Silas already decided to teach Aeneas no matter what. He didn't expect the boy to succeed with his test. It was an unfair trial in the first place which even most great fighters would fail as long as Silas uses the power of his Zeal.
Aeneas's success might be due to having the same Zeal as the old man, even still, the fact that Silas had no clue that Aeneas managed to attach the clearskin to his other leg remains true, and by the rules he stated, Aeneas emerged as the victor.
Staring at the clearskin with a big smile, Silas couldn't help but feel excited. A sensation he hadn't felt genuinely for a long time. He took the clearskin off his pants, cleared his throat, and said,
"Do you plan to rest there? Go bring your things inside."
Aeneas dropped his right arm, "Please give me a minute… master," he said, still chasing after his breath.
Aether approached the boy and sat atop his head. Aeneas told the creature to get off, but he wasn't listening and even circled his face. In the end, Aeneas didn't bother. He was too exhausted to lift an arm and get Aether off. But surprisingly, Aether's being on his face felt rather soothing, like his tiredness slowly seeped out of his body.
Silas caressed his beard as he observed the two. He noticed that some scratches on the boy's body began to heal. But, when he looked with his Zeal activated, there wasn't a condensed collection of mana around Aether, rather, it looked as if he was absorbing the fatigue and wounds from Aeneas instead of casting magic to heal him.
As a man of knowledge and curiosity, seeing a creature as unique as Aether made Silas want to study it more.
"What an interesting little beast. Where did you even find it?"
Aeneas sat up and Aether flew atop his head. The boy was looking at his body, all confused as to how he didn't feel as exhausted just minutes ago and he couldn't find even a small scratch on his skin.
"It hatched from an egg mother gave me as a gift."
Silas continued to ask questions about Aether to which Aeneas answered with honesty. Well, his knowledge about the egg was just a general one anyway.
"Interesting…"
When Aeneas saw the inside of the old man's hut, he was both amazed and appalled at the same time. The mountains of books were amazing, but the dust and small insects they came with weren't. Aside from that, there was nothing else inside the hut. Not a bed, nor any furniture. It was just books.
Aeneas gulped and turned to look at Silas, "M–master… Where should I place my belongings?"
The old man's eyes widened, "Isn't there a lot of space? Put it anywhere you want," he replied.
Facing inside the hut again, Aeneas couldn't help but gulp. He couldn't imagine living in such a place for a long time. His longing for his room and soft bed began as soon as he realized that this was his new reality.
"Whe–where do I take a bath, master?"
"Ah, there's a river down there."
"What about food?"
"I eat whatever I could hunt. Well, most of the time I just go to the city and eat."
"I–I see…"
There were tons more questions in the boy's mind like why does his master dress like a beggar or is he one? As well as why he was living in the middle of a small forest.
Silas chuckled, "I guess you lived a life of luxury. You can still return to your manor if you do not want to stay," he said.
"N–no, master. I want to stay. I'll just take that corner."
Aeneas sat in the corner and unpacked his belongings. Most of his luggage was packed by his mother, and the first thing he looked for was something he could use as a soft bed. Thankfully Lyra had seen the inside of the hut and put all that Aeneas would need.
An awkward silence filled the inside of the hut. Well, only for the boy who was new to the place. Silas was in great comfort laying on his side while reading, Aeneas on the other hand was looking back and forth towards his master and some of the covers of the books around him.
"Just take anything and read."
Aeneas smiled, "Is it okay?" He asked. To which Silas responded with a nod.
"Ah!"
The boy stopped and placed the book he was holding on the floor.
"Master?"
"You can read anything but that pile," Silas pointed at the ones labeled with 'Erotica', though Aeneas couldn't see the label.
"But why?"
If it was his decision, Silas wouldn't care if Aeneas read such books. But, Lyra made him promise not to let her boy read such materials at a young age or else she would fight him to the death. And she was serious. Nonetheless, Silas response was,
"Just do as I said."
They spent the entire afternoon reading while Aether curled into a ball and slept. If strangers were to look at him, they wouldn't distinguish whether Aether was a living creature or not.
