71. Becoming a sage for the sake of a fan

When I entered the classroom for the Rescuer group, I was struck to see Lizzie Dvorak sitting cross-legged at the front. Before taking a seat on the cozy carpet that covered the floor, I saw two girls smiling and celebrating in whispers having the Lightning Veil as their teacher.

So, it seemed that Ray’s mom was not only well-known but was also a Rescuer? But wasn’t she working for Lovecryce as a personal agent?

Unlike Harvard High, there were no tables there, not even chairs, and as all the Rescuer trainees sat down, I couldn’t help but rejoice: we wouldn’t be taking notes. Besides, it reminded me of those warm and edifying teacher-and-disciples scenes in the stories. Somehow, I felt as if I was going to be taught by an immortal beautiful sage about the secrets of the world. As my excitement reached its peak, my eyes met Lizzie’s gaze, and I froze.

We were, in total, eighteen trainees there, yet the Lightning Veil was clearly glaring at me.

After a few seconds of shock, I blinked, looked to my left, looked to my right, then at her again, then at my hands with increasing nervousness.

Why were her eyes so hostile?

Was it because she hadn’t completely forgiven me and Linah for slipping out of the island at night? Nah, it felt more visceral and personal. I grimaced under my mask. Maybe it was due to what had happened to his son on the beach. Was she blaming me? A chill ran through my core. She couldn’t have found out I was his son’s familiar, could she? Because, in that case… I was in big trouble. In big, big trouble.

Lizzie Dvorak held necromancy practitioners in deep contempt. She had been “deceived” by one, after all, even though she didn’t seem to really loathe the Lord but… maybe she hated him a bit. As for her opinion about familiars… well, I had no idea what it was, and I would rather stay ignorant about it. Something told me she wouldn’t just be glaring at me if she knew. Yeah. There was no way she knew.

Comforting myself with that thought, I came back to the present just to realize the class had started for a while now. Lizzie’s voice was soft and serene. She was speaking in Sarwish, but I somehow understood almost every word.

“One of the most important abilities for us Rescuers is our capacity to evaluate risks and benefits,” she was saying. “A Rescuer, in whatever specialty, must assess the factors that intervene in the problem at hand so he can solve it in the best possible way. First, we have to embrace efficiently the context, take into account our employer’s motives, the local laws, the odds of success, and the Hero Code. Let’s see an example. A Rescuer is hired to recover an item lost in the Wood Sea. It turns out that the item has ended up in the depths of the sea, in the lands of Tampa. If it’s a box with jewelry, he will be able to take it to his employer; if it’s a weapon, he will have to bring it to Tampa’s authorities by law and inform his employer so this one can start the administrative procedures to get back the item. In that last case, the Rescuer must have taken the local laws into account beforehand and mentioned the conditions in the contract. Otherwise, he will not get any reward, nor will it be acceptable for him to demand anything under the Hero Code.”

Lizzie was talking so softly that I would have mistaken her speech for a lullaby if her words weren’t so… heavy. Talk about secrets of the world… Those were just professional guidelines. Sitting in front of me, Noah was nodding off. On my left, the kid, Oliver, was staring at the teacher with awe.

Among the eighteen Rescuers, I realized I already knew most of them. The Hydrophobic Ryu Buckbee looked captivated by Lizzie’s explanations; Sean Bensaïd the Smug was looking up at the ceiling with the expression of the one who knows everything already; next to him, his subordinate, Dragan MacNamara, was frowning at the teacher, listening so intently that he looked as if he was hearing some incredible revelation. In the front lines, Jing Ferrier’s bald head was straightened, nodding from time to time. The merfolk, Sasha Salazar, was sitting behind me and next to Katya the tyrant and Cesarine Lovecryce—Wait, Cesarine? I stared at the golden fox-girl with surprise. I didn’t expect her to be in the Rescuer group. As I turned my gaze, I met Lei’s. From the other side of the room, he winked at me and made a sign I didn’t understand. He repeated. I shrugged with incomprehension. He sighed, wrote a small note, and after a hesitation, I activated my telekinesis on the paper, drew it closer, and caught it. I read:

«Sasha and I got the treasure map AND the treasure.»

