Swinging his sword to the side, Ezekiel deflected Ellen’s spear thrust. Knocked off balance, Ellen was forced to stop as she regained her footing. At the same time Wendy slid to the side. She moved from behind her sister to strike at what she thought was an opening.
She missed as Ezekiel used his free hand, and larger reach, to knock one hand away. He then swung back and grabbed her other hand, spinning around and throwing her back into her sister. The two tumbled to the ground.
Watching his sisters climb back to their feet, Ezekiel couldn’t help the slight feeling of guilt that welled up in his chest. While he wasn’t using mana, his body was still as strong as a Legendary Cruor. Meaning that, in purely physical combat, he could match a Tier four who was wearing their Spirit armor.
He’d still lose in an instant, of course. The Spells that a Legendary Mage could cast, without Spirit armor, were more than enough to take him down in one go.
“You’re cheating!” Ellen screamed as she charged in once again. “There’s no way you’re not using mana! You liar!”
Ezekiel sighed as he leaned out of the way again. Flipping Ellen over his shoulder, where she nearly lost grip on her spear. His sisters were both there when it was explained that he couldn’t cast spells and use his mana to reinforce himself. The words he had said before were for the rest of the class. Few, if any, people outside the Church higher ups knew that his spirit paths were crippled.
Glancing to the side, Ezekiel made a note of how much time was left in the timer.
“Let this be a lesson for you all. A Void Mage like me has a body that is significantly stronger than any Mage of a different Element. As such, even though I am holding back, immensely so, I am still far stronger and faster than any of you, without mana.” Ezekiel couldn’t hold back his sigh as he said this. “If you’ll note, I have kept my word, and not a single attack has been faster than either of theirs.”
There was some muffled grumbling from the other students as they realized that Ezekiel was telling the truth. But they were still confused as to how he was defending himself so well.
“This is what we call experience. Just as I can tell all of you where your flaws are, I can also tell what you are most likely to do should you attack me in certain ways. The fact that I have seen all of you fight at some point today, while none of you have seen me fighting, also gives me an advantage.” Ezekiel realized that this would make it seem unfair, but that wasn’t the point of this lesson.
While he had been talking, it seemed like Ellen and Wendy had regrouped, and come up with a new plan. Something that he was glad they were taking the initiative to do.
While Ellen approached, Ezekiel leaned back to avoid the spear. He struck out with his free hand. His palm pushing into Ellen’s stomach. The force behind the blow was relatively soft, but still threw her several feet away. She landed in a heap and rolled a couple of times before stopping.
Footsteps on the ground caught Ezekiel’s attention. Swinging his sword behind himself, he allowed Wendy to run race first into the flat of his blade. A low, loud, ring echoed out as she fell backward. Holding her nose in pain, she lost her grip on her daggers. Tears began forming in her eyes.
Once more, Ezekiel looked at the timer. More than half the time had been used up.
“You bastard!” Ezekiel couldn’t help but flinch at his sister’s outcry. But he hardened his resolve and looked back at her. Waiting for her to charge once more. All while keeping half his attention on Wendy.
This time, rather than trying to skewer him, Ellen went for a swing. Her longer spear gave her more reach than Ezekiel. But he simply held up his sword. Stopping the spear in its tracks.
He then lifted his feet to avoid the low strike from Wendy. Shooting his feet back down, he lifted one of his heels, getting Wendy in the chin and disorientating her.
His other foot then struck forward. Slamming into Ellen’s face and sending her back once more.
Bending down to pick up Wendy, Ezekiel threw her at their sister once more. Knocking Ellen over just as she stood up.
“I don’t suppose you two have figured out what I’m trying to teach here?” Ezekiel leaned on his sword as he addressed his sisters. “Believe it or not, this isn’t about me showing you how much better I am at fighting than you. To be honest, I could fight each and every student in this room at the same time and still win.”
Some of the students bristled at the thought, but none of them were willing to speak up then and there. On the other hand, Ellen and Wendy looked even angrier. Thinking that Ezekiel was mocking them.
