POV - Luahn
The training ground was quieter than usual.
The gray clouds in the sky seemed to absorb the sounds, and the morning chill had not yet completely dissipated.
"Next match! Emil... against Luahn."
The instructor's voice rang out loudly.
I knew it from the moment I read the match schedule: I would face Emil again. Once more.
It wasn't a coincidence. We always ended up paired together, and although no one said it out loud, many had already noticed.
But today would be different.
Because now, I could finally control my element.
I walked to the center of the field. Emil was already there, waiting with his sword sheathed on his back, his posture firm, his gaze cold.
"Late, as usual," he snorted without looking at me.
"I'm here, aren't I?" I replied in a calm, firm voice.
I looked at him a second longer than necessary.
I saw his fingers tense around the hilt.
I knew him well enough to know that he was nervous, even though he hid it well.
I knew why.
Three years ago... I was the one who defeated him for the first time.
By accident, yes.
With an uncontrollable awakening of Yang energy that no one, not even he, fully understood.
But he felt it.
And he hasn't forgotten.
Since then, he has despised me.
Not because of my failures.
But because of what he saw that day.
Because of what he knows I can become.
He proved it in all our encounters, most of which ended in a draw or each of us winning by a short margin. We were very evenly matched.
"Begin!"
The order sounded like a war bell.
Emil lunged immediately, wind swirling around his feet, multiplying his speed.
He had a flawless start: fast, offensive, with blind faith in his reflexes.
I blocked the first slash with the flat of my sword.
A burst of wind exploded on impact, forcing me to take two steps back.
"You're still slow," he said mockingly.
"And you're still a talker," I replied.
This time, it was my turn to attack.
I slid across the ground, twisting my wrist.
The edge of my frozen sword collided with his with a metallic CHAK.
His eyes widened for a second: he had noticed the layer of frost reinforcing my blade.
The ice vibrated with every movement.
It wasn't offensive.
It was control. Precision. Fluidity.
Emil activated his second element: earth.
The ground shook beneath our feet. Small columns of stone rose like spears, seeking to unbalance me.
"I've seen this before."
I jumped to the side. I extended my free hand forward, channeling the cold into my palm.
"Answer..." I murmured.
Ice covered the ground. It spread like a blue wave, freezing the edges of the columns and making them brittle.
CLASH!
Another sword strike forced me to raise my guard. Emil unleashed a five-attack combo: two horizontal slashes, one diagonal slash, a kick, and a fist strike reinforced by earth.
I didn't dodge.
It wasn't necessary.
With each impact, the ice adapted.
My gloves crackled, my arm ached... but I resisted.
And then, in the middle of the last attack, I found the opening.
A slight tilt in his right elbow.
I turned. An upward slash.
My sword cut through the air and grazed his shoulder with surgical precision.
Not enough for a wound.
But enough to make him retreat.
For the second time... I saw his mistrust, his fear.
"...Damn half-breed," he muttered. I don't know if it was to me... or to himself.
"What did you say?" I asked, lowering my sword.
"Nothing!" he growled, and launched an uncontrolled slash.
I dodged it.
My ice covered the ground.
He slipped.
And then...
I slid after him.
I aimed for the center of his back.
I touched him.
A clean hit.
Silence.
"Victory for Luahn!" announced the instructor.
The entire field erupted in whispers.
Some looked surprised, others didn't know how to react.
They saw that I was now able to use my element in combat.
I couldn't hear anything.
I was only looking for one thing.
And there she was.
Emilia, at the edge of the field, smiling, jumping, hugging Liifa and Selena. Her face lit up, her happiness...
Not because of the result.
But because of me.
And in that moment...
Everything made sense, why I decided to show my element in combat on this occasion.
I wasn't fighting for pride, or for revenge.
Nor to prove anything to Emil or the others.
I was fighting... because she was watching me.
For some reason, I didn't want her to see me defeated in front of her.
It was a strange feeling.
As I walked away, I passed by Emil.
His dark eyes were boiling with rage.
He turned and kicked the ground hard.
"Never again..." he muttered with hatred. "I will never lose again... to someone like you..."
