POV: MIGUEL CASTRO.
There was still a large cloud dispersing moments after the fight ended. The two remained on the ground, exhausted and breathing heavily.
The sparring was over, and even tired, I felt their minds racing, thinking about things they could have done differently. It was stubbornness from having lost. But also… focus.
They took it seriously. Much more than I expected.
I crossed my arms, observing them in silence for a few seconds. Helena wiped the sweat from her forehead and tried to get up.
Renata was already sitting, leaning her hands on the ground behind her, as if seeking support.
"We're going to do some revisions," I announced, with firmness in my voice.
"We're ending the duo session here".
Renata looked up at me, surprised. Helena also frowned, as if she wasn't satisfied with the abrupt end.
"Already?" Helena questioned me, her breathing still heavy.
"Yes," I confirmed, approaching them.
"Fighting in pairs is just the first part of training, it's only fifty percent of the problem".
Both looked at me attentively now. I took the opportunity to sit on the ground too, facing them. It was time to talk.
"You have great potential," I began, looking at both of them.
"Especially together. The synchronicity between your enchantments is impressive. When Helena advances, Renata covers her, and when the opposite happens, both alternate their roles; that is, there's strategy, there's cooperation… and that's rare"
Renata lowered her gaze for a moment, thoughtful. Helena just listened, attentive.
"Renata's style is tactical," I continued.
"She doesn't fight with brute force, nor does she take unnecessary risks. She has a good sense of when to strike and advance. You try to make my job difficult. You force me to make mistakes, to expose myself. And, at the same time, you cover your partner's rear. That's excellent"
Renata raised her face a little more. There was something of pride in her eyes, even if she tried to disguise it.
"But…" I added, in a more serious tone.
"You depend too much on Helena's presence. During our combat, I noticed that both maintain good coordination when teamed up, and worsen when separated; you need to learn to handle one-on-one combat situations better"
Renata nodded, without answering. She knew I was right.
I turned my gaze to Helena now.
"As for you, Helena…" I said, with a slight smile.
"You're like a glass cannon, as an old friend of mine used to say. You have a lot of energetic strength, mixing explosions with strong and well-intentioned blows. But you rely too much on intensity"
Helena tilted her head slightly, confused.
"Your combat is explosive. You start strong, fast, aggressive. And, for a while, it works. You almost matched me, even. But your stamina is low. When you started running out of energy, your defense dropped, your precision failed. And that's when you lost"
She clenched her fists, staring at the ground. The truth hurts. But it's necessary.
"Understand one thing," I said, looking at both of them now.
"What you have is rare. A duo that understands each other, supports each other, fights as one. But if you want to truly grow, you need to be strong individually too. Your synergy is incredible, but excessive reliance on the other is a disguised weakness"
Both remained silent. It wasn't an empty silence; it was one full of reflections.
"Teamwork cannot be a crutch," I added.
"It needs to be a weapon. And that means that if one falls, the other needs to keep fighting at the same level"
We remained silent for a few moments. The wind blew gently, carrying dust from the ground. The mid-afternoon sun beat down intensely from the sky.
'Not even in the south do we escape this heat… Damn it'
"I'm going to divide your training," I declared, finally.
"From now on, at least part of each session will be done individually"
As soon as I said that, I stood up and looked around. The arena was clearer of Renata's cloud effect.
"You need to learn to deal with pressure alone," I continued.
"Helena, you must learn to better manage your energetic explosion; try to pay more attention to your opponent's defense, analyze their behavior, and direct your energy towards effective attacks"
As soon as I finished, I noticed Helena's posture.
Paying close attention with her eyes on me.
It seemed she would be a good student; she listened when necessary and, apparently, was motivated.
Turning to Renata, who was still slightly downcast,
I believe it is due to fatigue. I pondered some moments before, and gave my feedback.
"Renata, your case is different; you don't have problems with energy, but with how to use it appropriately. Before continuing, I wanted to confirm something…" I commented, intending to clear a doubt I had when I received both their profiles. "Are both of you autistic, correct?".
Both nodded, assenting positively.
"Alright, Renata, I'm not sure exactly what you did to retain so many QPs, but your memory must probably be eidetic. Use that to your advantage," I instructed, bringing my hand to my head.
"Enchantments have a strong connection to the brain. We think of our energy as fuel; be careful not to spend too much on a fire that doesn't need to be too big," I continued.
"We need to know how much energy we spend, and where we'll spend it. You have a large reserve; if you learn to use it, you can cause damage"
Looking at both, I noticed they seemed to be pondering the information I had given them. I needed to be careful not to overload them with content or teachings.
'One step at a time, Miguel. One step at a time…'
Helena, who had been distracted for a moment, turned to me and asked something unexpected.
"Mr. Miguel, how do you think I could improve my use of enchantment? I feel like I'm not exploring its full potential".
"That's the next point I intended to address with you both: the utility of your enchantments," I replied, recalling key moments during the combat.
"Let's take it in parts; we all have several enchantments throughout our lives, but only a few are useful enough or have enough contact to enter our pool. By the way, are you familiar with that term?"
Both nodded almost in unison: "Yes, sir"
"Great, our pool is usually composed of three to five enchantments that we spend most of our time practicing, mastering, and improving our connection with," I commented, showing the number three with my left hand.
"Here, we enter the logic of JAT versus spike…"
Standing up quickly, I signaled with my hand, instructing them to stand up as well.
Something they did the next moment. Soon, they were a few meters in front of me. Before delving into that, I wanted to clarify an important doubt for the next stages of training.
'And in a way, crucial for their training…'
Conjuring in my left hand, my signature bookmark. The main element that indicated my marks and their symbols.
And that materializes every time a mage activates all their marks at the same time…
Mine glowed with a clear blue light, like any secondary dominator's. And it had five distinct symbols, each originating from a different literary work.
All belonging to the same interpretive style: Sentient.
"Before explaining what JAT and Spike are, I need to know what enchantments you possess…" I pointed out, already knowing what to ask next.
"Please show me your signature bookmarks…"