Before dawn, the forest was covered in fog.
Thin strands fell low across the ground, slipping around tree roots and over fallen leaves. The sky was getting brighter bit by bit. The forest was so quiet even the sound of a bird couldn't be heard.
And in that silence, Davien moved through the trees.
His footsteps were soundless. His breath steady.
Training was his ritual—something he did alone.
He reached a place he felt was suitable and began first with bare-hand training: push-ups, squats, every warm-up movement drilled into his bones.
He was about to start with his sword when he heard something.
Footsteps.
Light, hesitant.
Then they got closer and closer.
Then stopped.
For a moment, there was no sound anywhere in the forest.
Then suddenly a tree branch snapped.
Davien sighed.
"Lila, go back. Now."
Lila cursed under her breath. She didn't reply. She stayed still and silent.
Davien squeezed his eyes shut. He inhaled slowly, as if calming himself.
But she didn't leave.
She stayed anyway.
He started training again, ignoring her presence.
Davien's training steps were silent as he swung his blade, moving like he was fighting an invisible opponent. Lila hid behind a thick tree, barely breathing, watching him as he practiced.
Then suddenly.
Davien shifted. His arm whipped back, and a short blade flashed through the air, flying straight toward where she hid.
It struck the tree behind her with a heavy thunk—so close that a strand of her hair fluttered from the force.
Lila gasped, trembling as she pressed her back against the rough bark. The blade was still lodged deep in the tree when Davien approached slowly, his expression unreadable.
"I told you to go back," he said quietly.
Lila swallowed hard, her fingers curling into fists.
"You… you did that on purpose. You knew I was here."
He didn't look surprised or shaken. He just walked toward her with the same calm expression, eyes fixed on the blade buried in the tree.
He wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled it free with a clean, practiced twist. The metal glinted as he looked at her.
"What? No, I would never do that," he said with sarcasm, stepping closer. "But look at you—trembling just because a blade passed near you. And you want to wield it?"
He exhaled, tired.
"Lila, I heard you the moment you followed me from camp. If I really meant to hit you…" He tapped the spot where the blade had struck. "I wouldn't have missed."
Lila's face burned with humiliation, fear, and anger all mixed together. She opened her mouth to protest, then swallowed it down.
Davien stepped back, resting the blade on his shoulder.
"You're not ready to wield a blade. Not now, not ever. I can always protect you, you don't—"
"Stop." Her voice cracked as she interrupted him. Her throat tightened. "I wouldn't have been shocked if someone actually taught me."
"Lila," he said softly, "if you had been one step closer to the left, you'd be in a really bad condition. Do you understand that?"
"That's not fair," she whispered, looking away.
She bit her lip hard. Anger rose, but she shoved it down. She hated that he was right. Hated the way he had proven it.
Davien watched her carefully, expression unreadable. Then his tone softened—barely.
"You want to learn? Fine. But not today. Not like this. And never until you prove to me that you can."
His next words sharpened.
"This is a warning. Next time you follow me without telling me…" His eyes narrowed. "I won't be throwing the blade at the tree."
Her breath hitched.
She swallowed down her feelings and stood straight.
Davien held her gaze for a long moment, then turned and walked back to the area where he trained.
"I'm going to keep training," he said. "Stand there."
He pointed to a rock several feet away.
"And don't move. Not one step. Don't even sit. Do you understand?"
Lila nodded and walked to where he pointed, standing beside the rock.
Lila stood beside the rock, her palms damp, the wind cold against her skin. She didn't dare move an inch.
The forest remained still around them—just silence and the sound of breathing.
His movements were sharper now.
Every swing of his blade cut through the air, every step smooth and controlled.
Lila watched silently.
She wanted to look strong.
She wanted him to see her potential and she was ready for any kind of training coming her way.
But her legs trembled anyway.
It hurts so much, she whispered to herself.
He switched to the small iron star-shaped weapons, placing them between his fingers. He moved his hands back and threw them, each one landing deep in the tree.
Lila swallowed hard.
Was this what he did every day?
Alone?
Minutes passed.
Davien didn't speak. He didn't tell her to leave or even look at her.
He moved toward the tree, removing the weapons one after the other.
"Lila," he called without turning.
"Yes?" she whispered.
"You're shaking," he said calmly
She stiffened immediately. "I'm not."
Then he finally looked at her, expression unreadable. "Then come here," he said in a calm tone.
Lila, without hesitation, stepped forward—
but as soon as she did, her legs betrayed her.
She fell hard onto the floor.
Davien walked toward her, stopping a few feet in front of her before squatting down.
Using one finger, he lifted her face, making her look at him. He studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her.
"This is why I said no. Look— you can't even stand straight for thirty minutes. You're weak."
Lila was silent, tears threatening to form. She couldn't say anything,she hated that he was right.
Davien removed his finger from her chin and stood.
"Get up," he said, walking past her.
Then he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder—
noticing she wasn't getting up.
He walked back to her and picked her up, lifting her into his arms.
"I… I can walk," she said, blushing.
He didn't say anything. He just carried her back to the camp.