《Dawn of darkness(ABANDONED)》 Chapter 1 Author''s note: Well...I was unsatisfied with the grammar the old version had, so I decided to give a try on making it better while I can. XD I promise, no more major edits, only did it because it''s the 1st chapter yet. ============================================ The sun rose in the horizon. The birds were chirping at the window. It was a simple morning...it was such a peaceful morning...so peaceful...I tried to get up, yet my body didn''t move an inch, almost as if the body still wanted to rest, even if the mind wanted to do something...and the body won the struggle. Slowly, the world of dreams called me back, away from the harsh, cold reality. Reality only returned with a harsh greeting: the scorching sun on my blanket, and my face.I quickly woke up, realizing a few hours had already passed ever since I fell asleep."...crap." A minute later, there was a crazy guy running out of the house as if his life depended on it, with a bread in hand, and sweat on the forehead. As if he had seen the biggest disaster happening in his life. As if he was going to be killed if he didn''t run. That man is me. The citizens of the streets were startled for a few seconds, as they are not used to such thing: Often, the town was peaceful, quiet. most of children and adults constantly lived peacefully, without a worry in their life. Most of citizens didn''t train under hell''s teacher: Gerald. ¡°REYNALD, YOU ARE LATE!¡± I heard the phrase, almost as a trumpet from hell, announcing my fate. Almost as if the judge, the king, and the court mage had all agreed on me suffering the worst possible fate. Soon I arrived at the place, where the aura was not unlike a graveyard, especially after the burial of a loved one. There were children of about 10 years old, up to people of the age of 16. I was 15 years old, two years away from being released frorm this suffering. But yet...as I stared at the red face of the biggest man in the place, easily twice my size, doubts surged on the chances of surviving this long. "Uh...my excuse is that a warrior which lacks sleep is a warrior that will die in the battlefield!" I shouted, remembering one of his lessons. And yet it didn''t give the desired result, as he only gave me a death glare. Even the beasts of the forest would die from heart attack, just from the strong killing intent. ¡°That''s the explanation for 8 hours of sleep, not 14 hours of sleep.¡± A friend of mine, Arnold, said with a small laugh. He was the one who shared the house with me, as my parents had died when I was young, due to the wild beasts. ¡°I agree with Arnold. If you slept for 6 extra hours, you should run for at least 2 extra hours. And you, Arnold, for not reminding him, will accompany him on this quest to become a knight of Marigold, not a knight of sleep.¡± The teacher shouted, outraged. ¡°Wait, isn''t that a bit too unreasonable?!¡± Arnold spoke up, flabbergasted at the teacher¡¯s punishment. Meanwhile, I was astonished on something else. ¡±Yeah! I''m pretty sure most of the others don''t even exercise four hours, let alone the five hours of exercise we''ll deal with!" I protested. ¡°3 hours now! Get started before I increase it even more!¡± The teacher shouted back. And so, we both began to run around the village. ¡°This is your fault you know?¡± Arnold replied, slightly unhappy...yet I didn''t say a word for now, as it was too tiring to run this much. Unlike what the teacher expected, though, I did not do a full lap around the village. Instead, I just ran to outside of his sight, then made sure to come out on the other side, to trick him into thinking I walked all the way around. It was a trick Arnold once taught me. ¡°So, we have a 15 minutes break before we go out into the teacher¡¯s sight, don¡¯t we?¡± I said with a small laugh, managing to recover my breath. Even if it was tiring, it was hard to spoil my mood: this trick was always amusing to play. ¡°14 minutes and 45 seconds now. One second earlier, he suspects us, one second later, that tyrant will call us sissies.¡± Arnold replied, laughing as well. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as well at the genius plan. That is how we always managed to run this long around the village, without even breaking a sweat. I wasn¡¯t sure how things could go without his advice¡­but yet I knew one fact: most of the other knights were stronger than me, due to my negligence. Not that it matters, right? After we were done with our running exercises, the other kids were also done with their own: one hour of push-ups, one hour of swings with wooden swords. Apparently the teacher was joking about the extra one hour... ¡°You two. Do the other exercises while I explain what we¡¯ll be doing today.¡± The teacher said. Today the punishment was much harsher than normal, as he often left before we were even finished with our running. Maybe he didn''t forget the extra hour of exercises, after all! ¡°We¡¯ll not spar, and match the swords against opponents of the same level today. Instead, we¡¯ll explore the forest. Only those who are experienced enough will be allowed in: 15 or 16 years old, and the rest is dismissed for this day.¡± As he said such words, I immediately froze. ¡°But isn¡¯t the forest home to dangerous animals?¡± I replied, falling down to the ground, instead of keeping up with the push-ups. I''m glad I''m 14 years old... until last week, where I once celebrated my birthday. Now it was a cursed date that should''ve waited a week. ¡°We have three dozen knights-in-training, me, and a group of hunters will arrive soon to help us. There is nothing to worry about, the biggest risk is our numbers scaring the monsters away.¡± He laughed, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh a bit as well. There was no chance of anything going wrong. With that, we finished the exercises, and soon after, a group of hunters came. Each of them were wielding a longbow, and had leather armor¡­except for one. It was a black-haired girl, about the same age as myself. Wielding a bow that looked closer to a toy than a dangerous weapon, she looked closer to a kid than a hunter. Unlike everybody else in the group, who looked a bit serious and concerned, she was just casually fiddling with her bow, absently-minded. "Is she...is she really a hunter?" Words of doubt escaped my lips, as I looked at her face, to understand her age. Yet...she looked as young as me, even if she''s one head shorter. ¡°She isn¡¯t. But don¡¯t let her appearance fool you, she is Larissa, the only daughter of the chef hunter of the village, Leonard.¡± Arnold replied with a small grimace. ¡°Rumours says that her size is the only reason she¡¯s not officially a hunter, since longbows are too big for her size, and shortbows aren''t strong enough for some beasts.¡± A grimace escaped my smile. Why the best-looking girls were also the most dangerous ones? ¡°So the plan will be the following: We, knights, will form a circle around the hunters to protect them, meanwhile the hunters will shoot the beasts. Because of such formation, the hunters won''t be able to use longbows." Gerald explained, I could see the benefits of this indeed: anything that couldn''t plow through the knights in seconds would become a pincushion. "Because of that, we''ll stay far from the territories of the more dangerous beasts." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Alas, today falls inside the animals'' breeding season. I am against the hunt, but alas, if I refuse I know this hard-headed teacher will send the group with other, less-experienced hunters." Leonard interrupted his own speech, to glare at Gerald. "Stupid fool..." He said mostly to himself, although his lips could still be read. "Today, those who never explored the forest during this time of year shall know its dangers, and those who already did...well, I can only hope you learnt the lesson, of why no kingdom dares to explore, even with the strongest knights, during this time of the year.