"Again!" Renard shouted.

  With a few groans, the little band of warrior priests reset. When I went to get a sip of water, Renard gave me a look that could kill. I quickly headed back into my line.

  "Ready... Begin!"

  Everyone moved at the same time. Step after step, we flowed through each movement of the form we were working on. I'd been working on this one for over a month. I was making progress, but it wasn't easy.

  We got to the end of the form, and, like a whip, Renard's voice shook the air around us. "No rest! Again!"

  Without hesitating, everyone flowed into the first movement again. I'd been practicing every day. Ever since my talk with Arden, I hadn't even taken a rest day. It would only hold me back. While I was sore as hell, my leg was starting to feel less stiff, and my fingers were getting their feeling back. Exercise was doing me good. On top of Renard's training, Na-Ya and Ro-Saleh had been teaching me some stretching sets that were super similar to Yoga. I didn't make it look good, but I was getting somewhere.

  "Again!"

  I groaned as I started the form again. I was pouring sweat, and my legs wouldn't stop shaking. A quick glance at the trainees near me revealed that they were feeling it as much as I was. Tristan's face was ever tomato red. That made me feel a little better. I wasn't a total sack of shit.

  The form we were working on was called Dawn's Embrace. Every form had a fancy name like that, and each was apparently associated with one of the heroic classes that people could unlock here at the temple. It symbolized the Goddess breaking through the darkness in the beginning of the first era. It was all about staying defensive while weaving through different fluid strikes.

  "One more!"

  I fought off the urge to vomit. It was getting bad. My eyes trailed to my water bottle, but Renard stepped in the way and gave me a glare. I recentered my mind. I swung my practice sword. The movement felt off. I took a step. The step was too short. I felt my face flush. I knew I looked like a mess. The form was forty-one movements, and I messed up half of them. I was too stiff, too slow. Not strong enough. Too much force. Not enough hip rotation.

  It was never good enough.

  "Again!"

  Everyone groaned that time, even Ro-Saleh. The bastard lied to us!

  "If you can groan, you can train! Move!"

  My vision swam as I worked my way through the form. My arms felt like noodles, and I was confident my legs would give out. Somehow though, I made it through. The instant I finished the last movement, I collapsed face-first on the grass. Tristan was next to me, dry heaving into the grass.

  I heard footsteps above me. A grunt. "Your form is abysmal."

  It was Renard's voice. I couldn't respond for a while, but once I caught my breath, I rolled over. The dwarf had his hands on his hips.

  "What do you have to say, boy?"

  I coughed. "Thanks. You sure do know how to make a guy feel better about himself."

  He scowled. "I'm not trying to make you feel better. I'm trying to make you be better. The forms are about more than just swinging a weapon. You need to learn to stop fighting your body. Also, you're too weak. You're losing energy far too quickly." He wiped his beard with his massive hand. "And you're too scrawny. You need to eat more."

  "Yeah, I'm a mess."

  "You are."

  "Thank you, Sir."

  "Stay after class. We will be working on your form."

  "Yes, Sir." The stout dwarf marched away. Damn, he was scary sometimes.

  Tristan chuckled next to me, then dry heaved again.

  Renard scowled at him. "You're no better. You should be making him look like a child out here, but you're hardly better than him anymore. Step it up, or you'll be on the list."

  The list wasn't good. I didn't know what it was, but I'd heard of it. I knew it wasn't good.

  Tristan's eyes widened. When he stopped heaving, he spoke with his soft, high-pitched voice. "Yes, sir."

  "You'll both be staying late today. We need to work on your movements."

  Both of us spoke in unison. "Yes, sir."

  Someone laughed nearby. The old dwarf's head whipped around. He stomped away, shouting.

  Tristan and I both fell onto the grass in heaps.

  "That was awful."

  I laughed. "It wasn't great."

  His sapphire eyes met mine. "He's not wrong, though. You really are starting to look good."

  I shook my head. "You don't have to butter me up. I know I look like shit."

  His eyes never wavered. "Don't doubt yourself like that."

  Before I could respond, I saw movement on my other side. Turning, I saw Ro-Saleh was sauntering over. He was barely glistening. Fucker.

  He walked up to me with a big smile on his face. "I saw you talking to Renard. You staying late, Alex?"

  "Yeah, I am." I heard Tristan reach beside me. "We both are.

  "That's quite the honor. Did he say for what?"

  "He wants to go over some things. And I'm pretty sure it's because we're making you all look bad."

  He shook his head. "Not at all. It's a huge compliment. The old man only ever gives students extra time if he sees that they have potential. Chin up, friend." Ro-Saleh squatted and play-punched my jaw.

