented one with the Thu'um we know so far is Alina and as she managed to shout at the age of fourteen. But Jonhild completely destroyed that legend now." Grandma said.

"Oh! If I remember, Jon first shouted when he was twelve." Nurina said.

"Twelve!" Many voiced were taken aback.

"Yes! He tried to teach me but I was no good! I don't remember how many words he can use but it seems they are a lot." Nurina said.

"Yes, Jon has mastered four shouts and two single words." Jullanar continued.

"......" They were all silent.

I really tried to hide how many words I learned.

"Fo, Fo, Four? Mastered four you said?" Even the cool Grandma can lose her cool.

"Yes! He can fully use four shouts!"

"... Hahaha! This girl can jest well! Hahaha!" Grandpa laughed at her words.

The others also laughed.

"He did." Nurina said.

This time they stopped laughing.

"Arch-Wizard Nurina, with all due respect you surely jest. A kid at his age barely had the time to master three words. The most talented voice masters can master a word in a year, if he started practicing at the age of twelve then it has been four years and he at the very most can master four words, that if he did nothing else but practicing and only practicing." Grandma said in a serious tone, even the rest had serious faces.

You guys are not trusting her, are you?

"Hilda, which of these four words can I use." I asked.

"I think they are 'Fus', 'Ro', and 'Dah' as well as 'Wuld' that you used in your duel with Alina." She said.

"Very well! Ehem! LAAS YAH NIR!"

I performed a shout. It was felt by everyone around and nothing really happened.

"Eh! That... What was it?" Hilda asked.

"Not every Thu'um is a shout! Some can be called Whispers. This is called 'Aura Whisper'. With it, I can see everything that has an aura even through walls. Let's see... in this keep, ninety-four people are sleeping, the basement has around ten people and outside the keep, there are fifty people on the walls. Also, the town has almost *mumble mumble*... around seven hundred people living there."

"...."

"This means you guys know I can use seven words. I can use more but I would wake everyone up if I used them."

I know it is not good to reveal such a thing by my strongest point is the Thu'um. I wouldn't get to be derived from that.

"..."

But it seems that was too much for their heads.

***

After they woke up from their (I stopped counting)th shock. I was hammered with questions left and right. Of course, I am not a Dragonborn for nothing, you know.

I learned some facts from this conversation with them. Unlike I thought before, the Thu'um is not that popular among the hidden clans. Only very few people can use it and they are considered the top fighters of the clan. Even Jonrad himself can't use the Thu'um even with his all Dragonknight thing that he is so crazy about.

One more thing other than the difference in the speed of learning the Thu'um. The Thu'um I use is so strong, stronger than the ones they use. When Jonrad described the 'Unrelenting Force that I used, the difference seemed to appear and I realized that my shout was just too powerful compared to the normal Voice Masters. If I shouted the first word 'Fus', I can push an adult ten meters to the back. But if someone like Grandpa Turmond used it, he may only push an adult four or five meters.

I also can shout again after two or three minutes without the 'Amulet of Talos' I have, but others would need at least half an hour to recover and another half to use it once again.

Of course, we don't live in the golden days of the Thu'um anymore. Back then when Jurgen Windcaller created the order of the Greybeards, he battled against the seventeen schools of the Thu'um for three days and made them his disciples, this is how great the Thu'um was back then.

Anyway, the family conference ended on 'Give us some time to digest all that!' and everyone went on his way.

Hilda dragged me to outside the fort to show me my old man's place! It seems he doesn't live in the keep with the rest of the Firemanes, his house is in an isolated place in the glade.

Well, whatever! Let's go see that home.

Still, is it twilight already?