"Hah hah hah..."
Breathing heavily from the fight that had just occurred, Vigil found it hard to stay conscience.
Not only that, but he was also feeling pain all over his body, especially his nose.
Taking one hand off of the hilt of his sword, Vigil reached towards his face and touched his nose.
"Ack!"
'That hurt... what happened?'
'...'
'Oh yeah... A knee to the face.'
While fighting, Vigil was in a sort of trance, causing him to momentarily forget some things that happened.
Taking his sword out from the man's neck, Vigil faced the flat of its blade towards himself to see his own reflection.
'That doesn't look good. It's no wonder I'm in so much pain.'
In his reflection, Vigil saw a deep gash on his now crooked nose with blood seeping out of it. On the left side of his bottom lip, there was a cut that seemed to have split it in two.
'Neither of those are going to heal well, especially if I don't disinfect it.'
Standing up, Vigil walked over to where his sheath was, picked it up, and sheathed the Promise.
After taking a second to regain his bearings, Vigil looked around for another pouch of water. A few minutes later, he found one that was still half full and another that was almost completely full.
Staring at the pouches of water, Vigil thought to himself.
'I can't disinfect a wound with water that isn't clean... hell the only reason I drank that water before was because of sheer desperation. Otherwise, ew.'
Walking over to a nearby corpse that had barely any damage on it, Vigil put down the Promise and began to take off the bodies' armor and clothes.
Taking off his suit jacket, he instead put on the pillaged shirt overtop his dirty dress shirt. Next, he stepped out of his torn pants and put on his newly confiscated ones. He then put on his new belt and tied his water pouches to it. Lastly, Vigil took the man's helmet, a well maintained steel visored barbuta, and put it on over his head.
While doing this Vigil couldn't help but think about the fight that had just occurred.
'Now that I think about it, something that I did during that fight didn't seem...normal? No that's not the word... Right, it didn't seem right.'
What Vigil was talking about was when he deflected his opponent's sword. To him, the movement felt alien, yet also natural at the same time.
'I can think all I want about this later. But for now, I need to get moving.'
After finishing up his thoughts and dressing himself with the dead man's clothes, Vigil rolled up his new pants to fit him better and picked up his sword. However, he sadly still had to drag it behind him due to its weight and length.
With his scavenging done, Vigil began his journey towards Mercy once more.
While walking, he thought about what he needed to find as soon as possible in order to survive.
'First, I need to start a fire to boil the water, then I can disinfect my wounds. After, I must find a form of food, or else...'
Looking down at the nearest corpse he could find, Vigil almost threw up.
***
A few hours later, Vigil saw something that couldn't help but make him a little happy.
A burnt tree.
Going up to the base of the tree, Vigil leaned his sword on its trunk and started walking around to try and find a decent sized rock.
After searching for a few minutes, he found one that would work good enough for what he was about to do.
Walking back to the tree, Vigil hit it as hard as he could muster. Breaking off small fragments one at a time until a pile about half a foot tall was made.
After doing so, he grabbed his sword, unsheathed it, and cut a bit of the bottom off of his oversized pants.
Grabbing two small pieces of wood out of the pile, Vigil put one piece on top of the cloth he tore from his pants and the other on top of the first piece. After that he started rubbing them together at a rapid pace.
After a good thirty minutes of struggling, he was finally able to light the cloth on fire.
Picking up the lit cloth, he gently placed it in the pile wood, occasionally gently blowing on it so that the fire would get bigger.
'Thank the lords' professor Shtil taught us how to light a fire.'
After lighting the fire, Vigil dug a small hole that was big enough for the top of his helmet to fit in next to the fire.
Vigil then sat down, took off his helmet and poured some water into it. Afterwards, he put the helmet into the small dug out hole next to the fire so that the water could boil.
"Hah..."
Now that he was able to rest after such a long arduous day, Vigil thought about what had happened between his and the wounded soldier.
'It was unlucky that I had to fight and take someone's life. But it was also quite lucky that the person I fought was already so severely damaged...'
*Blegh-*
Before he could throw up, Vigil put his hands over his mouth so that he could keep everything down. Although he had never been in a predicament like this before, he had still gone through some bad sicknesses before. So, he knew that throwing up only made someone even more thirsty and hungry.
'Why...? Why do I feel so sick?'
Recounting everything that he had gone through in the past few days, Vigil was able to come to a sound conclusion.
'Ahh... I get it. It caught up to me. Between all of the death and destruction that I have seen, and even caused, it finally caught up...'
Tucking his knees in towards his chest and planting his head inside them, Vigil-
"Hic... hic..."
started to let out everything he had kept in.
Remembering the past only served as a passage for his tears.
A young boy, excited for his fateful day, the day in which he could finally start his dream, never expected said dream to unfold the way it did.
