Quatervois | N.M ¹

i

Today though, today was something new and different. Something she had never experienced before.

That voice.

Something was off about that voice. A small part, deep in the crevices of her mind, hidden from outsiders, and herself, knew that voice. And that part was screaming at her. Alarms were blaring inside her head, her mind working a hundred miles a minute trying to decipher where that voice was from.

Anastasia soon realised that whoever that voice belonged to, she wouldn't find out. Not yet at least. So, she got out of her bed and walked toward her wardrobe. As she grabbed the knob to open the wardrobe, she saw her knuckles. They had the bruises on them, along with some excess blood. Pushing away her confusing and troubled thoughts, she opened the piece of furniture. Inside she found her training gear, which she grabbed, before slipping into the bathroom connected to her room.

After changing into her gear and cleaning her knuckles and bandaging them, Anastasia slowly crept down the stairs, careful to skip the two steps that creaked. The brunette walked into the basement and began typing in a code before she paused, hearing a familiar tred of footsteps behind her.

"Can't sleep?" A deep voice questioned as the light turned on.

Anastasia slowly turned around to come face-to-face with her guardian, Daniel. "Hey Danny." The brunette sighed.

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Hey, Ana. Now, why are you awake?"

Anastasia, knowing that he wouldn't stop until knowing, turned around, finished the code, and stepped inside the training room that became visible. She turned to the older man and gestured to the training room. "Train and talk?"

A small smile rose on Daniel's face as he nodded.

The two began getting ready for a sparring session, grabbing the shield bracelets and activating them. Daniel turned towards Anastasia and gestured towards the wall of blades. "Pick a knife."

Anastasia walked forward and stared at the wall for a moment, before a certain blade caught her eye, causing her to grab it with a smile. In her hand was a silver, long blade katana with her family crest at the bottom of the blade. Daniel would always tell her about how her father saved many great people with this very sword, it was a family heirloom.

She cherished every little detail she heard from Daniel about them, even if she couldn't remember who they were.

While Anastasia was admiring the beloved blade in her hand, Daniel grabbed an identical katana, just without the family crest on it.

"Ready?" Asked Daniel as he got into position.

They both checked their shields before she nodded. "Ready." Anastasia confirmed.

Daniel wasted no time before leaping towards her and expertly swinging his sword.

Anastasia blocked his hit before sending her katana to his left side, then towards the right side of his head. She bounced back before he could attack again.

The two circled each other for a few moments before Anastasia moved forward with the intent of landing another strike on Daniel. He was prepared, though, Daniel blocked her hit with his right forearm, before twirling around and hitting the katabna out of her hands. While Anastasia was distracted, Daniel put his katana against her neck, adding enough pressure so her shield glowed a bright red.

"Are you giving up?" Daniel taunted, seeing the frustration on her face.

Anastasia took a deep breath, ignoring the taunt as she analyzed his position. To anyone else, it would appear to be a strong stance, impenetrable. But, to Anastasia, it was a whole nother story, he was her teacher after all.