Footfalls echoed through one of the training halls of the recently reconstructed dojo as the boy clashed with a man.
Several weeks had passed since Morgan's meeting with Marcus and Damien.
Morgan silently dashed towards Frederick.
The two met in the middle of the hall, their blades flashing through the air at such blistering speed that they left afterimages.
"Ever since that day, I haven't been quite able to see the movements clearly, but I've become much faster. This time, I'll best him with skill alone."
Frederick grinned, lashing out with a flurry of stabs. Morgan kept up with all of his attacks.
Morgan dodged a stab and then ducked under the incoming follow-up blow.
He danced around Frederick, getting behind him, then lunged from his blind spot to catch him off guard.
With uncanny foresight, Frederick twisted around in the nick of time to meet Morgan's blades with his own
Their blades clashed in a song of steel, the sound reverberating throughout the hall.
Morgan bounced back on the balls of his feet, then fluidly executed a backflip, landing with his blades crossed in front of him.
Frederick pressed forward with a flurry of unpredictable strikes.
" He's picking up the pace; at this rate, he'll be the first to land a blow."
Frederick changed his pattern unpredictably, throwing Morgan off balance.
The grin on his face grew wider as he pressed his advantage.
"What's the matter? Can't keep up anymore?"
He feigned a lunge to Morgan's side, baiting him to guard, then sidestepped to Morgan's exposed side.
Morgan's eyes widened in shock when his legs were swept out from under him, but he flipped elegantly at the last second to escape Frederick's blade that whistled through the air in the space he had just been.
He swiftly landed a glancing kick on Frederick's arm before jumping back.
Sweat streamed down his face, rolling to the ground. His arms felt numb.
His legs were slightly trembling from the strain of repeatedly evading Frederick's insidious attacks while launching his attacks at such a frenetic speed.
His lungs felt like they were on fire from exerting himself so much in such a short period of time.
His breathing had long lost its measured tempo, becoming fast and erratic.
" I'm still not fast enough, somehow; he's still able to predict my attacks. There's still a gap in our strengths."
Morgan brandished his blades once more, preparing to dart forward.
" That's enough."
Luke's voice rang out, echoing through the hall.
He nonchalantly strode towards them, throwing both of them a bottle of water and a towel each.
Morgan shakily sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.
Frederick sat down beside him, sipping from his bottle.
" You're getting better day by day. Frankly, it's truly frightening. You've made so many improvements to your technique with those blades in so little time."
Morgan frowned, staring intently at his blades.
" I'm still not strong enough, I can't keep up with you. It feels like my previous win was a fluke. And ever since then, I haven't been able to win again."
Frederick stared at him in surprise.
" Kid, you must be joking. What you're doing now is not supposed to be possible. None of my former buddies in the army would take me seriously if I told them a runt not even half my age could take a blade and go toe to toe with me."
Frederick shook his head and gulped down a mouthful of water.
" Hell, even I didn't learn that fast. You're a real terror. You should be proud."
Luke smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Honestly, it's remarkable that you've grown this much in such a short period of time. Even for a Thane, your talent is truly monstrous."
Morgan sighed.
"Personally, I think you're as ready as can be, given the time we've had to prepare you. This will probably be our last training session for a while after you join the academy."
Morgan stood up and slightly bowed before Luke.
" Thank you for everything."
He turned slightly and bowed to Frederick as well.
" Thank you too. I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for you, too."
" Don't mention it, kid. Honestly, I'd like to thank you as well. These spars have helped me reflect on all the things I would have missed out on if I'd kicked the bucket. Besides, you'll be back for more soon enough."
Morgan got up to leave.
" Before I forget, there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you."
Morgan turned in curiosity.
" What's up?"
" Have you ever felt a strange sensation while fighting or something different?"
Morgan's eyes widened in surprise.
" Yes, there have been times when things suddenly felt clearer, and it felt like the world was somehow moving more slowly."
Luke gestured for him to sit.
" What you experienced is what we call awakening."
Morgan's eyes lit up
" Awakening? Like in the movies and books?"
Luke laughed in amusement.
" Not quite, but you could say that it's something like that."
