Her tensed up face relaxed, with the beating of my heart leaving my throat.
Even after that we didn't talk, and just drank what we were given.
After finishing our drink, Edward asked to talk alone with me—I had already expected it.
We both stood up and walked over to another room.
His finger tapped against his chin, while he slightly escaped my eyes.
"So tell me, what happened? You didn't seem so..." His eyes locked onto mine, his arms dropping to his side.
"Fight obsessed or power hungry to me before, but that completely changed just now—don't you think?"
"Yes it did... and honestly I don't really know what happened—I just felt being pulled towards the style, like it's something that I have to learn..."
"That may have to do with your father don't you think?"
"Maybe... I guess..."
"It's your choice—do you still want to learn it or not?"
I swallowed as the answer had already come.
"Yes, I want to—and I'm ready for it. I won't lose myself like I did before."
"You need to start from the basics..."
"The basics...?"
He kept silently looking at me, while I thought his words over.
"The reason I want to fight? My essence."
"Exactly, even without access to it—it's still what drives a person."
"Thank you..."
"Do you think—" I clasped both hands into one another.
"No—it's nothing."
"Don't worry too much, we understand you kids." His eyes had softened while still meeting mine, lightly tilting his head.
"It's been a long day right, so let's go to bed now." He walked towards me, over to the stairs behind me.
I turned around, and as I walked forward he passed me, ruffling my hair as he continued up the stairs.
It was time to sleep.
I silently opened the door, making sure not to wake Mim up.
"Brother?" A shaky voice came from underneath the blanket.
"Mim? You didn't sleep yet?"
"...no..." The volume of her voice had lowered itself.
"You should sleep, we have another long journey waiting for us tomorrow."
I pulled the blanket up, and lay beside her.
It was dark in the room, except for the single moonlight that passed by the curtains revealing the creeping red in her eyes.
"Mim did I scare you earlier...?"
She kept silent, before saying,
"No, of course not..."
"Are you sure?"
"...maybe a bit..."
"Please forgive me th—"
Before I finished speaking the air got hit out of my chest, she jumped into my chest, embracing me.
"Please don't leave me... I-I thought..." Her voice distorted by the clothes I wore, making me unable to see her face—but her cold tears reached through the fabric.
"Of course not... I won't ever leave you alone." I let my fingers run through her hair, while she lay in my embrace.
She kept silent, until her chin pressed into my chest, making me meet her reddened eyes.
"Promise...?"
"Promise."
Those were the final words we said before we fell into a deep sleep—cradled by one another.
"Tjer... Tjer get up." A heavy whisper breathed onto my ears.
Who is it? It can't be Mim...
I opened my eyes, and saw a big shadow covering both Mim and I.
It took me a moment before I realized who it was.
Edward? Why would he come and not Albert?
"What's... wrong?" I covered my eyes with my arm.
"We're going to train." He sounded the ringing of his sword.
"Shouldn't we continue our journey?" I asked as I fell back into my pillow.
"It's too early, so get up now." Even when it was a whisper it seemed to be a scream.
"I'm coming..." I rubbed my eyes as I pushed my legs out of the blanket.
I looked back at Mim who was lying on the opposite edge.
"Pfft..." I covered my mouth, and stood up.
I followed Edward outside.
"What do you even want to do? It kept failing yesterday..."
"Failing is normal—this is different from what you have been taught."
"Different?"
"Yes—instead of copying movements, you create them, you let them bloom yourself."
"I need to create movements?" My eyebrows kept narrowing.
"Yes, make it yours—and that is not something you can learn within a day."
"How do I make it mine?" My eyes narrowed alongside my eyebrows.
"You surely understand it already." He pointed his finger at me.
"Essence?"
"No, it's not just essence."
"Just watch and I'll show you the first move. Watch carefully—it's important to you."
He took a stance—the stance I always took.
He minded his breath, while standing still.
This went on for a few seconds, but spontaneously the first step was taken.
He danced once again, following the swing of his sword, his feet—no, his entire body swung along with his blade.
The swings that were made were different from normal.
It lacked the intentions another's blade would normally show.
It didn't contain death.
Those movements weren't strikes.
Is it defense?
And he stood still again.
There was no trace of him left underneath him.
His existence itself wasn't registered by the world.
Each and every blade of grass stood the same as before.
"This is the second technique."
His blade shone bright—a bright yellow.
He lifted his sword up, and illuminated all around him—leaving just his shadow looming,
A flash of light moved right past me.
Even my clothes were left fluttering in its wake.
But most of all.
A single line of dirt was revealed, but not a single blade of grass was destroyed.
It was beautiful.
A strike of pure beauty.
I can't do it...
"Did you watch from the first technique up to the second one?"
"...yes..."
"What did you think of it?" He walked back as the light stopped reaching his blade.
"It's beautiful—"
He smiled, revealing the upper row of his teeth.
"It really is."
"It's a beauty that I can't reach..." My foot was twisting into the dirt.
"What do you mean?"
"It uses essence in its strike..."
"Is that all you saw?"
"In that case you are not ready yet—not ready to learn this."
"I hope you will one day understand."
"You knew that I can't use essence..." I said unable to look at anything besides his shadow that reached to my feet.
He started massaging his forehead as he unsheathed his blade.
"Watch me once again—"
"And not just with your eyes." Both hands had settled onto his blade that lit the way ahead of me.
I had forgotten about it.
This world hides more than the body can see.
He repeated the same movements.
He floated over the ground beneath him.
There was one thing that I hadn't noticed before.
The strikes he did weren't strikes.
No—they were deflections.
But what could there be deflected in this empty air? I nibbled at the loose skin on my finger.
The air itself.
I could see it.
The air was being dictated away from the blade.
It passed by the blade as if it was the blade of someone else.
Until the wind passed by normally, blurred by the bright light that came from his blade.
Something that I couldn't do before—and now an impossibility.
But one aspect of that light lured me in.
It was his essence.
Or to be exact it wasn't his.
There was no essence flowing from within.
It was essence he had made his own.
It was the dance, that deflected the air itself.
Each movement had meaning.
Everything had its essence.
Once again, the air beside me had split apart.
Upon me wasn't a look of bewilderment.
No.
My eyes were clear.
Even I can do it.
"Tjer, this world exists far beyond your eyes can see, I hope you will understand it one day..." he said, replacing the light that reflected off his blade, with the light that shone from his eyes, covered by his smile from below.
"TJER! It's your turn now!"
His scream was followed by the sound of wood being cut through as my blade appeared.
"Watch me now."