The sun was already high when Abraão woke up. The cabin smelled of the moon root tea that Mahina always made in the morning. He sat up in bed, rubbing his face, still feeling yesterday's kiss as if it had been five minutes ago. His chest tightened in a good and bad way at the same time.
Mahina was in the kitchen, stirring the pot.
"Awake, sleepyhead?"
Abraham gave a crooked smile. "I was dreaming about... I don't know. Training."
She laughed softly. "Dreaming about training? You're turning into Iron Man, huh? Eat quickly, or it'll get cold."
While he ate, Abraão was quiet. Mahina noticed.
"So? How was it yesterday with Lia?"
He almost choked. "Mom... how do you know?"
"You came home looking like a fool. I'm not blind."
Abraham laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "It was... nice. I really kissed her. She didn't run away, so... I guess it was good."
Mahina sat down next to him. "And you? Are you happy or scared?"
"Both. Like... what if she only did it out of pity? I'm still weak, level 71. I train every day and it seems like I'm not getting anywhere."
She gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Weak is the one who gives up. You're training. That's already strength. Now go to the clearing before I drag you."
Abraham grabbed his sword and went. He repeated Light Cut about 50 times. His arm ached, sweat dripped. His level didn't go up—as always, his phone didn't give anything away for free.
Around noon, he heard footsteps on the trail. Lia appeared, in a simple dress, her hair tied in a messy ponytail, carrying a small water bottle.
"Hey..." She stopped at the entrance to the clearing, a little embarrassed. "Can I come in?"
Abraão dropped his sword on the grass. "Sure! Come here."
She approached, sat on the rock beside him. She stared at the ground for a while.
"Abraão... about yesterday..."
He swallowed hard. "Was it bad?"
"No! It was... good. Very good. I was thinking about it all night. Like, I didn't expect you to be... so direct."
He laughed, relieved. "Me neither. My heart was pounding."
Lia gave a small smile. "Mine too. I was incredibly nervous. But... I liked it. A lot."
She glanced at him sideways. "Have you been practicing since early this morning?"
"Yeah. I'm trying to improve my Light Cut. I still miss all the time."
"Can I see? Like... you practicing?"
Abraão picked up his sword. "Sure. But don't laugh if I miss."
She laughed. "I promise not to laugh out loud."
He made a few cuts. Lia watched quietly, then said:
"You look handsome when you're concentrating, you know?" Abraão almost dropped his sword. "What?"
"Seriously. It seems like you forget everything when you're training. It's cool to see."
He scratched the back of his neck, blushing. "Thanks... I guess."
Lia stood up. "Teach me a little? I'm terrible, but I want to try."
Abraão handed her the spare wooden sword he had. "Go easy on me. Just follow the movement."
They trained together. Lia messed everything up—crooked arm, bad balance, laughter when she stumbled. Abraão corrected her patiently:
"Raise your elbow more... that's it. Now rotate your wrist."
She managed a decent cut at the end. "Wow! I did it!"
Abraão smiled. "See? You're good at this."
Lia returned the sword, breathless. "Thank you for teaching me. And... for yesterday. I want more days like this. Like... with you."
Abraão felt his chest warm. "Me too. Very much."
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. New mission: "Train with someone who matters for 3 hours. Post a picture of the two of you sweaty. #TrainingTogether"
Reward: +1 level (72).
They took the picture: Abraão with a sword on his shoulder, Lia beside him smiling, both sweaty and happy.
Lia sent him the picture: "So you remember I'm here."
Abraham put his phone away, looking at her.
"I'm starting to think you're the best thing that ever happened to me, Lia."
She blushed, but didn't look away.
"Then don't keep me waiting too long for the next training session... or the next kiss."