¡± The chief hunter, Leonard, was the one who spoke such words. I couldn''t help but blink at the warning from Leonard...i-it is even more dangerous today...just my luck. Yet I caught another glimpse of Larissa. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to protect her.¡± Yet it was too loud for my liking, as my friend Arnold heard it. ¡°Oh, I guess the breeding season isn''t only for animals in the forest. Sadly, the only thing she gives to people like yourself is an arrow at first sight, though.¡± He said, shaking his head, with a cocky smile. Only after a few seconds I understood the joke, and glared at him. ¡°Hey! I am not an animal, you idiot!¡± I shouted, to the point everybody could hear it. I was glared down by Gerald and Leonard. People were staring in silence at me. I was nearly dying from embarrassment... Yet I saw Larissa, giggling slightly as she covered her mouth with her hands. Did¡­she hear the whole conversation? This somehow got even worse...I could only hope that such incident shall be overshadowed by how interesting the hunt is. Old version: Spoiler : Author¡¯s note: Procrastination for the win! XD ====================================================== I ran out of my house. I ran. I ran. As fast as the wind could carry me, I ran. sweat formed in my forehead, as I ran towards the edge of the small village I live: the marigold village, known for its flowers, and above all, known for its etiquette. A place where everybody was nice, respectful and kind. A place where many people just ignore what would make others call for a death duel. A place where everybody knew the name of everybody else. Except for this guy. ¡°REEEEINAAAAALD!¡± I heard the voice, coming from the direction I was heading. It was enough to make me nervous, but yet, I could not run away from my fears. And with that, I arrived at my destination. It was the village¡¯s training grounds, where those who chose to grow up as knights would go to. A hundred kids were there, sitting down with solemn faces. One that a normal person would make at the death of a fellow friend. Meanwhile, in front of the kids, there was the ¡®Asura general¡¯, known by his name, Gerald. It wasn¡¯t that far off from the truth, actually. ¡±You! Are! late! Again!¡± The teacher shouted. I could hear some whispers among the other students, but I couldn¡¯t care less about that. I am a dead man. ¡°Wake up earlier from now own, lazybutt.¡± A friend of mine, Arnold, said with a small laugh. I didn¡¯t have any family, I was an orphan. Arnold was the one who always took care of me, being 6 years older. ¡°And you, Arnold! You live with him, you should take care to wake him up! 5 laps around the village! Both of you!¡± The teacher shouted, outraged. ¡°Wait, why me?!¡± Arnold spoke up, flabbergasted at the teacher¡¯s punishment. Meanwhile, I was astonished on something else. ¡±Wasn¡¯t it just 4 laps yesterday? Why the sudden increase?!¡± ¡°6 laps now! Get started before I increase it even more!¡± The teacher shouted back. And so, we both began to run around the village. ¡°This is your fault you know?¡± Arnold replied, slightly unhappy, as I tried to run faster. Unlike what the teacher expected, though, I did not do a full lap around the village. Instead, I just ran to outside of his sight, then made sure to come out on the other side, to trick him into thinking I walked all the way around. It was a trick Arnold once taught me. ¡°So, we have 5 minutes of break before we go out into the teacher¡¯s sight, don¡¯t we?¡± I said with a small laugh, even if I was tired, it wasn¡¯t a reason to be in a bad mood. ¡°4 minutes and 45 seconds now. One second earlier, he suspects us, one second later, that tyrant will call us sissies.¡± Arnold replied, laughing as well. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as well at the genius plan. That is how we always did 6 laps around the village, without even breaking a sweat. I wasn¡¯t sure how things could go without his advice¡­but yet I knew one fact. After we were done with our running exercises, the other kids were also done with their own: Twenty push-ups, thirty swings with wooden swords. ¡°You two. Do the other exercises while I explain what we¡¯ll be doing today.¡± The teacher said, calmly, although his voice was a bit frightening, due to how serious he sounded. Without voicing a complaint, me and Arnold began to do our own exercises. ¡°We¡¯ll not do the sparring match today. Instead, we¡¯ll explore the forest. Only those who are fifteen or older are allowed in, though.¡± As he said such words, I immediately froze. ¡°But isn¡¯t the forest home to dangerous animals?¡± I replied, falling down to the ground, instead of keeping up with the push-ups. W-was it really safe to go over there? I cursed under my breath, I just hit 15 years of age a few weeks ago. ¡°We have three dozen would-be knights, me, and a group of hunters will arrive soon to help us. There is nothing to worry about, the biggest risk is our numbers scaring the monsters away.¡± He laughed, and I couldn¡¯t help but laugh a bit as well. There was no chance of anything going wrong. With that, we finished the exercises, and soon after, a group of hunters came. Each of them were wielding a longbow, and had leather armor¡­except for one. It was a black-haired girl, about the same age as myself. Wielding a bow that looked closer to a toy than a dangerous weapon, she looked closer to a kid than a hunter. Unlike everybody else in the group, who looked a bit serious and concerned, she was just casually fiddling with her bow, absently-minded. ¡°Hey, are you sure she is old enough to be a hunter?¡± I mumbled, to my friend, Arnold¡­although he looked a bit shocked at my question. It¡­it wasn¡¯t that bad, right? ¡°She isn¡¯t. But don¡¯t let her appearance fool you, she is Larissa, the only daughter of the best hunter of the village, Leonard.¡± Arnold replied with a small grimace. ¡°Surely her size is the only reason she¡¯s not officially a hunter.¡± I grimaced. Just by the way Arnold spoke up to her, It already showed she is as skilled as himself. But that¡¯s just even more reassuring for the hunting. ¡°So the plan will be the following: We, knights, will form a circle around the hunters to protect them, meanwhile the hunters will shoot the beasts¡­well, in the case we find one in the first place.¡± He said, scratching his cheek. ¡°Do not hear the teacher¡¯s words. The annual hunt today matches the breeding season of the animals, they¡¯ll be more territorial than ever. I am against the hunt, but alas, traditions shall not be broken easily, and today will show why there is little to no wars during the breeding season of the monsters.¡± The chief hunter, Leonard, was the one who spoke such words. It was slightly scary, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver slightly, but then I looked at Larissa¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to protect her.¡± I mumbled¡­only to make my friend smile widely. ¡°Oh, somebody got love in first sight. The only thing she gives to people like yourself is an arrow at first sight, though.¡± He replied¡­ ¡°Hey! I am not an animal, you idiot!¡± I said slightly louder than I would have liked¡­ and I received death glares from all the seniors for shouting that. Except Larissa, who just chuckled, before receiving a scolding from her father. Did¡­she hear the whole conversation? Suddenly things only got worse for me... but yet I couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the hunt. Chapter 2 PS: if you read the chapter 1 before 14/05/2016, please re-read it: I decided to try to give a better shot on writing and grammar, rather than doing it for the sake of doing it.