A Crimson Tainted Past (On Hold)

Chapter 1

“You both did very well!” Valkynhein exclaimed. “Never had I thought that you’d both be almost equally skilled in combat, yet there had to be a winner. Cerberus, you’ve claimed victory once again, and again, you move one step closer to being able to enter the expert classes. As for you, Luna, you also move up ahead and are another step closer to those expert classes.” Luna had a certain sparkle in her eyes. I could tell that she was happy, and quite frankly I agreed with our Headmaster.

“You deserve to move up, Lulu. You’re the same age as I and could probably kick my ass someday if you keep it up.” I loved mocking her this way. Seeing her face get all contorted from me calling her that was something I enjoyed… a lot.

“DON’T… call me Lulu. You know I HATE that name, just as much as you hate yours, Cerby.” She had a point there. As long as I called her by that name, she’d call me by a name I despise of. However, I never knew why I had such an odd middle name. Yet it suit me better for the academy than any other name someone could give me… that is, until I got my code name, which wasn’t until a few years from then.

“Now’s not the time to be arguing, you two.” Valkynhein stated. He now had a serious tone, so it gave away the fact that he was going to announce our next battle, opponent, weapon, and skill. It was always my favourite part of a battle, since it got me all worked up for my next one. “Now, I’ll start by announcing your next scheduled battle, Luna.”

Do you HAVE to keep me waiting for so long? I thought to myself. He always seemed to announce my next challenge last, which had really bothered me, seeing as in I was already impatient enough. I came out of my annoyed trance when he spoke again.

“Now, your next battle will be in two weeks from now. You will be learning a new technique that you’ll have to master with your sword, known as the Demon Strike. Your opponent will be announced later on in your class. As for you, Cerberus, your opponent will also be decided later on in your class. You will have your next battle in two and a half weeks from now, and you will be learning to master a new skill as well, except we will be introducing you to a new kind of sword for this one.”

Finally, something that might be more useful than a normal sword. Not that I didn’t already know how to use most weapons available to work with. I had trained with everything, from swords, to daggers, to axes, and even learned how to kill with a dart, although there wasn’t much point in that unless I happened to be in a bar, which clearly there aren’t many demons to be found in those kinds of places. Valkynhein had brought out a sheathed sword, then unsheathed it in front of us, revealing a two-bladed sword. He then handed me a set of gloves, although I didn’t know why I needed them for the time being. He continued explaining to me my awaiting challenge.

“Your new skill will be taught with this blade. It is called the Transfiguration Counter. You’ll be allowed to wield this sword only when wearing those gloves. Now put them on and I will show you why.” I had never worn any kind of gloves before, and these metallic ones weren’t what I would’ve preferred as something to wear. I slipped them on to find that they fit quite comfortably. Valkynhein handed me the sword, which felt lighter than it seemed once I was holding on to it.

“Now, with those gloves, I want you to hold on tightly to the hilt of that sword with one hand. Now you have to trust me on this, but with the other hand, I want you to grab the blades and, with one move, connect and extend them.” I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I followed his instructions anyways. I kept a tight grip on the hilt like he had asked, and then was the part with the blade. I figured that was why I had the gloves on. I nervously grabbed the blade from underneath, not knowing if this was going to hurt me in any way, but I could feel something unusual in the blades once I had my hand around them. With what seemed like a very quick movement, I managed to bring both blades together, which they linked together, and once I started pulling on them, they suddenly extended to become a long sword, about four feet long.

Valkynhein just smiled. It was as though he knew that I would be able to master this one quicker than anyone would expect. I was amazed by the potential power that I could gain with this sword, and I was getting even more excited to be able to start my training with it.

“So, do you think you’ll be able to manage with it?” He asked me. I smiled and nodded, anxious to get started with my intensive training. “Very good. Now, let me just tell you that this skill takes a lot of time and practice to master. You may not be able to master it for your challenge, however I’m confident that you’ll be skilled enough with it to put up quite a fight in your next battle. With that, I say we’re all set. You both start tomorrow morning. Have a good night’s rest!” Valkynhein then took his leave, as did most of the crowd that we had attracted, leaving both me and Luna alone in the center of the arena.

“Well, I think I’m going to go train with my sword a bit before tomorrow. I’d like to freshen up on some of my skills, get familiar with my weapon again, you know? Anyways, I’ll see you again later, I guess.” Luna then started leaving, letting me stand alone in the arena to watch her walk away. I kept examining my new sword. The weight had partially increased due to its new length, but it was still quite easy to handle. I swung it around a few times to test its balance, proving that it was a perfect sword for me. I grabbed the blade’s end, then pulled back on it, which it easily retracted to its original length. It then unlatched, then went back to being two separate blades, back to its original form. I twirled and swung it around a few times before re-sheathing it. Satisfied with my new weapon, I started walking out of that arena, making my way to my dorm to get myself ready for what was sure to be an exciting and action packed few weeks to come.