Chapter 5. Master and Student

Edward notices the group walking in the opposite direction through the window in Zhang’s quarters. Zhang enters the room, with a cup of tea in his hand, his steps creaking on the wooden floor. He pours Edward a cup of tea, before positioning himself in his chair. Zhang quickly positions his documents before shifting his gaze fixedly at Edward.

“ You want to talk to me,” his voice stern and detached.

“ Yes… what’s with this cold detached personality of yours?”

“ I have to maintain a level of order and status in the temple.”

“ You were condescending towards Kiara.” Edward’s voice was hoarse but full of anger, getting up from his chair to tower over Zhang.

“ You made it sound like you were going to train her into the next S rank, Edward,” Zhang bluntly says.

“ That’s not what I was implying Zhang,” rubbing his face with his hands, “ She’s growing at her own pace, that’s what I wanted.” Edward slowly slouches himself back onto his chair, “ She’s just a kid,” his voice softens, “ You can’t force someone to go beyond what they are capable of right now.”

Zhang’s eyes narrow slightly, his voice raising, “ The temple needs results. The world is unstable right now. Every second we waste, the Elusives are getting stronger by the day. It’s not about what they want- it’s about what’s necessary.”

“ What’s necessary?” Edward’s eyes glow a fiery red with streaks of electric blue, and his hands curl into fists at his sides, “ They’re not tools.”

“ Stand down.” Zhang commands, his voice stern and detached, “ I’m thinking rationally out here. These kids could die one day if they don’t understand their role in the system.”

“ The council never gave them a choice,” Edward mutters to himself, his voice tinged with regret and anger. His gaze was contemplative. His shoulders slumped down as the glow from his eyes dimmed.

Zhang’s eyes hardened, his tone unyielding, “ The council made their decision. Whether we agree or not, we must prepare these kids to survive in the real world. Emotions don’t change the reality of war.”

Edward’s eyes stare angrily at Zhang, before taking a sip out of a cup of tea. A look of puzzlement crossed his face when he reviewed what Zhang said, Emotions don’t change the reality of war.

“ What do you mean by the reality of war?” Edward’s eyes do not contact Zhang’s, darting towards the kids training in the courtyard. The sounds of wooden swords smacking against each other, and kids running echo in Zhang’s quarters.

“ You are familiar with the sudden surges within the city, correct?” leaning back on his chair, Zhang’s eyes followed Edward.

“ Yes,” Edward replied, his tone cautious, “ I have been investigating them ever since they made the news.”

Zhang nodded, setting a map and several reports in front of Edward, “ Coincidentally around the same time as the disappearances, the Monarchs have started moving out of their sanctuaries,” He paused, deliberately taking a sip from his cup of tea, “ It’s not a natural migration. Something is going on.”

Monarchs are numbered from 1 to 20. Just the power of one can destroy an entire continent. Wardens worldwide have been monitoring, waiting for someone strong enough to destroy them. There are currently 15 Monarchs alive in the world.

Edward studies the documents, his eyes examining the contents, “ Hmm. Do you believe this sudden migration is causing the disappearances?”

“ I don’t know,” Zhang admitted, his voice quiet but tense, “ But I do know this- Whenever the Monarchs move around- death follows them. Whatever the reason is, we don’t have the manpower to destroy or relocate them.”

Edward’s eyes scan the map, tracing the migration paths of all the Monarchs. His stomach tightened as unease crept in, “ So they’re being forced out?”

“ Maybe,” Zhang’s expression was grim, “ Or maybe they are running away from something… or someone.”

“ What or who do you think is doing this?” Edward’s expression was cautious, his voice low, and his tone uncertain, “ These spirits are the most powerful things inhabiting our world.”

“ I have no clue,” Zhang’s tone was tense, his foot continuously tapping on the wooden floor, “ All I know is that we have to have 24/7 surveillance over them during their migration, and make sure no one gets hurt.”

Meanwhile, in the city, a man sits alone in a busy cafe, typing on his laptop. The waitress walks over to hand him his order. Before the chance he can eat his cinnamon roll, a ring echoes through his pocket and he quickly picks it up.

“ Azrael. What’s the report.” the man sternly asks as he consumes his cinnamon roll. The plague doctor and the Roman soldier are slowly walking through the forest, each of their steps echoing in the distance.

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“ We have been scouting the national park as you ordered,” Azrael calmly explains, his voice muffled through his mask, “ Its energy is getting stronger the more we walk in the direction, we are going.”

“ I need an estimation of when you think you are going to find it,” the man’s voice was low but calculating. He darts his eyes at all the busy customers in the cafe, making sure no one is overhearing his conversation.

“ I believe in 2 to 3 days, we can find it,” darting his gaze back to Trajan, Azrael’s voice tone was uncertain.

“ Send me a map of the area you believe the talisman is in, and I would personally have the ‘Hero’ or myself involved.”

“ As you wish Master Wellz.” The call swiftly ends. The master takes a sip of his coffee and continues eating his meal.

