The sun slowly faded into the horizon as Yasuke ambled through the streets of Nihiro, holding half of a katana outside of its scabbard. He pushed past a few nobles, draped in silk clothing and gaudy colors, who scoffed in response.
“They know - or they think they know that I’m on their side.” Yasuke thought to himself, “Not only do I have to protect them from the kingdom’s threats, but in their eyes, I also need to protect them from the rabble, the commoners. They believe it’s our responsibility to make the divide in the classes clearer. On the other hand, the poorer citizens don’t see the sword or the crest. All they see is poor or not. And I’m not, so I’m an enemy too. It’s just like Red said…”
Despite speaking with Red for over four hours straight, Yasuke still couldn’t manage his feelings about the situation. His heart nearly beat out of his chest when he thought about the types of missions they would be sent on. His mind drifted to a conversation he held with Olo a year prior.
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Olo called out for him, only a few months after Yasuke had officially been knighted.
Olo sat behind a desk in the middle of the recruit barracks and held his head down until Yasuke approached.
He spoke with feigned enthusiasm and smiled fiercely, "Yasuke, you’ve been doing excellent during your field training and your first few missions. Beyond excellent, in fact. I’ve deliberated with my fellow officers and even the king, and we would be grateful if you could lead a special operations unit designed to take down some of Oldum’s persistent enemies. Does that sound like something you would be interested in?"
Yasuke’s mind drifted as he pondered on the offer. In theory, he should have been overjoyed at the proposition. He was presented with an opportunity to lead what would likely be a prestigious and famed squad so early into his career, but he couldn’t shake the questions.
“Why me? There are people in this room who have done much better than me. They’re much more efficient and stronger,” These thoughts bounced through Yasuke’s head as he struggled to respond to the offer.
Olo sat forward in his seat, looking Yasuke directly into his eyes. His friendly expression slowly became cold and his tone became less jovial and more flat, "Do you feel like you’re not ready? Then I’ll train you up, take you in as a part of my squad, and teach you what I know. And after that, when you’re ready, if you’re ready, we can have this conversation again. Until then, make preparations to join Unit 1, and report to me later today for your promotion ceremony. You are now Officer 1st class Yasuke Yashuo."
Yasuke smiled weakly at the new developments and bowed his head briefly before walking away from Olo. As he walked away, he held his chest as his heart nearly pounded through his armor plate. The anxiety took him over, and all he could think of was how to run away.
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Yasuke snapped back to reality as the sun sat low in the sky.
“Damn it. I’ve been running around for hours but I can’t find Grand Officer Forever anywhere! I feel like I should let her know what’s going on…” Yasuke thought to himself.
Yasuke’s thoughts drifted as he stood in front of a large building that sat independently of all the others. There were strange statues on the top of the building and a large sign read, “Oldum Academy of Magic Research and Advancement.”
“I didn’t expect to stumble into this place. I got pretty far into the residential district without realizing.”
Yasuke opened the door to the school and was greeted by a long poorly lit hallway, filled with multiple doors on every side, all of them locked. At the very end of the hallway sat one door, cracked open.
As Yasuke walked down the hallway slowly, he heard a voice coming from the cracked door. Yasuke stood right outside the door and listened in.
A woman spoke, “…And just to make sure you’ve all gotten it, let’s go over the classifications one more time. Monsters and quests are tiered, spells are ranked. It is imperative you don’t forget that. Quests go from D tier to S tier. Monsters are tier one, the least dangerous to tier eight. Spells are rank one, the least powerful to rank eight. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for you to remember all of that…”
Yasuke stepped into the classroom and leaned against the back wall.
The woman gasped and shouted out, “All right class! That will conclude our extra lesson, make sure to study your runes for tomorrow’s test!”
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As the students rapidly gathered their things and exited the classroom, the woman walked up to Yasuke.
Yasuke examined her. She was a beautiful older woman with silver hair, wearing a long blue robe.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Yasuke? Have you come to receive some lessons from me?” Her voice was deep and soothing, almost sultry.
Yasuke tilted his head, “Commander Divine…”
“I told you to call me Rio,” A slight amount of frustration crept into her voice.
Yasuke scratched his head, “Right. Sorry. Rio. I wish I was here for one of your lessons, but my talent level in magic is not there. If it’s not my innate ability, anything with magic is lost on me.”
Rio walked over to him and crossed her arms, “Well since you’re here, would you like some private lessons? Perhaps we can go over the history of the runic language, or the construction of runic circles?”
