“Hey, hey, what is that kid doing? Ha!”

“I’ve seen dual daggers, dual swords, dual axes, dual maces, and hell even twin-spears, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone use dual rapiers!” Laughter echoed around the arena in mocking fashion.

“Is he aiming to poke his enemy to death!? Hah!”

Airen sighed as he continued to maintain his stance. Fieluri had complained about how the styles of combat he oft used were unremarkable and too common, and in return for her help with renovating the painted world of Osperica, he would have to demonstrate new combat styles to prove they are viable- or so he was told.

His pose was quite humiliating despite the fact it was a legitimate stance used by a royal fencer in the Archive. His arms were entwined to form an ‘X’ symbol, and the rapier blades were crossed again in yet another ‘X’. That, coupled with his fourteen year old frame, frankly made him look like a young boy playing with a fair of sticks unlike the imposing royal fencer from the Archive’s memories.

However, off to the side, Orshan was grinning from ear to ear, and when his eyes met Airen’s, he gave him a huge thumbs up. Eullina, who was next to him, had a palm over her face.

“Like teacher, like student.” Eullina’s combat adviser, Leifaur shook her head in disapproval.

“Hey now, even I cannot come up with something like that!” Orshan complained. “It’s probably part of Airen’s plan to trick the enemy.”

“No. He’s serious.” Eullina pointed out Airen’s expression. “Rather, you should be feeling afraid for his opponent. When he gets like that, pulling insane stunts like that, even I can’t beat him.”

“Like that? You mean posing like a hero?”

“No… look at his face. He’s annoyed, truly annoyed. You can even see his facial muscles twitching to maintain their calm. Orshan if I were you, I would take care to step in as soon as the battle starts. Whenever Airen pulls out something his ‘real teacher’ shows him, it’s always unpredictable.”

“...” Orshan didn’t see anything amiss on Airen’s face but took her word for it. Once, he had irked Airen to a point by being too insistent on taking him to a brothel, and he had found several pieces of metal embedded in the wall next to him. He knew very well as Airen’s adviser about his tricky ways and even although this was a simple test for straight swords, Airen was not known to hold back unless it was for training. Of course, Orshan had also investigated the shadowy figure that Airen sometimes mentioned, and he did not like the things he had heard about Neäir.

“Ehm.” Catherine, the instructor that taught straight and curved swords, announced. “Match number twenty-three. Same rules as before, the first to land a blow can proceed to the next level of training. Begin!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Airen’s form vanished from his original position, dashing directly towards the adult man in front of him, who wielded a large one and a half arm’s length broadsword with both hands. All of the weapons in the test had dulled edges, but even a blunted sword could shatter bones, or in the use of a high level swordsman, cut as well as any honed edge.

And that was precisely what happened. To many of the student onlookers, it appeared as if Airen had shattered his opponents weapon in a single blow. Even the more veteran fighters could barely glimpse into the nature of the attack, rationalizing Airen had stabbed a central point of the broadsword in rapid succession until it could no longer hold under the assault and started to crack.

Such was the level of skill of Airen’s ever improving Blooming sword technique. In the past he had always used it as a series of slashes, but after Fieluri’s ‘guidance’ of suffering under the assault of a man titled the ‘Royal Fencer’, Airen had some insight and became more flexible in how he used the technique. That was the difference between bread and butter training and one with limitless experience.

At its core it was a skill that was simple, mustering up speed and finesse to deliver several consecutive simultaneous blows. It was neither flashy nor unique as there were many weapon techniques that relied on multiple strikes, but eight consecutive blows, was Airen’s current limit, was nothing to scoff at.

“Winner. Airen.” The proctor of the test announced. He did not truly understand the fundamentals behind Airen’s attack, and assumed that Airen had used some sort of strengthening technique to break the enemy’s weapon. Magic wasn’t banned as long as it was only part of one’s weapon.

His opponent on the other hand, looked at Airen in shock. Against a mere boy, he had assumed that it would be a simple victory. Although he could not see through Airen’s technique, he felt the vibrations of several attacks ran through his arm as he had blocked. In the end, he simply sighed at underestimating the enemy and admitted his loss.

Month of Light, Summer Solstice, advancement exams began at Stonewall Academy.

On Mouldas, Airen was exempt from archer advancement with Instructor Wuulf’s recommendation of his peerless aptitude with both long, short, and composite bows. For straight sword advancement, Airen preceded by disarming his enemy with a single Blooming technique under Instructor Catherine’s watch.

On Tuldas, Airen aced Instructor Silvia’s examination by using Flash of Divine Steel to shatter his enemy’s shield and inflicting a heavy wound on his enemy. However he barely managed to pass Instructor Belvar’s dagger examination with the help of Eullina’s last-minute training, as well as his built up throwing experience with his Wakki Stars.

On Wesdas, Airen was exempted from dueling with curved swords by Instructor Catherine, who had seen his ability on Mouldas. Under Instructor Louv’s hand-to-hand combat examination, Airen defeated a senior by exploiting his smaller figure to outmaneuver his opponent and strike at the unmentionables.

On Turdas, under Instructor Wuulf’s two-handed weapon examination, Airen passed due to Orshan’s weight training through sheer strength instead of skill as he lacked the figure to properly wield large weapons. In the shield examination, Airen easily managed to read the path of several arrows and weapons thrusts and block them, passing the examination as well.

Tomorrow will be Flidas, and Airen’s final exam will come from Orshan.

Airen was not looking forward to what sort of insane exam Orshan would think up.

“Like I said, your exam is simple, it is time you become a man!” Orshan clapped Airen the shoulder as he was asked to repeat his words, as Airen did not quite believe him the first time.

“...”

“Without further ado. Let us be on our way!”

“…….Are you serious, Orshan?”

At Airen’s no-nonsense tone and exasperated words, Orshan stopped his action of opening the door. He glanced over at Airen with a complicated look and rubbed his hair, before sighing and gesturing to Airen.

“Walk with me, Airen.” Orshan’s tone was somber and sullen and lacked the usual invigorating energy. It was no longer the Orshan that fooled around, but a dependable instructor that was looking after Airen’s best interests. And thus Airen decided to follow him, and they walked in silence.

It was after they passed through the polished stone gates that Orshan finally decided to speak.

“Airen, during our first session, do you remember what you responded when I asked you about what you lacked?”

“It was… strength I believe.” Airen recalled their first serious conversation, which led to Orshan making the Flidas lessons into weight training classes.

“Indeed. Now that you have acquired some semblance of strength. What are you lacking now?”

“Magic skills.” Airen replied without hesitation. The only spell he had at his disposal was ‘Ald’, a short ranged kinetic force blast, and Airen found it unimpressive.

