Having regained some of his energy, Nevan walked around Nirvana guided by Rano. Tora had gone back into the entrance of Nirvana; apparently, it was his and Rano’s shift. “You should see the Bhante first,” Rano said as they walked past a stream of colorful cottages with a myriad of flowers and plants that brimmed above the window sills. Hundreds of people strolled and went about their business, greeting Nevan, the newcomer, with pleasant smiles and wishes. Scanning his environment and the passersby, he noticed that everyone carried weapons on their body, despite the gleeful atmosphere. He saw knives, swords, glaives, and many other different types of weaponry. Although Nevan did not sense any hostility, the strange town unsettled him.

“Who’s the Bhante?” Nevan asked.

“He’s our leader of sorts, and he’ll decide what to do with you.”

“I have no intention of staying,” Nevan stated as a matter of fact and stopped in his tracks.

Rano shook his head and shrugged. “You are free to leave any time you want, but still, we helped you. The least you could do is show some courtesy and meet him.”

Not wanting to be rude to the people that had saved him, Nevan agreed. “Alright.”

They walked through the bustling street until they came across a large, decorated wooden cabin. A lush garden surrounded it, filled with colorful flowers and fishes dancing inside the large pond at the center. They come across farms with various animals and children playing on their way. The place was odd, as if a sanctuary in the middle of nowhere.

They walked on the stone path that led to the cabin's entrance. People were attending to the garden, sweeping the terrace floor, and greeted Rano with smiles. Rano knocked on the wooden panel of the paper door, “We found a newcomer,” he said.

“Send him in,” a woman’s voice replied not long after.

Rano slid open the door and gestured for Nevan to enter. However, Rano quickly stopped him before he could lay a foot inside. “Wait,” Rano winced. “Please leave your footwear out here.”

Nevan followed Rano’s request and took off his boots. “And I know you just have gone through a hard time, but could you please try not to be rude.” Rano requested.

Nevan did not respond, and Rano just ushered him in, closing the door behind Nevan. The cabin was much larger inside than it looked from the outside. A man was sitting on the floor, at the center of the large hall, strumming an instrument on his lap. The tune was soft and was melancholic as it was jubilant.

The man was so submerged in his music that he did not notice Nevan’s presence until Nevan asked him, “Are you the Bhante?”

The man looked up in surprise, but the tune did not falter. “Oh, a newcomer!” he exclaimed. “My name is Bhiksu. Welcome to Nirvana.” Bhiksu smiled at Nevan, and his fingers still moved with precision, although his attention was elsewhere.

“Greetings, Bhiksu. I’m Nevan. I love your music.”

“Thank you, young Nevan,” Bhiksu replied. “You’re looking for the Bhante, I assume?”

“Yes, I am. Could you show me where he is?”

“Follow the hallway to my right; he should already be waiting, “ Bhiksu smiled.

“Thank you,” Nevan said and made his way into the hallway.

The euphonic tune echoed in the modest wooden hallway. It strangely calmed Nevan. He could not understand how the cabin looked much smaller from the outside. He emerged into an even larger anteroom. An old man with a long white beard was hammering down rice inside a large barrel, while a black-haired woman occasionally threw spices and water into the barrel. The old man stopped when he noticed Nevan and handed the wooden hammer to the woman. The woman replaced the old man and started hammering the rice.

“Hello there, come sit.” The old man gestured for Nevan to sit on the carpet, and he handed Nevan a cup of tea and sat across.

“What’s your name, young man?” he asked.

“Nevan,” Nevan answered. “Are you the Bhante?”

The old man laughed and smiled, “Yes, yes I am. Bhante is just a title, however. My name is Shobikh.”

The pounding of rice paste accompanied the tune that Bhiksu played, creating a rhythm.

“I was told to see you,” Nevan said, taking a sip of his tea. There was nothing special about it.

“And I’m glad you did. So tell me, Nevan, what happened?” the Bhante asked.

