Chapter XVI
Ryokumo Caeli effortlessly dodged out of the way as the wooden training sword swung toward the spot his head had been. However, while he was prepared to berate her for being so slow, his apprentice impressed him by immediately propelling herself off the ground and over his head, taking another attempt to get a hit in on him without missing a beat. He barely dodged it and grinned smugly at the brief flash of frustration that crossed her features. This time, rather than giving it a third attempt, she dashed across the arena and put distance between them. He folded his hands behind his back and watched as she took a moment to catch her breath.
“You’re doing well, Hannah,” he called over to her. “But you’re becoming far too predictable. Wind magic gives you the ability to move at speeds that are impossible for the human body alone. You need to take advantage of that. Never stop moving. Always have your next five moves planned out before the first has even been attempted.”
Hannah Lynn grimaced as she breathed heavily, her dark skin bathed in sweat. Clutching the wooden sword in her right hand, she reached her left up and brushed a strand of black hair from her eyes. Ryokumo allowed her a moment to take in his words as she tried to catch her breath.
“I try, Master, but you’re just far too fast. How do you keep track of me so easily? Am I really that slow? Even when you’re just standing still, I can’t land a single hit!”
He smirked. For that day’s training session, he had decided to do something different from their usual sparring sessions. This time, all he would do was stand in the center of the arena and dodge. He wouldn’t use his magic to attack her, rather, he opted to use it solely for defense. As for Hannah, she was permitted to do whatever she wanted in order to strike him a mere single time, something she had been attempting for the past ten minutes and had yet to accomplish.
Content to give his apprentice a moment to think, Ryokumo briefly glanced around the arena they were standing in. It was fifty yards in diameter with bleachers surrounding them on all sides. There were enough chairs to comfortably fit a little over two hundred people, but at the moment, they were empty. He had told Hannah that she could go anywhere within the bounds of the room, yet even having full access to the stands did nothing to help her achieve her goal. She was a strong girl and at age twenty-three, she was showing so much talent that he could hardly hide how impressed he was, especially considering her upbringing. Hannah came from a rather poor family that lived in the slums of Erika, having gone days without food numerous times as a child. To escape that life, she applied to study wind magic at the Mages’ Academy and her natural talent was quickly exposed to her teachers, earning her a recommendation to study in the Citadel. She impressed Ryokumo enough that he had decided to take her on as an apprentice—a potential successor to the title of Master of Wind should anything ever happen to him. That talent was still obvious, but she was young and inexperienced. It was that experience that he sought to give her.
“Slow is not a word I would ever use to describe you,” he finally replied, turning his attention back to the girl. “You’re fast—faster than even some professional wind mages I’ve come across. The issue is that you put too much attention into offense and not enough into defense.”
Hannah frowned, her yellow eyes narrowed in thought. “But…didn’t you say you aren’t going to attack me? Why would I need to worry about defending myself?”
“Ah, and therein lies the problem,” he replied with a chuckle. “Hannah, there is never a moment when you shouldn’t be considering defense, even when your opponent isn’t fighting back. Remind me, what was the goal I gave you today.”
“To land one blow on you,” she responded immediately.
“Very good. And what is it I am tasked with doing?”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Um…not let me land a blow on you.”
“Again, correct. Now, finally, what is it I’m going to do to prevent you from achieving your goal? What is the most logical way to protect myself?”
“Well…you’d watch what I do and try to determine the best way to defend yourself,” she answered hesitantly, clearly struggling to understand what he was trying to tell her. “You’d use your magic to protect yourself from my attacks.”
“Obviously,” he agreed. “And it is those defenses that you need to get past if you have any hope of winning our little contest. So, what is your plan? How have you been trying to break through my defenses?”
The girl considered his question for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. “U-um…I guess I’ve just been trying to go as fast as possible. I just need to land one hit so if I just take as many shots as I can, one of them is bound to work.”
Ryokumo smirked, always happy whenever he got a chance to teach her something new. Even after almost a year of training her, he found he never grew tired of helping her and was grateful that he had been given the chance to be her master.
“And yet, we’re ten minutes in and not a single one has. Clearly this plan isn’t working. Why is that?” Ryokumo inquired. “Why have I been able to dodge every single strike?”
