I looked up and found Calithia's eyes fixed on me. She was staring at me from the center of the courtyard, with an expression that froze the blood in my veins.
Could it be that she really can read minds?
Oh no! I'm in trouble!
Sis, it's not what you think, please forgive me...
—"Why are you staring at me like that, idiot?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
Phew. That scared me. For a moment I really thought she could read my mind. That was terrifying, seriously.
Quickly, I came up with an excuse.
—"It's just..." I swallowed hard. "It's just that you look really beautiful today, sis."
I hope she believes me. Though, come to think of it, it's not a lie. She is beautiful, she always has been.
The effect was immediate. Her cheeks flushed like burning coals.
—"W-what are you saying, idiot?" she stammered, visibly nervous. "I... I've always been beautiful."
—"Yeah, I know," I said, smiling. "But especially today."
—"But still..." she lowered her gaze, fiddling with the edge of her clothes. "Th... thanks."
I couldn't help it. A crystalline laugh, like the chiming of silver bells, escaped my lips. It was a contagious laugh that made my cheeks warm and my eyes sparkle mischievously.
Beside me, Lilia covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her own giggle, but her trembling shoulders gave her away.
—"W-what are you laughing at, Lilia?" my sister said, and her indignant tone was so funny that I laughed even harder.
—"Hey, Aito," Calithia said, turning to me. "You're laughing too!"
—"Forgive me, sis," I managed to say between laughs. "But you look really cute like this."
—"S-stop saying things like that, Aito!" she exclaimed, but her voice didn't sound angry. It sounded... I don't know. Embarrassed? Happy? Both?
And so, amidst laughter and tears of happiness, we waited for Master Zekin. The sun was already lighting up the entire courtyard, the flowers from the nearby garden perfuming the air, and I, surrounded by the two most important people in my life (aside from my family), felt there was no place in the world I'd rather be.
Well, maybe there was. Maybe there were many places in the world I wanted to see. But at this moment, right now, this was the best place possible.
—"What are you all laughing about so much?" Zekin's deep voice resonated in the courtyard, and three heads turned in unison.
The master watched us from the entrance, his training sword in hand, with an expression trying to be stern but not quite managing to hide a small smile completely.
—"Nothing, Grandpa," Lilia said, her eyes still bright with laughter. "Just kid stuff."
Zekin snorted but said nothing more. He walked to the center of the courtyard, where Calithia had already resumed her stretching, and began preparing for the session.
—"Today," he announced, "we'll work on coordination. Aito and Calithia, the two of you against me. Lilia, you can stay and watch if you want."
Lilia nodded and settled onto her stone, ready to be a spectator.
I got up and headed to the edge of the courtyard where I kept my equipment. I began putting on my armor with practiced, almost mechanical movements, the result of years of training.
I was wearing a thin, comfortable, flexible black long-sleeved shirt that allowed me to move freely. Over it, lightweight silver armor that only protected my torso down to my abdomen. It didn't cover my arms, not even my shoulders. If that armor were a t-shirt, it wouldn't even qualify as short-sleeved; it would be one of those sleeveless ones, almost like a metal vest.
On my forearms, I wore silver protectors, equally lightweight. I don't know if the ones knights use are heavier, but these were almost like a second skin. I adjusted them well, making sure they wouldn't move during combat.
The pants were black and tight, like the shirt, and on my left thigh I had harnesses with a small pouch. The master had told me it was for storing tools and other things, although I still didn't use it for anything. But I kept it, just in case.
My black hair, which reached down to my waist, I gathered into a high ponytail with a hair tie. It ended up like a horse's tail, or any other animal's tail, moving with every step I took.
I picked up my wooden sword. The weight was familiar, comforting. I held it in my hands, feeling its balance, its texture. I had spent countless hours with this sword, and it was already an extension of myself.
I walked to the center of the courtyard, where Calithia was already waiting. She wore armor similar to mine, though hers had a reddish tint at the edges, as if fire itself had kissed it. Her hair, also tied back, framed her determined face.
—"Ready?" she asked, with a fierce smile.
—"Always," I replied, returning the smile.
Zekin watched us from the other side, imposing as always. His wooden sword rested on his shoulder, and in his eyes was a spark of anticipation.
—"Begin," he said.
And the world moved.
---
Calithia struck first.
Her sword ignited with flames instantly, fire dancing around the reinforced wood as if it were alive. She moved at an impressive speed, her feet barely touching the ground, leaving a trail of heat and light behind her.
She reached the master and swung her sword in a wide arc. Zekin blocked, but Calithia was already turning, changing trajectory, attacking again from another angle.
Clang-clang-clang-clang
The strikes followed one after another, fast as heartbeats. The master blocked each attack with pinpoint precision, but Calithia didn't stop. Again and again, her fire sword sought a gap, an opening, any weak point in Zekin's defense.
It was a choreography drawn in the air. A crazy, dangerous, beautiful dance. The flames traced spirals and circles, leaving red trails that slowly faded.
But I couldn't just stand and watch. It was my turn.
I moved.
Wind enveloped me, propelling me forward with a speed that only my element could grant. I flanked to the left side, aiming for the master's blind spot, just as Calithia attacked from the right.
