Chapter 20: A Thief and A Smith

The training ground was silent, the air thick with tension as Lila and Taro faced each other across the dirt circle. The morning sun cast long shadows behind them, the scent of freshly turned earth and sweat hanging heavy in the air. Lila's knuckles were already raw from yesterday's drills, her muscles coiled like springs beneath her skin. 

Taro cracked his neck, his dark eyes sharp as flint. "Don't hold back this time," he said, his voice low and steady. "Use everything you've learned."

Lila smirked, rolling her shoulders. "You're the one who shouldn't hold back." 

Taro's lips twitched. "Wasn't planning on it." 

"Good."

And then she moved.

Lila lunged forward, her fists a blur—left, right, a feint, a sweeping kick—but Taro danced away from every strike, his movements effortless, his expression unreadable. 

"Stop holding back!" Lila snarled, frustration bleeding into her voice. 

Taro's answer was a single, devastating blow. 

His fist connected with her ribs, sending her flying backward. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs, dirt spraying around her. For a second, she lay there, gasping. Then she pushed herself up, wiping blood from her lip. 

"That all you got?" she taunted, her grin fierce despite the ache in her side. 

Taro didn't answer. He didn't need to. 

Lila charged again, her fists flying in a relentless barrage. Taro weaved through her strikes like smoke, his body barely shifting to avoid each attack. Then—grab. His hand clamped around her wrist, stopping her mid-swing. 

But Lila was already moving. 

A wooden sword materialized in her free hand, the rough grain pressing against her palm. With a sharp twist, she swung— 

Whoosh!.

The blade grazed Taro's cheek, leaving a thin red line in its wake. 

Silence. 

Then Taro smiled. "That's more like it."

He released her and stepped back, his stance shifting. The air between them changed—charged, dangerous. 

Lila tightened her grip on the sword. She had stolen it from the ground mid-fight, just like she'd stolen his techniques, his strategies. 

Taro acknowledged that with a nod. "At least you've learned something."

Then he attacked.

No more holding back. 

Lila barely had time to react. Taro's fist came at her like a hammer, his movements too fast, too precise. She blocked one strike, dodged another—but the third hit home. 

CRACK.

His knuckles connected with her cheekbone, sending her crashing to the ground. The impact rattled her teeth, her vision swimming. 

"That's right," Taro growled, looming over her. "No more holding back."

He lunged at her. 

Lila acted on instinct. 

The wooden sword flew from her hand, hurtling toward Taro's chest with deadly force. For a split second, she saw his eyes widen— 

Then he vanished.

"Teleportation Magic: Rapid Repositioning!"

One heartbeat, he was there. The next— 

Behind her. 

Lila felt his presence like a cold blade against her spine. She didn't think. She reacted.

"Teleportation Magic: Rapid Repositioning!"

Poof.

She reappeared a few feet away, just in time to see Taro's fist slam into the ground where she'd been standing. The earth exploded, dirt and debris spraying outward as a crater formed beneath his knuckles. 

Lila's breath caught. 

That would've been my face.

Taro straightened, his expression shifting from fury to something else—surprise. Curiosity. 

"Hmm. So you steal words now?" His voice was calm, but his eyes burned with something unreadable. 

Lila swallowed, her heart pounding. "Actually, I just figured that out." Her voice shook, her fingers trembling at her sides. 

Taro studied her for a long moment. Then— 

"Can you do it again?"

Lila hesitated. "I won't know until I try."

She focused, repeating the words: 

"Teleportation Magic: Rapid Repositioning!"

Nothing. 

She was still standing in the same spot. 

Taro smirked. "Hmm. Do this."

He raised a hand. 

"Teleportation Magic: Fake Out!"

A perfect copy of Taro appeared in front of her—while the real Taro blinked behind her. 

Lila spun, barely catching sight of him before he spoke. 

"Do it."

She didn't hesitate. 

"Teleportation Magic: Fake Out!"

A mirror image of herself flickered into existence, frozen in place—while the real Lila warped forward, stumbling as she reappeared a few feet away. 

Taro's eyebrows shot up. "Wow."

He was impressed.

"To teleport," he said, stepping closer, "you just have to picture the location you want to appear in."

He extended a hand. Lila took it, letting him pull her up. 

Then Taro stepped back, his form already fading. 

"Try to keep up. I'll be at the mess hall."

A beat. 

"Teleportation Magic: Vanish!"

He disappeared. 

Lila exhaled sharply, closing her eyes. She pictured the mess hall—the long wooden tables, the smell of stew and bread, the clatter of plates. 

Then she spoke. 

"Teleportation Magic: Vanish!"

The world twisted. 

For a heartbeat, she was nowhere. Then— 

Pop.

She stood in the mess hall, her legs buckling beneath her. She hit the ground hard, gasping, her energy utterly drained. 

