He did shower in the end, unable to drag his bloody self onto his immaculate bed, and he stood under the steaming water for a long while.

Long rivulets of red water swirled at his feet before disappearing down the drain, and he stared at all the blood as though it belonged to someone else. The memories of pain shifted and morphed into a continuous stream of half-formed images, and his mind stuttered on and off, having trouble coming to terms with what had just happened to him, now that the adrenaline had leached from him.

A part of him thought there was no way that all of that had actually just happened, while another part of him looked on in stunned disbelief at the fact that it had all been done with his own consent. And yet, a third part of him wondered if it was even that big of a deal.

Tys had pushed his fingers out of their sockets, rupturing skin and flesh. He had seen white bone shining through the gory mess, quickly staining red as blood came pouring down his wrists, so maybe it was a big deal?

But look at what you did! A fourth part of himself urged, pushing through the other three and asserting itself to at last take control of his mind, and bring him to wakefulness. You healed yourself!

It had been agonizing, both the ravaged fingers and fire aether burning in from the inside. And gods, it had been slow. But he had done it… And was it not worth it? So what if it was torture? He was learning to self-heal! And with it came pain resistance as well! He had suffered all his life as an Unclean, then as a Climber, and now he was suffering as a delver… But if he persisted on this path, he would beat pain itself! Forever!

And so, the question answered itself. Yes, of course it was damned worth it! And he knew that when night fell again, when his UI showed half ten PM, he would be stepping back into that arena again… And again his blood would disappear into the sands, which remained brown-orange and dry, no matter how much of his blood they greedily drank.

It will be worth it… It will all be worth it, he told himself.

Next thing he knew, his alarm was ringing in his mind, and he sat up with a startled gasp, his eyes darting for his hands, ready to push his aura into his mangled fingers to start the healing process again… But in the quiet darkness of soft sleeping sounds, he found his hands healed. Whole.

In his dream, his nightmare, they had been nothing but bloody bits barely holding together.

He shook his head and took a deep breath, then he forced his shaky legs down the ladder of his bunk bed.

The dark room swam as his feet touched the ground, and he had to steady himself against the bunk bed he shared with Kur.

Whatever happens during the night, you will fulfill all of your other obligations to the faculty with the same dedication you have so far, no matter how tired you are, or how hurt. Is that clear?

He grimaced at the memory of Tys words.

Clear enough, he thought to himself.

He pushed away from the bed and forced himself to change into his training clothes.

Maybe some food will help, he wondered. But the memory of his grizzled nightmare came to the fore of his mind, and as he swatted it aside, the actual real memory of the previous night replaced it.

Ah… Forget it, he decided.

He wasn't hungry anyways.

**********

"I see you've had your first training with the Ascending One," his master said, his tone neutral.

They were sitting in his private training room, facing each other, while to their right, the light of day slowly filtered in as the sky turned to progressively lighter shades of blue. Nar's eyes kept glancing towards that wall spanning window, and his heart eased an imperceptible bit further whenever he did so, as it found solace in that light of dawn, and its promise that the gruesome ravages of the quiet, stifling night were over. At least for now…

"I'm not sure if this helps or if it makes it worse, but she did ask me my opinion on her methods," the master said, his arms folded, his golden skin a darkness in that light. "So, yes. I know exactly what she's doing. And the more she will do…"

He sighed.

"I was honest with her. I told her I thought it too much," he said, his eyes on Nar's, his crossed legs and posture looking as perfect as they always did. "But I also told her that I have no idea of the reality at her level. If that was the way she had been taught, and the results do speak for themselves, and if she wanted to follow the same training with you… Then it was her decision."

He paused, then nodded at Nar. "And yours, Nar. I expect she asked for your permission, as she promised she would?"

Nar nodded again, and his master replied with a nod of his own. Then a heavy sigh.

"Then, do as you please, Nar. It is your path to build, and if you truly aim to climb that high, you must be prepared to pay a price most of us can't even begin to comprehend," his master told him. "That said. I am your master, Nar. If it ever becomes too much… If you ever decide that you want out, but you feel that you can't… Then just come to me and I'll handle it, alright?"

"Yes. Thank you, master," Nar said, and he hated how weak his voice sounded.

"Good. Well, I'll give you some leniency for today, and we'll just have a quick chat, alright?" the man said. "After that, go eat something and get some more sleep before today's class. That's an order, understood?"

"Yes, master. Thank you."

"Hmmm."

The man held his chin for a moment, as if to gather his thoughts.

"Alright. The COO will be teaching you all those powerful passives, which I fully support, and she'll take over all things path related. Then, the Master of Aura will teach you the next steps for you in regards to auramancy within your path after the Brightnight. And as for me, I will focus on your active skills for now, and your still piss poor swordsmanship."

