Ethan looked at the old man in front of him; he had an athletic build, a salt-and-pepper hair that was bushy but was cut short, he had a light mustache and a trimmed beard that was black as his eyes.

He wore a black short-sleeved robe, gray pants and brown leather boots, on his waist there was a red cloth belt from which hung a small bag on the right side and an unadorned sword on the left.

His clothes seemed simple, but were perfectly clean and of good quality, for all he knew, those clothes might even be magical.

Edek had walked with decisive and strong strides, and now was standing straight and tall, looking at Ethan with a serious expression.

And Ethan just stayed there, looking back at that man in silence.

After a few moments, the man’s expression softened, then frowned and opened his mouth to speak again.

At that moment, Ethan spoke, he cupped his right fist into his left hand and bowed slightly.

“Good evening, Elder Edek. My name is Ethan Bhreg, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Young man, I apologize in advance if what I’m going to say is rude to you, because what you have done for us is a very valuable favor, but this is something I need to say.”

Ethan nodded upon hearing Edek.

“Please, go ahead, Elder. What can I do for you?”

Edek chose his words carefully before speaking.

“I am not sure about what school or tradition you hail from, nor do I know what type of arts you practice, but you have an extraordinary perception to have realized that hidden dance within the Dance of Four Forms. For that, I congratulate you, it is a sign of great talent.”

Edek bowed lightly with his right fist on his chest in acknowledgment of the deed; by his side, Issima also bowed in a similar manner.

“Elder, I am not sure if I am really talented at this or not, my Master had mentioned that looking at the performance of Sword Dancers would be a valuable experience, and it was, but it could be just a coincidence or I might just be compatible with the Intent in the dance…”

Ethan tried to not sound too humble nor smug at learning the moves of that dance, but he thought that anything he said might be sounding like fake humility so he decided to shut up.

Edek simply shook his head.

“If you do not have talent, then everyone in the world is a talentless sack of stones. But you might be right about compatibility taking a part in why you learned this so fast. May I ask how you did it?”

Edek stared at Ethan and the young man lowered his head, deep in thought.

“I… don’t really know. Sorry, Elder Edek; it’s not that I want to hide anything, but I’m really not sure how it happened. It was… a feeling, I sensed something when Issima and the others were dancing, and I just followed that feeling, there were moves that had that feeling, that Intent, and there were moves that didn’t. Putting together the moves that had that Intent resulted in the dance I performed just now. But how exactly I came to notice that Intent is a mystery to me.”

That was all there was to be said, that was all Ethan knew about how he discovered that dance inside the other dance.

“Thank you for your sincerity, young man. Matters such as this are the will of the heavens, and moments of clarity are not something that can be brought easily, epiphanies are elusive and transient, we must do our best to grasp them when they present themselves. You are truly fortunate to have one at such a young age.”

Edek nodded with a serene expression. Ethan had the impression that this Elder was usually a genial man, easy to get along with, but the current conversation did not allow for an easygoing attitude.

“Every warrior has their own fortunate encounters in life, that’s a teaching passed down from our ancestors, so you can’t and won’t be judged or persecuted by anyone from the Clans of Thaliss, we felt it ourselves when you watched us performing the Dance of Four Forms, even I, who was playing the drums, felt the power flowing in the dance. You have the blessing and permission from The Ancestors to learn that secret, of that, none of us have doubts.”

Edek’s tone got sharper and more stern.

“However, I must clarify something here; you have the talent to glimpse at the secret of our dances and the honesty to share your finding with us almost immediately, but that does not mean that you are free of responsibility afterwards. I apologize if this is rude or offensive, but I must speak clearly and upfront, I must ask you that you keep your findings to yourself and not show this dance to anyone else.”

That was the core of the matter, Ethan thought. The people of Thaliss probably wouldn’t like that an outsider had learned one of their dances, especially one that they didn’t know. Edek seemed to attribute the matter to the will of their ancestors so they would not be hostile to Ethan, but they would still insist on a compromise of keeping silent about this.

“It’s ok, I understand. I promise to not tell anyone else about this dance, at least not without consulting first with you or another Elder from Thaliss, is that alright?”