By Sasha, he didn’t mean the merfolk girl of the same name but that giant guy I had seen take the treasure map after the race. Lei wrote another note. Yielding to my curiosity, I drew it to my hand.

«It was hidden under a pink cactus. You missed a great chance. The best item ever.»

I looked at him in disbelief. He added:

«That is, another treasure map.»

I rolled my eyes.

«So I spent part of the night with my new friendly big partner going from treasure map to treasure map. It was fun. And in the end… [suspense]»

What was that “suspense” doing there? Also, I couldn’t determine whether that treasure map was a reward or a punishment. Lei kept writing as Lizzie Dvorak was declaring:

“You will take part in a rescue mission in Phoenix City in a few weeks, and you will have to write an individual report by the end of February. As you probably know, those who perform well in this training will get a recommendation for the Hero Exams in summer to skip the entrance examination, so make sure you take advantage of this rare opportunity.”

What, a report? Then my mind shifted again as I read Lei’s next note:

«… I discovered something very interesting. Actually… [suspense]»

At least write complete sentences… I thought, casting a bored look his way. But what could he have discovered? A super item? A super pill? Or could it be the treasure map led to the dungeon and—?

I grabbed the next note.

«I found out that it is not the destination that matters but the adventure in itself.»

I huffed loudly, gawking at the Sunclaw. Did he write all those notes only to tell me that philosophic conclusion?! After a silence, I telekinetically stole his pencil and wrote: «What about the final treasure?» I delivered the message and the pencil. Lei looked thoughtful before writing his answer. It said:

«A treasure map.»

I couldn’t help it: I laughed. I was being rather quiet, but when I realized the class was even quieter, their eyes staring at me, I turned to Lizzie Dvorak and grimaced under her glare. Ah…

“First,” she said briskly in Yanganese, “using your powers during my class is forbidden. Second, those who don’t take this training seriously should just quit.” Was she telling me to get out of the academy? “Armen Moon.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am?”

“Rescuers put their life at risk repeatedly. An earnest and strict learning can make them avoid fatal mistakes later on. Those lessons aren’t a laughing matter.”

The Lightning Veil’s gaze was hard to hold. It was almost as if she was accusing me of shortening my classmates’ life expectancy by laughing during the class. What a frightening teacher. Well, she was one of the Nine Crowned Fairies, after all. I rested my hands on my knees and formally apologized:

“I’m sorry, teacher. I understand.”

“I hope so. This afternoon you all will have to test your qi control at the Yuutow Tower. If anyone of you can’t make it to at least the two-hundredth step, I’ll have you take extra morning lessons with Instructor Choiri. Qi control is essential for us Heroes, whatever our specialty is. Then I wish you a good performance and hope this training will be edifying for us all. Now you can go to your next class.”

The class ended like that. Lei caught up with me in high spirits.

“I think she’s taken a liking to you!” Like hell she had. “Come to think of it, does she know about her son? You know, about what kind of person his best friend is…”

Annoyed, I frowned at him and shrugged. Lei smiled.

“Aya-aya, don’t wanna answer, huh? Well, whatever, but I shouldn’t tell you about the treasure map, then.”

“Why should I care?”

“It was a real one.”

“… Oh yeah?” I tried to conceal my curiosity and added: “Shouldn’t that map belong to Sasha?”

“I made him my subordinate, of course,” he grinned.

“…! I see.”

“Heheheh… Curiosity killed the cat, but lack of curiosity killed the human.”

I looked at him… and chuckled.

“You’re a pain.”

“Aya-aya, Linah often tells me that. By the way, beanie zombie, where’s your master?”

I winced and shot him a black look.

“Don’t say that out loud.”

“Eh? You don’t like your new nickname? But Beanie Zombie is super cool! Don’t you think that too, kid?”

I realized that Oliver was walking just behind us down the hallway—part of me was under the impression that the young teen had decided to follow me ever since I had ranked first on that bugged test. He took off his white helmet with a grin. Lei nodded firmly.

