Lucian and Aurelia stood mostly alone in the training grounds of the Martial Prince. There were a few of Brutus’ soldiers nearby and some attendants keeping things clean, but the place was so big that they weren’t anywhere near.

  “Thanks,” Lucian told her quietly.

  Aurelia had been studying her nails, and glanced at him when he said that. “Whatever for?” she asked coyly.

  “Standing strong in the camp, then giving me that favor he owed you,” Lucian said.

  “You’re welcome,” she said simply. She stayed quiet, cleaning her nails fastidiously until she looked up at him. “Will you answer a question I have?”

  “That is a question, you realize,” Lucian said like an English teacher, then shrugged. “Sure, I guess. Go ahead.”

  “I’ve done a lot of research on reincarnation, things like that. It was an angle I considered to avoid death. For the longest time, I thought you were the reincarnation of the True Divine Beast,” Aurelia explained. "But the way you distance yourself from the crimes… the way you react around family, around people that you’ve supposedly met before… and now, the thing with Isran, the horse, and countless other minor things… I’m right, aren’t I? You aren’t Lucian."

  Lucian didn’t answer for the longest time. Honestly… what difference did it make, her knowing?

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Lucian admitted. “Not by choice, mind. And not like I know how or why.” He felt uncomfortable talking about it—made him feel like he was losing his footing, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do in front of Aurelia. “Let’s not talk about it.”

  “Fine, very well.” Aurelia nodded solemnly, then took some time to think. “I’ve been giving some serious consideration to what you said I should do.”

  Lucian looked at her with wide eyes. “Killing yourself?”

  Aurelia scoffed. “No, you dolt. Confessing. Confessing… to the monastery.”

  Lucian chuckled. He was near certain this was a deliberate manipulation on her part, now. “Oh, sure. I bet you have.”

  Aurelia went silent, then went back to studying her nails. The silence was unbearable, and he felt the need to probe further.

  “You’re seriously going to confess?” Lucian asked.

  “I said I was considering it,” Aurelia said.

  Lucian was about to suggest he’d make sure they didn’t kill her, but he kept his mouth sealed. He was baffled that even came to mind.

  “It’s the right thing to do,” Lucian said instead.

  “It’s going great for Lucian Villamar,” Aurelia mused sarcastically. “Facing the consequences of his actions.”

  “Yeah, well… it’s what should be done,” Lucian said quietly. “I just can’t afford to let it happen to me, given all I know.”

  Aurelia looked at him intently. “In my position… what would you do? Honestly.”

  “I’d tell the whole truth.”

  “Really? Truly?” she said with considerable skepticism.

  “When those things in the newspaper happened, I wasn’t even present,” Lucian said. “But you… even if you did have a devil on your shoulder since birth, even if I buy that story… you were present, not possessed. That was still you doing all those things. And I can say for a fact you’re capable of it, because I saw it happen.”

  Aurelia’s face wasn’t totally devoid of introspection after his words. She stepped away, silent. She looked immensely curious, but she respected his request not to talk about it further.

  “You wanted to live, Aurelia. You have, so far. Now, live with yourself. In your position, I don’t think I could. But… who knows?” He sighed wistfully. “Everyone thinks they’re a good person. I don’t doubt it’d be a very challenging task, confessing. But I also don’t doubt it’d be the right thing. The just thing, after what you tried to do to those people. God knows they deserve that much…”

  Lucian turned his focus back to the area around them. In his peripheries, he saw Aurelia watch him for a long time. After a decent while of silence between them, he could have sworn he saw her open her mouth to speak, but the door opened wide and Brutus walked in.

  “Lucian!” Brutus called out. “I’ve finished with the boring political nonsense. Now…”

  He reeled his arm back and cast it forth, and a spear hurtled toward Lucian at top speed. He very nearly triggered his blessing, but it hurtled past his face and stabbed into the ground. He looked at the weapon in alarm.

  “You said you use a spetum, right?” Brutus said, then began brandishing his own weapon. “I found you one. Aurelia, dear… give us some space.”

