《Master of Cards. *Reborn*》Chapter 29: Morning.
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Kael was tending to both Emeline and Violete while Josephine was in the kitchen making their bottles of milk. They were cooing at the sight of objects floating all around them, while some of Kael's other blades were there. They were helping Josephine to the best of her abilities. This time Josephine was able to talk and she does not seem to be so stressed or in pain. However, Scarlet Vow seemed a little uneasy with the sight.
"Jealous are you?" Black Symphony's question had surprised Scarlet, causing her to jump.
"I'm not jealous!" Scarlet Vow snapped at Black Symphony.
"It's alright to be jealous." Josephine said to Scarlet Vow as she shook the milk bottles in her hands.
"Why are you so calm about this!?" Scarlet Vow snapped at Josephine who was still shaking the milk bottle in her hands.
"Because he is my husband. He is your lover. You were his first love when he was King. You wanted to be his wife but... If it's any consolation. He did tell me that you were the one he wanted a happy ending with as well." Kael then stepped out.
"What's going on?" Josephine walked past Kael without explaining a word while Black Symphony has her lips sealed as she walked on ahead.
"I'm just... Jealous that she is your wife and I'm not yours." Kael scratched his head and looked at Scarlet Vow.
"Look. I would have married you. But you died on that mission I told you to not take. Besides." Kael pulled out the ring for her.
"I would have wanted us to be married with your family present." The ring was made of Anitarh Gold with a beautiful ruby that had a glint of silver within.
"That silver was from that silver sword you carried. The one you beat me with the first time we met? Then I broke it. I saved that piece and put it there." Kael said as he slid the ring on her finger.
"I nearly thought I got the size wrong. Look, it's going to get complicated. You might meet more of things like that. In my last life, romance was not in the cards for me after my 52nd Life. I'm just content being here with people I know. We can talk about it. Okay?" Kael asked her, where Scarlet Vow nodded to him. She bolted away first perhaps needing time off.
Miriam went to the kitchen.
"So how are the two kids?" Miriam asked.
"I was trying to keep them entertained. Josephine is handling it. Along with my other swords that are going to go with her. Gotta head to work now, mom." Kael said as he pulled out a card.
"Wait! I made you some boxed lunch. Mac and cheese with a bit of veggie tempura. Your favourite."
"Thanks mom." Kael said as he pecked his mother's cheek and snapped himself to the academy.
This time Kael could see the same student still sitting in front of the forge. She was asleep, Kael was just looking at her. She was drenched with water, it took a moment for Kael to realize that it had rained here. There were a few puddles made thanks to the rain. Kael looked at the forge, seeing the blade of the fox which had taken into a proper shape as a saber be floating there. Staring at its owner that was shivering in this rain.
"It depends on you. If you truly believe your master has earned your respect and trust. You may return. It is only made by your choice. The same goes for all of you. I am not the judge of whether or not they deserve you. It shall be you, to decide." Kael said to the blades. Taking out the Sun Arcana from his pocket, Kael placed it on the girl,immediately her clothes are dry and she was no longer shivering from the rain.
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The fox ran to its owner arms. Waking her up.
"Well done. Sword and User are now one. Your name?" Kael asked the girl.
"It's Hana Li."
"Good, Miss Li. Please follow me to the training room." Kael said as she followed him from behind. The other students observed to see Hana with her saber that housed her fox. The other instructors were staring at Kael, some were glaring but the weakest class. Swordsmanship Class F were beaming with enthusiasm and their instructor as well.
"Chief Instructor! May Class F observe your training?" The instructor a woman with the name tag 'Ebonwing' spoke up to him.
"Of course." Kael said as the students paused to observe Kael who called for Midnight Howl and drawing it.
"For me to assess you Miss Li. I will require you to face me in combat. This is to ascertain your mastery of your sword." Kael said as Hana drew her blade, she was a little worried but she watched as the fox that is her Living Weapon jumped over her shoulder. Forming a fox pelt that covered her head and gauntlets.
"Good. Assimilation. Being one with your Living Weapon. Come." Hana pranced to Kael's direction. Clearly she was creating multiple copies of herself. This is good, she is using the abilities of her sword and utilizing it as a strategy. Few people her age think that way. Her blows however, leave much to be desired. Kael was using minimal effort to redirect her swords elsewhere but her balance was good. Normally when parrying or misdirecting the blade to another direction, it sets the user off balance but Hana was able to maintain her balance. Using any falling or tripping to her advantage and adapting by changing her leg positions. When one foot was in the air, she would bend her knees and adjusted with the other foot. Never letting an opening for long.