(Actually, same reason, but now I''m trying to be good at it) =============================================================== The forest was peaceful. The animals were eating, living in their own lifestyles, without any concern in the world. Deers were eating grass. Wolves were eating Deers. The peaceful life of the forest animals were simply beautiful¡­ Until we arrived. ¡°Uh¡­Arnold?¡± Looking at my friend, seemingly the only other sane man in the group, reassured me.¡±¡­Did this happen in the last year too?¡± I said, referring to something¡­which I couldn¡¯t help but find unusual. Forest wolves scared me? No, not now. What scared me the most was¡­ ¡°HAHAHA! I killed more wolves than you! Suck it!¡± One of the would-be knights said, pointing his own sword to a friend, taunting him. ¡°I¡¯ll kill more wolves next time we find a pack!¡± The other one shouted. It was scary. Gerald¡¯s teachings were, ¡®Defeating enemies is the objective of the knights, but you shall not lose your cool, and sacrifice an arm for a head.¡¯ Or something along the lines. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Just be glad you are not born a wolf.¡± My partner said, placing his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Yes indeed. What a bad day to be a wolf.¡± I stayed in the backlines, together with Arnold. Not because we were afraid of the wolves, but rather, we were the only ones who didn¡¯t break the formation to run after them like bloodthirsty idiots. Thankfully, the amount of wolves were slowly dwindling, while the more reckless ones were also getting tired, and occasionally wounded enough to be reluctant to run into danger again. Meanwhile, the number of wolves were also dwindling down, as the initial invasion and sounds of fighting drove the majority of the beasts away. I sighed a bit in relief, as I saw everything going smoothly. So smoothly, that it was slightly boring. ¡°Hey! Get a little lower will you?¡± Only then I heard a childish voice behind me, which as I turned back, both of us froze. It was Larissa¡­¡±Oh, you¡¯re the ¡®not animal¡¯ boy from earlier?¡± She said with a teasing smile. ¡°The name¡¯s Reynald, Larissa.¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°Alright, but now get a little lower! I want to shoot some wolves too!¡± The little girl said, in a childish voice that made me unable to not comply with her wishes. Yet a better idea came in my mind. Smilling, I lifted the little girl up, in a piggyback ride. ¡°Would this work?¡± I replied. ¡°Y-¡­yes..¡± She said, in the shyest voice I¡¯ve ever heard. Other men were glaring at me, though. I shivered slightly from the previous bloodthirstiness, directed at the wolves, was now aimed at me. I knew I made enemies with the majority of the knights, just from this action¡­.but no matter. Just the feeling of being so close to Larissa was enough to make me feel better. As I was stuck in bliss, Larissa had a much easier time shooting down wolves, as her hands never stopped moving, now that she had a clear sight of her targets. I knew ¡°Yo, lucky bastard.¡± Arnold said, with a laugh as he walked over to me¡­with a shiny new sword, a lot better than the one he came with. ¡°W-wait, what are you doing here? And wasn¡¯t¡­wasn¡¯t your sword a lot less¡­¡± I replied, blinking as I stared at his sword. It had a golden handle, and even some gravures along it. ¡°Eh, I made a deal with a rich guy. He traded swords with me¡­and in return¡­¡± He grinned, giving me a small punch to the shoulder, enough to stun me for a few seconds, yet it wasn¡¯t enough for me to drop Larissa. ¡°I had to punch you. Congratulations on becoming the common enemy of all villagers except the two of us, lucky pervert.¡± ¡°¡­What is he talking about? I mean, this ¡®common enemy¡¯ thing?¡± Larissa asked, from above. I smiled back. ¡°Something about people not wanting you to be with me.¡± I replied, twisting facts as much as possible for my advantage. ¡°But I want to stay! You¡¯re giving me a ride when my feet hurts after all!¡± She shouted back, innocently falling for my trap¡­although she soon let out a laugh. ¡°Or so you¡¯d expect to hear from somebody like me. Let haters be haters, they gave me nothing in my life, so I¡¯m not even giving them a wink.¡± She replied, before she shot another arrow. ¡°Another wolf down!¡± She shouted excitedly. Arnold laughed a bit, before his laughter died down, as she stared at the wolf was shot down. ¡°It is too bad this might be the last month we¡¯ll spend together, though. Wish I could do more, like steal Larissa¡¯s heart from you.¡± He said, with a small, sad laugh. ¡°Wait, what?¡± I said, stuttering a bit, surprised at Arnold¡¯s words. ¡°You know, you¡¯ll survive this hunt. And I¡¯m sure the relationship won¡¯t develop that far in a single month, we¡¯re just friends, right?¡± ¡°Yup! Plus, you look a lot more handsome than Reynald!¡± Ouch. My male pride was killed, just as brutally as the wolves we¡¯re hunting. But yet, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be even better than Arnold, just give me a year or two.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yes, I know we¡¯ll survive¡­it is just that¡­well, I¡¯m 16. In a month from now, I¡¯ll be going to the knights academy, and I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll ever bump into each other again.¡± He replied, with a rather sad smile. ¡°So what are your plans for the future, Reynald?¡± ¡°Never gave much thought about it. Maybe following you to the knights academy, maybe turning into an adventurer.¡± I replied, honestly speaking. ¡°Adventurer? I prefer becoming a hunter! A hunter of legendary beasts!¡± Larissa said, shouting cheerfully, as she shot another wolf. But yet, I suddenly got a bad feeling. There was no other beasts around¡­even the other would-be knights decided to stay quiet. It was an oppressive aura, a killing intent we were trained to sense during our whole life. Arnold didn¡¯t bother replying now, as he took a battle stance. Anybody who wishes to ever go outside of the safety of a village, needed to ¡®feel¡¯ the killing intent. The scent of death soon arriving at our location. ¡°People, be careful! It¡¯s a great wolf!¡± Hell¡¯s teacher, demon of wrath Asur- I mean, Gerald, shouted. Immediately everybody tensed up¡­and I knew why. Great wolves are the ruler specie of this small forest. The strongest the place had to offer. Yet¡­it wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. It shouldn¡¯t be here. It mustn¡¯t be here. Yet my denial was interrupted , as I heard a voice. ¡°From above!¡± One of the knights shouted. I looked up, and saw the great wolf jumped from the above, and in the middle of the formation¡­right in front of me. This beast, easily bigger than anything the forest had to offer: 5ft tall, even standing on his legs, and a silver-colored fur, as tough as steel¡­ The majesty of a king yet the power of a tyrant. I gasped in awe, but then I felt it glaring at me, as if I was easy prey¡­ And yet, denying such fact is impossible. I took a few steps back, while the other knights began to scatter and run from it. The myths weren¡¯t proven untrue in this situation, as even the arrows from the hunters only gave it light wounds, only the head of them lodging inside, not deep enough to hit any vitals¡­ Except for one, which managed to hit the wolf¡¯s eye, I looked at the direction where the arrow was shot¡­and yet I saw Larissa above me, with a sheepish smile. ¡°¡­Wolfseye?