The room was bathed in the dim, cool light of the early morning when I opened my eyes. The silence of the inn was heavy, broken only by the faint, rhythmic sound of the wind brushing against the wooden shutters. I didn't move for a moment, simply staring at the ceiling and letting the lingering traces of sleep fade from my mind. Beside me, Tokine was still a blurred shape beneath the quilts, but her voice had already cut through the stillness before I was even fully conscious. She had commanded me to go to the nearby flower shop. It wasn't a request; it was a firm instruction that she had issued with the kind of sleepy authority she possessed in the mornings. I sat up, the air in the room biting at my skin, and began to dress. My movements were methodical and silent. I checked my black katana and the matching black dagger, ensuring they were secured at my waist. I didn't question the command. If Tokine wanted flowers, I would get them.
I stepped out of the room and made my way down the creaking stairs of the inn. The common room was empty, the hearth nothing but a pile of cold, grey ash. I pushed open the heavy front door and stepped out into the street. The town was beginning to wake up, the sky turning a pale, dusty lilac as the sun prepared to rise. The cobblestones were damp with dew, and a thin mist clung to the corners of the buildings. I walked with my head down, my boots clicking rhythmically against the stone. The air was fresh, carrying the faint scent of woodsmoke and the distant sea. I knew where the flower shop was—a small, colorful storefront nestled between a bakery and a weaver's shop.
As I turned the corner into a narrow alleyway that served as a shortcut, the quiet of the morning was shattered. I heard the sound of heavy thuds followed by a pained groan. I slowed my pace, my hand instinctively moving toward the hilt of my katana. I peered around the edge of a stone building and saw three figures. One man was on the ground, curled into a ball, while two others—bandits, by the look of their ragged clothes and the cruel sneers on their faces—were taking turns kicking him. They were laughing, a harsh, grating sound that echoed unpleasantly in the cramped space. They didn't see me. They were too occupied with their sport, their eyes bright with a mindless, petty violence.
I didn't hesitate. I tapped into the magic I had copied from Sir Vael the day before. The sensation of the teleportation magic was a sudden, sharp compression of the air around me. In the space of a heartbeat, I vanished from the corner and reappeared directly behind the two bandits. They didn't even have time to register the shift in the air or the shadow falling over them. I reached out, my hands moving with a speed that blurred in the dim light. I grabbed both of them by the back of their collars, my grip like iron. They gasped, their bodies jerking in surprise, but I didn't give them a chance to turn around or cry out.
I gathered my strength, focusing every ounce of power into my arms. With a single, explosive motion, I threw them upward. I didn't just throw them away; I threw them into space. They ascended with such incredible velocity that they became nothing more than two dark streaks against the morning sky, vanishing through the atmosphere in a fraction of a second. The sound of their startled yells was cut short as they reached the vacuum above, leaving the alley in a sudden, ringing silence. The air where they had been standing felt thin and disturbed, a lingering trail of displaced mana swirling in the wake of their departure.
The man on the ground remained still for a moment before slowly uncurling himself. He sat up, wincing and rubbing his bruised ribs. He looked around, his eyes wide with shock as he realized his attackers were gone. He looked at me, then at the empty sky above, and then back at me. He stood up unsteadily, dusting off his worn tunic.
"Thank you," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I thought I was finished. What can I do for you? I don't have much, but I want to repay you."
I looked at him, noting his disheveled hair and the humble appearance of his gear. "What is your name?" I asked.
"My name is Rhaga," he replied. "I am just a spirit tamer that can tame weak stray spirits. It isn't much, but it's what I do."
I considered his words. A spirit tamer. It was a branch of magic I hadn't encountered closely yet. My copy magic was always hungry for new signatures, new ways to manipulate the energy of the world. "Teach me spirit tame magic," I said. It wasn't a suggestion, but Rhaga didn't seem to mind the bluntness of the request. He looked surprised, but then a small, grateful smile touched his face.
"I can do that," Rhaga said. "It's the least I can do after you saved my life."
We stayed in the alleyway as the sun began to peek over the rooftops, casting long, golden shadows across the stone. Rhaga began the lesson. He explained that spirit taming wasn't about force, but about a specific resonance of mana that allowed one to connect with the stray, weak spirits that lingered in the corners of the world. He showed me how to shape my mana into a soft, inviting pulse—a signature that acted as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. I watched him closely, my copy magic active and receptive. I felt the way his energy shifted, the subtle, delicate nuances of the spirit taming technique.
After a short while, I felt the signature click. I reached out with my own mana, targeting a tiny, flickering light that was hovering near a mossy patch on the wall—a weak stray spirit. I mimicked Rhaga's resonance, and the spirit drifted toward me, settling into the palm of my hand with a faint, cool sensation. I had copied it.
