Sparring Session

Liyah's flow was immaculate.

Her body moved like water, unpredictable and fluid, with each strike as tough as hardened stone. Theo had easily blocked the first attack, but with the next coming in such quick succession, he couldn't do so.

Instead, he dodged the strike, falling flat to the ground so her leg simply whipped over him.

'Oh?' His eyes widened slightly as he caught a glimpse of what was hiding underneath Liyah's wide open gown. She noticed this and became flustered, swiftly moving her body away from him, but it was too late.

Theo pushed his body up, his two legs darting towards her at full speed.

As he expected, she blocked it.

However—

KSHIIII!

She instantly slid back due to how powerful his blow was, and as a result, her balance was compromised. Theo saw this chance and charged at her, his agile body now on the offensive.

Liyah noticed this and quickly pulled herself together. She placed both hands on the ground and twirled like a tornado, using her feet to slice through the air like they were blades. Theo attempted to take the low ground, but she flipped into the air, rapidly thrusting her legs down like a spear.

He evaded this attack, another stunned expression on his face as he did so.

'She's strong, smart, and skilled… the whole package.' It was only at this point that Theo began to see how much he had been underestimating her. He felt tempted to rely on his superhuman physique to gain a better advantage over her, but instantly shut down the idea.

It wasn't out of nobility or chivalry.

Not at all.

Instead, a more primal emotion served as motivation for him to keep the fight as fair as it could possibly get.

'This… this is fun!'

He raced towards her, which she noticed almost instantly. Swiftly moving her flexible body, she leaped backwards, ready to use her assault on him again when her back suddenly hit the wall and she realized her situation.

"What now? You can't use your spinning attack with that wall behind you?" Theo yelled , a powerful blow charging at her at full speed.

"Tch!"

Liyah hurriedly took a fighting stance, rooting both legs as she awaited his blow.

WHOOSH!

It arrived.

However, not only was she prepared for the blow—redirecting it with her rapid hand movements, but she pulled Theo forward with his momentum, while climbing the walls and kicking it after reaching sufficient height so she would end behind him.

Everything happened so fast, within a few seconds, that it would leave anyone stunned.

However, Theo was smiling.

He was genuinely impressed by ability to not only find her way out of being cornered, but also place him in the corner. With him being trapped, having no room to retreat due to the wall behind him, he could tell what her next move would be.

'The spinning attack.' 

Just as he predicted, Liyah's hands stuck on the ground and her legs prepared to slice through the air like whirring blades of war. Refusing to be caught by her attack in such a disadvantageous state, he quickly moved his body.

Since he had already predicted her attack, it was easier to make his next move.

WHOOSH!

He sent a sliding kick toward her hands to break her balance, but she released one hand and turned the other at the last minute. It was almost like she had also predicted his move, which caused a broader smile to remain etched on his face as he watched her attack descend on his crouching form.

BAM!

He rolled on the ground to avoid her attack, but she flipped in midair and sent another attack towards him. This time, he sent his body flying up, meeting her kick in midair with his fist.

The result was an equilibrium that canceled each attack out.

Liyah staggered backwards, her eyes wide with surprise. She wondered how tough his skin was to meet her boots without flinching at all. While this thought flowed through her mind, Theo rushed forward and sent a straight jab at her, which she attempted to redirect like she did before.

However, Theo moved opposite to her momentum, causing her attempts to be canceled out.

"W-what?!"

It was at this point that she revealed intense surprise—the first of many to come.

Theo kicked at her legs, creating an unstable form, as he sent several blows at her, which she evaded with practiced expertise. Then, he sent what resembled a straight punch, which she also dodged… but it was quickly revealed to be hiding another attack.

—A backhanded slap!

WHAP!

Liyah received the shock of her life as the back of his open palm hit her on her cheek. The blow disoriented her, causing her to stagger to the side, drawing her face nearer to the powerful kick he had prepared for the moment.

She noticed this a little too late and quickly thrust both hands to the kick to stop its devastating force. Once she successfully halted it, Theo jumped with his unoccupied feet, twisting in the air, which repelled both her two hands from his other leg.

The second kick arrived, and she managed to dodge it by ducking to the ground—mimicking Theo by falling flat on the flow.

A small smile formed on Theo's face as soon as he saw this.

'I win.'

He halted his motion in the air, launching his body to the ground where Liyah lay belly-up.

Both of his knees landed straight on her belly, causing her eyes to bulge out wide as saliva spurted out of her open lips.

