"Rules are simple," Sensei Shu said, his voice echoing in the training chamber. "Fight until one of you yields or is unable to continue. Use your weapons, use your instincts, but remember you're not trying to kill each other. You're trying to learn."
He gestured to opposite sides of the room. "William, Jordan you're first. Take your positions."
My heart hammered as I walked to one end of the mat, sword heavy in my hand. The weight felt right, natural, like it had always belonged there. Across from me, Jordan rolled her shoulders, kunai held loosely in her hands. Her stance was perfect balanced, grounded, ready.
"Don't hold back," she said, her voice carrying across the space between us. "I won't."
"Wasn't planning on it," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Cameron cupped his hands around his mouth. "Twenty bucks says Jordan wins in under a minute!"
"Cameron," Maya said flatly. "Shut up."
"What? I'm just saying, she looks like she knows what she's doing, and William looks like he's about to throw up"
"I'm not going to throw up," I called back, though my stomach was definitely doing somersaults.
"Could've fooled me," Cameron muttered.
Sensei Shu raised his hand. "Begin."
Jordan moved first.
She didn't charge or rush. She flowed, closing the distance between us in three smooth strides, kunai already in motion. The blade came at my left side, fast and precise.
I brought my sword up instinctively, and steel rang against steel. The impact sent vibrations up my arm, stronger than I expected. She was strong.
She didn't pause. The moment our weapons connected, she was already moving, spinning away and coming at me from a different angle. Her second kunai sliced toward my right shoulder.
I stepped back, barely avoiding it, and swung my sword in a wide arc to create space.
She ducked under it effortlessly.
"You're telegraphing," she said, not even breathing hard. "I can see every move before you make it."
Frustration flared in my chest, and with it, heat. The mark on my arm burned, and flames flickered along my sword's blade.
Jordan's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't back down. "That's more like it."
I lunged forward, putting more force behind my strike. She blocked with both kunai crossed, and for a moment we were locked together, weapons grinding.
"You're strong," she admitted, "but strength isn't everything."
She twisted, using my own momentum against me, and suddenly I was off-balance. Her foot hooked behind my ankle, and the world tilted.
I hit the mat hard, air exploding from my lungs.
Before I could recover, her kunai was at my throat, not touching but close enough that I could feel the cold metal.
"Yield," she said.
I stared up at her, chest heaving, frustration and embarrassment burning through me. "I yield."
She stepped back, offering her hand. I took it, and she pulled me to my feet.
"You've got power," she said, her tone not unkind. "But you're fighting angry. Fire's making you aggressive when you should be thinking."
"Thanks for the tip," I muttered, rubbing my back where I'd hit the ground.
She almost smiled. "You'll get better. Just focus next time."
Cameron was grinning. "Told you! Under a minute!"
"It was a minute and fifteen seconds," Maya said dryly. "You owe me twenty dollars."
"What? No way, I said under a minute"
"You said she'd win in under a minute. She won, but it took longer. Therefore, you were wrong."
Cameron sputtered. "That's not that's semantics!"
"That's called being precise with your words," Maya replied, examining her daggers like the conversation bored her.
Despite my bruised ego, I found myself smiling. There was something about their banter that felt... normal. Like we were just regular kids arguing about nothing important.
"Cameron, Maya," Sensei Shu called. "You're next."