Yasuke began to pace around and looked up at the ceiling, “Maybe another tim—“
Rio laughed, “Only kidding Yasuke! I doubt you’d come at this hour for something like that. Especially with the busy schedule of a knight…” she paused for a moment, and her serious expression spread over her face, “I’ve heard some disturbing rumors about you Yasuke…have you turned traitor?”
“It’s not that simple,” Yasuke whispered.
Rio put a finger on her temple, “That didn’t sound like a no.”
Yasuke sighed, “Forget about the rumors. You know I wouldn’t be here if they were true. That’s not what I’m here for anyway. I had two concerns, and you’re the only person I know who can help.”
Rio walked back to the blackboard in the front of the room and leaned against it, “It must be serious. What is it?”
Yasuke bit his lip, hesitating before speaking, “Have you heard already? That the king recruited Red to our army…”
Rio nodded her head, “I did. I also heard a certain troublemaker was assigned to his squad to monitor him.”
Yasuke thought to himself, “How does she know so much? That just happened a few hours ago.”
Rio continued, “I was fighting on a different front when Red was tearing up the battlefield, so I’m not as vehement with my hatred. But based on the stories Day told me, and looking at the aftermath of the battle at Gunga Waddi, I became keenly aware of the tiers of strength that exist in this world.”
A light flashed in Yasuke’s eyes, “I came to the same sort of epiphany. I fought him a little over a week ago, at the castle gate. He was strong at first, but I was able to get the better of him. And then he…”
“Then he what?”
Yasuke shook his head violently, “I don’t know…he started talking to himself. And out of nowhere he began sucking all of the arcana out of the nearby area into his body, and he healed all his wounds. Not all that, he got faster and stronger. Could that have been a liminal space?”
Rio put a hand on her hip, “It doesn’t sound like the effect of any liminal space I’ve ever heard of.”
She grabbed a piece of chalk and began to draw on the blackboard, “A liminal space is the ultimate application of arcana, the same way that Ultimate Magic is the greatest application of mana.”
She drew a large circle with spikes in it, “You create an environment, usually a deadly one to your opponent, with set rules to either incapacitate or kill your opponent. The law of equivalent exchange governs these rules heavily, so it has to be balanced.”
She began to draw a scale, “For example, if you want your liminal space to launch an attack that goes through any defense and instantly kills your opponent, you’re going to have to enact some heavy handicaps on yourself. You may have to sacrifice some limbs, or maybe your ability to use magic. For the strongest liminal spaces, it wouldn’t be strange for the price to be your life.”
Rio put the chalk down and crossed her arms, “It takes extreme concentration and no matter what conditions you set, it saps all of your mana usually, which causes most mages to pass out as soon as the liminal space is closed. Opening one to heal yourself is like stabbing yourself with a sword and then using healing magic on it. It’s nonsensical.”
Yasuke sat in one of the student’s seats and laid his head on his hand.
Rio put a finger up, “I think—“
A bell sounded off in the distance.
“I don’t want to hold you up too much, I’m sure you have work to do. We’ll talk about that later, I was more so here to ask about your old friend, Grand Officer Forever. Do you know where she is?”
Rio scoffed and walked back over to her desk, “Forever? My friend? The last thing I want to know is where she is. That old hag…she has the audacity to pretend she’s still twenty even though she’s—“
Yasuke put his hand up, “Let me stop you right there. I feel like it would be bad for my health I knew how old she actually is,” Yasuke looked around the room and chuckled, “Sorry to keep going on tangents, but this teaching thing is a good look on you Rio. Back in the day, I never would’ve imagined you as a magic teacher.”
Rio drew something in the air and summoned a glass of wine, “I never imagined myself as a magic teacher, until the Magic Advancement Guild approached me and revealed how much they’re paying. Now, I don’t think I could ever be a knight again.”
Yasuke laughed, “I’m jealous!”
Rio looked at him with a concerned expression, “How are you doing though Yasuke? Still going through the motions? If you want, I can see if we can get you a job here. We do need a new combat instructor.”
Yasuke shook his head, “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m just starting to make my way as a soldier. Hopefully, in a decade or so, I’ll be satisfied with that, and then I’ll come join you,” He began to walk toward the door.
“You’ve got a different fire behind your eyes now Yasuke. I love it!” Rio called out behind him, “If you see that old lady, tell her to come see me!”
Yasuke waved as he headed out the door. He thought to himself, “A month ago, I would’ve jumped at the chance to work a cushy job as a teacher. Now, that’s the farthest thing from what I want. Red, I hope you’re right. I hope we can change the world.”