“Environmental pressures can absolutely impact cultural Builds. I have spoken often of my time in the North, where Resistance [Cold] - or some variation - is understandably common. Strangely, there are some who also view it as a sign of weakness. Without resorting to extremes, progression in the Skill will inevitably stagnate. To seek comfort is to reject hardship, and without hardship you cannot grow, or so they say.”

~Unknown

The arrival of Lionel and the other Slayers represented a change, a glimpse at something grander than my comparatively simple life. Strange how a return to the mundane can feel so jarring. Stranger, perhaps, that I’d come to consider my usual day-to-day experiences in a world with literal magic as ‘the mundane’.

I’d once read somewhere that people’s childhoods seem so dense in their recollections since they are filled with - at the time - new experiences. Once we fall into our adulthood routines, the days, weeks, months and eventually years all start to blur together. There were aspects of my new life that were new and exciting, of course, but I lacked the genuine childlike wonder that could turn everyday into an adventure.

Instead, I focused on the highlights.

***

“We should ask Bella and Jusep if they want to get lessons from dad as well.” It had been almost a week after Lionel’s departure when I voiced the idea. Tulos, Tina and I were having dinner while Fudge and Vigil lay sprawled out on the floor. Neither were under any illusions about the chance of being fed from the table… not while there were other witnesses, at least.

It was like my question sucked all the air from the room. Tulos and Tina were silent as they mulled over the implications of my request.

“That might not be wise,” Tulos said carefully. “Bella might be able to participate, but Jusep…” Tina gave a small nod of agreement.

“I think it is most important that we invite Jusep,” I said, not willing to back down before they heard my case. “Learning from dad is going to help me feel safer. Jusep probably needs that even more than I do.” I could scarcely fathom how that kid’s experience with the fueha was going to influence him.

It should be noted that my relative lack of tact was a deliberate choice, since I still wasn’t sure what the prosthetic or mobility options for Jusep were. Worst case, I figured Jusep had a working arm and could probably translate his Core Skill into some overlap with Weapons [Knife], or something, if he felt compelled to take a self-defense Skill.

That and I still haven’t been allowed to go and visit, I thought bitterly. I could empathize with Jusep’s parents, even if I didn’t agree with their stance on the issue. They wanted to protect their son, but my tenuous grasp of psychology suggested that isolating Jusep in the wake of his injury would not be doing him any favors.

Realistically, I knew that getting Jusep involved in Tulos’ lessons would be a hard sell. Even without the fueha incident adding fuel to the metaphorical fire, Costa held little regard for Tulos. Jusep’s situation provided loose justification for him to double-down on that disdain, and people would be more inclined to be sympathetic to that perspective.

Tina balanced her wooden spoon over the steaming bowl of stew in front of her.

“It is good you want to help your friend,” Tina said gently. “It is not our decision to make, though.”

That’s more or less what I expected. She practically echoed my concerns back to me, and despite my best efforts I hadn’t been able to conceive of a realistic way to overcome them. My best idea was to pass the problem on to someone else.

“Can you ask Hwan to try?” Over the years, I’d overheard enough to conclude that the older man’s opinion carried a lot of weight in the community. Lionel even revealed that he was the first point of contact for the Slayers before they moved on to us, as a matter of protocol. If anyone could get Jusep’s parents to relent, it was Hwan.

“Well… we can ask. There is no real harm in that,” Tulos slowly agreed.

“Thanks, dad,” I said earnestly.

Working through the cognitive mountain of shit I’d let accumulate in my mind was now an important part of my daily routine. Even with the help of Perseverance and Recovery, it was rough going. Rough going, but necessary if I ever wanted to find some type of closure. Reaching out to Jusep felt like an important part of that process.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The fueha incident was a tragedy, but still nothing compared to the loss of my first life. A selfish perspective, certainly, but an honest one. I concluded that working through the former would help me come to terms with the latter. After that… I’d have to reevaluate some things. I just wasn’t brave enough to acknowledge them yet.

***

“Watch me tumble, Daddy!” Bella shouted at Figuelo as she tucked into a forward roll. Despite Jusep’s parents continuing to avoid us, Bella’s had been surprisingly enthusiastic to involve their daughter in Tulos’ lessons. Once a week, Bella and one of her parents would come to spend the day with us. I noticed that they were still wary to leave her alone, but given everything that had happened I could understand the caution. Today it was Figuelo, and he applauded his daughter’s efforts as she rolled through the grass.

