Arsh staggered back, trying to catch his breath, but his opponent didn't give him a moment.
Another strike came, this time aimed at his side, forcing him to twist and dodge. He swung a fist in retaliation, but the other moved much faster.
He had been learning how to fight for as long as he could remember. In the desert, while traveling, one never knew what might happen—or when a raiding gang might suddenly descend upon the village. Because of that, every man and woman in his village had been trained well enough to defend themselves.
Among the younger generation, Arsh was known as one of the best fighters in his and the nearby villages. That was why he had never imagined he would feel this incompetent.
Arsh managed to land a couple of strikes on Bera, but they seemed to have no effect on him. On the other hand, every blow from Bera was incredibly powerful. Just moments ago, he had felt better thanks to Professor Reiner's healing. Now, he could feel all his bones aching from the blows he had taken.
They kept going on like that for a while
"That's enough for today... You're not bad," Bera said after about ten minutes.
"I barely even touched you," Arsh replied, breathing heavily. Ten minutes of non-stop sparring had been enough to wear him out.
"I have more experience. I'm taller, older, and stronger than you. I'm not tired at all, and most importantly, I have siunis, which helps me to be stronger and faster. So this result is only natural. You're good. You'll improve quickly."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Arsh and Mes behind without another word.
Arsh sat on the ground, gasping for breath, and wiped the blood from his lip with his shirt sleeve.
"The Professor had just healed you. Look at what he did to your face on your first day here... but I am glad that Bera liked you," Mes said.
"Did he like me?" Arsh asked in surprise. He couldn't understand how Mes had come to that conclusion.
"Yes, he talked more than he usually does and said you are good. He is satisfied. You know, he doesn't talk much."
Arsh understood that much. The guy was like a wall, without any emotion on his face. But Mes and him seemed to get along well with each other.
After resting for a few minutes, Mes helped him stand up, and they headed back to the house.
"Now, if you are not too tired, shall we decide what we are going to study? Let's go to the library. We will study there from now on."
"Okay, let's do that."
Even though he had complained to Bera that there shouldn't be any training on the first day, Mes wasn't much different. But it was better than sitting by himself all day. He began to follow him.
They walked down the first corridor from the entrance and soon turned into another. At the end of it, there was a rather ordinary door. But when Mes opened it, the light that spilled out struck his eyes for a moment.
Arsh saw the most beautiful sight he had ever witnessed—dust drifting through a beam of light pouring in from a small window in the ceiling, falling over piles of books scattered everywhere.
He had never seen so many books in one place before. There were also all kinds of interesting objects, along with paintings and maps covering the shelves and walls.
They were on the second floor of a three-story space. The ceiling was very high, and the area was open from bottom to top, allowing every level to be seen at once. The walls were covered from end to end with bookshelves. Narrow walkways ran along the upper levels, just wide enough for someone to walk and reach the shelves.
"Let's go downstairs," Mes said.
They headed down the spiral staircase to the ground floor. In the center stood a large table cluttered with stacks of books. The air was dusty and the light was dim. When Mes turned on the lamp on the table, Arsh continued to look around the room. He realized the library was almost as big as half the house.
Pleased with Arsh's reaction, Mes asked, "Do you like reading?"
"Yeah, I like it very much," Arsh replied, still looking around.
"You can find many things here. The main manor is just a facade. This place is much safer, so Professor Reiner brings all his valuable books and items here. He also works here most of the time."
He pointed to a door hidden between the bookshelves, behind the piles of books—one that Arsh hadn't noticed.
"The Professor works in that room. I advise you not to go in there or touch anything. He works with various herbs and poisons, so it can be quite dangerous to touch things without knowing what they are."
Then he pointed to a table that was also nearly lost among stacks of books and papers.
"And this table… please try not to touch it either. The Professor sometimes works there… and he's quite messy. He says he has his own sense of order. So, he'll know immediately if someone touches anything."
Arsh looked around the library thoroughly. Not only the Professor's study table, but the entire place was quite messy.
"This place just needs a bit of cleaning and organization, but other than that, it's perfect."
"You're right, but I'm the only one who takes care of it. Whenever I mention the library, Bera and Walter run away."
"I can help you," Arsh said. Taking care of this place would definitely be fun.
"Really? Please don't trick me and run away later… Anyway, what kind of books do you like? History, geography, metaphysics, medicine… anything you like. Some of them are really rare, and you can even find the only existing copies here. If you're careful, you can read them too. Ah, but not all of them are written in Symranese. Still, there are plenty of options for you."
Arsh remembered Will and how interesting he had found it that Arsh knew six languages.
"I am pretty good at learning languages. What will I be studying?"
"Oh, let's see... Your Symranese is already perfect. The Professor asked me to find out if you have any dreams, or any job you want to do in the future. We will find teachers or schools if you want. But I think you should stay with us… You have siuni. You could work in the police department and earn a decent amount of money."
"I don't have any plans for a job right now. I have my own plans. But studying history would be good. Or I'd like to learn more about geography. One day...maybe one day, if I have the chance to travel, it will be useful."
"That's nice. I wish I could do that someday too. But my body won't let me," Mes said.
Mes was smiling the whole time, but he was clearly upset with his body. Mes smiled when he realized Arsh thought he was younger than him, but it actually upset him too.
"I don't want to be rude, but is there no way to get rid of the siuni you have, or make it work? So you can be better?"
"Professor Reiner has been working on it for a while. But we are not sure how to erase it. Maybe I should just chop my arm off," Mes said, and laughed again.
"But I don't think that would work either. Because a siuni marks not only the body but the soul as well. If we could grasp the true power of the siuni, maybe it would work—but it seems mine is incomplete or incorrect, which is why I can't use it. Or maybe I am not worthy. Maybe one day, if I'm lucky, we'll find the answer. Then everything will be alright."
Arsh didn't say anything else about it.
"Juan said the same thing too. To be 'worthy'... what does that actually mean?"
"Hmm... we're not sure. It's a term found in ancient texts. Only those who are 'worthy' can use it. I'm not certain yet, but my theory is that only people with a specific strength of will, mental capacity, and physical power can truly use siuni. But as I said, that's just my opinion."
"Why do you think that?"
"You know, when you start using your siuni, it creates a bond between your body and your soul. But at the same time, it consumes you physically and mentally. You quickly lose energy and start to feel exhausted. As far as I understand, strength of will is necessary to activate the power of the siuni and, more importantly, to stop it when needed. Otherwise, it will dry you out and turn you into a mummy," he said, laughing.
"Okay... okay, let's just stop there. What do you mean, it turns you into a mummy?"