Aurelius savoured his last sip of coffee, as he licked his lips in satisfaction. It felt as though the morning chill had been driven away by the warmth and cosiness of his breakfast.

  Despite Aurelius’s initial reservations regarding the tavern, this ancient, run-down tavern was starting to actually grow on him.

  Aurelius took out his coin pouch, sliding over a shiny silver coin over to Mr. Tona.

  With a snap of his fingers, the silver coin disappeared, instead becoming replaced by two dull, copper coins.

  “Ok, let’s get going. I hear that the gym is booked for us.” Mr. Tona said, clapping his hands together in satisfaction.

  “Capn’! I’ll be back soon, so keep both eyes peeled for my return!” He yelled, waving exaggeratedly at his old friend behind the bar.

  “Tsk, scram ya lil shit, before I lose me other eye to yer ugly damn mug!” Walter replied, smiling right back at him, and prompting a few scattered laughs from the other patrons.

  With this hearty banter, Aurelius and Mr. Tona swung open the doors of the Crooked Cafe back into the sleeping city.

  “Hmm, I think I’m a bit too full to walk back to the Academy.” Mr. Tona announced, glancing over at Aurelius leisurely.

  “Mhm” Aurelius replied distractedly, as he looked around at the worn brick walls that enclosed the Crooked Cafe around them

  Looking back once more at this strange structure, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the city, Aurelius felt a sense of melancholy leaking from its facade.

  The building was an outdated relic of old. It would once have been a proud, shining establishment, surrounded by numerous buildings like itself.

  It would have fueled the scenes of nightlife in Tlacualtzin in ages past, and a shelter to countless weary adventurers, soldiers and workers.

  And now, its crooked, misshapen wooden beams, crooked windows and mottled stone slabs were all that was left.

  A gentle breeze blew past, brushing up past the ancient building, creating a beautiful howl. It felt almost as if the inn itself was reminiscing about its bygone days, and biding them farewell…

  “Are you done daydreaming?” Mr. Tona asked, as he stretched his arms and legs, each movement creating a concerning amount of creaking and popping sounds.

  Without asking Aurelius for a response, he grabbed hold of his collar, and snapped his fingers.

  Geometric shapes filled Aurelius’s eyes, as the two of them teleported back to the Academy gates in the blink of an eye, disorienting Aurelius.

  “Now, thanks to little Yeltz, we need to walk the rest of the way.” Mr. Tona declared towards a slightly queasy Aurelius.

  “Don’t tell me that you’re feeling sick after such a short jump?” The old man asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

  “I’m fine.” Aurelius snapped, slightly embarrassed, as he forced down the stray ounce of chowder that almost made its way out of his mouth.

  He’d just eaten! Of course that would make teleportation unpleasant! Secondly, 30 minutes of walking distance wasn’t a short jump!

  This geezer really needed to stop being so judgemental.

  Mr. Tona chuckled at this response, giving Aurelius a light tap on his shoulder.

  “I genuinely have no idea why that god has such an investment in you!” He laughed, causing Aurelius’s face to turn glum as he remembered the cunted god who had put him in this situation.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I’m just kidding! It wouldn't do me too good to guess at the intentions of our neighbours on the other side, would it!” Mr. Tona continued casually, ignoring Aurelius’s ashen demeanour.

  “Yeltz is definitely making you put in the work in terms of magical theory, and she’s well qualified to do so. However, she’s making you do magical combat on top of it. Why?” He asked seriously, tapping his head as he turned to Aurelius.

  Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Tona replied simply.

  “Because she has inherited my philosophy.” He stated.

  “Combat is the most natural and developed form of magic. And it is the most effective way for one to grow their souls into that of respectable mages.”

  “Combat stretches your limits, and your soul, into refinement, and carves lasting lessons in defeat onto the soul. Understanding the very movement of the soul becomes intuitive in combat, rather than the formulaic and mathematical ways that mages of modernity approach magic.”

  “I believe with conviction that for most mages, this intuitive approach to magic is superior.”

