Samuel was a mass of stinging cuts and aching bruises by the time he realized the trick of his challenge. He leapt forward again and again, trying to keep his changes in direction unpredictable. He put as much strength as he could into his legs, using he ground, nearby trees, and even bursts of air to try and accomplish his goal. But no matter what he did, he was always rebuffed by an invisible force when he was mere inches from his goal.
Once he realized that speed wasn’t going to get him anywhere, Samuel resorted to fighting. He didn’t attack Reito, of course, because he’d already learned that lesson. He did, however, attack the air around him immediately after each impact that struck him, but try as he might, he couldn’t connect with anything. His frustration growing, he threw bolts of mana in random directions, to no avail. Finally, he was forced to admit defeat. For the time being.
He backed off from Reito, moving about thirty feet away and sitting down forcefully with his legs crossed. For the first time since he’d begun the trial, Reito moved as well, sitting down himself. The older man looked a little stiff and weary, he noticed. Did that mean that, if given enough time, he could break through with brute force? He highly doubted it. It was only physical strength that was failing Reito. He was still likely to have reserves of mana that could continue to fuel whatever trick he was pulling.
It was only then that the realization struck Samuel. He peered intently at Reito, scanning his body and mind for any sign of active or dormant mana. There was some there, of course, as every living being in the world possessed some quantity of mana, large or small. But what intrigued Samuel was the state of the mana he was seeing there. It was unrefined mana. It was the tell-tale sign of a person who had never seriously trained in the arcane arts. It simply clung to his body, loosely drifting with his stable mood.
Of course! Samuel could have kicked himself in his moment of stupidity. It was the Trial of the Soul, after all. He was in a country full of people who practiced, along with sharpening their bodies, the spiritual magicks. This was a very spiritual nation, and its residents honored their connection to the gods and spirits of the world. They knew of the ancient laws, and respected them. Samuel rose to his feet once more, surprising Reito, who also jumped up.
“I can’t believe it took me this long,” Samuel said, a rueful grin on his face. “So much for being Arcana’s Champion, Master of Magic.”
Reito smiled in return. “Is that another of your titles? I imagine that gets quite exhausting.”
“Quite,” Samuel agreed. “Well, let’s see about this.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, confident that Reito wouldn’t make a move against him. He allowed his muscles to relax, for his physical senses to become a little duller. It took a little more effort than usual, but eventually his other senses began to take charge. His mana flowed out and away from his body, creeping through the air and brushing against other living creatures, Reito included. None of them flinched at the sensation, due to his calm nature, though Reito did seem a little more on guard, raising a rudimentary defensive shroud.
This was the way he knew best, Samuel thought. His easiest way to explore his surroundings. A simple spell, bu through his own mastery, an irreplaceable tool. It warned him of an enemy’s position, mood, intent, and even their state. It was invaluable information in a battle, but it couldn’t sense what he didn’t know was there. He would have to call upon something else for that. He searched for it, that warm, gentle core deep inside him, the one that reminded him so strongly of his mother. And, as soon as he found it, it was suddenly effortless to bring it forth, mixing it easily with his own mana, setting it to course through and around his body like the strongest lifeblood.
When he opened his eyes again, it was to see Reito smiling expectantly at him. He was glowing with the same kind of energy that Samuel had just tapped into, but the difference between their two souls was staggering. His was a gentle, comforting light. Reito was ablaze with light, prominent as the sun, nearly blinding Samuel with the intensity of his aura. It radiated sheer, overwhelming strength. And beside and behind him, there were….
He blinked, not sure he could believe what he was seeing. A wolf, nearly fourteen feet at the shoulder and over twenty wide, was standing at Reito’s shoulder. It’s massive head, as white as fresh snow, was looming over the two of them, its wise eyes peering intently at Samuel. It was Longfang! But he contradicted himself almost at once. It was very similar to Longfang, but not quite the same creature.For one, this wolf had green lines of electricity arcing at random intervals along its flank, and its eyes were a milky-white in color, whereas Longfang’s had been a bright violet.
“His name is Tamashi,” Reito said, noting Samuel’s scrutiny of the beast. “I’m sure you recognize him, or another like him. You are correct in thinking that he is similar to Longfang, of course.”
“Is he a brother?” Samuel asked, taking a half-step back in awe of the size of Tamashi. “Soul. What a fitting name.”
“Indeed,” Reito said with a chuckle. “He is not a brother, but a fragment. All students of our school, with the right training, can call a fragment of the ancient wolf to be our partner and protector. But as of now, this is the only living fragment.”
“Tobi will learn this, eventually,” Samuel said, not quite audibly. Reito cocked his head to the side, wondering what had been said. Samuel waved a dismissive hand. “Well, I can’t say I have experience fighting against ancient wolves. But I remember Longfang’s strength clealry.”
