Ascetics mattered. They were not just the strongest in the village, their strength would be respected even in the city.The boys all ran to the side of Randy we came in through, to the exit of the bowl. It was the only way through the forest with a clear path, but you’d have to circle around to get back to the village. I saw Vam amongst them, it was hard to tell If he was helping or racing the kids.

“All of you, go!” Nimor yelled, jolting into motion some of the slower minded boys. The shout did not come from where I saw him last but I did not care to look, I was still staring at the ascetic. A thunderous drumming was building up inside me, each beat tight on my heart, yet... electrifying. I ran, but not away. I found cover in the nearby trees and watched on.

Most of the boys were out of sight by now. Nimor ran to the ascetic faster than I’d seen any other man move. The ascetic looked increasingly alarmed as he approached.

BDOOOSHK

A tall figure in all black crashed down from the sky, you could see muscles bulge beneath his clothes and he wore a black mask. Moments after landing he sprung towards the ascetic and Nimor, scraping a pit were his feet were, his movement a blur.

The ascetic was still injured, I saw Nimor step in front of him readying his stance. He was just a keeper. The man in black closed the distance in moments, colliding with Nimor. The impact sent a torrent of wind flowing in all directions. They grappled, mirroring tense and slow locked movements. The man in black was stronger, he led their dance, like a wrench turning both their bodies, trying gain an advantage. But Nimor was like ice: his hands were frozen to the man in black’s shoulders; his frame firm and solid yet his movements slippery, calm and controlled. Before I knew it, my vision was stolen by a flash of fire, an explosion made by one of the two, shaped in mere instances. Then a massive cloud of dust shrouded the fight. When it cleared, I saw the black robed man staggering backwards holding a hand to his face. His black mask had been ripped through, revealing cool blue eyes, and dark black skin, and leaving a wide slash on his face bleeding.

“Earth craft?” the man in black asked. I wasn’t sure if it was true but I thought I heard worry in his tone.

Nimor didn’t respond. Relaxing back to an easy stance in front of the ascetic.

The black robed man gruffed, then turned to flee.

“Get him.” The ascetic croaked the words from behind but Nimor just watched the man flee.

“Who are you?” the ascetic sighed.

Nimor responded with a question, “What happened?”

All the ascetics in the village were at least forty, so the man didn’t take well to being ignored by someone as young as Nimor. He grit his teeth and answered, “He and another, a man with demonic green eyes were found sneaking through the ascetic tower, I chased him through the air then he turned on me, making me fall. We don’t know what he could have done in there! He needs to be caught. You wasting my time here suggests you could be an accomplice, free me now before the other ascetics hear of this nonsense.”

Nimor didn’t look concerned, he idly looked around, as if waiting out a spynma’s growling.

” I don’t care.” He responded. “But I’ll heal you for your robe and shoes, I could probably get a few gems for ‘em.”

My jaw dropped. He was extorting an ascetic.

The ascetic looked in bad shape. If Nimor just wanted to steal from him he could have. The ascetic was in disbelief, he cycled through expressions of outrage until it begun to morph into him mauling over the decision, “Have you no respect!”

Nimor sighed and then laughed.

“…at least prove you can help me.”

“No.” With a single word Nimor began to leave.

“Alright, alright!, take em, but heal me.”

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Nimor walked back to the ascetic and kneeled. I saw him mumble something then his hands turned a warm green. My eyes opened wide.

“One second,” He stopped the green and began undressing the ascetic. He took the robe and shoes in hand then they disappeared. Thinking my eyes lost them In a blink I tried to look for them but they were gone.

Nimor went back to healing, washing his hands over the ascetic. I couldn’t see any injuries but the ascetic got right back up when he was done.

The ascetic didn’t thank Nimor. However, a few moments after he left, Nimor followed.

When things settled, all three men were gone.

Today was a day of questions. Middawn had yet to even pass. I’d yet to even eat, and I was exhausted.

The clearing was empty now. Barren and silent. I sat down, still hidden behind the trees stump from the clearing, using the tree to support my back. I rested a short while before more voices came.

