The sun had lowered behind the horizon, and the sky was painted in a blend of orange and violet. The air around the training field had grown cold compared to when Isabella and Fuyari trained.
Isabella stood across from Fuyari, her sword resting against her shoulder as she wiped sweat from her forehead.
"You're slower than I thought," Fuyari said, her voice sharp but calm.
Isabella raised an eyebrow, her red hair flowing in the air.
"And you're louder than I hoped."
Fuyari tilted her head, brushing her black hair back with her hand, which was tied together into two ponytails. She also wore baggy black pants with a jacket.
"You think that tone makes you seem better than everyone else?"
"I don't think anything of the sort," Isabella replied, her tone even but her eyes cold.
It wasn't the first time they'd clashed. Ever since Fuyari was assigned to Isabella by Urashin Kari, tension hung between them.
Isabella found Fuyari's attitude irritating. She spoke like every conversation was a test of pride.
And Fuyari, on the other hand, thought Isabella carried herself like a queen who refused to step down from her throne.
They trained together because there was no other choice. Urashin wanted Lucian to fall, and she owed his life to him.
When their blades met, sparks scattered into the air. Isabella's sword sliced through the wind with precision, while Fuyari's curved scythe danced around it like water flowing around stone.
"You hesitate too much," Fuyari said.
"And you talk too much," Isabella shot back.
Their weapons locked. For a moment, they stood close enough to see their reflections in each other's eyes.
Fuyari's scythe pushed Isabella's sword aside, and with a sudden twist, she knocked it out of her hand.
Fuyari lowered her weapon. "You shouldn't act like you're better than everyone else. That noble clan of yours doesn't mean anything here."
Isabella froze. The words struck her harder than any blade could.
"What did you just say?" She asked, her tone dropping.
"You heard me," Fuyari said, her eyes narrowing.
"It's always the same with you people. Walking with your head high, like you're made of something more than the rest of us. It's pathetic."
Isabella's fingers clenched around her sword hilt. She felt the heat rising inside her chest, a familiar flame she tried to control.
"If you're done pretending to know me, you can drop that annoying attitude of yours."
"At least I'm honest about who I am," Fuyari replied. "You hide behind that calm face, pretending you're untouchable. But you're just scared someone might see through it."
That was when Isabella turned and walked away. She didn't say another word.
The rest of the training session passed in silence, broken only by the sound of the wind and the faint hum of the insects around them.
Later that night, the house, where three other people lived, but were out of town for the next few months, was quiet.
Isabella sat outside, on the railing of the terrace, staring up at the stars. She didn't expect company, but Fuyari eventually appeared, holding two cups of tea.
"I didn't mean to offend you earlier," Fuyari said, setting one cup beside her.
Isabella didn't answer right away. Her gaze stayed fixed on the night sky. "You didn't offend me. You just said something you didn't understand."
"Could you explain it?" Fuyari asked, with softness in her voice.
Isabella took the warm cup in her hands.
"My clan is gone. Everyone. My uncles, my cousins, the whole bloodline. Wiped out by a man whose face I can't recall when I was ten. So when someone talks about it like it's still something to be proud of… it doesn't sit well with me."
Fuyari's expression faltered. For once, her confidence broke apart. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
The Emberveil clan was annihilated years ago, but for some reason, Fuyari never thought about it through Isabella's view.
Isabella smiled faintly, though her eyes looked distant.
"You weren't wrong, though. I used to act like I was above others. I was born into the higher branch within the clan, and it's hard to let go of something that was beaten into you."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward. It just lingered between them, soft and heavy.
Fuyari looked at Isabella again, noticing the faint cut running across her forehead. "What about that cut? Did that happen during training, too?"
Isabella touched it lightly. "There was an invasion, and I tried to take on a Hunter all on my own, but it didn't end well. On that same day, Kazuhiko died, and I couldn't do anything to save him."
Fuyari leaned back, staring up at the stars.
For a second, she hesitated, then sighed.
"I was born in a poor and corrupt town. People like you didn't even glance at us. My mother worked herself to death to feed me, and when she was gone, I swore I'd never need anyone again. But then Urashin found me, and it felt like fate had saved me. Pride is all I had left. If I lose that, I'm a nobody."
Isabella listened quietly. The pain in Fuyari's tone felt real in a way words rarely captured.
The two of them sat under the stars, neither saying anything for a long time. The moonlight reflected off their faces, softening the edges that clashed earlier that day. Somewhere between silence and understanding, something shifted.
The next morning, the tension between them felt lighter. They met at the same training field, but the air wasn't hostile anymore.
Fuyari swung her scythe in wide arcs, and her movements were fluid and balanced.
"I do want you to take down Lucian Daichi. He's a corrupt man. But for that, you need better control of not just your Kensei, but your Seikodo, Naiko, and especially Shintai."
They began again. This time, Fuyari guided her movements, correcting her stance and forcing her to block faster.
The weight of the scythe looked unnatural in Fuyari's hands, yet she handled it like it was weightless. Her control was impeccable, with her strikes being sharp but measured.
When Isabella tried channeling her Kishin, her blade erupted in flames. The air shimmered with heat. Fuyari's scythe spun through the fire and struck the sword aside, sending Isabella tumbling.
"Too much power," Fuyari said. "You're burning through your stamina too fast."
"...I know."
Their blades met again. The rhythm of their duel changed, being less about anger and more about learning.
Fuyari moved with the calm of someone who had fought a hundred battles. Isabella followed her lead, refining her swings, shortening her reach, adjusting her timing.
But in the end, Fuyari still won. She swept Isabella's sword from her hand and held her scythe near her neck, smiling faintly.
"That's four to zero," She said.
Isabella glared but couldn't help smiling back. "You... keep score?"
"Of course I do, otherwise you wouldn't know how far behind you are."
Despite Fuyari being twenty years old, she had an advantage in every area during fights, even though Isabella was just three years younger than her.
Isabella wanted to keep up with her, but every step she took felt like she was getting further from her goal.
The following days were all the same, clashing with their weapons, Fuyari winning, and Isabella trying to adapt.
The nights were quiet, where the two of them enjoyed tea and chatted with each other about various topics. Isabella felt bad because she had misjudged Fuyari.
The following two weeks were spent on different sword practices and how to channel Kishin into the blade.
Fuyari's scythe glowed purple when she did it. Isabella, on the other hand, had to approach it differently, since her Kensei was directly tied to her sword.
"Like this?" Isabella asked, her blade burning with bright red and orange flames.
Fuyari could feel the heat meters away, while nodding.
"I'm sorry, Fuyari. But I have to release the Kishin I've channeled."
"Huh? W-wait a second!"
Isabella swung her blade towards Fuyari, and she had no choice but to try and tank it with her huge scythe. The fire almost burnt her dark hair.
She did it. Fuyari had blocked Isabella's attack, but not without a cost.
Her face was covered in ashes, and her hair was a mess.
Isabella only grinned at her, accomplishing a feat she hadn't expected to do that early.
That's how the training went, but Isabella wasn't willing to forget about Fuyari after everything they went through.
"Here. Add me as a contact." Isabella said, flashing her phone in Fuyari's face.
"You want to add me?" Fuyari was shocked.
"Do it before I change my mind."
Fuyari took out her phone and typed in Isabella's contact information.
Training aside, the two of them had grown from hating each other to becoming friends.
And maybe that was enough for now.