Elias Leywin POV
A teal blade arced down towards me.
I raised my left arm to intercept the strike, gathering wind mana from the air around me and focusing it upon a singular point just before the blade.
The dense wind mana shimmered slightly as the sword's arc slowed drastically as it moved down through it.
I sidestep entirely by firing a burst of mana at my left foot.
Gathering mana to the wand in my right hand, I formed a blade of wind mana. The newly cast spell glowed a low green as I struck up towards the older boy.
He shifted a flicker of movement, too fast to follow.
Steel met condensed wind, and a ringing clash echoed across the training grounds as Arthur caught my strike mid-air with the flat of his sword. His teal blade crackled, lightning surging along its length.
I barely got my blade back before a pulse of electricity arced out from his sword into mine.
I dismissed the wind mana, switching over to earth mana instead and began to prepare a spell that I've been saving for this situation; shaping the earth mana into a conical yet hollow and blunt form, then rotating it to a high velocity.
"Stone Cannon"
The aerodynamic form of my spell exploded from my wand like a bullet.
It howled through the air, a swirling shot of pressure and force aimed straight at Arthur's chest.
He planted his foot and slashed downwards. His blade cut through the air just before the Stone Cannon reached him.
Boom!
The detonation kicked up a burst of dirt and wind, blasting a crater in the grass and forcing him back a few steps. I saw him grimace slightly, his shirt rippling from the impact, bits of stone stuck inside his flesh, hair blown back.
But he's still standing.
And already moving.
I barely had time to form a barrier before he was on me again.
Clang!
His blade hammered down against a wall of hardened stone, the pressure groaning under the weight of his strike. I staggered back, my boots dragging through the grass.
He didn't let up.
Lightning flickered down the length of his sword again as he slashed, feinted, and drove forward with relentless precision.
I channeled wind into my legs, leaping sideways and landing near the edge of the training field. I suck in a breath, refocusing my mana channels.
"Come on, Lias," Arthur says calmly. "You can do better than that."
I couldn't help but grit my teeth in frustration.
'He's right.' I thought to myself
I lowered my left arm towards the ground. From beneath the soil, sharp stone pillars erupted like jagged teeth, forming a loose ring around me.
They encircle the area in a protective arc, tall and uneven, cracks glowing faintly with residual mana. Each one is anchored deep and sturdy, a solid defence I could control.
I exhaled, taking a chance at a break I could muster.
But only for a moment.
My brother didn't slow down.
He vanished again with one smooth step in a burst of wind-assisted movement, reappearing at the top edge of the ring. His figure outlined in the golden light of the sun, flames flickering off his limbs as if answering to his will. He stood there like an untouchable force of nature.
"Changing the terrain won't help if you don't take control of the tempo," he said, and then he moved.
He dove from the top of a pillar.
I thrusted my wand up and shouted,
"Earth Lance"
A spear of jagged earth broke off from one of the nearby pillars, launching toward him midair.
He shifted just enough for it to graze past.
Boom!
The lance detonated in a small burst of rock and compressed wind as I detonated a second spell behind it.
"Gale Shock"
The smoke cleared, and he landed hard, 'seems like his wounds are acting up'.
I seized the chance that was presented to me.
Focusing wind mana into my legs again and launching myself at him, the world blurring past in a tunnel of air. My wand led, a blade of green slicing low, then high in a swift combo.
He parried the first.
Ducked beneath the second.
But I'm already twisting midair, my left palm slamming into the ground.
The earth responded instantly as the ground beneath him softened, sinking his feet within, then reforming around them, effectively trapping him within.
He staggered, losing his balance for a fraction of a second, only to regain it after a moment, earth mana reversing the ground back to normal.
But I wasn't idle.
The stones respond instantly as two smaller pillars shoot up, one behind Arthur and one at his feet, meant to trap his stance.
He reacted nearly instantly. His foot snapping down with precision, a pulse of mana rippling outward. The ground at his feet fractured, shattering my rising pillar into rubble before it could lock him in place.
At the same time, he pivots, his blade arcing in a tight circle that deflected the second pillar erupting from behind him, slicing through the stone as though it were soft clay.
"Tch-" I clicked my tongue in frustration, barely catching the flash of lightning building along the length of his sword.
The air around us hummed with static, prickling against my skin. I kicked off the ground, channelling wind into my legs to launch myself back just as he slashed horizontally. A jagged arc of electricity tore through the space I had been standing in a heartbeat before, scorching a black line across the grass.
"What the hell, bro?" I questioned as I continued my retreat.
"At least I didn't blast you with a spell that exploded on impact and left shrapnel." He retorted.
I raised my wand, pushing earth mana into the ground beneath him while simultaneously pulling the surrounding mana into my core. The mana streams resisted each other, tugging in opposite directions, but I forced them together. The soil bulged upwards, and I twisted the wind into the moving earth, shaping it into a spinning cone.
