In Jan'Tep culture, we believe in something called, the Grey passage.

It's described as the space between death and the afterlife, and it's believed that our ancestors judge our accomplishments there before permitting our souls to proceed to rest.

I remember asking what would happen if one's accomplishments weren't up to snuff, and the answer was downright disheartening.

One would get reincarnated as a lower life form, fated to live life without the dignity of a human.

I remember conjuring various scenarios for when the ancestors fail to appreciate my dashing personality as a worthy accomplishment, one of the scariest ones was being reincarnated as some sort of gooey, slimy creature.

My fears had begun to approach reality, fast.

"Shit!" I cursed for the first time in a while as I dove with all my might to my left.

There was a subdued explosion that made me think, 'hey, maybe the fire isn't that deadly after all.'

But my hopes were crushed when I looked behind me.

There was a huge tree there.

Was.

"It is within your best interests to pay attention, child." A cold voice declared.

I turned towards Rimuru, though I was increasingly doubting if it was actually the carefree person I had come to know.

This time there were multiple lances of the same tree annihilating black flames.

"Wait! Wait! Are you trying to kill me!?" I protested as I scrambled away from the fire that seemed just slow enough for me to avoid but fast enough that letting my guard down would kill me.

"You have been bestowed with chant annulment yet you still talk so much in battle?" The angel of death remarked, he managed to sound like he was reprimanding me even with the emotionless voice.

What kind of training was this?!

How do I get him to stop?

I could tell that I was expected to do something, seeing as those attacks could have hit me anytime but still gave me breathing room.

I pondered on the words he said.

'What's chant annulment?' my mind was running at full power as more and more trees disappeared around me.

At this rate, we'll get in trouble with the council for deforestation…

Rimuru said I didn't have to bother with chants, I could see the proof of that with my spells.

But that's not enough information…

"I relate to your penchant for overthinking, but have you stopped to consider the simplest option?" Those terrifying red eyes that seemed to contain information in its purest form tracked my every move.

This person - I refuse to acknowledge them as Rimuru - was somehow able to tell that I'd been running through various options.

The simplest option?

What was that?

I ran around the expanding clearing, having an easier time at avoiding the flames since I could clearly sense the magicules they were composed of, then I realized.

Why was I thinking so much?

If someone attacks you, you attack them back. No?

"Arrghhh!" I screamed to motivate myself, I was about to throw the one measly spell I had learnt at someone who was invincible for all I knew.

I collected the largest amount of magicules I could into my palms, using my will to give it the properties of fire.

Hot, destruction, unquenchable.

I condensed the magicules further, I wasn't planning on forming a fireball that I couldn't throw.

Since I had seen the spell from Rimuru, I wondered how I could make it more combat friendly without any guidance from my teacher himself.

So I came up with this idea of compressing the fire as much as I could and releasing it in a single direction.

Concentrated power over widespread destruction, was what I thought.

I ducked under some more black flames, the tips of my hair disappearing into dust as they were grazed.

'Scary….'

The fire grew darker and darker as it became more concentrated. It now looked crimson red, the color of blood.

I couldn't hold on to it anymore, so I did the logical thing and let it loose.

The spell blew through all my expectations as it rocketed towards Rimuru in a straight line of blazing destruction.

BOOM

An explosion echoed around the clearing, smoke spread forth from where Rimuru had been standing, obscuring my vision.

I could finally stand still, no more spells were coming towards me.

I tried to peer through the smoke, wondering if I overdid it with the spell.

"Satisfactory results. Kellen of the house of Ke." The same voice spoke again.

A gust of wind blew through the area, sweeping the smoke away instantaneously. And in front of me was Rimuru, completely unharmed.

Something seemed to be shimmering in front of him, like a transparent pane of glass.

"What is that…?" I could tell it was a sort of barrier but it seemed much more different than the ones we conjured with Iron magic.

"This is called a ranged barrier, and it is the next thing on your syllabus." He wasted no words in explaining.

"Uhh…Rimuru..?" I called out tentatively.

The red eyes gazed at me with no emotion, completely ignoring my probing.

"Eh…fine..can I touch it?" I said as I extended my hands.

"Go ahead." So you'll respond to that?

I touched the barrier, it felt like a solid wall under my hand, unmoving and strong.

I could feel how it was constructed, and a flood of ideas rose in my brain as it's various applications dawned on me.

"If you just wanted to show me this barrier and let me analyze it, why did you attack me?" I asked, not turning my full attention to Rimuru as I was still immersed in memorising the structure of the barrier.

