Padraic Whitehelm’s POV

I watched on with a smirk as Kaladin’s father reprimanded the two girls who sat on their knees for going too far. It was a turn of events that I had only managed to see one time. Typically it was Alanis getting chewed out for doing something uncouth, but I guess the man can be serious when the time calls for it.

And it’s for a good reason…this yard is utterly trashed. And that last battle…it got a bit too intense.

Kaladin cleared his throat and stepped toward his father. “Dad, it’s okay. The match only got that intense because Sylvia didn’t end it immediately. Neither of them was in serious danger, thanks to Sylvia. Also, Mom wasn’t even trying to win…she said she wanted to test if Sylvia could protect Mila and me, which she passed, right Mom?”

Huh?

Alanis looked over his shoulder at his son in pure confusion, then back to his wife. Mrs. Shadowheart just nodded and smiled fondly at Sylvia. “Huh? But still… your mother cut Sylvia’s hand in half and was about to slit her throat…and Sylvia was going to impale your mom with a blood spike. Kal, that’s a little much.”

Kal just shook his head. “Right, Sylvia?”

Sylvia shied away and nodded meekly. Kal’s mom narrowed her eyes and puffed her cheeks out. “Son, I understand your feelings but aren’t you cutting me a bit short? I had the upper hand for the majority of the fight, and I didn’t even go all out!”

Kal shrugged at his mother’s complaint, and the light drained from her eyes. “That’s not the case, and I have plenty I want to ask you, Mom. I’ve never even thought of lightning magic being used like that, and why didn’t you cast ranged spells? So many questions,” Kal said to himself.

Kaladin scanned out faces only for a deep frown to crease his lips. “Why are all of you looking at me like I’m crazy…I’m being serious,” Kaladin muttered in his defense.

“Because you're insane! Sylvia wasn’t winning by that much? Are you blind or just pretending?” I asked.

Kal sighed deeply and ran a hand across his face. “Sylvia, you can go show them if you like. If something ever happens, it may be beneficial that they understand your Blood Sorcery better.”

“Huh? Blood Sorcery? Is that some ancient type of Blood Magic? Is that what the wall of blood was all about,” Alanis mused.

“Even so, I’m not certain how I lost over a bit of blood. I didn’t even feel a spell core form—oww—”

Mrs. Shadowheart’s sudden whine came to an abrupt stop. As a matter of fact, it looked as if her entire body had stopped in the middle of her sentence. Her golden eyes were stuck wide open with her mouth partially agape as she stared at her hand in surprise. Her body didn’t even twitch. She looked as if a spell froze time just for her.

Then suddenly, Ms.Shadowheart gasped for air and fell to her knees. Whatever spell was cast was seemingly released. Kal’s father knelt down and patted his wife on the back. Kal looked on and just shrugged.

What the…what just happened?

“I told you so. Sylvia has full control over her blood even after it’s left her body. And with the smallest prick or cut, she can take over your body in an instant. Fighting Sylvia is a losing battle in most cases,” Kaladin stated. Sylvia blushed slightly, and her high-pointed Elven ears started wiggling.

Take over your entire body? That’s…frightening. I’ve never heard of such strong magic before.

“I think I get it…what powerful magic. To think that you can regenerate that quickly and you only need to make the smallest wound on your opponent to best them,” Alanis said to himself as he helped his wife to her feet. “Say Sylvia…what’s the most serious injury you’ve suffered from?”

Sylvia muttered something under her breath, but she managed to puff her chest with some pride. Her white fangs peeked out from her mouth as she smiled. “I was cut in half by the Dragon and managed to survive! Although it took me a bit longer to recover from that wound, then say…when I lost my leg to a monster in the dungeon.”

Lost a leg to a monster? Cut in half? By a Dragon…?

By my beard…

I thought maybe I wasn’t the only one horrified by the words leaving her mouth, but I was very wrong. “That’s amazing! Imagine all the things you could do to win a fight! You might be unstoppable!” Kal’s father praised.

Sigh…monsters just support other monsters, I guess…

A white blur swished in the corner of my vision as Cerila made her way toward Kal and his mother. The two were talking amongst themselves, and Kal seemed somewhat enthusiastic to be asking his mom questions about her magic. I suppose that was natural, considering the two shared similar schools of magic.

