Much like the first stretch of his journey up the mountain, his progress after completing the Trial of the Body was rather uneventful. The only incidents to break his thoughts came in the form of a magical missile, launched with incredible accuracy from somewhere outside of his sense’s range. The first shot had been alarming, to say the least, but he had grown accustomed to them before long. By extending his mana screen to its outer limit of just under a hundred yards, he could sense the approach of any attacks, and deal with them accordingly. He blocked and parried most, though he occasionally used his unique trait to counter.

When he countered the spells, he found himself wondering where the attacks were returning to. He couldn’t see the location from which they originated because of the thick mask of trees, of course. But the attacks did not affect whoever was attacking him, as the rain of spells continued without cease, each appearing a minute or two after the previous one. It was a minor nuisance, as it made him keep his attention strained and focused, but he bore it willingly, even easily. He suspected that it was a precursor to the next trial he would face and pitied the unknown mage who was wasting his mana in such a frivolous pursuit.

It was just over four hours into this that the pattern of attacks began to change. First, they appeared more frequently. Then, once he was receiving an attack every thirty seconds or so, they began to become stronger as well. It was almost as if the hidden mage were panicking, he thought with a grim smile. Losing your composure in a magical duel was equivalent to admitting defeat. He knew that, if he kept pressing, and kept his wits about him, he would find his enemy before long and defeat him too. No matter which master was sent to fight him, he was confident that he could take them.

He even wondered idly if perhaps it was Oto who would be his challenger. The wise old monk had confessed to being a member of the Sanctuary, after all, and was a highly accomplished mage in his own right. But Samuel had spent a long while studying and understanding his magic and knew several effective ways to counter it. He need only deprive Oto of his ability to send out scouting vibrations, and he would be unable to defend himself. He had blinded himself to strengthen his sound magic, and so relied on sound to survive.

Another spell rained down on him from above, aiming, as the others had, for his head. He deflected it without a second’s thought or hesitation, and the bolt of mana flew off at a different angle down the mountainside. Then, without warning, it curved sharply and came at him again. Bemused, Samuel stopped it solidly with a barrier spell. It was only then that he noticed the odd quality that it possessed. When it came into contact with his barrier spell, it latched on and began feeding off his mana. He cursed loudly, and teleported a short distance down the path, just in time to see the barrier shatter and be completely absorbed.

Chaotic mana! He was in serious trouble now, he thought. There were only two known methods of dealing with chaotic mana. The first, which he did now as the projectile launched itself at him once more, was to use a blast of ki. The rigidly controlled physical energy shattered the chaotic mana, eliminating the bolt forever. The second method of dealing with the chaotic mana was much more efficient, but it required him to find and see the source with his own eyes. Just as he had that thought, another lump of chaotic mana came surging into range from far above him, and he blasted it away as well.

Cursing again, he funneled Ki into his legs to bolster them, then reinforced his arms with mana. The simple runes on his robes flared with light, providing a tempting target for the chaotic mana as it launched another attack. He dove under the most recent attack, nearly tripling his previous climbing pace, and rocketed along the path at top speed. He had to reach the core of the chaotic energy if he stood any chance of purging it. His breathing was calm and steady as he continued to avoid and destroy clumps of chaotic mana, and he was filled with confidence. He’d defeated a beast of chaotic mana once before and knew it could be done again.

Within two minutes, he sensed its presence with his mana screen. It latched on to the faint dregs of mana he was using to search for it, and Samuel immediately dropped the screen, giving it no chance to feed directly to him and make contact. It had still reached a considerable distance for him in one swift probing movement, covering perhaps half the distance between them. It launched another attack from that position, and he countered it at once, forcing it to retreat with a flash of pain as its spell slammed back into it. But Samuel knew the damage would be minimal.

He rushed forward as it gathered itself, pushing off the ground with a quick burst of air from his hands. As he soared over the path in a low arc, he gathered his ki to envelop his entire body, coating himself in bright white energy and spinning slightly like a small boulder. He slammed into the mass of chaotic energy with considerable force and burst his ki out in all directions. It was like dropping into water from a great height, sending bits of the chaotic beast’s mana flying away. Its core landed some three or four feet away, but before he could reach for it, it had pulled some of its body back to itself and swatted at him. He danced away, narrowly avoiding contact before firing two more blasts of raw ki at it to push it back.