“Wrong.” Orshan shook his head. “With your archery skills, I’m more afraid of you than a common mage. At the very least, I can sense the magic in the air or hear a spell going off, but your arrows are silent and deadly. Once you learn a couple of bow techniques, the gap will close in even more. Plus, you have your own heritage magic, don’t you?”

“Then… my agility.”

“You’re the fastest little bugger that I’ve seen under fifteen years of age.” Orshan grumbled.

“Then, I have no idea.” Airen shook his head. All of the flaws he mentioned were ones pointed out by Fieluri herself.

“The answer is experience, Airen.”

“...Experience?” Airen was flabbergasted, he, who has fought and lost so many battles in the Archive to the point where he almost had a sense of deja vu in every battle, lacked experience?

“Experience with the real world.” Orshan clarified. “Airen, have you killed a person before?”

“...I have not.” Airen lied. In a fight against a lowly demon acolyte, Airen clearly remembered the feeling that traveled down to his sword hilt and up his arm when his sword had struck and lodged itself in bone.

“Yet your movements are like of a person that has gone through a life and death battle...Perhaps you lost?”

“Every battle against my teacher is a life or death battle. And I have never won a single sparring match against her- him.” Airen replied with a half truth. He has yet to ever win against a ‘named’ individual from the Archive’s memories, and he had lost track of how many times he had lost. Even if Fieluri had reduced the pain for him, each time he died and was brought back was akin to having an arm and leg torn off.

“...Either way, by yourself you are a powerful combatant, but what you lack is understanding your allies and human nature. Based on what I heard about your dungeon trip frankly, the three of you are a mess when it comes to teamwork. For example, do you even know all of Eullina or Rureya’s skills?”

“No.” Airen admitted. He actually thought that their trip was quite successful.

“You prepared everything for the trip yourself, didn’t you?” Orshan stopped walking.

“I tried to anticipate any scenario that may happen and prepare the items accordingly.” Airen nodded.

“And not once did you confide in your friends. Did you even properly assign roles?

“...There was no need for that. We were all mostly well-rounded.”

“And that is exactly where you went wrong, from the very start.” At Airen’s response, Orshan grabbed Airen into a choke-hold. “You see Airen, I’ve traveled around and adventured often with female companions.”

“Go figure?” Airen snorted..

At Airen’s response, Orshan let go and sighed. “Let me tell you Airen. Joining a party with women… is worse than you think.”

“...And your point is?”

“You live with a girl, so you understand me about the dark side of woman, right?”

Airen thought back to his days living with Eullina at Tel’naraa, and nodded his head. He did not appreciate his days as a housewife.

“Right, right. Back in my youth, I was delusional thinking it was a good idea… but now I can’t look at Catherine or Leifaur the same ever again. Every time we went to a tavern, I was afraid they’d drink away our reward...”

“Erm. Are we talking about the same thing here or-”

“Of course we are! That’s exactly why we’re going to a brothel, it’s so you can understand women better and learn to watch out for dangerous ones!”

“I don’t need that sort of understanding!” Airen halted in his tracks, causing Orshan to halt as well.

“You misunderstand, Airen. My test for you is not to partake, but to observe.” Orshan returned to his serious mode. “Because you are young and have also not seen the darkness of mankind. It is never the wielded sword in front of you that you have to watch out for, but the concealed dagger from behind.”

Deciding that it was easier to just go along with Orshan instead of arguing, along with the fact that ultimately, Orshan was looking after him in his own way, Airen sighed and simply followed him without a word.

“We will be paying a visit to several places. You should mentally brace yourself, Airen. You may see things that you find unjust and absolutely disgusting, but this is your trial, to witness and endure.”

The first place they went to was the slave market. At the very outskirts, average ‘merchandise’ without any particular talents were sold. From behind cages and chains, all sorts of eyes gazed at Airen and Orshan, some in raging anger, some with a hopeless hope, some with deep-seated hatred, some dull and lacking life. In the end, Airen could not meet many of those emotional and emotionless eyes as thin hands reached out towards him.

“Remember that feeling of guilt and helplessness, Airen.” Orshan’s gaze was steely as he stared ahead and led him through the crowd. “In some ways, humans are more dangerous and cruel beings than monsters.”

Airen chose not respond, because he has known that to be the truth many times over.

After another twenty minutes of walking, they left the slave trade area of the capital city of Lizbon, however that was not before Airen had a glimpse into the other depravities the wealthy engaged in with their slaves. To his relief however, Oberon did not tarry and sped up his pace and they quickly left behind the stores and arenas. Even someone like Orshan who boasted of bedding woman did not have the grit to simply watch the events they witnessed.

The next place they went to was a small alley littered with all sorts of diners, kiosks, and hole-in-the-wall establishments.

“This place should be good. Let’s take a break before moving on.” Orshan gestured to a small joint from which the smell of onions and meat wafted out. “They have a strange dish but it is rather excellent and healthy.”

“Welcome!” A loud voice greeted the two as they found two seats by the counter, and behind it stood a middle aged man and an older woman. The man had an oily spatula in one hand while the woman had her back towards the customers, and the sound of cleaver hitting a wooden chopping board could be heard.

“Why, if it isn’t Orshan. Finally, decided to show your face around here again, eh? Who’s that boy with you, your son? Did you finally screw up and got a poor girl pregnant?”

“As if, Simonth. This here is Airen, my genius student. He’s aspiring to be a chef so I thought I would show him a real professional’s work. Give me two sets of the usual.”

“Righto! Two Deluxe Sets it is. Still sticking to your principles are you, Orshan?”

“A man’s worth is determined by the principles he sets for himself, and how well he maintains them. Airen here may be my student in name only at the academy, but at the very least I should impart some real-life lessons for him when I can.”

“The ole’ trials of adulthood.” Simonth nodded as he slapped two large portions of meat onto a chopping board while picking up a cleaver. “Airen, was it? Where’d Orshan decide to take you?”

“...A brothel.” Airen’s mouth started to water at the smell. As they say, hunger is indeed the strongest spice, and Airen can’t exactly pull food out of his vault while around Orshan. It was only after entering the aroma-filled store that his appetite had returned.

“I see. So he’s giving you the worst he can give you.” Simonth nodded. “I was his student once you know, after the entire God of War fiscal.”

“...God of War?”

“A pagan God called Uthrak” Orshan was the one that replied. “He doesn’t have a church, but his believers are popular among those that lived in the uncivilized lands in the past. His people that we call the ‘Followers of Uthrak’ used to be well-known slavers in the Red Slate Republic.”

