“We could conquer this whole city.” Orin said it flatly, watching Zu's face for a reaction.

Zu Mari stared at the older man. "Surely you jest. That is idiocy of the highest level."

"I do not jest, but it was a test. One which you have passed. The world does not need another conqueror, and I would be remiss if I were to aid in the rise of such a one."

"I can assure you, I have no interest in ruling or conquering anything. I am here because I was invited, and no other reason. I plan to finish my business here and move on at my soonest convenience."

"Then I will be sure to watch your progress. Perhaps you can do what the rest of us cannot."

"Why? Watch me? What?"

"You have the mark of dimensionalism upon you. The way you touch the world's fabric is not the same way a mage of fire or of stone would touch it. You weave beyond. And if anyone is to find a way to escape this place of death and lies, it is you."

"Me? Escape? Hah." Zu couldn't say how much he was truly trapped here. With Luja Ni's protection, he would not die, but neither could he leave. The moment he escaped her boundaries, he would no longer be safe.

"You seem the sort to fight."

"I am. I fight all my life. I would never surrender to tyranny."

"Then why do you so easily bend to the will of the Green Flame?"

“You said it yourself, he is merciless. And too powerful for me to face. Even at my best, I would be weak and helpless compared to him. You do not know how hard I've tried just to get to where I am. There's no heights I can reach within the time allotted."

It would take another twenty loops easily before he was even able to call Smoke of Progression to him, and he'd have to perfect that calling before he could get started on Fire Twilight Death.

There was too much to do, and not enough time. Too many restrictions, and not enough freedom.

Too much, too little.

He could not be everywhere and do everything, however hard he strove, there would always be someone stronger.

But right now, he could do what he could do.

He returned to his room, bidding Orin farewell, and began practicing his dimensionalism. He ran through every exercise he'd perfected, the ones he'd learned but still failed at sometimes, and the ones that he'd only seen a few times but thought he could perform.

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He was still practicing when Master Elvanis returned.

"Who are you?" Master Elvanis asked, a haughty sound to his thin childish voice.

"Zu Mari." Zu fell to his knees, then bowed to the ground. He hadn't planned to, but the overwhelming strength of the boy's aura brought back every doubt and fear, the memory of his merest glance incinerating people on the spot.

Though Zu knew that he was safe, that Luja Ni would protect him and bring him back every time, that still was not enough to overcome the power of Master Elvanis's dread presence.

"Will you swear to serve me and me alone until your dying day?"

"I swear it," Zu said unhesitatingly. "I swear my service to you and you alone until my dying day."

"Rise. Look me in the eye."

Zu did as commanded, meeting Master Elvanis's gaze. Though he'd seen him before, it surprised him anew how young and how soft and how small Master Elvanis was. For someone who descended from the sky like a thunderbolt, to look this gentle and fragile, it was unnatural.

This child had been given everything Zu had ever sought, given without question, without earning it. He was born to the legacy of the Green Flame, and now he was one of the strongest people Zu had ever met. He did not deserve his power. He had not earned his strength.

Master Elvanis was nothing beside Zu. He would never understand the value of effort, of power, of caring for those who served you. He was a blight upon the land, as surely as the Green Flame himself.

"I like your spirit," Master Elvanis said softly. "You have sworn your life to me, and I will have it."

Without another word, he flew upward and away, his departure leaving a burst of air and sound in his wake.

Zu stumbled back, gasping for breath. He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until after Master Elvanis had departed.

He clenched his hands into fists. He needed Fire Twilight Death. Or Smoke of Progression. Even Death Shadow or Little Otter. Well, maybe not Little Otter. She didn't speak yet. But someone to talk to, someone to reassure him that he was strong enough, to keep him focused and prevent this overpowering fear from getting the best of him.

He was Zu Mari! He did not fear anything! Not death, not some simple child who held too much power for his own good.

And yet... that power. He couldn't deny it. Every time he tried to forget it or brush it aside, Master Elvanis effortlessly proved his superiority. If Zu Mari was strong, Master Elvanis was a thousand times stronger. Zu no longer believed that even Viha Cougar could stand up to him. This child could probably conquer Zu's whole world without hesitation.

Zu's eyes narrowed in concentration and he pressed both fists against his chest, drawing his focus into his core. He was tired of being alone. He was done being weak and defenseless. What kind of man would he be if he waited around until he learned to do it safely? Right now, he needed his sword, and he needed it now.

"Smoke of Progression, come to me," he growled, reaching through his soul to where his godsword rested back in its creator's shop. Zu twisted space itself, bound the place within himself to the space he stood and the shelf where the sword lay.

He felt the spell fraying at the edges, felt reality resist his pull, but his will was stronger. He held them all in place with sheer desperate need, then in a single quick movement pulled the two connected places together until they were one and the same. He reached out and grasped the sword, then let space untwist itself back to its proper place.

"So you do have some ability after all," Smoke of Progression chuckled in his mind. "Then at least you have that much going for you."

Zu frowned, staring down at the godsword in his hand. "You can talk?"

"I'm a god, not an ascended plant," Smoke of Progression scoffed. "Of course I can talk."

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