“You know me too well,” she replied. “And like you said, I’m getting predictable. There’s only so much I can do when I’m sparring with my own master. Every move I made was taught to me by you. It makes sense that you’d be able to predict what I’m about to do.”
“Yes, that definitely plays a role,” Ryokumo conceded. “But how does that relate to you considering defense? Why should you have to think about ways to defend yourself when I’m not attacking you? How would understanding defense enable you to get past me?”
Once again, Hannah stayed silent as she thought about his question. However, this time, Ryokumo saw the answer click soon after and her eyes lit up when she responded. “Because my opponent is defending themselves,” she answered confidently. “If I want to break through your defenses then I need to think about what you’re actually doing to defend yourself.”
The Master of Wind smiled. “Exactly. Now then, how am I stopping you? Yes, you’re predictable at times, but that’s not the only thing I’m doing. I can’t predict what I can’t see and you’re certainly going faster than I can follow. Yet, I dodge each time, as if I can follow you. Why?”
He could tell she was getting overwhelmed by his constant barrage of questions, but he believed that having the student find the answer themselves was the most efficient way of helping them remember the lesson.
“I’m…not sure,” she admitted.
“Then think about it more,” he insisted. “Reverse our roles, Hannah. If I were trying to land a blow on you, how would you protect yourself?”
“Well…I guess I would… Oh!” She smiled. “Of course. You’re using ‘Coniune’!”
“There we have it!” he said. “Yes, exactly. While that spell takes quite a bit of concentration and thus, is not terribly useful in the heat of battle, if you are simply standing still, it does wonders for defense.”
Wind magic was all about controlling the air surrounding the caster and thus, it was often used to aid in human senses. By creating a relationship between it and the body, the natural abilities of the user would then be advanced beyond the physical limitations simply because the very air around them acted as an aid. However, that wasn’t the extent of it. Wind magic could also be used to slow the senses. Being able to move at inhuman speeds wasn’t helpful if the mind couldn’t process what was happening. Therefore, a spell had been invented by a previous Master of Wind that bonded wind magic and mind magic. It allowed the user to process the world at slower speeds while reacting at faster ones. However, because it used a bit of mind magic, it took a lot of effort and thus, was rarely used in full during active combat.
But it’s perfect in a sparring situation such as this.
“Therefore,” Ryokumo continued. “If I am keeping you at bay due to my heightened senses, then how do you plan on fighting that?”
Hannah grinned. “Disto!”
Perfect.
The world around his apprentice shifted and she vanished into thin air, but Ryokumo knew what had happened. She had activated distortion magic, concealing her presence from him. While he could still sense her mana, he couldn’t see her and thus, his magic wouldn’t be as effective. He’d have to rely on his own instincts.
“Nex!” Ryokumo shouted, bringing his hands up and placing a shield of air to his right.
Without seeing Hannah, he could only sense the impact as her attack was blocked by his shield. Yet, after their conversation, he knew she wouldn’t only make the one attempt. Within mere seconds after casting the spell, Ryokumo shifted his upper body to the left, feeling the passing sword just barely miss him. Now that she was closer, he could see the vague shimmering that distortion magic always gave off, and he knew that unless she put distance between them again, she wouldn’t be able to land her hit.
Impressing him, she did exactly that.
“Proto!” Hannah chanted and he could instead sense her mana back on the other side of the arena.
Ryokumo quickly brought the magic to his fingertips once again, prepared to react to whatever trick she attempted. Now that he had revealed to her what he was doing, he would no longer be able to take her by surprise. Therefore, he would simply have to rely on his reaction speed. He heard another shout and immediately after, the mana presence shifted, but her distortion faded for a second, and he was able to catch a glimpse of the young woman darting into the stands. He planted his feet firmly into the ground, ready for anything, but just as Hannah turned back and was jumping down into the arena, Ryokumo realized they weren’t alone.
“Hannah, stand down!” he ordered sharply.
His apprentice dropped the distortion and came to a stop a few yards away from him, a confused and questioning look on her face. But Ryokumo’s attention was instead drawn to the arena’s entrance up at the top of the stands where the cloaked halfling was standing.
“Oh, please, Caeli! Don’t stop on my account! I was enjoying the show!” Seiras called down to him.