“I know, right? That guy’s pale like a zombie and wears a beanie. Maybe we should go with BeaZombie or Beaniezomb? Kinda reminds me of Beelzebub!” He laughed and raised an eyebrow at Oliver, whose thoughts I was the only one who couldn’t hear. “Seriously? You want to create a team of Heroes with the likes of Bonnie Zombie?”

At least get that new nickname right…

Before Oliver’s excited gaze, I grimaced under my mask. Was he expecting some kind of approval or promise? I cleared my throat and pronounced in a serious tone:

“You know, a sage told me one day that, in order to conquer our life, we must conquer our mind and become our own follower and our own guide.”

I had just made it up—and was rather proud of myself. But I didn’t expect Oliver to gasp at my words in awe.

“Have you really been taught by a sage?! So cool! So that’s why you can’t hear my thoughts: you protected your mind by lifting a high-level barrier, didn’t you? How did you do it?”

“Ah… Who knows—”

“Could you please tell me more about your master? I never met a sage! No personal secrets, of course, I know some sages are fond of them. Is it t-too much of a bother?”

The kid’s eyes were shining. I shook my head, overwhelmed. He let out a happy laugh, mistaking my gesture for a “Go ahead”.

“Yay! I’m looking forward to hearing more of your master’s teachings! Oh, yeah, I’ve gotta go to the bathroom! Please wait for me!”

“Hold on, I just told you to follow yourself, though—Whatever,” I sighed as the kid had already run off into the restroom at the end of the hallway.

There was a silence. The others trainees had already gone to the next class, with Julen Yamazaki, a Recorder of the Nyomin who, according to Lizzie, was specialized in Hero Psychology.

“Conquer our life,” Lei echoed; his eyes looked up at me sideways. “I wonder what that means to you.”

“…”

His apparently sincere interrogation made me think for a bit, then I shrugged with serenity.

“Like Ray says, even if a being has no white energy, it doesn’t mean it’s dead.”

At those words, Lei Sunclaw just smiled.

* * *

The white curtains beside the bed slowly waved in the gentle breeze that sneaked into the room.

Ray was in a deep sleep. He wasn’t stretching his arms and legs as Zeeta always did, but he was restlessly chewing. Was he hungry? Well, no wonder, since he had skipped breakfast and lunch.

Sitting tailorwise on the floor beside the bed, I was waiting for him to wake up, as still as a grave.

Rainbows had been observing me from under the bed for a long time now. I looked at her with a pout and removed my mask to whisper to her with a teasing grin:

“Scaredy-cat.”

She looked away for a bit as if to ignore me, then, suddenly, inched forward. Oh?! She stopped about fifty centimeters away from me, took another step, then paused again, squinting her eyes at me… Sometimes, I had the impression that Rainbows was a bit too human-like.

Finally, she reached me. I could feel her soft fur touching my knees, or was I imagining it? Maybe my sense of touch had improved since I had become a Fury, or maybe it was because I was full of deathforce… Or maybe I was just imagining it, I repeated myself. Anyway, I smiled at the cat without a word, moved my hand to stroke her… then stopped when she raised her eyes at me again. Her gaze was intent.

It took me a moment to realize an astonishing fact: as surprising as it may appear, Rainbows was trying to intimidate me.

The hell… I didn’t know if I had to be happy that she had decided to come up or be annoyed by her cockiness.

I furrowed my eyebrows without erasing my smile. The cat clicked its tongue. I heard it clearly enough to have no doubts about it: that cat really clicked its tongue at me. I was stunned.

I stretched my hands, took Rainbows by the torso, lifted it at eye level, and asked in a whisper:

“Are you an alien cat? Are you even a cat? Oi, Rainbows, I’m talking to you, don’t ever look down on me, I don’t want to be looked down by a fellow familiar, you hear? Let’s be friends. So… please stop looking at me like you’re looking at a piece of trash. You’re cockier than the cockiest living cat, you know?”

We looked at each other without averting our eyes, Rainbows hanging in my arms with uncalled-for majesty. Seconds and minutes passed in perfect stillness. No idea how much time we would have stayed like this if Ray hadn’t said:

“What are you doing, Armen?”