Experienced as he was in using his mana and ki to fight, this was still only the second time that he’d faced chaotic mana. It moved in the same way but obviously had different tactics. Instead of lunging directly for him, it stretched as wide as it could, forming a dome in the air around him very quickly. He escaped only by quickly teleporting a few feet backward. Getting quite annoyed by now, he struck twice at it as it reformed into its shapeless mass, carving great chunks away from its body. He made sure to keep his ki on the outside of his body instead of mana, and as it brushed against him, it couldn’t siphon from him.

It let out a high-pitched ringing sound, the equivalent of a screech of rage, and fired more attacks at point-blank range. Samuel deflected them with a few swipes but was forced to back up, giving it more room to maneuver. It took advantage of the respite at once and finally assumed a form. Much like the chaotic mana he’d faced in Zaban, it copied his form perfectly, having gotten a taste of his mana from earlier. In an instant, Samuel found himself face to face with a clone, though the eyes were shining white instead of violet.

Samuel had expected this to happen and was ready with a counter. He summoned the crystalline blade and unsheathed it with one powerful flick. The runes along the blade flared to life with mana, the promise of a treat that the beast couldn’t refuse. As Samuel swiped with the crystalline blade, it slipped through the clone without causing damage, but much of its form instinctively reached out to siphon more of his mana. It was a being driven by only hunger, and as such couldn’t recognize the risk of that action. Samuel used another blast of Ki, and the clone was dispersed back into countless little dregs of chaos.

The ringing sound came again, louder and more intense than ever as it built itself into a killing rage. All the mass it possessed was collapsing in on itself, glowing with a dangerous white light and twitching slightly. Samuel stood patiently, knowing what was coming, and making no move to avoid it. It would continue to gather itself, building up power for one desperate, final attack to devour its prey. He watched it closely, waiting for it to reach the critical point. Now!

“Laban!” He shouted fiercely, one hand held out, emitting a quiet, almost invisible shockwave.

Just as it had begun to release its body in an explosion of light, Samuel’s counter hit it, and the force of its attack was reflected back at itself, with just as much intensity. In a roar of sound that drowned out even its explosion, its body was torn to shreds, and the various parts evaporated, leaving just its core behind. Now the ringing noise had a sense of panic and fear to it, he noticed. Before it could vanish from sight, he lunged forward and snatched it up, his hand coated in a protective layer of ki. He brought it up close to his face, registering that, instead of a human, its core comprised of a dull blue gem. Obviously artificially created.

With a quick burst of key, the gem was fractured into powder, and the beast was no more. He relaxed his grip then, tossing the fine powder to the side and dusting his hand off on his robe. He summoned the sheath of his sword back to him with a quick flick of his finger, then banished the weapon. Well then, he thought to himself. That had been unexpected. He assumed, certain that he was correct, that this fight had been part of the second trial. Raveonic must know a great deal about him to summon that exact type of challenge. Did Grimr tell him everything? Or maybe Shigeru, through communion. He discarded the thought with a quick shrug. He’d learn the answer in good time.

He set out along the path once more, reinforcing his legs with ki once more to increase his speed. He was keen to be over with this trial as soon as possible.

He faced no more attacks, no more challenges, not even a moment of uncertainty caused by odd sightings as he scaled the mountain. Still, he kept his guard up and the screen extended as he ran, taking careful note of every living creature that came in contact with it. They were all the usual wild animals, little beings who had a minuscule amount of ki to their name. His presence, strong as it was, scared each animal away, even the larger predators, who weren’t willing to interact with a dangerous stranger. He was the strongest creature in the area, and they all knew it.

That remained true until he was nearly at the peak when he registered the presence of someone familiar. It took him a moment to recognize the person as they’d spent so little time together, but it was unmistakable Reito. Samuel quickly came to the end of the path, reaching a large, flat area. Reito was standing a mere ten feet in front of him, placed distinctly between Samuel and an archway. There was something behind the arch, he could sense, but his eyes could only make out an overgrown forest that covered the entirety of the rather flat peak. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Reito was guarding the entrance to the Sanctuary, which lie through the archway.

“Welcome to the Sanctuary,” Reito said. “It is our honor to receive you as an esteemed guest, Samuel Bragg.”

“Good evening,” Samuel said warily, studying the lines of Reito’s body. His stance was not a hostile or aggressive one, but he fairly radiated power. “Are you the one who I will be fighting in the Trial of the Mind?”

“Mind?” Reito asked, looking moderately perplexed. Then his face cleared. “Oh, no. You have already passed that trial, my friend. You now stand before the Trial of the Soul.”

Samuel glanced back along the path, frowning deeply. “The chaotic beast was my trial? But surely you knew that I would be able to account for it. It didn’t take me long to defeat it.”

