“Tomorrow morning, we’re going to meet the King of Veritas to further elaborate on how our training will continue, and, hopefully, end.” Mr. Lethe explained to us as we ate dinner in the dining hall. He was dressed in a set of loose-fitting leather clothes with a set of matching leather and steel gauntlets and greaves, leaving his hands uncovered. His expression torn as he examined us, his gaze rolling over us. “There isn’t anything that can be said to alleviate the stress you’ve gained from yesterday’s…incident. So, I won’t say anything.” His eyes fell on me, a mix of pity and concern in his dark brown eyes. His gaze then rolled over to the others who had also fought directly against the woman’s disguised thralls.

Anger and frustration roiled deep in my stomach at his gaze, though I kept my expression flat. I had struggled and fought with everything I had yesterday. Even with everything that happened, I held myself with as much aplomb as I could. I did not want pity. I did not want condolences. Still, it wasn’t an issue, not yet, so I didn’t make a point of it. Though I didn’t know how the others felt.

I pointedly did not look at my hands. Or the red that refused to go away.

“You’ve reached a point where the only experience that can further help you progress as warriors is direct combat,” Kara said as she stood at attention at Emelina’s flank. She, the princess and Valeri having joined us.

“What do you mean?” Baasima spoke up, confused. “It’s only been two months since you’ve started training us. Shouldn’t we have more time?” ‘Especially after yesterday’ went unsaid.

Kara simply smiled, though it was a bittersweet one. “I know. It’s always been the intention to start you here, for direct training from specially-selected knights, then move you to a nearby village to let you spread your wings, so to speak.” Her rolled over us, her smile becoming proud. “Yesterday, as troubling as it may have been, showed us that you are ready. Ready to begin the second stage of your growth as Heroes, those who with the potential to stand against the hordes of the late Demon Lord’s forces.”

Her words, no doubt meant to encourage us, only caused a dark mood to settle upon us. Amongst those who were in the open market during the attack, we shared a silent meeting of the eyes. Luke turned his head and regard Guang, then Nailah as Rudy looked to Baasima, then me. Mitsuki simply stared forward, her lips set into a stern frown.

It was she who broke the silence first. “Who was she?” Her quiet words caused the trio to stiffen, expressions becoming shadowed. It did nothing to discourage Mitsuki, who spoke again, her words gaining a subtle, frustrated, edge. “The woman who made us look like impotent children. Who was she?”

There was a tense silence Kara, and Valeri deferred to Emelina, their twin gazes falling onto the nervous princess. She stared at the table, her finger tapping it incessantly. After what felt like hours, she finally replied. “We have reason to believe that is one of the late Demon Lord’s four Generals, recently awoken from her slumber. The Black Dragon, Jeanne.”

That struck us silent. A subtle horror dawned on us as we realized just what we tried to fight yesterday. A dragon? A dragon in human form. No wonder she seemed so confident. It explained her confidence and skill, as well as her ability to brush Mitsuki away as though she were no more than an afterthought.

“That answers one question and brings up so much terror,” Guang said, summing up my thoughts almost perfectly. “Still, that does bring one question to mind…” That caused everyone to turn towards him. “Why did she choose to make out with Joey?” He spoke with such seriousness that we all seemed to give it considerable thought before it finally dawned on us what he said.

The rest of our class was torn amongst their reactions, from exasperation to reluctant amusement and frustration at his irreverence.

Mr. Lethe, Emelina and her knights, however, looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. “What?” Our teacher rasped out, appearing as if someone had kicked him in the nuts and pissed in his cheerios at the same time.

Even as I glared at him, Guang continued regardless, not caring for my silent, annoyed vitriol. “Yeah. After we had defeated our enemies, she used her ‘super dragon aura’ and froze us all in fear, or something.” He waved his hand to the side, but we all ignored the faint quiver in his voice. “One second, she was standing in her spot and the next, she was right in front of Joey. She said something and began to suck his face.” His tone was a matter of fact, almost as if stating the weather.

