After the meeting concluded, the elders dispersed one by one, their robes whispering against the marble floor. Each wore the same thoughtful, shadowed expression.
It was decided the plan would need extensive discussion and possible amendments before implementation. But even that restraint felt hollow, because everyone knew the wheels had already begun to turn.
When the last of the Elders left, only four remained in the great chamber: Lunaris, Vermas, the First Elder Sollers Aurelis, and the Clan Head himself.
Sollers was the first to speak, breaking the silence with a weary sigh. "To think you'd propose something like that, Lunaris. You never cease to surprise me."
Vermas, who rarely ever agreed with him on anything, added grimly, "For once, I'm with Sollers. I've lived longer than you've been alive, and even I never thought of such a plan."
Lunaris chuckled softly, his expression light and teasing. "Well, I guess I'm just a bit amazing."
The two elders exchanged a look, both sighing at the same time. For a brief second, the tension in the air eased.
Then Vermas's tone turned sharp again. "Still… are you sure about this? If anything goes wrong, even the Aurelis name won't escape unscathed. We're walking on the blade's edge here."
Lunaris's smile faded. His voice, when he spoke next, was quiet but heavy with venom.
"I know, Elder. But I can't exactly leave the invaders of my home, who instead of feeling grateful are pointing their blades at us."
A dangerous silence followed. Vermas and Sollers looked at him with pity because they could feel it, the coiled hatred hidden behind Lunaris's calm demeanor, was something that could literally destroy him.
The Clan Head, who had been silent all this while, finally leaned forward. "I will allow it."
Three heads turned to him instantly, disbelief flashing in their eyes.
"But, Clan Head…" Vermas began, half rising.
"It's alright, Vermas." The Clan Head's voice was steady, almost serene. "You've sat in that chair longer than I have. You should know by now… those old fools already agreed the moment Lunaris spoke. They just want to dress it up as a council contribution."
The faint smile on his lips deepened, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Both Sollers and Vermas agreed on that as they decided to make amendments to the plan.
***
Though stormy news had rocked the Clan's council the week before, the situation had been calm, ordinary even, at the training grounds where children still practiced as if nothing had changed.
That morning the yard filled with the clatter of boots and the bright glint of metal. Forty-three students stood in lines, each holding the weapon they'd chosen.
"From today, you'll learn how to wield weapons and magic, at least the basic part, and depending on your talent and wish, you will pursue a specific path. And today we will learn weapons. First, sword users, come forward," Vermas announced.
Out of the forty-three, twenty-seven stepped up. Caelrisu and Fremileo were among them, each carrying a very different blade. Some children gripped short daggers no longer than a forearm. Others shouldered standard double-edged swords. A few held thin, curved katanas. And only one, bulky and unwieldy to most, wielded broadswords larger than herself.
Fremileo favored a katana, its slender blade balancing perfectly in his hands. Caelrisu hefted a heavy broadsword, the steel eating the light, her posture calm and unhurried as if the weight belonged to her.
Vermas divided the class: four assistant instructors took the bulk of the students while he moved to work with the remaining sixteen.
The instructor assigned to Caelrisu, though it wasn't much of an assignment, since she was the only student in his group, was a man named Namgoong Gyo. A newly risen Third-Rank Verdant Soul in his early forties. Many who lived and worked in the clan were outsiders, drawn by pay or position.
Rumor said the Namgoong family had once been a significant power in the eastern continent a thousand years ago, but time had eroded their influence. Namgoong Gyo himself was, by all accounts, just above average, steady enough to reach Third Rank by his age, nothing spectacular. Still, he'd survived years in the wilds and carried immense combat experience.
He looked Caelrisu over once, then nodded. "We'll start with stance and the swing."
Caelrisu's eyes narrowed with quiet intent. 'I will make everything he teaches mine,' she thought, settling into her posture and listening carefully.
"First of all," Namgoong Gyo said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, "I want to see how you wield it. I've heard you practice swordsmanship in your manor. Show me."
Caelrisu nodded silently, lifting her broadsword and resting it on her shoulder. Walking toward the training doll, she took her stance, feet shoulder-width apart, one foot forward, knees bent just enough to spring. Her body was upright but relaxed, with her weight balanced on the balls of her feet.
She raised her sword high over her head and brought it down in a powerful vertical slash aimed at the doll's head. The blade whistled through the air, the strike clean and forceful. Then came a horizontal sweep across the puppet's midsection, her torso rotating fluidly to empower her strike.
The doll barely shuddered under the impact. Crafted to withstand the blows of a Rank 2 Verdant Soul, its surface only showed faint scorch lines where the blade met the material.
Undeterred, Caelrisu continued, an upward cut from the ground toward the torso, a sharp rising strike, and finally a diagonal slash from shoulder to hip. Each movement was deliberate, each transition smooth and practiced.
Namgoong Gyo watched in silence, his eyes narrowing with approval.
'Her stance, her transitions… they're solid. By the standards of the Eastern Continent, she'd be considered a second-rate warrior, nearing first-rate. And she is only 13 years old.'