Nevan did not want to reveal too much about himself, he did not know what the Bhante’s intentions were, and he was in an unknown place.

“Rano and Tora found me in the forest outside. They helped me and brought me here.”

Nevan noticed the woman frowned at his answer, but she kept silent and continued pounding the rice. The Bhante just smiled at Nevan’s answer.

“I see,” the Bhante said calmly. “What are your plans?”

Nevan answered carefully, “I’m heading for Sutra to enlist as a squire for the knights of Ronan.”

“I see. May I know why you wish to join them?” the Bhante asked.

Nevan did not sense any animosity from the Bhante, but he feared that they would be inclined to stop a boy from seeking a path of revenge. He declined respectfully, “I apologize, but I do not want to answer that question.”

The Bhante just nodded and smiled. “And we won’t force you.”

They sat in silence for a short while, listening to the rhythm.

“If that is all, may I leave?” Nevan asked.

“Of course, you are free to leave at any moment,” the Bhante nodded. “But I do urge you to stay for a while and recuperate until you're fit to continue.”

Nevan knew it was true. He was ragged and had not had a proper sleep in a few days. “Thank you,” Nevan bowed his head slightly.

“Ayu here will guide you,” the Bhiksu gestured to the young woman who was still pounding on the rice. “Wait with Bhiksu while I speak to her.”

Nevan nodded, “I shall take my leave then,” he stood up and left to sit with Bhiksu in the other room.

Ayu had been listening in the conversation as she pounded the rice. She had frowned when the boy, Nevan, had refused to talk of what had happened to him. It was not his refusal that had upset her but his distrust towards them. They had not done anything to warrant it. However, she understood, most people were the same when they arrived here. She stopped hammering the rice when the boy left.

“You did not give him your wisdom?” Ayu asked her teacher. Shobikh would always share his teachings with people who had come, but she noticed he gave Nevan none.

“You have been learning from me for eight years now, “ Shobikh said. “I think it is about time I shift another responsibility of mine to you. So I’ll place him under your care.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for such a task,” Ayu replied.

Her teacher giggled, “I guess we’ll find out.”

After speaking to the teacher, Ayu made her way to the entrance room. There she found Nevan, sitting in front of Bhiksu with his eyes closed, absorbed by the instrument that Bhiksu played. She called the boy, and together they exited her teacher’s residence. “There’s an empty shack that you can use as long as you stay here.”

“What is this place?” Nevan asked as he looked around the town.

Ayu looked to the darkening sky, “It’s getting late, and you should get some rest. I’ll fetch you at dawn, and you’ll receive your first lesson.”

“I’m not planning on staying long,” Nevan said.

Ayu kept walking, not looking back at the boy, “You are free to leave whenever you wish; Nirvana is not a prison. However, you may find what we have to offer useful for whatever your future endeavors are. And as long as you are here, you are under my care.” She said sternly. “So get some rest, and you will receive your answers tomorrow.

Too tired to argue, Nevan resigned. Ayu led Nevan to the unoccupied shack and left him there for the night. They had picked up dinner from one of the kitchens they passed on their way. She returned to her home, not far away, wondering how to approach her first student.

The next day, at the earliest light, she made her way to Nevan’s cabin only to find him already awake and waiting outside. “I see you’re an early riser,” she said to Nevan.

“I can’t sleep well these days,” Nevan replied.

She nodded at his comment. “As long as you are here, you will need to work. I’ve assigned you to work in the fields.”

Nevan gave her a questioning look, “You said you’d give me answers today, and instead, you are using me for labor?”

She sighed inwardly, “I’ll find you after lunchtime, don’t be late for your first lesson.” The boy was stubborn and protested, threatening to leave Nirvana, and she reminded him again that he was free to leave any moment he wished to. Having found no leverage, the boy eventually reluctantly accepted her orders.