“That was until priests started bragging that their god, who encourages rape as it is a show of conquering another, could take on and bed the Goddess Ecclisa in public.” Simonth continued. “However, they provoked a sleeping giant, and the Holy Church of Ecclisa took action. The ‘event’ was when the Holy Church of Ecclisa launched an attack on the Followers of Uthrak’s home-city in the Hero’s Desert and slaughtered them all. All that’s left of them now are small remnants that operate under the radar.”

“Let that be a lesson to you, Airen. Never insult one’s faith.” Orshan finished. “But enough chatting, where’s my food, Simonth!?”

“Now, now, true culinary dishes are a work of art, and canneth be rushed.” Simonth grinned as he carefully placed an earthenware pot in front of Orshan, and then one in front of Airen. Afterward, he also passed over two small platter of toppings that ranged from bits of fresh and pickled vegetables to miniature seafood.

Orshan lifted the lid of the pot and a cloud of steam rose into the air, along with fragrant smell of steamed meat and scallions. With a metal spoon, Orshan crushed the meat patty, mixing it with the small rice-like grains below before dumping all of the toppings into the mix.

Airen who was watching from the side, followed his example. As he chowed down, he surmised that the ‘meat patty’ was a combination of scallions, onions, garlic, flour, with a fatty meat as the fragrance holder. Still, it was an interesting way of cooking meat, steaming it instead of grilling or frying it, and Airen made a mental note to try it and present it to Fieluri.

Perhaps I have finally found something for Fiel. Airen grinned.

It was late midday when they finally left, and as their target approached in site, Airen felt the dread in his stomach continuing to build up. Even now, when they had entered the red light district, Rasshaval, there were all manner of scantily clad woman trying to lure in customers, and their aggressive methods made Airen uneasy. They did not even mind that Airen was by all means, still a child, and rather they looked at him like it was easy pickings.

“That’s the place.” Orshan pointed to a large terrace house, complete with a large balcony and garden. At the front was an average looking sign with the name ‘Bending Willow’ written in beautiful cursive writing. Strangely enough, compared to the other businesses, there was no attendant/hawker outside trying to attract guests.

“What are you waiting for?” Orshan gestured for Airen to follow him as they walked through the miniature garden. “Don’t worry, this is a high-class place, and of course I am paying.”

With a sigh, Airen resisted the urge to flee and followed behind Orshan as they walked through the garden. Occasionally they’d pass a pair of men and women, but to Airen’s surprise, there were no indecent sights. Rather, the garden was quiet and instilled a sense of tranquility, and the only sound that floated to his ears were the occasional quiet chatter.

“Welcome.” A feminine voice called out to the two of them as they pushed aside the glass door and entered the Bending Willow. “Welcome back, Orshan.“

“Hello Corga.” Orshan greeted the person behind the counter. His familiarity with the area showed as he casually entered and sat down in front of the gray haired madam of the Weeping Willow.

“It seems you have bought a guest with you.” Corga’s wrinkled face smiled as she turned to Airen, who after hesitating a moment, sat down next to Orshan. “Orshan, you really shouldn’t take little boys to places like this...”

“He’s already fourteen.” Orshan shrugged as he accepted a glass of orange liquor. “Thought I would bring him here and make him a man. Is Firie available?”

“You were the one that set the reservation, so of course she is.” Corga gracefully refilled Orshan’s drink. Afterward she rang a small bell and ran a tiny bell, and a small girl, no older than seven appeared.

“Please fetch, Firie. Tell her, her guests have arrived.”

“Haven’t seen her around before. Did you pick up another one?” Orshan commented as the child ran off.”

“Two actually. Since Joyce left, we had a spare room for two serving girls.”

“I see.” Orshan nodded as he accepted the second glass before sliding it over to Airen. “Have you drank before, Airen? Give it a try, it’s Corga’s personal brew.”

“I have drank before.” Airen grumbled, grabbing the glass and downing it in one go. Fieluri once offered him to drink a liquor called ‘Firelight’, only to confirm her thoughts about Airen’s metabolism. Airen had to nearly drink his entire body weight in pure alcohol to feel any semblance of drunkenness.

“Oh. Quite impressive.” Orshan laughed and clapped Airen on the shoulder. “Airen, you haven’t been sneaking out and partying, have you? Not many first time drinkers of Corga’s brew can down it so easily!”

Just as Airen was downing his second cup and accepting his fate, a young girl rushed down the stairs while almost tripping on her dress, obviously not accustomed to her shoes.

“Ah. Hello.” She greeted Orshan and Airen, and Airen was surprised to see that she was merely a few years older than her. “Thank you for allowing the inexperienced me to serve you today.”

Airen glanced over her brown locks and light makeup, while the scent of perfume assaulted his nose as she accepted the whiskey bottle from Corga and refilled Airen’s cup.

“Why don’t the two of you head upstairs?” Orshan grinned, patting Airen on the shoulder again. “I’ve already paid for an entire day, so enjoy it at your leisure, Airen.”

Corga gave Firie a long look, and unspoken words floated between them. After a while, Firie looked down while gripping her dress and nodded.

“Be gentle on him now, it’s his first time.” Orshan laughed, and Airen could feel his face starting to become crimson as laughs echoed around him from the other patrons. Airen resolved himself to make sure nothing happened tonight. He stood up and walked towards the stairs without any guidance, earning him several whistles and admiring claps for his bravado. Firie on the other hand, followed behind him and when the reached the second floor, led him away.

As their figures vanished, Orshan sighed and turned back to Corga, who had poured him another cup.

“Still up to your old ways I see, Orshan. How many times have you brought a student here? Well, I’m not complaining, since it’s good business.”

“It’s a good eye opener, especially for someone like Airen who’s too naive for his own good.”

“Get him drunk, then strip him and put him in bed so he wakes up to a naked women the next morning while she plays coy. Is that what you call an eye opener?”

“If anything, after tonight’s event he’ll be sure not to make the same mistake I did.” Orshan grinned, downing his glass. “Not that I regret making that mistake, mind you.”

Corga sighed and refilled his cup.

“Well, it’s fine either way. Your student gets some ‘lessons’ and my girl gets paid and gets to relax a day. Things can always escalate when a man and a girl are in a room you know.”

“If that happens, I’ll assume full responsibility and the bill.”

The room Airen entered could be considered rather high class, with scented perfume lingering in the air and comfortable looking cushions over the expensive furniture. A medium sized mahogany table held a variety of alcohol and light snacks, along with a menu written in flower-like handwriting. Behind it stood a type of sofa known as a loveseat, but Airen was not experienced enough to understand such things. Similarly, within the corner was a queen-sized bed that must have been recently cleaned, as there was nary a wrinkle on the mattress covers and a large silk blanket was neatly folded in the corner.