“Your turn, Will!” Bella called back to me between happy-giggles at her success. When Lionel reassured me that Tulos would be starting with the basics, he wasn’t kidding. Most of what we’d been learning reminded me of child’s gymnastics or junior athletics carnivals. Running, jumping, balancing, tumbling, climbing and a whole list of other foundational coordination skills were the focus of our ‘curriculum’. We were basically learning how to move our bodies, which sounds ridiculous out of context.

Trust the process, I told myself as I replicated Bella’s feat. I felt the grass brush against my exposed arms as the world spun around me. In my first life, I wasn’t exactly a prime physical specimen. I transitioned from a chubby kid into a chubby adult and more or less lingered in that bracket with the occasional fluctuation. I wasn’t a guy who could flip or tumble. If I am being honest with myself, I couldn’t even remember ever being capable of doing a chin-up.

Between the lack of processed junk food, online distractions, and living a less sedentary lifestyle, I was in the best shape I’d ever been in, which in hindsight was honestly a little bit depressing. Regardless, I wanted to take advantage of the momentum I had. With Perseverance and Recovery bolstering my efforts, there was no reason I couldn’t shoot for a healthy physique this time around.

Tulos’ teaching style was minimalist, which suited him. He’d give an instruction, demonstrate it once, then watch as we practiced. When we needed a correction, he’d give one. For children, it was effective. Bella wouldn’t have had the patience to listen to a more in-depth explanation, and I had enough insight into the situation to not need one.

Instead of a fantasy training montage, I got what was effectively a structured playdate.

Honestly, I don’t know why I was expecting anything else. As I pulled out of the roll and sprang to my feet, Bella cheered. She cheered every single time. She was having fun, at least.

***

Jusep’s parents continued to stonewall us. What little we were able to glean from the local grapevine amounted to general pleasantries. Jusep was ‘doing better’ or ‘recovering’. I shamelessly tried recruiting Zetta to dig deeper into the situation for me, going so far as to call her Auntie Zetta as part of the attempt.

“Well you are just a little sweet potato!” She’d gotten into the habit of likening people to produce. Tina and I were visiting her to help plan her marriage ceremony, by which I mean Tina was helping while I listened in. Zetta’s cottage was always an overwhelming sensory experience; bright colors and intense odors abounded.

Zetta grew specialty plants that she worked into dyes and pigments. Thanks to her Skills and a delicate application of mana, she was able to do so without perpetually staining her hands. I know because I asked her about it.

“I will see what I can do,” she said with a warm smile. She’d fallen in love with a traveling merchant, an outwardly timid man named Lou. Their courtship spanned years as his visits to Elbura grew longer and more frequent. The way I understood things, their union would conclude with a relocation to a larger town where they’d go into business together.

No doubt Tina and Zetta are wrestling with the happy-sad of moving away from a close friend. Distance could strain even the most steadfast of friendships.

Given her upcoming nuptials, Zetta had less to lose than most, socially speaking, by prying into Jusep’s situation.

Hopefully she’s successful, I thought before taking a sip of the warm tea Zetta served. One of the plants she cultivated was a sort of flowering tealeaf. She used the flowers to make a bright pink pigment and processed the leaves for tea. Waste not want not and whatnot.

“Thanks Zet,” Tina said. “Will was quite insistent he ask for your help, even though I told him you might be too busy at the moment.” She narrowed her eyes at me, a promise for a later scolding.

Worth it.

“Oh hush,” Zetta chirped playfully. “We both know I am as prepared as I can be. It is the waiting that is killing me.” They’d decided to hold the ceremony in Elbura. Zetta’s fiancé was scheduled to return with their guests but the specific date was, understandably, vague given potential travel delays. “Having an extra project to keep me occupied is just what I need.”

“Thank you, Auntie Zetta. I appreciate it.” I really did.

I excused myself to play outside with Fudge while Tina and Zetta went over the arrangements for the umpteenth time. I had questions about the ceremony, but figured I’d be best served to observe one in person instead of interrupting their discussion with constant questions. I was especially curious what role a gardener would serve, but it was apparently important enough that they had one on standby who lived in a - relatively - nearby village.

I’m sure I’ll find out eventually.