If Alex hadn't silenced his watch, he would have learned that Riley Naysmith had once again come back from the dead. This time, he had turned his attention to Louis.
Although Louis was a confident martial artist, he was always nervous when working with Stefan. Stefan was a legend among various martial arts circles, so much so that you couldn't say his name without reverence. Louis had always counted himself lucky to train with Stefan.
The day after introducing Ken Stokes to Stefan, Louis sat in the men's locker room, staring into a mirror. He was wearing his white student's martial arts uniform, complete with a black belt. He would not qualify for a black uniform like Stefan's for several more years.
Louis scrolled through his phone. He had several unread emails. Some of them were work related, but quite a few from a very inconvenient source had piled up. The day before, Riley had emailed Louis. The email still played in Louis's mind.
"Hey Louis. I survived. Listen, I'm trying to be a better person, but I don't know how. Sorry for trying to kill you and your friends. Can we please meet to discuss the whole being a good person thing? I'm painfully new at it. Best, Riley."
Although Louis had promised himself, he would pretend that Riley was still dead, a part of him wondered why Riley had emailed him of all people. It was clear that he was just trying to get close to Alex, but what did Louis have to do with it.
While he was scrolling, he received a call from an unknown number.
That must be Alex, he thought, answering it.
"Hey Alex!" he said. "How's the convention going?"
"Alex?" answered a familiar voice that was not Alex. "This isn't Alex. Louis, this is Riley."
Louis's heart stopped and his blood ran cold. He could feel the color drain from his cheeks as he held the phone to his ear. He couldn't move.
"Did you get any of my emails?" Riley asked. "Look, I know we aren't on the best terms, but I'm really trying here. All I'm asking for is a chance at being good."
Louis didn't say anything. He sat frozen on the bench, trying to figure out how Riley Naysmith, a man who by all accounts should have been dead, could have possibly gotten his personal phone number.
"Hello?" said Riley on the other end of the phone. "Are you even there?"
For the sake of his own sanity, Louis hung up on Riley and set his phone to silent, tucking it away in a secure pouch on his uniform.
He was waiting on Ken Stokes, who was still getting to grips with the belt.
"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Louis asked. "You're having a really hard time working that thing."
"I'm fine!" Ken insisted. He untied the knot, and then re-tied it. The result was a lumpy, jagged bump with two ends sticking out of it. "Is this close?"
Louis looked at the knot. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Ken, there's no shame in asking for help if you need it."
"But," Ken said, holding up a finger, "if I can show Stefan that I know how to tie a knot, he'll be impressed!" He set about untying his belt, but he was having a lot of trouble.
"How exactly did you learn to tie the belt, again?" Louis asked, confused. It had taken Louis a long time to learn how to tie his martial arts belt properly. Alex had been the one to point out where he had been going wrong, and Louis was always grateful for that little bit of help.
Ken puffed out his chest proudly. "I watched a YouTube video!" he said, smiling.
Of course he did, Louis thought. He stood up and went over to Ken, untying the knot for him.
"You're doing it wrong," he said, whipping off the belt and holding it at either end. He pointed to his own belt. "Do you see what my knot looks like?"
Ken looked. "It's squared?"
Louis nodded. "Exactly. That way, if I fall on my face, it absorbs the impact, and doesn't stab me in the gut." He held up Ken's belt.
Ken's forehead creased and he put his hands on his hips. "The guy on YouTube didn't say anything about that."
Louis tugged Ken's white belt with frustration. "I'm sure the guy on YouTube is very knowledgeable, but I don't think it's the best way to learn how to tie your belt."
"Do I at least get points for trying?" Ken asked.
Louis sighed. "Yes. You get points for trying. Now please, let me show you the proper way. Put your arms over your head."
Ken did as instructed and Louis expertly wrapped the white belt around his waist. When he was done, he tied a perfectly squared knot. Ken let out a long, low whistle of admiration and looked up at Louis with a satisfied smile.
"You're clearly more an expert than the guy on YouTube," Ken said. "Think you can give me a step by step tutorial?"
Louis shook his head. "Maybe some other time," he said, then he checked his watch. "Come on, Stefan is waiting for us!"
They headed out into the dojo. Green, black, and red mats lined the floor and sand dummies were propped up against the walls for anyone who wanted to practice throwing. Some bleachers had been constructed for onlookers. Since Stefan ran classes for all ages, there were usually a few parents or friends and family members sitting on the bleachers, waiting for their children, siblings, or partners to finish up.
