"I know I've had a habit of saying each part was the hardest in some way, but I truly do mean it now." Zen held his finger up. Avures yawned and rubbed his eyes, nodding along as his teacher got to talking. "This is tolerance training. Zen Mode is no good if you drop it after taking a hit. Being assailed is one thing... You can flinch when you see attacks coming and eventually adapt, but actual pain?... I'm not sure I know of anyone who could get punched in the nose and continue to hold concentration."

"So, what are we doing then? Master, you were pretty insistent that this part could take a while." Avures stretched his arms out and then bent over to touch his toes.

"It's simple. I tried to do this with you yesterday, but you weren't quite ready. Now, you are. Pain tolerance training. It's probably the only lesson that can actually be beaten into someone." Zen cracked his knuckles as a goofy grin took shape on his face. Avures snapped out of his lackadaisical mentality and gave a concerned glare.

"Huh?"

"Essentially, you have to hold Zen Mode while I pummel you. But to also accelerate the process, you're going to have to hold balls of Mana like before while in Zen Mode. Maintain the form, keep the levels of Mana from fluctuating, and hang in there while I devise ways to hurt you."

"This... This isn't needed, is it?" Avures's tone dropped down into a groan as he dreaded what was to come.

"There will be nothing more detrimental to you than being knocked out of Zen Mode early because you couldn't take the hit. So, until I see that you can hold Zen Mode for a slew of attacks, you're officially my punching bag for the next few days." Zen stopped cracking his knuckles and tilted his head to the side... He seemed to be lost in a moment of thought before locking back onto his pupil. "Punching bag is just a term I use. It'll be way more than that."

"Is that why you've been making me go hungry too?" Avures's eye twitched as his teacher wasted no time nodding his head in response. "I thought I'd be learning something new..."

"What do you mean? You are learning something new. You're learning to not be a bitch." Zen placed his hands on his hips as he launched himself into a laughing fit. Seeing Avures remain unamused furthered his enjoyment, but made Zen realize that it was very unbecoming of him. "Look, look. I'll be healing you after each time you reach total failure, like being unable to move. The faster you adapt to the pain, the quicker it'll be over with anyway."

"So what then?... I just hold the form and the Mana while letting you wail on me?"

"Pretty much. It's a multi-faceted exercise. Your focus should improve, you'll be more pain resistant, and you'll probably improve the amount of time you can hold Zen Mode for. Now, why don't we get started, huh?..."

----------------------------------------

And so, the master and the pupil commenced the hardest and most brutal part of their training.

There was an initial steep curve for Avures to adapt to. At first, his Zen Mode was dropping at the first hit Zen landed. Though the mental toll it took on him after exiting the form was rough, Avures had come to realize the sheer extent of effort that holding the form took. It had never truly dawned on him how the slightest misstep in all of this could ruin him. After all, this was now the test of endurance where, before, it was merely gauging if he was able to even use it.

Not only that, once Avures had adapted to hold the form past the first attack, he then had to refine his focus so that the Mana balls didn't change in size or lose shape. It wasn't so much that doing one or the other by itself was too terribly difficult... But at the same time? That's what Avures struggled with. He knew it would come with practice and effort. But, he would have been lying to himself if he said he hadn't wondered about giving up on it. That was, the increasing mental strain and anguish wore on him endlessly.

But there was a lot more to lose in giving up than what he would be able to gain in continuing forward. That much was apparent. Beating after beating, injuries sustained and assaults endured... A whole day was spent on the matter, and yet... Hardly any headway was made. Sure, Avures managed to get to the point of enduring a few frontal attacks while keeping the levels of Mana nominal, but at a point the progress had slowed down significantly.

However, the day had soon come to a close with the stunted progress being a point of concern. Avures kept his worries on the matter concealed, but Zen had already figured the boy was getting anxious. Zen chalked it up to general fatigue. If it wasn't that his tolerance wasn't improving, the answer had to be that the time at which Avures could hold Zen Mode was still rather short. This was what Zen believed to be the root of the issue. After all, his focus was certainly the most improved area and Avures had been able to take a flurry of attacks all at once without dropping. At this point, it seemed like his pupil needed to be pushed farther, or needed actual battle experience.

The rest of the day came and went, with palpable renewal filling the two of them with high ambitions and hope for the day. Avures, still pseudo-fasting for his training, indicated some form of growth throughout it all. If fifteen seconds was the true starting point, the session yesterday bore fruits of labor. The first time they went there... Avures held it for twenty-four seconds while sustaining combos. It became apparent that the focus aspect of the training was beginning to become redundant. After all, the previous days contributed the most to that area and it showed.

But, the amount of time Avures could hold it remained as the most difficult issue. That, and Zen decided to ramp up the scale of his attacks which caused trouble for his pupil. Avures didn't waver in confidence, but was beginning to get frustrated at the near stagnation he was experiencing. With that, the two of them took a small break...

"I'm wondering if maybe we shelve this part of the training for now..." Zen sat with his back against the arena walls, still down on the main floor with his pupil.

"I don't want to give up that easy on it... But..." Avures sighed as he brushed his hand against the dirt floor.

"This isn't really giving up, nor would getting this far into it and changing course be considered "easy". We're just gonna shift the pace and direction a bit."

"How so?"

"Well... What good would building up your Zen Mode endurance be if you didn't have any attacks or moves to use with it?" Zen swiveled his gaze over to his student.

"Oh... Right. Well, how much would Zen Mode even change up what I can do?" Avures straightened his back against the wall as he gave his teacher his full attention.

"Let's start from the beginning in what Zen Mode actually does. Zen Mode is a form from the Zen principles. At its core, it unlocks the full processing power of your brain while optimizing every mental aspect about you. You process information faster, think more efficiently, and react and act with minimal delay. It removes any and all inhibitors within your mind and lets you utilize the pure strengths gained in that way. It also allows you to focus on several different patterns of thought at once. As a result, like I said before, your clarity, focus, and intuition improve to exceptional levels. Along with that, it subsequently increases your Magic Potency. It's basically a steroid for your brain."

"Right. I understand all of that. Though to be honest, I'm not sure what I can specifically do with that."

"It may not seem like it, but just about everything you do is altered in some way during Zen Mode. From the way you make decisions, to the way you cast... If utilized right, it subtlety changes the methods you employ. This means that you can actively alter the way a technique may work with minimal effort... Or even some innate power..." Zen crossed his arms and bowed his head.

"Oh... Now that you mentioned it... You did say that we were going to cultivate my Future Sight... Is that what you mean?" Avures held out his right arm in front of him.

"Is that what you're calling it?... Pretty on the nose from what you've told me..." Zen peeked his head up and nodded. "But yeah, that's the plan. Most abilities are affected by mentality and state of mind... It'll be interesting how being able to gaze into the future can be affected by this form..."

"I agree. I hope it'll be more reliable..." Avures trailed off in his volume as opened and closed his hand into a fist shape. It was always odd to him how fast his Inherent Ability took over his arm. One bit of exposure to Flow... Then this starry, night sky effect overtook the color of his skin. It was his arm all the same, but he almost couldn't remember what it used to look like. "I experienced how mentality shifted my Future Sight before. When I'm full of doubt, anxious, or uncertain... It shows me horrid events. When in a fight, it's shown me a multitude of possibilities leaning towards whether I thought I would win or lose. I've always struggled with certainty and confidence... So, Future Sight would torment me. But if I use Zen Mode to force my mentality to align with a confident outlook, will it give me favorable visions?"

