Training (3)

Aiden and Peter stood facing each other. Pelia faced another female student to spar with her. Rhea looked around, searching for a partner.

"Hey, would you like to spar with me?" Rhea looked at the figure with a smirk on his face. It was Daniel.

"Sure." Rhea shrugged her shoulders.

"Well then," Daniel said as he was adjusting his body to a fighting stance. "Let me be a bit rough." 

"You are going to regret that decision." Rhea muttered. 

Daniel smirked, a cocky glint in his eyes. "You're going to regret saying that." 

Rhea stood her ground, her expression calm but determined. "We'll see about that," she replied, a hint of challenge in her voice.

With that the two opponents circled each other, their stances low and ready. 

Oh, by the way, no use of abilities until I say so," Issac said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

A wave of disappointment washed over the students, their excited murmurs turning into low grumbles. They knew better than to voice their discontent to the imposing instructor.

"No use of abilities? It doesn't matter," Daniel smirked. "You can learn a lot from me when I defeat you.

Rhea gave a light smile. "I like your confidence." 

Is everybody ready?" Issac said in a loud voice.

"Yes sir!" The young warriors replied.

"BEGIN!" 

The moment the word left Isaac's mouth, Daniel lunged at Rhea, his fist aimed at her face. Rhea dodged it effortlessly and tackled him to the floor. Every student stopped immediately when Daniel was on the floor with a shocked expression on his face. Peter froze in place when he saw that.

"So the rumors were true." Pelia said as she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Incredible." Aiden said, knowing fully well she's on a whole different level compared to himself.

Issac opened his eyes and scanned the room, noticing everyone's reaction.

He looked at Daniel on her ground, while Rhea crossed her arms with a bored expression on her face. Isaac's eyes narrowed, as he accessed the situation. "Daniel," he said, his voice carry across the room, "get up." 

Daniel, his face flushed with embarrassment, scrambled on his feet. He glared at Rhea, but there was a newfound respect in his eyes.

"Impressive," Issac said turning to Rhea. "Very impressive." 

Rhea nodded and went to a corner to observe the rest.

"What are you worms waiting for?" 

Issac glared at the students.

"CONTINUE!"

Aiden and Peter began sparring the same goes to Pelia.

Aiden clenched his fist and aimed it straight at Peter's face, imitating what Daniel did. Peter blocked the attack with his left hand, grabbed him closer and gave him a headbutt. Aiden stumbled back, rubbing his head. 

"How did you..." He started, but Peter cut him off. 

"My father taught me," Peter said with a hint of pride in his voice. "He's been training me since I was six."

Aiden nodded, trying to process what had just happened. He knew he had to step up his game.

"Martial arts, huh?" Aiden asked, a hint of respect in his voice.

"Yeah, my father taught me and Pelia how to fight and use martial arts, but it's useless against evolved ones," Peter replied, a touch of sadness in his tone. "Now me and Pelia awakened our ability but we can't use it properly. That's why we came here." 

Aiden nodded in understanding. "I see..." he said, his thoughts drifting back to the tragic loss of his family.

"Let's fight again," Peter suggested, his competitive sprit ignited.

"Yeah." Aiden agreed.

Ten minutes as passed as the young warriors continue their sparring matches. Issac with a disappointed look on his face, gave them the signal to stop.

The young warriors stopped fighting and looked at their instructor, expecting certain praises for a training well done. 

"Wipe that smile off your faces young ones," Issac said with a huge smile on his face. "This is just the beginning."

The students, filled with a sense of accomplishment, suddenly a wave of disappointment wash over them. 

"Due to my observations, I noticed that most of your hand-to-hand combat is not as impressive as I expected. But I will change that," Issac began, his voice carrying hint of disappointment.

"Let's go to the training grounds."

The young warriors exited the hall and followed their stern instructor, Issac, to the expansive training grounds. Awe struck them as they entered the vast, open space filled with towering wooden structures and scattered stone formations. The ground was covered in a thick layer of soft, springy grass.

The young warriors stood on their grounds and waited for their teacher's instructions. 

"First things first," Issac began, "I need to hone that fragile body of yours. This is the most important thing for a warrior. Having a strong body gives you an edge in battle."

The young warriors nodded in understanding.

"Lower your bodies to the earth, strong and steady, as if pressing against an invisible force. Rise with power, meeting the sky in defiance. Do this ten times." Issac instructed.

The young warriors with a determined look on their faces, proceed to do their body training.

They struggled to complete the task. Pelia managed to do it only five times, Peter did it six times, Rhea and Daniel completed the task as expected. Aiden gritted his teeth as he raised his body up and down, counting "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight....." His body collapsed on the ground when he noticed he couldn't do it any longer.

The rest of the warriors struggled to complete the task, managing only four or five repetitions before collapsing onto the soft grass.

Issac scanned the training grounds, his eyes landing on Aiden, who lay sprawled on the grass, panting heavily. A flicker of interest crossed the instructor's face. "So this is the boy Arthur was talking about huh?" He mused to himself. " Let's see what you are capable of, Aiden Heyes."

Aiden's heart begins to pound quickly but he takes a deep breath to calm himself.