Master Feng Xing Liu sat on the solid, concrete floor of the training grounds facing the sun, her stone-cold facing the sun. Her facial expression was calm and serene, as always. However there was something… different about it.
As though something had changed.
Lieren lingered for a minute, then took tentative steps toward her as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb her meditative trance. Her eyes were closed, unsurprisingly, with one hand resting on the other while her arms sat atop her crossed legs in a meditation position. The full lotus.
The air around her seemed to bend as naturally as she breathed, becoming tranquil and calm, almost soothing. There was a silent stillness about her, solid and firm. Indomitable.
It was like nothing could topple her no matter what. She was unyielding and unconquerable.
…Well, that's he felt about the air around her, that is.
Slipping beside her and imitating her meditation position, Lieren let out a sigh and spoke in a soft, muffled voice:
"Um… h—hello, Master Feng. Good morning."
A bead of sweat flowed down Lieren's face as he waited for a response. The atmosphere around her, while soft and soothing, was incredibly heavy, almost as if a divine weight had been placed on his shoulders the moment he got into the range of the blind woman.
He swallowed, then waited. Seconds bled eternity as he waited for his fate to be decided.
Was she… was she going to kill him?
That remained to be seen.
Lieren moved from one expression into another, waiting silently for the blind master's judgement. He had not forgotten about the not for even a second.
And yet, no answer came. He felt the divine weight growing even heavier.
'No… no news is good news. Right?'
Feeling apprehensive about this whole unnerving situation, he finally took in a breath, deep and slow, as to calm his shaking body. His nerves calmed down a bit and his rapidly-beating heart that swallowed his hearing slowed down, albeit not by much.
Still, with a — somewhat — certain death awaiting him, it was a significant boon. It allowed for his thoughts to slow down — or rather, to speed up. And let him process this whole mess of a situation.
The calming and heavy nature of her meditative presence allowed his consciousness to flow from one thought to another seemingly effortlessly.
'Let's see. What have I gotten myself into?'
This test, or rather competition, had been announced by the head of the family, the mighty boss of the Exousia Famiglia, in accordance with the only scion having reached the age of marriage.
…This part confused Lieren.
Though he was nowhere near experienced in terms of communal matters like marriage, he was certain that her age, despite being of a high status, was much too low to be married to somebody. At least not until a few more years or so…
And then there was the reason. Why now, when the family is the highest it has ever been, after King's Oblivion? A few more decades, and they would control this city with absolute power with the aid of the young scion, and her immense intellect. It just did not make sense. They could afford the time and postpone the competition for hand and focus on building their own empire.
'That's not all…'
There was also the matter of him. More specifically his participation in this macabre competition. Why had he been chosen?
In terms of combat and magical ability… compared to all the other contestants… his was most likely the bottom of the barrel, rotten and without a clear form. It is doubtful that they would consider this macabre competition a surprise, especially those closely involved with the family, as well as certain others. In terms of age and experience, ability and skill, mastery and technique… he was unfortunately the lowest. That was for certain.
And yet, he had been asked to participate. By the lady herself, representing the main family as its proposed contestant. It was a confusing, mind-boggling, and complicated time for Lieren.
Why had they not chosen somebody else?
And at the same time, he also felt had an inkling why.
Taking a deep breath, he let his mind clear and his spirit sink. That letter, if hadn't been for that cursed letter, he wouldn't even have to be here. Or participate in this deadly competition either.
The wind shifted ever so slightly, letting Lieren know that it was time to open his eyes. Beside him, Master Feng sat calmly and gracefully, with her legs crossed and hands together. It was the same position and atmosphere she held when he arrived a couple of minutes ago. But now, she seemed more conscious, active, and alive.
Her indifferent and serene face moved to her side, where Lieren sat in a terrible simulacrum of her own meditation position.
Her voice was carried by the unseen wind with smooth grace and sonorous clarity as she said:
"You're late."
Lieren swallowed and looked at her eyes… well where they're supposed to be, that is. He formed a fist as to shake off the creeping sensation of fear and anxiety overpowering his entire frail body.
"S—sorry."
Master Feng was silent for a long, arduous minute, which to him felt infinitely longer. He had tried to distract himself from the creeping silence so much that he could almost feel the blood pumping in his veins, as well as his own heart's furious palpitation.
Only when he almost fell unconscious to her overbearing, inescapable aura did the blind woman finally speak. This time, no emotion could be heard in her voice:
"It's fine."
'Really? It certainly didn't feel like it!'
Standing up, she patted the dust on her robes and stood on attention, her gait steady and fixed. Glancing back, she said:
"What kind of weapon do you use? …Oh, right. Sorry. I meant to ask: do you have experience with a weapon of any kind?"
Lieren frowned and bit his lip. How could he have forgotten? This was a death game, with each contestant required to kill all the others to get their deserved price. Of course, he needed a weapon to do that. A spell could work the very same way if given enough thought and practice, but when it came to the labyrinthine landscape of this godforsaken city, using such flashy spells would only lead to further unnecessary trouble.
The stronger a spell was, the more likely it was to cause loud noise and make it easy to track the caster. What's worse, when it came to the most dire of circumstances, oftentimes mages ended up having to rely on their own strength, anyways. He needed to be versed with both melee and magical combat if he was going to participate in this macabre competition. Kind of like how Harita preferred to blend swordsmanship skills and his Creator abilities together.
Thinking for a long while with his head down and his gaze on the hard concrete of the training grounds, Lieren considered his options. Looking up, he met her gaze, and said aloud:
"I… know how to use a dagger, if that counts. I killed a Silver Wolf with it once, I think…"