"Guark—urgh!" She wasn't even allowed to completely recoil from the pain when Theo's firm hand suddenly wrapped itself around her neck—his fingers pressing on her fair skin until they turned red.

She tried to struggle—doing everything to break free from his grip—but it was impossible to win.

His body was firmly locked on her body, and despite her best attempts to kick and grab him by the neck, his earlier assault on her gut, and the fact that he had his hand on her throat, made her body turn weak.

She could not gather enough strength to resist his assaults, and his grip on her neck was tightening. Realizing she was out of cards, and was choking from his attack, she sighed and raised both hands in surrender.

He immediately released his grip and leaped away from her.

"I lost…" Liyah muttered, her voice trembling as she struggled to accept the reality that had just been thrust at her face. She had always thought that all of the training with her sister made her the strongest person in her age group within the Ak'ashi Guild, but this completely random guy just proved her wrong.

She lost miserably to him—not even lasting up to five minutes.

"You did well." Theo offering her a hand, which she humbly took. "I was surprised by your moves. I guess you're a lot more than meets the eye."

"Don't patronize me." She responded with a mild frown, her hand on her neck as she tried to turn it and ease the discomfort she felt. Despite looking scrawny, Theo's grip was incredible. He didn't even seem to be trying, yet she could feel the aftereffects very clearly.

"I'm serious. I was wrong about you."

Theo's face turned earnest as he stared at her with both respect and self-reflection.

"You are a lot tougher than you look." He smiled, slowly stretching out his hand for a handshake. His eyes shone with sincerity, and despite feeling a little bitter about losing to him, Liyah couldn't help but feel a strange warmth in her heart.

"Y-you as well…" 

They both shook hands, smiling as they attained a new understanding of each other.

"How did you get so strong, though?" Liyah soon broke the silence with a question that had been eating at her since they were fighting. 

"I grew up in a rough neighborhood…" He shrugged casually. "You know Sarvos, right?"

"A-ahh…"

Liyah's eyes instantly darkened as understanding set in.

The Nation Sarvos, even before the war, was one of the worst places for the common man to live. Mortals were not born equal, and such sentiment was most prevalent in Sarvos. The Royal Family and bourgeois enjoyed all the wealth and goodness of the land, leaving the rest of the citizens to scramble for what was left.

A revolution was beyond expected… it was deserved.

"I was caught for stealing and sentenced to three years… but after my reassessment, they found out I was an Arcane Vessel and processed me to a different facility."

"The fortress my sister and her team found you?"

"Yup!"

Theo smiled, shrugging as if all of it was no big deal. "It's funny… sometimes it feels like just yesterday when I was living like that. In retrospect—"

Before Theo could even finish his words, he felt a warmth permeate his body as a soft body pressed against his to embrace him. He didn't realize it when a stream of tears trickled down one eye and his body trembled.

"You've really been through a lot… I'm sorry." Her words soothed his aching heart, and feeling her touch on his bare skin made the agitation within him grow somber. His rage was quenched, his fears were silenced… but his desires grew stronger.

"Huu…" Visible breaths escaped his lips as he calmly allowed her words to sink in.

"Thank you."

 The two remained like that for a moment before Liyah finally pulled away, her face plump and tomato red. He laughed silently after seeing this, realizing just how elevated his mood had become just from that funny sight.

"Come on… let's get out of here."

The two left the hall, walking through the corridor together as they kept conversing about many things—one of which included a request Theo was expecting.

"You have to teach me some of your moves, Theo."

"What's in it for me?"

"Does a gentleman need a reason to help a lady with her request? But if you need a reason, why not use it as a way to pay me back for my dress?"

"Pfft… I already paid you back, remember?" Theo chuckled. "I came to register with you, which you said was what you wanted in return."

"W-well, that is—"

"Fine. I'll teach you." He finally said, silently shaking his head once he noticed how excited she became at the news. 'What a funny girl. She seems to selectively apply this standard of lady and gentleman. She didn't complain about how violent I was with her during the fight, and she can get very unladylike sometimes, but… it seems she truly aspires to be a lady.'

It was both amusing and refreshing.

"When should we start?" Theo asked, and Liyah received the question at him with a hint of surprise.

"When else?" She smiled broadly. "Let's meet again tomorrow."

"Okay. Tomorrow it is."

As the two exited the Sparring Arena, their eyes fixated on the main road, they suddenly looked at each other and blurted out one major question they had failed to consider.

"How are we going to get back home?!"