  “This is not to mention the abundance of resources relating to combat oriented magic that has been evolved, refined and ground down into absolute efficiency over the centuries. Much of it thanks to the warfare that came before our time.”

  “However, we will not practice any actual magic today, as Yeltz has made you do.”

  “Instead, let’s start with some basic theory behind what I have planned. Are you aware of what most adventurers rely on for their expeditions?” He asked, raising his finger in the air.

  “Weapons.” Aurelius replied simply, annoyed again by the simplicity of his questions.

  “To a certain extent, yes.” Mr. Tona said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

  “If it were the weapons that differentiated an adventurer, it would be the wealthy who would dominate the field of adventuring. Yet that is not necessarily the case. Why?”

  “The answer is simple. Even those without the ignivite carvings found in the weapons of the Royal Knights, all weapons are extensions of a fighter’s body and soul.”

  “Just as staffs and wands extend the reach of our soul, a fighter is able to, to a lesser extent, pour their souls into weapons to improve their efficacy.”

  “Unlike magic, which relies on heavy theory and precision, the artistry of physical combat is much, much more fluid, and instinct driven.”

  “One does not need the soul-shapes of mages to master martial arts, and does not count as magic since there are no spells involved.”

  “Yet, the resemblance in the manipulation of the soul is uncanny. And even superior in some areas.”

  “A mage may have access to powerful magics, but are limited by the energy expenditure and by the number of managed spells.”

  “This is not to mention the fact that users of martial arts are able to grow at a much faster rate compared to mages.”

  “Even I, a mage at the level of sagehood, will have trouble defeating a large number of well trained and well equipped knights, if the right tactics are used.”

  “For every single one of the magical sages, there are 20 masters of martial arts in the world. And this number is the only thing that keeps the Royals even relevant in the age of magic.”

  “To overcome that, is the very reason that the Commission hires me even in my retirement.” He announced, grinning proudly from ear to ear.

  As they reached the doors to the gymnasium, the man proudly declared his intent.

  “You will master physical combat. And refine your mana manipulation techniques with the precision, artistry and focus found in martial arts.”

  ???

  Mr. Tona snapped his fingers in the middle of the gymnasium, summoning a wooden spear out of the thin geometric line that formed in the air.

  “You’ll be using a spear for our training.” He declared.

  “In my usual lessons, I will give my students the choice between a knife and a spear, representing the wand and staff respectively.”

  “The knife sharpens precision and efficiency, the smallest motions producing the fatal blows in battle. The spear teaches reach, timing, and the discipline to command space that leads the fight.”

  “A sword offers neither lesson with much clarity, so I do not encourage mages to pursue it.”

  “It will be a great help to understand exactly how your soul moves throughout your body overall, especially for someone with the complexity of your soul blueprint. And that is why you will take up the spear.”

  “Refinement cannot exist in a vacuum, and the spear will allow you to actively work your soul with discipline and timing.” He said wisely, tossing the spear over to Aurelius.

  “That is a completely ordinary wooden spear. There will be no ignivite to help you channel your soul.” He declared.

  The intricate carvings of his wand materialised from his right hand, seemingly leaking out of his very flesh. The blue gem of the ring on his hand flowed out together with the ivory, fusing to adorn its tip.

  With a wave of his wand, a small droplet of water crystalised in the air, glowing slightly as Mr. Tona infused mana into it.

  With a flick of his wrist, the droplet sank into the stone floor, carving a perfect circle into the stone.

  This made Aurelius’s eyes widen in disbelief.

  That was definitely property damage, and the Academy will bill them for the repairs!

  “Nono, I got permission from Guardian Lily for this. She’ll help to repair the damage after we’re done.” Mr. Tona quickly added in amusement, noticing Aurelius’s horrified expression.

  With Aurelius letting out a sigh of relief, Mr. Tona dramatically announced the lesson objectives for the morning.

  “I will not move a single inch outside of this circle on the floor. And you will only be released today, after you land a single hit on my body.”