POV: Elior
Erza had been watching me train differently ever since the spar with Laxus.
Usually, she'd watch for a few minutes before getting distracted by something else.
Now she watched everything.
My stance.
My footwork.
The way I held my sword.
How I moved before attacking.
Even the way I breathed.
I noticed it again one morning while I was practicing in the training yard behind the villa.
I finished a series of strikes and lowered my sword.
Erza was standing near the edge of the yard.
She had probably been there for several minutes.
"How long have you been watching?"
"Since you started."
I smiled.
"That's a long time."
She walked toward me.
"El ni-san."
"Yeah?"
"I want to learn swordsmanship."
I looked at the five-year-old standing in front of me.
She was small.
Her hands were still tiny.
The sword I used would obviously be far too large for her.
But her expression was serious.
"You already know the basics."
"I want to learn properly."
"What changed?"
She looked down for a moment.
"Laxus surprised you."
I blinked.
"So that's what this is about?"
She nodded.
"When he hit you, you looked surprised."
I laughed.
"You noticed that?"
"Yes."
She looked up at me.
"I want to become strong enough that I can surprise you too."
There it was.
That determination.
I crouched down in front of her.
"Then we'll start properly."
Her eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
"But I'm not going to teach you everything I know."
"Why?"
"Because you're five."
She frowned.
"That shouldn't matter."
"It matters a lot."
I smiled.
"You have plenty of time. Right now, you need to build a foundation."
She nodded seriously.
"Okay."
I walked over to the small storage rack beside the training area and picked up one of the wooden practice swords.
I handed it to her.
She grabbed it with both hands.
Immediately, I noticed the problem.
She was holding it far too tightly.
"Relax."
She loosened her grip.
"Not that much."
She adjusted again.
"Better."
I pointed toward her feet.
"Now your stance."
She looked down.
"What about it?"
"Your feet are too close together."
She moved them apart.
"Like this?"
"Almost. Turn your front foot slightly."
She adjusted it.
"Good."
Erza looked at me expectantly.
"Now?"
"Now stand there."
Her expression dropped.
"That's it?"
"For the moment."
"But I want to swing."
"You will."
I folded my arms.
"First, you need to learn how to stand without losing your balance."
She stared at me.
Then she looked at her feet.
Then back at me.
"This is boring."
I laughed.
"Yes."
She frowned.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because every great swordsman starts with boring things."
She thought about that.
"Did you?"
"Absolutely."
That wasn't entirely true.
My natural talent had made learning almost everything ridiculously easy.
But that wasn't something I needed to tell her.
I wanted Erza to understand that strength wasn't something she could simply wish for.
She had to build it.
"Hold the position."
She did.
Ten seconds passed.
Then twenty.
Then thirty.
Her arms started trembling.
She shifted her feet.
"Don't move."
"I'm tired."
"I know."
"Can I rest?"
"Not yet."
She glared at me.
I smiled.
"Five more seconds."
She held on.
"One."
Her arms shook.
"Two."
Her legs trembled.
"Three."
She gritted her teeth.
"Four."
She looked like she wanted to throw the sword at me.
"Five."
She immediately dropped her arms.
I laughed.
"Good."
She looked offended.
"That wasn't good."
"It was."
I crouched beside her.
"You were tired, but you didn't quit."
Her expression softened slightly.
"Is that important?"
"Very."
I took the wooden sword from her.
"Strength isn't only about how hard you can swing."
I pointed toward her feet.
"It's balance."
Then her hands.
"Control."
Then her eyes.
"And knowing what you're looking at."
Erza listened carefully.
"Like when you fight Laxus?"
"Exactly."
"When you were fighting him, you weren't just looking at his fists."
I smiled.
"You were watching his whole body."
"His feet?"
"His feet. His shoulders. His breathing. The way his magic moved."
Erza's eyes widened.
"His magic?"
"Everyone's magic changes when they attack."
I extended my hand and let a tiny amount of Light Magic gather around my fingers.
"When you learn to recognize those changes, you can understand what your opponent is trying to do."
"Like predicting them?"
"Not exactly."
I shook my head.
"You're not seeing the future. You're simply learning to notice things other people miss."
Erza nodded slowly.
"I want to learn that."
"You will."
She smiled.
"I'll work hard."
"I know."
We continued training.
This time, I taught her a basic forward step.
She moved too far.
