The sun broke through the trees, its rays blanketing me through the window while I prepared breakfast. My chores were complete, and my dirty clothes from last night were washed and drying outside. The thought of advancing my swordsmanship in secret made my stomach tingle. Smiling, I cut into a berry, splitting it in two before putting each half onto a separate plate.
"Luna," the commander's voice rang from his room.
I froze for a moment; he stood in the doorframe, our eyes met, but his gaze quickly drifted past me, focusing on something behind me. He walked past the table to the door, grabbing the sword. He ran his hand along its edge, his fingers tracing along the chipped portion.
He frowned. "Care to explain?" he asked.
I forgot about the sword!
My blood ran cold as my mind tried to come up with an excuse.
"I... I-um... I stayed out late-" I stumbled out before getting cut off.
"It's fine if you train at night, but sleep is important. So if you're going to get up early, then go to bed earlier so you can get enough hours. Sleep allows for your body to recover and adjust." He said, placing the sword down. "And you have to treat your sword better, even if it's a wooden training one." He scolded me.
Taking a seat at the table, he continued. "In battle, your sword is your greatest ally. Don't treat it like a tool."
"I understand, I'll do better," I said.
"Good, now have a seat," he responded.
Sighing, I sat down and dug into breakfast.
The meal was eerily quiet. Finishing quickly, as usual, I gathered the dirty dishes and washed them with the stream water I'd collected earlier. The commander, finishing soon after me, left his dish on the table before heading outside.
"Come out once you're done," he said while grabbing both of the swords.
Sighing, I washed his plate quickly. Leaving still a few marks on its surface before rushing through the door and outside. The commander stood in the middle of the yard looking into the forest. As I appeared, he tossed the sword at me. Catching it, I examined the blade; it was not the one that was chipped, but one that seemed to have not seen too much action.
My eyes fell upon the blade the commander held; it was mine, chipped, and sweat-stained. "These wooden swords aren't good for vigorous work like what I'll put you through, but even so, as a side lesson, complete your training without damaging that one too much." He said. "Now get in your stance."
Doing as he said, I breathed in. My stance was clean, and my grip natural.
"Swing," he commanded.
I swung.
"Again."
The air cracked.
The commander didn't speak. He just stared at me for several seconds.
"Once more," he said.
My sword travelled down precisely.
"Luna?"
"Yes," I replied
"Did you already obtain swordsmanship?" he asked.
My heart skipped a beat, but my head slowly nodded. His eyes widened slightly.
"When?" he questioned.
My head pounded like a drum; I clasped the sword tightly, and my lip trembled slightly.
"Last night..." I responded
His foot tapped the ground a few times. "How late exactly did you stay up practicing last night?"
I sighed, releasing my grip on the sword and locking eyes with him.
"Until Umbra Astrum reached the sky's peak," I said.
Sighing, he opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, I spoke.
"But it was because I really wanted to get better; I practiced everything that you taught me: balance, control, my stance! I blurted out. "I even tried to strike some trees to feel what it was like to make contact with something... That's probably how that happened." I pointed at the chip in the sword he was holding.
He didn't speak for a few seconds, but seemed to be contemplating something. "I am not your father, so I can't control what you do every hour of the day. He breathed out. "But if you're going to train at night, don't be stupid about it; your body needs time to recover.
He gripped the sword tight, his eyes wandering along it. "And stop hitting trees," He added. "Now, show me twenty strikes and then we can officially begin."
Breathing out in relief, I got into position before starting to deliver the strikes.
1...
2...
3...
...20
A drop of sweat ran down my cheek as I finished the last strike. My eyes fell upon the commander who had not moved since I began. After waiting for a few seconds, I watched as he took a few steps to position himself in front of me.
"Today won't be the same as yesterday," he said.
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"Yesterday you learnt how to swing a sword, but today you will learn how to deal with someone who swings back."
