Mr. B took them back outside, pulling his phone out and tapping away at it as if searching for something.

  After a final tap, he looked up. “That should do it.”

  “Do what?” Alacard asked.

  A stone pillar rose a few feet from the ground as if answering him. And another one not far from it rose even higher. On and on they rose, one after the other, thick and tall stone pillars. Each higher and farther apart from the last one, wrapping all the way around the school.

  “Okay, that’s interesting,” Alacard said, tilting his head.

  “What are we supposed to do?” Vincent asked.

  “Maybe stand on them and make a pose?” Alacard joked.

  Mr. B walked to the first pillar that was closest to them, about two feet from the ground, planting one leg on top of it. “There are 20 of these in total wrapping around the school.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Obvious,” Alacard said.

  “Dude, let him talk,” Vincent said, shoving him in annoyance.

  “Hey,” Alacard growled, pushing him back and readying himself for battle.

  They both growled and smacked foreheads together.

  “Boys, boys,” Mr. B said, pushing between them. “Focus.”

  They both folded their arms and turned from one another.

  “Each pillar is a bit taller than the previous one,” Mr. B said, motioning down the line. “As well as farther apart.” He looked to the side of the short one, all the way up to one that towered above the school. “You will jump from one to the next, making sure you land on top without using your hands or claws to correct yourself. A simple test of balance, precision, and dexterity.”

  “A test of obnoxiousness,” Alacard joked, which got an agreeable look from Vincent for once.

  “While I wouldn’t call this simple, how will this help us get stronger?” Vincent asked, tilting his head at the tallest one.

  “It won’t,” Mr B said. “It will help with your jumping ability and balance, among other things. When you can jump from one to the next with ease, you’ll have improved. And when you can jump from the first one to the final one,” he said, motioning to one far in the distance, almost at the other end of the school, a little lower than the tallest one. “You’ll have accomplished your task.”

  With that, he bent his legs and launched himself up, soaring through the air and landing on the roof of the school in one, mighty bound.

  Vincent and Alacard exchanged impressed looks, especially since he had done it in his human form. While they had augmented strength and abilities, hopping that amount of distant was impressive.

  Mr. B then hopped down from the roof and motioned toward the stone pillars. “Now it’s your turn, boys.”

  Alacard shrugged and smiled, looking like it was nothing. “Seems easy enough.” He stretched his arms out in front of him and approached the first stone pillar, hopping up on it as if it was as impressive as what Mr. B had just done. Not impressive at all, even though Alacard stood with hands on hips as if he was some sort of alpha wolf.

  He continued stretching from one leg to the next like some kind of showman, then looked to the pillar in front of him that was a bit taller than the one he stood on, and about ten feet from him. He cracked his neck, transformed, and eyed his target, his tail swishing about. He bent his knees and launched himself in the direction he thought he wanted to go. He landed in a crouch and stood, eyeing the third pillar which was taller and farther from him. He leapt again and landed with relative ease, or so he thought. He teetered over the side as he almost overshot the thing, waving his hands about wildly to stay on top without tipping over. Moving to his heels, he stepped back and eyed the next pillar which was a little higher and farther. He looked thoughtful for a moment – or perhaps worried, confused, something else? – and leapt. He didn’t land on the next pillar, nor reach it. He simply slammed against the side of it, latching his claws down in a hugging motion, then scrambling to the top on all fours.

  “I made it,” he panted, moving to his hind legs.

  Mr. B flew from out of nowhere, kicking Alacard in the side, sending him flying into the ground, Mr. B landing on the top of the pillar in a crouch. Alacard kicked himself back to his feet and growled up at Mr. B.

  “Hey,” he said, raising a hand in protest. “Why’d you do that?”

  “This is a lesson, isn’t it,” Mr. B said with a toothy grin. “I’m teaching you the importance of keeping your wits and balance about you.”

  Mr. B then leapt off and landed near him. “I told you that you needed to land on the top without using your hands or claws to correct yourself. You broke the rules, so you deserve a penalty.”

  “Didn’t have to kick me so hard,” Alacard said with a grumble as he scratched his side and transformed back, knowing better than to stay in his werewolf form too long in these early stages of training.

  “You’ll learn to deal with the pain,” Mr. B said, extending a hand to him. Alacard took it in a hard slap, getting pulled to his feet.

  “I’m game,” he said with a grin.

  They both turned to Vincent whom seemed to be in his own world, staring at the pillars as if pondering something. When he noticed their eyes on them, he jumped. “Oh, is it my turn now?”