"Because I find you slightly annoying."

"Oi."

"And also wanted to condition your decision making in the heat of battle."

"Oh…okay." I could sense a bit of smugness in the voice, it seems they were proud of they're own joke.

'I feel like it's not entirely a joke though.' I thought as I took a glance at the beautiful but scary person.

"Are you done?" 'Rimuru' asked.

I stepped away from the barrier.

"Yeah." I replied.

I already knew the steps I had to go through to cast this barrier spell, it was annoyingly complex and time consuming, making me wonder if Rimuru had prepared it beforehand.

"Good, that will be your homework. By the next meeting I expect you to be able to cast it immediately on command."

"What do you mean? There's no way a human can cast that thing with no time delay, is this some sort of impossible test?" I protested, surely he wasn't serious about this.

"If you manage to cast it once, then I don't see why not."

Huh?

"What kind of logic is that? I would need to cast this at least a million times before being able to do it as fast as you're suggesting." This is getting unreasonable, I felt my face contort into a frown.

"I will not be arguing with you, child. Do as you are told or give up now. Which do you choose?" Those words resonated with a tone of finality.

She wasn't joking.

Wait, she?

I shook my head, wondering what had gotten into me.

"I'll do it, don't expect much though." I said after collecting my thoughts, there's no way I was going to give up.

"Acknowledged. Now, for the next thing on today's agenda…"

"Wait, what? There's more?"

"Of course there's more, a simple barrier shouldn't take all your time."

Simple…hehe. I'm being looked down on…

"Ah yes, simple. Of course." I feigned confidence, adjusting my robe and standing up straight.

I noticed Rimuru's red eyes twinkle with subtle amusement, like what one would feel when looking at a quirky pet.

It annoyed me.

"Since I have provided means for you to defend yourself, it's time to broaden your attacking options."

Ohh! Am I going to learn about other elements now.

"That sounds nice." I smiled.

"Like Mas- I mean – like I said back then, magic is influencing the laws of the world with your will, completely different from the system this world has in place. This difference removes a certain limitation that the Jan'Tep have, can you tell me what it is?"

Wait, this world? These endless questions are tiring me out...I'll focus for now.

Hmm. If it's will and all that, then I suppose….

"Affinity for different disciplines is irrelevant?" I asked, hoping I was correct.

"Indeed. Magic is a science, and anyone with the correct means can practice it. As long as you know what to tap into, nothing is out of reach."

Jan'Tep magic is similar in a sense, but the problem of visualisation brought the concept of affinities into existence.

Silk magic for example, not everyone had the talent to envision magic that interfered with the mind. People who could do so easily were regarded to have high affinity with the silk branch of magic.

"So, how will I find what to tap into?" I was getting excited.

"Watch closely now, I will not repeat myself. I will show you the base formula of every conventional element, and I expect you to memorize them."

Just the base?

"Okay."

Then Rimuru did exactly as he said he would, one after the other, he manifested simple elemental constructs and held it for just enough time for me to remember how to conjure them.

"I got all of them. But what about silk? And Iron?" I asked, not sure if this type of magic even had those.

"It has been decided that you will get those two when we feel like you deserve them." So it existed after all.

We though? I'll just ignore it, too much knowledge could be harmful after all.

"Alright. So, what was the point of showing me those base spells?" I had no problems with not knowing Silk and Iron magic, I had no practical use for them anyway.

"Today, you showed that you have the ability to modify and improve on what you have been taught, I expect you to build up your proficiency in the other disciplines in the same manner. Every day, you will come here and will fight against me. This is so I can gauge your progress."

I see….

I exhaled nervously, wondering if I could actually pull it off.

"That will be all, you are dismissed." Immediately I heard those words, the tense atmosphere in the clearing dissipated.

Rimuru's eyes turned to the golden hue I was familiar with, the emotions in them felt comforting in contrast to the logical efficiency I had been confronted with a few minutes ago.

"Uh..bye.. Rimuru." I waved as I turned to head home, he nodded without replying.

I noticed that the trees that disappeared were somehow back in perfect shape.

"I might end up going crazy." I muttered under my breath as my steps hastened, eager to get me away from the place.

.

.

Ciel, did you have to be so hard on him? I asked as I watched the boy's receding back.

Kellen had left for his home, leaving me here.

We could have actually headed there together, since everyone actually thought I lived there but I didn't feel like being around his family.

[I did not do more than required, it was well within calculations.] She responded coolly.

I had chosen to let Ciel give him this particular lesson because she had the ability to carefully construct spells step by step without relying on my many magic bullshitting skills.