  I hated to admit it, but he really was a great guy. We'd become much closer since I'd started training. "Thanks, Ro."

  The sun elf leaned closer. "If it's any consolation, Tristan over there's never gotten a private lesson until today. Never even tried until you showed up, so keep up the good work." He smiled his perfect smile again, his golden eyes twinkling, and I realized in that moment that he was the worst kind of guy.

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  A great guy.

  I hated him.

  Na-Ya appeared next to him, looking equally hot and equally unsweaty. They kissed, he grabbed her hand, and the two sauntered off to wherever they were going. A few minutes later, the rest of the students filtered out of the training field.

  Tristan sighed. "Ready?"

  "No."

  "Alex!" The old dwarf barked. "Tristan! On your feet!"

  We both shot up.

  "Ready!"

  My feet obeyed the dwarf without my consent. They were as afraid of him as I was.

  "I'm going to shape you two up. You'll be great, or you'll be nothing!"

  I gulped. This was going to hurt.

  "Move!"

  ***

  “What’s the name of a monster with three heads that breathes fire?” Arden was across the desk, his head buried in a notebook.

  “A Chimera.”

  “Good. And what about humanoid wolves that live in trees? And where do they live?”

  “Gloomfangs. In Volkash.”

  “Correct and correct.” He thumbed through his notebook. “The name of the region of Elysium closest to the wall?”

  “The Reach.”

  “The name of any of the Dark Lord’s thirteen children who attacked Elysium at the end of the Fourth Age?”

  “Uh… Abdul Shazar?”

  Arden laughed. “You got some of the letters correct.” He closed his notebook. “I threw that one in as an extra.” Standing, he pulled a book from his desk and put it back onto one of the shelves. “You have no mind for history."

  I shook my head. “I don’t know why. I just can’t remember any of the names or dates.”

  He laughed again. “Don’t worry, my friend. Names and dates are the least important parts of history. It’s the ideas behind them that matter most.” He sat back down on his side of the desk. “Can you explain why the Thirteen’s attacks were so successful?”

  “Because the Dark Lord had shattered the trade routes between the ten nations and killed countless, throwing the lands into chaos. That instability, coupled with the return of monsters to the world after centuries of peace, led to each nation becoming isolated, followed by an increase in chaos within their borders that made it hard to respond to threats. So, even though the Divine Hero defeated the Dark Lord, the lands themselves were still in disarray, leading to what we call his children capitalizing on the widespread chaos.”

  “See? You understand the ideas. And why has peace been restored in our time?”

  I knew this one. “Monsters have mostly retreated into the uninhabited places of the world, and the three kingdoms hit hardest by the Thirteen have been annexed into neigboring kingdoms, restoring order to the land.”

  “Good!” He stood up again. “Have you been able to access the system yet?”

  I shook my head. “No, not yet.” My voice had an edge I’d meant to conceal. I’d been trying so hard, but it just wasn’t happening. They all kept saying if I focused my mind and visualized it, it would appear. But it didn’t.

  He nodded. “It’ll happen. Just have faith.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I’ll try.” Looking up at him, I asked, “What do you think I’ll end up being?”

  He looked down at me for a long moment. “Do you want the comforting answer or the true one?”

  I laughed. “Both.”

  With a smile, he said, “If I were trying to comfort you, I’d say you could end up being anything. You’ve put so much work into everything you’ve done here, the Goddess can’t help but reward you with what you want to be.”

  I wanted light hands. “A light mage.”

  “That’s not a thing, but yes. Something like that.”

  “And what’s the true answer?”

  “You have absolutely no aptitude for magic, and I would be completely shocked if you unlocked anything higher than the student apprentice class, let alone something more advanced in the academic fields.”

  I sighed. “Because I’m dumb.”

  “No. You’re hardly dumb. Dense as hell? Yes. But not dumb. You’re just not focused enough for a scholarly class. You don’t have the hunger for knowledge that a scholar needs.”

  I couldn’t refute his point. “And why not magic?”

  “Because you don’t have a mage’s mind.”

  “Which means?”

  “It means you’re not half-cracked and obsessive. Mages are often odd folks, and even when they’re not, they don’t exactly think like everyone else.”

  I put my head in my hands. I had a feeling that was the case. “So, what do you think I can be?”

  Without hesitating, he said, “Some kind of fighter.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve seen you train. You’ve got talent, and you’re focused out there. You have what it takes to be extraordinary out in the fields when you’d only ever be mediocre in here.” He gestured to the library around him. “I know you like knowledge, but you don’t love it. You love training, and you love fighting. It’s you.”