I didn't respond, because I also felt that same pressure from someone else. Seeing that it was Remin, I simply withdrew from the training ground.
Because that battle... was no longer mine.
*
The sun had already begun to set behind the trees when I saw her arrive.
Emilia was accompanied by Liifa, Selena, and others from her squad.
They carried light backpacks, reinforced uniforms, and determined expressions.
But in their eyes... there was excitement, nerves, and expectations.
"Luahn!" Emilia shouted as she approached, stepping away from her group.
I stepped forward, wiping my hands with a rag after finishing training. My body still ached from the fight with Emil, but I couldn't let that show.
"What's up?" I asked, crossing my arms, unable to hide a certain uneasiness.
Emilia stopped in front of me, tilting her head with that smile that always seemed bigger when she spoke to me alone.
"I came to say goodbye. We're leaving tomorrow morning."
"...Where?"
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
"A hunting mission. Outside Sephros!"
Seeing my reaction, she laughed.
"Don't make that face. It's normal. At our age, it's customary for cadets to go out at least once before they turn eleven."
"...Hunting what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She crossed her arms, with the proud tone she only used when telling me something important.
"Goblins, mainly. There are nests near the eastern hills. We'll also patrol some routes where minor creatures have appeared: wandering beasts, mutated boars... that sort of thing."
Something stirred inside me when I heard those words.
Goblins.
The word... sounded all too familiar.
But not from this world.
From before.
Weren't they common enemies in the RPGs of my childhood? Why do they feel so real now?
I looked down for a second.
They weren't exact memories... but feelings. As if a part of me, the part that still slept beneath my memory of William, recognized those kinds of enemies. As if they had always been there, in another universe... and now they were taking shape in front of me.
"Are you okay?" Emilia asked, noticing my silence.
"Yes... I was just thinking."
She smiled and took a step closer.
"Did you know that according to ancient records, these creatures were created by Dievas?"
"...What?"
"Yes. According to the Temple chronicles, goblins and other lesser beasts were created for training purposes. To prepare the new generations. When the demons return, we can't be unprepared."
I looked up and saw her with a mixture of admiration and concern.
She was going to fight. For real. For the first time.
And no matter how strong Emilia was, she was still... Emilia.
My lifelong friend.
The one who was always there.
The one who smiled as if she was never afraid.
"...I can't help but worry," I muttered, looking at the ground.
"Huh?"
"It's the first time you've fought against something real, left the city, put your life at risk."
She didn't answer right away. She looked at me silently, then smiled. But it wasn't her usual proud, playful smile. It was a soft, intimate smile. As if she had just understood something very deep inside me.
"So... that means you care about me."
"Silly. Of course I care about you."
I didn't know how to say it without my voice shaking.
And without saying another word, she stepped forward and hugged me.
Just like that, without warning.
Her forehead resting on my shoulder.
Her hands on my back.
Her breathing, calm.
"I'll be fine, Luahn. I promise."
Her voice was a whisper.
"And when I come back... the first thing I'll do is come see you. To tell you everything. And show you what I've accomplished."
I couldn't help but smile.
My arms, though somewhat clumsy, wrapped around her too.
"I'll be waiting for you."
"Silly. I know."
In the distance, her friends watched the scene with knowing smiles. Even Liifa, who normally never missed an opportunity to make a joke, remained silent.
Emilia pulled away from me just before I blushed even more than I already was.
"Until then... don't get into trouble, okay?"
"Only if you don't either."
She raised her hand to seal the pact.
Our fingers touched.
And even though she walked away, laughing and chatting with her friends, my gaze didn't leave her silhouette until she disappeared among the trees.
Only then did I exhale deeply.
And I whispered to myself:
"Come back soon, Emilia..."
*
POV - Emilia
The morning air smelled of sap and freedom.
It was the first time we had left Sephros on an official mission.
Finally.
And although many were nervous, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.
Because I knew that, at the end of it all, I would return and Luahn would be there.
Waiting for me.
Listening intently to every word I said.
As always.
"Move forward carefully! Form rows of five!" ordered Instructor Garrok, one of the most experienced warriors in our city.