“Just so you know, I have no intention of doing anything.” Airen announced as he walked over to the sofa and plopped down, his body language was quite open with uncrossed legs and arms.

“That’s fine. I get paid either way.” Firie awkwardly smiled as she sat down on the other end of the sofa. “However, since the room and board has already been paid for, you may was well enjoy the meal and refreshments. Grace is a rather excellent cook.”

Airen nodded as he surveyed the movements of the woman next to him, on guard for any ‘suspicious’ movements. She gave gave him a smile and handed the menu over to him.

“No need, just order one of everything.” Airen shook his head and grinned in response. “Orshan said he would foot the bill, didn’t he? Since he decided to drag me out here, I may as well get back at him. Also, treat the staff in the kitchen to a round of drinks.”

Firie’s mouth opened in shock before she nodded in response and walked over to the bed, pulling on a twisted strand of cloth resembling a rope. After a minute, there was a knock on the door, and Firie went to deliver the order. A silence permeated through the room as they sat and waited, Airen in a false meditation and Firie seemingly enthralled by the menu, but occasionally glancing over. After ten gruesome minutes passed, Airen grew tired of this awkward atmosphere and opened his mouth.

“Firie… was it?”

“Y-Yes!”

“No need to be so nervous. I’m Airen, from Stonewall. Before that I resided in the Tel’naraa desert. Where are you from?”

“...I was born in Vascala, a fishing village near the southeastern lands of the Dew Plains.”

“The Dew Plains… Are you familiar with the Kinu Folk?”

“Kinu Folk?”

“Erm, they’re large individuals with insane strength and can regenerate their wounds. Sometimes in battle they tend to go berserk.”

“Ah, you mean the ogre tribe. Once in a blue moon one of them will come to visit our village during their travels, but none of them had the family name ‘Kinu’… Are they your relatives?”

“No. One of them were gracious enough to take me under her care during my hour of helplessness and looked after me.” Airen smiled fondly as he remembered Lilrim’s nagging. “....Ogre blood huh?”

“Nearly half of the individuals living in the Dew Plains have some form of monster blood in them...” Firie trailed off as a knock on the door signaled the arrival of food. Three servant girls, two of which were young girls under twelve, pushed in several carts of food. After setting it all down on the table, the middle aged woman- presumably Grace the cook, bowed and left. A delicate and tempting aroma wafted up from the freshly grilled meats, mixed with several hints of spices and sides of vegetables.

“No need to hold back. Help yourself.” Airen nodded to Firie as he worked on a particularly attractive T-bone steak, except the meat was yellow and the knife went through it like thick butter. The taste was similar to cured lamb mixed with star fruit juice, a strange combination. With care, Airen prepared a bite sized portion and slipped it into his vault, and then did the same for each dish.

To his surprise, Firie did not say anything nor respond to the show of his magic. Instead she shifted over to sit next to him, occasionally refilling his drink and passing over the next dish. Airen felt it was a bit embarrassing, but such things were commonplace when he was younger, so he merely accepted it as part of the service.

After an hour of quiet eating, Firie was obviously distressed. Airen had no idea that she had slipped a sleeping drug into his drink, but his indestructible stomach had already eliminated it. Thinking that the food was diluting the effects, Firie urged for Airen to drink more alcohol, thinking that Airen passing out would also work.

After another two hours, with the food gone, Airen continued to drink under Firie’s urging. However, she was growing more and more wary of him as he continued to down 80% alcohol spirits one after another. Even Airen, who had no experience with drinking (or rather, he can’t have ‘any’ experience) realized that she was trying to get him drunk.

….Is this part of the service, too?

Airen sighed inwardly as Firie refilled his cup again. He felt it would be a bit rude to refuse since he was the one to ask for food and drinks, After staring at the dark blue wine, Airen tipped back the cup and downed it once more. Afterward he let out a loud sigh and closed his eyes, sprawling out on his back. It was hardly a convincing act, but much more believable compared to exactly how much alcohol he had drunk, enough to cause even Orshan to shake his head in disbelief when he footed the bill the next day.

“Sir?” Firie asked cautiously.

Airen did not respond, but instead relaxed his body into a meditative state.

“Sir…Are you awake?”

After a few more calls and Firie touching Airen’s arm a few times, she confirmed to herself that he was indeed passed out. Airen felt arms around his back as he was dragged towards the bed.

...Eh? Eh? What?

Airen felt arms pulling against his clothes, and it took every ounce of his willpower to stop goosebumps from forming as his shirt was taken off.

You have got to be kidding me…

Luckily, Airen felt the hands stop and a blanket being pulled over him. Just as he was about to relax, he heard the sound of rustling clothes and sensed someone getting into bed next to him.

Relax. Breathe in. Breathe out.

The call of the void is nothing but a game of the mind.

Luckily for Airen, nothing more happened afterward. However, he did not get a wink of sleep that entire night, nor did he dare return to the Archive, for fear of what may happen to his estranged body. It was only after half the night had passed did Airen fall into a fitful slumber.

Before dawn, the next morning.

Seeing that Airen had not entered the Archive for his daily training, the center of the magical tattoo on Airen’s body near the heart flashed briefly as a rift opened and Fieluri made a quiet entrance. She glanced around the room, and a mischievous smile slowly spread across her face. She took out the Night Sculptor’s Mask and Mantle of Age and quickly turned Airen into ‘Neäir’, while moving him across the room into the sofa and propping him up.

Afterward, she sat and waited for the games to begin. Within ten minutes, Firie had awoken. It was customary to rise early and deal with customers and other affairs such as clean-up, but to her surprise, she did not feel a sense of warmth from behind her. When she turned around, she saw the figure of a handsome man seated near the sofa, one arm on the armrest and the other supporting his head. A delicate black mantle covered him down from the shoulders, while his eyes were closed as if in deep meditation.

“So you’ve awaken at last. I believe your name was Firie?” Neäir’s voice made it known that he was aware of her movements.

“Who are you?” Firie pulled the blanket closer unconsciously, hiding her half naked body.

“My student let out a distress call… and I used a spell to replace his position with mine. But to think that this was what he has been up to… I will need to have words with him the next time we meet.” Fieluri used a bit of magic to create a dark blue aura surround Airen’s transfigured body to signify anger. For added effect, she decided to make the items on the nearby table levitate in the air, with several meat knives spinning in large menacing arcs.

“N-nothing happened.” Firie stammered through the vice-like magical pressure that seemed to wrap around her.