But Cerila had remained silent the entire fight. I mean, she never talked, but she still didn’t communicate with anyone the whole time. If anything, her entire attention was focused on the fight. I can’t be sure if she even blinked as she stood there with her arms crossed and her gaze deadly serious.

Cerila asked Kaladin.

For a moment, Kal seemed confused, but he slowly nodded his head with a smile. Kal looked down at Cerila’s leg and raised an eyebrow. Cerila nodded.

So…she is gonna use that sword instead, huh? Is she going to take him lightly? That may be a mistake…I wouldn’t say Kal is out of practice. Then again, Cerila is plenty strong in her own right.

Kal nodded and called out to his father. “Hey, Dad, can I borrow your spear?”

Alanis halted his conversation with Sylvia and had a look as if he was pondering his son’s request. But his decision was made. A long black spear that seemed to suck in the light appeared in his open hand. The amethyst gems socketed into the spear reflected the morning light. It was a beautiful weapon…expertly crafted in every regard.

I still remember when he let me hold that thing…what a joy that was…I wonder if I could even come close to making such a high-quality item.

I sighed and suppressed the urge to run into the closest forge. I suppose Headmaster Taurus permitted me to use the university's facilities when I felt like it despite not starting school till after winter. But I couldn't pass up this next fight. This battle has been in the making for almost seven years.

Kal swung the black spear in long and short arcs. The weapon made deep woosh sounds as it cut through the air. The weapon looked to be heavy, but I knew from firsthand experience that it was extremely light.

Typically a light spear would feel weak and flimsy in the hands of such a large man such as Alanis or Kaladin, but the metal used in the weapon’s construction was something else. Just because it was lightweight didn’t mean it was weak. If anything, it was the exact opposite. It was almost as if it was from a different world.

The backyard of the mansion was completely silent save our breaths. All the spectators lined up and watched with bated breath as Kaladin finished swinging the black spear. Kal let out a deep breath through his nose and gazed across the decimated yard at Cerila, who stood upright with her steel sword in hand.

The two of them didn’t say a word or even bother signing to each other, yet I felt like they were communicating somehow. Perhaps this is what it’s like to be a true warrior or something. I mostly just killed monsters because I had no other choice. Cerila was always the one who did the heavy lifting in a fight.

Guess that’s what happens when your mana enhancement is abysmal and you can’t use magic. You are just weak and have to rely on the strong to protect yourself. But somebody has to repair the strong’s gear…heh…

“Hey…Sylvia,” I whispered.

“What?”

“Can I see your sword?” I asked.

The Vampire narrowed her eyes and looked down at me in disgust. I felt a verbal tirade building on her lips, but she just ended up biting her own lip. “Later. And if you break my sword, I swear I’ll turn you inside out,” she threatened.

“Can your magic really do that?”

“I don’t know. Do you wanna find out?” she asked me coldly.

Ouch…scarry…

“I’m okay…later then,” I mumbled.

“How strong is Cerila?”

“Pretty damn strong. She is at least a Master ice mage. Her sword skills are nothing to scoff at either, considering Old Man Jacobs taught her. I’m not sure if I’d call her a savant with the sword, but…I’ve never seen her lose to anybody before.”

Sylvia scoffed to herself and just smiled. “First time for everything, I guess.”

Oh? I think Kal mentioned he was a Master mage and that he hadn’t touched a spear in years…there is no way he will come out of this on top. Then again…he did slay a Dragon…but he said it was a fluke…mmmm….

“We’ll see about that,” I said under my breath.

And as if my single comment was the start of the fight, Kaladin took a single step forward. Unfortunately for him, that’s all he managed. Kal’s parents let out shocked gasps in surprise. I suppose it has been a few years since they have seen Cerila’s magic in person.

Man…she didn’t hold back even a little bit…

I felt the spell core only for an instant before it turned into a giant block of dazzling blue ice. The ice made cracking noise and was as tall as the mansion behind us. It totally encased Kaladin in a blink of an eye. That’s just how fast Cerila’s casting was. She’s a monster in her own right.

“I told you. Kal didn’t even last—”

I couldn’t finish my sentence, and I felt a cold bead of sweat roll down my neck. Sylvia was looking at me from the side with a somewhat sadistic smile on her face. “Oh? I thought you were his best friend…guess that shows just how much you know about him. If you think a block of ice is enough to stop him, you are dead wrong.”

