Riven's face lit up like a kid on his birthday. "Oh man, dad told me your master's coming back!" he said, practically bouncing with excitement.
I looked at him, confused. "Master?"
His smile faded a bit when he saw my blank expression. "Oh right, you don't know. Ray's been training with this guy Edhir since he was little. Like, for years. But then something happened with Ray, and he just...shut himself in his room. His master left after that, said Ray needed time to figure things out." Riven's voice got quieter, like he was remembering something heavy. "I guess it was normal for him to leave. Nothing he could really do about it. But I think he felt bad about leaving Ray like that."
Honestly, I didn't really care about Ray's sob story. The whole master thing seemed weird to me anyway. Where I come from, you don't get some fancy teacher to hold your hand through everything. You figure it out or you don't. This noble kid stuff was just...foreign.
Riven looked at me with this mischievous grin. "You've got a decent sword now," he said, pointing at the blade I was holding. "Want to try some light sparring?"
*Sparring?* The idea was pretty stupid. If I went up against someone like Riven, I'd just get my ass kicked. Why waste time on something that would end with me getting hurt? Especially when he was clearly way stronger than me.
But then I watched how he moved with his sword. There was something about it—like it wasn't just fighting, it was more like...art or something. Despite myself, I was curious.
"I want to learn the dance," I said after thinking about it for a second.
Riven blinked, surprised. "The dance? Oh! You mean the sword forms?" he asked, getting more serious.
I nodded.
Suddenly Riven's face changed, like he just remembered something important. He turned to Ray. "Oh shit, Ray, I forgot to tell you something."
Ray looked up. "What?"
Riven's voice got serious. "You know how the other kingdoms' gateways got messed up? Their keys are broken. Last year, only ours worked."
Ray's face went dark as he put the pieces together. "So...when did this happen?"
"Last year," Riven said simply.
Ray's eyes narrowed. "So all the other kingdoms' princes and royal kids my age...they're all coming here soon?"
Riven's eyes went wide. "Wow, you got it exactly!"
I cut in with my usual flat tone. "What happens when these other kingdom kids show up?"
Riven got excited again. "It's gonna be crazy for you and Ray!"
"How come?" I asked, not really caring but curious enough.
Riven's eyes practically sparkled. "All the kingdoms are jealous of us because of Ray. He's got something they don't."
Ray looked uncomfortable and muttered, "Don't believe that crap. It's just exaggerated bullshit."
I couldn't help myself. "Wow Ray, you're that amazing? I want to be just like you," I said, laying the fake admiration on thick.
Ray's face turned red, and he quietly said "strong" to himself. Then, so quietly I almost missed it: "If I was really strong, that thing wouldn't have happened to me."
That caught my attention. "What?" I asked.
Ray gave me a sad smile and shook his head. "Nothing."
Riven jumped in to change the subject. "Alright, enough of that depressing stuff," he said with a bright smile. "Let me show you the dance, Rudra. The sword forms. Watch and try to follow along. You'll be great!"
Riven moved to the middle of the field. It was pretty peaceful out there—just grass swaying in the breeze, some clouds overhead. Perfect weather, but there was this tension in the air, like something big was about to happen.
His sword caught the light as he got into position. Then he started moving, and holy shit, it was incredible.
His feet moved in these perfect patterns across the ground. I couldn't look away it was like being hypnotized. The way he handled that blade, it was like it was part of his body.
He started slow, his sword cutting through the air in this smooth arc. The blade seemed to shimmer, like it was more than just metal. Every movement had purpose, like he was painting something invisible in the air.
Then he picked up speed.
Riven spun hard, his blade flashing and leaving these trails of light behind it. The sound of steel slicing through air was almost musical. Every strike was calculated, every step flowing perfectly into the next. It was like he wasn't just moving through space, but through time itself.
He jumped into the air, spinning mid-flight. His sword made these arcs of light as it cut through the air. When he landed, it all flowed into the next strike, one seamless motion after another. Beautiful and deadly at the same time.
At the climax, he spun faster and faster, his sword creating this cyclone of slashes. The air around him was vibrating with power. The whole field filled with the sound of rushing wind and crackling energy. Then suddenly, he stopped. Just stood there, breathing calmly, like nothing had happened.
I stood there with my mouth open. For a moment, everything else just faded away.
"That was...incredible," I said, and I actually meant it. "How the hell did you do that?"
Riven smiled, still catching his breath. "Takes years of practice, Rudra. But you'll get it eventually."
Ray spoke up. "You'll be able to do it too, probably faster than you think." Though he sounded like he wasn't totally convinced.
I nodded, but something shifted in me. I gripped my sword tighter and dropped the act. No more pretending to be some eager kid. My expression went cold, my movements became deliberate. Time to stop playing around.
I stepped away from them, and they both watched as I completely changed. No more fake enthusiasm, no more wide-eyed wonder. Just focus.
Then I started moving.
From the start i was different anything I have seen even if it was once i could remember it perfectly like i had seen that countless time until it's became a part of my existence, it was like that i could remember anything I have seen
It was like doing Riven's dance backwards. I copied every step perfectly, my body moving with a fluidity that shouldn't have been possible given how weak I was. But I wasn't just copying I was making it better.
With each step, the ground responded to me. Stones started rising around me, swirling like they were part of the technique. I'd unlocked something deeper in the sword dance, something beyond the normal version. My blade created this cyclone of energy stones and dirt spinning around me as I moved, each motion more intense than the last.
Riven and Ray just stood there,with there jaws dropped. They'd must have never seen anything like this it wasn't that much of suprise to anticipate.
When the cyclone finally stopped, I collapsed, gasping for air. The energy had completely drained me, but damn, I'd done it. I'd blown their minds.
They rushed over, looking worried. "Are you okay?" Ray asked.
I was breathing hard, but I managed a small smile. "I'm fine. How'd I do?"
They looked at each other, still shocked but relieved ray leaned closer. "How did you pull that off?" Riven was thinking the same thing. How had I done that? It didn't make sense. Someone as physically weak as me shouldn't have been able to execute something like that with such precision.
"I remember things quickly," I said simply.
That was the truth, sort of. I'd always been like this I could memorize anything with just a glance. Whether I needed it or not, it all stayed in my head without me even trying. But I didn't need to tell them everything about what I could do.
Ray frowned. "It's not just about memorizing though. Even if you could memorize all the movements, how can your body follow your mind that perfectly?"
Riven was more amazed than confused. He'd seen Ray's talent, but this was something completely different. Something that he has never seen
"You're something else," Riven said, his voice full of surprised. "That talent of yours...it's extraordinary."
I just nodded, still catching my breath. No point in explaining more than I had to.