The silence was as heavy as stone, and the cold evening air pierced through every inch of the training grounds. The sky above was leaning towards dark orange with gray lines fading gradually as night approached. Daniel stood in the center of the grounds, his sword held tight, his heart racing, and every muscle in his body tensed, not from tension, but excitement.
In front of him, Dian stood firm, his eyes focused, and his slight smile barely hiding the seriousness of the moment.
"Are you ready, Daniel?"
Dian asked, his voice calm but carrying the weight of power and challenge.
Daniel nodded, a surge of heat coursing through him despite the cold.
"I'm ready..."
And after a moment of silence that filled the place like a void, the swords clashed, and the ground shook beneath their feet, sparks flying from each blow, the loud sound of collision filling the grounds, while tension wrapped around them like a tight rope.
Every blow, every step, every movement... was a test not just of physical strength, but of mind, focus, and heart. Daniel felt the heat accelerating in his veins, he was really excited.
Daniel charged, forming a circular sword path, striking quickly towards Dian's neck. Dian managed to dodge, but his neck was slightly scratched. Daniel didn't stop, continuing to strike with rapid attacks, while Dian focused on defense, searching for an opening, but couldn't find one. As the attacks piled up, it became difficult to block them all, and Dian had sustained several injuries. He had no choice but to use his aura.
Dian formed his aura, and in a moment, he struck Daniel's sword, causing him to recoil. Then, he launched a swift thrust towards Daniel's abdomen, but Daniel anticipated it, dodging it, though slightly late, and was scratched on his right side, causing him to bleed a little.
Daniel retreated quickly and formed a fierce smile on his face.
"Yeah, I didn't expect anything less from you."
Dian's condition was pitiful, and so was mine.
They charged at each other again, swords clashing in a flurry of blows from both sides. The confrontation was evenly matched, at least from Daniel's perspective, who hadn't used his aura yet. Dian thought to himself with a hint of anger, "This guy is holding back on me?!"
Dian suddenly increased his power, delivering a powerful horizontal blow. Daniel couldn't dodge it; he had no choice but to form his aura.
He blocked the blow at the last moment, but the ground behind him cracked from the impact.
Daniel retreated quickly, thinking to himself, "Hahaha... if I hadn't dodged that, it would have been bad." As he prepared to attack again, Dian suddenly said:
"Daniel, can you tell me what fighting means to you?"
"Where did that come from?"
"Just answer."
Daniel frowned slightly, then replied:
"To me, fighting is like a mirror of the soul. Every strike reflects what's in the heart, whether it's determination, fear, confession, mockery, hatred, or even love. All of that is the essence of fighting."
He paused, then added, "And it must have a goal."
Dian's expression was unreadable, then he smiled with a mix of disappointment and sadness and said:
"So, Daniel, why don't you fight me with your true strength? Do you think I'm not worth it?"
I was taken aback by his expression and words. I bit my lip and thought to myself, "What, why did I say that? Didn't I promise him? Why am I going back on my word? What's this feeling? A feeling of loss..."
I looked at Dian and said:
"I... I just want you to remain my master, that's all."
Dian quickly understood what I meant and made a serious expression before saying:
"Daniel, if you don't keep your word, don't call me your master again."
Daniel's expression was filled with regret and sorrow, before he made a serious face, with a cold gaze that didn't suit someone his age.
"Yeah, that's fine."
The atmosphere around Daniel changed. The dust began to swirl, and rocks started floating. The ground beneath him shook, and the waterfall began to flow with greater force. His aura began to swell, more and more, and with each swell, it became more beautiful, surrounding him with an aura that seemed to say "Al-Sumu".
Dian began to sweat and feel hot, making a shocked and awed expression. "Hahaha, I didn't expect this at all. Should I retreat before it's too late?" Of course, he wasn't serious. Dian had unleashed his full power, but compared to Daniel? It wasn't worth mentioning.
Breaking the silence between them, Daniel took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully.
"Sword art 'Eclipse Dance' first step: The Partial Veil."
His sword wasn't like usual; it was filled with dignity, respect, and appreciation for his opponent.
