The Path of a Keeper

The field stretched endlessly beneath the vast blue sky, as the vibrant sun cast a golden glow over the swaying grass. A warm breeze brushed past Kai, ruffling his long flowing coat, as he squared his stance. Across him, Selara stood, her aura gave a sensation of absolute composure. Without a word, she raised her hand in front of herself. 

In an instant, golden light flared to life, swirling around her arm before gathering at her palm. The light intensified until the shape of a spear formed at her palm. The light particles dissolved, leaving behind a long, elegant spear with a broad, curved blade, resembling the shape of a Guan Dao. The golden blade gleamed under the sunlight, a deadly crescent with an enchanting beauty. A counter spike jutted from the opposite end of the spear, equally sharp. The handle was pure white, with a bright red tassel attached to the neck of the spear, a stark contrast to the lethal beauty of the weapon itself. 

Kai exhaled sharply. Even while standing at a distance, he could feel the sheer power radiating from it. Selara's amber eyes developed a faint golden glow to them as they flickered towards him. "Now, manifest your weapon Kai" Selara commanded, her voice calm. Kai exhaled, as he closed his eyes and reached inwards, feeling for his own inner rhythm. "Alright then let's do this." he thought to himself as he grasped the energy within him. He felt a sudden rush of power as it raced down his right arm and gathered at his palm. Dark azure light crackled around his hand, tendrils of energy wove themselves together as the shape of his sword materialized. The familiar, satisfying weight of his blade gave Kai a strange sense of comfort, as the jet-black blade of his sword gleamed in the sunlight, pulsing with power.

Selara gave him a small nod. "Good, now then-" She twirled her spear, leaving arcs in the air as she fell into a battle-ready stance. "For your next lesson, you must maintain your Temporal Aura as we fight. If you manage to land a single hit on me, you pass, but if you are unable to maintain your Temporal Aura, you fail. Let us begin."

Kai barely had time to react before she surged forward. The first strike came fast, much faster than Kai expected. He barely raised his sword in time to block, the force of the impact sending a sharp vibration down his arms. Kai gritted his teeth as he commanded a fragment of his temporal energy to flow into his sword. The sword gained a faint azure aura around it, flickering to life. Selara's spear came at him again, sweeping in a wide arc that forced him to duck. "Stay calm Kai, focus." Selara commanded.

 She moved with such effortless precision, every motion refined and practiced. Kai, in contrast, was scrambling, his footwork was a mess, his defenses were sloppy. He was constantly getting pushed back, barely dodging, barely blocking. "Too slow," Selara remarked, her voice even. Her next thrust pushed Kai back, his feet skidding on the grass. "Well this is not quite fair" Kai protested, "can't you hold back a bit, I am still new to all this." "I am holding back," Selara replied, "In real battle however, a single mistake is all that it takes.....You must learn to adapt based on your surroundings, you wont always have time to prepare before a battle." 

Kai felt frustration burn into his chest as he realized that what Selara said was true. As she resumed with her attacks, Kai's focus shifted. Just like when he was fighting the Leviathan, his mind went into observing his opponent's attacks, movements, trying to form a pattern he could exploit. Kai exhaled as he steadied his breathing. Instead of reacting, he started to read Selara's movements, chaotic like the Leviathan but it had a certain grace to it. He felt her movements slow down just enough to be able to see her next move. "Do not worry," a phantom voice called from the back of Kai's mind, "Focus on observing her attacks, leave the defense to me." Kai felt as if his sword had a mind of it's own, as it seemed to draw his hand in different directions, successfully blocking Selara's attacks.

As her spear clashed with Umbra, Kai could feel his sword not just withstanding the force, it was redirecting it. He stepped into the movement, not against it as he began to slip past her next strike with a narrow dodge. The aura around himself and his blade steadied, no longer flickering. Selara's eyes gleamed with approval, though her face remained emotionless. Kai felt a burden around his shoulders lighten, as he began to fully focus on finding an opening. He darted forward, his blade slicing through the air with precision born from his desperation and determination. Selara countered his attacks with effortless grace, deflecting his attacks with swift, calculated movements. Kai side-stepped, slashed, feinted, each attack was a calculated risk, meant to slip through the smallest gaps in her defense. But every time he thought he had her, she simply deflected and counter attacked, her spear moved with impossible speed, as if she could see Kai's attacks even before he moved.