Nevan worked at the farmlands, mixing fertilizers with the soil so the other farmers could plant the seeds. He worked with his shovel until his muscles ached, and more so after. Finally, when the other farmers had told him it was time for lunch, Nevan was ready to pass out. He joined with the other farmers and headed to a nearby dining hall. He met Rano at the dining hall, who worked at the stables near the farm. The food was surprisingly luscious; there were rice cakes, stewed beef, vegetables, and many more. Nevan allowed himself to relish the delicious cooking.

He found Ayu waiting outside the dining hall once he had finished. She was sweaty and seemed to have exerted as much energy as he just had from the stains all over her robes. “How was the meal?” she asked.

“Delicious,” Nevan had to admit.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the food. We have lots of cooks from different cultures and lands.” She smiled.

Nevan gave a small smile in return. “Will you tell me what this place is now?”

Ayu bent down, sniffed at Nevan’s direction, and immediately recoiled. She smelled herself and reeled even harder. “We should get ourselves cleaned up first.” She said. “Meet me back here in half an hour.”

Nevan gave her a disapproving grunt, “I have waited this long; what’s another half hour, am I right?”

“I like that attitude,” Ayu gave him a thumbs up.

Nevan shook his head and began to leave, only to have Ayu call after him, “If you don’t have a change of clothes, go pick up some at the boutique.”

Nevan turned to find her beaming at him, and he gave her a sarcastic thumbs-up before continuing on his way.

Half an hour later, she was back at their meeting point and was not long after met by Nevan. “Much better,” she exclaimed.

She led them to one of the nearby gardens, where they sit on the side of a pond. “May I now know what this place is?” Nevan asked.

Ayu’s face grew serious, “I want you to go and ask as many people about their past, you will find your answer and perhaps something more.”

Nevan gave her a skeptical look, but her expression left no leeway for argument. “All right,” he said.

“Meet me back here when you are satisfied, “ she told him.

Nevan first met up with a nearby older woman carrying a basket filled with firewood. He greeted the woman, and she smiled at him, setting the basket down. He made his intentions clear, and he just wanted to know her past.

The woman smiled sadly before answering. “I was once a renowned general and knight in the kingdom of Enam. I disagreed with how the king ruled and openly expressed my animosity toward his methods. My men and I received an order to make our way to the front lines, only to be ambushed on the way. I was the only survivor and later found out that the king orchestrated our death. I was tearing through the king’s palace in my rage and entered the throne room, ready to gut him only to find myself here.” She opened and closed her palms into fists.

“Why didn’t you leave?” Nevan asked.

“I wanted to at first. But I soon realized that I had killed innocents that were only doing their jobs on my path of revenge. Those who did not fully understand the cruelty of the king. I decided to stay here and enjoy the rest of my days in this simple way of life.” She said.

“What if that king was here right now? What would you do?” Nevan questioned.

The woman frowned in anger, and her face grew red. “I would happily rip his smile off his ugly face and slice my blade across his neck. He would receive the worst-”

Before she could continue, a toddler ran up and pulled on her robe, “Grandma Laura, could you help us grab the ball? Kaka kicked too hard, and it got stuck on a tree.”

As soon as the woman heard the child’s voice, her face turned into a genuine smile. She looked down at the child clinging to her robe, “Of course, darling. Just give grandma a moment.” Laura looked back at Nevan. “I have made a life here, and I am content. Although I would happily end that man were he to be here, I wouldn’t waste any effort finding him. I hope I have answered your question; may it lead you to peace.” She said before turning to be led by her granddaughter.

“Thank you,” Nevan said to her back.

Nevan looked at the horizon, seeing hundreds of people moving around the town, wondering what wisdom he would find among the crowds.

A few hours later, as the sun began to set, Ayu saw Nevan heading back to the garden she had been waiting in. She waited for him to sit down before asking him. “Tell me what you found?”

Nevan’s expression was a blend of determination and hesitation. “Everyone here has lost something that led them to seek vengeance. A man told me he was defrauded by the bank and lost everything he owned. A widow lost her only son, a soldier, in a battle, and she blamed the king for instigating the war. Not everyone here can accomplish their revenge, but all of them were willing to die trying.”

