The next day, Kia came to my room early in the morning.
She told me she wanted to show me something after breakfast.
I had no idea what it could be, so I spent the entire morning trying to figure it out.
Nothing came to mind, so I gave up.
After we both finished our breakfast, Kia escorted me to another room.
This room was on the other side of the castle, so it took some time before we arrived there.
The only entrance to the room was a set of sliding doors, made out of fine-cut wood and thin layers of cloth.
Kia opened them, somewhat with force, before we entered the room.
I was surprised at what I saw inside.
The floor was matted like a dojo, dimming red in colouration, while the walls surrounding it were covered with a large variety of weapons and armour.
And although the weapons looked like they were ripped straight out of a fantasy-RPG, I was equally amazed by the different kinds of armour and their unique designs.
In the middle of the room stood a large court, floored with dark brown planks.
The court was about half the size of the room, and was separated into two equal halves.
On the other end of the room, against the back wall, stood a bunch of wooden training dummies.
"And why are we here, exactly?" I asked Kia, who moved on ahead of me.
Sitting on the ground in front of her was a wooden box, filled with an array of wooden weaponry.
She knelt down and scrambled through it, until she stood up and held two wooden swords in her hands.
"To train you, of course."
Without warning, she chucked one of the swords to me.
"W-Wait, what?! Y-You want to train me? Surely you're joking?"
"Last night, whilst I laid in bed, I pondered the things I could do to help you during your stay here. Something that would prove useful besides my kind words and attitude. And then it came to me."
She made it sound like she got an epiphany, moving her arms to and fro to add to that illusion.
Regardless, I was happy to hear that she wanted to help me.
Having said that, whether this training would be useful to me was still to be seen.
"But why train me? I don't know what you think of me, but I doubt that I could ever live up to your expectations."
"Don't say that!"
I raised my head and looked her in the eyes.
Kia carried a serious expression on her face, one I hadn't seen before.
It was both terrifying and stunning to witness.
"You may label me foolish, yet you and I have more things in common than you might think. For a long time, I too doubted my own strength and belittled the impact my actions could have on others. Being a princess and the expectations that come with it did not make that pain any less easy to bear, but I digress. One day, when I found myself in this very same room, I was ordered by my instructor to grab a sword and swing it. Nothing more, nothing less. At first, I did not see the use of such a purposeless practice. Nevertheless, I did what I was told to and started swinging. I swung, and swung, and swung. Over time, all senses in my arms faded away, it became harder to breathe, and my entire vision became blurry. In all honesty, I thought I would faint. Notwithstanding, I continued to swing that sword. You want to know why?"
I nodded my head, having listened attentively to her story.
"When I realized that I would succeed my father one day, I knew that I needed to be strong when that day arrived. Strong enough, not only to lead my people, but to protect them too. So, I put all my doubts, worries, and fears beside me and focused solely on swinging that sword. For every swing I made was not only the hope of myself, but my people as well."
She paused for a moment and then added:
"In short, all you need is a reason to believe in yourself."
Her words reminded me of what Rai said to me right before I died, that I had not yet found my reason for living.
Was this the world's way of telling me I should finally do so?
"Still, I don't know if…"
I didn't finish my sentence, because I was too scared Kia would get upset at me again.
"I believe in you, Shako. And you should, too."
The look in her eyes was so serious, it dumbfounded me.
And the words she said were spoken with such kindness, I couldn't find a way to counter her.
I then understood how big the difference between us was.
Kia was strong, brave, kind, and beautiful; traits of which I possessed none.
She had managed to conquer her fears by sheer willpower, because she knew so many people depended on her.
It actually made me feel quite jealous.
However, if she was willing to put her faith in me, then I would try to do the same.
Even if it would lead to nothing.
"Thank you, Kia."
"No problem. Just make sure to keep having faith in yourself."
After that, I followed Kia to the court in the middle of the room.
"The world of Fira is filled with all sorts of dangerous phenomena. The various types of terrains, monsters, and rogue parties, combined with the half-immortality we Firans possess, can make travelling around a true nightmare for those who do not know how to defend themselves properly."
"And is that why you wanted to train me?"
She nodded.