¡± She said. My face became devoid of any color, seconds later: the beast let out a howl of pain and rage, as If it was a declaration of revenge. I did not plan to go out without a fight But yet, fighting with Larissa on top of me¡­it was suicidal, to say the least. Before I could put the girl in the ground, the wolf began to dash forward, towards me. I took a step back, knowing I was going to be dead meat now. I closed my eyes, resigning to my fate, while swinging my sword forward, in an attempt to greet its attack with one of my own. Confusion surged on my head, as nothing was hit by my sword¡­and I opened my eyes. Arnold managed to hit the wolf¡¯s head with the sword¡¯s pummel, enough to stun it for a second: Enough to save my life. The monster glared at Arnold, instead of me, as his target of hate¡­and nobody was close enough, or daring enough to save him. The wolf lunged at my best friend. I could see it. Everybody¡¯s faces were horrified, as Arnold screamed in pain at the bite, but before the wolf could bite off a massive chunk of Arnold¡¯s flesh, the teacher finally managed to go through the formation, from the left- the side which the wolf couldn¡¯t see, due to the arrow lodged in his eye. Without hesitation, the teacher slashed the wolf¡¯s neck, killing it instantly. He survived. Arnold managed to survive. But yet, the nasty scars on his chest¡­probably could never be healed. ¡°Everybody! I am afraid the hunting is over, we¡¯ll be going back to the village before we find anything as dangerous as that!¡± The teacher shouted. There was no doubt he¡¯d do it for any of us: any other knights got bitten on the arms, some on the legs, but none had a large bite on the chest, just like Arnold¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t¡­even sure if he would survive¡­ ¡°I-it¡¯s my fault, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± Larissa said, still being carried by me. It was. If she wasn¡¯t being carried, I had no doubt I could, at least, escape from the wolf. ¡°No, it¡¯s mine¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t let her carry the blame for this. It...it was something I wasn¡¯t even sure if I could carry. ¡°It¡¯s ours.¡± Leonard, the chief hunter, intruded in the conversation. ¡°I know what happened. Please do not take such travels lightly anymore, no matter the numbers or your power. I have seen people recover from worse injuries¡­.but treat this as a valuable lesson: you won¡¯t always have a healer close enough to save a fellow friend. Now go home and reflect on your actions.¡± He said, sighing. ¡°¡­Yet¡­I wonder what the great wolf was doing here. It¡¯s still three hours of travel to where the territory of the beasts are¡­¡± He furrowed his brows slightly, as he spoke such words. I nodded. I couldn¡¯t help but still feel guilty... but for now, I can only pray that Arnold survives¡­ and silently, I swore to myself to never be weak again. Chapter 3 I walked back home. There was nothing to do after that incident. Nothing but hope for Arnold''s well-being. I didn''t even say goodbye to the others, as I walked with heavy steps. I didn''t even bother with a meal, as I was too tired for that. I might''ve not fought as fiercely as the others, but none of the others are suffering from a guilt as heavy as mine. And without even bothering to do anything else, I fell asleep on my bed, hoping today was just a bad dream...and yet, I saw the wolf. I saw that scene again...his screams...his blood...except this time, there was nobody else. Just me...the wolf...and my friend''s corpse. And after maiming Arnold until I couldn''t even recognize him, he slowly stepped towards me. Step by step, and even as I fled, the distance never grew. And then it lunged at me, at my throat. I instantly woke up, with cold sweat dripping from my forehead."Calm down Reynald. That was just a dream. Just...just a dream..." I mumbled to myself, over and over, to try to fall asleep again. Yet before I knew it, the sunlight hit my face, forcing me wide awake. I couldn''t sleep tonight. But yet...that dream...that experience...there was one thing it taught me. "I''m a weakling and an idiot." I spoke to myself, still drowning within my own regret... but I knew nothing was permanent. Any change can be forced upon anybody... and out of everybody, there was just one single person that could help me with these two issues. I put on my trainee clothes, and grabbed the wooden sword as I walked outside of my house...before my body reminded me of one thing. Seconds later, I walked back out of my house, with bread in hand so I will not die from starvation. And so, I made my way towards that familiar place...knowing I was a dead man walking, even if it was not through starvation. I was the second person to arrive to that place. The first, was the only being scarier than the great wolf, the Asura teacher, Gerald, who was doing push-ups with a rock half as big as myself on his back. "One thousand nine hundred ninety seven..." "One thousand nine hundred ninety eight..." "One thousand nine hundred ninety nine..." "Two thousand." He said to himself. Does he ever sleep? I don''t know. If he was cruel to the students, he wanted to kill himself due to how strict he was. Yet, I was already at the point of no return. "Teacher?" I said, already feeling my legs shake a little. ¡°What is it?¡± He replied, as he got up, as if the rock weighted nothing. I gulped a bit, still nervous. ¡°I...I am weak. I am not good with the sword, nor at the battlefield...¡± My mind replaying the scene, of me being so helpless, and the guy who saved me nearly dying for it, when it was my own stupidity who causde such incident. "...And you come here, filled with regret from yesterday, wanting to avenge him?" Gerald asked. Even his voice was enough to make me scared, as he seemingly was in a worse mood than usual. "No. I don''t wish for revenge on the wolves. I wish to not fail again. You said it once. The strong protects himself...the stronger protects the others...the strongest protects himself and others. I want to be the strongest." I knew being the strongest, winning against even Gerald was impossible. But yet, what I wished, is to protect others while not dying. His frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kid...you''re being too serious for your age. Don''t let worries swallow you so soon." He said, for once, not trying to push me to my limits. But yet...even after hearing his words, I refused to back down. ¡°Teacher. I won¡¯t change my goal. Please train me to not be helpless again.¡± I said. I didn''t know why these words came out of my mouth...but yet, they did. I was directly opposing my teacher''s words. ¡°As much as I ask, you''ll not give up, will you?¡± He said, only for me to nod. He could only let out a sigh. "...Alright, alright.First, I wish to see what you''re capable of." as he drew his training sword from the sheath hanging on his waist. Since it was a wooden sword, it wasn¡¯t going to be as lethal as a normal one, but yet it was going to earn me a few broken bones.. I now drew my sword as well. ¡°So we¡¯re sparring, teacher?¡± I replied. Even if it was a training sword...I felt like this was more dangerous than the great wolf I''ve seen in the woods. ¡°Yes. Now get ready.¡± He replied, getting in a battle stance. I also took the same stance he taught me¡­and we both stared at each other for a few seconds, analyzing each other''s stance. His steps, his movements...it felt like there was no wasted movement at all. I was envyous of such stance, which was a sign of true experience. Gulping, I decided it was time for the first move in the fight. I jumped towards him, using my sword to try to hit his head. Yet...he just stared at me, as if he didn''t believe what he saw. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Then he simply waved his own training sword sideways, knocking me out of the air, and onto the ground. I swore I heard a rib or two cracking from this single motion, taking the air away from my lungs, as I stared up in the air. Everything was blurry. "...We have a long way to go, kid." That was his last words, as he stared back at me, letting out an apologetic sigh...and then I fell unconscious.