My eyes widened as he dashed forward, his sword raised above his head. I activated Earthen Sense right away, but the vibrations weren't enough to properly track his movements. He raised his sword above his head, and in an instant brought it down. The speed of his attack was so great that I didn't even have time to try and raise my blade.
The world seemed to slow down as the blade got closer to my head. My body was frozen, and the only thing that seemed to move was the commander's strike. I knew I should move, try to dodge or block, but my body wouldn't respond... no, it can't respond. I closed my eyes, and as I did, the world unfroze; a burst of air sent my hair flying and my body tensed. My hands trembled, but the strike that I prepared for never came. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the wooden sword hovering an inch from my head, Roderic frowning slightly.
The commander pulled away, and as he did, my knees buckled, causing me to crumple to the ground. I gasped, not realizing that I had been holding my breath. My eyes fell to my sword now on the ground; I couldn't even react. I had Swordsmanship, Earthen Sense, and Heightened Perception, but his movements were still just a blur to me. If he wanted to, he could have struck me, and I wouldn't have been able to stop him.
"Stand up," he told me.
"Yes sir..." I responded, pulling myself off the ground and grabbing my sword. My body was still shaking slightly.
"Watch closely," he said, taking a strike with his sword, cutting through the air vertically. Watching carefully, I saw his sword change direction mid-strike, now moving horizontally. "What did you see?"
I thought for a moment before answering. "I saw your sword change directions."
He sighed, "That's your problem; you're too busy watching the sword, trying to track it."
"Is that wrong?" I questioned.
"Yes, because by the time you see it, it's already moving," he explained.
My eyes widened.
He's right. When he attacked me, I tried to follow his sword, but it was already too late when he brought it down.
"Then what do I watch?" I asked.
"You watch me, my feet, my shoulders. Your opponent's sword can deceive you; while their body has a much harder time doing that," he stated.
"Now try again. Focus on my shoulder and block my attack; I'll slow it down for right now." He said, dashing at me; he was definitely moving slower than before, but it still seemed really fast to me. I focused, watching his body as it approached. Where his feet landed and how they pointed, how he bent his arms, and where his shoulders pointed.
Before the strike came, I noticed it.
There!
A slight shift in his shoulder, and then followed by a turn in his waist. I raised my sword, my eyes widening as the two swords collided slightly. My sword buckled under the attack, causing me to lose my balance. In the next second, I fell, hitting my head on a rock. My head throbbed for a moment, my hand touching the spot where it hurt. My hand burned as hot red blood stained it slightly. Looking up at him, I smiled.
"I saw it! And I was close to blocking it!" I yelled out while smiling, standing on my feet and basically jumping up and down. Wiping off the blood without him realizing that I had been injured and feeling the wound on my head heal quickly, I got back in my stance.
"You did, but your block was terrible." The smile vanished from my face.
"You were too slow, your angle was off, and your grip loosened on impact," he stated.
"I see..." My eyes fell to the floor for a moment.
"Again," he said suddenly, causing my eyes to dart up and find him.
This time, I'll do better. React quicker, find an angle that won't just block the slash, but deflect it and don't lose strength underneath his attack; don't let it overpower you!
My eyes tracked him, watching closely, and when he delivered the attack, I was ready. My arms strained as I raised my blade, but it met his mid-air. My arms buckled slightly but held strong. The clash seemed to last forever, but in reality it was less than a second. His blade slid off of mine, leaving me unscathed but weak. Sweat stained my brow, and my arms trembled. I breathed heavily, but then I smiled.
"I did it."
"You did, and it was much better; now do it again," he said while moving towards me.
Doing as he said, I watched, seeing his shoulder shift. Smiling, I raised my sword to block the incoming attack, but my eyes widened as his attack suddenly changed direction. In the next moment, he halted his sword an inch away from my waist.
He smiled, "I said it was harder to use the body to deceive your opponents, but I didn't say it's impossible." He twirled his blade slightly. "That was a feint; the reason you fell for it was that you saw my shoulder move and then immediately went to block."