Across the room, Taro clapped slowly. 

"You're ready."

The air crackled with magic as Garrett and Regina circled each other in the secluded training ground, the scent of ozone and crushed grass thick between them. The sun hung high, casting sharp shadows that seemed to twist with every movement. 

Garrett's fingers twitched—a shimmer of blue light flickering around his hands—before a dagger materialized in his grip. The steel gleamed wickedly in the sunlight as he lunged, his boots kicking up dust. 

Regina's violet eyes flashed. "Too slow, handsome," she purred, sidestepping his strike with effortless grace. Her wand flicked upward, catching his wrist and redirecting his momentum—right into her waiting fist.

CRACK.

The punch sent Garrett skidding backward, his heels digging trenches in the dirt. But he didn't fall. 

"Tch. That all you got?" he taunted, shaking off the impact. 

Regina's smirk was razor-sharp. "Oh, we're just warming up."

Her wand danced through the air, and suddenly, targets erupted from the ground—wooden dummies, floating orbs, even spectral arrows—all hurtling toward Garrett at breakneck speed. 

Garrett didn't hesitate. His hands glowed brighter. 

"Weapon Forge Magic: Ninja Stars!"

A flurry of razor-edged stars materialized between his fingers. He threw— 

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

Every projectile found its mark, bullseyes splitting clean down the middle. Before the last target hit the ground, Garrett was already moving, twin daggers flashing into existence as he closed the distance. 

Regina parried the first strike with her wand, the second with a twist of her hips—but the third grazed her sleeve, slicing fabric and drawing a thin line of crimson. 

She didn't flinch. Instead, she laughed, low and throaty. 

"Awwwn, you're doing so good," she cooed, her voice dripping with honeyed mockery. "I wonder what it feels like to be you right now."

Her wand flicked again. 

"Illusio Multorum!"

The world warped.

Suddenly, dozens of Reginas surrounded Garrett, each one smirking, each one stepping forward in perfect sync. 

Garrett's daggers whirled, cutting through phantom after phantom—but they kept coming, multiplying with every breath. 

Not enough.

With a snarl, he leaped, soaring above the swarm. His hands blazed with blue light. 

"Weapon Forge Magic: Shuriken Storm!"

A hurricane of ninja stars erupted from his palms, shredding through the illusions like paper. One star—just one—grazed the real Regina's shoulder. 

The illusions shattered. 

Silence. 

Regina touched the cut, her fingers coming away stained red. Her smile turned feral. 

"Not bad," she admitted. "But let's see how you handle this."

Her wand carved an intricate sigil in the air. 

"Cuscus Custos!"

The earth trembled.

A massive plushy guardian—a towering white teddy bear with glowing blue heart shaped eyes—materialized with a sound like a thunderclap. It loomed over Garrett, its stitched smile eerily serene as it swung.

WHUMP.

Garrett hit the ground hard, the breath blasted from his lungs. The plushy's padded fist had felt like a falling boulder. It stomped toward him, each step shaking the earth. 

No time.

Garrett rolled, forcing himself up. His hands glowed—but this time, the light flickered. His energy was draining fast. 

One shot.

He poured everything into his magic, his veins burning with the strain. 

"Weapon Forge Magic: Azure Fang!"

A longsword of pure blue energy erupted from his grasp, its edge humming with power. The plushy reared back— 

Garrett struck.

The blade cleaved through the guardian in a single, shimmering arc, splitting it clean in half. For a heartbeat, the plushy stood frozen. Then it poofed into cottony mist, dissolving into nothingness. 

The sword vanished. 

Garrett collapsed to his knees, gasping, his body spent. 

Regina was at his side in an instant, her hands gripping his shoulders. The moment her skin touched his, a jolt of warmth surged through him—energy flooding back into his muscles like a tidal wave. 

"Whoops," she murmured, her lips brushing his ear. "Did I drain you too much?"

Garrett's face burned. "I—you—what the hell was that?!"

Regina laughed, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his arm. "Just a little energy transfer. You're welcome, by the way."

Garrett tried to jerk away, but his limbs were still jelly. "You—you flirted with a training dummy spell!"

"And you liked it," Regina shot back, winking. 

"I DID NOT—"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh. No more lying." Her other hand ruffled his hair. "You did good, hotshot. You're ready."

Garrett opened his mouth to protest— 

And found himself yanked into a crushing hug, Regina's body pressed flush against his. 

"Ngh—Regina—!"

"Mmm. Save the struggling for the battlefield," she whispered, before releasing him with a playful shove. 

Garrett stumbled, his face redder than the cut on her shoulder. 

Regina sauntered away, tossing one last smirk over her shoulder. 

"Meet me at the mess hall. I may reward you properly."

Garrett's choked sputtering echoed across the training grounds.