Rainbows and I flinched at the same time. I made the cat turn round in my arms and said cheerfully:

“Good morning, Ray! Rainbows and I made up! How are you feeling?”

I put Rainbows down and my mask up, concentrating my attention on Ray’s expression. He was rubbing his eyes, his black hair disheveled.

“Gah… I have a headache.”

“That’s probably because you were chewing in your sleep.”

“Chewing?”

“Yeah. You must be hungry. I’ll bring you something to eat.”

“No need, Armen, I can get something myself in the kitchen. What time is it?” he asked, putting on his clothes.

“Two in the afternoon.”

He paused briefly.

“I see. So I totally skipped the first classes.”

“You did. Noah and the others are in the cafeteria,” I said. “The trainers gave us the schedule. I got a copy for you.”

“Thanks. Say… About tonight…” He cleared his throat. “My mom teleported me here, and I was so tired I couldn’t even contact you… Are you all right?”

“Yus! Natasha gave me a lot to eat, so I’m psyched up!”

Ray turned pale.

“She what?!”

“She’s a marvelous cook. I didn’t know lifeforce could be cooked!”

“But I told you not to eat lifeforce!” Ray’s voice trembled with anger and worry…

His outburst made me pause, utterly confused.

“O-Okay, Ray, first calm down. I know you just woke up, but try to remember. You told me to eat. When I was lying among the cactuses and Natasha was talking to me…”

I fell silent, increasingly anxious. Now that I thought about it, I had heard Ray’s voice in my mind telling me to eat, but I hadn’t felt as if I was receiving an order. My core had not even reacted to it. Then…

Did I hallucinate?

Was I so hungry that I deceived myself?

Ray was calming down.

“You were lying among the cactuses, you say? You couldn’t move?”

I swallowed.

“Yeah… Sorry, Ray, I messed up. But I really thought you were talking to me—”

“It’s okay,” Ray cut me off in a more serene tone. “Natasha is much more experienced than I am. I talked to her yesterday. She means us no harm. So… you did nothing wrong.”

“… Are you saying that that Heavenly thing is not affecting me anymore?”

“Yes, hopefully… Can I take a look?”

“You can, of course, but we’re going to be late for the afternoon classes. We’ve gotta be in front of the Yuutow Tower at two o’clock… Oh,” I suddenly realized, “that means we’re already late, haha…”

“…! You could have told me that sooner!”

“Don’t you know the saying: never wake up a sleepy soul—Wait, don’t leave without eating lunch!”

“There isn’t time for that!”

“Never consent to have your own pace of life being trampled on for no compelling reason.”

“… Are you a proverbialist, now?”

“I’ve got to practice. Oliver Picasso thinks I’ve been taught by a sage, so I’ll have to become a sage myself.”

Ray stared at me.

“I don’t know the whole story, but can’t you just tell him the truth?”

“No can do. The best liar is the one who makes his lie come true,” I improvised, and chuckled. “Anyway, get ready. I’ll bring you a glass of milk.”

“… Well, okay.”

I hurried to the kitchen and snatched some cookies and a small bottle of milk from the huge fridge. When I came back, Ray was putting on his shoes at the entrance. He gulped down the whole bottle before saying:

“Milk is miraculous. My headache is gone.”

“What is deadly to Death may be blissful to Life.” Since milk was one of the most dangerous things an undead could swallow…

Ray chuckled.

“You sure are inspired, today. But I’m glad you remember milk is bad for you.”

“Haha, I always remember important things.”

Leaning on the opened door, I contemplated the small court in front of the house, the flowers growing in the borders, the great tower of the imposing main building… then my eyes gazed at the blue, magnificent sky…

“The weather sure is better in Phoenix than in Farskyer,” I said joyfully.

“Sure is.”

“And it’s calmer too.”

“Mm.”

“It reminds me a bit of my home. Though the Keelung Lighthouse is just a rock. Ah, I would have thought there would be more birds around. I have yet to see one.”

“As far as I know, there are no birds on Phoenix Island.”

I stared at Ray in shock.

“No birds?! Why?”

