I left the tower once the sun started to hover suspended above the horizon. The sky was clear today, a promise of warmth that I welcomed happily after the chill this night left in my soul. I took the dagger and weighed it in my hand.

  The handle cooled off well during the night. I carefully untied it, unraveling the resin imbued skin and handle. Small pieces of solidified resin were coming out of the leather here and there, sharp broken points from where the resin seeped out and gathered between the rope.

  I took the knife to the grinding wheel. I was lucky the resin hardened in the best way. The handle was not sticky, as the resin did not absorb water to hydrate anymore. This polish took a long time as I wanted to maintain the reliefs and geometry of the scaly skin.

  As I was done, the handle was now shiny and settled nicely in my hand. The bumps created by the scales increased the grip I had on the handle and to have a very good feel of where my hand was on it. The color was a bit duller than yesterday, probably due to the scale dust in the resin and the fact that I simmered the skin.

  Having finished the normal verification, I smiled. ‘Worked well. The skin should last a long time, longer than the dagger considering it polymerized when I simmered it… Now, it’s time for the real test…’ I poured aether in the handle. Following its movement with my shen I saw it flow to the tang in the center, then join the flow in the blade and erupt outwards forming red-purplish flames that danced around the blade.

  My skin was heated with the warmth of the flames. I increased the aether input, the flames growing in intensity. I waved the sword around. At each slash the flames grew in power, only to return to the initial state when the movement stopped.

  ‘Looks like fresh air does influence them…’ I stopped pushing aether in the dagger and fell in thought. ‘But it’s not like it burns anything. Oxygen is needed only when the burning happens with an oxidation reaction, that is not the case here.’

  I stood there motionless looking at the blade with questioning eyes. I started feeling the back of my head heat up and looked up. The sun was almost past the middle of the sky, his direct light now hitting me on the back. ‘It’s late… Gotta hurry to class!’ I run inside and changed into the uniform.

  Rushing out of the tower I took one last look at the dagger. It gleamed in the mid-day sun. I turned and stepped out of the courtyard, locking the door. A few minutes later I was in front of the Colosseum-like building.

  ‘No one’s coming out… I’m either late or early, only one way to find out!’ My steps echoed in the corridor leading inside the arena. The cool darkness inside offered relief to my body heated from the run powered with aether.

  Light burst in at the end of the corridor, creating a visible boundary between it and the shade of the corridor as dust was floating in the air. In the arena, Magnar and another beastman were trading blows with the instructor shouting at them.

  A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I arrived early. Approaching the stone platforms I started making out what the professor was saying.

  “Dodge you mindless baboons! Dodge! You have no weapons now; do you plan to take the blows the same way once you do! Sidestep! Move your waist! Put your back into it!”

  Both Magnar and the other beastman were doing their best to listen, but the new movements that they had to apply was breaking their rhythm and often left them wide open to the fist of the opponent. On each strike the instructor grew angrier.

  Judging by how swollen they both were, they had been at this for a while, and didn’t succeed in what the instructor was asking of them all this time. No wonder he was angry. But I could not find any reason to blame Magnar and his friend.

  Their bodies were strong, big. It was hard and inefficient for them to dodge, as their bodies lacked flexibility and speed of reaction in the muscles needed to do those kinds of maneuvers. ‘I can understand pushing for excellence, but this won’t get them anywhere…’

  I quickly walked up to the professor.

  “Excuse me, I don’t think this is going to do much for them…” I spoke up.

  “We will keep going until it does! Don’t judge my teaching boy! You’re still green.” He answered, his eyes never leaving the two on the platform.

  Looking at them, I felt troubled. I was pretty sure this wouldn’t lead anywhere like this. But I also had no idea what other training they were doing. ‘Perhaps this is all to make the need to dodge ingrained in them while they are trained for flexibility and control before sparring?’

  In the end both of them ignored the instructions of the instructor. Magnar won by ducking, making a fist from his opponent miss and graze his hair. He shoulder-bashed his enemy in the face, knocking him out. ‘I guess that’s one way to put an end to all this…’

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  Magnar saw me after and came to me.

  “So, what’s the plan for today?”

  “Can you go to the tower and empty the kiln? Or rather as much as you can, forgot for a moment you’re too big for it.” I say, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Try to go sell the dagger if you have nothing else to do.”

  “Why? Aren’t you coming too?”

  “No. The new training class is starting for me…”

  “Oh, yeah… I’ll see what I can do then.”

  Magnar left, one of his legs seeming to fall behind as he walked. I looked away and waited. Everyone has their own problem to deal with. Soon the rest of the students left too, and I was left with the instructor waiting.

  “So… What is this arrangement?”

  “Wait and see. No need to hurry.” He said taking a seat on the ground, cross legged with his cane over his legs.

  Seeing him like that I sat too. Since this was his attitude, then I should have enough time to meditate. I closed my eyes and brought my focus inward. The chill from this night’s dream remained, yet the hope and power I was shown was real too.