He was a gray-furred wolf with deep eyes. No one knew how old he was, but everyone respected his strength. Not only did he lead us, but five adult escorts, veteran warriors, came with us in case something more dangerous than usual arose.
We jumped from branch to branch, moving lightly through the treetops, as we had been taught.
Rays of light filtered through the dense foliage, creating flashes that illuminated the symbols painted on our initiate robes. The forest was deep, thick, and yet... beautiful.
"The North Forest of Hypnos is full of wild creatures and minor spirits," Garrok explained as we advanced.
"Some are attracted to mana, others simply attack for territory. This expedition is for you to learn to recognize these threats, act as a group... and master fear."
We all fell silent. Not because we didn't want to talk, but because we knew that lesson was important.
And that soon... we would put it into practice.
By mid-morning, already formed into groups of five, we began the search.
My group consisted of Liifa, Selena, Kaien, and Tero, two other boys from the western district. Although I didn't know them as well as my friends, we had trained together before. They were capable.
We entered a lower area of the forest, where moisture rose from the ground and the trees were thicker.
"There! Something's moving!" Kaien shouted, pointing with his makeshift spear.
A huge creature, resembling a wild buffalo, emerged from the bushes. Its fur was covered in mud and its eyes... were red like burning embers.
"It's a bufzhul!" Selena recognized, backing away.
The creature stamped its hooves on the ground. It roared. And we all... froze.
For a moment, fear gripped us.
It was bigger than we expected.
Stronger.
More real than any simulation at the academy.
I found myself hesitating. Wondering whether to attack or run.
But then...
I remembered Luahn's embrace.
His words, his concern.
His promise.
"I'll be waiting for you."
I couldn't let him down.
"Let's go!" I shouted, drawing my sword, the one that belonged to my grandfather.
I lunged forward without waiting for the order. The lightning of my element surrounded my feet to propel me forward, and a downward blow went straight for one of the bufzhul's front legs.
The beast roared, reared back, but did not fall.
Liifa followed me immediately with her light magic, driving bright light into those red eyes, disorienting the enemy.
Kaien shouted and charged from the other side, sending a wave of earth that shook the ground beneath the monster.
Tero and Selena flanked it.
Coordinated. United.
And little by little, fear turned into movement.
I jumped, spun, my swords tracing circles of icy light.
My heart was pounding, but not with fear... with excitement.
"Now!" I shouted.
"Together!" they replied.
With a joint effort, we brought down the bufzhul.
It fell heavily, motionless.
The silence after the victory was brief, but necessary.
We looked at each other, still a little dazed, celebrating our first victory.
And I... looked up at the sky.
"I did it, Luahn..."
"I'm fulfilling our promise."
After regrouping, Instructor Garrok checked the integrity of all the groups.
Remin had also defeated his enemy. His group returned with few injuries. In the distance, I saw him looking at us, with an expression I couldn't read. Annoyance? Jealousy? I didn't care.
We had proven what we were made of.
And I... hadn't done it out of pride.
But for someone who believed in me even when I doubted myself.
As evening fell, we approached the edge of the forest, an area bordering the Whispering Caverns, as they called them.
It was part of the route. A simple exploration before returning.
But then...
"Stop!" Garrok ordered, jumping down from the tree.
We stopped dead in our tracks. All the adults also descended.
Garrok crouched down, touching the damp ground among the fallen leaves.
"Footprints..." he muttered.
I approached Liifa. I looked closer.
They were... human footprints.
Adults.
Several of them.
"Master? Could they be... explorers?" asked one of the escorts.
"They shouldn't be here," replied another.
"This territory belongs to the wolf clan. Humans cannot enter without official authorization. And we haven't received any reports..."
"Then..."
Liifa whispered worriedly.
"...Did someone enter without permission?"
Garrok didn't answer right away. He looked at the footprints with a frown.
I silently felt a twinge in my chest.
Something was wrong.
I didn't know what.
But I could feel it.
As if that place hid more than our eyes could see.
The footprints led into the caves.
And for the first time since we left... the atmosphere no longer felt like a test.
It became... real danger.