Reinahrd sighed deeply and moved to sit in the wooden chair at the desk, leaning back as he stared up at the ceiling. His mind began drifting back to arriving at the academy which was built on a mountain surrounded by other peaks.
His mind began displaying images of everything that had transpired like scenes from someone else's life. The courtyard ceremony where Rosaria asked if anyone wished to leave and then getting stabbed by the statue.
The trial that had him climbing up a massive tree and moving through snow while dealing with various Beasts. The stunning sight of the Frost Giants, the terrible Yeti and the terrifying dragon that loomed over him.
Then finally the relief and excitement he felt when he reached the top. Before pulling Odin's sword from the ground while the world around began collapsing as if it was the end of the world.
After several minutes of reflection, he straightened in the chair and reached for the paper and ink on the desk. He sighed at how good the pen felt, it surprised him this was stuff for students but then realized this University is the best on the continent.
So, supplying the best materials for their students isn't a surprise and even tuition cost wasn't a thing. The real cost is surviving and working for either the academy or Empire after graduation which wasn't so bad.
Reinhard began writing two separate letters, he carefully wrote it to tell his siblings what has happened since he left. While also making sure to hide the terrifying things that would make them needlessly worried.
Dear Klein and Anna,
I have safely reached Memento Mori Academy and completed the entrance ceremony. The trial went well, and I was able to gain a pretty good Beast Spirit. The academy itself is pretty good, everything that we heard about in terms of design and benefits. I will see if all of the stories hold true when I start classes and meet with the other students.
Please continue following the living plan we discussed before I left. Klein, always listen to what Anna tells you, especially regarding your health and the medicines. Both of you should not trust any new people who show up in town, also remember to be polite but keep your distance until I return.
I hope to visit during the winter break, though I'm not certain of the exact dates yet.
Take care of each other and no matter what, we will make it through everything together.
Your brother,Reinhard
Reinahrd sealed both letters carefully, then muttered to himself, "I should have asked when the holidays were."
The gold he had left behind should sustain them for an entire year, and he planned to earn additional money here at the academy to bring back during his visit.
Glancing at the clock mounted on the wall, he saw it was approaching midnight. The day's exhaustion finally caught up with him as he stood and retrieved sleeping clothes from his travel bag. After changing, he settled into the bed, finding the mattress way softer than what he was accustomed to.
Sleep came quickly despite his racing thoughts.
…
Reinhard blinked before finding he wasn't in his dorm room anymore.
Reinhard glanced around to see he was standing in a vast meadow filled with blue flowers that swayed gently from the breeze. Above him stretched a star-filled sky more brilliant than any he had seen in his life, with constellations that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.
The air carried the sweet scent of the flowers and something else - something ancient and powerful.
Footsteps approached from behind, and he turned to see a figure emerging from the ethereal landscape. The being wore the same black-blue armor he had seen on Odin, though this figure was clearly smaller. But it was also carrying the same sword Reinhard had pulled from the trial and summoned in Klaus's office.
"Who are you-" Reinhard asked but then blinked in surprise.
The armored figure said nothing and simply rushed forward with fluid grace. Reinhard's eyes widened, and he tried to move out of the way, but to his surprise, the knight phased through his body as if he was a ghost. He spun around to watch the figure begin what could only be described as a demonstration or training.
The knight's movements were swift and stunning in their movement. Each swing of the sword seemed to extend far beyond the weapon's physical reach, as if the blade were somehow longer than it appeared.
Reinhard muttered in amazement, "The range is far longer than a normal sword, it's as if he's wielding a spear. Is it because of the sword itself or the knight's movement?"
Its then blue petals began drifting over towards the knight who was chopping, slashing, hacking and sweeping out with his sword. Then as the petals got close, he stepped towards them and hacked out with his sword.
The sword cut through blue petals drifting on the wind with surgical precision, each movement calculated and purposeful.
Then the knight leaped high into the air, spinning gracefully while the blade carved through floating leaves and flower petals. The spinning motion created what looked like a wheel of slashing energy, leaving trails of wisp in the air.
When the knight landed, there was a moment of perfect silence. Before a ground-splitting slash appeared in the earth was a clean cut that stretched for dozens of yards in a perfectly straight line.
Without pause, the figure rushed forward again, this time moving so quickly that afterimages appeared in his wake. It looked as though multiple knights were slashing simultaneously from different positions, their movements creating a complex pattern of cuts through the air.
Reinhard eyes widened in awe as he saw a knight appeared from the left sweeping out before appearing on the right chopping down. Every second seems to display multiple images of the knight appearing with the sword hacking out. Before it ended things with a downward slash that generated a visible wind blade, cutting through petals floating thirty feet away.
The knight stopped and spoke for the first time. "Good work, Zenuken."
Then the figure vanished, leaving Reinhard alone among the swirling leaves and petals. A strange feeling of curiosity mixed with possibility washed over him as he stared at the space where the knight had been.
"Could I... Could I replicate what he did?" Reinhard muttered in slight glee.
Reinhard furrowed his brow as he began imagining Zenuken similar to what he did in Klaus' office and felt the familiar weight materialize in his hand. The sword appeared exactly as it had in Klaus's office, its black-blue surface covered in intricate engravings that seemed to shift in the starlight.
He walked to where the knight had begun the demonstration and took the same starting stance. Then, moving slowly at first, he began replicating every movement he had observed. His body seemed to remember the motions even though he had never performed them before, as if muscle memory were being written in real-time.
The sword's range did indeed extend beyond its physical form, cutting through petals that should have been out of reach. When he attempted the spinning aerial maneuver, he found himself moving with impossible grace, the blade carving perfect arcs through the air around him.
The ground-splitting technique required more effort, but when he brought the sword down with the same motion as the knight, a clean slash appeared in the earth before him. Finally, he rushed forward, feeling the strange multiplication effect as afterimages of himself seemed to slash from multiple angles simultaneously.
He ended the sequence with the wind-generating downward strike, watching in amazement as the invisible blade cut through distant petals just as the knight's had done.
Breathing heavily from the exertion, Reinhard felt a rush of excitement surge through him. But even with this excitement, his expression still remains calm and indifferent.
Could this be another benefit of Odin?
He stood up straight and stared at Zenuken's blade with delight, then couldn't help but laugh at the impossibility of what he had just accomplished.
"Furthermore, could this dream be here to help me understand... Odin's abilities?" Reinhard wondered aloud.
The scene around him shifted without warning, though the blue flower meadow and brilliant starry sky remained constant.
But now a massive Frost Troll materialized in the distance, its pale blue skin gleaming in the ethereal light as it released an earth-shaking roar that sent flower petals spiraling through the air.