A few hours later...
I woke up at a familiar place, one I always visited wherever I got badly hurt: Dylis'' house, the best healer of the village. I''ve heard she has enough skill to even be accepted as a healer in the capital, and I can vouch, by my own experiences, that is not an understatement. As I looked at the celling, resting and feeling the soreness of my chest, I''ve heard a familiar voice. ¡°Yo. So what sort of monster hit you for you to end up like this?¡± I heard. Was it...Arnold? I turned to look where the voice came from, to meet with a pleasant surprise: Arnold, still awake and relatively well, even if he had a massive bandage wrapped around his torso to stop the bleeding...and there was a huge red spot on the bandage, right where the stomach is. "Don''t worry, I''m alright. Dylis is the best healer of the town, after all!" Arnold said, laughing. "So, did you try fighting the wolf to avenge me or something?" He...wasn''t even unconscious enough to notice the wolf was killed. But now, he was well enough to even joke around about such matters...well, two can play the game! "Worse. I tried to spar with Gerald." I replied, as I laughed out loud as well. It seems all my worries were for naught. "So how long we''ve been knocked out?" "Eh, I don''t really know. A day or two, I suppose. I just woke up a few minutes ago." my friend replied, with a small laugh, although that was interrupted by a coughing fit. "Sheesh! I keep telling you to not laugh that much...yet...yet you never listen to me!" A woman, mid 20s, came inside of the room. She wore a white robe, contrasting with her dark skin and black hair. It was the uniform of the healers'' guild after all...even if it is such a sharp contrast from her skin. There were no variants...I hope I at least can get a customized uniform when I begin my job as a knight. "Yo, Dylis. Any news?" Arnold said, without any concern on his well being, even ignoring the scolding. The healer let out a sigh. "...Even on the brink of death, you never change." She said, shaking her head as if she resigned herself to Arnold''s attitute. "Either way, yes there are some news. Larissa came over and sent you a letter each, along with a gift. Just wait a few minutes for me to grab it." She said, with a small smile as she walked out of the room. After a minute or so, she came back out, with two letters, along with a box full of flowers. "Well...she told me that the box is for both of you." The healer said as she placed the box of flowers between my bed and Arnold''s bed. "As for the letters, this one is for Arnold, and this one is for Reynald." She said, as she gave us the letters. I quickly opened the letter, rather curious about what she wanted to tell me.
Dear idiot Reinald. I nearly lost a man already! I know you''re feeling guilty, but...but don''t get hurt just because you want to be strong! Arnold nearly died, and now you nearly died! So be careful from now on, and don''t get hurt anymore, otherwise I''ll get really really mad! PS: I didn''t expect you to get hurt right after Arnold nearly got killed, so I only prepared one! Please don''t get mad at me for forcing you to share! -with love, Larissa
I blinked. "So, what is written in your letter?" Curiosity overtook me, as I turned to look at Arnold, who was done reading his. "The basic stuff. ''I wish you to get well soon, otherwise you''ll not be able to enter the knights'' academy this year!''. And you?" He replied. It was hard to see whether or not he was joking around, but I decided to be just vague. "She told me to stop being a suicidal maniac for my ambitions and stay alive." I replied, folding the letter, and putting it in my pocket before anybody else could read it. I know I''ll treasure the first letter I''ve ever received from a girl for the rest of my life. "Easier said than done." He mumbled back. I felt offended at it, even if only enough to force me to snark back. "Says the mighty hero who nearly got bit in half." "Says the pervert who flirted during an adventure." "I''m pervert but I''m honest. You always trick Gerald during the running exercises.." I replied, with a chuckle. "You do that too, you shouldn''t say that!" Arnold said, laughing...and soon returned to a coughing fit. And so, against the common sense of staying quiet during the afternoon, resting, we kept laughing and teasing each other, much to Dylis'' dismay.
Author''s note: Only now I noticed the ''insert horizontal rule'' option in the menu. I am an idiot. On another subject, I was thinking about making this two separate chapters, except, the word count for the second chapter would be too low...and I realized how I''m doing just one chap per week. So! I decided to merge the two chapters for you guys! Chapter 4 Author''s note: Please reply to the poll, I want some opnions!
¡°So, Reynald. You¡¯re already healed, you can leave now.¡± The healer Dylis said, not too long after the sun set. The conversation with Arnold was enough to distract me from the lingering pain in my head¡­but even now that Dylis mentioned the injury again, the sensation of pain had faded away. ¡°Really?¡± I asked, shocked to my core¡­so only a few hours of rest was enough to fix the injury Gerald gave me. Although, a few hours of rest is a lot here, as minor injuries were healed in the matter of a hour at most. ¡°Yes.¡± The healer replied. Trusting her words I slowly got off the bed. Except a lingering dizziness, from being too long on the bed, there was nothing wrong with my body. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Bowing down to Dylis, I took my leave, planning to go back to my house¡­after giving a small visit to Larissa. She sent me a letter, meaning she cared about me¡­and so I couldn¡¯t help but imagine, that I had a chance to win her heart. Or at least be friends with her. ¡°So, I guess I¡¯ll be going too.¡± Arnold said, as he slowly tried to get off his bed¡­before falling back down, not even able to stand on his own feet. The wolf truly did a number on his body. ¡°No! You idiot, you must rest more!¡± The healer shouted, outraged at Arnold¡¯s actions. I swear I¡¯ll find that guy tied down to the bed for his own safety¡­ With an awkward smile, I made my way out of the infirmary, back on the streets. Placing my hand on my pocket, I felt the letter Larissa gave me. I knew where she lived, in the house of the chief hunter of the village, Leonard, who also was Larissa¡¯s father. Gulping, I walked to the front of the house: the biggest in the village, and one of the few that was made by¡­bricks, was it? Moving my hand up, I knocked on the house, hoping somebody was there. Yet¡­nobody answered. I waited. I waited. I waited. After what it seemed an eternity, I heard a voice. ¡°Yo!