Zhang gets up from his chair, watching the children training in the courtyard. Their fiery determination was clear as day. Edward continues looking over the documents trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

“ The last S rank was killed over 20 years ago,” Zhang’s eyes were contemplative, his tone soft and low, “ These kids have potential, We just got to force it out.”

Edward turns his gaze towards Zhang, “ We can’t force them to go beyond what they are capable of right now.” his voice softens, “ They’re giving it their all, but I can see it in their eyes. They don’t know what they are fighting for, they’re trying to believe in something they can’t see.”

“ The world isn’t forgiving Edward. Belief alone isn’t what's going to keep them alive.” Zhang’s eyes wander, contemplating his thoughts.

“ I have a proposal,” taking a sip from his cup of tea, Edward slowly gets up, his bones creaking at the motion, “ We should have a simple sparring match. Let’s show them the power and potential of an A-rank.”

“ What are you planning?” Zhang’s voice was filled with skepticism, leaning back on his chair.

“ Nothing. Let’s just give them something to fight for.” Edward opens the door slightly, “If they see what’s out there- what they will become- they’ll push themselves harder. Not because they’re being forced but because they want to,” motioning Zhang to get up and spar with him. Zhang sits on his chair, thinking about his choices.

Kiara, Adam, Anby, and Seth are in the sacred library, examining and looking over all the ancient texts and history books there. Adam tosses over a large spell book towards Kiara, causing her to nearly drop it on the floor.”

“ Sorry.” Adam quietly apologizes, his tone merely a whisper, “ Why do you need to look at a spell book? You should be seeing more interesting stuff here.”

“ I just want…” Kiara’s words trail off, “ I just want to read it that’s all,” Maybe I can learn something interesting to impress them during the evaluation, so I don't look so inferior to everyone here.

As Kiara was reading the spell books, one of the younglings barged loudly into the library room.

“ Guys! Guess what's-”

“ Shhh.” One of the library staff loudly shushes the boy making him apologize and talk in a quieter tone. “ Guys. There is going to be a sparring match between A-ranks.”

The group immediately left the library, leaving whatever they were working on the desks and seats. Kiara’s gaze lingered on a particular painting hung on one of the walls, a portrait of ancient Wardens fighting against humanoid curse spirits. Their presence is covered in shadow, commanding an army of Elusives. The intensity in their eyes sent a chill down her spine.

Who are those people depicted? She wondered, the question tugging on her mind. A lingering sense of unease followed her as she left the library.

The group follows the kid to the courtyard where they see Zhang, and Edward with all the younglings surrounding them. The senior wardens sit comfortably in the distance, watching the whole event unfold.

“ What is happening?”

“ Edward and Zhang are going to fight.”

“ We’re finally getting a break from training.”

Zhang steps forward, his footsteps heavy on the floor, “ Alright! Listen up,” ordering from the top of his lungs. Kiara jumps up over the crowd to see her grandfather standing next to Zhang, “ You all are going to see a sparring match between myself and Mr. Meitner, it will be a three-round match, the first one to get a win of two out of the three matches is considered the winner.”

The children exclaim in excitement, their eyes widened in surprise. The senior wardens looked at each other, confused about why they were sparring. The younglings murmured amongst each other.

“ Who do you think is going to win?”

“ It’s got to Zhang. He has the age advantage over Edward.” one of the kids retorted to his friends. His friend group excused his point of view, “ Are you serious? Edward is the best elemental user of our time. He can handle Zhang.”

The children settled into the courtyard, surrounding the two as they stretched. Adam asks Kiara a question, “ Have you ever seen your Grandfather go all out before?”

Kiara shook her head, her gaze wandering towards Edward, “ Not really,” she admitted, her voice quiet, “ He always holds back against me in training. It should be the same with Zhang.”

Anby cuts into Adam and Kiara’s conversation, “ Holding back or not. You get to see why your Grandfather is so infamous here.” Kiara glanced at Adam, “ Infamous, huh?” she wasn’t sure how to feel about that word. She had the feeling that her grandfather was well respected by those younger than him but she never saw the full extent of his power. She was going to see a side of him that was unknown to her.

“ Alright you two, get in your positions,” a man covered in a colorful blue and gold cloak, wearing a conical hat, slowly walks past the younglings that surround Edward and Zhang, “ Are you two going to use your spiritual techniques in this sparring match? What is considered a win?”

Zhang motions the question towards Edward. The man patiently waits for Edward’s answer, “ I think we should use your techniques. Makes it more interesting for them.” pointing towards the exciting crowd, “ If you get your opponent on the ground for more than 5 seconds, you win that round.”

The cloaked man raises his hand high up in the air. His eyes dart between Zhang and Edward as they get into their designated stances, “ Are you two ready?”

Zhang pulls out his double katana, “ I’m ready,” steadily getting into stance. Edward quickly follows, unsheathing his blade, “ I’m ready as well. Don’t hold back, kid.”

It was like everything went silent for a moment. Everyone was holding their breaths anticipating what was going to happen next and who was gonna win. The cloaked man quickly puts his hand down signaling the match start, “ Begin!”