Revin leaned back, letting out a loud yawn as he stretched his arms over his head. The sun had risen once again, sliding out from behind the cover of the clouds and pouring over the grassy field to illuminate the pointed rock he sat on.

It had taken him quite some time to find this particular rock. He was picky about this sort of thing. Rocks all had their own personality. Some were fat and lazy, suitable only for skipping through a river.

Others were craggy and chaotic. Those were good for breaking and not much else. But some – like the one he was currently perched upon, was sharp and pointed. It jutted out of the ground at an angle, much like the tooth of some long forgotten monster.

And rocks like these – they were cool.

The grass below Revin swayed as a breeze brushed through it. It was cold, but he didn’t let it show on his features. That was the wrong kind of cool. Revin yawned again. He’d been sitting around for quite some time now. It was starting to get boring, and the sun was already almost up.

If nothing had happened by now, then it was just about time to –

Several bullets of wind shot at Revin from the shadows of a nearby rock. They were almost completely invisible just a step away from soundless – the perfect attack of an assassin.

They would have been more effective if he hadn’t heard heavy breathing in the direction they’d come from a moment before the spell went off. Revin’s body flickered, collapsing into a pool of shadow that raced down the rock and reformed at its base.

The shadows formed into a scythe, rising up from the ground. Revin grabbed it, spinning the weapon and driving its butt into the ground with a cocky grin.

“Is that all?” Revin asked. “Pathetic attempt, really. You’re going to need a lot more than that if you’re planning to try to land a single blow on me, much less actually take me down.”

A swirl of wind shot at Revin from all sides, a dozen separate wind blades all collapsing toward him at the same instant. The grin on Revin’s face didn’t even flicker as he sank down, leaving his scythe behind.

The blades of wind carved through the shadow weapon, splitting it into several pieces. But, even as they started to fall, Revin rose back up beside them. The pieces of the scythe slithered back together and flew into his hand.

Revin spun the weapon, shifting his stance, then raised a hand toward an outcropping of rocks before him. They were all round, with a few craggy ones scattered throughout their midst. His brow furrowed.

“Poor hiding place.”

A thick crescent moon of wind, easily twice as tall as Revin, carved across the ground toward him. It had appeared from nowhere, but Revin didn’t need to see things to hunt them. He took a step forward, then launched himself into the air.

His long jacket fluttered in the air behind him as Revin spun. His scythe flashed, reflecting the light of the glowing sun as he descended toward a small spot between the rocks. A moment before he hit, the area shimmered and a slightly pudgy boy dove out of the way.

A thin shield of flowing wind surrounded him as he hit the rocks with a grunt, rolling to the side an instant before Revin’s scythe carved through the stone behind him.

“What are you doing?” Revin asked as the boy scrambled to his feet and sprinted away, flicking blades of air magic back at him.

Revin danced through the spells, flowing like a stalk in the wind and rapidly gaining on the retreating boy. The shadows around the boy’s feet reached up to grab his legs, but he threw himself to the side and toward a ray of sunlight that had broken past the darkness of one of the rocks.

Rolling to his feet, the boy spun back toward Revin and flicked his hands through the air, making a dramatic sweeping motion with both of them. Blades of wind shot toward Revin, forcing him to vault backward to avoid getting cut.

Revin’s jump carried him through the air and he alighted on top of a rock, freezing as he landed. It was always imperative to strike a pose after an impressive escape.

Another blade of wind whistled through the air. This one churned a bright white, not even trying to blend in or hide its presence. Revin leapt into the air, easily avoiding the spell – and nearly flying straight into the path of the second, much harder to see bolt of magic.

Laughing, Revin stretched his hand out. A tendril of shadow shot out of the ground and he grabbed it, yanking himself to the ground. He hit it in a roll, springing to his feet and extending his hand. His scythe shot into it and he bounded toward the boy.

Revin leaned back as another wind crescent passed by his head harmlessly. He whipped his scythe out, hooking it out and around the boy’s neck as he turned to run. Revin gave it a sharp tug and the blade of the scythe turned into a blunt hook, jerking him to a stop harmlessly.

The boy slumped in defeat, letting his hands drop as he let out a groan.

“You’re completely unfair, Professor.”

“And you, James, are fat,” Revin replied, letting his scythe dissolve and slapping the boy on the shoulder. “Nice usage of your Light Runes, though. Making yourself invisible was very clever. I’m just more clever.”

“Cleverer,” James corrected, turning back to look at Revin and crossing his arms. He paused, then quickly uncrossed his arms so that he could push a strand of black hair out of his face to reveal his square – but not unattractive – features.

“What?” Revin leaned back against a pillar of shadow and crossed one of his legs over the other as he arched an eyebrow.

“The proper way to say it is ‘I’m just cleverer’. Not I’m just more clever.”

