Enatsu’s hands trembled slightly. After hearing his name come out of the mouth of his new Sensei, his breathing became irregular. Clenching his fists, he prepared to follow the orders.

“You can relax, Enatsu. You’re not going to face Rinji,” Takamori spoke, calming down his second recruit. “Not all tamers are good fighters. Get it through your head,” he added.

​​

Yoichi and Rinji remained silent to listen. Judging by his unsuspecting gaze, even the good giant seemed not to know what his master had in mind.

“That means… I don’t have to fight anyone?” Enatsu asked, catching his breath. For a moment, the merchant had feared that his opponent would be Takamori himself.

The guild master began to walk around his three warriors. Never stopping to touch his moustache, he explained, “Tentochu’s most famous guilds, deploy hundreds of tamers at the front. Warriors of all kinds fight on the front line, fighting enemies face-to-face. Behind them, in the closest area to the Emperor, battle phases are established by wizards.”

“By wizards?” the merchant exclaimed, surprised. His eyes were on Takamori, who walked round and round. Yoichi silently shared his companion’s amazement, marvelling that even an egghead like him had never heard of Tentochu’s ‘wizards’.

“The wizards are the emperor’s closest councillors. People with superior intellect and memory skills than others. Thanks to their advice and observations, the wizards help the leader of the faction choose when to attack and when to defend, when to advance and when to retreat” the guild leader continued.

“Does the Emperor’s Herald guild also have magicians?” Enatsu asked naively. A ray of hope illuminated his eyes, realizing that his Sensei was not the sadistic and callous little man who had looked like just before.

“Of course, Enatsu. It has many more wizards than all other guilds. Being the first reference guild of Emperor Nishiyama, it is also what all those like you aspire to,” Takamori confirmed. The guild master looked Enatsu in the eye, “your friend Yoichi is one of the most promising warriors I have known. However, he wouldn’t have come all this way if there wasn’t someone like you by his side.”

Unable to believe that the harsh master of the Nightblades had just complimented him, the merchant turned his gaze towards his companion. Right next to the bloody wounds on his cheekbones, Yoichi was smiling, implicitly confirming that claim.

“Is that true, Yoichi?” Takamori Sada spoke again.

“It’s the truth. Enatsu knows exactly what I think of him. I’ve told him several times. Believe me, Sada-sensei… this man has incredible potential,” Yoichi affirmed. In a hidden gesture of the hand, the young tamer made his friend realize that he needed to give his all to win Takamori’s trust.

“I… I don’t know what to say, Sensei. Before I met Yoichi, no one ever praised my intelligence and knowledge. I’ve studied a lot, that’s true, but… I’m not sure I’ll meet your expectations,” Enatsu admitted, looking down. “Tweet?” Sora chirped, touching its tamer’s cheek with the beak.

“I think you understand that our guild has no wizards. I’ve never actually looked for one, but it seems the first candidate has independently knocked on my door,” Takamori chuckled. The guild master crossed his hands behind his back, stopping in front of the subject of his sentence. “I won’t force you in any way. The arena door is open. But remember: once you get out, there’s no going back.”

Enatsu’s eyes continued to stare at the cold rectangular rocks of the tatami. When his gaze framed the gates that Ryutaro had opened, a strong feeling in his chest forced him to sink into his memories.

The young Silvertide Village citizen thought of his childhood, lived in the stories about his grandfather’s deeds. The great Yanatsu was his undisputed hero and one of the most loved by his compatriots. Fighting alongside Emperor Nishiyama, he had sacrificed his life for the good of his people.

His grandmother’s stories were the only legacy Enatsu had received from Yanatsu. In order to bring the memory of his late grandfather to life in her grandson’s mind, Enatsu’s grandmother told him that old stories when his father was away from home, travelling for work. They were tales of won and lost battles, intrigue and betrayal. Thanks to them, the then young Enatsu became interested in the Ancient Demons.

They were the obsession of his warlike grandfather, the only real reason why he had decided to give his life to the Emperor. Traveling with the Imperial Army to unknown territories, Yanatsu wanted to meet in person one of the Ancient Demons who so intrigued him, to savour their true power, at the cost of being the last thing he had seen.

Enatsu’s father, on the other hand, had immediately followed in the footsteps of his uncle, a spice merchant from southwest Tentochu. ‘Money is worth more than any battle’, he constantly repeated, discrediting anything that was not for profit.

Precisely on these principles, his father would have built his family. The savings, personal enrichment and repudiation of tamers. They were deemed to be ignoble brutes who chose violence to culture. Ignoring his son’s true dreams, he had forced him to hide his tamer attitudes, making him believe that the merchant was the only thing he was really good at.

As Enatsu’s gaze framed the arena door, on the veins of its wood, the merchant was able to see his grandmother’s face among the iron spikes. A sweet, old woman, whose white hair was gathered in a long braid, was smiling at him.

As far back as Enatsu could remember, his grandmother had been the only one who really believed in his tamer potential. Going against his father and mother, the late Yanatsu’s elderly wife knew that her only grandson was a smart, demon-passionate boy.

She was sure that, if her husband were still alive, Enatsu would abandon the idea of wasting his life on stupid commodity trades and follow in his footsteps, taking his place alongside the Emperor.