"Of course," Mavuika said. "I never intended to go easy on you, Hela, but giving it your all doesn't mean you have to hurt the other person. The balance between the two is exactly what we need to learn."
Hela pondered these words, then nodded. "I understand. It's like the pushing-hands exercise during training; you use the strength of your entire body, but you can't push the other person down and cause injury."
"Exactly so," Mavuika said with gratification.
Hela looked at the shimmering dark green glimmer in her hand and suddenly asked, "Sister, do you think my power is... scary? At the festival, the way those envoys looked at me..."
Mavuika withdrew her flames and turned to her younger sister, her expression serious. "Power itself has no good or evil, Hela."
"Fire can warm a home, but it can also incinerate all things. Shadows can bring danger, but they can also hide and protect. The key lies in the person using it—it lies in your heart."
She took Hela's hand. That ball of dark green light trembled slightly, but it did not dissipate.
"Your power is unique. Do not doubt it because of the gazes of others, and do not indulge it because of its strength. Understand it, master it, and then..."
Mavuika paused, her voice becoming gentle. "Use it to protect the things you cherish."
Hela looked at her sister, the unease in her eyes gradually settling, transforming into a steadfast light.
She gripped Mavuika's hand back, their palms pressed together as the residual energy resonated slightly.
"Mhm! I understand!" Hela nodded heavily.
The setting sun sank completely into the mountains, and stars began to emerge in the night sky of Asgard.
In the garden, the sisters' silhouettes were lengthened by the rising moonlight. They remained seated under the Apple tree, discussing the day's practice in low voices and sharing their insights with each other.
Behind a palace window in the distance, Odin and Frigga stood side by side, watching their daughters in the garden.
Frigga smiled and leaned against her husband's shoulder. "This is wonderful, isn't it?"
...
The day of the sparring match finally arrived.
The venue chosen was the largest training ground on the west side of the Golden Palace. Usually, this was where the Valkyries practiced their formations; the ground was paved with special stone capable of absorbing impact, and twelve giant pillars inscribed with protective runes stood around the perimeter.
To Mavuika's surprise, Odin did not clear the area.
On the contrary, he allowed some high-ranking warriors and members of the court to observe.
Volstagg, Hogun, and other well-known warriors of the Heavenly Palace stood at the edge of the field, while the Valkyrie commander Brynhildr stood on the other side with several lieutenants.
"Father is trying to put pressure on us," Mavuika said softly to Hela.
They were making their final preparations at the edge of the field, wearing light leather combat armor.
Hela checked the straps of her bracers, her eyes scanning the surrounding crowd, yet a sharp smile curled onto her lips. "Good. Let them see our power."
Frigga walked over and straightened her two daughters' collars.
Her movements were gentle, but there was a trace of imperceptible worry in her eyes.
"Remember, this is a spar, not a death match," the Queen instructed in a low voice. "Show your growth, not your destructive power."
"We will keep it under control, Mother," Mavuika promised.
Hela nodded, but the battle intent in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Odin walked to the center of the field, the Eternal Spear lightly tapping the ground. A low resonance brought silence to the entire venue.
"Begin." The King of the Gods spoke only one word before retreating to the high platform at the edge of the field to stand beside Frigga.
The sisters walked toward each other and stood ten paces apart in the center of the field.
Sunlight spilled from overhead, stretching their shadows until they met on the ground.
"Sister," Hela bowed slightly, performing a warrior's salute. "Please guide me."
Mavuika returned the salute with a composed posture. "Please guide me as well, sister."
The air seemed to freeze for an instant.
Then Hela moved.
Instead of charging directly as she usually did, she slid sideways. Her right hand gripped the air, and dark green energy surged from her palm, condensing into a translucent short sword.
The blade was narrow and long, with dark light flowing along its edges as if it could absorb the surrounding light.
A low gasp came from the sidelines; this was the first time Hela had condensed her power into a physical weapon in a public setting.
Mavuika's eyes brightened slightly. Instead of retreating, she advanced, her left hand tracing a line in front of her. An orange-red fire barrier instantly unfolded—not a thick wall, but a layer of flowing, semi-transparent light curtain.
Hela's Shadow Blade pierced the fire barrier. There was no penetration as expected; instead, it was like sinking into viscous lava, and its speed suddenly slowed.
The dark green and orange-red energies underwent corrosion against each other, emitting a faint hissing sound.
"Your control has improved," Mavuika praised sincerely. Simultaneously, she held her right hand with fingers together like a palm and delivered a flat strike toward Hela's flank.
This palm strike seemed gentle, but highly compressed fire energy was condensed in her palm.
Hela withdrew her sword to defend, the Shadow Blade tracing an arc in front of her, barely blocking the palm strike.
The two forces collided, erupting in a visible ripple that Swirl out in all directions, only to be absorbed by the training ground's protective runes.
In the first exchange, they were evenly matched.
An excited light flashed in Hela's eyes. She took half a step back, her left hand also gripping the air as a second Shadow Blade took shape.
With twin swords in hand, her aura shifted abruptly, changing from probing to a true offensive.
Over the next three minutes, a dazzling display of offense and defense played out on the field.
Hela's combat style was sharp and versatile, her twin swords like a venomous snake's tongue, launching attacks from various tricky angles.
Her footwork was nimble—sometimes a sudden dash, sometimes a spinning turn—as dark green trajectories wove a dangerous web in the air.
In contrast, Mavuika's response appeared calm and unhurried.
She did not condense any weapons, using only her hands and fire to respond.
Sometimes she guided the Shadow Blades into empty space, sometimes she used fire to neutralize the energy's sharpness, and sometimes she performed clever dodges, her form like willow catkins in the wind, always evading attacks at the critical moment.
"First Princess Mavuika is guiding this battle," Brynhildr whispered to her lieutenant on the high platform, her voice filled with admiration. "She is constantly controlling the distance and tempo, never giving Princess Hela the chance to explode with full power."
As the battle progressed, Hela's attacks became increasingly organized.
She began to predict Mavuika's dodging directions, and the coordination of her twin swords became more seamless.
One feint followed by a spinning slash almost grazed Mavuika's shoulder armor.