Chapter 61: Rain and Pain
Aziel peacefully slept for 2 hours, his face relaxed in slumber among the withered roses. Arthur tried waking him up after the 2 hours like they originally decided upon, gently nudging his shoulder. To his surprise, he was swatted away while an asleep Aziel mumbled incoherently, words tumbling out in a dream-induced haze.
"No- come back- what’s your number," Aziel muttered, turning away from Arthur’s attempts to rouse him.
Arthur scowled at Aziel’s sleeping figure, irritation creeping across his features as he watched him continue to rest well beyond their agreed time. ’This guy is unbelievable,’ he thought, crossing his arms as he resigned himself to an extended watch.
Finally, after about three hours—a full hour longer than planned—Aziel awoke from his beauty sleep, stretching languidly as if he’d kept perfectly to schedule. He blinked away the remnants of sleep, seemingly unaware of Arthur’s annoyance.
Soon after Aziel’s overextended rest, they were on their way again, trudging through the endless field. Arthur had already completed his training for the day while Aziel was asleep—another 1000 downward strikes that left his arms aching but stronger than before. The repetitive motion had become almost meditative, each strike more precise than the last.
"You’re coming along nicely," Aziel had commented after observing Arthur’s final strikes. "Tomorrow we’ll spar once again."
Hearing this made Arthur nervous, memories of their previous sparring session—which was less like training and more like a one-sided beating—still fresh in his mind. But he didn’t say anything, realizing he would have to deal with getting beat up here and there if he ever wanted strength. The path to power wasn’t meant to be comfortable, after all.
They walked all day through the heat of the sun, the dead roses crunching beneath their boots. The monotonous landscape seemed endless, with nothing but withered stems and faded petals stretching to the horizon in every direction. But as the hours passed, Arthur noticed something changing in the distant sky.
"Are those rain clouds?" he asked, squinting against the sunlight. Far in the distance, the sky was blocked out by dark grey clouds that seemed to be slowly advancing toward them.