Ayu nodded, inwardly satisfied that Nevan had learned the wisdom that her teacher always gave. Everyone has lost something. You can travel as far as you want and talk to as many as you can. You will not find anyone who has not experienced loss and grief. Your loss is not special.

“So is it only people with the desire of revenge that end up in this place?” Nevan asked.

“Yes,” Ayu answered. “You asked me what this place is, and the truth is nobody knows, not even the Bhante. We don’t know who made this place and for what purpose we are gathered here. What we all have in common is that we believed another had wronged us, and we were willing to sacrifice everything for retribution.”

“That’s not good enough,” hissed Nevan. “The burning rage inside me cannot be extinguished until I’ve achieved justice.”

Ayu looked at him disappointedly. “Whatever happened to you is not special nor unique, Nevan. As you’ve discovered yourself, everyone has lost something or someone, and your situation is no different.”

“You’re wrong,” Nevan retorted. “The difference is that my thirst will not be quenched so easily.” He paused for a second before asking a question, “Tell me, what was your past?”

Ayu looked straight at the boy’s eyes. The boy who had grown far quicker than his age. The boy with the desire for revenge that dwarfed many. “I lost my husband and unborn child when a foreign army raided my village.” Ayu seethed, her eyes unflinching.

“Don’t you want revenge?” Nevan nefariously asked. “Don’t you want to take the lives of those who were responsible?”

“Every single moment that I breathe,” Ayu viciously replied. Before asking her student, she took a breath to calm her swelling anger. “Tell me, Nevan. What is it do you want?”

Nevan’s eyes filled with unwavering determination as he answered, “I want to be strong. Strong enough that I will never doubt that I am on the wrong path.”

Ayu lifted her chin to her first student. “Then you shall be. Here in Nirvana, we can teach you to be strong, strong enough to defeat sorcerers even.”

“That’s exactly what I need!” Nevan immediately replied. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“It will take time, however,” Ayu said, irritated at Nevan for cutting her off.

“How long?”

“Depends,” Ayu shrugged. “If you work harder than anyone here ever had, then maybe a few years. And we do work hard.” She emphasized her last sentence, reminding Nevan that everyone here had a similar drive to him.

Nevan grunted to himself. “I don’t have that time. A month is all I can spare.”

“A month,” Ayu repeated, inwardly cursing Shobikh for giving her the task of teaching Nevan. “You want to learn centuries worth of knowledge in a month?”

“I don’t need everything. I only need to be able to beat sorcerers.” Nevan clenched his fists.

Ayu eyed the boy for a moment. Whoever he wanted to kill was a sorcerer. Many of those wronged by one always wanted to learn that first as soon as they found out what Nirvana offered. “Fine,” she finally said. “Tell me what you know about tenaga.”

“It is present everywhere, although in different quantities. However, to transmute it into power, one needs a core.” Nevan answered.

“And how does one get a core?” Ayu asked, seeking to test the boy’s knowledge.

Nevan looked at Ayu as if the answer was obvious, “You need to be born with one.” He hesitated. “There have been rumors of core transplanting, but there has not been any proof of success.”

Ayu nodded, “You are correct, although the transplanting is new to me. Tell me, what can one do with tenaga?”

“All I know is that it can be transmuted into power, but I’m not too familiar with it,” Nevan said. Any citizens of Ronan, who tested positive for a core, were invited to study to be a sorcerer. Not having a core himself, Nevan had never had a reason to look further.

“I’ll tell you the basics,” Ayu said. “It can be broken down to four fundamental pillars of sorcery depending on the sorcerer’s core. Those who take tenaga into their bodies, making them stronger and faster, are called augmenters. Visioners are those that absorb tenaga into their minds. They are primarily used as interrogators, able to differentiate truth from lies. Elementalists abilities are what it sounds like; they can control the elements. Last but not least, healers, those with mending abilities.” She gave Nevan a moment to process the information.

