Chương 101: Headache

Evel lay flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling above him. He'd gotten to bed pretty late and wasn't able to sleep, nor did he want to do anything else. So he just lay there. Even now, he wasn't sure if he really slept or stayed awake through the night. He probably slept. Pushing himself off his bed, he staggered to his feet. He stumbled to the bathroom, doused his face with cold water, and stared at himself in the mirror for a while, tracing the scar along his cheek with his finger. I could have taken a Z-Pill…

He took a long breath and splashed the cold water again. His entire body and mind felt heavy, but at least he felt more awake. He changed into the suit and hit the road. The temperature had gotten cooler again, and heavy wind whistled through the streets. He'd taken this path so many times that it took him no time to arrive at Albert's. His teacher wasn't outside tending to his garden, nor did he see him through the windows enjoying his morning tree. After some knocking and waiting, a low grumble came from inside.

The door creaked open, and Albert, with ruffled bed hair, groggily stared at him.

"You're not taking the day off?"

"Was I meant to?"

"Did you check up on the circus folk?"

"I'll go after we train," Evel replied.

"As you said, my checking doesn't actually make a difference."

"Take the day off." He grumbled.

"You've done a lot and need to give your mind some time to recover." Evel shook his head. Blake wasn't even his first kill. He'd killed the spearman and assisted in killing Allen and his friend and still managed to push forward. There was no reason he couldn't push forward now.

"All I did was defend myself against two aggressive enemies. There's no need to make a fuss; I can continue without issues." Albert gave him a long look before widening the door with a shrug.

"Breakfast isn't made, but—""I'll make it," Evel interrupted and walked straight to the kitchen. Instead of wasting time making the full breakfast Albert always made, he heated up some pre-cooked sausages and ate the bread while he waited for them to heat up. When he ate them, they weren't sizzling as they usually were, but it was a quick meal, and they gave him all the nutrients he needed without making him sick. Having finished his breakfast quickly, he left for the basement. Two hours later, Albert arrived.

"So I take it you're not quitting?"

"No."

"Hm, it's probably the right choice for ya. You don't get much freedom as a Core. You can always quit later down the line once you've made bigger acc—""Can we begin?" Albert narrowed his eyes.

"Hm, fine." Where Evel would try to pace himself for the full two hours, he instantly went all out, leaping forward and engaging his teacher. Albert staggered back, initially struggling to keep up with Evel in his self-imposed restriction before he quickly found his footing.

"I'll increase my speed again." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Evel immediately got pushed back. Albert still was moving at a slower pace than Evel, winning on pure skill and technique alone. Gritting his teeth, Evel increased the pressure. Albert didn't seem to care.

"You're full of openings." Kicked in his gut, Evel flew back, and his back slammed into the stone floor. Steadying his breathing, he pushed himself up again. He needed to fight harder, but he couldn't compromise his technique searching for speed. But he needed to increase his speed and strength eventually. He pushed forward again, matching the same intensity as before, but Albert effortlessly avoided his attacks. Even with pushing forward at his absolute limit, Albert was still able to defend against him with ease.

Evel just wasn't strong enough. He just hadn't improved enough! He kept his attacks relentless, but no matter how much effort he put in and how exhausted his body got, Albert didn't break a sweat. A while later, his teacher stopped.

"Don't you want to try out your new weapons?"

"No, not today." Albert, as a training partner, was a huge boon to his learning. So he needed to make the best use of the time he could. If he just spent the next hour getting familiar with his new cards and their effects, it would be a waste. First, he'd get familiarized with them by himself. Then once that initial process was done, he'd go to Albert and join him in training. Albert shrugged and continued attacking him. The training came to a close, and the two ascended from the basement again.

"I'll go make lunch," Albert grumbled.

"No." He shook his head.

"Not today."

"You're not gonna eat?" Evel took a deep breath, and he felt his body tense up.

"Let's just skip to the sunken vials. I'll eat out somewhere later today."

"Wait an extra day." Albert shook his head.

"You're in no state to be using something so insidious right now."

"Is that a command from my trainer?"

"No," he paused.

"It's a suggestion."

"Then I'll use it." Albert stared at him for a while. A long, pitiful gaze. Albert was just his trainer, but he acted like something more. But what did he know? He was probably implicit with all the corrupt activities of all the Banners, like when they killed Rick. Evel took a sharp breath. So far, Albert had shown nothing but benevolence, so Evel tried treating him with as much respect as possible. Albert had helped him so much. There was no reason to have such petty suspicions.

"I'd like the vial." After a few more seconds of Albert's judgmental gaze, he left the room to grab the vial. Albert probably wasn't corrupt. The issue was that he just didn't understand Evel's circumstances. He introduced himself to the Mayor as 'Albert of Topaz,' meaning he'd had strong family backing since he was young. He was also considered a great talent, so he likely had a high affinity. Albert just didn't understand the lengths Evel had to go to to keep up. Evel took a deep breath and massaged his temples.

His head felt heavier than normal. Chalking it up to lack of sleep, Evel focused on his breathing instead. Albert walked through the door, vial in hand, and tossed it through the air. Evel summoned Eth, and in one motion, he both caught and drank the vial. Rather than suffer through the anticipation, it was easier to just go for it. He slouched down on the carpet and closed his eyes. A headache began forming, separate from the dull weight earlier. His body grew heavy, and his breathing jagged.

Immediately, he regretted the decision. Taking sunken vials only sped up his training. Even without them, he'd be able to continue pushing through the ranks, so why did he have to feel the pain now? He'd be fine as long as he kept training and bettering himself; these shortcuts were wholly unnecessary! The pain intensified. He'd never take them again. Why did he put himself through such unnecessary agony? Once the pain disappeared, he'd be done with them for good. This was the last time.

Albert watched him squirm on the ground, his expression unreadable. After his energy dissipated, Evel pushed himself off the ground and wobbled to his feet. Turning to Albert. He bowed lightly.

"Thank you." His teacher nodded. Evel staggered out the door, only catching his stride after he'd left the house. He took a sharp breath and recollected his mind. It always took a few minutes, and his body was just exhausted by the training, so it wasn't anything unexpected. He focused on the path ahead of him as he made his way to the central bridge. It didn't take long before his strides had mostly returned to normal.

Usually, he'd cross the bridge without exchanging any words, but for the first time in over a month, one of the guards actually spoke up.

"W-wait." If he recalled correctly, his name was Brad.

"What?" He replied coldly. The headache still hadn't dissipated, and he was extremely busy. He didn't have time to waste if they were to complain about him travelling between the sections. Brad shrank back.

"W-we watched your performance."

"And?"

"It was really great! W-we wanted to talk to you last week, but we couldn't build up the courage."

"Is that all?" Brad shared a look with the other guard.

"Yes." With a curt nod, he continued towards the slums. He'd feared it would be a bigger waste of time, so he was grateful the guards had nothing important to say. His stomach grumbled. Next, he needed to grab a quick bite to eat, then finally get to the circus. He'd wanted to check in earlier, but yesterday had been their day off, and he needed to do his training in the morning. Everyone was probably okay, but just in case the Mayor had done something, he mentally prepared for the worst.