"For now, I believe it would be best if we trained your handling first. A bad technique is often the first cause of someone's downfall. Grab the hilt of your sword with both hands and stretch out your arms."
I followed her instructions and held the blade in front of me.
"Good. Now put your dominant foot in front of your weak."
I listened carefully to what she told me and put my right foot in front of my left.
"Excellent! Finally, raise your arms and swing your sword. Make sure to keep them stretched and put some power behind it."
I raised my sword above my head and swung it as hard as I could.
As I did, I felt some sort of relief drop off my shoulders.
"See. Not that difficult, right?"
After that, Kia ordered me to repeat that same motion, again and again.
She kept observing my every move with crossed arms and keen eyes, granting help when needed.
After some time, the feeling in my arms slowly disappeared.
Moving them became more and more difficult, and the sweat dripping down my body didn't make things any easier.
In fact, because my hands were so sweaty, holding firmly onto the sword became more difficult as well.
At the end of the exercise, my arms had turned into two giant, floppy noodles.
I clasped my knees while gasping for air.
"Ah… I'm beat!"
At that moment, the door of the room slid open and Astress walked in.
Kia had asked her to bring us some drinks for when we were done.
In her hands, she held a metal tray with two glasses of juice.
"As you requested."
Kia grabbed one of the glasses and immediately took a big swig.
Next, Astress walked towards me and muttered:
"And this one is for our guest."
After I grabbed my glass, she stated:
"Now, if you will excuse me, I have other tasks to attend to."
She was standing in the door frame when Kia grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Actually…could you help me with something, Astress?"
"And what exactly would you mind me doing, My Lady?"
Kia looked over her shoulder at me and answered:
"I would like to give Shako a demonstration."
The look in Astress's eyes betrayed her disgust at Kia's request.
She pressed her teeth against her bottom lip, drawing a beat of blood.
Knowing how much she disliked me, I was surprised to see her even disobey Kia if it came down to it.
"With all due respect, My Lady, but I won't–"
Out of nowhere, Kia swung her hand and slapped Astress's cheek.
The sound echoed throughout the room and an awkward silence followed.
While Kia appeared joyful mere seconds ago, now all that joy had disappeared from her face in a mere instant.
It was similar to the sudden outburst she had when I mentioned Lucifer to her when we first met.
As if an entirely different person was standing before me.
Seeing her like this terrified me.
"We already went over this, Astress Belluvi. Either you treat him with respect, or I will see to it that you may be punished accordingly. You cannot let the past haunt you, how much it might hurt. I should know, since..."
She suddenly stopped talking.
Whatever she was about to say, she either could not find the words or courage to do so.
"Anyway, did I make myself clear?"
Astress, flabbergasted, rubbed her hand over her already swollen cheek.
I could tell she was trying her hardest to remain composed, though Kia's action and words had definitely shocked her.
"Yes, My Lady!"
"My apologies for hitting you, Astress. I..."
However, Astress shook her head and insisted that it was deserved.
She even went as far as to say she got off lightly, a statement Kia could only reach an eyebrow to.
Having settled things, from the looks of it, the two moved to separate sides of the court and prepared for their demonstration.
"Pay good attention, Shako, for you might pick something up from this."
She threw away the wooden prop she was holding in her hands and unsheathed the golden sword hanging on her belt.
Startled, I asked her if it was really necessary to use a real sword.
"Do not fret. I will not hurt her. Astress is a master at close-quarter combat. She will be perfectly capable of protecting herself against me."
"Saying that, I must confess, I never had the honour of battling Lady Kia before."
When I inspected Astress, I noticed that she wasn't carrying any weapons.
Voluntary or not, she would be at a huge disadvantage if it stayed this way.
Astress noticed me staring at her and asked:
"What is the matter?"
"Well, I was thinking, wouldn't it be unfair if you didn't use a weapon?"
With a scowl, she retorted:
"How rude! Must I truly clarify that all servants of the Diablo family are trained to fight off any kind of hostile, no matter their size, what weapons they wield, or how powerful they might be. The very fact that you doubt my strength is not only an insult to myself, but us servants as a whole."
Despite the clear anger in her voice, loyalty and devotion were overwhelmingly present in her words as well.
Perhaps – no – I was too hasty to question her capabilities.
