Lusia held a wooden sword planted firmly into the ground, leaning her weight against the hilt as she stood in the middle of the lawn.
Hearing the doors behind her slowly creak open, she turned her head.
Hawen and Ersak marched down the stone steps, stepping onto the green grass as they advanced toward her.
Lusia tilted her head back slightly, looking at Hawen.
“What happened?” Hawen closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head.
“There was a little incident, so…” Before he could finish, Lusia cut him off.
Her eyes narrowed into a sharp, freezing glare as she locked onto Ersak standing behind him.
“Don’t tell me he just caused trouble…” Hawen shrugged.
“Well, yeah, he did, but it’s nothing serious.” Stepping forward, Hawen sat down on the lush green turf, the blades of grass rustling softly beneath his weight.
He leaned back against a small mound of earth behind him and exhaled deeply.
“You two practice first.
After that, it’ll be my turn with the other two.” Lusia stared at Hawen lounging effortlessly on the grass, a smug smirk tracing his lips.
Giving him a heavily judgmental, annoyed look, she muttered under her breath, “I seriously wonder what kind of creature is born this lazy!…” Ersak stood frozen on the spot, his face entirely devoid of expression.
His pale blue eyes remained completely blank, staring vacantly into the empty air.
Lusia marched right up to Ersak.
She hurled the wooden sword in her hand straight at him.
The weapon struck his body with a dull thud before clattering down onto the grass.
Lusia’s gaze dropped to the weapon on the ground.
Ersak lowered his head slightly and picked the wooden sword up.
“I’ll teach you the basics first,” she said, turning on her heel to walk out into the wide clearing.
She looked back over her shoulder at Ersak, who was staring blankly at her.
Lusia shouted, pointing her wooden sword directly at him, “What’re you just standing there for?!” Ersak’s stiff legs moved slowly, dragging his body toward her.
His eyelids grew heavier by the second, and everything in his field of vision began to blur.
Unfinished whispers echoed continuously inside his head, a chaotic jumble of noise that made it impossible to distinguish a single word.
His body stumbled off-balance, his eyes drooping shut.
In a flash, a streak of golden energy snaked through the ground from a distance, rapidly flowing straight toward Ersak.
Ersak’s eyes snapped wide open!
A wooden sword materialized right above his head.
Time itself seemed to slow down as Lusia instantly appeared directly in front of him.
The wooden blade descended at blistering speed, striking Ersak squarely on the forehead.
He collapsed onto the lawn, clutching his brow as he gritted his teeth hard, forcing his eyes open to look up at Lusia.
Lusia’s deep, flat voice cut through the air as her cold, unfeeling gaze looked down at the teenager on the ground.
“If that were a real blade, or even the edge of this wooden one, you’d be dead right now.” As the weapon fell, she had rotated the blade flat.
Ersak stared at her, breaking out in a stunned sweat.
Lusia pointed the tip of her sword directly at his face.
Ersak’s head jerked back slightly to keep his distance from the weapon.
“Get up right now!” Ersak scrambled to his feet, raising his sword out in front of him.
Instantly, Lusia unleashed a flurry of strikes, her blade battering against Ersak’s weapon.
Ersak retreated backward with every sharp collision of wood on wood.
Launching attack after attack, Lusia barked, “Go on the offensive already!
Why’re you just taking it?!” Lusia raised her sword high and swung down with immense force, driving Ersak’s blade toward the ground.
Twisting her wrist, she redirected her blade toward him.
SLAP!
Her free hand smacked the hilt, sending the weapon slicing straight upward in a violent SWISH right before Ersak’s face.
The afterimage of the wooden sword carved a clean line through the air in front of him.
His pupils shrunk and trembled, staring onward in utter bewilderment.
Hawen lay on the ground, watching the two of them train.
The sound of rustling footsteps approached from behind, and a pair of feet touched down right next to him.
Hawen glanced over as Enmie sat down, her gaze already fixed on Ersak.
Hawen suddenly spoke up, making Enmie feel completely helpless.
“So?
You’re up next.
I’ll go last.” Enmie gave Hawen a forced smile, countering, “Then why don’t you go first instead of making me do it?” Hawen rolled onto his side with a heavy sigh, waving his hand dismissively.
“Come on, why should I go first and not you?” Enmie jumped to her feet, completely shocked and enraged by his response as she shouted, “How can you even say that?!!” Enmie’s gaze dropped to her own hands.
Hesitating, she lowered her head slightly and asked in a low, quiet voice, “You noticed something off with Ersak earlier too, didn’t you, Hawen?” Hawen went rigid.
His expression darkened, and the surrounding air felt thick and heavy, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic clashing of the wooden swords.
A gentle breeze swept across the clearing, causing the blades of grass to ripple alongside their hair and clothes.
Hawen sat up straight.
With their backs turned toward the camera, both of them locked their eyes on Ersak.
“You felt it too, right?” Hawen asked, his voice laced with deep anxiety.
“Yeah…” Enmie murmured.
Hawen reached into his coat, pulling out a notebook and flipping through the pages.
“I think there’s something buried deep inside him,” he continued.
Enmie looked over at him.
Amid the steady cracking of the training weapons, Hawen kept speaking.
“From what I’ve seen since the first moment we met him…” He unclipped the pen from his chest and began writing in the notebook.
“…even the information I have on him is just stuff I wrote down myself.
My ability is completely unable to track him.” Enmie gasped in utter astonishment.
“W-What?!
Your ability can’t gather details on Ersak?!” Hawen nodded, both of their gazes locked back onto the boy.
“I think if he gets proper training, his growth will be explosive.
It’s just…” For the first time, cold sweat dripped down Hawen’s face.
He lowered his head slightly and whispered, “I can’t feel even a shred of a Soul Vessel inside his body…
It’s honestly too vague.” Hearing his words, Enmie turned her worried eyes back to Ersak.
Even Hawen’s ability to record all creation doesn’t work…
she thought, panic gripping her mind.
Meanwhile, Hawen’s thoughts were racing.
Earlier, I clearly felt a thread stretching so tight it was about to snap…
What if…
it actually breaks?…
“HYAH!” Lusia screamed.
Her wooden sword ripped upward from below.
CRACK!
The impact sent Ersak’s weapon flying clean out of his hands.
Ersak collapsed hard onto the turf, his face drenched in sweat as he closed his eyes, gasping for air.
Lusia pointed the tip of her sword directly down at his face.
The teenager scrambled his eyes open, staring up from the dirt.
“Ersak, you are officially the weakest person I’ve ever encountered!” Lusia barked down at him, lowering her weapon.
She shoved the wooden blade deep into the ground.
Ersak’s gaze tracked the weapon slicing into the soil before snapping back up to her.
Lusia crossed her arms, her voice booming with absolute authority.
“If you spend an entire sparring match letting your opponent dictate the pace while you only defend, how do you expect to win?!” She marched over to Ersak’s discarded sword, snatched it up, and walked back toward him.
“Pick up your weapon and try to land a strike on me.”