My face was hot as I glared at him with everything I had, causing him to flinch ever so lightly when he met my eyes. “Is this true, Joseph?” Emelina pulled me from my attempts to shoot lasers at my classmate. “Did Jeanne kiss you?”

“Yes,” I stated as I tried not to roll my eyes. “I don’t know why, but I must have impressed Jeanne by not falling over when she glared death at Guang.” I gave him another glare. “‘People’, huh?” I growled at him, knowing full well that was what set her off.

“I didn’t know she would do that!” Guang snarled at me, apparently not liking my challenging of him.

“Like that makes it any better.”

“Like you weren’t thinking something similar.” He stood as he matched my glare with his own.

I bared my teeth as I stood to meet him, but a hand on my shoulder held me down. Luke shook his head when I turned to him. “This isn’t the time or place.” He looked to Guang, then back to me. “Both of you need to calm down.”

Guang didn’t respond and just stared at me. I matched his gaze. There was more than anger, but I could tell it wasn’t solely at me. He seemed afraid, but his actions said to me that he refused to show it, to acknowledge it. After a few moments, he huffed through his nose and sat back down, crossing his arms. “Whatever.”

I pulled my shoulder free from Luke’s grasp and fell back in my seat, staring forward.

“Joseph.” Emelina pulled my attention once more. “Did Jeanne truly kiss you?”

It took all of my self-control not to lick my lips in remembrance. “Yes,” I answered Emelina, doing my utmost to hold back my frustrated exasperation. They’re worried, and I understand that. I was still on edge.

It seems my attempts worked as no one remarked on it. Emelina gained a troubled look on her face. “Yes. It seems sending you all away soon is the smart choice. Perhaps, allowing you to stay in a more secluded area will prevent her from finding all of you once more.” She closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. After a moment to collect herself, she nodded firmly. “We’ll continue this later. As important this is, all of you to need to know how to comport yourselves before my Father.” She hesitated and looked to Mr. Lethe.

Our teacher nodded resolutely. “No worries, I won’t forget this.” His gaze honed in on me. The pity in his eyes aggravating the irritation I felt. “We’ll revisit this later.”

I forced my eyes closed as I subtly inhaled and exhaled through my nose. They’re worried.

It’s not pity.

It’s worry.

They want to help me. With what? I don’t know.

So why do I still feel so angry?

With those thoughts in mind, I opened my eyes to see that Emelina had once more pulled our attention to her. “Now, there are several things to keep in mind when meeting with the Monarchy…”

With that, she delved into a mix of a lecture and examples of courtesy and etiquette with Kara and Valeri as aids so that we wouldn’t feel blindsided during the meeting with the King. This continued for a few more hours until we were allowed to go free. As we broke apart, the only thing I had in mind was a bath, mostly to clear my head, but I think it was past time to wash us.

Or at least, that was my intention…

“Hey, Joey, c’mon. I need you to follow me to the forge.” Amber had swept by and grabbed my arm, pulling me after her. I blinked in surprise at her exuberance but followed after her without fighting back. “I’ve obtained some pretty good materials for your sword; I just need to take some measurements and map out your hand.”

“I see. You don’t need to drag me, though. I can follow you easily enough.”

“No time, Joey. It’s getting late, and I’m inspired.” She cut me off, walking swiftly with full strides as we strode passed the different help staff, much to their amusement. I gave her a deadpan look, though she did not see it as she practically dragged me.

Not much time later, we approached a single-story log cabin with a smoking chimney. The front door held open, and a pair of windows on either side of it was ajar open as well. We walked inside, our feet padding along the stone floor. The humidity in the air was stifling, and the temperature already warmed my cheeks. I looked around, taking in the accouterments of the forge. A black anvil with a wooden handled hammer; a basin of still water; a rack of various tools; and a forge with a still burning flame.

Amber let me go and walked over to a drawer on the far side of the room. Pulling it open, she rifled through it for a bit, before she grabbed a cylindrical object and held it out to me. “Take this and hold onto it with your dominant hand. Don’t squeeze, but hold it as would your sword.” It was white and seemed to be both firm and squishy, molding to my hand even as I took it from Amber.

I ignored the surprise I felt as the mold didn’t stain from the red covering my hands.

