Kazimir was pulled from the depths of sleep by the sound of his door opening.
He blinked, his mind still tangled in the remnants of dreams, as Selis stood in his doorway, silver armor gleaming under the dim firelight.
"Training," she said, her voice firm and steady.
Then, without another word, she turned and left.
Kazimir groaned softly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. No greeting. No explanation. Just straight to training.
He rolled out of bed, threw on his armor, and focused on the training ground's shadows.
A moment later, the world around him shifted, and he appeared at the edge of the training grounds.
She stood in the middle of the training grounds, her posture relaxed but commanding, her sword resting casually at her side. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows across the vast stone chamber.
Kazimir had taken less than a minute to change, yet she was already waiting.
She studied him for a moment before speaking.
"You are not yet skilled in close combat," she stated, her voice carrying through the room with regal certainty. "So, you must rely on your greatest strength, archery. Weaken your enemy before they can reach you, then finish them off."
Her light silver eyes locked onto his.
"In this lesson, you may use every weapon in your arsenal."
Kazimir stiffened.
"Against you?" he asked, hesitant.
"Of course," Selis replied smoothly.
"What if I hurt you?" he asked, though the moment the words left his mouth, they felt ridiculous.
Selis tilted her head slightly, then, to his surprise, she smiled.
"You really think you can hurt me?" she said, her tone bordering on amusement.
The smile faded as she raised her sword.
"Now, fight me with everything you have."
-
Kazimir didn't hesitate.
The moment the words left her lips, he vanished into the shadows.
He didn't know if Selis could see him, but at the very least, he was faster inside the shadows.
Gliding along the walls like a specter, he circled her, moving with silent precision, watching her from every angle.
And yet,
She hadn't moved.
Not even a single step.
She stood in the exact same spot, her sword resting lightly in her hand, her expression unconcerned.
She wasn't even looking around for him.
Kazimir felt the first stirrings of unease.
Then she spoke.
"Are you going to keep hiding, or are you going to fight?"
The calm confidence in her voice grated against him.
Fine.
Kazimir gritted his teeth, raised his bow, and summoned a shadow arrow.
He got behind her as closely as he dared, not making the slightest sound.
Carefully, he softened the arrow's tip, ensuring the tip was soft and weak, he didn't doubt Selis's strength, nor the build of her armor, but he wasn't about to take risks, not with her.
He exhaled, focused,
And fired.
The arrow rushed through the air, cutting toward Selis's back like a streak of darkness.
Then,
Selis raised her free hand and snapped her fingers.
White flames erupted around the arrow, consuming it instantly, pulverizing it into oblivion.
"Is that all you've got?" she asked, her tone almost… bored.
Kazimir had already teleported away the moment he shot, reappearing in a new shadow.
He didn't stop moving.
Dashing, teleporting, circling.
Two more arrows fired, one to her left, one to her right.
Both were incinerated mid-air before they even got close.
And still,
Selis had not moved.
She wasn't even watching him.
Instead, she had shifted her attention to inspecting the edge of her sword, as if Kazimir's attacks weren't even worth acknowledging.
A flare of frustration burned inside him.
Fine. He'd try something else.
He moved faster, firing dozens of arrows in rapid succession, weaving in throwing knives between the shots, trying to overwhelm her.
Every single one vanished in fire.
It was like trying to shoot into the sun itself.
Then, an idea struck him.
If attacking from the front wasn't working,
He would attack from beneath.