Ethan nodded and readily agreed to keep this a secret. Well, his Master already knew, so there was probably no problem there, and he doubted his Master would be interested in it anyways.

Edek and Issima looked at each other, Ethan had agreed too fast, without asking anything in return and without needing to be coerced.

“You… don’t want any reward or compensation for it?”

Edek was a bit uncertain on how to react, he didn’t want to make an enemy out of this child, but he also couldn’t just take his word for granted and blindly trust him to not reveal the moves of a potentially important secret, the true value of those moves was yet to be understood.

“That’s just the kind of man he is. He also didn’t ask for anything in exchange for showing me the moves he got from our performance. I think we can trust him, Elder.”

Issima assured him while smiling at Ethan, who scratched his head and avoided looking at her, this dance was theirs originally, even if it was lost during passing down of the traditions by previous generations.

it would be hard to trust someone to just keep quiet about a secret, I’m lucky that they hadn’t already started attacking me, maybe it’s because I showed the moves to Issima immediately that they have a good impression of me?

Ethan wondered what to do with this situation, he had an idea that might work, so he decided to try it out.

“My Master told me that the secrets of martial arts are extremely valuable and of great importance to any school and clan. So I apologize if I have been offensive in any way, even if I have presented my findings to you right away, the fact remains that I have stolen a secret from you.”

Ethan bowed his head. This was his idea, act humble and apologize, but casually mention that he was not alone, the mention of a backer would at least pause aggressive actions until they find out more, he may need to have his Master involved, and this was far from a perfect plan, it could hardly be called a plan at all, but was the only thing he could come up with at the moment.

Besides, he wasn’t afraid of them, and the point of this was not to scare them off, it was to make them believe in Ethan and trust that he would not go around teaching those moves to others.

The two Sword Dancers looked at him, it was hard to find a talented warrior with a humble disposition, must of them grew overconfident due to their successes and if they have been born in noble clans their attitude tended to be haughty.

“Raise your head, young man. I see you have an honest disposition. I must tell you, though, that I must report these findings to the Assembly of Clans in Thaliss, I do not know how other Elders will react, but I will report your cooperative and honest disposition. I must ask you, just in case, is there a possibility that you might come with us to Thaliss?”

At that, Issima nearly jumped off in alarm and stared at Edek with wide eyes.

“Elder! What are you saying?”

Edek turned his head to regard her with an inspecting look and glanced at the swords in her hands, she had not yet sheathed them, and in fact was holding them with more strength now, and almost imperceptibly she was changing their position, angling them more towards him.

There was a dangerous undertone in that gesture, whether it was conscious or not, Edek could not be sure, but he decided to not point it out.

Edek looked at Ethan again and evaluated his expressions and body language. So far, the young man had spoken with sincerity and in a humble manner, although his posture and footing indicated a readiness to jump into action if the necessity arose, that seemed to be a result of training rather than an emotional action.

The young man had a troubled expression on his face, there was hesitation there, indecision and curiosity too, but no fear, no anger, no arrogance.

Was he really not afraid of what could happen to him? He seemed to understand that Clans attached great importance to the secrets of their arts, no matter how small they were.

Then why was he not even wary or alarmed? He mentioned a Master, then maybe he had a strong backer. Did he think his backer was enough to protect him if the Clans decided to simply kill him to eliminate a potential leak of their secrets? That was too naïf, even if he had a whole Clan of warriors to protect him, there was nobody here in this place to protect him right now, such thing was a mistake often made by young scions of strong families due to their immaturity and arrogance.

But this youth didn’t seem that way.

Then what was it that had him so assured, so calm? Was it simply that he was trusting on Edek and Issima’s moral character? That seemed a more likely mistake that this lad would commit.

Being too trustful of a stranger was an error that good-natured people often made and ended up letting others take advantage of them.

Not that Edek had any intention of doing such, his honor would not allow him to betray the trust of this young man who had done such favor to the whole Assembly, but he still considered that this young man was erroneous in putting his trust in a stranger so quickly.

Edek waited for the young man’s answer. Ethan’s expression turned apologetic and showed a thin, troubled smile.