“Oh? Do elaborate for me.”

“Corga and Orshan planned to put… the boy in in an unfortunate position as as rite of passage.”

“A rite of passage. I see…. I too have put him through several trials, but apparently it was not enough.” Fieluri mimicked the sound of a popping balloon, and the magic aura in the air faded away, and the sense of magical pressure and items settled back down. “Farewell then, little fairy named of fire.”

“How did you-”

“It’s all in the name.” The sound of wind could be heard despite the fact that there was no ventilation within the room. The next moment, a spiral of blue and green smoke surrounded and hid Neäir’s body. When it dispersed afterward, Fieluri had grabbed the mantle and mask and ‘Neäir‘ had returned to being a sleeping Airen.

“Sweet tits of the hundred goddess.” Orshan grumbled as he reached into his money pouch to sift around for forty gold coins, which was nearly four times the price of when he attended by himself. “I had you down for a rather naive and inexperienced boy but...you have some rather nasty fetishes don’t you? Corga told me she ran out of the room as soon as the night was over.”

“Eh?” Airen wrinkled his brows, unaware of Fieluri’s actions.

“Boy… you haven’t been secretly sneaking off in the middle of the night to come to the red light district, have you? Even ‘I’ struggled to rack up forty gold’s worth of service in one night… and with multiple girls at once!”

Corga laughed as she gracefully accepted the payment. “It seems that your record has been outdone. Orshan.”

“Dammit. Now I really want to know what happened in there...” Orshan raised his hands in mock anger. “To be outdone by a boy young enough to be my son if I had one...”

“Our establishment protects customer confidentiality. You know that as well as any other patron.”

Orshan sighed and clasped an arm around Airen’s neck. “But in any case Airen, you’ve past with more flying colors then I expected possible. For a young toke, you’ve got some balls. Literally and figuratively.”

“Great. Can we get back then?” Airen grumbled flatly, thinking it was better to not play along with Orshan and leave him in the dark. “I want to get some sleep.”

“So you didn’t sleep at all last night. I see. I see.” Orshan grinned knowingly.

“That’s not what I-, you know what, that’s right. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”

“So he admits to it!” Orshan clapped Airen on the shoulder. “Since he so enjoyed himself, we will be returning soon, Corga.”

“Take care, customers. If the Weeping Willow has served you well, please visit again.” Corga waved them off as she retrieved their empty glasses.

When Airen finally got Orshan off his back, he returned to the Tiger Wing, only to find that Eullina and Rureya were away. A note on the table in Eullina’s scrawny handwriting stated that they had to attend some things at the adventurer’s branch about their discovery and accepting a reward.

Glad that he would not need to be interrogated on his whereabouts, Airen went to sleep with a slightly troubled heart and his weary soul entered the Archive.

“It seems our little chick has finally learned to fly and enjoy the pleasures of life.” Airen wasn’t surprised when he appeared in front of Fieluri instead of his own vault. She did, after all, control all that moves and walks in this realm.

“….” Airen plopped down in a comfy armchair without responding, too tired to deal with her jabs.

“Too tired to talk are we? A simple remedy.” Fieluri pointed at Airen and a white wind swirled around Airen body. His normally invisible tattoo glowed green for a brief moment before rejuvenating energy slowly started to sift back into his body. His sore body, stiff from maintaining the same body position for several hours, started to loosen.

“Seriously, why don’t you teach me that sort of useful magic?”

“That was simply altering the speed of time in the Archive. Do you wish to inherit the Archive and become my assistant then?”

“Forget I asked then. What do you want Fiel?”

“What do ‘I’ want? I thought you were the one who wanted the knowledge to cultivate the land and build housing. You’ve been quite diligent lately in laboring for me, so you deserve a reward.” Without waiting for Airen’s acknowledgment, Fieluri snapped her fingers and the seats they were on floated into the air as the space around them contorted.

“Here we are. My beloved Garden of Words. You can say it’s a visual representation of the knowledge stored within the Archive.” Fieluri explained as Airen surveyed the scene through the door. Floating out of the polished marble ground were wispy, see-through ribbons of paper that were folded into the shape of flowers.

“On the stems are single words. Go and find the one you seek and bring it to me.”

At her command, Airen picked up the nearest paper flower, folded into the shape of a tall sunflower, and peered at the stalk on which the word “Sunlight Radiance” was written. He crouched down and glanced at the other nearby flowers, ‘Origami Techniques’, ‘Clams Recipes’, ‘The Language of Elves’, ‘Copper Making’ were adorned on the other origami stems.

“I’d suggest looking for a word that applies to this new place you are building Airen. Speaking of which, isn’t it about time you give it a name?”

“Still undecided.” Airen replied as he waddled around the garden, carefully peering at stems in search of a word he could use.

“In that case, why don’t you stand in front of the ‘Mirror of Self’ again? I’ll even lend it to you for free this time around.”

“That’s unlike you… why are you so insistent I name the place?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“No. I’ll just get another three-hour lecture on the importance of names like the last time.”

“The young blood is learning to think for himself. Should I be proud?”

Airen did not respond but focused on his search. After another few minutes, Fieluri lost interest in him and started to read. After sixty, Airen finally found an outcrop of roses, with one blue rose with the words ‘Beginner Architecture.’ He carefully extracted the paper plant and presented it to Fiel.

“Architecture, eh?. I would think you would choose something a bit more… logical, like Beginner Agriculture, or Animal Husbandry. How do you provide for a population without any food to work with?” Fieluri pointed out as she collected the rose, her words tearing into Airen’s built up confidence.

“Ah, no take backs.” Fieluri laughed as Airen tried to snatch back the plant. “As promised, I’ll give you a copy of the information in the Archive on fundamentals of a building. Of course, this doesn’t include plumbing or waste disposal, but you should be able to build a few ‘livable’ cottages. Heh,”

“You don’t make things easy for me, do you?” Airen grumbled angrily.

“Oh. But I do. You simply just don’t know it yet.”

“Gee. Thanks. Do you fancy yourself as one of those ‘Gods’ that act unknowingly from the sight of mankind? Wait, don’t answer that. I have a bad feeling about the answer.”

“Wise.”

“Not wise. Just cautious. You are the one that tells me there is some things better off not knowing, and yet now you are constantly tempting me.” Airen snorted.

“So you’ve noticed our little game. You are slowly getting better at learning to resist temptation.” Fieluri muttered, her tone between praise and sarcasm.

“...I’m going to check out the painted world.” Airen decided to excuse himself before he lost his temper. “I’ll see you again.”

