Dull impacts sounded out from one of Centralis’ hidden training rooms. Sidrick’s punching bag would have already burst if not reinforced with enchantments. It had been a while since he’d hit something just for the sake of it. Stealth and ranged spells had been best for both Yenoriha and the labyrinth.

Unfortunately, Pomark wasn’t a hand-to-hand fighter. A deficiency he said he was working on, as guests often wanted training partners.

Sidrick drew in a breath, letting mana flood his veins and gather at his fist. It glowed a faint blue as he struck.

BANG!

The punching bag was blown back, swinging up to a 90 degree angle as its enchantments flickered. Sidrick caught it on its way back down and wiped the sweat from his brow.

His muscles prickled as the mana receded from his veins. Another gift of his enhancements. Though it only started to hurt after he arrived in Linea. He wondered if it was his extensive use of the Anchor or just his awareness of mana currents. A part of him wondered if the magic he’d used all his life was fundamentally wrong. Even the travellers thought it was off. His magic had become something to fix rather than grow.

Sidrick felt one of the scars on his chest. The array’s shape had long faded but the memory was burned into his mind. What had been in the potions? Fae blood was in one, he now knew, but he had taken far more than a single potion.

How much was even left of the body he was born with?

Layla seemingly faced little issue with Linea’s currents. What was so different? Had they changed her less? Maybe he needed to become something entirely inhuman to be useful at all.

“Do you feel better after hitting something?” Jonah asked as she walked over. “I was watching for a bit.”

“I didn’t notice you,” Sidrick said, turning to face her. “Did you need something?”

“Nope. Your sister is still meditating, so I thought I’d check on you,” she said.

“Oh. Thanks,” Sidrick said as he grabbed his shirt from the nearby bench.

“I asked some of our craftsmen if they’d take you on, and most said yes. Even without magic, there’s plenty you can do right now,” Jonah said.

“Thank you, but I’m not interested,” Sidrick said.

“Not even as a hobby?”

“No.”

“Well, what do you want to do?” Jonah asked.

“I thought about travelling,” Sidrick said. “I wanted to learn about this world’s culture and see all the places you talked about. At the very least, I didn’t want to stay in Centralis for very long.”

“Why? Not to your liking?” Jonah asked. “I wouldn’t blame you if it wasn’t. It took time for me to adjust to the lack of fighting, and it looks to me like you’ve done a lot.”

“I actually like it here so far,” Sidrick said. “I just know that I’ll be dragged into House matters if I stay. That’s the last thing I want.”

“I can sympathize. I was royalty in my world. A few years off from becoming a queen, if you can believe it,” Jonah said.

Sidrick chuckled. “I never would have guessed.”

“I only found my calling after Northwatch started training me. No more complex strategies, no more political games, just the next fight and my own strength. I’ve settled a bit since, but you never really know who you are until you start fresh. Why not see what’s out there aside from magic and fighting?”

“Because my life always leads back to them,” Sidrick said, smiling wryly. “One of my teachers always told me that a battlemage never retires, they just wait for the next crisis.”

Jonah crossed her arms. “What did you do before coming here?”

“Nothing pleasant,” Sidrick said.

“I get it. I won’t pry,” Jonah said. "Just know that I’m always available to talk. Just ask.”

She was about to leave when Sidrick spoke up.

“Would you care for a spar?”

Jonah stopped and turned, a smile spreading on her lips. “Always.”

“No magic, if that’s fine,” Sidrick said, smiling slightly. “Do you need to cast reinforcements?”

Jonah shrugged. “Wouldn’t be fair if I used any.”

Sidrick snorted and got into a stance.

“Ohh, looks like the oni’s style,” Jonah remarked, moving closer before getting into her own stance.

Sidrick watched her closely as he settled into his training. She began with a low kick. Sidrick avoided it and replied with a punch. A dull bang whipped the training room as Jonah blocked. She grinned and threw her own punch towards his gut. Sidrick caught her strike, his arm creaking under the strain.

They exchanged blow after blow, lost in a dance of cannonfire strikes.

Sidrick slipped an inch away from one of Jonah’s strikes, replying with a solid blow to her side. He barely dodged Jonah’s following elbow. His technique barely edged over her’s. Any difference, however, was closed by the sheer relentlessness of her attacks. It was like she drew on a bottomless well of stamina.

For every two strikes dodged, Sidrick blocked one. His very bones ached and his muscles were thoroughly battered. Jonah hadn’t managed to land a solid hit yet but none of Sidrick’s strikes managed to slow her down. She was a few reinforcing spells away from being a force of nature.

Jonah spit some blood onto the floor before she grinned and closed in once more. A fist sailed toward Sidrick’s face.

He changed stance and stepped in at the last moment, latching onto Jonah’s arm and throwing her. She hit the ground with a loud thud before starting to jump back up.

Midway through, Sidrick’s fist smashed into her face with a crack. Jonah didn’t even flinch as she grabbed Sidrick’s arm and pulled down. He lost balance and started falling. Jonah’s free fist met the side of his face with a resounding bang.

Sidrick was knocked to the floor nearby, his vision swimming.

“I think…” Jonah said between breaths, “we’re done…”

Sidrick groaned in confirmation.

“You broke… my fucking nose…”

“I think I have a concussion…”

“Good…” Jonah said. “Pomark!”