Kael went on the offensive, clearly Hana is not good in this department either. She was lacking as Kael's blows were able to cause her feet to skid a few centimeters but she was calm. Seemingly she may have had a plan to deal with it. One blow and it sent her flying to the wall where she flipped. Placing her feet and lowering herself to the wall. Then springing at Kael. That was a good strategy but it was lacking in its form. Kael's blade was right next to Hana's throat.He sheathed it and smiled.
"The fox has chosen a worthy master. Though I recognize the name, it is you who must learn its name for yourself. Such combat strategies are unique. I will teach you how to care for your swords carefully. This in turn helps to build the relationship between you two. You are weak but that is where every swordsman begins their journey." Kael said which Hana bowed to him.
"Instructor Ebonwing. May I take over your class?"
"But they are F-Rank... Are you okay with that?" Kael nodded to her as he stepped towards them.
"Practice 10 swings. I will watch and correct you." Kael said as they kept on swinging. A lot of wasted motion, they were wriggling at the joints. Movements were far too stiff.
"I've seen enough. Your movements are too stiff. Your swings wriggle with too much noise in your joints. Observe." Kael said as he borrowed a sword from one of them.
"Midnight Howl be ready to counter my swing." Kael said as Midnight Howl held the tachi straight at him. Kael swung the blade once,the wind that followed that swing was causing Midnight Howl to skid,on his feet trying to break it. It sent Midnight Howl flying to the wall.
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"I apologize, Master. I was lacking." Midnight Howl spoke to him, kneeling before Kael.
"It is fine. Now we need to do some stretching. To help you with that." Kael snapped his fingers as Yueliang Hua, Xuehua, Baihua, Ga-eul, Kuro Hana, Banshee and Black Ivy appeared in their usual clothes.
"Help them with their stretching. By the way Yueliang Hua is a man not a woman. Just need to make that clear before you misgender him." Kael said the swords proceeded to help the class F students with their stretching. Some of them were turning red as tomatoes from the intensity but that is to be expected. The stretches were extreme because it was too loosen the msucles that are tense and failing to do so will lead to a lot of mistakes. The other classes heard their screaming and were concerned but Instructor Ebonwing was not worried about it, rather she was taking down notes on what Kael was doing.
The swords bowed to Kael and left.
"Swing 10 times." The swings were quiet, they were smooth and no wasted motions. That change surprised them.
"Midnight Howl." Kael called who knelt before Kael at all times.
"Yes, my master?"
"Train Hana Li in my absence. Once she has reached a certain aptitude with her abilities. Then swap with me." Kael ordered as Midnight Howl went to Hana Li with his tachi at the ready.
"Hana, the point of that training is to keep going. Listen to your weapon's voice as you go along. Try your best to not damage your partner in the process. That will be all. F-Ranks. The stretching that you've been given will be your first step. Focus on practicing what has been taught by Instructor Ebonwing. What she has been doing for you all is correct, it is also the key fundamentals. I will now be off to observe Summon Training." Kael said to them.
The students of F-Rank deep bowed to Kael, if their heads could go any lower they would. Perhaps due to how they were treated previously at the academy which is a sign of how the academic still holds their weird classification.
"Thank you Chief Instructor." Kael nodded as he proceeded to step out. Seeing two more students standing outside of the forge. Two males who were standing by, waiting for their Longswords that were in armor. The longswords did not seem to be happy about it, looking away from their masters. Kael continued heading to the Summon Training area, where Kael noticed a mix of beasts, demons, angels and a few other beings.
One of them summoned a horror, it was a gigantic face that showed its teeth. There were many other horrors that were lying within its jaws, their fingers were slipping through the gaps in between its teeth that had acted like a gate.
"Ah, a Gate Of Severance. How peculiar." Kael said where the Gate of Severance immediately started to sweat at the sight of Kael. Perhaps this was one of the few Gates that had watched Kael tear it apart with his bare hands. Or had seen Kael destroy multiple gates with a single swing.
"Hm... Aren't you... Herlona, one of the Angels of Duel?" The white winged, blue robed woman nodded. Letting out a sigh as she looked at Kael, sheathing her blade as she knelt before Kael.
"If my master is learning under your tutelage. Then they will be fine. Did you clear out the thing that was lurking in here?" Herlona asked Kael who nodded.
"That thing is now my summon and I'd rather not call them unless I am desperate. It is not the kind of summon I would want to use very often." Kael said to Herlona who nodded, then the Gate of Severance was still sweating in the form of rocks tumbling off the mossy head it had.