A chuckle escaped Nar's lips and his master winked at him, smiling deviously in the light of dawn.

Nar snorted and shook his head, but he did look forward to continuing to learn the blade under the master's tutelage. As capable as Tys seemed to be, he was grateful that his master wasn't just leaving him fully in her hands all of a sudden.

Of course, he had no doubt that the Ascendant would make good on her promise, but he liked the Master of Blades, and he liked learning from him. He enjoyed his stern, but fair, straightforwardness and he knew the wizened master had much to teach him still. Plus, he understood why the man had lied to him, and he was more than ready to leave it behind them.

"Alright, let's try to make this quick then, hmm?" he said. "The final fight in your third assessment. Tell me everything."

And so, Nar did. He told the master about how he rushed into that cave, fighting to destabilize the enemy so that Viy and the others could follow after him. He told him about the debuff that the illatrian had placed on him. He told him about the warg and the illatrian's interference with his [Instinct], and finally, he told the master about his [Aura Blade] and the ending of their fight.

"If Mul didn't distract it at the end…" Nar said, shaking his head. "I think that monster would've just dodged me."

His master inclined his head one way, then the other. "Maybe. Maybe not. From what you describe, that [Aura Blade] of yours comes out blindingly fast. Faster than I expected it to be this early… And that illatrian was clearly not properly formed, nor was it anywhere as strong as a proper walking undead… So it's hard to tell if it would've been able to dodge you or not."

The master rubbed his chin. "Regardless, your skill hit, and even if Mul blasted that thing to pieces, the moment your [Aura Blade] hit it, with that much aura and with such a focused intent of destruction… Hmm, that illatrian was doomed the moment you hit him. It was only a matter of time."

The man grinned at him.

"Regardless, there's a reason why delvers go into dungeons in parties. It's so that we can support each other. Clearing a dungeon, no matter how easy it may be, is never a one delver's job."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "However, I am sorry to tell you, Nar, but you were incredibly lucky. Had that corrupted guardian created a more perfect illatrian, you would have died in that cave."

"I know…" Nar said. "I know we were lucky."

His master pursed his lips for a few heartbeats. "And how does that make you feel?"

"Angry. Disappointed… Scared," Nar confessed. "I'm tired of being lucky all the time."

His master shook his head.

"I wouldn't be so harsh. Yes, a good degree of luck is needed in the Climb and in the daily life of a delver, but luck can only get you so far," he said. "Had you not trained as hard as you did to learn that skill in the first place, and in record time I should add, then no amount of luck would have saved you or your party. Remember, luck favors those who help themselves, Nar. Those who put in the work. Else, it goes to waste. Never forget that."

"I won't, master," Nar vowed, and as they came from under the shadow of a towering cloud, bright light lit up the room.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"See that you don't," the man said, his skin glinting gold in the light of the new day. "Now, while this situation with the COO has come crashing into my carefully laid plans for you, it doesn't change much of what our work is going to be before the Brightnight. You have learned much in a short amount of time, and before we proceed, we need to consolidate that knowledge."

"My [Aura Blade]," Nar said, nodding.

"And not just that. I wasn't just messing when I said your swordsmanship is poor. You need to drill those steps into your body and mind. You need to keep doing your sword exercises. And you need more experience with the sword over all," his master said. "But don't feel too bad. You all need this. Which is why we're placing more of an emphasis on sparring going forward, amongst apprentices and with the instructors."

He tapped his index against his leg. "The Brightnight, this little reward from the guild is a little too fast and too soon for my tastes. There will be lots of delvers in that jungle, and despite the dungeon guardian's watchful eyes, you never know when people are going to get desperate and do something stupid. And that jungle is definitely the place for people to lose their minds."

Isn't that great? Nar thought. Crystal. The more I hear about this domain the less I want to go into it.

"So, we need to kick it up a notch, and make sure the basics are somewhat solid before you all head in," he said. "Plus, I don't want any of you to revert back to your bad habits in the months you're stuck in there."

He sighed to himself. "Anyways, the two of us will continue fighting. I want to see you use your body more from now on, and I want to see some more aggressiveness from you as well. The COO will no doubt teach you to be brutal, but I want you to know what that means through the sword."

Nar grimaced, but nodded.

"Don't worry, it will become second nature," his master told him. "And then, yes, we need to work on your [Aura Blade]. You need to be able to use that skill at a moment's notice, and you need to know when you need to hold on to it and focus on it, like you did with the ilatrian, and when the situation just calls for enough concentration to keep the blade together long enough for quick bursts. Even successive if need be. Or sometimes, you just want a wide arch of explosive destruction, so let that aura go and destroy."

"Oh… I didn't think of those," Nar said, frowning.

