I opened my eyes.
And this time, I was the first to strike.
---
My feet pushed against the earth with a strength that only the wind could grant. A gust surged from my heels, propelling me forward at a speed that just a few weeks ago would have seemed impossible. The air whistled around me, and I smiled.
Faster, I thought. I have to be faster.
The wooden sword in my hand began to vibrate slightly, wrapped in a faint greenish glow: pure wind, channeled through my mana, concentrated in the blade. It wasn't a spell, it wasn't magic in the traditional sense. It was something more primitive, more instinctive. It was me reaching outward, merging with the air.
I reached the master in the blink of an eye. My sword traced a descending arc, a clean cut aiming for his shoulder, his chest, any part of his body I could reach.
But Zekin was Zekin.
He twisted his torso with the elegance of a dancer, and my sword grazed his clothes without touching him. I felt his knee heading toward my stomach, and in a reflex action, I raised my free hand, wrapping it in wind just in time.
Thump.
The blow hit me, but my hand cushioned the impact. Even so, the force was such that I flew backward, my feet scraping the ground in an attempt to regain balance. I slid several meters before stopping, gasping.
—Aito! —I heard Calithia's voice, but I couldn't see her, my attention fixed on the master.
And then, my sister lunged.
Her wooden sword ignited in flames. They weren't normal flames, the kind that burn and destroy uncontrollably. They were her flames, tamed by her will, shaped by her mana. The wood, reinforced with special minerals, resisted the heat without being consumed, allowing her to fight with all the power of her element.
Behind her, a trail of fire drew a red line in the air, like an artist's signature in the midst of creation. She jumped before reaching him, her sword raised above her head, ready to unleash all her power in a descending cut.
—Aaaah! —she screamed, with all the strength of her lungs.
The master blocked the blow with his sword. The impact was so strong that the ground beneath his feet cracked slightly. Sparks of fire flew in all directions, and for an instant, the air smelled of burning.
Calithia fell to the ground, but didn't lose her balance. The master's sword moved toward her neck, quick as a snake, but she ducked just in time. The wooden blade whistled over her head.
And then, she attacked.
An upward cut, straight toward Zekin's chin. But the master, with an agility that belied his years, stepped back, dodging the blow by centimeters.
It was my turn.
I propelled myself with the wind, crossing the distance in an instant. Calithia saw me coming and understood without words. She gripped her sword with both hands, holding it at abdomen height like a platform. I jumped, planted one foot on the wood, and she launched me upward with all her strength.
I flew through the air, spinning, my wind-charged sword glowing with a greenish light. The world spun around me, but my target was clear. I descended like an arrow, my sword pointing directly at the master.
Crack!
The impact was brutal. My arms trembled, muscles protested, but I held on. My sword met Zekin's in a clash that made the air vibrate. For an instant, our eyes met, and in his I saw something I had never seen before: approval.
I fell to the ground, bending my knees to absorb the impact. And then, the exchange began.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang
Strike, block, counterattack, dodge. My sword and his danced a deadly dance, each impact sending painful vibrations through my arms. But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Every blow I blocked, every attack I dodged, was a lesson etched into my body.
Calithia jumped again, her sword wrapped in flames, and attacked with a piercing scream. The master blocked, and this time the ground beneath his feet sank slightly, unable to withstand the combined force of two impacts.
Zekin stepped back, and I appeared behind Calithia, my sword extended in a direct thrust. The master turned his head just in time, and the tip of my sword grazed his ear. I felt the air vibrate around him, as if even the wind recognized his power and moved out of his way.
He raised his sword to strike me, but Calithia attacked again, forcing him to block.
—You've improved a lot this time —the master said, and to our surprise, a smile appeared on his face—. I'm impressed.
Calithia and I looked at each other, and in her eyes I saw the same pride I felt in my chest.
—It's all thanks to your training, Master —Calithia replied, also smiling.
—It seems you've been practicing a lot lately —Zekin said, and in his voice there was a tone I had never heard before. Was it... pride?
—We have to, Master —I replied, and my smile must have been as wide as my sister's.
—Well then, keep it up, children. Keep working hard.
We stepped back a few paces, creating distance. Calithia looked at me, and her eyes shone with fierce determination.
—Let's do it, Aito —she said.
—Okay —I replied.
And we charged.
