I swung, and I missed.
It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling by any means, but it still made me a little aggravated that even after all of my training with my mother, I still hit nothing but air or was directly countered by her blade. Kalia chuckled as she deftly sidestepped my attack, then ducked beneath Ysevel's horizontal slash that passed just over my head.
Just as she recovered, I stepped in with a thrust, hoping to make contact with my blade, but she was far more agile than I'd realized. She curved her body into a half-moon shape to avoid Ysevel's slash but managed to twist her torso just enough to dodge my attack as well. She pirouetted back into position and charged at me with a downward slash.
Barely catching her blade with my own, I saw Ysevel preparing another attack. Of course, I wasn't the only one who saw that since Kalia pushed off my blade and vaulted into the air behind me, forcing Ysevel to cancel her attack and push her away. While I couldn't see her full face, I could tell her eyes were smiling proudly at us.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," she said, sarcastically clapping her hands. "I wasn't expecting you two to be that synchronized, so consider me impressed," she said, readying her weapon once more and dashing in for an attack.
I deflected a series of blows that came for me, three from above and two from either side, but with each deflected attack, I could feel myself growing increasingly tired due to the sheer power of her attacks. "You hit about as hard as my mother does," I said as we locked blades for a moment. "That's a shame. I'll have to try harder, then," she said wryly. Sensing Ysevel's attack somehow, she pushed me away from her and began attacking Ysevel, nearly catching her off-guard.
Her battle sense is incredible. I wonder how long it's taken her to develop it, I thought for a moment before joining Ysevel in the fight.
Ysevel's blade floated through the air, though each strike was precisely timed and in direct harmony with her footwork. It was almost hypnotic to watch from afar, but I knew that Kalia was just waiting for the right moment to strike back. Not wanting to give her the opportunity, I dashed to her left, hoping she'd only notice at the last minute, but something happened that I'd never seen before.
She was momentarily blade-locked with Ysevel, but seeing my diagonal slash coming for her, she rotated Ysevel's blade with her own and used it to deflect mine. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath before feeling her push us both away. She raised a hand to signal us to stop momentarily, allowing me to catch my breath.
"What is it, Lady Kalia?" Ysevel asked, breathing just as heavily as I was. "I've completed my full assessment of you both," she began, reforming the kataki around her forearm. "It's been a true pleasure to experience such fine techniques firsthand and from ones so young," she began with a hint of pride in her voice. "Thank you, Lady Kalia," we replied in unison.
"Of course. However, since you are here to learn and train in the ways of the Wraithborn, I think it's time we got started, don't you?" she asked. Ysevel and I glanced at each other, and without a word spoken or transmitted between us, we knew each other was ready for whatever came next.
"We're looking forward to your instruction, Lady Kalia," I bowed. "Good. Now, come closer so I can show you both something that will help us get started," she said, crossing her legs as she sat down, prompting us to move forward and do the same. "You're both at different stages of mana manipulation, so I will try to explain this simply by asking a question," she began, regarding us both carefully.
"Ysevel, what is the fundamental difference between the third and fourth stages of mana manipulation?" she asked, gesturing for her to answer with an upturned palm in her direction. "The third stage of mana manipulation is a more refined and controlled version of the second stage, allowing the wielder to also interact with the mana in the world around them," Ysevel began to explain without even a moment to think.
"Within the fourth stage, however, the excess mana from the third stage is stored inside the core, essentially having two separate locations from which to control mana," she said, completing her explanation. "Very good. A little brief and simplified, but you are correct," Kalia said with a single nod.
I never knew that's how the fourth stage worked, I sent Ysevel with a raised eyebrow. You never asked, dummy, she replied wryly. Fair enough, though I still think the third stage is a little difficult at times if I'm being honest, I replied with a mental shrug.
"Now, Thoma, with that explanation in mind, I want you to place your hand on her core while she enters the fourth stage," Kalia said, gesturing to my left. "Ysevel, while you're in the fourth stage, I want you to flex your control over the mana in your core as you would any muscle in your body," she continued, looking at my partner.