"You look a little lost there..." Zen leaned forward and waved his hand in front of his student's face.

"Just thinking about how to make it work... I think I have an idea... But before that, I remembered something last night that's been eating away at me." Avures turned his head to his teacher. "How do you know Runic Magic?"

"Oh. I read a part of the book that was brought here back when I was a student. A classmate let me take a peek. I-"

"You don't have to dodge around it. I know you're talking about the book my father wrote. I already knew you were referring to that, even a couple of days ago when you first showed me it." Avures slumped back against the wall as he shifted his eyes back to the rest of the arena. "I was just thinking you might have known him..."

"Hm... Is that a sentimental undertone? That's very unusual for you... Of course, I'm not mocking you or anything. I'm just surprised." Zen returned to his original position as well, taking in the empty area ahead of them. "I only knew of Avuran. Nothing more. I also knew that his daughter was supposed to be our classmate at one point..."

"Yeah... I guess I never knew him or my mom… And I never cared much about that before, so I don't need or deserve to know anything about them now... Especially with my outlook. I'm sure that I am very far removed from what they might have expected me to be... But even so, I regret not having a piece of them. In that regard, as the only inheritor of their small legacy... I'm worthless."

"Avures. Your worth doesn't come from living up to the expectations of someone else. It comes from fulfilling the expectations you set for yourself."

"I know that... But I feel as if that's my starting line."

"... Where did this come from? Avures, you've never struck me as the type to care about this sort of thing. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to find something you care about outside of the immediate people in your life. This sort of familial pride..."

"I want to feel like I deserve something by doing right by the people who brought me into this world and protected me until their very end... And the only way I know how to do that is to master what my father mastered. To study what he studied. To finish what he started..." Avures squeezed his right hand into a fist. As far as resolve went, this was the most he ever brought forth. A tangible goal worked towards out of respect and gratefulness to his parents and Avura.

"I see... So that's the expectations you made for yourself..." Zen smiled as he glanced over at his student. But Avures's face reflected only the typical sternness... Not the strangely emotional stance he took.

"I have to find that book... I have to find Muradin Pomos..."

"Mhm... God, that guy was an asshole-Wait. They told you his name?" Zen's smile dropped as he scooted closer to Avures and stared at him in the eye.

"Yeah... The Librarian said it would be a win-win if I got the book back... So, he gave me the name of the guy to track down. Is there a problem with that?" Avures felt the tension in Zen's tone. He had a feeling his teacher would disallow the idea of tracking him down...

"Ah. Well... If you improve Zen Mode and get a little stronger overall... Finding and taking the book back might be within your grasp."

"You think so?"

"For sure. Muradin's specialty is Artifice. He's not strong face to face. However, he is very self-absorbed with his own power... Stupid dickhead thinking he was so special because he could cast a Zero-Sum-...." Zen slapped his hand over his mouth as the final two words escaped his lips. His voice's volume had been trailing off, but Zen realized the mistake in still speaking aloud.

"Zero-Sum?... What's that?" Avures leaned forward, his interest piqued as he grasped onto the idea that Zen remorsefully let slip.

"Avures... I'm very torn right now because I can't trust you to leave or drop the subject after I made the mistake of letting it slip." Zen lightened the pressure of his hand over his lips as his words escaped his covering. Zen sighed, knowing there were only two ways this could end... "Okay. I will tell you what it is, but you must not go looking for more on it. And, you can only speak about it and try it with me... Understood?"

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Avures tilted his head, waiting for his teacher to drop the worry. He knew he heard "cast". That led him to believe it was something to do with Mana. Odds were, Zen hated the idea of Avures trying to learn it on his own in the wrong way...

"Yes. Zero-Sums are the end-all be-all for Magic. The ultimate form of magical mastery."

"Huh? How come I've never heard of it then?"

"It's not something that's easy or inconsequential to teach. The truth is, it is better left untaught and unmentioned within the Academy. There's no rules against it... But it's frowned upon because of how risky it is to even attempt." Zen lifted himself to his feet and dusted the dirt off of him. "Only the most skilled and studied can typically cast a Zero-Sum."

"So is it like a sort of technique?" Avures matched his teacher, working up to his feet and patiently waiting for explanation.

"Yes. It's a technique that requires exceptional mastery in several Types or Elements. It also requires an absurd amount of Mana, but can be used with any kind of Potency." Zen lifted up his right finger and pointed towards the ceiling. Several blue orbs of his own Mana split off of his body and slowly circled around him. "Mana must be expertly molded by your Element or Types, taking on extreme and reality-bending properties from the make-up of your Magic."

"Reality-bending?" Avures squinted his eyes towards the blue orbs. As they circled his teacher, the air around it took a shimmering property. Avures moved his hand near the group of them and didn't feel or sense any heat coming off of them.

"Mhm. The term "Zero-Sum" was given to the technique because it requires a delicate balance that exposes and manipulates infinite amounts of abnormalities that exist all around us. When you cast a Zero-Sum, you are creating a new balance of reality overtop of the old one while using the old one, like balancing two extremes. Try not to think about it too hard." Zen lowered his finger, letting the Mana fall apart and return to him. "In fact, try not to think about Zero-Sums at all for now. That's all I will tell you about them until you're skilled enough to use one."

"I'll... Stand by your demands." Avures sighed and rolled his eyes, slightly disappointed at the lost prospect of learning something new. "So, what do we need to do for Zen Mode to shape my Future Sight?"

"You need to spend time using both at the same time. It's all feel-based from here on out as far as utilizing the powers of Zen Mode. Avures, you're going to have to be your own judge..."

----------------------------------------

"Stop..." Avures put his hand up as he was bent over, catching his breath. His other hand was pressed against the front of his face as he keeled over in agony.

Zen was mid-punch as he froze in place. His knuckles were inches away from his student's head. Zen chuckled, dropping his assault entirely and patting his pupil on the shoulder.

"Future Sight on its own is an ability to be used as a reactionary tool, or something I can use to view a multitude of scenarios... However, its long-term accuracy is awful, and its short-term predictions and dictations are only good for the exact moments they are used for... I was hoping Future Sight would be more affected by Zen Mode... But all it has really done is allow me to view way more possibilities without the restriction of needing to know the exact capabilities of my opponent. It's useful in some ways, but still not practical for direct combat..." Avures rubbed his head as he continued panting. Standing up straight again, he eyed his teacher who seemed concerned by the way Avures had been keeling over.

"Here, let me heal you." Zen pressed his hands onto his pupil's shoulders, releasing a bright, assisting light from his palms. "Do you feel like you're making progress?"

"Maybe?... It's like the amount of visions I can see at a given moment has jumped up from one-hundred to about... Ten-thousand?" Avures furrowed his brow and sighed. Zen's eyes were widened at the notion of Avures seeing that many visions at once.

"Are you sure it's that many? That does seem pretty useful if that's the case. Wouldn't you call that progress?" Zen released his magic and let his arms fall to his side.

"Not really. It broadens my ideas I guess... But I have to experience any and all pain from any given vision where I would be attacked. At this point, I've kinda gotten used to it, but it's still not pleasant by any means." Avures stretched out his arms and body as he prepared to go again. "I was hoping I could get more useful aspects out of it..."