“Then by all means. Take care.” Fieluri snapped her fingers and Airen felt his body grow light as he was forcefully transported to his vault. Airen was still not used to Fieluri’s abrupt teleportations, which left his mind fuddled and his limbs were a bit weak. After reorienting himself, he stared at the former painting of Osperica. Fieluri had taken the initiative to convert the painting onto a door, which led to Keri’s ‘former’ residence, former in more ways than one. Airen always figured Fiel had a thing for poetic irony as he pushed open the door and stepped inside his own closed world.

The sunshine through the door was warm touching his skin.

“...I don’t understand how she can create something like this.” Airen mumbled as he covered his eyes, staring in the blue skies above with wisps of clouds. “It feels like the real thing.”

Because it is the real thing. Airen could almost hear Fieluri’s snarky response as he moved around the crystal clear lake. He was grateful that Fiel had told him she had taken liberties in ‘cleaning’ the place, but the better word was ‘purge’. His last memory of the land of Osperica was a lively, green and flourishing land, but now there was not even a trace of an ecosystem. There were no trees or grass, only hard and dried dirt. Even the large amount of dark, nutrient-filled soil Airen procured from the Lasat Gardens stood out against the barren and cracked ground.

Airen moved towards the mound of building materials he had bought with Cordelia’s help. He dug around the area until he found the list of materials that had been compiled for him, listing the specifics of his purchase. Bricks, precision-cut stone, bags of cementing mortar, limestone-stained tiles, alchemy-assisted quicksilver for sealing cracks, polishing-oil for wood… Airen had absolutely no clue what half the things in the list were. He sighed, and decided that any further work tonight would be meaningless, until Fieluri got around to delivering the books on ‘Beginner Architecture’, he could only hope that includes a few pointers in ‘Beginner Construction’ as well.

In the end, Airen picked up a large wooden beam, and swung it as he would a spear for the next few hours until dawn. Perhaps it would make the job easier later on, or so he thought naively.

“Those names listed above. Congratulations, you’ve been accepted into the next level. You have the day off for your pleasure. The rest of you louts, get back to training!”

As Tsargent Wuulf announced the results of the exams, Airen saw Eullina moving towards him with a hand in congratulations.

“Seems like you’ve passed as well. Are you free now?”

“...I suppose I am.” Airen wanted to go back and indulged himself in the stack of books in his vault on architecture, but it wasn’t often the two of them had the same time off.

“Then follow us. Ruri and I will be going to the League of Adventurer’s branch again. They’ve verified the additional floors with an experienced party and want us to come in one last time to pick up the rest of the reward”

“Rest of the reward? How many trips have you made to that place already?” Airen faked a groan.

“Three times. Once to deliver our gathered materials and information. Once to verify and inform the adventuring party about any dangers. And last time Ruri and I went was to receive the report. There were some oddities in the report Airen, which is why you should come.”

“Oddities…?” Airen’s brow furrowed.

“It seems that some of the things we reported are… no longer there. The wall of skulls, that undead swordsman, and even the mural were not there. Also there were new arachnoid monsters that made the place their den.”

“Looks like Mordecai decided to pack up and leave. He probably felt it in his bones that it was his time.” Airen joked, but Eullina merely rolled her eyes at his words.

“If he did leave, do we really want an undead of that level to be walking around the countryside?” Eullina scoffed.

“He’s a respectable duelist, Lina.” Airen defended his opponent, whom he respected as someone he crossed blades with. “I don’t think he’s going to attack strangers out of the blue. Plus it ‘may’ be our fault that he got released into the world, since we did defeat him.”

“You defeated him. If this was some sort of story, I would say that you’ve unleashed a great evil onto the world.”

No evil is worse than that of the gluttonous Fieluri. Airen thought. “If I, a beginner swordsman, can beat him, then I’m sure anyone formally enrolled in the Red Slate Republic’s public force can as well.”

“...If you say so.” Eullina grumbled. “Are you sure you aren’t going to sell your portion of the monster materials to the guild? They offered a decent price since it was our first expedition.”

“I have promised them to someone else already.” Airen thought back to the soft-footed old granny from which he had procured Winf branches from, as well as received a set of throwing stars.

“Who’s that?”

“A benefactor from which I acquired the Winf branches from.” Airen replied honestly. “She’s a bit eccentric, but her stock is quite good.”

“’She, is it? You know I was curious when you and Orshan went off for the night but Airen, is there something I should know?”

“Nothing in particular.” Airen smiled uneasily. “Except it involve a lot of awkward moments dealing with people I don’t know and an all-you-can-eat on Orshan’s bill.”

“Lucky. Leifaur made me go shopping for dungeon supplies, only to be told that everything must fit into a small box at the very end and I have to pay for anything that did not fit into the box.”

“At least that’s practical.” Airen consoled.

“Coming from a guy that can store a room’s worth of materials with magic? Don’t talk to me..”

“You forgot to add the part where because of it, I can’t use any sort of elemental magic.”

“That’s a good thing, Airen. You have no idea how boring some of these classes on magic theory is. Who cares about how the original magic rune and chants are and just teach me the spells!”

As Eullina complained, Airen simply nodded his head in response. In the past he would offer a solution to the problem, but he quickly realized she simply wanted to complain and have someone listen. After a while, Rureya found and made their way to them.

“Since we are all here. Shall we grab some lunch before going to the guild branch?” Eullina declared after exchanging greetings and congratulations. “Remember that place we went to last time, Ruri?”

“The fish there was quite excellent.”

“Quite fond of fish aren’t you, Ruri? Must be the feline blood hehe-”

“Not all cats-”

“Yeah, yeah. But you like it.”

“That-… that is true.” Rureya looked away. For Airen, it seems that she too has experienced the difficulty of dealing with Eullina.

“Now then, Airen. How about some fish?” Eullina says, but she had already seized their wrists and started to drag them along.

“Do I even get a say in this?” Airen sighed

“What do you think?” Eullina turned around and grinned cheekily.

After a sumptuous meal of grilled fish with crispy, flaky skin and clumps of flesh that slipped off like marbled meat, they made their way to the League of Adventurer’s Red Slate Republic guild. After a half hour of waiting, Zuan walked up to greet them.

“Ah, our new rising stars!” Zuan announced, which drew quite a few gazes towards them as they moved towards Zuan’s cubicle. “It seems that your friend is with you today.”

“I was curious about the fallout.” Airen said nonchalantly. “It seems according to a cryptic friend here that ‘I have set forth a series of events that will shake the foundations of the world.’”

“A missing Etna Duelist is nothing to be worried about, my boy, the old man Ittai can probably defeat him with a single hand. Your friend must be over thinking about things.”

