"So, you want to learn this particular technique?" Jun looked at Shiro with interest. Their sensei always liked to ask such provocative questions and see how they would respond.

Ordyntsev suspected that he behaved this way because he loved to see them squirm, whether physically or psychologically.

This love of Jun's, however, was not limited to them; in principle, it extended to all people.

"Yes, sensei," Stas was as determined as ever. "Too often, there are situations where escaping from an enemy's strike or technique is very difficult. This technique will allow me to increase my survivability."

"Hmm," Jun pretended to ponder. "Suppose I teach you how to perform this technique. But answer me this, Shiro. Why do you need the bodies of dead warmasters?"

"I've been thinking a lot about what niche I could fill in this world," Stas began from afar, weaving a tapestry of lies. "How I can be useful to the clan that has taken me in…"

"Oh, I'm going to cry now," the master smirked. "Now, let's skip all this lofty nonsense that I won't believe anyway. I know you too well, Shiro, to be that easily fooled. So stop beating around the bush and give me a short and logical reason that I can tell the Council if they ask."

"I'm practicing the Healing Palm on corpses, planning to correct past healing mistakes, scars, and blemishes," Stas concluded after a brief silence.

"When you need to, you really can spin a tale," Jun nodded with satisfaction.

"Sensei," Stas began cautiously. "Don't you have any questions about why I'm doing this?"

"Shiro, carve this into your memory: we are warmasters," the sensei replied irritably. "Each of us has dozens and hundreds of secrets that we might not even tell our own children, taking them to our graves. As far as I can tell, you're not planning to use them to harm either me or your comrades, right?"

"No."

"Then it's all the same to me. As for your request... You'll have the 'Earth Gliding' technique. Haven't changed your mind yet? I could teach you some fancy offensive technique instead."

Ordyntsev easily resisted the temptation. He knew the value of a skill that allowed him to escape in time. Besides, who said that this ability couldn't be used to sneak somewhere you needed to be?

"Ah," Jun sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "As always, boring. Then listen. As we've already figured out, you have no problems with the earth element, right?"

Stas nodded in agreement.

Forming earth prana from regular was... It wasn't so easy to describe.

It was as if Ordyntsev was imbuing it with properties like solidity, immovability, and constancy. He seemed to be awakening some kind of pre-established algorithm that his prana somehow knew.

Perhaps this was what they called affinity?

Once the elemental prana finished forming, it needed to be released as a technique as quickly as possible.

Prana channels were not meant for elements, so at first, they would burn, and then the destruction process would begin.

"The technique you've chosen is pretty complex," Jun continued his lecture. "Frankly, I'm not even sure you'll succeed. As you know, our prana points are located all over our bodies, but we actively use only those on our hands and feet."

Ordyntsev nodded in agreement. While healing, he had examined the prana points of his comrades with the Healing Palm several times, and the difference was immense.

"'Earth Gliding' requires the user to form the technique and release prana through as many prana points as possible. This will allow you to create an earth bubble around yourself, which will liquefy the ground in front of you and propel you forward."

To demonstrate, Jun began to slowly sink into the ground as if into quicksand.

"This is the exercise you'll start with," he advised. "First, learn to form the technique around your legs, then your arms, followed by your back and chest. And finally, start putting this whole meat puzzle together into a human shape and try to swim. But you forgot something." There was a mocking tone in the sensei's voice.

"Air?" Stas guessed.

"Wrong. You'll have as much air as you can hold in your lungs. And later, you can try creating air pockets. But how do you plan to navigate underground? Drift too deep, and we'll have to search and dig up your corpse."

"And what should I do, sensei?" The prospect did not please Ordyntsev.

"You will have to master the sensory technique 'Earth Sense' as well, but I'll tell you about that some other time," Jun cut off mercilessly, seeing Stas already open his mouth.

"Sensei," after some thought, Ordyntsev ventured. "What if I offer you a unique alcohol right now, with a composition and taste you've never tried before?"

The master's eyes narrowed.

"You underestimate my power, apprentice. I've boozed with all known and unknown alcohol! Heck, I even drank poisonous wine that had been in a tomb for over a hundred and fifty years!"

"But you still haven't tried mine," Stas smirked, challenging Jun.

"You're playing with fire, lad. I don't like getting my hopes up only to be let down. Bring your booze immediately. And if it really is that unique, I'll teach you both techniques!"

"And if you like it?" Stas's words made the master flare his nostrils angrily.