"It is an incredibly versatile skill, Nar, and we've only just begun scratching the surface of what it can achieve," the master said. "While the COO focuses on teaching you those passives, and they are all incredibly mighty skills to have, don't doubt it, I and the Master of Aura will make sure to compliment them with a small number of active skills that you can use in any situation, and to bring down whatever's in your way. And yes, I do mean small… Like I told you before, a hybrid path requires sacrifices, and a wide range of active skills is one such sacrifice."

Then the man frowned at him. "Speaking of skills, have you figured out that you can cancel certain skills once you trigger them, but have not yet used them?"

"What? Of course!"

He had figured it out as soon as he had unlocked his aura, experimenting with his, back then, still basic [Aura Attack].

The Master of Blades nodded, somewhat impressed. "And have you done so?"

"I… O-Of course!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I have!" Nar said. "That's such a-such a basic thing to do!"

His master shrugged.

"I'm not judging. It's easy for newbies to forget about such basic things in the heat of combat," he said, hiding his smile just enough to not make it too obvious, but still making sure Nar saw it. "Anyways, if it's something you've kept in mind, then I'm happy. Imagine! Being forced to fire off an [Aura Blade] even if you don't need to anymore, or being stuck with [Sword Aura] and unable to adapt to any changes in the flow of a fight… But if that doesn't apply to you, then all is well."

Nar nodded fiercely at his master. Inside however, he kicked at himself. Had he actually remembered to do so? Wait! Had a situation ever even called for it? Surely it had, and surely, he had remembered such a basic thing!

He shooed the thoughts away.

"Regardless, we'll incorporate more skill usage into our sparring from now on, as I want to make all of your active skills become second nature to you. Since you'll only have a few, I want them to become like reflexes to you, and for you to move seamlessly from one skill to another, holding, canceling, and even feinting with them!"

"Feinting? With skills?" Nar asked stunned.

"Of course! One can feint with anything! Posture, blade, skills, expressions, sounds, and even with glances!" the master said. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. With a good command over them, you'll be well on your way to laying the foundations we need."

"Yes, master."

"Especially in the case of [Aura Blade], you can't continue relying on emotion or on your sword to make it work," the master added. "The first time was necessary, and perhaps even the second… But no more. You must control it from now on."

"Yes, master," Nar said again, this time inclining his head to him.

"But speaking of your sword… May I have a look at it?"

Nar pulled out the weapon from his inventory and passed it to his master hilt first, keeping his eyes off the cloth tied to the end of its grip as he did so. However, the shimmering purple cloth, with its hexagonal pattern, brushed against his wrist, and Nar had to put everything he had in not displaying the screaming of his broken heart upon his features, and into smothering it all under that heavy blanket of unfeeling.

"Hmmm… I see," the man said, allowing his eyes to roam across the length of the blade.

"Did I… Did I really create a core in it?" Nar asked, his voice carefully composed as he watched the way the purple blade gleamed in the light.

"You did. I almost said surprisingly, but given you forged its pathways already, I suppose it's not," his master said. "And it's a proper aura core at that? Amazing… Well done. This is quite the achievement!"

"Again, I got lucky…" Nar said, looking down.

"No… I don't think so," the master said, bringing the blade close to his ear, his eyes closing. "No, not all… But it's not something I'm ready to speak about just yet."

He shook his head. "I'm forced to pile mystery after mystery upon you, my apprentice. But I swear, some things are just too heavy or too distracting to handle at the moment. And this is most certainly one of them."

Nar gave him an easy nod. "I trust you."

His master's eyebrows rose. "Something that means even more, now. Doesn't it?"

Before Nar could even think of a reply, his master laid his weapon between them.

"Despite it now having a core, and the immense advantages that it brings you, I'm more hesitant now about you keeping it than I was before."

"Because of… Me? My [Presence]?" Nar asked, wincing.

The Master of Blades nodded, his expression guarded.

"Two negatives don't make a right… Especially given where the purple on this blade comes from," he said, his tone low and heavy with old, old memories.

"The cannibals…" Nar whispered, eyeing the scarred, burned blade and taking in its purple iridescence.

"Indeed, the cannibals of the B-Nex," the master said. "While purple is associated with such affinities or elements such as knowledge, wisdom and authority, and even weight, like is the case of Viy, it is also associated with certain negative emotions, again, like Viy. But, more worryingly, it is associated with madness…"

Also, like Viy, Nar thought, grim.

"And the same can be said about this dark red color…"

Nar startled at the golden man. "What red color?"

"It's too faint for you [Sight], I reckon," the master said, holding his chin. "But it's there, and it's been spreading…"

The man reached over the blade and pointed with a finger.

"Across its edges, alongside the pathways and surrounding the core," his master said, pointing. "My guess is that soon, it will become more evident, and it might even devour the purple, but there is no certainty of that…"

"Red?" Nar mouthed. "But, then… What does that mean? Does it even mean anything?"