  They both nodded with curious looks as if wondering what he was zoning out about.

  Vincent gulped and took a step forward, jumping up on the pillar as Alacard did in his human form, then transformed. He eyed the pillar in front of him and leapt through the air, landing on the second one nicely. He steadied himself, took a breath, then eyed the third pillar, leaping a bit harder, almost overshooting it, just like Alacard had done.

  “That was close,” he said, under his breath, licking his lips as he looked to the other one. “Now, just gotta measure it right.” And he kicked off and soared through the air, overshooting the thing.

  “Ah man,” he said as he tumbled to the ground, shoulder-rolling to a knee.

  “Such an amateur,” Alacard said with a roll of his eyes, but looking like he was feeling the competition as he clenched a fist. “My turn.”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Alacard and Vincent both had tried several times to make it from one pillar to the next, neither of them passing the fifth one. Alacard was on his tenth try, and had just landed on the tenth pillar. He took a deep breath, positioning himself like a competitive diver, and then leapt into the air, soaring high and far, overshooting the eleventh and falling to the ground as he let out a derisive noise while descending. His tailed twitched, and his ears flicking as he moved passed the pillar he overshot, slashing his claws against it, sending dislodged chunks in several directions.

  Vincent tried again, and made it about as far as Alacard. They were both keeping pace with each other, both feeling the tension and competition, both letting the pressure get to them. They made several attempts after that one, getting closer to coming back around to the tallest one in a final jump to the one at the start that was lowest to the ground, but not able to get there.

  Day and night went by, classes gone through, practicing and learning and delving into the supernatural arts. None of it seeming to matter to either of them, besides the cursed leaping and soaring and landing on the stupid pillars. They were beginning to get sick of it, while at the same time wanting to best the other. Attempt after bloody attempt, till they looked like they were losing sleep – and their conscious minds – over it. Snarling and snapping at one another, tossing insults about, growling and howling and getting upset at the simplest of things.

  Bags under eyes and Beast Minds creeping in and causing issues and simple mistakes on pillars they had clearly mastered, or so they thought. Someone watching on the outside may have chuckled at their repeated feats, and ultimate failures, but also sympathizing with the struggle, the falling back, the mistakes, the complete and utter frustration from something that should have been figured out by now.

  Days and nights had passed, and Vincent had just landed on the twentieth pillar, landing light and graceful. Frustration covered his face, his mind and body beaten and defeated at this point. Yet there was a hope – no, a knowing – as he stood on the final pillar, looking onward at the shortest one far in the distance, a seemingly impossible task for someone that had just begun this terrible and daunting task. But not him, certainly not. And he was frustrated beyond measure because while he knew it would be difficult to master this task, he didn’t think it impossible, yet it was getting to that point where the proverbial clear waters were getting muddy, along with his mind.

  He was on his final round, and this was not going to be a missed attempt. This was it. He gulped, looking onward at the pillar that seemed so small as it was so far away. He flexed his legs, his muscles tightening and then extended as he pushed from the pillar, soaring through at air, a smile crossing his face as he came down on the pillar and… and – he landed right next to it. His eyes wide with madness and incredulousness, like he had seen something that wasn’t there. And yet he stood right next to the cursed pillar.

  He clenched a fist, and it took everything for him not to smash that fucking pillar to pieces. He snarled and stormed off to be with his own thoughts, letting out a scream as he moved around the corner and out of sight.

  Alacard shook his head and gave a little smirk, while at the same time feeling the pain, the pressure and buildup, knowing it all too well himself.

  Alacard stepped to the ready, an antsy anticipation moving over him as this was his first try today. And after seeing Vincent almost get to the end, the pressure was on. Even so, he had a good feeling this time, and he leapt, nice and easy, from pillar to silly pillar, landing on each one smoothly. One after the other, till he had reached the end, just like Vincent. He cracked his neck, swung his arms just so, then pushed off from the pillar, soaring through the air, and – landed on the stupid small one. Ginga, he had done it.

  He fist-pumped, which was not really his style, but screw it because he had not only bested Vincent, he had proved himself worthy of the stupid, inconceivable task. He spat to the side out of spite in a way as if to say ‘f you’ to it all. When Vincent returned with a dropped jaw at the sight of Alacard completing the task, Alacard gave a silly thumbs up and beamed like an idiot.

  “I did it. I freaking did it.”