“They can’t fly. We did learn at school that, before the Big Blend, humans were able to make machines fly and that now it’s technically impossible because of the crystal atmosphere. Well, I’ve read that areas with a high concentration of orange crystal particles alter the surrounding atmosphere even more. That’s why even small birds can’t fly on this island. And that’s why it’s always warm, even in winter. You can’t feel it, but I bet all the other trainees felt the change.”

“Oh… The world sure is filled with wonders.”

“Sure is.” There was another silence, then Ray snorted. “Wait, it’s not the time to be talking about birds! We’ve gotta go! Rainbows, watch the house. Armen, let’s go!”

We crossed the court, entered the long escalator that went down, and kept walking to go faster. Now that I was no longer hungry, I had realized how much my body’s capacities had declined yesterday. Right now, my body felt agile. I was feeling livelier than ever, and I was eager to know what new sensations a Fury could experience.

“So?” Ray said, after swallowing a cookie. “What did you learn during the classes?”

“Eeeh…” His question deflated me for a moment as I recalled the last class, Addison’s, during which I had hardly caught a word, then I breathed in: “Oh yeah! I didn’t know your mom was a Rescuer!”

“Ah, yes, she is. She’s an RSP.”

“A what?”

“A Rescuer of the Spirited-away People. She specializes in finding people that got teleported away because of purple crystal particles. She grew up in the Purple Country, where those cases are as common as weed, so she’s personally very committed to her job. As a matter of fact, she herself got teleported away when she was little, and she got her quirk through that experience.”

“Eeeh… It must have been terrifying. I know about that matter. I heard from my grandpa that one of my aunts always wore a talisman because she was afraid of being spirited away. Then she was the only aunt that decided to travel the world. She’s living in London now.”

Ray made an amused face.

“Your family sure is big.”

“Well, I don’t really know her. Anyway, your mom is amazing. A bit strict, too.”

“Just a bit? Heh. Well, she’s not the only Rescuer among the instructors. The guy with the top hat, Allen Zhou, is a Rescuer too, though he specializes in gravitism and other phenomenons caused by orange Crystals.”

We reached the first platform that linked the Wind House and the Music House, then continued downward. My friend was frowning.

“Crystals sure cause a lot of trouble, huh.”

“They do. Actually, the Yellow Crystal in Farskyer City is not harmless either, you know. The earthquakes are mostly caused by its roots.”

Now that he talked about it, I remembered I had learned something like that in middle school. Anyway, Crystals may be worshipped by a lot of people across the world, and they may bring prosperity and life to the surrounding lands, but they also were big troublemakers. No wonder the ‘Witch Union’ Linah had once told me about had attempted—and failed—to destroy the Great Crystals centuries ago.

“Ah, right…” I added. “Julen Yamazaki, the Recorder with the eyeglasses, explained about the classes, the challenges, and things like that… He talked about the dungeon. Apparently, we’ll explore it in groups during the training. Sounds like fun.”

“Yeah…”

“Think about it! Did Hero trainees ever have the opportunity of exploring a dungeon?”

“… You’re smiling like you’re going to discover a new game, Armen. But you’re right. Entering a dungeon is usually only allowed for people with a special license. Guess this training was also made for powerful families to make their children stronger. We did sign a paper agreeing that the organizers wouldn’t be blamed for accidental injuries or even an accidental death, so guess that’s why they call it experi—”

“We did?!” I snorted, flabbergasted. “I never signed something like that!”

“You did.”

I thought about the paper I had signed yesterday and said:

“Oh. Okay. I did.”

Ray chuckled. We reached the second platform that linked our house with the Sun House and the Spider House. Next was the last one. Ray broke the silence.

“Well, in our case, even if the training gets dangerous, we should be fine. We don’t need to push ourselves too hard.”

“Ah… yes. We don’t want to become Heroes.”

“Correct. Necromancers can’t become Heroes, anyway.”

“I know, right…” I paused. “Who says necromancers can’t become Heroes?”

“The WHO’s law. Neither can the undead, by the way. I told you that already.”

“You did?”

“I did.”

“…” I nodded, confused. “Never trust your memory, always trust your heart.”

Ray rolled his eyes.

