"Woosh!"
The fist flies past my ear, as I swiftly dodge to the right, using the momentum to pour into my right fist. I twist my hips in the direction I wish to strike.
I've got—
"!?"
My fist collides with an elbow. It's been perfectly blocked. My opponent has blocked his side with the bottom of his elbow. His defense is absolute at this moment.
I stare in shock for a few moments, unable to process what just happened. Little do I know about the oncoming fist at my face.
Finally sensing my oncoming doom, I'm unable to raise my fists in time. I simply wince, hoping for the best.
Damn it.
"Point!" Doreius yells, his voice erupting from behind me.
My eyes creak open, akin to a rusty garage door.
About only an inch away is a fist, belonging to none other than Samuel Volara, son of Gorthro Volara. A boy who has completely given over his body to his goal of entering Sable Veil. His discipline is steel within in his blood cells.
He reels his fist back, his muscles relaxing with his movements.
"Good fight."
I wipe sweat from my forehead.
"Kh. Good fight."
The announcer, Dorieus, wearing nothing but large pants, exclaims, raising his hand in the air. He's got a buzzed shave, and a really square frame.
"Samuel takes the first point! Koho and Gazing privileges have been granted to Kaito!"
The crowd behind him cheers, erupting into a cacophony of noise. A majority of the cries are in favor of Samuel, the clear winner in this match. Perhaps there's a few for me, but they're drowned out by the noise of the larger crowd.
Right now, we're getting in one last sparring session before we head to Midgard, where a base belonging to Sable Veil resides. Apparently, the two of us have been exempted from the qualifications of being full Gazers to join the organization. The only thing we need is to be able to Gaze and use Koho.
We're in the training yard, while various Homunculi watch us from behind the gates. The only ones present in the actual yard itself are me, Samuel, and Doreius. Dorieus is the referee, while me and blondie are the participants.
This specific spar is known as an Up-Feud. Three rounds in total. Every time someone wins, the loser gets to go up and use more of their abilities. It starts with bare fists, then goes into Koho and Gazing.
We head back to our corners.
Physically fighting, I'd say I'm pretty good at it. Punches, kicks, knees, things like that. I can take control of close combat quickly, but mid to far range, I'm terrible. As for Koho, I only know about four spells that I can cast on a consistent basis.
When it comes to Koho usage, you need to be confident in what you're going to use, and use it. If you fail, you just end up hurting yourself. You need to think about what spell you're going to use for utility mid-combat, so it's pretty difficult.
I tend to map out my spells before actually engaging in a spar. But this time, I think I'm going to change some things around.
When the other members of Sable Veil cast spells, you usually see them only crack a knuckle or something light. This is because the more you cast a spell, the less taxes are ensued upon you. For example, if you use a flash spell for the first time, you have to bite into your finger and draw blood. But if it's your eightieth time, you can just crack your finger. You're still losing something, that being the gas, but it isn't at a substantial level.
Spells are linked to your body.
So, the four spells I'm confident in casting are:
Pyraethon-5, Flash.
If I bite into my palm, my hand will emit a large flash that stuns the opponent.
Aeronis-3, Slice.
If I cut my index finger, and swing it, a gust of wind in a wide arc will dash towards my opponent, only scratching them.
Aeronis-23, Sever.
The same as Slice, but much larger.
Pyraethon-3, Expand.
If I bite the back of my hand, 'flames' will pour out of it, forming a circle.
Despite the names sounding dangerous, they're incredibly weak to Sapients, and can only be used as utility spells. I also can't use more than one at a time, or else I risk getting tired and exposing my hollow Points.
I turn around, now in my corner.
Samuel looks back, tying the bandages wrapped around in his hand. It's clear that he's assessing me for any things I may potentially do to my body. He's watching to see if I'm going to cast a spell the moment a match starts.
When you cast, the time for the spell to be released lasts as long as the initial pain sets in.
"GO!!"
Doreius yells.
Samuel instantly bolts forward, dust kicking up behind him.
What? He's going on the offensive now? He's always been a counter-player!
His right arm is pulled backwards as he bends downwards, his momentum slightly being thrown off. It's clear that he's going for an uppercut. This is extremely telegraphed.
I dash to the side, making sure to keep my arms up.
However—
Samuel quickly uses the momentum from the uppercut to convert it into an elbow strike to the left, the direction I just leapt in. He's aiming for my side now. Shit!
