I still couldn't stop worrying about yesterday. Abel's reaction hadn't been normal. I should apologize to him today.
"Are you feeling alright?" It seemed I had worried Mom."I'm fine. It's nothing.""That's good. You used to worry me a lot in the past, but ever since you started getting along with Abel, my worries have eased.""It's all thanks to him. If it were up to me, I'd still be sad like before. I'm grateful that isn't the case."
Talking about it made me remember the moment he told me:
If you don't have a dream, then share mine until you can find one of your own.
Those words changed everything for me. They gave me a reason to move forward.
"I'm grateful to him."
When I looked at her, I saw her smiling as she finished preparing the meal.
"Here. You said you'd be training with him again today, so you need to eat if you want to grow even stronger.""Thank you."
After finishing my meal, I headed toward the village entrance. Commander Glenn was there.
"Good morning, lad. It's good to see you today.""The feeling's mutual, sir. Has Abel arrived yet?""Well, about that… it seems he was wandering far from the village and only returned home at night, which worried us a bit. But he seems fine.""Was it because of what I did yesterday?""I don't think he gave it that much importance."
Still, I couldn't forget the look on his face, or how frustrated he had seemed.
As I worried, I felt someone throw an arm over my shoulder, leaning against me.
"Exactly. I wouldn't worry over small things."
When I looked at him, there was his usual smile.
"Is that so? I felt a bit guilty.""You always worry about everything. You should drop that bad habit.""I'll try.""You should. Well, while we're here, time's passing, isn't it? It's time to train."
As soon as he finished speaking, he ran toward the training grounds like always. Maybe I really was worrying over nothing.
I tried to follow him, but I couldn't match his pace. By the time I reached the field, he was already ready.
"Come on, let's not waste time."
I grabbed my wooden sword and took my stance.
"I'm ready.""Then let's not say anything else. Let's begin."
As the match started, he remained still, wearing a wide smile, perhaps waiting for me to make the first move. I took the initiative and swung, but my blade only cut through the air.
"Come on, you showed more energy yesterday."
He took advantage of my open guard and struck hard against my left side. Though he didn't seem to put much effort into it, the blow was far more painful and solid than usual.
I couldn't let him take the initiative. When I tried to strike back, he deflected my attack, but I seized a small opening he left and struck his left shoulder.
"Nice hit.""I'm just getting started."
He raised his sword and swung. I barely avoided it by jumping back.
"I wanted to see if that hit still hurt."
He wore his usual smile—or at least what I believed was his usual smile. He gestured with his hand, signaling me to advance.
It was always like this. But since I won yesterday, I felt like I couldn't lose again. I'd worry about him later. For now, I had to give it everything.
I leapt forward, throwing my weight into the charge. My sword thrust landed, one he couldn't completely avoid. He staggered, but remained standing, smiling despite the pain.
I couldn't lose momentum. I pulled my sword back and swung straight at his face. For some reason, he didn't defend himself. The impact was heavy. I didn't hold back.
"You know… that hurt," he said, smiling before letting out a small sigh. "Get ready."
His expression turned serious.
He raised his sword, but as he moved it toward me, the handle snapped.
Did he grip it too hard? He looked nervous as he stared at the broken wooden blade on the ground.
"What just happened?"
When he heard the question, his face turned red, as if this wasn't supposed to happen.
"It's nothing."
He went to replace his sword. This time, he truly looked ready.
"I'm ready.""Good."
I advanced with my sword held in front of me to guard myself. He simply raised his and struck mine. I barely managed to keep my grip. I was completely open.
"I'm sorry."
He delivered a single attack—firm and precise. The moment it connected, I couldn't stay on my feet. It felt as if my body had been somewhere else a second ago.
…
"Uggh…"
What happened? What just occurred?
"Lad, are you alright?"
Glenn's voice sounded worried.
"I think so…"
When I tried to sit up, something felt wrong. When I finally looked, I saw my left arm.
It was broken.
The pain I hadn't felt before suddenly exploded, flooding my mind. Glenn looked even more concerned—perhaps he hadn't noticed until now.
What… just happened?