We stared each other down, the silence betraying the sharp words we'd just traded. Rojas, proud of his rank in this dojo, stood tall—though it meant little to me. My focus was on proving my place.
"I may not have perfected this yet, but it will be more than you can handle, Reed," he said, voice steady.
"Well, I'm dying to see what you've got, teacher's pet. Whatever it is, I'll do it better," I grinned, egging him on.
"That insolent tongue will be your downfall," he shot back.
Rojas shifted, legs together, arms down at his sides as he closed his eyes. The room's tension eased, a strange calm settling. I glanced at the other opponent, who stepped back, leaving me to face Rojas alone. What was he planning? I wasn't worried anyway—after sparring Esvian, I doubted a student of his could stop me.
Rojas' eyes snapped open, calm and indifferent, his earlier pride gone as if in a trance. He leaned forward, locking onto me, and a tingling warned me to brace. He moved fast, mimicking Esvian's hand chop from yesterday, but it was slow… Sluggish—impressive to an Earthling, yet nothing compared to Esvian's grace or Aeloria's ferocity. I dodged easily, landing a fist that sent him sprawling.
With that failure, he faltered. Muttering dejectedly, "Am I still not worthy? Have I not acquired the power of Soulvein at all?"
Seizing this lapse in his attention, I conjured an ice bullet, aiming to perfect its speed and density so it wouldn't do too much damage. But it spiraled out of control.
"Rojas! Dodge!" I yelled, too late. The ice would take his head—I squeezed my eyes shut.
A shatter rang out. Hesitant, I opened my eyes. Esvian stood before Rojas, having blocked the bullet, its shards glittering on the floor. Rojas sat behind still lost in thought.
"Esvian… it wasn't intentional—" I started.
"Enough, Reed. You've triumphed," he said, voice tinged with awe. "Your training begins now! Your power is immense, chaotic, uncultivated. You've bested all seven pupils with the skill of a toddler—namely, raw strength alone."
Alright, the skill of a toddler? I'd won, hadn't I?
Esvian pressed on, "With battle training and Vis refinement, you'll become a warrior unrivaled—even by me."
The praise hit again, but I shook it off. I had to focus on growth, not ego.
"Since Soulvein's inception, the training has tested the mind more than the body," he continued. "Reed, are you ready to dedicate your full attention to this dojo and refine your talent? It won't be easy."
His seriousness demanded mine. I met his gaze, face set. "I am ready, Esvian. Help me refine my power and grow."
Esvian grinned, signaling his pupils to line up and bow, reciting, "We welcome you to Esvian's Dojo, where we break limits and embrace Soulvein, growing together." Simultaneously.
It felt eerie, like Earth's zealous religious congregations who just never seemed to back off.
As the room settled, Esvian sent three pupils to a tailor with fabric for training my gi. I'd need to learn their names. Aeloria and Elias headed out too.
"Reed, Aeloria and I will leave to begin some source of income. Stay and train. Meet us back at The Amythesist's Charm tonight.," Elias said.
With finances aside, Aeloria's wanted status still worried me. I couldn't lose a comrade, not until I was at least versed enough to stand alone in this harsh world.
Actually, that wasn't right. I didn't want to lose them regardless, because we had bonded. Without those two, I would have ended up committing if my life was condemned to the confinement of Dracovenia.
I owed them a lot, I would get strong and pay those debts.
Snapping back into reality, Esvian called me over.
"Now that formalities have been taken care of. We begin immediately. We will start with Vis control—your presence is unrestrained and immense."
That was good news—discretion was key but hard to maintain when you had people engaging with your presence .
But it sparked a bigger question. Should I reveal my unique magic situation? Elias, Aeloria, and I had agreed to secrecy, yet this training may be impossible without honesty.
"Esvian, there's something you must know," I said.
He paused. "Go on."
"I have a unique ability," I began, locking eyes with him. "This ability gives me access to mana—directly."
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
"Exactly that. I control pure mana, not Vis," I clarified.
"…" Silence fell. Esvian stood there and studied me.
"Reed… if you're telling the truth…" he began, sounding more shocked than I had anticipated.
"If you can wield mana itself… you're a child of the gods. How did you conclude this?"
"You see, Aeloria has magical demi-human eyes which detect mana. We trained briefly, and she—"
"I believe you," he cut in. "Your presence fits. From the way you entered originally to your undefinable presence, this would make sense."
His seriousness returned. "I've never heard of mana wielders outside of legend—this will be new for you, as well as I. I am ready to face this task head on."
You can really see just how dedicated Esvian was to his occupation, a trait that'd suit the corporate world back home.
I grinned. "If you're ready, let's begin."