The sun was already high when Abraão finally woke up. The hut smelled of fresh tea and baked bread—Mahina always woke up early to make this. He stretched on the straw bed, feeling the aching muscles from yesterday's training. His right arm throbbed a little, but it was a good pain, the kind that said, "You're progressing." Level 76. Nothing too serious, but each point seemed earned with sweat.
He picked up his old sword and went out to the clearing. The sky was clear, the sun beating down, but the moons were still visible like pale ghosts in the blue. He started slowly: Light Cut repeated 50 times, then 100. His arm trembled on the last set, sweat dripping down his forehead, onto the dry earth. He thought of Lia—the way she laughed when she missed, the warmth of her hand in his yesterday. And now there was Lio too. The long-haired boy who appeared out of nowhere and hugged him like family. Abraão smiled to himself. It's getting crowded with important people... and I don't want to miss any of them.
He heard light footsteps on the trail. Lia appeared first, in a light white dress with light blue details, her hair tied in a ponytail tousled by the wind. She carried a small basket.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." She smiled, stopping at the entrance to the clearing. "I brought more moon fruits... and bread from the village bakery. Don't starve me today, okay?"
Abraão dropped his sword on the grass and went to her. "Good morning. You came early."
"I couldn't sleep well. I kept thinking about yesterday... the training, the conversation. The kiss." She blushed a little, but didn't look away. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Better now that you're here."
She laughed softly. "Liar. You're all sweaty and look like you trained all day."
"I did train. But now that you're here, I can rest a little."
Lia put the basket on the ground and sat on the large rock. "Then rest. Eat first. Then we'll train."
They ate together. Moon fruits exploding with sweet juice in their mouths, warm bread with creamy cheese. Lia recounts that her mother used to make the same bread when she was little, Abraham says that Elias loved to steal fruit from the basket and run away. Laughter, comfortable silence, glances that lasted a second longer.
After lunch, training began. Abraham picked up the extra wooden sword.
"Come on, let's repeat what we did yesterday. High elbow, loose wrist."
Lia picked up the sword, her posture still crooked. She tried the Light Cut. It came out weak, but straight.
"Look! Better than yesterday!"
Abraham smiled. "See? You're getting the hang of it."
He stood behind her, holding her arms to correct her. "Like this... take a deep breath. Now go."
She tried again. A more fluid cut. Lia turned to him, her eyes shining. "You're a good teacher, you know?"
"It's because I have a dedicated student."
She blushed. "Stop showering me with compliments... otherwise I'll get embarrassed."
Abraham laughed. "Then I'll be quiet. But keep training."
They trained for hours. Sun beating down, sweat dripping, grass flying with the blows. Lia missed, cursed softly ("damn wrist!"), laughed at herself, tried again. Abraham corrected her patiently, sometimes touching her arm, sometimes just talking.
At one point, she stopped, panting. "Abraham... why do you train so much? Like... you're already strong."
He lowered his sword. "Because I don't want to lose anyone else. My family... I couldn't protect them. Now I have you, my mother, Lio... I want to be strong enough not to fail again."
Lia was quiet. Then she took his hand. "You won't fail. I believe in you."
He squeezed her hand. "Thank you. That helps more than you can imagine."
That's when they heard light footsteps on the trail. Liora appeared at the edge of the clearing, her silvery-blue hair swaying, a black tunic with a pleated skirt, a thin sword on her back. Large, shy violet eyes.
"Abraham-nii... I came... like you said yesterday. Can I stay?"
Abraham nodded. "Of course, Lio. Come here."
Lia looked at him, then at Liora. "So... you're the boy with the ball yesterday?"
Liora nodded, blushing. "Yes... I'm Liora. Lio... if you want."
Lia smiled, but there was a glint of curiosity (and perhaps jealousy). "Cute. Do you fight with a sword?"
Liora perked up. "Yes! My skill is Lunar Veils! Can I show you?"
Abraham: "Sure. Let's train the three of us. Lia attacks, Lio defends with a veil, I cut in half."
The three-way training began. The sun beat down, sweat dripping. Lia attacked with a wooden sword (still missing, but improving). Liora danced: twirling, skirt billowing, lunar veils appearing like colored mist, confusing the attacks. Abraham cut in half with Light Cut — precision increasing with the two nearby.
Lia laughed when one of Liora's veils confused her: "Hey! That's cheating!"
Liora: "It's defense! Abraham-nii said to help!"
Abraão: "You two are good. Together we're better."
Hours passed. Arms ached, breaths heavy, laughter mixed with light curses. At one point, Lia tripped on a root. Abraham caught her by the waist.
"Careful."
She looked at him, face close. "Thank you... again."
Liora saw, made a subtle pout, but said nothing.
At the end of the afternoon, the three sat on the grass, exhausted. The sun was setting, the moons were slowly shining.
Lia: "It was fun... even though I was almost dying of exhaustion."
Liora: "I like it here. Can I come tomorrow?"
Abraão: "Every day. You two are welcome."
Lia rested her head on his shoulder: "Thank you for letting me be a part of this."
Liora looked at the two of them, smiling, but with a different gleam in her eyes.
Her cell phone vibrated. Mission: "Train as a group for 5 hours. Post a picture of the three of you sweaty. #TeamNascente"
Reward: +2 levels (78). New layer: "Group Power Level 1" (cuts gain +5% accuracy in a group — minimum).
Abraham took the picture: the three of them sweaty, smiling, swords on the ground.
Liora: "Can you keep this for me too? So I can remember that you let me stay."
Lia: "Sure. Now we're a team."
Abraão put his phone away. He looked at the sky—the sun setting, the moons shining.