We walked to the center of the training ring.
Jin Minhe's face was as blank as always, his eyes unreadable. I extended a hand, and he shook it, firm and without hesitation. Mr. Huo raised his arm high, voice carrying across the open training field.
"Begin!"
I shifted into my military boxing stance—compact, efficient, lethal. Jin mirrored me with his loose, upright form, deceptively soft, but I wasn't fooled. We were the same rank.
I lunged first, faking a leg sweep before rolling directly into a shoulder tackle. Slammed him down.
He flipped with the momentum, and to my shock, used it to launch himself—and me—back up. His body twisted like a whip, and he slammed into my side, forcing a break.
We scrambled apart.
And then the fight really started.
Blow for blow. Fist for fist.
Jin moved like a whisper, flowing through strikes and parries with an odd rhythm, unorthodox and smooth. My strikes were sharper, heavier, but he danced around them, smirking just slightly between hits.
That's right.
He was enjoying this.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward every time I hit harder. Every time we clashed, his eyes lit—quiet, precise sparks of thrill flaring behind the blank expression.
He wasn't just fighting.
He was having fun.
He pushed me, faster and faster, strength ratcheting up with each blow until I found myself slowly backing toward the edge of the ring. But I held. Not advancing. Not retreating. Just testing.
Feeling it.
My pulse rose. So did his.
Then I struck—a palm strike directly to his chest.
He stumbled back a step, breath catching—
—and summoned a giant sword from thin air, his hand forming a sleek summoning seal mid-motion.
He dashed forward with a spark of qi under his feet, slashing left and right with brutal force.
I didn't hesitate.
Two alloy twin swords—sleek black and red—flashed into my hands from my bracelet space. They pricked my palms, accepted my qi, and merged with me, syncing with my pulse like new limbs.
They were mine now.
And I felt different.
Sharper. Heavier. Lethal.
The match exploded.
Students at the edge of the training field stopped chewing their snacks. Maxius and Lufei paused, alert, their eyes following us from the sidelines where they'd been resting. The clatter of metal rang out like a song—beautiful, violent, exhilarating.
Jin and I blurred—strike, dodge, parry, leap.
He grinned for real once when I flipped over his swing and cracked his shoulder with the hilt of my blade. It was fleeting, but real.
And I—
I stopped thinking.
I stopped holding back.
Blood roared in my ears. My old instincts kicked in, brutal and efficient. I lost myself in the rhythm of violence. Jin fell again, this time hard. I stood over him, panting, blades trembling from the force of my last strike.
I wasn't done.
I raised a sword, eyes wide and unfocused.
Then—
Mr. Huo appeared between us.
A blast of qi knocked the air sideways.
"That's enough."
I blinked.
My hands trembled.
Jin was down, chest heaving, dazed but still conscious. I looked at him—and felt sick.
I dropped to my knees in the dirt.
"Mr. Huo, I accept punishment. I lost control."
I turned to Jin and bowed my head, fists planted in the soil.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."
Tears welled up, unexpected. Unwanted. My breath shuddered.
The pain I felt wasn't physical—it ran down my qi threads, deep into the bonds I held.
Mystic stirred in the sky.
Her mournful whale call rolled across campus like thunder on the wind. She felt it. She felt me.
Maxius and Lufei were already running over from the sidelines, snack wrappers abandoned. Lufei's fur bristled with green qi. Maxius's visible wing extended to shield me, golden energy shimmering at the edge of his feathers.
Mystic's voice echoed in my head:
"Yumei. I'm coming down."
No, I whispered back. I'm okay. Not hurt. Just… wrong inside.
Then—
Jin Minhe stood.
He walked toward me, slower this time, his sword vanished.
He crouched beside me and gently patted my shoulder.
"You're strong," he said. "And you lost yourself."
I choked on a breath. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know."
He met my eyes. His tone was soft, like a sigh through snow.
"You owe me noodles."
A stunned laugh slipped out of me, half-sobbed.
Maxius stopped bristling. Lufei exhaled through her nose, standing down.
Mr. Huo joined us, arms crossed. "What I just saw was both brilliant and terrifying."
He crouched, leveling a gaze at me first.
"You've got instincts most soldiers would envy. But next time you lose yourself, you might not be fighting a sparring partner. You might be fighting someone you care about. Or someone weaker than you."
I nodded. "Yes, sir."
He turned to Jin. "You enjoyed that fight, didn't you?"
Jin tilted his head. "It was fun."
Mr. Huo smirked. "Good. You need more of that. Your technique is brilliant, but too linear. Try mixing that dual-core flow into your movements more freely. Let it bend with the chaos."
Jin blinked, considering that, then nodded.
Mr. Huo stood. "Both of you. Get cleaned up. You've got class in twenty."
Jin extended a hand.
I took it.
Mr. Huo watched us both for a long second. Then he turned to the rest of the class—most of whom were wide-eyed and stunned silent after what they'd just witnessed.
"That's it for today," he announced, voice sharp. "Sparring is over. If anyone has a problem with that—take it up with your knees, which should be trembling right about now."
A few students chuckled awkwardly. Someone in the back actually clapped, then stopped when Mr. Huo looked their way.
He crossed his arms again, facing all of us. "Rest up tonight. Tomorrow, we head to the Beast Arena for our monthly class battle evaluations. That means full combat conditions—with your soul beasts or magical beast."
He glanced at me. Then at Jin.
"Consider today your warm-up."
Around the edges of the field, murmurs broke out. Excitement. Fear. Bravado.
My heart thudded harder at the mention of it. Beast Arena.
Mystic's voice hummed again in my mind, low and calm now.
"Battle soon. I'll be ready."
Maxius scoffed beside me, clearly eager.
Lufei huffed and raised her head, ever composed. "No one's outshining me tomorrow."
I stood, wiping dust from my knees. Jin walked beside me without a word, both of us heading toward the water station.
He glanced my way just once.
"You're buying lunch. Noodles, two bowls."
I cracked a tired grin. "Done. Extra spice?"
He gave a slow nod.
Mr. Huo's voice called after us as we walked off. "You two better bring that same energy for tomorrows class battles. I expect nothing but the best from both of you tomorrow in both 1 vs 1 battles and beast battles at the arena tomorrow.