  I couldn’t help but nod. He was right. “Should I focus more on that?”

  Arden shook his head. “The best fighters use their minds well, too. You should always do both, even if this isn’t your primary focus.”

  That made sense as well. “Thanks, Arden. Really.”

  “For?”

  “For being honest. And for spending time on me. I truly appreciate it.”

  He walked around the desk and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s been a pleasure. Truly. I enjoy our time together.”

  Picking up a nearby book, I turned it over. It was another book about monsters. “Mind if we start this one?”

  “I’d love to.”

  ***

  “Close your eyes, Child. Focus.” Lady Varga was to my right, and Tristan was to my left. The three of us were kneeling in front of the giant statue of the Goddess in the main hall. “Visualize light entering you. Hear Her words flow into your mind. Only when you open yourself to Her light will you see Her will.”

  Tristan huffed next to me. “Why is this so hard?”

  I felt that. It had been nine months, and I still couldn’t see a damn thing. “We just have to open ourselves to Her light. Didn’t you hear Mother? It’s easy.”

  I heard the rubbing of fabric, and an instant later, someone smacked the side of my head.

  “Hey!”

  “Do not make fun of Tristan under the Goddess’s gaze.”

  Tristan huffed again, and I couldn't help but chuckle. That got me another smack. “Okay! I’m sorry! I won’t blaspheme anymore.”

  “Focus your minds, children. See Her light.”

  I took a deep breath. Focusing inward, I imagined light blossoming inside my mind, strained to hear the Goddess’s voice, and… nothing.

  “This is impossible.” Tristan sounded so defeated. And whiney. Especially with that girlish voice of his.

  “It is nothing of the sort. The limitation is within you.”

  Something about those words resonated within me. I took another deep breath and focused inward. I wouldn’t fail.

  ***

  “Again!”

  Tristan was at my side, flowing through the final form for the hundredth time with me. We’d been training for five straight days, sunup to sundown. My legs burned. My lungs ached. My vision swam. But I was there. I was going to do it.

  This was it. It was our moment to show that we’d mastered all three of the temple’s forms. And we were doing it. Movement after movement, executed in perfect unison. They were second nature now. I could perform them without thinking.

  I focused inward. It had been ten months since I’d begun my training, and I felt like a new man. My body was strong. My legs were toned. My abs were washboard. I was the man I’d always wanted to be. I wish I could say the same about Tristan, but he never took off his damn oversized robe long enough to show off. But, with how much work he was putting in, I knew he was bangin’ under those robes of his.

  He’d also been able to visualize the Goddess’s system. I still couldn’t, but I could have sworn that I’d seen something the other day. It was like a flicker in my mind. The barest impression of words in my head. I was sure I was getting close. It wouldn’t be long now.

  The end of the form was coming. With a shout, I performed the last move, a vertical strike, then held firm. I knew what was coming next. I'd be tested. In the corner of my vision, I saw Ro and Na-Ya watching. Renard was directly ahead, scrutinizing us.

  “Good…” Renard marched up to us. Without hesitating, he began testing our forms. Slapping our shoulders, kicking our thighs, punching our stomachs, he was testing to see if we were solid. Outside of a good kick to the side of my leg that felt like a train hit me, I felt solid. I knew I passed. With a grunt, Renard moved on to Tristan. He hadn’t said to close out the form yet, so I didn’t dare move. A minute later, he gave another grunt and walked back to where he was originally standing.

  “You both pass. Good job, recruits. You’re now officially recognized as temple guards. Well done.” He nodded his head, turned, and grabbed something off a little folding table he’d placed behind him. Walking up to both of us, he pinned something to my shirt, then pinned something to Tristan’s robe. ‘I’m proud of you both. Well done.” With a grin, he added, “But don’t think this is the end. Now that’s you’re accepted, your training will double. Right, Ro?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  Giving a curt little nod, he turned and marched away. As he did, Ro-Saleh and Na-Ya began clapping. As they did, I couldn’t help but smile.

  We’d done it. We’d finished Renard’s training.

  The two elves walked up to us. “Come on, you two. Let’s get you some dinner before you pass out.”

  It was only with those words that I realized how absolutely exhausted I was. I’d barely taken time off over the past ten months. It was as if every bit of tiredness fell on me all at once.

  “That sounds… really good,” Tristan gasped. He took a couple of shambling steps forward, then fell forward.

  I reached out and tried to catch him, but my legs wouldn’t obey. Before I could stop it, the ground came rushing up at me. As I hit the ground, everything went black.