Chapter 16

Graduation

“Life is truly full of surprises, huh?” I mumble to myself as I idly watch the clouds float. Hoping one of them would block the sun long enough to cool me down. The tournament is only a few weeks away, which also means summer is almost here. It’s getting harder to train with the increasing heat. Honestly, I just want to sit in the shade and lazily watch the day go by. But sadly, I had no time for such luxury. Well, at least I’m not suffering alone.

“Is that all you weaklings got?!” The Instructor yelled at the trainee.

“No, sir!” The trainees shouted back. Sweat flew off their body as they swung, they’re wooden swords.

“Pathetic, again!”

“Yes, sir!”

Actually, on second thought, I think I might have it easier compared to those recruits. I don’t have the mental fortitude to train under the hot sun while being yelled at. Yea, I don’t have what it takes to be a soldier or an adventurer too. I can’t just throw myself into life-threatening situations like those two groups. And yet, here I am preparing myself for a tournament filled with strong warriors.

“Life really is full of surprises, huh. Somehow I always find myself doing things I rather not do.”

“Indeed, but isn’t that what makes it interesting?” An elderly man dressed in a white military uniform sat down next to me.

“And here comes the biggest surprise of them all,” I mutter to myself. If someone told me that I would be trained by the hero who challenges the demon king one day, I would’ve called them crazy and never talked to them again.

Surprisingly, despite his impressive reputation, Dante is easy to get along with. Thanks to his down-to-earth personality, I often forget who he is. But the furtive glance from the trainees and even instructors reminded me once again that Dante considers a legend among warriors.

“So, how’s your training coming going?”

“It’s going great, I guess.” I looked at the training dummy standing beside me. There was a giant in its chest, and there was a significant dent in its abdomen area. I doubt anyone would believe I did that with my fist. To be honest, even I still can’t believe it.

“Looks like you have gotten quite good at controlling your aura,” Dante said as he examined the training dummy.

“I’m at least confident I won’t kill anybody if I hit them with my aura.”

The problem is it's incredibly hard to maintain my aura. Currently, I can only keep it active for a few seconds. Not to mention it's extremely exhausting just conjuring power this regardless of the amount of energy I use. At this point, aura isn’t something I can use reliably in a fight. If only I had a bit more time.

“Why don’t we spar for a bit.” Dante tapped my shoulder and stood up.

“Huh? Right now?” I looked up a Dante who was swinging a sword around like the trainees.

“I want to see how much you have improved these past few months.

I hopped to my feet and threw a couple of jabs at the air. I’m a bit exhausted, but I’m still in good shape.

“Alright, I’m game.” I bent my knees slightly and raised my hands near my face to protect my head.

Dante placed his left hand behind his back and raised his weapon at me with his right. It was the exact stance he used against Scar in their fight. “Now, show me what you learn in this past couple of months.”

Once again, I’m reminded how strong Dante is. Even an amateur like me can tell how solid his stance is. He almost looks like a boulder that’ll never budge regardless of what I do. And those deep blue eyes of his remind me of the ocean. Strong but soothing and gentle. The more I look at him, the harder it gets for me to breathe. It feels like I’m sinking deeper into the ocean. This isn’t good. I’m getting sucked into his pace. I need to calm down. Breathe. Breathe!

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. That was close. I almost lost the fight before it began. You really are something, Dante. Once again, without uttering a word, you show me how narrow my worldview is. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never known how beautiful combat could be.

I always thought fights were nothing more than senseless violence. But it’s much, much more than that. Combat is a form of art. I suppose that is why martial arts is called what it is. Warriors train not because they want to beat their opponents. But because they want to beat their past selves. I can’t help but wonder how many times did you overcome yourself to obtain that strength? No, I get the feeling you have done much, much more than that for some reason. I can’t even begin to imagine the hell you’ve been through to acquire that power. What I do know is that you are truly beautiful. Ah, I guess a guy like you wouldn’t think of that as a compliment, but that’s the only way I can describe that strength of yours.

“Hm? Why are you smiling?” Dante tilted his head and looked at me, somewhat confused.

“I’m smiling?” I touch my face. Indeed I had quite a wide grin on my face. Wide enough that even my fangs, I tried my best to hide, were showing. To think I would be this excited. It looks like I did end up getting caught in his pace.