  Aurelia didn’t need to be told twice. She quickly went off to the spectator’s side of the practice arena. Lucian grabbed the spear, and after a few yanks, managed to pull it out of the ground. He studied it. It wasn’t even sharpened, yet he’d managed that.

  “So, tell me… what skill was it he wanted to learn?” Brutus asked, looming over Lucian.

  Lucian weighed the spetum in his hand. It wasn’t quite the same as his Inquisitor’s Spetum, but the weights were quite similar.

  “I had a few in mind. Gungnir, that skill you used, is among them.”

  Brutus smiled widely. “What an eye. You know the name of the skill? I’d be happy to teach that to you, but it could be difficult.”

  Lucian nodded. “I know. I’d love to learn Gungnir, but there’s only one I think I’m capable of learning now.” He braced himself, taking a deep breath. “Sétanta. That’s the skill I want to learn.”

  Brutus smiled widely, then began laughing maniacally. “Good. Good! That’s a hero’s skill, if ever one there was. Haha!” He put his hand on Lucian’s shoulder. “I couldn’t be happier, imparting that to you.”

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  Lucian could definitely be happier. Still, there were none better that he could learn now.

  “But first…” Brutus brought his hand to his chin. “That skill that you used on me. Shall we go over that? How did you manage to conjure winds like that?”

  Lucian hefted his weapon. “I’m not sure that you’ll be able to do that. The method in which I acquired this… it left a mark on me that can’t be emulated. Nevertheless, I’ve no doubt that you’ll find this a useful skill. Shall I…?”

  “Use it on me once more,” Brutus urged. “I want to see it again.”

  Lucian assumed the position for the skill, the knowledge seared into his brain from the pact with the dragons. Draconic Verdict was a brutal, full-body skill that put the full force of one’s body into it. Lucian crouched low and lunged savagely, yet Brutus received it with his practice spear incredibly calmly. As before, wind exploded out of Lucian, casting him backward a great deal. With the wind aspect, Draconic Verdict sent him backward a great way, which made it very valuable on the battlefield.

  “Hmm…”

  Brutus emulated Lucian’s position for the skill, and then started to reenact with no target in particular. It looked like an incredibly potent thrust, but it lacked the vigor that indicated one was using their internal energy. Afterward, Brutus studied his spear.

  “Again,” Brutus declared.

  Lucian closed the distance and used the skill once more. This time he felt a lot more fluid. Brutus caught Lucian’s spearhead between his forefinger and thumb.

  “Ah, like that…” Brutus muttered.

  Once more, Brutus attempted to use the Draconic Verdict. Already, it looked quite similar to the real thing. Lucian feared that there would be no real teaching for him to do. Fortunately… there was no burst of power. Lucian exhaled in relief.

  Lucian began, “The trick is—”

  Brutus held his finger up, then assumed the stance once more. This time, Lucian could feel something different in the air. It was as though Brutus morphed into an animal, and he darted forth with such ferocity that Lucian felt fear struck into his heart. When the spear rushed out, it sang, and the final impact sent a wave of power through the air.

  Lucian stared, agape. In three tries… three tries, with no instruction… Brutus had learned a skill passed down by the dragons.

  “Exceptional,” Brutus said, pulling his spear back. “I never would’ve figured that out on my own. Now… your turn.”

  Brutus turned over and grinned. Lucian had a feeling the Martial Prince was about to be very disappointed.

  ***

  Lucian had been so eager to gain the attention of Brutus for a very simple reason. He was one of few super instructors. Getting teachings from super instructors had a much bigger benefit to attributes than those at the Collegium. Brutus’ teachings in particular raised HP—a universally useful stat.

  Yet… Lucian underestimated precisely how brutal super training was.

  “Look at you!” Brutus shouted. “You’re nothing! You’re no one! You’re a worm!”

  Lucian tried, and failed, to emulate Sétanta. He had converted all of his Formless Essence into internal energy, yet it mattered not. He failed to achieve even the smallest stirring in the energy within. And consequently…

  Thwack. Brutus struck Lucian’s knee, twisting it into a strange position. Then, thwack, his elbow.