Vigil thought that he would be able to pick up a weapon and begin his journey to greatness. He would train hard, go on fun adventures and meet friends along the way. Growing strong enough to protect his friends and family no matter the danger they might've been in. Then at the end of his fairy tail, he would become so famous that his name could be heard around the world.
But instead, all he got was despair, sadness, and bloodshed.
"Hic..."
In between his sounds of sorrow, Vigil heard the sound of water boiling.
Lifting up his head and looking towards the fire, Vigil tried to grab the helmet with his bare hands.
"Ouch...!"
Looking at his now slightly burnt left hand, Vigil thought for a few moments and started digging a hole a few feet away from the fire and then proceeded to take off his new shirt.
Using the shirt to cover both of his hands, Vigil quickly grabbed the helmet and placed it into the new hole that was created for it.
Thankfully, the shirt protected his hands from a good bit of the heat that was coming off of the helmet. Although it did still burn a little.
Looking at his now burnt, shaking hands, Vigil couldn't help but lay down on his side, crawl into a ball and start crying again.
"Hic... mom...hic... I miss you."
After crying for a while, Vigil was finally able to get some actual shut eyes for the first time in days.
...
"Today's lesson is about the power that all living beings can obtain and harness to make gains and empower themselves in their respective fields. People have come to know this power as 'Truth'."
Turning away from his student, Shtil started to write on the blackboard. While doing this, he also started to explain what 'Truth' was.
"The man that first discovered the power known as Truth described it as such. A cycle in which the mind influences the body, the body influences the soul, and the soul influences the mind. When the first cycle completes, the word 'influences' becomes 'reinforces'."
Stepping away from the board, the professor showed the princess a drawing of what he was talking about in order to help her picture what he was trying to explain.
On the board were three things.
A brain with an arrow that pointed to a person, the person with an arrow pointed towards a flame, and the flame with an arrow pointed towards the brain.
Each drawing had its own correlative word.
Above the brain was the word 'mind', the person 'body', and finally the flame, 'soul'.
These three drawings with arrows formed a circle when it was completed.
"This here is known as the "Cycle of Truth" or just cycle for short. Any starting questions?"
After waiting a few moments, Arvayne spoke out.
"So, if this power, truth, can be obtained by going through a... What is it? A cycle? Then when, where, and how does this cycle start?"
In response to the princess's question, Shtil turned towards the board once more and started to draw something new.
"A good question my lady. Let's start with the when."
After drawing a new picture, the professor stepped away and revealed what he drew.
On the board was a picture of a sapling sprouting out of the ground.
"Normally, when one's cycle starts, it starts with their mind. They come up with a dream or a goal for themselves and stick with it."
Giving himself a few moments to think up and example, Shtil looked towards the back of the room. Directly at Vigil.
"Vigil, tell me, do you have any dreams or aspirations for when you grow up?"
After breaking out of his stupor from being called upon, Vigil answered the professor's question.
"Huh... uhh, yes sir, I do."
In response to this, Shtil started to nod his head.
"Good, that's good. If you believe in that dream hard enough, then you might've already started your first cycle."
A look of confusion appeared on Vigil face.
Looking away from the young boy, so that he could think about what was just said, and towards the princess, Shtil said:
"That is when one's cycle normally starts. When a seed of inspiration enters their mind. Now a cycle could also start from the body or the soul but that is quite rare and not very much is known about either. The only thing that is known about the two, is that one would have to be born with a special constitution. However, that would take too long to explain so we will not be getting into that today."
Raising her hand after Shtil finished, Arvayne said:
"Professor, what would be a good example of how a full cycle works?"
After hearing her question, the professor took a few moments to think up a good scenario and then explained.
"Let's say, for example, a normal commoner boy wants to become a swordsman. If they do, then their Truth would be that 'they are a swordsman.' At first no one would believe that that statement could possibly be true, but the boy does. Hence the seed has been sown. This is how the cycle starts for many, with the mind."
Taking a second to let what he just said sink in, Shtil continued.
"So, in order to achieve this, the boy, even though he didn't have any prior knowledge on how to train, started training day in and day out, until he became strong and skilled enough to become a swordsman-"
"Wait a moment, why is it called a 'power' if in reality it's just training for what you want to do?"
Looking the princess in the eyes, the professor spoke in a monotone voice.
"I was about to get to that before you rudely cut me off."
"..."
"...As I was about to say, although the boy has now become skilled enough to be a swordsman, he still doesn't have the actual title of one. But when it comes to Truth, that doesn't matter. Afterall, now that the boy has finished his training, he is strong enough to be a real swordsman. The mind has now influenced the body."
Letting this information absorb into his listeners heads, Shtil grabbed a glass of water that was sitting atop a desk beside him.
After thinking for a few moments, Arvayne turned around to look at Vigil.
"Hey Vig, do you understand what he's saying?"
In response to her question Vigil looked up at the writing on the board before giving her an answer.
While still looking at the board, Vigil said what he was thinking.
"I think that the power known as 'Truth' is less of an immediate power like how magic is, but more of something that supports your work."