“Sorry, I just remember this funny joke. Want to hear it?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Dante lowers his sword. I was taken aback by the childlike curiosity in his eyes. I guess he must really like jokes.

“You see, the joke is….” I dashed towards Dante as fast as I could. Dante’s eyes widened n surprise, but they immediately narrowed as he raised his guard. As expected of a veteran. Something like this isn’t enough to shake him up.

I threw a punch aim directly at his stomach. And mid-swing, I abruptly stopped and stepped backward to avoid his incoming attack.

It's infuriating to me to admit, but because I’m on the shorter side, I got to get extremely close to hitting someone, which puts me at a huge disadvantage in a fight, especially against someone with a weapon. But if I throw feints and make him preemptively attack. I should be able to get close to him safely. Should, but the moment I took a step towards him, the sword I avoided was already coming back.

I step back again to avoid his attack, but Dante advances towards me in the midst of his attack, significantly extending his range. I lean my head back, narrowly avoiding his sword that almost struck my chin. Before I had to chance to recover, he was already attacking again. This time he was aiming for my head.

“Ngh.” I gritted my teeth and ducked. A gust of wind blew past me as his sword went over my head. Once again, as I was getting up, Dante was in the middle of his next attack.

Fucking monster! I can't even blink! To make matters worse, each of his attacks is faster and sharper than the last. If I don’t do something about that sword, I’m going to get overwhelmed.

I jump backward to escape Dante’s flurry of attacks. The moment my feet touch the ground, I dash straight at him again. As expected, Dante slashes at me before I can get close to him. I raise my arm to block to his attack. I tightly clench my teeth and push forward, ignoring the throbbing pain in my left arm.

“Got- ugh!” Then, as I was about to land a counterattack, Dante kneed me in the stomach, forcing all the air out of my lungs.

I stumble backward, holding my stomach. Every single fiber of my being wanted me to lay down and sleep.

“Catherine!” A loud voice snaps me out of my daze. I looked up to see Dante thrusting his sword at me.

Before my mind could register how to react, my body moved on its own. I leaned back far enough I thought the back of my head would hit the ground.

I planted both my hands on the ground and raised my lower body in the air to kick his sword out of his hand, but he lifted his weapon over his head to avoid my feet and then swung downward at me. I push myself off the ground and flip away, barely dodging his overhead strike.

“So, what was the joke again?” Dante rests his sword on his shoulder and looks down at me.

I tried to speak, but only a pain groan came out of my mouth. I’m glad Dante isn’t going easy on me, but still. This really, really hurts!

“Woah! Hey, are spars supposed to be intense?”

“I-I don’t think so. I guess this is just a quirk of being a hero. Even something as basic as training will transform into something out of an epic.”

The trainees murmured among themselves as they watched us. Even the Instructor was staring at us with starry eyes.

“God, this is embarrassing. Dante, why don’t we- “Before I could finish speaking, I instinctively step to the side. Dante slams his sword where I am standing.

“What are you- Woah!” In the next moment, Dante was front of me. I tried to jump away, but I was swept off the ground by Dante’s leg. As I fell, Dante swung his sword downward at me. I cross my arms to protect my head. Through my guard, I could see Dante narrow his eyes at me.

This one can’t be blocked. That is what I felt like he was trying to tell me. I twist my body around while in midair and kick his hand, changing the direction of his sword from my head to my shoulder.

I bit my lip to keep myself from losing my consciousness from the intense pain. The moment my back slammed into the ground, I quickly crawled away while flailing my tail around, kicking dirt and rock everywhere to cover my escape.

I know I must look pathetic, crawling around on all four like a wild animal. But right, I didn’t care; I just wanted to put as much distance as I could between Dante and me.

“Not bad,” Dante said as he calmly dusted off his uniform. “You’ve become quite good at dodging and mitigating damage, but I hope you don’t think you can win a fight by simply evading.”

“Of course, I know.”

“You do? Then tell me, why are you focused solely dodging?”

Because you’re not even giving me a chance to breathe! That is what I wanted to say, but I knew that wasn’t a good excuse. This is exactly what I have to deal with in the upcoming tournament. No, it’ll be even worse. I’ll be facing people wielding actual swords and knives. I can die if I’m not careful.