The vortex of rock and air shot upwards, aiming to throw him off balance.
Art planted his sword into the ground, flames surging along its blade. The heat slammed into my spell, a molten glow spilling across the swirling stone before the entire construct burst apart in a hiss of superheated wind and crumbling rock, which tried embedding into him, only to be pushed back by his clearly stronger mana augmentation.
I shielded my face from the blast, coughing as smoke and dust filled the air.
"Do you have a kink for blasting people with rock?" his voice came through the haze, closer now.
I whipped my wand around, a wind blade already mid formation, but he was already inside my guard. His sword flicked up and knocked my wand skyward, and in the same motion, his free hand channeled a thin thread of water around my ankles, which instantly hardened into ice.
He swept my legs from under me with the flat of his sword before I could shatter it, sending me crashing onto my back.
The sky spun above me.
I raised one hand to my head, "Aw", I said with a groan, golden light already surrounding the wounded area.
My brother sat down next to me and patted my chest, "It's not that bad, just heal up, and heal me too while you're at it," he said with a sigh.
"Yea yea", I said, waving my left hand at him as a brilliant golden light shone up from my hands.
I sat up holding an arm out to my brother as I bathed him in the golden light, the small cuts and scuffs on his body stitching themselves back together and the chunks of rock embedded within him fell down to the ground with a thud.
~~~
I fiddled around with the collar of my white dress shirt.
'These damn buttons!'
My eyes were almost twitching as I yet again failed to thread it through the hole.
A taller figure with a black ponytail and red eyes stepped in front of me and snatched it from my hands, then succeeded in her first attempt.
"Thanks, big Sis", I said with a grateful smile to my brother's guardian.
She nodded at me as she made her way to the carriage outside, awaiting my family.
I quickly follow the woman, sitting by the window next to my brother and opposite Ellie.
Mother and Father weren't far behind. Father ducked slightly to step into the carriage, even though the roof was plenty high enough for him.
Mother glided in after him, the faint scent of lavender drifting in with her. She gave me one quick look over, as if to make sure I didn't somehow manage to wrinkle everything in the five seconds she wasn't watching, then seemed satisfied.
The carriage door shut with a soft thunk, and the horses snorted as the driver set them in motion. The cobblestone road clattered beneath the wheels, a steady rhythm that filled the brief silence before conversation started.
"So," Ellie started, leaning forward on her seat, "Art, are you finally excited? Or are you still pretending you don't care about your birthdays?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not pretending. I just... don't think they're that big of a deal."
Ellie gasped in mock outrage. "Not a big deal?! You're eleven! That's..." She paused, clearly searching for something important to attach to the number. "That's older than ten!"
I smirked. "Wow, El, you're a genius."
Her cheeks puffed out in indignation, and Mother quickly hid a smile behind her hand. Jasmine, who was quietly sitting beside Arthur, just shook her head.
Father chuckled. "I think what your sister means," he said, looking at Arthur, "is that you've done a lot in these eleven years. That's worth celebrating."
Arthur looked down at his lap, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He didn't argue this time.
The ride into the city took longer than usual, the evening streets were busy, and lanterns were being lit one by one, casting warm halos of light across the stone road.
The sky had shifted into a deep indigo by the time the carriage had rolled to a stop.
The driver opened the door for us, Father stepped out first, offering his hand to Mother. Arthur, Ellie, and I as we followed, our shoes clicking against the stone. Jasmine was last, scanning the street with that always-alert gaze of hers before heading inside.
The moment we entered, the warmth and aroma hit me at once from freshly baked bread to slow-cooked meats, and something sweet I couldn't quite name. The air hummed with quiet conversation, silverware clinking softly against plates.
A host in a neat uniform greeted us with a practised smile. "Leywin party?"
"That's us," Father replied.
We were led through a softly lit dining room, past tables dressed in white cloth and decorated with small vases of pale yellow flowers. Our table was set near one of the tall windows, giving us a view of the lamplit street outside.
I slid into my seat to Arthur's right whilst my sister was at his left. Mother sat across from us, Father and Jasmine flanking her.
Menus were passed around, their covers a deep burgundy leather that felt smooth beneath my fingers. Inside, the neatly written words were full of dishes I've never heard of, each one with a name longer than the last.
Arthur studied his menu with the same concentration he used when training, while Ellie pointed at different options with wide eyes, whispering to herself like she was weighing life-changing decisions.
I glanced over at Mother, who seemed completely at ease, already sipping on a glass of water the server brought over. Father was scanning the wine list with the quiet seriousness of someone who's not about to admit he's really just looking for the one name he recognized.
Jasmine's posture as perfect as always, her expression calm but observant, like she's reading the entire room before even deciding what to eat.
