It was finally Banal. The fifth and final day of the week. The day of rest, and tribute to the gods. More importantly to Megan and the other students like her, it was also their only day off from classes. She’d slaved over her essays and studies all week, pushing herself to the limit. She wanted this whole day off, and nothing was going to stop her. She deserved a break.

She was so eager to escape the College that she was out before most of her fellow Proficients were even awake. The few that she did see, stumbling out the door with tired eyes in search of an early breakfast, didn’t even have time to greet her as she rushed past them, tying her gold-trimmed robe into place and hurriedly binding her hair with a silk ribbon. She’d considered wearing nicer, non-study clothing, but the thought had been too awkward to consider. She wasn’t preparing for a date, she’d reminded herself. She was going to meet a friend, and welcome him back to Ahya.

Eric had been back in Ahya for six whole days now, and she hadn’t gotten a single chance to meet him here. Samuel had sent her a message the instant that Eric’s summoning was complete, but by the time she’d arrived, the impatient fool had already rushed off. Probably eager to reforge his old connections, Megan thought with a grin. But now, she knew where she could find him, and she was determined to spend some time with him. She deserved a break after the chaotic Exchange and a week of hard studying, and he needed to learn to enjoy the simple pleasures Milagre had to offer.

Before she even knew it, she was off the road that led to the College and turning onto the Queen’s Road. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, casting its pinkish-grey light over the city. The palace was already sparkling under its attention, the white walls shining, the ultimate beacon of strength and security. But most of the city was still in shadow and would remain so until the sun had another hour or so to finally break free of the mountains. Even the farmers were off the road, still busy with their early work.

She pushed it a bit too hard, however. Not accustomed to physical exercise, she was panting heavily by the time she reached the property that housed Issho-Ni and its members. She took a few minutes to catch her breath, clutching one of the gate’s pillars with one hand, the other rubbing at a stitch in her side. Her eagerness had gotten the best of her. The master keeping watch at the gate glanced at her with a highly amused look on his face.

“Come for some early morning training?” The woman asked. Her golden hair, tied back in a short ponytail, sparkled faintly in the early morning light. “You look like you could use it.”

Megan finally regained enough of her breath to reply, and glared at the woman. “I’m a mage. I’m not here for training, just to visit a friend.”

The woman only shrugged, and shifted her weight to her other foot, turning back to view the citizens passing along the main road. The gesture contained a world of disinterest that only served to annoy Megan further. She pushed it from her mind. There was nothing to be gained by trying to explain herself to the woman. She just had to accept that her moment of weakness had been witnessed, and move on.

Finally regaining her composure, she gave the guard a quick, curt nod, and passed through the dark wooden gate. The dojo was identical to the last time she’d seen it, albeit with less people moving about than before. There was the sound of some sparring, along with the voice of a teacher lecturing students for the first classes of the day. Most of the residents here, being the military body of a God, would of course observe Temple Day, and were likely sleeping in or offering tributes. She wondered briefly if any of them actually left the compound to visit Shigeru’s temple, or simply made their prayers here.

“Look out!” A warning shout shook her out of her thoughts, and she whirled in place, then dove to the side just in time. A white-robed figure had dropped out of the air, landed on the exact spot she’d just been occupying, and bounded away. There was the flash of another being, this one on four legs, chasing closely after him. She could just hear the master’s voice calling in apology. “Sorry about that, miss Richards!”

Open-mouthed and covered in dust, Megan realized that she’d recognized the man. It was Master Ehran, Eric’s personal mentor. What had that beast been that was chasing him? It was nearly as long as she was tall, and its shoulder would easily have passed her waist. She watched as Ehran pounced up to one of the second-story ledges of the main building, laughing as the animal growled in frustration, unable to catch him. Megan could see now that it was a large dog, possibly a wolf. It looked oddly familiar.

Now on the roof, Ehran let out another laugh as he jumped back. Something had leaped out of cover in an attempt to tackle him, but he evaded easily. The shape was another person, who somersaulted mid-air to land back on his feet, and slid along the slanted roof of the building, nearly falling off but catching himself just in time. The wolf let out a bark, and gathered itself, then leaped up once, twice, three times. It landed beside the second person, who gave it a quick pat, clearly saying something to it.

“Eric?” Megan asked faintly. There was no chance that he could have heard her from so far away, but as her mouth opened, he seemed to sense her presence. He turned his whole upper body to gaze in her direction, as did the wolf, and he waved a greeting. Ehran whipped back around and hit him with a low sweeping kick, knocking his feet out from under him. Now he really did topple from the roof, forced to snatch the edge of one of the balconies to save himself.

Megan heard him give an angry comment, and also picked up Ehran’s next laugh. They looked like they were playing a game of tag, a game that Ehran was clearly winning. Eric was forced to release his grip and fall, one balcony at a time, to the ground, where he rolled to absorb the shock of the landing. Ehran was down in a flash, much quicker than he, and tripped him once again. Then he jumped away to avoid the wolf, which jumped from the roof in an attempt to tackle him.

