Days of travel went by without any more monsters. Nold spent the hours of sunlight disappointed at the lack of enemies to train against. He filled the evenings with a series of challenges for Zalan to imbue himself in a thinner and less conspicuous manner, hiding the fact he was imbued from his opponents. The instructor had Rep figure out the full range of ability with his injured shoulder and pitted him against sand attacks that would be most difficult to block.
The two students were allowed to keep their weapons now, but neither of them had any intention of using them unless they had to. They saw the value in training solely unarmed when preparing for the tournament. Nold’s tutelage had more than shown its use. Zalan felt like imbuing himself came naturally and Rep could redirect fire enough to turn it all the way around.
On the night before the tournament, Nold and Zalan were training to imbue an invisible layer of power over themselves.
“Good, good,” Nold said carefully as he saw Zalan’s light hue dissipating. “But you must focus on imbuing and moving at the same time. You are not allowed to stand and concentrate in battle. You should always be a nimble opponent. Are you prepared to spar?”
Zalan was already straining to hold the thin imbue across his body. The faint glow coming off of him was a constant reminder of his failure. The invisibility of his imbue had so much potential. He could punch someone and shock them without them knowing why. With a tight nod, he prepared for Nold to come at him.
Nold raced toward him with a fist ready to deliver to his chest. Nold delivered the punch more gradually than usual, making it easy for Zalan to read the trajectory of movement. Zalan moved out of the way of the punch, but immediately began to shine brighter in the night. He was losing his grip on the thin lighting and increased the output to maintain the imbue. Nold didn’t scold him or stop, instead continuing to throw slow punches. Zalan continued to move quickly out of the way, his mind growing painfully tense as he held on to the imbue. After about a minute of dodging, Nold made contact with one of the punches. He had applied a layer of Elemental Sand to his hands, protecting himself from the lighting that wished to course through his knuckles. Zalan fell back on his rear, sighing in frustration.
“I can’t do it!” Zalan said. “There’s not enough time to master this.”
“I think you have successfully got a grasp over the invisible imbue. Well done,” Nold said, nodding to himself in self-satisfaction.
“What do you mean?” Zalan asked, feeling like Nold was being a contrarian for no reason.
“You saw the way the lightning made you glow? It was faint. It would be like a candle in midday. In the bright sun of the tournament, no one will see the light coming off of your body,” Nold explained.
Zalan looked down at his hands, then imbued them slightly, taking note of the brightness of the lightning. Nold was right, it was very faint. It would hardly do to act as a flashlight in the middle of the night, much less be easily seen in the day.
“So,” Zalan looked up hopefully. “I’m ready?”
“You are,” Nold nodded. “You are not a master of any of the abilities I have taught you, but it will suffice. If you do not take any direct blows from anyone more powerful than you, I think you will do well.”
“Wow,” Zalan basked in the success of his training, jumping up to his feet. “That’s great.”
“Do not feel you have done great until you can summon lightning from the sky. You have the Wisdom for summoning Elemental Power from outside your body,” Nold reminded.
Zalan reluctantly agreed, still feeling excited about his newfound strengths. He decided to attempt to summon lightning from the sky right then to try and get even more credit. He had never tried it since having gained a Level. Maybe the new Wisdom would make some new feeling appear in his mind to call upon the sky. He raised his hand upward to the starlit night and Nold watched with bated breath.
Zalan strained his hand as he tried to manifest the lightning above him. He was reaching for something that wasn’t there. It felt a lot like the first time he called upon the lightning from within him in the presence of the Storm Elemental. He pulled as hard as he could, the air feeling charged. Something was happening, but nothing that Zalan could make out completely. A few errant sparks raced atop Zalan, then the power faded. He lost whatever tentative feeling he had over summoning from the sky.
“I think I can figure it out if I had enough time. It felt like I had the power there, it just wasn’t… vibing with me?” Zalan offered, feeling embarrassed by his phrase.
“Very well,” Nold said, clearly disappointed. “Perhaps you will find your way in the tournament. Fighters learn a lot from their fellow combatants in battle. And you are certainly ready for combat with those Level 5 and Under.”
“And what about Rep?” Zalan asked eagerly.
Rep picked up his head at the mention of his name. Nold looked over to him, seeming like he forgot about him again.
“Oh, yes, he is ready,” Nold offered.
Rep smiled graciously. Nold and Zalan concluded their training and prepared for resting that evening before the tournament. They sat around the fire and took a light meal in preparation for the next day’s battles.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try and heal that before tomorrow?” Zalan nodded to Rep’s shoulder. It had healed a little in the previous days, but he still couldn’t move it in a full circle without recoiling.
“There is no time now,” Rep shook his head. “We should get proper sleep before tomorrow.”
“And even if he’s in pain, you think he’ll do well tomorrow?” Zalan asked Nold.
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“One’s ability in combat is partly dictated by how well they can fight while maintaining injuries. To come out of the tournament unscathed is previously unheard of,” Nold expressed.
“That’s not much of an answer,” Zalan mentioned.
“If he is strong, he will do fine,” Nold answered more clearly.
The mention of being strong reminded Zalan of Gorb. Would Nold be allowed to call Gorb by his nickname? He was definitely one of the strongest people Zalan knew in this world. Nold was a man with a reputation. A lot of people probably looked up to him. It made Zalan think of something else Gorb had mentioned to him about emotional strength.
“Instructor Nold… When was the last time you cried?” Zalan asked, feeling like a child as the question passed his lips.
Nold looked at him first with amusement then realized Zalan wasn’t joking. His smirk slowly turned to confusion. Then derision.
