Soul of the Warrior

Reivyn was particularly pleased with himself. He knew that he had come up with something special and was in a good mood over it all week. Kefira knew all about his plans and she couldn’t help but giggle to herself whenever she thought about it as well, and Kayzor was happy with the entire arrangement as well. The mercenary captains noticed the lift in Reivyn’s mood, and know what was coming, they were actually sweating and bearing down double on their assignments. They had all witnessed the crazy lengths he and Refix routinely went to train, and they could only imagine what he had in store for them.

He had promised to give his captains a bit of a surprise during their evaluations, and he had done so in spades.

The real issue here was that Reivyn wasn’t coming up with a training plan for them. He had left that to his officers. He noted that his own buoyed mood had an effect on the officers, though, and he made a mental note to make use of it in the future. The training plans devised by the captains hadn’t even been submitted, yet, and he could already see a marked improvement in the way the companies conducted their exercises.

Reivyn wasn’t giddy with a training plan that he had come up with, and it wasn’t even the surprises in the field he had come up with that put him in a good mood. That was a part of it, for sure, but he was really pleased with something else.

Reivyn had teamed up with Kayzor and used Kefira’s connections in the Magic Academy to create the scenario. Reivyn and Kayzor had gone over the maps of the Wispan Region and selected a location with varied terrain over a week’s March away from the capital.

The Magic Academy students, and some of the instructors, would arrive at the location ahead of time and use their magic to slightly alter some of the terrain and environments to simulate different biomes. The captains were going to have to deal with scorching deserts, lush jungles, steep cliffs, and freezing tundras all in the same week.

That wasn’t even the end of it. That was just the basics of the assignment he had given the captains.

Another surprise he had in store for his captains was that they weren’t going to be the only military units out there. Kayzor had selected four companies from the regular Imperial Army to participate as well, and they were going to March into the combat zone from different directions and times.

Reivyn’s mercenary captains were going to be surprised to find considerably more hostile troops stomping around the combat zone than they expected.

None of the captains among the mercenaries or Imperial Army companies were aligned with each other. It was going to be one massive free-for-all, but that didn’t exclude diplomatic means. Reivyn wasn’t going to mention it, but he was interested to see if anyone extended any kind of overtures for temporary alliances or cease fires in order to tackle certain threats or accomplish certain goals.

And again that wasn’t even the end of it. There was one final piece of the puzzle that put everything together to make Reivyn really happy with the entire situation.

Reivyn and Kayzor, despite being in charge of the entire thing, weren’t going to do any of the evaluations. They weren’t going to oversee the mock campaign in any way.

The captains themselves were going to grade each other.

Other than coming up with the overall plan, Reivyn had created a system that was almost completely autonomous from the overall commanders. Having such a system in place would also allow for the mercenaries to conduct their training exercises when he and other higher-ranked officers weren’t present. It was replicable on all levels.

Reivyn had quickly come up with the scenario for his captains to deal with. It hadn’t taken nearly the entire week to devise it. He had spent much of his time coming up with additional scenarios for the future, another way to make the exercise more autonomous. If they already had dozens of scenarios ready for the captains to tackle, there would be no need for micromanagement from Reivyn or other higher-ranked officers. He also intended for his captains to adapt the exercise for their lieutenants and the lieutenants to do the same for the squad leaders.

Maybe I’ll even suggest a similar exercise to the commanding general of the entire Imperial Army that the other battalion commanders and I could participate in, Reivyn thought. That would be a sight to see. We would definitely need to hire additional Mages to assist with the Magic Academy students for such a large mobilization.

Other than coming up with the system for training for the mercenaries, Reivyn continued his own individual training every day. His Skills’ improvement had slowed down considerably from static training, but one couldn’t expect to always be in life or death situations to spur the growth of Skills.

Reivyn understood that his Skill growth from regular training itself had been an anomaly. He hadn’t heard of anyone else being able to increase their Skills to the same Levels he had been able to in the same amount of time. He tried not to let the slower Level gains get to him, but it was difficult. He was used to his gains coming relatively quickly and routinely. Just because it was normal for everyone else to spend decades to get to where he was with many of his Skills didn’t mean it was easy to accept the slower pace after spending his entire life with fast gains.

It wasn’t a problem he would be able to solve. It was a reality of life that existed for everyone, but he had been lucky to have a much higher ceiling for his Skills before seeing a noticeable dip in improvement rate. Reivyn understood that he would need to use his Skills in real-life situations to see rapid advancement again, but that was no reason to slack off. The routine of physical exercise and training also kept him grounded and relaxed overall.

