Chapter 4: Stance of Struggles

The training grounds were quiet at dawn—an open expanse of dew-damp grass, scattered boulders, and the rustling of early morning wind through distant trees. Audrey arrived early, his small hands brushing against the soft, cool blades of grass as he familiarized himself with this new arena. Even without sight, he could feel the world around him: the slight incline underfoot, the rough texture of a nearby boulder, and the rhythmic hum of his own heartbeat in anticipation.

"This is nice," Audrey murmured, tilting his head slightly as the morning breeze kissed his face. The air was crisp, the ground solid beneath his feet, and nature hummed like it had personally approved of his arrival. For a brief moment, he felt like the main character in one of those epic tales—minus the whole *being blind* part.

"You're here. That's good."

Audrey's head snapped towards the voice. Darek. But there was more—a shuffle of extra footsteps, lighter and quicker, following behind him. "Wait a minute..."

"Is someone with you, Instructor?" Audrey asked, his tone casual, but his curiosity was piqued. He didn't need eyes to know something was up.

"Yeah," Darek replied, his voice gruff but not unkind. "Someone will train with you."

"Really? Audrey perked up, shifting his stance slightly to face the newcomers. His crimson eyes, dull from blindness, still carried an unsettling intensity—like he was staring straight into their souls. It was the kind of gaze that would make most people uncomfortable. But hey, it wasn't like he could *see* them blushing awkwardly about it, so win-win.

"My name is Audrey Chist Falcon," he introduced himself, his voice steady and confident, like he was about to sign a treaty instead of just meeting other kids.

"I'm Ellessia d'Alenor. Six years old. Nice to meet you, Audrey," came a cheerful voice, bright and clear like a bell.

"Six?" Audrey's brow twitched slightly. She had *one* year on him. Big deal.

"And this is my brother, Elijah d'Alenor," Ellessia added.

"Nice to meet you, Audrey." Elijah's voice was calm and polite, the kind of voice that belonged to someone who probably *didn't* throw rocks at birds for fun.

Audrey nodded in their general direction. "Alright, cool, new friends. Or rivals. Or both." But then, an intrusive thought wormed its way into his head.

"What's this? I feel an MC vibe within these two," Audrey thought, narrowing his eyes (purely for dramatic effect). "Now that I think about it, in some regression or reincarnation stories, the MC trains their body between ages four and six, and their bodies are *jacked*—like mini bodybuilders flexing in the mirror."

Audrey frowned slightly. "I *hate* when that happens. It's always weird." He could practically imagine a tiny version of himself, flexing muscles he didn't have, veins popping out like some weird fantasy-RPG baby Hulk. "And now I'm going to be *that* guy. It's even *weirder.* Great."

But then his thoughts drifted, softening the edges of his sarcasm. "The kids back at the orphanage always told me I was weird, anyway. I hope they're doing okay without me." A pang of nostalgia tugged at his heart, but he shook it off. No time for that now.

Darek clapped his hands, snapping Audrey back to the present. "Alright, enough introductions. We're here to train, not chit-chat."

Audrey straightened up, his excitement bubbling beneath the surface. "Here we go. Time to become the blind swordsman prodigy. Or at least, not trip over my own feet."

Darek continued, his tone serious. "First lesson: stance and balance. I don't care how fast you think you are—if you can't stay on your feet, you're useless in a fight."

Audrey smirked. "Balance? Pfft. Easy. I've been blind my whole life; I'm basically a balance expert."

"Feet shoulder-width apart," Darek instructed. Audrey followed the directions, planting his feet firmly on the ground.

"Good. Now, lower your center of gravity. Slightly bend your knees."

Audrey bent his knees. "Simple enough. What's next? Swinging swords? Dodging attacks? Becoming a legend?"

"Now, stay like that."

Audrey blinked. "Wait, what?"

Minutes ticked by. The morning sun climbed higher, and Audrey's legs began to burn. Sweat trickled down his temple, and his arms trembled slightly from maintaining the position.

"Okay… maybe this isn't as easy as I thought."

Beside him, he could hear Ellessia and Elijah shifting slightly, but they didn't seem to be struggling as much. "Of course, they're probably MC material," Audrey thought bitterly. "They'll be doing backflips by next week."