"Of course! All colors mean something, and you'd be a fool to disregard them… Now, while there are good things associated with red, such as passion, love, courage, strength and many others, there are also bad ones… And given your life so far, not to mince my words, I don't expect this to be tied to a good thing. I don't judge you for it! But I don't have to like it either… Though most likely, this is a sign of the sword's hunger affinity shining through and growing, which, as you know, is an affinity that can be both good and bad."

Nar nodded.

"Do you think that I should give it up?" he whispered.

His master inhaled deeply, thinking on the answer for a moment. "No. Not anymore."

"Really?" Nar asked, growing in surprise.

The master sighed, and folded his arms.

"You are my most complex apprentice ever, Nar," his master told him. "Nothing is as straightforward as usual, and everything tends to be so much more complicated. There are so many more variables to consider with you. And angles. And conditions. And so many more… No, don't apologize! It is a challenge that I revel in! And you will be my most accomplished student ever. Of that, I have no doubt! But it is challenging."

Nar looked down, unable to take such a compliment from the ancient master and keep it from shining on his face. For his part, his master held his chin and looked lost in thought, unburdened and unworried about the enormity of the words he had just uttered.

"Tell you what. There is a zone in the Brightnight that might prove to be an interesting challenge to your sword… And to you."

He grinned at his apprentice, his golden face dark in the deep blue shining in from the window. "Go through there, and let's see how it goes. Then, I'll make up my mind and voice my suggestion. And I say suggestion because ultimately, such a decision is now between you and the COO to make. How's that?"

Nar scoffed. "You're not going to tell me what this challenge is, are you?"

"Of course not! That would defeat the purpose."

Nar shook his head. "Then I guess I'll have to find out what it is, and then hear what you suggest."

"Perfect. And… Can I assume that the COO has decided not to train you in [Presence] yet?"

Nar shook his head wearily.

"She doesn't want me to end up with an affinity to grief or resentment."

The master's shoulders lowered a smidge.

"Good. She's right to worry about that possibility, and it shows great wisdom from her part," he said. "As well as genuine care for you. Another teacher might have only seen the power and the advantages that such an early awakening meant for you, but trust her. This delay is in your best interest, Nar."

"I know," Nar conceded. "I'll wait for the right time. There's already enough on my plate."

"That there is… Anyways, let's pick up the topic of the sword when you come back and we know more. But one thing to keep in mind for now, is that you must keep its core full at all times. It will start leaking once you stop cycling into it, of course, but you must make sure that it's always ready to help you in an emergency. And for now, that's exactly how I want you to treat this core. As an emergency measure, nothing more!" he stressed. "Most of our apprentices received new weapons, ones that are entirely made of aurium and have pathways built into them. But none of those have cores in them yet. That's on purpose! It's too soon to have one, and you kids would be tempted and become accustomed to having access to a core when one of our current goals is to teach you all to be efficient with your aura and push you to increase your [Mastery]. And you are no exception in this, Nar. So do not rely on this core. Not yet. Just consider yourself lucky you have such a handy emergency aid at hand, keep it primed for use, and then keep your hands off it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, master."

Guess no talk of upgrades or anything like that, then… Nar thought.

"I am happy that you listened to my advice and didn't try to go around your [Mastery]. Even in such an emergency," his master said. "And know that your restraint and discipline saved all of your lives. So again, well done. And remember this, there are no shortcuts to building a path, especially not one such as yours."

"I will, master."

"Then that should be all for today," his master said. "Go rest. But know that I expect you to give it your all in class later on. And tomorrow, in our next session, we will train as usual."

"Of course, master," Nar said, bowing his head. "And… Thank you."

The man nodded.

"You're in for a very rough time, Nar," he said, a touch of sadness in his steely eyes. "I have no idea how long it will last, but I have full faith in your teacher. If you make it through this, you will be well on your way to becoming a true sight to behold, Nar. But remember my earlier words… I'm here for you, should you need me."

"I will, master," Nar said, offering him a genuine smile. "Thank you. For that and for everything."

His master shook his head. "I'm the one who should thank you, for placing your trust in me once more after I betrayed you. Just know that all I do is in your best interest… That is my solemn duty and vow as your master."

"I know, master. Don't worry. We can just… Move on," Nar said, shrugging. "I trust you didn't do it for any bad reasons."

The man inclined his head to him.

"Thank you. Then go rest. Instructor Koh is anxious to have you all back under his care," he said, a light smirk tugging at the edges of his lips.

"I can't wait for it," Nar said, managing to keep his tone neutral.

His master burst out laughing.

"And I hope you can keep that attitude when you hear that from now on, it's mandatory to wear your weights throughout the whole day. Dungeons included!"

Nar groaned, his master's laugh ringing even louder.

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