Three days passed, and Frederick was turning out to be right. Nothing out of the ordinary happened; still, Leo couldn't help but feel something was coming. Nevertheless, everyone in the castle tried to put him at ease. Frederick had written the whole thing off as a prank and remained intent on discovering the identity of the prankster. Wanting to help in any way she could, Ellina, who was the head-chef of the castle, did not leave Leo's side, and found out his favourite food so she could learn how to cook it for him.
When Leo admitted his fear of the masked man, Hikaru laughed.
"With me around, you won't have anything to worry about," she promised, twirling her sword in the air with menace.
Lucy was just so cheerful most of the time it was hard for Leo to worry about anything around her. Even Ephideus was less apathetic than usual, somehow.
Lucy walked with Leo to the training area for one of Leo's lessons with Hikaru, as she wanted to watch. Hikaru was, as usual, waiting for her pupil in the centre of the arena, with her brother watching quietly from the benches.
Leo climbed into the arena with his new sword in hand. It was a beautiful longsword, with a hilt made of silver encrusted with amethysts; the cross guards were shaped like wings and the pummel like a star. It was lighter than the average sword, according to Frederick, because it was made of a special kind of metal that didn't exist in the real world. Lucy stayed on the edge to watch, and after Leo and his master greeted each other, she shouted:
"Be nice to him, Hikki! He bruises a lot!"
"I know, Lucy, but it's hard to go any easier on him."
"Wow," Leo interrupted. "You both are so funny, how about I make you two jesters?"
The girls laughed it off and Hikaru continued.
"Either way, don't worry; it will be a different lesson this time."
"What do you mean?" asked Leo.
"We're not going to fight today. In fact, you can put your sword down."
A confused expression spread across Leo's face, while Lucy sighed, disappointed she wouldn't get to see the king have his ass kicked after all. Nevertheless, Leo did as he was told and the commander explained what she had in mind.
"Being strong and fast and skilled with a blade isn't enough. If you want to fight so well that no one can match you, you need concentration. And that's still a problem with you, you lack focus."
"No, I don't!"
"Shut up. Now, what I'm going to tell you is something not many people know about and even fewer have experienced it. My father called it 'a state of total awareness' although I'm sure someone, somewhere has come up with a better name for it."
"And what is it?"
"Basically it is a state of extreme concentration. If you achieve it you become fully aware of your surroundings, all your senses heighten. Time seems to slow down. You could be surrounded by ten enemies, and you'll be able to fight them all off, as you'll be able to keep up with each of their movements. You'll be able to perfectly control every muscle in your body. It's how I was able to stand on the blade of your sword on our first day of training. Perfect muscle control, perfect balance. Now, let's start with something simple. I'll extend my blade in front of your eyes, and I want you to focus purely on your own reflection."
Leo tried to focus on the reflection of his eyes, but he couldn't help but notice the ideograms on the blade.
"What do these symbols mean?" he asked.
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Winged
الخيال (فانتازيا)A young man's life is changed completely, when he finds out that, not only is he not human, but he is the heir of a magical land where his mere presence becomes a threat. First of a series. There are two worlds, the "real" one in which we live, and...
