Qian's sword gleamed under the light.
It wasn't just sharp, more like it was hungry.
Like a blade that had tasted blood too many times and was still waiting for more.
He looked at me, then at the wooden sword in my hand, and then back at me, as if he were expecting something from me. A reaction. A protest. Anything.
I gave him nothing.
A slow smile spread across his lips.
Without a word, he shifted his grip on the sword.
The servant returned with her head lowered, her movements careful. She wrapped the blade in cloth without letting her skin touch it, as if even contact with it carried some kind of danger.
Then she took it away.
Qian stood there for a moment, now unarmed, and glanced at me with amusement.
"Fair enough?" he asked.
The crowd erupted.
Cheers exploded from every direction, loud and wild, completely one-sided.
For him.Always for him.
I looked down at the sword in my hand.
Wood.Blunt.Pathetic.
Something inside me refused.
Pride?
Before I could even think, my grip shifted, ready to throw the useless thing aside.
A voice brushed against my ear, low and close.
"I wouldn't do that… if I were you."
My body stiffened.
When did he get here?
I swung on instinct.
The wooden blade cut toward him, but before it could reach him, his hand caught it.
The force behind my strike should have pushed him back, but he didn't move. Not even an inch. Instead, the impact traveled straight back through the blade and into me, forcing my feet to slide across the ground.
I steadied myself and raised the sword again.
Qian adjusted his grip on the blade as casually as if he were holding a piece of cloth.
Then he looked straight into my eyes.
"Is that all you've got?"
That smirk.
Something snapped.
I moved without hesitation, without giving myself time to think. My foot drove into the ground and force surged through my body as the wooden sword followed, cutting through the air with everything I had behind it.
This wasn't a test anymore.
It was a strike.
Clean and direct.
Qian moved.
Barely, almost lazily.
The blade missed him by a breath as he lowered his body, almost grazing the ground, yet somehow his balance never broke.
I didn't stop.
I didn't give him time to recover before I struck again, faster this time, sharper, putting more force behind every movement.
He shifted aside.
Again, again and again.
Every movement was minimal and precise, just enough to keep the blade from touching him.
I pushed harder, tightening my movements and putting more weight behind each swing.
Then he was gone.
My strike cut through empty air.
"Where- "
A breath touched the back of my neck.
"Not bad… dear."
He was close, too close that I can feel his presence behind me.
I turned instantly and swung, but I was too late.
Something struck my stomach.
It wasn't heavy or brutal, almost perfect- ?
All the air left my lungs at once.
My body folded and my knees hit the ground. I tried to move, to rise, to strike again, but nothing happened. My body refused to respond.
Qian stood right in front of me.
Yet somehow unreachable.
I could see him clearly, almost too clearly.
He stepped forward slowly, his movements measured, and then leaned down until his face was inches from mine.
The gentleness is not suited for this moment.
As he slowly lifted my face just enough to look at me.
"How…"
His voice stopped.
I blinked in confuse.
What…?
His eyes were no longer on mine. They had dropped lower.
I followed his gaze.
Blood.
A thin line of it trailed slowly down.
"...I'm bleeding?"
I hadn't even felt it.
His hand trembled, just slightly.
Barely enough to notice.
"...Wait."
His voice had changed.
It was lower now, unsteady in a way I hadn't heard before.
"You're… bleeding."
I stared at him.
Is he… worried?
That didn't make sense.
The world tilted beneath me, and my vision began to blur around the edges. The sounds of the crowd faded until they were nothing more than distant, muffled noise.
I felt my body giving in.
But before I could fall, he moved.
Fast.
His arms caught me and pulled me against him, holding me close.
For a brief moment, I could feel his grip.
Firm, but not harsh and somehow it made me feel...
"...Cute."
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
Then everything went dark.