Ryokumo narrowed his eyes, a sickening feeling spreading through him. Ever since their confrontation in Seiras’s quarters, he had been trying to avoid the man at all costs. Those visions he saw had been tormenting him and Ryokumo had been dreading the day when they would start using that spell on the Children of Reiner.
Hannah, quickly recognizing the newcomer, bowed her head. “Good morning, Master Ka.”
Seiras chuckled, his bulging eyes flickering to Hannah. “Yes…a good morning it is, Miss Lynn. It is nice to see your skills improving… Quite impressive, I must say.” He then tilted his head in Ryokumo’s direction. “You’re quite the teacher, Caeli. A man to be respected, you certainly are.”
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Ryokumo grit his teeth as the revolting little man interacted with his apprentice. He knew Hannah simply greeted him as a formality, and he was proud of how polite she was, but he wished she would have refrained from speaking with him. He knew he was being paranoid, and he hated to think how much the Master of the Mind had shaken him up, but he couldn’t help it.
“What do you want, Seiras?” he demanded. “As you can see, I am quite busy right now, so if you wouldn’t mind…”
“Oh, but I do,” Seiras replied. “The time has come, Caeli. Our magnificent prince has ordered the interrogations to begin. He wants to see what my new magic can do to loosen Miss Kirisan’s lips!”
Ryokumo spared a quick glance at Hannah, wondering if it was okay for Seiras to speak of it in front of her, but the halfling didn’t seem to care as he went on.
“And I’m sure you’re excited to see what I can do! After all, you know first-hand just how effective my magic can be!”
The Master of Wind swallowed back his disgust, knowing that no matter how much he may have wanted to, he couldn’t lash out at the halfling. “So you need me this instant?” Ryokumo snapped.
Seiras nodded, another trembling laugh escaping his lips, as if he were enjoying every second of the conversation. “That would be correct.”
“And you couldn’t have told me sooner?”
“Well, I suppose I could have…but it must have slipped my mind.” Seiras then spun around, putting his back to them as if preparing to leave right that second. “I’m a very…busy man, Caeli. So forgive me for being a tad forgetful. However, by orders of the prince, you must come with me.”
You little monster! Don’t act like you didn't do this on purpose! I know you get pleasure in pissing people off!
Seiras always seemed to enjoy going out of his way to anger his fellow Masters. Ryokumo knew his actions weren’t due to any personal vendetta toward him and he had heard the others complaining about him numerous times in the past. The simple fact was, Seiras Ka reveled in chaos and anger, and he sought any way to achieve that, even doing something as minor as failing to tell him about the interrogation that morning. The only one he never crossed was Prince Reigious, whom the halfling always seemed to idolize.
“Very well,” Ryokumo called back through clenched teeth. “I shall be ready in five minutes.”
Seiras shook his head and clicked his tongue. “How about four? Yes…four would be much better.”
Scoffing, Ryokumo watched as Seiras almost skipped from the arena and back out into the corridors beyond. Part of him wanted to march right up to Prince Reigious and demand that Seiras be removed from the interrogations, but he knew it was unlikely to accomplish much. Reigious was the type of man to do whatever it took to get results, even relying on as twisted of a man as Seiras. Until the prince decided Seiras’s magic would be ineffective, he would allow the halfling to do as he pleased.
But Reigious doesn’t understand, he thought. He doesn’t understand just how terrifying that magic is…
“Master,” Hannah spoke up. “You should get going. I’ll stay here and practice on my own for the rest of the hour.”
Ryokumo sighed and nodded softly. “Yes, that would probably be best. I’m sorry today’s training had to be cut short.”
“No, it's fine,” she quickly assured him. “What you’re doing with Master Ka is important. I don’t know a lot about the attack on the Citadel, but I know it’s important that the prisoners reveal what they know. Our training can wait.” The girl then smiled. “And besides, I think I learned something very useful today already.”
He chuckled. “Well, I would certainly hope so. Alright, Hannah, keep practicing and we’ll pick this back up tomorrow.”
“Yes, Master,” she replied with a bow.
Ryokumo then turned and headed up into the stands before following the steps up to the arena’s entrance. He found Seiras waiting out in the silver hallway of the Citadel, crouched down beside the wall and muttering to himself. When he heard Ryokumo’s footsteps, his head snapped up, revealing a twisted and excited smile.