It was early morning, so the dojo was fairly empty. A few people were practicing their jabs and kicks, but Stefan had said they would have the dojo to themselves for the most part. That excited Louis. He was just happy to be working with his old mentor once again.
They found Stefan, in his black master's uniform, standing at the opposite end of the dojo. He greeted them with a warm smile.
"Hello, my friends," he said as they approached. "It's good to see you again. I cannot wait to get started!" He offered them a small bow of respect, which Louis returned with perfect form. Ken's form was a little clumsy.
"It's good to be working with you again, master," said Louis.
"Let's get this show on the road!" said Ken, pumping a fist.
Stefan eyed them both with a critical expression. He folded his arms and tapped his chin when he saw Ken's uniform. His eyes lingered on the knot, then he turned to Louis.
"Your knot work is impressive," he said. "It's good to see that you've retained something."
Louis blushed. Was it really obvious that he had helped Ken?
"Offering help to one in need is admirable," said Stefan. "However, it is often best to let them learn on their own."
Louis nodded. Stefan returned his attention to Ken.
"I meditated last night," Stefan said, tenting his fingers. "As you are taking on martial arts for the purposes of artistic research, I will not press you too hard over the coming weeks. Instead, I think taking you through the fundamentals will be sufficient. Is that what you had in mind?"
"More or less," said Ken. "I mean, Louis and Alex are both strong and powerful, but I think I'm a little past my prime to be a grandmaster."
Stefan chuckled. "It is never too late," he said, "every butterfly was once a caterpillar. Every grand master was once a student."
Ken beamed. "Wise words, indeed!"
Stefan clapped his hands once, the sound ringing through the dojo.
"I think we should begin with a demonstration," he said. He turned to Louis. "Would you care to assist me?"
Louis stepped forward. "What do you need me to do?"
Stefan rested his hands on his abdomen and gave Louis an ominous smile. "Why don't you take a defensive stance?"
Louis did as instructed. Stefan's attack came out of nowhere. Within a matter of seconds, Louis felt like he was fighting for his life as he dodged and blocked Stefan's oncoming blows. Louis barely missed having his nose broken by Stefan's fist. In response, Louis thrust his shoulder into Stefan's hip. Without thinking, Louis pressed forward and the two of them rolled backward on the mats.
Ken yelped as he scrambled out of the way. Louis came up in a flash, holding Stefan's left arm in his hands and pressing his right foot on Stefan's chest. Stefan grinned and yanked Louis's ankle with his free hand, putting him off balance. Stefan was on his feet a moment later, grabbing Louis by the dollar of his uniform and swinging him over his shoulder. Louis tried to gain purchase on Stefan's shoulder as he flew over his master's head, but failed.
Stefan slammed him face-first on the mat. A stinging sensation ran through the side of his face as he contacted the mat. Stars danced in front of his vision as he rolled over to stare at the ceiling. He took a deep, shaky breath and sat up. Blood rushed to his head, and he felt dizzy. He felt someone grab him by the shoulders and pull him to his feet. When his vision cleared, he slowly turned around to see Stefan smiling at him.
"You've gone soft," Stefan said.
Louis shrank back, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, master. I've been out of practice."
Stefan shook his head. "Don't apologize," he said in a firm, fatherly voice. "We all fall from time to time."
"What did I just watch?" Ken asked. Louis jumped where he stood. In the midst of the demonstration fight, he had completely forgotten that he was here because of Ken Stokes.
Stefan turned to Ken. "A demonstration," he said, shrugging. "A simple fight featuring some basic moves. Nothing quite like martial arts movies, possibly closer to Kung Fu Panda than the Karate Kid, but just enough to remind Louis of what is required of him in a fight." Stefan turned his attention back to Louis, and winked at him.
Louis's face flushed.
"Take a breather," Stefan said. "Perhaps ten minutes while I walk Ken through a conditioning sequence. When you're rested, you may join us."
Louis made his way to the bleachers, where he slouched on one of the lower seats. He knew that he had been neglecting his martial arts practice, but he hadn't realized just how much. He felt like a failure, like he had let Stefan down. Worse, he had let himself, and the Demon Sect, down. He brought his knees close to his chest and sighed, staring at a spot on the floor in front of him.
I really need to get more practice, he thought.
Needing a distraction, he pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the various apps. He cringed as he scrolled through Instagram. Someone had uploaded a reel of themselves reacting to his and Stefan's fight. Louis closed the app and checked his emails.
When he saw Riley's name yet again, he wanted to fling his phone across the room. This time, the subject line read "Are you even there?"
Out of morbid curiosity, he opened the email.