"Again."
She tried again.
Too short.
"Again."
She tried a third time.
Better.
I nodded.
"Good."
Her face immediately brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
She repeated the movement.
Again.
And again.
She was still clumsy.
Her movements were slow.
But she was learning.
More importantly, she was paying attention.
After nearly an hour, she finally dropped onto the grass.
"I'm tired."
"Good."
She looked at me.
"Why is being tired good?"
"Because it means you worked."
She smiled.
"Can we do it again tomorrow?"
"Of course."
The back door opened.
Irene stepped outside.
She had probably been watching us for a while.
"You're teaching her already."
Erza immediately looked up.
"Mother!"
Irene walked toward us.
"How was training?"
Erza stood.
"Hard."
Irene smiled.
"Good."
Erza looked surprised.
"Good?"
"If training is always easy, you're probably not learning much."
Erza nodded.
Irene looked at me.
"What did you teach her?"
"Balance, grip, footwork, and observation."
Irene nodded approvingly.
"Good choices."
She turned toward Erza.
"Show me your stance."
Erza immediately took position.
Irene watched silently.
Then she walked around her.
"Your shoulders are too tense."
Erza corrected them.
"Your weight is too far forward."
Another adjustment.
"Better."
Erza looked toward me.
"Was mine wrong?"
"It wasn't wrong."
I smiled.
"There's always something to improve."
Irene nodded.
"That's something you should remember."
Erza looked between us.
"I'll remember."
Irene gently placed a hand on Erza's head.
"You don't need to become strong quickly."
Erza looked up.
"I want to."
"I know."
Irene smiled.
"But don't rush."
"Why?"
"Because you're still growing."
She glanced toward me.
"Even Elior had to grow before he became what he is."
I looked at her.
"That's technically true."
She smiled.
"Then don't spoil her with your impatience."
"Me?"
I pointed at myself.
"I'm incredibly patient."
Irene raised an eyebrow.
Erza giggled.
"You're not."
"Et tu, Erza?"
She laughed.
Later that afternoon, we went to Fairy Tail.
Laxus was already there.
His eyes immediately went to the wooden practice sword in Erza's hands.
"You're training now?"
Erza nodded.
"Yes."
"With Elior?"
"Yes."
Laxus looked at me.
"She's serious."
"Very."
He looked at Erza.
"Don't expect to catch up quickly."
Erza's eyes narrowed.
"I will."
Laxus grinned.
"Good."
He pointed at her practice sword.
"Then keep practicing."
Erza nodded.
"I will."
Cana looked over from the table.
"Why does everyone around here want to beat El ni-san?"
I sat down beside her.
"I've been wondering that myself."
She smiled.
"Maybe you're too annoying."
"You're supposed to defend me."
"No."
I sighed.
Laxus laughed.
Erza sat beside me.
"El ni-san."
"Yeah?"
"Will you train with me tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"And the day after?"
"Of course."
"And the day after that?"
I smiled.
"You're planning this far ahead?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
I ruffled her hair.
"Then we'll train."
She smiled.
Laxus watched the two of us for a moment.
"She's going to be strong."
I looked at him.
"I think so too."
Erza looked between us.
"I'll surpass both of you."
Laxus laughed.
"That's ambitious."
"I'll do it."
I smiled.
"I know you will."
She looked at me seriously.
"Even if it takes a long time?"
"Even if it takes your whole life."
She nodded.
"Then I'll take my time."
That answer made me smile.
She didn't need to catch up to me tomorrow.
Or next year.
She didn't even need to become the strongest person in the world.
She just needed to keep moving forward.
I looked at her small hands wrapped around the wooden practice sword.
She was only five.
There was so much ahead of her.
Training.
Battles.
Pain.
Victories.
Failures.
Friendships.
A future she couldn't even imagine yet.
And for once, I didn't feel the urge to change any of it.
I could teach her.
I could protect her.
I could encourage her.
But her path had to belong to her.
She wasn't going to become another version of me.
She was going to become Erza.
And if she really intended to surpass me someday…
I'd make sure I was still strong enough to give her something worth surpassing.
I smiled.
"Come on."
She looked up.
"Where?"
"Food."
Her eyes immediately brightened.
"Strawberry cake?"
I laughed.
"Of course."
She grabbed my hand.
"Let's go, El ni-san!"
And just like that, our training day was over.