"So can you..?" asked Colwyn tentatively. His gaze was fixed on Azel with incredible pressure, so much in fact, that the undead was worried that he would break into a sweat.
Sighing with relief, Azel answered " 'Bob has a dog, the dog has a red ball.' "
If anyone else was present they would no doubt be confused as to why an ashen haired teenager was completing children's reading exercises aloud to an experienced knight. But there was a rather reasonable story behind it.
After all, it had recently dawned on Azel that he had been dormant for centuries, it wasn't far fetched to think than the language had shifted in certain ways that would make him illiterate.
Luckily for the duo, Azel's linguistic skills were at a satisfactory level to which he could apply as an initiate to the Sun chasers.
Now for the fun part. The physical examination. Azel was led outside to Colwyn's garden. For one of the many hundred knights currently within the Sun chasers, Colwyn was one of the richest, Azel suspected that most of it was gained through shady circumstances however...
Not that the zombie dared to complain. After all he was rather content leeching off of his mentor's(?) wealth while he could.
The garden itself was rather large, or at least Azel thought it was. He didn't really have much to base it off of so he found himself relying on instinct again. So far this method of reasoning had paid off, probably through his subconscious mind guiding him and not just dumb luck.
Tall trees lined the perimeter, casting long shadows over the neatly trimmed grass, and an elegant fountain stood at the centre, its water sparkling in the sunlight. Colwyn noticed Azel's silent appraisal of the garden and grinned. "Not bad, huh?"
Azel nodded silently, however his train of thought was mainly focused on what exactly the 'physical examination' included. Before he could ask Colwyn began speaking, "Most knights conduct an actual test to see their recommendations physical ability... But im going to try something a bit different,"
Just like when he first met Colwyn, Azel felt his body scream at him to run away, and so the zombie promptly threw himself to the side and rolled back to his feet. But even then he saw Colwyn release a few strands of white hair from his grip. If he had been any slower to dodge Colwyn's lightning fast attack it would of been game over.
Clicking his tongue Azel narrowed his sanguine eyes in frustration. Because of all the joking and banter it was tough to remember that Colwyn actually hated his guts with a rather fierce passion.
"...As I thought, your body instinctively absorbs information at an incredible rate, that was the same move I tried on you when we first met and now you can dodge it easily despite our different specs," regarded Colwyn, tilting his head in thought. "So the most efficient training would be to keep hitting you until you're an expert evader,"
Azel was once again dumbfounded at Colwyn's reasoning, technically it was an efficient way to help himself adjust to his body's subconscious muscle memory, but it was still abuse!
Unfortunately Azel didn't have time to argue because Colwyn had just once again leapt at him.
<---o--->
It was difficult for anyone to tell because of the helmet, but Colwyn was incredibly happy. Azel was definitely a genius, but very unlike the usual genius's that littered the world.
When Colwyn was but an initiate, he had been regarded as a prodigy; his mana control was precise, his body was tempered and he had polished his regalia to it's peerless state. His teachers would spend minutes explaining a concept to him and he would understand it just as quickly.
But for this strange undead he picked up what was supposed to be an empty tomb, it was completely different. Azel didn't need a teacher because somewhere buried in his head was all the knowledge he needed. Colwyn watched with fascination as Azel's movements began growing more refined... It was incredible.
Dropping to the floor Colwyn went in for a low sweep, aiming to break Azel's balance. In response the zombie leapt upwards to get over it. Colwyn frowned, His intention was to stop Azel from getting away but in response the zombie isolated himself in the air anyway.
Perhaps Colwyn was getting to hasty, the zombie was still inexperienced after all. With nothing to bounce off of going airborne against a faster opponent was a terrible choice.
Without hesitation, the knight closed the gap in an instant, moving with the kind of practiced ease that came from years of battle experience. His hand shot out toward Azel, aiming to grab him mid-air.
But then something happened that Colwyn didn't expect.
Azel twisted his body at the last possible moment, using a burst of mana to shift his momentum in the air. It wasn't elegant or smooth, but it worked. Azel landed just out of Colwyn's reach, skidding across the grass but maintaining his balance. For a brief moment, the two stood still, locked in a silent exchange of understanding.
It was doubtful but Colwyn had a quick, uncontrollable thought. 'Is this kid a bigger genius than Rio?'
But then he quickly dismissed it. This method will only work until he catches up with his past self. The two of them had just gotten lucky that the alive Azel knew a thing or two about combat.
"Nice recovery," Colwyn admitted, though his tone was laced with surprise. "Didn't think you'd figure that out so quickly."
Azel, still panting from the sudden exertion, blinked in confusion. He hadn't fully realized what he'd done, his body moving almost on its own. "I... I didn't mean to do that," he confessed, glancing at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.
Colwyn chuckled, crossing his arms. "That's what I mean. Your body's remembering things before your mind catches up. You're not just absorbing information—you're reawakening to your old instincts. That's why this method works."
'Alright then,' thought Colwyn, 'No need to go easy on the kid anymore...'
Creating a large dull blade out of his mana Colwyn let out a sigh. The knight was worried that if he used a weapon, or even any strikes at all, Azel would die.
But the zombie had begun cushioning blows by releasing mana on contact, so this would probably be fine.
Probably.
"This should be safe enough," he muttered, more to himself than Azel.
Azel raised an eyebrow. "You think it's safe?"
"Relax." Colwyn smirked. "You're undead. You'll survive. Probably."
"Comforting," Azel deadpanned, bracing himself.