My sword, charged with wind, moved in a fluid arc.
Zekin, with impossible peripheral awareness, deflected Calithia's attack with one movement and blocked mine with another.
Crack!
The impact resonated through my arms. This time, the master had used more force than in all our previous encounters. Much more. The vibration traveled through every muscle, every bone, every fiber of my being.
But I didn't let go of my sword.
My arms had strengthened over these two years. My hands, accustomed to pain, gripped the hilt with an iron determination.
—"Yes!" I shouted, and it wasn't from pain. It was from excitement. Pure, absolute excitement.
And then, the exchange began.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang
Strike, block, counter, dodge. My arms vibrated with each impact, but I was smiling. Because we were dancing. All three of us. A deadly dance where every move was a word, every strike a sentence, every block a response.
Zekin was about to cut me, I saw it in his eyes, in the way his sword moved. I stepped back just in time, and in a move I'd practiced hundreds of times, I did a back handspring, flipping away. The air whistled where my head had been an instant before.
I landed crouched, panting, and looked at Calithia.
She looked at me.
No words were needed. We didn't need them. After years of training together, after countless hours of practice and combat, we knew each other well enough to communicate with just a glance.
We nodded at the same time.
And we charged.
—"Aaaahh!!" we shouted in unison, our voices merging into a single battle cry.
[ Descending Whirlwind ]
My sword, wrapped in wind, began to spin as I leaped, creating a whirlwind around me that violently cut through the air.
[ Hell Strike ]
Calithia's sword ignited with a flame so intense that the air around it wavered with heat. Her most powerful technique, the one she had perfected in secret for months.
Hell Strike? Seriously, sis? I thought as I descended. Well, it's your technique, what can I say... unless you want to hit me with it too.
But I trusted her. And she trusted me.
Our attacks converged on the master from opposite angles, perfectly synchronized. Fire and wind, two elements that should be incompatible, dancing together in a deadly choreography.
Zekin watched us approach.
And then, his sword became enveloped in its own mana.
I had never seen that glow before. It was different from anything I knew. Denser, deeper, more... ancient.
He bent his legs slightly, adopting a stance I'd never seen him use.
And instead of blocking...
He attacked.
BOOM!
The impact of the collision was so brutal that the ground beneath our feet cracked. Debris flew in all directions, small stones and dust rising in a cloud that enveloped all three of us.
For an instant, everything was silent.
Then, the dust began to clear.
There we were, all three, motionless. My arms trembled from the effort, but my sword remained intact. Calithia's too. Neither had broken.
An achievement. A small, enormous achievement.
Zekin slowly straightened up, and a smile — a genuine, heartfelt smile — spread across his face.
—"Good work, kids," he said, and his voice, for once, didn't have its usual stern tone. It was warm. Proud. "You did great work. I'm proud of you."
I felt my chest swell. A different warmth than that of combat enveloped me.
Master... don't say that, I thought, a silly smile spreading across my face. Don't say that, or I'll grow even fonder of you.
Calithia, beside me, was also smiling. A wide, sincere smile that lit up her face more than any flame.
—"Really, master?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
—"Really," Zekin replied. "Your coordination has improved enormously. Your techniques are more solid. And most importantly..." he looked at us both. "Most importantly, you trust each other. That can't be taught. That's earned."
Lilia, from her stone, applauded enthusiastically.
—"Bravo, Aito! Bravo, Calithia!" she shouted, jumping from her seat. "You were incredible!"
Calithia turned to her, and for a moment, her expression was... strange. As if she didn't quite know how to feel about it.
—"Thanks, Lilia," she said, in a polite but distant tone.
Lilia, if she noticed anything, didn't show it. She kept smiling, with that smile of hers that always managed to make everything seem brighter.
—"You should rest," Zekin said. "You gave it your all. Drink water, stretch, then you can go. More tomorrow."
We nodded and headed to the edge of the courtyard, where jugs of fresh water awaited us. Calithia sat on a stone, and I did the same on another, not far away.
Lilia approached and sat beside me. So close that our shoulders almost touched.
—"Here," she said, offering me a clean cloth. "To wipe off your sweat."
—"Thanks," I replied, taking it.
Calithia watched us from her stone. Her expression was unreadable.
—"Hey, Aito," Lilia said quietly. "Do you really want to travel the world?"
I nodded.
—"Yeah. More than anything."
—"Aren't you scared?"
—"Of course I'm scared," I replied. "But fear can't stop me. If I let fear control me, I'd never do anything."
Lilia nodded slowly, processing my words.
—"I..." she began, but stopped.
—"You what?"
She shook her head.
—"Nothing. It's not important."
I wanted to insist, but at that moment, Calithia rose from her stone and approached us.
—"Aito," she said. "Mother wants to see you. She says she has something to talk to you about."
I stood up quickly.
—"Something wrong?"
—"I don't know. She just said to find you."
I looked at Lilia, who smiled and nodded.
—"Go," she said. "I'll stay a while longer with Grandpa."
I nodded and ran out of the courtyard, my black ponytail dancing behind me, leaving behind the two girls who, without my knowledge, were beginning a silent conversation with just their glances.