CHAPTER 3: Training

Strong kicks to the sides woke him up.

"Get up!" It was Kai, standing over him with his hands in his pockets and a look of disgust on his face. But fortunately, he soon walked away. Nēriko tried to get up, but his body didn't obey him. Chris, seeing this, approached Nēriko, lifted him, and sat him on a chair next to himself. Nēriko scanned the room, his gaze stopping on one object—the pale body of the girl. He slightly tightened his fists but didn't look away, staring coldly and arrogantly.

"Do you think she deserved this?"

Nēriko asked, his voice trembling slightly. But Chris responded very calmly,

"Of course not…"

"But why did you kill her?"

Nēriko asked, his voice no longer trembling, but very weak.

"Because, Nēriko, in our cruel world, there's no such thing as a weak spot. Either you remain innocent and die, or you have to stain your hands."

"And there's no other way?"

"I want to know that myself, but I don't think so."

"No, there is! I'll find a way to live,"

Nēriko concluded the conversation. Then Kyan approached.

"Then let us know when you find it," he said, and Nēriko was about to see a smirk on his face, but no, he was completely serious.

"It seems it's already quite late. Should we send Nēriko back to the mansion?"

"Soly, what are you doing here?"

Moa asked the newcomer.

"Me? I was worried and thought you guys have been gone too long, and…" She saw the corpse, and her face went through a dozen expressions: first disbelief, then fear, followed by disgust and revulsion. Then her face turned pale and green. Nēriko was closest to the stairs, ready to leave, so he stood up just as Kyan shouted,

"Catch her!"

Nēriko immediately understood what was happening and approached Soly, who was about to tumble down the stairs but instead gently fell into his arms. No, she hadn't lost consciousness; her legs just gave out. Of course, Nēriko, who had only just managed to stand on his feet, couldn't hold her, and he fell to the floor with her head resting on his lap. A few seconds of silence, and Soly lightly tapped his forehead with her palm.

"I'm not that heavy."

The brief silence was interrupted by Chris, who couldn't resist making a joke,

"Well, I'd argue with that."

The next few seconds saw Chris running away from Soly, but this circus was interrupted by Kai.

"Are you two getting up or what?"

The question was mostly aimed at Nēriko, who was still sitting on the floor.

"Don't worry, we'll make it,"

Soly said, trying not to pay attention to the corpse. She helped Nēriko up, and they limped toward the exit.

"Now it's clear why she refused help."

They walked through the forest, and Nēriko could already walk on his own, but she didn't take her hands off him.

"Did you absorb her blessing?"

She asked.

"Yes,"

Nēriko answered simply.

"I'd go and practice with your new blessing now,"

It wasn't a question, just a fact she was presenting to him. After a moment of hesitation, she said,

"Can I come with you? You never know…"

She didn't finish as Nēriko answered,

"Yes."

And less than half an hour later, they were standing on a small hill that had a magnificent view of the mansion. They brought a wooden sword with them, as Nēriko insisted, for practice. This place was specifically designed for training, so there were benches and a few wooden logs standing vertically. Since the place hadn't been used for training for a long time, it was overgrown with grass. Soly laid down on a bench, and Nēriko started trying to use his blessing as he had the first time. After a few attempts, he found the right feeling and began experimenting with what to do. He walked across the cold ground, and at some point, he realized his body had become slightly transparent. He turned around to look at the spot where he had been standing and saw himself there. It took a few more minutes to figure out how to move his body, which had stayed in its original spot. The next hour was spent getting his duplicate to move naturally.

"Shit, I completely forgot about Soly!"

He turned to check on her and saw that she was peacefully asleep on the bench. He turned off his blessing and approached her. Realizing it was hot in his cloak, he took it off and covered his teacher with it. She woke up, looking at him with mild surprise and embarrassment.

"Go back to the mansion; I'll catch up with you. You need to rest, no rehearsing tonight for tomorrow's lesson. You're doing great already,"

She nodded and rushed toward the mansion. He sat down on the wet grass and watched her walk. But suddenly, an unknown female voice sounded in his ear.

"Hello, Nēriko."