Awakening [1]

A swooshing sound flew through the air, cutting open the metal thread cocoon binding me.

*THUD*

I fell to the ground. My body was weak since I wasn't able to move for an entire day.

Weiss finally let me go the next day. He gave me one last warning about maintaining my weapons before leaving without a trace just as he always does.

I quickly went back to my daily and weekly routines. Actively doing my butler duties and twice a week I either spar in the training grounds or dodge Weiss' attacks in the forest.

Nothing happened and I kept living my daily life until 4 months passed by quite quickly. Life was normal for little old me.

***

Dodge to the side...

Duck!

A diagonal slash coming from the upper-left...

Parry, then thrust!

Arch blocked my counterattack.

I jumped away and gained some distance between us. Arch and I were both sweating profusely.

Over the past 4 months, my skills finally caught up to Arch.

The two of us were exhausted. This sparring round has been going on for over an hour. We've been exchanging blows and clashing swords for quite a while. Both of us got our fair share of clean hits, so he was bruised in many places but so was I.

"You're getting good, you might even defeat me this time," Arch said with a grin.

Over the many, many, many sparring sessions we've had, I've come to understand the character of Arch. He's a man of few words, so he doesn't talk that much. But when he does speak his mind, it's when he's conversing with someone he's acknowledged.

"Thanks...and I will."

I kicked off the ground and dashed towards Arch. I swung my wooden sword and Arch responded in kind by deflecting it with his superior muscle strength thanks to his age.

He swung his wooden sword while my wooden sword was still suffering from the recoil. Shifting my center of gravity, I bent my body at an angle that would normally cause pain to a normal person, allowing me to successfully dodge his attack.

Using the momentum from my evasion, I rolled away to the side and jumped, bringing my sword above my head and slashing down with all my might.

Arch's sword was still outstretched at my previous location and so had to block my attack with his free arm, which made him flinch from the pain.

His flinching gave away an opening for me to exploit. Let's do this!

Landing on the ground, I crouched then pounced towards Arch's torso and bashed my shoulder pushing him back and making him lose balance.

I quickly kicked his legs in a sweeping motion, which caused him to fall on his back.

*THUD*

Swiftly, I positioned myself and pointed the tip of my wooden sword at his neck.

With great difficulty caused by exhaustion, I spoke, "I win..."

Instantly, the knights in the training grounds who were spectating started clapping. Some whistled and some cheered.

From what I could see, even Weiss joined the festive mood and started clapping as well. I could even see his mouth bend a little into a small smile.

"Heh, you really beat me this time," Arch muttered in a volume low enough that only I could hear.

I helped him stand up. We shook hands and rested right after. Weiss gave both of us potions to heal our injuries.

*Sigh*

I sighed after drinking water from a canteen. The cool spring wind blew, providing a cooling effect that soothed my tired body.

"Heya!"

William sat down next to me again. Gave me jerky to eat again, just like the first time we met.

"You okay there?"

"...yeah,"

"How do you feel?"

I pondered on what to answer. I looked at my hands and clenched them.

"I feel...accomplished. Like I've finally grown."

Before I noticed, William moved his hand and patted me roughly, messing up my hair.

I slapped his hand away and grumbled, "Don't. Pat. Me."

William looked at me awkwardly, as if he couldn't say anything in reply.

We sat there in silence for a while. The only sounds we could hear were the clashing of swords—both wooden and metal—from the spars of the members of the Griffin Knights.

Soon, I regained my stamina. Standing up, I stretched my body to wake up my muscles, ready for another spar.

Weiss approached me while saying, "You won't be sparring with Arch this time."

"What?"

"This time you'll be sparring with William. And Aura will be allowed"

"WHAT!? But he's a fucking 3rd Stage!!"

I felt a hand patting my back. I turned around and smacked away William's hand.

"I said don't fucking pat me!" I swear to Alumeria I'm gonna pop a blood vessel one of these days.

"Sorry, I forgot. But don't worry, I'll hold back when we spar." William replied.

Resigning to my fate, William and I both picked up a wooden sword and went back into the training grounds. The idle knights that weren't sparring and even the knights that were sparring started watching the spectacle that is about to happen.

Although this time, everyone seemed to be worried about me. Their reactions made sense since I was about to face the commander of the Griffin Knights, the youngest to ever reach the 3rd stage of Aura in the history of the Hedal Kingdom.

I closed my eyes and focused my mind on my Aura pool. Slowly but surely, I controlled the energy and channeled it into every vein and artery I could possibly manage with as much precision as possible.

From head to toe, my entire body was covered in a gentle blanket of white energy, increasing my physical capabilities, my brain's processing speed, and my visual acuity. The world around me started to feel and look different, something I've gotten used to as I further trained and strengthened my usage of Aura.

I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Opening my eyes, I saw a mint green glow enveloping William. His Aura imbuement on his wooden sword was constantly maintained, a feat that is currently impossible for me. As such, my wooden sword isn't covered in my white Neophyte stage Aura.

Maintaining Aura weapon imbuement is extremely difficult. The key was imagining and embracing the weapon as part of one's body. While I haven't mastered that concept, I do feel that I am making progress in that respect. I could tell from the many spars with Arch. The way I should handle and hold a sword, how I should swing it as it were an extension of my own arm. I'm slowly but surely getting there.

William took the initiative and attacked.

*FWOOSH*

His speed was unbelievable! It was like he appeared in front of me in an instant.

The shock of facing his speed caused my reaction to delay for a split second. The only thing I could do was block his sword swing.

*TAK*

His sword collided with mine as the force behind his swing push me back, making me fly through the air for 10 meters.

I landed and focused my attention on Wiliam. I was sweating, not from exhaustion but from anxiety.

So this is what it feels like to fight a 3rd Stage Aura user. The sheer gap between us is overwhelming.

William disappeared from his spot again. Trusting my instincts, I dodged to the right.

Successfully avoiding William's strike, I saw him continue his attack, connecting his attack with another slashing motion.

My Aura flared, boosting my capabilities to the limit as I narrowly dodged his slash.

William connected it again with another attack, this time it was a thrusting motion.

Desperate to avoid the piercing sword, I took advantage of my flexibility once more. I barely dodged the sword just like the previous attacks.

William continued his onslaught of slashes, thrusts, kicks, and punches as I grit my teeth and pulled out every trick I could use to dodge every single one of his attacks.

Soon, exhaustion caught up to me, making me fail in avoiding William's kick to my stomach.

"Puhaa-!!"

I rolled across the ground, holding my stomach in pain as I felt my breakfast trying to climb up and escape through my mouth. I resisted and swallowed the small amount of gastric acid and digested food that got in my mouth.

Using my sword as a crutch, I pulled myself up to stand up with a shaky breath.

William exited his sword stance and casually tapped the blade of the wooden sword on his shoulder. He smiled and said...

"Wow, you did well for your first spar with me lil' bro!"

Lil' bro...

As soon as heard those two words, something deep within me, something I haven't felt for a very long time, a very old memory resurfaced. My blood boiled as I was overcome with rage. Then my sense of reasoning snapped.

I blacked out. I don't remember what happened after that. Only after I woke up a few days later was I informed of the events that transpired.