The sound of sizzling reached my ears and steam started to escape from the block of ice. A man-sized hole started melting away to reveal a shirtless mixed Dark Elf man who didn’t even have a single scratch on him. Steam rolled off his muscular and scarred body as he flicked his long wet, raven hair off his face.

He ran a single hand across the ice and nodded to himself with a smile. Kaladin asked Cerila.

Cerila blushed furiously as her pale skin turned bright red. She took another fighting stance, but her swaying tail was going at maximum speed, defeating her attempt at appearing serious. I could only sigh.

She definitely just took “beautiful” and ran off her imagination. Is that a case of selective hearing? Or…is that just selective reading for her? Whatever…

Sylvia poked me in the side. “Hey! What did he say?!”

Heh…

“Don’t worry about it. Nothing important, you can ask Kal later,” I said with a snicker.

I ignored the frustrated Vampire as Kal shot off at blinding speeds toward Cerila, and thankfully, Cerila didn’t hesitate to retaliate. Javelins made of blue ice soared off toward Kaladin, but my jaw dropped to the floor.

What the?! Where are they going?!

The air in front of Kaladin warped and looked off somehow, then suddenly, the Ice Javelinas just flew off in random directions! And one of them—

Slice.

The Ice Javelin never reached me as it was sliced in half. The silver blur disappeared as Sylvia looked at me with pity. “You’re not very strong…are you?”

“You’re just too damn strong! All of you are! And stop looking at me with pity in those eyes! I’m the normal one here!” I growled.

“Uh, huh…” Sylvia huffed.

Tsch. Damn woman…

Kaladin reached Cerila in just a few steps, her ice magic completely nullified by whatever weird magic he used. Is Kal an anti-mage by chance? No, he would have said so…does that mean… that was gravity magic?

The tip of Kal’s spear was aimed straight at Cerila’s heart. A moment of fear gripped me because I thought Cerila would hesitate, but thankfully it was unfounded. The screeching noise of metal on metal echoed through the yard as Cerila deflected the blow to her right. But Kaladin didn’t stop his advance.

Kal kept his momentum going forward despite being parried. There was no way for him to bring his spear around to strike Cerila, but the same wasn’t true for Cerila’s sword, as it was already coming across her body, poised to cut Kaladin across the chest. Kaladin didn’t even flinch as the blade ran across him, the wound wasn’t deep at all, but blood was drawn nonetheless.

Smack.

“Oh my…” Kaladin’s mom muttered in disbelief.

Kaladin’s first connected squarely with Cerila’s face. There was no hesitation in his strike. He didn’t even so much as blink when he punched her. I could never have imagined Kaladin striking Cerila like that, even if it was training. Not in a million years.

So…this is how he has changed…huh?

My heart ached, but I ignored it for the time being. Spittle sprayed from Cerila’s mouth, and her eyes were wide from the shock. She had utterly halted her attack for the moment.

Sylvia snickered to herself but kept her eyes on the fight. Kaladin had already brought his spear around, and the blunt end went straight into Cerila’s stomach, forcing her back. Cerila managed to parry another spear thrust as she tried to retreat from Kal’s onslaught.

The ground suddenly froze over with slick blue ice, but it was immediately covered over with a layer of stone that spread out from Kaladin’s feet. However, that was enough time to give Cerila room to escape.

Cerila gritted her teeth in frustration and gripped the handle of her sword until her knuckles turned bright red. Kaladin stared into her very soul with a cold, blank expression. Blood trickled down his chest and onto his pants. For some reason, despite his expression, I got the impression that he was somewhat frustrated with Cerila.

Why isn’t she on the attack? Cerila was always the one to strike first…why is she letting him gain the upper hand?

Cracks ran across the ground behind Kaladin, and they freed themselves from the earth. He pointed his spear toward Cerila, and the stone chunks flew toward her. Cerila let out a snarl as walls of ice sprouted from the ground to block the stones. I watched as one of the stone chunks suddenly grew multiple stone spikes and launched at Cerila from a different angle.

Cerila didn’t even bother turning to face the spell. She just extended her hand, and a cone of freezing air blasted the stone spikes, reducing them to white powder that was blown away by the wind. Cerila jabbed her sword forward, and rows upon rows of ice pillars broke through the ground.

