Nameless King

The energy turned into scars, and Wain's aura weakened considerably.

Wain breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't stop trying until he finally succeeded. It was a tricky one that not everyone could learn, even if they wanted to. Controlling energy this way was a sign of skill, especially in Second Chronicle.

"I see you did it faster than I thought you would." Osvald leaned against the doorway.

"Osvald? You're here, you won't believe it, but if I couldn't do it now, I'd go to you for help."

"And I'd turn you down."

"What? Why?" Wain was puzzled by such an answer.

Osvald showed him how to restrain his power and promised to teach him this technique. In such a situation, refusing in help was too strange a decision.

"It's obvious. It makes no sense for the vast majority to ask for advice after only three training days. With talented fighters, it takes just under a week, although seven days, or even ten, would be a great result, too. You made it in three days. That's crazy. Frankly, I doubt the completeness of your success."

"Was that a compliment or not? Sometimes you're pretty hard to understand." Wain shook his head.

"Huh, certainly a compliment, but an unusual one. Tell me, to what level have you lowered your strength?"

"Can't you understand that?" Wain muttered.

Osvald shook his head, "Haven't you noticed the hidden effect of this training yet. Take a closer look at your scars."

Wain touched the scars, and his eyes went wide.

'I feel I can easily change it. Wasn't it hard for me to do that a moment ago?' Wain touched his shoulders.

A faint, barely perceptible energy emanated from the scars. The rest of Wain's aura was completely hidden. Even Osvald couldn't pinpoint it while Wain was calm.

'Has it really happened?' Wain assumed what had happened.

His palm was covered in dark flames, and he touched the floor. The dark flames spread around, but suddenly the flames intensified in some places and accelerated in others.

"I definitely wasn't capable of this before. My energy control has increased considerably, right?"

"Yes. You were able to compress the energy and turn it into a convenient form for you to contain the force. You were too concentrated and couldn't figure it out, but the most important value of this challenging training isn't the power hiding trick at all."

"I see. I was actually learning to manage my energy better, not contain myself, that trick, that's just a bonus."

"Indeed." Osvald nodded, "Good thing you did it while on Second Chronicle."

"Why?"

"If you had evolved, you would have had a tremendous amount of energy. It would have been easier for you to control it because of your increased abilities, and there's no way you would have gotten such a clean result. Simply put, the earlier you went through this training, the better. Of course, time is also very important."

'So that's it... I wonder when Ern learned that trick? I wouldn't be surprised if he did it even before I did.' Wain pondered.

'If you want, you can stay here. I will always welcome such a capable pupil as you." Osvald offered.

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass. We both know I can't be your apprentice, at least not permanently. I've been quite late. It's time for me to go home and get a move on." Wain picked up the cloak that lay on the floor.

"Sure." Osvald nodded.

He knew Wain would answer that way; there could be no other way.

"Wain, before you go, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"It's just one little request from me. Would you mind fighting Luar and Agnes? I want to see if they'll apply my instructions in a real fight."

"Okay. Why not?" Wain shrugged, "But, wouldn't it be better if they fought each other?"

"There's a bit of a problem with that." Osvald scratched the back of his head, "Looks like your friend, Luar, has a special interest in Agnes, so I certainly can't move them without you."

'Hmm? Luar and Agnes? How did it come to this? Maybe I should be in Last Light more often?'

...

Wain and Osvald returned to the training ground. Luar and Agnes were waiting for their new teacher to arrive.

'They're ready. Good, I can see the fire in their eyes." Osvald inwardly mouthed.

He didn't know how, but as he stepped back, Agnes and Luar resolved their differences, at least some of them.

"Wain? Are you really done with your training already?" Luar raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, it was harder than I thought it would be, but I got through it pretty quickly, so I have nothing to complain about."

"Okay, enough talk. Get ready for battle." Osvald said sharply.

"To battle?" Agnes and Luar looked at each other.

"Yes, but you will not fight each other. On the contrary, you will unite against a common enemy - Wain!" Osvald waved his hand.

"What? We will have to fight Wain...?" Agnes muttered uncertainly.

"It'll be tough, but I'm ready!" Luar stared at Osvald, "When do we start?"

"Right now." Wain said suddenly.

He moved forward and found himself in front of Luar. Wain's fist was like a hammer rushing toward him.

Bam.

In front of Luar stood Agnes. She crossed her arms, and the power of Wain's blow came down on her, not on Luar.

The shock wave from their collision was like a mighty gust of wind.

"Damn!"

Luar couldn't keep on his feet, the wind tossed him aside, and the same thing happened to Agnes.

"Hey, Osvald, do we even stand a chance?" Luar looked at Wain.

Wain didn't budge. His feet felt like they were nailed to the ground.

"Okay, let's raise the bar. Wain, please don't use your Beyond and your unusual skills. Just the standard ones. Luar, Agnes, use everything you have. Let's go!"

Osvald wanted to see what Luar and Agnes were capable of, and he wondered how Wain's strength had changed since the training.