“Isn’t our heart guided by memories? Anyway, it’s quite obvious. The WHO doesn’t hunt down dark arts users indiscriminately, but they don’t let them join them either. I told you, we’re here only because my mom ‘invited’ me. One thing is to avoid being registered in the Dark Arts Regulators’ record, and another thing is to become part of the WHO against their rules. Going to this training without them knowing who we really are is already pushing the limit.”

I glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

“Natasha is not concealing herself, though. She said Makler Vod was trying to come to an agreement with the Dark Arts Regulators. So the trainers know who she is, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but we’re in a totally different situation. We’re not registered as dark users; she is. She’s been invited; we sneaked in. Anyway, she probably will get out of here as soon as the negotiations are settled. She’s not here to become a Hero either. I don’t know what Makler Vod is trying to do with the Dark Arts Regulators, but necromancers and undeads have never been supported by the WHO in five hundred years. Their ancient rules are not going to change now. Don’t forget that, Armen,” his dark eyes fixed on me, “we are not welcome here.”

I shook my head. There was no way I could forget something like that.

“So it’s a ‘eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die’, right? Don’t worry, I’ll be cautious like a hare. I’m a sage, after all. Which confirms that you can’t tell a cover by its book!”

“You got it backwards.”

“… Yeah, well. A sage often does things backwards. Besides, being a sage is more related to how you behave than how you speak.”

“Of course,” Ray laughed.

We reached the last platform and walked to the main escalator. Ray asked:

“So? What else happened this morning?”

“Ah, let’s see… After Yamazaki’s class, we went to see Aika Zarate, the blond in a lab coat. She gave us a short lesson about first aid. Luckily, she spoke in Yanganese, so I understood everything she said. She’s a physician from the Portopeace continent. I didn’t know that some instructors came from so far away.”

“Well, Aika Zarate travels a lot. She’s a well-known trans-continental medic, and the vice-president of the Hero Medical Corps.”

“Really? She didn’t tell us that.”

“She did yesterday, when she introduced herself. Our trainers are all well-known Heroes. It’s supposed to be a training program for elite youths, after all.”

“… You make it sound like you’re not one of those elite trainees,” I teased him.

“That’s because I’m not. I never liked meritocracies or hierarchies… And I can’t control my power, anyway.”

“Well, they say late-awakened geniuses are the best.” I paused. “Wait. Wouldn’t that make me the best of the bests? Ah, however, why would I want to be a genius, for it is said: vanity of vanities, all is vanity—?”

“Are all sages as theatrical as you?”

“Life is a giant theater.”

“You’re already speaking like a sage.”

I raised my head and put my mask down to show an arrogant smile.

“Death is the great leveler, they say. So I’ve leveled up.”

“Sure.”

“That reminds me. I’ve talked with Nina about her own class, and she says Addison is an Explorer and a Crystal Tracker. You know, Ponytail.”

“You already gave him a nickname?”

“Arkifa did. She’s in the Explorer group like Nina. Anyway, what’s a Crystal Tracker?”

“The Crystal Trackers?” the young necromancer echoed, thoughtful. “Well, they don’t get much attention from the media, but their job is one of the most essential ones within the WHO. They are scientists specialized in measuring Crystal particles in an area, tracking Crystal movements in the atmosphere or the soil, and assessing the dangerousness of a place. Addison Salas the Viral is also a well-known crystallographer, by the way.”

“I see…”

I could only guess what a crystallographer was, but I didn’t ask for further explanation. I had already enough food for thought like that.

We finally reached the central square and crossed it to turn around a corner of the main building, toward the entrance of the Great Yuutow Tower. Tens of trainees were sitting on the cobblestones, cross-legged, with their eyes shut. The gates of the tower were wide open. Sitting on a table next to them, the eye-glassed trainer, Yamazaki, was handing a small device to a trainee, who broke into a run up the wide spiral staircase.

“You two.”

A brawny man in a tunic walked to us. I remembered him. He was the disagreeable trainer that had made me sign that paper, the day before. Joyce Choiri. He added something, but for some reason, I couldn’t get his Sarwish. Ray nodded.