Kaladin met the ice pillars with a wave of orange fire that only managed to consume some of the posts. For the first time, Kaladin seemed somewhat surprised that his magic failed him. One of the pillars had nearly extended into Kaladin directly, but a black blur cut the pillar in half before it could form ultimately.

I heard a whoosh, and Kaladin flicked around and cut down the Ice Javelins that had appeared from…the block of melting ice? Cerila used the distraction to close the distance, and now the two of them were trading blows. The sound of metal on metal rang out over and over again as the two clashed.

However, as the moments dragged on, it was clear that Kaladin was struggling. Cerila’s skill with the sword was well-polished and forged from years of brutal training. If Kaladin wasn’t lying, which I highly doubt he was, he was simply no match for Cerila in a duel with weapons alone.

Kal’s spear grazed Cerila’s Mythril gauntlets with a spine-chilling screech. He brought his leg around to kick Cerila, but she was ready and hopped back to avoid it. Then…then she tripped.

No…she didn’t trip…her leg…it’s caught in…sand?

Kaladin hopped into the air, and a weird-looking spiral stone spear formed next to him. The stone spear rotated and shot off with a loud bang. The three Elves to my side winced and let out groans of pain as they covered their ears from the surprise noise, but even they couldn’t look away.

I tried following the stone spear, but I couldn’t see it anymore after the bang. Cerila was falling onto her back and looked to be a goner. This reminded me…it reminded me of their last fight…

But the tides surely have shifted.

There shouldn’t have been any way for Cerila to dodge that spell. Whatever Kal did, he made that thing go so fast it couldn’t be followed with the eyes. Or, well, at least my eyes couldn’t see it. But Cerila wasn’t about to give up.

A grunt followed a loud clank. While falling back, Cerila managed to swing her sword and cut Kal’s spell in half. The two halves kicked up dirt as they lodged into the ground beside Cerila. But even so—

Oh…I need to stop assuming at this point…

For a moment, it looked as if a spear of earth was going to impale Cerila, but it was cut away by blue ice. Cerila fell onto a ramp made of her own magic and used it to escape Kaladin and regain her bearing. Cerila stood up and wiped off her shoulder.

She looked pleased with herself, but the moment she saw Kaladin’s expressionless face, any amount of joy she felt at the moment was wiped away in an instant. She looked almost mortified to see Kal looking at her like that. And even I was somewhat confused.

Cerila is putting up a good fight…why does he seem angry? Or, well…it just feels like he is angry.

A Fireball formed in Kaladin’s hand and raced toward Cerila. The Beastmen cut it in half with her sword and continued to cut down the next few. Kaladin had advanced once more, and the two were once again amid sword swings and spear thrusts.

On one of Kaladin’s thrusts, Cerila was able to lock her blade with the spear tip. Kaladin, unable to pull his weapon free, went for another punch, but Cerila wouldn’t be fooled twice. She let out a growl as she shoved Kal’s fist away and broke her sword free.

Two spires of ice broke from the ground in an attempt to crush Kaladin from the sides. But once more, the air around Kaladin’s flanks warped, and the spires were redirected backward. But Cerila was already forming another spell core.

A blue sword made of ice appeared in her hand and deftly blocked Kaladin’s spear. With her regular sword, she went to cut Kaladin on his extended arm, but Kaladin’s body jerked back suddenly…it was weird…it was like he suddenly started falling while standing…was that his gravity magic again?

He mentioned it briefly during his fight with Wyrm and Dragon…this sure does look more like “gravity” magic. It’s odd watching somebody’s body move like that. Sweat rolled down Kaladin’s body, and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. He didn’t appear to be fatigued, but he was starting to show some signs of strain…I suppose he did tell us that gravity magic was far more intense than his other schools of magic.

Even so, he doesn’t appear to be giving up. And neither does Cerila.

“Kaladin really found his type…” I muttered under my breath.

“What do you mean?” an icy voice asked me.

I blinked once and didn’t even bother turning my head. “He’s only into dangerous women that can kill him,” I said with a sigh.

I heard the rush of air beside me, but an attack never ended up reaching me fully. Kaladin narrowed his eyes, and I felt the hair on my arms stand up. Fear gripped my heart, making me forget that I was about to be assaulted by an incredibly dangerous and violent woman.