  Vincent growled, stepping to the pillar as Alacard hopped down, looking like a giddy kid for the first time as he felt great to have not only completed the task but shown up Vincent. He was sure to continue to showing him up from here on out. Even so, he didn’t feel like insulting him, or saying anything, so he just walked over to Mr. B to watch The Vincent Show unfold, feeling great about himself.

  Vincent let out a little sigh, rubbing his forefinger and thumb against the bridge of his nose.

  “Concentrate, concentrate,” he repeated to himself. “You’ve got this. Just do what you did last time, and actually land on the stupid pillar.”

  He let out an exacerbated breath. He leapt, from pillar to pillar, angry and agitated the whole time, almost slipping off one of the first three. He had to compose himself, because that slipping motion almost made him lose it. Made him want to scream, to pummel each pillar to dust, and then run off into the forest to live as a hermit. But screw that. He was going to do this. He had to concentrate, to focus, to get it done. He continued leaping and landing, zoning out as he did, till he landed on the last pillar again.

  “Okay,” he said with a relieved breath. “Just this last one. A little tweak here, a little landing there, and I’m good. Okay?... Okay.”

  He nodded and leapt. For some reason he closed his eyes, he clenched up, and he felt himself lose it, and, somehow, someway, he landed on the pillar, his feet sliding forward, feeling his claws reflexively move to dig in and stop him, but he just leaned back onto his heels, letting himself slide and stop right on the edge. Then after swinging his arms about, he corrected himself and stayed steady, standing straight and firm on the last pillar.

  He let out a shuddering breath, feeling as if he was going to break down, but refrained from doing that. Instead, he turned to them and gave a toothy smile.

  And then, he fell on his face and passed out, transforming back to his human form.

  .   .   .

  He woke up to Mr. B and Alacard standing over him under a tree that he had been leaned against. He let out a groggy noise, trying to speak but struggling as his mouth was dry. Mr. B handed him a Magician’s Friend and a large water bottle.

  “Drink, and eat,” he said.

  Alacard looked like he was finishing up a bar himself, chugging away at his own huge water bottle in gigantic gulps.

  Alacard let out a thirst-quenching sigh, rubbing his wet lips with the back of his hand.

  “You may have stumbled and bumbled and fell down like a little chump,” he said in a less insulting and more friendly way than he usually did. “But you completed the task, so good on you, friend.”

  Vincent glowered at him, chomping down on his Magician’s Friend as he thought about chomping down on Alacard’s stupid face. Alacard slapped Vincent on the shoulder while he was taking a chug of water, and it splashed all over him.

  Vincent clenched his water bottle and snarled. “Would you stop being so obnoxious?” He then leaned back and downed half the thing in hungry chugs.

  “Nah, I like me. If you can’t handle it, quit,” Alacard said.

  Vincent let out his own noise of exhilaration from quenching his thirst.

  “Never,” he said showing a toothy grin as the relief at completing the task bathed over him.

  They both narrowed their eyes on one another, Alacard giving his own wide smirk. “Good.”

  No insults, no comebacks? That was a first, Vincent thought. Still, he was so obnoxious.

  “All right,” Mr. B said after they had eaten their bars and drank most of their water.

  He turned and made a motion with his head.

  “Now for the real challenge. Follow me, boys.”

  He gave an enigmatic smile and leapt up to the roof in his human form.

  Vincent and Alacard exchanged looks, wondering why they had to continue after putting in all that effort. Did he expect them to do that in their human form? They stared up at him with wide eyes as he leaned against the edge of the roof, hollering down at them.

  “Come on, boys. Now’s not the time to slack off or show weakness.” He motioned with his arm and turned and moved away from the edge.

  The two of them got up, shoving each other as their shoulders touched. They both readied themselves, let out sighs in unison, exchanging angry glances as if to tell each other to stop copying the other, and leapt into the air, landing on the roof in crouches, exchanging looks and smiles at the realization that they did it so easily, and then looked onward.

  Mr. B stood with arms folded, an enigmatic and proud smile on his face.

  “Good, good. You’ve both mastered jumping and a little bit of balance.”

  And they had, without even realizing it. Their frustrations with all the work they had done for seemingly no reason to a point where they could jump in their human forms from the ground to the roof. It was… amazing.

  “Now,” he said, leaning forward with an excited and eager smirk. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  And he transformed into his werewolf form and rushed them with the full intent of beating them to a pulp, or at least draining them to their final exhaustion.

  .   .   .