"If I like it, then prepare to memorize two more techniques on top of that!" the sensei barked, pushed to the edge. "But if you lied to me, I'll make sure this break is one you'll remember for a long time."

Ordyntsev tried to swallow discreetly and dashed to his room for a couple of sealed bottles of mead.

The bottles of alcohol he had ordered before departure were already made and, to Stas's unprofessional taste, turned out quite good.

Glug-glug!

"Mmm-mmm," Jun frowned at the bottle in his hand and thoughtfully smacked his lips, trying to assess the taste.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Stas held his breath.

"Bad luck for you, lad," Jun smirked anticipatorily. "Prepare and grease up your ass; this month, you'll be put through the toughest training of your life!"

"No way!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Fell for it again! Why are you all so gullible?" Jun laughed, amusing himself at Stas's expense.

"Why don't you try guessing what a man will do when he himself doesn't know what he'll do the next minute," Stas muttered quietly.

"Enough talk!" the sensei scolded sternly. "By the way, what's this brew called?"

"Mead."

"Mmm, that sweet aftertaste. Can't say I disliked it, but it's far from pleasurable. So, instead of the promised two techniques, you'll get just one. Agreed?"

"Absolutely!"

"Alright, we'll deal with the third one later, but for now, remember. The 'Earth Sense' technique allows the user to determine where the surface is and how far. Moreover, it lets you feel whether someone is standing right on the ground above. The principle is simple: you send out a prana wave around you, then you wait for it to return and give you information about everything it touched..."

*****

"Shiro-san! I have so much news," Kizashi led Stas into his room and, summoning a maid, ordered her to bring them hot tea. Ordyntsev noted that the maid appeared almost instantly.

"What's the news, Kizashi-kun?" the earthling asked amiably, settling down with pleasure on a soft cushion.

After those hellish months on dusty roads with constant risk of death, these little joys filled his heart with true pleasure.

His sensei was absolutely right, Stanislav had no intention of harming the Sumada. Because if they disappeared, so would this opportunity to rest in safety, without expecting a knife in the back at any moment.

"Imagine, grandfather appointed me his personal assistant!"

"Oh," Ordyntsev raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "Congratulations. Sorry if I'm a bit out of the loop, but what exactly are you supposed to do?"

"Well," Kizashi blushed, scratching his head. "For now, I follow grandfather around, carry his documents, and sometimes fill out some paperwork and letters. I also stand behind him when he attends meetings and summons to the Council."

'Could it be that Hideo is finally preparing his grandson for his position,' Stas tensed up. Being familiar with hospital 'politics,' Ordyntsev understood all too well how many people Kizashi had crossed without knowing it.

This was bad because the young alchemist himself was not particularly interested in power and high standing. He enjoyed his work and what he could offer with his labor.

However, it seemed his grandfather had a different opinion.

"Tell me, Kizashi, how did the other healers react to your appearance? No one complained?"

"No," the lad frowned. "Although there was one, Michiro Sumada. I barely interacted with him. He's one of my grandfather's best students. They say he's an excellent healer. So, when I'm around, he jokes in a way that's very rough and offensive. I didn't say anything, but I don't understand why he treats me that way."

'Just as I thought. Hideo, you might be a brilliant doctor, but when it comes to your beloved grandson, you're ready to charge like a blind rhino.'

"Kizashi," Stas chose his words carefully. "I could be wrong, but there's a chance that Michiro and many others think you're planning to take your grandfather's place after he retires."

"But I don't want to!" Kizashi objected, jumping up. "I don't need it!"

"I understand that," Ordyntsev reassured, raising his hands. "But to them, the situation looks different. Moreover, I suspect that's exactly what your grandfather wants."

Kizashi froze in shock, his mouth slightly open.

"But... But that's... I didn't say anything like that."

"Hideo wishes the best for you..."

"But I didn't ask for it!"

"That's why you need to be careful," Stas concluded solemnly. "Try not to make enemies in the hospital; you still have to work with them, and start explaining your position to Hideo gradually. Most importantly, don't spill everything at once. He's stubborn and old, so if you tell it straight, he'll be offended and dig in his heels. Start small. Talk about your dreams and plans."

"Thank you, sensei," Kizashi gratefully mumbled, overwhelmed. He hadn't even realized such clouds were looming over him.

What would he have done if Shiro hadn't told him about this?!

"You said you were going to meet with the younger prince who returned from the war? It's been a long time since you've seen each other. How did it go?"

"It was interesting," Stas masked his expression, taking a big sip of tea.