"... I still don't understand."
She replied with a blank look.
"What would be a better way to put it? ...Truth is obtained when you put in enough work to achieve something and in return, you gain a sort of power that directly complements it. Maybe...? Like... the mind will help your thoughts be more in tune with your truth and then in turn, the body will also start to revolve around the truth in which you've chosen."
Suddenly, the professors voice came from the front of the room.
"You are partially correct. However, the power you get from obtaining a Truth doesn't just compliment someone, it also empowers them. Hence why the saying goes from the three parts influencing each other, to reinforcing them."
After saying this, he went back to drinking his glass of water.
In the meantime, Vigil couldn't help but feel just a tad bit insulted.
'I swear I just said that... Didn't I?'
Although he thought this, he didn't let it show.
After thinking about it for a while, Arvayne asked another question.
"Professor, you said that there are three parts to creating a cycle and forming a truth. But in your example, one part was missing. The soul."
Putting down his glass and looking at Arvayne, the professor gave her a questioning look.
"It was? Hmm... I must be getting up there in age."
He said, not so quietly under his breath.
"..."
Realizing that his little joke didn't reach his "audience", Shtil cleared his throat and started to explain the final part of the example he used.
"When someone is first born, a soul is created... then the body, then the mind. However, beings have come to find out that it is much easier to control their mind then it is anything else. The reason behind this, researchers have concluded, is because of the soul. The soul is the main framework of one's existence. Without it, the body will be meaningless, and the mind couldn't have been created."
Slightly turning her head to the side, Princess Arvayne whispered to Vigil.
"Hey Vig, do you understand-"
Cutting her off mid-sentence, Shtil spoke.
"My lady, I understand that at this moment what I have said hasn't answered your question, but I will get to that in a second. In order to understand how the soul is a part of the cycle, you must first understand what the soul means to a person. So please, focus."
Clearing his throat, the professor resumed his explanation.
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes... When talking about the soul, try to think of it as an organ. The most vital one. The body cannot work if its organs fail. So, the same goes for the soul. If the soul starts to fall behind the body, then the body will fall behind the mind. If that happens then you will no longer be able to grow. So as the soul changes and becomes more reinforced to be in tune with the body, the mind will grow stronger as a result. That is how the soul influences the mind."
After finishing up, the professor grabbed his glass one last time and downed it in one gulp.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Walking up to the two children that have been listening to his lecture, Shitl took a deep breath and spoke to them in a voice that held no room for any arguments whatsoever.
"You shouldn't try to think of the soul as one specific thing, think of it as if it was your entire being. Because it is. So, make sure it takes precedence over everything else."
After he finished saying what he wanted to say, Shtil returned to the front of the room to pack up his things.
"Umm, professor. Before you go, you still haven't told us how to complete the soul in order to start the cycle again..."
Not even looking up from what he was doing, the professor replied to the princess.
" I didn't? ...Well, the process of completing the soul is mainly a matter of time. This is because the soul needs to get acclimated to the 'body'. However, the time in which it takes to be completed can speed up depending on the situation. For example, if a warrior is in a fight for his life, then the time will be reduced. If a lord performs their duties well, if a scholar is on the brink of discovering something, so on and so forth. That's it."
After saying this, he picked up his bag and left the room.
...
Opening his eyes, Vigil sat up from his current laid down position and looked around.
'Ah, I fell asleep...'
He thought while rubbing his eyes.
After looking around, he spotted his helmet that had water in it, still sitting in the hole he made for it.
Standing up, Vigil walked towards his helmet, knelt down and picked it up.
Taking a second to get some breath, Vigil started to poor the water on his messed-up nose and lip until the water that could be used as a disinfectant ran out.
"Mmh..."
While letting out a few sounds due to the uncomfortable feeling, he sat for a few moments and pondered on what to do next.
'The sun rises in the north, sets in the south, and I came from the east. So, Mercy should be that way.'
He thought while looking to his left.
After looking in the direction in which he needed to travel for a few minutes, Vigil grabbed the Promise and unsheathed it. He then stuck it in the ground with the flat facing towards him.
Using the well-polished steel as a mirror, Vigil looked at his reflection for a few seconds and grabbed his nose with both hands.
Taking a few deep breaths to steel himself, he drew in his last breath and-
*crack*
"ARGH!"
Put his nose back into place.
After a full day of being crooked, Vigil finally had a straight nose once more. That and he could also breath a bit better than before.
Giving himself a few moments for the pain to settle down, Vigil started to ponder about the dream he just had.
'I wonder why I had a dream about that-...'
"...Truth huh...? Well, that would explain what happened before..."
He whispered to himself while thinking about the fight he had won the day prior.
'I guess this means that I have a goal to accomplish while on my way there. Let's see what this Truth thing can do.'
With that, Vigil sheathed his sword and put on his helmet. After checking that he had everything, he began his dangerous journey westward once more.