By the time Sir Chiron returned, the floor immediately surrounding me was covered in ice, and my body was cold. During the training, I have discovered that sweating is no longer a natural bodily function of mine. Despite how tired I was feeling.
Looking towards the opening door to see Sir Chiron entering, along with Leo, Lavinia, and Lady Phia.
They all walk to the center of the room, situated near me, before glancing around at the frozen floor.
"It seems we need to watch our step around you from now on, Disciple Rin." Sir Chiron said with a smile. Glancing at Leo and Lavinia, "Why don't you two get warmed up?"
"Warmed up for what?" I ask.
"I have a suspicion about you, Disciple Rin. Or, your Will, to be more precise. If I am correct, you could become an interesting case for me to instruct…"
I shoot him a curious glance, watching Leo and Lavinia stretching in the corner of my eye.
"…Despite being at the strength of a Mid-Will Holder, based on the details you have given me, you could still have the potential for higher caps. Most likely, it is easier for you to perform the caps with the help of stress and adrenaline. Through a friendly spar, we could confirm this."
I adjust my sight to properly look at the siblings. Leo is paying me no attention, putting in no effort to stretch, but Lavinia is eyeing me with a stern sharpness in her eyes.
Looking back at Sir Chiron, "Friendly… right."
Intending to ask Sir Chiron for some advice, I walk over to where he is next to Lady Phia.
Standing next to the two of them, we all watch the siblings preparing for the spar. We observe in a loud silence, while I gather my thoughts for the best way to question his.
Lasting for almost half a minute before anyone speaks, Sir Chiron takes the initiative. "What do you wish to entail before this spar, Disciple Rin?"
"I had a question…" I pause, waiting for his response. He turns more in my direction, indicating his open attitude to the question. "Leo and Lavinia are obviously trained to be killers. My question is… how proficient are they?"
His grin disappears from his face, leaning his head slightly closer. "You ask dangerous queries, Disciple Rin." He lets the statement hang in the air. The silence only slightly covered by my racing thoughts and the light breathing from the stretching siblings. Sir Chiron looks carefully into my eyes before a slight grin spreads across his face. "Lord Elgin and Lady Phia's children are no strangers to death. They are efficient and hold a known count. Believe me when I say this"–He looks towards the siblings—"Those two are some of the deadliest people in this Kingdom. And it's not just because they're strong, it's because no one knows it. Not even the Elites are aware of how trained they are."
How could kids my age be that proficient with this line of work already?
I take a second to go over what he just said. Just as it seemed Sir Chiron was ready to start the spar, I asked him one more question. Something tells me I shouldn't have. "Who's better?"
His head snaps in my direction; his eyes widen slightly at the words before he composes himself again. Glancing at Lavinia briefly. "There is not much use in comparison, but it is a natural thing. The truth some hold… is that comparison is deadly, a demon who steals hope while awake. But what is worse is a demon who steals while asleep. One must not allow comparison to cloud them in grievances, but instead, use it as a tool to guide a trained path to success. If your enemy is training while you rest, then only a fool lets comparison steal from you. I have watched those two grow and train their entire lives. While both put in incredible effort, there is no doubt of Leo's conquest. Lavinia lets comparisons cloud her too easily in her pursuit of triumph over her brother."
Lady Phia shoots Sir Chiron a disapproving look at the mention of her children's shortcomings. He gives her an apologetic nod before turning back to me and continuing.
"While her martial skills are ahead between the two, her lack in Will proficiency is where Leo rises above. That boy… is a paragon in the making. Despite wielding a more supportive type Will, even I would stand no chance at full strength." He looks at Leo with a deep, melancholy gaze in his eyes.
Lady Phia takes a step forward, putting a hand on Sir Chiron's shoulder. "Do not speak so low of yourself, Sir Chiron. Leo is only just a boy, with much to learn."
Sir Chiron seems lost in a daze, not even acknowledging Lady Phia's presence. "O-of course… My Lady." He says, shaking himself out of his daze. "Why don't we get started?!" He continues loud enough for Leo and Lavinia to hear.
They quit their stretching, standing up straight side-by-side.
"Who would like the honor of sparring with Disciple Rin?" Sir Chiron states.
Without even a second to waste, Lavinia steps forward, announcing her eagerness. "The honor would be mine, Sir."
"Of course, Noble Lavinia. Let us not waste any time then."
Sir Chiron quickly explains the rules of the spar. Which were no different from the one with Leo; the only difference this time is that we are allowed Will usage. Lavinia is restricted to Condense and Disperse, while I am not. After explaining the rules, the other three enter the glass viewing cage embedded in the wall to watch the fight. Apparently, the glass can withstand indirect strikes from a Lord Holder at full strength, but that seems like a stretch.
Once everyone was in position, Sir Chiron's voice came through many small holes in the wall called speakers. Which was self-explanatory, as Sir Chiron was the speaker.
"Ready, you two?"
I readied my stance in the same way I'd done before with my spar against Leo. While not as natural, I felt strong and balanced.
Lavinia stood calmly five meters in front of me, not even a smile on her face. "A word of advice. That stance is for defensive moves and countermeasures." Giving a thumbs up to Sir Chiron in the cage.
Not even given time to readjust my stance to one suited for offence, not that I'd know what to do, Sir Chiron's voice comes booming through the speaker, "Begin!"
My heart rate increases, blood rushing to my ears, and in a situation that feels like life or death, my breathing is the only thing I can hear. My body is in full panic mode, and Lavinia… isn't even attacking. My body is under duress, and I don't even know why.
My vision has been foggy before, it's been blurry before, but never have I seen such vibrant and out-of-place colours before. Every shape, edge, and corner is projecting a different colour of the spectrum distorted from its center. The farther from the object, the more vibrant the colour. Everything else closer to the center of my vision was a dull shade of grey.
Between the beating of my heart in my ears, Lavinia's voice rang out, "I'm sure you are aware of the term 'Aura', Rin. Is that correct? What I'm sure you do not know is that every Attribute has a unique aura that escalates in strength to the Holder's Rank. Now, my Aura isn't exactly debilitating to weaker opponents. Like one might have with a Frost Will, but I am sure that you will have a hard time discerning depth due to it. By now, you should be seeing a whole rainbow of colours, distracting… isn't it? Every Holder feels a connection to their Aura, a mark that says, 'this is mine.' What you have just entered is my line of sight. You are standing in the domain of the battlefield that my Aura encompasses. A distortion of Chromatic Aberration."
Her fists flared in a show of light, flashing out the seams between her fingers. Like two powerful light artifacts, her body was engulfed in the brightness of stars. And those stars were headed straight for me.
Squinting from the lights, I was able to keep my eyes open just enough to catch the figure of her hand flashing towards me. She moved quickly, but the punch was short. I was able to lean back far enough to dodge the punch.
At least, I thought I did. Just as her fist was supposed to swing right in front of my face, it was as if space moved itself, and her arm bent to shorten the distance to my face. I did not dodge the punch, but leaned back the exact distance to put my head in the perfect spot to receive the hit.
Landing square on my cheek, my head jerked in a swivel, with a painful crunch. Backing off, Lavinia stopped her advance to come any closer.
As if her punch ignited a piece of my brain, it focused on a specific part of what she said earlier. I will have a 'hard time discerning depth.'
Great, now my vision is impaired while facing a cold-blooded killer.
The punch was hard, but not full strength. I wonder why she didn't flat me out first hit. Especially with such an advantage.
"As much as I would love to knock your teeth out, Leo has already done that. As Sir Chiron asked, my job is to teach you."