Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Paths to Power

After dinner, the trio laid on the grass, waiting for sleep. The twins got Aleph's only bed, so Rayse and the others decided to gather up some mats and sleep outside for a change. They lay there awake, staring up at the night sky. Yesterday's darkness terrified Rayse, but tonight's seemed calm, even inviting to him. He was about to nod off when he heard Brandon speak.

"Master, are we really strong enough?" Brandon asked from beside him.

"None of us are ever strong enough, Bran." Rayse interjected, stifling a yawn as he did so.

"I know, but… If I swung my sword for an extra five minutes a day, or if I didn't slack off that one time… Maybe if I pushed myself and absorbed some more mana… I wonder if I could have saved even more…"

Rayse looked at his friend. Brandon's true heart seems to always reveal itself in the quiet moments. He was boastful of his accomplishments in the battle, but those who knew him know that he's surprisingly introspective.

"You did all you could, son. You have all performed far beyond what I could have imagined. " Aleph said.

"But-"

"I told you to remember the fallen, but do not let it cause you to despair. Search your heart, and be truthful. You did all you could, and everyone who saw you could attest to it."

"...Okay." Brandon said after a while. He did not sound convinced.

"It's a hard lesson to learn, Bran. One that I personally struggle with from time to time. One answer I found is that ultimately, we honor the fallen by protecting those they left behind. And that includes ourselves."

"...Yes, master."

"That's better. Now get some rest. Tomorrow, you'll show me just how far you've come. Then, we will see to your equipment."

"Yes!"

Rayse laid back, listening to it all unfold. Everyone around him seemed inevitably changed by the battle. It brought out a strength he never knew from each of them, even the twins who he had practically raised. It also left them more fragile, like each death pushed them closer and closer to breaking.

How about him, then? He hardly thought about the battle, if he was being honest. Only in so far as that everyone he held dear had survived it. Then again, he had already been touched by war for far longer than most. Maybe he was already broken? He considered it briefly, only to shake his head. No. Not anymore, at least. Ironically, he had always considered Brandon the one that broke him out of that 'despair' Aleph was talking about.

As sleep took him under, his drowsy thoughts melted away and coalesced into one; one that he repeated until he finally slept. I need to get stronger.

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The morning sun set the stage, lazily reaching its peak as it looked down on the mock battle between Aleph and his disciples.

"Come at me with your best. I want to see how far you have come. Do not worry about hurting me. I can mend any wound that comes from this bout."

Aleph stood tall, seeing the trio take their battle stance in front of him. He inwardly approved. They seemed much more natural, much more practiced. Iona counted down, signaling the beginning of the spar.

"3, 2, 1. Go!"

"Jump!" "Windrun!" "Flying Spear!" 

The three scattered, surrounding Aleph from every direction. He warily kept track of them all, but lost track of Rayse somehow. Seeing him distracted, Lacey hurled a couple fireballs in his direction.

Aleph dodged nimbly, only to deflect some of the spears falling from overhead. He looked at the sky once again when a large shadow caused him to roll to the side. The dirt on the ground flew in every direction as Brandon hit the ground, showering Aleph with the debris. He continued his assault, cutting widely with his cleaver. 

"Sweep!"

Aleph stepped back, only to open his eyes widely as the cleaver grew longer, threatening to slice him in half. Aleph hurriedly angled his spear to try and block it, thanking his past self for forming its shaft out of metal, but Brandon was stronger than he'd accounted for. He was launched into the air, flailing helplessly until he hit something hard. That something was Rayse, whose veins were glowing an intimidating purple. He put his arms around Aleph with monstrous strength, threatening to break his bones.

"Arching Flare!" Lacey shouted from below, summoning a blazing beam that headed their way.

Aleph summoned his knives, slicing away at one of Rayse's arms, giving him room to slip away, just in time for Rayse to get hit by the spell. He fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

"Rayse!" Lacey screamed from below, but Aleph was already in front of her. He swept her legs and buried a knife in her stomach, before turning to face an enraged Brandon.

"Earthsplitter!"

His cleaver grew comically large, descending downwards like a tsunami. Aleph summoned all his mana and poured it into his blades, which scattered in all directions. He uttered a spell that came to mind, empowering the image even further.

"Whirling Dervish!"

His knives swirled intensely, forming a tornado of blades and crashing into the massive cleaver. It broke on contact, causing Brandon to stare at it dumbstruck, completely missing the falling spear from above. It pierced through his shoulder, pinning him to the floor. Aleph panted, looking around in preparation for any more attacks.

"Damn." He heard Iona say from somewhere he couldn't see, but he was already at work. He went to Lacey's side in an instant, slowly pulling out the knife in her belly.

"Heal."

The wound closed just as the knife was taken out, allowing Aleph to move onto the next one, only to see Iona fixing up Brandon. Aleph looked around, going to the spot where he saw Rayse fall, only to not find him there.

A hand sprung up underneath the ground, grabbing his leg. Rayse rose from underneath, holding Aleph up by his leg. He swung his body, slamming him to the ground at an incredible speed. Aleph tried to slow himself down, activating the magnetite in his armor against the blow, but it was no use. He slammed the ground, knocking the air off his lungs. Rayse roared triumphantly. He tried to ragdoll Aleph once again, this time slamming him into a nearby tree. Aleph reached forward, touching Rayse on the hand that held his ankle. He sent his consciousness through the touch, locating Rayse's mana heart. Similar to how he had forcefully activated the Spire's portal, Aleph disabled the spell, releasing Rayse from the its grasp. The purple light evaporated from his body, making him fall like a puppet with its strings cut. Aleph cursed as he took a potion off of his belt and chugged it. Next, he stood over his disciple, healing him like he did the others. 