“I see, so this a test, isn’t it?”

“Something of the sorts.”

“So, what happens if I fail?”

“Hmm. I haven’t thought that far.” Dante rested his weapon on his shoulder and rubbed his gray beard. “As much as I hate to admit. Death is quite common in this tournament. And honestly, I rather nothing bad happens to you. So, if you can’t pass this test, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you can’t participate.”

“Everything in your power? How scary.” Dante is a royal guard, the king's right-hand man. This means, in a way, he holds the same amount of power the king of our country does. He can put me in prison for weeks so I could miss the sign-in deadline or have me blacklisted from the tournament.

“I didn’t think this spar would have stakes in it. I guess I have no choice but use everything I got.” I stood up and took a deep breath.

“Oh, are you saying you got a trump card up your sleeves?”

“I wouldn’t call it a trump card. Rather it feels more like a wild card.” I covered my face with my hands and closed my eyes.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like a stranger in my own body. Every time I ended up in danger or when my mind was reaching its breaking point. I could feel something gnawing at me as if it were trying to break out of some sort of cage. Even now, I can feel it trying to escape from within me.

What if I set it free?

No, no, no. I can’t. It’s too scary. I get a feeling something will happen to me if I let it go. But what if I slightly open the cage door?

“Well, only one way to find out.”

Creeeak

Suddenly, a wave of calm washed over me, drowning my worries, fears, and even my pain.

“The air around you changed. What did you just do?” Dante said as he raised his guard.

“No idea, but I hope you’re ready.” Then, without any warning, I zigzag towards Dante, hoping to make myself a more challenging target.

The moment I stepped into his range, he swung his sword at me. I dip low. Somehow the wooden sword manages to cut strands of my hair. I ignore the absurdity of his strength and continue to charge forward. Dante lifted his leg. I stopped and tightened my guard, expecting him to knee me, but he jumped away.

Ho, I never expected a hero would resort to something like a feint. Does that mean I have you on the ropes, old man?

I chased after Dante. The moment I closed the distance, I kicked up dirt and leaped in the air. I raised my leg over my head and brought it down like it was a hammer. With his eyes closed, Dante lifted his sword and blocked my attack that had enough force behind it to crack the ground beneath Dante's feet.

“How the hell?!” Somewhat startled, I jumped away, barely avoiding Dante's hand that reached for the area I was at the moment ago.

Before my feet could even touch the ground, Dante was on me. His sword raised over his head as if he were preparing for an execution.

“You fucking monster!” I shouted unintentionally. Just as I was about to be consumed by panic, another wave of calmness washed over me.

I lifted my hands and caught Dante’s sword with my hands. As expected, Dante responded by immediately counterattacking with his knee. I twisted my body around and stopped it with my shoulder. Then, I firmly plant my feet on the ground and push against Dante.

With one of his legs off the ground, it was easy to push him away. Dante hops backward, trying to regain his balance. I resisted the temptation to chase after him and instead decided to watch him.

“What to do, what to do?” While scratching my head, I had my tail draw some half bake plans in the dirt.

I can’t see myself winning no matter what I do. It feels like I’m up against an unscalable wall.

“An unscalable wall, huh? Right, that was the very first lesson you taught me, wasn’t it, Dante?”

“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me this is all you learn from your training.” While I was deep in thought, Dante regained balance and wiped the dirt from his eyes.

Well, there goes my golden opportunity. Not that anything would change even if I did attack when he was blinded.

“Of course not. I’m about to use the very first thing you taught me.”

“Oh, Show me.” Somehow the atmosphere around Dante became firmly grip his sword with both hands.

“You're using two hands. How scary~” I lower my body and pour all my strength into my legs.

The only way to get past an unscalable is by destroying it with unbreakable resolve.

“Here I come, old man.” I launch myself forward, leaving a large dust cloud behind me. Dante calmly took one step. A soft white light envelops his wooden sword as he lifts it over his head.

So, you decided to use aura, huh? That’s fine with me. There’s no way that stick of yours can stop a cannon.

“Third round!” Beads of white light formed and danced around my clenched fist as I charged forward. “Fire!” I shouted at the top lung to spur my resolve. The beads of light burst and transformed into a transparent white light that covered my entire right arm.