I gripped the object and grimaced at how slimy and cold it felt. It was strange, considering where we're standing. “This feels weird, you know.”

“Suck it up. It helps you, in the end.” Amber said succinctly, walking over to a raised desk. Several dark silver ingots rested on it, one of which she picked up and hefted it with a single hand. She stared at it for a few seconds, then nodded as she put it down. “Brim knows her stuff. Even with my Affinity, I’d have difficulty discerning the various properties of these metals.”

“Experience will always trump skill,” I said to her, remembering a serious I had with Welton a week ago. It was…enlightening and painful in equal measure.

Amber nodded at that, a faint flinch in her expression. Then she turned and picked up a charcoal coated notebook, brushing off the cover. It was the size of a standard notebook from Earth, which made sense since Amber had asked Emelina to have it made for her. Opening, she slid a thin rod out of the spine and said, “Tell me your exact preferences. I’ll have to commit them to memory as I forge your weapon.”

So I did. I told Amber what I liked about the sword I received. I said to her what I didn’t want. What felt off, but what I also adapted. I told her what made my hand chafe something fierce and what was too smooth, despite the age of the sword. I told her everything I could about the sword, using all of the knowledge I gained from both skill and experience.

Initially, I thought that this wouldn’t be a very long meeting, considering my overall lack of experience with combat and the sword. But, with everything that’s happened in this paradoxically-long, short two months, I found that I had more feelings for how a sword felt in my hand than I first thought.

By the time I had finished, Amber had filled an entire four pages. The sound of flipping pages and the crisp crackling of burning coal were all that was present in the building as Amber studied the notes with a surprising intensity. After a few moments of mumbling, she nodded and closed it carefully. She looked up to me and held out a hand. “I’ve got everything I need to forge your sword. I need the mold so that I can make the grip as comfortable as possible.”

I blinked at her words and looked down, surprised that I forgot I was holding that. I wasn’t crushing it, which I thought would happen, but instead, my grip had shifted ever so lightly, to how I usually hold a sword. Opening it, I offered my hand and watched as gingerly lifted it from my palm, careful not distort its new shape. She let it rest on the desk and stand upright. “It’ll dry out quicker in here, keeping its shape.” Amber then faced me and proceeded to shoo me. “Now, go. Take a bath or jump in the river, you stink.”

I furrowed my brow and playfully glared at her. “Well, I never!” I retorted, unable to hide a smile as I walked out of the forge. Lifting a hand, I waved to her as I indeed made my way to baths.

Having picked up a towel and a change of clothes from my assigned room, I reached the washroom as the sun finally disappeared over the horizon. The bathrooms resided in this building, a single-story wooden building with stone pillars along the four corners of the structure and a small stone trough that encircled it, constantly cycling water in and out. A dome topped off the roof with a small glass skylight that would allow light to enter, but not leave. As I walked along the paved, stone pathway, the door opened, and Luke stepped out, rubbing his still wet hair with a towel.

Surprise entered his eyes as he caught sight of me. “Joey. Did Amber hold you long?”

“More like I did. It turned out I was a bit more selective than I initially thought.”

He smiled at that, a snort escaping him as we met halfway, stopping in front of the doorway. “You’ve always been choosy when it comes to your things, Joey.” He rolled his eyes. “Tell me, who was it that wasted an hour and a half getting his loadout ‘just right’ when I stayed over that one night?”

In spite of myself, I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. “When the developers advertised limitless customization, I’d be a fool not to take full advantage…”

“Maggie nearly kicked your ass for wasting $90 on a special edition version of that game. You were a fool, to begin with.” He gave me a deadpan glare as I turned away, unable to meet it. “It’s because of you that she learned how to balance a checkbook.”

“I regret nothing.” I defended myself fervently, still unable to push the embarrassment away.

“And that’s exactly why we never let you live it down.” Luke grinned at me, pushing my shoulder. I stumbled a bit, a little taken aback. Not by the action, but by force behind it. At my surprise, he grimaced and gave his hand a masked look. “Sorry…guess I don’t know my strength anymore…”

“I don’t think any of us do.” I tried not to look at my still covered hands, the red that refused to leave my sight. I clenched my fist as I closed my eyes, feeling my heart begin to pick up. Dammit, I had just calmed down…

“Are you doing alright?”