“Well that was quick,” he murmured. “Good! Now let’s be off!”
Ryokumo nodded. “Yes. Let’s.”
The halfling jumped to his feet and began walking down the corridor with Ryokumo following close behind. Seiras soon went back to whispering to himself, leaving the Master of Wind in a grateful silence. Yet, now that the interrogations were being for real, his thoughts went back to the same thing that had been bothering him for the last few days—the visions Seiras’s spell showed him.
He knew they weren’t real. Seiras had said as much. They were simply visions formed from his deepest fears and regrets. With all that explained, he understood the first two visions and why the spell would cause him to see them. The first one was created out of his regrets for not being able to save Abi’s life. Despite all the promises he made to her, in the end, he was still powerless to prevent her death. He knew the real Abi would never have said the things she did in the vision, but he couldn’t deny that it still bothered him.
As for the second, it embodied his fears for the future. His pocket realm only existed to sow chaos and confusion, not stop Nigreos and Album. He wanted them to believe that something more was happening in Omaruo and then maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to erase Eric Reiner. He wanted Abi’s son brought to the Citadel where he could protect him better. However, he couldn’t risk sneaking to Omaruo a second time so he couldn't play any further role, and if his plan failed, Eric would be gone.
So that second vision was showing me that—a world where Eric dies and I go down fighting Nigreos.
It was a fate he truly feared and knew was a possible outcome if he made even a single mistake. Yet, even that one wasn’t the vision that chilled him the most. Instead, it was the final one—the vision where he spoke to that woman who begged him to remember her, and yet he couldn’t. That was the one that was keeping him up at night. That was the one that utterly terrified him, because he had already had a feeling what it meant.
Somebody close to me was erased…and I’ve forgotten them. But erasure can’t completely wipe emotions, and that vision brought out the guilt that the erasure is trying to suppress. I forgot her…and I can’t even begin to guess what she was to me.
Ryokumo clenched his fists, recalling a conversation he had with Album back before she and Nigreos left. Gaps in his memories had been hanging over him for the past two years and he had never been able to fill them in. He knew he was forgetting something and he had his suspicions as to who could have been the one to erase them. After all, there were only two people in Erika who were able to cast the erasing spell and one of them was Album. If somebody close to him was erased then he was almost certain that she was behind it. Yet, he’d never been able to prove it. Album always denied it, either saying that he was mistaken that he was missing memories or that she was uninvolved. But now, after Seiras’s visions, he knew as a fact that somebody was erased.
And this woman…if my theories are correct, then she knows what happened to the Angel. Somewhere in my missing memories, the Angel disappeared. This woman would know…and if I regain my memories, so will I.
Ryokumo scowled. But the only way to regain them is for Album to return them, and I know that if she’s behind this, then she has kept them secret for a reason. Convincing her to be honest won’t be a simple task…and especially not while she’s in Omaruo.
The two Masters arrived at the lift and stepped onto the silver disk. Ryokumo immediately cast his spell to take control of it, and the two of them began to descend. As they lowered, he spared a glance down at Seiras, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet, as if giddy for what was to come.
But…there could be a way to regain my memories without Album. Seiras’s spell already broke past the erasure’s effects…so who’s to say it couldn’t happen again. I know it's a dangerous spell, but if there’s a way to learn more about this erased woman then…
“Thinking about me, are we?” Seiras whispered.
Ryokumo stopped mid-thought and scowled, having forgotten how well Seiras could tell when his name crossed a person’s mind.
“All good things, I hope,” he went on. “Or are you still cursing me for casting my spell on you? I told you I was sorry…or perhaps you’re worried I lied? Perhaps you fear I did see what was in your mind?”
“Shut up,” Ryokumo snapped. “I couldn’t care less whether you saw it or not.”
Seiras clicked his tongue. “No…no, no, no, no. That is far from true. I sense conflict and fear in you. There is something within those visions that you do not wish to be found. You have your secrets like anybody else, Ryokumo Caeli. Do not try to deny it.”
The problem is, I can’t work with him. If I asked him to help me regain my memories, he’d be more of a risk than is worth taking. If Seiras were to learn of the Angel’s existence, not only would I get executed for treason, but a power like that falling into Ijiria’s hands would be bad. Truthfully…that syringe was something we never should have refrained from destroying…and without my memories, I don’t even know why we didn’t.
