Chapter 154: Ignorance is a bliss, and naked promise with an answer 1/2

“You are unsure?” The wisher asked, an intrigued tone noticeably seeking more answers out of 36.

“Just… I am a bit hesitant. No need to be curious why.” 36 downplayed his inner worry, going with the conversation as if everything was fine even though it was a disaster. “Anyway, how are the rewards distributed, exactly? Or what could this trial look like? If it's unchanging, then you should be able to know plenty about it, am I right?”

“You may say so, but why be so anxious? Don't tell me it isn't up to your reason, or it's rather soon for your student to decide to take this change. That, or it may be dangerous, thus I see your hesitation. I thought you talked about it last time and that the best thing was to wait it out until the timing for your student would be better. Here we are, and you want to proceed and are even like this? Call me old-fashioned, but I am questioning your words.” the Wished told, sounding quite serious among many things.

36 frowned, looking away to the ceiling for a bit in contemplation. “Perhaps it's not up for me to no longer decide this thing. For me… it's not, but that boy won't fall behind.”

“For you? Are you trying to gamble with his one chance? Rewards of all brackets are one single-time thing, allowing no restarts or taking things back. If it wouldn't be like that, students would always wait until they are better, thus breaching more rewards. Waiting isn't necessarily better than forcing this earlier, but you should know it by now. Trials are done this way in this ship, whether you like it or hate it.”

36 sighed, not really inhaling or exhaling anything as a ghost. “You are right. It's not up to me, but these informations from you are.”

“Then ask away, I am all ears, even though I have none.” the Wisher told, sounding like a jokester.

“Library of The Ones you mentioned piqued my interest. Did they leave something specific for the Examinations as well, or are there more variables in the making of this… mess?”

“That… I don't know. All teachers and students never talked about them. Probably some seal is in place, or something else to prevent anything from leaking out to the reality. The Ones have a lot of secrets, and amount of treasures they have are well-kept secrets. After all, they stole some interesting things, or bargained, and forced others.”

“Sounds like a common thing, fine. They are simply silencing the soul to not leak anything in death or life.” 36 added. He would do the same if he would be in that sort of position.

“Precisely. I damn hope you are not making one massive mistake with this, 36. I will curse your soul from this place to The Underworld if you will butcher this one change for myself!” Wisher talked with a stressed voice, annunciating the last sentence with quite a force. Even his face seemed nervous and upset at the same time, making the flowing matter cringe and clatter as if it held some emotions.

“I will try… Try…” 36 whispered, thinking of nothing much in particular.

“Try what you can. I am leaving… I have no more time to look at your bad decisions. Just remember that your student needs to try his best. I will see it for myself.”

The Wisher decided to leave since the matter of 36 was over for him. He seemed to be somewhere else in the mind already, and wisher couldn't be less bothered with talking to such a person.

Dark matter made his body let go of the humanoid form, leaving limbs to disappear to the ceiling before the face was only left. Wisher remained watching in the last moment, as 36 turned his face serious as if he decided on something.

“He is blind. This boy of mine…” He told with a quivering voice.

“Are you fucking wit…” Wisher's voice was cut off as he disappeared to the ceiling. It wasn't something he could stop since the matter had no shape for himself.

“… fucking with you?” 36 helplessly continued with the sentence, shaking his head. “I damn wished I would, instead of this disaster.” The amount of bad news was quite adamant from this exchange. Though, there was a good thing of having a better picture over this Trial. New about rewards, content, and requirements to pick them up. Everything seemed clear to 36, but it made him more depressed than glad.

“Vision… How to get his eyes for him to pick and choose? I fear that the choice will happen in a situation where he will be helpless or utterly fucked. Time… It may be the right time since it's never too early, but it can always be too late because of this danger upon myself.” 36 felt the desperate situation creeping up in his mind. Some things couldn't be forced, and this was one of them. Of course, not considering the Trial, since he genuinely believed that Allan needed this no matter what.

However, considering the things he learned in this exchange, he was as angry as helpless. The good news went along with the bad ones making him think of some chance somewhere else. A chance, opportunity to see? None. There was none.