At this point, the timer had been forgotten by all but Ezekiel, who decided to let it just run out.
“In this case, I’ll simply tell you what you both need to work on. Ellen, you need to stop being so aggressive with your attacks. You also need to develop more defensive maneuvers. I can’t leave this circle. I shouldn’t be able to strike back nearly as easily as I have been. Retreat when your attack won’t work and go in again from a different angle.” Ellen grit her teeth, unable to dispute Ezekiel’s advice.
“Wendy, same thing. However, I’ll admit that this is more difficult for you since your range is shorter. However, since knives like those are meant for close quarters combat, you need to work on fighting up close. Don’t become reliant on sneak attack, unless you have a means of making it work if your initial attack fails.” Wendy’s face fell as Ezekiel pointed out her failures.
“But, given that you have allowed me to talk, and run out the clock,” at that moment, the timer on his desk ran out, “I’ll let you try and attack me again, if you wish. But know this, you have already lost. So, there will be no consequences, either way, if you manage to hit me this time. So, what will you do?”
Gritting their teeth, the twins both rose to their feet. Uncaring of the fact that they had lost, and would have to fight each other in the future, they both moved to attack. This time, taking on a different tactic from before.
This time, Wendy charged first, her daggers held close in front of her chest, ready to deflect or strike. While Ellen took up the rear, ready to strike from behind Wendy should an opening appear.
Ezekiel smirked, knowing that this tactic would actually be difficult to defend against. But as he swung at Wendy from the side, she ducked right into Ezekiel’s rising knee. Lashing out with her daggers, she got a foot to the chest as Ezekiel extended his leg.
But rather than plant his foot back on the ground, he found Wendy holding onto his legs as tightly as she could. Dropping her daggers in the process.
Just then, Ellen, who had been waiting for an opening, went for an upward swing directed at Ezekiel’s other leg. Unable to jump, and with his chest wide open, Ezekiel found himself in a pinch. But knew he still hadn’t lost.
Ezekiel dropped his torso down so he could reach out with his free hand. Snaking his hand around the tip of the spear, Ezekiel grabbed onto the haft of the spear, stopping it in its tracks. Tightening his core, he stopped himself from falling over, even though he was in an awkward position.
“Very good.” Slowly moving himself into an upright position again, Ezekiel shook Wendy off his foot, and pulled Ellen’s spear out of her grip. “Let this be the second lesson for you. Ultimately, unless you get a sneak attack on your enemy, a difference in Tier can, and will, be the determining factor of a fight.”
“If the difference in Tier is more than two, then the lower Tier will lose, every time. Even with handicaps from the higher Tier.” Ezekiel bent down to pick up Wendy’s daggers. “Now, class is dismissed. Go about your day and be sure to think about your fights from earlier.”
Bringing the weapons back to the rack on the wall, Ezekiel held back a wince as the twins ran out of the class. The rest of the students slowly filed out. Left alone in the room, Ezekiel sat down at his desk. Taking a moment to himself as he placed Shine in his lap.
“... We’ll make our first attempt tonight. We can’t afford to wait any longer.” Shine was silent as Ezekiel spoke, but a low thrumming from their blade was enough to comfort Ezekiel.
Now he just had to deal with whatever fallout he would face when he got home.
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The walk home from the Cathedral grounds was quiet. Ellen and Wendy were walking somewhat ahead of Ezekiel. Neither one of them were in any mood to talk with him right now.
Ezekiel had tried to speak with them but was rebuffed. So, he decided that he would leave them alone for now. That way they could deal with things themselves, and hopefully calm down. Though it was obvious by his slouched posture that he wasn’t happy with how he had handled things. He just didn’t know how else to do so. As a teacher, he couldn’t allow his sisters to stomp all over him.
Given the current state of things, the twins both needed to get stronger faster. Given their age, and the training that they had undergone, it shouldn’t be long before they reach Tier two. Even if they didn’t have Spirits they were bonded with.
“Ezekiel...” Ezekiel snapped to attention as Shine’s voice called out to him. “... To the left... ten meters...”