Finally, Darek spoke again. "Good. You're holding up better than I expected, Falcon."

Audrey grinned through the pain. "Told you, Instructor. I'm serious."

Darek chuckled, the sound low and approving. "We'll see how serious you are after the next exercise."

Audrey's grin faded. "Wait… there's more?"

-----

The morning dragged on, and Audrey's legs were officially filing complaints to HR. His thighs burned like they were being roasted over an open flame, and he was pretty sure his calves were seconds away from snapping in half like overcooked noodles. But quitting? *Ha*. Not today.

When Darek finally barked out, "Break time," Audrey didn't sit—he *collapsed*. Gracefully, of course. As gracefully as a sack of potatoes could. His hands hit the grass, cool and damp, like nature itself was offering an apology for this torture session.

Beside him, Ellessia flopped down with the kind of cheerful sigh that made Audrey want to reconsider all his life choices. Elijah? The guy sat down like he was settling into a comfy chair, probably sipping tea in his mind. Neither of them sounded like they'd just been *mercilessly destroyed* by leg exercises.

"Of course," Audrey thought bitterly, wiping the sweat from his brow like he was some tragic hero in a bad play. "They've got that "main character" energy. I'm just here suffering in the background, like comic relief."

The silence stretched, filled only by the sound of Audrey's labored breathing (which he pretended wasn't as bad as it sounded) and the distant chirping of birds who were definitely mocking him.

Then, out of nowhere, Ellessia's voice piped up. "Hey, Audrey?"

"Here we go." "Yeah?" he replied, already sensing *something* was coming.

"Are you… blind?"

There it was. The question hung in the air like an awkward pause in a bad conversation. Elijah made a sound like he wanted to facepalm, but Audrey just smirked.

"Wow," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What gave it away? The way I stare into the distance like I'm brooding? Or was it the way I gracefully *avoided* that rock earlier by tripping over it?"

Ellessia giggled, completely unfazed. "I dunno, I just *felt* it. Like, in my gut."

Audrey's smirk widened. "Ah, the ol' *gut feeling*, huh? What else does your magical gut tell you? Can it predict if Darek's gonna make us do *more* squats?"

Ellessia burst out laughing, and even Elijah let out a quiet chuckle, which Audrey considered a personal victory.

"But seriously," Ellessia added, her tone softening just a bit, "you don't act like it bothers you."

Audrey shrugged, lying back in the grass like he didn't have a care in the world, even though his legs felt like jelly. "That's because it doesn't. I mean, sure, I can't see, but hey, at least I don't have to look at Darek's ugly mug when he's yelling at us."

From across the field, Darek's voice boomed like thunder. "I *heard* that, Falcon."

Audrey didn't even flinch. "Perks of the job," he muttered, grinning like a fool.

Ellessia laughed harder, and Audrey could practically *feel* Elijah trying to suppress his own smile. The tension that had been hanging over them like a stubborn cloud finally lifted, replaced with something lighter.

For the first time since waking up in this new life, Audrey didn't feel like the odd one out. He wasn't just the blind kid or the reincarnated orphan. He was *Audrey Chist Falcon*, master of sarcasm and (hopefully) future sword-wielding badass.

But, of course, the universe wasn't about to let him bask in that feeling for too long.

"Break's over," Darek barked. "Back on your feet."

Audrey groaned dramatically, dragging himself upright like a man three times his age. His legs wobbled, and for a terrifying second, he thought he might just faceplant into the dirt. But nope, he caught himself. "Because I'm a professional."

Ellessia hopped up like it was *nothing*, her energy completely intact, and Elijah followed with the kind of smooth, effortless grace that made Audrey want to roll his eyes right out of his head.

Audrey muttered under his breath, "If either of them starts doing flips, I'm faking an injury."

Ellessia turned toward him, grinning mischievously. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Audrey shot back, plastering on a fake innocent smile. "But seriously, no flips, please."

And so, with aching muscles, a sharp tongue, and just a hint of existential dread, Audrey trudged back to the training grounds.

Because becoming a blind swordsman wasn't going to happen *by itself*—and if he was going to suffer, he was at least going to make it entertaining.