I lower my elbow, taking the same strategy he had done in the previous round.
Collision.
It knocks me to the left a little more due to the force I was struck at. Desperate to create some distance, I dig my left foot into the ground, and push against Samuel.
The attempt is successful, as to avoid losing balance, he recalls his attack.
He is now 10 inches away from me, in the stance he took before engaging me. His fists are up, defending against any potential strikes. We're now locked in a stalemate, each one waiting for the other to make a move.
I don't want to use Koho. The first reason is that if I used one spell now, even if I won, I'd be exhausted at the next round. Second, he's probably expecting me to throw one out. If he can beat me without using anything, he'd think I would rely on my spells as a crutch to make up for the gap in skill.
You just got lucky the first time!
I clench my fists.
I also don't want to Gaze. Whenever I gaze, it feels like motions that are made in real time are delayed from my perspective. For example, if someone throws a punch, I'll feel it before I see the actual motion. It's like video game lag.
I need him to come to me.
He's trying to create distance to get me to use a spell. If I run at him, it'll be too predictable, and he'll easily counter. His first approach seemed to try and get me to use a spell in a desperate situation, now this one seems to be baiting a spell out.
All right, I think I've got an idea.
Shuffling forward, I begin using my left hand to measure the distance in front of me, periodically thrusting it forward and recalling it. It's in such a way that one would clearly tell it was just measurements.
I inch towards Samuel.
He still has to fight, but keeps his distance, hopping backwards.
Reach.
Recall.
Reach.
Recall.
Reach.
I finally get within the appropriate distance.
Rea—
STRIKE!
"Point!"
"Kaito takes a point! Both fighters now have access to Koho and Gazing!"
A smile forms on Samuel's face.
"Nice one."
We both head to our corners, readying ourselves for the next round. There's only about a thirty-second break in-between each fight, so I need to steel myself quickly.
I pick up a towel I've left on a nearby chair, using it to wipe off the sweat collecting around my body.
Alright, we're both in the same boat now. We can Gaze and use Koho. I'm not sure what spells Samuel frequents, so I've got to stay more cautious than before.
As for Gazing, when you strike a Hollow point with your fist, It can heavily injure, or even kill someone, so we've got to reel our strikes before the actual hit. This part of the match is the game point, so the stakes are much higher. Before, to score a point, you needed to strike the face or a weak point. But now that we're gazing, Hollow Points are recognized as winning factors.
I place down the towel down and walk forward, reading my stance.
The sounds of bones cracking rings in my brain. I recognize these crunches all to well, and because of such, I give no reaction.
I just set a checkpoint.
This is part of my ability, Death's Detour. I do this every once in a while, but I still don't know the main cause for setting a checkpoint. I've tried to do them on command but never succeed.
I take my attention and place it in front of me.
Samuel takes his stance. His same old counter-play style.
"Go!"
I hop forward, still protecting my head from any strikes. I've got to close the distance while still being mindful—
Samuel cut's his wrist in the blink of an eye, drawing blood.
"Pyraethon-3, Rupture."
It's harmless. I know that. But seeing a flaming ball of fire shoot at you would make anyone reel back in terror. Because of that perceived terror, I raise my hands to shield myself from the attack. Nothing happens however, except for me feeling a slight warmth at the portion I shielded myself with.
Shit! He's going to use this opportunity to rush me down!
I lower my arms and angle my head in Samuel's direction, desperate to update my brain's understanding of his current location.
My eye's meet his. Samuel's body is fully tilted in my direction, as he's broken out in a full sprint, determined to take me down.
I can't make any meaningful movements except for casting a spell given that my hand is close to my other hand. I'm cornered against a wall here! Well, I've got no choice!
I quickly slice my thumb against my index finger. It isn't perfect, but draws blood, which is the most important thing. I then point my finger.
At the ground.
"Aeronis-3, Slice!" I chant.
I can feel an intense as well as immense pressure build up in my finger, then explode outside of it, aiming at the ground. Within the span of a few seconds, dust fires in every direction, covering the area in a thick smokescreen.
I quickly leap to my left. Samuel saw where I was before the explosion, so he'd try in attack the place he'd me see last. Hm, speaking of seeing…
I can't see anything, there's only dust wherever I look.
Footsteps vaguely graze past my ear, but I don't have any actual physical indicator of where he is. I gasp for air as I crane my head side to side, frantically searching for the silhouette of my opponent. The edge that I'm in also has me near collapse. A strike could come from any angle. Just as I hid myself, I hid him as well.