Nevan already knew about this. However, he stayed quiet. Ayu probably thought he was a lowborn, and therefore was not familiar with the subject.

“However, any powerful sorcerer can use their abilities to different extents, some deadly. A master healer can heal a person to the point where it harms their target.” Ayu continued. “Have you heard of the conjuring war?”

“I learned that in school,” Nevan nodded. “Around two centuries ago, the four pillars of sorcery waged war for power.”

“Correct,” Ayu agreed. “However, nowadays sorcerers are no longer divided based on their pillar, but between countries. Do you know why the war ended?”

“The casualties on all sides were numerous, and eventually the sorcerers turned on their leaders.” Nevan cited what he had learned from his teachers.

“That is true, but it is incomplete. The truth is the fifth pillar stepped in.”

“The fifth pillar?” Nevan had recalled the four pillars of sorcery when Ayu informed him, but he was sure he had never heard of a fifth. He received education for highborns, so he would assume that he would have learned about the fifth pillar if it was commonly known.

“Yes, the fifth pillar. It is one of the best-kept secrets among sorcerers, and it is safe to assume only those very high up in the standings of sorcery or royalty would know of us.”

“Us?”

“Us,” she repeated. “Those chosen by Nirvana belong to the fifth pillar.”

“But I do not have any core? I am not able to transmute tenaga.”

“None of us have any core. But the moment you enter Nirvana, you were granted the ability to transmute tenaga through your veins.” Ayu shook her head to answer the question Nevan wanted to ask. “We do not know why nor how. And we also cannot explain those that belong to the fifth pillar but had never entered Nirvana. Our knowledge of this event is quite limited.”

“So everyone here is part of the fifth pillar?” Nevan looked at his palms and around at the people moving about.

“No. We have sorcerers of all pillars in Nirvana. Those chosen would often bring their families and loved ones along.”

“I see,” Nevan thought for a while. “So how powerful are we that we could end such a great war?”

Ayu smirked at his question. “That’s what is interesting. We are the weakest.”

Nevan gave a slight frown at Ayu’s statement.

“But,” Ayu continued and held up a finger. “We are the only ones that can shift the balance. We have abilities that can counter the other pillars.”

“That still does not explain how the fifth pillar managed to end the war, given we are the weakest,” Nevan stated.

“You can find more information about that in the library. It can be summed up that we pose a threat to them that they are willing to turn on themselves.” The smirk Ayu had shifted to a grin.

Nevan leaned in closer, properly intrigued, “What are these abilities?”

“You will learn all in time, should you choose to stay. But here is your first lesson. How to lie to a visioner.”

Ayu waited for Nevan the next day after lunch at the same spot. Today she would train him in the art of combat. She waited for him patiently. She smiled a little when she saw his mouth gaped open at the rack of weapons she had brought with her. “Today, you will begin your combat training. Feel free to choose a weapon first!” she gleefully said, enjoying his shock. She had planned it as a surprise for him and had succeeded in catching him unprepared.

Nevan grunted, his sore muscles moving sluggishly. He had just washed and knew he would have to do it again in the middle of the cold night. He chose a sword from the rack, a familiar weapon.

“Good choice,” Ayu said. “Now, choose one for me.”

Nevan thought for a few moments and chose a staff. A weapon he thought would be the least likely to cut him.

Seemingly to read his mind, Ayu spoke as she took a combat stance, “I’ll try not to cut you.” The staff was not her weapon of choice, but she had mastered it like the rest. She eyed Nevan as he took a combat stance. He held a defensive posture, the sword held on his right arm and the blade resting on his left forearm to point downwards. “Begin!”

Ayu held both hands on the staff and swung the bottom up, aiming for his chin. Nevan managed to block it with his blade, pushing the bottom of the staff downwards. She used the momentum to swing the top of the staff downwards. He tried to lift his sword, but a boot sent his arm back down. Nevan felt the impact of the wooden staff on his head, and he fell. Ayu had been holding back, trying not to hurt him too much. “Get up!” she barked.