"I guess we'll just have to keep pushing it, huh?" Zen placed his hands on his hips. He wasn't quite sure of it... But it seemed that, despite the slowdown, Avures wasn't too frustrated with himself. He smiled, seeing progress in some regard. However, Zen had a feeling that this training wasn't going to yield much more.

"I don't feel like this is going anywhere." Avures crossed his arms and shook his head. Zen hadn't expected Avures to hit the mark on the exact same thoughts he was having.

"I agree... Though, why do you think that?" Zen pointed at his student, covering his chin and lips with his other hand while hearing what his pupil had to say.

"I'm not sure Future Sight can develop in any other way. If Zen Mode enhances processes of thought and unlocks different kinds of potential... Then the most it could do is what it has already done. It's multiplied the amount of visions I can see at once by a hundred... Which-... I guess it has some use?..."

"Interesting. See, I don't think your "Future Sight" is the problem. I think your problem... Is me." Zen pointed his finger back at himself, much to Avures's confusion. "You're not getting enough exposure to different styles. You might be stagnating by training exclusively against me. No new ideas, no new developments because I'm doing everything I normally do."

"That shouldn't matter though, right?" Avures tilted his head to the side. "You're still my teacher, and way stronger than me... I should still be growing..."

"No... No, no, no. It very much matters. Silly me, Grula would have been the first to point that out. You need a new training partner." Zen rubbed his chin and grinned. His pointing finger drifted off to the entrance of the arena as he snapped his fingers.

As if on queue, a group of six figures all waltzed into the room. Avures glanced over... And let out a sigh of defeat. Deep down, he figured that Zen planned this. However, he had no idea what the motive for it was.

"Can't believe Vrela ditched us for that dickhead!" Long black hair came into view, the owner of it resting his arms behind his head as they strolled to the center of the room. They weren't paying attention to what was in front of them, only to the others behind him. Avures recognized him and the lot behind him instantly.

"She can do as she pleases, and you're free to criticize. But, do not act so crude in your disposition." Iola shook her head, following behind Keleman.

"Keleman. Quit being a pain in the ass." Calvas walked up to the boy's side and smacked him upside the head.

"Dammit! Ow!" Keleman rubbed the side of his head, glaring at Calvas. "Uncalled for man..."

"Deserved." Feren shoved his way past Keleman, despite the vast amount of space available within the arena floor.

"You are kind of a jerk..." Malia skipped in front of Keleman and flicked him on the tip of his nose.

"Tch... Speaking of a jerk..." Keleman shifted himself straight towards Avures. He rubbed the tip of his nose as he made his way towards the quiet boy. Each step Keleman took echoed a tone of disdain until the two were face to face.

"Zen!... What a surprise..." Fraythorn marched over to his colleague, each step echoing the clanks of his armor. "Listen, I know you're probably all out of whack with schedules now since... Well, since your kids won the tourney and can do contracts. But I am trying to get my own ready too."

"Are you still mad about that?" Zen cackled to himself with a wide grin on his face.

"Mm. Not mad. Just disappointed, really. I think my kids are better all around still... Some just got placed into bad matches." Fraythorn rolled his eyes and pulled a cigarette out of a pouch. Using his other hand to swiftly light a match, he placed the cig into his mouth and gave it a puff.

"Oh. You can believe that if you want... It isn't true though." Zen shrugged, closing his eyes with his pride swelling up. "Anyways, I am here on purpose... Kinda..."

"Psh. Is that even allowed?"

"Since the early stages of the classes are over... Yes. I actually had a request."

"Shoot."

"Can I get one of your students here to train with Avures?" Zen shambled over and planted both of his hands firmly on the shoulders of his student. "He desperately needs a new partner to spar with. Repeated training with me is making him stagnate."

"I see, I see. That is quite the problem. I suppose that's the choice of my kids though." Fraythorn crossed his arms and turned his head over to his own students. "Malia, Calvas, Keleman, Feren, Iola!... Do any one of you want to fight against Zen's student?"

"Hell no." Keleman rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Waste of time." Feren walked several feet away from the group of them without even looking at anyone else.

"You're kinda boring... So no." Malia followed behind Feren, making a reluctant face at Avures.

"You're very unremarkable and well below my own talent. So I must also decline." Iola bowed out before stepping away as well.

"I apologize for the bluntness of them all, but it does seem that training with you would be very one-sided." Calvas stepped forward with his right hand over his heart. "No one has forgotten the way you conducted yourself during the tourney. Do not be surprised if we think you remain unimproved and thus don't wish to indulge you either way."

"Huh." Zen watched as the last of Fraythorn's students moved away to begin their own training. "I guess I can't blame them for that..."

"Whatever... Not like I need help from second-place anyways." Avures shrugged, closing his eyes. An immense pressure filled the air around Avures as he felt the stares of five different people hone in on him. Clearly, what he just said struck a nerve.

"That's right. Cause I'll train with you." Fraythorn placed his hand on Avures's head and ruffled his hair... "Just give me the rundown on what we're doing..."

----------------------------------------

Twirling his spear overhead, Fraythorn stood at length against Avures. Zen observed off to the side. The other five students were off doing their own thing in the arena, leaving the three of them to focus solely on Avures.

"So... You actually went through in teaching one of them the States of Insight?" Fraythorn ceased the spinning of his spear, maneuvering it down the length of his arm and gripping it with both hands. "Good God, Zen... What an undertaking..."

"Apparently, a few of my other students are learning it too. It's just that I personally chose Avures to be my protege so I could teach him Zen Mode." Zen leaned back against the arena walls.

"An undertaking? What are you implying?" Avures was in the best stance he could muster. He still had no weapon to match Fraythorn's spear.

"You're young. The States of Insight take a lot to master. It takes a very mature person with a lot of experience to really understand what it means to grasp Zen or Arbor or Flourish." Fraythorn bent at his knees, keeping both of his hands on the spear and pointing it towards Avures.

"Avures is quite... Adjusted for his age. I don't want to say mature, but he's certainly got his wit about him..." Zen took a deep breath while he crossed his arms. "Anyways, Avures needs to use his ability with Zen Mode. So, I guess just fight how you normally would while keeping that in mind, Fraythorn."

"Mm. Got it. Whenever you're ready, kid."

"Okay..."

Avures and Fraythorn stared off at each other, neither moving a single inch. Avures was a little jarred seeing Fraythorn hold his ground and not immediately assault him. Zen's style was quite different from this teacher's way of doing things. Zen was the type to constantly be doing something. Yet Fraythorn just... Watched.

Maybe it was just for this training exercise?... Avures wasn't able to tell how deliberate his opponent was being and it threw him off.

"Hey, Zen. Why the hell does this kid hesitate at everything?" Fraythorn sighed, any semblance of joy on his face fading out as he remained in his defensive position. "I've heard your weakness is offense. So, I'm giving you the opportunity to fix that. Don't waste my kindness, bud."

Avures blinked in rapid succession. It was kind of pointless for him to wonder what his opponent was doing. Had Avures truly learned nothing? Each second spent doing nothing was one he could use to leverage an advantage. So... What would work? Obviously, the thing he had been training this entire time was the solution. But past that... It didn't matter. Avures started out his twenty-four seconds with his Future Sight routing out all possibilities...