All I wanted was for them to avoid harming each other, just for the sake of performing 'a demonstration'.
"Astress, are you ready?"
"But of course, My Lady!"
"Alright, then! Let us commence. One! Two! THREE!"
On three, Kia dashed towards Astress at immense speed.
She was moving so fast, I could barely keep up with her.
Has she always been this fast?
She was already standing right in front of Astress, who seemed unsurprised by her opponent's quick movements.
Kia swung the blade towards her, but she ducked underneath it before it could slice her head off.
Then, Astress turned her body and swung her foot towards Kia's face, but she easily managed to dodge it.
What Kia didn't expect, however, was the follow-up punch Astress would throw right after.
She fortunately managed to block it with her arm in time, but the sheer strength behind Astress's attack made her move backwards.
And although she didn't seem hurt, her arm was already starting to turn blue.
Now I see why Astress didn't need any weapons.
Getting hit by those fists of hers would be the same as getting hit by a bus.
"Excellent, Astress! However, you will need more than that to best me."
"I assure you, My Lady, I am still warming up."
The two then continued their demonstration.
At first, I thought Kia might actually lose.
Astress had managed to pressure her in a corner and was firing punch after punch at her.
It wasn't looking too good for Kia, but slowly and surely she began to gain the upper hand.
Astress managed to land a few more punches, but was now forced to take a more defensive approach instead.
Kia gave her no time to breathe and to launch a counter-attack, which became less frequent the longer their fight went on.
In just a few moves, Kia had managed to completely turn the tables on Astress.
"I am most certainly impressed. Only a handful of people have ever managed to survive this long against me."
The two were covered in sweat, panting and heaving for their lack of oxygen.
This fight had gone on longer than they had anticipated, making me feel slightly worried.
"I am most honoured to hear that! However, I am only doing my job as a servant of the Diablo family."
A slight smirk formed on Kia's face before she whispered:
"It appears I have to go all out then."
Both Astress and I were surprised by what happened next.
Kia closed her eyes and steadied her breath.
A few seconds later, her legs were covered in bright orange flames.
Heat emerged from the place she stood, drying out all the air and evaporating all the moisture inside the room.
Astress braced herself for what was coming next, holding her fists in front of her face.
"May the Light of Day bless me with its abundant presence! MORNING GLORY!"
Kia's legs glowed brighter and emitted even more heat.
I was scared she might set the entire room on fire, but thankfully I didn't have to worry about that happening.
Kia leaned her body forward and launched herself towards Astress, but all I saw was a yellow blur.
Before Astress could react, Kia was already pressing her blade against the side of her neck.
"Checkmate!" Kia announced triumphantly.
At first, Astress appeared to be in shock, as was I, but that shock soon turned into relief.
"Congratulations, My Lady!"
Kia withdrew her blade and sheathed it again, a sigh of exhaustion escaping her lips as she did.
What had I just witnessed?
I know this was supposed to be a mere demonstration, but the speed and power they fought at had blown my mind.
Also, what were those flames around Kia's legs?
Before I could get an answer to either of those questions, Astress yelled:
"My Lady, your arm!"
Astress grabbed Kia's wrist and held it towards her. The arm she used to block Astress's first punch with had turned completely purple.
Upon inspecting it further, I even noticed part of it was slightly off angled.
It was definitely broken, yet Kia looked at it as if everything seemed perfectly normal.
"Oh, that? Do not worry. Trust me, the wound looks worse than it is."
But when Astress moved one of her hands to grab onto Kia's forearm, Kia let out a shriek of pain and through gritted teeth hissed a curse at the gods above.
"Do not lie to me! Dammit, this is all my fault. If I had just held back, you would not have to suffer this pain."
"Astress, this is not your fault. Remember, I was the one who ordered you to partake in this demonstration with me. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be me."
Guilt drooped off Astress's face.
No matter how many times Kia would tell her it wasn't her fault, I sensed Astress wouldn't comply.
For that, she was too devoted to Kia, placing her own self-esteem underneath the girl who stood in front of her.
Whether it was right or wrong didn't matter, it all came down to principle.
A principle she'd follow like a rule set in stone.
Without thinking, I stepped forward and told her:
"Astress, I may not be the right person to say this, but Kia's right. You shouldn't blame yourself for doing something you had no control over."