"Of course, Lady Kalia. I can do that," Ysevel said, trying to hide her excitement as she turned towards me. "Just like old times, right?" she asked as I recalled the two of us with the cube. "I don't think I ever put my hands anywhere near your chest back then, but yes," I said with a chuckle. "You'll be fine," she said with a snort and a nod of reassurance.
Hooo boy, I thought as I outstretched my hand, which she immediately took and placed on her solar plexus with zero hesitation.
I could feel her drawing a vast amount of dark mana as it coursed through her body. I closed my eyes for a moment and felt the mana surging around her core. "Like Lady Kalia asked, I'm going to pulse the mana a few times. Ready?" she asked, staring into my eyes with her own that glowed an intense violet color. "I'm ready," I said, refocusing my attention once more as I felt the mana in her body.
I could feel it coursing through every limb of her body, but when I focused my attention on her core, I could tell that there was a much larger amount stored within it. The first time she pulsed, it almost looked like her core had doubled in size. Again, she pulsed, and the mana flexed and molded, increasing in size.
"That's incredible," I said through a breathless chuckle. "It feels weird, right?" Ysevel said, flexing the mana in her core once more. "Y-yeah," I said, still trying to wrap my head around how she could control it that well. "Now, observe the interactions between the mana in her core and the mana flowing throughout her body," Kalia said, to which I replied with a nod.
Even though my understanding of exactly what was happening was limited, I could tell that there was a steady flow of mana flowing through her body and her core at all times. When she flexed her mana again, I could see the mana from her body rush towards her core to augment it momentarily, then return to its even flow as she released it.
"Wha-ha-hat the fuck," I said to no one in particular since I couldn't hide my surprise. "Well done, Ysevel. You can stop now," Kalia said. Ysevel immediately exited the fourth stage as her eyes returned to their regular violet again. "You see, Thoma, there is a gap in your knowledge that I'm hoping to fill here soon. In order for me to train you both to the same standards, I'll need you to reach the fourth stage as soon as possible," Kalia said.
I felt my stomach sink for a moment.
It had taken me years to reach the second stage, and even with my mother's hard training for a year, I could just barely manage to wield the third.
How the fuck am I supposed to do that? I asked myself, thinking back on all of my previous experiences.
"I understand that it will take some time for you to reach it, but fortunately for you, this dome was built for that exact purpose," Kalia said after reading my expression. "Then what will we do until I can reach it, Lady Kalia?" I asked. "The logical choice is to reconstruct your understanding of mana since using the powers of the Wraithborn differs quite a lot from those of the Ethereal or even the Underworld," she said as she rose from her seated position.
"And the illogical choice?" I asked as I stood up. "That would be to force you to grow," she said wryly. "However, I will have to save that for when I'm sure you have a firm grasp on its fundamentals," she said, moving towards us. "Until that time, however, we'll start with the reconstruction," she said, stopping about a meter away from me.
"What do we have to do, Lady Kalia?" Ysevel asked. "The first steps of becoming true Wraithborn vary, as each one will have their own specialty that is more in line with their personality. However, there are some basic skills that all Wraithborn learn. For example," she said as her eyes immediately turned from their glowing violet into scarlet, turning towards where Irun was helping Athar re-learn to draw mana.
Within the time it would have taken me to blink, she seemingly rematerialized in front of them and caught Athar by surprise. I could tell he was frightened from the high-pitched screech that erupted from his mouth, but it immediately subsided when she reappeared in front of Ysevel and I.
He almost shit himself, I mentally giggled as Athar put a hand to his chest to steady his heart.
"That's the same skill you used on me in the tavern, isn't it, Lady Kalia?" I asked, not bothering to hide my excitement. "It is, indeed. The last time, however, you blinked and missed it, if I recall correctly," she said wryly as Irun patted Athar's head like one would a child in the background.