¡± I turned to the source of the voice, and saw Larissa¡­dragging the corpse of a deer, slightly smaller than Larissa¡¯s size¡­wait¡­how was she¡­did she carry all that all the way from the forest? It looked quite hard, especially how sweaty the girl is, the clothes even sticking to her skin. ¡°...that is how you greet your friends, right? Or that was how Arnold greets you? Did¡­I say anything wrong? Hello? Hello?¡± I heard the voice, yet I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the deer corpse even more. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that heavy for somebody of your size?¡± I asked¡­I am sure I could carry it, but for Larissa¡­ ¡°Oh, that¡¯s your concern? Isn¡¯t a hit from Gerald a little too hard for your size? Isn¡¯t almost being bit in half a little too dangerous for Arnold? Just this much effort, is something I can handle easily.¡± Larissa said, crossing her arms. ¡°I might be a girl, but I¡¯m not a weakling.¡± After such words were said, she grabbed the deer¡¯s corpse by the leg dragging it across the ground. The blood had dried out some time ago, and in fact, the deer only had a huge hole on his forehead, and no other injury: Larissa killed it with a single shot from her bow. She was still struggling it, dragging the corpse rather¡­slowly. And so, I picked it from the other half. ¡°Even the strong needs help.¡± I said with a smile. Corny, but effective. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The archer said, with a light blush on her face as she accepted my help. And so, we made our way to the girl¡¯s kitchen¡­and only now I figured out: that was her dinner. Unlike my home, though, the kitchen looked more¡­complex. Amazed, I began to inspect every little thing. On the corner of the kitchen, there was a column of bricks, with a hole on the middle of the column, and a black pit connecting to the bottom of it. Probably sensing my curiosity, Larissa spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s a grill.¡± She said with a confident smile. ¡°It¡¯s where I cook my food. Or at least, where I cook meat.¡± She added. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh¡­sorry! I¡¯ve never seen such thing before. Arnold taught me to cook meat over a campfire, so¡± As I was talking, I was interrupted. ¡°¡­So you held your sword over a campfire until the meat was half-cooked and ate it¡­¡± Larissa said. By some reason, I wasn¡¯t getting a good feeling of her words. ¡®No! I didn¡¯t!...Arnold did that!¡± I said, quickly trying to salvage the situation, yet it only made the girl facepalm. ¡°¡­Just go read the book over there.¡± Larissa said, pointing to a closed book on the table, a huge one with a black cover. I am sure if I threw it at Gerald¡¯s head, even him would be knocked out cold. ¡°I know how to cook wolves on my own, so I don¡¯t need it but¡­j-just don¡¯t damage the book! It¡¯s from my father¡¯s!¡± She added, before she placed the deer on top of a huge wooden bowl, and began to cut the corpse down. The bowl¡¯s main purpose was to stop the blood make a mess in the kitchen, and make it easier to clean afterwards. I nodded, as I took the book from the table, and began to read it¡­only to be amazed. It wasn¡¯t ¡®just¡¯ a cooking book. It was a book describing more beasts than I¡¯ve ever heard of, including their vital spots, the locations, methods of hunting. It even included drawings of many beasts, including a dragon¡­wait¡­ ¡°¡­.Did your father cook a dragon?¡± I asked, bluntly. ¡°Yup! Him, Gerald and Dylis were once some of the greatest adventurers in the land!¡± Larissa said, with a wide, cocky grin, pride brimming from her figure as she put some deer meat on the grill, and started the fire to cook it. So that¡¯s it¡­ no wonder Gerald is absurdly strong. They even killed a dragon. A dragon slayer is teaching me. I fought against a dragon slayer, and lived to tell the tale. ¡°No wonder Gerald is so scary¡­he even killed dragons¡­ was he also the fabled hero who slew the demon lord too?¡± I asked, already expecting a yes, even if the hero came before him. ¡°That¡¯s his grand-uncle, according to Leonard. He laughed while he said that, so I can¡¯t be sure!¡± Larissa said, only to cause me to face palm. I don¡¯t know how absurd that man¡¯s strength is, but I can be sure that he surpasses any rumors. Only then I saw the grinning face of the girl¡­ ¡°That¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked deadpan. ¡°Yep! The hero of the legends is unrelated.¡± Larissa said, with a wide smile. As much as I loved to talk to her, it was slightly annoying to see how cocky and proud she always is. ¡°But it looks Gerald became close to being a second hero, didn¡¯t he? He¡¯s truly a monster when it comes to strength.¡± I said, laughing a bit. ¡°Yup! But that¡¯s on his prime, he¡¯s now an old man. He¡¯s burnt out of all the fighting, and prefers to just teach others.¡± The girl replied¡­ ¡°Speaking of burnt out¡­¡± I pointed at the grill. ¡°Are we eating charcoal-flavored meat?¡± Specifically, at the black-colored burnt thing on it. ¡°No, my meat!¡± Larissa said as she stared in disbelief at the grill. Me on the other hand, I was a bit more practical. Stomach calls, so I walked over to the burnt meat¡­and ate it. ¡°Could be worse.¡± I said, at least, it tasted better than the first time I tried to eat a deer on my own, since I ended up eating it raw along with the skin, due to not knowing how to start a campfire, or how to separate the meat from the fur. And that was when, Larissa stared at me as I ate the food. ¡° Want some?¡± I said, offering it to the girl. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go call Dylis in advance.¡± Larissa said, shaking her head at my offer. A part of me tells me that I didn¡¯t make a good impression by eating burnt food¡­but another part, specifically my stomach, is glad I ate something filling, even if it was a far call from the best meal. Either way, I do not regret coming over for free food! Chapter 5 Author¡¯s note: Slightly experimental writing style, as the prologue is coming to an end, folks! Next chapter will be Larissa¡¯s POV. Yes, I plan to occasionally switch it up.
