The wind howled across the clearing as Aric threw himself sideways.
He hit the ground rolling, came up on one knee, and raised a hand. A magic circle formed in front of his palm, spinning rapidly as fire gathered at its center. He released the spell and a stream of flame shot toward Inara.
She did not move.
At the last moment, a thin current of wind curled around her fingers and caught the flames, splitting them apart before sending them around her body and into the trees behind her. The fire struck the damp wood and quickly died.
"You will have to do better than that."
Aric pushed himself to his feet and wiped the dirt from his sleeve.
"I thought that one was pretty good."
"It was better than yesterday."
He drew his wooden sword.
The score was 100 to 0.
Inara had kept track of every sparring session they had fought during the past four months, and every single one had ended the same way. Aric had improved considerably since their first training session, but he had never managed to land a single clean hit on her.
Today, however, was different.
It was their final training session before he left for Starglade Academy, and Inara had decided to give him an advantage.
"I shall use only Wind," she had said. "It is my weakest element, so you should be grateful."
Aric was not grateful. Even with her handicap she was a Grandmaster in Wind, while he was Advanced in four elements and Intermediate in Menos. The difference between them remained enormous.
Still, Aric had improved.
He closed the distance, using a burst of Menos to reinforce his legs. The silver glow wrapped around his calves and he launched himself forward faster than he had ever moved before, swinging his wooden sword at her side.
She blocked it with her forearm, a thin layer of compressed wind absorbing the impact.
Aric immediately changed direction, twisting his body and bringing the sword around from the opposite side, but Inara shifted her weight and allowed the blade to pass harmlessly in front of her.
"You are still telegraphing your attacks."
Aric clicked his tongue and stepped back before rushing forward again.
This time, he combined his sword strike with Fire Magic, releasing a burst of flames from his free hand as he attacked. Inara turned her body slightly, letting the flames pass beside her before catching his sword with another layer of wind.
Aric refused to stop.
He pulled the sword back, spun, and attacked from another angle, only for Inara to deflect the strike with a small movement of her arm. He followed with Water Magic, forming a whip that snapped toward her legs, but she cut through it with a blade of wind before stepping away from his next swing.
Again.
And again.
Every time Aric thought he had found an opening, Inara was already there to close it.
She blocked his sword, redirected his spells, stepped around his attacks, and occasionally struck him just hard enough to remind him that she could end the fight whenever she wanted.
"You are thinking too much," she said after knocking his sword aside.
"I am trying to hit you."
"Really? I couldn’t tell"
Aric frowned but attacked again.
He drove Menos into his legs and pushed himself forward, combining his physical movement with Wind Magic to increase his speed. For a moment, he managed to catch Inara by surprise, his wooden sword coming within inches of her shoulder before she redirected it with a burst of wind.
Aric immediately followed with Earth Magic.
The ground beneath Inara’s feet rose sharply.
The ground beneath Inara’s feet rose sharply.
She jumped over it.
Aric had expected that.
He used the momentum from his previous attack to launch himself after her, bringing his sword down while they were both in the air.
Their weapons collided, Aric’s wooden sword meeting the blade of wind Inara had formed in her hand.
The impact forced Aric backward, but he twisted his body and landed on his feet while Inara touched down several meters away without losing her balance.
Aric’s chest was rising and falling heavily, yet there was a grin on his face.
She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
"You are becoming far too confident."
"You are the one who told me to improve."
"I did not tell you to become arrogant."
Aric laughed and raised his sword again.
The exchange continued.
He used every element he had learned, switching between them without giving Inara much time to predict what would come next. Fire forced her to move, Water restricted her movements, Earth disrupted her footing, and Wind allowed him to accelerate his attacks.
None of it was enough.
But Aric was learning.
Four months ago, he would have exhausted himself simply trying to maintain his spells. Now he could combine his magic with Menos, shift between elements during combat, and adjust his attacks when his opponent reacted.
He still had a long way to go.
But for the first time, Inara was having to pay attention.Aric realized it when she stopped smiling. He gathered all the mana he had left and pushed it outward, forming a circle above his head. Sparks began to jump across its surface, growing brighter as the energy condensed.
Inara looked up and laughed.
"Aric, you truly are a brilliant child."
He grinned
"Why don’t you just die, teacher!!"
"It’s too early for me!!" Inara said grinning widely.
Inara raised her hand.
A wall of wind erupted from the ground just as the bolt struck, scattering the lightning across the clearing in a shower of white sparks.
But she had moved.
She had taken a step back.
And when Aric looked at her hand, he saw frost gathering at her fingertips.
A thin layer of frost covered her fingertips.
Aric’s exhaustion disappeared.
"You used Ice."
