Laying on the ground, Nacht was seething.
'How could I be tricked so easily?'
Nacht seldom got fooled, but when he does, he always makes an effort to ensure that he won't get fooled by the same trick again. Alister had obviously hidden his cards well of course, offering to shake hands at the start and only offering again once he had let his guard down. In truth, his lack of knowledge and experience with the abilities of the enlightened is what got him in the end.
Still reeling from his blunder, Nacht was left feeling indignant and slightly embarrassed. Luckily, the person responsible for his current state was standing right in front of him.
Picking up his saber from the ground, he charged at Alister.
Nacht was no stranger to fights. He had gotten himself in his fair share of fist fights back in District Nine. The only difference now was that his opponent was armed while he had never wielded a sword. Well, that and his opponent was an enlightened.
Closing the distance between him and Alister, he thrusted his sword, aiming at Alister's neck. Alister stepped aside in a fluid motion and redirected his attack with a light touch of his blade. Nacht realized his mistake a second too late and found that Alister had stepped inside his guard.
He instantly retreated and took a couple steps back.
'He could have killed me.'
In only a few seconds Nacht realized that he was severely out matched, and not just because his opponent was an enlightened. Nacht knew that Alister could move far faster than him but instead, he decided to match his speed. Probably to show the difference in skill between them. It was only now that he could fully appreciated that they were on the same team.
Alister went on the offensive with a simple swing to his side. Nacht tried to block that accursed swing, only to feel his bones rattle against the force of Alister attack.
'Come on, that swing didn't even look powerful!'
Realizing he wasn't going to be able to block Alister attacks—at least not without sustaining damage himself—he decided to be more passive and focus on dodging. He felt like he needed more time to study Alister and how he fought. Then maybe he would be able to find an opening or a weakness in his swordsmanship.
Straining his body, Nacht barely managed to dodge a strike aimed at his torso and barely deflected an attack aiming to sever his arm.
"You're good at running, I'll give you that."
Alister's sword came faster than Nacht anticipated. He twisted his body to avoid the blow but he wasn't quick enough. Nacht felt something similar to a hot knife cleave across his ribs making him grimace.
'Crap.'
Warm blood seeped through his already worn down clothes, causing Nacht to grit his teeth. He was still reeling from the embarrassment of his earlier blunder and now he was in pain from the slashes that tore open his skin.
Alister stepped forward with a sadistic grin.
"Your opponents won't wait for you to adapt—the abstracts, less so."
Nacht pinned him with a resentful glare.
"You're enjoying this aren't you."
Alister swung his sword while answering his question.
"I am."
With a snarl, Nacht strained his battered body to evade the blade aimed at his neck. As the blade whistled past his neck—instead of retreating— he took a step forward, imitating Alister's earlier movement, and thrust his sabre at Alister's chest.
The sword came dangerously close to grazing Alister and was even moments away from wounding him! Nevertheless, it was a shame that he didn't see the flying elbow that was coming right for him.
The strike perfectly connected with his head causing him to lose his balance.
Falling to a knee, Nacht felt the sharp sting of Alister's blade pressed against the back of his neck.
After a few seconds, Alister lifted his sword.
"It's my win."
Nacht spoke in an exapserated tone, still tryin g to catch his breath.
"You cheated. Aren't you supposed to teach me how to wield a sword?"
Alister laughed.
"I told you I will teach you how to fight, wielding a weapon is merely a byproduct of that."
Alister lingered for a moment.
"But I'll give it to you, you're a fast learner and quite talented with your saber. Are you sure you've never wielded a blade before?"
Nacht rubbed the back of his neck with a bitter expression.
"This is my first time."
Alister nodded.
"Take a break for now and get some rest. We won't need to leave this floor for a while. When you wake up we'll continue with your lessons."
With that, Nacht was left with the pain of his flesh being carved all over his body and the feeling of defeat that came along with it. He hadn't realized it during the battle, but when he thought he had evaded some of Alister's strikes, he hadn't. He had many minor cuts all over his body that he hadn't noticed, a testament to how skilled Alister was compared to him.
Nacht Dragged his mutilated body towards the fountain and instead of applying the healing liquid to his body, he simply decided to jump in. He closed his eyes and focused on the warmth of the clear liquid and its profound healing effects on his body.
Laying here in the fountain, Nacht would have felt at peace if it weren't for his guilt that plagued his mind. He hadn't slept in days, and for good reason. Everytime he closed his eyes he would see the face of his uncle.
'I'm sorry.'
Suddenly, he felt a cold hand grip his throat and a loud shout that sounded very familiar.
"Your Sorry?!"
Alarmed, Nacht flung himself out of the fountain and found himself keeled over on the floor gasping for air. The emotion of guilt he always felt was stronger than ever, leaving his body shaking.
"Woah, are you alright?"
Looking up from the ground, he noticed Alister looking at him with a concerned expression which surprised him.
"I heard you talking in your sleep so I thought you were awake."
He shook his head.
"How long have I been asleep?"
Alister shrugged.
"A few hours perhaps, it's hard to tell without a clock."
Finally calming down, Nacht exhaled in relief.
'A few hours, not too bad.'
He had actually been struggling to sleep the past few days and it was starting to get to him. He needed to be in top condition if he wanted to get out of the first gate of penance alive. So finally catching up on his sleep could prove to be vital.
Nacht looked at Alister.
"Let's continue the lessons."