Somehow, Zelgadis had managed to get back to his room and fall asleep, because he was woken up in the morning by Rezo. "Come, Zelgadis, it is time to start your training."
"What training?" Zelgadis asked.
Rezo just shook his head, and said, "Listen and obey, Zelgadis, and I will introduce you to the worlds of knowledge, combat, and sorcery."
Zelgadis's training consisted of just that. Knowledge, combat, and sorcery. He was taught of past events such as the War of the Monster's fall and the sealing away of Gaav. He learned how to judge his position by looking at the sun. Rezo taught him to use the common sense he was born with, and how to use his instincts. He was taught sword fighting by one of Rezo's servants. But best of all, he was taught magic.
Rezo explained to Zelgadis that he was now a chimera, a mix of different life forms. He was one-third human, one-third rock golem, and one-third brau demon. The rock golem half gave him his stone-like skin, which was impenetrable to common swords. A brau demon was a monster of lightning-quick speed and an exceedingly high magical capacity. Due to his brau demon part, Zelgadis's magical capacity had increased as well, allowing him to do very powerful magic, under the instruction of Rezo.
Training was very physical most days, and drained him completely. One day, about a month later, Zelgadis went back to his room, and collapsed on his bed. That day had been particularly straining, because Rezo had to teach Zelgadis how to fight against magic with a sword. Zelgadis had not been very good at it, and was quite beaten up by the training.
Due to the improved hearing that being part brau demon gave him, Zelgadis heard someone climbing up the trellis. He also heard voices, which he quickly identified as Zolf and Rodimus's.
Zelgadis sat up sharply. Zolf and Rodimus! They couldn't see him like that!! They couldn't see him with the way he was! What should he do? Slowly, he realized that there was nothing he could do. Besides, he hadn't seen Zolf and Rodimus in years, and he wanted to know how they were.
"Why do we have to come here?" Zelgadis heard Zolf ask.
"I want to know how he's doing."
"What if it's the wrong window?"
"It isn't!"
"But what if it is?"
"Then we run."
Zelgadis grinned. Obviously the two of them hadn't changed a bit. He sat impatiently on his bed while he waited for Zolf and Rodimus to get up. Rodimus came through the window first, and turned to help Zolf up. Then they both looked around, and saw Zelgadis. "Hey, Zel!" Rodimus said, grinning. "We hadn't seen you for years, so we decided... to..." He trailed off when he got closer and actually saw Zelgadis.
Rodimus and Zolf stood side by side, and just stared in shock at Zelgadis. Finally, Zelgadis said, "Could you not stare? I don't like it."
"What happened, Zel?" Rodimus asked.
The other two were dead silent as Zelgadis told them everything about the monster killing his parents, Rezo taking him in, his vow to become stronger, his transformation into a chimera, and his training. Afterwards, the other two were still in awed silence.
"But," Zelgadis said. "One good thing has come of my training. Wanna see?" He grinned for the first time in a long while when Rodimus and Zolf nodded. His friends didn't care what he looked like. Why should they care? Zelgadis got off his bed, and stood up. He was amazed to realize that he was as tall as Rodimus.
"You're not as tall as I remember," Zelgadis said, grinning.
"You're not as short as I remember," Rodimus countered, clapping his shoulder.
Zelgadis nodded, and ran to his closet. He grabbed his sword, and said, "Come on, let's go to the garden."
"Do we have to climb down?" Zolf complained. "Can't I levitate down?"
Rodimus was about to protest, but Zelgadis said, "Sure. You bring Rodimus down, okay?"
Zolf nodded, grabbed Rodimus's arm, and shouted, "Levitation!" He jumped out of the window, and floated down. "I'll come back up for you," Zolf called from the ground. He was about to cast his spell, but Zelgadis stopped him.
"You don't have to," Zelgadis said. "Levitation!" He followed the same course Zolf took, and landed on the ground next to his two friends.
"When did you learn to use magic?" Rodimus asked.
Zelgadis smiled, and said, "From Rezo. Now come on, let's go!" He took off for the forest, Rodimus and Zolf behind him. Zelgadis slowed down when he realized his friends couldn't keep up with the increased speed being part brau demon gave him. Zelgadis took them to his clearing, and stood in the center.
In the fashion Rezo had taught him, Zelgadis pointed his sword directly at Rodimus, and said, "I challenge you, Rodimus, to a duel by sword."
"You?" Rodimus asked. "You want to duel?"
Shrugging, Zelgadis said, "Just for fun. I'm tired of always sparring with Eris and the other servants-- they're no fun."
Rodimus grinned, and said, "You've hardly changed at all, Zel." He drew his sword from the scabbard at his back, and stepped forward, grinning. "Now no cheating and using magic, Zel," Rodimus warned him.
"I won't," Zelgadis said. The two of them held their sword vertically in front of them, and bowed. Then they both went into attack stances. Rodimus nodded, signaling Zelgadis to go first. Zelgadis shrugged, and attacked. He came in straight, but then feinted, and dodged around to the side, circling Rodimus with his increased speed, and held his sword to the back of Rodimus's neck. "You're dead," Zelgadis informed him, bringing his sword down again.
Rodimus turned to him incredulously. "You're so fast! Where'd that come from?"
"Brau demons are lightning fast," Zelgadis said. "Being part brau demon, I inherited some of the traits."
Grinning, Rodimus pointed his sword to the ground, and said, "I accept defeat. I'm dead. Zolf, your turn. You can test his magic skills." He then walked over, and leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing.
Zolf stood in front of Zelgadis, and said, "Put your sword away."
Zelgadis nodded, and sheathed his sword. He held his hands ready to cast a spell, and Zolf did the same. Zelgadis didn't go first, so Zolf took the initiative, and shouted, "Flare Arrow!"
Zelgadis put up a shield, and then quickly said, "Fireball!"
Just as quickly, Zolf put up his own shield. But before Zolf could counter, Zelgadis dashed forward, and cast a Burst Rondo close-range at Zolf. Zolf fell backwards, a little ash-faced, but pretty much unharmed. "I win?" Zelgadis asked.
Nodding, Zolf said, "You win."
Zelgadis then grinned, and cast a Recovery on Zolf before helping him back to his feet. After that, the three of them sat around, and started talking with one another, catching up on life for the past seven years or so. They talked all night long, and well after that. About an hour after sunrise, Eris showed up to bring Zelgadis to the classroom. Zelgadis waved good-bye to Zolf and Rodimus, making them promise to come again.