Commodus drops into a defensive stance, his knees slightly bent, his eyes locking into mine, just waiting for any sign of movement or hesitation. His katana rests in front of him, held with 2 steady hands, awaiting my attack.
In response, I shift into an offensive stance, raising my katana above my head, one hand on the hilt, the other hanging by my side.
We circled each other, both searching for any sign of weakness, an opening.
After a few moments, I make the first move, charging forward, slamming my katana down with great strength and speed.
Commodus remains calm. Even as my sword comes crashing down, against his with enough sheer weight and power to break through a less experienced warrior's stance, he merely shifts over, lifting his sword and parrying my attack, effortlessly pushing me back with a single fast, fluid motion.
As I rush to recover, he launches his counterattack, charging at me, aiming to catch me off guard. Instead of facing his blade and parrying or blocking, I dodge, slipping behind him. raising my blade, I attempt to cut him down from behind, but before I am able drop my blade, he quickly bashes his shoulder into my chest with great strength, sending my body to the floor.
The concrete slams against my back. My ribs hurt like hell. I scramble off the floor, somehow recovering. But Commodus quickly closed the distance. It felt like he was right on top of me. Each slash from his blade came faster than I could track. They were quick, insanely quick. I block one strike, then another, but I couldn't keep up. I could no longer sense his movements, they were too fast. I could feel my muscles start to tire as the rain continued to blur my vision.
Suddenly, I saw the flash of his blade, gleaming in the sunlight. As his attack was about to land, I merely pivoted, moving my katana toward the flash, blocking his strike. It happened once, then again, then again. I was so focused on his sword, I didn't even realize that he had closed the distance.
As I performed another successful block, he shifted his weight, planting his leg behind mine. Before I was able to react, he bashed his shoulder into my chest, knocking me to the ground once again.
My bones ached and my body was bruised. He didn't even give me a second to breathe. He was on me again, leaping forward with unrelenting speed. I barely rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding his strike. Even after getting back up on my feet, he was on me again, closing the distance. He was relentless. I kept blocking, searching for an opening. Suddenly, his hits felt harder, his sword moved faster. Even if I could see the glint of his katana, I couldn't react fast enough.
It felt like fighting dozens opponents at once. He kept striking at me, over and over, too quick for me to respond. Desperation began to click in as my muscles began to sore.
If I didn't do something drastic, I would no doubt lose. Commodus raised his blade once more, and as a shine appeared in the corner of my eye, I ducked.
springing back up, I raised my arm, hitting Commodus with a big clothesline to the chest, throwing him to the concrete floor.
Commodus hit the ground hard, releasing a loud grunt. I capitalize on the maneuver jumping, onto him with my katana aiming for his neck.
Commodus anticipates it. As soon as I latched onto him, he pushed his katana up, blocking my own. With nothing guarding my face other than my helmet, he smashed his thick skull into mine sending me into a daze. Before I realized what was happening, he had already grabbed the side of my head. Using his strength, he pushed me off of him, smashing my head against the concrete floor.
I can hear a crack as my helmet breaks under his strength. My head hurt so bad. It felt as if my brain had just exploded, and not once but twice.
If there was one thing I underestimated the most about this old man, it was no doubt his strength.
I was born on this planet, Tundara, a relatively small, low-gravity world where every movement was quick and easy. But Commodus was born in the depths of Thraxis. A volcanic hellscape with skull crushing gravity, powerful enough to ground many old, light weighted ships. On Thraxis, every step was a battle against the planet itself. His body had been forged by that constant and unyielding pressure, strengthening his muscles, making him almost inhuman.
His blade pierced my neck as he screamed for me to yield. I couldn't understand him. My head was throbbing from pain and his screams were unrecognizable. I could feel my hot blood pouring out the side of my face. As his blade pierced even deeper, I tapped instinctively, fearing for my life.
I had lost. And it wasn't close
Commodus sits me up against a tree. I watch as he squats in front of me, his hands turning my head left and right, checking out the damage he had caused.
"Im sorry, I should have held back a bit." he mutters, looking at the huge gash on the right side of my head.
"Can you still see? How many fingers am I holding up?" He asks, showing me his hand. It was extremely blurry, I could see multiple hands, all holding what looked like 3 fingers.
"Three" I said, still huffing and puffing, trying to catch my breathe.
"There's four, but good enough." he says chuckling.
"Can you stand?"
I shrug tiredly.
"Im not sure"
"Just try for me" he says, picking me back up onto my feet. I lean against the tree, trying to find my bearings. My surroundings were blurry, and my legs were shaking, yet I could still stand on 2 feet.
"Just give me a bit of time" I told him, still holding on to the tree.
"Alright"
…
Commodus pulls me back up onto the path. The sun now fully visible beyond the horizon.
As we lay in the mud, too tired from the climb, Commodus finally presses me about my decision.
"I know this isn't the best time, but we are alone. Have you made your decision?" he asks, his eyes staring deep into mine looking for a reaction.
