Lanterns and Laughter: Part II

A massive figure blocked the lantern glow — broad-shouldered, scarred, arms folded like a wall of muscle barely held together by a stained guard vest. One eye was clawed over but still sharp, the other gleamed with hostility.

"So, you're the one everyone's whispering about," he said, voice dripping mockery.

Kazuo didn't answer.

The man grinned, teeth too white for someone so filthy."When I first heard about you, I thought—wow, this one must be special. Someone worth the noise." His eyes raked over Kazuo, slow and mocking. "But now? I don't see it. All I see is a gutter rat caught in a mousetrap."

He leaned closer, his breath hot and sour."So I wonder… what shoved you into the ring? Did you lick the King's boots? Trade coin? Or maybe pay with your body?"

The grin widened, cruel and eager."Or is it that pretty green eye of yours? God, I can't wait to gouge it out and wear it into the tournament."

With a sudden slam of his palm on the table, he barked the last words loud enough to cut through the tavern chatter."See, that's all a gutter rat like you is worth!"

The tavern's noise faltered. Heads turned. The weight of attention pressed down like a curtain, and whispers began to thread through the crowd.

"Did he say gutter rat?""No… look at him — he must be a noble. But that other eye—""I heard he uses Water Magic. Rare, dangerous stuff.""What? That's insane. No peasant could wield that. I don't believe it."

Sora's tail lashed, ears flat. She half-rose from her seat, voice sharp."Fighting outside the arena is forbidden. Or did you miss the sign on your way in?"

The man smirked, leaning just enough to sneer at her. "Watch it, kitty. Talking isn't a crime."

Sora bristled, ready to move further, but Kazuo's hand found her arm under the table, holding her back. He didn't look at her — his eyes stayed on the man."Not worth it."

Then, calm and steady, Kazuo said,"You'll see soon enough."

Rulthan chuckled, stepping back. His boots thudded slow as he circled the table, presence dragging through the tavern like a chain."Oh, I hope so."

He reached the door, paused, and looked back over his shoulder. The grin stretched wider."See you in the ring, gutter rat."

When his footsteps faded, the tavern seemed to breathe again. Voices rose, chairs scraped, and the glow of lantern-light returned to chatter and clinking mugs. The eyes that had pinned Kazuo a moment ago finally drifted away.

Kazuo let himself sit again, air leaving him in a steady breath.

"Who was that? You know him?"

Tetsu adjusted his glasses. "Not personally. But I know the name. Rulthan. He belongs to Vaskel's squad."

Sora's arms crossed, her tail lashing once. "Figures. That squad's full of weasels like him."

The words settled between them, heavier than the tavern noise that had already returned to normal.

So this is someone I might face in the tournament.

Sora nudged Kazuo's leg under the table. "Don't let him crawl under your skin. Tonight was good. Keep it that way."

Tetsu raised his glass, muttering, "Surprisingly tolerable, yes."

He managed a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks."

The tavern slowly slipped back into its hum of clinking mugs and low chatter, but for Kazuo the air still carried the echo of Rulthan's grin.

When the night finally gave way to sleep, it was restless.

By morning, the sun had only just begun to edge over the castle spires when Kazuo found himself trailing behind Setsuna through a corridor of stone chilled with frost.

Kazuo followed Setsuna down the dim corridor, stone sweating from the underground damp. "So… there's a wish granted for the winner of this tournament?"

Setsuna didn't break stride. "Mmh. Shiny prize. Cedric loves dangling meat in front of wolves."

Kazuo's voice sharpened. "When were you going to tell me that?"

Setsuna flicked his wrist lazily, as though brushing lint from his coat. "Oops. Must've slipped my mind."

Kazuo narrowed his eyes. He could see the lie plain as daylight — in the half-second Setsuna looked away, in the smirk that came a beat too late. But he let it drop. The wish wasn't today's battle.

Setsuna shoved open a heavy gate, and the corridor bled into a cavernous chamber. Rough stone columns jutted up like broken teeth, and pale-blue torches burned along the walls. Water dripped from unseen pipes, pooling across the floor.

It looked more like a prison cave than a training hall. Stone columns jutted from the ground like broken teeth, water dripping from pipes in the walls. The whole place smelled of rust and damp earth.

Setsuna stepped into the center, sword sliding free with a sharp ring. "Alright. Today, you're going to learn how to control your Arcane magic."

Kazuo nodded once, steady.

Setsuna raised a brow. "But before that—show me a standard spell. Cast Torrent."

Kazuo exhaled, lifted his palm. "Water Magic: Torrent."

The stream burst forward, hammering one of the stone pillars before spilling harmlessly down the sides. Straight, forceful, contained.

Setsuna's eyes narrowed with interest. "Good. Clean. Controlled." His tone shifted, sharper. "Now—Vortex."

Kazuo's stomach twisted, but he obeyed. He thrust both hands forward. "Arcane of Water: Vortex!"

The air bent. Water spiraled into a sudden whirl, growing too fast, pulling at the damp stone, dragging loose gravel and shards upward. The swirl clawing at the stone, tearing loose gravel and shards."

Kazuo's control slipped.

Setsuna's blade flashed, and with a single strike he froze the vortex mid-motion. The water shattered into harmless shards of ice that clattered across the cave floor.

Kazuo staggered, chest heaving.

Setsuna smirked. "Hmm. Exactly what I expected."He tapped the flat of his sword against his shoulder, thoughtful. "Can you tell me what the difference is between Torrent and Vortex?"

Kazuo drew in a slow breath and looked down at his palm, droplets still clinging to his skin. His fingers curled tight before he lifted his eyes back to Setsuna."Torrent… it goes where I tell it. Straight, clean, controlled. But Vortex—" his jaw tightened, "—it takes too much. Too much energy, too much force. I can't hold it. Not even when I use both hands"

Setsuna clicked his tongue. "Wrong. That's not the real problem. Your control's sloppy, sure—but the real issue is your affinity."

Kazuo frowned. "My affinity?"

Setsuna stepped closer, eyes sharp. "Every element has strengths and weaknesses. My Ice? It has form. Solid, rigid. I can shape it however I want, even at Arcane level, because it obeys form. But Water—" He pointed his blade toward the puddles strewn across the floor. "Water has no form. It's fluid. It flows wherever it pleases. When you open the gate to Arcane, you're not summoning a blade or a wall. You're unleashing something alive."

Kazuo's breath caught. "Alive…?"

"Exactly. Torrent works because you shove it into a line, force it where to go. But Vortex?" Setsuna's grin was razor-sharp. "Vortex wants everything. If you don't give it shape, it takes shape on its own. It'll tear apart friend and foe without caring which is which."

He stabbed his sword into the ground, ice spreading in a neat circle around him. "Your job is to stop letting water be whatever it wants. You give it form. You become its container, its banks. Otherwise?" He nodded toward the shattered shards of frozen vortex. "It'll drown you first."

Kazuo let out a breath, still feeling the ache in his arm. "You figured all that out just from me casting it once?"

Setsuna grinned, tapping his blade against his shoulder. "Sure. I'm the strongest, after all. Besides—" his eyes gleamed, "—water isn't the only slippery one. Lava, mercury, smoke… plenty of magics with no fixed form. I've seen them all. Compared to those, yours is practically polite."

He stepped back into the center, smirk never fading. "So, Kazu—ready to try again? Or should I fetch you a mop first?"

Kazuo nodded.

Meanwhile, somewhere behind the highlands of Yurelda, in a faraway ruined city, a figure stirred.

The wind swept through broken towers and silent streets as rubble shifted beneath him. Slowly, his eyes opened — glowing with a color the world had never known.