The song was haunting, melodic and aromatic. This beautiful tune, crafted meticulously through the icy vibrations of the spear in Aurelius’s hands, wafted through the air to fill it with the scent of nostalgia and energy.

  Even Mr. Tona seemed to become entranced by the music, falling silently momentarily and closing his eyes to fall in line with its methodical rhythms.

  Aurelius could feel the coils of music resonate and vibrate within his body, bringing his muscle fibres together and knitting it into a net of strength.

  Aurelius felt the vibrations from the spear travel through his bones, making him feel heavier, and more in tune with the ground that he stood on. And more importantly, he felt… aware of the spear itself, and its entirety.

  “Attack him, you fool!” Pultris shouted in Aurelius’s head, jolting him into action.

  Aurelius bent slightly on his knees and jumped forward towards Mr. Tona ferociously in a manner reminiscent of an unruly war hound, keeping close to the ground and making vicious strides towards his target.

  Aurelius felt the wind itself bend to his will, whistling a new tune as he closed in on the unmoving Mr. Tona.

  Aurelius, feeling confident, focused on his soul, channeling it towards his palms and using his newfound awareness of his weapon to extend himself into it.

  He resonated with the coolness of its surface, and felt himself burn in its cold, jagged fury as his will extended across its surface.

  And with boldness flowing through his eardrums, Aurelius stabbed confidently and expertly at Mr. Tona with a triumphant ‘hup’.

  “Woosh.” The spear sang… and touched… nothing.

  “Interesting.” Pultris commented.

  “I see that you are unrestricted up to the second layer, Pultris.” Mr. Tona observed, yawning leisurely nearly 10 meters away.

  …Did he teleport? Aurelius wondered in confusion, squinting at the spot where he had just been.

  However, Aurelius didn’t see the telltale sign of the geometric lines in the air, and he didn’t see Mr. Tona even shift slightly from his place before he disappeared.

  What kind of magic was this?

  “It seems that you… want to beat me?” Mr. Tona guessed, a smile of polite amusement creeping up on his wrinkled face.

  “Insolence.” Pultris spat, the notes of vibration around Aurelius wavering with his irritation.

  “I may be old and decrepit, but I am still a sage. I daresay that I am far superior to the perverted, creep of a mage that you once were.” Mr. Tona teased.

  With his last word, Aurelius saw a blur in space as Mr. Tona accelerated and moved at an unbelievable speed, appearing instantly next to Aurelius.

  “I would teach you a lesson directly, but we both know you’d run away on the first chance. So let me instead show you what the meaning of sagehood truly is through your newfound eyes.” Mr. Tona announced, knocking Aurelius to his knees with one swift movement.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “W-Wait!” Aurelius cried out, tumbling down onto the ground from that one movement.

  Why in the name of the 4 Dragons was Mr. Tona taking out his irritation with Pultris on an innocent bystander like HIM?! Aurelius was actually absolutely on his side when it came to this creepy angel Pultris!

  “...You need to learn from the experience, mister… Vennor.” Mr. Tona declared, with a short, pitying cough. He proceeded to then teleport a huge chunk of water into his hands and sprayed it directly at Aurelius’s face.

  “ACH” Aurelius yelped. The water was FREEZING cold!

  “Every time that I manage to disarm you, I will be spraying you down with hot or cold water. I used to do this with my wife’s old cat to train it (rest in peace Pushy).”

  “And I have had personal success with it with my trainees as well.” Mr. Tona assured, patting Aurelius on the shoulders before flickering away into the distance.

  “...” Aurelius shuddered, feeling the waves of cold collide with his bones and a numbing pain streak across his face.

  “Don’t you know that sudden cold shocks can give you heart attacks?!” Aurelius complained, getting up slowly and eyeing the old man venomously.

  “Ah, that would explain why that guy passed out last week.” Mr. Tona responded, stroking his chin contemplatively.

  ...Crazy bastard. Aurelius thought to himself.

  “Personally, I like his style.” Pultris commented, sending a fresh wave of vibrations through Aurelius’s spear, and once again commanding the wind to concentrate through to his hands.

  Aurelius leaned against his spear, and bent his knees closer to the ground once again.

  “I was slowing him down through the ‘Echo of Will’, and it seems to have had no effect on his speed.” Pultris observed, making Aurelius frown with doubt.

  “I mean of course his speed comes from his magic!” Aurelius said incredulously, annoyed at the useless comment from his… temporary partner.

  “What I’m saying is that his magic is trigger based.”

  “He reacted in the perfect amount of time even with the song slowing down his decision making skills. So it was a spell that had an activation condition placed on it.” Pultris explained.

  “...I thought only wind magic could have activation conditions.” Aurelius replied, wondering why this was important to even consider.

  “...So you’re useless even in the knowledge department.” Pultris muttered.

  “This is the most interesting thing to happen to me in the three centuries that I have been around! Why would such a high strung woman like Yvette give my contract to you?” He mused.

  “Shut up and tell me what to do.” Aurelius replied, glancing over at the bored Mr. Tona.

  Aurelius wasn’t sure why he was feeling… worked up right now, but he felt a wild sense of aggression and impulsiveness latching itself onto his blood, filling it with energy and voracity.

  “Are you done scheming?” Mr. Tona asked, appearing right next to Aurelius and casually leaning against his shoulder.

  “We need to find out the activation condition is what I’m trying to say.” Pultris finished up as Aurelius swung a punch towards the old man’s face.

  And with a small approving nod, Mr. Tona immediately splashed Aurelius with a bout of hot water.

  “ACH.” Aurelius yelped again, feeling the numbness disappear all at once, and replace itself with the feeling of a painfully steaming hot spring running down his back.

  “Just get close to him.” Pultris said simply.

  Gritting his teeth in frustration and anger, Aurelius bent down to his knees once again and lunged forward towards that ridiculous, chainsmoking old coot…

  ???

  “I’m very wet.” Aurelius commented, staring down at the water seeping into the ground below him.

  “Yes, yes you are.” Pultris replied helpfully.

  “But I have finally understood the old man’s technique.” Pultris declared, making Aurelius perk up with a small flicking smile.

  The haunting melodies of strength and repression echoed all around him and his ears, keeping him refreshed and competitive.

  Aurelius felt the surge of adrenaline and desire as he saw the image of Mr. Tona laid out at his feet.

  The man would pay for selling him out in the past life! And… for his bad puns!

  “It’s a little hard for me, but I will be casting a physical spell for you.” Pultris declared.

  “So on your next attempt, I want you to feel the air.”