The elf in question entered the room, having always been right outside. “Shall I call a medic?”

“Yes,” Sidrick answered.

“Vivi,” Jonah said.

“I’m afraid that Miss Yenet is in class. While I do believe she would come, I cannot, in good conscience, draw attention to her.”

“It’s just a class,” Sidrick said as he managed to sit up. “How would that put us in danger?”

“It would not, under normal circumstances. However, Miss Yenet is a known traveller in higher circles. Her sudden exit will raise suspicion. She already took half a day for private matters, and coupled with Hedwin’s absence from—“

“Just get Renya,” Jonah interrupted.

Pomark raised a brow.

“It’s fine. She probably would have met Sidrick anyway.”

“I will request her,” Pomark said. Though he was clearly uncomfortable.

“Who am I meeting?” Sidrick asked. “Another traveller?”

“No,” Jonah said as she got up. “My fiancee.”

#

Pomark had the mind to clean up Sidrick’s vomit before Renya arrived. The concussion still left him barely conscious, however.

Blue mist flooded the room, quickly restoring his faculties. He found the healer a moment later. She was a short, pale woman with freckles and red hair. He would have called her outfit formal if it wasn’t such a disaster of color. Yet, frustratingly, the downright offensive combination was somehow fashionable.

Renya floated through the room on a silver staff, one large blue gemstone hovering at its head. A golden ring lazily circled it. Whoever made the staff clearly had far more taste than its wielder.

She looked at Jonah and laughed. “How did you break your nose? Did you slap yourself?”

“Nah, he shattered it fair and square,” Jonah said, gesturing toward Sidrick.

Renya looked at him with wide eyes, the gears visibly turning in her head.

Sidrick bowed his head slightly. “Sidrick Caelum. I am grateful for your assistance.”

“Renya, no family name,” she said. “Just in case, you don’t owe me or anything. If Jonah had remembered to put potions in her storage ring, I wouldn’t have needed to come.”

Jonah made a face. “Snitch.”

“I’ve been reminding you for days.” Renya rolled her eyes and looked to Sidrick. “She thinks she’s invincible,” she said mockingly. “Yet here I am. She gets hurt every day, I swear. It’s ridiculous. I think she just wants attention.”

Sidrick smiled. “My sister would always come back from an expedition, find me as soon as she could, and set me down for the epic story behind her new scar.”

Renya hovered a little closer. “Are they best friends yet?”

“No, but soon.”

“We just get along…” Jonah weakly muttered.

“So… are you a traveller?” Renya asked Sidrick.

“I am.”

“I knew it! Is that why your body is so weird? Unique magic?”

“…No.”

“Well it’s really neat. You’re kind of… half human? A little less maybe?” Renya said with a wide grin. “That’s so interesting!”

Well, at least someone was happy about it.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, but I’d like to go take a bath,” Sidrick said, forcing a smile. “Maybe Jonah can introduce you to my sister.”

“Okay! Hey, if you don’t mind, can I run a few tests on you? I’ve never seen someone this enhanced still sane,” Renya said, hovering uncomfortably close.

“Renya,” Jonah said, her tone heavy.

Renya glanced back, blinking a few times before she quickly looked back to Sidrick. and backed off. “I’m sorry. I get so little research done, I just… lost myself for a second. I hope I didn’t offend.”

“It’s fine. But with all due respect, I can’t let you study my enhancements,” Sidrick said.

“Ahh… I understand. Magical secrets suck.”

Well, it wasn’t much of a secret on Yenoriha, but that was the problem. It wasn’t exactly an ethical field of magic.

The legacy of his world was best left buried.

“I might have some other work if you’re interested,” Renya said.

“I must object to any more outside elements,” Pomark said, finally joining the conversation.

“Okay, after you’re free to go.” Renya smiled. “Want to be a combat instructor?”

Sidrick made a face. “What?”

#

Sidrick wandered through the woods, his vision long having failed. He couldn’t feel his skin, only the dense fur of mold covering it. If he could just get to Layla, all would be well. She was probably searching for him, his bag of potions and cures by her side. Any minute now, she would appear and they could finally leave this layer.

He suddenly fell, his leg having collapsed again. It was happening more and more.

Sidrick felt around the forest floor and found his leg. Holding it over his stump, he felt the nerves pull back into place as mold patched the flesh. He would need to save some of the mold for study. Its healing potential was phenomenal.

As he got up, he tried to use magic again.

Nothing.

Well, he had been making his way just fine without it.

After another hour of walking, he finally sensed a new presence. He tried to call for his sister but couldn’t find the breath. He sighed inwardly and started toward the presence. It seemed to notice him too. Finally, Layla had found him. As they neared each other, Sidrick frowned.

That was not Layla. It was missing a certain… flare.

Still, even if it was a stranger, Sidrick would gladly meet them. Maybe they’d have some real food, not just rations.

Something brushed against his fur and added to its mass. Was he near a spore field? He smiled. Letting the mold grow would make his legs sturdier.

The next moment, something smashed into him, passing through his fur and invading his body. Panic flashed through Sidrick’s mind before it went dark.

A moment later, he woke up. He was taller now, the mold’s mass having grown several times over. How strange. Were there that many spores here? Well, it would make walking easier.

What was that though? What hit him? He looked around but found no beast or person. However, he could sense many more presences.

He smiled. Layla would be among them. He was sure of it.