Airen was sorely tempted to throw Eullina a ‘I told you so’ look, but he was not fond of being pinched. Eullina had inherited a certain ‘technique’ from Leifaur that inflicted an excruciating amount of pain with a small amount of effort. He had thought that he had a high tolerance for pain, with the many deaths he suffered in the Archive, but this was an altogether different sort of pain.

“Speaking of which, we had a few mages investigate what you said before about the wall of skulls and mural. It seems that after your little scuffle, it was either erased or removed entirely.”

“Is something like that common?” Ruri asked

“...Can’t say. Ancient ruins often have powerful and bizarre magics that only take effect once, which is why it’s dangerous for new parties to explore without a heads up,” Zuan said, stressing the words. Airen had heard about how Eullina and Rureya were scolded when they went to report the details. Unknowingly to Airen, they had not laid any blame on him to the Adventurer’s League which could have gotten his adventurer plate confiscated.

“Speaking of new parties, Ittai has been looking for the three of you to conduct some proficiency exams. Normally your school would be the ones to conduct-”

“They’ve already been conducted, you can get the results from them.” Airen interrupted. He thought that if it comes to it, he could simply ‘fake’ his level of expertise, although he wasn’t sure if he would be seen through.

“Hm.” Zuan nodded, a bit befuddled on Airen’s direct rejection. “In that case, let’s get down to business. There’s quite a line outside after all and if it was any hotter, I’m afraid they’d start revolting!”

A revolt would be good. Airen thought. He did not like the eyes Zuan was giving him, a mix of suspicion and lightly-laced hostility. Had he done something to insult him?

“I’d need you to sign here, and here.” Zuan pulled out a form and handed it to Airen. “The ladies have already did so already and we just need yours. Once it's finalized we can add your names to our records as the discoverers and give you your reward. It is written in a different language for our records, but if you’d like we can give you a translation.”

Airen nodded and picked up the quill offered to him. The words on the paper were delicately written, in a cursive script that Airen struggled to make out, with Eullina and Rureya’s signatures were on the bottom. However as he moved his hand towards the parchment, a familiar weight settled on his shoulders, and his arm froze.

“I would be more careful of an agreement in magic script if I were you, Airen.” Fieluri whispered into his ear, a voice only Airen could hear. “Lean in close, Airen, I have a few words to say.”

Airen hesitated for a moment, before leaning down until his mouth was right next to Zuan’s ear, and his unaltered voice echoed out under Fieluri’s control.

“Little spy. Let your master know that that since he wants war. It will be given to him.” Airen could not help but glance at Fieluri based on the tone she(or he) used. A light, dark smile was covering her face, and the air around her seemed to have frozen, with even dust standing still in midair. He had a hand stretched out as if grasping something, and when she squeezed ever-so-gently, Zuan’s face seemed to pale and drained of blood. A vein on his bulge and his business smile twitched considerably during the entire exchange.

“Now then...” Airen’s voice transformed into a thin strand of sound that slipped through Zuan’s ears. “About this so-called magical contract. Do you take me for a fool?” Fieluri tapped a finger to the parchment and the blue ink started to twist and distort until ephemeral blue flames danced along the words, and the words shifted to who-knows-what in Airen’s eyes.

“This is the meaning of being on the losing side of a war, Spy. You have two choices now. Sign yourself into my service.” Fieluri snapped her fingers and a light breeze spun the contract to face Zuan, the words rearranged and in a runic script from a time long lost. “Or you will die here knowing I will scour your memories, reanimate your body, and send it to devour your family.”

“Yo-yo-you… are him… the ne-necromancer.” Zuan choked out painfully.

“Soul scouring is an entirely different branch of magic.” Fieluri said, slightly offended. “But it seems my friends are starting to wonder why we’re postured like this. Choose quickly or else...”

Airen made a grasping motion against his will, and Zuan’s face continued to grow pale as more pressure clamped around his heart. Near the breaking point, Zuan quickly nodded.

As Fieluri released the spell, Zuan fearfully grabbed a quill and signed the magical contract.

“You have only one command. Go to your former master and let him know.”

“Know… know what?”

“This time he will be let off with a warning. The next time, the end is nigh. Speak of this to anyone else, and I assure you, your end will be worse then anything you have ever imagined.”

“Um.. Zuan. Are you alright? You seem a bit pale.” Eullina asked worriedly. Luckily, Airen’s back was blocking most of the view, so none of the conflict was noticed.

“I’m… I’m fine. Must be the heat getting to me.” Zuan forced a smile as he reached for the jug of water, desperately trying to avoid meeting eyes with Airen. “Ah, you don’t have to worry about the form, it will be dealt with shortly and the message will be passed along.”

“Message?” Eullina furrowed her brow, not quite following.

“Ah- the message about the missing things from the Valrock Ruins.” Zuan quickly fixed his words. For the briefest moment, he pitied the two girls behind Airen for not knowing what sort of monster was hiding in their midst. But then he remembered his own situation and the feeling of a hand slowly compressing against his heart and that pity vanished. Now that he had to report to a certain auction house, Zuan regretted with every fiber in his being that he had accepted this job.

“Let us be on our way. I’m sure our ‘friend’ here is quite busy.” Airen decided to move along and ushered Ruri and Lina towards the exit despite their protests. Right before Airen also stepped out, he turned around to see Zuan staring at him.

Airen pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at him- and smiled.

‘I am watching you.’

Of course, this was just Airen playing along until he got answers from Fieluri.

“Our ‘guest’ was Loys? You have got to be kidding me.” Eullina grumbled.

“Wow, Eullina. Is that what you say after not seeing your dear older brother for several months?” Loys sighed dramatically. “Airen, you seem well. Did you get taller?”

“A few inches.” Airen replied and shook Loys outstretched hand.

“Your grip and arm strength seems to have improved as well.” Loys commented, her gaze glancing over the bracelet on Airen’s wrist. “And it seems you found quite a magical artifact too!”

“So what is with this sudden unnecessary visit, dear useless buffoon brother of mine?” Eullina scowled.

“Why, Duncan and Lilrim asked me to check on the two of you.” Loys tossed over a small box. “Here’s some things they asked me to deliver.”

“So you’re useful for something, at least.” Eullina’s scowl lessened as she unwrapped the package. Inside was several small squares of cured monster meat, presumably Dune Worm based on the color, Teq Bread, and a canteen of Seafoam. They were common items, but they did hold various memories for the two children of Tel’naraa.

“The two of you have a break coming up during the transition from the Months of Light [Summer Solstice] to the Months of Earth, don’t you? Why don’t you come visit? I’m sure everyone would be happy to see you two, even Horly has been wondering how strong the two of you have grown.”

