The boy steps onto the dirt ring, wooden sword resting on his shoulder. Kyle mirrors him, grip steady, eyes colder than yesterday.
They don't speak.
They don't need to.
The moment the wind shifts, both of them move.
Wood clashes with a crack sharp enough to echo across the empty grounds.
The boy pushes forward with strength you wouldn't expect from someone his size raw, tempered, controlled. Kyle braces, surprised his stance even held.
Kyle twists, redirecting the force. The boy slides back half a step, boots digging into the soil.
He grins.
Kyle smirks back.
This wasn't going to be a simple spar.
They move again, faster this time.
Kyle's instincts guide him through forms he's never studied, strikes flowing like water and hitting like steel.
But the boy?
He reads every motion. Counters cleanly. His footwork is sharp, refined, like someone trained by the highest-ranked knights in the kingdom.
When Kyle accelerates, the boy matches him. When Kyle feints, the boy adapts instantly.
Not many could handle Kyle's natural sword rhythm.
This boy kept up without breaking a sweat.
At one point their blades lock, their faces inches apart.
"You're good," the boy mutters.
Kyle pushes him back, eyes narrowed.
"You too."
No fear. No hesitation. Just two prodigies colliding.
Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of knights had stopped nearby, drawn by the sound of rapid clashing wood.
"What in the... who are those kids?"
"Cedric's friend? No… Kyle can't fight like that."
They watch in disbelief as Kyle shifts into a perfect defensive stance something only seasoned swordsmen could pull off. The boy responds with a high-speed thrust that shouldn't even be possible for someone his age.
The knights exchange a look.
"That dark-haired one… he's not said to be this good in any of our combat reports. So when did he learn to move like that?"
"We need to inform the Baron."
They linger longer than they intended, unable to look away from a duel between two rising monsters who didn't even realize the arena they were creating.
Cedric, half-asleep and wandering the grounds after breakfast, hears the sharp rhythm of clashing wood.
"Tch… who's making all that noise this early?"
He steps around the corner and freezes.
Kyle.
Kyle.
The kid he beat bloody last night.
Swinging with confidence. Moving like a trained noble heir. Matching blows with a boy Cedric never dared to challenge.
Both their auras clashed so strongly Cedric felt goosebumps rise.
"What… what the hell…?"
Kyle parries a strike and pivots, eyes cold, posture royal.
Nothing about him resembled the timid shadow Cedric pushed around.
Cedric steps back unconsciously. A chill crawls up his spine and for the first time in his life…Cedric felt wary.
Kyle goes for a sweeping strike... clean, fast, precise.
Zachary slips past it like a breeze, pivots, and taps Kyle's throat with the tip of his wooden sword.
A clean, effortless victory.
Kyle freezes, breath steady, but his eyes widen just a little. He didn't feel afraid… just shocked that someone his age could move like let alone outmatch him. Cedric was always advantageous but he didn't give him a hard time as much as the boy did.
Zach lowers his sword. "You're strong… really strong," he says with a small grin.
Kyle exhales. "You're stronger."
Suddenly, clapping echoes from behind.
"Well done! That was Amazing for a bunch of-"
Cedric's voice cuts off as his eyes lock on the boy. And instantly, the golden boy of the estate pales.