“Sorry we’re late. We were warming up our qi elsewhere. We’re ready to go.”

Warming up our qi elsewhere? I looked at the trainees sitting on the court. I had thought they were waiting for something, but were they actually meditating? Or rather “warming up their qi”?

Instructor Choiri raised an eyebrow at my direction but didn’t say anything more than:

“Go ahead, then.”

We reached the gates at the same time as Jing. The bald martial artist welcomed us with an excited nod.

“Did you know? Water Li built the Great Yuutow Tower in 1897. It’s huge from the outside, but… the inside seems to be magnificent too!”

The eyes of the baldy were shining. He added:

“It’s a masterpiece few get the right to enter. Li built those stairs essentially to help martial artists from the Phoenix Clan hone their skills. And there are several modes that can activate movement restriction or mind perturbation. It’s also said that the qi pressure inside can reach terrifying levels!”

“Rest reassured,” Julen Yamazaki intervened. “We only activated Level 1. As for those ‘modes’, they were only a posthumous project led by Li’s disciples, and it never came to fruition.”

Jing turned to the instructor with vivid interest.

“I didn’t know. But the qi system do have three levels of pressure in total, then, right? Is it true that even the Solitary King of Saur couldn’t pass Level 3?”

“Ah…” The instructor readjusted his eyeglasses, smiling. “So it seems. But Level 3 has been blocked for more than fifty years, now. Too many martial artists ended up disabled when trying to break the record, some of them even died of exhaustion. Water Li would have never approved of that. He built this tower to help people improve themselves, not to arise conflict or create any kind of competition.”

“I suppose that tower was one of the main reasons they chose this place for the training,” Ray whispered to me thoughtfully.

I nodded. Yamazaki gave us an electronic device each.

“You weren’t there during the explanation, were you? This is a chronometer and a qi-sensor. The higher you go, the higher the qi pressure will get,” the instructor explained calmly. “If you get nauseous, go down. If you can’t, press the red button, there. It will warn us. Also, it’s not a competition, but a training: you’re testing your own capacities. So don’t concern yourselves about other people’s performances. Do not cheat: you’ll cheat yourselves. Good luck.”

We thanked him, and as we walked toward the first step, I remembered Lizzie Dvorak’s challenge: we had to get to at least the two-hundredth step to be allowed in her classes. Was qi control so essential to Heroes? I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Each step was a good ten-meter wide. The outer wall was embellished with pictures of martial arts while, each five steps or so, a big statue protruded out the inner wall. The first one represented a colossal man in a golden tunic.

“That’s Ashkabell, the Solitary King of Saur and Water Li’s sworn brother!” Jing said with admiration. “He was the one who piled up all the stones to build the tower. It’s said that, when he was alive, one gaze of his could paralyze a whole clan and crush the evil.” He bowed to the statue. “Please look after this humble apprentice, master Ashkabell. There I go!”

Jing started climbing the stairs with determination. I met Ashkabell’s gaze, and my core shrunk a bit. It was probably my imagination, but I think I thought a glint of hostility in its stony eyes. I bowed slightly with a defiant smile and cleared my throat.

“Say, Ray… How many steps do you think we’ll be able to go up?”

“All of them, I think.”

“…!” Was he joking? I looked at him. Well, it didn’t look like he was. I murmured: “Are we qi experts now? That’s news to me.”

A playful glint flickered in Ray’s dark eyes.

‘I’m the Lord Necromancer’s son, Armen. I learned qi control since I was a child. I think I can do as much. As for you, not only Kaspar’s electronic path strengthened your core’s barrier but the core of a Fury is naturally resistant to qi pressure so…’

“Are you saying we can do better than the Solitary King of Saur?!” I snorted in a whisper.

Ray rolled his eyes.

“Level 3 has nothing to do with Level 1, so no: we’re definitely not at that level. But yes, this is probably one of the few challenges we have a neat advantage over others. So let’s show off a bit,” he smiled.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Ray? Showing off? I laughed and put my left foot on the first step. Did I feel a change of pressure? I couldn’t tell. As to whether I would be able to get to the top as Ray believed… there was only one way to know.

“Onwards!” I said.