Later on, after getting knocked down one too many times, Nevan signaled to pause. “Can we switch weapons?” he asked as he rubbed the places he was struck.

Ayu smiled and dismissed her combat stance. “Of course,” she stretched an arm towards the weapons rack. The results were the same no matter what weapons he chose, and his whole body would be covered in bruises the next day. He had tried to get her to switch weapons, attempting to be clever. Only to be severely disappointed when he still got knocked into the ground by a weaponless Ayu.

Ayu had stopped their training when the sun entirely disappeared behind the clouds. Nevan was covered in sweat, grass, cuts, and blood. “Hold on a second,” she said. She left to fetch a blindfolded visioner to the garden. “I will ask you questions, and you will answer,” Ayu said to Nevan.

Nevan nodded, a bit of excitement to finally test himself whether his preparations would come thru.

“What is your name?”

“Tubba Lezkiko.” A name he had repeated to himself before he slept and while he worked in the fields.

“What did you learn today?”

“How to milk a cow.” He thought of Rano when he explained to Nevan the proper way to milk a cow during lunch.

“How did you reach Nirvana?”

“Rano and Tora found me crawling in the forest, thirsty and hungry,” Nevan answered truthfully this time.

“Sondang?” Ayu asked the visioner.

“The first two were lies, but the last was a truth.” The visioner said.

“Dammit,” Nevan cursed.

Ayu thanked the visioner and led them back to where she fetched them from, making sure Nevan would not be seen. She returned to Nevan not long after. “Fail,” she said.

“I know,” Nevan complained. “I’ve repeated it to myself, again and again, all night and all day. What am I missing?”

Ayu felt terrible for the boy, who currently looked utterly dejected. His wounds did not help her consciousness either. She bent down so they would meet eye to eye. “Listen. You can’t prepare for these things. What if I had asked you a question you haven’t prepared? You need to believe the lie right at the moment you answer. We’ll try again tomorrow, all right.” She patted the boy on the shoulders.

“All right,” Nevan answered softly, but his mind was elsewhere thinking of a new strategy.

Ayu sent Nevan off to nurse his wounds and get some rest. He had asked her if he could borrow the practice sword, and she allowed it under the condition that he would not sacrifice his sleep to train. He accepted the sword but quickly said he could not fulfill that condition. Surprised by the audacity of his statement, she was not able to stop him from running off. She sighed at the sight of the boy running away. “See you tomorrow, I guess.”

Another smack on his shin sent Nevan sprawling to the ground. “Fuck!” he shouted. He got back up, ignoring the pain on his whole body. At this rate, he would not be getting anywhere close to beating a knight of Ronan. Ayu was not even transmuting tenaga. He had been in Nirvana for over a week now, and neither his combat training nor his ability to lie had improved. Frustrated by his continuous failures, he lunged with his blade recklessly. Ayu twisted her body sideward, allowing the edge to pass her. She grappled his body and slammed him into the ground. Nevan let go of the blade and wrapped his legs around her waist and his arms around her neck, pulling her down with him. A gasp of air was knocked out of his lungs when the impact happened. A punch from her fist onto his head sent Nevan’s body limp.

“Not good enough,” Ayu said, rising from the ground.

The boy took a moment on the ground, blinking away the stars. “Again.” He groaned.

“No.”

“No?”

“It is obvious your skill with the sword is inadequate. You’ll be here for far longer than you wish, should you choose to stick with it. Select another weapon.”

“I don’t think a weapon I’m not familiar with will be the correct solution.”

“So what is the solution then?”

Unable to answer Ayu’s question, Nevan grunted, “all right.” He scoured the weapon rack, choosing a spear for its range and simplicity.

“Begin,” Ayu said.

------

A fist cracked at Nevan’s belly, sending his lunch vomiting into the ground for the third time. The spear was not a weapon he enjoyed.

“Are you sure you want to continue with the spear?” Ayu asked.