I've got to Gaze, before he does the same and locates me.
Never really training it to perfection, I'm not really sure on how one Gazes from scratch, but I can provide a smudge of information leading to the process. Before you gaze, it's best to decide which eye you are going to use, then close it.
I do exactly that at this moment, closing my right eye.
Once you've closed your eyes—at least at starter level—-Hover and drag your hand across your chosen eye or eyes. Picture holes in everything, then open your eyes.
My eyes flare open.
The world is inverted in colors. The sky is black, the ground is full of light. A cacophony of colorful phantasms assault my sense of vision, exploding in various shades. Some merge together, while some distance themselves. Along the discordant chaos, a semblance of order remains. This order takes form of various strings scattered across this integrant landscape within the thousands.
I look around the strings, searching for whichever seems to be torn. I see the pattern as a collection of strings, the same as a lot of other people. Hollow points appear as these said strings breaking. I can tell an enemy is moving if strings begin snapping in a certain direction.
But right now…
I can't see anything.
"Kh!"
An intense migraine sets into my head, striking the left portion of my head. If I keep using this, I'll seriously incur some brain damage. I need to locate him as soon as possible.
"In front of you."
"!?"
"Strike!"
My eyes widen, deactivating my Gaze.
How did he–?!
Samuel reels his fist back, right before it makes contact.
"Samuel Volara wins!"
Cheers quickly follow in succession, exploding the entire area into noise.
Samuel rests his fists at his side, a calm expression present on his face. Then, he gasps for air, as if he was holding his breath the entire time. Wait, was he?
"If you are wondering on how I managed to evade your gaze, I merely held my breath."
I blink at such a simple resolution. He just held his breath and stayed calm? I know that hollow points only activate whenever someone's stressing out, but still. How could I lose to such a simple resolution.
No, no, this wasn't an issue on my behalf. It was my eye's fault. I lost due to inexperience and weakness, rather than an actual skill difference. Yet, still, I lost.
Damn it.
I clench my canines against each other.
Samuel extends an arm towards me, his hand open.
"You fought well, a good match."
I lift my hand. I should still be a good sport, and acknowledge my opponent. Yet, when I lift it, it shakes. It shakes with ambition, with hunger. My arm is shaking, not me. I'm not responsible for what my limbs do.
My teeth grind against each other as I feel my eyebrows furrowing.
Why did I have to lose? Why did I have to lose in front of all those people? Don't they know I'm capable of so much more than that? This was just a one-off thing, everyone loses sometimes. I'm not like this all the time, I swear I'm not. I know someone's laughing in the back, I know it's true. Don't laugh at me, don't laugh at me. I'm Kaito, I'm the guy who took down an Orc.
My raised arm's fingers begin to curl, ever so slightly into a fist. He's tired, if I take advantage of this now, I can knock him out.
But still, Why are you looking at me like that? Who said you could do that? Who do you think you are, looking down at me? You think I'll fall for your fake nice-guy act? I can do so much more than you. I'm the one who has the ability to die and come back to life. I'm the one who's in direct contact with an eldritch being. You're nothing, you're just a—
His hand takes mine, and shakes it. As I look up, I take note of a genuinely joyous smile present on his face.
"I'm looking forward to the next time we spar. Hopefully we both do better."
"Y-Yeah…" I nod.
___________________________________________________________________________
"Miss Kaen." Kors begins, his gaze out the window and down at the courtyard below.
"Hm?"
Her eyebrow raises, as her face sinks deeper into her hand which had been holding her up.
"What is the difference between Mr. Kaito and Mr. Volara, training-wise?"
"Well, Sam takes his training incredibly serious. He's always diligent when it comes performing, and never underperforms. He's always the first there, and will listen to whatever I tell him to do. When it came to Koho training, he wasted no time hurting himself to learn to cast a spell. As for Gazing, he got the hang of it within two weeks, something that I find impressive."
"I see." The wight mutters, his eyes following the two boys. Their sparring session had come to an end, and they were now heading inside. The rest of the homunculi were dissipating as well, returning to their collective security spots.
His gaze travels to Kaito.
"What about Mr. Kaito?"
Kaelira Kaen's posture stiffened for a moment, before relaxing. It was an expected question, yet made her stiffen all the same. The boy was nothing like the other boy. In fact, the boy was like none she had ever trained.