We ran in zigzags, a coordinated move we had practiced in secret over the past few weeks. When I went right, Calithia went left. When I went left, she went right. We were two bodies moving in unison, confusing the enemy with our synchronized dance.
I flanked from the left while Calithia did from the right. We arrived at the same time, our swords ready to strike.
—Aaaah! —we shouted in unison.
The master blocked Calithia's attack with his sword, and at the same time, his foot rose and struck me in the abdomen. I felt the impact, but this time I was prepared. The wind wrapped around my torso, reducing the damage, and I was sent flying backward, sliding across the ground like a stone on ice.
As I recovered, Calithia and the master continued their exchange. Her flame-wrapped sword left trails of fire in the air, red threads that tangled in hypnotic patterns. She was beautiful. She was lethal. She was my sister.
Suddenly, the threads disappeared. Calithia's sword was cleanly cut in half, the upper piece flying through the air. A light kick to her knee, perfectly placed, was enough to bring her down.
And then, the master disappeared.
Literally.
One instant he was in front of Calithia, and the next he was gone. I felt a tingling at the back of my neck, a danger instinct that made me turn just in time. There he was, at my side, his sword ready to strike.
I tried to block, channeling all the wind I could gather into my sword. Our blades met, and mine... broke in two.
The master didn't stop. In the same movement, he placed the tip of his sword against my neck.
—I win —he said simply.
I was panting. Exhausted, my lungs burning, my arms trembling uncontrollably. But I had lasted longer today than any other day. I had learned more today than in many weeks combined.
I looked at Calithia. She was also on the ground, gasping, her face red from exertion. Our hands, where we held our swords, were reddened from the constant vibration of impacts.
After a moment, Calithia got up and approached me, staggering slightly.
—Hey, Aito —she said, her voice broken by effort—. Are you okay?
I nodded, still breathless. But instead of words, I reached out my hand and stroked her head, the way mother did with us when we were sad or tired.
The effect was immediate.
—Hey! —Calithia shouted, her face reddening even more—. What are you doing, you idiot? —Her voice rose, a mix of indignation and embarrassment—. I... I should be doing that to you, not the other way around! I'm older than you!
And while she protested, a figure approached from a corner of the courtyard. It was Lilia, the master's granddaughter. She was the same age as me, five years old, though sometimes she seemed more mature. Her dark hair and blue eyes made her look like a porcelain doll.
She had been watching the entire fight from the shadows, sitting on a stone, with an attention span that few children her age could maintain.
—Have some water, Aito —she said, extending a glass pitcher along with a glass that was also crystal —. To help you relax.
She smiled as she said it, a soft, kind smile that made me feel... I don't know, special.
—Thank you very much —I replied, taking the waterskin with trembling hands.
—You're welcome —Lilia said, and her blue eyes met mine for an instant.
I took a long drink. The water was fresh, almost cold, and its contact with my dry throat was like a balm. I closed my eyes, feeling the liquid revitalize my body.
When I opened them, I saw my sister staring at me intently. Or rather, staring at Lilia and me intently.
—Hey —I said, confused by her expression—. What's wrong, sister?
She quickly looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks.
—I... nothing —she replied, in a tone that clearly said otherwise.
—Are you sure? —I insisted, not understanding.
—I said yes, stupid! —she replied, and walked away toward where her broken sword lay, picking up the pieces with abrupt movements.
Lilia and I looked at each other. She shrugged, an amused smile on her lips.
—Sisters are like that —she said, with an air of wisdom that didn't match her age at all—. My grandfather says they're a mystery.
—Your grandfather is right —I replied, laughing softly.
From the other side of the courtyard, Zekin watched the scene with an expression no one could decipher. His eyes passed from Calithia, who was picking up the pieces of her sword with more force than necessary, to Lilia and Aito, chatting animatedly, and finally to the sky, where white clouds sailed slowly toward the horizon.
—Childish things —he murmured to himself, with a barely perceptible smile on his lips—. Childish things.
The sun continued to shine, the wind continued to blow, and life in the palace continued its course, like a river flowing tirelessly toward the sea.
And in the center of it all, a boy with golden eyes and black hair drank fresh water while chatting with a girl with blue eyes, unaware that this moment, so simple, so ordinary, would be forever etched in the deepest corners of his memory.
Unaware that, years later, he would remember this afternoon with a mix of nostalgia and warmth.
Unaware that sometimes, the most important moments are those that at the time seem to have no importance at all.