"Stop," he said after a moment.
Caelrisu halted, lowering her sword to her side and looking at him expectantly.
"For now," he continued, "I'll attack, and you'll parry. Do you want a breather first?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm fine."
Her tone carried no bravado, just fact. Namgoong Gyo nodded, faintly impressed, then stepped forward.
The first blow came fast, a clean downward strike from above, aimed straight at her skull. Caelrisu raised her broadsword horizontally just in time, catching the strike. The impact sent a numbing tremor through her arms, the weight behind his attack far greater than she'd anticipated.
'The same motion as my own strike… but well honed. Sharper. If he truly meant to kill, I wouldn't survive, even if I use my Awakened Abilities.'
Her lips curved slightly. 'But that's fine.'
Her eyes deepened.
'Analyze.'
Namgoong's second strike came instantly, a horizontal slash toward her ribs. She shifted her stance, turning the blade vertical to deflect. Sparks flickered where steel met steel.
Before she could fully reset, his sword dropped low and curved up diagonally toward her abdomen. She barely managed to pivot her broadsword, using its width as a shield. The clang rang out, but before she could even inhale, he changed his form again.
His left hand crackled faintly, lines of pale blue energy coursing through his skin. Lightning gathered around his fingers, compressed, vibrating, lethal. He thrust it forward like a dagger, straight toward her stomach.
'Death.'
The word echoed in her mind like instinct. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints as her body reacted faster than thought. She planted her foot on the flat of her own sword and pushed back, using the recoil to throw herself out of range.
But she wasn't fast enough.
Namgoong Gyo's strike stopped just shy of her abdomen, so close that the static heat grazed her skin. Tiny arcs of lightning flickered and danced in the space between them.
Caelrisu blinked, her chest rising and falling, but her gaze stayed steady on him.
"I thought we would only be using our swords, Instructor," she said calmly.
"Why did you use your Awakened Ability… at the end?"
Namgoong tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Hmm? What are you talking about?"
"That blue light thingy on your hands," she said, pointing. "The one that almost cooked me."
"Oh… you mean this?"
Blue light shimmered to life around his hands again, flickering like threads of captured stormlight.
"Yes. That!" she said, leaning forward slightly, curiosity overtaking irritation.
He smiled faintly. "This isn't my Awakened Ability. It's called Qi. It's a state one reaches upon reaching Pinnacle of martial arts."
Her brows furrowed. "Pinnacle, you said? So that means you're at the top of the world?"
She squinted suspiciously. "Then why are you teaching here? Are you a spy or something?"
Namgoong let out a startled laugh. "No, no, nothing like that. 'Pinnacle' is just a title. It sounds grand, but in terms of strength…" He raised two fingers.
"A martial artist at the pinnacle can barely fight on par with a peak Third Rank Verdant Soul. After that comes the Transcended, those who step beyond the mortal path. They correspond to Silent Judges."
"Ohhh…" Caelrisu murmured, eyes glimmering with intrigue. "Then why don't I know any of this?"
He looked away for a moment, his expression turning distant and wistful. "Because these things are old history now. Martial arts, Qi, cultivation of the body, they were once the foundation of battle. And there were others too... mages, but now, very few talented freaks pursue both Awakening and martial arts or magic in its entirety, most only scratching the surface."
Her eyes widened. "Mages?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes. They wielded mana of the nature to split mountains and boil seas. But that was long ago, before the world shifted. Now, these paths have been replaced by the Awakened abilities. And people belonging to Clans never really pursue them, even in the Martial Alliance. Most only use them for understanding of the 'Ways'."
"Ways?" she echoed.
"The Ways of the world," he thought. "I won't be able to explain it to you. It would be like explaining colors to the blind. I can only say that you will be able to feel them too if you reach 3rd Rank Verdant Soul."
"Then, Instructor," Caelrisu said, eyes bright with curiosity and determination, "would you please teach me Marital Arts?"
Namgoong Gyo blinked once. "…You dumb brat. It's martial arts. Not marital. That's a whole different commitment."
Caelrisu tilted her head innocently. "Ah, then martial arts. Will you teach me?"
"And why should I?" he asked, folding his arms with a skeptical frown.
"Because…" she said, a playful smile tugging at her lips, "I'm talented?"
Namgoong Gyo just stared at her for a moment, utterly stunned by the brazenness in her tone.
"I don't get paid enough to deal with you."
"How about I make sure that you will receive a single favor from the Clan?"
He gave it a long thought.
"Also, although you are old, I can set you up with an auntie to make you bear Aurelis's name."
"I don't want to get married or anything. Just the first condition is enough."
Although he said that, she could tell by Analyzing his body posture that he was pleased.
Then, after a long pause, he exhaled through his nose and spoke clearly, "Fine. If you can last one minute against my strikes within a month, I'll teach you."
Caelrisu's grin widened, but her eyes changed, deepening as Analyst was activated at full force.
"Sure," she said softly.