“Where’d you think they gone of ta?”

“Beats me, looked serious tho, one of the two was probably one of the Ascetics.”

“How about Vam and that traveller?”

“You know Vam, probably ran away before even the kids did. I wouldn’t be surprised if that Nimor guy was the one fighting the Ascetic, never felt I could trust that one.”

“Shut up Gruf, you didn’t even trust me when you met me, I remember you tried starting that fight in-”

“You slept with my gal.”

“She was a whore, she wasn’t any- it don’t even matter, Let’s head back to the village, Heliar and the others should hear, might be able to catch him before he’s had too many at the bar,”

It sounded like Gruf and Benlor. They must have come back after helping the Golds escape. I raised and stood behind the tree I had laid on, to sneak a glance. I only caught them speeding off back into the village.

“Why’d you stay,” A strained voice came. To my right but behind me. Further into the forest. The voice was shaky yet brash. I turned to see. Long black hair. Sharp features.

Him again.

I wasn’t of the mind for petulance. After what I had just seen, everything else just seemed childish now. But he looked more scared than anything else. He probably watched it all too.

He’s eleven.

Pyre or no Pyre, he was as helpless as I in all of that.

“I felt I needed to. I had to see whatever was going on.” After a moment I asked, “What’s your name?” trying a token of good.

He looked at me dissatisfied then spat back, “What’s it to ya.”

I ignored the defiance and continued, “I’m Los, did you see it all too?”

“Of course, he did, Rake left marks on the tree from how hard he was holding onto it, probably wished he was holding onto to his Mom,” Jusuf swooped down from above, gliding the treetops with an apes ease.

My heart had been racing all this time. To see Jusuf brought it to ease. “You climbed a tree in all of that?” I asked, incredulous.

“If we were gonna watch, I might as well get a good seat, right? Personally, I would have hidden us deeper in the forest, but when I saw you, you looked too awestruck to move,” He said.

Rake wasted no time in our company, with Jusuf’s arrival he bolted towards the same way out that the other bronzes and rusts took.

What did Jusuf do to him? He even wanted to make enemies of me for it. It couldn’t have just been loyalty to Lex. he looks at Jusuf with too much hate.

I didn’t want to confront Jusuf about him though, there was more important issues to address. I looked towards Ju as he let out a hearty laugh at Rakes expense.

“Bronze and above train Pyre now? Why didn’t you tell me before Ju? How long?” I thought I was just confused, but my voice came louder than I expected, cutting his humor.

“An Ascetic gets bloodied by a mysterious man in all black, then forced to sell half his stuff and you want to talk about that? Flames L, even with all the books you got, I think I’m the smart one.”

“Is that why, Jealousy?”

Jusuf’s laugh disappeared, replaced by a hard look. “Aren’t we still brothers Los, what’s there for me to be jealous of? Didn’t you always say you prefer pen over sword anyway? Why would you even want to learn pyre?” Jusuf’s tone sounded weird, as though he was humoured. I hated it when he was like this. I could never understand him.

I could understand if he was jealous. Me and Lunar were practically kicked out of the orphanage by Vam, Jusuf’s combat potential meant he could maybe get into the Templar, meaning a bit more profit for Vam in the long run if he priced him high enough for no one to buy off him.

We left him at the orphanage, how could he not grow bitter? We still made attempts to see him but it was never the same. Over the past two years we grew further apart.

“You know we had to leave Ju, I’m sorry.”

“I said I’m not Jealous,” His voice was colder now, harsh. “Sometimes, you think you’re too smart Los.” he held my eyes, “Trying solve everyone, like-” Then with a step he blurred, blending into the wind and everything seemed to stop. I felt like I was facing Jasper again. I did not run, but tightened, my body locking itself in fear.

Fear of Jusuf?

“-A,” Another blur. This time I saw a brief right step taken much closer to me, like the impossible lunges the circus folk done, but with no flair. Just speed.

“Puzzle.”