June 26th, 1542.
6:30 am.
The siblings' tranquil sleep is interrupted by a rough gust of wind, too rough to the point it flips them to their sides, their eyes bulging as they wake.
"Training time." Shin says coldly, it seems he's the one who woke them up with the wind.
"Not even a good morning?" Solaire replies, groaning with visible annoyance at the method of waking.
Shin exhales slowly, and swiftly flicks his arm, releasing an arc of wind
Solaire's eyes bulge in alarm, even though he doesn't know what magic is in the strictest sense, even he can tell when it's dangerous.
Oh shi!
Solaire quickly leaps to the side with a thud on the floor, and when he looks at the headboard only to find that it's split in half.
Must have been the wind.
"What the hell?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Solaire shouts, visibly frustrated while also trying his best not to fear.
Sirella stares in shock at the both of them.
Shin simply repeats himself again "Training time" Shin narrows his eyes, his voice dangerously low, one could say he can inflict frostbite from how cold his tone is.
Solaire swallows anxiously, dreading this upcoming training while Sirella shivers fearing what Shin would do to them if they don't obey.
Solaire clenches his jaw "And we won't even have breakfast first?" asks Solaire through his teeth.
"Training time." Shin repeats, again. For the third time.
Sirella's stomach growls loudly, she quickly flushes. Whether in embarrassment or shame, one cannot tell.
Shin narrows his eyes at the siblings "Remember the first lesson?"
Solaire clenches a fist as he reluctantly answers for him and his sister "Patience."
"Exactly." Says Shin.
This guy is essentially the epitome of strictness... Solaire thinks to himself as he glares at Shin. However Shin's unaffected by the Solaire's boiling blood.
Solaire isn't angry for himself, no. He's angry for his sister She needs food dammit. How heartless can he be? Solaire thinks to himself again.
"Solaire, you're with me. Sirella, you're with Zerox."
And with perfect timing Zerox enters the room, his black hair cascading around his neck smoothly, his gaze not cold and not outraged, it's simply devoid of emotion, with lifeless eyes and a deep voice he tells Sirella "Physical training and sword technique training."
Sirella blinks at the uncanny tone and hesitantly asks him "umm....how long is training?" a sweat beads on her forehead as she dreads this day.
"Physical training is 1.5 hours, then a 30 minute break, then sword technique training is 1.5 hours." Answers Zerox immediately.
"And what about me?" Solaire asks.
"That's for Shin to decide, not me." Replies Zerox, seemingly detached.
Solaire slowly turns his gaze to Shin, visibly sweating.
"You'll know when we get there." Says Shin coolly.
Solaire is led by Shin into open grounds, while Sirella will train with Zerox inside the Dojo.
In the open grounds surrounded by trees, the breeze rustles the bushes.
The clouds mildly covering the sun, making this day peaceful.
But it's not.
"Run up the mountain." Shin commands Solaire coldly, completely unbothered by Solaire's shock
"Huh?! But that's like 800 meters up!" Says Solaire
"Run up the mountain." Shin quickly repeats the order, this time with venom.
Solaire stares at the unnaturally bumpy mountain, but somehow he can feel that it's not a normal mountain.
What obstacles will hinder his climb?
And how does he plan to adapt?
Solaire gulps audibly Okay...i can do this...probably..., but why does it feel like it wants to hurt me? He thinks to himself in a mix of encouragement and pondering.
How can a mountain have malicious intent? It's illogical, no?
"You have 1 hour, if you fail to reach the top and come back down with the diamond i left at the top, you will not eat breakfast." Shin says as he looks at the clock "Your time starts now."
7:00 am. June 26th, 1542.
Solaire quickly scrambles towards the mountain while still feeling some malicious intent It's like something's waiting for me to come close... He thinks to himself as he runs as fast as he can up the mountain, sprinting and sprinting, leaping across gaps he freezes, his red eye glowing slightly as sweat beads on his forehead
I don't know how i sensed, but something's coming... He thinks to himself dreadfully as he turns his head to the right his eyes widen and he swiftly bends back, cracking his spine in the process
"...I could have died." Solaire mutters quietly as he stares at a tree.