Nevan shooked his head. After wiping his mouth, he made his way back to the rack and chose a pair of claws next.

“Begin.”

After a few hours, switching between numerous weapons and getting more familiar with the texture of the grassy soil than he would like, the boy finally asked. “What weapon should I use?”

“You finally asked,” Ayu said, satisfied with his query. She chose a pair of war hammers from the rack and tossed it to her student. The shaft of the hammers was around the length of her forearms, and the small head had two ends; one flat and the other spiked.

“War hammers?” the boy asked, swinging the weapon around. It was not a weapon he saw often used by duelists or people in his class. Most highborns refused to carry one, avoiding the stigma of the armaments of a brute.

“They are easy to learn and can kill an armored fighter. Simple and yet deadly.” Ayu smiled devilishly at Nevan. “Begin.”

Nevan swung the weapon as she stepped in, still unarmed. The hammers felt right in his hands, every inch deadly. The familiar whiff of the smell of grass brushed his nose when he slammed face-first into the ground. Rather than complaining, he cheered as he pushed himself to sit on the soil. “I cut you!” he pointed to the bleeding wound on her left tricep.

“You did, congratulations,” Ayu said as she wrapped the wound with a gauze she had tucked inside her robe.

“You had gauze all this time?” the boy complained, but a hint of satisfaction from his earlier achievement still ran through him.

“You never asked,” Ayu shrugged, and Nevan rolled his eyes in return. She threw him a roll of gauze, “Wait here while I fetch Sondang.”

Ayu returned not long after with the visioner, blindfolded as always. “Ready?” she asked. The visioner and Nevan nodded.

“What is your name?”

“Bennet Sukar.”

“What weapon are you a master of?”

“Crossbow.”

“What is your purpose?”

“To live my days as a farmer.”

“Sondang?” Ayu asked the visioner.

“All lies,” the visioner said calmly.

She thanked the visioner and led them away.

She returned to find Nevan sat on the ground, lost in his thoughts. “What am I doing wrong?” he asked.

“Transmute tenaga, feel it run through your body and mind. Believe your lie, and the tenaga will do its work.”

He closed his eyes, feeling the tenaga diffusing into his pores and running through his body; up to his mind. He breathed, trying to feel it working.

Ayu spoke softly, “Take this as your first lesson in transmuting tenaga.” She left her student to meditate, the war hammers still placed beside him.

Nevan thought about his teacher’s words. ‘You have to believe your own lie.” He could feel the tenaga flowing like a stream, but he needed to find a way to truly believe in his own lie.

The next day Ayu brought a guest to their daily lessons. “This is Larsen, and he is a healer. He’ll be helping us on our training today.”

She noticed that Nevan was acting different, angrier than usual, and sometimes twitching unconsciously.

“Caro Khan,” her student introduced himself.

She gave Nevan a questioning look, but he just stared back at her, daring her to argue.

“Nice to meet you,” Larsen said, and Nevan nodded. “A student finally becomes the master,” the healer spoke to Ayu this time.

Ayu did not reply to the visioner and instead stood across her student in a combat stance, taking a sword from the weapon’s rack. “Begin.”

Nevan ran forward, swinging his hammer more erratically, not the calculated precision he usually had. Ayu stabbed her blade through his left shoulder blade, but he pushed on, turning at her sword arm. She released her sword, still embedded on his shoulder, to avoid getting hit. She struck a hard blow on his head using her elbow, sending him into the grass. He pushed himself upwards, continuing the fight, blood flooding out of the wound. She sent him to the soil again. “Pathetic,” she said, disappointed with the display he was currently showing.

The boy growled and got up again, only to be sent back down. After being sent down numerous times without seeing any improvements, she stopped their training. “Enough!” she retorted, disarming her student easily. She gripped his collar and pulled his face close, “How do you defeat an opponent who is stronger than you?” she asked.

“One strike,” he breathed, “One strike is all I need.”