“Indeed. While Tamashi is not quite as strong, I imagine you’ll find this an adequate challenge.”
Samuel darted forward again, at at once, his control over his aura slipped. Tamashi vanished from his vision, and he came to a stop, frowning. He brought his aura back up, and the wolf reappeared. It was crouched low, ready to spring and stop him from slipping past. He’d focused so intently on his goal again that he’d forgotten to maintain his senses. Keeping a mana screen up was second-nature to him now, and he could even manage it while sleeping. He imagined that the same years of practice would be required for this. Taking a deep breath, he paced forward. The closer he got, the lower Longfang crouched.
He dove to the left, where there had been a slight gap between Longfang and the top of the arch. Immediately, the wolf was hidden, but he continued, changing direction at the last instant with a powerful burst of air, hoping to slide under the beast as it rose to stop him. But alas, he felt something slam into his chest, sending him flying back once more. He cushioned his landing with another gust, and slid to a stop, grimacing. It really didn’t matter how fast he was, he thought, if he couldn’t accurately track the wolf’s location and movements. But he couldn’t keep his screen of aura up if he were fighting.
He reached out to the left, pulling something from his extra-dimensional storage and sliding it over his head. It was a thick leather band with two holes cut into it, and hard glass circles glued on. They were called goggles, and he’d been gifted a pair when working in the sewers of Milagre, to protect his eyes. There was a mask to match, but he didn’t need that just now. Delicately, he gathered aura into his finger, and traced a rune onto each of the lenses. His vision blurred, then refocused, revealing the wolf once more.
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“That is an interesting accessory,” Reito commented. “But if the tool helps you, then by all means.”
Samuel didn’t enjoy wearing the goggles as they were a little too snug, and eliminated most of his peripheral vision. But it was better than not being able to see at all, he thought. Taking a deep breath, he charged forward again. He could track the wolf’s movements more easily now, and was able to account for its movements. He kept himself low to the ground, watching as Tamashi crouched, ready to intercept. At the last possible second, he jumped up, propelling himself directly at the beast, intending to rebound off its side.
He slipped right through it, as if it weren’t there. Stunned, Samuel experienced a brief moment of exhilaration. In order to protect itself against what it thought was an attack, it had inadvertently allowed him to slip past it, and the arch was mere centimeters away! But then he saw the white fur in front of him again as the wolf appeared just inside the arch, and its great head slammed into him, knocking him back once more. He was too caught off-guard to right himself this time, and landed hard on his back some ten feet away, rolling several times before he came to a halt.
“Damn!” He exclaimed. “Nearly had it that time.”
He leapt back to his feet, ignoring his sore muscles. The analytical part of his mind was telling him that there was a perfectly good reason why he hadn’t been able to make contact with Tamashi’s body when he wanted, but the wolf could choose when to make contact. Much like how his mana screen couldn’t sense physical objects that didn’t have mana to them, he couldn’t interact with beings made of aura without using the same energy himself. Thus, it was time to test his limits.
If he had to assign a ratio to it, he’d wager that the size of his mana was larger than the size of his aura by a factor of ten-thousand to one. By contrast, this newly discovered source of energy was pitifully weak, putting him at about the same power level as the average Mage College apprentice. But not for nothing was he the first mage in a long, long time to master nearly impossible types of magic just because of the challenge they posed. He had excelled far beyond his peers as a student because he’d learned to use his mana efficiently. So all he had to do was apply the same method here.
“Isip,” he muttered, his voice just loud enough to reach Reito’s ear. The monk froze, clearly recognizing the name. “I might need your help with this one.”
The connection to his deity was, for lack of a better term, effortless. Never before had he made a bond so quickly, nor had he obtained the knowledge he sought with greater efficiency. In the space of a few seconds, he’d arrived at the answer he desired. It was simple, really. Much simpler than the challenge of slipping past the wolf, at least. But now that he had this answer, the answer to the true challenge was less complicated. No time like the present, he told himself, and let his mana and ki vanish.
Reito started in surprise as he saw Samuel’s mana fade away to almost nothing. He looked naked by comparison without his protective field. But he was not without light, the monk noticed. His eyes, normally a gentle, glowing violet color, had blazed with new life, and new energy was beginning to seep into existence, coating Samuel’s body like a fiery robe. Bright blue flames erupted into powerful being all along his body, even coating his face as he tore the goggles off. He could see Tamashi perfectly fine on his own, now.
Tamashi lowered itself into a crouch, his hackles rising, and a low, threatening growl came from its maw. It could taste the dregs of Samuel’s mana in the air, and its own instinct for the hunt had awoken. It was much like when two exceptionally skilled warriors face each other on a battlefield, and all other beings in their vicinity cease to exist. Like recognized like, and a silent challenge was offered. Samuel met the wolf’s eyes, baring his own teeth in a grin. He knew he still had nowhere near the power required to defeat it, but he could get past it.