It was like all times before when the streak of spatial-sky encroached over his face in jagged lines and poured into his eye. The vision of all things dealing in the future were revealed to him. Avures needed only to choose what and when he wanted to see something. Zen Mode had given him two things. More direct control, and more viewings. Yet, it was merely compounding on things Avures could already do. It wasn't all a waste... But it could have been done without.

Either way, time crawled to a halt as Avures's mind processed tens of thousands of possibilities... Scrying for the best possibility, Avures processed every idea down to the last detail...

The main issue working against Avures was that this training didn't really have a main objective outside of him learning. There was no clear, defined goal. So, even if Avures followed his plan through to the end... What would it achieve?

Avures sprang forward, taking a direct path to Fraythorn. Using his length, Fraythorn threw out a warning jab towards the encroaching boy. Avures, using his vision, called the bluff. He shifted his body to the side and slid under the pointed edge. Readjusting his body, he used his arm to bat away the length of the spear as he continued his dash to Fraythorn.

However, with the balance and weight of the spear shifted, Fraythorn used the deflection to his advantage. Avures had gotten awfully close. Fraythorn switched the over and underhand of his grip and pushed outwards, unleashing the back end of the spear handle at Avures. The solid metal shaft of the spear bashed against the boy's nose and ripped out a gnarly crackle.

"Shit!..." Avures recoiled from the force of the hit, stumbling backwards as he covered his shattered and bloody nose. "Why is it always the nose?..."

"Zen! I thought you said this kid could see the future. What gives?" Fraythorn rolled his eyes and shook his head as he waltzed over to the kid he just assaulted.

"He can. Can't you tell? He did it initially." Zen walked over to the two of them with his Healing Magic ready.

"But that was one instance. There should be more, no?"

"When I follow up on visions... It changes the immediate future..." Avures's bated breaths subsided as Zen's Magic coursed through his body, repairing the damage to his nose.

"Pf. Why not just see the future directly after that then?" Fraythorn twirled his spear above his head, sheathing it a few moments after.

"It still takes time to use Future Sight. At least a tenth of a second."

"I see why you're trying to switch things up, Zen. However, I'm not a good fit for the boy. He needs a partner with relative strength so they can go the distance."

"You're right. But, I figured it was worth a shot to have you placed in front of him as an obstacle... Anyways, Avures... Let's-Avures?" Zen had taken his eyes off of the student for a single moment and he took off...

----------------------------------------

"Hey hey, fellas! What say I work-in with y'all?" Keleman had his arms behind his head as he approached two of his classmates.

"Hm? Sorry, Keleman." Feren was slightly hunched over with sweat dripping down his face as he stood some feet away from Malia. He hadn't even bothered to turn his gaze to his classmate. Instead, Feren's full focus remained on the Numidis girl in front of him.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Still waiting on the hopes of a positive response, Keleman froze in place to watch what would happen next. A few more moments of the stare-off between the two of them... Then in a flash, it happened.

Malia vanished from their sight entirely. And, within that same moment, Feren threw his left arm up to the side of his head. A thud sound rang out, and Malia apparated while hovering slightly above the ground. Her arm was outstretched into a punch, guarded by Feren's arm... Malia floated down to the ground and skipped past Feren over to Keleman.

"It's a nice idea, Keleman. But, you don't really have anything to add to our sparring." Malia poked her finger into Keleman's chest, twisting and pushing to cause discomfort. Keleman stepped back and swatted her finger away.

"Yeah. We don't need you for this. Sorry." Feren swung his arms out to his side in circles, stretching as he could.

"That's fine... I guess..." Keleman tilted his head up and groaned, waving back towards the two of them as he meandered in the opposite direction. "How annoying..."

Keleman put one foot ahead of him at a time. His next possible targets were Iola and Calvas. But, if history constantly repeated itself... He already knew the answer. Without Vrela around, no one liked to indulge him. Even so, it was usually just her alone who would go toe to toe with him. In all of his recounting of their sparring matches, Vrela was totally superior as it stood. There wasn't much of a point in her accepting his requests, but Vrela was the type of person to try and please everyone if she could.

It wasn't so much that everyone hated or disliked him. But, none of his classmates ever seemed to need his help. A common, recurring theme that resonated deep within Keleman's soul. Still, he was always resolved to at least try his luck.

"Oy. Calvas. Iola. Mind if I hop in?" Keleman placed his hands on the handles of his hook-blades, eagerly hoping for a sign of approval.

"Hm? Not at the moment, Keleman." Calvas inched over to the side of his classmate with his arms crossed. He nodded on ahead, signaling for Keleman to take a look.

Much like in the tourney, and in most of their time together, Calvas's lance had taken shape in the sprawling blue and gold pattern on the arena floor. Completely surrounding Iola Felsta several feet ahead, the occasional lance tip emerged from the ground at top speeds. Iola seemed to have a sort of sixth sense for his attacks, throwing parries and deflections the exact moment the lance attacks sprouted from the ground.

"Ah. I see. Gotcha..." Keleman blew a raspberry against his lips, shaking his head as he turned away. There wasn't much in the world more frustrating to him than this cycle he constantly went through with his classmates. It tended to remind him too much of his life before the Academy. Though Keleman loved to revel in the misery of being stuck in this cycle. To be able-bodied and wanting to help others... But to be constantly turned down because you aren't needed or don't live up to some standard. What was the point of having "friends" if you didn't do anything with them?

He walked off in a random direction. Not sure what to do with himself, Keleman wanted to resort to either meandering around, or to just leaving early. It was clear his presence wasn't going to be missed except by Fraythorn. But if Vrela was already permitted to not have to show up... Then what did it matter?

"Hey."

"Oy."

Both Avures and Keleman stood face to face. The former had practically sneaked up on the latter, but Keleman wasn't startled or fazed by it. They stood at odds, an air of resentment hanging between the two of them. The eye contact remained without end. Both of them waited for the other to say or do something.

"I'm willing to swallow my pride if you are." Avures continued to eye Keleman.

"Then by all means. Show me." Keleman swung his hands out to the side, shrugging as he awaited Avures.

"Do you want to spar with me-"

"No." Keleman let his arms fall back down to his sides as life fully died out from his face. He scoffed at the notion. "I don't even know what possessed you to ask me."

"It's vital that I get a better grasp on Zen Mode and my power. When my friends and I went on our first contract, things were way too close. If I were stronger, more prepared... Things might have gone smoother. They need me to be better. Surely you understand that?" Avures clenched his fist as he narrowed his gaze further onto Keleman's eyes.

"Can't say I do understand that..." Keleman yawned and averted his face from Avures's stare.

"Then... Then I'm sorry for making that assumption." Avures's force waned as his closed fist opened back up in slow motion. His eyes darted away from Keleman's head as he tried to figure out how he wanted to word this... Avures focused back on him. "But bottom line... I need your help."

"..." Keleman met Avures's gaze from the corner of his own eyes. His vision trembled at the small notion that Avures's voice may have contained a small amount of sincerity. "Huh?"

"I need the help of someone who can push me to be better."

"You have Zen... And Fraythorn... Both of them helping... Why do you need me?"

