>>Ariston
The rain had finally stopped. What it left behind was a soaked, crumbling courtyard bathed in gray light. The clouds still hung low like a heavy ceiling, but the thunder had moved on. A shallow mist drifted over the ground, and the puddles mirrored the two of us—me and him.
Rael.
He stood a dozen feet away, sword in hand, posture loose but coiled like a viper. His dark cloak clung to his soaked form, strands of hair stuck to his face. He looked older now, more weathered. More dangerous.
He tilted his head. "Do you still want your answers?"
I didn't respond.
"I will give them to you," He said and for some reason it sounded like he was telling the truth.
But I offered him no words and simply raised my sword at him
That was all he needed to see.
He dashed forward, and I did too. The clash was instant—a screech of metal as our swords collided mid-air, a force so strong it sent sparks flying.