Inara immediately lowered her hand.
"I used Wind."
Aric blinked.
He looked at her fingers.
Then back at her face.
"There was ice on your hand."
"There was no ice,"Inara said "you must be imagining things"
Aric could barely contain his excitement.
"Finally, I won!!."
"Shit...do not sound so pleased with yourself."
Inara crossed her arms.
"I am enjoying this exactly the right amount."
She sighed and dropped her arms.
"Fine. You forced me to use ice. Congratulations."
Aric grinned, still breathing hard. His mana was almost gone and his body was trembling, but he did not care. For the first time in four months he had won against a monster.
Inara walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Well done," she said quietly.
He looked up at her.
"Really?"
"Do not let it go to your head."
"I will absolutely let it go to my head."
She shook her head but there was a faint smile on her face.
"That is enough for today. That is enough before the academy."
By the time Aric returned to the estate, the sun had begun to set. His body was exhausted from training, but his mind was already occupied with something else. With his final session with Inara behind him and the academy only days away, there was one thing he wanted to do before leaving.
"I want to go out before I leave for the academy."
His mother looked at him.
"Go out where?"
"Anywhere. I have been on this estate since I woke up. I want to see the duchy. The capital. Something other than these walls."
His father sat quietly, listening.
"You have been awake for only five months," Kyra said. "You are still recovering."
"Mother my training has been efficient"
"You are still weak."
"Mum."
Feron looked at him for a long moment.
"You will need an escort," he said.
"A knight and a few soldiers. I understand."
The next day, Emilia found him in the garden. "You are leaving without me."
"You have lessons," Aric said.
"I do not care about lessons, and neither should you." Emilia crossed her arms, glaring up at him.
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Buy me something sugary."
Aric laughed. "I’ll see what I can find."
She reached up, tugging hard on his sleeve.
"Promise."
"I promise."
Satisfied, she let go with a nod.
The next day Aric sat inside an expensive carriage with velvet seats and gold trim. His father had insisted on it. If the heir of House Noctra was going to travel, he would travel properly.
A knight and four soldiers rode alongside the carriage. The knight was an older man with a scar across his cheek and a calm expression. His name was Roland.
The first day of travel passed quietly as Aric watched the fields, trees, and distant villages roll past the carriage window. He recognized some of the scenery from his memories, but seeing it with his own eyes was an entirely different experience. The fresh air, the sounds of the countryside, and the sight of people going about their daily lives made everything feel more real than any memory ever could.
They reached the duchy capital on the second day.
It was larger than Aric had expected. The streets were crowded with merchants and travelers and nobles and peasants. There were shops and stalls and taverns and inns. The buildings were tall and made of stone and wood, and the ducal castle rose above everything at the center of the city.
Aric stepped out of the carriage and simply looked at it all for a moment.
"Stay close, Young Master," Roland said.
"I will."
They walked through the market. Aric bought a small wooden carving of a bird painted blue and white. It fit in the palm of his hand. He thought Emilia would like it.
He bought it and tucked it into his pocket.
They walked past a bakery and Aric stopped to buy a pastry. It was warm and sweet and he ate it while walking and bought extra for Emilia.
He was enjoying himself when the silence shattered. Voices echoed across the path, blending cruel laughter with desperate sobbing
He turned his head and saw a group of men gathered in an alley between two buildings. Four of them, all adults, and they were kicking something on the ground. A boy, small, curled up with his arms over his head and not moving.
The knights saw it too. Roland glanced at it and looked away.
"Keep moving, Young Master."
Aric did not move.
"Roland."
"Young Master?"
"That boy."
"He is a peasant. It is not our concern."
Aric looked at the boy again. The men were still kicking him, and he was not crying anymore.
"I want them arrested."
Roland turned toward him.
"Young Master, this is not our"
"You are ducal knights who serve the people and not me alone." Aric said "Arrest them"
Roland paused, then nodded to the soldiers.
They moved forward and the men stopped kicking the boy and turned. One of them opened his mouth to argue.
Aric raised his hand.
A magic circle formed in the air and wind gathered in a tight spiral before releasing all at once, slamming into the men and sending them tumbling backward into the alley wall.
The soldiers moved in and restrained them.
Aric climbed off his horse and walked toward the boy.
He was lying on the ground bleeding from his nose and mouth. He was thin and his clothes were torn, and he looked up at Aric with dark eyes without saying anything.
"What is your name?"
The boy stared at him.
"Eryx."
Aric crouched down.
"Can you stand?"
Eryx looked at him for a long moment, then at the soldiers, then at the men being restrained, then back at Aric.
"Why did you help me?"
Aric did not answer. He reached down and offered the boy his hand.