I freeze for a moment, not answering immediately. Instead, I pretend to catch my breath, attempting to mask my true thoughts. The air becomes awkward as silence envelops the space around us, only being broken by the never-ending downpour.
I think back to my childhood. My brother and I have never gotten along, but more than that, we never really understood each other. There was always some sort of distance between us, a line that neither of us dared to cross. We were like reflections of each other, we had the same amount of passion for completely opposite goals.
He craved glory, the honor that comes from victory, the thrill of conflicts, the feeling of a weapon in his hand, giving him power. My brother played the role of a warrior perfectly. He fought many duels and even fought in minor conflicts allowing him to achieve 5 dashes before he even attended the university. He loved fighting, he loved the attention he gained after every scuffle and the tales told after every duel. I cant help but think of him as a cruel solider, loyal, but without emotion. He will do what he is told, never going against the grain, trying to gain glory for himself and this house.
And then there was me. I never cared much about how others saw me, nor my honor. I never really had a purpose, but I wanted to be someone in charge. I really enjoyed using my sword like most warriors do but I am just as much afraid of death as I am the unknown, which I fear greatly. I value my life, yet I still want to do something with it. I want to be remembered as someone who shaped the universe, someone whose decisions made a lasting impact, someone who is worthy of life, not someone who is only remembered in legends for their combat like my father, and the person my brother wishes to become.
I can't imagine myself dying at his hands, or even becoming his subordinate. The very idea makes me shiver. I know that my brother will be probably more than a warlord, willing to throw anyone's life away, as long as it ensures victory and glory. The thought of fighting for the Aeperium's endless wars, and watching him lead house Virellis, while I get nothing but the remnants of our legacy, seems like a fate worse than death itself.
Seeing my reaction and predicting my thoughts, Commodus continues to attempt to persuade me into becoming his pupil. "You have the chance to free yourself this house, becoming a man who chases his own dreams and achieving his own goals. You would have the immense power to do almost anything." He says, releasing a small chuckle. "With the imperion on his death bed, if you were to beat the rest of the house blades, you could one of, if not the most powerful man in the Aeperium. You could do practically anything!" He says, tempting me like the devil.
I glance at him, my expression unreadable. "And you think I'll just abandon everything I have, for you and your opportunities ?" I ask, the words coming out harsher than I intended.
He doesn't flinch at my question. For a moment, I wonder if he sees the doubt, flickering behind my eyes. "well I believe that there is a chance your brother will try to kill you." he says suddenly, his tone smooth, and words simple, like he's speaking to a toddler. "He would need to unite the house and show off his strength. I even hear that he has been training with Lynt Dray, the bastard child of house Dray, a 1st tier duelist at the university. And even if he doesn't attempt to kill you, do you really want him to be your leader when you have the opportunity to become your own boss. And don't you also need to think about your wife's situation?" He continues. If he does choose to kill you, he'd also need to kill her. And you'd be lucky if that's all he did..."
My eyes fixate on his. rage boiling inside of me as various scenarios play out in my head. "Shut the hell up." I tell him, disgusted by his words. "Do you think that mother would really allow Ares to do something like that?" I question. Mother loved Aurelia and I, there was no way she'd allow anything like that to occur.
He releases another faint chuckle
"Yeah but what about after? What about when she's gone? Sure your mother will protect the both of you, but like me, she is getting old. Once she's gone, theres not much protecting you two from him." he paused, letting the weight of his words set in.
"How do you plan to protect me?" I ask, wondering if my own blood would do that to me.
Commodus shrugged.
"Well, my plan is to take you as my apprentice, then train you on Thraxis. I am going to keep you far away from house Virellis' territory and keep you isolated, at least until you've grown and are well trained. After that, I suppose it's up to you. I doubt that you'll be able to go back home, due to the political climate, so I suppose that you'll just need to stick with me for a while.."
I nod
"And what about Aurelia?" I ask. He has been rambling on and on about me, but what about my wife. She was just as, if not more important than I am.
"I cant do much regarding her. You are gonna have to rely on your mother to protect her. She should be fine once she attends the university. Your training should be done before she graduates. we can decide what to do then. We still have many years before that even happens..." he tells me, rubbing his chin.
"Who knows, I could even send you to the university for the last year or two and reunite you both." He says casually, looking up at the sky.
My brows furrow as I think long and hard.
"Are you sure that she'll be alright?" I ask, numerous thoughts and scenarios running through my mind.
"I could tell your mother adores her, more than you it seems." He said chucking.
"As you said, your mother will protect her, at least until she gets to the university. Im certain. After that however, I cant be so sure..."
"So what do you say?" he asks, "Will you become my disciple?"
I sigh. He keeps pushing me for an answer and the more I think about it, the less reason I have to say no. I really doubt that my brother wishes to kill me, but I suppose that I'll never know for certain. Is this really my best option?
After a few moments, I find myself nodding to the tune of his words "I suppose I'll have to take you up on this opportunity."