Essentially, if I had attempted to teach him today, he would have lost track at some point due to my habit of skipping the prerequisites of a spell and just bringing it into existence.

"I suppose I can't argue if you put it like that. Okay then, how about we take a look at what's been spying on us all this time." I said out loud.

I could hear the leaves rustling as the suspected creature tried to make an escape.

A futile endeavour….

The creature materialised on the ground in front of me, it looked super confused on how it had gotten to the ground.

It was slightly bigger than a small dog but had a lean frame, its fur was a dark brown, the color of the bark of the local trees. It had a feline face that looked far from cute, I could actually call it menacing. Basically, it looked like a very mean racoon but with a color shifting coat.

The creature growled at me in protest, it had seen my powers but still had the boldness to bare it's fangs.

"Stupid femboy human, thinks he can do what he wants because of his stupid fancy magic." An interesting thing about this animal was it's intelligence….and it's foul mouth.

"I can understand you, rodent." I said, stopping the thing in its tracks.

It looked at me for a while, as if weighing its options. I wonder if it was uncommon to understand them.

[Only a select few can, so your assumption is correct.]

It seems like it decided.

"Yeah so what? Want a piece of me? Fucking trap." How does this animal even know these words…?

[Allow me to discipline this insolent creature, master.]

And now even Ciel's fired up…

"Look here you rat, I'm the only thing standing between you and death right now so watch what you say." I pointed my finger at the racoon squirrel thing whose coat had turned red in a show of aggression.

It was on guard but that seemed to have shut it up.

"Okay. Now that you're quiet, I have a few questions."

Analysis told me that this creature was closer to being a monster than a regular animal, and it had a very strong ego.

"Hmph, ask what you want. I'll answer you since you're strong."

Isn't he too proud for his race?

"Uh, okay. So, are all of you like this?" I asked, gesturing to the whole of him.

"What do you mean "like this"? Handsome, fierce, smart?" He rose up on his hind legs and made a few embarrassing poses.

Why's the racoon glazing himself?

"I meant sentient." I deadpanned.

He returned to all fours, slightly miffed.

"Oh yeah…yeah, we are."

Very interesting..

"What are you guys called?" I bent down, my knees weren't on the ground but in a position for me to almost rest my chin on them.

"We are called the Nekhek! Creatures of darkness, slayer of Jan'Tep children and the bane of mages!" He raised his little arms, which had flaps under them that I guessed were for gliding.

That declaration though, was he being serious or was he exaggerating again?

"A small animal like you?" I taunted.

"Hey, watch it pretty boy. I've ripped out my fair share of eyeballs and brought down Lords Magi. Don't underestimate me."

I had a few doubts about the Lords Magi part but I'll let him be.

"Why were you watching us?" I finally asked.

This creature was clever, surely he had a reason or some sort of motivation.

The nehkek looked into my eyes, it realized that I wouldn't accept any wishy washy answers and became serious.

"The Mahdek." The creature said.

Hm? Why's he suddenly mentioning the Jan'Tep's so called mortal enemies?

"What about them?" I queried.

He seemed reluctant, bordering on shy.

"I…I thought they returned, I thought you were one of them."

Hmm?

This is…interesting, I think I'm getting closer to one of the Jan'Tep's secrets.

"And why is that? Is there something similar between me and the Mahdek?"

He didn't reply, the animal curled up into a ball and glared at me.

"Let me guess, they didn't need the bands to perform magic either?"

It seems I hit the bullseye as I felt it's aggression increase.

Surprise surprise, of course the rotten bastards kept that fact hidden. Makes me wonder about the Oasis and everything else.

"Hey, do you have a name?" I asked it.

"...Reichis, put some respect on it." His bravado was already back in full force after just seconds of sulking.

"You're a funny guy, Reichis. Tell you what, I have a deal for you." I chuckled, genuinely amused.

His ears perked up at the mention of a deal.

"Well, I don't have all day. Spit it out."

"In exchange for watching over that kid, I'll give you more power." I said, flaring my aura a bit to back up my words.

His eyes shrunk into dots as he felt the small quantity of aura I directed at him.

"How...exactly are you gonna do that?" But as expected, he wasn't a coward.

Just like in my world, names have power here. It is not as pronounced as it was in the Cardinal world, but under the right circumstances, invoking a name could be the difference between a breeze and a tempest.

"Well, since you like your current name, I won't change it." I rose to my full height.

"Huh?"

"I grant you the name, Reichis."

.

.

I have no words.

Good night, people.