“It must be a miracle that you are saying something reasonable.” Eullina gave a backhanded compliment. “We should take Rureya with us too.”

“Rureya? You do understand our location is… confidential?” Loys frowned. “But if it's one of your lady friends, then by all means introduce her to me...”

“You keep your hands off her, Loys, or I will castrate you. Also, she is one of us, a former slave. We’ve already arranged things that in case something happens, she is to flee to Tel’naraa with one of us.”

“I see.” Loys ignored Eullina’s open threat. “It is a shame what had happened to Haven, so we don’t have a means to take people out of the country into the vast Dew Plains. The ports and path to the Kingdom of Macha have been heavily regulated since the fall of Haven… and it’s too dangerous to traverse through the Sel Forest or the Hero’s Desert. We’ve been thinking of housing escapees at Tel’naraa. There’s enough empty rooms after all.”

“Why does it sound like we’re getting your approval?”

“Because you do. There’s a reason I travel around you see. Recon. But I’ll let the others know to prepare for you three to return. Duncan will come to find the three of you.”

“Two.” Airen was surprised at his own voice calling out. “I’m afraid I can’t go back. My mas- I mean, teacher is actually coming back here during the break period.”

“Keri? Why, she can come with us too!” Eullina added. “I’d be interested in more stories of adventuring from her!”

“That beautiful woman, ephemeral like the moon?” Loys pumped his fist into the air. “She is more than welcome.”

“Erm-” Airen was amused to see Fieluri flustered for once. “I’m afraid we’ve made arrangements to explore a new dungeon she’s found...”

“A new dungeon?” Loys frowned. “That’s not exactly something to do with only two people.”

“Keri is quite powerful.” Airen could feel Fieluri starting to lose her patience. “Much more stronger than you, in fact, even with the three of us combined. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could stand against the current powers of this era.”

“That’s quite the high opinion you have of her.” Eullina laughed. “Well, she did beat the both of us like brushing away fallen sand. It would be good if you could learn from her.”

“I hope your opinion is correct.” Loys added. “Be careful.”

“I will.” The familiar itch against Airen’s throat that signified Fieluri’s control faded away. Just as Airen think he’d escaped, Loys suddenly called out.

“It’s been three months since the three of you were here. Why don’t we cross blades briefly so I can see your improvements. You call your friend as well, if you’d like.”

“No. She’s too good for the likes of you.”

So much for avoiding a conflict. Airen sighed.

The training yard outside the Tiger Wing.

Most of the students had already left after receiving their exam results, so it was quite empty. The only few left were instructors and individuals that kept the facilities running. Interestingly enough, Principal Benyin was there as well.

“Ah Loys, I forgot to mention-”

“We’ll speak later, Principal Benyin.” Loys said politely. “My friends and I are about to have an exchange of blades.”

“Ahhh. Airen and Eullina, was it? To think that three months had passed so quickly...”

“Principal Benyin.” Eullina and Airen greeted respectfully.

“Don’t mind me.” He raised a hand in acknowledgment. “I’ll just observe.”

“Well then, who’s first?”

“Airen, if you will?” Eullina nudged him gently before lowering her voice. “I need to observe his movements so I can set up some traps.” Airen nodded in response.

#952- Ka Fa’hera. A monotone voice like a recording announced as a rift opened up next to him and deposited a spear-halberd hybrid next to him. The cold purple-black metal it was made out of was alien to Airen’s eyes, but felt oddly familiar in his hands. The scars along the glistening shaft signified a history full of dignity, but when Fieluri started to ‘brag’ about the origins, the words went through on ear and out another. His opponent was not one to be taken lightly, especially when Airen was challenging him in his own weapon of expertise.

“A spear? It seems you have joined the club.” Loys respected Airen’s determination and bought out Squallwind, his white and green spear weapon that resembled malachite and emeralds.

“Whenever you are ready.” Loys added as Airen gave his weapon a few swings and thrusts. It was heavier than Airen had hoped, and the curved blade at the end was not suitable for thrusts. Orshan’s strength training in the end had come in handy while wielding the bulky weapon.

Without replying, Airen quickly entered his Flash Stance and dashed towards Loys. His heavy weapon felt as if it could easily cleave Loy’s fragile looking spear. Loys must have made the same reasoning, and he deftly retreated backwards avoiding and parrying off Airen’s blows, never receiving a blow head on.

“Hey, hey, Airen. I thought you were a sly and sneaky fighter like me, but it seems you’ve become a brawny brawler like Horly.” Loys taunted as he ducked the next blow and swung at Airen’s feet.

Using the weight of his weapon, Airen slammed the metal shaft into the ground to block Loy’s strike, at the same time pushing himself off the ground and spinning around to deliver a kick on Loys’ towards Loys shoulder. Despite being caught off-guard, the attack only managed to graze Loys and pushed him back a feet.

“Sly enough for you?” Airen grinned as he withdrew Ka Fa’hera and prepared to strike again.

“You’ve improved. That one stung a bit.” Loys commented, his tone a bit more serious. Airen only saw him crouch, and then reappeared in front of him in the next moment, his spear stabbing towards the hand that held his curved halberd. Thus their next exchange began.

Airen blocked Loys’ attacks without being able to return any of his own. His heavy weapon was at disadvantage against Loys short spear, and Loys did not give him the chance to put distance between them. In the next flurry of attacks, Airen started to feel something off about Loys strikes. They were… growing faster.

Quickly reacting to this new piece of information, Airen held out both hands and shouted “ALD!”

Loys leaped back before the kinetic blast struck him, giving Airen the distance he had wanted. There were one short spear in each of Loys’ hands, both copies of Squallwind. Airen also noticed that the air around Loys seemed to swirl, as if he was the center of a tornado. Realization struck Airen like cold water hitting hot metal.

“Your spirit tool was never a spear, was it?” Airen accused. His magical tattoo had been draining energy in the air since the beginning. Airen had thought it was simply Loys weapon being imbued with magic, but the effect did not occur when he was fighting Eullina.

“An astute observation. Why do you say that?”

“Those weapons in your hands are altered Wind Lances. I should have noticed earlier.”

“Don’t be down, Airen. You’re one of the few that have.” Loys waved his hands and the two spears in his hands vanished. He pulled against his shirt and revealed a green tinted chainmail shirt.

“So that’s your spirit tool?”

“Mhmm. It lets me do some pretty neat tricks, like blowing up a girl’s skirt.”Loys laughed.

“...I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in knowing that.” Eullina said in a quiet voice from the sidelines, to which Loys gave an awkward laugh.