Luke’s question surprised me as I turned back to him. “What?”

“Yesterday, you left.” He said, his expression masked, though concern was in his eyes. Not. Pity. Luke, my brother in all but blood, would never do that. “I called out to you, but you never answered.” He paused. “I won’t try and say it wasn’t horrible, because it was, but…” Luke shook his head. “I’m just worried, is all. Things have been shitty, and we’re all dealing as we can, but we’re all together.” He furrowed his brow and turned his eyes to the night sky. The natural ambient light of the lanterns dotting the Keep giving us just enough light to see, but not enough to prevent the stars in the night sky from being seen. “You don’t have to suffer alone.”

I didn’t reply immediately, just studying his expression. After a few moments, I began to walk past him, but not without answering, “Thanks, Luke. I’ll keep that in mind.” I continued into the bathing hall, feeling his piercing gaze on my back.

I entered into a vast entry hall with a stone floor, and three separate doors, the one on the left leading into a room designated for guys and the far right was for the girls, with the middle leading into the bathroom itself. There were a few small hooks on the wall right next to the entrance, for cloaks and such, along with a closed cabinet. Walking into the left room, I saw that there were various cubbyholes for items. There was also a bench that lined the leftmost wall. I changed out of my dirty clothes and stuffed them into their places. Wrapping my towel around my waist, I placed my clean clothes on the space in front of my other stuff.

Holding a clean cloth and a bucket, I walked out of the changing room and into the inner door to go into the bathroom itself. This room took up the majority of the building; it had a large tub that size of an Olympic pool, but no deeper than waist height with a few submerged benches along the inner edges. Before that, though, the floor along the entrance and leading up to the bath had a linoleum type feel, and the faint clapping of my feet was all I heard in the otherwise vacant room. Stepping to the side, I approached the wall where a line of low stools rested in front of a raised trough of water and a mirror.

For a moment, I couldn’t help but marvel at the change in my physique. Corded and tight muscle covered my body, beneath a small layer of fat so that I didn’t look unnatural. The majority of the excess weight I had from mostly lounging around playing games and reading was gone, worn down until I had a stream-lined swimmer’s build. Muscle I had no clue I had were tight and pronounced and it brought to mind the comical implausibility of comic book characters. Lightly tanned skin, wind-swept hair and a pair of still pink slash marks on my left cheek, near my jaw. A featherlight touch from a finger brought forth a faint grimace, but I left it alone. A healer had approached me about treating it, but I remember waving them off. They weren’t dangerous to keep and would serve as a reminder.

Taking off my towel, I sat down in front of the mirror and dipped my bucket into the trough of clean water. Pulling back out, I lifted the bucket and poured it over my head. I closed my eyes as I felt the warm water splash over me and relaxed ever so lightly. However, as I opened my eyes, my heart clenched, and my breath caught as I saw red in my reflection. My expression paled, eyes wide, hair matted down from the water, but it looked like blood was dripping down my face, covering my hands. Unblinking, I felt my breath come out in gasps as my eyes flickered down to my hands, still seeing an ever-present red.

Panic slowly settled in my bones. I tried to look away, to not react to the pinch deep in my chest. My eyes flicked back and forth, from point to point, trying to get away from the sight of red. Anything, but that color. Anything. I looked away from my reflection in the mirror but twitched as I saw myself in the refection of the water’s surface. Grimacing, I let out a shaky groan and faced the mirror once more.

Eyes the color of blood, with catlike pupils, stared at me. My entire world froze as my blue met my red. A cry escaped me as I stumbled back and hit the ground. A groan escaped me as I squeezed my eyes shut. I just laid there, catching my breath. After a few moments, I held my breath as I opened my eyes and sat up.

Nothing. It was just my regular reflection, though my face was still pale.

A single breathless word escaped me as I went about cleaning myself off before bed, my body shaking from the scare.

“Fuck.”