“Not so fast, young pup!” Ehran crowed, ducking as the animal lunged again. “You have to be faster than that!”

As bewildered as Megan was, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the two as they raced around each other. Eric was faster than she could have believed possible. He looked to be about on par with Michael, at least, but he couldn’t even graze Ehran with his hands. He lunged, jumped, and dove, but no matter what move he tried, Ehran seemed to duck, jump, or spin out of the way just in time. There were many others watching as well, fellow members of Issho-Ni, and they seemed highly amused by the activity.

The wolf finally seemed to tire of the exercise, and gave a huge yawn, exposing large canine teeth. It turned its great head to survey Megan, then padded softly over to her. As it drew closer, she could make out the bright blue eyes, as well as the black scar-like patch of fur on its chest. With a shock, she realized that she recognized it as well. But it was so much larger, and with only six days. She couldn’t think how it was possible.

“Hello, Ehran,” she said, nervously reaching out a hand. The wolf bowed its head and moved in closer, allowing her to ruffle the fur behind its ears, just the way it’d liked on Earth. “You’ve certainly grown up fast.”

“That’s not his name,” Eric said. Megan jumped, as his voice had come from behind her. When had he gotten over there? “It doesn’t seem right to name him after my master.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Megan said, turning from the wolf to study her friend. There was a devious sort of happiness in his eyes that had been missing on Earth. It was as if the best version of himself had finally been set free, and he seemed wholly content. “So what is his name?”

“Err,” Eric said, hesitating. “Right. I should probably think of one.”

Megan stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. It was so like the Eric she knew, she thought. He’d probably rushed to reconnect with everyone he’d known and had obviously taken great strides in his personal training. He’d made such impressive progress but had forgotten the most basic task of naming his dog. She tried to contain her laughter, but the slightly shamefaced expression on Eric’s face just set her off again, and she doubled over, roaring with laughter.

“Err,” he said again, rubbing the back of his hand across his sweaty face, “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” She said, forcing herself to speak between laughs. “I’m just not surprised that you forgot to give him a name, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

“Good morning, Megan Breeden.” There was Master Ehran, coming over to the three of them. He also paused briefly to scratch the wolf’s head, and the great beast opened its jaws, clamping them down on Ehran’s forearm. He looked down at the wolf with an amused expression. “You can’t claim credit for catching me after the game is over, little one.”

The wolf seemed to think that through for a moment, then huffed and released the arm. Ehran subtly wiped it clean on the outside of his robe, then offered his clean hand to Megan for a greeting. “I had a feeling you’d be stopping by today. It is Banal, after all.”

“Yep,” she said brightly, managing to get her laughter under control at last. “Good morning, Master Ehran.”

“Oh please,” the master said, waving a hand diffidently. “After the comfort you gave me, you can just call me Ehran.”

“Fair enough,” she agreed, smiling at him. “Thanks for all you taught us. It’s thanks to you that we won the group combat event.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, nodding slowly. “I heard about the surprise appearance of Lana Beran. What did you think of her?”

“She seems a bit too bloodthirsty for my taste,” Megan admitted. “In short, she terrified me.”

“That’s a logical reaction,” Ehran assured her. “I actually faced her in the war. She is considerably skilled.”

“Did you defeat her?” Megan asked.

“I did not. She was fighting beside her father, and I didn’t have enough time to crack that tough defense of hers before Attos was before me. He was easily the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced. If it weren’t for my father and his party, I may have fallen that day.”

Megan wasn’t surprised to hear that Ehran had taken part in the war, but Eric seemed taken aback. “You never told me you fought against Attos!”

“There is a great deal I haven’t told you,” Ehran said with a grin. “We’ve only known each other two months, you know.”

“Oh,” Eric said, his face falling slightly. “Right. No wonder you were so quick to react to Anya.”

A shadow of anger seemed to ripple across Ehran’s face at the mention of his wayward elder sister, but the expression was gone before either of the apprentices could be sure they’d spotted it. He smiled widely at the two of them, seemingly unaffected by Anya’s name being mentioned. “I think we’ll call the lesson there, Eric. You should go get changed. We’ll be visiting the temple in fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, Ehran,” Eric said at once. He glanced at Megan. “Just give me a little bit. I have to go to temple, but then we can hang out.”

Megan, who had been watching the wolf as it sniffed the air, looked up hurriedly. “Okay. Can I join you on your visit to the temple?”

She’d directed the question at both of them, but it was Ehran who replied. “Certainly. You might even find it quite interesting.”

“How so?” She asked, noticing that Eric had already hurried off to the main building. She wondered if he was staying there now that he no longer had his noble estate. Perhaps he had a room at the Heron Tavern across the street.

“The last temple day of each month is an interesting affair,” Ehran said crypically. “It is when the followers of Shigeru are recognized for their courage, honor, skill, and devotion.”

“But aren’t you all fighters of some type or another?” She asked. “That sounds like a tournament.”

“You’re not far off,” Ehran said with a laugh. “Just wait and see.”

Megan supposed she had no choice but to do as he suggested. She was curious though, so she merely shrugged, content to wait for the answer.