Chapter 308: The Plain

Inside the Plain, Ned knew it was a dream. But the tingling sensation on his forehand seemed to be too real to be just a dream.

Especially the man before him. Clad in a heavy white robe, copper brown hair, and beard that reaches almost his chest, what Ned was seeing was a complete manifestation of Master Will.

The wooden sword was exactly the same as the one they have been using to train back at the Grieving woods.

The doppelganger even copied how Master Will rested his hand behind his waist while the sword hung freely on his right.

"You remembered. Yet, you are still weak." Master Will stroke his beard and did not wait for Ned to utter a reply. He vanished with a step so quiet, he hit Ned straight to his gut even before he landed.

Ned flew endlessly in the Plain, with the pain crumbling in his stomach that he was about to puke midair. Luckily, there's no object that could stop his drift. Or so he thought.

Ned flipped as soon as his senses caught a burst of sound. He then conjured a Fireball to counter the force of his drifting only to be met by an explosion that threw him to the ground. Ned heard a crack of the ground as soon as his body made contact even though there was no soil under him. A spat of blood he spews as he laid still over an empty ground.

"Stand." Master Will pointed the tip of the wooden sword right between the bridge of Ned's nose while his freehand exudes of fumes and sparks.

Ned wasn't sure if he should smile upon hearing Master Will's old voice, or grunt. Still, he did stand. This time, he was thinking if he should wake up from this dream that was about to turn into a nightmare. But, somewhere inside him wanted to stay in the Plain and be with his Master. Even though he was losing the battle.

"If you want to leave this place. You need to be true to yourself." Master Will raised the wooden sword and extended the tip toward Ned.

Ned soon realized that whatever he was thinking was also being communicated inside the Plain.

"True to myself?" Ned murmured looking at the tip of the wooden sword. "Am I not?"

"You'll beat me if you are." Master Will waved the wooden sword which produces a slash of wind.

Ned evaded the series of wind slashes with ease. Yet again, Master Will appeared before him and it was too late for him to defend himself as his Master Will's punch went straight to Ned's gut.

Instead of being thrown, Ned plummeted on the ground along with a hot sensation running from his stomach over the rest of his body. His vision blurred then darkened and was about to collapse only to be pulled up by Master Will through his collar.

With a strength that Ned unable to gauge, Master Will raised Ned midair with one hand.

"You going to save me with this strength? Do you think you'll be able to beat the Knight that you proudly announced your vengeance? Vengeance is best served cold my ass."

Master Will flipped the wooden sword so that the hilt be pointed at Ned instead of the tip. He then smacked him with the end shaft right under his jaw. Blood dripped from Ned's mouth and eyes.

No matter how he called ICE, there was nothing but silence in his mind. But even if he did call her, Ned doubted if she could be useful. As far as Ned knew, it seemed that everyone inside the Plain was trying to kill him.

Ned was hit again, and again, and again. He was about to lose consciousness once again. But it seemed that Master Will knew about this, he stopped hitting Ned and smiled and let go of him.

Ned's legs were noddles as they wobbled unable to support his body.

"I-I can't fight you, Master Will." Ned spat a mouthful of blood as he tried to stand but crawling was all he could do.

"I-I. Yeah, right." Master Will kicked Ned. The kick was so powerful, Ned's body went almost a foot away from the ground. "Then all the people you cared about will die. Who do you think will save Toni on the brink of death? How about Xi? Ain't he your friend? Will you let them die? I'll give you a little hint, kid. The strength I'm showing you is equivalent to the strength Godefroy when we fought me. Do you think you'll be able to beat him? Looking at you... was disappointing."

"No..." Ned's mind was in a jumble. Was the Plain the Praha's Cube? Why is Master Will in here? How is this possible? Was he this strong?" "N-No..."

"You're right and wrong at the same time, kid. My strength is far from this. What I'm showing you is equivalent to the Knight's strength, and this is not the Praha's Cube. This 'Plain'—as what you named it—is something way beyond the measly Cube. To prove it..."

Master Will snapped his finger. The darkness around them turned to dust. Behind the disappearing black dust was a forest: trees, streams, and a small hill beyond them. There were beasts jumping under the trees, some playing over the streams, others digging a hole.

"Rabbis." Ned forced himself to stand along with his teeth gritting. "This is..."

"Grieving woods." Master Will walked toward the nearby boulder. He then raised his hand pointing at the small hill behind him. "See that? That's our hill-house."

The small hill was covered with soil with grass and small trees sprouting over it. Inside this small hill was their humble abode.

"How?"

"It's just a glimpse of the power of the Plain. Let's start all over again. I hear you are going to join the Hunter's Exam?"

"Start all over again? What do you mean, Master Will?"

"Beyond here is the power you needed to defeat the Knight." Master Will draw a line under the base of the boulder. He then rested the wooden sword beside the boulder. "Once you passed this point. I assure you, kid. You will have the power you needed to beat the Knight. For now..."

Master Will snapped his fingers. The sound of wind, streams, the leaves rustling, and branches grating turned silent. The only sound Ned was hearing was his breathing, the high pitched noise on his ears, and his blood dripping on the ground. But not for long, his blood stopped flowing.

As though the time has been reversed, Ned's pain, the bruises under his jaw, and forearms were now gone. It wasn't healed but gone. Just like that, the pain went kapos.

"What is this?"

"Well.. let's just say Roy's training wasn't enough. Say, kid... how bad do you want to save me?"

"I'll do everything. I won't... let you—"

"You see? That's the problem with you, kid. You let your emotions get in your way. Was me almost dying wasn't enough to convince you that your emotions are getting in your way? We wouldn't be here now if only you thought things through and never trusted the Knight. I would be with you and your adventures by now. But no, you trusted the Knight."

Master Will smiled, damn even his smile the Plain copied it to the smallest details and snapped his fingers yet again.

"Now... you will and will only stop until I say so. Use everything you've learned and finish the task I'll be giving you... Let's see how long you will last."

Master Will paused while rubbing his beard, and smiled. No, a grin. A grin that even the real Master Will wouldn't able to do.

"You may begin."

Beyond Master Will was their hill-house. Under this hill was a path going down, and at the end of this path was a wooden door that to Ned's surprise opened and a man walked out of it.

Wrapped in a black cloak and a black hood that covers his head, the man walked past the trees, and grasses, and Rabbis, and stopped before Ned. In his hand was a pouch tied around his wrist as though afraid that someone would still it.

"This..." Ned examined the man. Even if his face was covered, he could never forget that grin lingering beneath the hood. "How..."

"I told you. In here, everything is possible. Well... aside from that bi—from that friend of yours in your head and the tools stored in your ring, all is possible here. Didn't I said you may begin?"

The moment Master Will said to begin, Ned's side was hit by a heavy kick. But this time, the strength was no way stronger than Master Will's.

Ned manages to stay on his feet and instinctively trying to summon Krisalix or either the broken Butterfly. But none of the two he produced. Instead, he raised his hand to block a punch that was aimed at his blind spot.

Three.

The three plebians that tried to rob him were exactly the same as the one back at O'rriadt,

The two that attacked him dashed toward the man with the pouch on his wrist, and stood side-by-side.

The two stood towering the man with the pouch. But all wore the same black leather, and a black cloak with black hoods.

"Kid, your Picas. Now," snarled the shorter man.