“Sorry, Elder. But I don’t think I can go there right now, and going there right now would only get me involved in troublesome stuff. I know it’s shameless to just drop the matter to you but can you handle that, please? I can promise you to go to Thaliss in the future, but not right away, I’m still in the middle of a journey with my Master.”

Edek narrowed his eyes at that answer but didn’t press the issue.

“I see, we would be glad to have you visit us, or even joining the Clans, but as you say, that is a matter for the future. May I ask when would you visit Thaliss?”

“I really don’t know, is it fine if I answer tomorrow after I speak with my Master?”

“Very well, that’s a prudent decision. You can find us in an inn called Scorpion Cave, where are you staying?”

Edek walked towards Issima and she seemed to remember she had her swords still on her hands and swiftly sheathed them, she would apologize later.

“I’m staying at the Condor Inn. You can find me there.”

“Very well.”

Edek stood by Issima’s side and they both looked at Ethan, who continued talking.

“Then, can we get out of here now?”

Ethan proposed this since he was starting to feel awkward just standing around here.

“Hmm, would you mind going ahead of us? I have something to discuss with Issima. I’m sorry, but it’s a bit private.”

“Ah… ok. Well, have a good night, Elder Edek, Miss Issima.”

Ethan felt it was weird to be told to simply leave without them, but they probably had things to talk about that a stranger like him didn’t need to hear, so he simply said goodbye and went to the corridor that led to the exit.

“Just follow the corridor and push the door, it has no restriction when going out. See you tomorrow, Ethan. And thank you for everything.”

“Rest well, young man.”

The two Sword Dancers said their farewells and stood there in silence while Ethan left the underground arena.

Only when they were certain he had left did they move again.

They walked up to the fighting ring and both unsheathed their swords.

As Ethan walked down the underground passages towards the exit, his Master’s voice reached his ears.

“Do you want a ride?”

“Sure.”

And Ethan was immediately teleported to the surface.

“Thank you, Master.”

“You are welcome. What do you want to do now?”

The small Phoenix perched on his shoulder, his Master looked no bigger than a hummingbird, yet still radiated the warm aura of fire and life that was famous on that mythical creature.

“I don’t really feel like going back to the feast, but I’m not sleepy yet.”

“How about we go for a walk outside the city? Or we can take a flight around the desert, I’ll cast a stealth field so no one will see us.”

Ethan didn’t have to think long for his answer.

“Flight.”

“As you wish.”

In a matter of seconds, they were in the air.

In the underground fighting ring, two people danced while wielding their swords.

They needed no accompanying music, no external rhythm of drums. They knew the songs by heart, they had grown up listening to the beating of the drums for the dance, they knew the moves, they knew the lyrics of the songs, something very few outsiders even knew existed.

They adjusted their breathing for each move, permeating their bodies and swords with Aura as the dance continued.

Their moves were the same, yet they weren’t equal.

The same spin of the upper body, with a horizontal slash with the right hand, the same rotation of the heel and extension of the leg.

And yet those were oh so different on each dancer.

The strength, speed, reach, and power of them were on two different levels, while Issima was greatly talented and had trained her entire life to master the arts of combat, she was far from being a match to a seasoned veteran like Edek who possessed a vaster Aura and better control of it.

His moves had more finesse and elegance, executing them with a level of skill that could only be gained by decades of relentless practice.

And the main difference between the two of them was the nature of their Auras, the Intent behind the dance was the same, yet each of them had a different approach to that ideal condition.

Where Issima was like the blazing flames of a bonfire, oscillating and twisting with the touch of the breeze, Edek was like the sand of the dunes, spiraling in the air when the gales of wind passed by, forming strange patterns in their dance.

They finished their performance at the same time, adjusting their breathing once again, feeling the wind around each other, deepening their understanding of the technique.

And as one, they sheathed their swords.

Edek was the first to speak.

“It’s truly amazing that this young man managed to discover this, but this is only a superficial layer, the Clans must continue to study and glean the true secrets of this hidden dance.”

“Do you think that there are more secret moves like this in other dances, Elder?”