It might seem counterintuitive that harsh physical exercise was relaxing, but the physical exhaustion helped in more ways than one. The most significant help Reivyn realized over time came with alleviating the symptoms from infusing his body with the various Affinities. After an evening session, Reivyn’s body always felt drained and full at the same time. It was like his cells were devoid of energy, yet they were simultaneously about to burst.

They physical exercise eliminated the phantom tiredness in his cells. He wasn’t actually physically tired, but his body felt that way, anyway. It was a chore to get going in the morning, but he was used to training while already tired, so it just took a slight mental effort. Once he got his body going, though, the sensation quickly disappeared.

The next aspect, feeling ready to burst, slowly faded away during the physical exercises. It was like his body was taking the fullness and using it as fuel, though he knew that wasn’t an accurate description of what was actually happening. It was all in his mind, but the sensations were very real regardless.

At the end of his training sessions, it meant his body was actually exhausted and the feelings of fullness accumulated the previous evening were gone. His body was able to rest and recover to peak condition, and all of his discomfort was just a memory.

The repeated cycle of straining and refreshing his body while continuing to participate in a routine exercise helped keep his mind calm and clear.

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There was just one thing that continued to be a source of strain on his mind, though. Kefira’s symptoms weren’t going away. She looked tired all the time on the outside despite protests of feeling completely fine.

“How about you take the decorations Kailey and Riley made for my bed?” Reivyn asked after cleaning up one morning. “They’re specifically designed to facilitate more rest, and I don’t need it.”

“If it’ll make you happy,” Kefira shrugged.

“Really? That easy?” Reivyn quirked an eyebrow.

“Sure. Even though I feel fine, I can tell this has been bothering you. Why would I dismiss your concerns and suggestions out of hand? Plus, there’s no downside to it, and I don’t have to even take any time out of my day to make it happen. I’ll just order some of the staff to retrieve it and install it in my room.”

“Well, thank you for indulging me. I was all ready to convince you, but now I don’t know what to do, haha.”

“Anything to help,” Kefira said. She suddenly yawned and covered her mouth. Reivyn gave her a sideways glance and she rolled her eyes. “That was just a coincidence! It’s still early morning. The sun’s only been up for half an hour!”

“Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that,” Reivyn chuckled.

The symptoms worried Reivyn a bit, but so far it hadn’t been anything serious that he could tell. They weren’t getting worse, they were just noticeable to him. Nobody else seemed to notice, and Kefira kept insisting she felt fine, so Reivyn was content to simply keep an eye on the situation for now.

Reivyn bid farewell to Kefira and made his way back to his parents’ house to clean up.

—

Reivyn stood at the podium surveying the battalion lined up before him. He used his eyes and Divine Sense to take them all in, giving a satisfied nod. He waved his hand above his head.

“Captains, come up here,” He called out.

The captains left their positions in front of their companies and made their way to Reivyn. He had a stack of papers sitting on the podium, and he picked them up and started handing them to the captains after they arrived.

“You all already have the mission information,” Reivyn said as he handed out the papers. “These are evaluation papers for your fellow officers. I won’t be grading you on this mock campaign. Instead, you’ll all grade each other.

“Any questions?”

Jekle raised his head after glancing through the paperwork.

“There seems to be too many sheets, sir,” he said.

Reivyn just smiled at the implication.

“Don’t worry, you have enough,” he simply replied. “I’ll be taking the aggregate of the scores you give to each other, but I’ll also evaluate how you score each other. Skimping or being dishonest on your evaluation of your fellow officers will be a demerit to your own evaluation, so do it properly.”

“Yes, sir,” they all answered in unison.

Reivyn wasn’t worried that they would do something like that to each other. Not only were they all honorable men who could be trusted, but they were all friends with each other as well. They wouldn’t sabotage each other over something so small. It was a big deal to get an independent command, but it wasn’t the end all be all. There would be other opportunities, and in the grand scheme of things, their stint serving with the mercenaries was only a footnote in their lives. Being able to accurately evaluate and report situations was an important task for an officer, though, so it would be remiss for Reivyn not to mention it.

“I look forward to seeing and hearing the reports of the exercise,” Reivyn said. “The entire point of this is to select who will be going on an independent deployment, so this is a big first step in that direction.

“You have your orders, gentlemen. See to it.”

The captains rendered their salutes which Reivyn returned. They returned to their positions in the formation, and with a nod from Reivyn, the captains took charge in moving their men out. Reivyn stood at the podium and watched the entire procession until all of the mercenaries were no longer inside the parade grounds.