I fully suspected Astress to throw a mean comment back my way, however, surprisingly, that comment never came.
Instead, with an expression revealing her own embarrassment, she glanced at me and mumbled:
"If you say so."
It took me by surprise, hearing those words from her.
She then turned back to Kia and closed her eyes.
"Mend that which has been broken, heal that which has been tainted! AURORA LIGHT!"
The hand that was holding onto Kia's forearm began to glow brightly orange.
A warm and kind breeze blew around the room and against my skin.
It sort of reminded me of the spring winds, their soothing touch that could ease any pain.
Slowly, the purplish colouration on Kia's arm ebbed away and the off-angled part returned to its former shape.
Only a minute had passed, but that was all it took for Astress to heal Kia.
"What was that?"
"I just used my Gift to restore Lady Kia's wounds, although it is possible she may still feel some pain now and again."
"Gift?"
Her brow narrowed, a look of confusion forming on her face.
"Has My Lady never informed you about Wielders?"
I shook my head when Kia acknowledged her oversight.
"That is right. In my efforts to get Shako to stay here, I forgot to tell him."
She turned to me and started explaining.
"When a Firan reaches a certain age, they manifest the ability to conjure part of nature's powers. We call those powers Gifts, and the people using them Wielders. Like Astress mentioned, she utilized hers to treat my wound."
She held out her arm, showing me that there were no signs of damage left.
"Each realm is specialized in wielding its own element of nature. My people have an especially strong affinity towards wielding fire, which is why our Gifts are akin to it. Elysians, therefore, are also referred to as Flamewielders."
"My Gift is called Aurora Light. It lets me heal wounds and cure diseases, however I cannot entirely take away the pain that comes with them."Astress clarified.
[Flamewielder Skill: Aurora Light| Description: The user illuminates their hands, emitting a warm and soothing heat. This heat, when channelled directly onto a specific spot, can cure injuries and illnesses. The heat alleviates only a small portion of the pain one experiences.| Tier: Level 3]
Next, Kia announced proudly:
"And mine is called Morning Glory. By storing energy inside my body, I allow it to enhance my own physical capabilities for a brief period of time. In addition, I can use it to strengthen my weapons as well."
[Flamewielder Skill: Morning Glory| Description: The user stores energy inside their body, then uses it to boost their own physical capabilities or to increase their weapon's strength. When the user uses enough energy, vivid orange flames will appear. The user can release the energy too, incinerating whatever's been hit. | Tier: Level 4]
She waited for me to catch up on what she told me before asking:
"So, did you learn anything from our demonstration?"
"Well, if there's one thing I can think of, it'd be that I definitely have to train a lot more before I can get at you guys' level."
"With enough perseverance and regular training, I am certain you will."
Yet right after, she surprisingly stated:
"I do want to clear one misunderstanding, Shako. I admit I offered to train you myself, yet my duties as princess do not always allow me to. Therefore, I believe it would be better if Astress were to become your mentor instead."
Both Astress and I looked dumbfounded at her, but it was Astress who responded first.
"My Lady?! S-Surely you want to reconsider this."
Kia turned around and grabbed Astress's hands.
"Astress, do not see this as an order, but as a request – from one friend to another. Please."
The look in Astress's eyes revealed she wanted to refuse at first, but upon hearing Kia's request, she considered if that was even an option any more.
"How can I decline one's plea for help, when that person gave me everything I could have ever asked for? I may not be the best person for this task, that I confess. However, on my title as Head Maid of the Diablo household, I shall put my all into making sure he will become a fine swordsman."
A large smile appeared on Kia's face.
"I know you will."
Astress turned around and looked sternly at me.
"I expect you to be here tomorrow morning, 8 A.M. sharp. Whatever happens, make sure to arrive on time, understand?!"
The tone in her voice made it seem to imply she would kill me if I didn't.
Frightened, I nodded my head as fast as I could.
At first, all she responded with was a wry smile and a cold look.
But then, she said in an almost villainous manner:
"Good. And please, do not let me down, rookie."
Why does it feel like I just forfeited my soul to the Devil?
And while a part of me did look forward to finally getting stronger, the rest of me feared what would await me tomorrow morning.