She already knew the answer but she just had to ask.

“Definitely, the decline of Thaliss is not just the matter of a single art being lost. There are more secrets in each teaching of The Ancestors; this is only a single step, but now we are closer to that dream, no matter how small, this can be called nothing but an advancement, and for that, I will be eternally grateful to that child.”

“What will we do now?”

Issima had a worried look on her face, about what exactly, Edek could only speculate.

“What I said before was the truth, we must report our findings to the whole Assembly, and present a favorable image of Ethan so that the other Elders won’t take hostile action towards him. We will march tomorrow after meeting Ethan.”

“As you say, Elder.”

Issima bowed in acknowledgment of his decision and caught sight of a cream-colored cloth lying on the ground.

Ethan’s robe, which she had dropped when she unsheathed her swords upon Edek’s arrival.

Issima picked it up and noticed that despite the dirty ground the robe was pristine, without a single speck of dust on it.

“So it’s enchanted, eh? He said his people had no magic… something he bought or found, maybe? He shouldn’t drop such valuable things so carelessly.”

Issima mused and put on the robe, she would return it to Ethan tomorrow, but she was curious about it, and magical clothes of good quality were always comfortable to wear.

“Hey, are you developing a crush on him or something?”

Edek’s amused voice came from behind her.

She turned around with a jump, like a cat that just had its tail stepped on by someone.

“W-what!? Of course not, why would you say that, Elder?”

Issima managed to avoid letting her voice rise in pitch but not in volume.

“Well, you asked for a dance to a boy you had never seen before, sneaked out of the feast with that boy you had just met and came to this dark place together, and now you are wearing his clothes.”

Edek’s voice was amused as he caressed his beard with a thoughtful expression.

“We came here to perform the dance in private! You were here, you saw it!”

“Yeah… but you know who was not here and would like to hear this story? Your mother. And I think she will find this story as interesting as me.”

“There is no story! Elder, come on!”

“Indeed, come on. We must meet with the others; the sooner they learn this the better.”

Edek started to walk towards the exit at a rapid pace, and Issima raised her voice a lot.

“You are gonna tell THEM!?”

Edek turned to look at her with an innocent expression.

“Of course, they are also members of the Clans, they must learn this dance too. Why are you surprised?”

“I thought you meant telling him about Ethan and me coming here alone or that I have a crush on him.”

“Oh, so you do have a crush on him, eh?”

“I told you that I don’t!”

Edek continued walking away and Issima started to consider if it was worth it receiving the punishment for throwing a rock on the head of an Elder. She decided it wasn’t worth it, and strolled behind him.

“Seriously, I talk about an important discovery for the future of the Clans and she just thinks about her crush. Ah, it’s good to be young.”

Edek’s voice reached her from ahead in a not-so-low murmur and she saw him shaking his head while sighing.

“Elder!”

A rock flew through the air and a small grunt of pain was heard.

On a transparent platform that could be the thinnest but also the strongest glass that Ethan had ever seen, a young man and a little bird were flying over the sands of the desert, sometimes over the clouds and sometimes under the clouds.

After a while, Navin spoke.

“So, did you have fun at this party?”

His cheerful voice was unaffected by the breeze and his size, and even the fact that he was in a bird's form didn't seem to matter.

“Yeah, the food was delicious, and then the performance of the Sword Dancers, it was really cool.”

"Indeed, though I must admit that my favorite part was you dancing with Miss Issima, I didn't expect you to tell her about your world."

Ethan turned red and looked down.

"I'm sorry, Master."

"Don't be. I told you before that I have no issue in you telling people about yourself, nor about any subject actually, so long as you don't reveal the secrets of our Cultivation Art. Besides, you are young, you still lack the discipline to not go opening up to pretty girls with big smiles that take your breath away and hazel eyes that make your heart beat faster."

Ethan's face got even redder.

"Oh, come on! It's not like that."

There was something eerie about a bird being capable of having a smug face, and his Master absolutely enjoyed that.

"Oh, really? Then how is it? Because you left her your robe. Quite an expensive gift for your first date, you know?"

Ethan's eyes opened wide and palmed his body, he didn't feel the robe on him and then looked around, nothing.