Then, there was a bright flash followed by a loud crack. The smell of burnt soil tickled my nose. Cerila had sidestepped a Lightning Bolt, and she quickly dodged another round as Kaladin launched them from the tip of his black spear.

One of the bolts arced off to the side and hit a puddle of water. Cerila froze the floor as she barely managed to avoid the charged pool. Kal was only a few steps away from Cerila when multiple chunks of earth flew toward her, threatening to crush her from all angles, even above.

Cerila let out another growl, and I felt the spell core from here. A burst of incredible blue ice spread like a blooming flower, destroying all the stone chunks instantly. Kal also found himself in the middle of the flower, and from there, our vision was blocked by the spell.

The sound of metal on metal rang out once more, and it felt like an entirety dragged on as the two clashed in the ice prison. I could hear ice crack and burst apart as well as a few Lightning Bolts followed by more metal clashes. Eventually, a singular howl rolled out.

It wasn’t a howl from a monster but the kind of howl a storm would make. A giant blizzard flew out from the top of the flower, and I felt the temperature drop immediately. My skin tingled from the cold, and my hot breath came out in a fog. Then, for just a few moments, the battlefield was silent.

Did she…freeze both of them?

I took a hesitant step forward, but I was jerked back by the shoulder. I felt fingers grip into my shoulder with surprising speed, and I bit my tongue. The person shot out from the icy flower and was barely a blur. They nearly collided with me.

“Can’t you be more careful,” I heard Sylvia say with a sigh.

I thought perhaps it was Kaladin but instead, I found Cerila on the ground. Her breath was ragged, and blood dripped from her mouth. Her face was already turning purple from the initial punch from Kaladin, and she looked worn down.

No way…she…lost?

The ice flower began cracking into pieces and falling to the ground. Kaladin slowly walked toward the down Cerila. His face still hadn’t changed one bit since the start of the fight.

He stood over Cerila, and she clenched the dirt with her fingers. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the dirt. Kal tossed his spear to his father and knelt down in front of her.

He used his hand to bring her face up so she would look at him. he asked.

Cerila’s let out a pained groan and shook her head. She tried to wipe her face with her dirty sleeve, but she just spread dirt and blood across herself.

A moment of confusion broke Kal’s cold expression. He narrowed his eyes, not in anger or frustration but as if to ponder her words.

He took a deep breath.

She looked up at him with teary eyes and a confused face. Kaladin just smiled softly at her.

Huh? A War God? That’s…not possible…she’s strong, don’t get me wrong…but a War God? Aren’t they supposed to be on a completely different level?

“Kal, are you sure about that?” his mother asked him.

Kal kept smiling.

He turned his attention back to Cerila, who was just looking at him with a blank expression. Tears rolled down her dirty, bloodied cheeks but despite her confusion and clear frustration, he kept smiling.

She nodded meekly, and fresh tears rolled down her face as she tried to furiously wipe them away. Kal gently held her by the arms and helped her to her feet.

“Kal…” Alanis muttered.

I looked at Sylvia, expecting her to be fuming, but she wore a kind smile as she watched on. But the second she felt my gaze, her cold crimson eyes snapped to me. “What are they saying, huh?” she said, her voice just as chilly as her gaze.

Crap…

“What is going on here!” a familiar voice shouted. “My yard! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!”

A man wearing a black and gray robe strode from the house. His long black hair bounced on his shoulders as he stomped forward. “ALL OF YOU! THERE IS A FACILITY FOR THIS TYPE OF TRAINING! YOU CAN ALL GO THERE FOR FREE! WHY!”

Ah, Headmaster Taurus looks about ready to pull his hair out.

“Kaladin! Sylvia! You two know better! Why— didn’t— you—just…” he stopped his tirade, and Headmaster Taurus’s body went rigid.

His eyes went wider than what should have been possible as he looked at Sylvia. Sylvia looked over behind her and over her shoulder, then back to the Headmaster.

The headmaster blinked once, then twice, then three times. He shook his head violently, and his fair flopped around like an animal. He wiped his eyes furiously and let out a sigh. He smiled to himself like he saw things, but his smile faded when he looked at Sylvia again.

“I came as soon as my wife told me…but I…I never imagined this…”