  I continued my tries to arrange the array out of the shard in my core. I had yet to use the device to try to imitate the frequency. It could indeed hasten my progress, but I simply did not have the time needed yet. During the movement I felt a sudden rush of aether. It flooded my body, yet it stopped just as fast.

  I tried to recreate the position of the shards but failed. ‘Damn it… At least now I know for sure it can be done…’ I continued my tries, revolving and moving the shards trying to get them to fit into the needed sequence.

  A tap on my forehead brought me out of my trance.

  “Oi, kid, get up, the class is starting.”

  I rose to my feet and looked around. Older students, most around twelve-thirteen years old, a few exceptions at eleven. Cassia was also in the group, looking at me questioningly. I nodded towards her but didn’t move as the instructor place his hand on my shoulder.

  “All of you listen up. This one here is the newly recruited genius of the academy. He is already at the Core Formation stage, surpassing most of you. He will join you in the training. I couldn’t let him in his year because he has no one with aether to match him there.”

  I felt everyone stare at me piercingly. Then the instructor continued.

  The newbies won’t be able to fully control their aether when fighting him in the aetherless training. I don’t want to hear complaints, know that if it’s aether use he can mop the floor with all of you. Beat him to a pulp without aether and all will be good.”

  A chill crawled up my spine. These kids were three to five years older than me, and I was expected to resist them without any aether… ‘What sort of sick joke is this?’

  “Who will be his first sparring partner for today?”

  Silence descended, everyone looking around. Most of them saw me as an easy target. ‘I wonder what they think of me…’

  “I will!” Cassia took a step forward. Some boys looked at me as if I was dead, shaking their heads sorrowfully…

  “Very well then.”

  Cassia stepped forward, grabbed my hand and pulled me to a platform. ‘Why do I feel like this will hurt…’

  “I see you are up to disciplining him Cassia, well then, we’ll start the class with your show.” The instructor spoke up as we got on the platform.

  I took a stance. There was no avoiding this. I lacked fighting experience… I trained in martial arts, Bagua Zhang and Muay Thai, one for movement, balance and mind the other for offence, strength and body… Yet I never fought against anyone and hadn’t kept up on training them since coming to this world.

  When I fought against the bandits, I pushed my body to its limits and used aether. That was not an option here. I needed to face her. Cassia rushed forward. She threw a fist, and I jumped to the side. Even without martial arts, my reaction times were faster than that.

  This went on for a bit. It looked as if I was running away. I couldn’t get a feel for her rhythm and didn’t want to risk a hit, so I kept some distance. In the end she managed to corner me at the edge of the arena. I stuck my back to it and quickly sidestepped putting more distance between us.

  I caught a smirk on her lips. She closed the distance again, not allowing me to leave the side of the platform. I dodged with tight movements. Suddenly I just felt her fist connecting below my nose, my sight fading for a bit. Then a kick to my leg bringing me down.

  I rolled forward as she raised her knee to kick my face, dodging. ‘Think I annoyed her too much these days…’ But the hits shook me out of my fear. I could tank some hits. No need for me to act all scared and careful. I tightened my stance again, remembering what I knew about boxing.

  I took a cat’s stance, my toes pointing inward, heels slightly raised and waited. Cassia looked at me but didn’t rush again. We stood there looking at each other. Earlier she used a trick to land the hit. She was telegraphing her moves before, shifting her body right before each strike. Then she just launched her hand forward.

  I was hit through a trick and from a mistake I would not repeat. I concentrated. There was nothing I could do, she could strike heavily without telegraphing, I had no way to dodge those, so I could only judge what would be her best aiming spot.

  I couldn’t dodge, but I could guide her by showing an opening. I tightened my guard and lowered my body, showing a bit of tremble. Cassia burst forth. Just as she struck me, I pivoted my legs, extending my arm in a fist that connected to the hand she shifted to block. Her other fist moved past my face, missing by a margin.

  I pressed my advantage. The strike was solid, hurting my hand, the right one, that I used to hit. I moved my right leg forward, in a fast circular motion, bringing it behind hers and hit with my other fist. She also pushed me, her hand, the one with which she blocked, landing heavily on my left shoulder.

  My strike connected true. Pushed back by the impact to her collar bone Cassia stumbled backward and almost fell hindered by my leg. She pivoted, her opposite hand connecting with the side of my head. I felt my brain shake inside my skull and my vision darkened. I fell to the side, unable to stop myself.

  I woke up a bit later, Cassia was dragging me off the platform by my shoulders. The instructor came forth. Another thing struck me. It was dead silent.

  “You fought well, better than expected even, I thought your aether and physique is all you had, boy! I’m happy to see I was wrong.”

  I listened to him speechlessly. My head still hurt so I didn’t answer, simply ignoring him. The instructor didn’t mind, he turned around and organized the students for the physical training. All starting with a good warm up. I was left out of the rest of the class, Cassia spent some time with me, but joined the training too in the end, leaving me by my lonesome.

  I left for the tower alone after class as the sun was setting. I was really curious how much my dagger fetched.

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