Glancing in the direction Shine was pointing out, Ezekiel saw a pair of Hunters eyeing his sisters. Both were cloaked and seemed to be not bothering to conceal themselves. One was a Glacial Hunter, with a mouse Spirit, the other was a Death Hunter with a dog Spirit. Both saw Ezekiel looking at them.
They glared at him, the Death Hunter even pulling a finger across his throat. Ezekiel knew a death threat when he saw one. But he wouldn’t make the first move. Instead, it was a third and fourth figure that struck first.
Stolen novel; please report.
“The corner!” Shine reached out telekinetically to pull Ellen and Wendy back from the corner of the alley they were about to pass. A gout of flame immediately filled the spot where Wendy had just been. While a hole opened in the ground beneath Ellen.
Ezekiel couldn’t help but mentally curse the fact that his danger sense didn’t apply to threats that targeted anyone besides himself.
The twins screamed in fear, while the people around them all called out in shock. Grabbing a loose stone from the road, Ezekiel dashed forward, throwing it into the hole as hard as he could. A wet sounding ‘thump’ as the stone made impact indicated that the Mage from below fell over.
No Spirit rose to face Ezekiel, so he assumed that the man wasn’t a Hunter. Then the hole closed, and Ezekiel could no longer see into the ground. He figured that the Cavern Mage either hadn’t been taken out, or did have a Spirit, but it prioritized their escape over fighting.
Then, a loud ‘clang’ rang out as the Flame Mage that was hiding behind a cart dashed away. Not wanting to cause any more of a scene, Ezekiel knew he had to get himself and the twins out of there.
“Girls!” Ezekiel’s tone was harsh, and immediately drew attention from his sisters. “We need to go. Hold on tightly.”
Picking up both his sisters, Ezekiel gave one final glance towards the Hunters that had attracted his attention. Both were gone.
“They ran... the moment I pulled the... twins back.” Ezekiel nodded in understanding before he jumped to the roof. The twins screamed and closed their eyes in fright at the sudden movement.
Suddenly, they both felt as if they were floating. When they opened their eyes, they saw themselves moving rapidly across the rooftops towards an estate in the distance. Yet there was no wind rushing past them. In fact, there was nothing that would make them uncomfortable.
Ezekiel ignored his sister’s awed expressions at how fast they were moving. He needed to focus; else he accidentally destroyed a roof when he kicked off. He was already going to be fined a great deal for so blatantly using magic. Even if he really wasn’t, his feats were well beyond the average citizen’s.
Regardless, it was only after he set foot down outside one of the estate entrances that he allowed himself to slow down a bit. Putting Ellen and Wendy down, he addressed the nearest guard. They immediately got to work, raising alerts regarding possible threats.
They also passed on a message to Evelyn, who had just returned from her session at the hospital. To say that she had been upset when she was informed of what happened was an understatement.
But, at least for now, it seemed like things were going well enough.
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The Luminance family was seated at their dining table as Ezekiel and the twins went over the events that had occurred earlier in the day. The fines had been paid, and the city guards didn’t want to bother with further investigations. So, things were left at that. Though it was likely the Alkena and Morse families’ influence that helped with that.
While telling the story Ezekiel had been as unbiased as possible. Stating facts from an observational standpoint. The twins, however, took their chance to throw Ezekiel under the bus for what Ezekiel had done to them earlier.
While his parents stayed silent, quietly going over the tale in their minds, Ezekiel sat patiently, holding onto Shine, and mentally preparing himself for what he would be trying later that night.
“Given what we’ve heard, I believe that two things have been confirmed. Onel; that we were right to take steps to have you guarded, and two; that you will need more combat training.” Warren was merciless as he ignored the devastated looks that his daughters gave him.
They looked to their mother for support but found none as she bit her lip in frustration. For the most part, since she was still regenerating her arm, she wasn’t working. But even so, she was still a Legendary Hunter. Given the power of the Hounds that had been sent so far, it was clear that she should be able to fight them off without any issues.