“Incomplete,” Ayu said. “You beat them with overwhelming skill.” She nodded at Larsen, who was watching their bout with surprise. It was more ferocious than any other training of a student he had ever seen. He did not comment on it and got to work instead. He placed both hands on Caro’s back, letting the transmuted tenaga into the boy’s body. He left after healing the boy.

Ayu looked at her student disappointedly but did not say anything. She fetched the visioner and began questioning Nevan.

“What is your name?”

“Caro Khan.”

“Where were you born?”

“Inside a cave, when my mother was running away from raiders.”

“What is your purpose.”

“To kill the gods, for their failure.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What was their failure?”

“They let me suffer.”

Ayu turned to look at the visioner. Who held a confused look for the first time. “I don’t. I don’t understand.”

“What is it?” Ayu asked.

“Usually, it's either a lie or a truth, but this.” They spread their arms. “This I can’t tell.” The visioner was visually distraught.

She thanked the visioner and led them back to where they usually meet. She returned to find Nevan staring at her with unblinking eyes from a distance.

“What is your name?” she asked her student once they were alone.

“Caro Khan.”

“It’s no longer a test. What is your name?” she grew worried.

Her student closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “Nevan Prima,” the glistening eyes of her student returned to fill the empty ones he had.

“What did you do?” Ayu asked curiously, now a little calmer.

“I did what you instructed. I believe in my own lie.”

“That was different. I have not seen anything like it before. Explain.”

“I made a different identity in my mind. Filled with his own origin and personality. It worked, didn’t it?”

She looked at his innocent expression. “Almost. But you have to understand doing that is dangerous. I have read about it in the library, and the last sorcerer to do that lost her own identity and lived as someone else entirely.” She warned him.

“I won’t stop using it if it works.”

Ayu shooked her head, “I know. But we must take careful steps to make sure you don’t lose yourself.”

“All right.” Her student agreed. “What are we going to do?”

“First,” Ayu held a finger. “Only use it for a short time, preferably right before being questioned by a visioner.” She paused for a second. “Tell me, what do you see when you switch these identities.”

“A room,” Nevan said. It was Nalia’s, full of the amphoras and flowers she always loved, but Nevan did not mention it as much. “Full of wooden chairs. Right now, only Caro sat on one, and whoever walks out of the door takes over.”

“It’s similar to what I’ve read.” Ayu agreed. “The one in the book mentioned that the sorcerer was in a cabin instead. However, her personalities retaliated, preventing her from exiting the door. Be careful, Nevan. I wouldn’t want to see you lost.”

“Thank you.” Nevan only said.

“On the bright side,” Ayu continued. “We no longer have to call on the visioner’s aid as often, and you have learned the basic way to transmute tenaga. Now we will focus more on your combat abilities.”

“Overwhelming skill,” Nevan repeated what she said earlier.

“Correct. We cannot transmute tenaga into our bodies to the extent that augmenters can, but we are able. That’s why we need to out skill them. Typically, a student will learn to master all the weapons. But since you only have a month, we will only focus on the war hammers.”

Nevan sat straighter than before, “I’m ready.”

“Don’t be so hasty. All this time, I have been teaching you the proper stances and what to look out for during a fight. Although those things will be helpful, they will all be thrown out of the window during a real battle. A real battle is messy, bloody and every strike counts. You must fight ferociously, and every strike must either be a crippling or death blow.”

“I only want to kill one person.”

“But you have already accepted that you would have to kill more when choosing this path of vengeance. Haven’t you?” Ayu asked.

“I have.” Unlike what he expected, he received no disapproval from his teacher for this choice. In fact, nobody in Nirvana disapproved of his decision.

“Good. You may not have noticed, but I have increased how hard I hit you every day, and I have also been hitting you in areas where it would hurt more. Thus we can safely assume your pain tolerance has increased. Starting tomorrow, it will be much worse, however, both mentally and physically.”

“I can’t wait,” Nevan replied without a hint of sarcasm.