The arrow piercing through it fully "That's not even a normal arrow..." His hands shake slightly, but he quickly clenches them in an attempt to steel himself "As if this will stop me, i have to get strong enough!" He shouts at himself, with words of conviction he sprints again, leaping upwards to dodge a rolling log and rolling to absorb the fall.
He swiftly dodges an arrow yet again, but it's embedded with a sapphire hue, just like back then. Solaire screams the second he sees the hue and immediately bolts, continuing his running but in panic rather than conviction.
An arrow, it's head shimmering with a sapphire hue, ring a bell?
No! No! There's no way he's with that crimson organization! Solaire panics internally, running past all the traps and obstacles but he falters against a tripwire quickly faceplanting into the ground, a boulder rolls down with alarming speed
Shit!
Solaire swiftly rolls away as the boulder devastates everything in it's path.
Solaire swallows "That sapphire hue..." he shivers at the memory but he rises to his feet, still trembling but he will move nonetheless.
He tries his best to anchor himself I can't just cower in fear every time i remember!
He thinks to himself and he continues sprinting up the mountain, this time he brims with determination, he cannot let himself lose to his fear.
After an exhausting uphill run filled with arrows, logs, borders and even magically imbued blades, Solaire finally manages to reach the top and finds both the diamond and the clock "4 minutes left?" he murmurs, panting with his hands on his knees, but his eyes quickly widen in realization "4 MINUTES LEFT?!"
If he doesn't make it back down with the diamond in 4 minutes he will not have breakfast today.
Solaire swiftly yanks the diamond and bolts, this time sliding down.
Rolling and rolling and attaining cuts from the spiky branches he continues moving even though his blood seeps
His shirt gets stuck in a spiky branch but he doesn't let that deter him, but the shirt got deterred that's for sure, a wide rip and yet he continues moving and finally leaps landing on his feet.
Only to fall from exhaustion
"I...made...it" Solaire says, out of breath, bleeding, with ripped and tattered clothes. The grime on him severe.
Shin looks at the clock "You're 22 seconds early." He says coldly. "Not bad." He adds.
Meanwhile in the Dojo with 30 minutes remaining on the end of the physical training.
"Zerox, please!" Sirella pleads, sweating from exhaustion.
"Plank, 4 minutes." He says "It's only been 1 minute, you will continue." He orders, still indifferent.
Sirella grunts My elbows hurt so much! My stomach agghh! She thinks to herself.
Sirella's sweat falls, further emphasizing her already palpable exhaustion.
Zerox sits on his heels in front of Sirella "Keep your legs straight." He corrects on form, his tone completely and utterly detached. "Don't raise your waist, keep it level with the rest of your body." He adds.
"It hurts Zerox, please!" Sirella begs with zero pride or command in her voice whatsoever.
"2 minutes remaining." Zerox replies coolly.
I can't...it hurts so much. My stomach is burning! Sirella thinks to herself in the midst of her moralized torture.
Solaire and Shin enter the room, only for Solaire to grimace at the sight of the agonized Sirella
"You...okay there.., sis?" He asks quietly, perhaps regretting his question.
"It hurts! Tell him to stop please!" Sirella's body shakes, her face red from immense exertion.
"Umm..." Solaire scratches his cheek "Yeah i dunno...." He wants to help, but what can he do? It's how training will be, and it's how it should be in Shin's and Zerox's eyes.
Shin narrows his eyes at Zerox "How long has she been in this plank?" He asks, though it's more like a command.
Zerox looks at the clock "2 minutes and 43 seconds, counting till 4 minutes, Sir." He answers.