  “Knee like THAT. Elbow… like THAT!” Brutus shouted.

  Sétanta was a two-stage skill. It had the activation stage, and then the trigger stage. He needed to put his body in a certain state. He hadn’t once been able to get to the activation stage.

  “I’m… I’m trying,” Lucian said, exhausted and panting.

  “Haah…” Brutus stepped away and studied Lucian’s form. “We’ll call it a day here.”

  Lucian straightened, his whole body feeling stiff beyond belief. He’d been beaten by an iron rod again and again. This was miserable. His head hung low.

  “No need to hang your head, boy. You have no cause to be ashamed. You never once asked for relief, no matter how hard I pushed you.”

  Lucian didn’t look up. “You beat my neck very badly. Not sure I can raise my head…”

  “Oh, right.” Brutus nodded. “Sétanta is an incredibly difficult skill. I wouldn’t expect anyone to learn it on their first session. I certainly didn’t.”

  Rowan did, Lucian thought bitterly. He started to heal the bruises all around his body.

  “I have to attend to my official business. We’ll see each other tomorrow morning,” Brutus assured.

  Those words gave Lucian zero comfort. The fact that Brutus left shortly after did. Aurelia walked up to him slowly.

  “Come on, say it,” Lucian said.

  “Say what?” Aurelia asked.

  “Say that you had fun.”

  She didn’t say it, but Lucian thought he saw her hide the faintest smile. “Is that what you were hoping for? Entertaining me?”

  Lucian didn’t respond. He finally felt healed enough to move around normally. Hopefully this wouldn’t take more than another session.

  “It should please you to know I was working on what you asked of me. My instructions for transformation,” Aurelia said. Lucian nodded in approval. After a few moments of silence, Aurelia asked, “Is this really worth it?”

  He looked at her as if it was a dumb question. “Do you think I’d be doing it otherwise? Sétanta is one of the best skills in the world.”

  “What does it do?” she asked curiously.

  “When you activate it, it starts to store up all of the damage that you receive. It can last for quite a while. When you trigger it, it delivers all that damage as one single devastating counterattack.”

  It was a better version of an already amazing skill, Defiant Stand. With his inclination toward holy magic, there was no skill more suited for him.

  Aurelia pondered that, then said, “I see. I never bothered with things like this. Never needed to. I never thought there was anyone that could seal me.” Aurelia took a deep breath and sighed. “More fool me. Anyway, are you sure that you want to go out into the city after getting beaten that badly?”

  Lucian nodded. “Yeah. I need to. I have a destination in mind.”

  ***

  “Please turn around,” Aurelia begged.

  Lucian shook his head. “No can do.”

  “Ugh,” Aurelia groaned. “It looks… filthy in there. Uncouth.”

  Lucian and Aurelia stood at the entrance of the slums of Arshade. Seemingly every city had these. Arshade had nicer slums than most, but still Aurelia complained. Lucian came here looking for one thing in particular. Both of them wore inconspicuous, baggy clothing with hoods. Lucian had gaudy goggles on to further hide his features.

  “We’ll be going to a place called the Palace of Ten Thousand Poisons,” Lucian said quietly. “It was Aisha's secret lair. If the demons have all fled, I don’t think it’ll be dangerous… but just in case, I’ll unseal your divine beast form. Don’t act foolishly. You might die from poison.”

  “…and why exactly are we going to this awful, miserable, place called the Palace of Ten Thousand Poisons?” Aurelia said anxiously.

  “Souvenirs for Miriam, checking on demons, hoping I’ll get lucky… and maybe getting some demonic essence to fill my Inquisitor’s Mark,” Lucian listed.

  In all likelihood, this place would be discovered in due time. He wanted to check it out before it was. There was a blessing in there, after all.

  “Would ‘getting lucky’ include having me accidentally perish to one of the ten thousand poisons?” Aurelia asked.

  Lucian walked ahead, whistling nonchalantly. Aurelia whimpered a little, then followed.