"Master, can I ask a question?"
Silas flipped a page of the book he was reading, "Go ahead," he replied.
"Do you know anyone else with the same Zeal as ours?"
After a brief silence, "I used to," Silas said.
"Used to? Where is that person now?"
"Dead."
Aeneas stopped reading and stared at the old man. He wanted to inquire more about how his master's acquaintance died but felt that he knew what the answer was, so he decided not to. Asking might just open some deep wounds the old man has. With that in mind, Aeneas instead asked a different question.
"What is the power of our Zeal?"
Silas smiled, "What do you think it is?"
The boy remembered the moments before he felt great pain and fell unconscious as he unknowingly overused his Zeal. He said that for him, it must've been seeing things happen at a slower pace. But after telling Silas, he remembered hearing from his mother that Silas's Zeal allows him to see through objects. A seemingly different ability from his power. So he became more lost.
"Do Zeals have a single power within them?"
Other people would've been annoyed to receive a question for an answer. But Aeneas was different. He longs for long conversations that would stimulate his thinking and come up with his answers especially when it comes to complex topics. It was a trait both he and Silas shared.
Aeneas closed his book, "There are Zeal-bearers of the Venerable twin that could copy other people's power or magic, while there are also those who can copy appearances. Although it might seem different, it was both a power to copy something. The same goes for the Fair Maiden's Zeal. They could tame the wildest beasts or the opposite sex, but it all comes down to taming. So the answer must be yes. Am I correct?"
Silas found the boy's answer both interesting and amusing enough for him to also close the book he was reading. It was an answer he would've also said when asked the same question.
"If what you said was true, then, what do you think the power of our Zeal is?"
Aeneas stared at the wooden floor lost in his thoughts while Silas looked at him with a radiant smile even his closest friend, Vandrad, never saw.
"Mother said you have the power to see through things. I also thought that you could see the future…" Aeneas muttered, "And my power seemed to allow me to see things at a slow pace…" he continued.
"Although your mother's words were true to a point, it oversimplified the whole picture."
Aeneas glanced back at Silas. His brows furrowed and he tilted his head as the old man's comment made him more confused.
Silas chuckled, "Do you want me to tell you?"
The boy shook his head, "No, wait. I think I'm close to figuring this out."
Silas sat up still staring at the boy with a genial smile.
After a few minutes, the boy's face lights up.
"I get it. Our Zeal's power is like having an extra sense. You do not see through things in a way that your vision could pierce it, rather through knowledge and observation you envision what's behind. You didn't see Aether hiding inside my shadow, but you noticed the small details that made my shadow not appear as a normal one and came to a conclusion."
Aeneas stood up. His excitement was leaking from his expression. It was the first time he felt as elated just having a conversation.
"It's the same with me. The world does not become slow, it's just my perspective of it as I observe the small details. You do not see the future, but just make mostly accurate predictions based on your observations."
Silas laughed. He felt as if he wasn't speaking with a teenage boy. But at the same time, he felt that the two of them were newborns with their conversation of pure curiosity similar to that of a baby eager to learn about the world.
"Great answer," Silas said.
Aeneas felt happy hearing the old man praise him.
"Although quite similar, mine is a bit different. Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes!" The boy said as he sat down and awaited what Silas would say.
"It might be true that a Zeal holds a single power, but I think of it more like having a concept."
"Concept?"
"Like the concept of copying or taming."
Aeneas's mouth became wide open as he nodded his head.
Silas continued with a smile, "The concept of each Zeal was based on the God that bestowed them. The power to copy might just be a small portion of the entire power of the Venerable Twin. With that in mind, it might not even be the true concept of his power. But, since no one has ever had an encounter with divinity, it is something we mortals could only think about."
Hearing his master's reasoning made Aeneas speechless. It was both profound and wise. He couldn't help but admire the old man more and more as their conversation continued.
"Then… What do you think is the concept behind our Zeal, master?"
Silas smiled, "Seeing the truth," he replied.