"She's 10." Shin says flatly. "You're not helping her strength training, in fact you're stunting her growth." Shin gestures for Sirella to stop and she immediately obliges as she falls with a thud on the ground, panting, it's obvious she's being doing extreme physical training way before this plank set.
"He...made me...do....30 pushups...i can't breath..., and...50 squats...and 50 scrunches..and so much more..." She mutters her exhaustion palpable, she's visibly burnt out.
Solaire sits down on the ground beside her and stiffly pats her back "Yeah, we both had it rough, sis. I almost got killed by magic arrows." He chuckles darkly
"It hurts." She murmurs.
"I know." He replies, repeatedly patting her back.
"I'm burning.." She adds.
"I know." He pats her again, not knowing what else to do he'll keep patting her back until she finally becomes okay again.
Shin turns to Zerox and asks with a cold voice "What were you planning to do to that girl, Zerox?"
"1.5 hours of physical training, 30 minute break, 1.5 hours of sword technique training." He answers, detached.
Shin simply facepalms "And do you think a 10 year old girl can withstand such a rigid regimen? I told you to always analyze first."
"My apologies, but what now?" Asks Zerox.
"They eat breakfast, obviously. You imbecile." Says Shin coldly.
Zerox's always been aloof, and of course tends to overestimate the young ones seeing as how he was trained in a rigid way, but that was only because of his nature as a kid.
Shin turns to the siblings "Seeing as how you both excelled in your training today, you can choose what to have for breakfast." He says, his voice cold but tinged with a hint of proud.
"Pancakes...please" Sirella requests, still out of breath. The evidence of her weariness visible.
"Same." Says Solaire
"Alrighty then, pancakes it is." Shin agrees as he turns and goes off to the kitchen.
Sirella stares at Zerox from the ground "How can you be so heartless?"
Zerox glances at her and coolly replies "I'm not heartless, i was pained by your pain."
Sirella groans "And your actions prove that, oh my god." But as she tries to prop herself on her elbows, stomach burns again, stretched beyond it's capacity "Aah!" She falls again, pained "Ow, ow ow ow ow, how can planks hurt so much?!"
Zerox stares, whether in disdain or sympathy is unknown.
Shin eventually comes back with the pancakes and places the siblings' plates in front of them.
He magnanimously bestowed both of them with a tower of pancakes it seems.
Solaire stares in awe as he drools "So much!" He swiftly digs in, not awaiting an invitation, but he pauses as he realizes that his sister cannot eat on her own in this state.
He wiggles a piece of pancake with the fork in front of Sirella's mouth "eat up, sis." he says with a radiant grin, seemingly proud of his compassion. "just open your mouth and I'll put the food inside!" He adds.
Sirella stares at him incredulously as she's not used to such gentleness from him but opens her mouth nonetheless and Solaire gently places the pancake inside letting her eat it at her own pace.
Sirella chews slowly with visible fatigue. After swallowing she glances up at Solaire "Thank you..." She mutters.
She probably forced that gratitude out, but perhaps it was from the heart
Who knows?
As the siblings eat with each other, Solaire thinks to himself as he reflects on his training today
Somehow i managed to sense that arrow.., even though i never even saw it.., not until i turned to where i felt it was at atleast... He eats with a spaced out expression. He's in his own world it seems. And the sapphire hue...It's the same, but it felt the same too, just cold, so i bet it's just ice magic or whatever. He continues his thoughts, perhaps he'll benefit from reflection. But i felt my red eye glow when i sensed each arrow coming at me, it's like i knew it's direction...weird. But he shrugs, not thinking much of it.
Today's training was quite exhausting for the siblings. And it seems they'll continue training for some time, perhaps Sirella will be able to endure attacks more as a result? Maybe Solaire will get more intelligent in battle.
Shin meanwhile scrutinizes Solaire, noticing his deep contemplation.
That kid thinks a lot it seems, it may be useful for him based on how he reflects.
He thinks to himself.
They'll see what will come next.
Probably more gruesome training.