Rhaga looked impressed. "You're a fast learner. Most people take weeks to even feel the spirits, let alone tame one."
I nodded, acknowledging the praise, but my mind was already moving on. I needed to ground the new magic, to ensure my body could handle the shifts in energy. I thanked Rhaga, and he went on his way, still looking a bit dazed by the morning's events. Left alone in the quiet alley, I decided I needed to train. I dropped to the ground and began to do push-ups. I moved with a steady, relentless rhythm, my muscles tensing and releasing as I counted the repetitions in my head.
One. Two. Three.
I focused on the sensation of the ground beneath my palms and the burn in my shoulders. The minutes turned into hours as I pushed myself. I didn't stop, even when the sweat began to pour down my face and my arms started to tremble from the strain. I needed the physical exertion to balance the mental weight of the copied magic. I watched the shadows move across the alley walls, the sun climbing higher and higher until it was directly overhead.
Four hundred. Four hundred and one. Four hundred and two.
I lost track of the world around me, the only thing that mattered being the count and the movement. The town grew louder as the day progressed—the sound of vendors shouting, the clatter of carts, the laughter of children—but it all felt distant, like a dream occurring on the other side of a thick glass wall. I kept going until my muscles were screaming and my breath was coming in short, ragged gasps. I finally pushed myself up one last time and collapsed into a sitting position, my chest heaving.
It was only then, as the intensity of the workout began to fade, that I remembered why I was out here. Flowers. Tokine had commanded me to buy flowers. I looked up at the sky and realized how much time had passed. I stood up, my legs feeling a bit heavy, and wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. I made my way out of the alley and back onto the main street, heading toward the flower shop I had passed earlier.
The shop was a riot of color, the air thick with the scent of lilies, roses, and lavender. I stepped inside, the small bell above the door chiming to announce my arrival. The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman with dirt-smudged hands, looked up and smiled. I didn't spend much time browsing. I selected a vibrant bouquet that looked like something Tokine would appreciate—a mix of bright petals and deep green leaves. I paid for the flowers and stepped back out into the street.
The walk back to the inn was slower than the walk out had been. My body was tired from the hours of push-ups, but it was a good kind of tired—the kind that came from progress. I held the flowers carefully, ensuring they weren't crushed as I navigated the crowded streets. The town was in full afternoon swing now, the energy of the people a sharp contrast to the quiet, violent moments of the early morning. I passed the bakery and the weaver's shop, my mind replaying the feeling of the spirit tame magic and the teleportation.
When I reached the inn, the common room was busy with travelers eating lunch. I didn't stop to talk to anyone. I climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to our room. I paused at the door for a second, adjusting my grip on the flowers, and then I pushed it open.
Tokine was sitting by the window, the light of the afternoon sun framing her. She looked up as I entered, her eyes landing on the bouquet in my hands. I walked over and gave her the flowers, setting them down on the table. I didn't explain why I had been gone for so long or what had happened in the alleyway. I didn't mention the bandits, Rhaga, or the thousands of push-ups I had done in the dirt. I had fulfilled the command.
I sat down in the chair across from her, feeling the exhaustion finally start to settle in. The day had been long, filled with the acquisition of new power and the physical testing of my limits. I looked at the flowers on the table, their bright colors a stark contrast to the dark gear I wore. The room was quiet again, the peace of the inn returning as the afternoon stretched on. I had done what I was supposed to do. I had the magic, I had done the training, and I had the flowers. Now, all that was left was to wait for the next command, the next challenge, and the next opportunity to grow. I leaned back and closed my eyes for a moment, the rhythm of the town outside a steady, distant hum that anchored me to the present. I was home.
The rest of the evening passed in a quiet blur. We eventually went down to the common room to eat, joining the others for a meal that felt well-earned. I didn't say much, content to listen to the boisterous laughter of Euphyne and the quiet observations of Sogha and Elphyete. Sir Vael watched us from the end of the table, his expression unreadable, but I felt a sense of silent understanding between us. He knew I had been out training; he could probably see the faint traces of the new magic in the way I moved.
After dinner, we returned to the room. The bouquet of flowers sat in a vase on the table, their scent filling the small space. I lay down on my bed, my muscles finally beginning to relax completely. The memory of the bandits being thrown into the void of space was a distant, cold image, replaced by the warmth of the room and the steady breathing of Tokine as she settled in for the night. I had copied time magic, teleportation, and now spirit tame magic. I had witnessed the supreme soul cutting arrow. My arsenal was growing, and my body was becoming the vessel it needed to be. As I drifted off to sleep, the last thing I felt was the quiet confidence of a day where every law and every rule had been followed to the letter. I had done my duty, and tomorrow would bring whatever it was meant to bring. I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me, my mind finally at rest in the heart of the town.