A few minutes passed, ever since Larissa left to get Dylis. Reynald didn¡¯t feel anything: no stomach pain, no indigestion, as he was already used to eating worse food. Even with the amount he ate, it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy his hunger. He ate more: He began to eat from the corpse, after cooking it rare on the grill. It wasn¡¯t hard to cook on the grill, as he had experience with cooking in campfires already. After more than half of the corpse¡¯s meat was in Reynald¡¯s stomach. Only then, Larissa walked back inside of the room. ¡°¡­Dylis said it¡¯s common for you¡­to¡­eat¡­anything¡­¡± Larissa said in shock as she stared at the corpse. Only a few seconds later, she recovered from the shock. The shock of witnessing Reynald¡¯s shocking eating speed. ¡°You could¡¯ve at least waited for me, idiot.¡± She mumbled, before hitting Reynald on the head. ¡°Sorry, I got caught up.¡± Reynald replied, rubbing the sore spot on his head. ¡°The meat was tasty, though. I might come over here to use the grill from now on. Better than the campfire, that¡¯s for sure.¡± He said with a laugh as he was about to take another bite on the rare steak he made¡­ But moments before he took the bite, Larissa bit the steak piece Reynald held on. ¡°Hmm¡­you¡¯re not half bad with the grill, considering you never used it. Either way, father is going to get mad when he gets back home.¡± She added with a small sigh as she crossed her arms deep In thought. ¡°Why?¡± Reynald replied as he took another bite on his own meal, ignorant of the issue. ¡°Simple! The deer is only enough for the two of us, and it¡¯s dangerous to go out hunting during night.¡± She said, taking another, small bite of the cooked meat, already thinking up on an excuse. ¡°¡­What about the great wolf corpse, from yesterday, Larissa? I think that wolf was enough to feed a dozen of people? It can¡¯t be gone from day to night.¡± He said as he took the last bite on his own meal. Larissa¡¯s eyes instantly brightened up at Reynald¡¯s words, almost as if it gave all information she needed. ¡°Good idea! It¡¯s probably in the basement, let¡¯s go!¡± She said, grabbing her friend¡¯s hand and dragging him across the house, downstairs to where the basement was. She had a small, bad feeling, but shook it off. She just needed to cook the great wolf until nobody could recognize it and then her father wouldn¡¯t even figure out that she entered in a place she wasn¡¯t allowed in: the basement, where Leonard stored the more¡­powerful relics found in his old adventures. Larissa couldn¡¯t figure out why the wolf corpse was there, but it couldn¡¯t be as dangerous as a book about necromancy. Yet there was a feeling¡­ a feeling in the back of Larissa¡¯s mind, warning her that it was a bad idea. Soon they arrived in the room where the wolf corpse was stored, currently at the center of a circle made out of symbols. The wolf itself, even when dead, was still just as intimidating. It was hard to pinpoint the unsettling feeling¡­but it was almost as if the wolf was still alive. Almost as if it could spring to life at any moment. Surrounding the circle, there were purple candles lightning up the room. ¡°¡­Are you sure it is a good idea to go over here, Larissa? I¡¯m getting a bad feeling about it¡­¡± Yet before Reynald could finish his sentence, Larissa already walked closer to the wolf corpse, stepping inside of the seal. As soon as she set a single foot inside, a black mist came out of the wolf as the candles¡¯ fire suddenly disappeared, almost as if they were blown by a gust of wind. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Only because Larissa had reflexes trained thorough the years that she was able to react to it, instantly jumping back outside. A small part of the black mist managed to touch her leg, before she managed to step back, and the rest of the mist slammed down against the edge of the circle. As soon as the mist attempted to get out of the seal, the circle brightened up, forcing it back inside of the corpse. Only after a few seconds, the candles slowly re-ignited again. That small ¡®surprise¡¯ was more than enough to scare Larissa out of her wits, especially the aftermath of it, as Larissa took deep breaths to recover herself¡­.slowly leaning onto Reynald¡¯s arm. ¡°L-let¡¯s get out of here¡­bad idea¡­it was a bad idea to come over¡­¡± She said, staring at the great wolf.
Meanwhile, at the training grounds of the village, where new knights are trained, there were two cloaked figures standing, one facing each other. ¡°¡­So? What happened to that meal? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve ate it all already.¡± A questioning, stern voice said, the bigger of the two men in robes, carrying a two-handed sword on his back. One could feel the pressure exuding from his body, his voice. A man who can shake the mountains itself. ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. We both know what that was. Far from edible. Far from something I¡¯d ever wish to touch... that thing is not a beast. That thing is a monster.¡± In a calm, yet somewhat cold voice, the other man replied. Almost as if he could bring an ice age to this world, his voice contained an incomparable focus, as if his thoughts never strayed from the subject, even for a second. Unlike the former, this one held a bow alongside a quiver. ¡°Yes. So? You¡¯re going to say all that bullshit about the seal breaking¡± swordsman said as he reached for his sword handle. ¡°There is no danger. At least, no danger a good sword-slashing can¡¯t deal with.¡± He said, with a small smirk. ¡°...No. We¡¯re leaving to the capital, tomorrow morning. The sooner we go, the safer she¡¯ll be.¡± The archer said, mumbling under his own breath these words as if he regretted his own decision. Yet¡­it was for the best. For the best of everybody involved, at least in his mind. ¡°One month. Give me one month before you do anything, one month for all of our hardships together. ¡± The bulky man said, as if there was no concern on the issue raised in this small meeting. Nay, he knew everything was under his control, at least for now. ¡°¡­You better do something good during this time, Asura.¡± The archer said, as he turned back to leave. Even if he wanted to change the plans, it was hard to talk down the swordsman. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware, but my child¡¯s future rests on you: you can¡¯t screw up this time.¡± Yet...the other man only stood in the training grounds, not leaving yet. Only when he was sure the archer left his earshot, he spoke up, mostly to himself. ¡°I have my own plans¡­ I¡¯m tired of you running wherever that sort of stuff is involved. Nor do I plan for somebody to not achieve their potential.¡± A few minutes later, Leonard arrived back at his home...only to see Larissa and Reynald chatting on the couch, casually. ¡°So, I¡¯m glad Arnold is okay!¡± Larissa said, with a weak laugh. ¡°Yes, it really scared me as well.¡± Reynald replied, almost as if the incident from before, involving the great wolf¡¯s corpse, never happened. It was for the best as nobody wanted to get in the bad side of the chief archer. And above all, Reynald wouldn¡¯t be allowed to visit Larissa again, if the truth was discovered. ¡°¡­So, where is the dinner?¡± Leonard said¡­.only to make the two teenagers pale, remembering the issue they wanted to fix earlier. Chapter 6 Author''s note: Sorry for the late post, tests, tests and tests! College is busy man, I tell you!...the fact I began to play terraria again has nothing to do with the delay. >_>