“Yes, of course I have secrets,” Ryokumo replied softly. “But they are my business. They are not for your ears.”
The halfling laughed. “I don’t suppose they are.”
With that, the silver disk arrived at the lowest level of the shaft—the dungeons. In the hallway beyond, everything was dark and murky, the only light coming from the torches along the walls. These halls weren’t built of silver, rather they were simply dug out of the ground, with dirt and stone still visible and pillars of stone crafted to hold everything up. Iron doors that led to cells lined the halls and in front of them, armored guards stood watch, garbed in the green and gold colors of Ijiria. When they noticed the two Masters, they bowed. Ryokumo could sense the despair of this place. Escaping from the dungeons of the Citadel was impossible. Once one was placed in there, death was almost assured.
“Let us go,” Seiras murmured as he once again took the lead.
Their footsteps echoed across the silent dungeon hallways as they moved further into the dank corridor. The dungeons were like a maze, designed so that if any prisoners were to somehow get out, they would be lost in the tunnels until they were found. There had been many discussions about casting illusion magic in the tunnels like they had around the vault and throne room, but the idea had been shot down numerous times. It would only create a hassle since one would need to be a guide to find their way around, and once there were too many guides to keep track of, the spell became pointless. Finally, they stopped in front of one of the cell doors and Ryokumo knew they had arrived.
“Open the doors,” Seiras rasped to the guards.
The two immediately went to unlock the iron door and soon, it had been pulled open just enough for the Masters to enter. Ryokumo had visited Arisa Kirisan’s cell before and so, he knew her well enough. She was more stubborn than the other Children and had thus far been the most aggressive. The red-haired girl was sitting on the ground, her arms chained to the wall behind her. The shackles were charmed to disrupt the flow of her mana and thus, she was unable to cast spells. She was skinny, and clothed only in undergarments, revealing how weak and malnourished her body was becoming.
Kirisan slowly raised her head as the door shut behind them and, despite her horrid state, she smiled smugly. “I was wondering when I’d get my next visit,” she whispered. “Good to see you haven’t abandoned me like Taurus, Master Caeli.”
She stared up at Ryokumo, her eyes filled with utter hatred that always made his stomach churn. He deserved her hatred and that was what pained him the most. He had always loved Abi and her Children, so seeing them like this was awful.
“And you, little guy,” she muttered, turning now to Seiras. “I’m guessing you’re Taurus’s replacement?”
Seiras laughed in obvious excitement. “That I am. It is nice to meet you, Arisa Kirisan. I am Seiras Ka, Master of the Mind.”
For a brief moment, surprise flashed across her eyes, but it was soon gone, and she returned to her smug demeanor. “Ah, so that’s how it is. You gonna try to read my mind or something? Well, good luck with that. I’ve been trained to keep my thoughts buried inside. You’re not getting anything from me.”
Seiras licked his lips. “No…reading minds is not as simple as one would think. Mind magic only allows the user to get a vague idea of what a person is thinking. Even I cannot force your deepest secrets out of you. Instead…I have a different plan, Miss Kirisan.”
“Yeah?” She snorted. “Well go ahead. Taurus has already burnt me enough times and I still haven't broke. What makes you think you’ll be any different. Trust me…you’re better off just killing me. I’m never going to betray my mother.”
“Yes…you are,” Seiras replied softly. “You are going to break, Child of Reiner. You do not understand the true pain and suffering I can inflict upon you. You underestimate me.”
Kirisan managed a weak shrug. “Maybe…but then why don’t you stop jabbering and put actions to your words. Let’s see what you got, Master Ka. After Taurus’s warning, I can’t say I’m not intrigued just a tad bit.”
At that, Seiras suddenly started laughing softly. Then, it began to get louder and soon enough, he was cackling like a madman, almost doubled over.
“Yes! I like you, Kirisan!” he shouted. “I cannot wait to see how far you can go! You intrigue me! You fascinate me! And I am grateful that I get to be here to see you crumble!”
Ryokumo swallowed, knowing where it was going next as the halfling stretched his arms out toward the girl.
“Prepare yourself for an unthinkable hell!” he snarled. “Aniextiam!”