*****

"You've changed," the two young men looked intently at each other. Each had seen enough death and destruction for a lifetime, yet they were only at the beginning of their journey. "How many years has it been since we saw each other?"

"Over two," Stas shrugged in response to Jishin's question. "Give or take a few months."

"Kami, I just can't get used to your new eyes," Jishin snorted, breaking the tension between them. "What did you do to get such peepers? Or is it from Leviathan biting you?"

The latter scrutinized Jishin before nonchalantly sliding past, brushing her scales against his leg, eliciting a fresh round of snorts.

Sumada bent down to pet her, but she playfully sped up, and he only managed to touch the tip of her retreating tail.

"Nothing changes," the amused Jishin cursed.

"No," Stas smiled. "Levi hasn't bitten me. Surprisingly, my lineage has started to show."

"It would be strange otherwise, given how much you've achieved in such a short time," Jishin turned, beckoning Stas to enter with an inviting wave of his hand. "Come in. After so many years of that damned war, I don't even feel like the owner here anymore."

As a prince, albeit the younger one, Jishin had a large living area consisting of several rooms, a hall, an impressive kitchen, and a couple of other closed spaces.

Sumada led Stas into his room.

The guys, or rather men, considering what they'd been through, settled onto pillows with pleasure, allowing themselves to relax a bit. Then they looked at each other with understanding and chuckled.

"Shiro, you're a tough nut to crack. When Reiko told me the Council sent you straight to the front, I thought you were a goner. Sorry, but when I saw you last, you didn't look like someone who could survive a war."

"I never made it to the war," Stas corrected, shaking his head. "Judging by the horrors you described in your letters, I wouldn't have lasted a couple of days."

A moment should be taken to consider who this mysterious "Reiko" was.

Before heading to war, Jishin gave a code phrase and said that whoever spoke it could be trusted.

The trustworthy one turned out to be Reiko Sumada, an actual princess and Jishin's older sister, incidentally younger than Izuna.

She silently chose the time and place to meet with Stas to pass on or collect a letter from Jishin at the front. Ordyntsev didn't know exactly how she delivered the letters, likely through some trusted people.

In any case, over the past two years, he had met her about four times, and they had never exchanged more than a few words.

"Well, don't downplay your achievements," Jishin wasn't convinced. "Being the student of the Restless Jun means something. And the death of two of Kirin the Cutter's students even boosted morale in the army when they heard about it. I was just about to head back to the Citadel when I heard."

Stas just grimaced at that. The story wan't very heroic.

It turned out, Mei had been captured by her opponent, and when Ordyntsev and Eiji got close, the enemy threatened to kill her.

They were both exhausted, but it was two against one.

The situation was at a stalemate, and they stood like that until Jun and Kirin, both battered, arrived out of nowhere.

Neither the first nor the second could kill their opponent, and there wasn't much prana left, so they decided to part ways.

How many nerves it cost them to exchange Mei and let go of the last student of Kirin.

Stas waited for some kind of double-cross until the end, but luckily, everything went well.

In the end, Mei held a grudge against the whole world, and particularly against them, as its representatives; Eiji walked around with a sense of pride because of this, but would immediately falter whenever he encountered Stas's disapproving gaze, who had not forgotten anything.

Jun himself didn't talk to anyone, taking the tie hard.

In the end, the victory, which Ordyntsev rightfully prided himself on because he almost honestly defeated a real advanced warmaster, turned into a mess.

Worse yet, in the eyes of Kirin's remaining student and his teacher, Stas saw a promise of cruel revenge. And the earthling would have preferred to live peacefully without a supreme warmaster wanting him dead.

"And don't think I've forgotten about your serpentine peepers," Jishin wagged a finger. "I felt something special in you when we first met. So that's what it was."

To such a statement, Stas just rolled his eyes.

'Sure, he 'felt' it. If these darn changes hadn't shown up, he wouldn't have suspected a thing.'

"Yes, it was a good fight," Stanislav nodded. "But why just talk about me?" he deflected. "I'm sure you didn't write everything in the letters. So, how about sharing some news from the front? I heard it was hot out there. Also, the last few months have been fighting for the remnants of the cities of Hyugo, right?"

"We can't discuss that sober," something dark flickered briefly in Jishin's eyes. "So let's drink!"

Several expensive-looking bottles were thumped onto the table in front of them. And judging by the characters, there was even alcohol for warmasters here.

"Looks like someone's got a taste for the drink? A warmaster-alcoholic, a family's curse."

"Mind your words, or shall I remind you who your sensei is?"

Stas just grimaced in response.