“But of course,” Reito said with a small smile. “My master knew you would handle the Enari easily. It was not nearly enough to defeat you.”

“Enari,” Samuel said slowly. “I’ve not heard this word. “What are they?”

“Spirits of chaotic mana,” Reito explained. “My master discovered them during his brief time in the Ethereal Plane. One of them followed him outside, and he was forced to kill it.”

“But the only way to kill it is with my unique trait,” Samuel said. “How could he have managed that without my counter?”

“He trapped its soul inside a gem,” Reito said. “The very gem which you destroyed not long ago, I gather.”

“Okay then,” Samuel said. “The last ‘Enari’ I encountered was a young boy. He was definitely from Ahya, and not the Ethereal Plane.”

“My master knows of this Enari,” Reito explained. “He says that the boy was close to fully growing into his true form when you killed him.”

Samuel flinched violently at the words, a stab of grief running through his body. “He left me no choice. I had to save him from his suffering.”

“Indeed. My master recognizes this, and so had sent the other Enari to you. We are grateful that you have put it to rest.”

The pain was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced by anger. Samuel took several steps forward. “You do not have the right to toy with people’s lives.”

Reito stared evenly at him, making no comment. After what felt like ten minutes, Samuel was forced to speak again. “What is the Trial of the Soul? I’ll discuss this with Raveonic when I meet him.”

Reito blinked slowly, apparently considering his reply. “Very well. Your trial is simple. To enter the Sanctuary, you must enter the arch behind me.”

“That’s it?” Samuel asked, shocked. “I just have to walk through?”

“Yes,” Reito said. “There is a purpose to these trials, as I have stated. It is important to know your strengths. And your weaknesses.”

“Alright,” Samuel said abruptly, in no mood for riddles or games. “See you later, then.”

He walked briskly up to Reito, watching the man closely. He was certain to intervene in some way. But the closer Samuel got, the greater his chances of reacting in time to stop any magical attack. He was reasonably certain he could even manage a physical duel, as long as his only objective was to get through the arch. When he and Reitowere nearly chest to chest, he darted to the side and propelled himself forward with a burst of air. As if in slow motion, he turned his head to watch Reito, who hadn’t moved a single muscle to stop him. That was odd, he thought.

Something caught him in the stomach and stopped him in his tracks, knocking the wind out of him. Then another invisible force struck him around the face and sent him sliding back. He was charging forward again before he’d even come to a full stop, his eyes narrowed tightly to catch any sign of activating mana. There was nothing. Perhaps he was reacting too quickly for any trap spells to activate again. But then something hit his legs, knocking them clean out from under him, while another hidden object shoved him away. He flew for nearly a dozen feet before landing face-first on the ground and rolling a few more inches.

He let out a groan of pain. The four impacts he’d sustained felt like iron-clad punches. If they’d been physical, he was certain that he would have nasty bruises to contend with. He got back to his feet hurriedly, arms raised to ward off possibly physical blows, but none came. Yet again he glanced at Reito, frowning as he realized the monk was still in his original position. He hadn’t moved once since Samuel had begun his attempt, but was merely watching him with a calm expression.

“What are you doing?” Samuel asked him angrily. “How are you doing it? I can’t sense any movement from you.”

Reito made no reply, not even a raised eyebrow. Surprising himself, Samuel felt another flare of anger. He lunged at Reito, his fists coated in Ki, and attempted to strike him. Yet another invisible attack struck the side of his head, knocking him flat to the ground. He was back on his feet in an instant, swinging his fists for the older man before him. Yet again, something met him before he could, and rebuffed him. He slid to a stop, nearly in the same position, glaring incredulously at Reito.

“You’re strong,” Samuel said begrudgingly. “Stronger than me. Well, that’s not a surprise, given who your family is.”

“I am not,” Reito said, speaking for the first time in a few minutes. “You possess considerably more power than I, Samuel. But you cannot fight that which you cannot see.”

“I cannot touch you, nor can I pass you,” Samuel retorted. “How does this not make you stronger than me?”

“You cannot fight that which you cannot see,” Reito said again. “There is an element here at play that you cannot identify. Until you do, you cannot succeed, even with the greatest of luck.”

“What happens if I can’t get past you?”

Reito finally showed a little expression, his mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. “I suppose that, if you fail, you will have to leave. But I have nothing to do, so you may continue as long as you like. My master has only instructed me to assign this trial, and to remain by the entrance. If you cannot pass me, you cannot enter the Sanctuary.”