The waiter returned, smiling politely. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"
"I'll have apple juice, please," Ellie said before anyone else can speak.
"Same here!" I mirrored, raising my right hand high.
Arthur ordered a spiced cider, Mother and Father made their choices of wine, while Jasmine requested water.
As the waiter walked away, Ellie leaned forward again, resting her chin in her hands. "So, Art," she said, "have you made a birthday wish yet?"
Arthur shook his head. "It's not my birthday yet."
"It's close enough," she insisted. "If you don't say it now, you might forget."
"I won't forget," he flatly replied, but his tone wasn't unfriendly.
"Fine," Ellie huffed, "but if you don't get a dragon for your present, don't come crying to me."
I laughed, earning a playful glare from her. "Yeah, Art. Dragons. Totally realistic."
"You'd be surprised," Arthur muttered, a little too casually, which only made Ellie narrow her eyes in suspicion.
Our drinks arrived not long after, the server setting each glass down with practised care.
I took a sip, and the sweetness instantly flooded my mouth, smooth and refreshing. Ellie's reaction was the opposite. She took a huge gulp, let out an exaggerated "ahhh," then grinned at Arthur like she'd just won some invisible contest.
The waiter didn't give her time to gloat for long. "And have you decided on your meals?"
Arthur ordered first, choosing a medium-rare steak with roasted vegetables. I went for a plate of herb-roasted chicken, my stomach already rumbling at the thought. Ellie picked a pasta with a name so long she stumbled halfway through, which earned her a patient smile from the waiter. Mother and Father settled on fish dishes, while Jasmine ordered something I've never heard of.
The table slipped into an easy rhythm of chatter once the waiter was gone. Father started a story about his first attempt at cooking during one of his hunting trips—something about a pot of stew, a missed branch, and the unfortunate result of the whole thing tipping over into the fire.
"Did you at least get to eat it?" I asked.
"Not a drop," he replied, shaking his head solemnly. "We had to eat half-burnt bread and smoked berries that night." he continued, earning snickers from my sister and me.
The food arrived before long, and for a moment, the whole table went quiet. The plates were almost too perfect to touch, my chicken glistened under the candlelight, the golden skin crackling with herbal lining.
The first bite was heavenly. The chicken's skin crisp and fragrant, the meat tender and juicy beneath. I let out a satisfied hum before I could stop myself.
"This is amazing," I murmured.
Arthur didn't say anything, but the way he cut into his steak and immediately went for a second bite said enough.
Halfway through the meal, Ellie leans over and points her fork at Arthur. "Let me try yours."
Arthur sighed, slightly sliding his plate toward her. She took one bite, chewed thoughtfully, then declared, "Okay, fine, yours is better."
"I told you," Arthur hummed, retrieving his plate with a small smirk.
Dessert felt like the final challenge in a long battle against my own stomach, but I was not giving it up. We shared a towering chocolate cake draped in a dark glaze, the top scattered with delicate curls of white chocolate.
A large white candle stood alone on the top layer of cake as it was presented before my brother.
The warm glow flickered across his face, as my father then said "Better make a good wish." A grin creeping onto his face.
The rest of us fell silent, the clink of cutlery and low hum of the dining room fading into the background. Arthur studied the flame for a moment before taking a slow breath and blowing it out in one clean puff.
"So what did you wish for, sweetie?" my mother asked while cradling her face.
My brother laughed to himself as his grin grew wider, "If I tell you it won't come true, now will it?"
He retorted, earning snickers from the rest of us seated.
~~~
I opened my mouth and let the room's mana-rich air flood my lungs.
After holding it for a few seconds, I let out a heavy exhale.
I repeated the process until I felt movement from behind me. Deciding to ignore it, I allow its continued approach.
After a brief recompense, I felt a piece of paper tap against the back of my head.
"You're getting better at that", the voice stated warmly in that usual tone.
I laughed at her comment, "I'd hope so, Grandma".
I opened my eyes to see the old woman I'd grown accustomed to training under these past two years smiling down at me, letter in hand.
My eyes immediately narrowed on the paper in her hand, my curiosity bettered me and I asked, "So what's with the letter?"
"How would you feel about taking a class excursion to Zestier?"
WC - 2875
Thanks for reading this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. 😊
All Criticism and feedback are welcome. Any suggestions for the story or plot are also more than welcome.
You guys are insane, hitting the like goal in under a day. Sorry about taking so long to realise I hadn't quite finished up yet.
Fourth fucking chapter of the week. I'm tired.
Swans lost, fuck Sheehan, go die in a fire Jay Fulton.
Special Thanks to LancelotDragonroad for editing this Chapter.
If there are any questions, feel free to message my Discord - Navarius13
If we're all still alive, the next chapter will be released at 20 likes or on Wednesday.
Rius out.