"It has to be someone I can actually fight with. Your other classmates had their reasons... But you didn't. Unless you forgot to come up with some excuse, I assume you only said no because of our past at the tourney... But we can just put that behind us. There's no reason for me to hold a grudge against someone who's help I need most..."

"... You really need my help? Boy... You really are desperate." Keleman placed his hands on his sides, facing Avures front and center once more. Avures was steadfast in his words, allowing his silence to answer for him. "Someone actually needs my help..."

"I suppose I am. But I know that you can push me further."

"Mm... I guess I can train with you..." Keleman turned his head to the side as he crossed his arms. "Me... Me!... Someone here actually needs my help!"

"Really? Thank you, Keleman-"

"Ah, ah. Just call me "K-Man"..."

----------------------------------------

"Making him fight with no weapons is turning out to be a pretty good idea. Look at that, your kid's reflexes are improving." Fraythorn sat up in the bleachers beside his fellow teacher with his elbow on his knee and fist holding up his face.

"It's not really by choice. He broke his sword. I only ruled Shadow Blade out because of its properties. Besides, I don't really care too much about his reflexes... I'm more concerned about his Zen Mode improving." Zen laid back with his head aimed towards the ceiling. "We're running out of time."

"It's only a small contract, right?"

"You know as well as anyone else how quickly those can turn into a mess..."

"True. Still, I can understand your worry somewhat. You finally managed to find someone who can actually learn Zen Mode..." Fraythorn grinned, veering his head over to Zen.

"And he's stunted in learning it now. I basically promised that he'd be ready to go in a week. I'm not so sure anymore." Zen cupped his hands over his face, letting out a sigh that even signaled a tad bit of despair in Fraythorn.

"C'mon now Zen. You know as well as I do that most people undergo growth in bad situations. And well, if it makes you feel better... My kids aren't exactly all that either. Calvas is very capable and strong with good tactical senses... But he doesn't exactly bind them together well. Iola is too proud and self-centered to understand her own weaknesses. Malia is a nutcase who takes things too easy. Vrela never seems to give one-hundred percent and can't be bothered to show up half the time. Feren is impossible for me to properly train and is a little too spiteful. And Keleman is... Well he's too cocky and joking for someone who doesn't fight or train with purpose."

"Huh... Being how separated the curriculum is between classes and all, I guess I wouldn't have known or guessed any of that." Zen let his hands fall to the sides of his face as he lifted himself back up.

"The truth is, I envy the fact that your kids are seemingly tight-knit. I can't really blame Calvas for not bringing them all together as it's more my fault for not being attuned to that sort of thing." Fraythorn let loose a sigh of his own, rolling his eyes. "They all have massive egos. It never mattered how many times I humbled them in order to prove a point."

"Eh? Honestly, I can't take credit for that. Those kids sort of came together on their own. And anytime it looked like there was a drift, Lylas stepped in. He's not strong, but he's the kind of kid who can make friends with anyone. It was a blessing we got him." Zen closed his eyes and bowed his head with a smile. However, after his words, he snapped his gaze back down to the arena below... "Hey! How are we doing down there?"

"Tch!..." Avures fell backwards onto the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Giving off a frustrated sigh, he was about to stand back up when he suddenly felt a crippling pain swim around in his head. He collapsed back on his behind as he gripped his head and cursed under his breath.

"Not good so far..." Keleman shouldered one of his hook blades while leaning on the other. He shifted his lips to the side as he gazed down at Avures. "Oy, I gotta be honest. I'm trying to not hurt ya, but this whole fast then slow thing is making it hard. And making it hard to not hurt ya is making me mad."

"Then just hurt me. What does it matter?" Avures winced and shut his right eye as the soaring pain made itself at home on the right side of his head.

"Pf. God... It matters cause I'm trying to be nice. Sheesh." Keleman shook his head, letting out a heavy breath as he bowed his head. "I dunno what you're even trying to do."

"Look. Kelem-"

"K-Man."

"... K-Man... I'm trying to use this form my teacher taught me to improve my abilities." Avures shifted his body back to his feet, slapping the dirt off of his hands and then wiping sweat off of his face.

"You couldn't have been more vague just now, Avenue."

"Avures."

"Avenue."

"... Sorry. This thing called "Zen Mode" is supposed to enhance my thinking and mental abilities on all sorts of levels. Using that, it could be used to better my current abilities... But it just doesn't seem to be working." Avures crossed his arms and looked off to the side. The empty view he now had was supposed to help facilitate some independent thought on the matter... But nothing was coming up.

"Oh. I see the issue." Fraythorn chuckled as he lightly tapped his head with his flat hand. "All States of Insight have powers that need to be manually controlled by their respective aspects. Does your kid know that?"

"Huh? He should. Anyone would pick up on that by now. It's common sense-..." Zen relaxed his neck and stared at the wall opposite of where he sat as he realized the issue... "Of course. Avures is too much of a roundabout thinker..."

"I take it that might have been the problem?" Fraythorn's lips curled into a wide smile that was rarely sported by him. He reached into a bag to his side and pulled out a curved flask.

"Hey! Avures! Maybe there's been a bit of a misconception." Zen cupped his hands around his mouth as he grabbed the attention of his student below. "Zen Mode unlocks the full potential of your mind and mentality. It's not like some magic that alters things automatically. You still have to focus on that raw power yourself. Remember to focus on the small level of things!"

"Uh-!... Right. Right..." Avures slapped both of his hands against his face, slowly dragging them down as he tried to reset his mentality.

"Mm-Ha..." Keleman dropped his face downwards as he broke into a silent giggling fit. Without missing a beat, however, he pulled his head back up with only a smile on his face. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"I suppose it makes sense... If things like the tendrils or shields were totally automatic in function, but Future Sight was a power I needed to utilize in my own right... It makes sense that Zen Mode is like that. It's my brain, my mind. I have to fine tune it myself..." Avures cupped his hands over his nose and mouth, using his index fingers to put pressure on the sides of the bridge of his nose. "I see it. I think I have an idea."

"Keleman! For this round, treat it like an actual battle!" Fraythorn unscrewed the lid on his flask and put it to his lips, tipping the container straight up. Zen winced in a small fit of disgust. "Life or death!"

"What-Why?" Keleman reeled back as shrugged towards his teacher up in the stands.

"Cause I'm tired of you not taking this shit seriously! These next few seconds better be exciting or I'll come down and kick your ass myself!" Fraythorn shook his head, screwing the cap back on his flask and shoving it away. With a small grin on his face, the teacher elbowed Zen. "I bet you don't have to tell any of your kids that."

"Heh... Well..." Zen averted his gaze as memories flooded back of Bif, Lylas, and Rael all messing around numerous times before during classes or training.

"Alright... Let's go." Avures stretched his arms out to the side and flexed his back, cracking his bones and readying himself to go.

"I ain't gonna let you get the initiative. The moment I see that shit on your face, I'm going." Keleman bore his teeth in a deep grin as he effortlessly twirled the hook blades to his side.

Avures spent the next few moments taking deep breaths. Even if he figured out what he was doing wrong, it seemed that Keleman wasn't apt to give him a moment to experiment with a correctly utilized Zen Mode. That, in essence, was the spirit of a life or death battle. Avures had no qualms with it, especially since he always believed in deserving nothing to begin with. It was the hallmark of him wanting to earn his lot. It seemed that Zen was also in agreement of this setup as he had no rebuttal to Fraythorn's demand to Keleman.