As soon I stepped into Dante's sword range, I threw my fist imbued with aura at his wooden sword. He swung downward at me.

Just as our aura was about to clash, Dante slightly changed the direction of his sword. He taps my wrist and brushes my hand away from him. Since I put my entire body behind the attack, I lost my balance. I tried to regain my balance, but Dante locked his arms around me and placed his wooden sword near my neck.

“If this were a real sword, you would be dead. This is my win.” The trainees clapped loudly as they have just seen a fantastic performance.

“Quite the lively bunch, huh? So, what did you learn from our last exchange?”

“You baited me. you made it look like you were going for a clash, which left me wide open for a parry.”

“Correct.” Dante lets go of me. I slump to the ground, exhausted. “Aura is a powerful technique that allows the user to break their limits through sheer willpower. Anybody who knows the technique will raise their guard if they see it in action. You can use that to your advantage.”

“I-I see,” I answer meekly. My mind flashback to the fight.

I always knew I couldn’t beat Dante, but this fight showed me that the gap between would never close. Even if I can match his strength and speed by some miracle, his experience is on a whole other level. Decades of fighting allow him to see battles from a unique perspective.

“Again. I want to fight again.” I tried to stand up, but I fell back on my butt.

“No, you can’t. You reach your limit.”

“I can keep going. I haven’t shown you everything yet.”

“That’s enough.” Someone placed their hand on my shoulder and held me down. I look behind me to see a young woman wearing the same uniform as Dante.

“Bella?”

I was somewhat surprised to see her here. Usually, she keeps her distance from me, especially when Dante is training me.

“Do I need to remind you how dangerous aura is if it's misused?”

“N-no needs, I’m aware of the danger.”

“Now? It looks like you need a refresher.” I let out an audible groan as Bella began to explain everything I already knew about aura.

The trainees paid extremely close attention to her as she paced back and forwarded while explaining her aura. However, judging from their hungry gaze, I doubt they were listening to her explanation.

I shouldn’t be that surprised; there's are so many eyes on her. While Bella does have a scary personality, she is quite the beauty, and she seems to be aware of it, or at the very least doesn’t seem to mind showing off her body. She wore an extremely short skirt, which shows off her smooth bare legs. The white jacket she wore slid down her arms, exposing her soft shoulders and black undershirt that tightly hugs her body, highlighting her curves and breasts.

I’ll admit I’m a bit jealous of Bella’s body, but at the same time, I’m kind of happy I’m the way I am. I don’t think I can handle all the attention she gets.

“Are you listening, Cat Ears?!” Bella stomps the ground next to me.

“Y-Yes!” I immediately sat up straight and looked up at her in the eyes. Bella narrowed her gaze at me. It seems she didn’t believe me. Thankfully, she didn’t pry and let me go.

“Anyway, as I was saying, there are two types of energy that dwell inside of us: the spirit and the soul. The spirit is what gives us the energy to go about our daily lives. Walking, eating, thinking, etcetera, etcetera. And as you know, aura allows a person to push their body past their natural limit. It’s a powerful technique, but like all things in life. It comes with a cost. Mainly a piece of spirit. If you continue using aura without knowing your limits….” Bella lowered her voice to make herself sound more threatening. “You’ll either die or fall into a slumber you’ll never wake from. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand the danger. I’m even aware of my limits.”

I’m so painfully aware that I can’t help but want to push further. Right now, I can only use aura with my right hand, and I can only use it three times before I’m rendered pretty much immobile.

“That’s good. Knowing your weakness is your first step to becoming stronger.”

“What’s the second?” I unintentionally let a bit of my frustration seep into my voice. Dante smiles softly. He didn’t seem phased by me snapping at him.

“The second step is to overcome your weakness steadily. And I can’t emphasize steady enough. If you rush it, you’ll hurt yourself or stunt your growth, you understand?”

“Yea, slow and steady wins the race.” Again, a bit of my bitterness mixed with my voice. Bella shot me an annoyed glare while Dante continued to smile.

“Exactly. Now before we conclude our little lesson, I have a question to ask.” Dante clapped his hands together like he was a teacher trying to get his class's attention.

“Why isn’t aura a commonly used technique even though it’s so powerful?”

