The Battle of Centarium

Aeysu walked inside annoyed. Christian had led him to the city of Jakwel, and hadn't told him why. As they walked into this old building, a muscular man had joked at how the place looked.

Right as he was, Aeysu just laughed along and walked in. For some unknown reason, he felt he should follow the man. He wanted to talk with him, but went with his mentor instead.

Inside was dark, and had no lanterns. There was one candle placed in the middle of a table, and an old frail man sitting on the other side of it. He and Christian were having a conversation.

"Ah! Christian, how strange it is that you come now. The irony between you and my last visitor.", the old man laughed.

Mr. Neobus laughed along, and waved for Aeysu to hand him his sword. He did as he was asked. Christian unwrapped it, and showed it to the old man.

His eyes widened, and he looked to Aeysu, a shocked look on his face.

"Aeysu Laydrin?", the man choked.

Aeysu took a step back, frightened by the old man. Christian on the other hand, sat forward with a stern expression, "How did you know that!", he hissed.

The old man didn't lose eye contact with Aeysu, but whispered something he could not hear. After he was done, Christian jumped out of his seat, and looked out the window.

Confused, Aeysu walked to Mr. Neobus' side, "What is it? Whose coming?"

He said nothing for a while, eyes locked upon something outside. He shook, as if coming out of a trance, and looked to his trainee.

"Nobody. No one's coming, boy.", he smiled, and turned back to his old friend.

Utterly confused, Aeysu just stood quietly. They exchanged a few more whispers before speaking loudly enough for him to hear.

"I came for two things. Can you help us?", he asked the man, who proceeded to brush his beard with the tips of his fingers.

"We need to know the name of the other competitor of the battle of Centarium."

The old man nodded, and immediately sad aloud, "His name is Theo Abbot."

Christian shook his head, but Aeysu was dumbfounded. How could the mage have done his magic with no indication of using it. Aeysu had only seen magic worked a few times in his life, and it was always met with some kind of light or strain.

His mentor proceeded with his second request, the one he was more secretive about before their arrival.

"Thank you,", he started, " but there's one more thing.."

Christian paused, as if afraid to continue. He averted his eyes from the old mage, and watched the floor intently. The old man's brow furrowed, obviously curious as to what he could be wanting.

"I need you to help with training." he finally spat, and sighed with relief that the words were out of his mouth.

"Training?", the man laughed, "You've never been interested in magical arts."

The old mage laughed, but Christian did not. Upon noticing this, he froze. He had a look on his face, as if contemplating on the man's meaning. Then a sudden blink let Aeysu know he had found it.

"No... your asking me to train a combatant in the battle!", he said angrily.

Aeysu was so confused at this point, he wondered if he would ever feel atop a situation again. Train him, a shop keep, in magic? It was laughable, only thought of in stories.

"He needs to know magic, sir. I've been training him in swordsmanship, and will continue to do so, but he needs another edge. He needs your training."

"Bah!", the mage swiped his hand through the air and sat back in his chair, "you know I wouldn't take sides. It doesn't matter to me who wins."

Christian seemed angered at this, and expressed it by standing out of his chair. If it were possible, there would be flames in his eyes.

"What of the Ak' Ragni! They c-", Christian started, but was cut off by the now yelling mage.

"Don't you dare say those words in my presence! I will not allow it!", he stood straight up, not looking so frail anymore.

Christian wouldn't be outdone in stature, so he straightened his back as much as he could, and didn't break eye contact with the mage.

"Oh! So you wouldn't allow their name to be spoken, but you will allow them to kill this boy!", he shouted while shoving a finger in Aeysu's direction.

Aeysu, who had come to grips with the fact that this group ' Ak' Ragni ' were after him, didn't flinch. It was true, and he was trying to deal with that fact. The mage, on the other hand, reacted entirely the opposite.

He took a step back, his mouth gaping open. His eyes changed from ferocity to despair, and he looked to the single candle on the table. He counted his thoughts, and then turned his gaze to Aeysu.

He looked him over, as if checking his poster. Aeysu, however, felt as if the man was looking at his very soul. He tried to restrain from shivering, but failed. Still he watched, like a hawk about to swoop from the heavens.

Then, in an instant, he turned his gaze to Christian, "He is a combatant, which gives him the highest potential there is."

Christian nodded his head, "So you will help him?"

The man flinched, as if Mr. Neobus' choice of words had struck him in the chest. He shot a glance at his shoes, thinking of any way to refuse. His attempt ended, and he nodded in defeat.

"I will train him, but", he shot his wrinkled finger in the air to show emphasis, "ONLY because he can't hold off those cloaked bastards yet."

Aeysu looked at them both as christian smiled, and thought about how difficult his new training would be. 'What a drag', he huffed to himself.

Christian and the man exchanged a few more words. Afterword his mentor, well, the older mentor, showed him where he would be sleeping.

They walked to a faded, rotten door with a small lock on it. "Safest place in the city" The mage said.

Aeysu raised an eyebrow, and looked skeptically at the door. There were many words he could think of to describe it, broken, old, weak. Safe didn't come to.mind. Aeysu could break the door down with a single kick.

The old man seemed to sense his skepticism, and took a knife out of his pocket. He proceeded to stab the door with all the strength he could muster, which was more than what Aeysu had expected.

There was a flash of white light, and the blade bent at its point, never touching the door. Aeysu smiled, joyed at the hidden magic and wondering at the same time what other magical traps the man had set up.

"Safe." The mage said in triumph, and unlocked the door with a key.

He stepped inside the brightly lite room, and saw row after row of wine lining one wall. On the other was a bed that was made of fabric. With a cheeky grin at how comfortable it looked, he fell back his new resting place. It was warm and soft, and he was glad that it wasn't the rocky ground he had been sleeping on for the better part of a month.

After explaining that their first lesson was at sunrise, the old man left. The door clanked shut as Aeysu slipped into his dreams.