Lug was standing in the middle of the Wise One's crypt.

His eyes were open wide.

His impatience was evident on his face.

"Now that sounds more serious" said Lug.

The Wise One was sitting, as usual.

He was looking at Lug, scratching his nose, the mouthpiece of the pipe clenched against his teeth.

"Yes, you have the basics. Now it's time to expand on that... Well, besides joining and fighting with the commander's soldiers, I'd like you to do something else." the Wise One said.

He sucked heavily on his pipe.

He closed his eyes and seemed to savor the smoke in his lungs, then spit it out.

"There's a circus in town, you'll join it. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday you will be at the circus. Thursday you'll work in the cemetery - which you've neglected too much. And on the weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday you will be a soldier under the commander."

Lug frowned.

"A circus? What for?" he said with a hint of contempt in his voice.

The wise man raised his eyebrows, chewing his pipe.

"What's this? You doubt my decisions? You think you know better than me what you need?" the ghost said with an air of defiance.

Lug didn't argue.

"No, I know you never talk for nothing." he said.

"Good. Then listen to me. You will develop your strength and martial experience with the soldiers. In the circus, you will develop your character and flexibility. Your final exam will be to defeat the commander in one-on-one combat."

"Beat the commander?" repeated Lug.

"Is there a problem?" asked the Wise One.

"No, it's just that it seems like a very distant goal." said Lug, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"Between six months and a year you'll take. Take it slow this time." finished the Wise One.

Lug nodded, thanked him and was about to leave when the wise man stopped him.

"Wait, before you leave I have to tell you something."

Lug turned around.

The wise man looked doubtful.

That was rare.

"I don't like to give away too much information, but on this one, I'm just giving back information you gave me."

Lug didn't understand what the ghost was getting at.

Why speak in riddles?

"You see... The other day, when you lost control, you used reinforcement to an incredible degree. I noticed that at that moment, you were breathing in a different way. It's... Wait."

The Wise One stopped on his own.

He materialized his board and chalk, then began to draw a nose.

"You, the living. You breathe in cycles, we call them nasal cycles. One nostril always breathes better than the other, then after a few hours, it reverses and it is the other nostril that begins to breathe more easily."

As the Wise One spoke he wrote on the board.

"The thing is, this several hour cycle was extremely fast and controlled, when you had - ironically - lost control. Every 30 seconds, maybe less, you would change your dominant nostril. And your energy flow was changing too. There is a clear connection between your ability to use your energy flows and your nasal cycles."

The Wise One put down his chalk after this explanation, as if to show that he was done.

Lug looked puzzled.

"There is something that puzzles me about your explanation. How could I have mastered such advanced concepts while being unconscious? What's the secret?"

The Wise One took his chalk back into his hand and rolled it between his fingers nervously.

"Hmm..."

He took a deep breath.

"I have a theory. But I don't know what it's worth." he said.

For the first time, the Wise One felt as young as he looked.

The uncertainty made him lose 10 years.

A beauty secret that many would envy him.

"Of course." Lug replied.

"In each of you - the living - there is a double, a body intelligence. A part of your subconscious, if you prefer. You and this double are like two sides of the same coin..."

"Okay, so what?" asked Lug impatiently.

"This double knows what's best for you, but normally it only acts very discreetly. For some reason, it started to act in your stead last time."

"Acting for my benefit by attacking you and ripping my leg and hands to shreds?" quipped Lug.

"It must have taken me for a threat when I approached to see how you were doing. And as for the state of your body, it was a blessing in disguise."

The Wise One answered in quick succession.

His theory, which he seemed to doubt, was much better thought out than it appeared.

"Come on, I'm listening. How are you going to explain that ending up in bed for several days is a good thing." Lug had laid his back against a wall, arms crossed.

The ghost began to make movements with his hands as he spoke.

"This is something I discovered recently. Your strengthening ability is far too advanced for your physical body; kind of like putting a very powerful engine into an old car body."

Lug didn't like the comparison he had just heard, but he let the Wise One speak.

"Fortunately, it's not a foregone conclusion. The more your body suffers, tears, breaks. The more it changes. A bit like the skin hardens and desensitizes itself after it has healed. Yes, you stayed in bed, but your body got stronger. Did you notice a difference in your hands and your right leg?" the Wise One asked, pointing at Lug.

Lug stood up and pulled up his pants to look at his shin.

There were some scars, but the leg was completely healed.

"No, why?" he said.

"Kick the pillar with it." replied the Wise One, this time pointing at the wall.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lug walked over to a pillar that supported the crypt and gave it a gentle kick.

"No, no. Go harder." said the ghost.

Lug stepped back slightly and kicked again with his shin, way harder.

Lug's leg went through the pillar and it shattered.

He stepped back in fear.

He looked up to see if the crypt was about to collapse.

"I didn't hit that hard, I don’t understand…" he thought.

The wise man applauded.

"Don't worry, it was just decoration. It's the walls that support the crypt, not the pillars."

Lug looked down at his leg, reassured.

Not even a rash, it was intact.

"What's happening to me?" asked Lug.

This time he took the Wise One seriously.