“I would’ve hoped that you two would understand why you need protection. Given the attack that occurred today.” Warren looked at both his daughters. “Or are you saying that you can defend yourselves against a group of Tier three Hunters aiming to kill and kidnap you?”
The twins averted their gazes. They knew their father had a point. Though they hated it.
“Ezekiel.” The Void Mage looked at his father. “While I am not happy that you toyed with your sisters in a battle. I am glad to see that your own training and experiences have helped them. However, for the moment, I believe it would be best that the guards take over their training.”
Ezekiel nodded in understanding. He was aware that he had created a conflict with his sisters. Continuing to try training them at this point would be a bad idea.
“You will, however, continue guarding them outside of their classes. At the same time, girls, you will need to get over this thing you have about not fighting each other. Regardless of what you believe, sparring with one another helps you grow stronger.” Evelyn nodded alongside her husband's words. But Ellen and Wendy just looked upset.
“But fighting is what got us into so many problems in the first place! If Ezekiel hadn’t fought, if he hadn’t done everything that he could to get stronger, then nothing bad would’ve happened to him!” Ellen’s voice started to rise as her emotions got heated.
Ezekiel looked shocked. He had thought that his sisters understood what he had had to go through. As well as why he had to leave.
“Ellen! You know full well that it wasn’t any of us that did anything wrong! Or are you saying that people should be hating your brother because he’s a Void Mage?” Evelyn exclaimed. Ellen looked away. “It’s not our fault that there are forces that want to act against us. Different people have different beliefs and desires. You can’t make everybody happy.”
Ellen didn’t say anything. It was clear that she didn’t agree with everything that Evelyn was saying. But she also didn’t have anything she could say to dispute it.
“Think of it this way. By training with your sister, you will be able to help her figure out how to defend herself against those that want to kill her. She has it far worse off than you, after all.” Evelyn’s words seemed to have an impact this time. Ellen looked like she was now reluctantly agreeing with her mother.
“Fine...” Ellen looked at her sister as she said this. Wendy looked like she was more willing to go along with this than Ellen. It seemed the attack from earlier had given her a scare.
“... One good thing that will be happening, however, is the fact that we will be more active in finding Spirits that might be willing to bond with you.” The twins looked far happier when Warren said that. Both looking almost giddy at the thought.
“Go pack your things. Given you don’t have classes tomorrow, your father and I will be taking you out to the wilderness beyond the city. Your brother won’t be able to accompany us because he’s teaching. But, in the future, if you don’t bond with Spirits now, he will be going with you at other times.” Evelyn’s words brought the twins’ mood back down.
Not wanting to deal with this anymore, Ezekiel stood up from the table.
“Well, given that this mess has been dealt with, I think I’ll go to my room. There are a few things I’d like to do before tomorrow. I wish you luck, girls.” Ezekiel left the room, not allowing the hurt he felt at his sister’s distaste for him show.
But Evelyn and Warren could hear what Ezekiel was holding back in his voice. However, they both knew that there wasn’t much they could do to help. This was an argument between their children. To take a side would just hurt the other even more so.
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Ezekiel sat cross legged on his bed. Shine lay across. Slowly, taking deep breaths in and out, Ezekiel calmed his mental state in preparation. This wasn’t the first time he had attempted to meditate as usual. But it was the first time he would be making a new attempt at something.
“Are you sure... you want to... do this?” Shine quietly asked as they mentally prepared themselves. “I know we’ve... been preparing. As well... read those texts... But this... is still new... grounds.”
Ezekiel took one more deep breath before answering. “We would need to make an attempt sooner or later. We’ve been sitting on this theory for two weeks now. No other theories even partially pan out. We won’t be able to proceed without doing at least a couple tests.”
The pair had scoured all the texts that they could get their hands on. Each one pertaining to different studies on the soul and spirit pathways. In particular, the attempts to repair and connect broken pathways. Usually, this was a rare problem. One that involved the loss of one’s Spirit, or Mages who didn’t have bonded Spirits in the first place.