Figure it out as he goes... That idea was something Avures never truly entertained. But at a certain point, he needed to. And that moment was now...

A simple flicker... The switch was engaged. Avures's right eye and side of his face now held the etchings of his power. And in that exact moment, both Keleman and Avures made their moves.

Avures's move was a simple one, a move that he had grown accustomed to. Perfect Dark circled out from under him and encompassed their area with ease. At that moment, Avures focused in... The multiple stringing paths of thought and speed of processing flooded in... Everything else around him became numbed out except for Keleman. To have the full power of his mind unlocked... He was able to focus and hone in on so many things at once. To say he was able to multitask was an understatement. These were all different theaters of thought going on at once.

Yet, that wasn't his full potential. He was hyper aware, but nothing more. Keleman had already made his move. A stone brick had been sliding its way towards Avures with his opponent bent at his knees on top. Tendrils sprouted from the bubbling black mass below, but were too slow and ill-timed to slam down on Keleman. He was approaching rapidly, and Avures had no true response as he was trying to figure it all out. He needed time. Avures clenched his hands as he tried to calm himself down.

"I need time. I need time! Slow everything down!" Avures slapped his cheeks... Then it set in. His eyes trembled and shifted while the world around him seemed to climb to a halt. The speed at which Keleman had been approaching was vastly reduced, and all of his slamming tendrils matched that same speed. He brought his hands down from his face, noticing that he only moved a tad faster than everything else around him.

When he had thought to slow down, it was a call for his brain to stop panicking. But, his thought had taken some form of a manifested wish. He was slow, Keleman was slow, and everything was slow... Except his thoughts. That begged the question: Was the world actually crawling to a halt? Or was he merely perceiving everything at such a faster rate now that it all "slowed down" for him? Avures took no time in realizing it was the latter. He manifested this through Zen Mode. Manual, independent thoughts made their presence known throughout his consciousness, taking the form of thin, red twines extending out from his being and connecting to all matters of his concern around him. It was as if he could even perceive things behind him with these four twines.

In focusing on all of it, Avures's vision blurred a slight bit. Keleman was still approaching and he hadn't come up with a plan. This gave him a sense of great urgency and panic, but didn't serve to help him. Rather, it began to cripple Avures's being as those feelings twisted and morphed into a pounding sensation of extreme vertigo. Every pound in his head made his vision kick upwards while everything came in and out of focus in an instant. Avures felt his mind clouding as the pains of dizziness set in along with an involuntary rising sensation in his gut. Everything was starting to speed up again, but Avures managed to hold onto the feeling of the threads as the world reset in his perception.

Keleman leapt off of the stone and crossed his arms. When Avures was in range, he swung outward with both blades, trying to slice him across his chest. But Avures unexpectedly ducked down out of harm's way with him bending over at his waist. He couldn't have held it in any longer. Avures vomited at his and Keleman's feet, desperately trying to fight against the retching his body was induced to.

Keleman hadn't noticed. He brought both arms back in and swung diagonally at his opponent. Avures stumbled to his left, covering his mouth with his left hand as puke sparsely seeped out of his palm. Knowing he was still in danger from his elevated senses, Avures threw his right palm up towards Keleman's hook blades. A potent, black shield the size of a buckler popped out and deflected the swings of Keleman, sending the weapon in his left hand up into the air.

However, the blade froze above the two of them, Keleman's power suspending them mid-air. With Avures's shield gone after the block, Keleman threw down another swing. Avures's Future Sight shone with a bright light before his swing had started. Avures pivoted his right foot back towards his left, narrowly escaping the edge of the hook blade. Noticeably, Avures felt nothing different than before using Future Sight.

Avures chalked it up to needing to try again, and that he did as the right side of his vision peeled away once more. However, the issue from before plagued him once more as time caught up to him. Keleman had swung his blade to the outside, turning so that the hook could rip into Avures's backside or slice him if he backed away. Avures managed to scry the answer just in time, dropping down to a single knee and lowering his head. The hook blade grazed the top of his head, chopping off one of his stray strands of hair. However, this dodge put Avures where he wanted to be as he was within arms reach of Keleman.

Reaching his right hand out, Avures's palm was met with hardened stone as a slab rose out of the ground between the two. Keleman was all smiles as he raised his right leg up, placing his foot on the top of the slab. With a chuckle, he used all his force to push...

"Oh-C'mon!" Keleman gritted his teeth, struggling to do anything as he felt a piercing pain in his foot. The tablet of stone between them suddenly had a small line of shadow unlike a moment ago. This line was sharpened and stabbed through his right foot sitting atop of the slab.

"Small scale... I can use the effects of Snaking Shadow more efficiently by applying it to the inside of his body rather than the outside. However, I was lucky that he put this slab up like this at the moment. Snaking Shadow can't be cast through Perfect Dark because it gets all muddled within the darkness and Mana instead of remaining solid... Now I have a moment to-" Avures was unable to hold it in anymore as stomach bile along seldom bits of food was ejected from his body. His hand was overwhelmed as it all seeped out. Avures fell to his other knee and dropped his hand from his mouth onto the ground as he barely held himself up while he continued to vomit from the vertigo earlier.

"Ew! What the fuck?!" Keleman averted his eyes the best he could while stuck in place as he winced by instinct. He breathed out his mouth, refusing to allow the scent to touch his nostrils.

"S-sorry..." Avures gasped and prayed for his life as he couldn't find the strength to stand back up at the moment. "I didn't mean to-"

Avures felt a searing roar of agony across his back as cold steel sliced across his skin. The sheer tribulation of pain made him nearly drop from his hands... But the utter disgust of possibly laying in his own vomit gave him the willpower to avoid doing so. Instead, Avures mustered up the energy to roll over to his right side away from his bile pile. Laying on his back, Avures had instantly realized that Snaking Shadow gave way. He lurched his head forward, spotting Keleman giving another full on swing.

That was, not to mention, Avures noticing the source of the slice across his back. Keleman's other blade levitated in mid-air opposite of its wielder. It too was coming in for another attack on Avures. He needed to move-But he found himself unable to budge an inch. Keleman had also taken his own moves. A set of earthly cuffs bound Avures to the ground by his wrists and ankles.

Relying on a split second Future Sight once more, Avures utilized the best and fastest move in this scenario. Taking a method from Rael's book of tricks, Avures took in as much air as he could into his lungs. Without another moment to spare, he bellowed out a misshapen Dusk Wall overtop of him.

Unsure of what exactly that was supposed to do, Keleman still followed through on his strike. His floating hook blade got to the target first, disappearing into the shadowy fog. Keleman found it odd that he didn't see a single trace of it afterwards, but finished his swing... He realized the trick. As soon as his held hook blade touched the Dusk Wall, it shrank to the size of his hand within a single moment.

Using his magnetism, Keleman held the back part of his armor in place, keeping him from touching the technique himself. Instead, he resolved to throw the blade through the fog at Avures. He heard the sound of a solid hit, and opted to reposition as he hoped backwards. Avures, underneath the Dusk Wall, sustained the shrunken attacks with both piercing his torso at the middle of his chest and his gut. However, with the odd shape of Keleman's weapons and their new size, the damage was minimal as they hadn't even pierced past half an inch into his body. But, they were hooked in.