After that incident, both Reynald, and Larissa returned to a relatively stable daily life: Reynald ended up in the healer¡¯s house, every day for the month. Every time he fought, he progressed a little bit on his swordsmanship, and lasted a few breaths longer against Gerald: Unlike every other squire in the village, he had slowly learnt how to fight, from experience on fighting somebody much stronger than him, rather than learning from being taught in the ¡®formal¡¯ ways. Larissa never mentioned the incident with the great wolf, not even to Reynald. It was as if it never happened, as she focused on training on the path of the hunter. Arnold, meanwhile, had his injuries fully healed, but yet he faked them, mostly to spend a few more days being lazy, as he swore that he will give his all in the knights¡¯ academy. The fleeting days had passed, and before anybody knew, it was already a day before the knight ceremony, in which Arnold would go to the knight¡¯s academy in the capital. The lifestyle they grew so used to, was about to end. In the shooting grounds, Larissa was standing right besides Leonard, looking rather serious for once. Not using a short bow anymore, she had switched to the longbow, which was just a foot smaller than herself. ¡°Larissa, today, I want you to do the hunter¡¯s test. I have seen your skills, and I believe that you are among the best in the village, even if your rank is among the lowest. I wish to change it today: I wish to see how much you have practiced during this month.¡± He said, as he picked a basket full of apples: 50 of them, in fact. ¡°The test is simple. I shall throw apples, and you must hit all of the apples with the bow. A mere test of accuracy and drawing speed. If you are unable to do something as simple as this, then you are not fit to be a hunter. If more than three apples touch the ground without your arrow, you have failed.¡± Leonard said, although he was lying: no test was as difficult as the one Larissa had to do today¡­Yet, he knew she was skilled enough. ¡°Dad, if I pass this, then I¡¯ll be officially a hunter, not just a scout am I right?¡± Larissa said, staring at Leonard as he nodded. ¡°Then begin the test!¡± Larissa said, with a smile as she nocked an arrow to the bow. ¡°Hasty, but I suppose that¡¯s the way you were raised.¡± Leonard replied, as he grabbed an apple from the basket, throwing forward, steadily throwing apples faster and faster. First one every 10 seconds. Eventually, it shortened down to 9 seconds, 8 seconds, and still getting faster. Larissa was hitting every one of them, but missed a few already: once when it shortened the interval to 9 seconds, and another time, at the interval of 5 seconds, where Leonard threw the apple up, rather than just forward. It was getting harder for larissa, not just because of Leonard¡¯s throws: her breath was slowly getting more ragged, her hands began to tremble, as she shot more arrows. She didn¡¯t even bother to count how many she missed: She didn¡¯t have time to, she could only shoot. Eventually, only 5 apples remained in the basket. The interval between throws was just 1 second for the next three. For the last two apples, Leonard threw both at the exact same time at the same time, rather than having an interval between them. Larissa¡¯s eyes squinted, as she shot an arrow, hitting the first of the two apples¡­and yet, the other apple¡­she saw it slowly falling down onto the ground. She waited for this test for her whole life, yet it was going to fail... Entering in a state of panic, Larissa felt a surge of energy, she managed to take another arrow from the quiver, pulling the bowstring. Yet, She couldn¡¯t control the sudden force she felt, as it was much bigger than expected: The bow, which was already quite a feat for Larissa to wield it with her size, had its string snapped due to how much she had pulled. What she didn¡¯t notice was, that as the energy surged inside of her body, a small black aura, not too different from the incident a month ago, came from her body. As soon as the string snapped, it felt like Larissa¡¯s mind snapped as well, staring at the apple on the ground¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve passed, with a rather¡­impressive result: You¡¯ve missed only two apples.¡± Leonard said, eating one of the apples which didn¡¯t get pierced by the arrow. He was impressed, yet he did not speak up. He didn¡¯t know how to show such feelings to those he cares about. But¡­there was something. Something that happened in the last second.¡±¡­And how did you snap the bowstring?¡± Leonard asked, crossing his arms. He had suspected something was wrong a month ago, yet he could never put his finger quite into it. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Uh¡­I just¡­did?¡± Gulping, the archer let out such words as she had a small smile on her face, and rubbed the back of her head. ¡°¡­No matter what, don¡¯t use that power again.¡± Leonard replied, as he placed his hand on Larissa¡¯s head. ¡°Why?¡± Larissa asked, now even more curious about the subject. Why was she banned from using it? She could only vaguely recall the sensation of when she used such power. It was somewhat vague, yet Larissa knew it. She knew that the sensation was not different at all, from when she touched the black mist the great wolf had. ¡°¡­It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s too early to explain, Larissa.¡± Leonard said, as he let out a sigh. ¡°I have to go.¡± He added as he walked away from the shooting grounds, in a hurry. Meanwhile, Reynald was standing right in front of Gerald, in the training grounds. A simple scabbard, with a wooden sword, hanged on his waist, as he finally wore something less casual than before: A leather armor. Not enough to block Gerald¡¯s strikes, but it was better than nothing. ¡°Reynald, I know we¡¯ve been sparring every day. I truly enjoy it but¡­today, it might be the last day we¡¯ll be able to spar for a long time.¡± Gerald said, with a smile as he looked at Reynald, like a father would look at his son. Reynald just nodded, not as afraid as he was a month ago. ¡°You¡¯re getting better every day. By now, I can count on the numbers of one hand the squires who can beat you, including those one year old. And so¡­ I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ve kicked the worst of the group out, for one extra year of training, and put you in his spot. Tomorrow, you¡¯ll go to the knight ceremony. The people will surely wish to test your skill before you are accepted as a knight, though¡­so let¡¯s consider this morning as a warm-up. Give me your best, boy!¡± Gerald said, drawing his sword. Without waiting for Reynald to reply, he already gave a horizontal slash with the wooden sword. Yet, it was a motion Reynald was somewhat used to. Quickly, he reached for the hilt of his sword, on the right side of his waist, with the right hand. He lifted the sword upwards, while holding the wooden sword¡¯s tip with the left hand, to block the incoming slash. As soon as he felt the slash hitting the wooden sword, he jumped, using the momentum to get some distance from Gerald. Reynald fell to the ground, and rolled until he was in a sitting position, quickly lifting the sword diagonally in front of him to block a vertical slash from Gerald. Sweat dripped on his forehead, as he barely managed to block the incoming slash, and ruin the sword¡¯s momentum. The teacher now lifted his foot, planning to kick Reynald away, although he quickly saw through the teacher¡¯s move, and in the same second, slashed at Gerald¡¯s leg, making the kick miss, just barely. Only now did Gerald, for the first time in the spar matches, took a step back. Yet, it wasn¡¯t to defend himself, but rather, to position himself to do a sword thrust at Reynald¡­and this time, the young squire didn¡¯t react in time, getting hit on the forehead with the sword¡¯s tip, getting knocked out another time. ¡°¡­Sheesh¡­you¡¯re getting better than I expected¡­¡± Gerald mumbled. ¡°To think you¡¯ve lasted this long, even when I used underhanded tactics¡­¡± ¡°Done with training your disciple?¡± Leonard said, as he walked in the training grounds. ¡°Change of plans. We¡¯re doing it now. For the old times¡¯ sake, I¡¯ve came here to say goodbye.¡± The archer said, not giving any room to reply. ¡°...The deal was one month. I still have one day.¡± Gerald said, looking rather serious now, as he looked at Reynald. ¡°One day, Leonard. One single fucking day before you go reckless on your own ideals.¡± ¡°¡­One more day, then I¡¯ll leave. It¡¯s dangerous around here, we need to go to the capital. For her safety.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being too worried, nothing big will happen.¡± Gerald said, with a small grin on his face. ¡°¡­.I hope you¡¯re right. For the sake of us all, I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Leonard replied. No chapter this week. Sorry, got rather sick(fever, to be specific), and this week and next one being also the most busy-ish weeks of the semester, due to tests, projects and deadlines arriving. I''ll try to make it up for this when I get better, but for now, I want the opinion on you guys on the fiction thus far, ideas and so on. So this will be the first discussion thread of the story, cheers!