In this case, Ezekiel was fortunate enough to have a Spirit that would hopefully be able to help him. But he still knew that making this attempt on his own was dangerous.
If it wasn’t for the fact that his danger sense was still mostly there, he wouldn’t have bothered trying. As it was, he actually felt more trepidation when contemplating going to the Church for help, than he did when thinking about doing it alone.
“Are you ready?” Ezekiel asked.
“... Yes...”
Ezekiel chose to ignore the slight pause in Shine’s reply.
“... Thank you. I’m sorry I keep putting you in difficult positions.” Ezekiel scrunched his face up in guilt. It took him several seconds to calm down again. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
Sinking into his meditation, Ezekiel’s consciousness fell away from the outside world.
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The sensation of opening his eyes spread through Ezekiel’s mind. A black Void filled with cracked glass, not stars, spread out in front of him. A distinct change from the blank mindscape that appeared when he had first woken up from his coma, months ago.
He still couldn’t feel his bond with Shine, but the fact that he could see anything at all was a stark improvement. Though, as he mentally touched the cracks around him, a spike of pain pierced his mind.
“Slow and steady. Careful. Calm.” Holding his imaginary arms in front of him, Ezekiel envisioned an imaginary triangle hanging in one hand. A tiny little rod in the other.
Tapping the triangle, a quiet ringing spread through his consciousness. It passed over the cracks, causing him to feel pain once more. But it was less than before. Then, the sound traveled further. It passed through the rest of his body. The numbness that he had felt for months disappeared.
Pain was all he felt. Though it was not the worst he had experienced. It was simply spread out, and all encompassing.
Several seconds later, it faded away, and numbness was all he felt once more.
A new pain emerged, exactly three seconds later. But it did not originate from him.
This sensation emanated from beyond the broken glass that surrounded Ezekiel’s mind. It was a sign that Shine had felt Ezekiel’s message. This was their response.
Using the pain that he felt, both from himself and from Shine, he was able to get a sense of which pathways were connected to Shine. As well as where they were in relation to the paths his consciousness occupied. With these two things, a map was slowly beginning to take shape within Ezekiel’s mind. The first step in slowly reconnecting his spiritual pathways, and regaining his magic.
Suppressing his elation at the first step working, Ezekiel tentatively moved onto the next.
He slowly spun a thread of Void, using his concept of ‘Nothingness’ in place of mana. Something that he had yet to confirm worked. But, as he slowly manifested his concept into form, a solid image appeared in front of him.
Sending the thread outwards, in the direction he felt the second sense of pain originate, Ezekiel ignored the sudden burning sensation he felt as his nerves reactivated. Slowly, the pain abated as the thread reached another piece of his broken pathways.
Feeling his consciousness expand, ever so slightly, Ezekiel slowly widened the thread, forming a tube. Slowly, he felt a tiny amount of mana come back under his control. It was only a few hundred motes, but to feel his mana once more was amazing.
Letting his grip on the thread loosen, he steadied himself. Making sure he was ready if it collapsed. Several seconds passed, and nothing happened. Instead, the tube seemed to solidify, and the pathways Ezekiel had connected seemed to settle into a new balance.
Mentally flicking the new connection, Ezekiel allowed himself to relax. Feeling confident that this connection would remain strong. At least until something struck it directly.
Ezekiel felt a sense of exhaustion suddenly overcoming him. Allowing it to pass over him. He found himself waking up.
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Opening his eyes, Ezekiel saw that there was a dim light streaming through his window.
“How long were we out?” Ezekiel lifted Shine from his lap. Taking a moment to stretch, he slowly stood up to get ready.
“Not... Long. Just the... night.” Shine somehow sounded tired as they seemed to sigh while they spoke. “It worked?”
Holding out his hand, Ezekiel replied by sending a poke of mana towards a chair. It fell over with a loud ‘thunk’. While not that impressive, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel immensely proud. Even though that small act had used up all the mana he consciously had access to.
“Yeah. As slight as it was, it worked.”
Feeling hope for the first time in months, Ezekiel got ready for his day with a smile on his face.