"He's… obsessed. He's obsessed with training like his life depends on it. That's all I can honestly say."
"...."
__________________________________________________________________________
The buckle on my chest clicks into place, indicative by the sound that follows after. I then adjust my sleeves, making sure they don't go over my wrists.
This is the outfit Ms. Kaen gave to me a couple days back. Her words were along the lines of 'You can't be looking like a peasant when talking to El Sombro, so put this on before we go.'
And whose fault was it I was wearing rags?!
Samuel is also adjusting his clothes within the same room.
We're heading out to Midgard now, so we've got to pack our things. To be honest, I literally don't have anything on me except for this collar. Samuel does however, so he's had to spend the past twenty minutes packing and only now managed to put his clothes on.
I walk over to a large mirror resting along the wall.
Right now, we're in the Mansion bathroom, which is extremely spacious and has a fair amount of luxury. This is evident by the literal fish statues emitting water from their mouths into the bath. The sinks are lined with what I think is obsidian as well. The floor is of course, a black marble, which matches with the rest of the aesthetic in the mansion.
My hair's already styled, and I more or less the look the same as before. Well actually, my waist seems to have shrunk in size while my shoulders grew.
As for my outfit, it's a deep violet that borders on blue. Those are the accent colors however, so most of the outfit is black.
I've got a short bomber-like jacket on that seems to stop halfway down my ribcage—-for some reason—-that's also got a large-belt like buckle going it's midpoint. The collars are curled inward, leaving some room for my neck.
Besides that, the jacket's got a fair amount of zippers, and extra accessories on it for some reason. It looks like something a PlayStation 2 video game protagonist would wear. Well I guess it goes along with the 'gothic' feel of this world.
I turn my waist to see the back of my legs.
I've got a fairly normal pair of cargo-like pants, but they've got these weird suspenders that compress around the fabric. Not sure the purpose for them, but they were annoying to put on.
I glance back at Samuel, who's adjusting the shoulder plate on his left arm. For some reason, his outfit is similar to mine, but has more armor on it. The rest of Sable Veil wear cloaks/jackets over their armor, so I feel a little strange being the only one with actual clothing.
His motif is more on the orange/red side. He's got a long, sophisticated looking jacket, along with two large collars on the sides of his neck. The set is neatly finished off with a hanging clock that moves with every movement he makes.
"..."
"Kaito." Samuel says.
I adjust my collar, still gazing at the mirror.
"?"
"Why do you want to join Sable Veil?"
His voice echoes through the bathroom, bouncing off all the walls.
"That's a surprising question to ask after all this time."
"Well, you had never shared, so I assumed you desired to keep it under wraps. We're also heading to become members, so I figured now would be better to ask."
He crouches downward, adjusting the buckles on his boots.
"Well, it's real simple." I begin, flexing my arms in the mirror. "I want to be strong, so I can help people."
"..."
"That seems like a noble enough cause. I had initially thought you wanted to become strong so you could arm wrestle a thousand wyverns and start an arm wrestling league for Aberrations. Then you would get scammed by a half wyvern half sapient girl, who'd you chase after, and somehow end up in a relationship with."
"What do I even say to that?!"
I sigh.
"What about you, Samuel? Why did you want to join?"
"..."
"Perhaps because it was the closest option available?"
"To what?"
"It was the closest option to hardship."
He turns around and looks at me.
"My goal in life, my ultimate reason to exist is solely based on thing. I want to suffer."
He stands up, dusting his hands.
"I've lived a life of lavishness for far too long. I've been able to ask for things, and receive them within the same breath. Yet that never brought me any fulfillment. I want to struggle deeply to gain something. I want to pour my blood, sweat, and tears into a goal of mine. I do not want to live a lax life."
He looks down.
"Perhaps if I were to suffer for something in vain, I'd…"
"Hey, Samuel."
"?"
"How'd you manage to conceal your presence so well? I'd really appreciate it if you taught me how."
".... What?"
"You know," I shadow box for emphasis. "When we sparred yesterday. You managed to stay completely hidden when I gazed. I'm honestly stumped on how you pulled that off."
"...."
He's dumbfounded. He can't speak. He's in shock. He didn't expect this. He feels alone.
I clasp my hands.
"I'd really appreciate it if you taught me!"
Sorry.
But there's no room for you in my path. There's only room for me.