The flying gargoyle statues were far more difficult to hit than the knights before them.
Not only were they faster, but their movement patterns were unpredictable. They twisted and dived through the air, shields raised, weaving effortlessly between the archery targets.
Kazimir loosed arrow after arrow, the sound of wooden shafts slicing through the air echoing across the training hall.
One by one, the knight statues returned to their original positions, their white flames dimming as they went still once more.
Now, only the gargoyles remained.
Kazimir narrowed his eyes.
Their shadows moved strangely, unlike any grounded creature he had tracked before. Their figures stretched and flickered as they soared through the air, making them difficult to predict.
Still, he kept firing, until his quiver was empty.
He lowered his bow, frustrated.
"The arrows are gone," he said.
Selis remained calm.
"Then make more," she replied in her usual regal tone.
Kazimir blinked. "Make more?"
Then it hit him.
She meant shadow arrows.
Kazimir reached out to the shadows, weaving it to take shape in his hands.
Slowly, a twisted, misshapen arrow began to form, the shadows coiling around his fingers like living tendrils.
He frowned. It's wrong.
The arrow was crooked, the shaft uneven.
He tried again.
This time, the shape looked better, but the arrowhead was wrong.
Again, and again, he tried. Each attempt brought him closer, but something was always off, either the fletching was misshapen, or the weight distribution felt unnatural.
After multiple failed attempts, he let out a frustrated sigh.
Selis, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.
"You rely too much on your eyes," she said, "Forget what an arrow looks like. Focus on what it is."
She closed her eyes and opened her hand, summoning a small white flame in her palm.
With slow, dignified movements, she folded the fire between her fingers, shaping it, moulding it.
Then, she pulled one hand back,
And the flame shifted into an arrow.
Keeping her eyes closed, then pulled her right hand back while putting the left one forward.
Then she let go with her right hand and the arrow fired.
Kazimir watched the white-hot arrow sail through the air, heading directly for one of the gargoyles.
But at the last second, the creature twisted away,
Or rather, it should have escaped.
However, the arrow corrected itself mid-air, shifting trajectory and striking the shield with perfect precision.
The gargoyle halted, replaced its shield on the wall, and returned to its original position as the white flames dimmed from its carvings.
Selis opened her eyes.
"Now you try."
Kazimir inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
He reached out, not with sight, but with his mind.
He let himself feel the structure of an arrow, the sharpness of the tip, the balance of the shaft, the way the fletching guided its flight.
And then, as if responding to his thoughts, the shadows obeyed.
When he opened his eyes, a perfectly formed arrow rested in his palm.
Selis gave a small nod of approval.
"Well done."
The arrow was different from any he had used before.
It was as black as his cloak, its form shifting slightly as though it wasn't entirely solid. Yet he could feel it, not just in his hands, but in his mind.
It was part of him.
Unlike a regular arrow, this one didn't need calculations. He could sense its exact position at all times.
Curious, he reached out to it with his shadow manipulation,
And felt resistance.
Unlike normal shadows, which moved effortlessly at his command, this arrow was denser, woven tightly together to become corporeal.
Just making it move slightly in his palm took immense concentration.
"Now," Selis said, breaking his focus, "try to change its trajectory mid-flight."
Kazimir nodded, placing the shadow arrow onto his bow.
The moment he nocked it, he felt the bow recognize it, the two connected by some unseen force.
He aimed.
Exhaled.
And fired.
The arrow ripped through the air, soaring toward its target,
But the gargoyle moved, dodging effortlessly.
Kazimir dissolved the arrow before it could hit the wall.
Kazimir gritted his teeth.
He tried again.
The arrow pierced through the air, but again the gargoyle changed directions.
Reaching deep into his power, he focused on the arrow, willing it to shift direction.
With an immense mental effort, the shadow arrow curved, twisting toward the moving gargoyle.
It hit perfectly.
The gargoyle stilled, returned its shield to the wall, and drifted back into its original place as the light faded from its carvings.
Kazimir staggered slightly, exhausted.
Selis, however, simply crossed her arms and observed.
"Nicely done," she said, her tone measured. "Now eliminate the rest."
Kazimir took a deep breath.
One by one, he shot them down.
At first, it was difficult, maintaining control over the arrows, adjusting their flight paths, keeping up with the sheer speed of the gargoyles.
But he had infinite arrows, and with each shot, his control grew sharper, his instincts quicker.
Until finally,
The last gargoyle fell.
Kazimir exhaled, his arms heavy with fatigue.
Selis gave him a final approving nod.
Then,
In one swift motion, she unsheathed her silver sword and rested it lightly on his right shoulder.
Kazimir froze.
"A bow will not protect you in close combat," she said in a low, commanding voice.
The blade gleamed under the candlelight, resting just close enough to be felt, yet not as a threat, but as a lesson.
"You need a sword."
She turned, sliding the blade back into its scabbard with practiced ease.
Then, with a single gesture, she motioned for him to follow.
"Come."
Without hesitation, she strode toward the close-combat section of the training grounds.
Kazimir, though still catching his breath, followed.