“Oh, oh. I know this!” A trainee eagerly raised his hand.

While I was wondering when this turned into a class, the trainee pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

“Oh, it’s Theo.” I unconsciously muttered when I saw a young boy pop out of the crowd. Theo happily waves to me before turning his attention back to Dante.

“Aura isn’t widely used because it takes an incredibly long time to master. Not to mention the extreme fatigue you have to deal with every time you use aura.”

“Correct, Theo. Aura isn’t something that can be mastered and a day, let alone a couple of years. But that and the fatigue isn’t why aura isn’t a common practice.”

“Huh? Then what’s the main reason?”

“You tell me.”

Theo rubbed his chin, clearly digging deep into his head to find the answer to Dante’s question.

“Umm. I think I know.” For some reason, I raised my hand when I opened my mouth. “Aura isn’t a common practice because of its inconsistency.” Everyone gaze at me as I talk. I’ll admit I wanted to dive into the nearest shadow and erase my presence, but I resisted my thief nature and continued to speak.

“I’ve noticed the size and strength slightly change every time I use it. If aura manifests our resolve, then I understand why people don’t rely on the aura. It’s hard to accept, but the spirit is a fragile thing.

I supposed I’m the perfect example of that. I’ve seen Crook do plenty of horrible things to people, and all I did was watch while trembling in. Even when he insulted my dad, I didn’t lift a finger. Even now, I don’t think I can face him. I’m am pathetic.

“You’re right, Catherine.” I Jumped slightly when Dante called my name. For a moment, I thought he had read my mind.

“Fear, pain, doubts. All these can break a person’s spirit. Indeed, Catherine. The spirit is a fragile thing.” Dante drew his sword from his sheathe. The sunlight reflected off his blade, which gave the sword a holy-like glow. “There are times when even I wonder if this fight is worth it. But then I look at you guys. Wide-eyed recruits eager to make a name for yourself, and then I remember. Indeed, the spirit is fragile, but it’s our strongest weapon. Yes, the pain might break us, but it’s our resolve that allows us to endure. Fear may freeze us in place, but courage is what lets us move forward to face our nightmares. And yes, doubt may torment our mind and make us question ourselves, but it's our will that’ll allow us to break free from those dark clouds so we can see the strength that’s inside us.”

Dante swung his sword and pointed it at the crowd, and said. “Know this, inside each, and every one of you reside a light so small and weak, it’s easy to mistake it as nothing more than dying embers. But, in the darkest of hours, when all seem lost, and you feel yourself teetering towards the brink of despair. That light will shine brighter than any star. Ah!” Dante covers his mouth like he is embarrassed.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to ramble. Just when I look at your recruits, I can’t help but have high expectations. Perhaps a bit too high. You see, our war with the Majin is over, along with it the age of violence and tragedy. We need more than soldiers who vows to protect our citizens with swords and shields in these uncertain turbulent times. Rather we need people willing to hold the torch and guide our kingdom to a new era. Is that too much? Am I asking too much from you?”

“No, sir!” One of the trainees shouted.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you guys, so I’ll ask again. Am I asking too much from you?!”

“No, sir!!” This time everyone, including me, shouted at the top of our lungs.

Dante places his sword back in his sheathe and turns his back towards us.

“Thank you for humoring this old man. You’re all dismissed.” The crowd immediately dispersed, leaving Dante and me alone.

“That was an incredible speech, Dante. Even I was moved by it even though it was for the soldiers.” In a way, he sounded like my father.

“That speech was mostly for you. In a way, you can say it was your graduation speech.”

“Huh? Graduation?

“Don’t you get it?” Bella grabbed my head and roughly ruffled up my hair. “He’s saying you pass the test.”

“But I didn’t even beat him.”

“Oh? Are you saying you’re not satisfied until you beat the old man? You've gotten pretty cocky cat ears.” Bella rubbed my head to the point it started to hurt.

“No, I’m saying I think I need a bit more time.”

“I’m afraid we’re out of time,” Dante said, his back still facing me.

“What are you talking? We still have a couple of weeks before the tournament.”

“Indeed, but Bella and I been summoned.” Dante slowly turns around to face me. He had a complicated expression that was impossible to decipher. “The king has summoned us to the capital.