“No… Allan would need at least half a year within the blood forging to get some sense of vision back. Perhaps the Sparkling could have some other effects for that, other than the ones that I've found out? I have no idea… This bloody world! FUCK!” 36 shouted, cursing as he glanced at the ceiling. His summoning was nearing, and there was nothing he could do to make this trial easier.

Winging it would be a possibility what he initially hoped for him, but at this point, it was the worst idea ever. Allan was a mortal boy with some abilities, but what use could they have when Immortal Trial was included? The Wisher talked exactly that. A ferocious, and hard thing that Immortal cultivators do to make generations and the future prosperous. They form a token of rewards, hard work, and opportunity to go beyond the heavens.

It was that simple. Always.

“Trial… I can at least be hopeful no harm will be done to students within them. Wisher said it as well. No harm, but possible gains? Huh? That seems, rather strange… or was he letting some of the information out? He didn't include the content of the Trial itself? It won't be a fight since no harm is included. That is for sure. The problems could come from some other factors but as for them, I don't have the power nor knowledge to make Allan ready for them.” 36 withdrew his agony, floating back to his table where he sat down. ”There is also that problem with that woman and future occurrences such as that. The possibility of someone else who will pose another danger is quite high. They will go for me, but would they involve Allan as well? Could be… true, but I don't dare to try it though.”

While 36 was engrossed in the depressing existence of bad news, this was nothing important for the ignorant pair of Allan and Sarey. They stood against each other, facing and clutching their weapons in the backyard.

As for Allan's guesses, Zigmund refused to do the spars in his current condition, so Sarey went with it instead. It was a desperate thing, but Allan wasn't against it, fearing that Sarey would be angry at him. It has been a while since the last moment when the pair faced each other like this. Too long, even.

Both of them improved at things that they wanted, yet each held different experiences and skills since that time. Allan's improvement especially made Sarey quite shocked, as well as cautious. She doubted she could defeat him any longer, but a regular spar could provide answers for that.

Sarey took the initiative, taking a completely different approach since the last sparring she had done against him.

Changing direction left and right, she holds her twin swords rather lightly. Strikes flew left and right, scrapping against Allan's defensive posture of a forward vertical staff. Allan twisted it along with the wind, using his both hands at the handles to deflect each sword strike. It was expertly done, as Zigmund would tell, but he wasn't here. The only thing that was different, or the same to him, was Sarey's obvious unhappiness with her actions.

She was trying her best, after all. And was failing.

Clicking sounds penetrated the backyard, leaving the slowly receding sun quite nice. Sarey was trying her best to use the most strength to penetrate his defenses, but the staff was too firm to go against her blades. They had little mass, while Sarey wasn't that strong. Even when adding the benefit of the speed that is possible with the lighter twin short swords, they still didn't penetrate Allan's careful hands and ears.

There was not much success in normal senses, so Sarye turned to more desperate measures. A quick change and the flying kick left Allan fearful of the next moves. He remembered the same situation when she tried to do something similar to Zigmund.

Allan simply swung his torso away hearing the kick flying right past his head.

“Wow. What is this movement?” Sarey muttered as she took a step back, accepting her failure. “You almost bend for 90 degrees!”

“No way. More like 60 since I used my legs as well.” Allan defended himself.

“Use your legs against this then!” Sarey moved forward, swiping the ground with her feet to make Allan fall.

“Eh?” She mumbled as her ambush attack halted.

“Why so fast?” Allan asked, placing one of the tips of his staff on the ground, stopping her feet to touch his ankle.

“You! That is cheating!” She mumbled angrily, forcing herself up, and continued with a barrage of flickering sword strikes.

This was quite a different way of spars that Allan was not used to. He could hold her own against her in almost all circumstances, unlike the situation with Zigund who was like an ever-changing river. Apart from the hand-to-hand combat, he felt confident. Those were tough for the current him, even though 36 said that he should practice them more than a weapon art. It was funny since he also talked of impartance in Martial Arts. Those can include weapons or fists. It made Allan a bit confused, so he simply waited it out, using what he liked instead.