A few tendrils rose out of the ground and ripped Keleman's shackles off of Avures's wrists and ankles. Slowly rising back to his feet, Avures dispelled his Dusk Wall and shrank his Perfect Dark to a smaller area in an attempt to conserve Mana so as to not push his body too far during Zen Mode. He had already thrown up and endured extreme vertigo... But, it seemed as if he might have finally been adapting to the way his perception warped...

"Uh oh, buddy. I got ya now." Keleman cracked his knuckles with a giggle escaping his lips.

"We'll see-"

Avures began to use the glimmer on his right side again for guidance on his next move... However, he ran out of time. The tiny hook blades lodged under his skin trembled with a furious force in the direction of Keleman. Despite the shrunken size of them, the power behind the force trying to drag Avures forward allowed the hook blades to reel him in. Avures dragged his heels, doing all he could to resist Keleman's magnetism. However, he had also come to realize that his chain vest on his armor was also directly contributing to the pull. Eventually, Avures was brought face to face with Keleman.

"Boom!" Keleman reeled his right arm back and thrust forward with a solid punch to Avures. The boy had no time or ability to dodge while trapped in Keleman's magnetic pull. The straight knuckle fist popped Avures squarely in his nose, instantly shattering the bridge and tip while causing him to profusely bleed from his nostrils. Avures stumbled back and attempted to shuffle backwards, but his body became heavier as the force shifted and pulled his chain vest to the floor in front of Keleman. In that way, he wasn't able to hardly move backwards, much less even bring his arms up to cover his face.

"Bam!" Keleman swung in with a left hook as Avures was pulled back towards him. The attack cracked Avures right in his jaw, sending his head in the other direction, but not causing him to move as it seemed he was almost rooted to the ground.

"Bada-bap-boop!" Keleman unleashed a four-hit flurry, striking Avures in rapid succession on each side of his face. Then, to finish it off, Keleman reeled his right arm back one last time and planted his left foot forward. With a heaving, bombastic motion... Keleman let rip a final decisive blow with all his strength behind it. "Pow!..."

----------------------------------------

"You know... I healed you. You can get up now." Zen kicked the arm of his student. The feedback from his dainty kick was a near lifeless shifting. Avures grunted in rebuttal as he glared up at the ceiling and face of his teacher.

"No thanks. I think I'll just lay here." Avures remained motionless on the floor, only parsing his lips to speak. "Shame, despair... That's all I feel currently."

"You might just be exhausted." Zen shook his head, releasing a sigh. "Stop being dramatic. Jeez."

"It's gotta be rough... Losing to a silly guy like me twice. Couldn't imagine it." Keleman nodded his head with his hands on his hips.

"It was hardly impressive. You get a "C". A passing grade, but a measly one at that." Fraythorn walked past his student and gave him a slap upside the head.

"Ow. Come on, teach." Keleman quit gloating and rubbed the side of his head. Rolling his eyes at the sight of his teacher leaving the arena, Keleman set his sight back on Avures and Zen.

"Actually using Zen Mode properly wore me out quickly. And I'm still in a time deficit using Future Sight in that form." Avures wiggled on the ground a few times before using the slight momentum to lift his back off the ground.

"So, what was it like then? Making full use of Zen Mode?" Zen balled his fist over top of his mouth below his nose as he posed his question. Avures crossed his arms and leaned forward more, trying to recall the exact details...

"It was like... Everything I needed to focus on forcefully came to me. I wanted to slow my thinking down, and it was like everything slowed down around me. It also made me dizzy... But I'm probably just not used to it yet. I also saw these four red threads. I think that was my mind just manifesting them, but they helped me keep focus and sight on everything around me." Avures worked up the will to move onto his feet as he explained his perception of events.

"Mhm. That makes sense. Zen Mode also functions as a baseline boost to all your senses. Even things you can't directly see or hear can be kept track of as long as you have some way of being able to sense it. What you manifested as those red threads is the unlimited processing power of Zen Mode, only inhibited by how proficient you are with the form. Each "thread" can hold a different train of thought aside from your brain for any purpose. They probably appeared to you that way for clarity." Zen watched his student dust himself off with a curious poise about him.

"So, as I get better with it... I could focus on more than four things around me at once?" Avures spun around to his teacher and Keleman.

"Sure. Tell me though, what did you focus on? Even with a fully functioning Zen Mode, you looked lost."

"Uh... Kele-. K-Man, my Future Sight's visions, Perfect Dark, and his hook blade... Not the one I knocked away though."

"Mm! There's a problem." Zen snapped his fingers and pointed at Avures. "You need to focus more on your own actions. The great thing about this is that it allows you to constantly think while acting and vice versa. Truly, you only ever need one "thread" focused on your opponent or threat."

"That makes sense... I guess I'll have to practice that as best as I can... Still, it frustrates me that I can't get Future Sight to be more useful." Avures held his right arm up. It seemed like there was so much more potential there, but he was starting to grow resentful over not being able to grasp it. "If I could just use it faster and in rapid succession... These one-at-a-time uses make me lose out on time in close moments where I use it to narrowly avoid danger."

"I've been thinking there was some way we could evolve this power aside from trial by fire... The main disadvantage of using actual Time Magic to see the future is how much is required to make use of it. Extremely high Potency, lots of Mana, preparation and casting time... Your arm bypasses all of that, but can't be meaningfully used in the best use-case for something like that..."

"Oy, oy... Hold on. I don't get it." Keleman threw his hands up and shook his head. "If ya can focus on more than one thing at a time with "threads"... Couldn't ya just-... Look at the future, and then look at the future again from that vision?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Zen crossed his arms and tilted his head towards Keleman.

"Look. From what I understand, he looks at the future, right?" Keleman looked between the two of them as they both nodded slowly... "Could'ya just use another "thread" to see the future of that future right after?"

"Uh. I don't know if-" Zen shook his head with a narrowed gaze...

"Oh my God..." Avures slapped the sides of his head and held his palms there as his eyes grew wide. "Would it really be that simple?"

Zen and Keleman both stared at Avures as his lips seemed to shift and squirm with urgency. He murmured to himself, mulling over the idea he just heard...

The problem, inherently, was that Avures would use Future Sight in a moment of danger, and then would have to physically react on his own accord using his best judgment. In moments like that, it'd be too difficult to use Future Sight again immediately or efficiently... However, by keeping one thread on those visions, he was able to parse them much faster than before to figure out the absolute best action/response to take.

Avures theorized... If he used another thread on his Future Sight, it could be used more easily. And he already knew how to control what sort of futures he wanted to look into through past experience. Given that, there was a possibility that what Keleman had suggested would work. That, and given another thread to hold onto that vision...

"That... K-Man... You're brilliant. That could definitely work..." Avures blinked in rapid succession, tilting his head down as he thought more about how exactly he could do this.

"Well... I knew that, but thanks for telling me." Keleman brushed his shoulders while holding a near impervious smile on his face.

"Don't give this idiot credit." Zen shook his head and pointed his thumb to Keleman.

"Hey. What kinda teacher calls a student an idiot?" Keleman looked over at Zen with contempt.

"Yours. Also me, and I'm not your teacher."