My mouth fell open. "What was I supposed to do!?"
"Keep watching me no matter what; the instant you saw my shoulder move, you shifted your attention to the blade," he answered.
"A tell isn't always the truth, Luna; it is only information for you to use," he added.
"Then how am I supposed to predict what attacks are coming?" I asked.
He sighed. "You don't; you use all the information you gathered, you watch all of them, not just a single part, and you react accordingly," he said. "A person who commits to the first thing they see can be easily controlled in a fight, so don't. Commit when they commit."
I pondered that lesson, my foot rapidly bouncing up and down. "But won't I be too slow?"
"Only if you are late," he said. "That's the hard part: commit too early, and you'll fall for a feint; commit too late, and you'll get hit."
My fingers traced themselves across the sword; images of his last attack replaying through my mind.
"You have to find the perfect in-between."
"What if I don't?" I asked.
"You will; it will take time and hard work, but you will," he said quietly.
"How long?" I questioned.
"I don't know; that's up to you. If you strive for it and treat every encounter as an opportunity to learn, then you will master it far quicker," he explained. "Now, enough talking; you'll understand it more with me hitting you."
He dashed at me, and my eyes locked onto him. His waist twisted, his shoulder shifted; His shoulder shifted again, a feint! To my surprise, he struck forward instantly. Seeing that he did not feint this time and instead committed right away, I brought my sword up to block as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, due to my hesitation at the start, he struck me in the shoulder. Wincing, I dropped my sword, holding where he struck me.
"Pain is a good teacher, and I know you have a regeneration skill, Luna. Liora told me about it." Looking at him, I nodded, picking up the sword as the tender spot on my shoulder disappeared.
Dashing at me again, I focused.
Commit when he commits. Be faster.
His wrist bent, his sword tilting slightly. I flinched but held back, my eyes staying locked on him. Suddenly his sword changed directions, his shoulder shifting quickly. Reading the attack, I quickly blocked it, deflecting it off my blade. I smiled and began to open my mouth but was stopped as he raised his sword again. Panicking, I tried to block but was left undefended as he feinted the attack, instead hitting me in the side. Coughing, my mind slightly flashed to right before he hit me; during it, I saw that he pulled back slightly before hitting me.
He knows I have a regeneration skill, but he still doesn't want to hurt me that much...
"That's another problem," he said.
Rubbing my side, I listened quietly.
"You thought you had won since you blocked my attack once," he said while tapping the bridge of his nose. "But you should never stop defending until your opponent is incapacitated or out of reach. Keep watching your opponents."
He got back in his stance, and then so did I. He moved forward, and my eyes followed him.
The sun raged down upon us, sweat soaking me, my breath harsh and ragged—the result of countless failed attempts. My skin glistened, and my eyes shone as I looked up. The scorching sun floating in the sky had now reached its peak. My arms trembled, and my body felt weak, but the commander's voice rang out.
"Again." His body moved; my eyes followed. I watched him, his movements, his eyes, everything that could give me information. He shifted, but I waited; I watched. Another movement, but I did not budge. Finally, with a third move, he struck out; bringing my sword up, I deflected it to the side. Quickly I stepped back to create distance, watching as he thrust right away; dodging out of the way, I kept my sword facing him. He struck again, his sword above his head, only to be directed at my side. Grunting, I forced my trembling arms to move my blade, it colliding with his. His sword bounced off, and I backed up again, ready for the next attack.
He sighed, setting the blade down. "Good job, Luna." He said. "It's time for lunch."
My body tensed for a second but then calmed when I realized that he was serious. Taking a deep breath in, I calmed my shaking hands and slowly walked away, entering the house and beginning to cook.
As I prepared lunch, my tired body throbbed, but a small grin appeared on my face.
"I did it!" I shouted loud enough that the commander outside could have heard it.