Frustration gnawed at the edges of Kai's focus, as dust kicked up by their relentless dance. The weight of his Temporal Aura felt like it was growing heavier, like chains tightening around his limbs. His breath grew ragged, but yet he refused to give up. "If I am going yo burn, I might as well burn bright. It's time I go all out." Kai thought to himself. With a growl of defiance, he poured every last bit of temporal energy he had into his blade and the aura around him. The aura around his blade and his own Temporal Aura flared wildly, the azure light intensifying until it felt like the very air around him vibrated with raw power. Umbra pulsed in his hands, humming with a resonance that rippled across the field. The dark purple accents, the purple patterns running down in the palms of his gloves flared up, radiating a strong glow of power. The emblem on the back of his coat blazed with a powerful azure flare, as if new life was breathed into his suit. The strain was immediate, a searing pull deep within his chest, but Kai pushed past it, channeling all of his remaining energy into one last attack.

 Selara's eyes narrowed slightly as she sensed the shift, her stance adjusting instinctively, but Kai was significantly faster now, driven by sheer will. He feinted left, then pivoted sharply, exploiting the smallest gap in her defense. He brought his blade down with all his strength, a blinding arc of azure light cleaved through the space between them. "This is it," Kai thought to himself, but right as his sword was about to connect, Selara's own Temporal Aura blazed like a golden inferno, tendrils of radiant energy coiling around her as she caught Kai's blade with one hand. The clash of the forces sent a sharp, concussive wave of energy rippling through the field, flattening the grass in every direction. With a quick burst of temporal energy from her palm, she repelled Kai's sword away, causing him to fall backwards into the grass. Umbra trembled in Kai's grip, it's jet-black blade humming with the last remnants of his fading strength, the once-vibrant azure glow flickering like a dying flame.

Kai's head rested on his chest, as he looked down, disappointment and disbelief etched into his face. He tried to stand, but as the last of his strength left him, his knees buckled. His knees fell into the grass with a muted thud. His blade sank slightly into the earth as well, dissolving away in fragments of azure embers, scattering in the wind and vanishing. Kai's breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred at the edges as he stared at the patch of earth where his weapon had just been, the ground already closing up, as it repaired itself. His Temporal aura flickered weakly, struggling to heal his bruises, each pulse feeling more draining than the last. 

 "I.....failed," Kai thought bitterly, waiting for Selara's verdict. But instead of harsh disappointment, her voice cut through the haze with surprising clarity. "You've passed." Kai's head snapped up, his disbelief clear on his face. His heart ponded, not from strain this time, but from confusion. "What....?" he rasped, his voice barely audible. Selara stood tall, her spear dissolved into fragments of light, drifting away in the wind, just like Kai's sword had moments ago. She stepped forward, the sun casting sharp lines of shadow across her face. In the gentle sunlight, her expression remained composed, but has she smiled at Kai, he felt a sudden warmth in his chest. The faint glimmer in her eyes had a spark in them that Kai couldn't quite place.

"You fought fearlessly," she continued, her tone steady but with a surprising warmth to them beneath the surface." You adapted, improved and pushed yourself beyond your limits. You managed to maintain your Aura throughout our fight, and even when you had the odds stacked against you, you pushed forward with out giving up." She stopped just in front of him and held out her hand, her shadow falling over his exhausted form like a mantle. "That is what it means to be a warrior, and more importantly, a Time-keeper." Kai's chest tightened, not from exhaustion this time, but from the weight of her words. He was prepared for failure and harsh criticism. Instead, he found something completely different, acknowledgement and maybe even....respect. 

He took Selara's hand as she helped him to his feet. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled deeply, the tension slowing flowing out of his body. As the last echoes of his Temporal Aura faded into nothingness, the warm air around him felt strangely comforting.....or maybe it was something else. Selara waved her hand, and immediately the sunlit field around them melted back to the atrium of the Primarium Castrum, the air buzzing with the familiar hum of temporal energy. "Come now, as a Time-keeper you will need a mean of communication with the others, I think Lorith is already done with your Chronolink. Follow me, I will take you to his workshop." Selara said as she began to walk to one of the archways in the castle, Kai took a second to catch his breath as he jogged over to catch up with Selara.