"Awakening is unique to only a few assassins and for generations, this gift, if you can call it that, has run through the blood of the Thanes. It's what made them especially lethal even among the other families in the Brotherhood of Shadows."
" Brotherhood of Shadows?"
Luke glanced at him in surprise, then shook his head.
" What has Rebecca been teaching you? The Brotherhood is the name of the organization that binds all the Great families and assassins together. At the top of its hierarchy, we have the Council of Assassins. They preside over all the assassins and make the important decisions. The Council is made up of the great families and a few singular existences."
"You mean there are people on the council that don't belong to any family?"
Luke smiled and nodded.
" Yeah, those that are strong enough. They stand at the pinnacle of the world of assassins."
Morgan nodded in understanding.
" There's usually a trigger to this awakening. We discovered it can be caused by trauma, a life-or-death situation, or through the most extreme forms of training."
The strange speed that he'd used suddenly made sense.
It all clicked together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
" So that's how I was able to fight and dodge Frederick's attacks the first time."
Luke nodded.
" Awakening changes your perception of the world. Think of it like a kind of hack or boon in a game. Even without walking the path of an assassin, as long as you can tap into it, you'd be able to perceive the world as though it were in slow motion. Move inhumanely fast and be capable of inhuman feats of strength. It's inborn, innate."
A long silence filled the room as Morgan pondered the new knowledge he had obtained.
This discovery opened up new possibilities; it was an addition to his growing arsenal.
" So how can I use it? I've not been able to tap into it ever since my first fight with Frederick."
His eyes widened in realization.
" I think I know when I first awakened."
Luke glanced at him in surprise.
" You've experienced awakening even before your training? When was that?"
" I think I awakened when mum died." He said quietly
A somber silence filled the hall.
" This monster, he said his name was Zagrul, was attacking me. In that moment I felt terrified, I thought, this is it, I'm going to die, and suddenly everything slowed down, it was strange, I could see everything, and perceive everything all at once, I felt unnaturally calm, but I still wasn't fast enough to dodge his attacks or pose a real threat to him.
Luke patted his shoulder reassuringly.
" Things are different now. Besides, you'll only be able to master it the same way you've succeeded in coming this far. Through consistent training."
Luke got up, brushing the dust off his coat.
" If you master this gift, it'll give you an edge over the rest of your peers. Despite your late induction into this world, I'm sure you'll be a force to be reckoned with."
" Can you teach me how to use it?"
Luke shrugged helplessly, "I can't."
Morgan looked down in disappointment.
" But I know someone who can."
Morgan's eyes lit up in excitement. " Who would that be?"
Luke sighed and shook his head.
" Conrad. "
***
Later that evening, Morgan was in the library. The musky scent of old paper wafted through the room, accentuating the peaceful atmosphere. Conrad was strangely absent.
"Will Conrad be joining us today?"
Rebecca raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Where is this coming from?"
"Luke told me about awakening and how it happens."
Rebecca sighed dismissively, then shook her head.
"Awakening doesn't happen to everyone. Even among the Thanes, it's quite rare."
"But I did awaken," Morgan muttered quietly.
"You awakened?!" She cast him a sideways glance, then trembled slightly.
Rebecca burst into laughter, then snorted in a very unladylike way.
Morgan stared at her seriously
" Wait, you're serious? "
Morgan nodded silently.
" Wow, that's...unreal."
I realized that I had awakened the night my mother died.
"Can you tap into it at will? Oh, so that's why you need Conrad."
"Someone call my name?"
Conrad materialized on the plush couch without making a sound. Morgan jumped up in surprise.
" Can't you enter like normal people?" Rebecca snarled.
Conrad smirked in amusement.
"Well, I'm not normal, darling, and we both know I might as well make the most of it."
"Can you help with my awakening?" Morgan asked seriously.
"Sorry, kid, can't help you with that, it's a unique thing. You'd have to be awakened for anything of the sort to happen."
"I've already awakened."
Conrad laughed as well before dropping his glasses to pierce Morgan with a serious gaze.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
Conrad enthusiastically slapped Morgan's back.
"Damn kid, you're even more monstrous than I was when I was your age."
"So will you help me?" Morgan asked.