I once again found myself unable to rest at the thought of the coming battle, causing me to toss and turn, even with Meliss at my side.
I should have been asleep a long time ago. Having her here, by my side and sleeping soundly, should have put me at ease, but I guess there's not much else to do but wear myself out a little more, I thought with an internal sigh.
I kissed Meliss softly on the forehead, and watched a small smile grow on her face, as she turned to squish her face into the pillow. I put on my boots and stepped outside.
Walking a little down the quiet streets, I observed the homes built in the surrounding area while looking for a good spot to train in. There wasn't much that reminded me of a Synner school; instead, it looked more like a secluded town than anything else.
Meandering for a few more minutes eventually led me to one of the training grounds used by the Fangsdalr synners. Marks of previous training battles and torn earth riddled the ground before me, and I could tell that whatever training took place here over the years, those fights were fearsome to say the least.
This is perfect, I thought, feeling a smile beginning to grow.
I closed my eyes, moving my arms in fluid-like motions, trying to focus my mind and body to be one. My eyes darkened as I began to pull from the Ethereal. Mana raced from the sphere in the sky a little faster than usual, enveloping me entirely. The dark left my eyes as I realized my body was coated in mana.
"Close, but not quite right," a voice said from behind me. I turned to face the voice's owner, only to find Pyle and the Master standing a few dozen meters away. I dismissed the mana quickly and bowed promptly. "I apologize for using the training grounds without permission, masters," I said humbly.
"Oh, don't worry about that. We both knew you wouldn't be able to sleep, so we devised a plan to help you. Although I will admit, I wasn't expecting it to have taken you this long to get here," he said with a light chuckle, forcing me to blush slightly as I gauged the words to be of a friendly origin, not a reprimanding one. "Will you help me, then?" I asked, bowing my head once more. "Why do you want to reach the second stage so badly?" the Master asked.
How the fuck do I answer that? I thought, frozen in place.
After a moment's silence, I finally raised my head. "Masters, I'm sure you both already know what I am about to say. However, I know that you only want me to voice the suspicions you already have," I began, hardening my will. "Go on, then," Pyle said, walking toward me.
"I know that the people I have cared about for so long can handle themselves in the fight to come. However, Fate herself has decided to weave a golden thread into the tapestry of my life, as I'm sure neither of you has failed to notice," I said, a slight grin on my face. "We've both noticed and heard it, yes," the Master sighed lightly, prompting me to blush harder than I ever thought possible.
Can I curl into a ball and die now? Thanks, I thought, scratching the back of my head as I let out an embarrassed giggle.
"R-respectfully, masters, there is little more I want to do in this world than make her as happy as possible. Not only that, but I want to make sure that I can keep myself and her safe in the face of the challenges to come," I blurted out, prompting them both to look at each other and laugh heartily.
"My, my, Thoma! I knew you were a smart boy, but to hear you so ensnared by a woman's charms… I might have expected that from your brother, but from you? Now that's going to make watching you grow up that much more fun!" the Master said, surprising me with the levity in his tone.
Maybe this is how he really is? Why does he remind me so much of Bernar right now? I thought with a raised eyebrow.
"It's true, Master. I just…" I trailed off with a shrug, cutting my retort shorter than I would have liked. "You're worried about losing her, aren't you?" the Master asked as if he'd read my thoughts. "I do, Master," I said after a moment of consideration. The Master looked at Pyle once again. "Very well. He's all yours, Pyle," he gestured toward me. "W-wait! Does that mean you're going to teach me the second stage right now?" I asked, surprised at what was happening.
"That's what you wanted, right?" the Master said, turning back slightly to get one last look at me, whose eyes began to shine brightly.
Pyle, on the other hand, grinned maliciously.
Uh-oh. What have I done? I thought.
Pyle moved from where he stood to my side in the time it took me to blink and held my shoulder, still keeping the malicious grin from before. "Before we begin, I have to ask: How high is your pain tolerance?" he asked. I shuddered at the words, sweat beading down my face since I was still reeling from how fast he'd moved.
"D-decently high?" I said, unsure of my own words. "Good. Since we don't have time to ease you into it, and given that you've already dabbled in it, we can speed this along by brute-forcing our way through the training," he replied with the same grin.
Brute forcing? Oh, fuck me, I thought, beginning to fear for my life.