"Aw, man. Sorry, I was careless."

Ethan spoke in a low voice, he was so careless that he left a robe that his Master had given him and hadn't even realized it until now. How could he be so irresponsible?

"Hey, don't be sorry. The things I give to you are yours to dispose of in any way you see fit. it's up to you how you use them and to whom you give them, so long as you act in a responsible manner."

"You are not angry?"

Ethan looked at his Master's eyes, and could only feel patience and warmth coming from him. It was truly mystifying how he could transmit such emotions no matter what form he took.

"I am not. If anything, I'm having fun; there's no need for you to feel bad about it, really. Besides, there are many worlds where it's customary for the women to keep a piece of the clothes of their partners after a night together, especially coats, so your robe qualifies, this could be one of those worlds, for all we know."

Ethan groaned and leaned back on the crystal platform as he heard his Master laughing again. This teasing was probably going to last some time.

Ethan let out a long sigh and tried to steer the conversation to another subject.

“What I didn’t expect was learning that dance nor getting involved with them like that. What was that, anyway?”

From Ethan’s shoulder, the hummingbird-sized Phoenix answered.

“You are quite sensitive to the energies of the Cosmos, and that allowed you to notice the Intent of the Dance of Four Forms, in return, the Sword Dancers also felt the interaction, which is why they noticed you and took interest in you.”

“So what now? Am I a Sword Dancer now?”

“Not at all.”

Navin’s laughter was mild and comforting, like a soft melody.

“You learned the moves and felt the Intent, you glimpsed at the ideal condition of that dance, but that does not mean you know it, much less that you master it.”

The bird leaped from Ethan’s shoulder and transfigured into a young man in his early twenties, wearing clothes from Ethan’s world. His Master sat cross-legged with his back straight, in contrast with the more relaxed posture of Ethan, who had his right leg stretched over his bent left leg while both arms were stretched behind him to support the weight of his upper body.

“To actually learn a martial art, you require a lot more than just the moves. This is true especially for mystic arts that require chants, a certain state of mind and the usage of Qi or Aura. You don’t know the way their Qi moves in their channels and you have not cultivated their Aura techniques required to turn that dance into an actual killing move, and make no mistake, that’s an art for killing.”

They were sitting side by side, with the wind softly blowing at them as they moved over the clouds. Ethan silently listened as his Master explained.

“The same applies to you. Our own cultivation art requires a specific breathing method, manipulation of Qi and channeling it to certain Meridians within the body and coordinating that with a movement to properly execute a technique. Simply imitating the way that you move would be useless for anyone trying. Especially for higher level techniques, since those drop the external movements and rely on other things, like internal configuration of Qi and forming arrays within yourself.”

Ethan let out a long breath and laid on the crystal platform completely, staring at the moons and stars on the night sky above.

“You are right, Master. Sorry, for a moment I was excited, thinking I could just learn any technique I saw.”

Ethan had mixed feelings about it. It had been strange, but he had liked the prospect of being someone capable of learning anything at once, he was strangely relieved but also a bit disappointed.

“Hmm, you can.”

His Master mused and then a big grin crossed his face.

Ethan straightened up at that.

“What?”

“I said that you can do that. It’s not so easy and you still lack both experience and power for that, but you can do it, you have a body that has all Qi Channels opened and a Supreme Core forged of Primordial Chaos, so yeah, you can learn any technique and cultivate any kind of energy in the Cosmos. I actually encourage you to try and learn as many different things as you can, but you have to be patient and consolidate your foundations first; rushing at things won’t get you anywhere.”

Ethan’s eyes were sparkling, which made his Master laugh again.

“You look like a kitten that was promised a collection of multicolored balls of yarn. Or a ten-year-old who’s been gifted a new toy.”

“Hey, come on, Master. How could I not be excited at this? Imagine the possibilities!”

His Master raised his head and the smile on his face changed a bit, it was now a little fiercer as he looked into the distance, staring at the dark beyond the stars.

“Yeah.”

The Slayer of Gods spoke with a glitter in his eyes.

“Imagine the possibilities.”