Dian didn't just stand there; he took his step too. "Sword art 'Imperial Sword' form 7: 'Annihilation'". Dian's sword blazed with power, and his aura overflowed from him. Then, they clashed. Dian's sword form was beautiful, a style specific to the Empire, but Daniel's... was different. It wasn't just a sword style created for humans; it moved at incredible speeds, confusing Dian's vision. Daniel started delivering rapid blows towards Dian, who couldn't keep up. Dian's body had sustained severe injuries, and as soon as Daniel slowed down, Dian thought, "This is my chance! Now!"
But immediately after, he heard Daniel's voice as if it came from nowhere.
"The Cold Flash."
And suddenly, all the light disappeared. The moonlight wasn't there, as if it had been swallowed. Dian found himself in darkness, with nothing around him. Then, he saw two blue dots shining - a pair of eyes. Dian quickly realized who those piercing blue eyes belonged to - Daniel.
Daniel began to approach slowly. In reality, it only took 5 seconds for him to reach Dian, but it felt like an eternity. And then, Dian couldn't feel anything... He had lost consciousness.
Dian opened his eyes slowly, starting to feel himself. He was okay, or almost okay. He was covered in bruises and bandages, but there was no danger to his life. He looked ahead to see Daniel sitting in front of him.
"Oh! It seems you're awake."
"Yeah, it seems so... So, what happened?"
"You lost consciousness..."
"Hahaha, so that's what happened. Well, it's good I didn't die."
"..."
"That's up to you, master."
Before Dian could say anything, Daniel had already started healing him. After a few seconds, the injuries on Dian's body disappeared completely.
"What the...! Do you know healing magic too?!"
"..."
"Hey, you're making your master proud."
Daniel smiled and said:
"Anyway, remember our promise, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
He paused, then added, "I'll tell you my true identity."
"My real name is... Dian... Dian Bruce."
"Well, I expected that."
"What?! Really?!"
I had already figured it out. His name is Dian, without a family or information, and 20 years ago, the disappearance of the Marquess Bruce's son and heir to the Mameluk Kingdom in the Ivaria continent was announced, and it happened to have the same name, "Dian Bruce".
"Forget about that. So, will you teach me that special technique?"
"Oh, that! Didn't I tell you it's easy? I'll give you a scroll with the information, but don't give it to anyone else, got it?"
"Got it, I won't."
Daniel sighed and stood up, then took off his clothes, heading towards the waterfall. Dian said, "Are you going there again? Do you still want to..."
Daniel looked at him over his shoulder but didn't respond. Dian sighed, watching his student head towards the waterfall.
I sat under the waterfall in a relaxed position, closed my eyes, and disconnected my consciousness from the external world, focusing my attention inside my consciousness. I began to sense... that hidden energy that appears like a flame and disappears. I was getting closer, just a little bit... "Get closer, touch it, and it'll be yours." That was my voice, but I wasn't thinking. I followed that unknown blue light until I reached its center. It was a vast green meadow with blue flowers. The sky was vast, with no end in sight. There was light, but no sun. And in the center, the blue flame sat there.
I approached it, eager to touch it, but every time I got close, it moved away, as if it refused me. Why? Was there a condition? Did I do something wrong? I started thinking to myself, what should I do? What am I feeling? Hmm... what am I feeling? I was feeling greedy, desire... Maybe that's the reason. I got rid of all my emotions and feelings, approached with a blank face and a cold heart. This time... I touched it, and immediately, I was thrown out of that place.
I opened my eyes, feeling the sound of the waterfall and the water on me. I had returned. "What... didn't anything happen? No... I felt immense power. I think I can use a part of it, and the other part seems to be sleeping." I got out of the waterfall to see Dian standing, sweating profusely despite the cold, with a look of shock on his face. He said:
"Ha-ha, did you really manage to do it? What the heck are you?"
I was surprised by his words and said with a strange expression
After that, I noticed something. My body was glowing with a blue light. I looked down to see a shining blue mark extending from my neck to the end of my upper body, including the right side of my body. It resembled a dragon. I raised my hand slightly to my face, stared at it, and then said with a smile:
"Haha, so my efforts weren't in vain, right?!"