"No... Actually. I still have a lot more work to do and not a lot of time..." Avures stepped forward towards the one who had made a mockery of him before, and continued to stay above him in some capacity. Meeting him face to face with a small silence standing between them, Avures extended out his fist. "If you're willing, I could still use your help, K-Man... I might not reach my goal by the deadline on my own or with Master Zen. You're the only one who can help me..."

Keleman stood there almost dumbfounded. His expression remained a blank slate, but he was taken aback by the forwardness that was never present the entire time they had been training. Avures's first approach had seemed unsure... But this one... Keleman felt compelled by Avures's boldness. It was as if his words held weight when he asked for help...

"I-..." He opened his mouth but wasn't able to find the right response. That was, a response that kept up his appearance of confidence and nonchalance. Keleman struggled to find a way to say what he wanted to vocalize without breaking character... Eventually... A wide smile crept across his face, but without the usual hints of malice or smugness that made up his signature appearance. "Well, how can I say no to someone who actually needs my help?..."

----------------------------------------

And so, for the remaining time, Avures found himself training with Keleman under Zen's (and occasionally Fraythorn's) supervision. Bif spent his time tutoring under Eve to learn whatever she could teach him about the Movement of Speed. Olicia and Rael continued spending time with George and Yuval in order to gain more knowledge on Arbor. Olicia still refused to undergo the ritual again, but was still able to pick the brains of both experienced warriors. Lylas and Ventrix experimented and innovated their respectively taught techniques from each other while Vrela watched and interjected intermediately.

Before long, the week-long period in between contracts for silver-badged Lancers was over, and the six of them were able to take on another challenge together. In a way, the dire situation that they found themselves in on their first-ever contract had pushed them to take Grula's words more seriously. Even if this was just a dig-site... Anything could go wrong. Their efforts represented the subscription to this idea, and an unwillingness to fall victim to anyone or anything because they lacked enough strength.

With preparations made and a signed contract, the six of them gave their temporary farewells to Zen and journeyed out to their destination. A small town with a dig-site that needed Avures specifically...

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"This is where we go our separate ways." Meius stood at the edge of a small pond alongside Trezz and Kataline. He gazed out into the calm waters with his hands behind his back. "You have your orders. I'm counting on you, Avura."

"Right..." Kataline stepped away from the pond, taking a last glance over at Meius. They locked eyes... Neither one pulled away or blinked for the entire duration. Eventually, Kataline had to yank herself towards the direction of the operation, forcing herself to continue forward to meet up with Korkolo. "He's nervous... Maybe even terrified?..."

Meius watched as Kataline rushed on ahead after breaking away from his gaze... Arguably, this was the most stressful moment in his life. Or rather, these next few days would be. Everything had to go at least somewhat okay... From top to bottom, if any outcome was negative for him, Meius was going to be caught in a bad spot. It all depended on what came next...

"Oh dang. There he is." Trezz rested his hands in his pockets with a small grin apparent on his face. He threw his gaze back towards a figure coming out from behind a few sparse trees.

"Dyzin?" Meius spun around to partake in the greeting, but found himself relieved that it wasn't so.

"Nope. But he's somewhere behind me..." A feminine voice bellowed out from the leaves as the figure strutted forward with their left hand on their hips and their right hand behind their head.

The figure wore a set of baggy black pants that were tightly held in place around their waist by a gray belt with a golden buckle. Overtop of the pants by a short-skirt-like length was a dark purple tunic that seemed to previously have full length sleeves, but was cut between the elbows and shoulders leaving their biceps visible. To cap it off, they wore a dark blue scarf around their neck, and had a pair of large and silver triangle-shaped earrings.

The eccentrically dressed man had long, teal hair that stretched past their shoulders with every strand brushed back in the same direction. Their eyes were of a dark purple color and were shaped like thin rectangles. With a wide mouth, their sinister smile seemed to almost literally stretch to their ears.

"Oh. Phoen, you're here surprisingly early." Meius released the harsh anticipation he held, sighing while relieved that Dyzin wasn't here. It wasn't so much that Meius was afraid of Dyzin showing up immediately, but him showing up with just Meius and Trezz sitting around. If more people showed up, that meant Dyzin wouldn't be mostly focused on him.

"T-That guy is part of the Forsaken?!... That... That son of a bitch!" Grula watched the show from nearby, opting not to be close to Meius for the moment as she spied on without being able to be detected. Her eyes were dead-set on Phoen... Every inch of her being wanted to leap out and strike... Yet to do so would be to endanger the all-important mission Xilvas gave her.

"I was already in the area-Oops. Let me talk normally." Phoen brought his left hand to his neck and squeezed down while a light shone out from beneath his palm. Suddenly, as he spoke his last sentence, his voice had shifted from the sound of a young woman to a somewhat scratchy and weakened voice befitting more of an old man in his twilight years. "Anyways. I was already around. I passed Dyzin and a couple others a minute ago. He doesn't look particularly pleased."

"That's how he always looks." Meius crossed his arms and darted his eyes off to the side. "You know this."

"Well duh. Of course I do. I just want to play around with you, Meius. You can hide your emotions physically... But I can hear the fear in your voice..." Phoen's mouth bore a set of jagged, crooked teeth with sharpness like the edge of a blade as his smile parted his lips. Curling across the edges of his cheeks, bordering almost to the side of his head, Phoen's mouth showcased all his teeth along with scarred and stained gums. However, his stare-off with Meius was cut off short as his malformed mouth reset back to a neutral state. "They're here."

Another figure strolled forward from the path Phoen had taken. This one was notably not Dyzin, as Meius recognized him immediately. There was only one old man he knew who still dressed to kill even in his elderly age. Someone that Meius had known for a long while.

"I see we have the early birds up and at em." Losuto held his head high and his arms behind his back as he marched forward towards the three of them. His narrow eyes shifted across all of them, one by one. "Phoen, Meius, Trezz..."

"Don't wanna be late for the boss-man." Trezz shrugged his arms, then pointed at Losuto's head. "Speaking of late, it's about time those gray-hairs caught up to ya."

"Puh-Very funny, Trezz." Losuto rolled his eyes as he stepped to the side. "Unfortunately, now is not the time for jokes..."

Plants and branches alike gave way underfoot heavy and methodical steps. Like raindrops hitting a puddle in an open space, each footstep echoed forth and drew in the attention of all nearby. There was an infallible rhythm in the audible movement that did not waver or shift. And then, he appeared...

Long, gray hair neatly swaying in the soft wind. Sharp, thin eyebrows that matched the same color that rested in a neutral position that emanated aggression. His eyes were a dull, dark blue without any sort of emotion held within. His face was somewhat bony with occasional wrinkles on his cheeks spanning down to his full gray mustache and short, well-kept beard. He wore a light blue set of robes whose color had faded with age. A singular black stripe that spanned down the center of these robes appeared to have been worn into an almost gray color. The fabric itself wasn't very baggy, only somewhat swaying and shifting in the wind while also making his brown shoes visible at the bottom. There were no weapons at his side, no bags... Just him and his clothes.

But, below him and encircling him... There were a set of seven rings, each spanning out from his being and bound to the ground as shadows. Each ring varied in size, from the smallest one being the innermost circle and each one subsequently being larger than the last. As he moved, so did the rings themselves. They slid under rocks and leaves alike, and even under the feet of those who had already gathered. All four of them stood at attention without any sort of give, frozen in place... He was here...