Aldric followed closely behind the silent architect. He was led down a familiar corridor, his footsteps echoing along the vacant chamber. He scanned the artwork decorating the wall and quietly fidgeted his thumbs.
"You are advancing quicker than anyone could've anticipated," the architect said calmly.
"Y-yes sir," Aldric stuttered, taken aback by the architects sudden statement.
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, you are the phoenix after all," he said, a small grin appearing and fading quickly.
"I'm sorry sir," Aldric said, dropping his head.
"What do you have to apologize for my boy?" He asked, stopping and turning to face the boy. The two of them stood face to face in the dark hallway, while the architect gazed down at him with his milky eyes.
"I-I don't know," Aldric admitted.
"As I've explained before, an apology is a tell of weakness. It offers me very little, and has very little effect in practice. Aldric, I do not want to have this conversation again," the architect turned and continued down the path.
Aldric folded in shame and swallowed largely. The walk lasted another ten minutes before the pair approached the ladder that lead to the crows nest. The architect stepped to the side allowing the boy to pass in front of him.
Aldric sighed, almost relieved, and gripped the first step in his hand.
"No, dear boy, the crows nest is not fit for our session today," the architect said grabbing the boys shoulder. Aldric gazed at the man with a quizzical look and climbed down. He backed up and stood beside the architect, waiting for his next instructions.
The architect removed his glove and placed his palm to the wall and sealed his eyes. His palm puffed with smoke and flashed like a camera. The wall next to him fluttered apart and revealed a large room.
The two of them stepped inside and the wall closed behind them like a zipper. The room was pitch black after the final brick had snapped into place. Aldric held his hands out but couldn't see so much as a fingertip. After a brief quiet moment the architect's foot slammed against the floor.
Like a ripple, flame lanterns lit along the wall, and illuminated the room around them. It was a training room, but it looked designated for combat training. The floor was lined with cushioned mats and the walls were riddled with training weapons.
A few training dummies were scattered in select corners, and sparring equipment was placed along the central wall. Aldric gazed around the room confused, but enthralled.
"You've learned that psychological attacks can be very efficient, but now it's time you understand physical attacks as well," the architect stated.
"I'm not sure I fully understand sir," Aldric stated.
"You are growing strong Aldric. Though, you exceed expectations now, there may be a day when your rivals catch up. When that day comes it's important that you find yourself in a position to emerge victorious," he explained.
"So you're going to teach me to fight?" He asked, gazing at the architect intently.
"I'm going to teach you proper offensive and defensive techniques," the architect rephrased.
"I need something to be very clear before we proceed with this section of training. We will incorporate skills you've learned in your classes, as well as things you learn from me directly. This means your days will begin to get harder as will your training," he began. Aldric gulped shyly and listened intently.
"That being said, with your rapid advancement, I've determined that it would be more beneficial for you to attend courses with me on a regular basis. You'll still have classes to attend with the other flocks, but unless I see it necessary, your raven coursework for this term will be suspended," he continued.
Aldric didn't care for that bit of news, though he was outcast, he found most of his lessons quite enjoyable. Nonetheless, he offered argument.
"Lastly, during these sessions, you will be subjected to attacks where you may sustain some injuries. I need you to know hurting you is not my intention, and as long as you maintain a strong defense you will be perfectly safe," he finished, placing a hand on Aldric's head.
"Does this all make sense to you Aldric?" He asked. Aldric paused in thought for a moment before nodding. The architect glanced down at him with a rather pleased expression.
"Perfect. Let's begin," the architect swung his arms out behind him, fluttering his coats tail. The leather jacket flew from his arms like it had been possessed and it hung from a peg on the wall. He then tapped his cane softly three times, and it shrunk down into a toothpick that he secured in his breast pocket.
"You learned shadow walking today. No doubt you learned that fully submerging yourself within a shadow can be very taxing," the architect assumed, smiling at the boy.
"Yes sir,"
"Perfect, now it's time you understand how taxing a shadow attack can be," the architect said.
"When the bodies atoms are manipulated, the body doesn't always respond well. Shadow walking can often be disorienting and draining. This means you must constantly replenish your life source while maintaining that form," he explained.
This made sense to Aldric, after he had come out of the shadow, he'd been dizzy and spacey, at first he figured he'd drained himself more than he ever had, but now he understood it was because he didn't maintain his rejuvenation.
"That's why I was so tired?" Aldric asked.
"Precisely,"
"Are you ready for me to demonstrate a shadow attack?" The architect asked. Aldric nodded and stepped aside. One of the dummies crept into the center of the room and wheeled around to face the architect head on.
Aldric studied his masters movements closely. The way the architect ebbed and flowed like he rode the air was astounding. He seemed weightless and limitless all at once. Then, he clicked the toe of his foot to the floor loudly, and the training dummy puffed with that familiar red glow.
It sprang to life like Umbra had during his first shadowmancy class. It clicked and whirred as it scanned the room. Its eyes bounced from wall to wall before locking on the architect. After a brief moment, the dummy's arm sprang out curved bladed fins, and its body crouched into an attacking stance.
Aldric's gaze bounced between the two of them waiting to th fist move. Then, the dummy launched, raising its bladed arm high above its head. Aldric flashed his gaze to the architect, who in a flash, executed a shadow walking rune Aldric had yet to learn.
The dummy's arm came down narrowly missing the architect as he sank into the floor. The shadow he submerged into quickly zipped across the floor. Aldric followed it as it climbed one of the support pillars and came to a halt. The dummy swung around and teetered back and forth before focusing again on the shadow.
The architect launched from the wall, flying like a super hero, and landed a clean blow to the dummy's head. When he landed on the other wall, he was again absorbed and disappeared. The dummy had hardly regained its balance before the architect launched up through the floor and plunged a fit into its chin.
He faded again into the ceiling this time, and back down along the wall. He gave the dummy no time to think before launching along the floor and placing his shadow right below it. Aldric focused on the black spot on the ground. Then, the edges began to ripple like a lake and slowly spread like spilled water. The shadow stretched the width of the machine before stopping and waving slightly.
Then, with an eruption, the architect jumped through to the surface. As he emerged, the dummy sank into the pit. When the architect left the darkness, the floor became solid again, and the training dummy was nothing more than a head and an arm poking through the concrete. The machine twitched under the stone but was otherwise incapacitated.
The architect stood tall over Aldric for a moment before stumbling backward. The boy caught him briefly and helped him to stand. The architect brushed the boy off and peeled his vial of ooze from his belt.
He quickly uncorked it and took a hefty gulp. Aldric glanced down as his mentor's fist clenched tightly and bleeding from the knuckles before extending and easing their tension.
"Your turn Aldric. Try and take it slow at first. Let's begin,"