Reito couldn’t have prepared to block Samuel’s next move, but the wolf was. Lunging away from the gate for the first time, the beast jumped forward and to the right, just in time to meet Samuel’s head-long rush from that direction. Reito blinked. He’d been so capitvated by Samuel’s aura that he hadn’t even seen the young Ancient move. Then he appeared on the left, diving for the arch, and Tamashi was in his way once more. But before the wolf could swat him away, he’d ducked under the blow, his momentum preserved, and he was charging for his goal once more. A stream of energy was blasted behind him with the speed of his lunge.
While Reito’s body was not fast enough to keep up with the mage, his soul was another matter entirely. In the half second before Samuel could slip through the arch, the wolf scrambling behind him, he saw some of the rigidity in Reito’s body fade, as if it were going limp. But then Reito was in front of him, one hand moving out, palm extended. It was an exceedingly gentle gesture, but the force behind it was nearly enough to blast him off the mountain. He caught himself just in time by summoning his sword and stabbing it into the earth, but it was a close thing.
Samuel swung himself back onto stable ground, and glanced up at Reito. The monk was crumpled on the ground, seemingly lifeless. Yet he was also standing a few inches in front of the arch, crouched low with one palm gracefully extended. What on earth was going on? Did he have the ability to split himself in two? But he quickly saw that it was something else entirely. Reito seemed the same, but he had no ki or mana in his body. He was a projection of pure spiritual power, moving independently from his body. He knew then that he must accept defeat.
“I cannot defeat you,” he said, his voice hoarse with awe, and he dropped to his knees. “I forfeit.”
He was surprised to see Reito smiling at him. His body rose to its feet slowly, and he drifted backwards into it, his eyes opening to peer at him with a very amused air. It wasn’t a cruel or gloating gesture. He seemed exceptionally pleased with Samuel’s reply. Even the wolf lost it’s threatening air as it returned to him. It lowered its great head as Reito reached up to stroke it, then the beast vanished completely.
“You have good judgment, as ever,” Reito said quietly. “You have passed this Trial.”
“But I can’t get past you,” Samuel protested. “I won’t accept this. If I can’t beat you, I won’t take charity.”
“Who said anything about charity?” Reito asked, one eyebrow arched. “Your trial is to enter the arch. It is not to defeat me. I was merely the instrument to awaken your senses. Master will be pleased.”
Samuel blinked at him in some shock, then slowly rose to his feet and paced forward. Reito had stepped aside and folded his hands in his wide sleeves, the very image of docility. Yet Samuel continued to stare at him suspiciously, waiting for him to attack. But he did nothing as their eyes met, and Samuel pulled level with him. Then, with just one more step, he passed under the arch. He was in the Sanctuary.
The instant he crossed through the arch, the scenery changed. Gone was the great clump of trees. In it’s place was a large courtyard, with a collection of small, simple buildings spread around the outside. A fountain chuckled gently in the center of the square, its noise adding to the laughing conversation of what looked like dozens of men and women who were gathered around it. They were all wearing identical dull grey robes. And there, at the end, was a larger building, perhaps fourty feet across. It had a wolf’s head crest on the mantle.
“Master Reito,” the conversations of the students had halted as Samuel and Reito crossed through, and they all offered a respectful bow to the old monk. “Welcome home. The Master is expecting our guest.”
“I imagine he is,” Reito replied, coming up level with Samuel and putting one hand on his shoulder. “Please welcome our guest. He is known as Samuel Bragg.”
Samuel had but a second to register the fact that Reito had abstained from giving him any of his titles, a fact that he appreciated, before the students offered him a respectful bow as well. Their voice came scattered, but with the same message. “Welcome to the Sanctuary, Samuel Bragg.”
Samuel returned their bows as gracefully as he could manage, then they parted to form a path. Keeping one hand on his shoulder, Reito began to lead him across the courtyard towards the main building. Samuel couldn’t sense anything coming from it, but he knew with absolute certainty that the legendary Teacher he’d heard so much about was inside. The building had the pull of destiny to it, a pull that grew stronger the closer he approached, until he was pacing forward quickly, no longer needing Reito to urge him on. He practically ran up the stairs leading to the building’s elevated entrance, and yanked the door open, hurrying inside.
The interior of the building was a single large room, with one corner curtained off for privacy, indicating a sleeping area. But the curtains were dusty, suggesting that the bed they hid hadn’t been used in some time. Inside, in the exact center of the room, there was a circular stone tablet. There were three rings intersecting with the radius of the tablet, each with a different symbol carved into them. And in the center of the tablet, inside a fourth circle, sat an old man.