—

Reivyn tidied up his office and completed the few last tasks requiring his attention before returning to the Imperial Palace. He spent the afternoon with his parents in their house. Kailey and Riley were out practicing their crafts. They were getting an expensive education in various crafting Classes in tandem with their art with the sponsorship of Kefira.

After several hours together once the twins returned, the family got dressed in more presentable clothes and made their way to the main Imperial Palace. They were met with Kefira and Serilla outside. Reivyn smiled and offered his elbow for Kefira to hook her arm through.

The family made their way to the dining room of the Imperial Family and joined Kefira’s family for dinner. They held dinner between the two families at least twice a week with Reivyn attending alongside Kefira an additional night. Kefira, likewise, joined Reivyn with his family one of the evenings of the week. The other days were a mixture of the two spending alone time with their families and each other.

The family dinner was filled with conversation and laughter. Kailey and Riley were very popular with Kefira’s siblings, and they weren’t shy to take the spotlight.

“All the preparations have been made, and the invitations have been sent,” Silfa addressed Reivyn and Kefira eventually. “Ameliyn and I have sent many invitations out, some of which will take months just to arrive at their destination. We expect the final replies to arrive in half a year at the earliest. Accounting for three to four months for the guests to properly prepare for their departure and then their subsequent journeys, we’ve determined to hold the wedding in a year and half from now.”

Reivyn and Kefira paused in their eating to glance at each other with smiles.

“Finally,” Kefira said. Reivyn snorted in amusement.

“Hush, you,” Silfa playfully reprimanded. “We know you’re anxious to finally be wed to your love, but this isn’t just about the two of you. If you had been anyone else in the world, you could have ignored everything else for your own schedule, but seeing as how you’re both scions of Imperial Families, even one that’s no longer the current rulers of their empire, there are just too many other considerations.”

Yes, mother,” Kefira rolled her eyes. “You’ve told us this many times before.”

“Well, far be it for me to seek a little appreciation,” Silfa said with her own eye roll.

“You know I love you, mother,” Kefira beamed. “And we do appreciate all the work you and Ameliyn put into this for us. Don’t ever think we’re ungrateful.”

“I know, child. It’s just nice to hear every now and then.”

Kefira got up from her seat and walked around the dining table to stand behind her mother. She bent forward and wrapped her mother in a hug. Silfa leaned her head back into her daughter’s embrace and lifted one hand to hold against Kefira’s arm.

“I’ll be sure to tell you more often in the future.” She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before straightening.

She stifled a yawn as she turned and made her way back around the table. Reivyn was already leaping to his feet before he even consciously realized anything was wrong. Kefira tripped and stumbled, bumping into the table, surprising everyone sitting at the table. She placed a hand on the table to steady herself, shaking her head to clear it.

A loud crack sounded out, and a pressure bore down on everyone in the room. Kefira’s body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, bringing the tablecloth with her where she had been pressing down on it. All the plates and cutlery followed in a cacophonous crash.

Reivyn had already traversed the distance while his body reacted before conscious thought caught up with his body. He managed to catch her unconscious body and prevented her from slamming into the floor or getting covered by the remnants of the dinner.

Reivyn’s Divine Sense quickly scanned her body. He still noticed the signs of fatigue, but there was a new addition to the worrying elements. He fished out her necklace, the one she had shown him was a block on her soul strength.

It had shattered.

The others around the table quickly noticed the object he held in his hand.

“Call the Grand Magus!” Gennet called, a hint of panic in his voice.

One of the Imperial Guards quickly rushed out of the room, but Reivyn was barely paying attention. He stood with Kefira’s limp form held in his arms.

“Here,” Silfa motioned to Reivyn, pointing toward a side door leading to a sitting area. “Place her on the couch in there.”

Reivyn nodded his head as he followed the orders. The other members of their families trailed behind him as he did so.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,” Gennet said after they had all moved to the sitting room. He had mastered himself and hadn’t let the panic that had attempted to creep in have any hold over himself. “There should be nothing to worry about. We’ll get the Grand Magus in here and he’ll prepare a replacement seal for her.”

The others calmed down at the measured tone of the Willowy Patriarch. Reivyn sat on the couch with Kefira’s head resting in his lap. The others found their own seats. Even though panic had been staved off, the tone was still somber. Refix stood behind his son and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

Reivyn appreciated the support as he sat and stroked Kefira’s hair.

I knew there was something going on, he thought. But why did the seal shatter? We’ll just have to wait for the Grand Magus to arrive.

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