“You know what that sounds like?” Revin asked. “Not cool. That’s what it sounds like.”

James flopped to the ground, crossing his legs beneath him. “Do you think I pissed someone off when I applied to join Arbitage?”

Revin tilted his head to the side. “Why would you think that? And what does that have to do with your complete and utter failure to land a blow on me?”

“I was just wondering why I had to land you as a professor. Maybe I was a great sinner in a past life.”

“If the jokes make you feel better, then by all means, keep at them. It won’t un-lose you, though.” Revin cackled and leaned forward, flicking James in the forehead. “Don’t fret too much. One day, you might learn to be as cool as I am.”

Revin paused for a moment, then tapped a finger against his chin.

“Not any day soon, though. Maybe in a year? No. Ten? Yeah, probably around ten, if you’re lucky. Oh well! Either way, this means you’re paying for breakfast, kid.”

“You know, part of me suspects you only make me do these sparring matches so you don’t have to pay for your own meals. Why would a Rank 1 ever be able to land a blow against a Rank 3?” James asked, plucking a blade of grass out of the ground irritably. “You could at least give me some real training instead of doing this every morning and then hanging around the female professor’s housing the rest of the day.”

Revin cleared his throat. “I do no such thing.”

James raised an eyebrow.

“I am simply patrolling the area,” Revin declared. “You never know where the creatures of the night hide, and it takes a man of my unique talents to spot them out. For I am much more than just a mere Rank 3. I possess–”

“The All-Seeing Eye,” James deadpanned. “You’ve told me a few hundred times, Prof. I’m pretty sure you’d get your ass handed to you in a fight against anyone your rank, though.”

“Would not.”

“Would too.”

“Nope.”

“You realize you’re arguing with me like a child, right?”

“And guess what? Children usually win arguments. Maybe they have a point.”

“I think the other party just tends to give up,” James pointed out.

“Sounds like a victory to me.”

Rolling his eyes, James stuck a hand out. “Whatever. Where do you want to get food? I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving,” Revin said, reaching down to clasp James’s hand. As soon as their fingers touched, a grin flickered across James’s features. It was so fast that Revin nearly missed it, but it was just enough.

He leaned back, yanking James to his feet in the process, and a lance of wind shot past his nose, carving several hairs from his head. Revin looked back down at James.

“Missed me. Good try though, champ. If you keep at it for another thousand years, you might land a blow,” Revin said, flicking a strand of his own hair back. His finger touched his forehead and he paused, lowering his hand to see a tiny trail of blood on it.

James let a massive grin stretch across his face. “What’s wrong, Prof? Getting old? Did I just see a Rank 3 get hit by a Rank 1? That’s pretty embarrassing. Your reflexes must be giving out as you go senile.”

Revin rubbed his fingers together, then grunted. “Well, I’ll be damned. I guess even someone as useless as you can do something right when they try hard enough. Not bad. Not bad at all. You were almost cool.”

“Screw that,” James said. He thrust a finger into Revin’s chest. “This means you’re paying for breakfast, pops.”

“Don’t call me pops,” Revin said. “I’m not that old.”

“You literally are my dad. You are that old.”

“I am not! I am your godfather. There is a very distinct difference between that and father. One implies being old. The other implies being cool. Do you see?”

“No.”

“Well, you will,” Revin said. He let out a huff and shook his head. The sun had completely come out from behind the clouds and was shining down on them, illuminating the rocky field in a wave of morning light. A thoughtful expression crossed Revin’s face.

“What? You’ve got a weird look on your face,” James said. “I won fair and square. You said a fight was never over until it was over.”

“Did I?”

“We argued about it for like ten minutes.” James glared at Revin. “Remember? I said that made absolutely no sense. Of course something isn’t over until it’s over. That’s exactly how it works. It’s nonsense.”

“Ah yes, I do remember that. You lost the argument.”

“You attacked me.”

“And that fight did not end until it was over. Thus, a victory in my favor.”

“Whatever, grandpa. Don’t try to stiff me on breakfast. I won, fair and square.”

“I suppose you did,” Revin allowed with a chuckle. He tapped a finger on his chin in thought, then started walking back toward Arbitage, beckoning for James to follow after him. “And I’m nothing if not a man of my word. I’ll get breakfast. And, after that…”

He trailed off, and James frowned.

“Don’t pause ominously like that. I already told you it’s creepy.”

“It adds effect. I was just thinking that you’re not doing too shabby at all in these fights. It might be time to start pushing you a bit harder.”

James stopped walking. “You mean…”

Nice pause, kid. Learned from the best.

“We’ve already done all the boring theory stuff for the exam. It might be time to start prepping you more seriously for it,” Revin said, casting a glance over his shoulder. “After breakfast, pack your travel bag. We’re going to the Vibrant Woods.”