"Relax Gate. I won't harm you. Unless you let those horrors in your mouth out without permission." Kael informed it, which it let out a sigh of relief.
"Erm... Chief Instructor?" A student wielding a staff spoke up to Kael. A timid fellow with bangs that covered his face. Even his stature was something people would view as lacking but the darkness that he had in his veins was enigmatic.
"The Gate is yours?" The student nodded.
"Do you fear the darkness?"
"No.. I.. I actually like it but... They say darkness is bad." The student replied.
"Darkness is bad? Hah, that's a funny joke. Must be all of those cartoon tropes that say it. Darkness isn't bad kiddo!" Kael heard a voice as he turned back, to see a black haired figure with an ebony cane in his hand.
"Still walk like an old man, Jonah." Kael said as he high fived Jonah. Jonah was the Avatar of Fall, a dictator of a country known as Baltokia. Kael could not help but be impressed at the statue, Jonah was a handsome devil and an even better mage than Kael. Kael could destroy things but Jonah excelled at everything aside from destruction. Using magic to reconstruct buildings as if they had never been touched, using magic elements to put out fires and for rescue. Kael remembered watching Jonah used his magic to lift an entire battlefield's swords away to stop a fight. Hell, he even put armies of 10 factions to stasis while their leaders had to sit down for a negotiation.
Jonah looked at the student.
"Darkness can be beautiful. It can be frightening but you. Oh my boy the darkness within you is far too gentle." Jonah said as the student watched as the darkness surround Jonah in a form of spears yet they never ever came close to him.
"I can teach you what it means to control such darkness. And in due time, you will be able to control the Gate that you have as your summon and the horrors that lurk within it. Never view darkness as evil. Darkness is just like any other element but it is an element that dives deep into your soul. Uses your suffering, and makes you embrace the wickedness that is within the element. Embrace all of those things. To become stronger." Jonah spoke to the student who smiled brightly to him.
"Kael. May I take him off your hands?"
"Hey up to you Mister Dictator. So how are things in your current life?" Kael asked where Jonah shot off the biggest shit eating grin he had.
"Oh fun. So I found out my sister poisoned my parents right?"
"Right." Kael responded.
"Then I found out she tried to have her friend rape me in my sleep. Nearly worked but there was one problem." Jonah said as he showed his fist to Kael. Then placing his left hand beside that fist and in a motion of reeling a fish. Jonah showed his middle finger to Kael.
"I became a problem to my sister by saying 'Fuck That Shit.' So her friend that tried to rape me had her ovaries explode from within. Then I broke her face, then I snapped her neck. So then I marched over to my sister who was declaring that I died. And strangled her in front of everyone. The guards kept shooting me. I took the hits because I did not give a damn. Then.." Jonah liked pausing, this was just one of his ways of messing with Kael.
"Stop killing me with the suspense, Jonah." Kael groaned where Jonah continued smirking to that remark.
"Then I just took a page out of your book. I just killed all of the guards with this cane. I literally just kept smacking them with it. It got bloody but I finally got the satisfaction I wanted. Then taking another page out of your book. I decided to fix the entire government. I am a dictator but I killed every corrupt bastard that annoyed me and had their executions done at the hands of the people they wronged. I also speak out on any bullshit policies they put that will harm the people in the long run. Oh, I saw your handiwork in a few places. You tamed quite a bit. I expected more of a wipe a place off the map kind of thing." Jonah continued to ramble on while Kael was just happy to see his friend.
"My name is Azi." The student introduced to Jonah.
"Well Azi. Are you a Baltokian?" Then Azi just remembered, he put the staff aside and knelt before him.
"Forgive me.. Great Leader!"
"Hey hey.. It's fine. I got rid of that title. Just call me Jonah. Outside the country I'm just a normal person." Jonah said, helping Azi on his feet.
"You keep forgetting that you're a damn head of state you jackass. You can't just say it like it's nothing. That's not how being a Head of State works." Kael scolded Jonah who was still smiling.
"Mind if we talk for a bit Kael?" Jonah asked, his tone shifted greatly. From that classic joker to a serious Jonah. This shift? It was normal for Kael, because Jonah has always been a shifty bastard but when he changes to the serious Jonah. It has even made Kael realize how dangerous Jonah is. Jonah was a great leader in the many lives he was given as a King, people followed him without question. Even when they questioned. He made it clear what the plans he had for them were. So this conversation, was at the very least going to be interesting.
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