The clearing fell silent as Rowan's focus shifted fully to Koby. The air, still charged from the previous spars, seemed to sharpen. Koby stood just a few paces from his mentor, a short, heavy hatchet gripped firmly in each hand. The worn leather of the handles was warm against his palms, a familiar, grounding sensation.
"I told the others not to use aura in their attacks," Rowan began, his voice calm and measured, "but for you, it's different. I'm allowing it. I need to see how efficient you are with it now. Show me what you've learned."
Koby nodded, his jaw set. He took a series of deep, centering breaths, feeling the quiet, stubborn trickle of energy inside him—the faint pulse of aura his damaged pathways could still muster. He focused it, gathered it like water in a shallow cup, and then he moved.
He exploded forward in a furious sprint, a burst of aura flaring briefly around his feet, lending unnatural speed to his charge. The distance closed in a heartbeat. His hatchets whirled in powerful, brutal arcs, catching the late afternoon light. His first swing was a diagonal chop aimed for Rowan's chin, meant to force a high block.
Rowan's sword came up to intercept, but Koby was already shifting. He planted his left foot firmly, pivoting his body almost 180 degrees with a grunt of effort. Using the momentum, he hooked the head of his left hatchet around Rowan's blade, attempting to trap it for a split second. At the same time, his right hatchet came whipping around in a tight, backhanded swing aimed squarely at Rowan's temple.
Rowan observed the combination, his eyes missing nothing. As the right hatchet hissed toward his head, he didn't retreat. Instead, he bent backward at the waist, the weapon whistling through the air mere inches above his face. In the same fluid motion, he twisted his trapped sword, interlocking it more deeply with Koby's hatchet, and applied a sudden, downward pressure. The leverage was irresistible. Koby gasped, forced down onto one knee in the dirt, his offensive momentum shattered.
Having successfully dodged and dismantled the attack, Rowan disengaged with a sharp push of his sword, then planted a solid kick against Koby's shoulder, sending the boy stumbling back to gain distance.
But Koby was not finished. As he skidded backward, he channeled another frantic pulse of aura into his legs. With a burst of force that kicked up a spray of dirt and pebbles, he launched himself into the air, arcing over Rowan's head. He twisted mid-air, bringing both hatchets down in a desperate, two-handed chop aimed at the crown of Rowan's skull.
Rowan didn't even look up. He raised his practice sword in a high, angled block, the wooden blades meeting with a loud crack. At the same time, he took a smooth, sidestepping glide, redirecting Koby's plummeting force harmlessly past him. The moment Koby's boots hit the ground with an unsteady thud, Rowan was already in motion. He stepped in, his movement a blur of economy, and planted a firm, controlled kick against Koby's chin.
There was no malice in the strike, only demonstration. Koby's head snapped back. He lost his footing completely, tumbling backward to land hard on the rocky earth, rolling once before coming to a stop on his back, staring dizzily at the sky.
The clearing was quiet again, save for Koby's ragged breathing.
Rowan looked down at him, his expression unreadable. "That," he stated, "was poor aura control."
Koby pushed himself up onto his elbows, wincing.
"You poured aura into every single step and movement," Rowan continued, walking a slow circle around him. "Even the unnecessary ones. The flourish on the pivot. The extravagant jump. You treated it like an unlimited fuel, burning it for show and speed, with no regard for conservation or true intent." He stopped, looking down at Koby. "If you want true efficiency—if you want to survive with what little you have—you must know exactly when to use aura. You must understand how a whisper of it in your foot can change your balance, how a thread of it in your arm can alter the weight of your strike. It is not about power. It is about precision."
Koby climbed slowly to his feet, dusting himself off. The lesson stung, both physically and in its truth. "I understand," he said, his voice rough. "But when are you going to teach me actual fighting techniques? Real forms? Something other than just… not wasting energy?"
"When you learn efficient aura control," Rowan replied, his tone leaving no room for debate. "The technique is meaningless without the foundation. A spectacular house built on sand will still fall." He turned to leave the circle.
"Don't you think you need to teach us more than just sparring and corrections?" James called after him, voicing the frustration they all felt. "We need more to work with."
Rowan paused, half-turning. The setting sun cast his profile in sharp relief against the darkening stone of the mountain. "I have shown each of you precisely what you need to work on. Kai must redefine his weapon. James must tighten his movements and think three steps ahead. Axle must lose his rigidity. And Koby must master control." His gaze swept over them. "So work on it. I have other errands to attend to."
And with that, he walked away, his form disappearing into the deep shadows of the treeline, leaving them alone in the vast, silent clearing.
A heavy pause settled over the group.
"Well," Kai said, breaking the silence with a heavy dose of sarcasm as he dropped onto a patch of grass, "that was fun."
James watched the spot where Rowan had vanished, then turned, a new determination in his eyes. "Axle," he said. "Can you spar with me?"
Axle raised an eyebrow, a faint smile touching his lips. "Didn't get enough of a beating from Rowan, I see."
"You move smoother than any of us," James admitted, hefting his practice sword. "Maybe some of that will rub off on me if I try to keep up."
Axle considered this, then nodded. He rose fluidly and took up his spear, the movement effortless. The two young men moved to an open part of the clearing, standing a few feet apart, weapons held at the ready. The dynamic shifted from student-master to peers, a lower stakes but no less earnest contest.
"Think fast," Axle said, and then he blitzed forward. Their spar began—a rapid exchange of thrusts, parries, and circling footwork, the clack of wood on wood echoing in the open space.
Koby watched them for a moment, then turned. "Well, I'm going out," he announced, brushing the last of the dirt from his trousers.
"Going to see Aries?" Kai called after him without looking up from where he sat, plucking a blade of grass.
"Yeah," Koby confirmed, a slight, unconscious smile softening his features. His eyes glistened with a spark of genuine anticipation. "She said she'd show me something in the forest today. Something about tracking."
Kai furrowed his brow, finally looking over. "Aren't you supposed to be practicing? You know, the whole 'efficient aura control' thing Rowan just carved into the dirt with your face?"
"I am practicing," Koby replied, his tone defensive.
"By frolicking out in the woods with your forest friend?" Kai asked, pushing himself up from the ground. His voice held a teasing edge, but there was a real question underneath.
Koby stopped and turned fully to face him, his expression one of disbelief. "What?"
Kai shrugged, his arms crossing over his chest. "Just saying it how I see it. Rowan tells you to work on control, and you run off to play guide with a girl you just met."
"Keep that to yourself, would you?" Koby shot back, his cheeks flushing with a mix of irritation and embarrassment. He didn't wait for a reply, turning on his heel and striding purposefully toward the dense wall of trees.
As Koby vanished into the deepening shadows of the forest, Kai shook his head, watching the spot where he'd disappeared.
"Cut him some slack," James grunted, sidestepping a swift jab from Axle's spear. "At least he's getting some practical experience out there. Different kind of practice."
"I'm just worried about him getting too attached," Kai murmured, more to himself than to James. "Distracted. This world… it doesn't reward distraction."
"Do I smell a hint of jealousy?" Axle mocked smoothly, deflecting a powerful overhead slash from James with a circular parry.
Kai scoffed. "Why would I be jealous?"
Axle didn't miss a beat, his voice playful as he continued to trade blows with James. "Koby finds a new friend. A skilled one, from the sound of it. Someone he can talk to without all our… shared baggage. Maybe you're worried about being replaced as the number one nuisance in his life."
"I'm not that sentimental," Kai said, but a slight, reluctant smirk tugged at his lips. His gaze remained fixed on the treeline, now empty and still, as the sounds of James and Axle's friendly combat filled the clearing behind him.