Rayse's injuries were a bit concerning. It seemed that a bulk of his wounds came from overtaxing his body with that strange spell. The damage from other sources, like the inadvertent fire spell that he took, was nowhere to be seen. Such a strange spell, Aleph thought.

"One of the emissaries used that spell against us." Iona said from behind. Aleph looked up briefly, seeing that everyone had come to check on Rayse.

"Gave us a lot of trouble, that one. A group of harbingers used that energy to bring down the gates. It was a good thing that Rayse finished him off before things got out of hand. God knows how he picked it up, though."

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Aleph had some ideas. Done with healing, he picked up Rayse's unconscious body and headed towards the house.

"Training is over. Come inside the house so you can hear my evaluation."

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Rayse woke up on a bed, surrounded by his friends. Iona sat in the corner, listening in while poring over some papers. His master's words started to stream into his ear.

"Rayse, you're up." 

He just laid there, staring up at the ceiling, feeling aches in several places once again.

"Berserk backfired again?" He asked rhetorically. Lacey kicked his side in response.

"Ow!"

"So you knew it would affect you like this. That cost you a couple of points." Aleph chastised. He nodded in Lacey's direction, as if he approved of her kicking an injured person.

Rayse sat up with difficulty, still rubbing his side, as his fellow disciples sat next to him. Aleph continued his evaluation.

"That set you back some, but the fact remains that you're the only one that managed to wound me. Well done." His expression softened for a moment as he said it, which made Aleph blush.

"That spell you call Berserk is dangerous. Only use it when dealing a decisive blow, or at least limit its side effects. If you can reduce the stress on your body to half, it will still be a fine trump card at a third of its effectiveness. It was that potent. Another thing, I will be modifying your shield and your spears to better serve your fighting style. Leave them with me tonight."

"Yes, master. Thank you."

Rayse plopped back down on the bed. It was a more positive reaction than what Rayse expected. He ruminated on his master's words. Berserk is a very powerful spell, probably the best he could come up with at the moment. There are significant drawbacks though. Drawbacks that he could probably only fix by creating an entirely new spell. He would need to consult Iona on the matter. He put it out of his mind for now, listening in to his friends' evaluation.

"Brandon, your abilities are developing nicely. If you had stayed calm, I had no doubt you would have landed a hit eventually."

"Thank you, master!"

"...that is, if you can keep your emotions in check. You lost your head completely when I stabbed Lacey, so much so that you lost track of my weapon. That was highly uncharacteristic of you. Your style is well suited to your abilities, but you must keep a clear head."

"Y-yes…" 

"Do not be so disheartened, Bran. Most warriors pay for this lesson in blood, after all. You are fortunate that you learned this about yourself in a less dire setting. In the future, you must keep fighting even if we all fall before you, for the ones we protect. Is that clear?"

Rayse looked at his friend, who was now meek as a lamb. For all his denial, it was obvious he cared a great deal for Lacey. He turned to his other friend, who was somehow also uncharacteristically silent. 

Brandon nodded eventually, which Aleph took as assent. Still, he patted him on the shoulder, a kind but unusual gesture that Rayse hardly ever saw him do.

"Good man. Sorry about your cleaver, by the way. We can forge a better one later. Iona provided us with an excellent core for your next weapon, one that is more suited for you."

"Yes, master! Thank you!"

That cheered him up. Brandon was beaming once again, although he still pointedly did not look in Lacey's direction for the rest of the afternoon.

"Now, then. Lacey, it's your turn."

Lacey gulped, gripping Rayse's hand hard for support.

"In some ways, I am the least qualified to teach you magic in this room. As mages, you three, you especially, have already outstripped my capabilities. However-"

Lacey gripped Rayse's hand even harder, as if bracing for impact.

"your development has become quite lopsided in my absence. It may not have been apparent in the previous battle, but as you grow in strength, the enemy will come to recognize you as a threat and prioritize your demise as an absolute necessity." 

Aleph took her hand from Rayse's, giving it a squeeze of his own. Rayse raised his eyebrows at, again, his master's newfound knack for physical comfort.

"Your spells are quite powerful, and are already an asset in any battlefield, but… you are sorely lacking in means to protect yourself from threats. We shall remedy this soon. Remember your namesake? You need to have a plan if your enemies get close."

"Yes, master!" For her part, Lacey seemed to be taking it well. 

"Iona has already given you means to amplify your spells, so I will focus on creating equipment that would bolster your defenses."

"Thanks, master Aleph!" She bowed graciously, still holding Aleph's hand.

"Do not take this to mean that the path you are taking is wrong. I am simply reminding you that the enemy will not always fight in the manner that you are comfortable with. In fact, my experience tells me that the opposite is true. I hope Lady Iona would humor me, and steer your learning with this in mind."

"Why, certainly, Sir Aleph. It would be my pleasure."

Iona looked up briefly from her work, saying so. Aleph nodded in her direction, clearly grateful, before once again addressing them.

"You have all improved so much from the time that a single hound would give you trouble. Your current selves are now powerful enough to easily defeat an emissary if you worked together. That is amazing progress for ones so young. However, the enemy is not so kind as to only send enemies that you can defeat. Please continue to move forward in the paths you have found, and grow well in them. I have… some expertise in the enemy we face, and something tells me that our next enemies will be much more dangerous."

"""Yes, master!""" The trio answered in unison. 

They left Aleph's home soon afterward, each silently considering their next steps.

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