"... But even the wisest, such as kings or dragons, must accept that knowledge is power. If they are to understand the truth of the wars they wage, the homelands they protect, or even the ones they love, the best outcomes can only be achieved by applying knowledge. Otherwise, they will be as lost as sheep on a moonless night, cowering in fear of the voiceless creatures hidden in the dark," he read, giving me a quick glance before gently closing the book and setting it aside.
My eyes widened at the mention of dragons, and while he was subtle about it, I could tell he'd noticed since his eyes met mine with a smirk.
"I know why you're here so late, Thoma, and while I commend you for wanting to do your best on the test tomorrow, I can't recommend you to push yourself much further," he said, tapping his fingers on the table to draw my attention away from the book.
"Rest is just as important, if not more so, than reading or acquiring knowledge. After all, how else are you going to retain it if your mind is foggy, or apply it if your body is weak?" he said sternly, but my dour expression at the mention of my body being weak caused his expression to shift slightly. "My apologies. I didn't mean anything by it," he said, dipping his head just enough for me to notice.
Did he just apologize to me? I blinked, trying to understand what I was hearing and seeing.
"I understand you want to do your best tomorrow, but right now, I'm going to have to send you to your quarters, since your roommates are already fast asleep," he said with a knowing grin.
"Ah, so that's why Irun never came to get me," I rubbed the back of my neck and turned away awkwardly. "I was thinking he had willingly let me stay here, but I guess he was just as tired as the others," I chuckled.
"Perhaps. In any case, after your test tomorrow, might I recommend you read something in a language you actually understand? They might serve as a good motivator for you to pass your exams," he grinned as he rose from his seat, taking the book with him to put it back. "O-Oh, I'd be honored, Master," I rose and quickly scurried up behind him.
After placing the book, he paused for a moment as if considering which ones to give me. He reached for a pair of books that looked almost as old as the one he'd just returned, but these were written in Common, rather than Caegweni. I watched him pick them from the shelf and did my best to read their labels.
"The Tale of the Broken Wing, and Notes from an All-Caster? Are you sure, Master? I've always thought The Tale of the Broken Wing was common knowledge, while the other is far beyond my current level to even consider trying," I asked, confused by the name of the first one.
"You'd be surprised by what you can learn through reading. While The Tale of the Broken Wing may be common knowledge, it can provide some insight into knowledge far deeper than how most people are able to retell it," he explained as he lifted it slightly higher than the other, though he didn't explain it much further.
"As for Notes from an All-Caster, I merely find it to be a much better read than that book you were struggling through. You'll know what I mean after you read it," he said, with a light-hearted smile, which confused me even more.
There's no way he's giving me these now, is there? I realized.
"I'll hold onto these two until after your exam. Knowing you, you're likely to try reading them before going to sleep. Right now, however, you should get some rest. Tomorrow's an important day, after all," he said plainly, as if having read my thoughts, though I suspect my expression at the time was what gave me away.
"I understand, Master. I'll take my leave, then," I said, offering him a bow before moving toward the door. "Do your best tomorrow," he said over his shoulder as I was crossing the threshold.
Even though my mind was whirling from the brief encounter, I tried my best to sleep. Four hours was hardly enough to be considered restful, by any means, but it was enough for me to pass my exams. Ed, Batch, and Irun also passed theirs, and as a reward, the Master summoned us newly-qualified Juniors to gather around him.
As we waited anxiously for him to speak, he gave each of us his version of a proud look. "I'm glad to see you all made it. You've all proven yourselves worthy of the title of Junior Synners, and I know you may not believe me when I say this, but your lives and training are about to get much harder from here on out," he said rather ominously, sending a collective shiver down our spines.
"However, just because something is difficult doesn't mean that it's impossible. With that, I will show you a technique that I pass down to all Juniors in hopes of finding one who can master it," he began, prompting the rest of us to nudge or glance at each other with excitement.
"However, no one except Bernar has been able to achieve it before reaching the rank of Adept. Now, watch carefully, as I'll only do it once," he said, drawing the blade from its black sheath tied to his hip as he approached a nearby training dummy.
"What do you think it's going to be?" Ed asked a little louder than a whisper. "Does it look like I know?" I whispered back, getting a grin from Ed in return, which was quickly wiped away by the Master clearing his throat.
Ah, shit, I felt my stomach turn when I noticed his glare, though I was glad to see I wasn't the only one.
The Master raised the hilt up to the height of his clavicle and struck down to his left. As he struck, the air seemed to crack around his blade, kicking up dust and rocks in the process. Even as stunned by the display as we were, we couldn't take our eyes off him for a moment, as he performed a quick uppercut in the reverse direction.
He followed the attack with a thrust, then a swift uppercut from his right side, and another slice that traced the path of the previous uppercut. Each blow was just as powerful as the next, maintaining a consistency of power that was a treasure in itself to watch.
The cuts themselves weren't difficult to follow along with, as the overall flow was standard for maintaining a constant barrage of attacks that could be chained together for as long as one had the stamina to attack. The footwork and use of thrusts were meant to allow for better weight distribution and were also reasonably simple to follow.
Uppercuts normally lose some of their power when performed without taking a step, but these are just as powerful as regular strikes, I realized, watching as he continued for a final set of strikes.
When the last strike came down from his right, it was much more powerful than all the others, sending a boom resonating throughout the training yard, and forcing the rest of us to shield our eyes from the dust.
Wha-ha-hat the fuck? He expects us to master that? I thought, quickly realizing the others held expressions that conveyed similar thoughts.
With a gentle pulse of his mana, the dust quickly settled, and we were all astonished by the marks his demonstration had left in the ground. However, the training dummy was nowhere to be seen.
Well, not in one piece, that is.
Even though we knew he was the Master of Codrean for a reason, it was still an incredible display of weapon and mana control. We applauded his demonstration, which he responded to by placing a hand across his chest and bowing.
"Now then," he began, sheathing his blade in one smooth motion as he regarded us much more seriously, prompting us to listen intently. "I don't expect anyone to get it on their first try, let alone in the next few years, but I hope this will serve as a goal for you all to strive for," he said, subtly giving me a knowing look.
The shivers that ran down my spine nearly caused me to drop to my knees, but I forced myself not to show any sign of discomfort.
"Nevertheless, as with all techniques, the basics of it can be learned with a bit of effort, even within the next few weeks. Do yourselves a favor and carve this technique into your bones. I promise that one day, when you're ready, you will see that even the most basic of techniques can bring down a mountain," he said plainly, but I knew he was referencing the conversation we'd had the night prior.
Knowledge really is power, after all, I realized, excited to give it a try for myself over the next few weeks.