Training With The Blue Eyed Bastard

The training hall is silent, the air thick with tension. The walls surround us, and high windows cast long shadows over the floor. The room is spacious, but it feels cramped under the intensity of our fight. The only sound is the harsh clash of our blades, the rhythm of our breathing, and the faint scuff of our boots. 

I lunge forward, my saber aiming for Cain's midsection in a quick thrust, but he's already moving. His blade intercepts mine with a sharp clink of steel, and the force reverberates through my arm. I press harder, trying to force him back, but he sidesteps and ducks under my strike. With a smooth twist, he counters, his saber swiping low, aiming for my legs. I leap back just in time, the blade missing by inches.

I'm barely able to blink before Cain moves, his speed a blur; if any of the servants were present, it would have seemed like he had teleported. In an instant, he closes the distance between us, his saber flashing out like the tongue of a serpent. I react instinctively, parrying just in time. The force of his strike nearly sends me off balance, and before I can regain my composure fully, he's already shifting, his movements flowing like water, his blade coming down in a vicious arc aimed at my side.

I twist my body out of the way, the air whooshing past me as I launch myself backwards, leaping several feet into the air. As I land, Cain's already there like he predicted my move, his blade already coming at me again. I throw a kick toward his chest, hoping to knock him off balance, but with his inhuman reflexes, he catches my leg mid-air, twisting it and redirecting my momentum. I use the force to spin myself in the air slashing towards him as I flip over him completely landing a few feet away, the impact forcing out a grunt. But it matters not; Cain is there, already closing the distance. His saber is a like a flash of lighting. I bring my blade up to block, the force of the strike rattling my bones. But Cain doesn't stop, his movements almost too fast for me to track. I stagger back; his disgusting bright blue eyes gleam with enjoyment. His blade arcs down with such violence I barely have time to raise my saber in defense. It feels like a hammer was brought down on me, the force sending a shockwave of pain up my arm. I stagger, but he's already on me, his saber a silver streak. He feints to the left, then swings a brutal backhand toward my throat. I twist, avoiding the strike, but it's not enough. Cain is a blur of controlled violence, his every move timed to perfection. I strike back, my movements raw and unrefined as panic starts to set in on me but once again, Cain reads me like a book. With a sudden twist of his wrist, he disarms me, the sword flying from my hand and landing with a thud a few feet away. I freeze, breath caught in my throat, and Cain's blade presses against my neck, cold and unforgiving. The pressure is light, but the threat is unmistakable.

"You lose again." Cain's voice is laced with amusement, and that ever-present smirk sits on his face. 

Cain pulls back, lowering his blade with a grin. "Well done, Ayato. You lasted a full two minutes this time. Honestly, your progress in just two months is impressive."

I scoff, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Great, I lasted two minutes while getting my ass kicked the entire fight. I can barely react to you." I say with self-loathing the sting of defeat still burning in my chest.

Cain raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his expression. "Hmm, maybe because I'm several years older than you and actually have combat experience, it would be sad if you were winning. I would probably need to kill myself if we're being honest. But truthfully, you're a natural. You learn fast." 

I roll my eyes, though there's a small smirk tugging at the corner of my lips now. "Oh, so I'm some kind of combat prodigy now?

"Don't get cocky." 

Deep down, I feel a strange satisfaction at the praise, but I hide it with a snide remark. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to let my head get too big." 

Then I sigh "But I need more practice I feel like this isn't good enough. I need to be a better fighter" 

'Well yes I agree' Cain pauses, his gaze drifting as he looks around the room. There's a weight in his eyes, something I've never seen before. His voice carries a tone of gravity, a seriousness that's different from his usaul banter 

"Mastery of combat," he begins, "is a combination of both body and mind." "Training your body. That's the easier part. It's repetition, muscle memory, discipline. That's why I've been pushing you so hard these last two months. The results are clear. You're no longer a complete embarrassment, you can actually operate that new body of yours, kind of"

I open my mouth to protest at the backhanded compliment, but Cain's gaze stops me. His blue eyes piercing through me, a silent command to listen for once. So I do.

"But no matter how much I train you," he continues, his voice taking on a slight edge, "it will eventually need to be cemented in real-world experience. A thousand sparring matches will never be as impactful as facing a real opponent in the heat of battle. This is something I can't help you with but I can prepare you for it as best I can."

I shift uncomfortably, the thought sinking in. I start to speak, but his eyes narrow slightly, warning me to hold my tongue. So I stay silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Training the body is one thing," Cain continues, "Training the mind is another. Once your body reaches a certain level of skill, it's your mind that becomes the true battlefield. You need to calculate everything in a fraction of a second: your opponent's possible moves, their weaknesses, the environment, your own limits, their marks, their allies, your allies, among a million other things. If you fail to do that, if you hesitate even for a moment, you die."

His words hang heavy. 

"You are trying to kill your opponent, and they are trying to kill you. Nothing else matters. Do you understand?" "Nothing matters unless you are the last one standing. One person will be killed, and the other will be the killer." 

He smiles at me now his normal humor lacing his voice one again. "So we really need to find the trigger for your powers because time is flying, and we have little more then half a year left to make sure you're not the one whos being killed."