“Why do you ask this question?” Nold asked sharply.
“It was something a friend of mine once talked to me about. A man’s capacity to cry. He said it was good to cry sometimes and that it was a good way to know how well you were doing. It made it seem like a man should know the feeling of how it feels to cry,” Zalan replied.
“What an odd way to measure the mettle of men. Some men cry when they merely stub their toes. Is that a good time to assess his abilities as a man? And what of the child that cries when not given the right food? Should his tears be the sign that he be enlisted in a guild?” Nold said quickly.
Zalan was confused by how fervently Nold rejected the idea of the question. Maybe it was a little naive to put thought into this. Nold was older than Gorb. More experienced. Everyone called him ‘Instructor.’ Clearly he knew what he was talking about.
But at the same time, Zalan recalled his experience of witnessing Fran die and being unable to cry. He remembered, back in his own world, when he lay down in his apartment with a heavy heart and dry eyes. In both worlds, it felt wrong to be without tears. He should be able to cry sometimes. Surely, there was a time and place. He decided to venture further with Nold on the line of questioning.
“But there’s gotta be a right time for a man to cry, right?” Zalan asked.
Rep looked like he was going to answer, but Zalan made it clear he only wanted to hear from Nold with a shake of his head. He wanted Nold’s take on this subject, he could already guess what Rep had to say. Nold thought on the question and shook his head. Then, he paused mid-shake and nodded suddenly.
“There is but one time for a man to cry. When he has achieved his goals in this life. In the pride they take at the power they have over their own life, tears may fall,” Nold said, sounding like he was inspired by his own words.
Rep and Zalan exchanged a confused glance. It was a strange answer. But Nold looked at them with self-satisfaction.
“I will take the first watch. In fact, all the watches. Sleep well and wake fresh for tomorrow’s fights. You will do me proud,” Nold said, sounding both like an instruction and a term of encouragement.
Nold ascended to the top of his wall of sand. Zalan and Rep exchanged another glance once he was out of earshot. Rep scooted himself over to Zalan to chat quietly.
“He seems off,” Rep whispered.
They looked up at Nold on the sand wall, trying to see whether he could hear them. He showed no sign of listening in, but Zalan kept his voice even lower than Rep’s just in case.
“Yeah, maybe he’s just sensitive about the topic,” Zalan replied.
“No. Well, yes, but I meant that Nold seems ‘off’ in general. I feel as though he does not care for my presence. And I am almost certain he does not recall your name. He acts especially strangely,” Rep continued.
“Yeah, but so did Fran. And Gorb. And really everyone in this realm,” Zalan said as he recounted some of his experiences.
“Moreso than them. Perhaps… dangerously so,” Rep suggested, going even quieter. “He does not praise you nearly as much as he praises your power. As though they are separate entities. He may be trying to use you.”
Zalan looked back up to Nold, trying to see what Rep saw in him. Nold cultivated the power that currently gave him so much confidence. Imbuing himself almost invisibly. Curving his lightning to degrees that were previously impossible. Dodging. Kicking and sending out Elemental Power from his feet. He really did feel tournament ready and Nold asked so little in return. Rep’s uncertainty just wasn’t compelling enough. Zalan ran a hand through his hair, then shook his head.
“I don’t know. He’s taught us so much. He doesn’t seem so bad,” Zalan said.
“Perhaps… I will just be happy that our travels with him will be over after the tournament,” Rep sighed.
Zalan cleared his throat uncomfortably, looking away.
“Zalan?” Rep asked, seeing the change on his face.
“I said I would help him with something if he needed me,” Zalan murmured. “Something about traveling across the sea.”
“You are planning on island hopping after the tournament?” Rep hissed, burying his face in his hands. “Why would you make a suggestion like that? Do you even know anything about sea travel?”
“You know I don’t,” Zalan whispered, starting to feel a little naive.
“But you will not go through with it, correct?” Rep asked, hopeful.
Zalan shrugged, noncommittal.
“Dear God, Zalan,” Rep pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. “You do not even really know the man. Do not get wrapped up with him,” Rep suggested.
“You trust him enough to stand guard, don’t you?” Zalan pointed out.
“This is a land I am somewhat familiar with. I know the monsters we can see out here, not on the sea. And I only trust him insofar as he needs you, so he would have no reason to get you harmed. What if he asks you to go to the Depths of Despair and challenge the Mind of Madness? Are you really so confident in him?”
“You’re just critical because you don’t think he likes you,” Zalan said.
“Yes!” Rep agreed. “Why not? If I told you my neighbor hates me and murders children, would you accuse me of only being concerned because he hates me?”
“Nold doesn’t do anything like kill children, though,” Zalan rebutted.
“But he calls upon you for help without even knowing your name,” Rep insisted.
Zalan was starting to feel like Rep was right. But he didn’t want to actually believe he’d be betrayed by a second person he trusted in this world. It was bad enough to be misled by a supposed “woman of wisdom,” that everyone admired so dearly. He had only met her for a few minutes. He couldn’t consider this travel companion to be less than an ally. They’d been through so much together, and Zalan learned so much of his power with him. He wanted to shut down this conversation before it got any worse. He was already growing frustrated. The anger wanted to start boiling within him.
“Just drop it,” Zalan grunted, rolling over to sleep.
Rep opened his mouth to say something more, but held his tongue. He sighed, tabling the conversation until after the tournament. Despite his concerns about Nold, the tournament held so much of Rep’s thoughts. He was very nervous about it. He desperately wanted to hold his own against others and prove to himself that he was a real fighter for once in his life.